No surgery for now.

I postponed Sam's ear tube surgery. I wasn't feeling comfortable with it for a few reasons:
1. The whole general anesthetic thing.
2. It's only temporary and isn't really guaranteed to take care of the problem when they fall out.
3. He hasn't had any infections since I took away the pacifier, gave him a new pillow and changed the carpet in his bedroom.
4. The surgery leaves a permanent scar on the eardrum, which does cause some amount of hearing loss.

So, I'm trying to utilize zoning for Sam. It's kind of like reflexology, but more specific. Thomas was kind of skeptical at first, so I would like to point out a few things about the body.
1. The body is a type of bioelectric/biochemical machine. The body works on electric impulses that come from the brain. The brain and other parts of the body produce natural chemicals that determine a lot of what goes on in our bodies.
2. Body systems need to communicate with each other for the body to work properly.
3. Parts of the body are connected to seemingly unrelated parts. Have you ever had an itch somewhere, then found that when you scratched it, it wasn't actually itchy in the spot you thought it was?
4. I was having really serious after birth cramping after Sam was born. It was definitely way worse than labor and delivery. My mom said she would rub my foot in the spot that corresponds with the uterus. I was going to say something like, "Whatever! No, don't touch me," feeling like there's no way it would work, and I was really hurting. She starting rubbing on that spot, and I got instant relief, no joke. Every time a cramp would come, Thomas would rub on that spot or I would do it myself if no one was there.

It makes sense to me that this form of making sure the body is all "opened up" to receive the biochemical and bioelectrical messages works.

I decided that I would give it a month to see if it is working out for him, but Sam is actually improving already. He started getting a cold (a runny nose), and I put thyme oil and peppermint oil on his feet in the areas that correspond with his ears, nose, eustachian tubes and thymus (the gland in the chest, just behind the sternum, that is the brain center for the immune system--produces T cells and other things that help protect the body). Next day, no runny nose. His language is already becoming more clear, and he is communicating more with me, using words. I believe that Heavenly Father has given us this way to help us take care of our bodies. I will let you know as more develops with this.

Addendum on Dec 22nd: When my mother-in-law was on a mission in Cambodia a few years ago, one of the women they knew was laid out on a table outside because she was dying. So, Leola went over to her and started rubbing on her feet. Everytime she hit a spot that hurt, she really worked that area, and then onto the next spot. She rubbed and worked on her feet (not like a foot massage, but really working those areas) for more than an hour, at least. When my in-laws were leaving Cambodia to go home, this woman practically jumped on my mother-in-law, hugging her and leaving kisses (they kiss with their noses, like eskimo kisses) all over her face and neck because she was so grateful. I know there is something to this.

Updating

So, I've been a bit busy. Here's a quick synopsis of the recent happenings:

The ENT said that Sam does need tubes in his ears. However, I'm REALLY hesitant to have my almost 3 year old put under general anesthetic for tubes and possible adenoid removal. Then again, I'm fighting with myself because now is the time that his language skills are really developing. I spoke with a lady that I visit teach and she said that she was told her little boy needed tubes, but then when she went to the ENT 3 or 4 months later (he was totally booked til then), he had grown out of the problem. Then again, her little boy was a lot younger than Sam. I guess that I will take him into the doc one more time in about a week to see if he still has the problem, especially since he seems to have a cold. If he does, then we probably ought to go ahead and have it done, since constantly having fluid in there can actually cause permanent damage over time. We'll see how it works out.




Claire is 5 months old today. What a cutie she is, and such a happy little girl. This video is from about a month ago.


My sister Miriam just gave me a copy of this photo she took. I scanned it in so I could put it on the site--though my scanner doesn't do the photo justice.

Andrea has been doing pre-ballet and is excited about it. She keeps talking about getting toe shoes and a dog someday.



