Good Sunday Morning! I, as is too often in the case, begin my post by apologizing for taking so long to post an update. We have been having a hard time, and I just haven’t felt like writing. It’s nothing major; just lots of minor things that gathered into an overwhelming pile of Blah. I’m sure you can relate. 

But today is a new day. As I sit out on the back patio this morning, the jasmine is blooming, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and both of my children are home, sleeping in their beds. This is as close to perfect as a morning could be. So let’s catch up!

Caleb and Grace got sick right that before Easter, and then I got it, followed by Caitlin. This put our Easter plans right out the window, which was a major bummer. As we started to get better, Caitlin developed a bacterial infection around her trach, which we may be still battling. She goes back to the doctor tomorrow. Caleb and Grace then got a new virus, which was even worse than the first one. Not only were our Easter plans ruined, but we have not been able to spend any time with Caleb and Grace for what seems like an eternity. I hope and pray that we are finally moving past the Spring Ick. It seems to be going around, so I really hope all of you stay healthy and safe. It hasn’t been fun for anyone. Caleb was finally able to come home this weekend, for which I am VERY thankful. 

Meanwhile, between virus outbreaks and pain in the trach, Caitlin and I have been doing our best to keep moving. We bought some flowers for our raised beds, and Caitlin worked hard at digging holes for them. The raised beds are excellent therapy for her. She tires easily, but that’s because she is using muscles that do not always get worked with her daily activities. We have some volunteer cilantro and dill that grew over the winter around the raised beds. Normally, I cannot get cilantro to grow, but now I know that it's because I have always tried it as a spring/summer crop! This year, it started in the fall and grew into enormous plants. The dill did the same thing. Our dill is *at least* 7 feet tall. I didn’t know that dill could get that tall! In addition, we have several varieties of milkweed, and presently have some very happy monarch caterpillars. We have one that is close to forming its chrysalis, and several more that are not far behind it. This is the earliest I’ve ever had them, so I am hopeful that we will be able to make a tiny impact in the Monarch crisis throughout the season.

We continue to add a few plants at a time, and have added a Serviceberry tree, a baby River Birch, and were fortunate to add a Bald Cypress today, thanks to the Earth Day tree giveaway in the park yesterday. Thank you! We already have it in the ground, thanks to Caleb and his dad (Mike), who also came to visit yesterday. We also picked up a few plants at the Richmond Hill Garden Club plant sale last weekend. Spring is my favorite time of year. 👩🏼‍🌾

Caitlin got a haircut! She had a dream that she cut her hair short, and decided she wanted to do it. She looks incredibly cute. Thank you, Teresa! We love you. 

PT/OT/SLP - we continue to struggle with Anthem BC+BS. She was granted 6 therapy visits after a review. *rolls eyes*  It should be criminal to deny therapy for inured and actively recovering patients. It’s wrong on every level. We are stretching the visits out and trying to do more at home, in hopes that it will make a difference. On a positive note, Caitlin is on the waiting list to get back into Shepherd Center. YAY! We’re trying to get her back to the Pathways day program, and as soon as we get the word, we will work out the details and hit the road! We have no idea how long it will take. Meanwhile, Caitlin will be eligible/enrolled in Medicare in December. We hope that will solve a lot of our current insurance issues. From what I have been told, Medicare will cover more. Isn’t it crazy that when something catastrophic happens, you have to wait 2.5 years to get coverage, even though that is the time when you need help the very most?! It makes no sense. 

Happy Nature News: Bluebirds! We have four (or five) baby bluebirds. It has been fun to watch a bluebird pair make their nest in our new box, and now the babies are a week old. It’s our first time experiencing bluebirds, and it has been a fun study on bird behavior. The parents are working so hard to feed them! Kudos to bluebirds on being such excellent gatherers of insects! Who knew! Also, who knew that bluebirds could hover in place much like a hummingbird, in order to enter their nests. It’s not exactly the same, but still impressive. Next, we’ll get to see the little ones leave the nest. I wonder if the parents will take a break, or if they immediately begin preparing for the next offspring.  We’ll see!

We have a busy week ahead of us. Caitlin has several extra appointments, and most importantly, I hope we can solve the trach issue. When we went to Memorial for the vocal cord procedure, they changed her trach while she was under anesthesia. I have no idea why, but she began complaining about it being painful that afternoon. At first, I figured it was just pain from it being changed. The pain didn’t go away though. Her doctor called in an antibiotic, and that seemed to help for a bit. Now that she has been off the antibiotic for several days, the pain is coming back. Like I said, we’ll go back tomorrow. It doesn’t look bad from the outside, but the pain is inside. I wish we could just take it out!

Swallow trials are going well. We think. It’s hard to know for sure, but we think she is swallowing the small sips of water during these exercises. We plan to get her on the schedule for a modified barium swallow study. It has been quite a while since the last one, and it will be good to see exactly what is happening in there. 

Lastly, Caitlin had her 8 week visit to Innovative Orthodontics, and her teeth continue to improve! My gratitude for Dr. Clayton and his team is immeasurable. What a difference they are making in Caitlin’s life! Everything is connected, and this is one of the most important pieces in her healing journey. 

Thank you all for the continued love, prayer, and healing thoughts. We appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. It would be easy to feel isolated and alone sometimes, but each one of you help me to combat those feelings. Thank you. ❤️🙏🏻