First week of school done and a surgery on the horizon

We all survived the first week of school, phew! I shed far too many tears this week. My days felt empty without Sammy by my side, holding my hand everywhere I went. But I knew he was safe at school with the BEST teacher and having a great time and that put a smile on my face. Elijah had a great week at school, too! He had some blurt-outs, but as far as I've heard nothing worse than that went down. In fact, some really amazing things transpired with him. Things I NEVER thought would happen on this first week of school. During the first two days of school he completed two math sheets (one of them with 56 problems on a page!) WITHOUT COMPLAINT. Uhh...wha?! Last year when a math sheet even touched his desk it immediately got crumpled and thrown across the room. I was so darn proud that I gave him a bit of incentive (uh, bribery) to continue with this. I offered an Inside Out stuffed animal on Friday after school if he could complete one math sheet per day without complaint. He did it!

Sammy has really done SO well this week. I give that boy major props for holding his stuff together so well. He hopped onto the bus happily every day and he hopped off happily every afternoon. He eagerly told me details about his day and seemed genuinely excited about going back again. This morning when we were getting ready for breakfast, I could see that Sammy was on the verge of losing it. I think the craziness of the week had finally gotten to him. He sat on the floor of our kitchen, staring at our pantry and literally SOBBING because I told him he could not eat fruit snacks for breakfast. He would not budge from that spot and continued to cry. Finally I grabbed him and hugged him tight and rubbed his back and told him that I understood. School is tiring! It's been a week filled with change! And I told him I was very proud of him. After a few minutes he completely switched gears, got dressed, ate breakfast and was ready to hop on the bus again! By the way, Sammy got an Inside Out stuffed animal, too. :)

There was another major success with Elijah this week at school. There is a kid in his class who was a major antagonist in his first grade class. This kid...ugh. He preys on Elijah's weaknesses and vulnerabilities and instigates trouble. He knows that Elijah is prone to doing things like blurting out potty words or screaming when frustrated, so he will approach him and say, "Elijah, say a potty word as loud as you can!" In first grade, Elijah always did what he said and of course ended up getting into trouble. This year, after seeing this boy's name on a locker at open house, I began coaching Elijah and  doing some role playing. On day #2, Elijah got off the bus and proudly told me that this boy had urged him to "scream as loud as you can!" E told him, "NO!" and turned the other way. This is hugely hugely awesome.

We have had some medical developments this week, as well. Elijah had two routine specialist appointments, one with urology and the other with ENT. We have known that the urology surgery from last November hasn't worked, but we did not expect to alarm the doctor quite so much. Another surgery is necessary and SOON! He wanted to do surgery as early as Monday! I choked and began coughing and asked if we could maybe wait till the following week. So Elijah will have a urethral dilation on September 25th. The surgery itself is not major or worrisome, but what we have to do at home with him every day afterward for SIX MONTHS is worrisome. Let's just say major painful things in that region. :(

Today Elijah got a hearing test and we chatted with Dr. L. His hearing is the same as it was 6 months ago...mild hearing loss in left ear with a spike into normal hearing in higher decibels. YAY! And an improvement even from last time...his ear drum now moves when air is blown into the ear (before it wouldn't budge). Dr. L said AGAIN that he never ever ever ever would have anticipated this outcome for Elijah. In standard fashion, he referred to E as an "evil genius" and walked away scratching his head. In a good way!

I'm super excited about tomorrow because we will be getting together with two new friends (one in the am and one in the pm) who we have recently met. We are excited about the opportunity for new friendships and connections!

Phew, here's to another FULL week almost done. Looking forward to what next week has in store!

Time of transition

I am always amazed by how much bigger and older the boys look when I do these photo collages. Look at that growth!

Saying good-bye to second grade has been a bit tough! Elijah has come to me nearly in tears a handful of times in the past few days talking about how much he misses his teacher. This morning he told me that he was nervous for third grade. I've never heard him verbalize being nervous about anything. I think he really understands how great of a teacher she is and how much she did for him. Next year is going to be a change, just like every year is!

His teacher sent me an email about E's last day of school. He had forgotten a letter he had written for her at home and he was devastated. He cried and cried and after a few minutes he whizzed by her mumbling, "I know what I can do.." and ran to the scrap paper drawer. He composed the following letter right there in class:

Not only is this just the sweetest letter, but it is impressive that he thought of a solution to his problem! This is a new thing and we've seen it happen at home a few times in the past few weeks. Progress!

