Elijah's hearing, update

Well, Elijah passed his hearing test with flying colors. The doctor says that based on his hearing test results alone, he ought to be able to hear the spoken word without any trouble. However, his ears aren't quite in normal condition--they do have fluid and bubbles in them, which led the doctor to do a tympanogram (measures vibration of the eardrum). The tympanogram was also abnormal, so the doc prescribed a nasal spray to be used for six weeks, at which point we'll get him re-tested.

I'm not sure how everything fits together--he passes a hearing test easily, yet his eardrums aren't vibrating like they should? And how does a nasal spray have anything to do with the ears? I have a little more research to do.

To clarify, once I get Elijah's attention and he looks at my face, he can understand me without difficulty--it's just getting his attention in the first place that's hard to do. Perhaps he just gets so absorbed in what he's doing that he tunes out the world around him; he can be pretty intense about things like Legos and books. :)

Speaking of books--the boys went to the library with their dad yesterday, and Elijah helped pick out a half-dozen books, mostly about volcanoes and astronomy. The one that looks most interesting delves into topics like quasars, relativity, and dark matter--of course it also extensively discusses how those interesting topics relate to the theory of the Big Bang. I'll probably end up skipping every other paragraph, as I don't want to get into the Big Bang theory just yet. :)

And to conclude, a couple of pictures of the child in question. First, with a book about human anatomy. I told him to pick out his favorite page to include in the photograph, and he picked this one:

And secondly, here he is with a Lego "mountain." I know these aren't technically Legos; maybe they're Megablocks or Duplo or something. Anyway, we call them Legos. This photo is from a few weeks ago--note the old carpet, now gone. :)

Elijah's hearing

Elijah has a doctor's appointment next Tuesday to get his hearing checked. His hearing seems to have gone downhill the last few months. Please keep us in your prayers!

Tuesday April 14th

Today is cold and chilly. I went for a long (3+ miles) walk down a route I used to take when I was young and crazy, which would be, oh, seven or eight years ago? Not much has changed since I last went in that direction, except that part of the sidewalk has been replaced with a nifty boardwalk. The "goat farm" is still the same, and the roundabout, and the creek. I ought to go in that direction more often.

I passed a couple of runners, which got me thinking. Two years ago I ran a 5K in June and set a blistering pace--finished up at 37:50. I'd kind of like to run the same race again this year, and see if I can break my record. Which you might not think would be hard to do, seeing as 37:50 equates to well over 12 minutes a mile...but I haven't actually started really running yet , and the race date is June 6th. Do I have enough time to train properly? Meaning, can I get myself to the point where I can run the whole thing without collapsing? Hmmm...

I think perhaps I'll go ahead and register, to ensure that I'm motivated to get going with this running thing. Do I have any Bloomington readers who would like to join me in my quest? To qualify as my training partner, you must be very. very. slow. :) Perhaps I'll use this Couch to 5K running plan again. I just barely have time to complete the 9-week program before the race.

Rose of Sharon

I was named from Song of Solomon 2:1. "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."

Here is a modern-day Rose of Sharon (not thought to be the rose of Sharon mentioned in Scripture):


A humble sort of flower, really. But did you know that hummingbirds like it?

The Rose of Sharon is a shrub or small tree. It comes in various shades of white, lavender, or purple, but I like the white ones best.


When my parents lived in Freedom, Indiana, they had a couple of Rose of Sharon bushes out by the barn, next to the gravel road. One was white, and one lavender. They probably could have used some pruning. It's funny, I don't remember the hummingbirds out by those bushes, but I do remember that the bees liked them.

Success! ...sort of

Well today I went clothes shopping again, yes, in spite of my lousy experience last time. My unfailingly optimistic self was just sure that I would find something this time around. And yes, I did have some success--sort of. After five hours (not kidding, sadly) of searching and trying things on, I found a shirt that is cute, feminine, and modest, mostly. Of course, the neckline is too low and loose, but I think it should be pretty easy to fix--it's gathered with elastic in a casing, so all I have to do is open up the casing and take in the elastic a little bit. I was so happy to find something that would work, I bought two! I also found a tank top to go under things. So all in all, I had a fairly successful day (if you call finding three things in five hours a success).

Still searching for: a pair of sandals that I could walk a couple of miles in. Sadly, I am having trouble finding a good affordable and practical sandal that fits well.

Now clothes shopping was not actually part of the plan for today. I actually meant to finish up some of the trim work in the living room, and I was also hoping to go for a run (*ahem* meaning, a walk with brief jogging intervals). But now I only have an hour until the boys come back from their dad's, which is not enough time to do both, and besides I have to start getting ready for tomorrow (making sure church clothes are cleaned and ironed, planning meals, tidying the house, etc.)

OH I almost forgot! Yesterday I went to a performance of "St. Matthew's Passion" by Bach. What a treat! Actually it was a dress rehearsal, not the actual performance, but a delight none the less. I've never heard this piece before, but a few parts were quite familiar; for instance, I was delighted to hear the melody to one of my favorite hymns, "Oh Sacred Head, Now Wounded." I enjoyed myself quite thoroughly, even though the pews in that church were very hard and uncomfortable, and the rehearsal wasn't over till 11:30 p.m.!

All right, I'm heading to the park to go for a run (err, walk).