Appointment?

We may have an appointment finally… although the “legal department” has not fully examined the adoption documents. Since I kept calling, they finally just scheduled the laryngoscope in a couple of weeks. I think the receptionist figured that if a problem arose she could do a quick change without any complaints of tying up the OR for nothing. Heh.

Country House

I know I promised photos of the country house, but between trying to keep the kids from breaking any bones while hurtling down the stairs and attempting to figure out some interesting remodeling choices, I completely forgot to take any until the house was already locked back up.

Sadly, there was no goat damage left – the house had been remodeled. By someone who watches a lot of H*GTV. Not a professional, mind you… just someone who watches tv and thinks they know what is hot. I was surprised there wasn’t granite counter tops… but maybe that money was spent on building the two car garage with three garage doors.

For example, the addition of a half bath in the laundry room. Not necessarily a bad choice, except that the placement of said toilet meant that every load of laundry had to be tossed over it. Then there was the pass through over stove. A pass through that was too low to facilitate actually looking into the dinning room (and I’m not that tall), but requiring a push in stove to be purchased. Note that there was a perfect place to place a cabinet for a wall oven or even place a stove in that position. Instead, wall cabinets. Weird.

I loved the property. I loved being out in the country. I did not love the house. And in this market, you have to be in love if you want to go through the pain of selling a house to buy a new one.

Winner!

The official drawing the comment number

And the winner is….

Number 3!

Kim of Life with Meechi

Congrats!

And thanks to all who entered! It was so fun to see who would enter… I think I may have to do this again soon!

Hospital Rules

We still have not been able to schedule Lala’s Laryngoscopy. Apparently, the updated documents from her swallow evaluation (done at the same hospital!) were not appropriately entered or are sitting in a pile somewhere. I was not able to schedule at that time, because they didn’t believe that I had the legal right to do it. OK, fine.

A week later I call and am told that they can’t locate the documents. Can I fax them?

I sneakily use the fax machine at work. We are not allowed to use the machine for anything but school business. The secretary watches everyone closely – I do it after she has locked up and hope that the log monitors assumes it was for school related.

Their fax machine is “busy” all weekend.

I call on Monday to inform them of this. They don’t have access to email – the hospital does not allow anyone to receive emails from outside of their system. They suggest that I “drop the documents off at the front desk”. A four hour car trips (and a day off of work) because they can’t receive documents? Seriously? Finally, someone admits that there is another fax machine in the hospital (yes, it covers four city blocks, but only has one fax machine? They stuck to that story for a long time).

I scan the documents. I create .PDF files of the documents. I fax them one at a time using a free online fax program. I attempt to call to find out if the documents were received, but alas, the office is closed at 4pm. They also get an hour long lunch. (And teachers are overpaid lay-abouts with too much free time?)

Finally spoke to a real person yesterday. They did receive the documents, but they have to be examined by the legal department before I can schedule the appointment. Told I may need a court order. Really, I am too befuddled to respond.

Adoption it would seem is too complex of a concept for our medical industry to comprehend. Exactly who would I get said court order from?

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until Midnight, January 28th

To pooped to pop.

It’s the time of year when things get very busy around here and by the time I finish all the “to do”s, I collapse on the couch! Luckily, reading all the really cool blogs out there doesn’t as much energy as writing my own entry.
Daily Reads
Notes from the Heartland – DYI fun! It’s a lot easier to read/dream about, than to do, right?
BeverlyRevelry – a personal blog I’ve been following for a several years! (I can’t believe it’s been that long) I was waiting to see the new baby… and now I have.
Domestically Speaking – another DYI blog. Do you sense a theme?
Back Yard Farming – now is the gardener’s time for reading, since the rest of the year is devoted to weeding!
Be It Ever So Humble – a mommy blog… full of recipes, creative ideas and mom stuff
The American Homemaker – another “mommy blog” – great recipes and we’re dieting together. It’s good to read that someone else is winning the battle against the cookie.
Girl With Red Balloon – in keeping with my other new year’s goal of being more financial prudent, I’m keeping up with others who are doing the same. Birds of a feather type of thing.
And finally,
No Just Cute – toddlers at home? lots of ideas for teaching your children everything and the “whys” of why you should do it.
What are you reading on a daily basis?

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until Midnight, January 28th

Do I really need another adventure?

It’s been somewhat of a grading frenzy at work for the past few days, not to mention the other hundred things that have to done, so I took a little break. I decided to take a look at houses for sale in the area. It’s actually pretty reassuring that my purchase was a good one as I look at all the other crappy houses for sale or for rent. The quality of housing around here is, well… not fit for HGTV. More like Extreme Home Make-Over. I still remember the “Museum of Carpet” house I toured five years ago. Each room (including the bathroom) had a different color and style of carpet. And the ever present wood paneling. Big kitchen – carpeted in navy blue, but I digress.

