Prayer request

I received this post from a friend of mine.. Please keep this family in your prayers

"This is the sweetest little guy in the fight for his life. He mother was told when she was still pregnant with him, that he would never live...but he has, and he's a beautiful 4 1/2month old. He's been in SVT since last Sunday and has not been responding to medications as well as his doctors had hoped. I've fallen in love with this sweet little guy and his family. For any of you who are bloggers/blog-readers, please check out the blog at www.mycharmingkids.net . You will likely fall in love also! In the meantime, please be in prayer for this sweet little guy and his awesome family. Thanks, Ashley"

6 month update

Yesterday marked Molly's 6 month anniversary. Thank you to those of you who called to sing her 1/2 happy birthday. She had a very exciting cell phone day :)

We celebrated this day by taking her to the doctor for her 6 month visit. She checked out wonderfully! Her ear infection from a few weeks ago is totally still gone and the doctor said she is doing great. She weighed 16ibs 9oz (50%) and was 25inches long (25%). Looks like she is going to be a shorty like her mom. Her height has been consuctive at the 25% but she lost weight on the curve.. but dont you worry, she is still a little butterball as always. We attribute this to her jumpster which she jumps in up to 2 hours a day. She also recieved 2 shots, the last DTaP and Hib. That completes her DTaP and Hib series. We are now going to be focusing on the PCV and Polio, which we will do 1 every two months.

Other updates.. she is rolling over from front to back all the time. She still refuses to roll from back to front. She doesn't like being on her stomach but we are working on that daily. Her newest thing is scooting. She reaches for the object that she wants and then, if she is too far away, she scoots towards it. She prefers to sit than lay down, in general, but she isn't able to sit unassited unless she is holding her toes to balance herself. She eats her toes constantly and drools like crazy. When she is excited or hungry, she makes high pitched squeeling noises which are adorable. She tries to hold her bottle and can hold it when there is only a small amount of liquid in it but not the full 6oz. She has started really enjoying toys. Things that make noise, rattle, stuff like that. She loves books that make noise too. She is eating 2ish meals a day, breakfast and dinner. She has tried all the stage 1 baby foods and really eats them all: bananas, peaches, pears, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots. She also eats her cereal much better now. She is a great sleeper. Sleeps an avg of 9-11hours a night and is done with her swaddle blanket. And perhaps my favorite thing, she prefers Bryon and I and actually gets upset when we aren't around. I know this can become difficult as she gets older and doensn't want to stay with anyone else, but right now, it is very sweet and endearing.

That's Molly! This week, my mother-in-law is coming to visit us and Bryon is driving to pick her up in Maryland. The time has arrived to start packing up our apartment and getting ready for the move. The internet connection in our apt is not working so any updates I post come from the main computer in the office. If there are fewer pictures lately that is why. I'll do my best to keep it coming though. Have a great weekend everyone!

savorphotography.blogspot.com

Check out
http://www.savorphotography.blogspot.com

Click on the link for the blog and guess who you see!!! Could it be Molly?? :)

Great stuff!

Check out this great new business! My friend Emily is incredibly gifted in sewing and has now started her own business. If your looking for a neat handmade gift from a very talented young woman, this is your thing! She gave me an apron and oven mit last year and I use it all the time. It is still in perfect condition and is absolutely beautiful!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7032181

Stay tuned for details from Molly's 6 month doctors visit that we are going to this morning.

Watchin the Game

GO TIGERS!!!

Molly This Week

Happy Birthday Mary!!!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!
ANDDD
Happy Birthday Mary!!!

I am wishing pretty badly that I was already moved to England today. I imagine hopping onto a boat and scooting over to Ireland where I would drop in on the first pub I see and just live up the lively spirit of St. Patty's Day where it all began. So, those of you who know me are thinking, um, Haley, you don't really drink except on rare occasions and certainly not nasty beer. Well, so what! I think the spirit of it all would be marvelous, kinda like being in New Orleans on Marti Gras, only without the vulgarity and complete nastiness, ok, so maybe thats a bad comparison but I think you get the picture.

We got the official nod that Bryon's first day of work will be May 26th! We will be heading over sometime before that and we're still waiting on the exact timeline from here on out. I was talking to Bryon this morning about it all and realized that I am 100% excited now about the move. Before I was like 30% terrified but that 30% has almost completely gone away and I'm bubbling over with excitement.

