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

Monday, December 10, 2012

Change, Hard Work and Blessings

So here it is the blog that tells you where I disappeared to... in more then one way for those in Bullhead we were there one day and gone the next. Then I was off facebook and not returning many calls... I didn't just run off I've been very busy.

As I said in the last post we moved. It was a last minute thing and it was so quick we didn't get to say goodbye to the friends we left behind. We got here and were basically homeless because the place we were moving needed a lot of work before we could move in. Fortunately my sisters family took us in. We spent the first week while Scott was still in Bullhead making preparations and getting ready for Thanksgiving. We had an AMAZING thanksgiving day with so much food and even more family. But when it was all over it was time to get to work...

Grand kids enjoying the meal

We had to get my parents basement ready for us to move into. We were trying to turn it into a little apartment for our family but it needed so much work. It needed to be cleaned and repairs made. New paint and carpet came next. It was a ton of work at first I was a little overwhelmed by it all. Fortunately we didn't have to do it alone. My dad and brothers were there everyday and my sister came down to help. It took us another week and half to get things cleaned, painted and carpeted.




Andrew painting mine and Scott's room
Ian Painting

Eva working in the boy's room
Lizzy doing what she does best... supervising? LOL just teasing :D


After it was all done the difference was incredible! We are just finishing moving everything in but have a lot to be grateful for. It hasn't been easy on the kids they have been in three different homes in a matter of weeks. I think they have finally moved past the "we are ready to go home" stage and are starting to accept that this as our new home.

We have received so much assistance and help we are so thankful for. Family and friends have helped clean and paint. We have had wonderful babysitters. Thanks to donations from my sister and brother in Germany and my uncles family along with some other friends my boys have a completely new warm wardrobe. Including boots, hats, coats, gloves and a yo gabba gabba shirt my Brayden would live and die in if I let him wear it all the time. Its going to take some time to adjust to the cold but we are happy to be here! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE!

This is the sewing room/exercise room

Family room



our room (still unpacking this one)
Boys Room
This is what my dad calls the ball crawl eventually there will be a ball pit and lights in this closet

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

News... the good and the bad...

So we have some news to share with everyone and depending on how you look at it its either good or bad... We are moving back to Utah this weekend... Why and why so quick you might ask? Its a long story and if you'll bear with me I'll tell the story.

Many things have contributed to this decision. The last of which is Scott giving his two week notice at work. The bigger factors include fiances, job/school opportunity, Landen's CI and the constant walls we have run up against with Landen's healthcare. So we both feel like it would be best for Landen. We will be living with my parents as we look for work and apply for more school. They have been kind enough to let us help fix up their basement and we will have a nice place with plenty of room for all of us. My whole family is pitching in helping us with the move. We are so thankful for the support they give us! We have been given so much support all around both here as we are get ready to leave and in Utah as people prepare to make room and help us out.

Our journey to Landen's CI (cochlear implant) has been a hard one with many set backs. We have been pressing and working jumping every hoop that has been put in front of us. We were so close just needing one more appointment and approval before submitting to the insurance company but when paper work was sent asking for approval for him to see the audiologist for the last CI evaluation for some reason the insurance company transferred his case to the Phoenix clinic which puts us exactly back on square one. We have a six month process in front of us so we figure we can start the long process again here or we can do it there.

This has been a tough decision for us we have lost much sleep and constantly prayed for direction. In the end we feel good about the decision we have made. And although it has put a temporary stress on me to get things packed and ready by Saturday we believe it will work out for us in the end. Thank you to those we have had praying for us and given us counsel.

I'd just like to say to those we leave behind I'm trying to get back in the habit of bloging here about our family so keep in touch!

We really do love and appreciate all of our family and friends!

Halloween!

Halloween is so much fun it took me awhile to decided what costumes to make for the boys but I think they turned out really cute! I even made Scott and I's costumes.

We took Grandma to Williams to ride the Pumpkin Train.We got to take a train out to pick up a pumpkin and then decorate it. There was also a fun straw maze and haunted cart!













Halloween Trunk-or-Treat is always a lot of fun for the kids and mommy....
















Grandpa and Grandma Rolfe Visit Oct 2012



 I've been planing and planing for Scott's 30th birthday to send him skydiving... I decided to ask my dad to go with him so he wouldn't chicken out. So my parents came down here to visit. We spent a two days in Phoenix to do the skydiving and then they stayed with us and visited. Going to the Grand Canyon and playing with the kids. Here is vedio of the jumps and pictures of the vacation!

Scott's Jump

Dad's Jump