Peter is such a good boy, and so smart. He is such a great helper. Yesterday, he told me that he wished he could live at school because they have playground toys and lots of rooms. He and Andrea just had their Primary Program. Here is one of the videos I took of them practicing a song called "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus".


Sam seems to be the comic relief of the family. His language skills seem to be improving a bit.

Thomas is done with harvest, but now he is cleaning things up, building things and thinking about projects.

I'm pretty boring, though I am considering going to school for music therapy instead of vocal performance. There are so few music therapists, and a great need for them in this area.

Caitlin is working at an assisted living center and a phone center right now. She's pretty tired, I think. What an awesome girl she is.

Halloween was fun. Peter was a vampire pirate (he was a pirate, but he got some vampire teeth from a party), Andrea was a ballerina fairy princess, Sam was an ape and Claire was a banana. I just wore a black and red irridescent hooded cape and darker lipstick. The kids asked what I was, and I wasn't sure. So, I said I was a witch. Next year, I think I will wear the same thing, but find some vampire teeth, too, and be a vampire instead. Thomas was a candy hander-outer. Very scary. Caitlin was also a pirate, but she wrote something on the back of her shirt: "Arrrrr, they're after me booty! (The gold, of course.)" She's funny.
We had our first really good snow, but it's all gone now. I'm sure we'll get more soon enough.






More later...and I'll do better at keeping it updated...I hope.

Change of appointment

Sam was supposed to see the ENT on the 22nd (or should I say, 'the twenty-tooth', as Pete called it last Christmas), but they called & said they had a cancellation for Monday so we'll be able to get in sooner. Yea! More updates to come!

Bye-Bye Baby!

No, not Claire. Following the advice of a couple of friends, we've gotten rid of Sam's paci (said like pa-see), otherwise known as 'the binki' by said friends. : ) That seems to have been helping by warding off further infection thus far. It's alright that he's given it up since he's 2 1/2 now--it's time to say bye-bye baby, even if he only used it at night. Just for the sake of being thorough, we've also gotten him a new pillow and will be getting new carpeting in that room as well. Most of these problems started (at least the constantly runny nose) since we moved him into the 'boy's room'. The carpet in there is the oldest in this house, so we got an end roll piece pretty cheap and it will be put in sometime in the next week or two. We also have an appointment with the ENT for October 22nd. We shall see what he says. Perhaps by then, his eardrums won't have the pulled back reversed pressure and/or fluid behind them. If not, then we will further explore allergies, etc.

A Quick Video

Here is a video of our newly painted front room. Try to ignore the red sharpie decor on the couch and some of the carpet...I tried to avoid videoing the exact areas of Sam's 2 1/2 year old expertise.



Speaking of Sam, the audiologist said that his eustachian tubes are not opening properly, so that is what is causing the fluid behind his eardrums. He is recommending to the family doc that we get sent to the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doc so he can see if it's a result of allergies, large adenoids, large tonsils, or something else making it difficult for the eustachian tubes to open when they need to. If you have no idea what I'm taking about, then here are two illustrations and a medical explanation:

About the eustachian tube
The eustachian tube begins in the nasopharynx, which is above and behind the soft palate, and extends to the middle ear.
The eustachian tube opens periodically to equalize the pressure in the middle ear. A malfunction of the eustachian tube may cause problems in the middle ear or the mastoid.
Some of these problems include:
Fluid
Infection
Retractions of the eardrum
Cholesteatoma
Children with some middle ear problems may "outgrow" the difficulty as the Eustachian tube matures.

Sam, cont.

I've abandoned soy. I've decided to try another route for Sam. He's going to the audiologist this Thurs. More about all that later; it's hard to type with one hand while holding the baby.

Dave's Killer 100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Click this link to take you to the page where you can find the new 100% whole wheat bread recipe that I really like. The only differences are that I don't use a thermometer to check the temp at the end of baking the bread and I replace the sugar with an equal amount of honey.

On another note, Sam has an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning. We will see if we have gotten anywhere with figuring out what is up with him.