Hear ye! Hear ye!

Cary now has bionic hearing!

OK, not really, but as of yesterday he does have tubes in his ears and the spaces behind his ear drums are finally fluid-free! Yay!

The surgery went exceptionally well. The procedure itself took like 10 minutes. It started at 7:30 a.m., and after recovering (with a Popsicle, the Disney channel and doting nurses fussing over him) Cary, Lester and I were home by 9:30.

The docs and nurses all told us that children usually wake up from the procedure screaming bloody murder, disoriented and grumpy.

Here's how Cary woke up.

He was quiet and curious and a little bored by the whole thing, actually. Then they turned on the cartoons, gave him a Popsicle, and he was in Heaven.

He kept asking, "But where's Dean's Popsicle?"

We go back in 3 weeks for a hearing test, but I can already tell that he hears things better. Yesterday, on the porch, a police helicopter hovered over our neighborhood (a regular occurrence, I'm afraid) and Cary said, "That helicopter is too loud!" Then, this morning, I turned the shower on and he said, "It's too loud!"

So we think the tubes have done the trick! If all's well, the doctor said they'll be in for a year. Not sure what happens after that, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Anywho, I'm glad we got this procedure done and over with. One fewer thing on the worry list to worry about. And also, please God let this mean no more AUGMENTIN. (Ugh! That stuff is the worst!)

In other news, my Mom came out to spend the night with us on Sunday so she could be with Clair and Dean while we were at the hospital with Cary.

She must've done this puzzle a thousand times. Bless her!

The boys adore her! They asked her to sleep in their beds with them,  repeatedly asked her not to leave, even asked her to "live here with us," and only wanted to be wherever she was in the house. Cary almost peed on himself once because he didn't want to go to the bathroom because, "Nana will leave in a second!" Only after we assured him that she was spending the night would he go.

And even Clair was happy to be with Nana! She allowed her to hold her and kiss her. She let Nana braid her hair! Instead of being clingy and whiny and afraid, she was her sweet, silly, jabbering self.

I was so happy for my Mom to see Clair this way. I wish she was able to come visit us more often, so she could get to know the real Clair a little more.

My baby girl is getting to be less baby and more girl. (Sadness!)

Cary and Clair both love Dean the best. Look how cute they are!

 Anyway, I'm back at work today -- so time to FOCUS!!

Health updates

Last week we took Cary to the ENT. After a battery of tests, he agreed with the doctor from the Hearing Assessment Center: Cary needs tubes in his ears.

We conferred with our pediatrician and he is on board. So tubes it is.

All the doctors agree that there's no real rush, so I think we will make the appointment for a week or so before or after our trip to the beach in mid-July.

Strangely enough, I'm not worried or nervous at all. I just want my sweetie to hear normally. The end.

About me: I got my results back from my blood work.

The good news: My cholesterol is much lower than it was the last time my doctor tested it, so he's not worried about that (for now).

The OK news: My blood sugar levels are at 6.2. For background, doctors consider less than 5 to be absolutely normal. They consider 7 or more to be diabetic. Anywhere between the high fives and the high sixes is "pre-diabetic." That's me.

The last time I was tested my number was 6.1. So my doctor considers this to be "holding steady." No medication necessary, no real intervention needed. He did tell me to continue to watch my diet, and to "add in some exercise." To which I say, "Yes, of course," and "Easier said than done, doc."

The bad news: My Vitamin D is miserably low. Most things I've read say a good number should be somewhere between 45 and 60. My number is 17. (Tam, you were right!) Ack!

The jury is still out about all the true health benefits of adequate Vitamin D, but I admit to being intrigued by the hypothesized connections to blood sugar and to immune system health. 

My doctor told me to take 5,000 mgs. a day of Vitamin D. We looked for capsules that high in Target and didn't find them, so as soon as we get to a health food/vitamin store, I'll pick some up. I fully intend to try to build up my Vitamin D and see if it helps at all with all the sickness. I have also been taking my sweet time  when walking in the sun, although I am nowhere near up to 15 minutes a day.

Maybe I can build up a whole year's supply of Vitamin D when we go to the beach!! Hmm, now there's a thought.

All in all, not great news on the health front, but not terrible, either. Nothing we can't work with.