A week in review.

We've had quite the adventurous week.

Well, adventurous in the life of a 23-month-old and her chauffeur mommy.

Let's go back to Monday.  Mainly because the tears of that 23-month-old MADE. MY. DAY.

Before you accuse me of being totally void of compassion (almost, but not completely), let me explain.  We went to Bellarmine University to help out this years current crop of budding Physical Therapists in their lab.  They needed kiddos to evaluate.  I have kiddo.  Match.

She did great letting them play with her and watching them attempt to get her to do things was entertaining to say the least.  And in her typical style, she would do her thing while checking back over her shoulder every few minutes to make sure Mommy was still there.  Until they got a little too far away from Mommy and I got out of her line of sight. 

And she lost it.  Lost it.

Heart wrenching, hysterical cry.  With no notice.

She couldn't see me.  Thought I was gone.  The security of a Mommy that she had come to know over the last two and half months wasn't there.  And she let the whole room know about it.

But then we locked eyes.  She saw me.  Realized I wasn't gone.

That outburst only lasted a few seconds.  And the students apologized profusely.  They didn't understand, but I told them it was totally fine. 

And at that point, any fears I had about her being attached to me flew right out the window.  She knows who her Mommy is.  And she needs me.

Like I said...made my day.

Now, moving on...

On Wednesday, we saw a neurotologist, which is basically a supped up ENT.  (Forgive me if that is wrong.  I'm not trying to downgrade anyone's profession.  Just trying to explain in normal people terms.)  After a fairly extended time in the tiny waiting room, the lady beside me leaned over and told me she waited 3 hours the last time she was here to see him.  We were pushing 2 hours at that point (yep, in a waiting room the size of a large closet with a nap-deprived toddler) and all I could think was that he better be pretty darn good at what he did if I was gonna have to wait that long.  Fortunately, EK had been entertaining the population of the room.  You know, because she's just so stinkin' cute.

We finally saw the doctor and decided that our next steps will be to place tubes in EK's ears since she seems to have fluid in there every time we do any kind of hearing test.  And with the fluid, they aren't getting a true picture of what her hearing is.  Or isn't, really.

A week after the tubes, we will repeat that sedated ABR that we've already done once and will hopefully move forward from there with a plan of action. 

The good news is her MRI and CT scan looked great and she has all the physical parts of the ear that you need.  They just don't play nice together and work.  Which is why she can't hear.

And I did like the doctor.  Which was fortunate for him after waiting almost 3 hours.  EK didn't care for him.  Mainly because he woke her up by sticking stuff in her ears and who wouldn't be pissed off to be woken up in such a manner??

Friday brought us another trip to Heuser Hearing Institute to see the audiologist and get fitted with loaner hearing aids. 

I should provide some further explanation here.  Everyone thinks she can hear everything now with the hearing aids.  Including her brother Charlie, who follows her around asking her if she can hear him..............

While she can't hear Charlie, she can hear really (really) loud noises. 

After really ticking her off by sticking more things in her ears, we took her, her hearing aids and her fancy little kitty clip to keep us from losing said hearing aids to the sound booth to see how she would respond.  We got some responses around 70-80dB, which would be something as loud as a lawnmower or a piano.  Her hearing without the hearing aids is between 100-110dB, which means she can't hear a train or a chain saw.

"Are you gonna buckle me in??  If not, I'm sittin' up front with you!"

So, the question I've gotten the most after seeing her with the hearing aids and making the discovery that she can't hear us talk with them, is why?  Why have here wear them when she can't hear us?

It's simple, really.  By exposing her to noise, we are teaching her brain to listen.  We are helping her to realize what that strange sensation that has just hit her senses actually is.  And how to respond to it.  It's just a step in the process to help her make up for 23 months of no sounds.

We haven't noticed a whole lot of reaction yet.  Today at Charlie's soccer game, there was a sudden cheer and clapping session after a goal and she definitely perked up and looked around as if something was going on.  Same thing happened this afternoon when I took her outside while Daddy and the neighbor were mowing their respective lawns.  A look of interest and confusion crossed her face and she got really still.  Something was going on.  She just didn't know what.

She climbed up there by herself.  And was quite impressed with herself!

And I completely expected to spend my days  putting the hearing aids back in her tiny ears over and over and over and over.....  (Which by the way, is terribly difficult to do with only one functioning thumb.  I sliced one of mine up pretty good last week.  Looks like chewed up meat.  No worries...they glued it back together.  Because it was too jagged to use stitches.  You're welcome for the mental picture.)

She has actually left them alone for the most part.  She redirects pretty easily if you tell her "no" to something.  So after a few "no's" and a few tears on her part (she cries a really pitiful cry when you tell her no), she really hasn't bothered them.  HUGE answer to prayer.  With the exception of nap time, she has had them on almost all day today.  Oh, and dinner time.  Things were getting a little out of hand.  And I wasn't sure how a hearing aid would tolerate smeared broccoli chicken casserole, so we quickly got them out of harm's way.

