It's been quite a while since I posted an update here. Updates are difficult for me. I often wonder where to start and what to include, and I often just sit at the computer at a loss for words. Life happens and I usually don't think much of it until friends and family ask me how Wesley's doing, so here is a brief update and a little bit about what we've got going on for him.
Wesley has been doing very well with the exercises we are doing with him at home. He has learned how to do the motions that are required of him for brain stimulation, and he continues to work at them, so that's great! He has also learned how to make me melt so he can get out of the more difficult ones. He's a smart, manipulative little cookie! His eye tracking is also slowly getting better. Eye exercises are the hardest on him, but he really makes a great effort, and little by little his hard work is paying off! He has lots of very bad days. We fully expected this as part of it all. It's not fun, but it is necessary. He does have a few good days here and there though; just enough to let us catch our breath, so we can press on. I'm thankful that the Lord knows just when we need those!
The biggest issue right now that Wesley is facing is sensory integration. He gets so easily overloaded and so easily overwhelmed that he literally cannot regulate the sensory input around him. We are excited about this for one reason, and that is, that it means his brain is trying to comprehend all the information that his senses are absorbing. When Wesley first began the Brain Balance program, some of his senses weren't properly functioning, so while it is difficult and it seems he's getting worse, he's not. He's making progress! It makes so many things very hard for him. It makes every day things for our family very difficult too, as we try to figure out ways to do things without overwhelming Wesley. He's trying to find balance and we are trying to adjust as he adjusts. It's almost always a guessing game, but Wesley has always liked to keep us on our toes!
Wesley has reached a point in his in-home therapy where we feel he can handle an extra push, and I can use some extra help. We have been praying for over a year that the Lord would enable us to get him extra help through his Brain Balance center, and the Lord has opened up an opportunity for us to do that this summer! We prayed much about this and were not sure that we would be able to work it out to travel as a family for these appointments. We were not sure that Jordan would be able to get away from work, but the Lord worked that out as well. I'm so glad I don't have to make these trips without him! While we will not be able to take Wesley as often as we would like and really need to, we are thrilled to be able to get him to the center for more concentrated help. We will be taking him to weekly appointments in Ohio starting at the end of May and all through the summer, until our schedules kick into full gear for the new school year. The program Wesley will be working at in these appointments is geared toward brain stimulation, specifically the right side of Wesley's brain, which is his weaker side. The goal remains at getting the two hemispheres of Wesley's brain to communicate correctly so that Wesley can make greater progress.We are praying that the Lord will really do a great work through all of this, and that Wesley handles all of this very well.
Obviously, there are lots of things to take into consideration to make plans like these. We have two other children, and this will be a big undertaking for our whole family. We would like to be planning fun, lazy summer weekends or even a fun family vacation, but this is where we are right now. Just when we thought our schedules couldn't get any more filled, we find a way to add more to them! :) I wish there were a Brain Balance center in our area, but there isn't at this time, and this is our best option, so we are launching out by faith and trusting the Lord to walk us through this open door He has provided.
There are a few things you can help us pray about regarding all of this:
1. Pray for safety as we travel each week.
2. Pray for our children to handle all the traveling well.
3. Pray for Wesley, especially. Traveling and then going into his appointments are going to be tough on him.
4. Pray that Wesley will handle all of his appointments well, and that he will get the maximum benefit from them.
5. Pray that he is receptive to his therapist and the therapy he will do.
6. Pray that we stay strong, encouraged, and healthy, so that nothing keeps us from his appointments. It is very important that we keep these appointments consistently.
7. Pray that the Lord continues to provide for us. Financially, this is a big endeavor, but the Lord is trustworthy, and He is faithful!
God has been so good to our family! He has not left us, and He has not failed us. We are so thankful for all He has provided for us. We are thankful for this opportunity to help Wesley to a greater extent. There are so many people who have made themselves a blessing to us through all of this, and the Lord has encouraged our hearts and helped our home.
I'll finish with a few verses that have been a help to me recently. Though it seems like so much is against us in all of this, we know that God is for us, and if we trust Him and follow Him, He will bless, and He will do far more than we could ever imagine!
Romans 8:31-32 - What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Psalm 56:9 -When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
Many Blessings!
Kara
