Making Memories. Choosing Joy.

Remember When...

Two years ago today Dr. Kesser (which I just read is in the top 1% of his specialty) restored Nicholas' hearing to within a normal range, allowing Nicholas' hearing aid to be put away. Here is a recap of that wonderful and exciting (and scary!) day:

http://christie.typepad.com/reconstruction/2007/04/finally.html

Stage 2, Week 12

Next week at this time we'll be in Atlanta for Nicholas' pre-op visit for Stage 3. It's hard to believe it's almost here, and harder to believe that he should only have 1 more surgery after this! Surgery is set for next Friday at 7:30 a.m. and they will elevate his ear from his head by using a skin graft. I believe the donor site will be the hip area. While I'm not looking forward to that part of the surgery, I am looking forward to seeing how the next stage progresses!

So, for some school news...it must not be fun to do homework once you become a third grader...yikes! Zachary has fought me the last two nights about doing homework. Isn't it too soon to start that? It's going to be a long year!

Nicholas seems to be doing okay. Yesterday I asked him how recess was (because that's usually the most that I can get them to talk about) and he said that it was bad, because none of his friends would play with him. It totally broke my heart! Today after school I asked him if recess was better, and he said he still had to look for other friends to play with. I asked about a couple of specific kids, and he said that they were swinging and he didn't want to swing. I asked about kickball and he said he didn't want to play kickball. So I'm hoping that they aren't actually being mean and it's just a matter of they aren't doing what Nicholas wants to do. No one warned me that these little life lessons are much harder for their Mama to watch them go through!

Someday = Sunday

Last Thursday I took the boy's to the Orthodontist...it was Nicholas' first time, so on the way there Zachary and I were telling him what to expect. At one point during the conversation, I told him "someday you may need to have braces" and we explained to him what braces were. I was very impressed with the Orthodontist. He really took his time measuring Nicholas' jaw and making sure his bite was good. Due to Nicholas' hemifacial microsomia we will need to watch closely as he grows to make sure his jaws and bite stay aligned. The good news is that at this time he thought everything looked great! Fast forward to Thursday evening and we were sitting on the couch. He said "I don't want those things on my teeth Sunday. I'm too little for them." Thankfully, I realized right away what he was talking about and assured him that I said "someday" and not "Sunday." After Sunday came and went without a trip to the Orthodontist, I think he finally believed me!

So, the other night was I was looking at the 300+ photos I've taken over the last few weeks and I realized a few things: 1) I need to delete a lot of photos! 2) I need to learn how to use my camera better, because I know that my camera has the capabilities to take fantastic photos 3) I need to learn photoshop and 4) I need to start using my computer for more than email and the internet!

And here's what happened. I decided to read my daily blog favorites and this was my first stop: Ali Edwards. And all last week she had posts on digital scrapbooking. And I got sucked in. I just know the very very basics in Photoshop, and I was determined to figure it out. And without too much frustration, here's one that I've edited:

So fun!

And other way exciting news for me...a few weeks ago I went to the mall during my lunch hour to get my nails done, and instead walked out with a broadband card from Verizon. Right now they are free and you have a 30-day trial to see how it works. Hooked. It works fantastically! I'm really surprised at how much faster the internet is! So, my 30 days is almost up and I'm thinking it's a keeper...afterall, I wouldn't want to hurt it's feelings...I guess I'll have to come up with a name for my new friend!

Yesterday I called and scheduled Nicholas' next stage for reconstruction. It will be September 12th and this is the surgery where they will take a skin graft from his hip and elevate his ear from his head. Unfortunately, he will need to be out of school for a week, but it will be worth it...almost done!

Speaking of skin grafts, here's a picture of his arm from his canalplasty in April of 2007:

And here's a picture of his scars to date (he fell asleep at 6:00 tonight after swimming...I'm thinking he's going to be up pretty early tomorrow!)

