Poor Alex

I appreciate the support Lettie has shown to me during this difficult time of her reduced hearing.  I don't think that everyone has shown the same amount of support during such a difficult time for me.  I thought I would give a few examples to show how hard my life has been.

The night before last, I had to get up with the kids at 3 different times.  Jackson had one crying fit where he needed to be looked at in order to get in under control, and Patrick had a few instances of loud, yet unknown symptoms.

The next night, I setup the baby monitor right next to Lettie's pillow.  I turned it up as loud as it would go.  The monitor doesn't have a squelch control, so the static from the amplified signal made me antsy all night as I waited for a potential baby cry.

I've had to answer the phone in the evenings.  I barely answer the phone at work, and now I have to do it at home too.

I have had to listen to Lettie's sob stories about going grocery shopping and finding out that her wallet was missing while she was in the checkout line.  The ear infections have waged a double front war on her brain.

And lastly, Lettie hasn't been cooking as often because she "can't taste" and also because she "doesn't feel good."  It never ends.

Weekend Getaway

We took a short vacation to Gatlinburg last weekend.  Alex did a great job picking out an awesome chalet that had a gorgeous view and the timing could not have been more perfect.  The leaves were in peak color transition and everything was breathtaking.The boys had lots of fun playing with leaves and going on a couple of short hikes and I think they had the most fun just hanging out with their family.  The got to play with their cousin, Samantha, and hang out with MamaLinda and Pop and Aunt Janie and Uncle Brian.

I was kind of a buzzkill the whole weekend because I've been really sick.  I did manage to make it on 2 short hikes, but I mostly just sat on the deck or in the hot tub looking at the trees.

 Here's a little tip: don't go to the mountains with a sinus infection.  I ended up with 2 ruptured eardrums.  My left eardrum ruptured the first night we were there and the right one followed the next day.  I'm on my second antibiotic now and will have to see an ENT if my hearing doesn't return to normal in the next few days.

I feel pretty crappy still, but the muffled, distorted hearing is the worst of any of my symptoms.  It's really hard to mother when you can't hear.  I can't hear the boys if they wake up at night (and let's face it, Alex isn't very easy to wake up) and I can't hear them getting into mischief if I leave the room.  I know Alex is tired of repeating himself and definitely doesn't want to watch TV with me because I either constantly ask him to recap things or just kind of sit there and don't get any of the jokes.

I also have lots of trouble cooking.  I can't hear, smell or taste, so I can't hear things sizzling or getting to hot if I walk away from the stove and I can't tell if anything is seasoned correctly.  

Poor Alex.