3 Micah!

At Golden Gate park

St. Patrick's Day outfit

3 Micah

Since the last post, Micah turned three years old on St. Patrick’s Day! In some ways, three years has gone by quickly and not so quickly in other respects. The “Three Micah” cake is because I forgot that when you buy icing in the store, you also should buy the plastic cake decorating tips. Well, I didn’t even think of that. I just thought we could make a nice, decorative Happy Birthday message with the icing. It would have helped if the icing hadn’t been so hard I could barely squeeze it. I think it must have been living on the shelf for a while at Safeway. Anyway, Wayne squeezed with all his might to make the “Three Micah” message, it was the best we could do for the moment.

He had a nice birthday; Grandma & Grandpa Womack were here to celebrate and we drove up to a little town in Sonoma county. We looked in shops and ate at an Italian restaurant. Some ladies at a shop told us about a little grove of redwood trees off the beaten path that probably only locals know about. I think the grove of trees was the highlight of the day for Micah. He ran (rather, walked quickly) all throughout, so much so that I could hardly get a photo. We stumbled upon a little swing and that’s where this one photo at the right came from.

Micah was dressed in all his St. Patrick’s Day gear, courtesy of his Aunt Kim who also has a son with a St. Patrick’s Day birthday. He has his shamrock shirt, “Top O’ the morning’ to ya” green bear, and his socks which look like little leprechaun shoes on the front, but he refused wear his “Lucky O’Days boys club” hat .

After church on Sunday, we went to Golden Gate Park. It was a beautiful, warm day in San Francisco. We had sandwiches and then went over to the massive children’s playground. Micah had so much fun there and did not want to leave.

Three days after his birthday, Micah started preschool at Marindale, a school for kids with special needs (ages 3-5). He started out with a hard adjustment for a few days and then got better. He was only in school for 12 days and then had spring break last week. He was sick this past weekend, Monday and Tuesday. So, he went back yesterday and is not adjusting well to being there again. He cries a lot and doesn’t want to participate in group activities with the other students. His teacher told me that the only successful times have been one on one with a therapist or taking him outside on the playground.

I have spent some time on the phone with his teacher the past two days trying to offer some suggestions or help. I really feel at a loss though. We’ve had similar experiences with different therapists or his class that he used to go to in San Francisco, in which he would cry every time for weeks on end and then one day he adjusted and was fine. It’s hard for the teacher and aides because Micah can’t communicate with them and they don’t know why he’s so unhappy. Wayne and I fully understand that frustration. All we can figure out is that it’s a strange place with people he doesn’t know and who don’t know him, in addition to the fact that he’s going five days a week for half a day and riding a little bus to and from school. I would ask that you please pray for him and that he adjust soon to all of this. Going to school is now his only way to get any kind of therapy; they do physical, occupational, and speech there, all of which he was doing one on one before his birthday. Once a special needs child turns three, the school district takes over and it’s the only way for him to have help, aside from us paying out of our own pocket for therapy which is not an option for us right now. Anyway, thank you for praying. I believe God knows his little mind and what’s going on even if we can’t.