Laser Quest Mesquite closed on January 14th, 2013. It was very sudden and we had no time to prepare ourselves for it. I was not sure what to do with myself considering I did not know anything other than being the General Manager of LQ. I felt bad for my management team and crew members. There was nothing I could say or do that could heal the pain of being laid off. I couldn't help but blame myself for not being able to bring the sales up enough to save it. It took me a long time before I could look positively at the situation and say maybe I was meant to do something else.
I went on a ton of job interviews, but just couldn't find the right fit. My husband and I sat down and talked about our situation for a long time and finally came to the conclusion that I should just become a Stay at Home Mom and just be there for Kaylee. We knew it would be tough without that extra income, but given how much attention Kaylee really needed we knew it would be the best move for her.
My Family
Monday, October 21, 2013
2012
I do not even know how to begin to explain how busy the year 2012 was.
I became General Manager of Laser Quest Mesquite and everything after that is pretty much a blur. I consumed myself in my new position and did everything I could to raise the downward spiral the center had become. I learned so much over the year about Marketing and Leadership. We had some really great times and made some lasting memories.
Kaylee made some great progress in 2012. The biggest change is we went from using Therapy 2000 to being apart of the ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) family. I think it was the best choice we could have made for Kaylee. She was getting more services and it was costing us less money. :) We had so many issues with using a Therapy Company because of our insurance wanting to fight having to cover any of it and limiting how many times they will cover the therapists seeing her each month. ECI is an amazing program and I would recommend all parents with "special needs" children to apply. Kaylee began to start cooperating more with the therapists, which overall helped with her making great progress. Over the year Kaylee started taking more food by mouth, improving her motor skills, and CRAWLING. :) I was one very proud mommy!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Keeping up with a Medicine Schedule and Doctor Appointments
Kaylee's medicine schedule changes everytime we go to a doctor and we go to some type of doctor every month if not more.
Kaylee currently takes 6 medicines in the morning and 4 medicines at night. All of them are given to her through her g-button, which is kind of nice because I am sure she would be fighting me if she had to take them orally. Her medicines rang from prevacid to calcium for her DiGeorge Syndrome to meds for her heart rate for the pacemaker. It can get really hard to keep up with all of them sometimes, especially when the amount is changing all the time.
Kaylee has many doctors on her team of specialists. She has an ENT, Pulminologist, GI, Pediatrician, Heart, and anything else they come up with that we need along the way.
Every doctor we see wants to see us more times and trying to keep up with all of their appointments along with her Therapy schedule makes for a difficult schedule to work out for work. I completely understand why some women become stay at home moms because it can get stressful trying to balance everything.
Kaylee currently takes 6 medicines in the morning and 4 medicines at night. All of them are given to her through her g-button, which is kind of nice because I am sure she would be fighting me if she had to take them orally. Her medicines rang from prevacid to calcium for her DiGeorge Syndrome to meds for her heart rate for the pacemaker. It can get really hard to keep up with all of them sometimes, especially when the amount is changing all the time.
Kaylee has many doctors on her team of specialists. She has an ENT, Pulminologist, GI, Pediatrician, Heart, and anything else they come up with that we need along the way.
Every doctor we see wants to see us more times and trying to keep up with all of their appointments along with her Therapy schedule makes for a difficult schedule to work out for work. I completely understand why some women become stay at home moms because it can get stressful trying to balance everything.
Therapy to Catch Up
Since Kaylee spent a bit of time in the hospital time she came home with a pretty big setback with milestones.
We started Therapy the month after she came home and it became very clear she was going to need ALOT of help to catch back up.
She has come a very long way with Therapy. She used to cry uncontrollably and refuse to cooperate at all. She didn't want to be touched or messed with by anyone, which made doing everyday things like taking a bath, changing clothes, and changing her diaper an all out battle.
We tried the medical brush technique in which a few times a day you take this soft bristled brush and brush her arms, legs, and back for a couple mintutes. We did this for about 2 weeks and you wouldn't believe the improvement we saw in her sensitivity to touch. She is still a little weird about anyone touching her hands, but everywhere else she goes with the flow.
She couldn't hold her head up without any support and couldn't really do anything when we came home from the hospital. We are happy to report now that she is making progress in the fact that she can hold her head up by herself, she can hold her pacifier and other toys, she likes to roll to her side, and can roll over from her tummy to her back.
She is currently at the rate of a 3 month old baby with her gross motor skills and a 6 month old baby in fine motor skills. She will be a year old next month.
Kaylee has and continues to make great strides in reaching baby milestones, but we are still a ways away from catching up to other children her age.
We started Therapy the month after she came home and it became very clear she was going to need ALOT of help to catch back up.
She has come a very long way with Therapy. She used to cry uncontrollably and refuse to cooperate at all. She didn't want to be touched or messed with by anyone, which made doing everyday things like taking a bath, changing clothes, and changing her diaper an all out battle.
