Miles' New Ear

Miles got a Hearing Aid

2010-03-18T13:06:00.003-06:00

Last Fall, we finally got a loaner hearing aid for Miles to try out. Actually, we got two. He got to try a BAHA and a BCHA for a total of 3 months.

A BAHA is a bone anchored hearing aid. You can either wear it on a "softband" or get a permanent implant so it attaches to your skull. I don't have a picture of him with it, but it looked like this, but red:

The BCHA is a bone conduction hearing aid and is on a metal band--kind of like the old timey walkman earphones:

Normally the BAHA is preferred over the BCHA, but Miles preferred the way the BCHA felt, plus it turned out that his hearing tested better than the BAHA (also a surprise to the audiologist).

We had a hard time getting him to actually wear the hearing aid. Because of this, we had pretty much decided not to spend the money on one. But then I spoke to his teacher and she said it makes a big difference on the way he pays attention in the classroom. He tends to be a day dreamer--"off in Miles world," as we say. I think some of this is due to his hearing loss and some is just his personality. But she said he pays better attention and stays more engaged when he wears it, so we decided to go for it.

Luckily, the BCHA, which he preferred, is cheaper than the BAHA: about $1,500 vs. $7,000. New legislation makes insurance companies provide coverage for children's hearing aids. Ours had a $350 deductible, then they paid 85%. We haven't gotten the bill yet, but I expect it to be about $500.

He doesn't wear it much at home and I don't push him too much. But his teacher reminds him to wear his aid at school, and I think he does most of the time. He doesn't wear it in particularly loud situations, like music class, since the noise bothers him.

So far we're glad we did it.

More Art Work

2009-03-18T09:37:00.001-06:00

Houses:

Jazzy Snowman:

Chinese New Year:

Snowflake:

Mardi Gras (Jack):

Disney on Ice

2009-03-13T14:05:00.003-06:00

Last night we went to the Disney on Ice show. MomCentral and Feld Entertainment were so kind to give me the opportunity to give the tickets away on the blog and to treat us as well. They had an event for us where they gave us dinner, a chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and gave the boys a Mr. Incredible doll and a Dash mask, in addiiton to tickets to the show.

The show and event were a blast and the boys especially had SUCH a great time. They are The Incredibles' biggest fans, you know. Of course, they wore their costumes to the show. Even I really enjoyed the show. It's my favorite I've seen of these types of shows. It's about the Incredibles going on a vacation to Disneyland, where of course, they meet Syndrome. It's really cute the way they work the Disneyland rides into the show.

I love this picture of my Incredibles:

Here they are first meeting them:

Here's Miles enraptured by the show. He held his hands like that for most of it:

At the intermission he had his hand down his collar on his chest and looked funny. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "My heart's just beating really fast." It was so cute!

Here is Jack with his Mr. Incredible doll:

And both of them with their masks on:

Thanks so much to MomCentral and Feld Entertainment!

Thoughts on Marriage: by Miles and Jack

2009-03-03T14:16:00.004-07:00

Jack: Mom, is that a picture of you and Dad in love?

Mom: Yes.

Jack: I want a picture of me in love. I want to get married. But boys can't get married.

****************************

Miles: I want to marry M*****. But I think I would get bored if I was married to just one person.

40 Days Post Keloid Removal Surgery

2009-03-03T09:27:00.001-07:00

We just sent these pics of Miles' ears to Dr. Reinisch. We are 40 days post-op.

Dr. R. called last night and wants us to remove the scab in the second pic, so we're going to work on that in the bath tonight. Will report back.

Total Toilet Set

2009-03-03T09:15:00.002-07:00

First, here's some random art:

Jack's "fort:"

And the Total Toilet Set:

Keloid Removal Surgery

2009-02-05T11:08:00.003-07:00

Miles had surgery to remove the keloid scars on his ears on January 20th. Needless to say, we missed all the inauguration festivities. The day before, we had a pre-op with the Radiologist, Dr. Hakimian, at the Cedars Sinai Cancer Center. Then later that evening, Dr. Reinisch met us for a pre-op. He came in on his day off (Martin Luther King day) to see us, which was very nice.

We had to be at the Cedars Sinai surgical center at 8:00 am. Miles did great with not being able to eat breakfast (knowing him he was happy he didn't have to) and was in great spirits. Here you can see him getting ready with Lil' Penguin, who got to accompany him in the OR.

The surgery took about 2 hours. I got to join him in recovery and wait for him to wake up. After he'd been awake a little while, they let Brian and Jack join us.

Miles did great coming out of the anesthesia and did not seem to experience much pain from the surgery at all. We gave him tylenol with codeine once later that day, but he didn't need anything after that. We weren't even really sure he needed it that one time, but wanted to make sure he didn't experience any unnecessary pain. He took antibiotics for a few days afterwards to prevent infection.

Here you can see Miles having a jello after surgery, looking pretty good. He was very hungry afterwards. This was after several cookies, crackers, and juices. After we were done with everything we had ice cream and then he asked for McDonald's, so he was a hungry guy.

After the surgery, we headed across the street to the Cancer Center for the first bout of radiation. He was so cute on the way out. He was in a wheel chair, and he told everyone that he passed, "It's okay. I didn't break my leg. I'm just a little dizzy." Apparently he thinks you only ride in a wheel chair if you have a broken leg.

The radiation is to hopefully keep the keloids from growing back. It took awhile for them to measure things and get it all set up. But that only needed to be done that first day. Then he got 4 minutes of radiation on the right side keloid site and 2 minutes on the left. We then returned the next 2 days in a row for radiation again. They were very nice at the Cancer Center.

After our last radiation treatment, we had a final post-op with Dr. Reinisch and then flew out that evening. Unfortunately, Miles came down with a virus the night before our last appointments/last day in LA. So he was not feeling well. He threw up once and had fevers. I felt so bad for him. It's rough to have just had surgery, have to travel, and be sick. But he was quite the trooper.

Here are before and after pics of the surgery.

Right side medpor ear with keloid:

Right side medpor ear after surgery:

In the picture above, you can see the plug in the "ear canal." Dr. Reinisch did some extra work on that, unrelated to the keloid. We've had some trouble with his pseudo ear canal. After bathing, we dry it very thoroughly, but it still would get crusty and even stinky. We've had to use antibacterial cream after every bath to keep this from happening. Hopefully we won't need to do this anymore. Dr. R. removed the plug at the post-op appointment.

You can also see the marker on each side of the ear. These are marks that the radiation technologist did to show them wear to put the shields for the radiation. You can also see the bruising on the side of the cheek. Dr. R. said he had to lift the cheek flap up, which caused this.

Below is a picture of the ear a few days ago and you can see that he still has some bruising. The stitches are ones that will dissolve. He is healing really nicely. I think the ear may turn out looking better over all in the long run.

Here is Miles' left ear with the keloid on it:

And here is the ear immediately after surgery:

Miles has no restrictions on activities (we couldn't get his head wet until after the post-op) and the ear doesn't seem to bother him.

