Hearing - OK

Gabriel had a full-blown hearing test today.  His speech therapist recommended a hearing test mostly to rule it out as the problem for his delayed speech, and because he's now had several sinus infections in a row.  She wanted to make sure there wasn't fluid built up in his ears that might be causing an "underwater" effect to his hearing.  

I was concerned about people sticking things in his ears, which never goes over very well at the pediatrician's office.  But lo and behold, he did great.  He tried a couple of times to take the little tubes out, but I held onto his hands.  Then he shook his head like he was trying to get rid of either the tubes or the mysterious voice that had appeared in his head.  But he never cried or even fussed through the whole thing.  I was so proud of him!  And he even though he did have a little fluid in one ear, his hearing was completely normal.  YAY!

Which means now we focus on his motor skills of his mouth.  The therapist had another possible theory that because his cheeks are so big it's harder for him to make certain sounds.  So we're supposed to be trying to get him to drink out of straws as much as possible, and to eat chewy and crunchy foods that will make him use his mouth more.  He's basically exercising the muscles of his mouth.  She also suggested trying to get him to blow bubbles, or getting a toy horn for him to blow.   I was not looking forward to hearing an annoying toy horn sound over and over, so I found these really cool wooden whistles today for him to try.  There's a penny whistle, a train whistle and a slide whistle.  He loves them, and was so proud tonight when he finally blew hard enough to make the slide whistle make a sound.  

I've noticed a slight improvement in his speech over the last few days, so we will keep up all of this hard work that seems to be paying off!

3 out of 5 just doesn't work

I have discovered over the past week that I need all five of my senses to life a sane and happy life.  While battling my 3rd sinus infection this allergy season, I have lost both my sense of smell and my sense of taste.  And I mean lost them.  Completely.  For about a week I haven't known what I'm putting on the table for dinner.  I knew I used my sense of smell to keep track of the things I'm cooking, and I've burned several things (almonds, bread) because I couldn't rely on my nose to remind me I had things browning in the oven.  

And the taste loss is really weird.  I can taste textures and cold versus hot, but that's it.  I can just barely taste acidity if I'm eating something with citrus or tomato.  It's taking all the fun out of eating!  I was so proud to throw together a new pita sandwich last night of homemade hummus with roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, and Kalamata olives.  I couldn't taste a thing except for a tiny bit of acidity from the lemon juice in the hummus.  Jav said they were great, though.  And I really got the short end of the stick for Mardi Gras, when I was supposed to enjoy a lovely, grease-dripping Sonic cheeseburger before my 40 days with no meat.  I couldn't taste a thing.  

I think this happened to me once before, and eventually everything returned to normal.  But it would really be sad if this was a permanent affliction.  I love to eat WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY too much to ever get used to it.

Just wrong

Gabriel had his speech evaluation yesterday from Early Childhood Intervention.  It was a broader test than the one he had at Cooks Children's, but was also more general.  The speech therapist concurred with his original evaluation (he's only at a 21-month-old level), but because their program is so overloaded she could only set up once-a-month appointments.  Cooks had recommended once-a-week sessions.  So I took the appointment with ECI, and whenever Cooks has an opening we'll have to discuss how much Gabriel's progressed and decide which program to use.

I am a little upset, though, with our main "case worker" from ECI.  She has not come out and blatantly said anything, but she keeps giving me hints that she might be disapproving of us for choosing to use them based on the fact that we seem to be a little more well off than the average family they try to help.  She has been telling me stories about the disadvantaged areas they have to visit and how they can't afford to hire more therapists because of their limited state-supplied budget.  She mentions that most of their families cannot afford private insurance.  She often has touched on some of these things during her visits, but yesterday that's all she talked about before the speech therapist arrived.

It was one of those things that didn't occur to me until after she'd left yesterday.  But now that I realize what she was hinting at I would like to tell her that first off, it isn't any of her business or concern what kind of income we have.  She works for an organization that provides to all families who need help, not just ones of a particular income level.  Secondly, it is not our fault that some of these more expensive programs seem to also be understaffed, and have a lengthy waiting list.  And finally, I would appeal to her as a parent.  I would ask her how she would feel if it were her child.  I would ask if she could imagine what it felt like when your child is trying to talk to you and try out new words, and you have to finally give up and say, "I'm really sorry baby, but I just can't understand you".  And his face falls.  Several times a day.  This is a call to action for any parent.  It doesn't matter where the help comes from or how much it costs (or doesn't cost), you just want help.   We just want help.  NOW.   It's just a matter of who can get to us first.  

