It's Been a While

I guess it has been a while since I've updated everyone on the happenings of Jacey.  Would you like an update?  I thought so....

For the past month, I have been filling out paperwork to get Jacey ready to start services through the Autism Waiver.  Officially, she was finally ready to go on September 1st.  Everything was put together that had to be done and we had a habilitation aid (hab aid) scheduled to start working with Jacey Monday through Friday from 2 - 6pm, starting yesterday.  We ended up knowing the individual that was going to be Jacey's Hab Aid.  He stayed for the full four hours yesterday just hanging out with Jacey to get her comfortable so that she will want to perform the different goals we have outlined, for him.  I got a call this morning saying that he had quit, stating that the he just wasn't cut out for that line of work.  I was so excited to have things in place SOOO quickly.  I am grateful that he chose to leave the job quickly rather than hang out for some time and then quit.  Needless to say, it was a disappointment because they are currently short on Hab Aid's and there is no one to replace him.  So nothing is scheduled for now with ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis).

On a happier note, I finally got the video that 4 Paws wanted showing Jacey and everything about us.  It was just over two hours long.  Also, Jacey has started in a self-contained Special Education Preschool.  It is in "town", so I get to be her bus driver and take her there everyday, all 16.1 miles one way.  She is doing fairly well and as her teacher put it, "She's not one of the one's that stands out."  (Meaning she is fairly content with minimal meltdowns.)  She has speech twice a week, OT (Occupational Therapy) once a week, and we are working on getting PT (Physical Therapy) worked into her IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for once a week.  I know, it's amazing how many acronyms you learn as a parent of a special needs child!  Needless to say, she is pretty content at school - they have a sand table that is also used as a water table occasionally, they have baby dolls, a little kitchen area, and more.  She's usually found transferring the water or sand, whichever it is for that day.

It's funny because a few days ago, while working on our video for 4 Paws, I thought about how Jacey's "need" of a service dog may not have been as great as some of the other children I know receiving them through 4 Paws.  And then today HIT!  Let me brief you on it...

We've noticed in the past six months or so that Jacey has gotten a LOT happier.  Believe me, she still has her moments but they seem to be fewer and farther between.  Until today.  After I arrived at the preschool to pick her up, she noticed an open door that I hadn't seen.  She bolted for it.  I had to set Kenna down and run to get her.  She had just barely made it out the door, which turns out to be a door to their play area.  After that, she didn't want to walk the same way Mom was going.  She'd rather sit since she wasn't getting to go out "her" door.  My arms were a little full between carrying Kenna, Jacey's lunch box and her coat.  It was quite the fight to get her to our van.  After fighting her to get to the van, I was pooped.  I still had all afternoon to wrangle her.  My day became that much longer as she cried and screamed the entire ride home - all twenty something minutes! 

Getting home where she could run didn't soothe her enough and so I continued to listen to her cry.  It didn't help that Kenna decided to chime in and become a little duet with her sister.  Both girls were demanding my arms and my attention.  I figure it was at least three hours of Jacey crying for long periods of time with short bits of silence (I assume to catch her breath).  :o)  Jacey was tired, as evidenced by several yawns.  But we have cut out her naps so that laying down with her at bedtime would become a max of twenty-five minutes, compared to an hour and a half when she was taking naps. 

Needless to say, my sweet little reminder chimed in today to tell me that yes, her "needs" for a service dog are just as great as any other childs.  I was also reminded of the sanity the dog will bring to me.  ::sigh::

I am so grateful to be heading to Ohio THIS year.  I thought for sure that we would still be fundraising well into 2011.  I've had the men and women on Trapperman.com and the individual donors in my mind a lot lately.  Without them, we would not be going to Ohio in eighty-two days. 

I had to go to the bank today to figure out where three unknown deposits to our Donation Account for Jacey had come from.  Two of the three were made in cash.  In case you are one of those three mystery deposits, thank you for your donation to our account.  Jacey is a very special little girl to have so much love surrounding her.  Hopefully soon, there will be a fence surrounding her as well!  :o)  That one is still in the works because of numbers. 

Until next time...pray for my sanity!

Blessings from Above

This month has been surreal!  I was informed back in June that there would be at least one slot in the Children's Waiver Services opening in July.  (The CWS gives services for Jacey that Insurance doesn't provide.)  Needless to say, I was the squeaky wheel that called the Developmental Disabilities Program coordinator, Lori, to see when the slot would be filled.  She gave me the date that they would make their selection not for just one slot but two.  I called that afternoon to learn that their system had required them to make choices for their adult program first.  The date got pushed back another two times.  I called each time she thought they would have it completed.  To say the least, my nerves were shot waiting to learn if Jacey would get one of these slots. 

