Starting at Bear Park!

Over the last 4-5weeks, Nate has been visiting our local Bear Park daycare, with a view to him eventually attending for two days a week from 8.30am till 3.30pm.

We had looked around at a few daycare options to try to find a place that would be beneficial for him given his special needs. No easy task, but after about 4-5 different options (some wildly unsuitable for various reasons, including being too much for him physically to get around, or having too high a teacher-child ratio meaning they would be unable to support him), we came across Bear Park. We knew we were in the right place when Robin and I mentioned that Nate had special needs, and Lee (who was showing us around), said 'no, he has special rights' :-). Yep, they appreciated Nate! So we pay a little more per day to have Nate attend Bear Park, but in reality, it's money well spent.

Since then Nate has been visiting the team in the Kakapo Room, to get used to it all. He has a particular favourite teacher, Chloe, who is just awesome with him. And the week after Easter, was his very first official week of attending two days a week.

We are really really hopeful that attending Bear Park will really help Nate continue to develop - with any luck he will watch the other kiddies and this will help his physical development, but most importantly his speech and communication. Fingers crossed!

Of course it likely also means he will pick up a few bugs and that is a worry given it is harder for him to fight them off so we run the risk of some hospital stays as a result - but on balance, it feels that this is the best thing that we can do for him for now. Again fingers crossed!

Here is our grown-up little man....

First official day! Complete with a runny nose :-(

Freshly home from first day - complete with paint all over me! :-)

My welcome page in the Kakapo Book!

 

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An Easter holiday at Waiheke

We took the opportunity to get away for a short Easter break, over to my parents place at Waiheke. It might seem like a bit of a repeat holiday destination after our last holiday earlier this year, but when you travel with a two year old, it's far enough! Hats off to those who venture further afield with a two year old - you are braver than us :-)

It was really great to get away - a change of house and location really feels like a break - and we got to enjoy a lovely lunch out at Stoneyridge too. Unfortunately though, Nate was sick for most of our few days away :-(.

It all started with a simple cold, but which subsequently took over two weeks to clear. While we know from Nate's doctors that we can expect him to take two weeks on a simple cold (while a typical child might take only 3-4days), but it's a pain in the butt when they are right! Our poor little man struggled to cough up the flem, but with his hypotonia his coughing isn't always very effective, so we ended up with a few pretty major coughing fits :-(. Plus a few sleepless nights dealing with that....funnily enough there was one night when he was all glugged up but wide awake at 1.30am, so Robin, Granny and I were all up sharing a cuppa tea and some Easter eggs while Nate played away happily.

All in all, NOT quite the restful break we had hoped for, but awesome to spend the time with my parents none the less. Here are a few videos and some snaps...

Spider-Man walking his dog

Pooped! Taking a break in Granny's swing!

Learning to drive with Daddy, on the car ferry home

Thanks Granny & Grandaddy, for an awesome break away - we really treasure these times :-) xxx

 

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