Powering Through

Missing school due to nursing issues didn't stop Miss Gracie from giving her all at her first day back at therapy since December!  True to her character, this girl powered through even though it was super tough.  She is a rockstar!

It was, by no means, easy.  Nor was it pretty.  She compensated for the pain and stiffness by dragging her feet along behind her.  But she did it.  She powered through and didn't quit.  And, when it was over, she was super happy to be done and I, as always, was proud and awestruck.

Star of the Week

Preston was Star of the Week last week and he was so excited.  He waited for two-thirds of the year for it to be his turn... and waiting that long was nothing short of torture for him!  He got to bring home their class mascot, the Outstanding Owl, take pictures, write in the journal about the owl's adventures, make a poster about himself and all of his likes, and, best of all, be a helper and leader in the classroom.  For someone who loves to soak up attention and have a reason to talk in class more without getting in trouble, this was right up my boy's alley!

Nursing Fail

So we've not had the best luck with nursing since we moved in July, 2012.  We continue to struggle to find the right fit for Gracie, for school and for our family.  That's a whole lot of "fitting" to deal with.  And, given that agencies don't pay homecare nurses well to begin with, the search becomes that more difficult as the pool of dedicated, qualified individuals gets smaller and smaller.  Add in the fact that we live a little isolated compared to the rest of the East Bay Area and it just narrows our options further.

We are on the hunt... again.  We hired a new nurse out of the slim pickings sent our way.  She shadowed Gracie and her current nurse at school for a total of 14 hours last week, moved out of the immediate area over the weekend and, today, officially quit by not showing up for her final day of shadowing before starting full time on Monday.  This means that Gracie's last day of school for an undetermined amount of time is tomorrow.  I am SO angry and frustrated... and loathe that this issue is out of my control.  Other than having every agency in our area (that we can use) on the hunt for a nurse, I can't do much else to solve this problem.  My sweet girl loves school.  This STINKS.

Ultimately, what needs to happen is the County or District need to hire Gracie a nurse directly and cut out the middle man of the agency.  This would increase the quality of the applicant tremendously as well as give the school district or county (or both) some sort of control over the situation.  They've never hired a nurse directly for a student; they've only funded the nursing through the agency.  The problem with that is the agency receives a huge fee per hour for the nurse while at school with Gracie but they do not pass that (or even a generous portion) down to the nurse.  Instead, they use the extra dollars to offset what they are losing on their MediCal patients.  This system is so broken and backwards... and that, clearly, is another post (or series of posts).

Happy 2nd Birthday, Gavin!

Happy 2nd birthday, Gavin!!!

My dear, sweet, Gavin ~

Today you are two.  I cannot believe it.  (I know... when you get older you will read these and say, "Geez, mama, you say that you can't believe it every time one of us has a birthday!")  But, really, the time passes so quickly and because I keep track here, it blows my mind how fast you change and grow.

You are a communicator.  You have a huge grasp on language for a little guy who is only two.  You have a wonderful sense of humor... cracking your own jokes regularly.  You are super sweet... eager to please, pitch in, kiss an owie anyone has and you eagerly dole out hugs and kisses and "I love yous."  You love your stuffed friends and take great care of them.  You love your brother and sister to pieces and they love you right back. Your imagination blows my mind... you can sit independently for extended periods of time and play - - action figures, blocks, cars - - you get involved in your own little world.  I can't wait until you talk even more and find out what exactly is going on in all of that play! 

You are so easy to love and so easy to like.  Such a fun-loving little guy.  One of my favorite moments of your day today was when you cracked the funniest joke in, what I am sure is, the history of all two-year-olds.  Daddy was setting up the Rifton desk for you to sit in and blow out the candles on your cake.  It was Gracie's for years, then Preston's and now you use it.  Depending on where it is being used, it doubles as a time-out chair, too!  Anyway, since we don't have a table at the moment and the counter is so high, we decided to have you sit in the desk and we could all sit around you on the floor.  You were so excited as you sat there!  Then, all of the sudden, you said, "Wahhhh!" and signed, "cry" and said, "Oh, no!  Time out!"  You were cracking up at yourself.  And Nana, Daddy, Papa, Bubba and I laughed right along with you!  It was absolutely hilarious!

I can't wait to see what this next year holds for you.  I know you will change so much... so take it slow and don't rush, okay BooDee?!  We all love you so much, little Smooch!  Happy 2nd birthday!

All my heart,
Mommy

You had so much fun celebrating, opening your presents and playing today!

This is your "fight" face!  You put up your fists and pretend to be angry!
So funny!

My favorite moment of the whole day!
This is when you were pretending you were upset being put in a timeout.
You were hilarious!
 

Cake is YUMMY!

Even Superman birthday boys get tired!  You fell asleep in your highchair during dinner!

In late January, you took your first trip to the ranch with daddy and Preston.
You loved it.
(Well until daddy was super busy rescuing a mama cow and helping her calf get food and water. 
You didn't like that part very much. 

On the quad... bein' all big and stuff!

In the famous tree! 

Such a good brother... giving your sissy loves.

I got all kind of lovin' from you after I had been gone with Gracie overnight at the hospital.

You can often be found with your safety goggles on doing all kinds of work around the house!

My sweet little Valentine just two days ago!
This is often what you're doing... digging in the yard, smelling every flower in sight - picking them, too, and wearing a helmet so that you can hop on your bike at a moment's notice!



I love this happy face!

Good Day for Gracie

Gracie went back to school today for the first time in two weeks AND she got her cast sawed off!  It was sort of funny... the tech who took care of her warned me that the saw could be really scary for her because of how loud it is.  It scared me, but Gracie was fine.  She was definitely in shock for a moment or two watching it come off, but she didn't seem to be afraid that her foot was going off with the cast the way I was!

Considering she missed several days of school due to the fracture and then another two weeks because of the flu, she was one happy little camper to be back at school today!



Look at her sweet face!  She is so happy it is off!
Plus, she knows that she gets a real bath without a huge plastic bag on her leg!!

 

Let's be honest,  though... that cast didn't really keep her down!