Caleb the bottomless pit

Right now Caleb is having a snack at the dining room table. He tells me at 1:30 "I am hungry".
Of course you are hungry -you are ALWAYS hungry. We had lunch at 11:45 and he at it all. But hey that was almost 2 hours ago!

So I ask him - "What do you want for a snack?"

"I don't know you pick" he says.

"Ok how about a nutrigrain bar?"

"OK What a funny name hey mom - nutrigrain bar" (add dimple smile here)

Then add 10 seconds silence as he looks at my face while eating his snack.

Then he says:" Mom I like it when your eyebrows are waxed."

WHAT?!?!? "You like it when my eyebrows are waxed?" I repeat in disbelief. Who is this child?

I am still laughing - I had to RUN to the computer to post it right away - man I could make a fortune doing stand up comedy with this kid as my sidekick.

gotta go he is done wiht his bar and is still hungry.........

Lost contacts

If you are reading this and are wondering why I haven't responded to your emails......it is because when my laptop died I lost most of my contacts.

I am now using John's desktop and that list of contacts is mostly his business and work stuff. If you are not in his contacts it will get auto deleted.

So my apologies if you are trying to reach me via email and I am not responding.

Shoot me a quick email to jenny_baierl@yahoo.com

John's desktop has so many incoming email rules to sort out his business, work and church related emails that I don't want to mess with his controls.

So sorry to those of you who have asked:"How come you haven't emailed me?!?"
Grandpa Paul - this means you too I lost your contact info in the laptop dump.

It just keeps geting better!

As if we haven't had enough doctor appointments for Nathan, I took him to his Allergy testing follow up today.

This is the "Prick Him Till He Reacts" appointment I love.

Well he was rechecked for: peas, all beans, all legumes, peanut, milk, and egg.

Now last time we were in for these allergies he was in sad shape. We had not yet eliminated all of these from his diet. Now we have eliminated all (except milk)for 9 months. He has made a drastic improvement.

Todays news:
Only the navy bean and the string bean reacted - peanut was questionable, egg, milk,peas all negative.
We must have blood tests to confirm these (will have soon)
But boy was that good news.

The worst 2 - egg and peanut - I was told he would not outgrow. - oh yeah - well I guess God has more information than you guys at the UW!
(Plus I KNOW God's left hand talks to His right hand - more than I can say for the UW)

I just keep coming back to the song "Blessed be the Name of the Lord" and the verse in Isaiah that I have quoted so many times: Isaiah 30:18 - seems as though God is indeed rising to show us compassion!

:)

Our new pet

For 3 weeks now we have had a toad living with us.

Yes he is in a cage.

Grandpa Paul bought the bug vacuum for Christmas and added the bug habitat as a bonus. The bug habitat comes with a "Coupon for your "FREE" tadpole" What a joke. The tadpole is free but the shipping and handling is $8. So I order the tadpole the week after Christmas.

We get the tadpole in February and it is the size of a pencil lead - smaller actually. Guaranteed for 24 hours. Dies 26 hours later. sigh. OK mom must redeem herself. What will I do with an empty habitat?

I run down to the pet store and buy a $4 toad (we don't even have to "grow the thing")
This toad is cool I must admit. Even Nathan is entranced by the thing.

He eats crickets. The pet store worker infoms me that I have to buy a cricket house/keeper and cricket food to feed your toads' food. Hmm forget that. John gets an old coffee can, we throw them in there. No food for you - you ARE the food! They don't even have air holes and they survive for 10 days!

The toad has now lived for 3 weeks and we all still love watching him eat up the crickets we feed it with our bug vacuum. Even I watch in amazement as the toad jumps on the crickets to eat it. He doesn't stick out his tounge - he does more of a pounce and gobble routine.

I have officially resigned all girly girl tendancies and embraced the fact that I am indeed a mom of boys. Bring on the toads and crickets.

Another Caleb quickie

My Caleb is a boy of few words. He is all action. This can really be good or it can be really bad.

