Funny Video and Therapy Change

So, I finally got the video problem figured out. It was operator error - but I'm learning. Harlie just loves her little brother. She's pretty much obsessed with him. When he cries, she drops (literally) whatever she's playing with and runs to his side. The other night I had Cooper on the floor doing tummy time while I filled his bath and of course, he was crying. Well she came running from Murphy's room, dropped to her knees and flopped on her belly on the floor so she ended up being face to face with him. Her movements were so fluid, like she's done it a hundred times before. It was hilarious. And, I'll give it to her, he stopped crying. Anyway, here are some videos of her playing with him.

And don't you just love the way she listens? Now I know she only has one ear and all, but geez! I just have a feeling she's ignoring me...

Anyway, I'm pretty bummed about a change that's coming. To bring you up to speed: the county we live in provides "early intervention" to kids with special needs to help them develop and get them the help they need. This service is provided until the child turns 3. The therapists come into the child's home, called "natural environment" to help the child feel comfortable so they can maximize the results from therapy. I also think it is to help the families because most of the kids have a lot of difficulties and it is really hard on the families with so many appointments and all. The county contracts with several different facilities to provide the services. It really is extremely confusing once you get into it.

Anyway, a few weeks ago Harlie's speech therapist (Beth) told me that the company her and our physical therapist (Tracy) work for is closing it's pediatric services. So, they are out of jobs, which means we can't keep them as her therapists anymore. She said that if they are to get a job with another company that the county has a contract with to provide early intervention services, then we can stay together. So, I was very hopeful that would happen. But, the county needs to find Harlie other therapists that are available - just in case Beth and/or Tracy get jobs elsewhere. Harlie NEEDS these services - period. And I got a phone call last week from my services coordinator telling me that they found Harlie 2, one hour slots with a speech therapist (one hour for feeding and one hour for communication per week) and a slot with a physical therapist. The only problem is that we have to go to their location for the services. They cannot come to our house. Budget cuts. Great. As if our schedule wasn't hectic enough as it was...

So, not only will this be way inconvenient, but we have to change therapists! Tracy has been with Harlie from the beginning! And Beth has been with Harlie for more than a year! That's a lot of bonding and trust developed - and that's essential to making good progress - especially when it comes feeding! And that bonding and trust is not just between Harlie and them - it's also between them and ME! So much of our therapy also centers around teaching me how to get the best out of her. It's really not as simple as regular parenting. The line between behavioral issues and true medical issues can be very blurry and me trusting them with their advice is absolutely essential to her progress! So, I'm just sad. Now we'll have to start all over.

Well, that's all we have time for today. Come back tomorrow and I'll have something else to talk about.

Take care,

Christy