Kyle's measurements

At his appointment, Kyle was weighed and measured.  At 6 years old, he is 42 pounds and 46 inches tall! 

 

Went to doctor

We sent Kyle to school yesterday, even though he still have hives. I also sent him to school with a note letting the teacher know about his hives and if needed, we could come pick him up. The school nurse only comes in on Wednesdays and they decided that we should take him home.  Kyle loves school so much, he didn't want to leave, so he was unhappy for a few hours after we got home.

I called to make an appointment for Kyle yesterday and she was able to fit him in this morning at 9am.  Luckily he is still on Medicaid, but since moving here, we hadn't set him up with a new doctor.  The doctor confirmed it was hives and recommended Benadryl.  I also asked for a doctor's note since the school asked for one.

I chose the same doctor that both Shannon and I have already been to.  He recognized me immediately, probably because he's asian and there are not a lot of asians around here!  

Surgery

Shannon had his surgery yesterday!  He was gone from 11am and didn't get home until 8:20pm or so.  While he was gone, it was just Kyle and me!  We had fun!  I read a book and wrote a review, did two loads of laundry and did some cleaning here and there. 

Before coming home, they stopped at CVS for a prescription (vicodin) and a few other things.  Shannon had called me about 3 hours after his surgery and said he would need ice packs.  So I took Kyle for a walk and we went to Walgreens to get two ice packs.  They happen to be "buy one get one 50%" so I paid under $5 for two of them.  I also used $3 in Register Rewards. 

It sounds like Shannon will be recovering for at least 5 days.  Thankfully we don't have any obligations, such as school, work, etc.

Our couch is scheduled to arrive today!  I am so excited! 

My appointment

I had my doctor's appointment this past Thursday.  It was a long awaiting visit, since I haven't been to the doctor since 2007!  Since I was a new patient, they wrote down as much of my medical history they could.  Then they asked what issues I had wanted to discuss with the doctor (there were 3). 

Anyway, I am little surprised at how eager the doctor was to write me a prescription for medication.  I think our society is way over-medicated!  I suppose I am not on medication mainly because I haven't had medical coverage since 2006 or so.  Even when I did have medical coverage, I rarely used it.  The doctor didn't even question my wanting a prescription for an inhaler (for my asthma).  He also wrote me a prescription for birth control and one other medication.  I am pretty sure if we were in California and I asked for a prescription for medical marijuana, he wouldn't even question that!!!  So crazy! 

I ended up filling my prescriptions at Walgreens since it's less than 2 blocks from us.  I was able to get two of my prescriptions, the third one wasn't covered by Medicaid and they need to get authorization for another medication from the doctor.  My birth control cost $32.99 and the inhaler cost $44.99 -- I only paid $3 for the inhaler.  Thank goodness for Medicaid! 

I am happy to have Medicaid and a "regular" doctor.  Shannon and I have both been seen by the same doctor. 

Appointment Scheduled

Last month, I made an appointment for Shannon to be seen by a "family doctor" so that he can get a referral for a Gastroenterologist.  He went to the appointment and about a week later, they called with him the appointment for the Gastroenterologist.  His appointment is tomorrow afternoon, and I believe this doctor will tell him the same thing the "family doctor" told him!  Hopefully after that, they can schedule a surgery! 

Today, I called the same practice about making myself an appointment for an annual exam.  My appointment is in a few weeks (the second week of July)!  I am excited since I haven't been to the doctor for this type of appointment in over 4 years!  Now that we're on Medicaid, we can now go see a doctor. 

Kindergarten Checkup

This is the last week before Spring Break and Kyle had his "Kindergarten checkup" today with his doctor.  He received the 4 vaccines, the last he needed before he could enter Kindergarten!  His appointment was at 3:30pm and we just barely made it about 5 minutes before his appointment.  We didn't get called in until about 10 minutes later.  In addition to his 4 vaccines, he ended up trying to reach/grab for one of the needles and sliced the inside of his hand.  Thankfully it wasn't a deep cut.  The nurse put a band-aid on it and it stopped bleeding about 10 minutes later. 

We now have all of his required paperwork to get officially registered for Kindergarten!  I am so glad that is over.  

After we arrived home, Kyle seemed tired and had a dazed look to his face.  He somehow got a second wind and started acting like his normal self (running around, playing, etc). 

