...hearing loss, that is, in 1 or both ears. We could not get a conclusive result -- as in one that says "Timothy has x% hearing loss in his left and/or right ear" -- because Timothy has tubes (that would take a while to explain). But, yesterday's test results definitely showed hearing loss. He does not respond to quiet sounds at all. They had to speak or play their noises at a moderate speaking level or louder for Timothy to respond. While that's not all that bad, not being able to hear quiet sounds will affect his ability to learn to speak just as much as not being able to hear loud sounds would affect his learning to talk. So, our next step is something we were really hoping to avoid. On October 9th, Timothy will be put under general anesthesia for what's called an ABR. This is the same test he had done in January but because he was so young, they didn't have to worry about his falling asleep and staying asleep 'cause newborns sleep all the time. Not only would Timothy not stay asleep now, he'd never tolerate those things being in his ears that long. Putting him to sleep is our only option if we want to know what we're dealing with and we need to know for certain what we're dealing with so they can get him into hearing aids. And the sooner the better -- this is a crucial time for little ones who are developing the speech and language centers of their brains. So, yeah, this is a major deal from that aspect.
On the other front -- his breathing -- the doctor was pleased but still wanted to follow Timothy closely. However, since they're going to be putting Timothy to sleep in October and he'll have to be there anyway, he's going to go ahead and do another bronchoscopy and/or CAT scan of Timothy's airway. Had Timothy not been scheduled to be put to sleep for another reason, then he wouldn't have done this. Timothy obviously does not seem to be bothered by the calcification in his airway and certainly isn't struggling to grow (weighing 21 pounds, 10 ounces yesterday) so there really isn't a "problem" but we know something is there (or at least was there in May) so we're going to take this opportunity to check up on things while we're there. Maybe we'll find out that his airway is an appropriate size and/or the calcification is gone so we'll not have to worry about that anymore. God is able, is He not?
Good news -- the doctor's scheduling secretary was appalled that Timothy wasn't taken into surgery in May until 1 in the afternoon. She said she can't promise me she can do anything about it but that if I call her a day or 2 ahead of Timothy's surgery date, she'll do all she can to insure that we get Timothy into surgery as early as possible that day so we don't have to worry about not feeding the little guy.
Specific prayer requests:
*that the testing will all go well, that there'll be no reaction to the anesthesia (just like last time)
*that the results will be conclusive (or even miraculous -- that Timothy's hearing would be perfectly normal)
*that the bronch/CAT scan will give us good news
*that Timothy will go into surgery early and/or that we won't have to deal with an irritable/hungry baby for long
8/29/08
8/28/08
Pictures, part 4, finale
Last ones....except the ultrasound but I still haven't scanned them in yet.
Allen County Museum Children's Garden:
Allen County Museum (the one Elizabeth nearly got us kicked out of....).
One of our favorites was the rock and mineral room.
Promised pictures, part 3
Still in Harrod, Ohio....old Shay(?) engine and caboose. 
All 5 kids in 1 picture together!
All 5 kids in 1 picture together!
Promised pictures, part 2
These are all still while we were in the Wapakoneta area for the wedding.
Caleb having fun on the church's playground.
Nathan having fun in the hotel pool.
(Looking at pictures of the 2 of them certainly makes me miss them!)
Saturday, we went to a military memorial park in the town of Harrod.
8/27/08
Promised pictures, part 1
The wedding.
Wasn't John cute?!?!
The 2 J's -- groomsman and ring bearer.
This is what Caleb did during the entire wedding....
The groom, Jonathan's brother, Fred III; the bride, Marcy; and Jonathan's parents, Fred and Janice.
8/25/08
Caleb update/prayer request
Caleb is doing much better and was not sick again today. Thank you for your prayers. However, please continue praying. My Mom seems to be coming down with it now. I really don't want her or my Dad to be sick but I really, really, really don't want Caleb to come down with it again or for Nathan to get it. They've all looked so forward to this trip. Please pray that recovery will be swift so they can get back to their fun together.
Chapman's on "Focus on the Family"
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/
You can listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's interview with Dr. Dobson. It's in 3 parts airing today, tomorrow, and Wednesday.
On another note, please pray for Caleb. Mom just called early this morning and said he had been sick again in the middle of the night. We're hopeful that it was just something he ate but with him being so sick last week, we're concerned.
You can listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's interview with Dr. Dobson. It's in 3 parts airing today, tomorrow, and Wednesday.
On another note, please pray for Caleb. Mom just called early this morning and said he had been sick again in the middle of the night. We're hopeful that it was just something he ate but with him being so sick last week, we're concerned.
8/20/08
We're alive...but busy!
We're here, I promise! Life's been kinda crazy. Here's some brief updates:
7.26.08 -- Nathan's 9th birthday party. A good time was had by all! His actual birthday was 7/28.
8.4.08 -- Nathan's first trip to the Ohio State Fair and his first concert, TobyMac. Great concert, the 3 of us had an amazing time, although we don't have any really good pictures to share. Thanks to the Bauer's and May's for providing the babysitting (and filling in the hole at the bottom of our driveway!)