I'm not sure what I'll actually say, though, because I still need her help.  

Lent

Lent starts next week.  I have some issues with the whole "giving up something" for 6-1/2 weeks.  I understand the concept.  I think it's about trying to find strength when you are doing something hard, and attempting to understand Christ's suffering on a very minute scale.  My husband thinks for him it's also about realizing the excesses that we are used to, and that we don't really need as much as we think to live a good life.  This just doesn't work for me, probably due to my "all or nothing" personality.  If you find you can live without the excess at the end of Lent, why do you go back to needing it afterwards?  If you are going to give something up, give it up all year long, not just for Lent.   

But all that withstanding, I still will give something up, and try not to complain about it the whole time, as I have been known to do. The year before last I decided to try something different for Lent.  I made a list of things I'd been wanting to do to reach out to people in my life but either hadn't the time or the nerve.  This ended up having an amazing impact on my life.

One of the best things that came out of that year was a friendship with our neighbor, Helen.  At the time she had lost her husband, Jerry, after he fell of the roof and then (tragically) sustained further spinal injuries while in the hospital.  They tried to rehabilitate him, but he finally passed away after 6 months, leaving her on her own and unable to even drive.  They had been missionaries in Asia for most of their lives, and she had never needed a car.  At the time all of this happened, we had just started saying hello to them when we'd see them outside.  I put a sympathy card in her mailbox, but really wanted to reach out to her to see if she needed me to drive her anywhere.  So I finally saw her outside and asked her one day.  She was very appreciative, and before long we were making weekly trips to the grocery store.  Gabriel loves her, (and vice versa), and we invited her to his last birthday party.  When the members of her church showed up on her doorstep to do some Christmas caroling in December, she called us so we could come outside and listen and meet everyone.  She's a lovely person, has the most fascinating stories to tell, and my life is the better for having branched out and made friends with her.  To me this is was a much more meaningful way to spend Lent than giving up sweets.  

So I need to make a list for this year.  One thing I will put on it is to start regularly visiting my aunt, who was recently put into a nursing home.  Another thing is to show up for one of our church's Altar Society breakfasts and church clean-ups.  I've been wanting to join but have never quite had the nerve to show up because I don't think I'll know anyone (even though I probably will see some faces I recognize).  That's a good start for this year.  

Doctor Phillips

My family doctor is unique, to say the least.  He has longish gray hair that is sometimes in a ponytail.  He loves all types of music and I never know what I'll hear when I walk in the door - but I know it will be something I like.  Today it was Sting.  Last time it was the Garden State soundtrack (one of the best CD's EVER), and in the past 8 or so years that I've been seeing him I've heard The Beatles, R.E.M., and one day Led Zeppelin!  (He must have been irked at the insurance companies that day, who drive him insane).  But the best thing about him is his bedside manner.  He is so calm, he explains things well, and he really listens.  He has an older clientele (who never seem to mind the music) that he cares for in the most charming way.   He remembers names and seems to take his time with each patient.  He asks after their spouses.  In other words, he really seems to care and wants to help people.  

The other great thing about him is his staff.  They all LOVE working for him and have the most fun.  I have never been when I didn't hear jokes, stories, and much laughter, in between all the actual work they have to do.  My theory is, because they love their jobs and have the freedom to have so much fun, it carries over to all of us patients.  Because no matter how sick I am, it's always pleasurable to wait and listen to their frivolity.  One year I showed up on Halloween and my doctor was dressed as a pimp, and all his"Ladies" were a sight to behold!  The Nurse Practitioner told me she was afraid of losing credibility with her patients, so decided a geisha girl was a good compromise.  In her words, "at least they were a little higher class of hooker."  I'm telling you these people have FUN while they work.  I just wish I'd had a camera with me that day!

