If you are a Facebook friend you may have already heard the great news.  Josiah is coming home! I am one happy-dancing mom here, so excited to be getting her boy back. Josiah will be discharged October 27th. That’s exactly 2 months since he was first admitted to the hospital.

Now, I need to jump into action.  You would think given all this time, I would have been getting prepared for his eventual return.  I haven’t.  Having Josiah back home means we need to get some supports in place. We need to ensure it’s a smooth transition back to the life he once knew. One in which he does not get to call the shots. 

Josiah’s amazing caregiver is no longer able to work with him.  She has become like family to us and we will miss her dearly.  We knew when Josiah became hospitalized there was a good chance we would not be able to keep her.  We will stay in touch and wish her nothing but the best as she moves on with the next chapter of her life. She was a Godsend to us and we will forever be grateful for all she has done to help Josiah. Finding a replacement for her will not be an easy task.

With 9 days to go, we need to scramble. We have nine days to find the perfect someone who will willingly agree to spend a large portion of each day in our home, working with an often times unwilling teenager. Someone happy to assist Josiah with most of his needs; comfortable with the rest of us lurking about in the house.

Ultimately, this person has a wealth of experience with kids on the spectrum; trained in proven techniques for alleviating behavioral challenges. She excels at sign language and is adept at teaching it as an effective means of communication. She’s a master with PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), has a great working knowledge of Proloque2Go for the iPad and feels confident in keeping Josiah on a consistent schedule using any or all of the above.

She is skillful at toilet training, possesses a surplus of energy and patience and proficient at inducing slumber at bedtime.  Friends describe her as loyal, dependable, innovative, mature beyond her years, extremely loving; fun, but firm. She doesn’t mind slobbery fingers, a messy face or a runny nose.

An accomplished sensory integration therapist is highly preferred and would be considered above all others,

Should you or anyone you know fit this description, and have an interest in being Josiah’s next caregiver, please contact me immediately.  I’m not kidding.  I would be most interested in negotiating your contract as soon as possible, or at least before you have a chance to second guess yourself and change your mind.

Perks include all the chocolate covered cake balls you can carry, a sculpted 3 dimensional cake of your choice on your birthday and cupcakes for any and every occasion you may need them; all free of charge, of course.  If that’s not enough to ‘sweeten’ the deal, there is also the very likely possibility of a hammock with YOUR name on it at my someday home in Bora Bora,

You have a great time here with Josiah.  Feel free to bring him along and meet me there, once you get that boy well behaved, toilet trained and talking.