The Shirt Doesn't Lie!

"How's Rory doing?" A common question I get often. The answer: Good. Rory's doing good. She continues to respond well to the dilations, and quite frequently does not require them. We await the manometry study from the Children's Hospital Orange County (you can call it CHOC, if you're in the know). 

It has been a big pain getting the referral required to go 'out of network' for this test. But CHOC is the only place in southern california to get this done for babies, so we have no choice. And while you might immediately jump to the conclusion that the insurance company is the hold up, that isn't necessarily the case here. The referral was supposed to come through the GI's office, and we're pretty sure at one time or another they 1) dropped it, 2) referred to the wrong hospital, and 3) ordered the wrong test.

But, with some help from the pediatric surgion, even calling CHOC and speaking to those folks himself, we've finally got a date for the initial consultation! Yes, initial consultation. You didn't think they were going to let us walk in off the street and get the procedure performed, did you? At least we've got our foot in the door now. Unfortunately, I doubt we'll make the schedule for the actual test being performed in this calendar year.

From the CHOC website:

Anorectal manometry
This test helps determine the strength of the muscles in the rectum and anus. These muscles normally tighten to hold in a bowel movement and relax when a bowel movement is passed. Anorectal manometry is helpful in evaluating anorectal malformations and Hirschsprung's disease, among other problems. A small tube is placed into the rectum, and the pressures inside the anus and rectum are measured.

An Ode to Insurance Companies

Well, well, well, what more can I tell?

Rory couldn't poop, so we were thrown through a loop.

And our little prize spent the summer with Rady.

They couldn't find a cause for her tiny bowel's pause,

But sent home a bill that would make most men shrill,

And now Aetna's price tag grows into a Lady.

A Halloween Tradition

Halloween 2003. Reese was just 13 months old. Christine and I had our limited Halloween supplies out of the closet, most of which consisted of a Mad Scientist cosutume I'd worn in college. Just for fun, we threw it onto Reese's head and snapped a few photos. This picture remains as one of my favorite photo's of my son's early years. The best part about the picture was how his 13-month old head almost completely filled out the adult wig.

Flash forward to Halloween 2004. We were now the proud parents of two - one toddler, and one 9-month old. Halloween box was out of the closet again, and Riley joined the 'Mad Scientist' club. Note how the 9-month-old's head almost fills the entire wig.

Halloween 2011. Seven more years have passed. The Mad Scientist wig, still clinging to life, continues to be a Halloween staple in our household. Our newest edition has some room to grow before filling out that wig, but she wasn't quite 5 months old yet, so it really isn't a fair comparison.   

The once proud Mad Scientist wig isn't doing so good these days. It's previously perky quaff is looking a little wilted and frayed. But it still makes us laugh when donned by a baby. I wonder if it will last until our first grandchild is born?