Day 32 - To hear is to be overstimulated?

Okay, so maybe hearing doesn't always equal happiness when you are not used to hearing. The past several days have been a bit rough. Jack has been hyper, loud, disobedient and a bit sleep deprived. It is hard to sleep when you are used to quiet surroundings when you conveniently turn off your hearing. When your hearing stays on, it is hard to go to sleep. When you can hear, it is also easy to wake up to soft noises in the middle of the night and early in the morning. Sleep deprivation does not wear well on Jack. What a grump. Grumpy Jack often results in grumpy parents. We are trying to keep our sense of humor about it all, but Jack is definitely adjusting to his new sense of hearing. I think it is just a little overstimulation that will wane with time. Interestingly enough, when we turn his BAHA down, he gets angry and turns it back up. That problem was solved today when the BAHA went on the blink. It will probably have to go in for repair. So, that was probably a little blessing from above...

Enough of that. Here is Jack's ear today:




The back is looking like it maybe has some cysts present that Dr. Reinisch may have to remove in the Stage 2 surgery. I am also wondering if the wrinkles will go away. Overall, it is starting to show some more definition and shape and is looking better everyday.

Thanks to everyone who has commented on the blog! We have it set up to send us an e-mail whenever someone comments and we always enjoy seeing those e-mails pop up. We feel very blessed to have such incredible support.

Today we took the kids skiing. Jack hung out with Mom and Dad while Jaden took lessons and Darby and Carter went off on their own for the first time (also the first time we didn't ski and the kids did). We actually enjoyed just a relaxing day in the sun and snow. Jaden did great. Jack was oblivious to everything and just had fun in the snow. I took Jack and Jaden back to the car after lunch to rest while Darby and Carter skied for a while longer. Jaden was so tired after her strenous 1.5 hour lesson that she fell asleep within 5 minutes of sitting in the car. On the way home, I asked her what her favorite part of skiing was and she immediately retorted, "The swings!"