My Little Landen

My Little Landen
This blog has been created to help others keep up to date and follow our journey. I will post as often as I feel there is new news in his condition or our family be it good or bad.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Settling In...


So yes I'm not the best blogger but in my defense moving to another state in a moments notice leaves you really busy trying to get the entire family caught up with the change. Not to mention the change in doctors and insurances and treatments ect. Finally starting to feel settled into our new life. No Scott hasn't found work yet but he is going out for interviews and working everyday to find something. We have also applied for him to go back to School next fall. But even though the work hasn't come to us yet we have found things better in every way for our Landen...

Most of you know but Landen started School January 4th. He attends the Early Learning Center in Corrine. This is a developmental pre-school where most of the children have developmental or medical needs. He attends only two days a week for now he goes Mondays and Fridays. Their days are only three hours long but they pack a lot in and it means Landen is home before nap time. We love it there Landen is getting to know and love his teachers. He recognizes them outside of the classroom and gets excited to see them. He receives all his therapies and services at the school. We get lots of positive feedback from his teachers and therapists. We have meet in a group with the teachers and therapist and developed a new IEP for him that I'm really excited about!

We have set him up with some new doctors who we really like (and when I say we I include Scott who is able to attend doctors appointments for the first time since he doesn't have to be at work) I'm loving the fact that they are so much closer!! We also have set up extra out patient therapy in Logan which we go once or twice a month. This physical therapist helps us with Landen's medical equipment. He is helping us get Landen an adaptive stroller because he is getting to heavy to carry all the time. Landen is getting new AFOs and some therapy equipment for the home. The PT also gives us instruction and ideas on how to help him in our home.

The most exciting news is that Landen is getting his CI (Cochlear Implant)! It was such an amazing thing my head is still spinning on how fast it happened. As you all know we have been trying to get him one since April of last year but ran into roadblock after roadblock in Arizona. Just when we thought we were going to get it CRS (children's rehab services) pulled the breaks and made us start over again. That news came weeks before we decided to move. So after getting Landen insured here we immediately started the process of getting him one here. We got and appointment with the Audiologist who would do a CI review. I went into see him February 5th. I got there and told him Landen's story and showed him all the testing we already had done that showed he was a good candidate for CI. He listed to everything and he looked at me and said all I left for him to do was sign the paper work. I asked him what the approval process was he said "are you ready for this.... I sign the paperwork and you call the surgeon to schedule a date" I couldn't believe it. Technically there was two options for us we could go to Primary Children's in Salt Lake and get it done but we would have to meet with the review board (which he was a part of so he knew we could get approved right away) and get the implant done there. But the review board only meets once a month to review applications and interview families who's applications were approved last month. And they already met for February. So we would get our application approved in March then we would do their required appointments and interview in April then we would schedule there but since they do more CI's they schedule out and it takes a little bit of time to get in so he said we would be looking at early June for surgery. But if we chose to have it done at Logan Regional we could do it immediately as soon as the doctor could schedule us in since they don't do as many CI implants their they are wide open. Plus if we chose Logan we could have all of our follow up appointments in Logan instead of Salt Lake. Logan Regional is twenty-five minutes away Primary Children's is an hour and a half away. So we chose to do it in Logan! The next week we met with the doctor who would do the surgery and he approved everything and ordered the implant and scheduled us for March 13th! We would do it sooner but he is going on vacation so we had to wait a few weeks. We are so excited!!

As for the rest of us... Scott is getting board of being at home all day and wishes he had work but does enjoy being free to spend time with his family. He is loving the snow and wishes for more excuses to be out in it... I'm enjoying spending more time with my family who all live around here. I love being back in the community that had such a great influence on my life growing up. Seeing people at church who helped me grow strong in my faith and supported me through the tough "growing" years. Spending time with friends I love and missed so very much... Brayden is attaching himself more and more everyday to "PaPa" (my dad) I'm sure when we finally move out PaPa will have to come with us. He is talking finally saying real words and more of them each day. He's becoming a little too attached to his TV shows. But also knows how to have fun playing with mommy and daddy. He is also growing into a moody toddler. Its the biggest struggle in our home right now but we are teaching him that no means no and we are not going to give in at bedtime!... My parents are adjusting to having us here as well. Although my mom may think I'm a little too pushy and obstinate trying to change her eating habits to better fit her diabetes and demanding that the floor be clear and mopped every day so Landen can crawl on it. But even with all this she realizes its all for love (I hope) and she puts up with me!

So truth is we are settling in and we know that we have made the best decision for our family when it came to packing us all up and moving here. The blessings of listening to the Lord's promptings are continuing for flow in for our family. Everyday we are grateful for everything that Landen has here and no matter how long we have to "budget" and "tighten out belts" while waiting for the job to come we do not doubt that we are at the best place for our family!

Thursday, February 14, 2013