and ONE GIANT LEAP!!!

The insurance company has approved Adeline's surgery!!!
 "Yeah, yeah, God i-is great.  Yeah, yeah, God i-is good!" was playing over and over in my head all day! (I didn't allow the rest of the lyrics to surface.)

Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions - the kind ladies that answered the phone when I called the insurance company could not find ANY documentation from Dr. Miller's office in their system.  They watched for it all day, and then finally called me at about 4:45 to say it never came through.  One of the ladies gave me a "special" fax number and phone number to give to Dr. Miller's office so that she could receive it directly.  So I called and gave it to them.

The insurance company called this morning to say that the documentation was there all along; it had not been scanned into the system like usual because it jumped to the caseworkers that handle rushed cases.  And they had immediately approved the surgery!  She had left a message on my phone, and luckily I was alone when I heard it, cause I cried like a baby...again!  I'm keeping the message to play over and over...I need to send those girls a card.  Here I was given the impression that the insurance issues would be the hardest to deal with and everyone has been wonderful, and much faster than ever anticipated.  It's a little rare for an employee of the healthcare industry to want to send an insurance company a card.  Maybe I should wait until it's all said and done...but not matter what happens - the ladies that we have been corresponding with deserve a big THANK YOU!

Now it's all in the hands of the schedule coordinator at the Craniofacial Clinic.  She has the (I'm sure very challenging) job of rounding up Dr. Puccioni, Dr. Miller and the rest of the team that is needed to perform a surgery that occurs at Children's about 60 times a year.  No one can tell us if it will be performed in 2010, but they will call us when it is on the schedule.

I took Adeline in to see Dr. Rehan yesterday afternoon.  Have I mentioned how awesome she is?  I called and talked to her nurse because Adeline was even fussier on Tuesday evening and had a miserable day at Joann's yesterday. I couldn't remember the last time she took a nap during the day and she barely ate at Joann's - which is extremely unusual.  Joann brought up the idea that maybe something else was wrong...were we overlooking something else, like an ear infection? That had never even occured to me. Dr. Rehan thought her ears looked clear, but the shape of her head makes it hard to see very far into her ear.  I have never witnessed a doctor express so much compassion for a patient. I know that Adeline is definitely not the sickest baby she has ever treated...but she makes me feel like Adeline is the most important baby she is seeing right now.  She put her face in her hands and said, "I really don't know what to do.  I know that she is in pain for some reason, and it's not teething.  This is more than teething.  But I don't think she has an ear infection.  I would normally never do this, but we have to get to the bottom of this.  I'm going to put her on an antibiotic. If she feels better in a couple of days we will know it was just an infection.  If not, we will know it is something more.  And why on earth are we still waiting for surgery?"  She also had us start giving Adeline Tylenol or Ibuprofen throughout the day so that whatever is hurting her would be less likely to flare up.

Kris from the Craniofacial Clinic called Aaron today to give an update.  He told her about Adeline's appointment with Dr. Rehan, and Kris was going to call Dr. Puccioni's office to tell him. 

It was soooo good to see the sweet, happy Adeline back today.  She slept and ate well. Nile was so excited she wasn't crying all evening that he made her a tea party.  They sat and ate Mum Mum crackers together and sipped out of their princess cups. I am thinking it is the pain relievers more than the antibiotic right now, since she changed so fast.  But we will see how she does after a few days of the antibiotic, and then cut back on the pain relievers to see if she still needs them.

Now I am feeling a whole new set of emotions.  This is becoming even more real.  I certainly want Adeline to have the surgery, but I am terrified of what could happen during and after.  She is so beautiful and when she is feeling well she is the most fun, giggly and curious little baby ever.  I am scared of losing that.  I know "everything will be fine" and "Children's is the best" and I know she will be even more beautiful after the surgery.  But I'm still scared.  My dad always says, "Don't pray for what you want - pray that God will help you to handle whatever He has planned for you."  Well, this time I want what I want!!!

So now that she is our happy, content (and sleeping!) Adeline tonight, it's easy for me to want to put off the surgery.  But if the clinic calls and says they want to do it tomorrow, we will be there.