Love, Love , Love This Post

Click HERE. (that's right, HERE)

Happy Birthday to ME!

It's been a good day!

We ate lunch at my favorite restaurant. The tibs were a mite overcooked but we had a good time and the sambusa was terrific.

Fall is in the Air

(Okay, around here if the temp dips below 90 it's cause for celebration) Love, love, love this time of year. Mornings start a bit cooler. You know in your heart the sweat shirts will be coming out in another month (probably 2). I also love Wednesdays. It is the only day of the week we have no commitments. The day we can laze around after Randy gets off work. With 4 kids, we really don't ever laze but it's as close as we come.

Here's what we do. My camera is not being nice to me lately, so these are the only shots that were not totally blurry.

Good Story

From the Tennessean

Thanks Dad for pointing it out.

Fashionistas

1. How to watch TV in the morning when it's too early to be up and the sun is too bright.2.What to do to keep your hair out of your eyes (when mom has sent you to your room to rest and you want to make sure you don't fall asleep)Tie 2 socks together and have a color coordinated head band.

I Admire This Guy

You gotta just love a man you isn't afraid to sew and show off his talents. This man is particularly admirable because he sews for a very special purpose. He and his wife are adopting 2 boys with Down Syndrome. He is selling many of the items he sews to raise funds to help bring these little boys home. By the way, over the past 2 years this man and his wife adopted 2 other boys with Down Syndrome. They also have 3 other children.

So, go over to his site and check it out. His color bags are pretty cool. CLICK HERE.

Oh yeah, he's also a dog trainer in the Army!

Insurance update

SO, when last heard from, the evil villain (aka INSURANCE COMPANY) had denied our claims. They stated it was because we did not get prior authorization. Thus, the dashing prince (aka RANDY) called them. Oh how Evil Villains hate to hear from Dashing Princes. He spent 2.5 hours trying to get through the snares and traps laid by the E.V. In the end, he was told the Knights (aka therapy providers) would need to file an appeal. (With no guarantee they would approve it)

So, the lovely princess (that would be me) called the Knights and told them what the D.P. was told. The lady in the Knight's office ranted and raved for some time telling me all the appeals they had sent and were denied. Alas, she said, she'd try again. She did, that very afternoon. Upon further discussion, I decided I needed to contact the E.V. and discuss another matter.

I call and after many buttons pushed to get thru the first layer of snares established by the E.V., I get to Nice Person. They always put N.P. on the first line of defense. It's easy. She's nice because all she has to do is disseminate facts. If it's not in black and white, N.P.s get to turn you over to the next layer of defense. So, I ask N.P. how many O.T. visits am I allowed in one calendar year. She states, just the facts, 30. Ahh. So, I ask, how many have I used. N.P. states none. Ahh...now I'm thinking, whew at least I avoided a battle that I thought I was going to have to fight. Then N.P. says "You do have 4 P.T. visits" Dang. I guess I have a battle after all. So, I tell N.P. that "we have not had a P.T. in our home in over 2 years can you explain to me, how we would have 4 P.T. visits charged to us?" N.P. states: "Let me put you over to our Rapid (or was it rabid) Response team" Queue the hold music.

At that point, L.P. (that's me) contemplates hanging up. Then, L.P. decides NO I WILL NOT (unless of course the kids start screaming). Finally, R.R. lady gets on the phone. "Hi, I'm Lori with the Rapid Response team and I see you want to know about your P.T. visits on a,b,c and d dates". "Yes, especially since we do not use a Physical Therapist". I hear her clicking and talking out loud. I hear, "AH HA" followed by "nope, that's not it" several times. Finally, she says, "I'm going to put this back through to claims. You should have an explanation within the next 10 business days". We say our pleasantries and hang up. I'm sitting there thinking, E.V. is just using a delaying tactic. After all, time is on the villain's side.

Less than 24 hours later, D.P. gets an email stating E.V. is paying for our visits (since our deductible or most of it, is met). What the.....

Moral of the story: If ever you get sent to the Rapid Response team, Ask for Lori. (of course, she may have since been moved or fired as she did not do her E.V. assigned job) AND Send in an appeal!

Doctor in the House

Overheard while playing doctor with the kids

Doctor Ansley says to Patient Mommy after an examination: "your ears are okay but you've lost your brain"

That explains so much.

I'm Really Upset

Disclaimer: I am neither FOR nor am I AGAINST the proposed health care system.

I get angry with insurance companies. My insurance company refuses to pay for Sawyer's OT. Why? Because my provider did not get prior authorization. Now, this is the same provider and insurer as last year and the same plan. No authorization was required last year. Due to a technicality apparently they have chosen to deny our claims for OT. The insurance commissioner has been called in to mediate this issue. Meanwhile, my son will only receive the measly bare minimum OT provided for in the school.

