Maria's View-
I had the privilege of sharing my thoughts with a friend today on what it's like to have children. It really got me to thinking a lot about what kind of mother I am and what kind of mother I strive to be. I really needed this conversation! It makes me want to step it up even more. So thank you, friend! I can talk about my children all day and all night! :-) Here is a little of my side of the conversation and I added a bit as I have reflected on the conversation throughout the day:
I thought my life was awesome without kids... I was so wrong. I had no idea just how much more awesome life is WITH kids. There is something so refreshing about seeing the world all over again through the eyes of your child. You teach them everything they know because they start out as a blank canvas. There is no person on this planet that will love you the way your child loves you... and it's so unconditional, the way love always should be. Having children changes everything, for the best. The world could crumble around me but when my children crawl into my lap, nothing else matter. They love me. They need me. They give my life so much more purpose. I focus on living my life for God, but also living it as a mother... I am no longer in the equation at all.
When I'm 70 years old, I hope that my future looks like this, Lord willing: The hubs and I sitting on the front porch in our porch swing with our children hanging out with us...and our grandchildren running around the yard. I hope, I wish, I pray!!! Family is a blessing...Family is where it's at! The world will fade away, but families are there to stay.
What is your legacy? I want to leave a legacy behind that means something. I may not always get it right and I may make mistakes along the way, but what did I do with those mistakes? How did I change my ways? How did I make it right? What am I leaving behind for my children to learn from? What their lives are revolving around right now is unconditional love. By teaching them about God's unconditional love and by loving them unconditionally myself, I hope that I am teaching them that love is real, it exists, and if you have love in your life and you love others unconditionally, life is awesome, and it is!
So yeah, I'm gonna do better... I am doing better!
As for someone else who's doing better, Griffin has had no fever today! I gave him another dose of Tylenol at midnight and then didn't have to give him any more after that. I honestly have no idea what is wrong with him. He will see his behavioral/developmental specialist tomorrow who is a pediatrician so I'm going to see if he will investigate for me. I'm suspecting an ear or throat issue. He keeps putting his hands to his mouth a lot, like he's wanting something or trying to tell me something. I can't, for the life of me, see enough of his throat to tell if it's even red. But by being that his fever is gone, I know he must be recovering.
He did the sweetest thing tonight! After practicing his walking, I gave him a sippy cup of diluted juice in the living room and then walked away to get some stuff done. He finished his juice and cruised over to Chris to hand him the empty sippy cup! What a sweetheart!
By the way, my friend mailed me some bells so I can start making more Giraffe Meats again! Yeah!!! I'll get started on them this week!
I'll keep y'all updated on tomorrow's appointment!
Thank you for praying for our little dude!
Love and Hugs!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
First Fever
Well, I could tell that Griffin was being a little more quiet than normal. His nose has been a bit stuffier for the past 2 days as well so I had a feeling he was getting sick. Sure enough, this evening he started running a fever. I'm guessing that the stuffy nose may be a symptom but honestly, he's always a bit stuffy. His temp only got up to 101 but I went ahead and gave him Tylenol. Griffin refused his dinner and cried when I tried to get him to taste the food. Very unlike him, as you well know! I ended up getting a Buddy fruit pouch and a box of raisins in him, along with a sippy cup of juice. First fevers are always kind of scary. We will check him through the night and take him to the ER if we need to.
Isn't he just the cutest little guy? He is the best snuggler ever!
Today was a huge day in the life of my BFF! She and her husband went to court today and adopted a little boy who also has Ds. I will post the link to their blog once they are able to go public again! This little boy is absolutely adorable and we are all looking forward to meeting him in person! Can't wait! We have already determined that Griffin and Cooper will be best friends! :-)
But anyway, please pray for our little dude. Also, my BFF just told me that their newly adopted son is running a fever as well. Please send up some prayers for them as well! They have a lot of paper chasing and medical appts before they fly home. I really hope that this is just a quick little cold for both of them. Thank you so much!!!
