Archive for August, 2010

Stinker…Stinky…and a Goofball

August 26, 2010 | Updates

STORY #1 

Today when I picked Samuel up from school (the very first day, mind you), his teachers told me a little story.

Samuel was working with an aid and his teacher was sitting a few feet away working with other children. The teacher’s back was to Samuel.

The aid said to Samuel, “Samuel, show me which card is green.”

And Samuel said…

Wait, I can’t tell you what Samuel said because Samuel doesn’t talk.

Except that he did.

Seriously, he did.

So, let’s try that again.

And Samuel said, “No.”

Surprised, I’m sure, the aid turned to the teacher and said, “Did you hear someone say, ‘No’?”

“Yes,” the teacher replied.

“That was Samuel,” said the aid.

Shock.

Of course, I can’t get him to do it again.

Stinker!

I should have a talk with him about saying, “No” to his teachers. But they and I both agreed that we’d be ok with it from him :)!

STORY #2

Ben came home today saying there were some things his teacher said he needed for school.

Top of his list was deodorant.

Really?

You can imagine the slew of questions I asked about that one :).

He said it is a requirement for all 5th graders.

Made me laugh out loud…several times…especially when he was going around asking Tom, Tanner and Wes if they had extra bottles of deodorant because his teacher said he needed one!

I guess some 5th graders are stinky. Mine isn’t anywhere near puberty yet, thank goodness.

STORY #3

As I was sitting here writing this post, Nathan came to get me. He swung my chair around so I couldn’t see my computer anymore, grabbed my hand, and said, “Come here for a second.” Usually when he says that, he’s broken something or spilled something and is taking me to show me the disaster.

So, I went…out the front door, across the lawn, into the garage…all the while holding his hand as he lead me to my destination…down the long, long flight of stairs, through 2 more doorways and into the basement. He walked me to the farthest wall, let go of my hand and said, “Now, I need to be Santa.”

Hmmmm? Oh, he wants the Santa hat the is buried deep in one of the Christmas boxes and will be a huge pain to get out. But who could resist that cute little face and, heck, I was already all the way here.

So, I dug through some boxes and handed him a Santa hat to which he replied in his most enthusiastic voice, “THANKS, MOM!” And off he went singing Jingle Bells.

Man, I love that kid even if he’s a bit of a goofball!

Because I like to post things out of order…

August 19, 2010 | Updates

Just kidding. Well, maybe not…

Nathan turned 4 in early June. We celebrated like nobody’s business! Mostly because Nathan is EASILY impressed and his reactions are priceless.

We went out to eat as a family on his actual birthday. (Samuel was there, but I didn’t get a good picture of him.) Nathan talked to Nana and Papa on the phone while we were there and grinned ear to ear hearing them sing Happy Birthday to him just like all his other grandparents did that day. At the end of the meal, they brought him ice cream and sang to him again. He LOVED it!

That weekend, we drove to Grandma’s house and had ANOTHER party! This one involved presents, cake and the Happy Birthday song…again..because we seriously LOVE that song! It was a nice afternoon of relaxing and enjoying the birthday boy. Nathan ripped through his presents in about 3 seconds and followed each surprise gift with a, “Woah, that’s COOOOL!”

He also loved his “Shrek” cake and was VERY proud to be four-years-old!

He loved his new toys! 

We all had a good time.

And I got this great picture of Samuel. He was on his stomach and pushed up on his arms all by himself. He does that often, but the head control in this pictures is great and I was happy to catch it with my camera.

Welp, Happy Belated Birthday Nathan!

Throw me a bone…

August 12, 2010 | Updates

Dear Insurance Company,

I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’m frustrated. Samuel needs a new bed and he needs it NOW! We’ve been jumping through your hoopes for 3 months now and I still don’t know if you’ll do the right thing.

When we originally requested preapproval, you said we didn’t need it for durable medical equipment. Luckily, my equipment company knows better.

After a month of badgering you, you finally conceeded we had submitted it under the wrong codes so we resubmitted.

Then, you denied it saying it was a “deluxe” bed and we should choose a standard one.

So, we requested a case manager and submitted a new letter of medical necessity that was extremely detailed on the need for THIS bed.

A week later, we found out you were “missing” the codes we had submitted 3 months ago. (Not surprising since it’s been T.H.R.E.E. M.O.N.T.H.S!)

So, we resubmitted…again.

And now, well, who knows. It’s all about the wait, I guess. But just in case you think you’re discoraging me, you’re NOT. You’re just ticking me off!

Remember all the things we discussed?

How Samuel can roll, but doesn’t understand falling? How he moves constantly and forcefully? How he is at huge risk for entrapment in a “standard” bed and how the bills for broken bones, concussions and additional brain damage from falls and suffocation would be MUCH, MUCH MORE than the cost of this bed? How he already broke his leg once when his bed wasn’t fully enclosed and padded because he put so much force on the leg while it was trapped? And how we need to HURRY on this because his current bed is a hazard to him now that he’s so big and weighs so much? Do you remember? (Because you didn’t seem to care when I was making you listen to all this.)

