Okay, where to begin... I will attempt to organize my thoughts. Trains, buses and car services have become my best friends lately. And I will get to bond with them all this week some more!
I was kinda upset at not going on many trips at the beginning of the summer. I was a little nervous to go with Adel... naps, nursing and all. So we took it easy but I felt guilty.
Now, I am more than making up for it. Not with fun trips, though... although I try to add a fun element each time.
When I called NYU to schedule a genetics appointment I was told there are no pediatric neurologists in NYU. Huh? I thought that was weird. But whatever. The my mother in law found me an online referral service from NYU. You enter your info and what specialist you are looking for and they call you back with the info. So I did it, and... yay! I got a referral to a pediatric neurologist whose clinical interest is genetics. Great. (Not sure what "clinical interest" means, but sounds good.) And the best part? They gave me an appointment for this Wednesday! That's after tomorrow! That's a week and a half earlier than the Maimonides appointment we had!
Last Thursday I went to Step by Step for Adel's evaluation and they told me to get her hearing tested. Although I was pretty sure that her hearing is fine, it was important to get it done. I kept calling every day and got an answering machine. Then today... I called in the morning and they said there is an appointment available right now! Oh, wow. Awesome! But... the appointment was 45 minutes away, and the office is pretty far from us. And no one was dressed! I debated... take a car? But I have no money on me to pay. Take a bus and train? That will be too long. Borrow $20 from my landlady? I hate borrowing money, and besides, $20 won't be enough for two car rides and co-pay.
After much deliberation (while dressing everyone) I decided to take a walk to the nearest ATM and call a car to pick us up from there. Arrived at the audiologist not a moment too soon!
Hashem bless this office... a room full of neatly organized toys. YAY! (And no ick factor because it's not like a pediatrician's office where sick kids sneeze all over the toys and lick them.)
The boys were occupied while I was in the exam room with Adibaby.
First they tested her with some device in her ears which was connected to a computer. The doctor told me to make sure Adel doesn't pull the wires out. I had to laugh... I'd be thrilled if Adel would care to pull wires out! (Or yank a hat off, sunglasses, headbands, clips... It makes life easy for me, but it's not the way it should be.)
Her right ear is fine. Clear and perfect hearing.
Her left ear is full of fluid and failed the hearing test. Coincidentally (or not), that is the ear with the skin tag, greater deformity and which was folded in at birth. The doctor was surprised at the fluid, since even kids who have ear fluid problems all year, clear out at this time of year. My next step? Clear out the fluid. How? I don't know. I am at the moment awaiting phone calls from our pediatrician and a random NYU ENT to advise me my next course of action. In any case... I will have to return to the audiologist in 4-6 weeks regardless.
It's good that I got the hearing test now because the audiologist said the geneticist will have to have the results and would have sent me anyway. So I just saved myself some time and some running around!
So that's the story so far. If it sounds incoherent, welcome to my life.
And just because my life needs more thrill, Gedalya flew off a merry-go-round at a new park we discovered near the audiologist and landed on his finger. I don't know what's wrong with it, but it swelled up right away. So.... tomorrow we will take a trip to the doctor AGAIN.
I am so tired of this. And it's only just the beginning.
Monday, August 31, 2009
August 2009 Photos
~ Zusha, 5 ~ Gedalya, 3 1/3 ~ Adel, 9-10 months ~
Playing in a box... a childhood classic.
Look at what I found in the bathroom sink. Is this some sort of irrigation system?
Brothers
A Gedalya favorite!
Someone threw out this huge plant, and of course the Poozils had to get their hands on it.
Just a funny Yaya.
I went out with the boys one evening and Adel stayed with her Tatte, playing and doing various exercises.
Little birdie in the audiologist's office. She was so happy to look at this cube, but she didn't play with it. She tentatively touched it once or twice, but that's it.
Just a bonus funnie: Since all the specialist names became household words already, the boys use the words to call each other names, "You're such a neurologist!" "No, I'm not. You're a geneticist!" They also make fun of me when I say "Aetna" (and I have to say it a few times a day on the phone).
