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February 24, 2003
JAIDA’S FEEDING CLINIC APPOINTMENT 2/24/03
Fortunately, Jaida was well enough to keep her appointment. What we thought was a virus, turned out to be the flu. Jarod had a flu shot back in November so he didn’t get it. I was spared too although Steve was not so lucky. Jaida was just getting her appetite back that day so I bought her some of her favorite French fries to take for her meal.
There were some of the same people from Jarod’s last appointment in January. Teresa was our social worker and Connie was our nutritionist. Jerry was our nurse again as well. There was also a student nutritionist but I can’t remember her name. Our OT was someone I had never met before and her name was Sonya. We chatted for a few minutes and then Connie weighed and measured Jaida. Just as I thought, she had lost about six pounds. Her height was up an inch and a half. She had barely eaten anything the whole time she was sick so I knew she had lost some weight.
We went back to the main room and began the evaluation. Each team member asked questions about her early development and medical history. Sonya wanted to know if she liked to jump off high things and play on spinning toys. Connie asked about a typical day’s food intake and I named what she normally ate. Teresa said she thought Jaida and Jarod looked just alike but now she realized they looked just like me. I joked about my strong genes and the way Steve’s family claims I had them all by myself. I told her if Lambchop looks like me too, I’ll just give up on trying to point out Steve’s characteristics to his family.
After each person’s questions were satisfied, Sonya concluded that Jaida’s issues were all sensory. Everyone else agreed and they said they would order an OT evaluation. Treatment would begin right away after the eval. I realized that there would be one less thing to beg the school system for, but one more trip I would be making during the week. I’m just grateful it won’t cost us anything to get Jaida the treatment she needs.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW
I mentioned in my last entry that we needed a van. I also talked about our old house that had failed to sell over a year’s time. Well, God has seen fit to take care of both those things in His perfect timing! My assistant Michelle knew someone that was looking to rent a house. She called me one night about two weeks ago to tell me she had told the person about our house and what we were probably going to ask, as far as price. She wanted to know if it was okay to give the lady my home number and of course I screamed YES.
C called me that night. She explained a little about her situation. She and her husband H were expecting their first baby in less than a month and the house they were renting was quite a disappointment. The landlord had failed to fix problems promptly and once left them without heat during the coldest part of winter for a month! The pipes burst before that and it took yet another month for them to get running water back!
I shook my head as C told me her plight and I assured her there would be none of that from us. We’ve kept up our home warranty and if problems are reported early enough, we can usually have them fixed the same day. All the major systems are covered, including heat, A/C, hot water heater and plumbing. C was very interested after I described the layout of the house and we set up a time to meet there the next day.
C and H looked around and I stepped outside to let them talk privately. To make a long story short, they loved the house so much they took their mothers back the next day to see it. They will start moving in this week and their first rent payment is due on the first of March! Their payment will cover all but $1.00 of our mortgage for the next year! Hallelujah!!! C said the baby is a girl and we had already painted Jaida’s old room a pale shade of powder pink. She is so excited that all she has to do is put the furniture in the room. They did ask about buying the house and I hope they want to when the lease is up next February or maybe before.
WHAT’S BEHIND DOOR #3? A NEWWWW CAR!!!!!
As for the van situation, we are now the proud owners of a 2003 Mazda MPV! When I made Steve aware of the mileage problem with the car, it only took a little more nudging to start the loan process. We got pre-approved at our bank and I began my search. Over the last few months, I’ve become quite familiar with Mazda’s website so I started there. I checked every dealer within a two hour drive since I have more time than money. I called our local dealer (which I’m not too fond of anyway) and got a very chilly reception from the salesman I spoke to. They didn’t have the color I wanted anyway.
I checked a dealer in Birmingham (over an hour away) and not only did they have the color I wanted, it was $2,000 cheaper! Woohoo! The salesman was very helpful and he assured me that my Toyota lease would be no problem. They could take it as a trade or just pay the lease off early, whichever saved us more money. I was so happy, I told Steve we had to go up there Saturday and that is just what we did. There was also a $2,000 rebate on the van which they used to pay off my Toyota and they even included the penalty for early pay off too. They gave us a better interest rate than our bank and we didn’t have to put anything down. I told Steve that we didn’t have to worry about money but sometimes his logic and reasoning take over where his faith should rule. I know he only has our family’s best interest in mind and worrying is natural but we will be fine and this proves it for me. So now we can relax (a little) about Lambchop’s impending arrival and our financial situation.
SECRETS AND LIES
The African-American Baby Boomer generation is the most secretive I have ever seen. My FIL is very ill. To give you some background, he had colon cancer in 1993 and he had to have a colostomy. Since then, the cancer came back two years ago in the oddest place. He got a small melanoma on his big toe and ended up getting the entire tip amputated. They didn’t tell us anything about it until the day before the scheduled surgery. They’ve been whispering and acting strangely for the last two weeks and I think something is up. Last week I overheard my MIL telling Steve that he needed to pray hard for his dad and when I asked him about it, he said his dad wasn’t feeling well.
Yesterday during church, my FIL had what appeared to be a seizure and passed out. Some members took him to the ER and sat with him until my MIL could get there. (She had left early because of a bad cold.) A doctor came in and looked at his chart and said it was a weak artery in his brain. Later, another doctor came in and said he thought it was something else. Today they were going to do an MRI and see what that shows. I think his cancer has returned and that was the cause of all the whispering and secrecy last week. I’m not sure if the seizure was part of that or something else he has going on. It could have been that he was worrying and his blood pressure went up and made him faint from the sudden increase. I just don’t know. I wish they would tell us or at least be honest with Steve about what’s really going on. As of right now, my FIL is still in the hospital and we haven’t heard a word about the MRI or anything else.
LAMBCHOP AT 12 WEEKS
I am feeling so good most days; I doubt that I’m really pregnant. However, the gentle stirrings I feel after eating remind me. Not to mention the bad taste I get in my mouth sometimes that only a fresh piece of gum will cure. I have begun to feel heaviness or fullness in my abdomen and finding a comfortable sleeping position is difficult already. I also can’t cross my legs anymore. My breasts are definitely changing daily and I leak occasionally. I am in maternity clothes full time and that is really the only thing I find comfortable. I have an aversion to anything tight on my stomach and I decided new pants were the only solution. Of course, I needed new shirts that fit too, so I have a whole new spring wardrobe courtesy of J C Penney and Motherhood Maternity. Gotta love stores that realize all expectant mothers are not a size 12 and under. Well, I need to get going. I have to finish tagging some clothes and toys for a consignment sale and deliver them to the store in my new van. :o) I’ll update on my FIL as soon as we know something. If you would keep him in your prayers, I would appreciate it.
Until next time,
Kim, Jaida, Jarod & Lambchop
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