I feel like there has been so much going on lately. This might be a little choppy, but I want to update you on some things...
Freezer
You might remember in a post recently that we finally purchased a stand up freezer. We had so little storage that I couldn't puree a lot of food for Harlie at once, which really started to become a problem. Now that she's eating so much more (hooray!) I need to have more food readily available. So, the freezer was the only way to go.
It took me a few days to figure out what should go where (since the freezer had to go in the garage). And then we spent a good part of that Sunday cooking, pureeing and freezing. It is SO great to be able to just reach in and get her food for the day! What a stress reliever!!
A week went by and the freezer broke.
BROKE! As in stopped freezing.
So, we had to squish everything back in our regular freezer and call in for service. The earliest appointment we could get was for Wednesday. But, luckily, the service guy called on Monday and said he had a cancellation and could come right then. YAY! So, he did and the control panel is broken and he has to order a new one. It will be in on Monday. Ugh.
Potty Training
For the last few weeks or so Harlie has been really into this book. She picked it every night and likes to point out all the bugs in it. One night she really looked at the critter wearing underwear. And then she went to the drawer and pulled out a pair for her, too. So, I decided maybe it was time to try to potty train her. Again.
And I am very happy to report that after two weeks, she is wearing big girl underwear all the time now! She is still having some accidents, but for the most part, she does great! I was trying to be very patient. After all, she did have anoplasty at 12 months old and I was told by the surgeon that she could be five before she was potty trained. So, I am pretty happy. It looks like the surgeon did a great job. He told me that she could have issues with leaking in between bathroom breaks - but so far, so good! Which is so wonderful!
Laundry Room
Cooper started preschool three mornings a week, on September 28th. Today was the FIRST day that I took him to school, came home and was able to work on things here without having to leave the house. It was wonderful! I was busy, but it was so great to get so much done here.
Tom bought some old laundry room display cabinets from his work months and months ago. On Saturday, we finally started that little project - renovating our laundry room. Our washer and dryer were side-by-side and the cabinets above were practically inaccessible. It was terrible. The space was not being utilized at all.
But that is no longer the case! WooHoo!!! Tom stacked our washer and dryer (which I love) to give us much more usable storage space. There are cabinets with shelves and drawers!!! Drawers!!! Like six of them! And one of the cabinets has a built-in clothes basket. Love it!
It's not finished yet, but most of the room is move-in-able. So, after we tore our house up on Saturday and Sunday, I have been working hard to find a home for everything. The new storage options have caused a chain reaction of reorganization throughout the house. For a while there we looked like hoarders with everything out everywhere. But, it looks better now. Especially since I had a few hours of uninterrupted time to work on it today. I'll be sure to take a picture to show you when it's all done. Which hopefully will be in a couple of weeks.
Murphy
So, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Murphy starts calling me and Tom, "Mom" and "Dad." The first time I heard it I stopped in my tracks. Wait a minute, kid. You're only six. I am far too young to be called "Mom." By a six year old.
So, I pretended not to notice. For a few days. When I finally broke and asked him why he was calling me Mom. (In this older voice with this weird tone to it. Ugh. I was NOT a fan.) He said, "because I'm getting older now." Geez.
So, I let it go. Until tonight. I cracked. I couldn't take it anymore. I don't know why, but it was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. So, I asked him if he could please go back to calling us Mommy and Daddy while in the house since Cooper learns so much from him. I told him that Cooper was far too young to be calling us Mom and Dad. And Murphy said okay. And resumed calling us Mommy and Daddy. Ahhhh, back to normal.
So, is six the age when they start saying Mom and Dad? Am I crazy for thinking that's a little young? Oh, I am so not ready for him to grow up. I suppose we never are.
Thanks for reading!
~Christy
Showing posts with label potty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potty. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Just a quick one...
to let you know how things are going.
Harlie is wearing her hearing aid VERY reluctantly. If she sees me coming with it, she immediately covers her ear with her hand. And then all of a sudden she turns into an octopus and has more hands than I do and it is a major scuffle to put it in. She's worn it for two 45-minute sessions (in two days) and she did wear it for our whole speech therapy session on Wednesday (which is a little less than an hour). The rest of the times have probably been for less than 15 minutes each.
