Just a Week

A week from today we will be in Atlanta. Our trip will take about 6 hours and our pre op appointment is Monday at 1 and we check in to our hotel at 3. Its 8am now so we will already be on the road this time next week.

I have so much that I need to get done, I have to make the kids schedules out for my mom, although its going to be easy on her because the kids are actually out of school until that Thursday because of mardi gras. I am sure they will still have ball practice though and when you have 3 that have ball in 3 different spots it takes some doings to be sure everyone is where they need to be. I know my mom will do a great job though.

Our being busy does not end when we get back though, I have been worried what I was going to do about my oldest Madalyn having her opening day at the ball park on March 12th, Haleigh will still have her stitches and it will not even be a week since surgery, I really didn't want her out there all day, one because I worry about her hurting herself falling down on her face as she has done countless times out there, two getting dirt in her stitches or something else, you can not take a child to the ball park and expect them not to be covered in dirt head to toes when you leave. Three I worry she's just not going to feel like herself still and be cranky all day, so to fix all of these problems I decided to either find someone to watch her or stay home myself. My sister Heather has offered to watch her for the day so that I can enjoy Madalyn's games that day. So a huge thank you to her!

On another note gas prices have went up so so much in the past week that its going to cost is a little more than we were hoping to make these trips, and it looks as if its just going to get worse. So thank you to everyone who has helped us raise money for this trip, and everyone praying for us. I will be updating with pictures on facebook as we make our journey next week. I will make one big post here when we get back, but from my phone facebook is just easier.

I have a lot of cleaning and deciding what to take and getting everything around the house organized for my mom to do in the next few days too. I guess I better get started with that!

2 weeks

In 2 weeks we will be in Atlanta. I am so excitedly scared! I think for the first surgery that is completely normal. I am sure 2 weeks from today when its the night before surgery my stomach will be in knots, I can only hope that after the 1st time things will be easier because I will know what's coming. I hate that she might know what's coming, I hope she will not fear going into surgery, that she will understand that everything is going to be OK.

I talked to the surgery center last week and they were very nice. I had to answer a health questions about Haleigh, they asked a lot of questions too! But I know its just to be careful and when it comes to babies you can not be too careful. I was also told that Haleigh can bring her stuffed animal and blanket with her into surgery, and that either Jason or I can go back with her and stay with her until she is asleep. That made me full better knowing I do not have to leave her crying. Once surgery is over we can both go back to recovery to see her and stay with her until we leave. They were nice and made sure I understood everything and have me a phone number to call if I thought of any questions.

On another note, I have also been asked if the local TV news channel can interview us. They are doing a story on the foundation and want to do a piece on Haleigh! Talk about getting the word out! I am sure the story will be out on the Internet and I will be able to post a link. Jason is not sure he want to do it, he for air does not want to talk on camera, speaking is not the easiest thing for me either, but I think I can do it, it will help other moms that may be sitting at home and not know where to turn someone who might not search for hours on end on the Internet hunting information. It will also help the foundation with funds, people will see Haleigh on TV and donate to them, that is awesome! I think Jason can just hold Haleigh while I talk, we'll see.

13 years of diapers

13 years ago, we started buying diapers, we were buying them for a baby that was not here yet, and we were having a few problems because you see back then they had diapers for boys that were blue and diapers that were pink for girls, we were not able to find out what we were having at our ultrasound, so we had to buy the new born size ugly white diapers. That was the only size you could get if you didn't know what you were having! Lucky for us in April we got another scan and found out we were having a girl and stocked up on little pink diapers!

2 years later we were buying pink pull ups and little blue diapers, 3 years after that blue pull ups and by then diapers were no longer done by gender, they were just diapers but we were still buying them, 3 years after that blue pull ups and more diapers, 2 years after that more blue pull ups and more newborn size diapers! 2 years after that we are still buying pull ups but we are back to pink ones. The difference is we are not buying newborn diapers at the same time! We are very excited. I am ready to move past changing diapers! I can not say diapers have been the best part of having babies, no one really wants to do it, so 12 years with out a brake is a long enough run of doing anything I believe! Its time to let someone else support the diaper companies!

As I say that I fear that with haleigh having surgery she might be mostly potty trained when we go up, but not when we come back. Her she has a lot to do with it. I am still going to work with her, and she loves to go potty, but I think after Atlanta we will be in diapers again at least for a few days until she feels more like herself. Its not the trip she loves to go potty away from home, its really the actual being out to sleep and having a diaper on that I think will make her regress. But its ok we will just take it all in and one day at a time.

Love for Haleigh

Yesterday after church service we had a lunch in the fellowship hall for Haleigh. We have been planning this for about 6 weeks and my sister posted it on facebook so we could invite family and friends, the Sunday before it was out in the flyer at church along with a sign up sheet. So the word was out about our latest fundraiser, then Tuesday I got a call from the church office. I thought they were just asking about the family I has signed up on Sunday, and they did ask since I just wrote it on the back of my sign up sheet! Then I was told something completely unexpected. I was told we were out of seats for her lunch! I didn't really know what to say except for "wow"! I was taken back at how fast they sold out! 140 seats in 2 days! Of course this also ment that some people were left out, but we are going to plan another one soon and remember to sign up early!

