Glad it's the Weekend!!

Yesterday was stressful for me. My morning started with a voice message left for me from Melissa at our home study agency.

Let me backtrack for a second. Last Tuesday (the 23rd) we had our home study visit. Then on Saturday (the 27th) while we were out exploring the area, I got NUMEROUS calls from Melissa asking me various questions about our paperwork. I made sure to put everything IN ORDER as shown on the checklist that they provided on their website. First the 911 Call History was missing... then she found that but couldn't find the one for Wake County (she had Holly Springs). I had to explain that Wake County is the county that Holly Springs is in... it's not a city. Then she called about not being able to find Steve's drug-screen results (his doctor listed on the paperwork).

It was literally, one call after another. She obviously had not looked through everything very carefully, because everything that she was "missing" was in fact there (of course it was... I double/triple/quadruple checked EVERYTHING to make sure nothing was missing!!).

Then she called to say that our financial form was done incorrectly, so Steve had to sit down and do that.

The last thing she said was that they were still waiting on our GBI clearance. Let me explain what the GBI clearance is and how the system works (it's rather complicated if you ask me). GBI stands for Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I had to preregister us into the GBI system a day before going to get our prints taken. I paid online and added all required information into the system. All we had to do was show up at a location that has the COGENT system and we'd be all set. When I put our info into the system, I had to provide a reason for needing the prints (adoption) and a code for the organization requesting the prints (our home study agency). The code was provided to me by our agency, so I just had to follow the very clear instructions from their website.

After the person(s) has their prints scanned (it's called a livescan), the prints go through COGENT and are sent to GBI to run the prints and do the criminal background check. Then GBI sends the prints back through COGENT and they notify the agency (based on the code) that the background check is ready for pick-up (electronically).

Because there are so many different reasons why someone would need a GBI check, and it's for the entire state of Georgia, once the individual has their livescan done, the organization requiring the scan has 30 days to retrieve the information.

We had our prints (and all our required home study stuff) done on September 7th. On our way home from getting our livescan, I called Melissa and told her that we had just finished our scans and that they were free to pick up the info. I was given a receipt from the lady at the livescan location that had a confirmation number and proof that our prints were in the system. I included a copy of this receipt (and a note showing the date and time that I called Melissa to inform her that our prints were taken and ready to be retrieved) in our home study paperwork.

Okay... so on the 27th when she said they still didn't have the prints from COGENT... I wasn't sure how it was possible. I immediately said to myself, "I bet they never went into COGENT to get the results and the 30 days passed."

Okay, so my voice mail left for me by Melissa basically said that our home study report was done, but they don't have the GBI results, so we may need to go and get them done again.

EXCUSE ME???? UM NO!!!!

I was livid. So I called her back and she was frustrated and kept telling me that they called on the 30th and 31st and that they were getting nowhere with trying to get our prints. She had called a Cheryl Peyton at GBI to find out what the problem was, and Cheryl said that she could see our scan and that she'd send the results back through COGENT. This happened twice (apparently) and Melissa was mad that nothing was coming through. Cheryl told her to call COGENT and find out what the issue was.

So her basic statement to me was that I needed to call Cheryl because she wasn't getting anywhere with her, and maybe since they're my prints, I could get her to fax the prints to Melissa. WHAT???? Good Lord... anyone who knows me well, KNOWS how much I HATE talking on the phone. Especially to deal with crap like this.

She said if we couldn't get the prints, we'd have to go get them done again. Which pissed me off because it was $70 and we followed the protocol. How was this OUR problem??? But her view was that it clearly wasn't HER problem and she threw it off on me to deal with. She didn't care when I said that Steve can't take a day off work to go get prints, and he's traveling with work and it's Summit season-- his BUSY time of the year. She didn't care.

Okay, so I called Cheryl at GBI. As soon as I said who I was and started to explain our situation, she cut me off and laid into me with how she'd already told Melissa that she's sent the results through. TWICE. I said that Melissa had told me that and thought by having me call, maybe there'd be some progress made. This pissed Cheryl off more than anything. She point-blank told me that GBI DOES NOT deal with the public. No individual should EVER call them. They only deal with businesses and organizations and it's for a reason.

I apologized and told her I didn't know what else to do. Thankfully, she softened up and said she wasn't mad at me, but it was a shit-move by Melissa to try and use me as a power-play. She said she'd call COGENT and find out the problem. I said that Melissa had told me that she called and was not helped. Cheryl said that Melissa should have called her and told her that, and she could have called COGENT on their behalf... but Melissa should NEVER have given me her number and told me to call. Yes, she was pissed.

