a few things.
1. Air travel was awesome. As good as we could have hoped! Though, because our flight left at 7:30 in the morning, we had to get the kids up at 5:30 to go. Which meant that E-Niner got his Ritalin dose two hours early (which means that it wore off two hours early) and which also means that he was overtired when he came off the Ritalin, which spells psychological breakdown at the end of the day. But! We were prepared for it, Clonidine in hand, and we were able to calm him fairly quickly and easily since we were on the ball.
2. The day before we left for vacation, I had called E-Niner’s new therapeutic school to arrange a tour for when we came back into town. Though we were told at the IEP meeting that this school would be his school, now the story was different. Now they didn’t have space for him. My guess? Prior to Friday, the school had not seen E-Niner’s IEP in writing and once they saw all the responsibilities they had with him, the school determined that they couldn’t meet the IEP. Which means that (and this is all guess work on my part), that he’s probably going to get “tuitioned-out” or placed in a private school paid for by the district.
3. We’re renting a vacation house on the Gulf of Mexico, and it is wonderful. After breakfast, E-Niner heads to the backyard, a.k.a. the beach, and gets a wonderful sensory experience of the sound of the ocean waves, the feeling of the water on his body, the sand on his feet, and running up and down the beach in sand. He loves it. Plus, because we’re staying on a small Florida island, there isn’t a ton of beach traffic. People are generally older (no one to take toys), smile and go on their way. Just the kind of non-interaction E-Niner likes.
4. T783 is having a blast. Right now he’s scooping up sand and putting it in buckets and dumping the buckets out. He’s also been finding sea shells and chucking them into the ocean. Yesterday he decided that there was no good reason to nap when he could be on the beach playing, but after a lot of cajoling from me, he managed to clock in two and a half hours. So much for not needing a nap!
I think the beach (any beach!) is the most healing place on earth. That’s why I cannot imagine living far from it, anymore. I’ve lived elsewhere, but the beach is definitely “home,” to me. So glad that you and your family get to experience this blessing together, and that getting there worked out well.
You are a smart, strong, brave mother, and I hope this is a great time away for you, too! (I didn’t say “vacation,” because I don’t think moms really take “vacations” with their families; moms just keep working in a change of environment…=))
So relieved to hear that the flight went well. I hope that you, too, are getting to relax a little in the surf and sand.
You have NO idea how happy it made me to read this!!! I’ve been so worried about you the past few days, and now I’m relieved to see it was all for nothing.
I’m glad E’s having such a great time, and can just relax and be a kid. TOTALLY sucks about the new school, though. What BS! But, if they’re going to find you a private school that works, hey, more power to ‘em! I hope the next time T “doesn’t” take his nap, you “don’t” take one with him! 
I checked out your blog to see how u are doing. I am soooooo happy things are good. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!