Elijah is GROWING!

I took Elijah to see the endocrinologist yesterday and it was a GREAT visit. He has grown two inches since December and is definitely in puberty! The doctor said this was exactly what he had hoped to see when we came in. He said that we don't need to come back in for any more visits. Finally, one less specialist to see! The doctor also said he expected Elijah to reach the height of 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches! That is as tall as Jacob!

Elijah is also has the appetite of a teenager. He is eating hamburgers, ham, cheese, pork, and many other things that he has NEVER eaten before! He helped mow the yard last weekend and acting more mature, at least some of the time.

The visit to the doctor was a quick and Elijah was very happy that he didn't have to get any SHOTS! That is all he was worried about!

Trip to Endocrinologist!

Elijah visits the endocrinologist every six months at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. He has "short stature" when you look at his information. We are keeping an eye on him to make sure that he reaches his genetic potential, as the doctor puts it.

Since July of 2012 he grew just over an inch. After a quick physical exam, the doctor said there is definitely testosterone in his system and he should be entering his growth spurt soon and we should see him grow taller in the next 12 months. This is good news, but not a guarantee. We will go back in July of this year to see how much he has grown and then around this time next year. We also learned that this doctor sees patients at the Plano hospital, which is a LOT closer than Dallas for us. Plus, a lot less traffic!

This is always an easy visit and we are usually in and out within 30 minutes. Elijah is always worried that there will be some kind of needle involved, and sometimes there is(drawing blood) but this time there was not.

We go see the psychiatrist on Monday and check in with her. We will have good news for her since we are seeing such an improvement in behavior. I will be glad to share this with her and we NEED to pick up another prescription! We have a three day weekend and I am going to let Jacob drive us to the doctor on Monday and to some of my mystery shops! He needs the practice!

Two Days of Doctor's Appointments

Having a week off of work usually means a few doctor's appointments for the boys. I don't like using my stocked up "leave" at work for doctor's appointments. I usually need them for sick days for me or the boys or for the random appointments we just can't get scheduled during a break!

It started yesterday with a visit to the pulmanologist for both boys. They both got a clean bill of health and we were done in about 90 minutes. This is pretty good for this doctor. We have been there for three hours before, for a scheduled visit...not a sick visit.

We came home and then Elijah and I went off for a visit to the audiologist in the afternoon. We made sure his back up processors were programmed and then did a hearing test. Here is how he did:

Right ear:
250 Hz    10 db
500 Hz    10 db
1000 Hz   10 db
2000 Hz   5 db
3000 Hz   10 db
4000 Hz   10 db

Left ear:
250 Hz 15 db
500 Hz 15 db
1000 Hz 10 db
2000 Hz 5 db
3000 Hz   5 db
4000 Hz   5 db

We were all pleased with the results. She asked if he had a favorite "ear" and I told her that he prefers his right ear over his left. She says that is pretty common for kids who had their implants done with years in between surgeries. I mentioned that he still has to wear his left "ear" because I know he gets benefit from it. When I have him wear only his left ear it NEVER falls off. He uses it just fine and hears excellently with it. I guess he just gets tired of all of the noise!

Today we went to see the psychiatrist. It was a quick visit and for now we are leaving all of his medications the same. She thinks he is doing well and that we just have to keep up with the behavior management.

The next round of doctor's appointments start with in January with a trip back to the psychiatrist and one to the endocronologist. We go back to the pulmanologist in February!

I have a lot to be thankful for:  Elijah's cochlear implants, medications for both boys that help with their asthma and for Elijah's Tourettes, OCD and ADHD, my sweetheart and for my extended family.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Endocrinology visit today!

Elijah makes a trip to the endocrinologist every six months. The last time we were there, he had not grown much and didn't seem to be entering puberty yet. Today's visit was a little better. He had grown an inch in the last month and according to the doctor he should hit puberty pretty soon. The doctor said that his boy parts had grown so that means there is testosterone, so that is good. Elijah wasn't too happy to have these parts checked out, but it was painless and quick. We go back in January and I hope we see more growth! This kid just doesn't seem to catch a break in any area it seems. He is done with doctor appointments for the summer at least. Tics are about the same, maybe a little better. I noticed today that he doesn't tic much when he plays the Wii!! I wonder if he is just concentrating on playing and this keeps him from making tics. Who knows!

Finally, Summer Is Here!

We all made it through another year of school. I think I was as ready as the boys were for this year to be done. I really had a rough few weeks, but it is all behind me now. Jacob finished off the year pretty well. He will be a junior next year and he will be getting his class ring. He starts driver's education on June 18th for three weeks! He turns 16 in July, but has to wait six months after the driver's ed class before he can get his license. Elijah will be going into the sixth grade next year! He had a pretty good year, but there were definitely some bumps along the way. We both survived them though.

I do have some school work during the summer. I am attending a three day workshop that is about 30 min from the house starting on June 12th. I then go to Houston at the end of July for a three day state wide conference for deaf and hard of hearing teachers. I am also presenting at that. I will be seeing two babies during the summer too for ECI services. One of my other teachers is helping out with that as well. I am also back on Weight Watchers and hoping to lose some more weight this summer. I have lost a few pounds so far, but want to lose more! My mystery shopping will keep me busy too! I have set aside several days for the kids and I to do things.

Jacob and I will be taking German lessons from my partner two days a week for the summer. We also set aside days to go to the Rec center here in town. I set aside one day for cooking lessons for the boys from me. Elijah will also be working on school work during the summer and of course, he will be playing either the Wii, on my iPad or on his nintendo during the day some. My plan is to try to limit that to three hours a day. We shall see how that goes.

I plan on taking them both shopping tomorrow for a few summer things. Both boys need some shorts and Elijah needs a swim suit. We plan on swimming at my dad's house whenever we can. Hopefully, it won't be TOO hot to swim this summer. I hope to get to the movies a few times and see some new releases. OH and we plan on going to my mom's house in a few weeks for a three days! That will give us all a break!

There are a few doctor's appointments that we have over the summer too. Both boys go to the pulmanologist on Monday. Elijah has an appointment with the psychiatrist towards the end of the month and he goes to the endocrinologist in July! FUN STUFF, right??

So that is our summer! I'll let y'all know how it goes and hopefully I will learn more German by September!