Breaking Silence: Looking Back

Breaking Silence: Looking Back

Sunday morning coffee....

Well it is Sunday morning around 0630 and the house is quiet. This is the time that I usually sit here and reply to all the emails and write my letters for support for this mission I am on. It is pretty exciting to have a "purpose" again on a personal level. I meet the most wonderful people almost on a daily basis. I cannot wait until we get this dog and start sharing our story even more. This dog will not only help Faith but it should open up more doors of opportunity to help other children and other families with a hidden disability. We are well on our way to putting together this horse event/speed show to raise money and awareness. I am really excited to do it. I think we have found an arena we can use every year. I have narrowed it down to two buckle companies. And I know for a fact I have more than enough volunteers to help run it. I am working this morning on a letter to take personally to local businesses to ask for donations. It will be fun to meet these people even if they are unable to help. They will at least allow us to put up flyers. Faith is doing well. She has really taken off with her passion of cooking and baking. That is exciting. We contacted the local 4H and they have cooking clubs, so she is excited to start those soon. She is pretty much cooking or baking something every day and she records any and every cooking show on tv. It is nice to see her finally really "love" to do something. I think she has found her calling. Thanks for all of your help and support. Don't forget to pass this forward every now and then to help us gain support. Kris

good day yesterday...

Had a great day yesterday. Found some great information for putting together this benefit speed show to raise money for Little Angels Service Dogs. More info to follow. I will be working on the letters this weekend while it is raining. I appreciate all the people who are helping with suggestions and information. Thanks. Kris

I'm very proud...

Today was a very exciting day for me. I was at work out in the field training with my section on my howitzer when Renae called a few times. I called her back and you could tell she was very stressed and angry. Faith had an appointment today at 1230 to take some tests at her school for her IEP assessment. These had been planned for almost a month. Well last night she mentioned she was nervous. When I got on the phone with Renae I could hear Faith in the background screaming and crying. She was not feeling good and could not go up to the school. Well I could not come home and help Renae out. Episodes like this over the past couple of years have really taken their toll on Renae. I just told her to do her best and worst case scenerio get Faith into the car and drive to the school and say she cannot get her out of the car. This will help to have them witness this. Well I don't know how they did it, but Faith went up there and actually took a couple of tests. I was so proud of her to be able to work through this overwhelming fear and make it up there. People who do not get to witness these kinds of episodes can never understand them. Heck I have witnessed hundreds of them and can't figure it out. It sucks and they really take their toll on Renae. She was so brave and I was so proud. Check out this link to a page on Faith's Story Facebook page for donations. http://goo.gl/3Jz64 Kris

Why???

What a terrible evening we are having. I just don't get it. Faith felt good all weekend, then all of the sudden this afternoon she starts feeling bad. She went upstairs to our room around 4pm and laid in bed and watched movies. It is now 7:42pm and she has been upstairs for over an hour banging the walls, pounding the floor, and yelling at the top of her lungs "I don't feel good". Her hands are super sensitive, her whole body is to any touch at all. She wants her mom to be with her and to help her, however there is nothing Renae can do. "Please help me mom!!!" followed by, "What can I do for you Faith?" followed by "Nothing!!! I just don't feel good". We cannot touch her to console her, even sounds drive her crazy...all she can do is scream and flop around until she goes to sleep from complete exhaustion. It is the most terrible thing and I just wish I could take whatever pain she is having away from her so she can just have a normal day for once in her life!!! I love you Faith. I just can't even imagine what you are going through. I am sorry you have to go through it. You are the toughest little lady I have ever met in my life!!! Love, Daddy

Something new...

This week Renae came up with a great idea. We moved Abbi out of Faiths room and turned the little playroom downstairs next to the kitchen into Abbi's room. One of our biggest problems has been having Abbi and Faith share a room. We live in on post housing and moving into a four bedroom house has been over a year in the waiting. It is one of those things, moving faith would be detrimental to her getting stablized, and having Faith in her room just was bad for the both of them. I think this may actually work. Faith can switch from great to terrible feeling in a split second, five year olds just cannot be expected to just understand or comprehend this. So we shall see. We allowed Abbi to have a sleep over with our neighbor last night. She was so excited that they finally had a play area where her sister would not enforce the rules on them. It is a little strange looking through the kitchen from the dinning room table as I type this and seeing a bunk bed. But no matter how strange things may appear, nothing can seem strange in the life of an Army family!! Adapt and overcome, it is our lifestyle and seems to befit our struggles with mood disorders. Kris

Videos | UTSanDiego.com

Videos | UTSanDiego.com

This is a wonderful interview with Katie, the director of Little Angels Service Dogs, which is where we are getting Faith's service dog. We are so excited!!!!! Kris

Superbowl Sunday...

Today is Superbowl Sunday. Faith is spending all afternoon making snacks for the game. She has really become very passionate about cooking. It is exciting. Her entire life she has not found that "thing" that she can never stop thinking about, the one that brings the biggest smiles and best moods. I think it is cooking. All she watches is cooking shows and buys cook books and magazines. I hope it lasts. I have not eating this healthy ever. It is also becoming a great hobby for her mother. They spend lots of time together and have fun doing it. As I sit here and type this I see them criss crossing the kitchen like two dancers, it is fun to watch. I hope everyone enjoys the game and their weekend. Kris

Our biggest supporter so far...

Thank you to Troopsneedyou.com !!!!! They are our biggest supporter and we really appreciate it. Kris and Renae

Raining weekend...

Well it is a rainy weekend and now is as good a time as there is to make a big push towards fundraising this year. My goal is not only to raise enough for Faith's dog, but to continue raising money and awareness for other children. I have been putting a lot of thought into how we can pass it forward when we do get Faith's dog this summer. I have come to the conclusion that once she starts attending school with a service dog more people will come forward with their own story. We will be able to assist them in getting the support and help they need and my goal is to be able to help one child at a time get a service dog. When they pass it forward it will help another family and will start to grow that way. I will begin posting letters to business's, friends and family, and organizations with the hopes that those people who read this can pass them forward to anyone they know or come into contact with. Here we go so start getting ready to pass it forward. KRIS

Dr. appt....

Today we had an appointment with the Psychologist. Faith is doing well except for the bad headaches the last couple of weeks. I will take these over meltdowns any day. The cool thing is the doctor was able to walk over the our psychiatrist's office and get a recommendation to lower her medication to see if it is the cause of the headaches. This use to be a month long process for us. The school district is in the process of developing a plan for Faith's return to school. Our goal is no matter what she will start the new school year in August. I am still a believer that the dog we get this summer will help with the severe anxiety so that we can get to the root cause of a lot of this behavior. Faith is really wanting to go to school and she misses her friends so much. But she is working hard at home to insure she is keeping up with her classmates. Renae really could use a break. I do not think she would make another year of homeschooling. It is touch with a child who has a disability. Our entire family is just plain worn out. I am sure this is something that happens with other families with similar situations, but it is hard. I am just so grateful to see some improvements and small gains on a weekly basis. The clock is ticking down on fundraising so I am about to have to get really busy with this fundraising. Just one more thing, and a very important one, to add to my list of things to do at work and at home. Kris