So many changes around our house lately. We no longer have nursing services. Not sure If I have shared that here or not. We had it for 10 months and it had some good times, some fun times, and then some other times. But the reason we do not have nursing is because it came to my attention the program we were in was for children who are homebound 24/7 and as we have not chosen that life for Jeremiah and choose to take him to the Park, the pool, the library, on walks, to play places, etc then it was not right for them to chart as if we were home when we were not. Once I became aware of this and we prayed we put in our two week notice to stop nursing. I would at some point love to have an aid or a mother's helper to help me with some lifting and to help put him on the slide, hand him to me in the pool or whirlpool when we are at one and can stretch him in there, and do therapy activities with him. To be another set of hands to help open his hands to do handprints on a craft when we paint etc. I do not have the funds at this point to pay someone to do any of that and I have not been able to find a place that offer's aids through insurance for chidren. I will say I soo missed my baby when we had the nurse so much and so it was good to have him all to myself for a few weeks before more changes came into play.
We made the decision at the end of the year last year that Jeremiah would attend a local therapy program at the public school. The opportunity for him in this particular program, with this particular teacher and therapists was just too good for us to not give it a try. This program is only available to us for this year and next. Then if we stayed in the school system he would move to one of two different schools that have a severe and profound class and everything would be different. We have met some parents that had children in these older child programs and were totally NOT impressed. My goal is at that point to have him come home and have the finances to hire someone to assist me with his schooling during our homeschool day. I would train them in stretching, therapy activities, etc. and some things he would do along with Noah with modifications. Again it is hard to predict what things will be like in 2 years but for now as long as he is doing well, progressing and not staying sick we will continue this program. Here are some pictures from his first day this past Monday Aug 13th! I stayed with him the entire first day and trained everyone on what to do, then on Tuesday I started dropping and picking him up. Sigh. I drop him between 7:35 and 7:45 depending on how the line works and then I pick him up at 12:15. His stamina is not enough that we can do the full day at this point.
Hoping you can see all these :) It was so good for me to be there the first day, train them on what I needed too, meet with everyone that will be working with him including Main Teacher who has 28 years experience and a Master's degree in severe and profound children, 2 sweet para's in the classroom with him. 2 other para's trained in case the other's are not there, APE teacher, Speech Therapist , principal, and on and on it went. They were all so friendly and excited to have Jeremiah there! It put my heart and mind at ease :) And to be there for Jeremiah to meet his 2 little classmates was so amazing! His class has a ratio of 1 to 1 with 3 adults in it at all times :) and the 3 little kids. That was a gift from God because when we observed I think there were 8 children last year. Jeremiah will also be having visual therapy once a week and OT one on one and also once or twice a week he will go to a sensory lab where everything will be modified for him to participate in all aspects! :) Also, the teacher and para's are receiving training in Brain Gym to do with him! he had a little of this last year with the teacher that came to the house once a week to work with him. Now he will have it every day.
Sunday our Church had a Back to School Fellowship the night before Jeremiah's first day! Great timing. We had a big potluck meal together and every student from preschool to master's degree student's were prayed for :) Here are some pics from that night.
They gave each child a 7up with a little poem attached to it of 7 ways to have a great first week! ;) Noah was so excited! :) I love the shot where he has his hand over Jeremiah because they are gonna pray! Pastor called them up from preschool thru 5th grade. Then jr high and senior high, then college. Then he would have the family come behind them to pray over them while everyone else did too. I dont have pics of us behind the boys. After all the students were done he called up all the teacher's and said Homeschool teachers too so Celeste sent me up there :) It was an awesome night! :) I love that our Church puts such an emphasis on family and on education and praying for a good new year of school!
As most of you know, We had to cancel our trip to Chicago for the Taiwan R.O.C.ks family reunion and I was so devastated! A dear friend Lisa was so sweet and sent us a little gifty in the mail to help us feel connected in some way to this year's event! The boys LOVE their Taiwan R.O.C.ks tshirts :) and they got some stickers and a blow up ball :) Soo sweet! ;)
Aren't they cute?? :)
Everything has changed with private therapy as well now that Jeremiah is in his class, and I will be starting school with Noah on Monday for our first year with 5 mornings a week full curriculum, and we will be starting a homeschool co-op in September and we have field trips and such to fit in as well. So we finally got everything coordinated for both the private therapy for both boys and the home based school therapy that comes to work with Noah and this week started all that up :) Here are a few pics of those :)
Jeremiah has regressed since this last surgery this summer so I am prayerful between private therapy and all the therapy at the school program that he will soar!
Noah so loves his Mrs. Kathy that has been his speech therapist last year and now this year! He gets so excited when she comes. His special instructor is different this year, BUT she is near and dear to our hearts! Maria is the FIRST person who ever worked with Noah when I very first brought him home from Taiwan :) It is so cool having her back working with us and there sweet love for each other is even stronger now :) I am blessed that I count both of the ladies friends of mine as well so that makes for a great year for us all :) Noah also started his private OT and PT again for this year and he feels so comfortable up there and is really progressing well! Next week he will start APE back with a school therapist at our house who was Jeremiah's APE guy last year. And a couple times each semester our favorite OT from the school Mrs. Amy will come out and see him too and will give Maria and I some tips on things to work with him on each week! I think this is going to be an amazing year for Noah and Jeremiah!!
LOVE this and with my new love of butterflies to symbolize the new life the Lord is giving me in my journey to a better me I love this particular one of it even more!
I also wanted to share that Noah had his speech re eval for the current year that placed him with expressive and receptive language at 3 years old!!!! Yes, he is 5 years and 4 months old, BUT from where he started this is HUGE for him!!! I am so excited and I can't wait to see all the progress he will make this coming year! I am nervous and excited about our upcoming year that we begin Monday. I am not really sure yet what to call our grade because I am doing some K5 stuff but some he is not ready for so it will be more preschool / K4. Anyway, praying it all goes well! :)
I also wanted to share that Bobby is now 8 weeks in to his railroad training! It has had some tense and nervous moments to it but he is loving the railroad. They pay so well, even for training! It is helping us try and catch things up for us because everything is so far behind after the past year. If we can stay afloat till October then everything should be ok. Please be praying because he has at least 10 more weeks of training left. He has tests in the training and he has to pass those with an 85 or above. If not then they can retake the test the next day but then need a 90 or above to pass at that point. If they do not pass one then their services are no longer needed by the railroad. Kinda scary that you can loose your job but until training is totally complete there is no guarantee of a permanent job. We are really having to learn to press into the Lord and trust that HE has this all under control. More and more the Lord is showing me in so many areas that God is able! I know it, I say it all the time, and I have seen it in healings, in bringing home my boys, but it is so true in EVERY area of life, and God cares about the big things and the little things too!!!
I thank the Lord for the gift of my kids! All 3 of them!!! I look at these boys and I think wow it really did happen! God bridged the ocean and brought them home. Taiwan really handed them to me and trusted me to be there mom! Wow! :) God really sent me a husband! An amazing husband, a Godly husband. One who really does love and not hurt, abuse, and destroy his family. A man that works so hard and will do whatever it takes to try and care for his family! I saw this picture above and it is sooo true! EVERY good gift does come from Father God!!! I am learning more and more to see my heavenly Father as a Father! He is shaping and molding me into the woman He has for me to be. I feel like I have failed Him daily but I pray each day it is a little less than the day before!
I have so felt that things were crashing in on me in alot of ways lately! THIS I am clinging too! I hope this helps someone else who reads this blog and sees this too! No matter what things look like ALWAYS remember...
GOD IS ABLE!!!!!!