Now, if you've never had a child who needed extra services you may not see the issue here. If you are familiar with studies, you might know that for every dollar you spend on a child prior to the age of 5 (providing them with proper instruction & nutrition whether special needs or not) you save $7 down the line. Hence the reason there are head start programs today that were not available many years ago. Occupational therapy helps my son with his fine motor skills. The ones you might take for granted. Writing. Buttoning his shirt. Tying his shoes. It helps him be the best person he can be so that down the line some day he might be able to live a independent/semi-independent life. (thus those $7 for every dollar spent will be saved. If he is NOT in an assisted living home but rather in his own apartment or some other place where he pays his own way or at least part of it, then we all win. He is happier. This mommy is happier. Your tax $$ can go for something really important, like $600 toilet seats for the Pentagon.)

My husband stays with his job for many reasons. One of the main reasons is insurance. Why? because in this day and age, you HAVE to have insurance. Yet, when we need it.....

In the end, you have folks that do the right thing and folks that do nothing but ease their conscience by saying they are following process. Sometimes it quite easy to see to which group we belong. If you haven't read the post below, take the time to do so. It's a good post.

Read This

It will only take 2 minutes.

Click HERE.

Survived!!!

Not only that, I think we did darn well this first week of Sawyer's school and second week of home schooling. I actually got some things done around the house too. (okay, it might be hard to tell as the list is so long of things that need to be done)

It only took 2 weeks for Judson to say, "Do I have to do home work on the weekends?"
It only took 1 day for Sawyer to love riding the bus.
It only took 4 days before Ansley grew tired of playing with Turner without any body else.
Turner, didn't miss a beat.

Best of all, Kimmy and Olivia came by to play on Friday.

It was a good week!

The First Day of School

Before.

I actually dreaded the first day of school. Not because I was watching my baby go out the door, he did that last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can't be down when you know someone loves doing something so much. IT was because he was riding the bus for the first time. I knew he'd like it AFTER he road it once but I also knew he'd pitch one big fit that ONCE. Now, normally I don't mind fits but since the blood clot has been discovered, I'd really rather him not have the BIG FITS that he's known for. I did, however, decide to let him ride the bus.

That morning, I got him ready and he and I were waiting outside for the bus. Each time I'd go over what was going to happen he'd say GOT IT and then say, NO, I RIDE MOMMY'S CAR. (Which is what he did last year) While we were waiting, Dad came out. It was, of course, a big day and he wanted to be there too.

The bus drove up and Sawyer threw himself on the ground. He was a noodle. You know how the protesters do it so that you have to drag ALL their body weight away? That was him. So, I picked him up (along with his back pack loaded with school supplies and my camera because I was NOT going to miss this picture) and I climbed on the bus. Yes, I know it's against the rules to get on the bus. Didn't care. What was she going to do to me? Take my screaming child? Doubt it.

So I TRIED to hold him while she strapped him in. It was not pretty. In fact, it looked liked THIS:

During.

Notice the sad-sack outside the window. I probably would have looked like that if I had not been trying to hold the kid down.


His teacher emailed me that when he got to school he was fine and even happy.


That afternoon Daddy, Judson and I waited for him to get home. (Oh yeah, so did MiMi)

When he got home, we saw a different little guy. His bus driver said when the teachers brought him out, he got on the bus, turned around and looked at them and said "See Ya".

After.

He has looked like this every day since!

One Year Ago

On Tuesday, August 12, 2008, Travis brought a very scared little boy to meet his forever daddy.

Quickly, he began to adjust and relax.

For almost a week, they went every where together. (eating, visiting nannies, visiting orphanages)

After 20+ hours on a plane/in airports, he arrived to meet the rest of his forever family.

Life changed. Definitely for the better.We are living happily ever after.

Good News, Bad News

Thursday was a busy day. I schelpped 4 kids to visit Sawyer's school. Of course, Sawyer did NOT want to go. Then we got ready to leave, none of the 4 wanted to leave. After that, we all headed to Walmart to pick up school supplies. No one wanted to ride in the buggy, so I was constantly trying to corral four kids. Finally, Turner wanted in. After that, they all wanted to ride. They wanted to eat at McD's in Walmart. $13 later, they were full.

Thursday afternoon, Judson and I took Sawyer for his follow-up cardiology appointment. It went very well, for the most part. Sawyer was a big boy and allowed them to do the EKG and the ECHO. (Previous visits were more like wrestling a steer to get any kind of procedure done) The good news: His pulmonary pressures are normal, around 16! Remember at birth, they were over 100 and the prognosis was not good. The bad news: He has a 'mass' on his heart. It's in the right atrium around the superior vena cava. (If I heard correctly, sometimes your brain doesnt get all the information the first time around) The cardiologist consulted with fellow cardiologist (the good thing about a teaching hospital) and they've decided it was a 'bleed'. (Aka, blood clot) The good news: It doesn't appear to be a tumor. It also does not appear to be restricting blood flow. The bad news: You don't want it to break off and cause problems. You also don't want it to grow and restrict blood flow.