We are very thankful to Dr. Reinisch for his work and pray that the keloids don't come back.

As Seen on TV

2009-01-30T15:52:00.003-07:00

So apparantly Miles is heavily influenced by those "As Seen on TV" commercials. Last night he was telling us about some stacking cups and told us that he wanted some. The way he described it, it sounded like something he saw in a commercial, but he claimed he heard about it in gym (what are they doing in gym?!?). Apparently this reminded him of commercials though, because when I said he should ask for the cups for his birthday, he then commented that he also wanted a Snuggie for his birthday. You get two for the price of one and it comes with a book light!

So I'm dying laughing, when he tells me that I need a Spin Lash, "because girls love doing their eyelashes." Oh and by the way, you get two for the price of one. But you have to be 18 years or older to order. I asked him what a Spin Lash does and he said he doesn't know, but you put it by your eyelashes and it spins around.

And apparently we need to get a "Bendahanger." They're hangers that "before you get them you don't have much room in your closet, but they give you lots of room." They also come with some hangers that bend on their ends and a closet light. But you have to be 18 or older to order.

So order now! Endorsed by Miles.

LA - The Fun Stuff

2009-01-30T15:32:00.002-07:00

So, as you all know, last week we went to LA for Miles' keloid removal surgery and radiation. The doctor's appointments all started on Monday, so we went out on Saturday for a little fun.

We flew into LA and picked up our rental car and drove the trek down to Carlsbad, CA. We didn't have a whole lot of time that afternoon/evening, but we did get down to the beach where we threw rocks into the ocean, waded in the cold waves, and watched the surfers and the sun going down.

The next day we went to Legoland. The boys absolutely loved it and ask just about every day when we're going back.

After the surgery, we got to do a little bit of fun stuff, while we were in town for the radiation treatments. We went to the La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum.

Here the boys are making friends with a giant sloth.

Here you can see some fossils in the tar:

Jack looking particularly mature:

We also saw a horrible Disney movie from the 80s, "Oliver and Company" at the El Capitan Theater, which was within walking distance of our hotel. But the boys likes, which is the most important thing. And it started out with the whole Disney extravaganza thing, where Mickey comes out and dances followed by cannon shots of confetti and a pre-feature Mickey Mouse cartoon. I love that place!

We stayed at the Hollywood Orchid Suites, which was no Magic Castle, but was a lot cheaper than the Magic Castle. Our one bedroom suite was very roomy with a living room (that had a bed instead of a couch), a dining area, a galley kitchen, a bedroom, bathroom, and lots of closet space. It was a little run down and not as clean as I would like, but it did the job. They were very nice and gave us a surgical rate and inquired about Miles often. They also let us stay a couple hours later than check out time, when Miles got sick on the last day.

I'll post about the surgery soon.

Holiday Pics

2009-01-27T09:29:00.004-07:00

Before we post our LA pics, here are some belated ones from the holidays.

We visited the Forney Museum:

Can you guess what this is? (Hint: choo choo!)

We had dinner at Mataam Fez, a Moroccan restaurant. The boys didn't really eat (thankfully, we fed them ahead of time), but they enjoyed the experience. You sit on the floor, take your shoes off, and eat with your hands. The meal starts off with a ritual hand washing and a towel thrown over your shoulder. You then have bread and soup; a variety of salads; delicious B'stella, a pastry with fruit, nuts, and chicken, covered in powdered sugar, and then your entree. It's followed up with mint tea, served very creatively (the servers do tricks while they pour it), and fresh fruit. Finally, there is another hand washing and you're sprinkled with rose oil. A belly dancer entertains you during the meal. The food was yummy and it was a blast for everyone, adults and kids.

After, we visited the Capitol to see the lights:

Here, the boys are making Christmas cookies with Grandma:

And Miles is helping me make the dinner rolls for Christmas dinner. He helped knead the dough for almost the entire 15 minutes!

Here's the requisite visit with Santa, at Jack's Christmas program. Unfortunately, I did not get a pic when Jack's pants fell down on the stage!

Here are pics from Christmas day:

Jack in his Super Guy costume that he designed himself and Grandma Sharon so kindly made for him:

Note the Christmas disaster zone in that 2nd pic. Can you tell what movie they're watching? It's a classic!

But especially note the patch on Jack's eye under the mask in the first pic. Jack spent Christmas day with an eye patch and we all spent Christmas Eve at the ER. The boys got to open one toy on Christmas Eve and I let them open their Star Wars light sabers. Immediately after opening it, Jack pushed it down into the handle. It was spring loaded and popped right back out and into his eye, scratching his cornea. Poor guy was in a lot of pain and VERY uncooperative at the ER. It took 4 people to hold him down so they could get a look at it. And he wouldn't even open his eyes to see Santa, who paid a night time visit to the ER. Brian got to spend a couple of hours at the only open (and scary) pharmacy in town, watching junkies try to scam prescriptions. Fun! Luckily eyes heal quickly, and Jack was totally fine in just a couple of days.

Here's Jack on his "red bike with flamings" that he insisted he must have. Okay, well, Santa couldn't find a red bike. You can't really tell it in the picture, but there are red flames on it.

Off to LA in a Few Days

2009-01-13T12:32:00.001-07:00

We leave for LA on Saturday for Miles' keloid removal surgery with Dr. Reinisch. I'm not sure if we'll have internet access while gone, because our laptop needs some updates, but we'll be sure to take photos and post here when we get back.

The first couple of days will be fun. We fly in on Saturday and are going to Legoland in Carlsbad on Sunday. On Monday, we'll come back to LA for pre-ops with the radiologist and Dr. R. The surgery is Tuesday morning and we'll have the first radiation appointment immediately after. Then radiation on Wed. and Thurs. and we fly back Thurs. evening. Whew!

Our Elves

2008-12-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Some Recent Pics

2008-12-09T18:38:00.002-07:00

Here is the "Thanksgiving hat" that Jack wore to Texas Roadhouse. It's quite a unique craft.

Here is Miles' pic that was posted at his school. He got posted on the main bulletin board at the school for getting 25 "thanks tickets" from his teacher. He is our little math whiz that knows how to behave at school!

And here are the boys at the Scholastic Book Fair at Miles' school:

Here we are at a pizzeria the other night:

A Lovely Post from Another Parent

2008-09-15T12:36:00.001-06:00

The Little Boy Behind the Ear

Miles's First Tooth!

2008-07-05T21:21:00.002-06:00

Miles just lost his first tooth. It's been wiggly forEVER, but it finally came out. Mommy had to pull it! But it didn't take much (basically, I just touched it and it popped out). Here is our toothless wonder:

Miles put his tooth under his pillow, but after going to bed came downstairs crying. He asked if he could take a picture of his tooth, because he was really going to miss it. We took this pic:

Daddy helped him write a note to the tooth fairy asking her to leave the tooth. She did and also left a $2 bill and a Susan B. Anthony dollar coin!