He took a bath with no issues.  He even went to bed tonight without any problems.  Just as I was trying to fall asleep (just before 11pm), out of nowhere he threw up a few times!  It was just out of the blue.  Shannon automatically brought up that his vaccines may have caused this!  I just hope it was that and NOT another round of a virus that will last 3 or more weeks!  We're going to keep him home tomorrow from school because he may still be in pain or be fussy.  Plus, school policy is that they have to be "throw up free for at least 24 hours." 

We put everything he threw up on (his clothes, sheets, and the towels we used to clean him up) into the washer tonight.  I don't care that it's late, they need to be cleaned and we can worry about drying them tomorrow! 

As I was writing this post, Kyle threw up again about 45 minutes after the first time.

Thursday was a long day

Yesterday was a long day for us.  Kyle had occupational and speech therapy in the morning, which he loved!  He didn't want to leave.  Then at 2:45pm, we had a doctor appointment scheduled.  Kyle has been blinking his eyes more than usual.  He's not rubbing them as if they are itchy, so we think they may be dry.  Even his teacher called us and consulted the school nurse who said it could be a "neurological" problem and that we should take him to the doctor.  Kyle weighs 37 pounds.  The doctor prescribed Zyrtec (for allergies) in liquid form, so I can hide it in his drink. He thinks it's allergies/changing of the seasons, etc.  He didn't seem to concerned about it. 

On our way home from the doctor's office, we stopped by his school to pick up the food we ordered from his school fundraiser.  I ordered 2 pizzas, 2 types of cookies, and an apple pie!  We had one pizza for dinner last night and Shannon really liked it. 

Between 7pm and midnight, Kyle threw up at least 4 times!  The last time he threw up, I was unable to go back to sleep.  We're just hoping it isn't another round from March/April of this year.  Shannon and I have been trying to figure out why he's throwing up as well. 

He's Diagnosed

Today I was off of work because Kyle had a doctor's appointment with the behavioralist.  The drive there was fun.  Shannon got a McDonald's breakfast meal, plus 2 hashbrowns (for Kyle and I) and a Mocha Frappe for me! 

The doctor asked us a bunch of questions for a survey to help her figure out what Kyle's diagnosis is.  She had read the surveys and evaluations I had sent in 3 months earlier to help determine what he has.  She said he's just before the middle of the autism spectrum.  She gave us some suggestions as to how to proceed, she suggested we make another Individual Education Plan (IEP) with the school, as well as look into ABA Therapy and Speech Therapy for Kyle.  I told her about the issues I am having with trying to reach someone from Speakability and she said "if they have that kind of customer service to just move on!"  In other words, find another place that offers speech therapy!  She also said that he would qualify for SSI, which I am glad she informed us of this.

When we got home, I went online to fill out the "pre-application" for SSI.  I am not sure if someone from the department will call us or we call them.  I will call them on my next day off if we don't hear from them before then.  I also looked up nearby ABA Therapy and Speech Therapy services for Kyle.  The doctor also gave us a list of places that offer those services.  I found all the information I needed on autismspeaks.org.

I also called work to get my schedule for the rest of the week.  I asked if I could have tomorrow off and she said that I would need to work the rest of the week because I will be on my own after that!  UGH!  I definitely miss working at Walmart for this reason.  At Walmart, there are always other cashiers to ask for help!  At Sears, you have to page someone overhead! 

I really wanted tomorrow off because we never went to the laundromat this past Monday like we always do.  So it's been almost 2 weeks since we've done laundry.  If I needed something cleaned, I had to hand wash our clothes in the bathtub and hang dry them.  Well, now my MIL said we could use the washing machine since it hasn't rained lately.  Their septic tank starts overflowing when it rains.  We're back to only doing one load of laundry a day.  Since I have to work tomorrow, Shannon will do a load of laundry for us.

Third Day

Today was my third day at work!  I was surprised that I finished my computer training.  There was a whole section that I couldn't do.  I did as much as I could, but I was unable to do most of the section because it was all quizzes. 

I work tomorrow for 4 hours and I chose 1pm to 5pm again.  I will be on the sales floor tomorrow!  Hopefully I'll just be watching a cashier do the job and she can walk me through what she is doing. 

Kyle has a doctor's appointment on Thursday.  We set this appointment in March or April.  He's going to see a behaviorialist.  I think they are going to diagnose him or give him a label, hopefully.  They had us fill out a 6 page survey about Kyle and also wanted his teacher to fill one out too.  I am curious as to what they are going to say.  The doctor's office is about an hour away so we're going to leave early for it. 

