Timeline of a Whirlwind

SO.  This week was high and low and busy and confusing and overwhelming ... and then peaceful.  A calm before the next storm, I am sure.  In the interest of brevity documenting the chaos, I will break it all down into a timeline of days.  Timeline of a Whirlwind when dealing with an addict.

Sunday - Momma (baby's momma) showed up two hours late :( to her visitation with baby.  A visitation that took a lot of work to pin her down to all week but that ended up being a time and day of her choosing in the end.  And yet still she was absurdly late.  My favorite comment she made was, "I am not sorry for my tardiness, but I do apologize."  HA!  We stayed for an hour after that and it was a good visit still. She held that baby and kissed that baby and cleaned that baby's diaper and was friendly with us.

Monday - Momma (who has been hard to have follow through on ANYTHING relating to baby's medical and insurance needs) attempted to get WIC set up.  Wow!  This was also the day of another of baby's check-ups.  She was prescribed some medicine and getting that filled at the pharmacy under momma's TennCare number was a fiasco that left me in tears. Also, left me just paying with my own cash in the end. But yes, again with the tears. This is also the day DCS called and officially asked us to keep baby past the 2 week timeline they originally anticipated.  I said, of course!  They asked how long we would be available to keep baby beyond that, if it comes to that, and I said, until the end!  So I get the feeling Monday that this will be awhile. And that is ok by me.

Tuesday - Momma texts me that she is completing an evaluation to get into Elam Center Rainbow Program (rehab for pregnant and post-partum drug addicted women that allows them to keep baby there with them).  This 90-day program is part of DCS's requirement of her.  That afternoon, DCS calls and says momma has been accepted into the program and will check in the next morning, so now the plan is to "transfer" baby to momma at 9 in the morning after momma is scheduled to check in at 8.  The window for all this to happen is 8-10 am.  For anyone who's keeping track, we just went from "Can you keep her at least til September?" to "Nevermind, bring her back tomorrow"  all in about 18 hours. I got weepy and didn't know why.  Just realized all of a sudden that I would miss her when she was gone.  Didn't see that coming.

Wednesday - Josh takes a half day off work, we (all 5 of us) leave at 7:30 to get through traffic and into Nashville, and we arrive at 8:45 at the facility, which is technically a mental health treatment center, we discover. We sit and wait and sit and wait.  See a number of interesting and depressing realities. DCS comes and waits with us.  Momma never shows up.  Nor does she respond to calls or texts.  We leave at 10:30, after the window for today has passed.  At 11:15, momma calls me and acts as if nothing has happened and is astounded when I tell her we are disappointed she did not show up and that we have since left.  She tells us to turn around and come back and I say we have to hear from DCS before we can do that.  She loses her cool and hangs up on me ... which was kinda hilarious because after she stood my whole family up for another 2 hours in just 3 days, I should be the one upset at her!  Long story short, she proceeds to Elam (late), DCS meets her there to see if she can still check in, but she has not completed her TB skin test correctly, and therefore cannot be admitted.  Has to redo her test.  Plan is for her to do so, get it checked Friday, and THEN check into Elam.  Finally.  Momma is told by DCS we will not make another trip down to meet her there again.  She must be confirmed there and ready before we come. Pleaseandthankyou.

Thursday - I text mom a second time since yesterday just to touch base and she does not respond on either number I have for her.

Friday - I text again.  No response.  I know my job today is to wait to hear from DCS if momma has dealt with the TB test AND gotten checked in.  If she can get all that done (and not need a period of a few days detox prescribed by treatment center to begin with) then we are poised and ready to bring baby down to her that afternoon.  The call never comes.  A text from momma DOES actually come that evening that only says, hope everything is well and sorry for the delay.  I don't even bother to ask mom to be coherent enough to explain what delay has occurred.  In truth, I am relieved baby is still with us.

So now, it is Saturday and I expect to have baby through the weekend and will keep her on a day by day basis until I hear from DCS, I guess.  In the meantime, I have another appt for Lasa in a week and momma's court date on my calendar for the end of the month. I/We have a million thoughts that race and swirl in our minds about momma, baby, addicts, the future, and us and they are all futile to entertain.  We really only have our marching orders for now and that is enough.

That and the fact that all of baby's days are in the Lord's hands.  THAT is enough.