Saturday, December 3, 2011

Saturday Brain Dump

Because I'm too tired to form coherent thoughts longer than a paragraph.

1.  Yes, it has been a crazy week,  thanks for asking.  Yes we did have something going on nearly every single day.  Why people live like that on a regular basis is beyond me.

2.  But this week is an exception, and it was lots of fun things, including Tuba Christmas (biggest ever, in our town, with forty-two tubas), two Messiah performance, some Christmas shopping, as well as CAP, youthgroup, rehearsals, etc.

3.  Tate had his eyes tested, and *surprise!* has inherited the family tendency to near-sightedness.  This came as a shock to Tate, who continues to insist he sees just fine, in spite of the fact that when the eye doctor asked him to read the lowest row of letters he could make out, he started with the top row.  And made mistakes.

Tate is such an emotionally solid/stable kid, it surprised me that he was so upset.  Could be that compounded with his hearing loss, he just can't stand that another system is malfunctioning.  Though I have assured him that glasses are much simpler than HA's.  Hearing aids can amplify sound, but they can't "fix" your hearing the way glasses can truly correct your vision.

Also, he seemed to think that needing glasses would automatically exclude him from lots of job opportunities.  I have no idea where he got that idea, and assured him that I couldn't think of any.  (At least, not any that his hearing loss doesn't already affect, like joining the military.)

I hope I've been able to reassure him on that front.  About the only things I said that might have cheered him up were:
     *  Lots of people think that glasses make you look more intelligent, and
     *  Hey!  Your glasses will probably help a lot next time you go hunting.

I think I hit pay dirt with that last one.

4.  Wyatt and Gunnar get their eyes tested later this month, and if family history plays out, Tate may not be alone...

5.  Tate also has appointments this month with his regular doc, (just a check up), and his audiologist at Seattle Children's.  I'm totally embarrassed to realize it has been so long *cough* a year and a half *cough* since we were down there.  Just go ahead and tattoo a big "L" on my forehead.  Good grief. 

I'm hoping his hearing aid needs maintenance, because something has definitely changed.  Getting a lot more huh?  Of course, he's getting to the age where he doesn't want to admit he didn't hear something.  And/or he doesn't know what he missed.

6.  If there is a shopping disability, I think I have it.  I know, the stereotype is that women love to shop.  I must be missing the gene.  I want to give gifts to my family.  Good gifts.  Because I love them (my family, I mean!)  And, yes, I am doing some of my shopping online.  I'm just not very good at shopping.  In any venue.

7.  Good thing tomorrow is Sunday, because I need a day of rest.  Exhaustion and hormones are catching up with me.  But if I get my school planning done for this week, maybe we can get out and get a Christmas tree :D

5 comments:

leah said...

Glasses are amazing with the way they sharpen the world! I can't think of any jobs that glasses would exclude someone from...maybe being an air force pilot? But I would suspect that would be excluded due to the hearing loss, anyway...

I hope the hearing test goes well at Seattle Children's. Nolan's went well, despite the constant, "WHAT?" questions. Then again, she said he only lost 5dB.... but that would throw him onto the edge of the severe range, KWIM? So that might make a difference, even if it is a small change on the audiogram. Saying a prayer that the testing goes well for him!

Liz said...

Julie,

I HATE to shop too!!! Always have! The only store I ever go to these days is Target. I get both my groceries and anything else I need is right there. Most of my Christmas shopping this year is on-line.

We just tested Kai for his vision too and I was wondering how that was going to work with hearing aids and glasses. But I guess they have a way to hitch everything around the ear. Anyway, his eye sight his fine.

I hope Tate adjusts to his glasses easily.

Prayers!
Liz

melanie said...

I'm thinking of having a party - I am *almost* done with shopping! Hallelujah! I love to spend money when I get to choose ;-) but it wears me out... And now I have to wrap it all and double-check if it's close enough to 'even' amongst the kids.

Would it make you feel any better if I told you that I finally scheduled some nasty dental work for one of our kids... When I called last week, she said they'll honor the estimate from *May* I was so tempted to wait for January {and a new year of medical savings}, but the guilt of waiting this long forced my hand... Please pray for Abby tomorrow afternoon as she endures the last of her lifetime of extractions, I hope.

Choate Family said...

I, too, dislike shopping. It wipes me out! But I love the feeling of conquering when I see the list all checked off :-)

The dB family said...

I hope if I ever get to come your way I will be able to hear the tuba Christmas. It sounds so fun!!

Rest assured, you are not the only one who is missing the shopping gene. It's not at all my favorite thing. I'd rather have a nosebleed or something.

Poor Tate!! I hope once he has his glasses he'll get used to them and not mind them. We have that gene in the family too!

Rest up, my friend!!

Blessings!
Deborah