Studying for LSAT, Dr. Appointment, Plant Fever

Kyle had another doctor appointment, this time it was with an "ear, nose, and throat" doctor.  Before seeing that doctor, Kyle saw the audiologist and he gave him a hearing test again.  He said his hearing looks to be in the normal range.  The "ear, nose, and throat" doctor looked into Kyle's ears.  He said he's going to send over the test results to Kyle's pediatrician as well.  As we left the doctor office, they gave me a piece of paper for billing (to give to the appointment setter) and it said they are going to bill our insurance (medicaid) $418!!

I still haven't heard back from Speakability.  I called them last Thursday and left a message with the person who answered the phone.  I need to call them again and set something up!  Kyle needs private speech therapy.

Since Shannon received some of his study materials for the LSAT test, he's started reading through the books.  He feels better and more prepared to take the test.  They give him tips and tricks on taking the test.  He's learning other ways to answer the test questions too.  He's still waiting on another shipment of practice tests.

I received my curly spider plant that I won on ebay today!  It's bigger than I thought it would be.  For now, it's in the pot that I bought for it.  I plan on getting a bigger pot.  I removed the babies (there were 9 of them) that came with it and planted them in other pots of plants!  I also gave two [of the nine] babies to my MIL.  She has them in her office/sitting room that is attached to their bedroom.  I also re-potted my solid green spider plants with fresh potting soil!  They are getting too big for the small pot they are in.  Once I get another pot, I can separate them and give them more room.

Walmart and Hearing Test

While Kyle was in school yesterday, Shannon and I went to Walmart. Every time we go somewhere without Kyle (which isn't very often), we always reminisce about our life before we had him. I bought two short sleeved shirts for Kyle to wear for school. He only has certain colors he can wear, so I bought navy blue and red! I could have bought a white shirt, but I don't trust my 4 year old in a white shirt. I don't even trust myself in white! LOL

I started taking my new vitamins yesterday. Today I am feeling good and don't feel like I am dragging myself. It's only been 2 days but I am definitely feeling better.

Kyle had his hearing test today. Thankfully the doctor was very nice to Kyle and spoke to him in a way that a fellow parent would. He did three different tests on Kyle's ears and two of them came back saying he's in the normal hearing range. The third test said he had fluid in his ears!

He set up another appointment with an "ear, nose, and throat" doctor and they are going to check again to see if he still has fluid in his ears.

Doctor Visit and Groceries

Today was Kyle's doctor appointment. This time around it was less stressful for me because Shannon went in with us to see the doctor. The last time we were there, Shannon didn't go in with me. When Kyle saw that his dad didn't come in the back, he started getting nervous. Kyle didn't like when the nurses wanted to take his temperature and all the other things they do so that made him start to cry. So I was left there to talk to the doctor myself and have to calm Kyle down. It was just stressful, overwhelming, and unfair to me. This time around, I asked Shannon to help out. We wanted to see the doctor to discuss Kyle's developmental delays. I told the doctor that we're going to get him back into speech therapy at home. He does have speech therapy at school but it's only one day a week and it's in a group setting. He may be in speech therapy at school, but we have NO IDEA what they are working on or what he's learning. Since summer is coming up, it will be nice to have him in speech therapy while school is out as well. The doctor set us up for a hearing test in a few weeks with another doctor.

Another thing I brought up with Shannon was how he is in the waiting room. When we went to sign up for WIC last year, Shannon held Kyle on his lap while in the waiting room. He wouldn't let Kyle walk or play around. Also, the last time we were at the doctor's office, Shannon did the same thing in the waiting room. There was another family next to us and the mother let her two daughters play on the ground and another little girl came over to play with them. I think the other mom thought it was odd, because she asked us if Kyle wanted to read one of their books they had. So this time, Shannon had Kyle sit down at the table with the child-size chairs. Kyle got up a few times to look around the waiting area and to see where the other little voices were coming from. I was glad to see that Shannon was able to let go!

That's another annoying thing about Kyle being in preschool. They don't send home any type of progress reports or let us know what they are learning, etc. We feel like we're in the dark. Kyle doesn't talk so we can't ask him. Although he is sent home with his art projects, which is cute to see!

After Kyle's appointment, we went to Walmart for groceries! I brought my coupons and ended up using about half of them. Kyle had fun! Shannon was starving so he had to keep himself out of the aisles as much as he could.