She got my name and number and said that since she never got a number from Melissa, she'd call me back and let me know what she finds out. GREAT!

Like ten minutes later, I got a call from Melissa saying that she got a call from COGENT saying that they'd be running our print results at 3pm. She said they wouldn't be at work, but she'd call me in the morning (today) to let me know the results. Her last statement was, "Don't call Cheryl yet..." I said that I had already called...

DUH!! Why the eff do you think COGENT called you???? Just randomly?? NO! It's because Cheryl called COGENT because I CALLED CHERYL!

Anyway... like two hours later, I got a call from Cheryl and she said that everything looked good with COGENT but she found out some information. She said that our prints were taken on September 7th. This means that Melissa had 30 days to get our prints (October 6th). The prints were not retreived in the 30 days (AH HA!!! I KNEW IT!!!) and the first attempt to get them was on OCTOBER 30th (which is WELL over a month). The second attempt to retreieve was OCTOBER 31st!!

So she wanted me to know that WE did nothing wrong. All the blame is on Melissa and so she said because she felt bad for me, she wanted to help me out so she went ahead and pulled out our info from the system and sent it through COGENT. She asked if she could get Melissa's number from me because she wanted to personally tell her that SHE screwed up (not me). She wanted to make it VERY clear that she is to NEVER again give their number to a client, and they are to check the system before the 30 days, and there will NOT be a second chance again. YIKES.

I ended up getting a call from Melissa at 2pm letting me know that the prints came through and we're all set. The home study report would be finished and sent to us early next week. THANK GOD.

So that stressed me out (as you can tell). I finally got a call today from Babies Can't Wait about making Gus's first appointment for therapy. I found out that LaTasha and Rebecca (2/3 of the people who evaluated Gus) will be on our team! LaTasha is our BCW coordinator and Rebecca will be our Speech Therapist (which is AWESOME because she has an OT background as well)! Hopefully she'll be able to help with the speech delays and the SPD at the same time!

I'm feeling REALLY eager for Christmas to arrive... so I've been getting my Christmas music gathered from iTunes. I'm ready to make a playlist and sync it to my phone, so I can listen in the car. I love the holidays!!!

We have no plans this weekend and I'm so glad to be able to just relax and not do anything. We're supposed to go to a craft fair with Lesley and Jason tomorrow and meet them for breakfast before. It should be a fun morning!!

:-)

The Elephant in the Room

 

Mummy Gus

Anyone who knows me well, knows my thoughts of pacifiers being used with children over the age of one. I'm all for parents doing what they feel is best and necessary for their kids, but I don't want to see it. I especially don't want to see a four year old hanging out at a store sucking on a paci. It's just gross to me. I honestly don't know where my intolerance for pacis has come from, but trust me, nothing sets me off quicker than seeing a paci in a child's mouth (I have no issues when the child is less than one). 

Anyway... it's related to what I'm about to share (trust me). Last week when we found out about the SPD- SS diagnosis, I made it a point to do as much research and reading as possible on the topic. I talked to my friend Melanie (an OT) and asked about some suggestions and whatnot for Gus. One of the things that he does excessively is chewing on/sucking on his shirts. He has the collar portion of his shirts in his mouth at all times. 

I told Melanie about this and that we have to tell him to stop chewing on his shirts. She said that a lot of the time, it's an instant way for him to regulate his sensory system. Her explanation made total sense, and  I asked her for some suggestions. She gave me the link to a few therapy sites and I was able to get some different things to try with Gus (not just for the chewing).

One thing that I found on Amazon, in the "chewelry" department is this elephant necklace. The idea is that the child wears the necklace and then chews on the trunk of the elephant. It's supposed to be like chewing on a shirt and the elephant and necklace is made of shirt material. I figured I'd give it a shot.

Well... today Gus chose not to nap (AGAIN-- grrrrrr) and decided that he wanted to hang out with me all afternoon. I had some things to do on the computer, so he brought his chair and iPad into the office and sat and played while I worked on some things (like ordering our tickets for Disney eeeekkk!!!).