And, of course, Jack had to ham it up since pictures were being taken:

And here are some random pics. Here is Jack one evening while watching tv. He saw a band with a singer and ran upstairs to get his microphone so he could join in:

And here is the usual state of our living room:

Trip to Copper Mountain

2008-07-05T21:14:00.002-06:00

We spent a weekend at Copper a couple of weeks ago. It was the start of the summer season and very few people there. The boys really had a blast on all the activities.

Enjoying the Colorado sunshine:

Up the lift:

In the bumper boats, Miles's favorite thing:

On the bungee jumper:

Rock climbing:

Buggin' Out

2008-06-19T15:02:00.003-06:00

The boys went to the Butterfly Pavillion with Grandma Kay and Grandpa Chuck recently. Here are some pics:

We recently got news that we can wait to do Miles' surgery until January, so we can switch from our HMO to the PPO.

Miles recently moved to Jack's school and gets to go on field trips every week--several times a week. Yesterday he went to a candy factory, which was very exciting for our Willy Wonka lover.

Weekend in the country

2008-05-26T17:45:00.002-06:00

Here is the proof that we were in the country...

... and that Miles cried like mad when dad got a speeding ticket. At one point, while crying, Miles said he was going to "tear up the ticket" when we got home. Wow, he was mad at that officer!

I hope that picture doesn't get dad in trouble.

Graduation!

2008-05-26T17:42:00.002-06:00

Ah, Kindergarten graduation. Miles graduated Friday and is ready to spend the summer preparing for first grade. Here is our little University of Toledo graduate on his way into the ceremony.

Afterword, he posed for a few pictures. Jack screamed through all of his so there are no pictures here of the two of them.

Congratulations Miles!

Keloids--Back for Surgery

2008-05-22T13:43:00.002-06:00

Well, we've been working on some bad news. Miles has developed keloid scars. My understanding of kelods are that they are scar tissue where the cells go crazy and don't stop growing. Unfortunately, Miles has them on both ears: on the front of the "new" ear and on the back of the other ear where the skin graft was taken.

I spoke to Dr. Reinisch last night and he said keloids are pretty rare, only occurring about 1 - 2 % of the time. He said he's seen it only 5-7 times.

His plan is to "excise and radiate," basically a fairly minor surgery, followed by 2-3 bouts of low dose radiation, while the wounds are fresh. I believe the radiation is to prevent the cells from continuing to grow as they have been.

So I have a call in to Dr. R's assistant to schedule our surgery. We just can't believe we have to do this again. We thought it was all behind us.

Here are some pictures of Miles' keloids:

Dr. R. said he can also do any "clean up" work we want done during the surgery. I'm hoping he can clean up the edges of the tragus, although maybe its not been smooth due to the keloids. And we're hoping he can do a little hair removal too.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, please.

A Day in the Life of a Super Hero

2008-05-12T19:48:00.002-06:00

Here we see the young super heroes getting home from yet another daring rescue - one of the oh, so many daring feats that have earned them the keys to the suburbopolisity.

A well rounded super hero must always keep his mind in shape as well as his body. Here the super heroes show their creative side.

As stated before, a super hero needs to keep his body in tip top condition. The most important part of that is to eat a good nutritious meal. Here we see our hero sitting down to a nutritious meal consisting of super vitamins. (Scientologist?)

After a good meal, the super heroes relax with some "Flavor of Love".

A super hero never wants to be known as Mister Super Stinky so one must keep up a strict personal hygiene regimen.

Finally, before heading to bed to get a super night of rest, Super Mom helps the super heroes relax with a reading from the Super Hero's Super Handbook.

An "Incredible" Birthday

2008-04-14T12:04:00.003-06:00

Here are my 2 "Dashes:"

By the way, my name is "Elasti-girl," according to Jack.

Easter

2008-04-14T12:04:00.001-06:00

A couple of pics from Easter:

Sweet Adeline

2008-04-14T12:00:00.001-06:00

The boys have a new cousin. Adeline Cara was born on March 20 and was 8 lbs. 15 oz. and 20" long. As you can see, she is absolutely adorable.

Finally! Pics from Florida

2008-04-14T11:51:00.003-06:00

We are SO behind in posting pics on this blog. We went to FL in February to visit Grandpa Jack and Grandma Sharon. We had a wonderful time, despite the 2 days of heavy rains. Here are some pictures from the nice days:

Interview with Dr. Reinisch

2008-04-09T11:15:00.002-06:00

Article from Illinois news station on Ear Reconstruction.

Jack's new glasses

2008-03-04T20:14:00.002-07:00

Yes, Jack is now an official nerd. Check it out.

He actually likes them so far. That will probably change tomorrow though.

Lil Quack

2008-03-04T16:49:00.002-07:00

Remember the infamous Lil Quack who went through surgery with Miles? You can see him here with his bandages.

Well, now he has been "adopted" by Jack, as Miles has moved on to other stuffed animals (in fact a whole family of them, "The Family of Pips," but that's a story for another day).

And look what Jack found at the eye doctor's office!

A GIANT LIL QUACK!

Pics of Jack's new glasses to come soon.

And some random pics

2008-01-29T10:52:00.001-07:00

Here's what happens when the boys are too quiet in their room:

Jack running with his cape and sword (the boys are into the Three Musketeers right now):

And a pic that Miles took at the Wildlife Experience:

Belated Christmas Pics

2008-01-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, these are so late. Sorry! Here we are doing a variety of Christmas activities.

Here are some from Christmas Eve:

And Christmas Day:

Decorating the Tree

2007-12-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

The boys are getting to be pros!

Visits to the Train Museum and Zoo Lights

2007-12-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

We went to see Santa, but the line was too long. It was fun anyway. They had one of their old trains running and the conductor let the boys try out his hat.

We also did a zoo light trip with cousin Caelan. The pics with Santa are all blurry because we weren't allowed to use a flash.

Bowling

2007-11-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

We took the boys bowling for the first time last Saturday. I think it's going to be a new family favorite.

And it sure is good to live where we do:

ROCIT HHiP II

2007-11-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the original artwork by Miles. The colorful hamburgers that were roasted badly are right at the top in the center. Some burners on the stove are on the top left but the main cooking area is the blue area between the stove and the burgers. The red car, center bottom, is shooting out electricity to the black car in front of it, which is going down that purple ramp. The blue tunnel is on the top right. The red switches are obviously on the bottom left corner. Hey NASA, why does your rocket look so LAME???

ROCIT HHiP

2007-11-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our boys are obsessed with rocket ships. Today each brough home a picture they had done of one. Jack brought home a painting of a "broken rocket ship." Pictures of broken items are a common thing for him to paint. His favorite topic is a "broken shelf," but we get plenty of paintings of "broken rocket ships" too.

