Respite Home for one night for Andy

I dropped Andy off at the respite home, and didn't cry this time as I was driving away. The staff there are getting to know him. They know that he likes to be driven around, and listen to pop music. They know that he likes to play with bead toys, and he seems to be more comfortable with them. 

I dropped him off in the morning, and picked him up a little over 24 hours later. I told him "You're going to be sleeping at this house tonight, and I'll come get you tomorrow. " After I dropped Andy off, I went back home and my husband and I, and the girls got in the car to drive to a waterpark hotel. We had fun, but the 18-month old was exhausting. My older daughter had a great time. We ate at a cafeteria buffet with no wait time for our meal, so that worked out great for us. The baby slept just fine in her temporary crib in the hotel room, and even took a nap in there because the room could be darkened. 

We left the hotel the next day, I took everyone home, and immediately left to pick up Andy. He seemed happy when I picked him up. He was watching TV with his earmuffs on at one pickup, and the last one he was sitting by the window looking outside when I picked him up. He was happy in the car all the way home, and most of the day once we got back. 

The respite home has been a great resource for us so far. I do still want to attempt a couple nights away with Andy, but they are usually stressful. We will be taking him up North and to our camper for the day and we will see how that goes. 

Using a respite home occasionally

Things have been tough as usual. Andy was having half days at school, but that is over now. I've been trying to get Andy into ABA, but it isn't looking very promising. The company advertises weekend and evening hours, but I've been trying to get Andy in there for two months now. They are telling me they hope to have him being seen by the three month mark. Summer is here, and Andy needs some structured activities to do. Otherwise, he gets bored, and has meltdowns.

We found out about a respite home a few years ago, from one of Andy's social workers. I was reluctant to give it a chance. I was worried about how Andy would do there, and didn't want to have him stay overnight somewhere. Recently, I've had a change of heart.

We called them to get started, and to just check it out. The first step was taking Andy in to eat lunch there, so they could meet him and see his demeanor. He did okay. He was a bit whiney there, and we played music for him to help him calm down. A couple weeks later, the next step was for them to pick him up from school in a handicapped van, and take him to the home to spend the night. In the morning, they returned him to school. This was a trial to see how he would do. They said he was okay to begin spending some additional nights there. We signed up for additional dates for respite time.

Andy will probably only go there 3-4 times a year, as there are lots of other families that use these services for vacations without their impaired child. Sometimes, he only needs to go there for 24 hours. This is enough time for us to drive to a hotel and check in there, and pick him up the next day. It has been an awesome resource for us to be able to spend time with our other children. It provides relief, but at the same time, we worry about Andy when he is there. I call to check on him, and usually feel better when I find that he is doing well. I also feel better when I pick Andy up, and he is happy and doing fine.