Steven's New Dorm...a really long post.

Today was our big day. We drove about three hours down to Abilene, had some Dairy Queen, then headed to Steven's new dorm. We started out the day wtih a meeting involving everyone who will provide services for Steven. There were about 20 people there and they asked us tons of questions.

Next, we headed over to the infirmary for his physical. The doctor was very kind and patient and Steven did relatively well for the physical.

After that, we headed to his "cottage" to see his room, meet more staff and meet the roommates. There are a total of 10 "young men" living there. They range in age from 9-16. Some kids have individual rooms and others share a room up to 4 people. The photos below are of the various rooms in his house.

This is the house kitchen. They prepare snacks and practice life skills, but all their meals are brought in from the main kitchen.

This is the eating area. There are 4 tables and usually they have tablecloths on them. When I took these pictures, they had cleaned up after dinner so tables were cleared.

This is one section of the family room. The room is divided into areas with a TV zone, a conversation zone, and a computer zone.

This is the other part of the room. The windows look out to the playground.

Sorry I forgot to rotate this one....turn your computer sideways.....this is the view from the family room looking down the hall. Steven's room is the second one on the right. Each two rooms share a bathroom. This is the bathroom that Steven shares with his suitemate.

If you walk out the front door, this is the view to the right.

This fort and swingsets are right outside their front door.

On the back of the house, there is a courtyard where they have BBQ and relax when the weather is nice.

After we got Steven unpacked, we headed to our hotel, had dinner and do some shopping for additional items he needs. We bought a rug so he can roll up in it each night, hangers and a few odds and ends.

When we got back to the dorm, Steven was gone. He was with his two aides....Daniel and Joey. Steven will have 2 adults in arms reach until Monday. After that, they will scaffold him to have one adult. Oh, and he has his own room so far!

We waited around a little bit and they came back to the dorm. This was our boy's face.

Steven is happy! They had gone for a walk to the sensory gym, stopped and looked at trees and enjoyed the freedom of walking around a safe environment.