8.7.08/8.8.08 -- 2 day family wedding event for Jonathan's brother, Fred. Jonathan was a groomsmen, John the ring bearer. Will post pics later (or at least I'll try to remember to do that).
8.9.08 -- After the wedding was over and since we had to pay for the 2nd night of the hotel, we decided to explore to Allen County region to see what we could find. Will post pics on this later, too (maybe). We saw some old trains, a military park with a helicopter, tank, massive ship anchor, and something else I can't remember right now. We also went to the Allen County museum which was interesting 'til our kids nearly got us kicked out. Elizabeth decided to jump a few ropes....
8.11.08 -- Yes, I did go for my first dr's appointment. Not really much to say. Ultrasound looked good. Temporarily lost the ultrasound pictures but Jonathan found them this morning so I'll try to scan those in and share them soon. On target for a 3/29 due date. Will start out at the preterm labor clinic and might go back and forth between that clinic and the gestation diabetes clinic, depending on how my 9/19 appointment goes.
8.16.08 -- Attended a birthday party for a friend that we hadn't seen in a really long time. That was nice. But the day was marred by the beginning of what has turned out to be a massive stomach flu bug for poor Caleb (our sincere apologies if anyone at the party has gotten sick!). He finally started eating again last night after having not ate since Sunday but he still isn't eating that much. He's finally acting like himself again, though, and is on the road with his grandparents. (Nathan and Caleb are with my parents for their annual summer visit. They'll be there until 9/12. We're going down on 9/8 to visit and pick up the boys.) Mom and Dad arrived on Monday night. We had planned on taking the kids to Chuck E Cheese last night but Caleb was so weak. We finally got some pudding in him last night and he started to come around. Almost didn't let him go with Mom and Dad but he's looked forward to this for so long and I figured he could recover laying around on their couch just as much as he could recover laying around on our couch, if he could just survive the trip down. Talked to Mom a little bit ago and she said Caleb ate some frosted flakes and drank some milk at Cracker Barrel this morning and was talking 90 miles a minute. So, I guess we've made the right decision. As for everyone else, Timothy, Elizabeth, and myself seem to have avoided that dreadful bug. Jonathan and John have definitely had it but not nearly as severe as Caleb. I don't think I've ever seen any of my kids that sick before.
Well....that's only the tip of the iceberg. But I think that's enough for now. Hope all is well for our readers!
7.26.08 -- Nathan's 9th birthday party. A good time was had by all! His actual birthday was 7/28.
8.4.08 -- Nathan's first trip to the Ohio State Fair and his first concert, TobyMac. Great concert, the 3 of us had an amazing time, although we don't have any really good pictures to share. Thanks to the Bauer's and May's for providing the babysitting (and filling in the hole at the bottom of our driveway!)
8.7.08/8.8.08 -- 2 day family wedding event for Jonathan's brother, Fred. Jonathan was a groomsmen, John the ring bearer. Will post pics later (or at least I'll try to remember to do that).
8.9.08 -- After the wedding was over and since we had to pay for the 2nd night of the hotel, we decided to explore to Allen County region to see what we could find. Will post pics on this later, too (maybe). We saw some old trains, a military park with a helicopter, tank, massive ship anchor, and something else I can't remember right now. We also went to the Allen County museum which was interesting 'til our kids nearly got us kicked out. Elizabeth decided to jump a few ropes....
8.11.08 -- Yes, I did go for my first dr's appointment. Not really much to say. Ultrasound looked good. Temporarily lost the ultrasound pictures but Jonathan found them this morning so I'll try to scan those in and share them soon. On target for a 3/29 due date. Will start out at the preterm labor clinic and might go back and forth between that clinic and the gestation diabetes clinic, depending on how my 9/19 appointment goes.
8.16.08 -- Attended a birthday party for a friend that we hadn't seen in a really long time. That was nice. But the day was marred by the beginning of what has turned out to be a massive stomach flu bug for poor Caleb (our sincere apologies if anyone at the party has gotten sick!). He finally started eating again last night after having not ate since Sunday but he still isn't eating that much. He's finally acting like himself again, though, and is on the road with his grandparents. (Nathan and Caleb are with my parents for their annual summer visit. They'll be there until 9/12. We're going down on 9/8 to visit and pick up the boys.) Mom and Dad arrived on Monday night. We had planned on taking the kids to Chuck E Cheese last night but Caleb was so weak. We finally got some pudding in him last night and he started to come around. Almost didn't let him go with Mom and Dad but he's looked forward to this for so long and I figured he could recover laying around on their couch just as much as he could recover laying around on our couch, if he could just survive the trip down. Talked to Mom a little bit ago and she said Caleb ate some frosted flakes and drank some milk at Cracker Barrel this morning and was talking 90 miles a minute. So, I guess we've made the right decision. As for everyone else, Timothy, Elizabeth, and myself seem to have avoided that dreadful bug. Jonathan and John have definitely had it but not nearly as severe as Caleb. I don't think I've ever seen any of my kids that sick before.
Well....that's only the tip of the iceberg. But I think that's enough for now. Hope all is well for our readers!
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