Isn't he just the cutest little guy? He is the best snuggler ever!
Today was a huge day in the life of my BFF! She and her husband went to court today and adopted a little boy who also has Ds. I will post the link to their blog once they are able to go public again! This little boy is absolutely adorable and we are all looking forward to meeting him in person! Can't wait! We have already determined that Griffin and Cooper will be best friends! :-)
But anyway, please pray for our little dude. Also, my BFF just told me that their newly adopted son is running a fever as well. Please send up some prayers for them as well! They have a lot of paper chasing and medical appts before they fly home. I really hope that this is just a quick little cold for both of them. Thank you so much!!!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Progress!
We are so proud of our little dude! He did 3 new things today!
1. When I was holding him in the recliner this morning, Little G wanted to be held. So I stood Griffin up at the book basket, thinking he would entertain himself with the books while I held her. WRONG! He immediately protested when I put him down! And then he turned around and cruised back to me with his arms outstretched! He wanted me! :-)
2. Big G made her way to the recliner and sat next to me. She asked to hold Griffin so I sat him on her lap. Immediately, Griffin started inching his way back over to where he was fully sitting in my lap again! Yeah!!!
3. He refused Cheerios! He wouldn't feed them to himself and he wouldn't let me feed him. He threw them off of his highchair. This is huge! Definitely progress!
Every single day, Griffin is coming into his own little person. No more little orphanage robot. He is developing his personality and I just love it! After the little ones were awake this morning, they had already succeeded in throwing toys all over the place.
Little G loves for me to cradle her like a baby, and then start swinging her hard to the rhythm of 1-2-3 and then I toss her onto the couch. She is hyposensitive, therefore she loves to be rough housed. Well, I have been noticing that Griffin has been watching intently. The first time I did that to him (gently of course), he didn't like it. I have eased him into it and now he loves it! He throws his hands up in the air in an excited kind of way and if I don't immediately scoop him up for a repeat, he will protest. He is so much fun! (and so much lighter than Little G!)
He has discovered how to undock our little robot vacuum that I have nicknamed "Precious" and then he crawls after it. Today, he blocked it into a corner. Little G despises it and hides when she hears it kick on. He is such a brave and curious little boy!
But anyway, lots of fun going on here and I am so blessed to have my 3 children! Children are definitely a blessing from God. From the words of my sweet daddy who has gone on to be with the Lord, "my life became complete when God gave me my 3 children!" I couldn't agree more.
Love and Hugs!!!
1. When I was holding him in the recliner this morning, Little G wanted to be held. So I stood Griffin up at the book basket, thinking he would entertain himself with the books while I held her. WRONG! He immediately protested when I put him down! And then he turned around and cruised back to me with his arms outstretched! He wanted me! :-)
2. Big G made her way to the recliner and sat next to me. She asked to hold Griffin so I sat him on her lap. Immediately, Griffin started inching his way back over to where he was fully sitting in my lap again! Yeah!!!
3. He refused Cheerios! He wouldn't feed them to himself and he wouldn't let me feed him. He threw them off of his highchair. This is huge! Definitely progress!
Every single day, Griffin is coming into his own little person. No more little orphanage robot. He is developing his personality and I just love it! After the little ones were awake this morning, they had already succeeded in throwing toys all over the place.
Little G loves for me to cradle her like a baby, and then start swinging her hard to the rhythm of 1-2-3 and then I toss her onto the couch. She is hyposensitive, therefore she loves to be rough housed. Well, I have been noticing that Griffin has been watching intently. The first time I did that to him (gently of course), he didn't like it. I have eased him into it and now he loves it! He throws his hands up in the air in an excited kind of way and if I don't immediately scoop him up for a repeat, he will protest. He is so much fun! (and so much lighter than Little G!)
He has discovered how to undock our little robot vacuum that I have nicknamed "Precious" and then he crawls after it. Today, he blocked it into a corner. Little G despises it and hides when she hears it kick on. He is such a brave and curious little boy!
