A Comment

My friend Val left a comment on my last post about her son being in daycare when he was a baby and about how she is one of those mother's with big binders on not one but both of her children. I am forever amazed at Val AND her children everytime I read her blog. I know, or knew, both Val and her husband when we were in highschool but have seen neither of them in a long, long time. But anyway, Val's two children have Cochlear Implants, both for very different reasons the way I understand it. And it is amazing to me how much of an advocate she is for them and also how she teaches them to advocate for themselves. She's one of those that just inspires by her very words and in fact has written a book. Going through what she has as a parent has got to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting, but Val just keeps on pushing through and educating the entire state (and beyond it seems sometimes) about CI's and deaf education. You have to go check her and her darling blondies out here: http://www.deafkidscanhear.blogspot.com/ (I don't know how to link to another site!)

But I just wanted to say that what she had to say in her comment is why I thought about keeping a journal or notebook of all Bailey's medical stuff, too bad I just thought about it too late! She says that she can reference something really quick and I imagine it's a good thing to have to kindly remind all these docs and therapists of conversations held.

The thing is, I do a GREAT job of housing all this info somewhere in the back of my brain. So when a doctor, like the one yesterday, says "so what's going on with Bailey" and I say "well let's start at birth", the information just freely flows. So much so that yesterday I was asked to hold on so that the poor man could write. My info was flowing faster than his doctor scribbling could go. And once he was done getting her history from me, he was getting ready to take a look at Bay. But before he did, he took the time to tell me that treating an 11 month old is sometimes tricky because they can't tell us what the problem is or how they feel. He, as a doctor, has to rely on what I, as a mother, tell him in order to make the best diagnosis and treatment plan possible. This lead him to ask what line of work I was in and I correctly told him special education. He laughed a puffy "hummm" laugh and said, "oh, I thought you might have been a nurse. You are very knowledgeable and aware of Bailey's situation."

I may or may not have told him that's because I rush as fast as I can to the nearest internet connection after meeting with a specialist, or any doctor where something new is being discussed, and google everything I don't understand so that I can better understand it, and thus file it away for the next time I'm asked, "so, what's going on with Bailey."

And Val, thanks for the encouraging words about daycare. I am a huge advocate for daycare (if you are in a good one and trust the people you are leaving your child with) simply for the socialization factor. What I'm not a big fan of is parents who want take off from their job to keep a sick child home, but will take off for something like a shopping trip or vacation. They don't realize that one sick child in a daycare setting can equal lots of sick children eventually and lots of parents off of work. It's an inconvience to say the least. My mother has had to come stay for many days and my mother-in-law has had to take time off from her own job to help us out with Bay. But we get it done out of respect for those other babies and their families. I just wish everyone else would do the same. Ok, so that's my soapbox for the day.

I started reading Isaiah today. It's been pretty powerful so far. But when I get done, I'm going to get Beth Moore's book that is based on a few verses from a chapter in Isaish. I wanted to have the background for it first. Has anyone read it yet or done the study?