The First of the Goodbyes

     Its hard to say goodbye to the people that have helped you connect with your child, people who have helped him come out of his shell and taught him so much. But sadly, we are coming up fast on that time. When Xander turns three this summer, he will leave early intervention and move the the intermediate unit.

     Its truly is a bittersweet transition; wonderful to see him growing and moving on the the next program, eager to see what he will learn and achieve next but to have to leave all the therapists and support staff behind is difficult. Though this first goodbye has nothing to do with us aging out of the program, but rather a little one of the way!!

I couldn't find the one picture
I have of them together so a picture
at the dinner table will have to do.

     "Jessie" (a nickname for internet privacy sake) is our service coordinator and one of the first people we met in this whole process. We were still scared out of our minds and trying to digest all the information that was coming from all sides. She helped guide us in the right direction, always with a supportive word and kind suggestion. She modestly refers to herself as "a paper pusher," when in reality she's the first face we see in this journey of services and honestly an under-appreciated part of the process. She set the tune really. By coming in our home, upbeat and encouraging, we came to the "this isn't a death sentence" mentality much quicker than most. She's also the first to notice Xander's sensory needs, stuff we thought was just "Xander being Xander." Behaviors doctors never paid attention to, we now had a name for. She was willing to sit and listen to silly stories between paper signings, make small talk and be a welcomed connection with the adult world, like all of his therapists have now become. For those reasons, she will be sorely missed, though I have no doubt she will be an incredible mom!

     There will be more goodbyes in the coming months, and those won't be easy chances for Xander. We have taken for granted the relationships we've built with this staff. We are truly blessed to have such caring people in our lives who want nothing more but to help our son, some are not so lucky.