Merry Christmas

We had a really nice Christmas this year. It was hectic but happy. We visited Ian's side of the family in the morning and then my side of the family in the late afternoon. It is crazy getting two kids ready and loaded up into the car, but it is always worth the smiles and warmth we experience from family. The boys got tons of presents and I had to put lots of the old toys away to make room for the new ones.

Isaac really enjoyed all his trains and cars and other toys. He got lots of new Thomas trains from Santa, an electronic tricycle from Grandpa and Granny, a cool LL Bean backpack with his initials from Great Grandma Illeana (should be really great for starting pre-school), awesome pop-up books and shirts(home made) from Aunt Lydia and Uncle Mike and tons of other stuff. Isaac didn't get any snow and he really wanted it. He kept saying, "Please Jesus, send snow!". If it would have been 10 degrees cooler, the rain would have been snow. But that is the joy of living where we do. We rarely get snow for Christmas. We seem to get it in February or March.

A couple of really awesome things have been happening for Isaac lately. He is pretty consistently going to the potty! It has been a long time coming and I must admit that I have been pretty lax in the whole process. It is difficult to do when you have a pretty mobile little 7 month old too. Granny Claire initiated the process last weekend and Isaac has really adapted well. He even wore his big boy underwear all morning today with no accidents! Another cool thing is that Isaac is pretending and telling stories. He plays with his cars and has voices for them! He will make one car say, "Oh no, big mean car is coming! Help me!" and the mean car will make a really mean growling sound. Then he makes the mean car crash into the other car. He also has started saying, "Bad Mommy and Bad Daddy" when we put him in time out. His language has really come so far. We are so proud of our little guy.

Our Christmas Miracle

Isaac will have two ears! I just talked to CHOP and they did some research for us. Ian's insurance actually covered 100% of Isaac's first implant. They have approved the second implant, so they will cover all of Isaac's 2nd implant! Words cannot express how thankful I am.

Let me just say how frustrating our Medicaid dilemma is. Our state lets individuals choose between 3 insurance providers. We chose the insurer that works with our pediatrician (whom we love). This has meant that for every mapping, speech therapy evaluation and surgeon visit, we have had to get a referral to CHOP because CHOP is not "in network" with our insurance provider. We are now in a situation where we have to leave our pediatrician so we can switch to the insurance provider that CHOP works with because they approve bilateral implantation. The reason we have to switch is, that there is a small chance that Ian's insurance may only cover 80% of the implant as their policy states. As I stated previously, I detest how insurance companies control everything! We are working around their mind games.

Thank you to everyone who offered help, support and prayers. We can now proceed with the process for bilaterals. I know that God had his hands all over this and I thank and praise Him for this Christmas Miracle.

Isaac will start pre-school with our Intermediate Unit in the last week of February. He won't be 3 years old until March and most kids that have March birthdays have to wait until August to start school. All the people that evaulated Isaac agreed that it would be best for him to start as early as possible. They all seemed impressed with how well he is doing. They seem to thinnk that he will have no problem being mainstreamed in the long run. We are excited for pre-school because they sign and speak. Isaac will get speech therapy and help with signing. We are so excited. He will go to school four days a week. It is a little sad for me because he has stayed home with me for all of his little life so far. He is growing up so fast! I am really excited for all the things he will do and the friends he will make. He really needs the socialization. We love our little guy!

On a brighter note

Just wanted to spread a little Christmas Cheer from my two little deers. I got some encouraging information today about the appeals process for bilaterals. I will give more information as I get it. Isaac is also going to be starting pre-school in February. We are very excited. He is too.

Denied Completely

Today was a bummer of a day. Ian's private insurance will cover Isaac's second implant 80%, but we received a letter from our state's medical assistance insurer (Gateway Health Plan) that they will not cover a second implant because, "After physician review, the request for service is: denied completely because: the second cochlear implant is denied as because it is determined to be experimental and therefore not a covered benefit of the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program or the Gateway Health plan."

I am so angry and sad. I don't understand why we have to fight for so much. I try to stay positive most of the time, but this has really hit a nerve for me. We struggled so much with the decision and now it seems like we are being slapped in the face. I know I have to write letters and make phone calls, but I am just so tired. Tired of insurance companies controlling everything! I kind of expected a denial, but I was hoping for the best. I am going to contact CHOP and the Let Them Hear Foundation tomorrow. Please say prayers for us. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Insurance Update

Today I heard from CHOP regarding our request for a second implant. Ian's private insurance will cover 80% of the implant. CHOP is waiting to hear back from our state medical assistance for the rest. This is so exciting! Hopefully we will know soon. It would be a great Christmas present!

Saturday with Thomas!

Today Mommy, Daddy and Isaac went to Strausburg for the Day out with Thomas. Even though it was very cold (37 degrees), we had an amazing time. Isaac loved it because not only did he get our full attention (Noah stayed with Granny and Grandpa), but he got to meet Thomas the Train! When Thomas pulled up, Isaac's face lit up like I have never seen before! He just smiled and gazed with wonderment as his beloved Thomas from the television was right in front of him! We took a train ride on a car pulled by Thomas and then got our pictures taken with him. We then went and Isaac shook Sir Topham Hatt's hand. We took another half hour train ride and came home with various Thomas merchandise. It was such an amazing day.

With Noah staying with my Mom and Dad, I could really focus on Isaac. He just keeps impressing me more and more with his language. He does not pronounce the words perfectly, but he is putting together 3 and 4 word phrases! It just shocks me! He has so much vocabulary right now that he can tell stories. He uses signs and spoken words to tell his stories, but he is definately remembering things and telling us about them. He will say that, "Mommy and Daddy and Isaac ride Thomas Choo Choo. Isaac happy. Shake Sir Topham Hatt hand. Thomas happy." Our family is just so blessed. There are miracles that happen every day and we love our little miracle, Isaac.