My political life is a bit overwhelming to me...

and I'm mentally exhausted by it but here is an update.

Met with Senator Clark Jolley to discuss the lack of coverage by insurance companies on amino acid-based elemental formulas. Great meeting. Like the man. He WAS LATE to our appointment!! Like 30 minutes late!!! But I forgave him quickly :) when he said, "Let me research this and I'll get back to you in 2 weeks. Sounds doable."

The next day one of my "lobbyists" told me that because my meeting had gone so well, he had set up a round table discussion with Jolley and some health care professionals to discuss how effective these formulas are for other patients (not just kids with severe food allergies) and did I want to come? Of course I want to come!! When is it? Thursday. Um....ok...I'll make it work.

Wednesday, day before meeting, 5:00pm, we are on the way out the door to go eat at OC. "Lobbyist" calls me to say that he has been pulled "off the case from the headquarters in Washington." Huh? "I'm not a registered lobbyist." Oh. What does that mean? "I can't speak to a senator or representative on behalf of my company. I can't encourage you or discourage you from attending the meeting. I can't encourage or discourage any HCP (health-care professionals) from doing that either. I won't be in attendance tomorrow. I'm so sorry. And off the record - go get them!" After I hung up, I sat down and cried.

My dietician friend call shortly after my crying spell and says she's still going and she will be prepared to talk in place of lobbyists. Previously we thought we would just go and look pretty and listen to all the doctors and nurses and dieticians talk. I felt better.

Thursday: drive to pick up 80 year old doctor and take her to the capitol. Meet 6 other HCP women and we squeeze into Senator Jolley's office and they begin talking. Senator Jolley starts talking code: PCCP and Title 36 and other stuff and I nod along like I totally get when he's talking about. At the end of the meeting he asks me to get in touch with 2 Senate staffers.

Monday: I call 1 Senate staffer. She tells me that if he asked me to call her then we are WRITING A BILL!!!! December 9th is our due date.

In most recent news....Representative Grau called to tell me that my insurance company would be denying our appeal to insurance companies first denial. So we will begin the process, I think, of a "2nd level appeal".

In other news: #1 Senate staffer has told me she will be letting #2 Senate staffer do the writing of this bill (with my finishing touches of course) because #2 deals with insurance and #1 deals with health and then "IF Senator Jolley decides to sponsor the bill, we will move forward in January." What? When did we move to IF?

Believe me when I say that I have political highs and lows about every Monday/Wednesday/Friday since I started this whole thing. Some days I really want to quit and go back to my regular life. Some days I really feel like fighting.

Right now I feel really glad that we can make sacrifices to afford this $$$ amino acid-based elemental formula and I still fervently pray that Jackson will grow out of all food allergies. He gets retested in February!! :) He DID lose weight again, but we are staying the course on his current eating plan with dietician at Children's in Dallas. He had a really sick month in October so we are chalking it up to that and moving on.

When feeling discouraged about the political process of getting a bill going or having my appeal denied, I try to remind myself that Moses got a NO 9 times from Pharoah before he got a YES! And then after that YES, Moses was chased. And God did provide.

And when I was feeling like quitting this whole crazy thing on Thursday, I got an email from a person I made contact with regarding supporting my bill. She and her group got the "epipen bill" written for the state of Oklahoma (I did not even know we had an epipen bill). Anyway, I'm meeting with her next Wednesday. She said it was quite a process to get it done. I told her I that I felt "processed" already. But God knew I needed a little push to keep going and so he gifted me with my new friend Cami - the epipen bill author. God does provide.

Now you are updated on my political life. I absolutely know that I am gifted in being a teacher and I could never and should never go into politics. I've said it. Now someone hold me to that when I get another crazy idea.

Jackson Matt is 2!

So....Jackson was not thrilled to have his birthday photo shoot out on the bricks.

And was less cooperative the longer we were out. However, this weekend he enjoyed a double birthday party with the big sis. He also enjoyed his sugar-free, gluten-free, fat-free, fun-free rice krispy "cake." More pictures to come.

My baby - a Jackson update

For the first time in 5 months...Jackson didn't gain weight, he lost 5 ounces! AND he got an "ear infection that manefested in his lungs"?? I didn't even know that was possible!

Then last week he (when he was all well from the lung-ear infection) he got his first dose of the flu shot. He is allergic to egg so he did not get it last year. And he got the flu last winter. And he stopped breathing (briefly) last winter.

But we (pediatrician, allergist, dietician - his team) all decided that it might be best that Jackson to get the flu shot this year because the CDC had changed their recommendations for flu shot and egg allergies.