The preferred method of treatment at this point is 1/2 baby aspirin a day. (To hopefully restrict any further growth and possibly dissolve it) Then we will go back in a month and see how it looks. All other treatments are more invasive. (coumadin, heparin,surgery) I told him about a clotting issue that possibly runs in the family. He didn't seem to think that was it. His best guess at what may have happened: The PIC/PICC line that was inserted (actually twice: at birth and after surgery) probably caused a 'bleed'. It's really hard to know how it happened. We just have to deal with its presence. I really like this cardiologist (and the one he consulted with). I trust his advice. So, off we go to get some baby aspirin.

Always, something, isn't it.

Personality Observation

Look at that face. So sweet and happy. That's who he is. It's the same softness and sweetness I see in the pictures of his birth mother. It's hard not to see her every time I look at him.

Lately though, he's been trying out attitude. He sees this attitude in his sister mostly. The "I don't want to, I'm not going to, hhmph" kind of attitude that really tries your patience. On Turner, it's actually almost comical. He tries so hard to be 'angry', yet he just can't. One very watered down Pat Summit stare and he comes running into your arms all smiles and kisses.

When attitude doesn't work, he tries babytude. (You know what I'm talking about. The "run and purposely fall down and then cry and say you're hurt" trick. Or the "push your big brother and then when he pushes back, fall down and scream that you've been fouled" trick.) That, too, is almost comical. Sadly, it works even less often than attitude. I keep telling him, you have got to come up with new material. Your three predecessors have used up all of those moves. I'm immune.

He is a very good user of the tattle-tale trick. Anytime he hears someone crying (even if he does not know why they are crying), he'll yell, "Ansley did it!".

Thank You Shoe Fairy

We appreciate you returning the sandal. It's mate is quite relieved. How clever of you to leave it in the car, right beside her car seat!

Sincerely,
Ansley's Mom

1st Day

The first day of our home schooling year is behind us. It went well. Judson worked at one table and Ansley worked at the other.

Judson does not like to take a break until he is done. So, I have to 'make' that happen. He also wanted to do more after he was finished with the work I gave him. On his own, he started working on writing in cursive. The problem with that is he wants to write words right away. He is a big picture kind of guy and does not like to practice the little things, like writing letters. What did he do? He practiced writing Turner's name. I guess today, I'll have him practice writing spelling words in cursive.

Ansley throws up smoke screens. She's done this since day one of coming home to us. If she is not perfect or cannot do something, she starts a fight/crying/yelling. (anything to divert your attention away from the actual problem because God forbid we have to ask for help) Today, it was numbers. We haven't worked on them this summer and she could not remember how to write them. 7's were backward and/or upside down. "I can't do it" "It's too hard" "I'm going to watch tv" The excuses and screaming went on for 30 minutes. It didn't get her out of trying, just delayed the activity. I sat her down with paper and she practiced (with my help) and by the end, I heard, "I did it, ALL BY MYSELF".

Hopefully, today enthusiasm will remain high. 179 more days.....(Don't worry, no blow by blow posts for each day, just the 'big' ones)

Dear Shoe Fairy

Please return the sandal you have stolen from my daughter. It is white (or was when it was new). It fits her right foot. It lights up when you walk on it. It's left mate is very lonely without it.

Sincerely,
Ansley's Mom

Last Weekend of Freedom

We start 'officially' home schooling Judson next week. Sawyer starts school the following week. Sometime in between, we have to get him on the school bus and HAPPY about it. ("Can't ride on the bus if he's crying")

Kimmy and Olivia came over and we played and celebrated last days of SUMMER by getting out the HALLOWEEN costumes. We had a great time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's also tax free weekend, so Mom gets some retail therapy. YIPPEE.

Last of the Swimming

For this year....I think.

Judson is trying to overcome his fear of the water. He's getting better. He swam across without putting his feet down. That's quite an accomplishment for him! (Even in 3' water, his fear is very real. I wish I could help him but alas, I had the same fear as a child. Time did help me and hopefully it will him, too.)


Sawyer spent his time jumping off the side and then trying to get back up. He has blisters and a cut on the bottom of his feet he tried so much. When he's done, he gets out of the pool, slaps his hands together and says, "All done". He means it too. Once he's done, he's done! Remember, my whole thing with S was safety. I think we made great progress towards that. (He's now taking a marathon nap! Nice side benefit.)

He went to end but would not jump. It was too 'bouncy'.

(I wouldn't have jumped because it was too dirty. There was a lot of wind last night. The pool was full of debris.)