 

Enjoying some popcorn for a snack

Then the mailman came and I went to get the mail. He delivered a package from Amazon. I knew immediately that one of Gus's Christmas gifts was inside, but so was the elephant chewelry. I carefully pulled out the necklace and showed it to him. He was hesitant to put it on, but once I explained that he can chew/suck on it, he was so happy!

 

Checking out the elephant

 

Into his mouth it went and we began popping the packing bags that came with the box

 

So happy with his elephant

He (obviously) loves the necklace. It's better for him to chew/suck on that and let us throw it into the wash, than to constantly be nagging him to stop chewing on his shirts. However, Steve made a comment about it looking like a paci and I have to admit, that it DOES. It's NOT a paci and not being used with the same purpose as a paci, but it does irk me a little. I guess it's a matter of me getting over my issues and just being elated that we've provided him with something that can help regulate him.

I don't plan on taking the elephant out in public, but it'll be used around the house for sure. We have one other piece of chewelry coming for him to try and if he likes that one, we'll use it in public as needed.

It's Like A Puzzle, Right?

 

I adore these two!

A good friend of mine that I met when we lived in NC, messaged me on FB about my blog post about Gus being diagnosed with SPD. She's an OT and said that if I had any questions, she'd love to talk to me and help in any way. I decided to take her up on her offer.

So after our morning playdate, and shopping at the Goodwill (I had no idea how quickly they turn over merchandise!), we came home and played for a bit and then once I put Gus down for the nap that he never took (LOL), I gave her a call.

She was super helpful and helped explain a lot of things that I have been wondering, but have no one to ask yet. We have to wait until our BCW case worker calls us to set up anything with a speech pathologist. I think after talking to Melanie, I'm going to definitely ask about doing speech for like a month and then OT for a month and then we'll see what we should do from there. I have a nagging feeling that if we do the speech for a long period of time, it'll just delay the help needed with the sensory issues. At least by doing OT, we can still get some help with speech, since most OTs also have some speech things that they can do.

It's all a very fascinating world and one that I never thought I'd be in. He's not autistic (I don't think anyway), and Melanie said if he was, they probably would have mentioned it. So, I guess that's a good sign. He doesn't have all the quirks that come with all parts of sensory processing disorder.

Melanie told me about some things that we can do with Gus while we're waiting to see an OT. She also sent me some info tonight and I went onto a therapy website and ordered some things that I think he'll really benefit from having. I'm hoping that Steve can submit the receipt to our flex-spending account. We'll see.

I feel like the puzzle pieces to represent autism are so appropriate. While Gus doesn't have autism (at least I don't think he does), SPD is something that many children with ASDs have. It's a complex disorder and something that many don't understand or see as real. I guess the more I'm reading and researching about it, the more real it's feeling, and the sadder I get knowing that there are people who don't think it's real. I guess until you've got a child who is suffering from something that you can't see or understand, you can't say if something is legit or not.

I feel like it's a big puzzle and I'm slowly getting various pieces and I'm left trying to put it together and find out what it all means. My hopes are that once we have contact from BCW, we'll get some answers (clues to our puzzle) and have a better idea of the whole picture and what's next to come.

For now, I'm eagerly awaiting my books to arrive that I ordered from Amazon. I'll read them and try to start creating a healthy "sensory diet" for Gus. Those are two words I never knew about before Monday, and here I am using them like it's been something we've been doing for months. A sensory diet includes things that we (mainly I) can do with him during the day to keep him busy, active, happy, and balanced. Having a good OT would be awesome because they can help create the sensory diet for him and I'd just have to follow it for him.

We shall see what comes. Melanie said it might be worth it to just find out the name of a good OT, meet with them and pay whatever is needed (we have a $1,000 deductible), let them get us started with what we need, and then not worry about the OT until we've done the speech for a while. I don't know... not sure what we'll do. I do know that our insurance doesn't cover a lot once we actually do meet the deductible (25 total visits a year from all therapy). 

Don't get me started on why I think we should have universal health care... but honestly, the fact that I have to pick a therapy for my child, because we can't afford more than one... it's ridiculous. But anywho...

 

The trampoline has been amazing for Gus. He jumps on it for several hours a day. Sometimes while watching MMCH, others while listening to music and dancing.

 

Gus and Steve at dinner on Tuesday

 

He loves bead mazes!

So as the picture becomes clearer, I'll be sure to keep y'all updated. Please keep us in your prayers as we head down this unfamiliar path. I pray that God equips us with all that we need to make sure that Gus is happy, balanced, and having all his needs met.