Easter Eve

This afternoon I was thinking how boring it was going to be to simply say, "We had an uneventful trip to Anchorage" on my blog - and then we ended up in Urgent Care.

We went to the "mall" for an "Easter Egg Hunt."  (I am not "quote" happy - it is more of a mall than we have here on the Kenai peninsula, but still not a mall like the rest of you know.  Also, the hunt was, well, let me tell you...)  There were a bunch of people in line with little kids, so we lined up too.  After standing in line for a while we discovered that each child was allowed to choose 5 eggs from a basket and open them and claim the prize inside.  Where's the hunt in that?  Mostly it was candy, but there were a few that said, "Go to ____ store and claim your prize" (which was also just candy) or the occasional "10% off at _____ store."  I guess that's what you get for going to a mall for an Easter egg hunt - advertising.

Ethan was walking through a store holding Doug's hand.  Nolan was in the stroller (you know, broken leg and all...), so Ethan had the rare occasion to saunter his way through the store.  Attempting to flee from Doug, he yanked his arm, which Doug was holding around the wrist, and started to cry.  Then he sniffled his way through the store staying, "Ouk" (translated as "ouch").  We noticed that his left arm was being held limply at his side.  He cried when we touched it and wouldn't use it for anything.

Now, how does one find an in-network provider while in a different city?  Insurance customer service was closed, so we went back to the hotel we had checked out from hours earlier and borrowed a computer.  Long story short, I called around until I found a place that said yes they took walk-ins and yes they took our insurance.

Short side note: Here's another little problem - on Friday I received a letter from our insurance stating that they had enrolled us in the incorrect plan and that they were enrolling us in the right plan and would reprocess all of the claims from January 1.  These are the claims I have spent HOURS 2-3 times a week correcting over the phone.  Now I don't know how they are supposed to be processed - OR what providers are actually in network.

Luckily, Ethan's elbow was only dislocated.  It is called "nursemaid elbow" or "toddler elbow."  I guess it happens to a lot of little kids, but we all know it had to happen to mine.  I had to laugh at the name "toddler elbow" because I also have a toddler with a broken tibia, which is referred to as a "toddler fracture."  Go ahead, ask it... what's with all the toddler abuse?

Other than that, it was an uneventful trip to Anchorage.  See?  I got the phrase in there anyway.

Brenden's new implant was mapped.  He was pretty naughty for most of his appointment, but ended up working hard after a motivational speech from the audiologist.  He was very cute when he saw the audiologist at the beginning of his appointment.  She has been out on maternity leave and asked if he remembered her.  

He said, "Yes, how is your baby doing?"  

She seemed shocked and pleased that he knew or cared about anything in her life.  I was so proud to be his mom right then.  

She said, "Thank you for asking.  She is doing well and getting so big."

He said, "How old is she now?"

"Three months."

"Imaginingly."  (We took that to mean "That's hard to imagine.")

The audiologist told me it must be so hard to raise such an intelligent little boy.  Some days he is a challenge, but I'll take him just the way he is.  

Ethan's hearing was tested and his hearing aids are now both functional.  The one he broke last visit was returned from being repaired and the one he disassembled while Nolan was getting his cast was put back together while we were in the office.

We all enjoyed the drive.  The roads are thrashed from the winter, so they are more like a roller coaster in some places than a highway.  Ethan enjoys yelling, "Whee!" over the bumps.  The boys always love staying in hotels, but they are getting so used to it, they treat it like a second home now.  Nolan calls all hotels "hotellos," which I can only assume comes from staying in a hotel in Pocatello last year.

I haven't had time to do anything for Easter this year.  It is 11:00 p.m. and I just finished decorating - at Brenden's request.  It was brief.  We will make time to decorate eggs tomorrow, but for the most part, I failed my children in the Easter department this year.  Priorities... (rolling my eyes)

Skid Steer

Me: Do you know what I think we need?

Brenden: What?

Me: I think we need a skid steer.

Brenden: (with a shocked, thrilled, huge grin) REALLY?