Work has been going great for me. I'm surprised at how much I like being in the coporate world, and it has certainly given me a new appreciation for all they do. My days go by very quickly, which is a great thing. If I have to be there, I'd rather be busy!

I purged and am re-organizing my scrapbook area, in the hopes that it gives me some inspiration to do something! If so, I'll be sure to share!

Lots to say...

First of all, something I want to remember, because it is fun to look back and read something that I completely forgot about...and one of my goals for 2008 is to write/blog more to remember the little things.

I'm sure I've mentioned before the sweetness of Nicholas. Here's another example:

"You're the best Mom I've ever had. I want to keep you forever and ever!"

Talk about melting your heart! Sure honey, go ahead and have as many cookies as you want!

And in other news...

We've made a decision. A huge step for us. After telling Scott my feelings regarding the two Microtia reconstruction doctors, we have decided that we both feel the most comfortable with Dr. Burt Brent in California. I really wanted to be able to not travel so far...flying is not my most favorite thing in the world to do. I'm not terrified of it, but I certainly am not comfortable with it either. Every little noise or bump scares me. But what scares me more is regretting a decision I made simply because I don't like to fly. I told Scott that my biggest fear was if we used another doctor, I would always wonder what Nicholas' ear could have looked like if we had gone to Dr. Brent, even if we were happy with the results. And then one night as I lay awake, I realized that if Dr. Brent called us tomorrow and said "We have an opening for tomorrow" I wouldn't have hesitated to put Nicholas in his hands. But if Dr. Jones would have called and said the same, I would have had to say "let me think about it."

And one more amazing thing happened. Dr. Brent called and left a message on a Friday evening, wondering how Nicholas was doing. And he called again on Saturday but I someone was too chicken to answer the phone. And then a couple of weeks later he called again, and left another message because that same person was still too chicken to tell him we were considering another doctor. Finally, when he called again that evening, I took a deep breath and said "Hello." He is such an amazing and caring person. Right away I felt comfortable talking to him. He remembered that Nicholas has a speech disorder and wanted me to tell him about it. He asked if Nicholas had brothers or sisters, and after I told him that he had an older brother, he told me a couple of stories of him and his older brother. He asked me if Nicholas was ready for surgery. He asked me all about Nicholas' successfuly canalplasty with Dr. Kesser. And then he asked me if I had been in contact with his office. And I took another deep breath and spilled it. And after our conversation, I knew in the bottom of my heart, that is where we needed to be.

I called his office last week to see about a surgery date, and it looks like it may be in April. I know that will be here before I know it.

What else?

• The boy's went back to school this week. Everyone was ready to go back, but we sure weren't ready to get back into homework at night! We are finally getting back into a routine.
• I've been working on a fun little scrapbook project for the store that I'm a design team member for. I'm hoping to finish it this evening and take tomorrow. It's an "I Love" album...after seeing all of the fun Valentine's paper from Scenic Route I couldn't resist. Really...how could this yummy paper not bring a smile to your face? I don't normally go all out for Valentine's Day, but I may just have to make an exception this year and celebrate love in a big way.
• I've come across a couple of fun blogs in recent days. If you scrapbook, or even if you don't, and want to have a fun way to remember the little things that often get overlooked, check out this blog. I think it would have been so cool to have pictures of overlooked things when Scott and I were first married, and to be able to compare them to now. I'm really hoping to complete these challenges this year. And here is my first picture to go with the first challenge:

Doesn't it just make you smile?

• And while I'm on the subject of scrapbooking (Did you all know I was so passionate about scrapbooking? I most definitely am.), one of my favorite scrapbook artists, Ali Edwards, has chosen her word for 2008, and challenged her readers to do the same. After thinking about it for a week, I finally decided that I simply could not find a better word in 2008 for me and my family than what she did: Vitality. Vitality is the state of being strong and active; energy. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually. Creatively. In 2008 I will certainly need to be strong. and active. and have energy for it all, emotionally and physically. There have been many words listed on her blog from readers, words they chose, so check it out if you have time. It was interesting to read.
• I have a new favorite blog: The Pioneer Woman. I love the way she writes. Her stories are very funny. It's definitely worth a read...espcially her "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" entries although you really should begin reading it from the beginning...you won't be sorry!

