Home again, home again...

Here are a few pictures from recovery after surgery. We were in there about three hours so we had some time to take turns seeing her. Staci came to visit so she got to sit in there a bit and actually got some really great pictures I'll post when I get them (hint hint Staci to email them).

This was her recovery nurse who was really great. She and another nurse took special care of Jordan finding her special stuffed animals, allowing us to break the rules by having more than just mom in there. At this point I was getting so tired with no sleep and no food and having others in to visit was such a blessing. They took x-rays of her foot to double check the position, they took blood to check her levels which kept coming out low. They were all really so great to us.

I love this picture of Jordan and her Papa. She may be a Mama's girl but she sure does love her Papa, Pop Pop and Grandpa. She knows she has them wrapped around her finger. Papa (Shan's dad) has been at all her surgeries and it's hard to imagine a hospital stay without him cracking us up all day.

Jordan was really unhappy most of the time in the hospital, not eating, not drinking, not caring about cartoons and really unwilling to even wear her princess costume for the Halloween festivities. Finally we made her put on her costume along with Noah and she began to brighten up a bit. We wheeled them to the Child Life room for a magic show and some fun.

Noah now thinks this hospital stuff is really fun! Cartoons, popsicles and toys all while kicking back in an electric bed that moves up and down.

Here's the wonderful magician! He was SO funny and the kids loved him. He was making them laugh and drawing all of them out so well. There were so many very, very sick kids. You really wouldn't believe it. Each one of us should thank God for our children's health. One teenage boy sitting behind us kept smiling at Jordan and she was just batting her eyelashes at him. We saw him later in the hall and he said with such a sweet smile, "Hi Jordan!" Oh my heart breaks for these kids. Honestly these are the sickest kids who many of which spend a great deal of their childhoods living in the hospital. Their parents have to work and take care of siblings so much of their time is spent alone or with nurses. It's really heartbreaking and so hard to leave them there. I also saw a little girl who just had her palate repaired and had previously had her cleft lip repaired. The fresh air, the play, the time laughing around other kids and the magician really helped Jordan turn a corner. It's amazing - she was almost back to her old self after the Halloween outing. I think some day I want to volunteer or work as a Child Life Specialist. What a job that would be.

There wasn't anything they could do for Jordan at the hospital that we couldn't do at home so we got to come home. Jordan is still VERY clingy to Mama but is really getting back to herself more and more. Here's a picture of her being silly. The real challenge is making her sit. She isn't allowed to put any weight on her leg/foot yet all she wants to do is walk around. She is too heavy with the cast on and it's too awkward for me to carry around so we were planning on using a stroller. The therapist told us today that the stroller won't work for a while because she needs to keep her leg elevated so she ordered a pediatric wheelchair for Jordan. It will be covered by our insurance and should really help. She tried to teach Jordan to use a walker to hop on her good leg but the cast is too long so she isn't able to do it. The Physical Therapist is concernced that Jordan's progress with walking will not be worth much if she doesn't walk for six weeks. There isn't much that can be done about it though. The wheelchair should be delivered tomorrow and I can't wait so she can get around and we can get out of this house.


I was and am more than exhuasted tonight but thankfully Shan rallied and convinced us to take the kids around the block trick or treating. I was so resistant but now I'm glad we went. My mom liked being a part of it and the kids had a good time. Noah wore the knight costume again and Jordan was his princess.

She was on her pain medication so she was perfectly content sitting in the stroller eating her way around the block as people gave her candy. You can see in this picture how her foot needs to be elevated. It isn't all that comfortable being scrunched down like that especially once she's off the meds. :) We'll hold on to the stroller incase the wheelchair doesn't get delivered and then to use once we return the chair.

Okay this post is long enough. We are going to bed. We promised the kids whatever they wanted tomorrow. We'll be having M&M pancakes (using Halloween candy) and we will be out in the fresh air as long as it's warm enough. I can't wait to spend the day doing normal family things with the kids and with Shan and my mom. Thank you all SO much for praying and for sending us messages. What a gift you all are.

