Painful Morning

We've had quite a morning. There's no warning as to when it's going to happen, it just does. All was going well with the morning routine, getting three nine-year-olds ready for school. Erika's bus comes earliest, about 7:45, so I start the final stage of "getting her ready" at around 7:25. Step 1: Give mom the iPad. (Mom packs the iPad for transport to school) Step 2: "Go potty." (as Erika still calls it, despite years of adults, including me, trying to get her to say "Go to the bathroom.") Step 3: Socks on. Steps 4 through 9 include the option of snowpants on or in the backpack, then putting on boots, coat, hat, gloves, and the bus harness that makes her look like she's about to jump out of a plane, once she puts her backpack on. But today, the thought of "Step 3: Socks on." sent Erika into a tailspin.

Welcome to Erika's World - Mom's Blog

Welcome to my first blog post. Whether you are in contact with Erika every day at school, or you are a friend or family member, I hope you will find this blog to be a valuable way to stay in touch with the most up-to-date news in Erika's world. Please check back frequently. You can access this page directly from the Erika's World home page. This is my first commitment to blogging, and I feel that it's the best way to keep everybody informed for Erika's benefit.

As I promised Erika's teacher, I would like to share a link to an Elmo's World segment (forward to 4:20) which Erika has been watching quite a bit lately. If you have spent any time with Erika over the last few weeks, you will undoubtedly recognize some of the phrases from this short clip, as Erika has been incorporating them into her repertoire of echolalia.