The Journey We Are On.....

Last week sure was a busy one! Sunday Our church voted in our new pastor - Pastor Tracy will begin in January (this will let his kids finish the semester at their current school, get their house on the market and find a house here). The whole church is very excited! Sunday night was our annual church Thanksgiving meal. The food was wonderful and we always enjoy spending time with our church family. Monday Ethan had his 4 month pictures taken at JC Penney's. He sure didn't want to cooperate, and we only got one good smile out of him. :) Tuesday - Ethan's First Day with Hearing Aids Jeff took of work and headed to Springfield with us to the audiologist. Ethan's audiologists, Brittany and Anna, are wonderful - see picture :). They are so good with our little guy. Ethan didn't like it when Anna first put his hearing aids in, but once they were in he didn't seem to mind. Jeff and I were shown how to care for the hearing aids, the proper way to insert/take...

Another good week! Monday Ethan and I stayed home and tried to relax! Although this is impossible to do, since he's getting to the point that he doesn't want to nap. He must be afraid that he's going to miss something exciting when he sleeps - like mom doing laundry, dishes, or trying to tidy up the house. :) Tuesday Ethan and I went to our weekly Baby Talk Times. I must admit that I look forward to this each week. :) Wednesday Ethan had his monthly physical therapy appointment today. She said that if she didn't know his diagnosis she'd think he was a "normal" 4 month old!!!! Yeah, we are still working on head control some, and strengthening his core, but she was very excited about the progress he is making! :) She has also recommended that Ethan get a helmet, so we are going to begin that process soon. Thursday Ethan had a swallow study done at the hospital in the afternoon. I was glad that Jeff was able to take time off from work to come wit...

Overall we had a pretty good week! Saturday and Sunday we got to visit with Jeff's family. His brother and his wife and two kids were in town. It is always good to visit with them. My sister-in-law is a physical therapist (and used to work with Early Intervention) so I always ask her tons of questions about Ethan's development when I see her. :) On Monday morning Ethan and I got to meet with our new friend Vicky. Vicky and her husband have two beautiful children, the youngest has a PBD like Ethan. She lives about 2 hours away, but was in Decatur for a conference! It was a great visit and we both look forward to getting our whole families together sometime soon. Monday afternoon Ethan and I went to visit the Pittman family. I've been friends with them for many years and enjoyed catching up. There two and a half year old little boy is very precious and seems excited that he's going to be a big brother ;). Tuesday morning Ethan had his appointment with his Speech L...

It has been a busy week! Monday Ethan saw the dietitian and the developmental hearing specialist. The little guy weighed in at 12 lbs. and 3 1/2 oz. and was 24 and 3/4 inches long. YEAH! Ethan played with the hearing specialist and we are looking forward to meeting with her two times a month. She'll see him again near the end of the month after he gets his hearing aids. Tuesday Ethan and I went to our first Baby Talk Times (playgroup). This was great - something very "normal." We plan to go back. Wednesday We had a play date with friends! Yeah, I was so glad that we got out and did this. :) Thursday Ethan and I went to Springfield to see the Audiologist for another ABR and his hearing aid evaluation. He slept long enough to get another complete ABR!!!! This was so great, because it allowed them to get a more complete picture of his hearing loss. At this time, he has moderate loss in both ears (hearing loss is measured on a scale - mild, moderate, severe, profo...