Goodbyes

When we came home from ACH, Samuel began in-home developmental therapy once a week.  Annie, Samuel's developmental therapist, has worked with him for the past 16 months.  He has loved her from the very beginning.  When he was a wee little thing of 7 pounds, he would listen to her sing with opened-mouth wonder.  A few months later, he fell asleep in her arms after a particularly energetic session (something he had NEVER done with me or Michael.)  And in recent months, he eagerly plops down into her lap to read books and play.

Annie and Samuel - November 2010

She has helped him make tremendous progress...everything from head control when he was baby, to two-word sentences now.

But the thing is, Annie isn't just a therapist to us.  She's a friend.  She is one of Samuel's greatest cheerleaders.  She has listened to our worries and celebrated our victories.  She has even been my shoulder to cry on a time or two.

Annie and Samuel - December 2011

But now it's time to say goodbye.  Even though we've known for quite some time that she would be moving away at the end of the year, we took comfort in the amount of time we had left.  "December?  That's a LONG time away."  Well....it wasn't quite as far away as we thought!

Unfortunately, Annie isn't the only special person moving away!
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In the spring, we enrolled Samuel in a program at our church called One-To-One, which provides teachers to watch and interact with special needs children while their parents attend service.  With his chronic lung disease in mind, Samuel is kept away from the rest of the children in the regular nursery....therefore avoiding exposure to all of the cold/flu/RSV germs that we worry so much about.  One of the teachers, Lela, will be moving at the end of this month.  To China!  We are sad to see her go...Samuel greatly enjoys her company.  She is always quick to point out all of the growth and progress he makes over the passing weeks (which is nice to hear since the changes are less drastic for those of us who see him on a daily basis.)

Lela and Samuel

We are going to miss both of these women very much.  They have shared in such a big portion of Samuel's life....it may take us a while to adjust to life without them.  Nevertheless, we wish them the VERY best with their moves (whether across the state or across the world) and hope that we will see them again soon!