On the other hand, behavior this week has been challenging. Elijah has regressed on many levels and we are seeing behaviors that haven't been around since February. I don't think he has been sleeping very well, but I would need to have him wear the fitbit again to know for sure. I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but I'm going to give it another week or so before I start to worry. Maybe the end of the school year caught up with him and he's spent. Maybe the end of second grade is weighing on him.

I have also noticed another slight runny nose, which always interferes with sleep juuuust enough. Tonight he laid down on his pillow to go to sleep and immediately began wailing in pain! His ear is bothering him, which could be an ear infection. I gave him pain medicine and lightly pressed my hand on his ear until he fell asleep. I am PRAYING for that to just GO AWAY. No thank you!

I thought by this point in the year things would open up for us and I'd feel much more relaxed, but that is not happening. This week is going to be crazy. I'm ready...let's do this.

I'll wrap this post up with a few funnies!

Tonight as the boys were crawling into bed (before Elijah began screaming), Sammy informed me that he was NOT going to bed tonight. He would lock himself in the bathroom and hide in the cupboard. He would NEVER sleep again. He would get up in the middle of the night and LEAVE THIS HOUSE. I continued the routine as usual and acted like everything was wonderful. I asked if I could tuck him in and he said, "NO!" I asked if I could give him a hug and kiss and he began to look sad at the thought of that not happening, so he held one thumb pointing straight up and the other pointing to the side. He said, "Do you know what THIS means?" Ugh, I didn't want to know but said yes. "It means, 'Yeah, maybe.'" This boy! So clever. Later when I came in to deal with Elijah's ear, Sammy said, "Remember earlier when I said I didn't want you to ever snuggle with me again? I changed my mind. I'd like you to snuggle me tomorrow."

Dan is in DC right now, so the boys are always asking questions about what he's doing and seeing, etc. Today Sammy referred to DC as "George Washington DC." :)

Last week Sammy got upset with me about something and told me that he didn't want me to be his mommy anymore (this happens often, sadly). I heard Dan say to him, "Sammy, you could search the entire world and not find a better mommy!" Sammy replied, "Then I think I'll travel outside of Earth to find one."

Have a great week!

Chipping away at life and an AMAZING send-off party!

We have been chipping away at life. It seems like so much sometimes, doesn't it? Work, work, work and everything else. I don't mean to complain. I am GRATEFUL for work and busy-ness.

Today we surprised the boys with a Make-a-Wish trip "send-off" party. Our amazing wish team hosted the most incredible party at our house, and we were supported by our amazing family! It was a day to remember for all of us. We will never forget it.

I knew guests were showing up at 2:00 and the wish team was arriving at 1:15. I left the house with the boys at 12:30 with a destination of "the mall" in mind. The roads weren't ideal due to snow, so we ended up driving around on back roads (I wanted the boys to nap in the car) and then going to Target. When we arrived back home and drove by our driveway, we saw my cousin Trevor and his cuties walking along the snowy sidewalk. Elijah said, "Hey! Who IS that?!" I said, "Our neighbor Tom" (I knew he'd ask a name). "Why is Tom going to our door?" Uhhhh...  "What is Tom doing? Does Tom have kids?? WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? WHY ARE THEY GOING INTO OUR HOUSE?!?!?"

Elijah was onto me, but both boys were genuinely surprised when they walked into our home to find so many people saying "SURPRISE!!!" The party was a huge success. Its official name was Surprise Snowy Sunday Sundae Send-off Party (SSSSSP). The wish team had an extensive ice cream sundae bar set up and the kids played fun sundae-related games. It was a blast!

Sammy insisted on sitting RIGHT NEXT TO his brother...on the same chair. Those boys love each other so much.

The games the kids played were so much fun!

Here's a photo of all the kids on the stairs. HIIII! I'M ELIJAH! :)

The complete opposite of his brother, Sammy had to be physically forced into the photo.

Dan is flying out of town as I type. He will be gone until Wednesday morning, so I'll be playing the "single mom" role for a few days. Getting S to daycare, E on the bus, driving down to Cannon Falls to work, getting E from bus and S from daycare.. Please tell me we will survive the week! I can't quite yet envision that we are leaving for Florida in a few days. WE ARE LEAVING FOR FLORIDA IN A FEW DAYS!

