The big move

Do you know while most people were enjoying the holidays with family and friends, opening gifts, creating wonderful recipes, and having their break from school..WE WERE MOVING? Oh my gosh! What a HUGE undertaking it was. On December 28th we picked up the keys to our brand new house on base. Finally, we are in a four bedroom home. The kids were out of school until the 3rd, so we had one week to get the house packed, moved, cleaned, unpacked, and ready for school. Whew! We did it. Barely. It is a miracle sometimes that couples can stay married after moving. ha ha I love my husband dearly, but there are moments during a move that we test each other! But we survived and are, for the most part, unpacked. There are a few random boxes in the house and the garage needs major organization, but we are "functional".

One thing I wasn't prepared for was the toll it would take on Emmie. She is excited to have her own room and excited to have new neighbors and a playground so close by. But it was emotionally draining for her to move. She doesn't do well with change and I know that, but I wasn't fully prepared for this move. There were tears, moments of complete shut down, moments of sleeplessness, and even moments of just plain not understanding. Anytime there is a change, there is usually a spurt of regression from the progress we have made and this time was no different. She had a day or two where it seemed she didn't understand anything that was said to her, there was no confusing it for something else, she just didn't understand period. And excited as she is to have her own space, her own things decorating the walls and shelves, her new art table...she still needs to feel that security and safety of having someone near. It is not unusual for her to awake after hours of sleep to inquire about where her brother is or where her sister is, or even to talk to them in her sleep. Security has always been a huge issue with Emmie, however she has slept in her own bed which is a great progression.

With a child with a special need, even if it is an invisible need that can't be "seen", there are transition issues. A lot of people don't understand or think they do. I hear the "oh she loves her new room". Yeah. We know that. But what people don't get is they aren't here for the rest of it! They see happy Emmie, Emmie with a smile, Emmie talking about her room and her things, Emmie being around her friends...they don't see Emmie "in the dark". Emmie away from the hustle and bustle of school. They aren't the ones wiping tears at midnight or trying to find another way to explain something to her for the third time in ten minutes.

But that's okay. Just like the move, we'll survive :) Hopefully with a few more boxes unpacked!