Nicolas Stein & Family: Back to school for me!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Back to school for me!

Many of you may not know but I decided to go back to work. I am a pre-k teacher for Fort Wayne Community Schools...I was on what FWCS calls "Child-Rearing Leave." I had until February of 2010 to go back or I would loose my position. I feel that going back in the fall and starting fresh with the children is better then starting half way through the year...Not to mention a job is a pretty valuable thing to have these days! So...I'm back in the same building and in my classroom. The only difference...full time is not an option for me. Meeting Nicolas' many needs is not something I am capable of doing while working full time. SO thank you to my school corporation who approved a "job share". There is a wonderful sub taking the afternoon class who will also fill in for me when I need a sub for days when Nicolas is sick or has appointments at Riley. My incredible assistant is also coming back again this year! I love her and am thrilled to work with her again! With all this being said...Anxiety is kicking in with sleepless nights...and I'm trying to establish a routine to so that it's not so stressful for me...but here I am with a glass of wine, Advil and a heat pack for my tight muscles...I'm only 3 days into this and the only thing that brought a smile to my face is Garrett saying..."Mom, maybe you shouldn't go back to work yet"....Oh how I love him...I'm not giving up yet...Although, I feel this important to say, I do not view the possibility of this not working out due to "giving up." I went into this saying, "I'd rather try, then never know"...And if being home with Nicolas full time is God's Plan...I'm glad to serve! But for now...My Mom and Jake's Mom will watch Nicolas (with a great many volunteers waiting and wanting to help...you know who you are and we couldn't do it without you...Love you)...I leave for work at 7:30 and am home by 12. I barely feel like I've left! So wish me luck, say a prayer, and continue to read our blog...I'm sure I'll have fun things to share.

Much Love to all!

Felisa

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Sure hope your getting along ok with back to work. Think of you often and keep you in my prayers. Love you all Nancy Bieber; September 29, 2009 at 4:17 PM

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If this is your first time reading our blog, here are a few things you may need to know...

This blog page is dedicated to informing our loved ones about our little Nicolas. It all began February 19th 2008. He was born a mere 6 lbs. 2 oz. and within 3 days dropped to 5 lbs. 8 oz. Initially Nicolas was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive and Reflux along with aspirating. He had a surgery at 7 weeks old to correct the reflux. They added a feeding tube at that time to prevent aspirating and improve weight gain as well. Once we checked out of Parkview North we began to see many specialists at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. After a few trips to Riley and several EEG's later he was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms...something he had been going through since 3 weeks old but was not diagnosed with until he was 6 months old. To try to rid Nicolas of these seizures, Jake and I gave him an inner muscular shot of a hormone steroid called ACTH. This medication dramatically improved his spasms to less than 1 a day. Before that, he would have 8-10 spasms a day. Due to the ACTH medication his immune system was affected and won't be back to normal until June of 2009. As of December 2008, Nicolas' MRI reported that he has a moderate thinning of the white matter that surrounds his brain which attributes to his delays in development. Doctors feel that all of Nicolas' symptoms are due to an underlying cause. Nicolas has gone through a great deal of tests in search of a cause and they have yet to determine what it is. Today Nicolas' weight and height are lining up with growth charts and his seizures are few. Through all of this, you wouldn't think anything has changed for our family. Not that this doesn't weigh heavy on us...it is challenging being patient with medical professionals and with a diagnosis. But through it all...we are so glad God gave him to us! We think he is incredible and love him dearly! With that I leave you this...read our blog so that you too can know more about Nicolas and our journey with him. Continue to pray for our family! Love, The Steins