On a side note, Bryon and I went out last night on our second date since Molly was born. Both dates have been here in Shelby when my parents volunteered to babysit Molly to give us time to ourselves. Those two dates have meant so much to us and we are so grateful to you both for giving us that time together. I cherish dates and alone time so much more now that I ever did. When your dating someone, you can sometimes actually get tired of organized dates, movies, etc but take it from me, they are very special. Having a child changes everything.

Oh, one more thing, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MARYYYYY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. My incredible sister, turns 23 today. She has been through so much in her life and is truly an incredible woman who I have so much respect and love for. You deserve every bit of happiness today and I can't wait to celebrate with you tonight. I love you sister, so much....

Protect promises made to those who serve

The American Legion Strongly Opposed to President's Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment

• To: POLITICAL EDITOR

Contact: Craig Roberts of The American Legion, +1-202-263-2982 Office, +1-202-406-0887 Cell

WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."

Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.

"I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.

"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

SOURCE The American Legion

Hanging with the Greene's

Cuddle bug

Dad gum tag!

This is Molly as of late. She has found the tag on the activity center and tries her hardest to pull it off (first part of the video). No such luck yet tho, but I guarantee she will not stop until it is gone. We are having a great time in Shelby, visiting grandma in her new cabin, going furniture shopping with MawMaw, hanging out with Elizabeth and Mary and just being with family. Not to mention Molly is being spoiled to death by nana who has been keeping her during the day while we run lots of errands. More later!

2 cents

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to apologize to you faithful blog readers for being pretty MIA lately. We have misplaced the cord that uploads pictures onto the computer from our camera and have a ton of new pictures that are just waiting to be uploaded. For the next week, we will be in Shelby, visiting my family and helping my grandma move into her new log cabin so I'll try to take a few shots on my mom's camera and upload them onto the blog.

A brief update: Bryon is finishing up his last class in his masters degree. We are waiting on a few classes to transfer but he is almost done, hopefully! I am loving being a full time mommy. I honestly had no idea I would love it this much. I imagined that I would be eager to get to work but I have totally surprised myself and am in no hurry at all! I can't imagine having missed a single moment so far and am very thankful that I am able to cherish this short period in her life that is already flying by so fast.

We all went to my cousin Erin's wedding last weekend in Bluffton, SC (near Hilton Head). It was great seeing all of my extended family and spending so much quality time with my family. Molly is now over 5 months and doing wonderfully. We took her last week to get 2 more shots. We did Prevnir (or so it used to be called), aka Pneumoccal and Polio. I was going to hold off on Polio until she was older but since we are moving to ENGLAND we decided it was best she was immunized before traveling internationally. Today she visited the Shelby Children's Clinic and was diagnosed with her first ear infection. So, sad! She is taking Amoxicillin and loves it tho, 'the pink stuff' I remember calling it. It's so yummy it was hard not tasting a sip myself! She got weighed and is a whopping 15ibs and 8oz! Hard to believe she was only 6ibs 14oz just 5 months ago! Oh, speaking of the doctor's office, let's not get me started on the HUGE ordeal it was trying to get her an appointment on base (we never did) and then trying to get the dumb insurance to cover her being seen anywhere (it never did). All I have to say is, universal healthcare is the dumbest thing I've ever experienced.

Let's see what else... Molly started on solid foods. She has had bananas, carrots, peas and peaches so far and likes them all. I think the peas are actually her favorite. She doesn't care a lot for cereal but I try to mix it with the food to get a little of the nutrients in her. She's smart tho and knows the difference between that nasty cereal and real food. Molly is also having a blast with her jumpster, she will jump an hour sometimes with only little short breaks. She also tries very hard to eat her toes, but is not quite able to reach them.

I'm sure you noticed how I just slipped the England announcement in there and left you hanging without any more information about it. I feel like I've told so many people already and just realized I never formally announced it on my blog. Yes, we are moving to England, likely in May. Bryon found a great job and we decided this is the perfect time for an international adventure before our family grows even more. We will likely be there for 1-3 years but who knows! I can't say a lot more about the job or what we will be doing there but we do ask you all to pray for us as we pack up, tie up loose ends here and move. Bryon has lived overseas for a year but even though I've traveled internationally extensively, I've never lived anywhere away from the US and am kinda nervous about it. All that said, we have prayed and prayed over this decision and feel confidant it is the Lord's will for us.

So, that's your 2 cent update from the Mushrush family. Love everyone, keep your eyes peeled for more pictures!

Baby center cartoon- 5 months!