You know that feeling when you have so many hands lifting you up and supporting you and you feel like there is nothing you can’t do?
I think that is where Cody is in life right now.
When we left Suisun, he could recognize his numbers up to 20, knew his capital letters and could spell his name along with a few other letters and numbers.
We moved here in mid-February and Cody was not able to complete jigsaw puzzles, use scissors, hold a pencil using a tri-pod position, or read.
2 weeks ago on a Wednesday, his teacher sent home flashcards with the words “I, A, the, my, see” on them and asked me to have practice reading those words. I was shocked when I showed them to him and he read them. Sure, “I” and “A” are totally easy, but he also read “the”, “my” and “see”.
I was anxious to go to school the next day to ask the teacher how long he had been working on reading those words. I was surprised when she said he had just started reading them on Monday!!!
It has been 3 weeks since he started trying and he is now reading 12 words!
What I love about this school is the support system that the kids provide for both my boys.
Cody’s teacher has figured out that Cody loves praise, cheering, and clapping when he does something correctly. I know this has motivated him to try so much harder in class.
It is not uncommon to walk down the hallways on the way to class without an endless amount of children calling out good mornings and hellos to either of my boys.
During recesses and lunch, Cody spends time with the “typical” classes. It is heartwarming when I see kids calling for him to play with them or making room for him at the lunch table.
DJ once told me that he saw Cody walking to the lunch table and heard a number of kids calling out for Cody to sit with them and moving over to make room. Cody decided upon a seat next to a couple of kids and the kids he did not sit beside grumbled and voiced their wishes that Cody would move to sit beside them.
It makes me cry at how wonderful the kids, their parents and teachers are to him.
They see what we see – CODY – and not Down Syndrome.
By his actions, personality and progress you can tell that these open arms have given him a confidence that he has never had before.
After just the first week of school, he was holding a pencil correctly (he previously wrote in a fist). Within the first month, he was completing floor puzzles and cutting with scissors.
The other day, I was amazed when he completed a 24 piece puzzle all by himself!
He continues to amaze me and I am thankful for all the cheerleaders in his life that encourage him to keep pushing to succeed.
Just a little bit of confidence in someone can make such a HUGE difference in that person’s life. I am indebted to those that have helped boost Cody’s confidence!
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