<p>Awwww, what a wonderful boy!</p>
<p>Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful mom’s here. My mom is coming today to spend two weeks here for my surgery and then graduation. That could be a long visit, but I know hubby has some things this week that can’t be missed and mom is getting more frail so back and forth over a short period of time would be too much for her. Even though she can’t do anything about the surgery it just made me feel better to have her sit there and wait.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>unfortunately, bad health care is not just on college campus. I can’t tell you how many calls I get from family and friends telling me that they went to an ER and were sent home with serious problems. I have returned to the ER with a number of them, or other urgent care center, to make sure that their problem is addressed. Our health care system leaves so much to be desired- I can’t even begin to tell you. </p>
<p>The first person is you. You have to accurately explain what is happening, and not accept being blown off or sent away if you KNOW there is a problem. Ask a family member or friend for help advocating if you do not feel like you are doing a good job or not being heard. </p>
<p>The second person is your primary care doc. Have a good relationship with them, make sure they know you, and make sure they are responsive. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my pediatrician. When forced to change insurance, she has to be on our plan. Now that my S is 18, might not be so important. But I am very glad that she is willing to follow him through college. I would not want to have to change now. She is the best, and has kept this nurse/mom sane through the past 18 years. And that is probably the biggest compliment that any pediatrician can get!</p>
<p>Cal1983: that made me tear up. Sweet.</p>
<p>D and H are making me breakfast this morning. I’m not expecting any sentimental card, as D delivered at Christmas when she gave me a box full of notes saying all the things she appreciated about me. The sentiments ranged from “Thank you for not naming me Blue Ivy!” and “Thank you for all the pictures you HAVEN’T posted of me on Facebook” to “Thank you for taking me on adventures and sending me on my own” and “Thanks for the braces. They sucked but were worth it” and “Thank you for always believing in me. It means a lot.”</p>
<p>Cal- beautiful. I got tears in my eyes! What a lucky mom you are.</p>
<p>Thanks for the immunization discussion. I will be making the necessary appointments!<br>
Love you all for bringing this to my attention - especially after this week. Ds has had strep; it took 5 full days before he was fever and pain free. I asked docs to change his prescription and they wouldn’t. Last year, his strep returned (or rather never left) three weeks after finishing amoxicillin (what they again gave him). I’ve been very worried about him this week. </p>
<p>I told him that he must be his own health advocate in college. Don’t wait too long before going to health services. And I told him to be alert to other kids’ health. If a kid is in his room for two days and not leaving to due an illness or even depression, it’s time to get help. This is what worries me the most about sending him away.</p>
<p>Ds is always the one to get weird medical issues. Did I mention the super, swollen foot when he returned from Qatar? He didn’t tell me while he was over there - didn’t want to worry me. Ack! He doesn’t remember injuring it; it just swelled up after “Desert Day” and then he get a fever for two nights. The kid can be so mature and independent. But at times like that, so dumb! Of course, I took him to the family doctor. Doc said it must have been a sprain. I say it was a bite. Swelling went down the day after he returned, so I didn’t follow up with specialists. But, I was about to!</p>
<p>Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you all have a wacky day today.</p>
<p>S is home from college for the weekend. His school is only a few hours drive away. This will be our last mothers day together for a while since D will be OOS next year. 
