The inspection went well. There are still a few hurdles to get through, but chances are very high that we are moving. Time to shop rentals, time to pack boxes, time to re-plan the summer!
Ear Tubes – Post Operation Hearing Test
Jordan got tubes in early this month and had his hearing tested yesterday. It’s hard to get an accurate read, because he could care less about looking up when somebody plays static on some speakers at various levels. He does show some interest for his name… but not a whole lot.
Anyway – before tubes, he tested at 60 decibels for voice and 70 for static. That’s not very good, though not horrible. It’s as loud as a normal conversation up to a driving car’s motor. He didn’t respond at all to anything quieter.
After tubes, he was responding to voice at 40 decibels and static at 60, I think. That’s a huge improvement and I think it shows his increased interest and awareness to words and voices. I’m so proud of him! They said he ought to respond down to at least 20 decibels (whisper quiet).
They encouraged further testing (A sedated ABR test at the hospital – it measures your brain’s response to sounds.) Honestly, I’m not sure what is best. If it involved no stress for Jordan, we’d do it for sure. But it’s a day at the hospital, an IV, recovery, etc. and he doesn’t need more stress in his life. Everyday life presents enough challenges for our excelling little fellow! (I need to post a development update on him sometime. He’s doing great but still presenting us with confusing parenting challenges!) BUT, if he isn’t hearing very well, that will affect his development and him being able to hear us and develop is very important.
So…. I am leaning towards believing that he can hear better than the sound booth test indicates. Why? Because he isn’t interested in a stranger saying “uh-oh, ba-ba-ba” through a speaker. He’s just beginning to respond to his name and other spoken words, like “eat.” But, as I said, this is important, so we’ll see.
All for now!
Filed under Everyday Stuff
Just Waiting
Ok, I’m doing lots more than waiting, but it’s hard to focus on anything more than, “Will we be moving next month?” Because if we are, I have sooooooooo much to do! haha
Had fun at the park, enjoyed our time with Jordan’s new therapist, working on cleaning the house a little more, and Anna went on a slip n slide for the first time! Sorry – no pictures… my hands are a bit more full than I’m used to when I’m out and about these days. Hopefully I’ll adjust soon, because we need pictures! 😀
Speaking of pictures – here are a few from this month!
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- Yummy, yummy, strawberries! (Ate a bunch fresh, made a pie, made freezer jam, dried the rest)
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- Maggie listening to Carolyn's heartbeat!
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- Anna's turn. 😀
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- Maggie with her latest illness earlier this month. (thankfully, just a 24 hour bug)
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- Anna wanting a picture of herself in her latest most favorite nightgown ever.
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- The sleepover with Papa (that ended at 10pm, which was way too late; hehe!)
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- Thank you Mom, for the most wonderful strawberry pie recipe in the world.
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- Jordan goofing off with Grandpa.
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- Brian's lunch was prettttty yummy. Ribs (from Fred Meyer), Homemade bread, strawberry pie....
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- Maggie being snuggly. She is such a snuggler. She's leaning her elbows on my tummy too; ha!
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- Jordan waking up from anesthesia after getting his tubes in.
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- We've been picking and eating a lot of snap and sugar peas! And raspberries too. Yummy!
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- Reading books with Great-Grandma Reta. Special moments.
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- Playing follow the leader and soldier.... I LOVE watching the cousins together now that they're a big bigger.
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- That's a lot of kids on one back.
Filed under Everyday Stuff
With Respect to Special Needs… and Siblings
This is a long post – an interview of two children (ages 16 and 18) about what it’s like to have a biological and adopted younger siblings with significant special needs. So many of these questions were posed to us when we were considering adopting James and Jordan. I have a lot of respect and admiration for this family’s faith in God and love for each other.
http://theblessingofverity.com/2012/06/straight-talk-iii-siblings/
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Beans and Rice Month – Year 2 in Review
Beans and Rice month – Year 1
Year 1 Review
Beans and Rice month – Year 2
I think in the future, we will probably do bean and rice weeks…. maybe four a year to keep up with this year. 🙂 Because… because sometimes we want macaroni and cheese and I don’t like feeling like a failure to eat it. 🙂 Being able to eat bread, if only in moderation, was a big help this year.
Menu and Review
The Menu:
1. Herbed Lentils and Rice
This was one of our favorites: cooked with a very savory turkey broth I had made and topped with cheddar cheese. Excellent! I think the more flavorful your broth, the better this one is.
In the pot. (The french green lentils I cooked with seem to hold their firmness better than regular lentils)
These are a very pretty, yummy dish!
Sour cream = delicious! Limes = fun but unnecessary
3. Middle Eastern Rice with Black Beans & Chickpeas
This was spicier than I expected... and I only added HALF the cayenne. It was soupy at first, but not by the second day. (Probably because I used brown rice, which cooks slower) My favorite way to eat it is with cilantro, sour cream and salsa. Would go nicely on a tortilla.
4. Majedra
This is a nice, simple, tasty meal. Rice (brown basmati) topped with lentils (seasoned with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp garlic... 2 cups of lentils cooked in 3.5 cups of broth) and topped with carmelized onions and plain yogurt.
5. Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
This wasn't a favorite with me this year. Wish I hadn't made quite so much. We mixed with rice and topped with sour cream. It's pretty warm.
These are delicious! Especially with a little sour cream or cheese on tortilla chips. They're good plain too.
Rice in the pot
Beautiful beans in the pot.
7. Bean & Rice Tacos
On homemade tortillas! Yay me! 2 c flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking poswer, 1 T shortening (cut in finely), 1/2 c water. Let rest 15 minutes, then divide into 10 and roll very thin before cooking on a med-hi pan.
Tasty!
8. Salad
Our lettuce and fresh peas really took off, so we ate lots of salad! Topped with egg, cheese, nuts... no beans were needed.
Sometimes we had bread too.
This was ok, but not our favorite. It was too much anyway...
10. Chickpeas in Coconut Milk *Haven’t Made Yet
Brian LOVED these. I didn't like them much. Mostly because I used regular mustard instead of dijon mustard perhaps. They were very mustardy. And Brian thought that was great! 🙂
12. Roasted Vegetable Biriyani
A fancy dish deserves lots of pictures. Here is the mound before topping with the sides.
On a plate with the garnishes on top (sauteed cashews, raisins, onion). This was truly yummy and a big change from the bean-dominant flavor and texture we'd been having. Yum!
The garnishes were so pretty, I took a picture of them alone before sprinkling over the top of the whole biriyani.
It really was a very pretty dish that could be served to company or at a potluck. I am a quick cook, but it took me over two hours to make. But delicious!
The only problem I've ever had with bean burgers is how soft/mushy they are. Otherwise, they are wonderful. Very tasty!
14. Pita bread and Hummus (usually make regular and Roasted Red Pepper) *The red pepper hummus is a little spicy for the girls, but having two kinds is nice for us grownups. Both are delicious! *Didn’t make this time
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