I don't think I've mentioned Elijah's ear issues of late. He has had a bit of blood oozing from his surgery ear (along with an occasional low-grade fever), causing some concern. We are praying for minor issues, and his ENT doc does not seem worried. We are giving him ear drops a few times daily, in hopes that he had an ear infection after his last round of strep.

The sleep/behavior saga continues. Last week was a grueling one at school for our oldest boy. We continue to try to find the perfect formula for him. Things seem so complicated sometimes. Every little piece ends up affecting other pieces and it gets so tricky. I just hung up the phone with his sleep specialist and she told me, "He is such a tricky case!" Uhh, yep! In every aspect. But we love him unconditionally and we will continue to do our best to find the perfect formula to make him the happiest person possible, along with his precious brother, Sammy.

That's all for now! Have a great week and thank you so much for checking in!

Catching up

The little boys and I got home from our trip up north on Monday. We enjoyed spending time with family. Look! Elijah has perfected his swinging, pumping ALL BY HIMSELF. We have been working on this for a couple years now. I'm a proud mama!

As I mentioned in my last post, Elijah is in rare form these days. The summer action has caught up with him and he is one sleep-deprived little dude. We have literally been putting him to bed at 6:30 every night since we have been home. He falls promptly asleep and sleeps solidly until at least 6:00 the next morning. We will continue to do this for as long as his body needs it.

Behavior has been bad enough in the past few days/weeks that Dan and I have decided to make another change for Elijah. We have decided to eliminate food additives/preservatives from his diet for a while, as well as limiting his sugar intake. I have read so much about food dyes/additives contributing to challenging behavior in children, and just want to give it a try for a few weeks to see if there is a change. I'm feeling a little bit desperate and honestly just want a happy boy and family again. I will do anything, even if it means finding a second (third?) job to help finance the ridiculously expensive food.

Sammy and I were able to spend today together, which was needed and very special. Dan and Elijah were away for most of the day since Elijah had three different doctor's appointments. We like cramming them all in on the same day!

Appointment #1 involved getting fitted/molded for AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) that will hopefully help with his ankles that turn inward, causing his feet to turn outward when he walks. He had AFOs back when he first started walking, but hasn't had them since he grew out of them. His PT thinks they will benefit him at this point, so we are on board!

Appointment #2 was an ear surgery follow-up with ENT. He took another hearing test, which showed no changes. E's next ear surgery to have a prosthetic device placed and hopefully improve the hearing in his left ear is scheduled for October 22nd.

Appointment #3 was a routine check-up with pulmonology regarding croup. The past year showed improvement in this realm (yay!), and we are praying for continued progress. Last year Elijah only had TWO croup episodes, so this year we are praying for NONE!

I am off to catch up on a little work and chill with my hubby! Have a good week and thanks for checking in.

Ear update

Dan brought Elijah to see his ENT doc this week for his post-surgery follow up. He had a little bit of dried blood/gunk in his ear, so we will do ear drops for a week to hopefully loosen it up. We will head back mid-August for his next appointment. Three-ish months from that point will be his prosthesis placement surgery, which puts us at Oct-Nov.

I have been keeping E's school nurse/caregivers updated regarding his ear issues, and being the AMAZING team that they are they have formulated an Elijah Plan. To be honest, we haven't noticed that Elijah has been having much difficulty hearing. He seems to have adapted pretty darn well to having hearing in only one ear. When I ask him how his ear/hearing is feeling, he says, "It feels great! It's all better, Mom!" When this prosthesis is placed, he is going to be startled at how well he'll be able to hear!

E's "team" at school is forming a plan for the first part of next year, which made me cry happy tears as I was chatting with the nurse on the phone. We plan to have him on a 504, which assists any student with a disability (temporary or permanent). He will have an audiologist that will work with him and his first grade teacher, ensuring that he receives the best help possible to hear what is going on in the classroom. Needless to say, we are very happy about his team being so proactive. We adore his care team! They have taken such good care of our oldest boy.

That's all for now. Today was chilly and rainy, so Dan was home from work and we all had a pizza-movie night which may or may not have involved Willy Wonka. We are looking forward to the weekend! Have a great one, friends and family! Thank you for checking in!

The Mask, and...is spring finally here?!

I had lunch with my sweet friend Sue today and she made me remember that I hadn't written an update about THE MASK and how Elijah dealt with that during his surgery. I've been so caught up with the details that I haven't thought to write an update about that. After all of your prayers, letters, emails and cards, I have to tell you that YOUR PRAYERS HELPED!