So, a quick recap...

1.  EK loves her Mommy. 
2.  Tubes put in on October 7.  ABR repeated on October 14.
3.  We like the slow doctor.
4.  Hearing aids staying in the ears.  Yay.
5.  You need both thumbs to put hearing aids in tiny ears.

"I'm just gonna read this book while these other folks watch the Bama game.  Please excuse the path of destruction behind me."

Multitasking is no longer in my vocabulary.

I love to multitask.  I used to be good at it. 

Although I've found as I've aged (I'm older than I look) that my multitasking skills are a little more ADD than normal. 

I can start a task, only to start another task, only to be interrupted by a child who has lost a lego or pooped their pants or needs to play a game of "Go Fish"...and then I forgot what I was doing.  See how that works?  Instant aging.  Multitasking skills to pot.

Last Friday night, Kenny took the big boys to soccer practice, leaving me with a few hours in the evening to knock out some chores with my little sidekick.  Laundry and cleaning the bathroom.  That was my goal for the evening.  (And a little playtime, but that's understood.)

Please don't be jealous that this is what I do on a Friday night.  I can barely stand the excitement myself.

While I was cleaning up from dinner, I had the brilliant idea to put EK in the tub while I cleaned the rest of the bathroom.  She loves playing in the water!  Entertains her for hours.  I only need a good 15 minutes to clean the rest of the bathroom, including mopping the floor...perfect plan.

Here's a run down of how the next 2 hours went:

• Collect cleaning supplies in the bathroom so I'm ready and can be efficient as possible with my time.
• Fetch dirty child from food crusted highchair.  You know, the food she was just playing with, not actually eating.
• Get dirty child situated with toys in tub.
• Begin cleaning.
• Remind EK with gentle tone and a sign to sit on her bottom in the tub.
• Receive phone call.
• Wreck on the way to soccer practice has road closed.  Boo.
• Remind EK with gentle tone and a sign to sit on her bottom in the tub.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Receive phone call.
• Another wreck on alternate route has this road also closed. 
• Give Kenny directions for 3rd and only other alternate route to soccer fields.
• Physically sit EK down in the tub from her standing position.
• Text coaches wife to let her know boys will be late to practice.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Use Mommy eyes to tell EK to sit on her bottom in the tub.
• Receive phone call.
• Coach needs to know what size jersey Sam registered for. 
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Fetch rubber ducky that has been tossed out of the tub.
• Receive phone call.
• Coach gave Sam's jersey to wrong kid.  Confirm size.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Remind EK to sit on her bottom in the tub.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Watch as EK pours entire cup of water onto the bathroom floor.
• Fetch towel.  Dry floor.
• Wonder if I will actually get bathroom cleaned before rest of family returns home.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Comfort crying child who bumped her head because she slipped.  While standing in the tub.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Rescue mermaid toy and starfish who narrowly missed a swim in the toilet.  Toddler has good aim.
• Wish it was bedtime.  For mommy.
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Wonder if I already cleaned the sink...  Because I can't remember.
• While contiplating sink cleanliness, toddler pours another cup of water on bathroom floor.
• Leave toddler alone in tub while fetching more towels.  Bad mommy.  Dry floor.
• Sit on bathroom floor and wonder if two full cups of water on half the bathroom floor count as mopping.  They were big cups of water...
• Return to bathroom cleaning.
• Catch toddler as she prepares to pour another cup of water on the floor.
• Decides it's time for toddler to have bath and get out.
• Realize no laundry has been done.  And now another load of wet towels has been created.
• Bathe slippery toddler who is mad her toys are gone.
• Diaper, lotion and clothe mad toddler.
• Mentally decide bathroom floor is probably clean enough.
• Bottle, rock and put toddler to bed.
• Return to bathroom, observing what's been cleaned.  Only the sink.
• Finish cleaning bathroom.  Minus the floor.  It looks fine.
• Decide a stout drink is necessary.  No Mt Dew.  A glass of chocolate milk will do.
• Welcome home dirty soccer players.  And all their dirty laundy.
• Watch as semi-clean bathroom returns to state of filth via yucky little boys.
• Make mental note to only clean bathroom at midnight while children are sleeping.  Then I know it will at least stay clean for roughly 6 hours.

At this point the bathroom had barely been cleaned, no laundry had been completed, but two more loads created and I just discovered the crusty highchair from dinner that I was going to clean right after I finished in the bathroom.

Two hours ago.

But now I've decided that my multitasking skills are only suffering because of the people that live here.  Not me.  It's clearly not my fault. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm writing my to-do list for tomorrow that I'm planning to only do a third of.

Just setting realistic goals, folks.