Off to get the troops in bed! Have a good day, make it count!

Before and After...

I thought I'd share some before and after photos.

The night before Nicholas' surgery, I realized that we didn't have any photographs of his tiny ear canal. I tried several times to get a good picture, but because the canal was so very tiny, it is hard to see. Literally, it was basically just a slit. In the picture I circled what was actually his canal:

And here it is one-month post-op...no need to mark where the canal is now!

Here is the skin graft donor site 3 days post-op (warning: it is a bit graphic, or at least for someone with a stomach like mine!). As people warned me, this was by far the worst part of the entire surgery. I wasn't prepared for it to seep and stick to his clothing. This picture was taken the night of my meltdown, in which I was sure that I had somehow done something horribly wrong. I actually took the picture to send to Dr. Kesser the next day, that's how freaked out I was. Thankfully, by morning, it was done seeping and 100% better. Nicholas was very sensitive about it as well, and didn't want anyone seeing it. (The yellow part is a patch that is put over the skin that is taken. The red part in the picture is the skin from where the patch pulled apart too early)

And here it is one month post-op. Isn't it beautiful?!?! This will eventually fade even more. (Please disregard the dirty mouth...maybe I should try to photoshop that before I put it in his scrapbook!)

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday, I received the best Mother's Day gift I will, more than likely, ever receive. My son's gift of hearing.

At Nicholas' one-month post-op appointment, he had his ear cleaned out. It was quite "crusty" in there, but the cleaning went rather smoothly with Nicholas only wincing a couple of times. Then we headed downstairs for his hearing test. And then back upstairs to learn the results. And the results are this: he now has hearing within the normal range! His right ear is now at 20dB. Dr. Kesser feels that with these results, he does not need his hearing aid. At the higher pitches he still has a mild loss, but that could also improve within the next few months.

So that was very exciting news to Scott and I. And Nicholas...he is beyond thrilled that (drumroll please...) he can run, jump, play tag, play ball and swim! I don't think he even cares about his hearing aid (or lack of) at this point!

So, what have we been doing since my last post? We've been busy living...and trying not to run/jump/play tag, etc!

• We went to see "Go, Diego, Go." (And in case you were wondering, the Jaguar does indeed find his roar!)
• 
• Ball practice/games started for Zachary (and I cannot even imagine how crazy it would have been if Nicholas had been practicing as well!). A funny: The picture with Zachary and his sunglasses was his first game. He was so excited and was trying to be so cool...too bad the sun was behind some major rain clouds for the entire game!

• We've been building alot of lego's to try to stay calm (ok, so the boy's have been building alot of legos...I've been making an effort!)

• Cheering for Jeff Gordon

And some favorites from our trip to Virginia this past weekend (we go back in November for a 6-month checkup):

And this one of Nicholas...looks like he's climbing the hills of Virginia ;o)

I took a great picture of Nicholas with Dr. Kesser, but I don't want to post it without his permission, and I would have felt really silly asking him if I could put his photograph on my blog ;o)

Getting better!

Last night the patch from Nicholas' skin graft donor site fell off. In place of the ugly yellow patch is nice, pink, healthy skin. It's such a relief to have the patch off! He's due for a good scrub.

 

We still haven't decided how well he's hearing. There are so many factors...being a male...being 5...habit of saying "what"...there are times that I'm surprised he's heard something, and other times he should have heard something and didn't. Today on the way home from school we were able to carry on a conversation with the windows open, and I was talking at normal levels. That is a good sign. Just now, Zachary and Nicholas are laying in Nicholas' bed, and I had to yell upstairs for them to be quiet or Zachary would need to go to his bed. I yelled Nicholas' name a couple of times, and when he didn't answer I went into his room...he's laying there with his eyes closed as tight as he can, with a grin on his face. He told me he didn't hear me, but I'm thinking that's not entirely true ;o)

Home again.

