The good, the bad, and the ugly

It's been a week since I've blogged...we've just had so much happening here that I haven't had much time to sit down at the computer.  But this week has been full of so many emotions, events, and trials and successes.  We have truly seen the good, the bad, and the ugly!

After the rough road last week Cade seemed to really be holding his own.  We even went to Cracker Barrel as a family last Friday night...and we made it through the entire meal!  That doesn't happen with us very often.  Sometimes it just isn't worth going out because before the meal can end Cade has reached his max capacity with how much he can compose himself.  And add the bouncing two-year-old to the mix...yeah, we're not really a family that you want sitting next to you at a restaurant!  But both boys ate great and sat and waited when they were finished...it was fantastic!

We have had some trouble with Cade's new meds and getting them regulated...the first dosage was good but when we bumped him up for the second week he was literally falling asleep at lunch and sleeping on and off for the remainder of the afternoon.  After a few days of this we said enough, and decided to contact his doctor here to get a prescription for the lower dosage.  Long story short - this left him without any meds on Monday.  Now you would think that missing just one little pill wouldn't cause that much harm.  But, as we know, Cade isn't just any little 4-year-old and his body is definitely unique.  Basically as the day progressed Monday he went into what I can only describe as "manic" -- at 2 am he was literally jumping on the bed and rolling around.  We were up most of the night.  Tuesday wasn't much better, even after he had his meds...he had zero impulse control all day.  Wednesday he did begin to improve, but when Heather came for therapy he would not make eye contact, and after about 15 minutes he went into an all-out meltdown that ended with his body simply being unable to handle things - his body went into shut down mode and he fell sound asleep.  We have spoken to the doc at the STAR Center about the problem, and he told me today that he has never seen, heard, or even read about this happening...of course, right?!  We are keeping him on the lower dose but watching him very closely!

We have also been blessed beyond measure this week.  We are a living testimony to the "Fishes and Loaves" story from the Bible.  We have been praying for the remainder of the money we needed for our return trip to come in before we left.  God came through with another miracle -- he allowed the money from the VA that Eric has been waiting almost 4 years for to come in yesterday.  The back pay is significant, and after waiting so long we had almost given up hope of ever getting it - especially with the economy and the government spending issues.  The amount was more than we even thought it would be, and in what is apparently an unheard of event, the VA actually deposited the money into our bank account instantly!  I am still pretty much speechless and processing all that has happened...we went from no life savings to being able to make a significant dent in replenishing what the Denver trip has cost us. 

As we gear up for our return trip to Denver on Wednesday I want to take the time to thank each of you again who has been a part of the unbelievable miracles that we have experienced this summer.  When I sit back and try to take it all in I am overwhelmed by all of our blessings.  Each of you who donated to our cause, prayed with us, have been keeping up with us through this blog -- you are all truly a blessing to us.  And although you will probably never know just how much you mean to our family, we do pray that God pours rich blessings over you all as he has done with us.  It is overwhelming just how much love each of you has for our little boy.  I cannot wait to continue to share with you all about God's touch on Cade's life.

We will be leaving Charleston next Tuesday and heading to North Carolina to spend the night with my parents before we fly out of Greenville, SC on Wednesday evening.  Please pray for our trip -- Cade has not done well with the altitude changes and the meltdowns in the airport during our layovers are very concerning for us.  Eric has contacted a disabilities liaison with the airlines (I had no idea they even had those!), and we have made arrangements to pre-board as early as possible to hopefully offset the time he has to be waiting before we fly again.  We have a very short layover in Cleveland, Ohio going this time and will arrive around 8:00 pm Denver time on Wednesday.  We are praying for another stay in the Ron McD House this time -- we will not be able to call and check on that until Wednesday morning.

Also, Kai will be staying behind this time with my parents.  Eric and I need to be able to focus more on Cade's therapy on this trip, and without Kai we will both be able to attend each session.  Since this is a much shorter trip, basically a week and a half, we feel better about leaving him.  He will have a blast at Nana and Pappy's -- might better pray for them!