I received my rug & carpet shampoo yesterday and was disappointed to see that they knowingly and purposely sent me a leaking product. How do I know this? The container was wrapped in two plastic bags, indicating to me that they KNEW it was leaking! I was disappointed because I have ordered from this site several times in the past. I contacted them with a sarcastic message. I pretty much "thanked" them for sending me a leaking product and that I just love not getting my moneys worth! LOL I was so upset! They have already responded with an apology and I am unsure of how to respond. I am not sure if I want a refund or a replacement product, I think I just wanted them to KNOW what happened. If I have time, I hope to clean the carpets tomorrow while Kyle is in school! I did have a chance to use it yesterday. I cleaned our bedroom and it had a nice fresh smell.

Carpet Cleaning Friday

While Kyle was at school today, I shampoo'd the carpets -- the carpets we walk on everyday! They really needed to be cleaned, there were various stains and it started to smell. I haven't had any carpet cleaning solution since I bought my carpet cleaning vacuum (it came with a sample size), so instead, I use some Shaklee product that is super concentrated all purpose cleaner. The carpets look so much better and our rooms smell better!

I happened to find a "rug & carpet shampoo" product that is earth friendly and safe to use around pets and children. I am excited to try it, as the reviews are very positive. There are still some stains and hope to get them out with this product. I miss using my carpet cleaning vacuum, it was fun shampooing the carpets! I plan on shampooing the carpets on a regular basis now. I like having clean carpets to walk on.



I also needed more homeopathic medicine for my allergy to cats! I am running low and don't want to risk running out.

I am job searching daily for Shannon. I am only focusing on finding State, City, and County jobs. I have applied for several so far. I check several times a day and search at least 4 or 5 surrounding cities and counties in addition to the State website. Every once in awhile, I will apply for other positions that are not State, City, or County jobs. Hopefully we'll get a call back soon.

I am looking forward to Kyle's doctor appointment next Thursday! Hopefully the doctor can direct us on what we should do and give us a few referrals to other specialists.

Did I interrupt your nap?

I had to call our local Social Services Department and the "operator" transferred me over to someone without telling me why. I thought it was rude. She could have explained to me that she was not the one to help me but would connect me to someone who could. Either way, I thought that was rude of her. The next person she connected me sounded rushed and rude (just like the operator). I didn't like that both ladies never said their names! Anyway, that call is done and over with!

Then I had to call Kyle's pediatrician's office to make a "4 year old checkup" appointment. The lady said that he's not due for one until June 25th. Considering my son turned 4 in January, I asked why. She said that insurance only covers one visit a year. So then I told her about my concerns we have with Kyle. We want to see if we can get referrals for a hearing test, possibly see a psychologist, etc. She was more than happy to schedule an appointment for my concerns and thankfully medicaid covers that! We have an appointment for next week -- that was quick!

Kyle won't have summer school and we're hoping we can get him further help and see if there are more programs out there for him. While he LOVES going to school and we love it too, the school doesn't let us know what's going on or how we can work with him. He sees a speech therapist once a week and that person doesn't even inform us of what they are working on or how we can help him. Plus the speech therapist is there to work with all the kids in his class, not just him. In other words, we have no idea what is going on at the school. I am not complaining about his schooling, he loves it and he loves riding the bus, so that tells us something! If Kyle doesn't like something or he feels uncomfortable, he won't go near it or he'll start whining. Instead, when he sees the school bus, he will literally run towards it!

3 year checkup

Kyle had his 3 year checkup today! His appointment went okay, he was really nervous and did not like being around the doctor and nurse. He knew it wasn't a familiar place. He weighs 32 lbs and 6 ounces and is 37 1/2 inches tall.

I asked about speech therapy. They called a place to get us a referral, however, nobody answered so she left a message and she will call us back with more info. Since I mentioned my concerns about Kyle not talking, they had me fill out a "check list" for 3 year olds. Kyle couldn't do (at least) 95% of the things listed on the list! For instance: Can you child point to his nose, mouth, eyes, etc? Can your child point to a picture in a book and say what it is?

I wanted to go to McDonald's after his appointment, so that Kyle could play in the indoor play area where he can climb and jump and get his energy out! Shannon, instead wanted to go through the drive thru. I told him that wasn't my reasoning for going to McDonald's. He just didn't get it! So I told him, forget it!

A lot done!