For you Compass Bible Church friends I am really hoping to make it to church on Sunday. She will probably still be on pain medication so I would think she might just sit through the service without needing to go to Kids Ministry which I'm not sure if we can put her in yet until we get her used to not bearing weight on that leg.

Thank you again!!!!!

Much love,

Jen

Final Update for Today

Okay I only have a few minutes...again. Jordan just wants Mama to hold her and she's so upset.

Surgery was successful and the doctor said he did above and beyond what could be done.

Her blood count seems to be a little low so they had to draw blood and test it again. VERY stressful and hard on her and she's pretty agitated right now. Pray for her to be calm and sleep tonight.

All is as expected and the room is VERY nice and private with our own shower and bathroom. Yay!

Shan will be going home soon and my mom will be here so I won't post again until tomorrow but you can leave a voicemail on my cell if you want. I'll try to call if I can get her to calm down.

Please Pray for a Bed!

Hi everyone! I am updating on Jen's behalf. I just got a text from her that said that Jordan is "totally fine." She asked everyone to pray for a bed for Jordan. They are currently stuck in recovery until a bed opens up for sweet Jordan.

Thanks for your prayers for Jordan's surgery. Please continue to lift up the situation with the bed, that Jordan would rest comfortably tonight and for a quick and easy healing process.

Megan Seager

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

She's almost done!

Okay the doctor called us and is done with the work on her foot. The assistant is closing her up and they'll call when she's in recovery and we can see her. He said the surgery went well but was quite difficult. The tissue around the tendons and the tendons themselves were really thick and very tough to get through. They had several people pulling her foot in different directions trying to get it in place. There was minimal blood loss and they made the two hour tourniquet time limit. He said we can expect to go home Sunday or Monday but possibly Saturday, for sure we're not going home tomorrow.
The battery is dying so I have to go but I'll update once we see her in recovery.

She's with the Surgeons

Grandma playing with Jordan's dress up doll kit we saved from her birthday.

Jordan totally drunk having a great time!!!

Still in the "hold me" stage this morning, wanting Mama.

Here's a quick update. We don't have much to report but I'll update anyway.

We left our house at 3:15 and got here with PLENTY of time. Honestly I can't figure out why they need us here so early.

When we got here she really began to freak out, especially when we got to the pre-op room and put her on the bed. She only wanted to be held and kept crying but eventually she calmed down. Shan's parents got here and got to spend some time with her too which was nice. My prayer was

really for her to get a medication before having to be taken from us so she wouldn't cry and then be more afraid of surgery in the future. They were so kind and gave her Valium. She was totally drunk and it was hilarious. She was completely loopy with her tongue sticking out and her laughing. :) I was also able to ask them for a different pain medication than before. Our pediatrician recommended Lortab for her rather than Codeine. We will see what they say.
One concern was whether the surgeon was doing the actual surgery or his resident. The resident kept talking in first person about what he was going to do and even put his own initials on the leg. The head surgeon never even came to talk to us. I am glad Shan's mom was there with me because both of us were very concerned but the surgical nurse assured us that Dr. Oppenheim is, indeed, the one doing the surgery. The resident will only assist. I'm praying that is true.

Also, one really fun story - as we were here eating we saw the social worker from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. She totally remembered us from a year ago and wants to come by to visit us in our room. Then I was walking down the hall and saw the head nurse from the PICU from last year too. She also remembered us and we hugged and had a great conversation about last year and the blessing they were to us. I love UCLA and feel so at home here.

Please keep praying as the surgeons work for skill and wisdom and for Jordan as she wakes up. We just want to see her and be sure she is okay.

Thank you for checking. We'll write more as soon as we know. They took her pretty close to 7:30/7:45 and it should take two to two and half hours.

Jen

Sleep Deprivation

What a way to start the day - we slept well last night...for about 45 minutes. Jordan woke up screaming like she had a bad dream and then wouldn't let me put her back in bed, she was freaking out so I brought her in bed with us where she played and kicked her feet etc. for about and hour and a half. Finally Shan at least went to bed in Noah's room but I tried for another while to get her to sleep. I eventually put her in her bed and she went back to sleep. So basically that means we slept from 11:00 to 11:50 then we were up until 1:30 and I got up to get dressed at 2:00. Ugg!!
Oh well. This is the day that Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!
We are now off to the hospital.
Watch for updates!
Thanks to the hundred or so emails and Facebook notes we've already received that you are praying. What a gift!

