So Tired of This

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.