Twas the night before . . .

the birthday bash, and all through the apartment . . .
Every single thing was cleaned and in the appropriate compartment.

That's all the poetry you're getting.  Sorry to disappoint.

I've been cleaning and organizing all week.  All week!  And that's not an exaggeration.  It's like we've finally moved in to this apartment, for real.  The "garage" room has become a perfectly usable playroom/office/guest room.  Dave's office is functional.  It's really, really nice :)

Most of the cleaning was done as of yesterday so that today could be spent doing the shopping and as much  food prep as possible---I really want to be able to enjoy tomorrow, and not to feel so busy that I miss the day.   Although Maya's real birthday is Monday, she thinks tomorrow is the big day, and basically, it is.

Dave has been a big help---he's been taking Maya out to the playground so that I can work in peace.  Today he also tried to help by making a pot of coffee for me.  Despite explaining to him the new bean-grinding system (the grinder button bent and requires a special manuever) he thought he could figure out a "better way".

His "better way" caused a coffee explosion, which caused me (and every exposed surface) to get pelted with an onslaught of projectile beans.  I had put a cake into the oven mere seconds before----I would have flipped out if it had become coffee-bean-filled.

After Maya woke up we agreed that the best way to help would be to just leave and let me work :)

In other news, Maya received a totally sweet (and simultaneously totally creepy) gift from a lovely family who reads the blog, and who I then "met" on a message board.  Thanks to Laura & Harmony (from The Wagner Three) for the fabulous vulture puppet!

Yeah, a vulture puppet.

It's actually so weird looking that I thought Maya might not recognize it as a vulture . . . but oh no, she loves it!

I love this new vulture!

I push him in the stroller and read him this book.

 Vulture, you make me laugh!

A kiss for my new friend :)

I'm so excited for her birthday tomorrow!  We'll be up early to decorate :)

2 types of vultures and an impending party

Vulture #1:  Literally, a vulture.

See that guy?  He comes with the Fisher Price zoo animals set---each letter has a corresponding animal.  (V is for vulture.)

He also happens to be Maya's favorite animal, for at least the past week.  Today was her 3 year pediatrician appointment, and when the doc walked into the room she proudly held it up and declared "Ehh!!!" 

And so he said "Well, look at that!  Are you showing me your . . . errr . . . "  

So I volunteered "Her vulture.  It's her vulture."  

(It's semi-embarassing and really funny at the same time.  Forget the koala, the penguin, the quail . . . I'm just going to show off this kind-of-ugly-carcass-eating-bird.)


Vulture(s) #2: The insurance people.
I decided to call and check on the progress of my appeal.  I'm waiting to get the verdict in writing before totally losing my mind, but it looks like they are going to deny the appeal based on upholding their position that SLPs are not qualified providers of feeding therapy.  This is ridiculous on every level.  I'm not going to quit. 

Side note one:  Just finding out that it was denied was a 47 minute, 3 phone call process.  The first rep "accidentally" disconnected me.  The second rep tried to find the information and mumbled to herself for 20 minutes before "transferring me to the appeals department, where they would have more information"----but she just transferred me back to the main menu, where I started again.  The third rep told me there's no such place as "the appeals department" but then was semi-helpful.

Side note two: When I type "I'm not going to quit" it looks resolute and determined. Which I am. But when I hung up the phone with the 3rd rep, I turned Elmo on for Maya and sat at the table and cried. It is just infuriating to be so powerless to help fix my situation. I'm doing everything I know to do, I speak intelligently, calmly and forcefully, and it is literally impossible to get anywhere. As angry as I am for me, I'm also angry for the people who are less educated, speak english as a second language, don't have the time to fight, etc. Insurance companies just suck the money right out of them. They're definitely vultures.




In other news . . .


The party prep continues!  Look what Maya helped to make during therapy today . . .

She made the balloons---the cake at the bottom is a wooden sign . . . there's a little heart that says "Maya" that goes in the cake, but I'm still looking for it.