Yesterday we were at Aunt Kiki's house. She has more movies than the video store. Caleb begins to look thru her collection and eye spies the Indiana Jones series. Caleb recognizes this because we have a lego Indiana Jones and he loves the hat and whip. (hmmm)

He asks in his ever so sweet voice (add dimple here) "Mom can I watch Indiana Jones?" (UM NOT ON YOUR LIFE!) I reply: "No Caleb that is a scary movie you have to be 13 to watch that." Kiki backs me up and repeats in agreement - not a kids movie for you Caleb. We watch a Veggie Tales instead.

Fast forward 1 day. Eating breakfast this morning Caleb says. "Mom soon it will be my birthday right?" (yes this is true) "so I will be 13 and I get to watch Indiana Jones at Aunt Kiki's!"

Oh no - nice try mister.

I reply: "Well Caleb it is true you will have a birthday soon, but you will have to wait 10 more birthdays until you are 13."

He thinks about this for a millisecond and says: "Well that won't take long at all!"

I smile because I know he is right - it really won't take that long at all.

What a difference a year makes

Our house was built 18 years after WI become a state. Now THAT is OLD! (WI became as state in 1848 in case you were wondering)

Every time John and I embark on a house project I am reminded that this house has been a tool for many, many families.

During the last few months as we walked thru Nathan's heart ordeal, I have been painting and fixing like a mad woman. (might as well be productive if I am not sleeping.)

For almost 9 years I have had a large kitchen with beets, carrots, asparagus with green stripes on my walls. (Does that sound like my personality to you?) YUCK.

I am happy to announce that our kitchen is now in its final stages. The walls are dried tomato, nice rich red color - Heidi would be so proud :) the bead board and cabinets are linen and the counter tops will be amber/black flecked with back splashes and curved edges - good bye old particle board junk. I can't wait for it to be done (maybe by the end of Feb!) It looks very classic, clean lines, warm wood feel and it looks big and inviting. That room was the last bit of "Country" decor left. Now when you come in the house all the 1984 wallpaper in the dining is gone and the veggie walls are history. It feels sooo good. (our old bathroom had vertical green striped wall paper - but I ripped that out the day we closed on the house! Ick!)

Pics are coming soon - I feel so refreshed to be in here now that the bathroom has been rebuilt, the new 3 season porch is waiting for its 1st spring use, the dining and kitchen have been remodeled and the living room, hallway, and staircase have new paint. It looks really nice.

It is a whole different kind of busy than I had last year at this time. Ix am no longer nursing, homeschooling or potty training, let alone doing them all at the same time! I still have 2 preschoolers at home and I still babysit for Olivia, but boy what a difference a year makes! (I did not even get a reduction in pay - can't get less than zero you know!)

Our NO SURGERY Party!!!!!

We celebrated Nathan's "No Surgery" news with a chocolate cake and dance party.

We did not sing "Happy Birthday to you" we sang:

Happy No surgery for you
May the Good Lord touch you
May His name be ever praised
Because your valve will change to 3 from 2

The cake is designed to look as his aortic valve should in 3 equal valves.

Notice the dance of joy at the end of the clip. Nathan has never danced like this before - in fact I have never seen him pivot like that - it was great!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Paul!!!!!!!!!

We Love you!

When you pray for rain - OPEN the umbrella

Only 1 problem when you pray for rain, you not only have to HAVE an umbrella you have to USE it. I will explain in a moment.

Yesterday I contacted my primary care Dr and requested she put some extra pressure on the Pediatric Cardiologist.

At 11 am today I got a call from Dr Ralphe. At the end of the conversation we knew that Nathan would be going to Milwaukee Children's to see a surgeon there and that it would be next week. FINALLY SOME PROGRESS!!!!!!!!

Wait it gets better.

He tells me he will call me before leaving the office today with the date. More progress.

I call the insurance co. and my primary Dr. My primary Dr. agrees to get the FMLA paper work done ASAP (instead of sending it to the Cardiology staff - who are clearly overworked - smile) She also begins immediately the referral request for insurance coverage to have us go to Milwaukee Children's.

