Friday, January 18, 2013

Take Two

My brave girl got her ears pierced again! After her holes grew back overnight a year and a half ago, she was terrified to get them pierced again. For a year she swore she'd never do it again, then about six months ago she wavered a little, saying maybe "someday". She really wanted pierced ears, she was just terrified to go through it again.

Today after school she suddenly announced she was ready. So off we went to the mall, and soon she was bravely sitting in the ear piercing chair. She was nervous, but very brave! And I'm so proud of her for overcoming this! Yay Ellie!


Shelley

It's our normal.

Evening homework/OT session at home. This time Rainbow joined in. Guess she didn't think the beanbag was heavy enough. :)


Shelley

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Austin's Ears.

What a challenge my sweet boys' ears have been. We've worked closely with our ENT for quite awhile, and just last week got the great news that his ears were FINALLY clear of all fluids and infections after more than four looong years.

That's the good news.

The bad...

Even without fluid, Austin has significant hearing loss in his left ear. It's the first time we've been able to test his hearing without fluid present, so it's the first clear knowledge we've had of his hearing.

My heart sunk at the news. I listened to the audiologist as best I could, while my brain raced to process what she was saying. It wasn't at all the news I'd expected.

This morning Austin had a CT scan done to give us an idea of why he doesn't hear well. He was so brave, but I know he was terrified. He held perfectly still as the machine scanned his head. I watched from behind a glass window. That was hard. I just wanted to scoop him up. There's something terrifying about machines scanning your baby. But we made it.

His eyes lit up as we left the lab area and I asked him if he'd like to eat breakfast in the hospital cafeteria before I took him to school. The magical cafeteria that for some reason is the coolest the ever to him. :) We ate a good breakfast and chatted for awhile, then off to school he went.

I'm still processing. But I'm so, so thankful that he did so well. Love that boy.


It looks like he's facing another ear surgery, this time to remove some skin-like cells (growths) that aren't supposed to be in his ear. Sigh. Hoping and praying this is the final surgery for my sweet boys ears.

Shelley

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Being a Grown Up.

I remember being 16, applying for jobs, and for the first time ever, having to fill out paperwork. And I remember being annoyed. Really annoyed. I also remember the thought crossing my mind to ask my mom to do it for me, but since she was a good mom, and had taught me responsibility, I knew I had to do it on my own.

But I was still annoyed.

I feel much the same way now. Only instead of a couple of pages for a job application, I have mountains of paperwork for and from my children.

It's all consuming.

It's exhausting.

As I look back, I can see how it started. Job applications, marriage paperwork, wedding thank you notes, doctor's forms, insurance documents, baby check-ups, preschool evaluations...see the progression?

Being the mom of a neuro-typical child, I think paper work is a bit annoying, but that's where it ends. Being the mom of special needs children takes the paperwork to an entirely different level. Instead of a page to fill out for the doctor, it's stacks of forms and parent evaluations. Instead of a small school registration packet, it's IEP meetings and lists, and numerous pages to sign and date.

Add in the countless trips to doctors and therapists and pharmacies, and before you know it...you're a Grown Up.

Ugh.

And you kind of realize why your 16 year old self was so annoyed. It's like she realized that those job applications were just the beginning.

Shelley

Thursday, January 3, 2013

My little monsters.

Getting ready for Monsters Inc. 3D!



Shelley

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013!

Happy New Year!!!

We had a fun night celebrating the end of 2012 with our super fun friends! The kids had no trouble staying up til midnight, except for Austin! He almost made it, but fell short by about 20 minutes. The kids gathered around him for their New Years Pic, and he didn't even stir! Love those little boy moments!



Shelley