Riley's Journey, Part 1

We've known for a while that Riley is somewhat unique, not like most other kids his age.  It's often been very frustrating for me, not being able to participate in many of the activities that my other friends do with their kids or feeling the need to make excuses for him - why he is acting the way he is or why he's so upset.  At his two-year appointment, I brought up my concerns with his Pediatrician.  The way that he behaves along with a speech delay was concern enough for her to refer Riley to a Behavioral Pediatrician.

Over the next 5 weeks, we had a long series of appointments and evaluations, and Jace and I had to fill out a LOT of questionnaires, answering what felt like hundreds of questions.  It was determined that Riley had developmental delays in several areas, his skills being almost a year behind in most areas, excluding motor skills - no problems there for sure!  It was like we had a one-year-old in a two-year-old's body, who, because of his size, looked like a three-year-old.  The decision was made that Riley would greatly benefit from therapy from a variety of specialists.  Then came all the referrals, and yet even more appointments and evaluations.

At this point what we know is that Riley will be receiving 10 hours per week of in-home behavioral therapy and 2-4 appointments per week of speech and occupational therapy.  We are overwhelmed by the amount of assistance we are receiving, both because we are excited for this opportunity for Riley to grow and improve, AND because what this means practically is that we will spend the majority of our days over the next year participating in therapy sessions.  As a mom and as an introvert, this sounds exhausting.  But when I think about what can be accomplished I am SO excited, and SO grateful.

We want to share this journey with you because God has used these circumstances to teach us and grow our faith in several ways:

- God made Riley exactly how he is and He chose us to be Riley's parents.  God has a plan and purpose for Riley's life and He is more than able to accomplish His purposes.

- God can do things that medical professionals can't.  In our hearts, we have had to entrust Riley's little mind and body to God for healing, and we truly believe that God will take care of our son.

- God answers prayers!  Already in the past couple of months, God has answered many prayers, from getting in for appointments quickly to choosing therapists that Riley would connect with quickly.  It has been a real faith builder to watch as friends pray along with us and seeing God answer.

Therapy starts this week! (if we can get Riley healthy enough to participate).  More updates to come...