Life Is Different

Life has been very different since my last post which was back in January. As many know I am the kind of person who puts 110% into being a Mom to my kids. Unfortunately I forgot to "put on my oxygen mask first" and the plane began to crash about a year ago. Shortly after Isaac started needing IVIG treatments I started having some pretty severe symptoms stemming from anxiety....to the point where I wasn't unable to eat, sleep or function. In the spring we put Isaac in respite care at a wonderful home for kids like him with multiple medical needs. This was supposed to be a temporary thing for healing, but he is now considered "voluntary placement." This means that we have many parental rights such as making medical decisions, visiting, going to appointments and even taking him home on occasion. In fact we recently took him home for Thanksgiving and his Grandma's birthday party. Isaac gets 24 hour care where he lives. The best part is that Julie, a nurse who did homecare for us for sometime decided to work there too. We have a peace of mind knowing that she is working there with him.  Eventually I got on the right meds and started taking care of myself. I started healing. I'm slowly finding where belong, since I was Isaac's main caregiver for 9 years. I started writing for a magazine at our church. I am also volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center. I have very little recent employment experience so I'm finding where my strong points are. I'm very busy with a teenage daughter who has many after school activities and carpool. I still go to many appointments with Isaac and visit him frequently. We have also become very attached to some of the other kids at the home.  Here are some pics of our many visits since last spring....