We put it in for dinner tonight so she could "join" in on things. I usually give her a toy that will keep her busy - like Mr. Potato Head or some building blocks - since she can't eat or anything. Murphy talked the ENTIRE time. I almost wished I had a hearing aid I could take out! So, I couldn't blame her one bit when she ripped it out. Seriously, I don't know how that kid gets enough oxygen when he talks like that!!! God love him!
Plus, with Cooper's screaming and carrying on - that's got to hurt! I was thinking that she would like to wear it for her favorite movies. But, even when I turn the volume down to a respectable level - she still takes it out within a few minutes.
I guess this will be a long process.
Now I feel even better about a decision I made over the weekend. Tom was out of town (more about that later) and I realized there was no way I could keep up with Harlie's potty training. She pees every 30 minutes and to get her on the potty is a struggle. I decided that there are only so many battles we can fight. She must think I am the meanest mom ever. And I hate fighting her all the time. And when it comes to the potty - she's going to win. So there. I'm done. I've thrown in the towel! When she's ready, she'll let me know.
And do you know that very day I stopped putting her on the potty she told me she wanted to go! That stinker. She's asked several times since then. So, I'm sure without the pressure from me, she'll probably be potty trained in no time. Maybe this will finally get me to learn that I cannot pressure her into anything. Somehow I need to figure out a way to make her think it's her idea!
Harlie had her private speech therapy on Wednesday. Her therapist taught me some more things about her communication device. Adding that into her day is another long process. And one that will have to start a little at a time. Tom and I uploaded some pictures of the characters of her favorite movies (Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Curious George, etc.). So, she now knows how to ask for a specific movie on the device. That took no time at all. She also knows how to ask for bubbles. We also uploaded a picture of her, so that when she wants to say "I" it is a picture of herself. Now we need to upload pictures of her favorite books and toys so she can learn to ask for those.
After speech therapy I took her to get her haircut. I was a little worried because she has gotten so incredibly protective of her body. But can you believe that she sat there like she's done it a hundred times and was good as gold?! Seriously, she could not have been any better behaved! I wish I had my camera, but I forgot it. And I still haven't taken a picture of her new haircut. I'll do that soon and post it. She just cut some length off - it was way too long. And it was constantly getting in the way of her trach, which got pretty gross after a while. It had to go!
Well, Tom was out of town for his Grandfather's funeral. He passed away on December 30th. He was 85 years old. Tom's Grandmother passed away last December and ever since he has missed her so much. He had a stroke a few months ago and he said he wanted to be with his wife. So, Tom went back to PA for a few days for his funeral.
This is when I hate that our life is NOT normal. We can't just put the kids in the car and go. So, for many reasons, we stayed here and Tom had to go without us. And I hate that I couldn't be a supportive wife. But, Tom said that his grandfather is where he wanted to be, so that helps.
Today we have speech therapy at the school. So, that's it for now. More Later!
Take care,
Christy
Harlie is wearing her hearing aid VERY reluctantly. If she sees me coming with it, she immediately covers her ear with her hand. And then all of a sudden she turns into an octopus and has more hands than I do and it is a major scuffle to put it in. She's worn it for two 45-minute sessions (in two days) and she did wear it for our whole speech therapy session on Wednesday (which is a little less than an hour). The rest of the times have probably been for less than 15 minutes each.
We put it in for dinner tonight so she could "join" in on things. I usually give her a toy that will keep her busy - like Mr. Potato Head or some building blocks - since she can't eat or anything. Murphy talked the ENTIRE time. I almost wished I had a hearing aid I could take out! So, I couldn't blame her one bit when she ripped it out. Seriously, I don't know how that kid gets enough oxygen when he talks like that!!! God love him!
Plus, with Cooper's screaming and carrying on - that's got to hurt! I was thinking that she would like to wear it for her favorite movies. But, even when I turn the volume down to a respectable level - she still takes it out within a few minutes.
I guess this will be a long process.
Now I feel even better about a decision I made over the weekend. Tom was out of town (more about that later) and I realized there was no way I could keep up with Harlie's potty training. She pees every 30 minutes and to get her on the potty is a struggle. I decided that there are only so many battles we can fight. She must think I am the meanest mom ever. And I hate fighting her all the time. And when it comes to the potty - she's going to win. So there. I'm done. I've thrown in the towel! When she's ready, she'll let me know.