(Here's E from tonight, dressed as a dragon and wandering around outside. We had some sidewalk gawkers. :)

We were sure to get E a good heaping dose of Versed before his surgery. He became totally relaxed and loopy, which was a good thing. Dan took him back to the OR, as he usually does (I still can't stomach it after the one time I went) and he said that in standard Elijah fashion he attempted to distract everyone when the mask came out. "Hey guys! I....I have a qu-question!" "Oh, what's your question, Elijah?" "Uhh, ummmm, uhhhh..." After three rounds of this, they finally put the mask on his face and put him to sleep. Dan said he put up a tiny fight, but NOTHING compared to usual. From now on, we will go the Versed route. Thank you all for your prayers about this and your comforting encouraging letters! Elijah and Sammy have adored them and we are grateful beyond words.

We are enjoying the beautiful weather! We're hoping it sticks around this time. It is May, right?!

I tried taking photos of Sammy tonight, and he put up such a fuss which is further proof that he and his brother are such opposites. "NO, MOMMY! NOOOOOO PICTURES!"

Sammy is still sooo independent. He certainly needs control of MOST things in his little life. He is such a funny kid. We love him to pieces!

Dan is back at work at the dropzone now Wed-Sun, so we are beginning to adjust to that. It is a new season!

I will end with a few funnies from the boys. If you're on Facebook, these will be repeats.

Sammy: [fake cough....faker cough....way faker cough..] MOMMY! I have a cough!
Me: I hear that! Are you okay?
Sammy: NOOOooo! I fink I'm DYING!

While waiting for the bus with Elijah one morning last week (in the snowy coldness) Elijah said, "The grass just growled at me, Mr. Slushy!" Not sure what that meant, but it made me laugh!

And here is Elijah, saying, "Mommy! Take a picture of ME!"

Elijah has been using the word "confused" in place of the word "disappointed," which I find to be super cute. He will say, "Mom! You aren't coming to the club with us today? I am very confused about that! I will miss you!" :) I refuse to correct him.

And last but not least, a few Elijah-isms to wrap up:
"Mom, you are the chocolate chips in my cookie."
"You are the elbow on my arm."
"You are the peaches in my oatmeal."
"You are the lobe on my ear."
"You are the woodpecker sitting on my long nose."

Have a good week! Thanks for checking in! xo

Healing ears and an exciting journey

We had a nice week, and we hope you did, as well. E's ear is healing nicely. The only time he complains about it is when we put on/take off shirts and even then, the complaints are minimal. He's such a tough kid. We will head to his post-surgical check-up on May 13th. Until then, we continue to take it as easy as possible! He has been so good about taking it easy when we ask him to.

Within the past few days I have planned a MAJOR summer vacation for the little boys and myself. Unfortunately, Dan will have to stay at home and work since that it his very busy time. :( We plan to travel to 15 states within 18 days! I must be crazy! But get this, we will (hopefully) meet fifteen heart friends and their parents, most of whom we have not yet met. It will be an amazing experience to bond with children and families who have walked similar paths. I cannot imagine what will be in store for us!

Until then, we continue to enjoy snow and cold weather. Isn't Minnesota wonderful? Thanks for reading and thanks for hanging in there with us.

Perspective

If you live in Minnesota, you are likely as happy as we are today! It was a GORGEOUS day! Prior to today and after E's surgery on Tuesday, we were feeling a bit like anxious, caged lions. We were all bickering and wanting out of our cage! We have had to take it extra easy since surgery, so we haven't gotten out much. Today was really good for us. We were able to visit Grandma and play outside and go out for frozen yogurt together (thanks, Grandma!).

Elijah's ear is healing nicely. We are almost totally weaned off the pain meds. He never complained about pain, but we stayed on top of the meds just to be on the safe side. The steri-strips are still intact (you can see them peeking out a little bit in the above pic), but we will let those fall off on their own.

For the past few days I've been dealing with the post-hospital/surgery junk. It happens every time, and I never expect it. Shouldn't I know by now? This time around was mild compared to past times, thankfully. It is always a period of heightened emotion and gratefulness. It's also a period of time when I am given a good dose of perspective. The things I thought were a big deal last Saturday are not a big deal today.

Elijah has endured a lot. When I consider the magnitude of it, where he is at today is nothing short of a miracle. The potty and behavioral issues we have struggled with are totally understandable, and honestly, it's a miracle that we aren't dealing with a multitude of other things. We feel extremely blessed. Not that I would EVER wish anxiety or pain on either of our boys, but time in the hospital always gives me a HUGE dose of grace and perspective and patience and love.

