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Last week I took Claire to her 1 month ENT follow up on her tubes. We met with Audiology first. The audiologist said she didn't do well with her booth test. When we had the booth test done at Children's they had 2 people. One to do this noises, and one to redirect her attention in between. This time there was just the noises person. I tried to focus Claire forward in between, but don't think I was very successful.
After the booth test the audiologist asked how severe Claire's trisomy was. I know most of you understand how frustrating this question is. I gave my usual blurb, but the audiologist just wanted to know how delayed she was, so that she could see if her responses were what they should be. I know what she was getting at, but still...
If you watched Claire during the test, you could tell she was distracted. The noises weren't catching her attention. She was MUCH more interested by the dog. She was saying and signing 'dog' even when the dog wasn't barking. I know this had an effect on the test.
The audiologist finally decided to do a different test. The right ear passed easily, but the left didn't. She finally came to the conclusion that the left tube must be blocked. The ENT confirmed this, and we are back to using drops (when I remember...). The left ear was the one with all the gunk in it, so I'm hoping the drops clear up the blockage soon.
The frustrating thing with the blockage, on top of Claire still not hearing clearly, is that this means another 4 hour round trip drive to the ENT for a 10 minute appointment...
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I don't use the word 'hate' lightly, but I have hated our kitchen counters since we moved in, over 5 years ago.
The orange and green tiles are not pretty. They are rounded, rustic tiles and because of this the counter tops aren't flat. The people who put them in decided they didn't want to mess with cutting tiles, so the grout lines are THICK and are constantly stained.
Day 0
Right now, my kitchen is torn apart (it's really inconvenient not to have a kitchen sink!). The counter tops went in yesterday, and the back splash went in today.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
By tomorrow, my kitchen will be done! (except I think I might want to sand and re-stain the cabinet doors)
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Claire seems to have hit a bit of a wall with walking progress. I think I've been a bit spoiled with her and gross motor stuff in the past, and now I'm feeling frustrated. Sitting, crawling, pulling to stand and walking with support all came pretty easily. Yes, we practiced, but those were things she wanted to do, and she worked hard to make them happen.
I don't mean to say she isn't working hard now, but I don't think she sees the point in walking. She likes it when it's on her terms. She'll grab her walker and take off, but if I ask her to walk with me, it's about a 50/50 chance that she'll cooperate or melt down. Crawling is easy and fast, so why bother walking? Our PT is pleased with her progress, but I feel like we've been stuck at the same place for months. I really thought once she got her legs under her and started cruising and walking with support that independent steps would easily follow, and they just haven't. I know she'll get there, but I'm ready to feel like she is doing things with me, instead of me always doing things for her, and I think walking would help with that.
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Claire discovered her tip toes (even though she's not using them here) and things that used to be out of reach are now in range....it also allows her to get a little closer to Rachel while she watches Signing Time. :)
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Claire is in love with the girl in the dish washer. I've given up trying to keep the finger prints washed off.