And do you know that very day I stopped putting her on the potty she told me she wanted to go! That stinker. She's asked several times since then. So, I'm sure without the pressure from me, she'll probably be potty trained in no time. Maybe this will finally get me to learn that I cannot pressure her into anything. Somehow I need to figure out a way to make her think it's her idea!
Harlie had her private speech therapy on Wednesday. Her therapist taught me some more things about her communication device. Adding that into her day is another long process. And one that will have to start a little at a time. Tom and I uploaded some pictures of the characters of her favorite movies (Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Curious George, etc.). So, she now knows how to ask for a specific movie on the device. That took no time at all. She also knows how to ask for bubbles. We also uploaded a picture of her, so that when she wants to say "I" it is a picture of herself. Now we need to upload pictures of her favorite books and toys so she can learn to ask for those.
After speech therapy I took her to get her haircut. I was a little worried because she has gotten so incredibly protective of her body. But can you believe that she sat there like she's done it a hundred times and was good as gold?! Seriously, she could not have been any better behaved! I wish I had my camera, but I forgot it. And I still haven't taken a picture of her new haircut. I'll do that soon and post it. She just cut some length off - it was way too long. And it was constantly getting in the way of her trach, which got pretty gross after a while. It had to go!
Well, Tom was out of town for his Grandfather's funeral. He passed away on December 30th. He was 85 years old. Tom's Grandmother passed away last December and ever since he has missed her so much. He had a stroke a few months ago and he said he wanted to be with his wife. So, Tom went back to PA for a few days for his funeral.
This is when I hate that our life is NOT normal. We can't just put the kids in the car and go. So, for many reasons, we stayed here and Tom had to go without us. And I hate that I couldn't be a supportive wife. But, Tom said that his grandfather is where he wanted to be, so that helps.
Today we have speech therapy at the school. So, that's it for now. More Later!
Take care,
Christy
Monday, October 19, 2009
What's been going on?
Harlie's taken a major step back in her potty training. She was doing great for so long! And then all of a sudden, it's as if she was never trained at all. And now she doesn't care where she goes. We're very frustrated over here. We spend a lot of time in the bathroom. And when we're not in there, we're cleaning up a mess somewhere else. And I'm finding this whole potty training thing a lot more difficult with no immediate motivators. With Murphy, it was easy. He loved Dum Dums (still does) and so it was a breeze to train him with them as a reward. I don't remember any difficulty training him. But, he has always been a very easy kid to raise.
But, with no reward? Potty training totally blows.
The cheaper way to go would be to use something like stickers. But she HATES stickers. So that's no good. We've tried tons of praise. But I don't think she cares anymore if she makes us happy. We've tried underwear (that's what worked the first time around). She loves those little wind up toys. So, I went and got a few (they're not cheap) and when she goes potty, I let her play with those for a few minutes. I worry that the reward isn't immediate enough. By the time she goes potty, pulls her pants up, flushes the toilet, washes and dries her hands, and leaves the room, she's probably long forgotten about the fact that she just peed. I don't know. I'm probably not giving her enough credit. So we'll keep on trying it and see what happens.
Harlie started receiving speech and physical therapy through the public school system. She goes to Murphy's school, which is great. I really like her therapists, they are great with her. She gets speech therapy there twice a week, and then she still gets her private speech therapy once a week. So, she gets three speech therapy sessions, one physical therapy session, and one feeding therapy session per week. Plus two half days at preschool. She's a busy girl.
My cold started to leave me for a few days. And now a full blown sinus infection has taken its place. I'm in agony right now. But, I called my doctor today and asked if he would just call in a prescription for me so I didn't have to come in. I was so happy that he did. So, hopefully I will bounce back soon now that I have some antibiotics. Yum!
Unfortunately, I have missed an entire week of my training for my half marathon, which is now less than a month away! I really can't afford to miss anymore runs. So these meds better kick in fast! I'm supposed to run tomorrow!
Well, this has taken me forever to write because my head is so full of pressure and my teeth hurt. I just can't focus. So, I'm going to bed now.
Thanks,
Christy
But, with no reward? Potty training totally blows.
