Saying goodbye to Stacey (Jayne's therapist)

When Jayne was born, she automatically qualified for Early Intervention services because she has Down Syndrome. This meant that we would have a therapist come into our home, every two weeks, to help Jayne with her development. At first, I was a little hesitant about anyone coming because it meant accepting that Jayne was going to need extra help. But, when Debbie, (Jayne's first therapist) came for the first time, I realized what a blessing it is. Before I entered the world of Blogging and Facebook, we didn't have any interaction with anyone that had a child with Down Syndrome. I didn't know what to expect, what to do or how to feel. Debbie came into our home and showed so much love to Jayne and helped me to realize that Jayne was going to be ok. She was so positive and helped me to focus on all that Jayne was doing, not what she wasn't doing.

After a few months, Debbie had a change of position and Stacey took her place. She has been coming ever since and has been such a great therapist. Every two weeks, she has come into our home and helped me know how to help Jayne. She plays with her, works with her and pushes her to reach that next step in her development. She saw Jayne progress to sitting, crawling, scooting and finally walking. She saw Jayne go from making no sounds, to babbling, to one syllable words, to some spontaneous speech. She has been there every step of the way, cheering Jayne on. Don and I always say that she has not only been a therapist to Jayne, but to me as well. Whenever I have concerns about Jayne's progress, Stacey was always there to remind me how well she is doing and how far she has come. I think of Stacey as not only Jayne's therapist but a friend too. So, when she told us she was moving, we were sad. Early Intervention services end when the child turns 3, so we knew we only had a few more months of having her come, but I hated to cut it short. I wanted Stacey to be there when we transitioned Jayne to preschool and had our first IEP. It makes me sad but it was a good move for Stacey. I guess we had to say goodbye sooner or later. We will definitely miss her though!



Jayne and Stacey
The other day, I said, "Guess who is coming to play, Jayne?" She said, "Stacey" in an excited voice. It just happens to be one of the words in her limited vocabulary. Jayne loves Stacey! It was pretty cute!


I am so grateful that we have had Early Intervention services and that Jayne was blessed with great therapists that really care and want the best for her. Not only did Jayne get Stacey, but she also had an awesome occupational therapist for a while to help with walking and she sees a great speech therapist that will take over until Jayne transitions. They have all been great and I can't thank them enough!