January 18, 2011

Bonding over dance, special needs and legal issues

Bertrand had preschool, occupational therapy and dance class today. What a busy boy! The biggest surprise was that he stayed concious for all 3 big, interactive activities! The zonegran wean is definitely working and worth it--even if we did see the return of a few small myoclonic seizures as a result.

While at Bertrand's dance class, one of the moms invited all the other parents out to talk in the lobby. Turns out that on top of being a special needs parent, Lisa is a lawyer. She gave out stacks of information on social security, trusts, guardianships, estate planning and other legal hurdles. She did a good job explaining lots of things, such as why you don't want your special needs child to have his/her own bank account (more than $2000 of assets disqualifies them for social security at age 18), and passed out resources--including fill-in-the-blank Last Will & Testament forms--for the DIYers in the crowd. It was really helpful! So, a new goal of mine for 2011 is to have an "estate planning night" for our family, thereby laying the groundwork for Bertrand and Victoria's (due April 2011) futures. Or, at the very least, soothing the rampant anxiety of a pregnant woman. :)

What will we be covering at next week's dance class? iPads, of course! I didn't expect Bertrand's dance class to be as fun for the parents as for the kids!

5 comments :

  1. Woohoo for that dance class!

    That kind of planning is important for all parents of young children. She's a good person to give y'all the info! Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is so awesome she gave you such valuable info! If she ever does one of those in the future let me know...I would love to learn more! by the way, love your baby girls name!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sorry but all that wonderful legal help is totally overshadowed by the name-dropping. Victoria!!! Yay!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, ladies! We feel very fortunate to have stumbled across so many helpful, wonderful people on our journey--yourselves included!

    Sarah, I will ask her to see if there are events she is speaking at or whatnot that you can attend.

    Fawn & Sarah, thanks! I think that with a name like Victoria Elizabeth, she'll be able to hold her own against Bertrand Thomas when he throws one of his severe scowls her way. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Can you give classes to educate the masses? ( or maybe just me? ). Sounds like dance is very productive!

    ReplyDelete