Thanks for checking in! I hope you are all having a GREAT weekend! Enjoy this beautiful weather! Love to all of you from all of us. xo

Ear surgery

I will tell you the good news up front to keep you from wondering! We are HOME (all except Sammy, who is at Grandma's house tonight--thank you, Grandma, for taking such good care of our boy tonight)! Elijah is soundly sleeping in our bed after a long day at the hospital. He was given lots o' drugs today, which makes for a sleepy boy. He has to wear a headband (that you will see in the below photos) for 24 hours to hold the gauze in place. The gauze is fairly bloody, but we are hoping for no fresh blood hereafter. Elijah is not in any pain, but we are staying on top of the pain meds just to be safe. He came out of surgery groggy but doing really well. NO CROUP, praise God! NO VOMITING, praise God! A little crabbiness, which is totally understandable! But feeling good, considering everything. One of the very thoughtful things he has received in the past few days was a Target gift card from my cousin Trevor (that I had placed safely into his little red wallet). The first coherent thing he said to me after surgery was, "Where is my wallet, MOM?!" "Uhh, it's safe at home!" "Well when can I go to Target!!" :)

The surgery took about 4.5 hours. When the surgeon came in to speak to us, the first thing he said was, "It was a sad day for Elijah's ear." :( The cholesteatoma (mass) that he removed had been growing in there for a while. He confirmed that this WAS the congenital variety as opposed to the acquired variety, so who knows how long it has been so big. And it was big! He called it "extensive" a few different times. It was so extensive that, get this, it actually DISSOLVED almost all of the bones inside his ear. I found that to be crazy! So the doctor removed the mass, the tissue that had grown into the mastoid and any bone remnants that were still floating around. Sadly, now Elijah is minus any ear bones in his left ear. The good news is that his footplate was totally intact, which means that hearing is possible! We will bring him back in for a prosthesis placement surgery in about six months, and after that there is a very good chance that most of his hearing will be restored. This is GREAT news, and it almost took away the sting from the rest of the news we received today.

We had to fight against feelings of anger today. Another major thing? Really?! What has he done to deserve all of this? But, we have to keep it in perspective. It could be so much worse, and we totally understand this. We never want him to have to endure MORE, but I have to believe there is a reason for all of this. He is one strong and STEADFAST boy. We will love and support him forever in every way that we can.

SAMMY! We love you so much, too! We will love and support you, as well, our very precious boy! You are an amazing little person and I cannot wait to squeeze you tomorrow morning!

We just got a letter! We just got a letter!

Thank you sooo very much to everyone who has sent a letter or card to our boys. Look at their loot! They get so excited every time there is something in the mail for them. And every single letter that mentions E's upcoming surgery helps him (I believe). He has received some pretty creative words and photos to help ease his anxiety about the scary mask. I'm impressed!

Wait, those look like scary masks!

That's right, they are masks. Our friend, who happens to be a "scary" doctor, and her husband sent the following book and accompanying masks to Elijah. This was super creative and thoughtful and just about made me cry. 

Tonight while the boys were taking a bath, Elijah said, "Oh! Mom! The masks! Z said to play with them in the tub, so will you get them?" It's a step! Maybe?

Although he still typically makes this face when the mask is in his hand.

Thank you for the love!

Ear troubles

Today brought some news that we did not see coming. We thought we were bringing Elijah in for a routine follow-up for his dislodged/non-functioning left ear tube. We left the hospital with a four-hour surgery on our calendar in order to fix a congenital anomaly called cholesteatoma. Upon inspection, the ENT doctor could see a "mass" behind his eardrum that was yellowish in color. It was not fluid after all, as initially thought.

Thankfully radiology was having a light afternoon, so we scooted right on down to get a CT scan to get a closer look at the mass. He was such an incredibly brave boy today (minus operating room trauma that unfortunately only seems to get worse with time).

The doctor was very nice to us. He told us to walk up to his clinic on the fourth floor once the scan was done so he could review it and talk to us about it in between patients. This was a very generous offer, and we took him up on it.

What we learned is that Elijah was born with a congenital anomaly that did not present itself until recently (typical for this anomaly). Our ENT gives this particular diagnosis only ONCE per year, can you believe it? Cholesteatoma presents as a cyst that presses on the eardrum, and can cause recurring ear infections. This makes total sense since Elijah never had an ear infection until a year or so ago. Once he got his first one, they never seemed to stop and he has had some doozies!