But anyway, lots of fun going on here and I am so blessed to have my 3 children! Children are definitely a blessing from God. From the words of my sweet daddy who has gone on to be with the Lord, "my life became complete when God gave me my 3 children!" I couldn't agree more.
Love and Hugs!!!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
He Signs 'More'!
So it only took 30 minutes to teach our son how to sign 'more' and it has made his meal times so much easier for him. His food frustration has decreased drastically! In the video, you will see that he wants to have my hands on his arms before he signs. However, I'm not doing anything for him other than providing him the support that he wants. My hands are not controlling his signing at all. I hope to have him signing independently soon! You will also notice that he grabs my hand after he signs because he wants to keep me close. He is so adorable! He is super excited in this video and I'm glad I captured it!
So proud of my sweet boy!
Enjoy!! (I just realized that it didn't load well and with our slow internet connection here in Germany it took us an hour to upload this! I'll reload it tomorrow!)
So proud of my sweet boy!
Enjoy!! (I just realized that it didn't load well and with our slow internet connection here in Germany it took us an hour to upload this! I'll reload it tomorrow!)
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A Relaxing Saturday
Mom's View-This morning, Griffin decided to wake up at 0530!! That's a bit too early for me, so we both stumbled down stairs and had some scrambled eggs. Then we spent some quality time in the recliner together. He loves to be rocked and I love to rock him. :-) Once the hubs was up, I asked him if he wanted to go to the flea market and he was like, "not really", so I jumped in the shower and snuck out of the house at 0800 this morning! Amazing. I love going to the flea market on base and I managed to buy Big G 2 dress up costumes and 5 sweaters for a whopping $7.50. Yeah! So Big G has spent the day looking like a medieval princess.
Big G's friend, CJ came over to play while his mother did some moving, so we went over to the park and had a great time playing. All of the kids loved the slide, and Griffin and Little G could do it all on their own! All I had to do was boost them up to the platform and away they went!This evening, as I was changing Little G's diaper at the changing table, hubs was holding Griffin in the recliner. I saw that he was watching me, so I yelled out, "HEY, GRIFFIN!" He got the hugest smile on his face and literally jumped out of the recliner towards me. Chris caught him by the leg! I'd say that's progress! What an angel.
But anyway, I'll leave you with some pictures of our day!Have a great weekend, y'all!
Love and Hugs!
Okay, so maybe I enjoyed the slide, too!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Celebrity Status
I just don't get it. Celebrities are just people who are doing their job in the public eye. I have never been one to get all 'star struck'... although, I would love to meet Dolly Parton...but if I ran into her, I would just say, "Hey, how's it going? I love 'Islands in the Stream'. And Dollywood. Did you really live on ketchup soup before you were famous? Would you like to meet 3 of the most awesome kids in the world?" but anyway... what I'm getting at is this:
Seeing your child in a single picture for several months and then meeting him in person...yeah, I was 'star struck'.
At the orphanage, I remember sitting on the bench in front of the play shed that we normally let Griffin play in and thinking, "wow...it's him. It's really him. The little boy in the picture. He's right here in front of me. I can actually touch him. He smiled at ME!"