While perusing, I found a house that could be perfect. Of course, it was on the internet, so it could be a perfect nightmare.

On the plus side:

1. 1. it’s on two acres, out in the country. Very rural.
2. 2. it’s next door to my cousin
3. 3. it’s a price I can afford
4. 4. it’s go two bathrooms!
5. 5. the school district not only boasts 100% of students passing state assessments, but the kids would be in a class of probably 5.

On the negative side:

1. I’m calling it the “goat house” – because a previous owner kept goats… in the house. Someone else bought the house from the goat family… maybe they fixed it up and maybe they did not. Also, goat family lives on the other side of the property.

2. it’s 30 minute drive into town. 40 minutes to my job. On a twisty, not always safe road. Right now my commute is about 10 minutes. On a state highway.

3. it’s rural and subject to all that comes with it… like a septic tank, water well, wild animals, electrical outages, no cable! (jk)

4. it would be tons of work. Even if the house is in great condition, there is still a lot of maintenance. Six times the amount of lawn to mow, fences to be mended, trees, painting… There are weeks like this one where it’s hard to stay on top of the dishes, let alone get up in the morning to feed the chickens or spending the day trying to mow the lawn.

5. single mom, with toddlers out in the country?!? does it not sound utterly crazy?

 

And let’s not even get into the real estate market for homes like the one I currently own. Or that it’s possible that I will be RIF’d this spring. Or that Lala may have surgery coming up. A major part of me says that a house in the country is just some far flung dream and it’s completely unrealistic (I know my parents are reading this with heart palpitations), but the other part says, “this may be your big chance!”

I’m guessing that tomorrow I will have a doozy of a story of how bad it is. I will take photos of the goats.

 

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until January 28th!

Wordless Wednesday

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until January 28th!

Tulip Day

According to several blogs I follow, Sweden celebrated Tulip Day. Given the dreariness of the tale end of January, it sounded like an excellent idea to me. After all, the holidays are done, everything has been put away… going to work in the dark and getting home, in the dark. Toss in a couple weeks of rain and it’s just dreary.

Unfortunately, it’s a little early for tulips around these parts. We like our flowers in order, darn it! Even if they are flown in from California! Instead, I brightened the kitchen with some lovely daffodil buds. They bloomed in just under 24 hours, looking very cheerful against the red table cloth.

Only three months until spring!

 

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until January 28th!

Giveaway!

Free Stuff!

What a great way to start a week! A little somthin’-somthin’ for my peeps. (does sound hokey? ‘cause it sounds totally smooth in my head).

CSN.com is letting me hand out a little gift card to one lucky reader! And by little, I mean, a substantial amount. $50 smackers. 50 semoleons. 50 clams, baby. Which can buy you something very nice to make your January quite fun or your Valentine’s Day a little more romantic.  CSN is comprised of over 200 online stores, where you can find everything from modern duvet covers to Le Creuset cookware! Of course, if you are like me… you’ll end up spending it on your kids. How cute is the butterfly ballet duvet cover?

Unfortunately, this giveaway is limited to those in the US and Canada only. Giveaway ends on Friday, January 28th at midnight, Pacific time. The winner will be announced next Saturday, January 29!

To enter, just leave a comment! Easy peasy! Want another chance? become a follower and post it in the comments!

be sure to leave an email address or some way to contact you, if you are the winner!

Thanks CSN!

Dysphagia Continued…

Since Lala was nine months old, she has had every liquid thickened to a honey consistency. She has never had ice cream or soup and only had a popsicle twice. For her third birthday, we had cake with chocolate pudding. It was more successful than ice cream would have been, by the way.

Last month she had her seventh swallow test – she has had one every 6 months for the past two and half years. It was hoped that she would outgrow the dysphagia, but in over two years, she hasn’t shown any improvement. In fact, at one point she actually complete aspirated the barium and didn’t make a peep. No cough, no sputter. Really, that’s not good.

We now had a decision to make. Either continue as we have been or start looking for cause. We saw a new ENT specialist on Saturday to start that ball rolling. He doesn’t have the full picture, but given her history, he believes that she may have a laryngeal cleft. Although leaving well enough is a viable option, she is growing up (as she keeps reminding me). She already begs for juice boxes “like Bobby”. Juice boxes cannot be thickened before drinking, that straw hole is just too darned small! And pouring it out into a cup is just not cool. Can you hear the screaming fit on that one? My ears are still ringing.