Lori called me when they were able to make the selection.  The two slots had three children that were eligible, each less than a point from each other's priority score.  My nerves were even more raw knowing that Jacey was one of the three.  In the end, Jacey was given a slot starting August 1st.  I was amazed, humbled, and overwhelmed with the feeling that Jacey was being watched over.

When Lori told me that Jacey had received the slot, she also told me that a slot was opening up in the Children's Autism Waiver, another program with a larger budget to work with Jacey.  This slot would be filled by a lottery drawing.  Since I don't gamble, I didn't hold me breath and had completely forgotten about it until I received the phone call.  Jackie was calling from the Developmental Disabilities Program (which I assumed she was going to want more information for the Children's Waiver Services), when she informed me that Jacey had been chosen for the Autism Waiver.  I was shocked and didn't know what to say.

Between these two experiences and the fundraising for Jacey's service dog having gone so fast, I feel so blessed.  I know that Jacey is being watched over by our loving Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful to know that we have help again for Jacey.  She has so much potential and she's been given the chance to shine through the Children's Autism Waiver. 

As a mother, I want so much for Jacey to excel but had no way of funding all that it would take for her to go far.  (We're still waiting to hear from insurance.)  I am extremely humbled to have been blessed with not just having received the slot in the Children's Waiver Services but the Children's Autism Waiver slot as well.  I never would have dreamed that I would have to choose which Waiver to select for Jacey.  It is incredible.  We've gone with the Autism Waiver since it has a larger budget and is more intense.  It requires Jacey to receive a minimum of twenty hours a week of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). 

I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for blessing Jacey with such wonderful things.  It is amazing how she has been blessed in such a short time by people who helped us achieve our fundraising goal so quickly and to also have been chosen for the two waivers. 

And to think that all these things are blessings from above.  Jacey is a very special little girl...

Humbling Thoughts

It's been a while since I've posted here.  I didn't feel like I had anything worth while to write about.  Until this past weekend.

A family that we are friends with had a terrible tragedy.  I was shocked when the announcement was made over the pulpit at church of their loss.  I couldn't believe it and felt somewhat numb like it hadn't really sunk in - Their three year old grandson was accidentally run over in a parking lot and killed.  He was a beautiful little boy full of energy who was constantly on the go.  This family holds close to them the knowledge that they will one day be reunited with their son/grandson/nephew on the other side.  They know that he is in a better place and free of any pain.  I am grateful to have this peace in my heart, of knowing that they will be reunited one day and that death is not the end.

I attended the funeral of this sweet little boy and sat next to my mother and father-in-law.  Karen (MIL) showed me her pile of Kleenex and I told her I had some too if she needed it.  I thought to myself that I was going to be just fine.  That this wasn't my child, wasn't a child that I knew hardly, but that I mourned for the family.  However, the minute they brought the itty bitty Hurst by in front of me, with his little shoes resting on top, the rains came pouring down!  How fragile this life is, how we need to enjoy each moment, how I need to hug my children a little bit tighter and tell them I love them dearly even more often than I already do.  Life passes us in a blink of an eye and for this little boy, it was cut even shorter.  The funeral was beautiful.  This little boy's mother sang a beautiful song and lullaby - how she was able to get through it, I'll never know.  His aunts sang a children's song, and another aunt played a beautiful lullaby on the piano.  I cried like I haven't cried in an extremely long time! 

The reason I write of this event is because it reminds me how grateful I am to know that Jacey is receiving a service dog.  Every day, both at home and in public, I fear she will somehow get away from us and something is going to happen.  This winter, she managed to get away from Judd in a crowded church hall.  He found her standing out in the middle of the parking lot in sub zero temperatures without her coat on.  It brings me back to how important it is for me to never let her go, but as she gets older, bigger, and stronger, the fight to hold onto her gets more intense.  I am so thrilled to receive a service dog that we will be able to tether her to for her safety and my sanity.  This reality of coming comforts is only made possible because of people like you who helped us achieve our fundraising goal.

I pray that I will never have to bury one of my children.  I pray that this family that I speak of will find peace in their hearts.  And I pray for my children's safety.  This experience has given me an increased appreciation for my children and for each of their individual personalities.  I appreciate Jacey and for her increased desire to want to be near me.  Might we all go to our children, whether they are young or old, and give them a hug and let them know of our love for them.  My children are one of the biggest blessings in my life and I want them to see my feelings in my actions.  Life is too short to let anything get in the way of spending time with those we love. 

I'm going to go give my children another kiss goodnight...