The plan from here is to have a bigger surgery (3 to 4 hours long, depending on what is found) to remove the cyst. They can sometimes do this through the ear, but sometimes need to make an incision behind the ear. Sometimes this surgery will also involve a bit of reconstruction, as the mass can interfere with bone growth.

Hearing a doctor tell you that your child has a "mass" within the confines of his head is NOT fun. I had a little moment of panic when I thought I might lose it. I asked the doctor, "Should we be....worried?!" Somehow this seemed to be a safer way to ask, "Could this be malignant?" His answer was that the extent of our worry should be limited to having to put Elijah through yet another surgery and also that he could possibly suffer from permanent hearing loss. His words: "Will this kill him? No."

Today was a lot to digest, but we are doing ok with it. It's another hurdle and we will come out on the other side stronger than ever, and hopefully with a boy who is able to hear again! As always, Dan's and my biggest struggle has NOTHING to do with ourselves and everything to do with Elijah having to endure further anxiety and pain. That part of it SUCKS. It makes my mama heart hurt so badly for him. He definitely has his triggers that cause major anxiety, but 98% of the time he remains positive and happy. His main source of anxiety is the "scary mask" in the operating room and the subsequent sleeping. We brought a mask home with us today to help alleviate his fears. I am certain I will find it with holes poked into it or possibly in the trash or toilet sometime soon. He does NOT like that thing, and understandably so.

Our surgery date is set for April 23rd. Please pray for complete success and for as little pain and anxiety as possible for our boy. Thank you!

The left ear and birthday party pics

I am late in getting these party pics posted. Elijah had a great time at his birthday party last weekend. Our wonderful family made it a very special and memorable day for him.

Since Elijah's birthday, Sammy has been saying a lot: "My birthday is coming up! I will be three soon!" I think he is looking forward to receiving special treatment like his bro has in the past week. :)

In between these party pics I will fill you in on our EAR issues. Back in August of 2012, six or so months ago, Elijah got a nasty ear infection. A month or two after that, we noticed that his hearing was diminished. Then, he failed his school hearing screening. We brought him into the doctor and he failed another hearing test. We brought him to his ENT and he failed another hearing test. It was then determined that he had a build-up of fluid which was causing hearing loss and he needed tubes placed in his ears.

In early December Elijah had ear tube surgery. It was a piece of cake, aside from the 24 hours of vomiting that followed. During his follow-up visit, the ENT saw a blockage in his left ear tube and had us put drops in his left ear three times a day for ten days. His words: "70% of the time this takes care of the problem."

Ten days later, we brought him back to ENT and this time the doctor said, "Hmm, I have never in ten years seen anything like this!" Of course. Apparently the drops were able to clear up the blockage, but the back side of the tube has become lodged up against the back side of the ear drum causing hearing loss. 

We have to head back to the hospital for another little procedure. :( Dan and I are bummed. Heading to the hospital is never fun or easy, even for the small stuff.

We haven't scheduled the surgery yet, but will hopefully do that on Monday. We are just looking forward to Elijah being able to hear again! That is the main concern.

And I think I must be having sympathy pains because since my respiratory junk/flu/ear infection in mid-February, I have completely lost the ability to hear out of my left ear (the same ear as Elijah, strangely). It has been AWFUL. It affects my mood, balance, alertness and frustration. If there is ANY sort of background noise (faucet, tv, car, heater, fan), I literally cannot hear a single other thing. Now I have a glimpse into what Elijah has been dealing with for so many months, and I can understand why he occasionally breaks down at school and at home. Please excuse my language, but being hearing-impaired SUCKS.

(look at this happy face)

The doctor I saw last week said to me, "I have never in ten years seen an adult need to have surgery for an ear infection." Is it a coincidence that both my and E's doctors started off with, "I have never in ten years..."

We are hoping both of our ears will feel much better very soon! I feel your pain, Elijah!

A few Sammy tidbits from recently:

Whenever one of us seems amiss, Sammy will say, "Mommy (or whoever), you're not feeling so much??" Translation: "Are you not feeling so good?"

Dan and I have been VERY fortunate to spend tons of time at home with Sammy recently. We feel very blessed about this. As we try to work and clean and cook, etc, Sammy says constantly to us, "MOMMY (or Daddy!), COME SUUUUUGGGLE WIF ME!" This boy could literally sit on the couch with either one of us for hours on end. Just "sugglin'. He loves physical closeness more than anything else in the world.

