Glue Ear and Child Labor

Ty's procedure yesterday went splendidly! We had to wait for about an hour and a half, but the procedure itself took less than ten minutes. Amazing. Dr. McKenna teasingly told us perhaps we should be concerned because Ty enjoyed the anesthesia so much. He also reported that Ty had glue ear in his right ear. Basically the fluid in that ear was really thick and sticky. While it may not have been painful, glue ear is a huge contributing factor to speech delays in young children. Who knew? The research I've done in the last day suggests that once the ear is cleaned out, most kids recover, as in start hearing well enough to speak properly, within 3-6 months. If this has been our culprit all along, I can wait another 3-6 months. If his speech doesn't improve, we'll look into other possible causes. His left ear wasn't nearly as bad. Although the procedure was quick and painless, they did warn that he may discharge blood for the next few days. Ty woke up with a bloody right ear, but I cleaned most of it up before I snapped this so I wouldn't gross you out. Now we get to make sure Arizona's nasty, contaminated tap water doesn't get into his ears during baths or when swimming.

Let the healing begin...
We spent the evening yesterday at my sisters house and brought a stowaway home with us. My nieces are so incredibly helpful, I love having them stay the night. Savannah picked out everyone's clothes, helped me give baths, played with Ty, asked if she could feed Brooke, and when I changed diapers she sat next to me with wipes and ointment handing them off like a nurse hands the doctor his scalpel.
She also modeled my newest children's apron to make sure the dimensions worked. (Ella, this ones for you!) The rest of the day she wore Ty's apron because it "makes me feel like a mom". Love her.
Sydney stayed overnight a few weeks ago. I made her this apron for her birthday. She is also a huge helper and probably Ty's favorite playmate. I am so lucky to have such sweet girls in my family. I get so much work done when they're here, and get to pawn off lots of little chores to them...and they think it's fun!?! Let's hope that doesn't wear off anytime soon.