"Tick Tock Tick Tock

Ears. Our ears.  They hear a clock." *
And yet somehow they failed to hear the passing of so many days.  We may need a calendar to write this post since this update has been so long in coming.  But we will have a go.

One thing we have been doing is reading lots of books.  Toby loves them and if you are sitting down you are a target likely to attract a little boy with book in hand.  His favorites change from time to time.  This week it is all things Pooh though we have also enjoyed a wide range of the best literary authors such as Boynton and The Doctor.  Seuss, that is. 

To recap medically, though-

Around the end of May, Toby saw his eye doctor.  She thought he was doing well and reduced his patching regimen to every other day.


He also had his first visit with the new team in Kalamazoo.  At the Cleft Palette Clinic.  This caused some confusion for some of the staff there.  Let me just say that they do things very differently over there.  Evidently we were assigned to that clinic because it is the only one which had all the specialists he needed to meet.  And meet them he did though it involved some strange system of lurking in hallways watching for open doors and solitary doctors. It also turns out that the building is on Western's campus and is shared by both Michigan State and Western.  The clinic is officially in State territory with some Western staff invited down for the day.  Check your colors at the door.

Audiology (WMU)  verified that he does not have an ongoing problem with fluid in his ears (which was a question at his last hearing test) and suggest a hearing test in a few months.

Speech (WMU)  invited him back for an assessment last week.  Today they called and invited him for several weekly assessments later in July.  So far, they have had a good demonstration of his ability to hold his tongue with an encore of whispering.  The goal is still an accurate picture of where he is and whether or not he would benefit from intervention at this point.  (The home team thinks that his language development is progressing well but is not sure if his sound production is where it should be.)

The developmental doctor (MSU) and therapist (MSU) and dietician (MSU) were also seen.  About a month after the visit, we did receive a written report which said he may be cognitively delayed (???- referenced his lack of talking during the exam)  and an invitation to return in November. 

So there you have it.  And perhaps an understanding of why this update has been so long in coming.  There's been a whole lot of nothing going on.

In a couple weeks, it is back to the "mazin' blue for pulmonary.  Meanwhile, we will pray for hearts of wisdom as we retrieve the child from off the table (He can climb now!) and number the days with thanks to God for each of them.

Tick tock.  Tick tock.



*from The Ear Book by Al Perkins

Blue Water

With the coming of summer, Toby has been exposed to the joys of the community pool. There was some debate over whether a boy who screamed every time he was forced to take a bath would react well to an even larger body of water.

He loves it.

He can't get enough of the "blue water" and watches the girls leave the house suspiciously, suspecting that they are leaving him behind.

Toby splashes in the water and shrieks with joy at each new wave and spattering. Bounce him up and down and he demands more. There is no fear or trepidation, only delight. It's summer love.