While at the airport in New Orleans, Chris and Griffin met a couple of men from the cast of Swamp People. Here's the blog post on that. As you know, we love that show, but the first thing that I thought when Chris told me that they got the chance to meet him was, "what did they say to Griffin? Were they kind to my son?" My next thought was, "wow, those guys just met my son. They are so blessed!" Because, yeah, my son is just that amazing to me. My little star. :-) (and for the record, they were extremely kind)
Why are people so caught up in Hollywood? What is the importance in it? Pictures, posters, magazines, gossip, dying to know what's going on with this celebrity or that one. Even though I could care less about meeting a celebrity, I love watching E T, so I'm preaching to myself here...but if you can get interested in a celebrity, what about shifting your interest into this little guy! He was on my list of possible children to adopt. Sad to have to say that, but yes, we had a list of children that we prayed over, and Ollie was on that list. I have prayed over his picture numerous days, just as long as I have been committed to my Griffin. He's definitely worth your attention! I was so blessed to be in his presence for many days and the first time I physically laid eyes on him, my heart started pounding. I was so excited and just wanted to rush over and meet him! He is absolutely amazing and handsome. The nanny let me shake his hand! He smiled at me. Yeah, and I was 'star struck' once again. I wish I could have brought him home, too. But he belongs to someone, some day. He has a family out there somewhere but they just haven't found him yet. I hope that he doesn't have to wait as long as Griffin did. For every year that a child spends in an orphanage, it can take 6 months to recover from it. So with Griffin, we are looking at 18 months of recovery and then we will see who the 'real' Griffin is. From what I see of Griffin, though, and Ollie, is that they are both pretty amazing, as is! Thankfully, these 2 boys have been in a good orphanage, and I saw first hand that Ollie had a nanny who seemed to genuinely care for him. Praise God for that.
And speaking of God...He's at the top of my list of 'celebrities' that I can't wait to meet...along with Jesus...John the Baptist...and pretty much everyone in the bible...martyrs and missionaries, those who have given their lives for Christ. That's where it's at, y'all. Yeah, I'm doing a little soul cleaning and I don't think I'll be watching E T anymore. :-) Convicted.
And speaking of being convicted, yeah, God is getting me good on not being in His Word as much as I should. So I am making the commitment to read in Proverbs every day. Example, if it's July 13, I will read Proverbs 13. And as my friend suggested, if I can read more, I will read Psalm 13...and if I have even more time, I will read Psalm 113. See the pattern? The next day, I will move on to Proverbs 14, etc. Want to join along? I am going to read it to Big G over breakfast every morning. I'm also going to try to start memorizing a new bible verse every week. I'll start posting the verse on here so that you can join along in memorization, if you would like!
On a Griffin note, he has gained back 2 lbs of healthy weight! He had dropped down to 20 lbs soon after getting him home, but it was because he was so impacted. But now, he is back up to 22 lbs and filling out his PJ's nicely tonight! :-)
But anyway, thanks for following along with us and supporting us through this stressful but exciting time in our lives. Our little boy is doing amazingly well and fitting right in. Only God can do that. He is pretty amazing.
Love and Hugs!!!
Seeing your child in a single picture for several months and then meeting him in person...yeah, I was 'star struck'.
At the orphanage, I remember sitting on the bench in front of the play shed that we normally let Griffin play in and thinking, "wow...it's him. It's really him. The little boy in the picture. He's right here in front of me. I can actually touch him. He smiled at ME!"
While at the airport in New Orleans, Chris and Griffin met a couple of men from the cast of Swamp People. Here's the blog post on that. As you know, we love that show, but the first thing that I thought when Chris told me that they got the chance to meet him was, "what did they say to Griffin? Were they kind to my son?" My next thought was, "wow, those guys just met my son. They are so blessed!" Because, yeah, my son is just that amazing to me. My little star. :-) (and for the record, they were extremely kind)
Why are people so caught up in Hollywood? What is the importance in it? Pictures, posters, magazines, gossip, dying to know what's going on with this celebrity or that one. Even though I could care less about meeting a celebrity, I love watching E T, so I'm preaching to myself here...but if you can get interested in a celebrity, what about shifting your interest into this little guy! He was on my list of possible children to adopt. Sad to have to say that, but yes, we had a list of children that we prayed over, and Ollie was on that list. I have prayed over his picture numerous days, just as long as I have been committed to my Griffin. He's definitely worth your attention! I was so blessed to be in his presence for many days and the first time I physically laid eyes on him, my heart started pounding. I was so excited and just wanted to rush over and meet him! He is absolutely amazing and handsome. The nanny let me shake his hand! He smiled at me. Yeah, and I was 'star struck' once again. I wish I could have brought him home, too. But he belongs to someone, some day. He has a family out there somewhere but they just haven't found him yet. I hope that he doesn't have to wait as long as Griffin did. For every year that a child spends in an orphanage, it can take 6 months to recover from it. So with Griffin, we are looking at 18 months of recovery and then we will see who the 'real' Griffin is. From what I see of Griffin, though, and Ollie, is that they are both pretty amazing, as is! Thankfully, these 2 boys have been in a good orphanage, and I saw first hand that Ollie had a nanny who seemed to genuinely care for him. Praise God for that.