Miles makes very complicated, detail drawings. For example, yesterday he brought home a picture of a "muffin maker." It was a machine that had muffins going in with no color, but when they came out they were the colors of rainbows. Today he brought home a drawing labelled "ROCIT HHiP." He often does pictures of rockets, but this one was particularly special because it had colorful round things coming out of it. When asked what they were, he told us that they were "hamburgers that had been roasted very badly." The rocket was complete with ovens with burners, levers that made it go up and down, and of course the very badly roasted burgers. Under it was a car with people in it that was shooting electricity at another car that was going down a ramp. It was shooting electricity at the other car, so that the latter did not have to use too much electricity.

Brian's 40th Birthday!

2007-11-12T10:34:00.001-07:00

We surprised Brian by having his parents, sister, and brother-in-law come out and meet us at a big house in the mountains. We had a nice 4.5 day visit. Brian was actually surprised!

Here he is with his cake and margarita (a family 40th birthday tradition):

We were all able to cram into our new minivan:

We had a great time at beautiful Dillon Lake:

The boys trying on some new eye wear:

At Breckenridge:

The boys doing the Safety Dance:

My little mad man, Jack:

Halloween

2007-11-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

First the usual Fall leaves pic:

We went to a party at the boys' school. Jack went as a fireman and Miles as the fire engine. Unfortunately, the engine is sitting in front of him here.

At the next party we went to (and on Halloween) Jack remained a fireman, but Miles decided to be a "knight prince that helps dragons." Here he is playing the eat the donut w/no hands game:

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-12T10:28:00.001-07:00

This year we tried a new pumpkin patch and really liked it. Here we are in the pick-your-own fields:

They also had an activity area.

Jack LOVED the pigs and Miles (Mr. Sensitive Nose) felt the exact opposite.

We had a lot of fun in the kids maze (but skipped the big corn maze):

We also took a wagon ride and had some Fall photo ops:

Here are the pumpkins we picked:

And my favorite photo of this Fall!

A Trip to Sunflower Farm and the Train Museum

2007-11-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a much needed update for this Fall.

We went to a birthday party at Sunflower Farm. The boys had a blast.

The boys and daddy also made a trip to the train museum:

Dr. Reinisch's New Technique

2007-10-15T11:23:00.000-06:00

A person on the yahoo microtia board reported on a new technique that Dr. Reinisch presented at a conference recently. And I quote from her:

It is a "no scar" flap harvesting technique, which he developed in conjunction with Dr. Lewin. The only scar now is the small one that arcs over the ear that is being reconstructed which they use to bring the flap down. The flap is now harvested using an endoscope, which is how they can avoid the extra incision. There is absolutely no scar on the hair-bearing portion of the scalp at all. He's been doing this for about five months now. It makes the surgery take about 1 hour longer,
but Drs. Reinisch and Lewin feel that the fact that there is no longer a scalp scar makes it a very worth while approach.

I think this is a very exciting development. Miles has a bit of a scar still on his scalp, but future patients won't have this.

Is Summer Really Over?

2007-09-17T13:17:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it? Miles is a kindergartener! Unbelievable really. Here are the boys on their first day of school:

We're keeping busy. Both boys are doing soccer now, which means 2 games every Saturday and a practice during the week.

The week before Labor Day the boys' school was closed. One day Julie took them to the Firefighter's Museum, where they celebrated their 2nd and 4th birthdays. They're really into "Fireman Sam" right now, so it was a lot of fun:

Miles told me yesterday that he wants to be a firefighter that fights monsters for Halloween.

We then went to the cabin for the long weekend. Here are the boys looking tough on the ATVs. They spent a large portion of the weekend pretending the ATVs were their fire engines or space ships.

Here they are in the sheep wagon:

Miles with a birdhouse he painted:

A teepee that Grandma and Brian put together:

Miles and Grandma hiking:

A night time shot:

Jimmie jimmie jam jams

2007-08-24T16:10:00.000-06:00

Boys in robes and jimmie jimmie jam jams:

Beefcake

2007-08-23T13:41:00.001-06:00

I've had it with TagBoard

2007-08-23T13:34:00.000-06:00

It was all spam anyway. So I deleted it. You can still leave comments after posts or email us at the contact link in the left sidebar.

Belated Pictures from Our Trips to Idaho and the Cabin

2007-08-15T12:10:00.000-06:00

I've gotten really lax about posting here. Sorry. For the next two weeks we have only one boy at home. This week Jack is with my parents at the cabin and next week Miles will be there. From what I can tell, Jack doesn't miss us at all, haha. However, yesterday Miles had this conversation with Jack on the phone:

Miles: I really miss you.
Jack: Why?
Miles: Because....Because I really really love you.

How sweet is that? Immediately after, he ran to tell his dad that Jack was on the phone (we were at the park) and slipped and fell in a mud puddle. Doh!

In late June, we travelled to Idaho for my grandmother's memorial service. Here we are stopping on the way at Devil's Slide, which was always a big landmark for me and my family when we were growing up:

Here are the boys and their cousin, Caelan, under a tree I played under when I was their age. It's at the church where the service was held. I think it's one of the best pictures ever taken of the cousins. Maybe grandma helped?

In mid-July we went to the cabin. It was the best, most relaxing time we've had there since the boys were born. Now that they're older, it's just so much easier. Here are the boys with their bug keepers. Miles had a lot of fun catching bugs to put in them:

Playing in the sheep wagon:

Taking time to smell the wildflowers:

Riding grandpa's tractor:

Famous People with HFM and/or Microtia

2007-08-14T11:11:00.001-06:00

Someone on the microtia yahoo board shared this interesting article about Lincoln, which theorizes that he may have had hemifacial microsomia:

Lincoln may have had facial defect

It reminds me that Paul Stanley of Kiss has microtia.

Soccer Stars

2007-08-08T10:28:00.000-06:00

Miles played soccer this summer and had a lot of fun. He scored 3 goals in the season! Here is the one from the last game. Notice how he had totally broken away down the pack: he carried it all the way down the field.

Here he is taking a break:

Jack desperately wanted to play, but was relegated to the sidelines. We've signed them both up for Fall.

It's Hot

2007-07-03T10:19:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th, everybody! It's supposed to be a little cooler here tomorrow (thank goodness). In the meantime, please to enjoy:

Another Miles get up:

Jack hard at work:

Long Overdue Pictures from MO

2007-06-28T13:17:00.000-06:00

Back in late May, the boys and I went with my parents to visit my grandparents in Missouri. Although, they were doing fairly well during this trip, they are doing quite poorly right now, so please keep them in your prayers.

Here are some pics of our afternoon at the lake:

Here the boys are learning about turtles:

Miles giving me "The Look" (little snot):

Jack pausing while running:

At the campground on the way home, just after a big rainstorm:

With Great Grandma and Grandpa:

Good PowerPoint Presentation on Medpor

2007-06-15T09:11:00.001-06:00

Someone on the yahoo microtia atresia message board posted this link, which I assume must come from a presentation Dr. Reinisch did, although I don't know that for sure.