So many people have so much Love for Haleigh!

The Birmingham Trip

I realize this blog entry is late I want to ensure you the reason for its lateness is my anger not forgetfulness.

The doctor in Birmingham is a plastic surgery specialist, he has 2 offices the one we went to us at Children's South in Birmingham. It is a specialist center so one day thee is plastics in there the next day may be GI. So calling them for an answer to question falls on who ever is there that day. I never know if my message ever got to the right person, I think its crazy!

So back up a bit, we were contacted by Dr Grant's office through a foundation we applied for. Haleigh was turned down by that foundation because we were too poor, yes you read that right, we had alabama medical and you can not have that or qualify for it to recive service through them, although if your really poor and live in Mexico there is no problem they are more than happy to help you then, guess we are just poor Americans!

Any way they have all our information to Dr grant because he takes state medical. His office called me got the paper work and set an appointment, that appointment was December 28th,2010. We road up and came home in one day, using the money we raised at the ball park to go on and it was a compleate waste!

The Dr had the bed side manner of a stale piece of bread, he told me he would do the surgeries if I wanted him to but it made no differance to him if we did it now or later. He said we should talk with the dermatologist who had told us a year before to do nothing until she was 10, because some of it would have to be done with light therapy and he didn't do that.

I want to stop here and say that the dr he was talking about was no help to us and jason refused to let Haleigh go see them ever again. He then said we would have to see if they made a ballon small enough to fit her face, he was not sure if they did because he had never worked on someone so small. Just to make things real clear, he has maybe not on a face that small but he has done work on smaller children. Any way they needed to look in a book to see, remember when I went to the gentic doctor back in november we were told if there was any looking in books to run fast lol.

So that was it we left with no contact information for questions, no next appointment just the fact that once they looked the the book they would call me.

I have yet to revive a call from them, I called once, it was not his day in clinic so I don't know if they got my message or not.

How long exactly does it take this Dr and his staff to look at a book? Must be one big book!

Shortly after that appointment when I was actually thinking of going with this Dr just to get things started, because I suck at waiting, Dr C called with the news we were approved in Atlanta! God knew I was struggling with what was best, I prayed he would show me the path and he did.

The path was not to Birmingham!

Becoming Independent

Today Haleigh has decided to become more independent. Some things I have always done for her or with her she has decided she wants to do her self. Some of it she can some she doesn't understand why she can't.

I have always showered with Haleigh. When she was a newborn it was just easier for me to sit her in her seat take a shower then grab her and bathe her too. If I took a bath she went in at the same time and was bathed first. When i tried to bathe her in her tin she would cry and I would be soaked any way so it just made since. Now she has bathed by herself in the big tub, but she always asks me to get in and I have had very few showers alone in the past 2 years. This morning Haleigh told me to get out of her bath! She would not move from under the water at all. I guess she wants it all to her self. I am not sure she will ever really like a bath but showers she loves!

After the bath I fixed her lunch and she got her cup and juice and poured it all by herself, then poured me some! That was so cute, but I can not let her do that when the juice if full and she didn't understand that.
She also wanted me later to go away while she was on the potty, another thing I can not just leave her in the bathroom she is only 2!

Part of this I know is me, I was teaching my older kids to be more independent at her she because I was fixing to add in a newborn and needed the to do things for them self. With Haleigh I am in no hurry for her to do these things with out me, what will I do when she can do it all on her own?

Quick Sickness

Haleigh has been slightly sick this week, Sunday afternoon she woke up from her nap with crusty eyes. Actually it was just one eye, but by Monday morning it was both eyes. Took her to see the doctor Monday morning, and both eyes were infected, all eye infections are called pink eye, so we got her eye drops, thank goodness for insurance they would have been 90$, and she is now getting better.

I hate doing the drops. She hates them and the way she cries before, during, and after us so heart braking, but I do it any way because I know she needs them, they are helping, she is getting better. Her eyes are not red any more and they are not crusty any more either. She has to have the drops until Monday.

I hate any of my kids getting sick, but I have to set I like them having something you can give a little something to them and make them better vs. The we don't know what is wrong sick for 2 weeks before getting better sicknesses! Those I really hate!

Never was good at math

It seems there is some things I have done wrong when factoring our money for the trip to Atlanta.
First we will not be staying 4 nights, I counted days we will leave Monday home Thursday that is 3 nights, with 2 now being free we only have one night to pay for!

Some of that money will need to be moved from hotel to food as the hotel has dopa but not free breakfast, believe me the free room is much much better! We will also have to pay for parking and that is 18 dollars a day just 2 days, so not bad at all.

Still with that we are going to save about 200 dollars! Of course we will use it for another trip, I am so thankful for this room.