We have a second refrigerator in the garage. It's home to extra food -- the stuff we buy multiples at each shopping trip and move to our kitchen fridge as needed: gallons of milk, containers of yogurt, and eggs. We also keep sodas (that I no longer drink and are probably stale), cases of Horizon chocolate and strawberry milk (Solana's treats), and juice boxes. Most recently, it began duty as Dave's beer fridge. I'm talking about the beer that Dave painstakingly makes...
It's great to have a garage fridge. The only problem is that the door doesn't close all the way on its own. You have to actually press it at the very end to make sure it seals. Otherwise, it could stay open by an inch or two without anyone knowing it. And Solana has been busted several times leaving the door just a little open. Can you guess where this is going?
Yep. Yesterday morning I asked Solana to get a carton of Chloe's full fat plain Greek yogurt (great mixed with fruit purees) for me. I always ask, "did you close the refrigerator?" Sometimes she says, "yes," and sometimes, "let me just go double-check." There was a breakdown somewhere in my great system yesterday morning which led to Dave saying, "Solana's not allowed in the garage fridge anymore." He said this at 8:30pm.
12 hours. That's about how long the fridge was open before he discovered it. All of his beer was totally warm. Big oops. I felt super bad since I was the one who'd sent her out there. We suspect it might all be bad but hope not.
I suppose it could be worse. The hefeweizen wasn't out there yet... ;-)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Eye Exam Under Anesthesia
Chloe was just taken back for another eye exam under anesthesia. This is routine. Because she's had a cataract removed she's at risk for glaucoma. The doctor will check the pressures in her eye and also take measurements and check her vision RX. I asked him to also check for cataract and look at her retina. He said he'd do that.
Chloe is still preferring to use her left (bad) eye. She'll turn her head to look at things with just that eye and this doesn't make any sense since she can't see out of that eye as well. In fact, she still does it even without correction on her left eye. Without a lens in her left eye and without correction she shouldn't be able to see much at all. We're hoping that he comes back with a good report on her right (good) eye, too. I don't want him to give us any reason (ie. new diagnosis) for her preferring her left eye.
One thing I forgot to document was Chloe's recent diagnosis of latent strabismus. I became nervous a couple of months ago after noticing her left eye preference. I stuck a patch over her left eye just to make sure her right eye was working. When I did that, I noticed her eye twitching back and forth. I'd never noticed this before and it really scared me. We went to the doctor and he said this is a result of all the patching we've been doing. We've covered that right eye up so much (while trying to strengthen her left [cataract] eye) that we created this condition. It won't go away but, fortunately, it won't get any worse. And it only appears when her left eye is covered up. This may be an issue when it comes time for Chloe to get her driver's license and they ask her to cover up one eye at a time but we'll not worry about that right now.
--------------------------------------------------------
RESULTS!!!
1. No glaucoma! Whew!
2. No cataract! Whew!
3. Retina looks fine! Whew!
4. Left eye measurement changed. She's gone from 18 to 15. This means a change in her RX for the better.
5. Right eye measurement changed dramatically. She went from a 2 to a 9! She's much more near-sighted than before! I'm a 6.75 and I pretty much can't see anything without my glasses. This explains why she's been preferring her left eye. We haven't been correcting her right eye enough. It's a good thing we checked!
Chloe will now wear contacts in both eyes. They'll be ordered today. This. ought. to. be. interesting. I've never had to manage two contacts on Chloe before. And the fact that she popped out and lost two contacts within the past week makes me slightly nervous. I'll be making a visit to the optical shop and make sure they really check the fit on those lenses.
All in all I would call this a good report. I hate to see her becoming so dramatically near-sighted so quickly and was hoping to maintain better vision in that right eye but it is correctable. Let's just hope it stays that way.
Chloe is still preferring to use her left (bad) eye. She'll turn her head to look at things with just that eye and this doesn't make any sense since she can't see out of that eye as well. In fact, she still does it even without correction on her left eye. Without a lens in her left eye and without correction she shouldn't be able to see much at all. We're hoping that he comes back with a good report on her right (good) eye, too. I don't want him to give us any reason (ie. new diagnosis) for her preferring her left eye.