Surgery Week Day One

I saw in my stat counter that the number of people viewing the blog is up to nearly 80 in a day. For all of you faithful bloggers I thought I'd post some pictures. It's so funny that during the week before all of our surgeries we end up having the best family times. I wonder if it's due to the fact that we are just sitting around with nothing to do except spend time together. It says something for quality time without things planned. It's so weird not to have something to do. We did go to the doctor yesterday to get the paperwork for the surgery done and to get her cleared for surgery by her pediatrician. I was SUPER paranoid about germs as we were hearing kids coughing and hacking, seeing them all looking miserable as they were there for a sick visit. Oh well- it's in God's hands. Yesterday we made pumpkin crafts that my cousin sent, the kids played all day (literally) with a diaper box as a slide in the house, in the yard, on the couch, etc. They love this thing and cracked up all day with it. We also go to walk around the block last night with Jordan in her new borrowed stroller. Our friends, the Travaglias, let us borrow this wonderful, lightweight stroller for the next three months while Jordan will be in a cast. What a blessing that will be. She already loves it and actually wanted to ride in it around the block last night instead of walking.
I will post again tomorrow afternoon/evening with specifics on the surgery and anything else I have to share. Thanks for checking in!

More Fun Pictures

Look at her leg straight up in the air - it was hilarious. She kept nearly flipping right over herself.

Jordan is a hat girl and anything qualifies as a hat...underwear, pull-ups, bowls, pants, etc.

We kicked off this week by watching Polar Express (Noah's favorite) and eating popcorn.

SURGERY WEEK OCT 2008!!!!

Another "surgery week" is here and we are making the most of being home. I was literally sitting on the couch on Saturday trying to figure out what to make for crafts to make this week at home special and the mailman delivered a package. It was from my cousin in Texas. She and her daughter sent us a package with materials for crafts and fun things for Halloween that will work perfectly for this week. God sure delivers is even the smallest ways.

At Navigating Motherhood last week a woman spoke about being intentional with our traditions and creating a heritage for our family. It made me realize that as the kids might tend to focus on the fact that they can't go to the park, to church or even play with their friends the week before Jordan's surgeries, I want to make it a fun time of celebrating. Celebration is truly in the air. They are running around playing with their balloons and with each other. I'll post more pictures this week as we have our fun time.

We have one last doctor's appt today for Jordan to be cleared for surgery and barring any illness or problem with the surgeon we are on for Thursday. Shan's sister, Vel, and two of her girls are coming Wednesday to spend the night and take Noah to his first preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch on Thursday. They should have a great time and it's yet another thing to be excited about for him.

Thanks for checking in!

God Provides Again

I started making my phone calls in the car on the way to church this morning (where I serve in a ministry for young moms) and before I even reached church the cardiologist situation was handled. Our case manager said she'd approve it as soon as it came across her desk and the surgeon's office said they'd fax the request "urgent" right away. Just to be one step ahead I called the cardiologist's office to see if they would be willing to make an appt for Jordan without authorization (big no no typically). It ended up that the girl who answered (the office manager) is someone who went to high school with Shannon (Shan's dad was her music teacher too). She put us in no problem even without the authorization and said not to worry. We are taking her in at 4:30 today and she's putting a packet together for me to keep just in case this comes up again. After this and then her history and physical on Monday to clear her for surgery we should be all set unless of course she gets sick. The hospital called to today to collect our money but I opted to wait until we get there to pay because we all know it's an uphill battle to get a refund on hospital bills. :) We'll just wait and see to be sure it's a go with all the ups and downs we've had so far.

