Penny Lane! Can you hear me?

A couple months ago at Penny Lane's 15 month appt, I brought up with the our Doctor that I was concerned because she was not speaking yet. Remember THIS post? He didn't seem all that worried, but because of my concerns he suggested we get her hearing checked. Depending on how that went, they would determine if we need to see anyone else about it. So we scheduled an audiology appt for sweet Penny and prayed that it would go well...

Penny and I went to the audiologist a week later to check out those little ears of hers. We sat down in the sound booth and the testing began. They played little noises at different volumes to the right and to the left of us. I had done this before with Lucy and she had no trouble at all. Penny WAS responding to the noises but they had to repeat several of them to get her to respond. After the hearing portion of the test they tested her ears for negative pressure. This test puts a small amount of pressure in her ears and sees how her eardrum reacts to it. In a normal ear there is an average of 75% eardrum movement. Penny Lane had 1% eardrum movement. ONE PERCENT. The audiologist could not really give me any reasons why her eardrum was not moving at all, but she did say that that very well could be the reason she was not talking...

BECAUSE SHE HEARS LIKE SHE'S UNDER WATER.

It was obvious that we need to see a specialist at this point, to find out why this was happening. So we scheduled an appt. In the meantime, I spoke with my pediatrician who suggested we all start learning sign language. I never really got sad or upset about any of this. It is what it is... If we all have to learn sign language to communicate with Penny Lane, then thats what we will do. She is the most precious baby, whether she can hear or not.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and we met with the specialist. We had to have a second hearing test before we saw him... and poor girl's hearing was worse this time :( The specialist examined Penny Lane's ears and said that she might as well be under water. He explained that due to a structural problem, Penny's ears are full of fluid and that her eardrums are basically sitting right on top of her adenoids. This is the cause of her eardrums not moving and the fluid build up in her ears. I felt SO bad that we did not catch this earlier. But she has not had ear infections, so there was really no reason to have check this before.

The doctor said that she needed surgery. She needs tubes and her adenoids removed. Tubes to drain the fluid and the adenoids removed to allow her eardrum to move so she can hear better. He believes that after the surgeries she will regain most of her hearing if not all of it!!! YAY!

She goes back to the specialist in about 5 weeks to get rechecked and to schedule her surgery. Why not just schedule the surgery right then, you ask? Girlfriend needs to gain some weight :) He wants to she her put on a few pounds before surgery... I wish I had that problem!

So, here we are, learning sign language and doing the best we can right now :) Good news is that Lucy still understands Penny's little language and can translate really well for her! They are so funny :)

Summer is for...

Summer is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. The food, fun, fireflies, even the heat. This is my list of summer essentials. Whats on your list?

pool time. strawberry ice cream. sprinklers. fireflies. flip flops. bright pedicures. amberlin's "blueprints for a black market." grass stains. watermelon. yellow. hot dogs. sweet tea. twinkle lights. dandelions. beaches. flavor ice. white. tiki torches. pimms cups. iced coffee. grilled anything. late nights. late mornings. naked babies. picnic blankets. friends. quiktrip. popsicles. sandals. blue. bicycles. sunscreen. straw bags. fireworks. stars. peaches. blue moon. shimmer. guacamole. bug spray. scooters. ponytails. paper thin tshirts. skyhigh wedges. coral lipstick. dresses. daytime movies.

nighttime walks. barefeet. ketchup. bronzer. naps.

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New House Pt. One

Hello! I miss you. Like a lot. All of you, really :)

Did you see that we sold our house? So excited! I mean its bittersweet... I LOVE my little house. I have spent the last 4.5 years pouring love into it. From floor to ceiling, I love it! You saw the pictures ;) So, when the plans for our big remodel just exploded in our face (I still owe you that story, but it still stings too much) I was crushed about having to leave. I cried... A lot. But then, out of nowhere, I found it: My BIG house. Want the story? You got it!

So, usually about twice a month or more I drive through my old neighbor (where I grew up) to see if my old house is on the market. Mind you, I couldn't afford it even if it was, but hey a girl can dream... Anyway, so I'm driving through the old hood and I noticed a cute little house with a for sale sign in the yard. Still hurting from the disappointment of the remodel fiasco, I was hesitant to call. But I did. Turns out the "little house" was really not that little... At all. It was cute, so I set up a time for the hubs and I to go look at it. 

We got there before the realtor, and noticed the house was empty, so we when snooping around. We looked in the windows and it looked huge! Like a lot bigger than from the street. Liked it! Then we went around to the back and saw this: 

I basically knew right then and there I had to have it. 

When the realtor arrived she let us in the house. We poked around the 2 floors. Inspected the big kitchen and great room, the office, the mud/craft room, formal living room, dining room, the 3 bedrooms and 3 baths... It just kept going on and on. 

We chatted with the realtor for a bit and then went on our way... The next day I got a call from the realtor. She said that the sellers think they know my mother and that she sang at their wedding. I informed her that they must be thinking about my GRANDmother, and that is a possibility... She sings at a lot of weddings. Blah, blah... not a whole lot more to the conversation. I got off the phone and called my grandmother and told her we were looking at a house and that she might have sung at the sellers wedding. She was like "Ok, which of like 500?" HA! She then said, "Oh, by the way I drove by a really great house the other day... I thought of you and Kyle. Its at blank & blank. Its 2 story, very nice." I laughed, "YiaYia! That's the house I'm talking about!!!" Totally strange. And then is got stranger (more strange?)...

That Sunday there was an open house at the house. So, my grandmother thought she would go have a look. She pulled in to the driveway just before the open house was scheduled to start. As she was pulling in, the owner of the house was pulling out. He got out of the car and approached my grandmother, "Pope?" She did not recognize him, but he started to explain who he was and as it turns out, my grandmother DID in fact sing at their wedding.... BECAUSE the mother of the owner's wife is one of my grandmothers oldest friends! Not only that but the wife is actually named after MY MOTHER! My grandmother's friend named her daughter after "the sweetest little girl in the world," my mom! How CRAZY is all that? 

Looks like it was fate to me :)

I will do a full inside tour. I just need to get pics. The house is in great shape, but lets be honest... They people that lived there before us, well... They liked wood. Dark wood. A lot. (Read paneling, woof.) So, I have some work to do. But you know what, I like to put lots of love into my house... You know this :)

Midtown Tulsa Home for Sale : UPDATE

:)

Midtown Tulsa Home for Sale : OPEN HOUSE 6/5

Come to our open house Sunday (6/5) from 2PM-4PM

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you know that is looking for a great little house in Midtown :) They will not be disappointed!

Fabulous Midtown Tulsa home in desirable location. Total kitchen remodel in 2008 with high end custom cabinetry, honed granite countertops, mosaic tile backsplash, ss appliances and dual fuel gas range. Bathroom remodel in 2010. 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 2 living spaces, laundry room and office. Open floor plan with gorgeous hardwoods. Great feel. Elliot / Edison School District. Offered at $169,500 $164,500. Please email me mybeatlesbabies[at]gmai[dot]com for more information or to take a look!