We tried the medical brush technique in which a few times a day you take this soft bristled brush and brush her arms, legs, and back for a couple mintutes. We did this for about 2 weeks and you wouldn't believe the improvement we saw in her sensitivity to touch. She is still a little weird about anyone touching her hands, but everywhere else she goes with the flow.
She couldn't hold her head up without any support and couldn't really do anything when we came home from the hospital. We are happy to report now that she is making progress in the fact that she can hold her head up by herself, she can hold her pacifier and other toys, she likes to roll to her side, and can roll over from her tummy to her back.
She is currently at the rate of a 3 month old baby with her gross motor skills and a 6 month old baby in fine motor skills. She will be a year old next month.
Kaylee has and continues to make great strides in reaching baby milestones, but we are still a ways away from catching up to other children her age.
Thank you!!!
I just wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU to all my family and friends that stuck by our side during the roughest patch of our lives with me and then Kaylee in the hospital.
Without your support we would have not be able to handle all of the stress and emotion that came with having her not at home with us where she belonged.
To My Husband -- I know we did not get to enjoy the joy of bringing our newborn baby girl home, but we have her now and thats all that matters. I am sorry it took so long for you to be able to hold her for the first time and to be able to develop that father-daughter bond you deserved. I appreciate all the support you showed me and our baby girl when we needed it most. I love you! Thank you!
To My Parents -- When I began to fall yall were always there to push me back up and I cannot thank yall enough. I love yall so much and without your constant support I would not be the woman or mother I am today. Thank you!
To My Friends -- All of you were amazing from the calls to checkup on me and Kaylee to the presents and visits at the hospital. All of your support was greatly appreciated and much needed. Thank you!
Without your support we would have not be able to handle all of the stress and emotion that came with having her not at home with us where she belonged.
To My Husband -- I know we did not get to enjoy the joy of bringing our newborn baby girl home, but we have her now and thats all that matters. I am sorry it took so long for you to be able to hold her for the first time and to be able to develop that father-daughter bond you deserved. I appreciate all the support you showed me and our baby girl when we needed it most. I love you! Thank you!
To My Parents -- When I began to fall yall were always there to push me back up and I cannot thank yall enough. I love yall so much and without your constant support I would not be the woman or mother I am today. Thank you!
To My Friends -- All of you were amazing from the calls to checkup on me and Kaylee to the presents and visits at the hospital. All of your support was greatly appreciated and much needed. Thank you!
5 Month Hospital Stay
Where do I begin in talking about having your child spend the first 5 months of their life in the hospital?
We were originally told that Kaylee would only be in the hospital for a few weeks back when we didn't know that her heart defect was worse than we thought and before she came way earlier than she was supposed too. So imagine our frustration when time kepting going by.
Now when I look back on it I think about how fast time really did fly by. We spent everyday there with her (with the exception of one ice day). Time flew by because we were always waiting for a date, whether it be a surgery or growth mark.
We hung onto every word the doctor said as if it was our last. We had our good days where the doctors and nurses would say we were making great progress, but then the days would always follow with days of bigger setbacks than strides. You have no idea what your phone ringing with the hospital number at night can do to your heart. We had it happen on different occassions from her being put back on the ventillator because she is not breathing well, or she had an episode, or they need to put a new central line IV somewhere. It felt like a never ending mental battle.
You know its tough on your child with all the tubes, wires, IVs, and beeping machines. The worst feeling in the world is feeling helpless for your child. All you want to do is pick them up and say everything is ok, but the doctor says its too dangerous to pick them up at that point. You know there is no way that that beautiful little baby girl has any idea as to why this is happening to her and why I was letting it happen.
I went into many depression moments, with some lasting longer than others, but somehow I survived. I had many of days where I felt it was all going to get the best of me and I would just crumble away. I cannot even describe to you the emotional rollercoster that parents of children longterm in the hospital go through. Its a battle never meant to be won.
I can sit and complain and dwell on the 5 months we spent in the CHSU, but then I think of all the children who have been and will be in there much longer than us. I send uplifting thoughts for them everyday.
We were originally told that Kaylee would only be in the hospital for a few weeks back when we didn't know that her heart defect was worse than we thought and before she came way earlier than she was supposed too. So imagine our frustration when time kepting going by.
Now when I look back on it I think about how fast time really did fly by. We spent everyday there with her (with the exception of one ice day). Time flew by because we were always waiting for a date, whether it be a surgery or growth mark.
We hung onto every word the doctor said as if it was our last. We had our good days where the doctors and nurses would say we were making great progress, but then the days would always follow with days of bigger setbacks than strides. You have no idea what your phone ringing with the hospital number at night can do to your heart. We had it happen on different occassions from her being put back on the ventillator because she is not breathing well, or she had an episode, or they need to put a new central line IV somewhere. It felt like a never ending mental battle.