Prayer Request

We got a message from the surgeon's office last night that he wants an echocardiogram done on Jordan's heart before surgery. When she was born she had a tiny hole in her heart (Patent Foramen Ovale - PFO) which is very common and closes by itself. At one year we rechecked and it was closed. Since then we've had two surgeries with no problem but for some reason the doctor wants it rechecked. ???? It can't possibly open up again (the hole) so I'm confused. Pray that we can get a referral to go through and then get in to see the cardiologist before Thursday. Referrals usually take days and I don't really know why insurance would cover it anyway since it's been cleared. Pray for the details.
Also, it seems Jordan has a minor cold right now with a stuffy/nose and she's quite irritable. Thankfully it's now and not next week. Pray for her health for surgery and for me to trust that the sugery date will be what God has planned - I want to be content no matter the circumstances.
Thanks and have a great weekend friends!!!

The Woodward Family

We Love You Woodwards!

Five Years and Counting (is that right Stac??)

Go Trojans! "Hey wait is that Nick Lachey over there??!!!"

(inside joke ha ha)

Our First Pregnancy Together with Noah and Reese

Gabe's First Olympic Trials in Long Beach

(yes he went once and came VERY close to going a second time this past Summer in Omaha)

I wanted to post a couple tributes to my closest friends. I'll start with Staci Woodward since I just got some really great pictures from her today.

Staci and I met at Marriage Builders, a young marrieds Bible study through our church. We met close to five years ago. I remember Staci saying that she saw me the first night and said, "I want to be friends with that girl" and I felt the same way. Our husbands got along right away with Gabe being gregarious and outgoing and Shannon being milder and a bit more reserved. They have grown closer over the years as Staci and I have alongside them.

We've gone through so many major milestones together since becoming friends. We decided we wanted to get pregnant together - such pressure. She got pregnant first and I died thinking she was leaving me behind...two weeks later I was pregnant. We've cheered Gabe on as he trained hard, eventually making it to the olympics winning a bronze medal. We've had babies together, learned how to schedule our infants' naps, nurse and train their hearts together. Looking back over our friendship I'm so thankful to have shared all these fun times together. Staci promises that with her next baby I can be her labor coach (along with Gabe of course) pushing her along without pain medication. We will see how that goes. That for sure will be another post. :)

Staci is someone who is everyone's friend - she makes every person in the room feel special. Everywhere I go someone knows her. In fact I was just at church last week and met a new couple who of course know Staci. She is the encourager yet also the gentle corrector. She is a wealth of information and the most generous person I know. Every time she visits (they moved to Bakersfield a couple years ago) she brings me fun little gifts, books that I can borrow or keep that she thought I might like, fun lotions and soaps, anything she sees that she thinks I might like. Staci is also all heart. I remember not wanting to call her when we first found out Jordan had some major problems because I knew she'd be devastated. She was and she just cried and cried on the phone, completely wrecked. When I was having Jordan the Woodwards came to our house to get things ready for us since we weren't prepared a month early. She brought her bassinet, put it together and cleaned the house. She kept Noah and brought him to see us each day. When Jordan was in the ICU in L.A. for a week Staci (along with Megan Seager) gathered gift cards from local restuarants for us (all my favorites of course because she knows me so well), she brought me new clothes from Target, a pair of shoes, and small items she knew I might need or just want. She dropped everything and came as always.

She and Gabe love Shannon and I enough to be here for us during the good times and bad - they love us enough to speak biblical truth to us challenging us to grow in areas we are lacking. I know the post is about Staci but I can't help but note my appreciation for Gabe's relentless persistence and dedication to our spiritual growth. As I wrestled through understanding election and predestination Gabe wouldn't give up. He challenged me, showed me scripture, gave me things to read and then hashed through it some more with me. I'm so thankful.

Staci has helped me become a better wife, caring for Shannon and growing in the area of homemaking, finding joy in hospitality. She has helped me become a better cook and baker, a better decorator and a more stylish dresser.

I could go on all day. I am so thankful for her in my life and so blessed to call her my friend. Through distance and distractions I pray that our friendship grows stronger over the years to come. I pray that Gabe and Shan continue to grow closer over time too.

Thanks Woodwards for being our friends!

