Shane & Jenn: Heart to Heart with momma

I had a great heart to heart with my mom today- that has been a long time coming, honestly. I miss my mom and spending time with her!

One of the things we talked about was my brother, Jon David.

Dressed up as "Prince Charming" for Brook's 5th birthday- July 2009

. Jon David came to us as a foster child in May of 2005 when he was 2 ½. He was one of the first children that my parents had after switching to “straight DHR” from the agency. Life was rough for him before he got to us, genetically speaking and just in general. Pretty soon, we realized that there was more going on in his head than a typical 2 year old. Jon David was diagnosed with ADHD/OCD, then a so-so diagnosis of Bipolar, and finally a diagnosis of PANDAS. Let’s add a sprinkle of trust, bonding and anxiety issues in a preschooler and hope he comes out okay!

Jon David's Last Christmas with us :(

Fast forward to December 2009- Jon David moved out to live with a family member.

Sept 2010- Jon was placed back into care.

Dec 25, 2010- Jon was able to spend Christmas with us and that was the last time we were able to see him.

Feb 2013- My mom sent me a text that said “new kid- Jon”. I was at Shane’s that Friday night, getting ready to meet my grandparents so we could celebrate Valentine’s Day. My first thought was “this is my Jon David.” I just knew. I called my mom and all I heard was “It is Jon David…” before I lost it and started crying. My mother had received a phone call from a lady and asked if we would like to see him and be involved in his life again. Mom didn’t have a lot of details right off the bat and I pestered the crap out of my mom until the lady called back. My parents got to see him the following weekend and just getting that quick picture through a text made my day!

March 2013- I had to go home for spring break to see him. Yes, I was excited to see my other siblings but this was someone I had not seen in almost 3 years!

My booger!

Nov 2013- My wedding is coming up and Jon David won’t be able to be there. It is something I did not even think about when I started planning the wedding. Now that it is closer, I realize that he won’t be able to come. I struggled with how to incorporate him into the wedding. Most things that I saw were for people who passed away. So we just added his name to the bottom of the program under a special section entitled “People who we really wish were there but can’t be”.

I’ll miss my booger on my special day- really really miss him!