It's official - we will be extending our stay in Atlanta...

So the last few days have been very low-key, just me and my boys. We've been to the chiropractor three times, we've played at PLAY place, done some swimming, and have all had some daily down time. We found a new, super cool park near our house, and had some delicious treats at Yogli Mogli. Getting back to our "regular" routine has certainly helped with Aidan's behavior. He has still had his moments here and there - the occasional quick thunderstorm, that comes on strong, but blows over rather quickly. Just a regular summer day in Georgia, I guess. While I miss ALL of our girls, I must admit that it's been rather nice to have some time with just me and my guys.

Wednesday, I had a progress report meeting with Dr. Pete while Aidan was working hard at his session. (He earned his star for GREAT exercises at home - he did an awesome job Wednesday morning, doing his exercises mostly by himself, and doing a LOT more on his OWN than is required! I sent a note in to Ms. Susan, and she rewarded his efforts with a star for the wall! He was VERY proud of himself!)

My meeting with Dr. Pete went well - Aidan is making great improvement in ALL areas! YAY! However, it appears he is going to need more time in the program to reach total success. We knew that getting him all the way there was going to be very tough in 12 weeks, so this didn't come as a real surprise. Dr. Pete was willing to give us three extra sessions at no cost, before we reassess Aidan's progress and make a final determination on whether or not he needs an additional 6 weeks in the program. We will definitely be in Atlanta through the end of August, and more than likely, through mid-October. Aidan has worked SO hard, and we have ALL made so many sacrifices to make this happen - time, energy, effort, money, dividing our family - we want to see this ALL the way through. We're not going to be satisfied with just getting inside the red zone - this Mama wants an all out TOUCHDOWN, spike that ball and do a little dance, and the only flag on the play had better be for excessive celebration! We are going to need a lot of help to make this happen, but I am confident that we will find a way to make this a reality for Aidan. We are so very lucky to have such a wonderful group of family and friends, loving us and supporting us every day on this journey - we don't take that for granted, and are eternally grateful for all of the love and support that we have received along the way!

So, what does this mean for Aidan and school? Well, no one really had an answer for me here in Atlanta, so I contacted Anna Pierce, the guidance counsellor (and member of Aidan's IEP team) at May Howard, and explained our situation. Mrs. Pierce jumped right in, making phone calls and asking pertinent questions on our behalf, and she got in touch with me in less than a day! The great folks at May Howard have put a lot of thought, time, and energy into Aidan's placement for first grade, and everyone wants him to be successful in school. They have a lot of understanding and appreciation for what we've been doing with and for Aidan, and are willing to work with us so that we can complete Brain Balance, without losing anything that we have put in place for Aidan this year! Aidan will attend the first day of school at May Howard, and then we will return to Atlanta so that he can finish the Brain Balance Program. There is lots of paperwork to fill out (sometimes I feel like Dr. Seuss' "poor Mr. Potter, T-crosser I-dotter") but we will get it all done and turned in. Aidan's teacher will keep me abreast of what the class is working on weekly, and we'll keep the folks at May Howard in the loop with Aidan's progress, so that Aidan's return to school will be as smooth as possible. Thanks Mrs. Pierce, and everyone at May Howard! We are looking forward to a GREAT year in first grade!

So how was the rest of our week? Well, Thursday was pretty hairy. I let Aidan stay up a little late to watch a movie on Wednesday night, and paid for it big time Thursday morning! Epic battle over exercises and vitamins - GRRRrrrr! Lesson learned - bed time is FIRM, during the week anyway. After lunch and a rest, he turned it around, though. Our neighbor told us about a great new park, very close to our house, and we've been playing there a LOT this week. The kids love it, and I have been amazed with how well all THREE of them are playing with the other kids. Aidan is especially blowing me away with this new found skill - asking other kids to play with him, taking turns, and really paying attention to his surroundings and other kids that may be in his path. It has really be awesome to watch this particular change taking place. He is extremely helpful with his brothers, inviting them to play along with his new friends, and really looking out for his brothers. He noticed immediately on Thursday, when Ashwin climbed through the fence and attempted to take off towards the parking lot! I was really proud of him (and very grateful that he called my attention to this - Ash is SUPER FAST!) Here are some photos from our park adventures!

The big boys love this crazy cool spider web climbing thing!

Aidan climbed ALL the way to the TOP yesterday, and was very proud of himself!

Look at Aidan GO on the monkey bars! He is getting SO strong, and his coordination is improving daily!

See what a great job EVERYONE is doing making friends?

Yesterday, the boys were very excited because MIMI came for a visit! We had to immediately show her our new park, and everyone had a blast!

Twice this week, the boys have gotten MAIL! It's a HUGE highlight to our day 'round here! A big "THANK YOU" to Reta and Nanny (twice!), Aunt Tara, and Mimi for the love!

And, of course, we've been to our FAVORITE place, Yogli Mogli, a time or two!

We've also played quite a bit at PLAY place - this place is super awesome and the boys LOVE it! Look at Aeson, doing a flip into the foam pit!

Ash loves the trampoline!

Aidan earned yet another trophy for the Brain Balance wall on Friday! Lucky number 13 for him! GO AIDAN!

We got another great surprise late last night - DADDY! We thought he was coming up today (Saturday), but he couldn't wait to see us and made the trek after work! He was super tired when he got here, so we let him sleep in this morning. No easy feat, as the boys couldn't wait to see their Dad! Mimi and Daddy are at the pool now with the boys, giving me a much needed (and much appreciated) moment to myself! THANK YOU!! And we've got BIG plans tonight! We are taking our little Brain Balance star to the Loft at Center Stage in Atlanta for Nic Cowan's CD release party! Aunt Gloria is coming with us too, and Alana is keeping the little monkeys at the condo! Mimi even offered to spring for a hotel room for Andy and I, so we can play after the show, and she's bringing Aidan home after the concert! We are so very excited! (Nic is one of our very favorite new artists - please check out his website at www.niccowanmusic.com and his fan page on facebook - he is AWESOME!)

So now you're all caught up with the Pence Family! We hope everyone has a great weekend, and I promise to fill you in on our fun weekend as soon as humanly possible!

Much love,

Allie