And I hope he doesn't retire anytime soon.

Dogs

After returning from a visit to Christi's house last week, where I used to live, Molly kept sniffing me up and down.  My first thought was that she was picking up Thomas's (Christi's ever-so-cool cat) scent.  But then I started wondering if maybe she was remembering the smell of that house.  We know dogs have an amazing sense of smell, especially my half-hound dog.  How long do scents linger, especially inside?  I'm sure the outside ones have all been washed away by rain by now, but how much vacuuming and cleaning does it take to wash away inside scents?  

I used to wonder about this right after I lost Stanley and I would be walking Molly.  Could she still pick up his scent, and was it making her wonder where he was?  This is probably putting a human spin on a dog's thought process, which I have a bad habit of doing.  But it was still interesting to think about.  

House full of love

I had such a great Valentine's Day yesterday.  It was a very busy but satisfying day.  

I had to get to Gabriel's Day School by 8:30 to get in line to register for next year.  (Everyone had been warning me that the two-year-old class fills up quickly, and Julie, you scared me into believing them!).  It paid off and I got him in, and so did the Mom of the triplets that he shares his current Wednesday class with.  So he will at least have their familiar faces.

Then we had a picture scheduled with our church for the new directory (they do this to us every five years).  Jav talked me into getting a "generational" picture with his parents and sister, instead of separate family units.  This seemed strange to me, but is the norm in Mexico, so I decided to do it.  I really love his family more than I can say, and afterwards felt bad that I had even given it a second thought.  We all ate at Mexican Inn after the session and had a great time.

When we got home I had alot to do while Gabriel napped.  I walked poor Molly, who didn't get a walk all last week because of Gabriel being sick.  Then I went to work on the Sticky Toffee Pudding I was going to surprise Jav with for Valentine's.  Because I am not good at it, I am not fond of baking at all and I think because of my poor attitude something always goes wrong.  I need to be more like Carla, the contestant on Top Chef who claims that you have to think loving thoughts while you're cooking and they will be part of the food.  She's actually made it into the final, so maybe there's something to it.  (This reminds me of Like Water for Chocolate and makes me want to read it again).

Then it was time to get ready to exchange Valentine's gifts and cards.  Gabriel and I had made homemade ones for Jav (we had to do something to fill up all that time this past week!), and he was very moved.  Gabriel got his daddy a new picture of the two of them cuddling in the rocking chair that he can take to work for his desk.  Jav and Gabriel got me the sweetest cards, and Jav "surprised" me with Richard Thompson tickets.  Ok, so I knew about them, but that doesn't make me any less happy that we're going!

We all got ready and went to Mass to fill our minds and hearts with gratitude for having so much love in our lives.  We got to see our favorite violin player, who now knows what fans we are and gave a big wave to Gabriel when we walked in, which just made his whole day!  This guy is amazing.  He is very young, but has God-given talent dripping from his fingers, and improvises with every hymn.  You can just hear these beautiful, soaring notes either along with or in harmony with the melody, and it actually takes my breath away to watch and listen to him.  I feel like I'm in the presence of something I don't quite understand.

We had take-out for dinner, then Jav got Gabriel bathed and cozy and ready for bed while I played with the cats, something I never have time to do.  I can always see a difference in them when I do this.  They just seem more happy and content that they got a little attention.  After I read Gabriel his books and the lights were out, and he had one of my hands tucked in his while I stroked his back with the other, I told him Happy Valentine's Day, and that I loved him and wanted him to be happy-always.  He repeated the word "happy" back to me, so I asked him, "Are you happy?"  And he emphatically said his new favorite word, "YES".  This made me happier that I can put into words.

Then Jav and I curled up with our Sticky Toffee Pudding (which came out strange but tasted good), and watched Vicki Cristina Barcelona.  Last Saturday we saw Slumdog Millionaire then watched The Namesake early in the week.  Both movies are about or take place in India, and we felt as if we'd taken a journey there after watching both movies.  With this one we took a detour down to Spain.  The visuals and the story are great, but Woody Allen movies have become all about the music to me.  I would really like to ask him if the music inspires the movie, or vice versa.  This one is full of lovely flamenco guitar and folk-sounding music all the way through.  

