Navigating the world of IEPs

It is hard to know what to do.

It is hard to know exactly what to do with an IEP meeting, nevertheless an IEP itself. It is hard to read about your child...strengths, weaknesses, all of it. Inside that small snapshot are a thousand more things you want to say, a million things more you feel the school needs to know, and even more you want them not to. An IEP meeting is like an awkward middle school dance where everyone is a little sweaty and no one wants to touch. Stairway to Heaven, played for what seems like an eternity.

So, we had our IEP meetings for both boys. They went so fabulously. It wasn't anything I did, specifically, but this time we hired an advocate. For us it was super beneficial because it allowed an outside observer to come in and look at the IEPs with fresh eyes, ask questions that I forgot I had asked, and just look at things from a different perspective. She really helped to organize the meeting by working our way through the IEP. Fixing what needed fixed and clarifying things that we didn't understand. I was very grateful.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Let's be honest: there is no fun in an IEP meeting, probably from all sides. To say it went well feels like getting a breath when you have been under the water too long. This year has been a tough one for our family as a whole, and for our kids specifically. I was thankful it went so well and we left feeling like everyone there was on the same page.

More later this week about how Jack managed to find himself in the lagoon at Magic Mountain. Never a dull moment, I swear! I have made the decision to pick back up blogging again. I am going to try to do better. I think I owe eleven million pictures of Truman!