Thursday, November 27, 2008

Great Night

I know I should probably post something I am thankful for or something turkey-like because of thanksgiving, but I'm not. I just need to take a minute and express how much fun I had last night with my hubby.

I usually have a softball game on Wednesday nights, but not this week due to the holiday. My hubby took it upon himself to call a babysitter, help me clean up the house, and surprise me with the best date we've been on in a while. The best part was that the entire date cost less than $40 (not including the sitter).

We started the night by running a few errands that we had been putting off. Not very glamorous, but a nice treat to be running them together. We went to dinner at On the Border and enjoyed some good Mexican food. The greatest part of the night was when we went to Starbuck's and wrote out our Christmas list over some coffee and hot chocolate. We put everyone we needed to get a gift for on paper and brainstormed what we wanted to get them. We can't spend a lot on each person, but we sure do put some thought into it. The funny thing was that I found an old gift card for Starbuck's that I forgot was in my wallet. Our frothy beverages were paid for completely.

By then end of the night we had our list done and a night of laughing and talking. It was nice to have a entire conversation without being interrupted every thirty seconds by a four year old. We didn't have to spend a fortune and we had a night that I will remember for a long time.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pull-Up Free

We have finally hit another milestone that makes us think it's time for another kid. Lauren no longer wears pull-ups at night! One less expense that I am glad to see happen in our life. I almost feel weird not buying things like pull-ups and diapers. It's all I've known for the last four years. Aren't you supposed to have more kids when you stop having to buy kid stuff? I better hurry, I might forget how to be a mother to a little baby and change my mind.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Drink and Eat

Before we knew that Lauren was hearing impaired, we decided that we would teach her 'baby sign language' (much like all moms do in the early infant years). We taught her the basics like, drink, eat, more, sorry, please, help, ball, and thank you. She used them a lot and it made our life a lot easier.

After we found out about the hearing issues, we had to make a decision. We either had to continue to sign, do a combination of signing and verbal, or do a straight verbal approach in the household. In a nut shell, we either had to teach Lauren to sign and that would be her way of communicating, or we had to teach her to talk and that would be her way of communicating. Either way, we had to make a decision on a method and use it in our household consistently. We obviously chose the verbal approach which meant she was no longer allowed to sign. She had to ask for things and strengthen her language. It wasn't a hard transition and she took to it very well. The interesting thing is that she is now four and I can't get her to drop two of her signs. For some reason, she continues to use the sign for drink and eat. It never fails. Every time she says drink or eat, she sign it, too. She dropped every other sign like a bad habit and never looked back. I wonder why these continue to hang around.

Any theories as to why? I'd love to hear them.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Triggers

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but as a mom of a special needs child, I tend to be an emotional roller coaster. That is to say that there are good days and there are bad days when it comes to staying positive. It's like an ebb and flow depending on what's going on that particular month, week, or day. Some times I can go months without a change in my attitude. Other times I feel like its a daily battle.

I've noticed recently that I will see something that 'triggers' the not so good feelings that seem to creep up every once in a while. I never know what will spark these thoughts. I just see something and my mind goes off in sixteen different directions. For example, I was at a function the other day where I saw a group of middle school girls walking together and talking. They were all carrying their books the same way. They were all hugging their books across their chest with both arms. For no apparent reason, I flashed forward to when Lauren will be that age doing that same thing. I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat wondering if she will be able to do that with only having full function of the left side of her body. Why do I care how she holds her books? Why is that causing me to get sad? Why does a sight of kids carrying books trigger something years down the road? I have no idea, but I hate it.

Maybe it's a coping mechanism. There were a lot of things that happened to Lauren that were out of my control. All the trauma that occurred during birth happened so fast that it made our head spin. I wonder if my brain is trying to think of all the things that could happen so I can have some time to address them properly. Who knows? I am going to pretend that this is just a phase that I will grow through in time. I am realistic enough to know that thoughts will always creep in. I am a mom and I will always worry about my kids. That's no different from any other parent out there. I just hope that the frequency of these triggers decrease over time. I would be nice to get off the roller coaster some day.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Looking for a Wagon

Does anyone know where I can get a cheap wagon in good condition? I am looking for one for Lauren's teacher. She has three kids in the class that have severe and multiple disabilities. There are ten hearing impaired kids in the classroom at any given time. It's harder to get all the kids out and about when a few of them need extra assistance due to other physical disabilities. If I could get a wagon in her hands, trips to the cafeteria, the playground, and even fire drills would be easier on everyone. And considering what she does for each of those kids everyday, it's the least I can do.

