Our holiday adventure...

Dear Nicky,

This time tomorrow I will be writing this in longhand in Anguilla, one of the British West Indies in the Caribbean. We're all going tomorrow at the crack of dawn. We're flying out of Newark, and man oh man, I hope everything goes smoothly, from the plane ride to how Junie behaves on the plane. Once we get there it's going to be nice, warm, sunny, beautiful beaches. It's the trip I worry about a bit, but it'll be great to have our little family together in the tropics for the holidays.

Love,
Dad

The school nurse...

Dear Nicky,

This morning, the school social worker came by and asked us some questions in order to further along the transition process. Very nice lady. Also today we went to the school nurse for the board of ed. Seems that it's required that you pass a vision/hearing exam as part of the transition process. The nurse was another very nice lady who tried to accommodate us, but it's just something you're too young for. So after the New Year will get her some reports from your ENT and your eye doc so they know what we already know: that you can see and hear fine. What's comforting about this whole transition process is that everybody is on the ball and is very nice. Nice. Nice. Everybody is nice.

Love,
Dad

Santy Claus...

Dear Nicky,

Today was the Stepping Stones Christmas party. It was nice, but it's really designed for the bigger kids. It was loud and crowded. We stayed for a while, then bounced. As I was putting Junie's jacket on her, somehow the zipper pinched her skin and she screamed bloody murder. At home you took a nice nap, had no lunch, worked well with your speech therapist, then had a decent dinner. The last couple nights you've fussed a little bit, but seem okay.

Love,
Dad

On demand...

Dear Nicky,

Well, you're sure getting better about standing and walking, my friend. You can do it pretty much at will, at least as far as standing is concerned. You're still a little nervous about walking. You're not in love with the idea, but it's growing on you. I catch you practicing in secret sometimes. Earlier today I asked you very nicely to stand up, and initially you deferred, a little irritated but then you did it and did it perfectly. This demonstrates not only your physical capability of standing up, but it also demonstrates a character willing to do something for someone else. It's not merely an eagerness to please but a willingness to do something a little challenging. It's self-sacrifice. It's courage.

Love,
Dad

December 18, 2007...

Dear Nicky,

Nothing major going on today, but you did well at Stones and with your PT. Got you an electronic bug earlier, just something I picked up at Radio Shack. It moves around and can detect obstacles. You went nuts for it and wrecked it in about 15 minutes. You're a kid; that's your job.

Love,
Dad

Some good news...

Dear Nicky,

So we all four went to Dr. Berg this morning so he could look at your ear. Last time he told us it looked like your ear tube had come out, but today he said it no longer seems to have any fluid in there, which makes him think the tube is still functioning, which is good on many levels. At home today you stood up of your own volition, then repeated it twice when asked. You're so great!

Love,
Dad

An afternoon party...

Dear Nicky,

This afternoon we went to a little party at the house of a friend from Stones. They had a nice house and they put out quite a spread for everybody. I think we all had a nice time. As we were leaving I almost slipped on some icy steps while carrying Junie and the diaper bag, but I was pretty amazed at how I recovered. I simply willed myself not to fall. It was a like a Jedi thing.

Love,
Dad

Sleepless last night, diner tonight...

Dear Nicky,

Again, I'm much to sleepy.

Love,
Dad

Brief...

Dear Nicky,

I'm so tired, my boy. I'm just going to go to sleep.

Love,
Dad

Icy day...

Dear Nicky,

There was an ice storm today, but nothing major. You did okay at Stones and with your speech therapy at home. You're still mighty congested, but you seem quite happy. Pretty uneventful day.

Love,
Dad

Nice daycare...

Dear Nicky,

You're so sweet and good and gentle. I hope there's not too much fluid in your ear. It's a little thing in the scheme of things, but still... You and Junie had a good day at daycare. You usually always do, but this time so did Junie, from start to finish. Of course, much later, at home, she went into a frenzy, but still...

Love,
Dad

More walking...

Dear Nicky,

With me holding your hand, we walked all the way from the Stones front door to our car. I just knew you'd do better out on the tarmac. It's not as inviting a surface for you. At one point you almost wanted to quit and sit down, but much to your credit, when I said to keep going, you knuckled down and did it. I was very proud of you, but then again, I always am.

Love,
Dad

Another happy Monday...

