Insurance , pee, and priceless memories!

Yeah so my new years resolution didn't happen. I haven't written a post since November 2014. Technically, we are 7 days into the new year so technically I am ok to start now! I thought it would be fun to post about my days. I don't think anyone will look at this but at least when my kids get older, they can look at it and know what was happening with them. So, here goes! Today is January 7, 2015. WOW. 2015!! I remember leaving for my mission July of 2000. It doesn't seem like 15 years has passed. Actually I feel like the mission is a dream that I had, like I was never really there. But flashes will come of something that happened in Russia and I will remember! Like today for instance. It snowed! Actually is snowed yesterday but... I was walking the boys to school and felt the fierce winds against my face while trudging through the snow and a memory of my mission came to mind. I remember I was with Sister Hart (my companion) and we were bundled up with scarves and hats and thermals and long sleeve shirts and coats and boots ... We were facing the wind as it forced its way through the little town of Saratov, us trudging through the snow!! This was all day long we were doing it and today I couldn't tell you how I did it. It was amazing that I didn't go home after that winter! Anyway, here's to 2015 and its many memories. I am starting with Garrett on potty training. Actually, I started him the day after the boys started school in Sept. He wasn't ready, or maybe I wasn't ready to sit with him and cater to him every whim! The time in September lasted 1 day and I gave up. I was done. So I decided to wait until the new year. He is ready now. Yesterday we stripped him of his pants and diaper and he was pantless for the day. He had multiple accidents. He even had a little poop hanging out of his bum when I checked up on him! We sat him on the potty but nothing else happened. Today, though, he has had 2 episodes of peeing in the potty. He woke up this morning and we took off his diaper which was wet and he went naked but didn't do anything for a while. He had an accident in the playroom in the morning. It was 3pm and I had to pick up the boys from school. So instead of putting a diaper on him, I put some underwear on him. I was a little hesitant about doing that but he has just peed so I figured he would be ok. And he was. We came home and took his pants off and he was DRY!!! So exciting. He was getting a little excited about something so I asked him to sit on the potty and about 3 minutes later, he peed.... in the potty! YAY! We did the potty dance and then hugged and then he carried the bowl into the bathroom to empty. Then we of course washed hands! He was sure proud of himself. He gets so animated about things anyway, it was just that much more fun to see him like this. He told Daddy when he got home. He then went again a few minutes ago... in the potty! No accidents in between. I am so excited about this. The rest of the week is spent mastering this with him. Having new insurance and a new year can sometimes bring difficult things. Josh wears patches that allow him to hold urine in until he catheterizes himself. I have had no problem in the past receiving these patches from the pharmacy. So, I called to get them refilled and we went to the pharmacy to pick them up. They told me that my insurance needed a dr to call them to give them prior authorization. I change Josh's patches Tuesdays and Fridays and here it is Monday and they expect me to call my dr and get them to call my insurance and give them consent that they will cover the insurance? Ya right! I needed these patches by the next day. So I did call the dr and had to leave a message with the nurse. I didn't hear back Tuesday so I decided to call the office in DC at 3pm on Tuesday. I had to leave another message. By Tuesday night I didn't hear anything so I emailed the dr. I told him that I was sorry to disturb him about this issue but that I was getting no feedback from his staff. Now, I might sound very impatient right now like I should wait a good 2-3 days before calling the nurse again but if we don't change the patch on time, he could pee all over. This means at school he could have an accident. I try to keep Josh as normal as possible. He is in the 2nd grade and shouldn't have accidents. This patch helps him not to. So, I was probably acting like a crazy person to these nurses by my son's feelings mean a lot more to me than that. So, about 7 pm last night, I received a call from the drs. PA. I gave her the number for the insurance and she called them. Got things squared away but now the pharmacy doesn't have the patches in stock so they will be ready tomorrow. She also informed of another issue. Josh hasn't received a renal/bladder sonogram in a couple of years. She said that I haven't seen the urologist in a while. Well, I explained to her that the Spina Bifida clinic in Fairfax has dissolved so I was told to go to the Spina Bifida clinic in DC. So I made an appt. I expected to see Urology, neurosurgery, and Orthopedics. When I got there, I saw PA's. and that's it. No real drs. I actually did see an Orthopedics dr but she had never seen Josh before. I wanted to see Josh's dr... the ones that know him. I was livid. I traveled all that way, took my son out of school for the day, to see some PA's? I don't think so. So I explained this to her and she tells me that the Urologist doesn't participate with the Spina Bifida Clinic in DC. Excuse me? Why wasn't I told any of this. Well, now I know. I have to see each dr. separately, which doesn't bother me because we only see them once a year anyway! But if I had seen the urologist at that time, he would have told me that Josh was due for a renal/bladder sonogram, heck, the PA should have told me that while I was there! I was not happy. So now, we are seeing all of them separately starting soon! Gavin is surprising me lately how fast he is growing up. He is becoming his own person. I don't worry about him going to and from school. I don't worry about him at all. He is a good kid and he tries so hard. He is getting better and better at math. He struggles but who doesn't, really? I am so glad he is so grown up. I am so glad that the other boys have a great big brother to look up to. I had a great brother to look up to and to this day he is still my hero. I know Josh and Garrett will look at Gavin the same way!