Whew! Virginia's a long trip to make in two days! We left at 8:45 Thursday morning, and got to the hotel at 5:30...just in time to go to a wonderful pizza place we discovered! UVA is a beautiful campus, the little bit we saw of it.

 

We got to Dr. Kesser's office Friday morning at 8:30, and he saw us right away. Getting the packing out wasn't nearly as bad as I was afraid it would be. Of course, I just held Nicholas' hands and decided not to watch! But he wasn't in any pain. Then a couple of stitches were removed, as well as what Dr. Kesser referred to as a "button." And drops were put in for a few minutes. Nicholas seemed to hear pretty well afterwards, and Dr. Kesser asked him a few questions rather quietly, and Nicholas responded appropriately. But to be honest, I haven't noticed much of a difference since then. Dr. Kesser warned that his hearing may get worse in the next month, as the new skin in his canal gets a little "crusty." I'm keeping a positive attitude about it all...afterall, there's a reason they wait one month to do a hearing test. The skin graft in the canal looked great, and his arm looked fine. Now we wait until the patch on his arm falls off, then he can get it wet. And we wait at least a month for his ear to get wet, possibly longer.

 

And now, the tough part...trying to keep him low-key for the next 3 to 4 weeks!

 

Thank you, again, for all of your thoughts and prayers. "Thank you" doesn't seem quite adequate, but please know they come from the bottom of my heart.

Our other trooper.

This boy is amazing. As proud as we are of Nicholas for as brave as he has been, we are equally as proud of this dude. He rocks!

While we have been gone, he has stayed with my parents, Grammy and Grampy. Of course, he’s been the perfect little boy for them. They never once had to ask him to do something twice, always listened, etc. (I guess if he’s going to behave, I’d rather it be with others, than with us!) Grampy told us when we were away for Nicholas’ surgery that when we got home we could have a custody battle on our hands.

I know it’s been hard for him as well. We’ve been very honest with him about everything, but I know that being away is hard. And everyone has been so nice to include him with gifts. But I know that he is aware that Nicholas has been getting some extra-special attention.

Being the over-protective mother that I am at times, Nicholas and I have been sleeping together this week so I can make sure he’s ok. That has been hard for Zachary, my little “cuddle bug.” But he’s done okay with it. And I assured him that as soon as I’m not so worried about Nicholas, he and I would have our very own slumber party. He mentioned staying up until

midnight…he could be on his own for that one!

After Zachary gets on the bus tomorrow morning we’ll leave for Virginia. We’ll all be anxious to get home Friday evening and have a few weeks of rest! We’ll let you know as soon as we can how Nicholas’ appointment goes Friday morning.

Such a trooper.

It is amazing how quickly children heal. Nicholas has bounced back quite well. If his arm wasn't still sore and tender, you'd never know anything happened (well, minus the fact that he still has a cotton ball stuck in his ear!). He has quickly grown tired of taking it easy. Legos and coloring have run their course, and now we are trying to find other activities that don't require running and jumping. While it's been tough to keep him from doing too much, I'm glad that is the case. It makes me less worried, although by the end of the day my nerves are shot from constantly reminding BOTH boys to settle down and becareful. Such is the life of boys!

 

We leave Thursday morning for our trip back to Charlottesville. While we aren't looking forward to the drive, it will be nice to have Dr. Kesser take a look at his ear and assure us all looks well. Our appointment is at 9 a.m. Friday morning, and then we'll turn around and drive back home, hoping to return Friday evening.

 

Dr. Kesser has told us we can fly for his one-month checkup, and I contacted Southwest Airlines for medical discount tickets, although we haven't heard back from them yet.