Well, this morning at 5 am, I was awakened by the sounds of Samuel struggling in his bed. I figured I’d give him a few minutes to see if he would go back to sleep. But as I groggily rolled back over, I felt the need to get up NOW. Maybe it was the “tone” of his voice. Maybe it was the voice in my head. But I got up and went downstairs. And as I opened the door, I knew something was wrong.

For the second time in a month, I found Samuel’s leg UNDERNEATH his mattress. Last time, he was kneeling on the metal springs and his knee was bruised for a week. This time, his leg was bent and his knee had slipped through the springs and was SERIOUSLY STUCK (bearing all his weight on that leg) while he flailed trying to get away from it. It was clearly painful and my first intinct was to just PULL the leg out as quick as I could. But as I started to pull, I felt it wasn’t right, so I let go, reassessed, moved his body a little, bent his leg a little and carefully removed him from the springs.

By then he was crying.

Do you have any idea how that tears at my heart?

I’m sure you don’t or I’d have a better bed already.

The bruises down his leg will remind me for the next week how frustrated I am with you.

I understand that you can’t give everyone everything they ask for. But this has been ridiculous. If you don’t believe my doctor or myself when we say this bed is medically necessary for Samuel, then take a road trip and come see for yourself. Or better yet, I’ll drive to you! Just throw me a bone here and let’s get this taken care of. I wasn’t born yesterday. And it’s not like I don’t spend 24/7 with this kid. I KNOW what he needs and I’m NOT making this up.

And by the way, you have been so pleasant to work with until this year and suddenly, everything is DENY, DENY, DENY. If you think I think this has something to do with the whole universal healthcare mojo, you’re absolutely correct. And it sucks!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll go ahead and call you three times a day every.single.day until you finally get this figured out. And in the meantime, if we show up in the ER with a broken leg, you can bet your butt I’m gonna say, “I TOLLLLDDDD YOU SO!”

Sincerely,

Mama Bear

The birthday…

August 6, 2010 | Updates

Birthdays are a time of celebration. They mark one more year of life on this earth for each of us. Each annual celebration of our birth is a rite of passage as we go from child to teenager, adult to parent and even grandparent to great-grandparent. They are the markers along the road of life and they give us a chance to reflect and a chance to look forward.

In mid-July, Samuel turned seven.

(Artwork just for Samuel - courtesy of Wesley.)

And I don’t think for one minute the joy of passing from one age to the next passed by without his recognition. He just seemed to KNOW that he was older and that this day was for him. And we aren’t ones to take lightly the need for singing of the “Happy Birthday” song when it is someone’s turn in our house to graduate from one age to the next. We sing it first thing in the morning and every half-hour throughout the day. We sing it fast; we sing it slow. We sing it loud; we sing it quiet. And sing we did for our birthday boy!

Samuel’s gift to me each year on his birthday is a sour stomach and a lot of throwing up. He did not fail me this year either! He threw up first thing in the morning and then 3 minutes after I put his cute birthday outfit on. BUT…mom knows her little boy and had a backup birthday outfit to boot. So, we dawned the new duds and went on with the celebration. (He would drench that second outfit when he threw up later that night, but pictures had been taken already and that was all a mom could ask.)

Samuel’s birthday was a small family affair, but what it lacked in flair, Samuel made up for.  (Grandma & Grandpa were there, too, but somehow the pictures I got of them were all blurry. They just move too darn fast :)!

(Um, yea, just try to ignore that Nathan is in his WINTER, FLANNEL pajamas in the middle of July. It’s a super-hero-thing and who am I to protest..the kid has flair and I LIKE IT!)

Nathan, carefully and ever so patiently, helped Samuel open his presents “hand-over-hand” so that Samuel could be involved.

And Samuel was enthralled and thrilled with every present (except maybe the clothes, but that’s to be expected of any seven-year-old). He got a ball, a movie, some puzzles, some clothes, a picture of Smokey the Bear and a new blanket.

But best of all, was the cake! It was a simple cake, made by mom and Wes, but Samuel was determined to get ahold of that cake as we sang him ”Happy Birthday” and helped him blow out the candles. And, not surprisingly, he succeeded. Good for him! He got cake all over mommy and himself - which he seemed to think was great. But, eating the cake was a whole different story! Samuel’s not a fan of much of anything in his mouth and the cake was no exception!

Before the “hand in the cake” episode. (Oh, yea, I’m watching his legs, but what was I thinking ignoring his arms!)

After Samuel grabs the cake, Mom decides to clean up the mess on her hands by giving Samuel a taste.

Mmmmmm, can you tell he likes it! (Feel the sarcasm here…it’s good my feelings don’t get hurt easily!)

Ahhhhh, cake torture time is OVER!

All in all, it was a fun birthday and the twinkle in Samuel’s eye when I told him all day long that I couldn’t believe he was seven-years-old was absolutely priceless.

So, Happy Birthday to our little boy. I remember when you used to wake me up each morning with your big eyes, huge smile and a sweet little, “Mommy…mommy…mommy!” Now, my favorite days are when I wake in the early hours of the morning to the sound of sweet laughter coming from your bed. It always reminds me what a miracle you are and how blessed we are to still have you here. And there are very few mornings that pass by without you greeting me with that huge smile and those big eyes of yours as I come into your room. We love you, Samuel, and may this year bring you YOUR dreams, whatever they may be!

Love,

Your Family