I can’t watch her for the rest of her life and kids make bad choices when faced with a restriction – it’s just a fact. Retainers are lost, glasses are broken, make-up gets put on in school, healthy lunches are traded away… you know you did it too. However, that juice box isn’t just an expression of independence. It represents another respiratory infection – possible damage to her lungs, scarring on the ear drum, pneumonia, hearing damage, etc. If we can fix it, we need to do it.

Our next step is Laryngoscopy. Lala will have to go under anesthesia for the procedure – not looking forward to that – but it should only take a few hours. At that point we will find out if what exactly is going on and how best to proceed.

Wordless Wednesday

 

How we used a village to make a diagnosis

Although I’ve told the story of Lala’s “special need” many times to several people, I’ve never actually written it down or posted it here. I put “special need” in quotes, because, of all of things that children can be afflicted with, Dysphagia is not that bad. In Lala’s case, she just needs an thickener in liquids.
Within a week of being placed with me, Lala began a loop of ear and upper respiratory infections. We would see the doctor, get a prescription for an antibiotic. Ten days later, the prescription would be finished. Twelve days later, we would be back in the doctor’s office, getting stronger/different antibiotic. This went on for a couple of months.
Then Lala stopped drinking. She would literally toss her bottle across the room. Remember, as an infant, she is still getting a majority of her nutrition via formula. If she won’t drink it… well, I was more than a little freaked out. Luckily her doctor has a calming personality and we came up with a plan. Ear/respiratory infections stop. She continues to cough and sputter seemingly at random. Is this a problem or just a kid learning to eat solid foods?
While this is going on, the manager of the daycare tells me a story about another child who had recurrent respiratory/ear infections. Eventually, his doctor discovers a kernel of popcorn lodged in his lungs. Apparently he had either been fed or found and ate a kernel of popcorn at his home before being placed in foster care.  I started to wonder if perhaps there was a french fry particle stuck someone where inside Lala – french fries being a food she regularly ate (at 4 months!) before she was placed in foster care.
A couple of months later, Lala’s cough has gotten worse. Yet again, we visit the doctor. I tell the doctor the story from the daycare. We get a chest x-ray. This time she is diagnosed with a “tiny spot of pneumonia”. There are, however, no french fries.
Two weeks later, ear infection again. This time, in addition to the antibiotic, we get a referral to a major children’s hospital in a nearby urban city for a “swallow test” and a pediatric ENT. Maybe she’ll need ear tubes, maybe something else is causing the recurrent infections… the story has Lala’s doctor thinking of a variety of possibilities. A week later, the ENT rules out the ear tubes, cystic fibrosis and a variety of other possibilities.
We waited a month and half for the swallow test – they were very, very busy! Finally we got in and there is a lot of muttering amongst the techs, speech pathologists and doctors. Dysphaia. When Lala drinks any liquid, she is actually aspirating/nearly aspirating the liquid nine out of ten swallows. No wonder the bottles were flying! Besides the constant illness, I imagine that drinking was painful, as well. To counteract this, we thickened all of her drinks so that they are just a hair above pudding thickness.
She hasn’t had an ear infection since!
Long story short, if the daycare manager hadn't told me the story of popcorn boy, and I hadn't told Lala's doctor, who knows how long it would have been before we discovered the cause of her illnesses? She might have even gone through surgery to put tubes in her ears and still been getting sick. We were all needed on this one.

Diapers Be Gone!

This weekend, I ceremoniously tossed out the last princess pull-up package.

Knock-on wood… Lala hasn’t had an accident for over a week and is regularly using the toilet on her own.

I’m a little too superstitious to do the happy dance, but I think I can confidently say, one down, one to go!

Boys are supposed to easier than girls, right? Tips?

Bargain Alert!

I was able to hit my local Cost*co today and found that they have Easter dresses available for $15! Good quality, nice embroidery, tulle underskirts, totally cute!

Added: I realized that Lala's easter dress from last year (also from Costco), is still fresh and new looking for wear on Sunday. It's no longer tea length, but the tulle underskirt keeps it just below the knee.

Busy Week

seriously, first moment I've had to myself where I didn't want to collapse and not think...

• the cuddler started swim lessons; hopefully,next time, there won't be any screaming.
• Lala started gymnastics again. VERY, VERY excited and spent the entire half hour jumping up and down.
• Lala also has an appointment with a specialist on Saturday - the cuddler is going to my aunt's house and we are dropping him off at 6am! We have to leave the house by 5.30am... fun!
• the club I'm the adviser for at my school is hosting a dance next weekend... these things take FOREVER!, plus the amount of hours I have to hang around is enormous.
• drove to a high school 2 and half hours away to see what they are doing. they are doing what we are doing. Validating, but five hours in a car people!
• lost 6 pounds so far is New Year's diet. Desperate to eat a cookie.
• will be spending MLK day working to get stuff done... will only have the enjoyment of silence.
  

