Answers and Questions

I'm going through my blog right now (OK for the last 3 days)... because my house is spotless and I have nothing else to do... no wait... that's not right... because I'm tired and don't want to do anything else... that's better! And I am finding that I am HORRIBLE about answering questions you all ask me in the comment section! SO I went back to the very beginning and have copied all the questions I could find that either hadn't been answered already or were rhetorical and I'm going to answer them all here.

ALSO if you would like to ask me a question, now's your chance! You ask here and I'll answer. Promise!

---

General Questions
Girl - have you lost your mind :)!! How are you going to keep up with all of these sites?
Yes. LOL Actually, it's just Kennedy's carepage and here... It IS hard to distinguish what info to put on which page though since everyone doesn't check both.

How are YOU doing?
I am doing fine, really. I'm ready for this surgery to be OVER.

I just realized I have a cousin in Clarksville--army wife with spouse deployed, but no kids--who LOVES kids. Maybe I should hook you guys up?!)
That would be fun! Feel free to give her my info!

So did you get a cheesesteak? (In Philly)
YES!! Stephanie took me to... Crud, I can't remember the name. Genos? Maybe? Anyway, it was AWESOME!!

Tahoe Joe's has great steak and baked potatoes- ever been there???
Never heard of it! If we ever get back to CA I'll check it out!

I didn't know you went to CBU!!! Have you seen the place recently? It's amazing what they've done. AND the air conditioning now actually works in the James Building!!
I haven't seen CBU since 2005. Even then I was in awe... all my tuition money and I didn't even get the good food! haha And A/C in the James building?! NOT fair! But I'm glad for the current students! :)

Wonder-can we bring some of these things east? Especially Claim Jumper and All of that?
Well we now have a Red Robin and a Del Taco in Tennessee... we're getting there. I'm afraid In-N-Out is a pipe dream though. *sigh*

Tried prescription strength stuff? (for allergies)
Nope, it all knocks me out! Thankfully whatever was attacking me has stopped... for now!

Have you ever read this blog? Because I Said So It's so funny and she makes money on it! It started when she wrote this really funny description trying to sell a pack of Pokemon cards one of the kids got past her at the grocery store.
YES! She's one of my favorites!

Ok, why did I never realize you had this blog? I'm putting you on my blog roll, if that is ok! :)
Most definitely OK!

Those jammies (from Christmas Eve) are adorable! Children's Place?!
YES! I paid $16.50 a piece... and just recently found them for $2.50. I'm not bitter. Much.

LOL I get it! that's too funny, it was kind of hard to read, did you write this?
Nope, I didn't write this. I'm way too OCD. I couldn't resist torturing you all though!

Do you ever have a dull day in your house?
Yes! Today has been surprisingly low key. I was supposed to be on a field trip with Kameron, but thanks to the rain, Keeghan and I have been lazy bums. I can't help feeling like I forgot something though! haha

Can I borrow your mom, lol?
NO! I need her here! Well... ok... but you have to give her back!

What snow? You call that snow LOL!
Heck yeah that's snow! We actually got A LOT more about a month later (I realize "A LOT" is all relative). Watch for those pictures sometime... no promises of when!

I was looking for a montage to show my husband and happened to notice your shoe cubbies in the background-- where did you get them from?
Target! I love those things!!

Gotten any compliments on your newest jewelry "collection"?
She's talking about my necklace and bracelet made by Heather. It's awesome and I've gotten lots of compliments! Check out her collection, she makes the most amazing stuff!

Oh yeah, you seriously have school closed for voting?
Yeah well, I guess some of the schools are used as polls for voting and they don't want the kids there with strangers going in and out. Still though, it makes it hard for parents to vote!

How do you keep up with everything???
I don't. You should see the laundry piled up! But hey, it's clean laundry at least! LOL

(About the Down syndrome creed): Who is the author?
I'm not sure. I wish I knew!

