I thought, does everything that comes out of this place have to be a program? And the answer was, why yes it does. Are you tired of hearing about The Honeymoon? Can you tell it's just about the only thing I learned this time around :o)
No seriously, this is exactly what this time is...
1.) it is a program of no program. Ha! I laughed when I heard that!
2.) It is not a vacation
3.) there should be a vacation within it though.
This is a time for us to come up for air, and to re-evaluate our new child. To actually get to know her. We are to evaluate Aviana, and make a plan for where we want her to be in a year, or two.
We are also to use this time to evaluate ourselves, Aviana, and the program. We are to determine if the program is doing what we want it to do. They say that sometimes the program becomes the problem.
In this time, we are to give Aviana opportunities, and to do things that we have not had time to do. These are the things we have chosen to really focus on, and master in the next two months:
Aviana is to pick out her clothes for the day.
We have done this in the past. I would hold up two shirts, and she would look at which one she wanted to wear. I would do the same with shorts, hair accessories, etc. Now, with the FC Board, she can make more detailed choices. We did this the other day, and I will tell you what she said in another post :o)
Aviana is to work on being potty trained.
This will be the second time around for her, and I honestly feel she remembers what it is like before. We discussed this, and were working on it for a few months before we left. After we talked about it, she was holding her pee for
very long periods of time, and then it would be a downpour. We honestly didn't have the time in the day to focus on this, so for the past week, we have really been concentrating int his area, and she has done
amazing!!! One day, she had a completely dry diaper for the entire day. She is a superstar! She is fully capable, and ready, and if she fails, I know full well it is because we did not give her the opportunity, or were not patient enough.
Time for us to get everything in order.
We are going to use this time to get everything in order for when the program begins again. We are going to have all equipment built, and all reading materials, and bits of information ready to go...for the entire remainder of this session.
Removal of the feeding tube.
Aviana has been eating all of her food by mouth for at least 4 months. Towards our trip back, she was even drinking all water by mouth. The problem was, we had to make the food chunkier, and chunkier for her to eat, so she then required more water by mouth. We could not find the extra time in the day to accommodate this much more water by mouth.
Since we have the time now, she has not used the tube at all in some time. In this two months, we hope to get her strong enough so she can get it removed. With the amount of time she spends on her stomach, it is a serious inconvenience! And just think, the girl can then wear white shirts again. Hallelujah!
Work on the FC Board.
Also known as the Ouija Board, because that's what it feels like! I'm not calling Aviana the devil here, so back up :o) This takes time, patience, and know how to accomplish. This is now our greatest tool, and we want to get really good at it. We know we will all pay off greatly for being highly proficient in this area.
Rest and relax.
We have all been going a million miles a minute for 2 years straight, so the very last thing I am going to do is pack this time with things to do! Most importantly, we all need to slow down, and relax! We may not get another Honeymoon, so we are going to be very selfish with this time. I feel so bad for saying that, because I don't feel we are selfish by nature, but I do feel we have to protect ourselves during this time, and use it wisely :o)
Out and about.
We are also going to take Aviana out. We are going to take her to do things she wouldn't normally have been able to do. Take her out like a normal kid, what a concept!
Weekend away
They want us to include a weekend away for Dave and me. One where Aviana stays at her Nana and Papa's. Sounds like a win-win to me!
Writing.
I have been putting this next thing off due to how complex the program was. I was asked to write a chapter on
Aviana for a book. A person we met has decided to put a book of eight stories of hope together. I felt so honored to be asked, and to have the opportunity to tell our story. What an exciting thing to be a part of. I think it will be a great experience! It is due by the end of July, and I haven't even started ;o( I better get writing!
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So, as you can see, we are going to be pretty busy! Akkk! A week is already over, so it's going to go like that, hah?? Anyway, they have a report for us to fill out in the end, too. Complete with the story of our Boo Bear!