It can be a little graphic, but is very informative. It shows pictures from a medpor reconstruction surgery, results, and data about medpor vs. rib graft.

http://www.porexsurgical.com/english/surgical/ppt/EnglishMicrotia.ppt

Mexico!

2007-05-26T11:43:00.000-06:00

Finally....some pics of Mexico.

I'll start with the really fun pictures. On Friday, we swam with the dolphins. Brian and Jack did the one with little kids, where you don't really swim, but get in with them waist deep and get to pet them, etc. Miles and Julie did the swim, but it was a little intimidating, and Miles got out right after feeding one. He saw those teeth, and said, "I want out NOW." So he then watched from the sidelines while Julie got a kiss and rode on the belly of one.

The next day we did a cruise on the Marigalante Pirate Ship. They fed us breakfast and lunch and took us to a secluded beach. It was about a 7 hour trip all together. On the ship they performed pretty much the whole time (except for when we were eating). At the beach they had snorkelling, banana boats, kayaks, volleyball, and other activities. There were the smallest hermit crabs I've ever seen on that beach. Poor Brian was sea sick, the ship put Jack to sleep, but Miles and I really enjoyed it, haha!

Here's Miles getting his sword and medallion for "winning" (all did) the kids dance contest. He was so excited.

Here's how Jack spent the trip (except for on the beach):

Here are some pictures from the beach they took us to:

Here are some pics from our hotel.

Miles, the cool dude:

Bellying up to the bar. Note Jack hailing the bartender for another:

Our beach:

Sunsets:

The boys at the Disney show at our hotel. Miles fell asleep about 5 minutes into it and we left:

Bowling at the hotel:

There was an awesome waterslide pool at the hotel, and we didn't realize until we got home that we never took any pictures there! We are so kicking ourselves. I guess we were having too much fun. Plus our camera broke at the end of our trip. But here is the main pool. If you really want to see pictures go to this link for our hotel and click on "candid traveler photos."

Julie and Brian went parasailing. It was amazing. So smooth and peaceful, that I forgot to be scared:

We went into Puerto Vallarta one day:

Our last evening, we went to a restaurant in town, called Las Carmelitas, way up on a mountain. The view was awesome, but the little "present" that Miles and I woke up with the next morning was not. You'd think since it's recommended by Fodor's that it would be okay.

And finally, Teddy, the teeniest lizard ever, who we found on our balcony the last day:

Catching Up

2007-05-25T14:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some old pics from before our vacation.

Jack playing dress up:

The beautiful cake the boys got me:

Pictures from the fair at Miles' school. They had a tethered balloon so that we could take mini-rides. Miles was afraid, so Jack got to go twice. It was really cool.

Miles did enjoy the bouncies, though:

More Easter

2007-04-08T17:37:00.000-06:00

Here's my little nutjob, Jack, with his Easter basket:

And because the rule of the house seems to be "Monkey See, Monkey Do:"

And the proud goofballs:

Jack after WAY too much chocolate:

Easter

2007-04-08T13:53:00.000-06:00

The boys have had a great Easter so far, even though I was disappointed that we didn't get to go to Aunt Krista's due to the weather. They woke up to baskets from the Easter Bunny outside their room:

Miles playing with one of the gifts he got:

We went to church. Miles was drawing on a small drawing pad and asked me how to spell "illustrate" (!). He then wrote on the front (and after drawing several pictures inside), "Illustrate Miles." He told me it said "Illustrated by Miles." After he finished, he told me that the book was for the library. That kid has quite a vocabulary. The other day he asked me what "devour" meant.

After lunch, we had an Easter egg hunt:

Birthday Boys!

2007-04-08T13:46:00.000-06:00

This is a long overdue post for the boys' birthdays. Last Thursday was Miles. Brian and I joined him at school for the traditional "Walk Around the Sun" Montessori ceremony. He carries a globe around the sun for each year of his life and we bring in pictures and talk about what he did each year.

Here he is on the special birthday stool. He told the class that he wanted them to show him the respect that they would want! Brian and I just about lost it. His highness:

Walking around the sun:

That night we went to Red Robin for dinner, then came home for presents:

The next day was Jack's birthday. Brian and I met him for lunch and he also got to have a birthday cake celebration at his school. That evening we went out for ice cream then came home and opened presents.

The next day was their birthday party, and they had about 8 other kids attend, along with some parents. Here is the cake that Brian and I made, and I think it turned out darn cute. Brian, as usual, did the hard part.

The birthday boys:

The boys with one of the space ships that we made as a craft at the party:

And my favorite pic of the day: Jack with his sweetheart cousin Caelan:

Spring Pictures

2007-04-08T13:45:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to post these two for awhile. This is what the weather has been like...for the most part. Today it's snowing.

My Baby is THREE Today!

2007-03-30T12:47:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACK!!!!

In case you're confused, the boys' birthdays are just one day apart. It makes the end of March crazy.

I'll post pics of the celebrations soon.

Here he is 3 years ago today:

My Baby is FIVE Today!

2007-03-29T14:42:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MILES!!!

This was our bundle of joy 5 years ago:

Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, Miles

2007-03-25T11:16:00.000-06:00

Here is our exercise guru at work.

Miles also told us about his cheeks. Miles, don't hit yourself in the cheek. "The bones in my cheeks are squishy. Those are called my cheek bones."

Here ya go, Mom

2007-03-18T08:46:00.000-06:00

Jack's thing to say when he likes a particular food is "This tastes ba-wish-us!"

Miles went to bed early the other night. Jack got to read books in our bed:

My Crazy Kids plus Lander Pics

2007-03-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I posted pictures are here.

Here is what Miles did while I was searching for Buzz Lightyear party supplies online this morning. I particularly like the details: the plastic flower tucked in next to the doll, the construction cones on the corners, and the gears lined up at the bottom of the blanket:

Here's a picture of Miles with a chip clip on his nose that I just "discovered" on the camera:

Several weeks ago, we went to Lander to see Granny. My sister and I went back last weekend, but these are pics from when we all went.

This is the crazy cowboy that took us for a ride on his "chariot." He was...ummmm...colorful. During the ride, everytime he talked to me he'd punch me in the arm--hard! My arm was sore afterwards. He also used quite colorful language in front of the boys. But the ride was fun.

This is a store display that cracked me up:

This is our motel's sign. We just liked it.

Ear 8-9 months post op

2007-03-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent picture of Miles' ear taken about 8-9 months post second stage surgery:

Rest in Peace, Granny. We love you.

2007-02-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Julie's grandma, the boys' "granny" passed away at 12:50 pm today. It's a very sad day. She has been very ill, so we're glad she went peacefully. Lots of love to all our family out there.

Jack's Hair

2007-02-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I swear it looked a lot different on the day of his hair cut. Here....not so much.

And here are my Goofy Guses:

Big Changes in our House

2007-02-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

Brian started a new job this week. This means no stay-at-home parent, so it's a big change for all of us, but especially Brian and Jack. Jack started his new preschool yesterday and it went pretty well. It's a big change and requiring some adjustment on his part, but all in all he's doing pretty darn well. Brian is going through the usual new job adjustment, but so far likes it a lot. We're all getting used to the new routine and slowly settling into it. The best part of it all is a second income!