One thing I forgot to document was Chloe's recent diagnosis of latent strabismus. I became nervous a couple of months ago after noticing her left eye preference. I stuck a patch over her left eye just to make sure her right eye was working. When I did that, I noticed her eye twitching back and forth. I'd never noticed this before and it really scared me. We went to the doctor and he said this is a result of all the patching we've been doing. We've covered that right eye up so much (while trying to strengthen her left [cataract] eye) that we created this condition. It won't go away but, fortunately, it won't get any worse. And it only appears when her left eye is covered up. This may be an issue when it comes time for Chloe to get her driver's license and they ask her to cover up one eye at a time but we'll not worry about that right now.
--------------------------------------------------------
RESULTS!!!
1. No glaucoma! Whew!
2. No cataract! Whew!
3. Retina looks fine! Whew!
4. Left eye measurement changed. She's gone from 18 to 15. This means a change in her RX for the better.
5. Right eye measurement changed dramatically. She went from a 2 to a 9! She's much more near-sighted than before! I'm a 6.75 and I pretty much can't see anything without my glasses. This explains why she's been preferring her left eye. We haven't been correcting her right eye enough. It's a good thing we checked!
Chloe will now wear contacts in both eyes. They'll be ordered today. This. ought. to. be. interesting. I've never had to manage two contacts on Chloe before. And the fact that she popped out and lost two contacts within the past week makes me slightly nervous. I'll be making a visit to the optical shop and make sure they really check the fit on those lenses.
All in all I would call this a good report. I hate to see her becoming so dramatically near-sighted so quickly and was hoping to maintain better vision in that right eye but it is correctable. Let's just hope it stays that way.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Cyndi's Banana Bread Hefeweizen mit Schokolade
When I lived in Germany I tried a Bananaweizen and loved it. It was basically a Hefeweizen with banana syrup added when they poured it. It was so good! Perfect at the biergarten during the summertime. Dave recently asked Solana and me what kind of beer he should make next. She said he should make a banana and chocolate beer. He took that, along with my old German favorite, and came up with his own version of this beer and named it after me. I love it!
It's basically a hefeweizen and he added banana and chocolate flavoring at bottling. The flavors are subtle yet distinct. It's wonderful and refreshing - my new favorite!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Pajamas That Fit
I accidentally put some of Chloe's pajamas in Solana's drawer. She came out of her room tonight super excited and asked if I bought her new pajamas. I felt so bad but told her that they're Chloe's 12-18 month size pajamas. She insisted that they would fit and I laughed hysterically while arguing with her. I was laughing so hard, in fact, that I couldn't muster up the strength to stop her as she put them on. My laughter increased with each limb that entered the pajamas.
"They fit Mommy. Look! They fit PERFECTLY!"
"Ummm. No. No they don't. Hahahaha!"
"Yes! They really fit. Can't you see that they fit? (giggle giggle)"
"Hahahaha! No Mija. They really don't."
"Mommy!"
"Hahahahaha! I'm getting my camera. This is totally going on the blog! Hahahaha!"
Texas! Part 1
On June 19th the girls and I flew to Texas. We were very excited to spend the upcoming week with my parents, sisters, neice, and nephews.
Here we are in the elevator at the airport. Funny story about the cowgirl hat… We bought it for Solana’s birthday because her cousin, Mia, has the exact same hat. We lugged that thing through 6 flights between Ohio, Texas, and Mexico. Sure she wore the hat through the airport and got tons of compliments on it. Everyone noticed the pink cowboy hat! But did she ever have a single occasion to wear the hat in Texas OR in Mexico? Nope. We basically brought it along so she could look cute in the airport. Lesson learned.
It had been three and a half years since we were in Texas. A lot has happened since then that prevented us from traveling so it was a pretty big deal to be back. And previous visits were fairly short since I was working. A whole week was downright luxurious!