And speaking of God...He's at the top of my list of 'celebrities' that I can't wait to meet...along with Jesus...John the Baptist...and pretty much everyone in the bible...martyrs and missionaries, those who have given their lives for Christ. That's where it's at, y'all. Yeah, I'm doing a little soul cleaning and I don't think I'll be watching E T anymore. :-) Convicted.
And speaking of being convicted, yeah, God is getting me good on not being in His Word as much as I should. So I am making the commitment to read in Proverbs every day. Example, if it's July 13, I will read Proverbs 13. And as my friend suggested, if I can read more, I will read Psalm 13...and if I have even more time, I will read Psalm 113. See the pattern? The next day, I will move on to Proverbs 14, etc. Want to join along? I am going to read it to Big G over breakfast every morning. I'm also going to try to start memorizing a new bible verse every week. I'll start posting the verse on here so that you can join along in memorization, if you would like!
On a Griffin note, he has gained back 2 lbs of healthy weight! He had dropped down to 20 lbs soon after getting him home, but it was because he was so impacted. But now, he is back up to 22 lbs and filling out his PJ's nicely tonight! :-)
But anyway, thanks for following along with us and supporting us through this stressful but exciting time in our lives. Our little boy is doing amazingly well and fitting right in. Only God can do that. He is pretty amazing.
Love and Hugs!!!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Cardiology
Maria's View-
This morning, Chris took Big G to Drama camp and also took Griffin to his Cardiology appointment. I stayed at home with Little G because she recently had a stomach virus and I want to keep her close for a few more days. I'll let Chris share the details with you on how the Cardio. went! It's great news, though!
An amazing thing happened today. For lunch, I chopped up chicken breast, a cheese stick, and a nectarine for the little ones' lunches. Griffin would eat everything off of the spoon, but when I got a phone call, I placed a piece of cheese on his high chair so that I could keep him happy, and he threw it across the room! Do you understand how amazing this is?! He chose to NOT eat something. I couldn't even hear what the nurse was telling me on the phone, I was so shocked! I put a piece on the spoon and gave it to him, and he opened his mouth for me to shovel it in. I didn't, because I was still experimenting. I backed the spoon off, he didn't protest, so I dropped the cheese onto the high chair tray, and he picked it up and threw it across the room. AWESOME! No cheese for my dude. So proud of him! So, if I'm spoon feeding him, he feels the need to eat every bite. If he has a choice, he doesn't feel the need.
About the nurse that called me, I bet you are wondering, right? Well, she called to tell us that Griffin's endoscopy procedure is scheduled for July 26 to test for Celiac Disease. I'm pretty anxious about this and looking forward to it, too. I want him to feel great and if he has Celiac, I'm sure that the food we are giving him doesn't make him feel so great. However, we can't change his diet now because it will throw the test off. So we are in a holding pattern until we get some answers.
But anyway, that's about all I've got for today! It's a rainy, chilly day here in Germany and I miss the warmth! Chris is off through Saturday and I have a friend coming over to take a walk with me tonight if the weather holds out. Looking forward to it!
Enjoy your Thursday!!
Chris's View-
Yeah, we thought the GI appointment was scheduled for the 26th, but more on that later.