But my favorite is- they call the audiologist- "Adiologist"!! Heh heh heh.
Playing in a box... a childhood classic.
Look at what I found in the bathroom sink. Is this some sort of irrigation system?
Brothers
A Gedalya favorite!
Someone threw out this huge plant, and of course the Poozils had to get their hands on it.
Just a funny Yaya.
I went out with the boys one evening and Adel stayed with her Tatte, playing and doing various exercises.
Little birdie in the audiologist's office. She was so happy to look at this cube, but she didn't play with it. She tentatively touched it once or twice, but that's it.
Just a bonus funnie: Since all the specialist names became household words already, the boys use the words to call each other names, "You're such a neurologist!" "No, I'm not. You're a geneticist!" They also make fun of me when I say "Aetna" (and I have to say it a few times a day on the phone).
But my favorite is- they call the audiologist- "Adiologist"!! Heh heh heh.
Fun Park!
For the past three summers there has been a great indoor playground open to the kids who stay in the city. It's something the boys really enjoy. They call it "fun park."
But this year, there are some more such places that opened up. We decided to explore!
This new playground has a trampoline!
... along with many other great attractions. But one of the best features for me... it's on the first floor- and I can wheel my stroller right in!
In the playground we usually visit, we have to fold the stroller and either leave it on the first floor (in a heap of dozens of other strollers) or drag it past all those strollers (can I say fire hazard??) to bring it down a long flight of stairs to the basement.
We went right in and the kids got to work. First we pretended to be hamsters.
I have to add another praise here... Look how spacious and empty the room is!
The other playground is bigger, and has more toys. But it is a little too stuffed with all the toys! There is no room to ride them. Here, although the room is smaller, there is more space to actually do things.
And the people! There were about 5 families at this playground, whereas in the other there were always 30-40 at any given time.
As far as I'm concerned, spacious, not crowded and easily accessible with a stroller = awesome!
Just a sampling:
A fun see saw...
...and a tent...
...tool workshop...
...bouncy house...
...small plastic slides...
...and huge, inflatable slides!
Where?
So where did we go?
Unfortunately, nobody got the answer correct, but one of you came closer than the rest.
We woke up early in the morning and called a car service. The van arrived and we piled inside and went to the doctor for checkups!
Everyone got measured and weighed. Zusha is one inch short of 4 feet and is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Gedalya is one inch short of 3 1/2 feet and is in the 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight. He's one skinny kid!
Adel is 21 1/2 pounds.
The boys had their checkups and are generally healthy. Zusha needs to see an ENT for chronic stuffy nose. The boys had blood tests, and Gedalya is a little anemic so we bought iron supplements.
This is the appointment atwhich the pediatrician referred us to Early Intervention and all those specialists. This was the day that we began Adel's journey.
After we finished with the appointments, I asked the receptionist if there is a playground nearby. Since we already ventured out, might as well make this a real trip!
She told us where it was, and we headed off.
On the way, the boys found a ramp. They can NOT resist ramps!
We arrived at the park. It was so old! It didn't have any jungle gyms- just individual slides, some climing structures and swings. Everything was painted green.
After the boys had their fill of playing, we headed to the train. On the way we rode on some unfamiliar quarter rides- what fun!
The train was a big hit. We haven't gone in a while and the boys couldn't be more excited.
The train didn't take us straight home. We needed to transfer to a bus. But since we arrived on Avenue J, we decided not to go immediately on the bus but to first explore. Our first stop was a new library (as guessed correctly by LEDesigns, although it was a secondary stop. The doctor was the main reason of the trip.) I fed Adi there, and she slept while we read some books.
We then visited a new pizza shop and went on some more uncharted quarter rides.
After a long and exhausting day, we caught our bus and settled down for the remainder of the ride.
The boys were so excited that Adi is going on trains and buses with them they were all over her, "Adiiii, you're on a train!!! (Or-you're on a bus!!!!) You love it? It's so much fun for you? You never went on a train (or bus) before. Only when you were in Mama's tummy, but then you couldn't see it!"