The first thing I do after getting off the plane in Houston (and my family knows and plans for this) is hit a Whataburger drive-thru. For those of you who aren’t from Texas or haven’t lived in or visited Texas you don’t know what you’re missing. And that’s a good thing because you’d be pretty sore if you did! Three and a half years is too long to wait for a Whataburger with cheese and jalapenos! What a treat!
Check out the look on my face! It didn't last!
If you know anything about my eating habits you may be surprised to see me eating a big ‘ol burger, fries, and Dr. Pepper. While I allow a splurge here and there I’m somewhat of a food snob these days and usually turn my nose up at processed food, fast food, and especially feed lot meat. And I completely gave up soft drinks in November. Well, guess who else was surprised…MY STOMACH!! Ouchie! I suffered one of the most painful stomach aches in my life after this meal. I’m talking the kind that folds you over and doesn’t let you up for air. Yowza! But did you see me eating another Whataburger two weeks later after returning from Mexico? Umm yes. I couldn’t help it! They’re sooo good! LOL!
The other treat we enjoy when in Texas is Blue Bell Ice Cream. It's made in Brenham, Texas, and is utterly divine! Get it? Utterly? Hehe. Solana hadn’t ever had Blue Bell Ice Cream so I served her a bowl of my favorite, Cookies N Cream. She gave it a thumbs-up and was excited to eat the ice cream that (as my dad said) was named after our dog, Bluebell.
Here's Chloe checking out her new bed for the week. I love this nightgown. My Mom gave it to her at Christmastime but it was too cold. It was perfect for Houston!
We spent most of our time for the first couple of days just hanging out at my parent’s house. My sister, Leticia, lives 40 minutes away and came over with her kids, Mia, Graham, and Ross. It was fun to finally meet Ross for the first time. He’s 5 months old and such a cutie! My sister, Valerie, lives in Georgia. She and her baby, Grant, arrived the next day to join the party.
He just turned a year old on July 3rd. She'll be two next month!
The three babies. Ross is in the background so he looks kind of small. Funny thing we noticed. They're all in size 3 diapers! Guess who's a big boy!
Chloe and Grant "sharing."
Chloe and Ross "sharing."
Solana and Mia love to dress alike and Leticia and my mom often buy them matching outfits. My mom went one step further this visit and bought their dolls matching outfits. I'm not super keen on the whole dress like your doll phenomenon. Maybe if my mom is the one to continue buying the matching outfits...?
On about our third day in Houston we headed over to my parents' neighborhood pool. Chloe was a speed demon in the kiddie pool area! She really wanted to take off without me but I just wouldn't let her. Mean Mommy! Mean Mommy!
I made up for it. Fun Mommy. Yay!
My sweet little baby.
Solana took off to play in the area for "bigger kids" and I had my hands full with Chloe so I didn't get too many pictures of her at the pool. But she WAS there. Really.
Here we are in the elevator at the airport. Funny story about the cowgirl hat… We bought it for Solana’s birthday because her cousin, Mia, has the exact same hat. We lugged that thing through 6 flights between Ohio, Texas, and Mexico. Sure she wore the hat through the airport and got tons of compliments on it. Everyone noticed the pink cowboy hat! But did she ever have a single occasion to wear the hat in Texas OR in Mexico? Nope. We basically brought it along so she could look cute in the airport. Lesson learned.
It had been three and a half years since we were in Texas. A lot has happened since then that prevented us from traveling so it was a pretty big deal to be back. And previous visits were fairly short since I was working. A whole week was downright luxurious!
The first thing I do after getting off the plane in Houston (and my family knows and plans for this) is hit a Whataburger drive-thru. For those of you who aren’t from Texas or haven’t lived in or visited Texas you don’t know what you’re missing. And that’s a good thing because you’d be pretty sore if you did! Three and a half years is too long to wait for a Whataburger with cheese and jalapenos! What a treat!
Check out the look on my face! It didn't last!
