A Sense of Style All Her Own

Well, since I'm laid-up and cannot hobble around too well, Cupcake has been picking out her own clothes. She has always had strong opinions of what she does and doesn't like to wear. But today we reached a new level in trend-setting fashion...

That girl can work a runway! Finally, a supermodel with some skin on her bones! :-D

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Doctor's Report - CT Scan

On Monday, after we got home from the Emergency Room, Cupcake's Ear Specialist called. The results of the CT Scan were in. They wanted to talk to us in person to go over the results.

Uh-oh. :-(

They mentioned that they found malformations in both ears, but really needed to talk to us face to face.

Breathe deep.

I was loaded up on pain killers and completely unsure of what was coming up this week, so I asked her to call back later when things were not quite swirling so out of control over here.

Then I remembered that Daddy and I had an appointment today with our adoption attorney in the same part of town. I called the Dr. back and was able to get an appointment today before our other appointment.

So, this is what she said....

Cupcake's right ear has a cochlear malformation. She showed us the CT pictures. That explains why she can not hear with her right ear. Then she showed us her left ear pictures. She has the same malformation on the left side. That does not explain why she can hear with her left ear.

This doctor has never seen a child with two malformations of this kind where the child can hear with one ear. They are almost always totally deaf.

Now, the bad news... at any time, Cupcake could begin to lose hearing in her good ear. It could happen gradually, over time. It may get worse and better, and worse and better. Or, at any point, she could lose her hearing all together in an instant. They just don't know. There are too many variables and too much stuff that they just don't know.

Our plan is to closely monitor the hearing in her good ear (testing every 3 months). If, at any time, we notice a decrease, we are to get her in immediately for a test. If she looses some hearing, they will fit her with a hearing aid, so she can continue to develop speech and language in the best circumstances possible. We will put her in speech therapy, so we can get her language up to speed as quickly as possible. The better her speech and language is, the better she will be able to cope as a deaf person in a hearing world... Just in case it happens sooner rather than later.

The good news... God has given her 5 years of good hearing. That, in itself, may be a miracle. She may have many more years with no problem. He has placed her in a family that loves her dearly and will do everything to help her make it in this world. He has rescued her from a culture that could not or would not help her. He is God and He has a plan for her (and us). We will trust Him in this.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

OH CRUD!

I was planning on posting some wonderful insights from our fantastic weekend getaway. We had a fabulous time and came back SO REFRESHED...

BUT...

Instead...

I report to you that I fell and broke my ankle today...

When I called Daddy to tell him I was on the way to the ER, he asked, "What did you fall off of?"

I was skydiving and as I attempted to land on the moving train...

Okay, truth is, I fell off the...carpet. Yeah. I was walking --carrying Cupcake, more precisely. I stepped. My ankle twisted. I screamed and dropped Cupcake. The kids came running. Sunshine, Sugar and Cupcake all acted quickly and took care of me. I spent the afternoon at the hospital. Doctor says it's fractured. Keep off the foot. Walk on crutches. Get a cast in a few days. No driving. NO DRIVING!!!!! Do you know how many places I go in a week? ARGH! Life just got complicated. :-(

And I cannot stand sitting around. Oh, sure. It sounds good in theory. But seriously. I have too much to do. Sitting around is not an option.

But it is mandatory. So here I go.

Please pray for us all.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Marriage Conference - WOOHOO!!!

Daddy and I are heading out for our church's annual marriage conference. This will be the first time away from Cupcake. She's not sure this is a good thing. The kids are staying with Daddy's parents and they will be back at the house several times over the weekend, so, hopefully, it will be all right.

We'll be back Sunday. Have a great weekend.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

They say...

The mind is the first thing to go...

(Photography by Cupcake)

A few weeks ago, I signed Daddy and me up for a Beyond Consequences Live seminar. It is given by an author (Heather T. Forbes) who deals with parenting kids who've lived through trauma. I have been SO excited for this. I just got her book in the mail yesterday, and I can't wait to read it.

So, I signed us up for the March 7th seminar and put it on the calendar for February 7th.

I promptly made babysitting arrangements for February 7th. I had to change arrangements at one point. The boys have the annual Boy Scout Freeze-Out Campout on February 7th. One of my best friends has a baby shower on February 7th.

Yesterday, I checked the email confirmation and looked up the map of the location. It was sponsored by the Churchill Academy on Municipal Center Drive. I know right where it is. It's the brick building right there on the frontage road (10 minutes from home)

We've been preparing Cupcake all week that she would spend the WHOLE DAY Saturday with Grammy and Grandpa.

I had plenty of opportunities to double-check that date...but I didn't.

