Making the Most of It: Hannah Update

Thank you everyone for praying for our girl (and us) last week. Hannah did amazing at both doctors appointments. I was told by more than one nurse that she is a sweet little angel, which I totally agree with, but she does seem to be on her best behavior when she's out of the house :). I think she takes after her brother in that regard.

Thursday, she had her sedated hearing test. Even though I had to wake her at 4am to feed her a last meal before the 9am procedure she had a good attitude.

She fell asleep easily but woke up in the middle so they had to put an IV in. It took her a little longer to wake up at the end, but that was the only hiccup. 

      Waiting for the doctor to show up.

When they brought her back to me.     (So sweet).

The results of the test are that Hannah's hearing is the same in her right ear, but her left ear has declined. We will get stronger aids for her in a couple of weeks. I was sad when I heard her hearing is getting worse, but am encouraged that the aids are helping and during speech therapy (and other times) she really is hearing sounds!!

Friday, we loaded up the minivan at 6am and headed to Cincinnati. 

All I can say is WOW about this hospital. We hardly waited at all, the doctor spent more than ample time with us and everyone we came in contact with was great. 

The doctor taught us a lot more about Hannah's MRI, that speech therapy is  most important right now, what exactly "having a small head" means and more little nuggets that are too hard to explain. We felt encouraged when we left and this doctor will follow Hannah. 

As I've said before there are no outward signs (except for her head & hearing aids) that she is (or will be) behind but we want to be proactive with therapy and seeing the best doctors we can find. She actually rolled over yesterday which is huge y'all!

                     At the doctor

           Eli running off some energy 

After Friday's appointment we traveled back to Louisville via southwest Virginia. That's where my g'ma lives and since she hasn't had a chance to meet Hannah yet we wanted to go see her. Yes, southwest VA is really not on the way from Cincinnati, so that meant A LOT of time in the car but our kids did great. We got back home around dinner Saturday night. 

                     4 generations

             This little girl IS ticklish!

Eli & daddy taking a dip in the hotel pool while it snowed outside. What a treat!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but filled with good family time. 

"Give thanks to the LORD, 

for he is good. 

His love endures forever. "

Psalm 136:1

Being Present

As I have said before, this virus is evil. At this point in the game there is no way to know how Hannah will develop, what she will/won't do and how long things will take. If I think about all the unknowns for too long they drive me crazy.

I think this can apply to anything in life. There are so many unknowns, aren't there? 

Lately, The Lord has really been impressing on my heart to "be present".  Be present in what's happening today. Today, Hannah's doing what any other 4 month old should do, today she's smiling, laughing, rolling and napping (praise Jesus!) 

I don't want to miss these precious times with my family because I'm worrying about what may happen tomorrow. Of course this is easier said then done most days, but I think The Lord has me on the road to learning more about how He cares for his children and how he really does give us what we need when we need it. 

This week has been an off week for us. No doctors appointments and no PT. Next week, however, they start back. The two biggies are next Thursday and Friday. Thursday Hannah will have a sedated hearing test to see if her hearing loss has gotten worse. This should be a semi-easy procedure, bringing home a sleepy baby. I've been praying from the beginning that her hearing won't decline, just because I don't want anything to get worse, but either way at least we'll know where we are. If it does decline she'll have to get bigger/stronger hearing aids. Friday, we'll travel to Cincinnati for a 2nd opinion with a neurologist. This doctor is highly recommended. We pray he can point us in the right direction. 

Since I'm on the topic of "being present" I wanted to share some Eli-isms and things I hope I never forget. 

The day friends arrived at our house and Eli ran over to Hannah (who was lying on the playmat) and whispered "friends, friends are here, Hannah!"

Eli calls the living room "the room room" (I kinda don't want to correct that)

Eli calls Hannah, Banana. 

The look of sadness on Eli's face when the audiologist stuck something in Hannah's ear & it made her cry. 

Eli now requests we sing "jingle bells" & "silent night" before bed. I wonder if I will still be singing it in July?

Eli's favorite cereals are flakes and O's. 

Lord, thank you for my children. They truly are a gift from you!

God is our refuge and strength,

 A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Christmas 2014

Like everyone else it's hard to believe Christmas is over. The holidays have come to a close, kids go back to school this week and Keith's work ramps up again. That also means Hannah's doctors appointments start again as well as PT. 

Honestly, I'm a little glad to start up appointments again. I did enjoy not having constant things that kept us in the car & in waiting rooms, but these last few days I have started to give into worry a whole lot. Questioning every little thing Hannah does, wondering if it's normal or brain-related. When we see doctors and therapists they seem to keep these worries at bay. 

For the most part Hannah is doing exactly what a soon-to-be 4 month old should be doing.  We are trying to celebrate every little thing, but then worry comes back. The what ifs and the second guessing. 

I know I can't live there. Hannah is who she is. God knows her future, not me. This is something I repeat to myself daily, sometimes hourly. 

Back to Christmas... It was great. Keith's parents came and spent time with us which was a blessing and this is the first time in our married life we've spent Christmas in our home. It was different. As you can imagine I was a little consumed by CMV at times and thinking about what our life was like last Christmas. What would it look like next Christmas? 

I'm so thankful for Hannah. She makes me smile so much and gives me joy. I love that she's in our family, I just hate the virus. 

Here are a few more shots from Christmas. 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:34