Did you notice the balloons happen to be the Down Syndrome awareness colors?!
YES! Cool coincidence or what?!

Tornados in February? Isn't that odd? I thought May was tornado season.
Well, now that we're in May... I certainly hope that's WRONG! haha But yes, tornados in February is odd.

---

Frank, Kass, Kam, Keeghan Questions
So are you telling me that surgery didn't help Frank with the snoring?
Well, I haven't seen him since December, but as of that time: Sadly, No.

I just have to say, that Keeghan is the cutest thing I have seen in a loooong time. Are his eyes always that big and sparkly???
Yes!! Full of wonder and mischief!

I am assuming that Keeghan had his tubes done at VCH? If so can I ask who is ENT is?
Yes he did. He sees Dr. Goudy... Kennedy saw Dr. Kaylie and then Dr. Werkhaven. Kassidy and Kameron saw Dr. Cofer. We love them all! (I think Dr. Kaylie is gone now though.)

So what did the kids get for their toothless grins?
They got 5 gold dollars for their 1st tooth and now they get 3 gold dollars per tooth. Thankfully I think the tooth fairy's job has slowed down for awhile!

Does Kam really have an Ipod that is HIS?
*sigh* Yes. You can blame that on Daddy who is addicted to all things Apple. I have to say though, that little Ipod is really resiliant!

Do people tell you he (Keeghan) looks like Kassidy?
Yes, I get a good mixture of "He looks JUST like Kameron" or "He really looks a lot like Kassidy!" I get "He makes faces like Kennedy!" too. And they all look like Daddy. I swear I had something to do with their genetics too!

From this post: How does she (Kassidy) feel about getting married and having a Zack and a Zoey now?
Kassidy says she is still going to name her kids Zack and Zoey... I hope she has a boy and a girl or I'll have a granddaughter named Zack or a grandson named Zoey. Hmmm.

How's Frank?
He's good! And I suck for not doing a deployment update. I'll get right on that.

---

Kennedy Questions
How goes the potty training?!
Potty training? What's that?! Oh yeah... *sigh*. Actually we haven't even had a chance to work on it with Kennedy's constant diarrhea. We go to GI next week and MAYBE an end will be in sight?! MAYBE?!

In reference to this post: LOL didn't she (Kennedy) hide something last year too? Something with your camera right?
Yes... Kennedy hid my camera battery. For MONTHS. I bought another one and then finally found it. Sneaky little thing.

and: Could you tell Kennedy it's time for him to wake up? Do you think she knows where he is or not?
I totally think she knew where baby Jesus was hiding. She's much smarter than even I give her credit for! (and yes, we found Him!)

Is her middle name Jean?
Yep... along with Kassidy's, mine, a couple aunts and cousins and both of my Grandmas. I always hated my middle name growing up and swore I would never do that to my daughter... and I did it to both. HA!

From this post:
I'm diggin' the GG house--has Kennedy tried to climb in yet, lol?
No, but Keeghan loves to throw all the dolls out and play in there himself.

From this post: How do you get her to keep those hats on?
Fortunately she LOVES hats! I'm lucky, I know!

Where did you get that coat? It's great!
That was Kassidy's coat once upon a time... I think we got it at Burlington Coat Factory... but I'm not 100% sure. Frank may remember.

I love her glasses! Are they new?
Well... no. She got them over a year ago, but when she was diagnosed with Leukemia we just didn't worry about them. I'm trying to get more consistent with her wearing them, but it's pretty hit and miss. Her vision is normal but one of her eyes turns in so they're trying to correct it. Not gonna do much good though if I don't let her wear them, huh?! LOL

You never did answer why. Why?
I don't know WHY! hahahaha WHY does this word make me want to curl up in a little ball?!

From this thread:
SO?! What did you win?! And how could she NOT win?!
We won a TV! There were some GREAT pictures, so I was actually really surprised that she did win!