Me: (confused at the glee) Yeah...?

Brenden:  Well, you have to ask Jesus for that.

Me: Huh?  Oh... No... not a SISTER, a skid steer!

Brenden has been asking for a sister since January.  Poor kid...

Enduring

"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." 

~Gordon B. Hinckley

Today was one of those days that I simply endured...  does it seem like I have a lot of those?

Ethan had speech at 9:15 this morning.  I kicked the therapist out a few minutes early to leave by 10:15 to be on-time for Nolan's appointment at 11:00 to get his cast.  A 45 minute drive later, we arrived on-time if not a few minutes early.  I restrained Ethan in the stroller, carried Nolan in the door, and set him down in the waiting room.  I turned to the receptionist who says, "This must be Nolan... well, Dr. Krull is sick today, so we had to cancel all of his appointments.  Would you like to reschedule?"  No, I would rather my child NOT get his cast and never have his leg heal.  She said she tried to call twice this morning, but no one answered.  I had been home all morning...  She offered to reschedule for Friday, but Brenden and Ethan have audiology appointments in Anchorage Friday.  Finally, she found an appointment on Thursday (at a time I would have to get Brenden out of school early to go with me so I don't miss getting him off of the bus), but it was the only other option.  

Normally, I am one of those nice, understanding, "walk all over me" kind of people, but she must have hit me on the wrong day.  I have been silently and verbally worried for the last week about how I was going to manage this appointment with both kids, one of whom will run as far away as he can given any opportunity and the other who can't run anywhere, but has to be carried.  I have been emotionally preparing to watch Nolan scream in pain as they cast his broken little leg.  We have been making "after Nolan get his hard cast..." comments for days.  I, after making a few comments about my drive and my 2 kids and rearranging my day, swooped up my kids and left defeated.

I got less than a mile down the road and decided to turn around and go back.  I asked if there was any OTHER facility in town that does casts and they told me, sorry, not really.  I, again, left dejected, but slightly more angry.  While I was in the office, Ethan disassembled his hearing aid beyond my own personal ability to repair.

As I head home again, I think: If they are able to cancel my appointment, why can't they last minute cancel someone else who hasn't already driven all of the way to the office?  And so, I turn around again and return to inquire.  I knew all along it wasn't going to work and that it was a silly request, but it seemed valid at the time and in the mood I was in.  The receptionist gave me a whole schpeal about Dr. Krull has his own patients and Dr. Innes can't see them.  The problem is: we've never seen either doctor.  We're no one's patients!  In the end, I stood in the office and cried until they agreed to see Nolan.  An hour and lots of screaming (from both Ethan - stuck in the stroller, and Nolan) later, Nolan has a hard cast.

I feel terrible about the way I acted and the fact that now you are hearing about it, but would I change what I did?  Probably not.  I will send them a nice thank you note and some store bought cookies (I am quite sure they wouldn't eat homemade cookies from the evil lady who may or may not have laced them with something) and call it even.

I got home four hours after leaving and had a message that I left my stroller there in the parking lot.  Right now I couldn't care less...

Daily Life

On Friday night after Brenden's party, Nolan was so tired he had his first accident since he has worn underwear to bed.  He woke up at 5:30 (a daily occurrence since the broken leg) crying that he was wet.  I took him into the bathroom and set him on the toilet while I went about removing the sheets and finding him new pajamas.  A moment later there was a loud crash followed by a continuous scream.  He had fallen off the toilet onto his leg in an attempt to get himself off.  I thought maybe he had displaced the already broken bone, but he seems to be doing okay.  It took him about an hour to calm down and go back to sleep.

Doug has worked straight through since Nolan broke his leg, except Friday when we were rushing around getting ready for a poorly planned party.  By Sunday night, I needed to get out of the house, so I was wandering around the "block."  (We don't really have a block to wander around, it is more of a mile-long loop in our "neighborhood.")  I took Cosmo (our dog) with me to save me from potential moose or bears.  On my fourth round of the block, I came face to face with a moose and Cosmo abandoned me.  So much for my guard dog!  Luckily, a neighbor dog was tagging along on our jaunt and scared the moose off for me.  I guess the mean dog who my children are terrified of is good for something.

