16 month word list and ENT update

We had Samuel's follow-up appointment with the ENT.  Both of his ears are still filled with fluid.  And he failed his hearing test.  The good news is that his word bank is increasing daily - he uses around 30 words* now - and he responds to directions.  So we know he can hear us, at least somewhat well.  The bad news is that his doctor recommended he get tubes placed.  It's only a 15 minute procedure, and I know it's really common.  Most likely, it won't even require pain medication afterward.  But, my baby will have to go under general anesthesia, which scares the crap out of me!   They might have to anesthetize me, too, so I don't freak out.  The surgery is scheduled for early morning on March 14th.

Then, Sam will have a follow up hearing test six weeks later.  Hopefully, we will find that his hearing is perfect and there is no longer fluid in his ears.  The tubes will get pushed out as his eardrums heal, usually within a year or two.  By that time he will most likely have outgrown the middle ear drainage problem.

At his appointment, when his doctor asked how many words he was using, I guessed 15.  He's been having a vocabulary explosion this month.  At 15 months, I think he only had about 5 words.  Anyway, when we got home, I decided to sit down and make a list of all the words he uses on his own.  As I said each word he would repeat it and sign it.  It was so cute that I just had to try and capture it on video. Enjoy!



*up, no, yeah, ball, bowl, bye bye, hat, dada, mama, hi, hug, hot, eat, shoes (signs only), bath, all done, Marley, Amelia, more, close, yum, uh-oh, dog, woof, help, boo-bahs, again (signs only), baby, go, knock knock

Goodbye, Curls!

For the longest time, the back of Sam's head had these lovely little blonde ringlets.  Sure, everyone mistook him for a girl all the time, but who cares. Just look at those adorable curls!

Over the last few weeks, however, the curls have started to relax, creating more of a mangy mullet look.  So, we decided that it was time for Sammie Boy's first hair cut.

It wasn't the most pleasant experience.  It was 25 degrees today, and the kids' salon was without heat. Sam and Amelia both cried almost the entire time we were there.  But, we survived, and they got lollipops at the end, so I think all was forgiven:)

It was a big day for our little guy.  This afternoon Sam had his ENT appointment.  His ears still have fluid in them.  The doctor wants us to try giving him Flonase to open up his nasal passages and see if that helps the fluid drain.  We'll go back in three weeks for a hearing test and and a re-check.  The other good news is that the doc debunked the myth (that I believed) that pacifier use could cause ear infections.  Whew, what a relief!  Mama was not ready for the binky battle just yet!

Oh, and as for the rest of us...I think Jeff is probably the sickest, but everyone in our house still has snotty noses and coughs to some degree.