The cheaper way to go would be to use something like stickers. But she HATES stickers. So that's no good. We've tried tons of praise. But I don't think she cares anymore if she makes us happy. We've tried underwear (that's what worked the first time around). She loves those little wind up toys. So, I went and got a few (they're not cheap) and when she goes potty, I let her play with those for a few minutes. I worry that the reward isn't immediate enough. By the time she goes potty, pulls her pants up, flushes the toilet, washes and dries her hands, and leaves the room, she's probably long forgotten about the fact that she just peed. I don't know. I'm probably not giving her enough credit. So we'll keep on trying it and see what happens.
Harlie started receiving speech and physical therapy through the public school system. She goes to Murphy's school, which is great. I really like her therapists, they are great with her. She gets speech therapy there twice a week, and then she still gets her private speech therapy once a week. So, she gets three speech therapy sessions, one physical therapy session, and one feeding therapy session per week. Plus two half days at preschool. She's a busy girl.
My cold started to leave me for a few days. And now a full blown sinus infection has taken its place. I'm in agony right now. But, I called my doctor today and asked if he would just call in a prescription for me so I didn't have to come in. I was so happy that he did. So, hopefully I will bounce back soon now that I have some antibiotics. Yum!
Unfortunately, I have missed an entire week of my training for my half marathon, which is now less than a month away! I really can't afford to miss anymore runs. So these meds better kick in fast! I'm supposed to run tomorrow!
Well, this has taken me forever to write because my head is so full of pressure and my teeth hurt. I just can't focus. So, I'm going to bed now.
Thanks,
Christy
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I just don't get it.
How in the world can a little girl with cardiac and pulmonary issues - including low oxygen saturations - go the entire day - with NO nap and STILL be awake - with energy, mind you - at 9:07PM??!?!?!?! Oh, and did I mention that she had physical therapy and an outing to the Children's Museum today????
She really makes no sense. Medically speaking, I mean. I'm betting that one of her doctors would tell me she's making up for lost time.
So, my friend Jennifer took her kids and Harlie to the Children's Museum today. She met some of her nurse friends and their kids, too. We joked that there would be enough PICU nurses around should anything go wrong! Anyway, Jennifer said they all had a great time. Here are some pics from the day...
So, while Harlie was on her play date, I had my pureeing lesson with Harlie's feeding therapist, Allison. She basically showed me some tricks and tips. Like knowing when it's the right consistency, and what to add if it isn't, what kind of products to use, what food combinations work well, etc. And she showed me a chart they use there at the feeding clinic for the day patients (the patients that are there every day for several weeks). It was time well spent. I really think it was helpful and I'm really excited about what we'll now be able to introduce to her. I only wish we could have been where we are today six months ago! Then Cooper's baby food experience would have been a lot more enjoyable! But, he probably would have gotten a lot fatter. And based on yesterday's post, he doesn't need any extra fat. So, maybe the timing was good after all.
Today we made pancakes with bananas, syrup and butter (that will be her breakfast, of course), and apples (used a can of fried apples). I am so excited to be able to give her real food for the first time in her life!!! I don't think she shares my level of excitement, though. And the jury's out on whether she can even taste it (I've been told that taste is 80% smell, and we're thinking she's not smelling too much with the trach right now). But who cares? It's REAL food and it's going into her mouth and down her throat and into her belly - the way God intended!!! Can I get an Amen?!
So, I was thinking today about all that Harlie has accomplished in a very short time.
Do you know that it was just May 7th when she swallowed her first official purposeful whole bite? Not even three full months ago? And in that time, she had her third major heart surgery, spent almost two weeks in the cardiac intensive care unit, missed five weeks of feeding therapy, AND got potty trained! Yet she still managed to go from eating grams at a time, to ounces at a time! And I've been told that for each week a child spends in an ICU, it takes them one month to get back to themselves again. So, in her case, that would be two months. Which means she should be back to herself by mid-August. WOW! I just can't tell you how much she amazes me. What an incredibly strong little girl! And she doesn't even complain. Not even a little bit. I am so darn proud of her.
Oh! My Dad had his post-op appointment today and they said he does not need chemo! So, that's great! He just needs to work on gaining some weight back. I know, so many of you wish you had the same problem.
Well, goodnight!
~Christy
She really makes no sense. Medically speaking, I mean. I'm betting that one of her doctors would tell me she's making up for lost time.
