The Menagerie

There but for the grace of social services...

Imagine that you have a 12-week-old baby boy, who was born prematurely and has suffered with breathing difficulties and terrible acid reflux and colic since the day you were (finally!) able to bring him home from the hospital.  Imagine that you've taken your baby to specialist after specialist to figure out what's going on with him.  Imagine that after the baby has a very, very bad day, you take him to the hospital and tell the doctor (the fifth one you've said this to, incidentally), that you've heard a popping sound.

After the x-rays come back, imagine your shock when the doctor tells you that your baby has broken ribs -- and that you and your husband are the number one suspects.

After seven days of interviews (with police and human services and doctors) and a rollercoaster of "yes he can go home, but with supervision" to "he's going into a foster home" and back again -- all the while the baby is in the hospital and the doctors aren't interested in finding out what's wrong with him -- the very worst happens.

They take your baby away. 

Lag Liv is a third year law student at the University of Chicago.  Insurance will not begin to cover the hospital costs incurred over the last week, because they were not "medically necessary," though they had no ability to take him home from the hospital while this was pending.  If you can, do contribute to her hospital/legal bills via PayPal.  Her address is lagliv@gmail.com.

Vote for Kim

Law school, mother of three, fighting breast cancer (and blogging her experiences)
-- and now Kim is up for a $10,000 scholarship, competing against 19 college bloggers.  As she writes, the scholarship money would tremendously help offset her mounting medical bills at a time when her family very much needs it.

Vote for Kimberley Klein!

Worst nightmare

Everyone, please send good wishes and prayers to University of Chicago law student blogger Lag Liv, who after months of tests and specialists and diagnoses for her infant son, now has another nightmare to deal with. 

There are friends, and there are friends who help you move....

...and then there are the friends who take your keys, pack your stuff, and move your office for you while you and your husband stay home with the newborn.  Thank you, Sue and Jim and Beckie and Brian.  Thank you, Nikki, for storing my office furniture.

I have been overwhelmed by how much help people have provided to us, completely unsolicited (asking for help is very hard for both of us, but boy, did we need it).  We've been fed (and will continue to be for the next week - our fridge is stocked and we have New Seasons and Trader Joes gift cards), birth announcements have been calligraphed, the child has been clothed (and provided with a bassinet and given a bouncer and swing), sent flowers (great for my soul) -- I  can't begin to mention everything that's been done. It has been amazing.  I'm not quite sure what I've done to deserve friends like these, but I am so, so grateful for them all. 

Upcoming Constitution Day

I was at the Washington County Law Library this morning doing research, and librarian Laura Orr asked if I might be interested in distributing copies of the US Constitution at Pioneer Square on Constitution Day. Heck yes, I said, and I bet I can come up with volunteers. 

Provided we can arrange to get number of copies of the Constitution at no/low cost, would anyone be interested in either contributing financially to acquiring the copies of the Constitution or helping distribute them come September 17?  Email me at smactyre AT gmail.com!