Pumpkin Patch

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch last week with our Bible study group (Thrive). Noah loved the tractor ride (hilarious!) and Jordan just wandered around saying, "pumpkin!" I am growing more in love with Fall each year. I love it so much this year and I'm really enjoying the weather cooling down, learning to bake new things that make the house smell so good and even seeing the kids bundled up with blankets and hats for our early morning runs. It's crisp and cooling down finally and this Summer girl is loving it for once (I used to dread the cooler weather and get so sad as Winter approached).

We're Back on...Again

Okay I have to get JJ to speech so a very quick post. I talked to the secretary this morning and she kindly put us back on the schedule for 7:30 a.m. October 30th.

Scheduling Challenges

Okay I hate to write this but we are being rescheduled AGAIN. Our surgeon's scheduler left a message today saying that they have to reschedule Jordan's surgery, again. Ugg. This is very challenging to me (an understatement) so I am going to go pray about it right now that I would be content whatever the circumstances and that the logistics would work out with caring for Noah, my mom's plane ticket and work schedule, Jordan's other surgeries on our calendar etc. All of these changes are really tough on me emotionally too and obviously an area I need to grow in. I'm a planner and I get quite unnerved when things don't go according to MY plan. Clearly God wants to rid me of this. :)
Pray please if you read this. I will be talking to her tomorrow morning.

Best Friends

I was just thinking tonight about how thankful I am for the fact that Noah and Jordan seem to be falling in love with each other. A few months ago I was really feeling bad that Noah just didn't seem to love being around her. He didn't seem to mind it but I want him to find joy when she's around, for us to begin to build a relationship between the two of them. I began praying daily that God would build a bond between them that they would be affectionate to one another (usually she is adoring him and he's tolerating her exuberance). The very day after I began praying we were riding in the car (I may have posted on this already - don't mind me) and Jordan fell asleep. Noah reached over on his own while she was sleeping to gently rub her leg. He rubbed his finger lightly over her scar on her leg and was looking at it closely then he just kept rubbing her leg so lightly while he was looking out the window. I got tears in my eyes out of thankfulness. What an encouragement to pray more for my children. Since then I've continued to see more and more love between them. Another reminder to me was a questionnaire I saw from Noah's preschool. It's their 5 year old intake questionnaire and one question is "Is your child's best friend his sibling?" I was floored and so convicted. I asked Noah who his best friend was and he said his neighbor, Delaney who is 10 years old! I once again began praying and really working to instill a love for one another in Noah and Jordan. It's a typical male female relationship - I'm working toward him loving her and her respecting him. With respect I mean respecting his boundaries. She's quite affectionate and LOVES him dearly so she needs to respect his wishes to not be mauled all the time. :) All my current pictures of the two of them are on Shan's computer so I will have to post more at another time.

New Look!

I just wanted to freshen things up a bit around here. I hope you like the new look and the new tunes for your listening pleasure.

Just a reminder that Jordan's next surgery is two weeks from tomorrow and I will be posting updates and pictures as we get closer.

Thanks to all of you faithful bloggers!

Much love - Jen

Call + Response

This is not a post to read to your children...

Tonight I saw the movie Call+Response. Here's a short paragraph from the pdf file found at http://www.callandresponse.com/downloads/cr_synopsis.pdf
"CALL+RESPONSE is a feature length documentary film that reveals the world’s 27 million
dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history.
CALL+RESPONSE takes viewers deep undercover where slavery is thriving -- from the child
brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India -- and reveals that in 2007, Slave
Traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined."

I am still processing what I learned tonight and want to post more on it tomorrow or this week but I couldn't go to sleep without posting a note for everyone of you reading this to get to your local theaters to see this. Human beings are enslaved for work, sex, violence, and more every day. This isn't just about poor working conditions or prostitution. These victims are taken and kept by force sometimes their entire lives. It is horrific and I am truly at a loss for words. Please find this movie at a theater near you, research it online, watch the trailer, read the write ups and then tell more people about it.