This morning, I had to hit the ground running. I got up and did my thing, while Maria got the two eldest G's ready. I dropped Big G off at her drama camp, then me & Middle G took off to find the hospital in K-town where his appointment was. The hospital was tucked back in a residential area and if I wouldn't have had a GPS, I'm sure I would've never found the place. Parking was a hassle at first, till I found the tiny spaced parking garage... but then again, all European parking spots are small. I finally got parked and found where I was supposed to go.
Everyone there was AMAZING! I so wish our military health care providers were this good! We got to see the head of the Pediatric Department, plus he's a Cardiologist, so that is awesome! We got settled in the first room and they hooked him up for an EKG (or is it an EEG?) and the nurse explained that he needed to be still for 10 seconds... uh... yeah... that's not happening! LOL! He was all over the place. Finally I had to basically straddle him to keep him still. She finally told me that he was finished and to just put his shirt back on and wait in the hallway for a second.
Literally, within seconds, we were called into the doctor's room. He had the over bed heater on for Griffin and it was nice & comfy in there... a little too toasty after awhile though. Griffin sat contently on the bed, eating a box of raisins. He really likes his raisins, let me tell you! The doctor came in and examined him, moving joints, listening to his heart & breathing, squeezing on his head... wait a second... this isn't just a normal cardiology referral, this guy ACTUALLY CARES! Wow! He did a full up exam, asked in-depth questions, even questioning why he is taking the medicine he is on for his latent Tb when he has a clean x-ray. He was great & Griffin seemed to really respond to him.
Next, he pulled out the ultrasound machine. Griffin wasn't having any of that! Well, until the doctor handed me this little electronic, light-up toy that simply drew Griffin in. He was mesmerized by this toy. He was able to do whatever check he wanted to, as long as I was running that toy. He checked out his heart and said, "For his stature, his heart is pristinely perfect." EXCELLENT! There is no septum issues, no valve issues, no flow issues, no holes, no murmurs, no irregularities, nothing! Awesome... so now, let's all breathe a collective sigh of relief!
So, I bring Griffin home & go back to get Gracie & brought her back home. While I was home dropping Griffin off & eating lunch, Maria got the call that we have to take Griffin to the Pediatric clinic at the base to get an MRSA swab done. This is a standard thing that is required for any overnight procedures at German hospitals. This tests for a type of staph infection that is antibiotic resistant. Oh yeah, this pertains to his GI referral that we thought was scheduled for the 26th. Well, I took Griffin to the base, dropped off some papers, got the swab done, and was waiting to speak to the doctor about a separate issue when Griffin decided to melt down. It was honestly the worst he has acted out that was not over food.
After the doctor saw us, I walked down to the TRICARE office to get a copy of the authorization to go to Homburg teaching hospital, where his GI appointment was scheduled, since we got told we had the appointment date. I ask at the counter, nope... not there. So, I ask to speak with the TRICARE representative who has been working the case. She called me back and apologized that the appointment still wasn't scheduled. We have been working on trying to get this appointment scheduled for well over a week now. So, not being ready is not the answer I was looking to hear. So, she called the hospital with me sitting there. I guess they still didn't want to schedule it until they got the results from the MRSA swab, but they went ahead & scheduled it for the 19th... wait... didn't they tell Maria the 26th?!?!? Something is going on. Not to mention, Griffin has his developmental peds appointment that morning. She said it was the only thing available until mid-August. Unsat in my book! We have been waiting on this forever now. Next, she floored me!
This next piece of info literally kicked me in the junk, then spit in my eyes while I was down. Wait for it... we could not stay with him in the hospital unless we pay out of pocket for it... an estimated $200 at the very least, that is not claimable or reimbursable by TRICARE! Okay, you have got to be joking me! This is a 3 year old child, who was just brought here from an orphanage. He would instantly think we left him in another orphanage, thus resulting in the possible regression of every bit of progress we have made since we got him home and a complete loss of trust. Not to mention, this will damage us too, as we are all still going through the bonding process. I told her I need to know who to file a complaint with, since I cannot believe TRICARE will not cover this expense, being as I have no other option but to pay the fee out of pocket, since the base GI clinic will only see patients that are 18 or older.
