After a week-long maelstrom of countless phone calls, it's all been settled. Mr. Clod is going to Minnesota on May 9th to get a big chunk taken out of his leg at the University. It turns out it is a pretty big chunk indeed--several stitches and mild scarring are expected--but I honestly think he's kind of happy that he can be the one to do/endure for the kids, for once. Testing is done immediately, so we'll have confirmation that we can go ahead with the kids' procedures before he even gets back on the plane. We got ourselves approved for an "in-network exemption" through insurance, which means it's completely covered, and my mom is giving us air miles she was never going to use for us to fly him up there. It's worked out as well as it possibly could have, considering.
In other positive news, my mother-in-law gave my daughter something similar to
this for her birthday. This is nice not because of the item itself, but because she got it "from a friend with an autistic child, and I guess he'd grown out of it." This is the first time she's acknowledged Minifobette's autism in any way, even indirectly. Giving a toy that is at least nominally "meant for" an autistic kid is a huge step for her.