The day was so special, and I feel like I had the time to show each member of the house how much I love them, and feel very loved back.  

10 things I've learned from watching cooking shows

10.  Trust my sense of smell when it comes to figuring out when certain things are done.

9.  Bring all meats down to room temperature before cooking, and let them rest for at least 5-10 minutes before carving or slicing.

8.  If you add a little lemon zest or salt to certain dishes just before serving, they taste even fresher.

7.  Fresh herbs are worth the extra expense.

6.  Roasting vegetables makes them taste better than steaming.

5.  Garlic can burn really quickly.

4.  Make sure the pan is hot enough before you throw stuff in it.

3.  The better and fresher the ingredients, the less you have to add to them to have a great meal.

2.  Taste everything before you serve it.

1.  Don't be afraid to add salt while you are cooking, and in layers (meat, sauce etc..).  The food doesn't end up tasting more salty, just more flavorful.

Organized or OCD?

I'm a firm believer in lists.  Before I started getting old and forgetting things, I just liked to make them for the sheer pleasure of being able to cross things off of them.  Now I do it out of necessity, because if I don't write it down, it ain't gonna get done.    I make the standard lists - weekly grocery lists, to-call and to-do this week lists, and to-pack lists when we travel for me and Gabriel (Jav is on his own.)  

I guess these don't ramp me up to obsessive status.  

For the new year, I made a workout schedule that I haven't kept up with (even though I have been working out more here and there, it's just been whenever I had a few spare minutes).  I made a daily laundry list that I have been keeping up with.  My Mom finally voiced her worry when I told her I had made a nightly to-watch list since it seemed we never got anything watched on the DVR.  This one we haven't stuck with it at all, if that makes her feel any better.  

I also have the following lists in various forms of completion and scattered all over the house:

Possible book club choices (for both clubs)

Possible ITune song downloads

Possible yard plans with plants I'm thinking about

Birthdays and Christmas suggestion lists that I keep going all year long whenever I think of something

Ongoing project list

Now, looking over this post maybe it's time to admit I have a bit of a problem.  But I still contend that I'm just ultra-organized, and am able to actually get things done instead of wishing I could remember what it is I'm supposed to be doing.  

A dead ringer

Every time we get the oatmeal canister down and Gabriel see this, he says (very enthusiastically), "Da-Da!"  I never noticed the resemblance before.

Happy houses

I have a strange thing I do when I'm out walking Molly. I rate houses and yards on my own made-up scale. The highest rating is Happy, then on down the scale is Distracted, Indifferent, and finally Sad. Happy houses are those that have beautifully cared for yards (not necessarily with a ton of landscaping), well painted homes, and everything looks to be in its place. But aside from the aesthetic properties, you know the owners of this house love living there. They just look warm and inviting, and you want to see what they look like on the inside.

Distracted homes have certain qualities of Happy homes, but for some reason or another lately they haven't seemed their absolute best. Maybe because of economic problems they aren't using the sprinkler system as much. Or maybe they're dealing with a loved one in the hospital. There's apparently something going on that takes them away for a short period of time, but the love is still there.

Indifferent houses are probably inhabited by families busy taking kids places on the weekends, or single people always on the go, or perhaps a single parent trying to work two jobs to keep the house. For whatever reason, the owner or owners haven't paid attention that much to their home or yard. These have overgrown yards, slightly shabby looking houses, but the potential to easily fix what's been neglected is still there.

Sad houses are almost beyond help. No or little grass, barely alive or dead shrubs, tons of leaves that have fallen and never been raked up. Shades are drawn all the time, paint is chipping or peeling, and it doesn't seem like anyone actually lives there. Every time you go by, it just....looks.......sad.

The great thing about our neighborhood, though, is that whenever a Distracted or Indifferent house has been put on the market within the last couple of years, the purchasers have changed it into a Happy house. Unfortunately, most of the time the Sad houses just stay that way. At least I can count these on one hand, so they are few and far between.

We strive to make our house a Happy one, and I think when I walk up to it and try to look at it objectively, you can tell there's alot of love that's been put into it.