If you know anything about my eating habits you may be surprised to see me eating a big ‘ol burger, fries, and Dr. Pepper. While I allow a splurge here and there I’m somewhat of a food snob these days and usually turn my nose up at processed food, fast food, and especially feed lot meat. And I completely gave up soft drinks in November. Well, guess who else was surprised…MY STOMACH!! Ouchie! I suffered one of the most painful stomach aches in my life after this meal. I’m talking the kind that folds you over and doesn’t let you up for air. Yowza! But did you see me eating another Whataburger two weeks later after returning from Mexico? Umm yes. I couldn’t help it! They’re sooo good! LOL!
The other treat we enjoy when in Texas is Blue Bell Ice Cream. It's made in Brenham, Texas, and is utterly divine! Get it? Utterly? Hehe. Solana hadn’t ever had Blue Bell Ice Cream so I served her a bowl of my favorite, Cookies N Cream. She gave it a thumbs-up and was excited to eat the ice cream that (as my dad said) was named after our dog, Bluebell.
Here's Chloe checking out her new bed for the week. I love this nightgown. My Mom gave it to her at Christmastime but it was too cold. It was perfect for Houston!
We spent most of our time for the first couple of days just hanging out at my parent’s house. My sister, Leticia, lives 40 minutes away and came over with her kids, Mia, Graham, and Ross. It was fun to finally meet Ross for the first time. He’s 5 months old and such a cutie! My sister, Valerie, lives in Georgia. She and her baby, Grant, arrived the next day to join the party.
Chloe and Grant having a crawling race.
He just turned a year old on July 3rd. She'll be two next month!
The three babies. Ross is in the background so he looks kind of small. Funny thing we noticed. They're all in size 3 diapers! Guess who's a big boy!
Chloe and Grant "sharing."
Chloe and Ross "sharing."
Me with Graham. He is adorable - like a little boy version of Solana. If I ever had a little boy I would want him to be just like Graham. He followed Chloe around and demonstrated walking for her so she could learn. He'd say, "Look T-WO-EY. This is how you walk." And then he'd walk down the hall and back very serious-like. He also tried holding her hand while she walked but she wasn't interested.
Solana and Mia love to dress alike and Leticia and my mom often buy them matching outfits. My mom went one step further this visit and bought their dolls matching outfits. I'm not super keen on the whole dress like your doll phenomenon. Maybe if my mom is the one to continue buying the matching outfits...?
On about our third day in Houston we headed over to my parents' neighborhood pool. Chloe was a speed demon in the kiddie pool area! She really wanted to take off without me but I just wouldn't let her. Mean Mommy! Mean Mommy!
I made up for it. Fun Mommy. Yay!
My sweet little baby.
Solana took off to play in the area for "bigger kids" and I had my hands full with Chloe so I didn't get too many pictures of her at the pool. But she WAS there. Really.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Annoying Accounting
I used to work in Accounting for the University of Denver. I was in the Controller's Office. I loved it! It's the perfect field for me. And the people were amazing so that helped, too. Today I find myself hating accounting. Here's the latest (and hopefully last) email I've sent to Chloe's oxygen company. (Note: She's been off oxygen since the very beginning of March. I've been after them to fix her account ever since then. I've made a ridiculous number of phone calls and sent more emails than I'd like. My sister and I recently spent about two hours downloading, printing, scanning, and emailing EOB's from my insurance company to them.)
----------------------------
Jasmine,
I’ve attached 15 documents. The first is the Excel summary of all the Anthem EOB’s, to include Member Responsibility amounts, and Payments. The bottom of the spreadsheet summarizes how much we owed, paid, received as reimbursement (for erroneous charges), and still owe. You have all of the Anthem EOB’s to verify the data in this spreadsheet (note: the Anthem data on the spreadsheet was downloaded straight from Anthem’s website). After going through my previous emails I found one missing EOB (1/18/10 for $987) and it is included in the second attachment. My daughter was released from the NICU on 1/18/10 and discontinued oxygen use on 3/2/11 (they picked up the equipment shortly thereafter so our last invoice date is 3/8/11). Again, you should have them all.