Then she tells me that he would check in on the 19th between 10 & 11 am. He would be pre-opped that day, then the next, he would get his procedure, then they would observe him overnight, then he'd get to go home the next day... if there are no complications. Wait a second, he's getting a scope shoved down his throat and biopsy taken to check why his celiac markers were elevated, not getting a heart bypass! I get it, and I am glad they are trying to protect my child, and I could totally buy a one-night stay, but not 3 days and 2 nights. That's overkill, and possible insurance fraud in my opinion. Even the pediatrician at the base hospital thinks it's too long.
A little upset, I asked if we were locked in to using the Homburg teaching hospital. She said that she could try to check at the hospital I used for his cardiology appointment. Sure enough we can, but they are going to require the same stay, and they will charge us to stay with him in that hospital too. At least I know the caliber of the doctor who will be doing the procedure... the head of the pediatric department, who is also a cardiologist, who I guess can also do a scope & biopsy, who has experience with my son, who genuinely cares, who is a kind man, & one of the best physicians I have met in 35 years... we are going to have to suck it up on this one.
See ya'll later!
This morning, Chris took Big G to Drama camp and also took Griffin to his Cardiology appointment. I stayed at home with Little G because she recently had a stomach virus and I want to keep her close for a few more days. I'll let Chris share the details with you on how the Cardio. went! It's great news, though!
An amazing thing happened today. For lunch, I chopped up chicken breast, a cheese stick, and a nectarine for the little ones' lunches. Griffin would eat everything off of the spoon, but when I got a phone call, I placed a piece of cheese on his high chair so that I could keep him happy, and he threw it across the room! Do you understand how amazing this is?! He chose to NOT eat something. I couldn't even hear what the nurse was telling me on the phone, I was so shocked! I put a piece on the spoon and gave it to him, and he opened his mouth for me to shovel it in. I didn't, because I was still experimenting. I backed the spoon off, he didn't protest, so I dropped the cheese onto the high chair tray, and he picked it up and threw it across the room. AWESOME! No cheese for my dude. So proud of him! So, if I'm spoon feeding him, he feels the need to eat every bite. If he has a choice, he doesn't feel the need.
About the nurse that called me, I bet you are wondering, right? Well, she called to tell us that Griffin's endoscopy procedure is scheduled for July 26 to test for Celiac Disease. I'm pretty anxious about this and looking forward to it, too. I want him to feel great and if he has Celiac, I'm sure that the food we are giving him doesn't make him feel so great. However, we can't change his diet now because it will throw the test off. So we are in a holding pattern until we get some answers.
But anyway, that's about all I've got for today! It's a rainy, chilly day here in Germany and I miss the warmth! Chris is off through Saturday and I have a friend coming over to take a walk with me tonight if the weather holds out. Looking forward to it!
Enjoy your Thursday!!
Chris's View-
Yeah, we thought the GI appointment was scheduled for the 26th, but more on that later.
Everyone there was AMAZING! I so wish our military health care providers were this good! We got to see the head of the Pediatric Department, plus he's a Cardiologist, so that is awesome! We got settled in the first room and they hooked him up for an EKG (or is it an EEG?) and the nurse explained that he needed to be still for 10 seconds... uh... yeah... that's not happening! LOL! He was all over the place. Finally I had to basically straddle him to keep him still. She finally told me that he was finished and to just put his shirt back on and wait in the hallway for a second.Literally, within seconds, we were called into the doctor's room. He had the over bed heater on for Griffin and it was nice & comfy in there... a little too toasty after awhile though. Griffin sat contently on the bed, eating a box of raisins. He really likes his raisins, let me tell you! The doctor came in and examined him, moving joints, listening to his heart & breathing, squeezing on his head... wait a second... this isn't just a normal cardiology referral, this guy ACTUALLY CARES! Wow! He did a full up exam, asked in-depth questions, even questioning why he is taking the medicine he is on for his latent Tb when he has a clean x-ray. He was great & Griffin seemed to really respond to him.