Wordless Wednesday

Love Drop

Have you heard the word? Love Drop is just that… dropping love to those in need. Each month the members suggest a family they know who is in need. When one is chosen, the love starts dropping in. It could be in the form of money, good, or services… whatever you think would help. The sponsors are open for suggestions! The goal is to change the world, by changing one family a month. Believe me, it spreads! They’re not asking for much. Whatever you can spare – and by spare, I mean probably the amount you would hand someone at a freeway over pass, or find in your couch cushions. But added with a couple of hundred other people it makes a big difference. It’s not the amount of money, it’s the knowledge that someone else gives a damn.


Through out the month, the members will be working to raise as much support and awareness as they can and at the end of the month everything will be delivered to the recipient. On film.
And the next day, they’ll be starting over again.

Survived

I would have taken photos, if the cuddler had let go of my neck for a second, but he never did.

He was all excited until I was putting our clothing into the locker. Then, he decided that he didn’t want to go swimming. So, professional parent that I am, I tricked him. I told he we wouldn’t go swimming, I just wanted to talk to a friend. That got us to the water’s edge. (it’s a walk-in pool)

Luckily, there was a bin of toys next the edge. That got him into the water for about five seconds up to his ankles. He really does like to play with water!

After about three minutes, I was able to convince him to take the mammoth swimming. He got wet up to his shoulders, although it was iffy at times. He did the back floating for a whole minute (in the fetal position), but all in all, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The circle singing time – Lala’s favorite – was a total bust. Hated it.

We’ll see what happens next time. We will skip next week because of a doctor’s appointment (on a Saturday! I’m loving this specialist already), so next time may be a repeat.

Best part? I like this class time because it’s too early for anyone I know to see me in my suit. This morning I walked in to see my boss sitting in the bleachers. His son is in the class, and apparently I will now forever been in the videos of his swim lessons… in my bathing suit. Yay.

Wordless Wednesday

A Little Sun

I’m always hungering for a sunny vacation in January. I get sick of cold and wet weather and just want to laze about in the heat of a sun a bit closer to earth. At least I did when I lived in a less coastal climate. Now my body just gets confused. It’s never really hot in the summer and rarely very cold in the winter. Although we had a skiff of snow a few days ago, we’ve had bright sunshine for the last four days. I keep want to go into the garden… only to remind myself once again that it is January and only 38 degrees outside. Maybe I need to get one of those really big outdoor thermometer to hang outside my back door.

I’m sure it’s only a matter of days before it starts raining again. For the next four months. I really don’t like rain, and yet live practically in a rainforest. Life is weird.

Anyhoo… back to the topic at hand. Vacations. I really want to go on this summer. Somewhere warm, with pools, where they don’t mind screaming kids. And which doesn’t cost a zillion dollars or have a zillion people walking around… suggestions?

 

Growing Up

Last Sunday was Lala’s last day in the nursery. This morning she starts in the youngest Sunday school class.

On the one hand, I’ve been waiting for this day for a year and half and on the other hand, it’s kind of bittersweet that she’s graduated from nursery. Next is Kindergarten (in a year in half) and I’m sure college is just around the corner. I know… it might be a bit slower than that, but still it’s the first step. I’m tearing up, already.

She’s been going for half of the class for the past few Sundays (the singing time) to get used to a new routine, new teachers (no mommy), and no snacks. She still has a bit of separation anxiety, but the class will have children she’s been attending with for the past year and half. Hopefully that will help with the change. Am I being too much of a worry-wart?

New Year’s Day Pancakes

We’re a bit young around here to be celebrating at midnight and two thirds of us have no idea what “Happy New Year!” means anyways. It’s not like you’re suddenly having to learn a whole new finger spread to use when someone asks how old you are.  And there aren’t any presents.

Instead we had homemade pancakes to celebrate waking up ready to face to the new year! It sounds a lot better than starting out with a polar bear plunge, right?

I found this recipe on allrecipes. It had a pretty good rating, so why not try it? It can’t be worse than Bi*qu^k pancakes. I can report that the ratings were spot on! These pancakes are just as quick as a mix and taste much, much better. In the reviews, I saw that several people reported adding vanilla and had success, but that seems a little too sweet. We’re more of a savory family.

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.