can you hear what i hear???

Over the weekend, Einstein was complaining that he couldn't hear in one ear. Correction: he woke up at 3am Saturday morning, upset in tears SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER that he couldn't hear out of his left ear.

woah. This kid has slept through the night since he was 6 months old. Something was definitely up!

Like any good momma, I thought it was maybe earwax or water (we've been swimming a LOT) stuck in his ear canal. So I got a q-tip and cleaned out his ear, which came back squeaky clean. I was too tired at 3am to do anything more. Sorry kids, mom's working hours are from sun-up to sun-down. I quite enjoy my night hours without kids, thankyouveryMUCH! :) So, I proceeded to tell him that we would see a doctor later that day, and they would flush his ear out. I explained what it was, that it would tickle lots, but he would be able to hear very well afterwards. And you know what? He was actually excited!

But don't you know it? Kids always end up having a mini emergency in one form or another on the weekends. Or maybe it's just my kids? I LOATHE weekend emergency room visits! It's worse than a Saturday afternoon shopping trip at walmart! So he and I both agreed that we would wait until Monday to do the ear flush, as he had no fever and his ear didn't hurt. He just couldn't hear very well, that's it (I say sarcastically). But poor Einstein didn't let me get off that easily. He reminded me almost every hour of every day that we would be getting an ear flush for him on Monday. Like I could forget!

So Monday came! I called first thing in the morning, and thankfully for us we live in supercloseproximity to our pediatrician's office. Like, I could throw a rock and hit their parking lot. Well, maybe a bouncy ball! I was able to get an appointment for him in the next 30 minutes! Yay! And off we went...

The actual procedure of checking his ears was pretty standard, I suppose. I'd never encountered a plugged up orifice before. He got to use the hearing test machine and practice his hearing test for kindergarten next year (and believe me, I hyperventilate when I think of the idea that my little guy will start school in the coming year!). Judging on it's condition, I'm sure it was the same machine that I used to go to kindergarten myself. It was a relic!

Moving on... we went back to one of the rooms and played with the chalkboard, I blew up a glove to make a balloon, and the doc came in. He checked his ears, and what did he find???

A BEAD!!! In his ear! what? and it was white. so in an ear canal, that would be impossible to see unless you had one of those ear-scope light up thingies. Good thing we went to a doctor who had one :)

The first thing he tried to do is pop it out with a little plastic tool, but it was a no-go. This little 'bead' was just the perfect size for his ear hole. The doctor couldn't get behind it to gain leverage and pop it out. At this point I was getting a bit worried, since the pediatrician mentioned having to go to a specialist if he couldn't get it out. So we did in fact, try to flush it out.

The nurse came in with some absorbency papers, a diaper, a syringe with a special ear flushing tip, and a warm water peroxide mix. She had me sit on the papers and hold Einstein. Then she taped the diaper around his neck so it would catch whatever was in his ear. (I thought that was pretty funny and genius at the same time. Diapers... the latest earwax catcher!) And it took just 30 ml's of water to flush the offending "bead" out of his ear! Hooray!

Turns out the pesky little bead was an airsoft gun pellet. And why he chose the white colored pellet to stick in his ear is beyond me. I would have much preferred the neon orange one; then I would have seen it right away for what it was!

Einstein was such a good boy throughout the whole thing. He was so brave! He didn't squirm AT ALL, and as long as he knew what was going on, he was cool with everything that was happening. On another note, his brother Curly was extra good! He wasn't clingy, he didn't get in the way, and he was content with just playing with the chalkboard and getting chalk dust all over his clothes. Which I didn't mind at all!

For a reward, they got to spend almost 2 full hours on their scooters, riding with daddy. All in all, it was a pretty good ending to a crazy beginning.

Sorry the picture is super tiny. But that little speck in the middle of my hand is the airsoft pellet. Slightly covered in ear wax. Kinda gross, but pretty amazing that his ears are so on top of things, lol

Moral of the story: the pellet is out. We are happy! Life goes on without crabby, non-hearing kids. AND DON'T STICK THINGS IN YOUR EARS!!!

hip: a pontification

You know those people who are just "cool"? That just have a vibe about them? I totally want to be a mom like that.

A mom that has everything put together, has time to creatively craft little clothes and toys and books for their little ones, puts hot food on the table every night, shops exclusively at farmer's markets and whole food stores, weighs the perfect weight for her body frame, always looks fabulous in her trendy clothes, and is just happy with her life.

I'm lucky if I'm dressed and showered in the morning. I have wonderful ideas of clothes and toys and books for my little ones, though they don't quite ever come to fruition. Food is at least put on the table and my family isn't starving. I find that while visiting the farmer's market every now and again is a fun experience (halfway fun, halfway exhausting) going to Ralph's or Costco is MUCH easier on my wallet and patience. I so don't weigh my target weight. And let's be honest, right now it's not a priority for me. I have other goals that mean much more to me. I am NOT a fashionista. I'm lucky if my clothes aren't pj's until noon. Not for lack of trying, just that it's go-go-go until quiet time after lunch. But you know what???

I am still happy.


How can you not be happy with these cute, cuddly, incredibly dirty babies?!

My life may not be polished by any means, but I know my time will come. Eventually I will not have a sick child, my husband will not be a full time business owner by day and a full time student by night, and we will have a very pedestrian, somewhat normal lifestyle. Granted, my boys will still be incredibly active, my girl will still be dealing with her congenital defect, and I will probably be pregnant again (NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT, just looking to the future!). There will still be crud under the kitchen table to sweep up, toys to avoid stepping on, and I will still have a utilitarian way of viewing things. My home will not be featured on Simply Living or Better Homes and Gardens, but it will be full of love and acceptance.
I don't really know where I'm going with this post; I'm just writing what's coming out of my brain. I see other people's lives and read blogs and wonder if every other person feels the same way. What I see as cool and a model to strive for is laborious and boring for others? I'm sure it is.
I don't give off any pretense as to who I am. I don't hide the fact that I'm just me; a country-ish girl living in the suburbs. Someone who LOVES traveling to big cities and events where I can visit all the lights and glamour, but never wanting to be stuck in the middle of it forever. I enjoy my privacy, but not too much. I like to be the center of attention for about 30 minutes, then I'm over myself. I have many MANY people who I'm acquainted with, but aside from my family, I have few close friends. Does that mean I have a hard time making friends? I don't think so. Though I do think I have a hard time cultivating friendships. There are honestly about 4 people whom I've met in my life that I wouldn't want to be friends with. And believe me, if you're reading this, you're not one of them! :)
AND... I have a confession to make. My kids don't wear helmets. I find it ridiculous that kids wear helmets while riding a bike on the sidewalk, nowhere near cars, while they have training wheels on. Sorry. It's just silly. Why don't you just wrap them up in bubble wrap and sedate them for the rest of their lives too? That way, they're sure to never get hurt. I just find it really unnecessary. Around cars, on a busy street, of course! But in one's driveway? Not necessary. That's it. I'm done offending people! :)

love this cute little site!

I know a lot of people with new babies. And first-time babies. And young kids. And expecting families.
So I recently found this super cute website called Project Nursery. It gives you tons of ideas! And they are also doing a silhouette giveaway, which I am pretty stoked about. Go check it out!