This last weekend we took the boys to the Denver Art Museum, which has a fancy, funky new wing. They really enjoyed it--especially the contemporary stuff (just like Mom and Dad!). Miles has now done something that neither his mommy nor daddy has done: touched an Andy Warhol! It was the first painting we saw, and he walked right up to it and placed his hand right on it. GASP! We then realized we needed to explain museum etiquette to him.

The boys got new haircuts and Jack's came out really short. I'll try to take a picture and post it soon. Miles' isn't any different.

Swim Lessons

2007-01-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa got the boys swim lessons for Christmas. They LOVE it.

Dog Tipping

2007-01-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Miles is "dog tipping." He's sneaking up behind our poor Olive with his toy Lightning Mcqueen and revving its engine.

And apparently it's not just "Cars." He's also been saying that he's Buzz and Jack is Woody (from "Toy Story").

I think we may have to cut him off.

Gymnastics

2007-01-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Miles' preschool has an option for us to pay extra for the kids to take gymnastics while they're at school. In December, we were really strapped for cash, so elected to stop doing the classes. Yesterday, Miles asked me if he could pay for gymnastics with the money in his railroad sign bank (he probably has a few bucks worth of coins in there). SNIFF.

Needless to say, I signed him up again this morning...no bank money needed. Little sweetheart.

Jack and his Beloved Boots

2007-01-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Jack is currently napping...with his snow boot on his hands!

Yesterday morning he woke me up crying, "Wanna go see Cae-wan." Caelan is his cousin.

Thoughts on the Dr. Reinisch Show

2007-01-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

We're working on finding a link to the plastic surgery show featuring Dr. Reinisch. My only complaint was that it was too short! I was surprised that I learned new stuff in the show.

Conor, the little boy featured, is absolutely adorable. I was especially glad to see that Miles is not the only one who acted up in Dr. R's office, LOL.

I never really understood how the skin membrane/flap worked. I didn't realize that it folded down from above! This is the "flap" of tissue that provides the blood supply to the new ear. It folds down from the upper part of the head and is wrapped around the medpor framework. My husband said he never really understood it properly before either. So I learned something new from the show, which is great.

Also, I was shocked at how big and thick the abdomen skin graft was! It's amazing that it doesn't leave a bigger scar. All I could think was "Ouch! Poor babies." I can see why it used to be so painful for kids before Dr. R. started using the marcaine drip. Thank goodness for it.

A Sign of the Times

2007-01-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last night at dinner, Miles thanked God for "our email." Now that's different from my prayers as a kid (or even as an adult).

When I put him to bed he asked me, "Mommy, what does 'die' mean?" Dun dun dun! Oy, I wasn't ready for this one. I tried to explain it in 4 year old terms, but my sensitive little guy started crying because he "didn't want to die." It broke my heart. Where the heck does his little brain pick up such things?

They boys started swim lessons yesterday, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa. We took some video, but need to digitize it so we can post it. They are in the same class now and could they be any cuter? They're 2 of only 3 kids in the class. The other one is a little girl. Jack took a little while to warm up to the instructor, but then he did great. Miles did too. They LOVED it! You should have seen my little hellions splashing like crazy. I thought "poor little girl," but soon she joined in too. You gotta love kids.

Jack may start preschool or daycare soon. Ack! Brian is up for a really good job. Wish us luck. It'll be a major transition for all of us. But I think it'll be great in the end.

Dec. & Jan. Pictures

2007-01-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pics of the boys. The first two are (obviously) from when Grandma and Grandpa were here:

This is another pretty one from one of the many big snow storms we've had:

Here is Jack wearing 2 of his 3 obsessions: his sunglasses (note they are upside down here) and his snow boots. He would wear them constantly if he were able. His 3rd obsession is unfortunately not pictured: a little Lilo and Stitch space ship from a Happy Meal. He's never even seen the movie and it wasn't from a HM we ate, but he still must carry it with him at all times.

The boys with very abstract playdoh artwork:

The boys in their cute new mix and match jammies with muscle cars on them:

The boys in their "Royal Tennenbaums" fleece track suits that I got super cheap at Old Navy. They're looking a little bored here:

Miles read 4 books from his "Mat and Bob" books to me today. It was so cool. Jack is my little snuggle bug.

Quotes of the Day

2007-01-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Miles: "We didn't play with Tannin today because he wasn't wearing socks." Ah, the social politics and intricacies of preschool. You'd better believe we had a discussion about this one.

Jack: "That's MY crying." Okay, you can have it, kiddo.

Dr. Reinisch on TV!

2007-01-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dr. Reinisch will be featured on " Plastic Surgery, Before & After" doing microtia reconstruction. It will air on the Discovery Health Channel on 1/14 at 10 pm EST (8 pm MST). The little boy featured is someone from the microtia yahoo board. Can't wait to see it!

He Can Read! Really Really Read!

2007-01-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! We were just eating breakfast, and daddy started writing words on a piece of paper, and Miles could really read them! He read jet, nap, cat, pen, cup, bun, hand, cart, farm, barn, top, tub, ship, fish, dog, rat, fat, hop, pop, stop, can, ton, and mad.

Anybody that knows me knows that I am the most avid reader in the world. There's almost nothing I like more, so this is particularly exciting for me. I hope he likes reading even half as much as I do.

So now I'm off to get him some books to read together, because he's clamoring for more. In fact, he forgot all about his beloved cinnamon roll he was enjoying it so much. This is a fabulous way to start 2007!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

We had a great Christmas. Here is Miles on Christmas Eve with his note to Santa (to go with the milk, cookies, and carrot). It says, "DEAR SANTA, THE REINDEER GET CARROTS. YOU GET COOPIES (SIC). LOVE, MILES." Jack left more of an abstract drawing, rather than a note. I hear Santa and the reindeer loved their treats.

The boys got to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Miles chose the box from Aunt Janice and Uncle Andy, which was a remote control car that tumbles and rolls. It's still one of the big hits of Christmas. Here they are with the remote enjoying it to the max.

A Christmas tradition in Julie's house growing up was taking a picture on the stairs just after waking up. We're continuing the tradition. They boys were so zonked on Christmas morning, we had to wake them up. We have to do that with Miles sometimes, but NEVER with Jack.

Opening presents:

Another big hit: Jack's foam car track. You can see a little hint of the Christmas chaos that was our living room.

Why would you play with the Lincoln Logs, when you can play with the container them came in?

Their new table and chairs for snack time, tea parties, and playdoh:

Merry Christmas to all! Special prayers to our family that are ill or have lost a loved one.

Love,
Brian, Julie, Miles, and Jack

Sledding, sad tree and lessons learned

2006-12-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

We took the boys sledding at the park. The hill was not very steep so it was very slow going. Thanks to our neighbor Lynn for lending us a sled. Here we are after sledding, getting some hot chocolate.