So, my friend Jennifer took her kids and Harlie to the Children's Museum today. She met some of her nurse friends and their kids, too. We joked that there would be enough PICU nurses around should anything go wrong! Anyway, Jennifer said they all had a great time. Here are some pics from the day...
Jennifer's daughter, Kyleigh.
Kyleigh, her brother Austin, and Harlie.
So, while Harlie was on her play date, I had my pureeing lesson with Harlie's feeding therapist, Allison. She basically showed me some tricks and tips. Like knowing when it's the right consistency, and what to add if it isn't, what kind of products to use, what food combinations work well, etc. And she showed me a chart they use there at the feeding clinic for the day patients (the patients that are there every day for several weeks). It was time well spent. I really think it was helpful and I'm really excited about what we'll now be able to introduce to her. I only wish we could have been where we are today six months ago! Then Cooper's baby food experience would have been a lot more enjoyable! But, he probably would have gotten a lot fatter. And based on yesterday's post, he doesn't need any extra fat. So, maybe the timing was good after all.
Today we made pancakes with bananas, syrup and butter (that will be her breakfast, of course), and apples (used a can of fried apples). I am so excited to be able to give her real food for the first time in her life!!! I don't think she shares my level of excitement, though. And the jury's out on whether she can even taste it (I've been told that taste is 80% smell, and we're thinking she's not smelling too much with the trach right now). But who cares? It's REAL food and it's going into her mouth and down her throat and into her belly - the way God intended!!! Can I get an Amen?!
So, I was thinking today about all that Harlie has accomplished in a very short time.
Do you know that it was just May 7th when she swallowed her first official purposeful whole bite? Not even three full months ago? And in that time, she had her third major heart surgery, spent almost two weeks in the cardiac intensive care unit, missed five weeks of feeding therapy, AND got potty trained! Yet she still managed to go from eating grams at a time, to ounces at a time! And I've been told that for each week a child spends in an ICU, it takes them one month to get back to themselves again. So, in her case, that would be two months. Which means she should be back to herself by mid-August. WOW! I just can't tell you how much she amazes me. What an incredibly strong little girl! And she doesn't even complain. Not even a little bit. I am so darn proud of her.
Oh! My Dad had his post-op appointment today and they said he does not need chemo! So, that's great! He just needs to work on gaining some weight back. I know, so many of you wish you had the same problem.
Well, goodnight!
~Christy
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Guess what?
She stayed dry all day yesterday! She only had one accident - and it really wasn't her fault. She had a coughing fit and she just couldn't hold it. But then went right on the potty and finished.
She SO knows what she's doing! I can't wait to see how today goes. But right now, I'm being a bad mommy and letting her sleep in. Yes, it's 10am and she's still sleeping. Is she a teenager at heart, or what?
I guess I should go wake her.
More later!
~Christy
She SO knows what she's doing! I can't wait to see how today goes. But right now, I'm being a bad mommy and letting her sleep in. Yes, it's 10am and she's still sleeping. Is she a teenager at heart, or what?
I guess I should go wake her.
More later!
~Christy
Saturday, July 11, 2009
How's Potty Training Going?
GREAT! Just absolutely, positively GREAT!
We struggled for a little while (who doesn't right?). She would hold it for hours asking us to put a diaper on her so she could go. But we tried to stay strong and kept telling her to go on the potty. That was just last week (or the week before? I can't remember).
This past week Brandy put her down for her nap. Well during her time in bed, Brandy said that she stared grunting and making all kinds of noises (more so than usual). So she went up to check on her. As soon as she walked into Harlie's room, Harlie signed "potty" and when Brandy put her on the potty - she went! WOW! I was wondering how we were going to tackle the fact that she can't tell us potty while she's in bed. I guess she'll let us know somehow.
Anyway, she has stayed dry ALL DAY today. I put big girl underwear on her (it's size 2T-3T - the smallest I could find and they're still a bit baggy on her) at 8am today and it is now 1:30pm and she's gone on the potty all day!!!
We were a bit concerned about her going "big" potty, if you know what I mean. She had her bum repair right after her first birthday and her surgeon told us that he didn't know if that repair would totally do the trick. Background: her anus was located too close to her girly parts - and the muscle wasn't around it like it was supposed to be. He said that she might have to have another surgery in a few years. To be honest, we were supposed to go back for a follow-up (like a year go) but haven't because...well, we've been a little busy, and I haven't really noticed any problems. So, if she can continue to make it to the potty okay (like she did today - woohoo!), I guess she's fine!
