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."