Trying not to think of all of the changes in store for our family. DH is already sulking that he’s losing his golfing buddy with her leaving.</p>
<p>Last night at the dinner table, D said for her 18th birthday (which will be spent at her new school ) she’d like homemade cupcakes, brownies, etc. mailed to her. Has anyone ever done that? How did you pack them??</p>
<p>lilmom, I send my D cookies, chocolate-chip pumpkin bread, etc. I usually use the Priority Mail Flat Rate box that fits the size of what I’m shipping and pack it as tight as possible so things don’t shift and get smashed. I’ve been amazed at the speed, but if I get up early on a Saturday and bake and get it mailed by noon, D receives it on Monday. She’s over 1500 miles away.</p>
<p>Happy mother’s day to all of my Virtual Moms :)</p>
<p>Happy Mother’s Day!</p>
<p>I woke up to pecan pancakes and whipped cream all made from scratch by DS. I guess this is my last time having a child at home to make me breakfast on Mother’s Day. </p>
<p>Time to get ready for graduation! When I post next I will be the mom of three college graduates! Not that I’m getting old or anything.</p>
<p>Aw, Cal… great card and note. </p>
<p>The 2nd cpox shot has been a recommendation and requirement for some time. Our kids were among the first cohort to be immunized in the first place and the requirement for the second shot missed some of them due to their age, but most should have been caught up and poked again a few years ago. </p>
<p>All babies should complete their Hep B series by 6 months, so your child is fine. If they choose to go into a healthcare, EMT or police type job, they may have their titers checked someday, but otherwise they’re fine. Uh, they should also not use IV drugs, have unsafe sex or share needles. :|</p>
<p>Very good points about talking to kids about seeking help when they’re sick. I didn’t even think of it-- I keep a (semi)-eagle eye on mine and notice when they’re ill, and need to remind myself that it will be up to D to seek help. Great. Another reason for lunacy…</p>
<p>Hallmarks of Wackalunatinity . . .</p>
<p>I was reading a post on another thread and dropped my eyes down to the edit notes first! I was momentarily disappointed that the poster had not shared any sloth trivia or Rock God quotes before I remembered that not everybody does that . . . too bad, some posters could use an exercise in levity.</p>
<p>For those of you looking into getting Gardasil series for your kid, this can be expensive if not covered by your insurance (about $450+ for the three shot series). Merck has an assistance program if your family income is less than about $90K and if the injections are done between the ages of 19-26, there is a rebate program to leave you with only $30 of out of pocket expense (per shot) not dependent on income. </p>
<p>[The</a> Patient Rebate Program for GARDASIL](<a href=“http://www.gardasilrebate.com/]The”>http://www.gardasilrebate.com/)</p>
<p>Although this is recommended by pediatricians more for girls, it is FDA approved and CDC recommended for boys as well.</p>
<p>Consider having your child sign over a health care power of attorney to you since calling student health or your kids doctor at school will be frustrating without it. Imagine the nightmare of a roomate or school official telling you that your kid in in the ER or admitted to a hospital and you can’t get any protected health information because DS/DD is now over 18.</p>
<p>Saintfan–hmmm, maybe I will rethink the Rush concert. We did see them at the Gorge a few years ago–amazing. Also, we are seeing Roger Waters The Wall this month: much rock and roll happens in this family. </p>
<p>Happy Mother’s Day to you all. I still feel a little blue on Mother’s Day as my mom passed away two years ago after a horrific and heartwrenching (for me and my brothers) time with Parkinson’s. Most people do not understand what the end stage of Parkinson’s is like. It is truly awful. I am just now starting to remember who she really was, if that makes any sense. She was such a beautiful, elegant,“lady” in the truest sense of the word. I loved her dearly.</p>
<p>momsings - DS wanted to go badly enough that he was willing to do it on his own - the pre-sale promocode is drumline - if presale is still on.</p>
<p>He got a single seat in the front row on the right side if you are facing the stage not just looking at the side. If you look at the chart below he is in the front left hand corner of section 117. There were a few floor seats left and some pretty good singles here and there on the other side. For seats together it was 104-110 when I ordered Monday afternoon.</p>
<p>[KeyArena</a> :: Seating Charts](<a href=“http://www.keyarena.com/events-tickets/seating-charts]KeyArena”>http://www.keyarena.com/events-tickets/seating-charts)</p>
<p>saintfan–thanks for the code. I will go peruse site now.</p>
<p>just to post and edit note . . .</p>
<p>Happy Mothers Day to all the moms!</p>
<p>Woke to a delicious breakfast of bacon and pancakes with smiley-face made of strawberries and banana. </p>
<p>Mailing cupcakes: best to send them unfrosted with a seperate package of frosting</p>
<p>Happy Mother’s Day to all the wackaloons! Hope you have a great day.</p>
<p>Happy Mother’s Day!</p>
<p>My D took me on the 6.5 mile (quarter marathon sounds better don’t you think?) walk yesterday so that probably counts for my Mother’s Day, as now she’s in a stressed out state due to her Capstone monologue which she has t finish early this week. I made her some crepes to try to be helpful since there’s really not much I can do. I have to Skype with my own mom later today. Then I’ll be sorting pictures of D for a Senior board for the dance recital and thinking about party invitations, etc. Weather here is gorgeous, but my feet are still a little sore from yesterday so not doing too much.</p>
<p>Here is a How to Draw a Sloth Video - <a href=“http://www.ehow.com/video_12136217_draw-sloth.html[/URL]”>http://www.ehow.com/video_12136217_draw-sloth.html</a> in case you need to add one to your Mothers Day Thank You Card.</p>
<p>Just back from Mother’s Day brunch about to watch a race we taped last night. I should have prom pictures up soon. I hope he is still alive since I haven’t seen him since the promenade last night.</p>