The remainder of the attachments includes copies of my credit card statements to verify every single payment listed under the Member Payment column.
By looking at the information from the EOB’s and my credit card statements it’s very clear how I come up with my bottom line. I think I’ve done more than adequate work to help Apria fix its accounting problems. I hope you can be the one to finally fix this account. I have better things to do than work on this – like chase after my oxygen-free toddler.
Thanks,
Cynthia Hendrickson
------------------------------
Maybe now I can get to fun stuff on the computer - like my blog!
----------------------------
Jasmine,
I’ve attached 15 documents. The first is the Excel summary of all the Anthem EOB’s, to include Member Responsibility amounts, and Payments. The bottom of the spreadsheet summarizes how much we owed, paid, received as reimbursement (for erroneous charges), and still owe. You have all of the Anthem EOB’s to verify the data in this spreadsheet (note: the Anthem data on the spreadsheet was downloaded straight from Anthem’s website). After going through my previous emails I found one missing EOB (1/18/10 for $987) and it is included in the second attachment. My daughter was released from the NICU on 1/18/10 and discontinued oxygen use on 3/2/11 (they picked up the equipment shortly thereafter so our last invoice date is 3/8/11). Again, you should have them all.
The remainder of the attachments includes copies of my credit card statements to verify every single payment listed under the Member Payment column.
By looking at the information from the EOB’s and my credit card statements it’s very clear how I come up with my bottom line. I think I’ve done more than adequate work to help Apria fix its accounting problems. I hope you can be the one to finally fix this account. I have better things to do than work on this – like chase after my oxygen-free toddler.
Thanks,
Cynthia Hendrickson
------------------------------
Maybe now I can get to fun stuff on the computer - like my blog!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Back From Vacation!!
The girls and I just spent two weeks away from home!!! It was wonderful but felt like an eternity! We spent a whole week with my parents, sisters, niece, and nephews in Houston. Then my parents flew with us to Cancun, where Dave met us at the airport. We spent 7 luxurious days and nights at our favorite vacation spot, Aventura Cove Palace Resort. I have tons of pictures and stories to write about our vacation but for now just wanted to say, "We're HOME!"
Solana and I celebrated by running out to the vegetable garden to see how it fared. Thanks to Dave, who set up a sprinkler and timer, we were welcomed by huge healthy plants and even some harvesting opportunities. We plucked our first sugar snap peas and only about half of them made it inside (they were sooo good we couldn't help but eating them off the vine) and a great big bowl full of lettuce. Solana will be preparing a special salad today.
Chloe celebrated by rocking giggle-fest 2011 with the dogs and then walking around the family room for about two hours straight. She refused to stop and was getting so sweaty that I had to tie her hair up to try and get it off her neck. It was so crazy! She walked a bit in Texas and Mexico but only under close supervision. She obviously felt really comfortable in her own house and just took off. It was so cool!
Today we have no plans at all. I have TONS of laundry to do and vacuuming. Hopefully, I'll have time for blogging this week because I have many memories to capture!
Solana and I celebrated by running out to the vegetable garden to see how it fared. Thanks to Dave, who set up a sprinkler and timer, we were welcomed by huge healthy plants and even some harvesting opportunities. We plucked our first sugar snap peas and only about half of them made it inside (they were sooo good we couldn't help but eating them off the vine) and a great big bowl full of lettuce. Solana will be preparing a special salad today.
Chloe celebrated by rocking giggle-fest 2011 with the dogs and then walking around the family room for about two hours straight. She refused to stop and was getting so sweaty that I had to tie her hair up to try and get it off her neck. It was so crazy! She walked a bit in Texas and Mexico but only under close supervision. She obviously felt really comfortable in her own house and just took off. It was so cool!
Today we have no plans at all. I have TONS of laundry to do and vacuuming. Hopefully, I'll have time for blogging this week because I have many memories to capture!
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