And so we managed to make a tedious and routine doctor visit into a really fun trip!
Unfortunately, nobody got the answer correct, but one of you came closer than the rest.
We woke up early in the morning and called a car service. The van arrived and we piled inside and went to the doctor for checkups!
Everyone got measured and weighed. Zusha is one inch short of 4 feet and is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Gedalya is one inch short of 3 1/2 feet and is in the 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight. He's one skinny kid!
Adel is 21 1/2 pounds.
The boys had their checkups and are generally healthy. Zusha needs to see an ENT for chronic stuffy nose. The boys had blood tests, and Gedalya is a little anemic so we bought iron supplements.
This is the appointment atwhich the pediatrician referred us to Early Intervention and all those specialists. This was the day that we began Adel's journey.
After we finished with the appointments, I asked the receptionist if there is a playground nearby. Since we already ventured out, might as well make this a real trip!
She told us where it was, and we headed off.
On the way, the boys found a ramp. They can NOT resist ramps!
We arrived at the park. It was so old! It didn't have any jungle gyms- just individual slides, some climing structures and swings. Everything was painted green.
After the boys had their fill of playing, we headed to the train. On the way we rode on some unfamiliar quarter rides- what fun!
The train was a big hit. We haven't gone in a while and the boys couldn't be more excited.
The train didn't take us straight home. We needed to transfer to a bus. But since we arrived on Avenue J, we decided not to go immediately on the bus but to first explore. Our first stop was a new library (as guessed correctly by LEDesigns, although it was a secondary stop. The doctor was the main reason of the trip.) I fed Adi there, and she slept while we read some books.
We then visited a new pizza shop and went on some more uncharted quarter rides.
After a long and exhausting day, we caught our bus and settled down for the remainder of the ride.
The boys were so excited that Adi is going on trains and buses with them they were all over her, "Adiiii, you're on a train!!! (Or-you're on a bus!!!!) You love it? It's so much fun for you? You never went on a train (or bus) before. Only when you were in Mama's tummy, but then you couldn't see it!"
And so we managed to make a tedious and routine doctor visit into a really fun trip!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Talents
Adi's talent! She lately started doing it without me asking. She's so cute. Excuse me while I go eat her.
Gedalya's talent isn't so new... it's kinda perpetual.
Zusha recently figured out how to count backwards by himself, and he is so proud!
Gedalya's talent isn't so new... it's kinda perpetual.
Zusha recently figured out how to count backwards by himself, and he is so proud!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Some More Pool Fun!
Friends, fun, and a pool. What can be more awesome?
Zusha with my friend's son.
The water was too cold for Adi, but she did well with her familiar orange bin, filled with warm water and toys.
She tried out the big pool, too. She was okay with it for a little bit, but preferred the bin.
All my little fishalach!
Zusha with my friend's son.
The water was too cold for Adi, but she did well with her familiar orange bin, filled with warm water and toys.
She tried out the big pool, too. She was okay with it for a little bit, but preferred the bin.
All my little fishalach!
Latest Masterpieces
Zusha and his turtle.
Ever since Hila sent us the art package with pipe cleaners and all... the boys became obsessed with them! Them make something new every day. They make snails, flowers... and also french fries! Zusha made the fries and I made the container for them. there are crinkle cut... there are curly fries... options for everyone!
Gedalya approves!
A house. It even has a doorstop (orange) so the door shouldn't swing the other way.
Adi wants in on the creative action.
(She didn't exactly draw that, but she did enjoy waving the pen around, feeling like a big kid.)
Ever since Hila sent us the art package with pipe cleaners and all... the boys became obsessed with them! Them make something new every day. They make snails, flowers... and also french fries! Zusha made the fries and I made the container for them. there are crinkle cut... there are curly fries... options for everyone!
Gedalya approves!
A house. It even has a doorstop (orange) so the door shouldn't swing the other way.
Adi wants in on the creative action.
(She didn't exactly draw that, but she did enjoy waving the pen around, feeling like a big kid.
)
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