That's all we have for now! Thanks for checking in and we would greatly appreciate Porta Ear Prayers! :)

Good ear news!

I was unfortunately not able to join my boys today for Elijah's ENT appointment to take a peek at his left ear. I will admit that I was nervous about it, and I would have liked to be at the appointment. The mom in me wanted to be the one to ask all the questions. Instead, I told Dan all of my questions at least ten times. :)

I am very very happy to report that the reason Elijah has been experiencing significant hearing loss in his left ear is because fluid has built up behind his ear drum. The doctor thought that this most definitely is happening is because of the infection he had in August that didn't want to go away.

My first question was: Why didn't his primary doctor know this? Apparently specialists are more specialized! Ha! Dan said he took one look and knew from the way his ear drum was shaped, that fluid was behind it.

This is all really great news because it is totally fixable. The doctor wants to wait a few months, just in case it wants to cure itself (although it usually won't by this point). We will go back in January and if things are the same, E will need to get a tube surgically placed in his ear to help drain the fluid. I suppose some parents would be saddened by this, but for us this is something that can be fixed and that makes us happy. Thank you, God!

Daylight Savings is always an interesting week for us, with Elijah being such an early riser. Saturday night the little boys and I spent the night at a friend's house while Dan was hunting. That meant that E and I shared a bed. At 3:30, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, "MOM! Is it time to get up?!" !!! And he did not go back to sleep (neither did I, really...or Sam). Ever since then, we've all been tired. I  have to tell you what he said next because it made my heart melt, although it did not make me want to get out of bed. "Mom, you are my sweet girl and my best friend!" Awww! But.....it is EARLY! GO BACK TO BED, CHILD! :)

This will be my last week of working this freelance job I have been doing since September. This job has been such a huge blessing for us in so many ways. Financially, obviously, but it has also been the positive corporate experience that I desperately needed. Almost a year ago, I was unjustly terminated from my previous job after putting in 8.5 years of stellar service for that company. I have had a very difficult time wanting to be involved in a corporate setting since then. I can truly say that I have been recalibrated! The team I have been working with for the past few months has been awesome. They are respectful and hard-working and considerate and SO NORMAL. I feel so happy to have been a part of this work environment. I am sad that it will be ending soon, but I am also happy that it will be ending soon. That means more time with my boys. But I will miss my coworkers. 

E has another appointment tomorrow, this time with his eye doctor. More info to come on that..

Sammy is as sassy and independent as ever! That boy is a toughie when he wants to be (but usually he is such a sweet and snuggly little thing). Dan and I have basically become master manipulators in order to get him to obey and do what we ask him to do. He keeps us on our toes!

More later! Thanks for checking in!

That pesky left ear

A few weeks ago I wrote about Elijah failing his hearing test at school in his left ear. We took him to see the doctor today to address that, and he failed the test again. Pretty badly. The doctor looked thoroughly in his ear. He found a tiny bit of wax, but nothing that would be causing so much hearing loss.

I feel in my gut that this has something to do with the horrible ear infection he got in August that took two huge rounds of antibiotics to get rid of. Ever since then, he occasionally tells me that his ear "feels funny." Also, ever since, he does NOT hear everything we say. Before that point in time, neither Dan or I noticed anything that would indicate that he had hearing problems.

In February of 2011 he passed his hearing test with flying colors. This tells us that most likely something was damaged with this ear infection in August. The doctor is referring Elijah to an ENT. Thankfully we already have one! :) We are hoping Dr. S can take a more thorough look and provide us with more insight.

The doctor we saw today didn't feel like this was a permanent thing. It could be, but he seemed to feel otherwise. We remain hopeful! The good news is that his right ear hears perfectly and that his left ear does have some hearing (although not much).

To add to my list of worries, Elijah's left eye has started turning inward again. It is happening a lot, even while he is wearing his glasses. I'm trying not to worry too much. We continue to patch his eye consistently, and again...hope and pray for the best!

Left eye and left ear, HEAL UP! It's always something!

We have a busy but fun next few days. We have some very good friends visiting over the weekend and we even get to spend a night away from home! Dan works over the weekend and I work on Monday. Early Tuesday morning, the little boys and I will board a plane and head to North Carolina to visit family. We cannot wait!

Have a great weekend!