School Daze

After a couple of weeks off from school, the kids are ready to go back. Well, “ready” might be the wrong word – they’re being forced back to school, kicking and screaming 🙂

With David still in the hospital, we’ve had to make some adjustments so the kids can resume their lives as normally as possible, with little interruption to David and Amy. To that end, Katy and I are becoming single parents for a short while. Katy has taken the school-aged Cesolini kids back to their house and will be living there with them until mom and dad get home. The rest of the children, along with my kids, are holding down the fort at the Somero Ranch. Thankfully the schools are starting on different days (1/6 for the Cesolini’s and 1/7 for the Somero’s), so we’ve been able to coordinate getting ready on two separate days.

Once David is discharged and they get to come home, we will continue to split our time between our house and theirs to help Amy with anything that is needed, be it taking the kids to school or helping around the house so Amy can continue looking after David. We’re going to try to make sure someone is always there for David, and also make sure Amy is able to take some needed breaks to take care of herself. David is a very strong person and doesn’t “need” someone around all the time, but as an adoptive Somero/Davidson, he needs to understand that we’re going to be around and up in his business as much as possible 🙂

These days haven’t been easy, but they have been a blessing. Although we’ve spent countless hours with our nieces and nephews over the years, we have been able to learn so much more about them in the past two weeks. Anna and I have been having a blast drawing and working on electronics (I accidentally broke her phone and we got her a new one – it’s a sore subject, let’s not talk about it), Caitlyn has shown us her nurturing side with the younger kids, and the boys have been, well, we haven’t learned anything new about them; they’re just as crazy as we’ve always known. It has been such a special and exhausting time with each and every one of these kids. Although the circumstances over the past two weeks haven’t been anything we would have wished for, the time together has been a blessing.

A little note about Cystic Fibrosis. We have learned so much about the care and effort that goes into this disease over these past two weeks. I’m embarrassed to say that, up until this point, I knew what CF was, and I knew the cause, but I didn’t really understand the actual impact it has on my sister and the kids. It is amazing what Amy and David do daily to ensure the health of their three little boys with CF. Between the morning and evening treatments, making sure dietary needs are met, and working with healthcare providers on treatments, it can really take a lot out of a person. As difficult as it is to manage this disease, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Amy or David complain about the work they need to put in for these kids. I feel like they have every right to, but I honestly can’t remember a single moment when Amy expressed any frustrations over it. This is just something they do as amazing and loving parents, and the health of their children are a testament to Amy and Davids dedication and commitment to the care of their kids.

The clock just ticked over to Monday, and it’s time for some much needed sleep. I’m happy to report that there have been no ER visits for the kids these past two weeks (cuts and splinters? yes) and they’re ready to resume life a little bit. Thank you all for your support of David and Amy. We often talk about it on our family chats, but the outpouring of love and support has been tremendous, and we give thanks to God daily for each and every one of you who are praying for the family.