Change is GOOD.

The past couple weeks have brought a lot of change into our world. We were pretty much rock bottom when we found out about losing Jack's therapy. But we picked ourselves up again and started him in with an occupational outpatient program at the hospital. Any therapy is better than none, and we'll do whatever we can for him.

We received notice this week that he'd been approved for Medicaid (state acknowledges his disability) and has been placed on the wait list for the Autism Waiver. That can take years to come to the top, but at least he's eligible! Being deemed as eligible offers us a lot more resources, and I'm so grateful to have them at our disposal. I'm not sure how exactly this will impact Jack and our family, but I know it's going to help!

We also managed to get rid of Jack's pacifiers this past week. They had started to negatively effect his speech and dental development, so it was time to do something. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, honestly. He was so utterly dependent on them for comfort, oral stimulation, and sleep routine that I thought it was going to be a nightmare. The first few days were hard, but we offered him a specially-designed (and chocolate flavored?!) chew stick and wristbands to stop him from destroying his clothing and hands. I'm so glad the pacis are gone, as it's much easier to understand what he's saying (and he's more engaged in general) without one in his mouth. Big, big progress!

I also got some fantastic news at work...a raise and some more responsibility! I'm thrilled to have such a wonderful opportunity and to work for such an amazing, growing company. I'm happy and excited to go to work each day, and can't wait to see what the future holds. I'm proud of myself and am so grateful for the support of my wonderful family.

Things are really looking up. Now if we can just get rid of the illness bug...