Tube/Hearing Check

Today was our 6 month Tube/Hearing check for the boys. Dave got stuck on overtime so my mom went with us. The boys ran around duPont playing with different things until it was our turn and then the tears started. Josh cried for Grammy and Jared while Jared cried for Mommy and Joshua. The boys did an average job for their hearing tests. We still do not like strangers and then when they are in the same room with us and trying to make us stick things in our ears or wear headphones. It does not make us happy. Jared's hearing is still normal and there has been no change for Joshua (yeah, normal hearing still in the left ear).
Next we changed room and met with a Nurse Practitioner. She was looking at the hearing tests and said that Joshua's level were a little high for his right ear and she was unsure as to why. UMMMMMMM maybe because he has a hearing loss in his right ear. And I paid for this visit.

Summer has just about ended. The weather has turned to fall and we are enjoying walks and being outside for longer periods of time since it is not so hot.

The boys start school next week. I will be sure to post onhow their first day goes. Talk to you later.

Summer Pictures

Summer Part 2

Well it has been awhile. Let's see, Joshua had his MRI and it was tough on him but also Dave, Jared and I. Dave stayed home with Jared and I had Joshua at duPont. He was stuck for his IV but then when he was thrashing around it pulled out. In order to get another one in they had to give a shot that basicly knocked him out. The MRI went off without a problem, it was after that was tough. Joshua is 2.5 but I brought home a little boy who had no more control over his body than a 3 month old. He could not sit, crawl, stand or even hold his head up without help. It was very tough since he wanted to get up and play. Jared was wonderful, he sat with us on the floor and watched TV. He went and got Joshua toys and blankets to keep him happy. This went on for about 2-3 days before we had our Joshua back. The test showed nothing out of the ordinary but it still was a sucky day for us. Because of the hearing loss in his right ear he qualified for Early Intervention. He sees a Speech Therapist 1x month just to make sure he stays on track with his speech.

We have been quite the party hosts this summer. We started with my mom's birthday in June and that ended with us taking Thunder to an Animal ER because he put his foot through our bedroom window. Thanks to my Aunts and Cousin we didn't have to clean up when we came home.. My mom took care of the boys, another thing we didn't have to worry about.

July brought a trip to NY for the boys and I so we could spend 4th of July with Grandpa and also for a Baby Shower for my cousin Traci (who as I write this has less than 6 days until her DUE date). The boys were wonderful watching fireworks. They fell asleep about 10-15 minutes into them. Oh well. They were also such good boys on the 6 hour drive home. Mommy had to drive and couldn't pick up toys every 5 minutes. Thank goodness for DVD players.
July was also another family picnic, this time for Dave's mom's birthday. This weekend ended with Dave pulling something in his groin when he picked up a table. He found out later that week he needed to have surgery to repair a hernia. He is doing well now, just taking it easy.

All and all we are having a good summer. We have had our ups and downs but we are enjoying it. We have been to the Zoo to see all the animals. Each visit is just as exciting as the last.

The boys start school (1 day a week for 3 hours) in September. I think it will be good for them to play with other kids their age and also to realize that they can have fun without Mommy and Daddy having to be right there. We signed them up for Tumbling again so that will make 2 days a week that they have scheduled activites.

Hope all is well with you and we will write again soon.

Fair and MRI

So far we are having a good start to our summer. We took the boys to the DC Fair last weekend and they loved it. As soon as 1 ride was done they were asking for the next one. There were a lot of ride that they could actually ride and I loved that. From big slides to motorcycles and even their 1st roller coaster (kiddie style that is). They had a blast.

Joshua has an MRI scheduled for this Friday to look at his ears but also to look at his glands along his jawline. The jawline on both Josh and Jared's right side swells up and then goes away and then comes back again. It is weird so we want to know what it is. Once they have results for Joshua if there is a concern then we will schedule Jared's but since Joshua will already be under they will do both MRI's.

Joshua was also evaluated by an Early Intervention team last week. He has no delays but because of the hearing loss he will receive therapy once a month. It is more a way to monitor him right now but also to help Dave and I understand what we need to do to help Joshua get the most of things that he can.

Hope all is well with you. Talk to you later.

Joshua's ABR test

Joshua had his ABR (auditory brainsteam response) test on Thursday. It is a brainstem test to check his hearing ability. After having tubes put in in February, Joshua failed 2 hearing tests. The results of this test showed that he has Severe Hearing loss in his right ear. There is nothing that we have to do as of now to help Joshua hear better. He is so young that putting a hearing aid in would likely only complicate the hearing process and confuse him when it comes to speech due the fact that it is only a loss in one ear. I am going to be in touch with the Delaware County Intemediate Unit just to have Joshua evaluated for future purposes. We were told that he will need an IEP (individualized education plan) once he hits school age due to the location of seating and the possibility of a hearing device. That is all when school age comes and I am not thinking too far ahead right now. We will continue to enjoy everyday that we have with Joshua and Jared and take one day at a time. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayer today as we took the next step to figuring out what was going on with Joshua.