He has been itchy and rashy since then but NO breathing difficulties (which is WONDERFUL)!!! Yay!! We go back for dose #2 of the flu shot in late November.

However, I guess he scratched one foot so badly that an infection in the scratch caught hold. It could be either a "staff infection or mrsa, it's hard to say," says pediatrician. I said, "No, no, no, no, no!" Not to my sweet precious! No! So....Jackson is on a very strong antibiotic to kill those bad germs. And I'm pretty sure that we will be headed back down to Dallas to see dietician soon because of the weight loss.

Our baby turns 2 next Wednesday, October 26! Please join us in prayer for a healthy year for J, Jumpin J, Jackpot, Chubba Chubba Choo Choo, Chubba, Choo Choo, and Chooch.

I married the high school quarterback

Last weekend Matt and I went to his 20 year high school reunion. And here is the salutatorian, quarterback, track star, FCA and NHS president, etc, etc, etc (I can't remember all that he did in high school - but it was a lot).

Out of the 65ish graduates of Post High School in 1991, there were about 25-30 that attended one of the events.

I believe this is the mile relay team of 1991.

And here we are with Matt's proud parents - Pops and Jarre.

Now over the weekend I heard lots and lots of stories about Matt. Some I didn't know and some I had heard before. Here are some quotes.

"Your husband is alive today because I blocked for him."

"Matt McCook was one of the nicest people at Post."

"Wherever Matt McCook is, there is a good time."

"Matt McCook is one of the best friends I ever had."

and Matt's all-time favorite...

"Who are you rootin' for? P-M-S"

oh yes...class of 1991...you have come a long way.

We've got a budding artist on our hands!

Katie won the Charleston's coloring contest!!

Not just the one where everyone who enters gets a free kids meal.

The one where you win a Charleston's t-shirt.

The manager said to her, "Do you know what a rare item you own?" (talking about the t-shirt). Katie said, "What is it?" He said, "Your new shirt." She said, "No silly. I have lots of shirts. But thank you."

Love our girl.

He said "I'll work with you!"

I met with Representative Randy Grau this morning at Panera Bread. It did seem normal and easy, except for the fact that I was meeting another man for breakfast and friends from church were eating nearby. But I hoped they saw his House of Representatives lapel pin and notebook.

I explained our story, our insurance saga, how I knew full well that any legislation passed would not affect me (prayerfully and hopefully Jackson will have outgrown some allergies by then), what the problems with the insurance company are, and then I asked, "I would like you to author a bill mandating insurance companies to cover and reimburse for amino acid-based elemental formulas, regardless of delivery, so long as said formula is administered by a licensed health care professional."

And then I waited.

And he said, "You've skipped a step."

"Oh," I said, "I'm new. What do I do now?"

Well first he will probably ask a representative friend on the insurance committee to author the bill. That way it will be heard by that committee. He will probably co-sponsor the bill. He will also chat with Senator Clark Jolley, who I am meeting with in mid-October, to discuss the bill going through the senate first (a senator can author as many bills as he wants, reps can only author 8 bills - I didn't know this until today) and then when it makes it over to the house he will support the bill and help push it through.

If things go as scheduled then it wold be authored, heard, hopefully signed by the governor into state mandate in June and made law on November 1, 2012. So by this time hopefully, prayerfully Jackson will have outgrown some allergy or have gone through some successful food challenges!

But the step we skipped was what he can do for me. I am emailing him the particulars of my insurance case so he can make a call to the vice-president of legislation for our insurance company and ask where we are on the McCook case.

And if that doesn't get the formula paid for then Randy Grau will get the Insurance Commissioner on the case.

WOW!! I was not expecting this!!

Oh me of little faith.

He asked if I could email him all these things by 10am. (It was approaching 9:30am.) "No, probably not, but I can get it to you just after 12:30." This is when Jackson lays down for a nap.

So blog friends, thank you so much for the high-fives, the prayers, your listening ears and your own ideas of how I should present my case.

And as the particulars become "official" I will keep you posted and I will be high-fiving everyone from here to No Man's Land.

Catherine - thank you for watching Jackson!! I couldn't have done this without you!

Again, thank you all!! I'm super excited!!

The first day of Sonshine School was September 8. I'm just now posting pictures.

Jackson is ready for the Farm Animals class.

He's got his night-night, his blankie #1, blankie #2, ya-ya (paci) and 2 cars.

Jumping J would not sit still for a picture in his classroom and thought running around the rocking chair would be way more fun.

Mrs. Chiara finally captured the boy and made him sit so I could get a first day of school picture. Whew!

Katie was super excited that she got to ride the Sonshine School bus from morning kindergarten ALL the way over to Sonshine School. This is her last year :( and she is in the World Explorers class.