Dinner for 50 and more...

We got a call today from the adoption agency in Ohio that Isaac will be losing his Medicaid in about a week. This is very bad. We are in the process of adding him to our insurance but he will be out of network in Ohio. There is a huge possibility we are going to start to incur medical expenses we thought would be covered by Medicaid. We're going to start the process of applying for Medicaid in Ohio and also in Michigan (so he has it here when he comes home). There are a lot of kinks to work out and a ton of red tape that I really don't have the time or energy for while caring for two children. Not to mention the fact that our cell phone bills have been outrageous since this all began and this new problem will only add to that cost. Please pray that this insurance problem will work out and that we will not incur his medical expenses. We've been told that a micro-preemie will incur their lifetime limit in medical expenses in about 3 months. Then what? I have no idea. There is another family at the Ronald McDonald House dealing with the same problem.

Yes! Our dinner on Wednesday night. I completely forgot. Thank you for reminding me. It was wonderful. I think people liked it because it was different. No pasta, no chicken. I made a Sausage Gumbo with rice and a Michigan Cherry Salad. It was a challenge to prepare for so many people...some of the other ladies of the house helped out...it was a fun time. Several families are from Central and South America and have been here for months and no one has ever made rice. They were pleased to have a staple from their diet presented that evening. I think it's interesting how we (myself included) offer to make someone a meal and we oftentimes make the easiest, cheapest recipe we can find. Don't get me wrong, anytime we help someone in need it's a good thing. But I know I sometimes choose the easiest route. Wouldn't it be great if we volunteered to make someone a meal and we brought them over a nice steak and some homemade mashed potatoes with fresh green beans? Something that we had to make an extra trip to the grocery store for. Another hit were the Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Pecan Sandies. I usually buy the cheap brands but decided to buy the "real thing." The Oreos were gone before anything else. It felt good to make others happy. It was a lot of work but sooo worth it. We've all become a kind of family away from family. Sharing our stories and prayer requests. One little boy has been seen by top-notch doctors in three other countries and is here for one last hope at surgery. If he cannot be treated, he will die in the next 1-2 years. He's 3 years old and he has a little brother who is 1 who is still in Ecuador and has not seen his mom in 4 months. She is not allowed to bring her 1 year old to America because the government fears she is just trying to move her family here. Most people have very sad stories. It was an honor to serve them dinner. Truly.

We're in Mackinaw City and waiting in our room for Hannah to fall asleep. I think we're going to go play cards with the fam in a little while. We had a nice dinner together but it was noticeable that Nancy was not there. It's very strange that one minute a person is here and one minute they're gone. There really are no second chances. I miss talking to Nancy about baking questions and gardening. I miss calling and telling her Hannah's latest news. If she were alive, I know she would be playing in integral role in helping us with our current situation. She always put us, first. She was very proud of all of us and what we'd accomplished. There is a whole in all of our hearts because Nancy is gone.

Isaac is doing well and is advancing on his feedings--he's up to 21ml. Keep praying because God is answering!

Enjoy your Saturday evening.