Where are you going to put the TV?
In our living room... but I don't have it yet. I'm waiting for Frank to get home so I don't buy the wrong thing! LOL

---

Medical Questions
About the Free Bone Marrow Registry: Someone asked me why it isn't ALWAYS free. I don't know, do you?
I don't know either. I would assume it costs to store the samples and for the lab work to determine if someone is a match or not. That would be my guess. Only a few more days to sign up for free! :)

Is there anything a Chiropractor can do for Kennedy and the AAI? My husband is a chiropractor and I know there are techniques they can use that are gentle (i.e. - not actually taking the neck and twisting it for the adjustment). I was just wondering if there was any alternative to surgery.
Unfortunately, no. Her situation with the extremely large gap must be fused... it's not going to fix itself. It would be nice though!

Not that you haven't tried this already but have you tried to see if there is a Crippled Children's in Tennessee?
I actually haven't looked for this... never even heard of it. I'll have to look into it, thanks!

What is the total length of time for treatment of AML?
Treatment for AML (at least for Kennedy) is 6 rounds of chemo... it usually works out to about 1 round a month. It's 5 days of chemo and then recovery time before the next round... the chemo is very high dose so it really takes 2-4 weeks to recover. Our shortest admission was 16 days, our longest was 24. Then as long as she stays in remission, that's it. If she were to relapse she would have to do more chemo to get back into remission and then get a bone marrow transplant.

Is a bone marrow biopsy checking for Leukemia cells? Is she in remission right now or will this determine if she is?
She is in remission. Her last biopsy was to check and make sure that she is STILL in remission. (So yes, they were checking for Leukemia.) She was (is) spiking weird fevers and her counts were a little off, so they just wanted to make sure. Thankfully, she's fine! :)

Do you still have the option of having it (Kennedy's surgery) done at Vandy or will they make you jump through hoops too?
Haha That's a loaded question! Yes, I am sure we could still have the surgery done at Vandy. However, we have the utmost faith in the doctors from Shriners and feel that because of their endless experience with this type of surgery, she is in the very best hands possible. Now as for anesthesia, neither hospital wanted to sedate her so I think we'd be jumping through hoops either way.

Our children's hospital just informed us that we have access to a nurse who helps deal with issues like this. That's her entire job--help out with insurance, get appointments that are crucial, etc. Does Vandy have that?
We had a liason through Tricare (our insurance) while Kennedy was going through chemo. She was condescending and not any help. I'm not sure if the hospital has something like this available or not, but I would be hesitant to try it...

Is Kennedy registered with EFMP?
Yes, we love the EFMP program and her Developmental ped there. They have helped me jump through a lot of hoops over the years!

How is tricare for you?
I can't complain too much. They have paid for EVERYTHING except for copays on medicine. I've had to fight them a few times, especially when I was trying to get the kids' medical care switched to Civilian vs. Military, but overall they have been great!

---

Military/Deployment Questions
How long will your hubby be deployed for?
He will be home in March 2009... He left in December 2007, so 15 months total.

Solerno as in Italy?
Ha! He wishes! Solerno is the name of his base in Afghanistan.

So glad you get to talk each night. Does the government at least pay for the calls?
No, he has a phone card that he has to reload. I don't think it's TOO expensive though. We talk online most of the time anyway.

I heard on the news tonight that they are shortening deployment to 12 months, will that affect Frank?
Unfortunately, no. The 12 month deployment goes into effect for troops leaving AFTER August 2008. Anyone over there now or leaving in the next couple months still has their 15 month tour.

---

Slideshow/Picture Questions
How do you make these cool slide shows? Do you use a specific website? They are really cool.
My favorite is Picturetrail. You can also use One True Media or Rock You or PhotoBucket.

how do you get a picture with so many poses?
I use Paint Shop Pro (you can also use photoshop) and create a new image and just paste all the images together into one big picture. Clear as mud?!

Just curious...did you have an incident where you photos were used without your permission?
Yes. Sucks doesn't it?!