Dear Nicky,

Today was an ordinary day, but it was good. You napped poorly, but you ate reasonably well and you "made" well. What more could anyone ask?

Love,
Dad

Leafy day...

Dear Nicky,

This morning Mom took you guys to church. It was a new thing for you, sort of. It was the same place as your midweek drop in daycare, except it was on a Sunday. Both you guys did really well. I started raking leaves shortly after you left and kept at for about four hours. We had a lot of leaves. Granny came over but fled when Junie started to cry. Mom took you guys to the store, then we fed you and watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. You were quite into it. Then we put you to bed and had tacos for dinner.

Love,
Dad

New shoes and a scraped nose...

Dear Nicky,

Today after I got back from getting the Subaru lube-oil-and-filtered, we went and got you a pair of shoes. Same exact kind as you've had for a while, but a half size bigger to accommodate your orthotics. It took us longer to find parking than it did to get your shoes. Now you have a new, roomier pair of shoes. Afterward we went down to this park at the Watchung Reservation. While I trailed Junie and made sure she didn't eat and goose turds, Mom helped you practice your walking. You stumbled a bit, and your nose scraped the ground. There was a little blood, but you were brave and tough, and as soon as we put you on the swings you forgot all about it. After dinner tonight, Junie broke one of the Christmas candles in our front window, and you almost broke another. Guess we won't have them in the living room.

Love,
Dad

Guess they were right...

Dear Nicky,

Well, you know what? Turns out your therapists were right. You may have been a little hard of hearing because your left ear tube has come out! This morning we went to Doc Moc's office to have you checked out. Your right ear tube looks beautiful, your left had too much wax in it and looked out of place, so this afternoon we went to Doc Berg's office and he pulled a wad of wax out of there and saw that the tube is out of your eardrum and sort of stuck in your ear canal. Your eardrum is all closed up again and may or may not contain fluid. More than likely you'll have to have a new one inserted, I'm afraid.

Love,
Dad

Another concern...

Dear Nicky,

I dunno if it's a conspiracy, but another therapist at Stones told us we should make sure you're hearing is okay and everything is clear with your ear tubes. They say you're less verbal and not as focused. I doubt they know what they're talking about. Maybe you're just having a bad day. Tomorrow we go see a doc, then a school nurse who will also evaluate your hearing and eyesight, then I go get my own eyes checked. Lots of appointments!

Love,
Dad

The meeting...

Dear Nicky,

So let me catch you up, okay? As you know, the other day I finished the Me book, which is basically an introduction to the wonder that is my boy Nick. The purpose of this is to present it to this committee with whom we met yesterday. This was a determination meeting to see if you qualified for special educational requirements. Now, because of your diagnosis, this was merely a formality, but it was legally required to get the ball rolling in order to have things rolling when you do your transition in March. Anyway, everybody was really nice and they seemed sincere, and they loved the Me book and couldn't get over how cute you were, etc. So, maybe I'm naive, but I think it went pretty well. I don't think their facilities really meet our needs, but we have to go through the motions. They'd be lucky to have you, though.

Love,
Dad

Good meeting...

Dear Nicky,

Today we had a meeting that went pretty well. I'll tell you later because I'm so tired.

Love,
Dad

The book is done...

Dear Nicky,

Today I finished your Me book. It wasn't hard, but it took some work and trips to the copy shop. I'm spent.

Love,
Dad

Nearly done...

Dear Nicky,

The Book of Nick is just about done. I finished it this afternoon while you guys were sleeping. Then when Mom came home I added some pictures. It needs some correcting and some final tweaks here and there, but it's mostly finished. Tomorrow I hope to finalize it and reproduce it, then package it and have it ready for Tuesday. It was a little hard to find the time to think clearly enough to do you justice, but I think I did okay. It was a pleasure, and doing it made me happy. I hope it serves us well.

Love,
Dad

Granddaddy lends a hand...

Dear Nicky,

Today Granddaddy came over out of the blue to keep an eye on you guys. It was good of him to pitch in like that. I used the time to get some reports copied and clean up some leaves and to look for a snow thrower. I did the first two, but did not succeed in getting a snow thrower. Maybe tomorrow. I also wrote another two pages in your bio. You and June had a nice time with Granddaddy. You guys ate pretty well today also, so it's all good.

Love,
Dad