Our cable is working again. The tech guy came out and had to reset everything. I am just glad to have a working TV, just in time for The Bachelorette tonight! Jon & Kate Plus 8 is also on tonight, but my MIL is recording it and I could also watch it tomorrow if need be. I am going to watch the new episode because there is supposed to be a "big announcement" and everyone is predicting that they are going to announce a divorce! Update: People is reporting that they DID file for divorce!

I scheduled an appointment with a pediatrician for Kyle! His appointment is this Thursday in the afternoon, which is perfect. I always aim for afternoon time appointments. Trying to wake Shannon up before 12 PM is like trying to teach a pig to fly.

My MIL and I went grocery shopping today! She bought all kinds of fruits and some veggies. It's nice to have food again.

When Shannon took our car in to get repaired, they broke our gas flap door. It looks like they tried to open it on the wrong side and ended up pushing it in and breaking it! Imagine trying to open a door where the hinges are and forcing it in...that's what they did. Anyway, since Shannon never got around to calling them about it to see if they would fix it, I went to their website and filled out the "contact us" form. They called us today and Shannon explained it further to them. They are going to fix it for us.

The issues with Shannon's unemployment are crazy! They basically reversed the original ruling, so now he is no longer on unemployment. He just filed the appeal to that ruling! Hopefully they take a closer look at Shannon's side of the situtation. Shannon had me read through it and check it for errors, which was fun. I found a few of them too! He said he was "drunk" when he was writing it! LOL

Time Flying By

This month will mark the one year anniversary of us living in North Carolina. I am amazed that it’s been a year! Kyle has grown so much in the past year. When we left Nevada a year ago, Kyle was about 22 months old. He didn’t like being in the car for long periods of time during our drive here. But by the last few days of our trip here, he learned that he could fall asleep in the car. Now he LOVES riding in the car. He loves looking out the window and seeing everything.

Shannon’s birthday is also this month!

I finally heard back from Kyle’s doctor about a hearing test and they scheduled it for us but I ended up having to cancel it. Shannon’s work schedule isn’t set, it changes every week. So I will have to reschedule.

We went to Chuck E. Cheese this week and Kyle was just not into it. He was overwhelmed by all the lights, music, and noise. He did ride a few of the little rides but he wasn’t into that either. Shannon played a few of the games there with Kyle. We’re thinking next time, we’re going to a park to let Kyle run around.

Long Awaited Doctor Visit

Kyle had his doctor appointment today, the first time since his 18 month check up. The entire staff were really nice, which is a big change from his last doctor’s office in Nevada. Kyle weighs 30 pounds and is 3 feet tall! The doctor said that is all normal.

I brought up our concern about Kyle not talking yet. He recommended a hearing test and then a speech therapist. So the doctor’s office is getting authorization from a Medicaid doctor for us.

They asked if we wanted to get a flu shot for Kyle but I declined because Kyle was already uneasy and ready to leave. I could tell he was uncomfortable.

The doctor also wants to see Kyle in a month, that way he can check in with the progress of the hearing test and speech therapy.

Kyle was really nervous and uneasy with strangers around and it made me realize that he NEEDS to get out and see other kids and adults. I suggested to Shannon that we start taking him to Chuck E. Cheese to play, since it is indoors and kid friendly. This way, he can see and play with other kids and we can get out for a cheap date! LOL I believe there are other kid friendly places to take him, so I asked Shannon to ask around at work.

Rain

It’s been raining throughout the day for the last 2 days. I haven’t gone to get the mail because I’ve been taking Kyle with me outside and I don’t want us to get soaked!

Our city and many others have been out of gas or low on gas at the gas stations. There were some gas stations that had to limit how many gallons each customer could pump. There are also reports of fights and long lines at the gas station. People have even resorted to calling 911. The news reported that we should have more gas yesterday but it wasn’t as much as we thought. Now they are saying we should be just about back to normal by the end of next week.

Shannon did fill up before this all happened but he is still low. He can make it through the weekend. So hopefully by early next week, there will be gas.

For the last 2 months, Kyle wakes up in the early morning and stays up for a few hours until he falls asleep again. Shannon usually turns on cartoons for him and he tends to fall asleep on his own.

Kyle has his doctor appointment on Tuesday. I am not sure what to expect but this is long overdue. He never had a 2 year check up. He hasn’t been to a doctor in over a year. The last appointment he had was for his 18 month checkup.