"utterly meaningless"

"Solomon’s refrain that everything the world has to offer is “utterly meaningless” (Eccl.1:2) becomes easier to affirm the older one gets. It seems that with increasing age comes the increasing realization that the world is truly a rip-off. In time we discover that moths do destroy, rust really does decay and thieves actually do break in and steal (Mt.6:19). Eventually we learn that the world’s promises don’t deliver, its pleasures are short-lived, and its celebrated pursuits are like “chasing after the wind” (Eccl.1:14). Unfortunately, Solomon could only embrace God’s satisfying solution from a distance (Eccl.12:9-14). We, on the other hand, are privileged to see it up close (Heb.11:39-40; 1Pet.1:12). While the ultimate phase of God’s plans is yet to come, we can say with Peter that Christ has “redeemed us from our empty way of life” (1Pet.1:18). With Christ’s victory secured on the cross, we can anticipate and celebrate an eternity devoid of sin and sadness. Amid this life’s emptiest days, we can “take heart because Christ has overcome the world” (Jn.16:33). When in this world we feel like “sheep to be slaughtered”, because of Christ’s redemption we can say, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom.8:36-37). Because we have been “raised with Christ” we can “set our minds on things above, not on earthly things because we have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God” (Col.3:2-3). Perhaps Paul put it best when we wrote, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal.6:14). Yes, the world has nothing of lasting value to offer, but Christ offers you everything. His life, death and resurrection are our victory, our life and our future. So today may we look past this present order and “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2Cor.4:18)."

This is a note taken from our church's website as written by our dear pastor (yep that's him at the top). I loved it and it served as such a reminder to me this morning as I was reading Colossians 3 thinking about putting off the things of this world. I'm so thankful for our pastor who does not compromise the Word of God and for our church who lives it out daily. (compasschurch.org)

Surgery is back on!!!

Yay! I'm SO beyond thankful to be writing that Jordan's surgery is back on with Dr. Oppenheim from UCLA!

As I mentioned in the last post I committed to praying faithfully before every single phone call - even before answering the phone. I mentioned in my post that as I was praying for God's timing in making the call to our case manager (insurance) and in the middle of my prayer she called me. Well more than 24 hours had gone by and I hadn't heard from her after pleading my case. I was in the back of a Suburban with seven women heading up to our Women's Retreat through our church so I didn't know how I was going to call her to follow up. I began to pray. We ended up needing to wait at one girls house for about 15 minutes so I kept praying that I would call at the right time and that my heart would be content whatever her response. I was praying and stepping out of the car when the phone rang and it was her calling me - again! God is faithful.

Vivienne, the case manager, said that she talked to the past director who has always approved our out of network stuff and who knows the history. Apparently it was a case of having a new case manager and a new medical director who didn't know the circumstances involved in our out of network doctors. I assumed that was the case but still, honestly believed that I was going to have to go through the months long appeal process - possibly compromising Jordan's care (the timing) in the process.

Through this I've grown yet again in my trust in the Lord and His provision for my life. This past week was an eye opener for me in that my first instinct was to freak out. Mentally I went so quickly back to the first six months of Jordan's life when I was fighting tooth and nail for her care. I didn't see how I could do it again. My disappointment was HUGE. My fear for her care was also evident. Lame! Simply put it was a lack of trust in God and His hand on our lives. I love that when we stop living for ourselves and begin living a life for God, putting full faith in what He has for us it doesn't stop there. I continue to have these layers of sin that get worked on one by one. I continue to learn to trust more and more in God's sovereignty. When I became a Christian I became justified (Dictionary.com's definition: "Also called justification by faith. Theology. the act of God whereby humankind is made or accounted just, or free from guilt or penalty of sin.")

I was forgiven of my sins through Christ as the sacrifice. However I am now in the process of sanctification which is where the peeling of the layers of sin comes in. (Dictionary.com's definition of sanctification: 1. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate. 2. to purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts. 3. to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow). In this sanctification there is a gradual taking off of sinful patterns and a putting on of godly attributes, actions, thoughts, etc. Those of you who know me can honestly call me a sinner, plain and simple and very obvious. :) However, I would hope that you cannot look at my life 5 or 10 years ago and say that I am still the same with no progress. That my friends and family is sanctification by God's grace through spiritual discipline.

All that to say that after last week I've grown in my trust in God, my response to disappointment and my reliance on prayer. This is not to say that I will never struggle in these areas again but I am farther along in my trust in God than I was a week ago. It reminds me of a well-known verse Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God always works things out for our good and His glory if we have a relationship with him.