At 3 pm I get a call from Johanna at GHC insurance. She is assigned our case for complex care management. Praise God I know Johanna - our kids played baseball together and she lives in Evansville. She recognizes the last name and calls me as a courtesy. She says that she is expediting Nathans insurance coverage request and that Milwaukee Children's is on the approved list of hospitals for pediatric cardiology surgery. I am giddy with delight. Lovin' the progress.

Now before I tell you what happens at 5 pm I want to tell you that we have prayed for healing on Nathan many times (just our family together) but 2 specific times this last week as a church group.

First with our small group on Thursday past. We prayed for healing and respite from the screaming fit nights Nathan was having. (well and our uncertainty if it was related to his heart condition)

RESULT: Nathan slept thru the night 2 nights in a row and in 2 days mom
got sleep. PRAISE GOD!

Second, Last Sunday we stood before the congregation and had the elders lay on hands and anoint Nathan with oil. We prayed specifically that Nathan would not need surgery at all.

Ok now what happened at 5 pm:

I get a call back from Dr Ralphe, pediatric cardiologist. He informs me that after reviewing all 3 of Nathans heart echo cardiograms and conferring with his 3 colleges and superior that they have changed his mind and they want to do: NOTHING.

Ok so here is when it begins to DOWNPOUR on me. (for a temporary moment of insanity I had forgotten that I had prayed for rain and was holding my umbrella) I do what any child would do. I cry. WHAT!!!!! 12 days ago your words were - "this isn't something that can wait." AT 11 am I was going to take him to Milwaukee next week and now he needs - uhm - nothing? (there is way more to this conversation)

What am I suppose to tells John's work - We just told them Nathan needed heart surgery - they are going to think I am a head case!

I just got insurance coverage figured out! AAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!

Ok I admit I have a temper tantrum after hanging up with Dr Ralphe . I asked him to call John and tell him the same thing because I did not want to explain that. I was trying to figure it out myself!

So for approx 1 hour I sit and get poured on. Then I decide - wait a minute - I am going to open that umbrella -
HELLO BLOND WOMAN - THIS IS WHAT YOU PRAYED FOR! Who cares how it came about.

( I am still working thru the angry emotions - I feel a little like I got to the alter to marry someone I did not want to marry -and the THEY said no and left ME jilted. Umm great - because I did not want to marry you anyway - but hey I didn't want you to back out on me!)

The pediatric cardiologist conferred with his colleges and superiors and they concluded Surgery was not needed at this time. You just got medical confirmation that Nathan doesn't need surgery - Hello - This is your answer to prayer. Just because it came wrapped in a green box with a red bow and you were expecting a red box with a white bow - don't miss the gift girl.

So it is now 4 hours past and I have had time to digest - some - I will have you know I am under the umbrella opening my green box with a red bow and liking very much the present inside.

Now all I have to do is tell the wedding guests - sorry!

Still Waiting

It has been one week since the sedated Echo and we still have not heard of a surgical date for Nathan. We were told by Dr Ralphe that we would get a call on Wednesday. So we called and left a message on Wednesday when we did not hear anything. We called and left a message on Thursday when we did not get a return call. Then today I called again and explained that I needed the staff to call me back today to at least acknowledge my messages and give me an update as to the progress on securing a surgical appointment for Nathan.

I did indeed get a call back from Susan, Dr Ralphe's nurse indicating that we would not have any concrete dates until at least Monday. When I pressed further she stated the person she needed to talk to regarding Nathan was already gone for the day, leading me to believe that NOTHING was done for getting Nathan to his next step until probably 1 pm today (the time I left a rather strong message of my intent to become a very difficult problem in their side until they did what they said they were going to do!) For goodness sake people. I pressed farther asking if Dr Ralphe was comfortable continuing to wait since it seemed as though he was quite concerned last Friday and he himself told me that we would not wait more than 2 - 3 weeks. I was assured by his nurse that he was indeed comfortable waiting. So now I sit with my hands tied and wait out yet another weekend of not knowing who, what and where is next. Now of course 1 week has gone by already and here we sit with no further progress. I could just implode with anger over this.

My computer laptop died this week too, to top it all off. I will however make a diligent effort to get this blog updated as soon as we get any resolution for our little man.