Doug LOVES to listen to music while he's falling asleep - and then all night.  I hate it.  I can't fall asleep because I just end up listening very intently to the words of the songs (and as I said before, I treasure any quiet time in life).  Having Nolan sleeping in our room has been like an answer to Doug's prayers.  Every night before bed, he asks Nolan, "Do YOU want to listen to music tonight?"  This morning I woke to Little Mermaid in portuguese.

Brenden's Party

We decided to show Bolt.  The school showed it last week, but there weren't many kids there, so we opted for it again.  Earlier in the day I bought Bedtime Stories, but when we previewed it (briefly), we decided it might be a little slow at the start and we would take a vote at the party.  Doug asked how many kids had seen Bolt and only about 3 raised their hands.  The following picture truly captures the essence of Brenden's party.  Notice he is the ONLY child watching the movie.

When asked again (an hour later) how many of the kids had seen the movie, they ALL raised their hands.  It was a LONG hour and a half!

Present Time

(I hung the sheets to keep the kids out of the toys.  I am SO GLAD I did, since no one watched the movie!  It would have been a mad house!)

Cake - or cupcake, rather - time

More volcano photos:

Life going on as normal as the volcano erupts in the background.

Help!

The day I sent Brenden to school with his party invitations is the same day Nolan broke his leg.  Luckily, I knew that I was busy enough as it was, so I planned a very simple party.  Friday, Brenden's whole class is invited to come watch a movie at our house and have cake and ice cream.  The thing I need help with is - what movie?  I need some suggestions.  We have about every Disney movie ever made, but I don't know what other kids would want to watch.  My kids don't have cartoons on tv, so they have seen every movie a gazillion times.  Help!  (Although, not a single kid has RSVPed that they are coming, so maybe I won't have to worry about it at all.)

The night I said Nolan slept well, I was unaware that I slept through all the times that Doug was up with Nolan.  Doug was just too incoherent to give Nolan medicine.  Last night Nolan really did sleep through the night without pain until 7:00 this morning.  Brenden was up until 10:00 last night making Nolan a get well card.  That is sweet and all, but WAY past bed time.  He always gets most creative when he's supposed to be sleeping.

I am no longer going to Salt Lake for the Utah School for the Deaf.  I was looking forward to time away from home with family and friends, but this is really better for me right now.

Doug's volcano pictures:

Brenden is supposed to look "scared"

Nolan Update

Nolan is doing well.  He slept through most of the night and woke at 5:30 in severe pain.  I failed and slept through the middle of the night pain medicine dose, so we were behind.  He slept in our room on a mattress at the foot of our bed and I slept there with him for part of the night.  He has been so sweet.  He wants me with him constantly, asks for lots of hugs, and tells me that he loves me at least once an hour.  I am glad I found a sub for seminary this morning because Nolan needed me with him from 5:30 (when I normally wake up) until 7:45 (when I normally get home).  Brenden was very concerned for Nolan yesterday and cried when he couldn't be with him to know that he was okay.

The doctor seemed baffled at the bruise on Nolan's shin in the exact spot of the brake, so after talking about it, Doug and I came to a conclusion.  The other day when Nolan and Brenden were playing, Nolan fell down and hit his leg.  We figure he must have cracked the bone at that point, so falling wrong yesterday broke it the rest of the way through.

In other news:

Doug bought a new phone.  His number is the same, but now you can call him.  He must have thrown his phone away at lunch in February because it has been nowhere to be seen since then.

Brenden had a visitor at school today.  A woman in our ward is taking a special ed class for her masters and wanted to see what accommodations are made for Brenden at school.  He, being a true gentleman, offered to purchase her lunch with his lunch card.  When she told him that she had enough food, he again offered his lunch card if she was still hungry.

I am mad at the volcano because my windshield is scratched beyond repair from the ash vs. windshield wipers.  The ash won.