Any ideas????

Friday, November 14, 2008

There's No Way....

There is no way that I slept in until almost 1:00 today. Even though Ty came in and woke me up and my phone said 12:44, there's no way that it happened. I even accused Ty of changing the time on my phone to play a joke on me.

I haven't slept this long since my college days. It's only Friday. I could see myself maybe doing this on the weekend, but Friday? Who does this? Oh well, I'll take it. Not complaining, that's for sure.

Off to get some lunch, I have apparently missed breakfast....

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Happy Veteran's Day


In honor of Veteran's Day, I thought I would take this opportunity to thank my veteran. This is a picture of Tyler during active duty in the Marine Corps. It was his military ID from the early 90's. I am so glad he kept it. I am not sure he will feel the same once he sees what I did with it.

Happy Veteran's Day, Tyler!!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Breakfast Anyone?

I had a little start of a headache this morning. So in the interest of prevention, I got up to take some Motrin around 5 a.m. I got to the kitchen and felt some crunching under my feet. It was dark and at that point I was too tired to care about it. I figured it was some dirt from my softball cleats. I had a game last night and I thought maybe some dirt fell off of them and I didn't notice. I went to bed and didn't think another thing about it.

This morning I went into Lauren's bathroom to help her brush her teeth. Again, I felt the same crunching under my feet. I looked down and didn't see anything in the little rug under the sink. So, I took my foot and brushed whatever it was onto the floor so I could see what it was first hand. To my surprise, it was Rice Krispies. I went to the kitchen and again found Rice Krispies all over the floor. Apparently, Lauren got a hold of the cereal container and was walking around the house eating (and spilling) Rice Krispies. I never saw the container in her hand so I never even realized she was doing it. Either she is a super stealthy person or I am clueless. Either way, I need to get the vacuum.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Best News...EVER

Lauren went to Chapel Hill on Thursday to get her new hearing aids. They work really well. They are a brand new kind that allow her to hear almost all higher frequencies. A task that regular hearing aids have not been able to do until now. You would think that was the best news ever. No, it gets better.

The financial lady came to see Tyler right before the appointment was over. Keep in mind, at this point, we still haven't heard if they turned this into our insurance or the total cost of the aids. Ty thought he would be getting this information for the first time during this part of the appointment. Instead, the financial lady asked Tyler for a $2300.00 check. His mouth dropped open and asked if they had turned this into our insurance and she said yes, that they denied the claim. Ty told her that he needed to go home and have at least 24 hours to talk to the insurance company himself. The lady's response? She asked him for a $1200.00 check. Half of the cost. Again, Ty reminded her that he needed at least a day to talk to the insurance company. You would think that she got the picture. Nope. She wasn't going to settle for anything less than a check. She asked Ty what he was willing to pay today. So Ty said he was willing to leave her $20, the amount of our co-pay. I guess she knew he meant business, because she took his offer and Ty left with the hearing aids and Lauren.

Ty called me from the car and told me the story. After we hung up, I got onto the phone with United Healthcare. After about 60 minutes on the phone, it was discovered that United Healthcare had never even heard of UNC Hospitals (Chapel Hill) and had never received a claim form them regarding the hearing aids. By the time I was done on the phone, I had a representative tell me that the hearing aids would be covered 100%. Lauren will also be able to get new hearing aids, at no cost, every three years. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could finally take a deep breath. We would have done whatever it took to get her those aids. It's just nice that we don't have to add that to our plate right now. It was a blessing that cannot be put into words.

It was the best news....ever!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Trick-or-Treat



Lauren spent most of the day at her school practicing for Trick-or-Treating. The teacher would go in to the bathroom and shut the door. The the kids would come up to the door with a bag that they made and say, "Knock, Knock...open door...trick-or-treat!" They eventually made it all the way to the kindergarten classes and practiced some more. By the time she came home, she had a bag full of delicious candy. The good stuff, too.

So when it was time for the real deal, Lauren was a pro. We stayed around our neighborhood and went to a dozen or so houses close by. I have never seen a kid have so much fun. And yes, I did her hair. I am about to quit my day job and enter into the cosmetology field.