So, this morning, we wake up early to get the boys off to their camping trip. We pop the girls out of bed and rush them around to get ready. As we're pulling into Grammy's, I realize I forgot the email confirmation. "That's okay," I think. I'm sure we're signed up and I know right where it is.

We get out the door a little late, but arrive in plenty of time for the seminar. A month early, in fact.

We wait around, because the doors are locked. There are people going in, but they obviously work there, because they have the code to get in the door. Finally, I ask a lady going in. She didn't know anything about it, but maybe I was mistaken and it is next door at the Municipal Center, which also happens to be a brick building on the frontage road. By now, I'm pretty much mad that I forgot the email confirmation. I'm second-guessing what I remembered about the email. Was it sponsored by the school, but located at the Municipal Center on Municipal Center Drive... or was it? ...argh!!!

So we go next door.

No luck there.

We call my father-in-law and ask him to look it up on the website.

That's when I realized my mistake.

OOPS!

So, we proceed to Wal-Mart, where I need to get a pair of glasses. I picked up my prescription yesterday, so we're all set....I thought. We spend an hour looking and deciding. Then the lady begins to write up the papers. Then she notices my prescription expired in November. I was sure it was a new prescription in June. I always write the date I change my contacts on the box, so I know how long it's been and when to change them. The first date on the box was July, so I got them in June....right?

Duh...

It was the second box of my prescription. Each box lasts 6 months.

So, now I need a new eye exam. And I'm desperate for glasses. My old ones broke in half about 2 weeks ago, but I just haven't had time to find new ones.

Anyway, I left Wal-Mart totally deflated and terribly insecure in my brain's ability to get anything right.

On a positive note...I love my husband. He just shakes his head and smiles.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

A Commercial Worth Watching

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32



I'm not Catholic, nor did I vote for President Obama, but this video is a powerful reminder of all that has been lost since 1973. (Roe v Wade) NBC was too queasy to play it during the Superbowl - stating that it was "too political". This commercial does not explicitly state an opinion on political matters at all. It merely displays the truth, with some thought-provoking dialogue displayed on the screen. But where it leads is troublesome for many.

President Obama was once a fetus.

I am so thankful that a black man could be elected president in our country. I believe this breakthrough will bring about significant cultural change and racial reconcilliation.

What tears me apart is that we finally have elected a president who is a minority, who should be able to identify with those who were crushed and oppressed by the cruelty of slavery -- one people group holding absolute power over another people group. He was once weak and fatherless...and yet, he refuses to defend the weak and fatherless, now that he is in power.

Please join me in praying for our president.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Hearing Update

Last Thursday, we took Cupcake back down to Children's Hospital for a hearing re-check. This was the 3rd hearing test they had performed on her. Each time before, she was finished with the test before they were finished with the test, if you know what I mean. And when she was done, there was no amount of pleading and coaxing that would draw her back in for more testing.

As a result, they were never really sure they got a good reading on her hearing. It appeared to be a moderate loss the first time and a severe loss the second time. They wanted to try again to see if they could really determine what she could hear with her right ear.

Thursday, I was SO PROUD of Cupcake. She sat still and paid attention for a full hour of testing. She followed directions and let them test her 20 different ways. She let them poke her ears several times. They finally were able to have an accurate understanding of what she can hear.

And the answer is...virtually nothing. She is profoundly deaf in her right ear. Her left ear is normal and she scored 100% on differentiating words that sound alike with that ear. Unfortunately, the right ear is so bad that they do not even recommend a hearing aid. It would have to be so loud, it would be distorted beyond recognition.

So, where does that leave us? In a classroom, she needs to sit in the front, with her left ear nearest the teacher. She does that automatically. Background noise should be kept to a minimum...not so easy with three big kids playing Guitar Hero and generally making noise. (Also, restaurants and public places are hard.) We need to talk to her face to face, so she can begin reading lips. We need to speak loudly and clearly. She needs to be extra cautious about traffic noise, since she can not locate the direction a sound is coming from. Parking lots are very dangerous for her. (She's better with streets than parking lots.)

The loss appears to be sensory-neural (nerve damage). They do want her to have a CT scan and have an opthamologist look at her eye structure - to see if there is any deformity or disease that might have caused this. Otherwise, we will just keep a close eye on her left ear, to make sure her hearing stays good in that one.

Even though the news was not great, I was so very pleased with the progress she has made in so many areas that made her testing go smoothly...understanding English, sitting still, cooperating with the testers, patience, endurance, and following directions. I am so grateful that she has come this far in 8 short months. So proud of my baby.

Blessings to you,
Mamita