I am just so thrilled! I had no idea she could be potty trained by now. I just had to share our good news.
Thanks,
Christy
We struggled for a little while (who doesn't right?). She would hold it for hours asking us to put a diaper on her so she could go. But we tried to stay strong and kept telling her to go on the potty. That was just last week (or the week before? I can't remember).
This past week Brandy put her down for her nap. Well during her time in bed, Brandy said that she stared grunting and making all kinds of noises (more so than usual). So she went up to check on her. As soon as she walked into Harlie's room, Harlie signed "potty" and when Brandy put her on the potty - she went! WOW! I was wondering how we were going to tackle the fact that she can't tell us potty while she's in bed. I guess she'll let us know somehow.
Anyway, she has stayed dry ALL DAY today. I put big girl underwear on her (it's size 2T-3T - the smallest I could find and they're still a bit baggy on her) at 8am today and it is now 1:30pm and she's gone on the potty all day!!!
We were a bit concerned about her going "big" potty, if you know what I mean. She had her bum repair right after her first birthday and her surgeon told us that he didn't know if that repair would totally do the trick. Background: her anus was located too close to her girly parts - and the muscle wasn't around it like it was supposed to be. He said that she might have to have another surgery in a few years. To be honest, we were supposed to go back for a follow-up (like a year go) but haven't because...well, we've been a little busy, and I haven't really noticed any problems. So, if she can continue to make it to the potty okay (like she did today - woohoo!), I guess she's fine!
I am just so thrilled! I had no idea she could be potty trained by now. I just had to share our good news.
Thanks,
Christy
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Cardiologist appointment
Well, we went to the cardiologist today. That went well. He said that her chest tube site looked really good – especially for how long the chest tube was in (almost 6 weeks!). They did an echocardiogram, and all looks good with her heart. So far, so good as far as the effusion goes. We'll see him in another month.
We put Harlie in a high chair yesterday. I had to put a towel in the seat first because without it, she could barely see over the tray (she truly is the size of a 3 month old!). Anyway, once I put the towel in, she sat up higher and could bang toys on the tray and she LOVED it! Murphy brought her a balloon from his birthday party and she loved throwing that around, too. I got some good pics and will download them soon.
It was so nice to put her at the table with us during dinner. Murphy wanted to sit beside her. He asked where her spoon was. Oh well, it was just nice to have her with us. Hopefully we’ll be able to do more normal things as time goes on.
After our cardiologist appointment I took Harlie and Brandy home and then I went to my mom's surprise retirement party at Parker, Pollard and Brown. It was a GREAT party. They made a video for her that was hysterical. I thought it was a really good send-off for a great 35 years. Tom took Murphy to the bathroom and when he came back, Harry Pollard was giving a speech. Murphy busts in the room and says (very loud and proud), "Mama, I just went potty!" It was really funny. Well, it is late. Talk to you later.
Take care,
Christy
We put Harlie in a high chair yesterday. I had to put a towel in the seat first because without it, she could barely see over the tray (she truly is the size of a 3 month old!). Anyway, once I put the towel in, she sat up higher and could bang toys on the tray and she LOVED it! Murphy brought her a balloon from his birthday party and she loved throwing that around, too. I got some good pics and will download them soon.
It was so nice to put her at the table with us during dinner. Murphy wanted to sit beside her. He asked where her spoon was. Oh well, it was just nice to have her with us. Hopefully we’ll be able to do more normal things as time goes on.
After our cardiologist appointment I took Harlie and Brandy home and then I went to my mom's surprise retirement party at Parker, Pollard and Brown. It was a GREAT party. They made a video for her that was hysterical. I thought it was a really good send-off for a great 35 years. Tom took Murphy to the bathroom and when he came back, Harry Pollard was giving a speech. Murphy busts in the room and says (very loud and proud), "Mama, I just went potty!" It was really funny. Well, it is late. Talk to you later.
Take care,
Christy
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
So many docs, so little time
So Harlie met her new pediatrician today. That went well, I think. They seem nice there. It is REALLY close, so that is a huge plus for me. It was tiring, though. Going over all her stuff and introducing new people to her can be a bit exhausting. Luckily he knows her cardiologists well, and they gave him a heads up.
