Well, Parker and I visited the Ear/Nose/Throat Specialist that our Pediatrician recommended (who happens to be just next door). They obviously don't get a lot a kids...or, unlike my Pediatrician, don't think about there offices with roaming babies in mind. There were cords all over the place and the cabinets and drawers were open, which meant Parker had to sit in mommy's lap until the doctor finally got our exam room.
One there, the doc confirmed that Parker's ears were still filled with fluid. Most likely, Parker would need a myringotomy. But first, he took a hearing test, which required us to go into a dimly lit room. Parker sat on my lap but I was not allowed to speak or interact in any way with him. The tester then would trigger different pitch sounds from left, right, and in front of us. As if this wasn't freaky enough, when Parker would turn his head in response, as a "reward", the tester would activate a box would light up and a creaking, mechanical stuffed animal would begin to move. Well, as you can probably guessed, it was more startling than amusing and Parker became more and more uncomfortable. We eventually has to pause the test so I could comfort the little guy and let him know everything thing was okay. The whole experience reminded me of The Museum of Jurassic Technology, which is a collection of...well...collections that can't be 100% credible (I wouldn't be surprised if was run by a reincarnate of P. T. Barnum.) but runs the emotional gammet of touching to odd to just plain creepy.
But back to the ENT -- the audio test revealed that Parker was hearing at 80% normal and the doc concluded we should get the myringotomy, which would end his long string of ear infections and would restore his hearing level without damage. Plus it's a routine outpatient procedure that takes only 15 minutes. SOLD! (Doc, you had me at no more ear infections.)
Parker's scheduled for his procedure on May 31st. He can't eat after midnight before the procedure so he'll be a hungry boy that morning. But, since he'll probably be the youngest that day for the operation, he'll probably get to go first. We just have to then wait for the anesthesia to wear off and we should be home by noon. Keep your fingers crossed!
If you're interested, here's a brief video of an actual myringotomy. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
For a happy change of events, we had breakfast at home, which featured yogurt. Yum! Parker's favorite.
Of course, the reason why were were home was because Parker had a pediatrician appointment at 9:15am to follow up on the ear infection he had earlier this month.
HUH?!
Yes Parker, we're going to the doctor.
Unfortunately, while the infection appeared to be gone, there was still liquid in his ear that wasn't draining.
Looks like we're still on for the ear/nose/throat specialist scheduled for next week.
Parker discovers what his spoon can do.
He can poke it in his bowl of food...good. He can then transfer that spoon to his mouth. AWESOME!
He can then go back for more. Nice! But then things begin to go south...as he decides to skip the spoon and go directly for the bowl.
Then he tries his spoon on the bottom of the bowl. And then he offers the spoon to Frankie...who gladly accepts.
We opted to take advange of a sleeping Parker and head home Saturday night, rather than double our trip and head home the next day. Plus, being home Sunday night gives us a chance to unwind.
Just thought I'd share these shots with you from the trip back. The low light lead to some interesting shots. Kind of relaxing, in my opinion. But then, I was the passenger on this ride, not the driver, like Chris.
Parker has the slyiest looks here and I'm not sure why. For her birthday, Jasmine got a playset, which all the kids loved, including Parker -- especially the whale swing.
Later, with Chris' help, Parker took advantage of Jasmine's hot rod. I love this first picture because you can almost hear Chris and Parker making the VROOM sounds for the car.
While at Ken's, there was an Easter Egg hunt across the street in the park. (I guess that's why the grass was sooooo long -- better to hide eggs!) So we headed over to take part. Luckily, they divided the search area into four parts -- for different age groups. This keeps the little ones from being trampled by eager "big" kids.
At first, Parker didn't get what he was suppose to do. So all the eggs that were found were as a result of me stepping/sitting on them as I tried to take pictures of my little guy. Lucky for him, one of those eggs had a ticket for one of the Easter Basket prizes, which stood about as tall as Parker. Lucky for me, the basket did not contain any candy. :o)
Hmmm...what's outside?
Here Kitty, Kitty!
At Ken's house (in Sacramento), Parker finds a friend who's isn't afraid of him. Actually this cat was sooo nice and patient with Parker, who was, conversely, very cautious as he interacted with this kitty.
Well, the three of us hit the road to Sacramento to celebrate cousin Jasmine's birthday. We got an early start Friday evening since Chris had the day off and I was able to leave work early. Parker's a pro as traveling but things are definitely easier when we get closer to his normal bedtime and the soothing rhythm of the car sends him to dreamland. Mommy in the backseat is an additional bonus.
BTW, I included the last picture becuase the flash accidently went off and Thrakkorzog's face glows, looking almost terrified as we approach the "Speed Limit 55" sign. Could Chris be speeding? Hmmmmm.
More commuter shots. I like the glare in the first picture. But in the second, Parker has this "Uh Mommy! Too Much Sun!" look on his face. Looking back, I guess I should have gotten tinted windows when I purchased my car.
Well, Joanie and the kids were in town so Parker and I headed over to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with them and spend a day in the house of mouse. When we got there, Luxi and Kevin were in the Haunted House so we hung out with Joanie and Niko in New Orleans Square. Afterwards, we headed out to Splash Mountain only to run into Aimee and her family...go figure! It is a Small World after all!
Now here's a picture that should have been a movie...I just didn't think of it until later. Parker refused to give in to the nap so as we strolled down Downtown Disney, he would grip the front of his stroller as his head slowly drifted down, down, down. When I would try to get him to recline and sleep, he would resist, resetting himself back in the upright position. A couple of seconds later he would once again wilt...down, down, down. Total strangers were walking past, laughing at the show. Finally, though, Parker gave in and took a nap.
Later that evening we headed over to California Adventure where I was able to snap a shot of the gang with what little light remained. Then Joanie, Kevin, Luxi, & Niko took a ride on the ferris wheel.
We rounded the evening out with fireworks back at the main park. Probably one of the most claustrophobic moments there but, in the end, the show was definitely worth it...even though Parker fell asleep and missed the whole thing.
Just because you can never get enough of the bathtime shots, here are a couple new ones. Parker's playing with this new duckie that he got from Rachael that glows when it's in the water. (But "mysteriously" it stops glowing when it's out of the water...very curious. Parker must investigate!) In the second shot, we see that another duckie from Rachael, the Lone Ranger duckie, stealthily hides behind the ball to evade detection.
Since Chris was shooting near Parker's daycare, we went to visit him. And hey, "lunch" was around 6:30pm, even more reason to visit.) Of course, Chris had to introduce Parker to some of the elements of the trade, especially when they're gigantic balloon lights.
BTW, as for Parker's ear situation...yes, he still has an ear infection so we've started a new course of meds. We also have an appt later this month with an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist. One way or another, we're going to get to the bottom of this ear problem.
