Back in the Saddle

Okay, here is a quick update of the last month or so, since it has been far too long since the last post:

In late July we attended (and helped with!) the Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference in St. Louis, MO.  It was an amazing weekend - my dad and Daniel's parents met us there, and we were able to see so many families that we haven't seen since the last conference.  Our Aicardi family is very close - lots of emailing, facebooking and phone calls happen in between conferences, but nothing compares with face to face interaction.  For that reason, no one sleeps very much, since we're too busy catching up with as many friends as possible.  The bulk of the conference time is spent in various sessions; great opportunities to hear from professionals and share information and encouragement on various topics.  I can't say enough about what a great event it is, and how nice it feels to be 'normal' for a weekend.

Upon our return, we moved quickly into back-to-school mode, gathering paperwork, school supplies and cute outfits to ensure that miss Evelyn was ready for kindergarten.  She was ready.  She was more than ready - she was SO excited to get back to school.  Evelyn got sick in mid-February, and that illness was what ultimately led to her trach surgery in March.  So, when Evs started school a couple of weeks ago, it had been six months since she'd last been there.

I'm happy to report that Evelyn loves kindergarten.  She is a member of two classes:  a special ed kindergarten class where she does all of her 'seat work' and a regular ed kindergarten class where she does morning circle time, centers, and science and social studies.  She has several friends in both classes (and notes in her backpack every day to prove it!) and a wonderful nurse that accompanies her.  Evelyn had a cold last week, as did several other students.  She handled it well, and we're hopeful that she won't be sick too often, although being in school its natural to pick up a few bugs from time to time.

Owen will be starting preschool on Thursday, and we're excited for that - he will have the same teacher he had last year, and many of his friends from his old class as well.  I'm looking forward to having a few hours of alone time a couple days a week, and I know that Owen enjoys the activity and structure of school.  In other news, he is officially potty trained!  For anyone without kids - this is a BIG deal and we are VERY excited!  Owen is really proud of himself, and without going into too much detail I can tell you that we've had a few celebrations this weekend over his accomplishments in the bathroom.  :)

I'm mulling over another post that I hope to write tomorrow....and I'll do my best to put up some new pictures as well.