13 weeks. 94 days. That is a really long time for parents to go without their young child at home. Someone else is making the rules. Someone else is wiping away sad tears. Someone else gets the first high five or fist bump when an achievement is made. Goodness- it was absolutely miserable when she was home but this is an entirely different kind of sadness. 

About a month ago, Derek and I decided that the 5 of us at home needed to get away for a bit. So we did some extra work and were able to work out taking all of us on our first-ever Spring Break trip! And it ended up being exactly what each of us needed. We spent 4 days in San Francisco and it was GLORIOUS! If you’ve ever traveled with a child with special needs, you know the struggles that come with a change of schedule, unknown obstacles, emotional regulation, etc. We haven’t had a trip without major meltdowns in 9 years. While there was intense guilt from taking a trip without Jentri, we are also feeling so refreshed and blessed by the opportunity. We laughed. I mean bent over, belly-holding, can’t-catch-a-breath LAUGHED! Derek and I and our 3 teenagers (for only a few more weeks until Dawson turns 20!) had the time of our lives. We walked 10+ miles every day- up (and sometimes down) the steepest hills we’ve ever encountered. No one complained. And everyone SMILED the smiles of lighter hearts and joyous souls. It wasn’t even difficult to come home and go back to work today. 😍

We did get to take several phone calls from Jentri while we were away. She was obviously bummed to have missed out on a family trip. She also did a great job of processing the hows and whys of her absence. 

I am cautiously excited to say that Jentri is finally working her program in a way that leads to coming home! Derek and I continue to jump hurdles on her behalf as some of the staff in charge of her treatment plan keep jacking with her diagnoses (that we’re confident are correct since they were given by a specialist here at home). Let me just tell you, advocating for your child from so far away is a TASK. We, her parents, and her specialty team know her far better than professionals who barely know her name. Why do accurate diagnoses matter? Because treatment plans known to work for those diagnoses very often are in direct contradiction to treatment plans for the ones she has. We continue to push as an accurate treatment plan gives her the best possible outcome and in a shorter amount of time. It’s not looking like she’ll be home for Easter… Ugh. Another holiday with an empty seat at the table.

Prayer Requests:

• Jentri continues to work her program and that those skills are transferable to home.
• We were supposed to go see her 2 weeks ago and I ended up in bed for a week with Flu B. 😢 Now we can’t make the trip again for another 2 weekends. Prayers for patience in the waiting both for her and us. 
• Derek and I went out on faith and booked the conference in San Antonio, TX with the most influential RAD experts in the country. It’s about a $2600 investment and that’s not really ideal. Neither Insurance or Department of Family Services will help training. We feel confident the investment is worthwhile. Help us pray that we will get the very most out of our time there and our family is therefore better equipped moving forward.