You know its tough on your child with all the tubes, wires, IVs, and beeping machines. The worst feeling in the world is feeling helpless for your child. All you want to do is pick them up and say everything is ok, but the doctor says its too dangerous to pick them up at that point. You know there is no way that that beautiful little baby girl has any idea as to why this is happening to her and why I was letting it happen.
I went into many depression moments, with some lasting longer than others, but somehow I survived. I had many of days where I felt it was all going to get the best of me and I would just crumble away. I cannot even describe to you the emotional rollercoster that parents of children longterm in the hospital go through. Its a battle never meant to be won.
I can sit and complain and dwell on the 5 months we spent in the CHSU, but then I think of all the children who have been and will be in there much longer than us. I send uplifting thoughts for them everyday.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
You mean the Hospital is not my Home?
When talk began about Kaylee coming home it was decided that I would spend an entire weekend with her in the hospital to learn the ins and outs of care for her (more to what I already knew from watching). They wanted to make sure I could handle the oxygen, G-Tube Button, Meds, and everything else that came with my child's condition.
I worked hand in hand with the nurse to learn how to handle certain situations if they were to arise along with situations that were guaranteed to happen. She was amazing and I learned so many tips and tricks about staying organized with all of her supplies. There are so many little supplies such as syringes for meds, tape, and gauze to name a few. One great idea she gave me was to take a see through shoe organizer that hangs over the door and put all the little supplies in each pocket and label it. It has saved me so much time in trying to find things.
We were originally supposed to receive home care and the doctors at the hospital sent us home thinking we were going to get some extra help. Well a week or so after we got home we found out insurance was not going to cover it because her case was not that severe at that time. It was fine really because we were unsure about having a random person in our home and Kaylee really did not have that much need.
When we first walked in to the wing to get Kaylee to go home we saw a sign that said lunch celebration for Kaylee and Gavin, which was another baby that had been in there a long time, going home. That put a smile on my face. We started loading up the cart and the nurse was giving us more and more stuff just to take. Never turn down free stuff from the hospital! We took some pictures with the staff because they had literally become part of our family and we love them dearly. As we were loading Kaylee into the car seat the staff decided to present her with a poster board with a picture of one of The Incredibles signed by most of the staff giving words of encouragement to her. It was beautiful and almost made me cry, but did put a smile on my face. They also gave her a cute blanket to go over her in the carrier. Grandma Kathy was filming everything as we got ready and left. It felt so surreal that we were finally taking our little girl home, but also sad because she really did not know what home was. To her home was the room she lived in at the hospital. We loaded her up and I got to experience my first of many backseat car rides with Kaylee.
Once we got home we just kinda watched her swing and sleep. You work so hard to get her home and then once you get it it's like what do we do next. I wouldn't have my daughter any where else but home. She loves it now but was most certainly a skeptic at first. It is such a relief to have your daughter in the comfort of her home and able to just lay with her, or hold her, or playing just to see her smile. Most people don't realize how lucky they are to have that time with their children whenever they want.
I worked hand in hand with the nurse to learn how to handle certain situations if they were to arise along with situations that were guaranteed to happen. She was amazing and I learned so many tips and tricks about staying organized with all of her supplies. There are so many little supplies such as syringes for meds, tape, and gauze to name a few. One great idea she gave me was to take a see through shoe organizer that hangs over the door and put all the little supplies in each pocket and label it. It has saved me so much time in trying to find things.
We were originally supposed to receive home care and the doctors at the hospital sent us home thinking we were going to get some extra help. Well a week or so after we got home we found out insurance was not going to cover it because her case was not that severe at that time. It was fine really because we were unsure about having a random person in our home and Kaylee really did not have that much need.
When we first walked in to the wing to get Kaylee to go home we saw a sign that said lunch celebration for Kaylee and Gavin, which was another baby that had been in there a long time, going home. That put a smile on my face. We started loading up the cart and the nurse was giving us more and more stuff just to take. Never turn down free stuff from the hospital! We took some pictures with the staff because they had literally become part of our family and we love them dearly. As we were loading Kaylee into the car seat the staff decided to present her with a poster board with a picture of one of The Incredibles signed by most of the staff giving words of encouragement to her. It was beautiful and almost made me cry, but did put a smile on my face. They also gave her a cute blanket to go over her in the carrier. Grandma Kathy was filming everything as we got ready and left. It felt so surreal that we were finally taking our little girl home, but also sad because she really did not know what home was. To her home was the room she lived in at the hospital. We loaded her up and I got to experience my first of many backseat car rides with Kaylee.
Once we got home we just kinda watched her swing and sleep. You work so hard to get her home and then once you get it it's like what do we do next. I wouldn't have my daughter any where else but home. She loves it now but was most certainly a skeptic at first. It is such a relief to have your daughter in the comfort of her home and able to just lay with her, or hold her, or playing just to see her smile. Most people don't realize how lucky they are to have that time with their children whenever they want.
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