The Daddy's home

Jason got back from Thailand and I got some rest. Been a hard, sick week, but enjoyable time with the boys.

The first thing Reuben signed was "blue". He'd lost his blue Thomas the Tank engine and thought Jason might know where it was. Maybe he'd taken it to Thailand. Sweet.

A new page is opening up for Reuben. When he turns 3 in May, his services currently supported by the Regional Center and UCLA will transfer to the LA school district. This is called Transition. What will continue to follow in the next few weeks are assessments on his physical, occupational, speech, hearing, psychological, and adaptive physical needs. It's going to be a hugely demanding period in which we'll have to fight all the way to retain his services, the grand culmination will be a Individual Education Plan on 22 April where we'll sit round a table with a big panel of assessors and they'll present the plan. Some kids walk away with nothing, partly because it's felt that therapy hasn't been beneficial for them, and others do ok. What we're all suffering from is Arnold Schwarzenegger's mismanagement of the budget which has grossly affected kids with special needs. How can California be bankrupt? He's in our church Parish at St Monica's (truth is, I don't get to mass anymore though when I do I love the hymns as it seems all LA's finest entertainers are there singing) and I've often felt like going to the early mass to seek him out and ask him a few firm questions, since writing to him only returns a standard letter.

In other news, Callum has a place as a typical peer at Reuben's old class, just as Reuben will be leaving it in May. Given him already knows all the songs and people, I'm sure he'll love it and he'll no longer have to sit with me in the dark Observation Room or hang around Whole Foods in Westwood Village or climb the steps outside for some exercise. It's a lovely thought; I was dreading saying goodbye to that part of our lives, UCLA school.

And at 1am, I finally finished processing the baptism photos, all 3000 of them and 1500 Move to Trash, with a small favourites gallery to be more easily digestible. I worked on a few collages too which I've really enjoyed doing in the last few years and I think worked out great. I've also been making some presets for Photoshop called "Lacey Vintage" (WDYT of name?). I know this goes against the grain of what I love: SOOC, but it's what the market calls for right now.