power outages, appointments and major talks

Happy New Year!

I mentioned before that I've started a new job, lost the van in a minor accident (no injuries and just me in it), got a new job, had 4/5 of our birthdays (plus 3/4 of the grandparents) all in the last month and a half.

Love the job, its only part-time only 8-24 hours a week but it works around Matthew which is important with two two year-old  preemies who still have tons of appointments. I'm working in a portrait studio, doing something I love. 

Avery

 

Gwen

Christmas, and birthdays were busy busy busy! And the adjustment to working alongside parenting three kids is well underway, I think the adjustment to not seeing Matthew as much was harder. But now he gets to take the girls to appointments by himself too and is understanding firsthand the girls issues.

In the last 4ish days, I've lost count, we have been experiencing rolling power outages and full on power outages. Our work was without power for most of the time, but we still were there. The kids have done okay with the power being gone, Rhys is hitting the point of "why is it gone again" but he is dealing. 

School has a delayed opening until at least Wednesday, so he is excited. 

Gwen had another Speech Language appointment today, it went ahead because the hospital has power. She is booked for once a week the next four weeks. 

At the end, it was mentioned that we are gearing up as parents and all of her "team", speech language, audiology, audio visual, and itinerant teacher to get together to decide if her hearing aids are enough or if we will have to go the cochlear implant route. Its hard to keep hearing that regardless we still have to talk about it, but the reality is is Gwen getting enough language right now? I believe she is, she understands what we say to her but I also appreciate that she doesn't verbalize as much as her sister (or her brother did) 

Its going to be a tough discussion, and a tougher decision.

Speech Language

Dear Gwen, sweet dear Gwen.

I can say 80% of my gray hairs have come from worrying about you,. Not to say your siblings haven't given me a few, Avery & Rhys' two surgeries where no walk in the park. Avery gave me many frights during her NICU stay. But I don't think I have ever stopped fully worrying about you on a major level. You with your hearing, with your language stills, with the unknown.

Will we have to make the unthinkable choice to go with CI's?

I don't know.

And the unknown is a lot more frightening then certainties, AN is such an unknown.

I thought you were doing well.

I thought that you were talking up a storm. Not as much as Avery, but she doesn't need hearing aids.

But after speech language today, I got the impression that your doctors are more concerned then they are telling me.

So now what?

We have to wait and see, and try to give up on worries. You are happy, healthy and know no different.

And isn't that all that matters? That you are happy?

Hopefully now we will have a lot more answers now that you have started SL, but as always its hard to tell with you.  But it is a start and we will get more answers.