Good morning, welcome to Starbucks! This is (insert perky name, I think it was Marissa), how are you today? Hi. Could I please get a hot grande non-fat latte? Pause. How are you? Oh fuck. I pissed off the Starbucks girl. Everyone who’s ever heard the one about the Jack in the Box clerk who […]

The girls were chattering in the back seat one evening this week, when Annabelle’s tone suddenly got dark. I turned down the radio for more effective eavesdropping and when that didn’t work, hollered, “What’s going on back there?” Turns out, they were discussing Sophie’s new friend at school (we’ll call her Sally) and something Sally’s sister […]

My wise friend Noan gave me permission to share this note she sent me earlier this week, in response to last week’s post about Sophie’s IEP and the psychologist’s year-old comment that she has the cognitive skills of a 3-year-old. I met Noan in Mothers Who Write, the class I co-teach, and each week students […]

I am afraid I have permanent brain damage. I thought by now it would be out of my head, but more than a year later, I’m still sitting at that conference table at that school, hearing that school psychologist say it. I’m asking her pointed, doubting questions about the battery of tests she’s just given […]

Today is Sophie’s IEP. Not my favorite day of the year, though (knock wood) I don’t anticipate any big bumps this time. Sophie’s lawyer (she has one after last year’s IEP) reviewed the draft copy and assures me the accomodations we want — most notably, the classroom aide — are in place. Which is good, […]

Sophie had her first official Special Olympics experience Saturday — a regional track meet. It was pretty freaking awesome. Not a lot of pomp and circumstance, no opening ceremonies as promised in the email, and the whole thing felt a little disorganized (although the volunteers were all terrific). But there was a medal ceremony for […]