Next, he pulled out the ultrasound machine. Griffin wasn't having any of that! Well, until the doctor handed me this little electronic, light-up toy that simply drew Griffin in. He was mesmerized by this toy. He was able to do whatever check he wanted to, as long as I was running that toy. He checked out his heart and said, "For his stature, his heart is pristinely perfect." EXCELLENT! There is no septum issues, no valve issues, no flow issues, no holes, no murmurs, no irregularities, nothing! Awesome... so now, let's all breathe a collective sigh of relief!So, I bring Griffin home & go back to get Gracie & brought her back home. While I was home dropping Griffin off & eating lunch, Maria got the call that we have to take Griffin to the Pediatric clinic at the base to get an MRSA swab done. This is a standard thing that is required for any overnight procedures at German hospitals. This tests for a type of staph infection that is antibiotic resistant. Oh yeah, this pertains to his GI referral that we thought was scheduled for the 26th. Well, I took Griffin to the base, dropped off some papers, got the swab done, and was waiting to speak to the doctor about a separate issue when Griffin decided to melt down. It was honestly the worst he has acted out that was not over food.
After the doctor saw us, I walked down to the TRICARE office to get a copy of the authorization to go to Homburg teaching hospital, where his GI appointment was scheduled, since we got told we had the appointment date. I ask at the counter, nope... not there. So, I ask to speak with the TRICARE representative who has been working the case. She called me back and apologized that the appointment still wasn't scheduled. We have been working on trying to get this appointment scheduled for well over a week now. So, not being ready is not the answer I was looking to hear. So, she called the hospital with me sitting there. I guess they still didn't want to schedule it until they got the results from the MRSA swab, but they went ahead & scheduled it for the 19th... wait... didn't they tell Maria the 26th?!?!? Something is going on. Not to mention, Griffin has his developmental peds appointment that morning. She said it was the only thing available until mid-August. Unsat in my book! We have been waiting on this forever now. Next, she floored me!
This next piece of info literally kicked me in the junk, then spit in my eyes while I was down. Wait for it... we could not stay with him in the hospital unless we pay out of pocket for it... an estimated $200 at the very least, that is not claimable or reimbursable by TRICARE! Okay, you have got to be joking me! This is a 3 year old child, who was just brought here from an orphanage. He would instantly think we left him in another orphanage, thus resulting in the possible regression of every bit of progress we have made since we got him home and a complete loss of trust. Not to mention, this will damage us too, as we are all still going through the bonding process. I told her I need to know who to file a complaint with, since I cannot believe TRICARE will not cover this expense, being as I have no other option but to pay the fee out of pocket, since the base GI clinic will only see patients that are 18 or older. Then she tells me that he would check in on the 19th between 10 & 11 am. He would be pre-opped that day, then the next, he would get his procedure, then they would observe him overnight, then he'd get to go home the next day... if there are no complications. Wait a second, he's getting a scope shoved down his throat and biopsy taken to check why his celiac markers were elevated, not getting a heart bypass! I get it, and I am glad they are trying to protect my child, and I could totally buy a one-night stay, but not 3 days and 2 nights. That's overkill, and possible insurance fraud in my opinion. Even the pediatrician at the base hospital thinks it's too long.
A little upset, I asked if we were locked in to using the Homburg teaching hospital. She said that she could try to check at the hospital I used for his cardiology appointment. Sure enough we can, but they are going to require the same stay, and they will charge us to stay with him in that hospital too. At least I know the caliber of the doctor who will be doing the procedure... the head of the pediatric department, who is also a cardiologist, who I guess can also do a scope & biopsy, who has experience with my son, who genuinely cares, who is a kind man, & one of the best physicians I have met in 35 years... we are going to have to suck it up on this one.
See ya'll later!
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