Busy, Bedraggled, Bewildered...

Checking out the napkin inventory

Now onto toilet paper quality control

Verifying FDA regulations on lipstick

Finally sleeping after a hard day's work

It's been a while since my last confession, er, blog post.  I'm trying to be a good blogger.  Really, I am.  It's just that life gets in the way, a lot.   

This month, we have Butter's pre-op - next week, actually, followed by his second ear surgery the week after that!   Almost everyone who has gone through this will tell you that the second go-around is much easier.  Seriously?  You know pretty much what to expect, but I don't feel like it's any easier than it was the first time.  My child still has to be put under general anesthesia.  There will be an object placed into his ear with a metal plate under his scalp.  Cerebrospinal fluid leaks will probably happen and I will be up hovering over him all throughout the night, checking on him and checking to see if fluid leaks are soaking up his crib sheet, clutching my cell phone with my thumb at the ready to dial 911.   But I've been through all this before.  No biggie.

With the advent of the second ear, therapies have "amped" up, which is great for language development.  We still have our main auditory/verbal therapist, along with our teletherapist and they work with Butters once a week.  We are also supplementing a trip to Durham to do in-session visits with our teletherapist once a month.  Language is coming along, I think.  It just all depends on what Butters finds most fascinating to experiment with.

In addition to working with him, we are looking at our next military move in slightly less than a year from now.  Hopefully, by January or February, we will know for certain where the heck we will end up.  I really don't want to move away from the fabulous people who have been working with Butters here in North Carolina. And did I mention that I am one of those people who hates change and gets stressed out and anxious over change? 

Car shopping has also been added to this month's "Must Do" list, since hubber's car is in its final mileage state.  This is also stressful, but I do enjoy test driving all of the vehicles.  Butters has been fantastic throughout the whole car buying experience, and absolutely loves getting a ride in all of the vehicles.  He also happens to enjoy chatting up the female salespeople.

And I have been worried about my parents back home.  My father has been dealing with end stage renal failure for almost four years now, I worry about my mom taking care of him, they are in a rural area with few resources and services, and I'm racking my brain right now to come up with solutions.   I am an only child, which is both good and bad in itself.  It's all up to me to figure out what to do, and it's weighing heavily on my shoulders.

Bottom line - I am stressed beyond capacity.  Butters' second surgery and activation are keeping my spirits up and I cannot wait to see what's ahead for him.