I can't go wrong so why fret so much! It's never as bad as it might seem. :)

This is all good to know as I head into the weeks leading up to another surgery. After the last surgery (the last big one where we spent a week in ICU and I thought we lost her) I know for sure that I will be prayed up and will have scripture with me once again to remind to trust in God because WHATEVER He has for me is best.

The new surgery date is October 30th.

I will keep you posted as we get closer.

Thanks for praying! :)

Brief Update

I don't remember if I posted it or not but I found out that our 10/31 surgery date has already been given away. :( I wish they would've talked to me before cancelling it. She offered the 30th but can't promise that date even if we are approved. :(

I've promised myself that I will pray every single time the phone rings or I make a call regarding this insurance issue. Today I was in the middle of praying for wisdom and for me to honestly only want God's will for this the phone rang. It was our case manager. After talking to her and receiving the official denial letter today I'm convinced this is a case of new people coming in and not being thorough in their decision making. The denial letter says that we are authorized to meet with a doctor here in OC for a consultation - we've already met with him and have a consult on file. They apparently didn't see those notes either. Ugg. Also, the new case manager wasn't aware of ANY of the history with the current doctors. I went through it all with her, pleading my case and she is going to talk to the past director who originally approved us going out of network. I've yet to talk to either director. I only have access to the case manager who presents the cases to the directors and acts as a patient liaison.

The current medical director (who denied it) is a local pediatrician who many of my friends take their kids to. Weird thought that my friends know her yet she has no idea who we are, knows nothing of our case yet is able to make a decision that is not in Jordan's best interest. As Philippians states, "My brothers, whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy meditate on these things." I am assuming the best that she does care about the children she is making decisions for but she is also trying to keep costs down and stick to the rules. I don't blame her but I do find it strange that I could run into her at the grocery store and she wouldn't know who I am but her decisions so greatly affect my family.

I'm heading up to Murietta this weekend with my church for our annual women's retreat so I won't be online but if anything changes tomorrow I'll post. I'm planning on calling our case manager back tomorrow afternoon if I don't hear from her. Please pray.

Prayer Requests

I got a very upsetting call today letting me know that Jordan's surgery authorization was denied and her surgery has been cancelled. They will not keep us on the books to reserve the spot until it is worked out. I was told by our case manager that everything was fine and today I find out that the new medical director of Monarch and our new case manager (our last one left on maternity leave) decided that it isn't necessary for us to be out of network at UCLA when there is a provider in network who can provide the services. We have already discussed with Monarch our lack of confidence in the surgeons in network (one pediatric orthopaedic office for all of Orange County). That was the reason the past medical director allowed us to leave Network. They allowed us our office visit and let us schedule the surgery and then denied the authrization.
All this to say that if you would please pray for us I would really apprecite it.
1. That I/we would be content with whatever date/time God has set for Jordan's surgeries this year.
2. That Dr. Oppenheim (his secretary) would hold our surgery date for a few days or a week until I can get someone to call me back to find out more details and petition them by phone.
3. That Dr. Oppenheim, who is on vacation, would email me with a note saying that it is medically necessary that this issue is expedited and also stating the fact that the surgery should have been done months and months ago (further demonstrating reason for our lack of confidence in the old doctor who didn't see it or mention it to us).
4. That I would be diligent in getting the appeal process started (a GIANT headache - we've been through this before and they make it SO difficult and it takes so long that no one can really outlast them).
5. That if could be God's will that this can be resolved tomorrow when our case manager calls me back - that it is simply an oversight on their part in not realizing the history with our past doctor and the reasons permission was granted for us to go to UCLA.
6. That an appeals process wouldn't have to take place - What if we are forced to go back to them and they know that we don't trust them and don't want to be there? An appeal would mean involving our insurance company's quality assurance department and they would go to the office to investigate the files etc. It would be uncomfortable and awful to have to go back there again. Pray it doesn't get to this point.
7. Wisdom and patience, waiting on God's timing and trusting that He is over all of this and already knows the outcome.
Thanks - I'll post more tomorrow.