Here is a picture of our VERY sad Christmas tree. Yes, I cut off about an inch from the bottom before we put it up. Yes, I have kept it watered. It's hanging down to the floor now. There are decorations on the tree that are touching the floor.
Lesson learned: never buy a Christmas tree from a grocery store.

Miles, Miles, Miles

2006-12-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Miles picked out a nice baseball lunch box at the beginning of school. He still loves it. Jennifer is his teacher and Morrison is a schoolmate. That said, a few days ago Miles told me, "If I was the teacher with my big baseball lunch box and Jennifer was blowing on Morrison's hair, I would have to tell her to stop. Morrison is my friend at school. She's not too rough, she's just a little rough."
And here is the outfit Miles came downstairs with today...

Yup, that's a nice green and blue polo with his little brother's Christmassy sweater vest, gray sweats and Spiderman socks. Come on ladies, you know you want to be seen with this snappy dresser!

For Emily

2006-12-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

I lived in Toledo for 32 years and I remember one blizzard, '76 I think. We have lived in Colorado for seven years and we've already had two blizzards, '03 and '06. I LOVE Colorado.
Here are the boys in the snow.

Here we are with the mountain of snow I had to shovel off the driveway. And I only did half of the driveway.

Blizzard 2006

2006-12-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

I think we will have snow for Christmas. It's supposed to snow a little more between now and then. Here is Olive looking over the snow to see what I'm doing.

Path to the street.

Our beautiful backyard view.

Dog Run.

Haircut #3

2006-12-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

Jack had his third haircut today. Here is a picture of Mom reading to the boys with their new haircuts.

In the car, Miles today told us about the green Santa that brings toys to boys and girls who are good AND bad. I don't know any green Santa. I guess he's trying to cover all his bases?

Visit our online garage sale

2006-12-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Visit our online garage sale at http://shops.half.ebay.com/margemayhem_W0QQmZmusic

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours

2006-12-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

A few pictures to make the season bright:

"Wait, Santa! I forgot something!"

Decorating the tree:

Playing with decorations:

Watching a particularly intense holiday tv show:

A whacky snow contraption:

Holiday crafts at the Christmas party:

Knees!

2006-12-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

What do the boys need for Christmas? PANTS!!!

Comcast

2006-12-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today Miles saw the Comcast commercial and ran around the house saying, "It's $33! That's cheap!"

The last several school days, Miles has told me that he had a super duper day or super duper, super duper, super duper day because he did so many new works. Thursday he told me he did 9000 new works and everyday it goes up a thousand. Today, Tuesday, for example, he did 12000 new works. Man is he busy.

Our Spelling Champion

2006-12-12T12:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Miles spelled "jet" and "cat" unaided with the frig magnets. That's my boy!

Jingle Bells

2006-12-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tuesday quotes of the evening from Miles & Jack

2006-12-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

From Miles: "Bread is made from bread...Cows pee milk."

Jack led our dinner with this beautiful prayer... "Ummm fooooood, ummm muffin, ummm peas, AMEN!"

Tuesday quote of the morning from Miles

2006-12-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

"It is not respectful to come in and tell me not to play with the toilet."

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Now that we've gained the requisite 5 pounds, I'll update you on our recent activities. We've eaten a LOT. We had 2 Thanksgivings, and I must say that I'm actually really tired of turkey.

Last week, Grandpa Jack and Grandma Sharon came to visit and a good time was had by all. We didn't do a whole lot: went to parks, relaxed, played. Saturday we had an early Thanksgiving dinner and that evening had the rest of the Colorado family over for a party.

Here's Jack hanging out with Grandpa:

Miles playing baseball with Grandma:

At the park:

Standing in front of Vito Acconci's "Dirt Wall:"

Played too hard:

For Thanksgiving we went to Brian's aunt's house and ate another yummy, big meal. The rest of this weekend we have 2 projects: set up a playroom for the boys (we moved them into the same bedroom and will now use Jack's oldroom as a playroom/guest room), and start putting up Christmas decorations. Yay, the holidays are here!

Here are some recent pics that I just like and want to share:

Our little goofballs:

And you gotta love snack time in Colorado:

So general updates on the boys: Miles is THIS close to reading. It's so cool to watch the process evolve. Jack is getting so big and has become quite the mommy's boy, which I admit makes me very happy. I used to be a little jealous of our daddy's boy, and I haven't gotten tired of the clinginess yet. Just before I started writing this, I heard him whining and looked over and found this. No idea why he was whining:

They still fight like crazy, but also play together very nicely at times. Right now, they're playing "Doggie, doggie, where's your bone?" The stuff Miles picks up at school is so cute. And he's becoming quite the artist too. Here's a picture he drew of him and Jack trick or treating:

Hope your Thanksgivings were as good as ours!

Before the Blog

2006-11-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

People on the microtia board have been sharing their stories and I finally got around to posting ours. Thought I would also add it here for posterity's sake.

I had a perfect early pregnancy (when the ear is formed). I did everything I was supposed to and there were no complications. I had pregnancy induced hypertension and was on bedrest for the last month, but that obviously did not cause the microtia. Ultrasounds were good. I had the same technician for my second son, and she seemed embarassed that she hadn't noticed the ear, but also noted that they don't usually look at ears, unless asked to.

The doctor decided to induce me at 38 weeks, since my bp was so elevated. They started the induction late at night and I slept some and woke up at about 4:30 am with contractions. Unfortunately, I also woke up with one of the worst colds of my life and had a 102 degree fever the entire time I was in labor.

Much later in the day, I pushed for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours, when the doctor decided that he just wasn't going to come out and we needed to do a c-section. I had to wait an hour for the operating room--not fun when you're in full labor--even with an epidural! When they took Miles out, they cleaned him up quickly and then a nurse sort of thrust him in my face and said, "It's a boy. There's something wrong with his ear." It was so amazingly insensitive and I wish I had later written to the hospital to let them know how they could handle such situations in a more compassionate way. They whisked him away and I didn't see him again for several hours, when they let me in to touch his foot. They had him under an oxygen tank. I didn't hold him until 4 or 5 hours after he was born.

The really frustrating thing is that when I had my second son, the OB's nurse said, "Oh, I see your first son had a perfect Apgar score." Now why would he need oxygen for 4-5 hours if his apgar was perfect? I think they just freaked out over his ear and didn't know what to do. I'm still angry about it.

The next day, our pediatrician told us that Miles had microtia, which I, of course, had never heard of. He also told us that he thought the ear could be "fixed" with one surgery in about a year. I am also angry that he "guessed" and gave us this kind of misinformation. I was very upset when we eventually visited an ENT and she told us that if we chose to do something, it would have to wait until he was 5 or 6 and it would take 3-4 surgeries (she never mentioned medpor).

The hospital did a newborn hearing test and of course he failed it for his microtic ear. The hospital audiologist seemed schocked that we weren't surprised, LOL. I will say that our state has a great follow up program for newborns that fail their hearing test. They directed us to resources and checked in with us to make sure we weren't ignoring it.