I started working on getting all of her other appointments rescheduled. She has to see her general surgeon to talk about and schedule her next surgery (anoperineal fistula). He is in DC. She also needs to see an orthopedic doctor for her spine issues. They wanted us to follow up in April and obviously we couldn’t do that. They are also in DC. So, of course, I try to get them scheduled for the same day. I start by calling the surgeon and getting some dates. Then I tell the scheduler that I need to call ortho and will call him back. He says he can do that for me. Great, I say. I’m in luck and that doesn’t happen often! At some point, he says, “What’s wrong with her?” Nice. I answer, “a lot”. Then he tells me that coordinating these two appointments will never happen. The surgeon only has clinic on Tuesdays and ortho doesn’t have clinic on Tuesdays. Then his computer stops cooperating and he couldn’t get the ortho appointment scheduled. So, I’ll have to call back. So much for my luck.
I really thought that we would be able to take a break from doctor’s appointments for a while. I thought wrong. She has a cardiology appointment on Thursday, pulmonology appointment next Tuesday, pediatrician appointment next Thursday (and probably bi-weekly after that), she will meet a brand new doc (GI) in June, feeding clinic in June, general surgeon, orthopedics and ENT in July, and I still have to reschedule her appointments with her eye doc and surgeon.
That is 10 docs before July 5th. Oh, and we need to get her a new helmet – so that’s another bunch of appointments. Not to mention weekly physical and bi-weekly occupational therapy appointments. Sometimes I really don’t know how I’m going to do it. Just typing it is exhausting!
I changed her feeds to a higher volume per hour for 22 hours instead of 24 hours. That gave us 2 hours away from the pump. One less thing to have to carry to the doc today. And during bath time, I took her upstairs and gave her a bath at the sinks while Murphy played in the tub. It was nice to do that. I’m sure Harlie liked the change of scenery. We used her changing table for the first time since December. I think she liked her room. Hopefully she’ll be able to sleep there by the fall. She was sound asleep by 9pm, which was great.
Well, that’s it for tonight. Talk to you later.
Take care,
Christy
I started working on getting all of her other appointments rescheduled. She has to see her general surgeon to talk about and schedule her next surgery (anoperineal fistula). He is in DC. She also needs to see an orthopedic doctor for her spine issues. They wanted us to follow up in April and obviously we couldn’t do that. They are also in DC. So, of course, I try to get them scheduled for the same day. I start by calling the surgeon and getting some dates. Then I tell the scheduler that I need to call ortho and will call him back. He says he can do that for me. Great, I say. I’m in luck and that doesn’t happen often! At some point, he says, “What’s wrong with her?” Nice. I answer, “a lot”. Then he tells me that coordinating these two appointments will never happen. The surgeon only has clinic on Tuesdays and ortho doesn’t have clinic on Tuesdays. Then his computer stops cooperating and he couldn’t get the ortho appointment scheduled. So, I’ll have to call back. So much for my luck.
I really thought that we would be able to take a break from doctor’s appointments for a while. I thought wrong. She has a cardiology appointment on Thursday, pulmonology appointment next Tuesday, pediatrician appointment next Thursday (and probably bi-weekly after that), she will meet a brand new doc (GI) in June, feeding clinic in June, general surgeon, orthopedics and ENT in July, and I still have to reschedule her appointments with her eye doc and surgeon.
That is 10 docs before July 5th. Oh, and we need to get her a new helmet – so that’s another bunch of appointments. Not to mention weekly physical and bi-weekly occupational therapy appointments. Sometimes I really don’t know how I’m going to do it. Just typing it is exhausting!
I changed her feeds to a higher volume per hour for 22 hours instead of 24 hours. That gave us 2 hours away from the pump. One less thing to have to carry to the doc today. And during bath time, I took her upstairs and gave her a bath at the sinks while Murphy played in the tub. It was nice to do that. I’m sure Harlie liked the change of scenery. We used her changing table for the first time since December. I think she liked her room. Hopefully she’ll be able to sleep there by the fall. She was sound asleep by 9pm, which was great.
Well, that’s it for tonight. Talk to you later.
Take care,
Christy
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