I had very bad post partum depression and I think some of it was due to lack of sleep, recovery from illness and a c-section, lots of problems with breastfeeding, and concern over his microtia.

I pretty much put the microtia out of my conscious mind until we saw an ENT when Miles was about 6-8 weeks. There we received more information and I remember breaking down and crying when we left, because I finally needed to mentally deal with it. I then did tons of internet research, reading everything I could find, including every message on this board, which was the absolute best resource out there. When we did a follow up with the ENT, I had many questions for her. She then proceeded to write a letter to my pediatrician, implying that I was a hysterical mother due to doing research. Argh... She did order cervical spine xrays to check for Goldenhar and an ultrasound of his kidneys.

We really didn't know where to go from there, but I later met a woman at work whose son had Goldenhar, but not microtia. She recommended a local plastic surgeon, who we met with and referred us to a "craniofacial clinic," where we met with many doctors and specialists. It was a complete waste of time and a big disappointment. We were given information we knew was incorrect, like canalplasty should be done before rib graft. The aforementioned plastic surgeon who had previously told us Miles would not need jaw surgery, told us, when he was with his group of plastic surgeons, that he would definitely need it. We then went to a room of orthodontists who told us he would not need it. They really didn't seem like they had a clue what they were doing.

Meanwhile, we started Early Intervention when Miles was about a year old. He automatically qualified due to his hearing los. Our county's services were wonderful. They provided weekly speech therapy (which we eventually reduced to biweekly and then monthly) and paid for Gymboree classes. We loved our speech therapist and got so much from it. EI ended when Miles turned 3 and by that time, he was actually quite advanced for his age verbally. I think some was due to him and the fact that he's so dang smart, but I also have to give credit to EI.

We contacted a number of doctors who were recommended by people on the microtia board for reconstruction and had pretty much decided we would go the rib graft route with Dr. Brent. I then met Cathy, who was also on that group and is from our area. At the initial meeting, she was also planning on going with Dr. Brent. A few months later she informed me that they had changed plans and were going with Dr. Reinisch. I didn't know much about medpor, so she met me for lunch and told me about her conversations with him and shared a powerpoint presentation CD that he had sent her.

I was very intrigued by the pictures I saw and contacted Dr. R., who immediately set up a time to talk by phone. We weren't sure we would go with him, until we saw Cathy's son's ear after the first surgery. We were very impressed with it and our conversations with Dr. R. and made our final decision when we found out (via a CT scan) that he was not a candidate for atresia repair.

I still really wasn't sure and questioned our decision right up until the day before surgery, when we finally met Dr. R. in person. I always had it in my head that we could pull out at any time and I was this close. I remember calling Cathy in a panic a week before the surgery, really doubting myself, and she assured me it was normal, LOL. While we waited for our surgery appointment date, we did tons more research on the other options: rib graft, prosthetics, and just waiting to leave the decision up to him.

When we met Dr. R. I felt so reassured. The surgeries were very stressful, but we are very happy with the results. The rest of the story is here on our blog.

Arizona Vacation

2006-11-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Phoenix to see Grandma Kay and Grandpa Chuck. It was a nice, relaxing vacation; only slightly marred by colds. Here are some pics.

Carving a pumpkin:

At the train park:

Before trick or treating:

Hiking at the arboretum:

Enjoying home made caramel apples:

Brian and I visited Taliesin West for his birthday (sans kiddos):

We talked Brian into letting my mom have at him with the clippers:

Our "Seasoned Traveler" on the airport train on the way home:

Fall Stuff

2006-10-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we met one of the families that came to our house in July to meet with Dr. Reinisch. We met a place called White Fence Farm, which is a family style "country" restaurant, but also has stuff for the kids to do, like a petting zoo and playgrounds, etc. Here's a couple of pictures:

Here's a pic of the boys "helping" me make a spice cake last night (Daddy's favorite). Here they are in their sugar filled (and covered) stupors:

And here is Miles at the Pumpkin Patch (previously posted) with a little help from Photoshop:

We had ANOTHER big snow storm since the last post. I can't believe we've had three and BEFORE Halloween. We're in for a rough winter, I think. I guess we were due for it.

Sunday we're off for a vacation in a sunnier clime: Phoenix! I won't have internet access there, but will post when we return. We plan to not do much, but relax. Woohoo!

Snow!

2006-10-17T18:36:00.000-06:00

It's way too early for this....

Brian just told me that Jack was VERY friendly at the library today. Apparently he went up to the librarian and said, "Hi!" then pulled down his pants.

We've gotta work on that...

Our Crazy Fall Weekend

2006-10-16T15:48:00.000-06:00

Whew! I need another weekend to recover from this one. Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Kay were in town and we kept ourselves really busy. Saturday morning we went to the Pumpkin Patch. The kids dressed up. They chose their own costumes from our "dress up box."

They had lots of other activities there:

Then of course we had to carve them:

(that's my mom's dog)

and play in the Fall leaves (on the tree):

Then yesterday after the grandparents left, we went to the Ringling Bros. Circus. No pictures to post, because the boys were awful, LOL. I think we were all a little over tired from the busy weekend. And I'm sorry, but one ring is not better than three, despite what Ringling Bros. says. The show was a bit disappointing.

Miles' Ear 3 1/2 Months Post op Stage 2

2006-10-11T12:29:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted a picture of Miles' ear. He had the 2nd surgery on June 20, 2006, so we're about 3 1/2 months post op (I think, LOL). I think it's looking pretty good! The scars are starting to lighten up and will continue to do so. We're pretty darn happy!

Also, here is what happens when you let a 4 year old dress himself:

PEE!

2006-10-04T15:03:00.000-06:00

JACK PEED ON THE POTTY!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

Disaster Averted...for NOW

2006-09-26T13:23:00.000-06:00

Last night I was getting Miles ready for bed and we had the following conversation:

Miles: Mom, do you know what Power Rangers are?

Cue music: Dum dum DUM!

Me: Ummm...I'm not sure, do you know what they are?

Miles (after some stumbling around): They're people that are mean.

Me: Oh, well, we don't like them then do we?

Miles (shaking his head): No.

DISASTER TEMPORARILY AVERTED!

Now I know why people homeschool their kids....

How's Your Aspen?

2006-09-24T17:10:00.000-06:00

Ours are great! Yesterday we drove up the mountains to see the Aspen colors and we also got to see snow! We've decided we NEED to move there.

What Are We Up To?

2006-09-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

Not much. Getting over colds, enjoying the Fall weather... Two weeks ago the boys went to a birthday party where there was a clown who did face painting. Miles, of course, lol, chose the "princess" motif. Jack chose a puppy. Here they are at home afterwards. This pictures really cracks me up, because it's so typical Jack these days. Let's just say he's very....two...

Here they are later that week with their cousin Caelan. It jest don't git much cuter than this!