A Trip and A Special Picnic

Our weekend away was a big, exhausting success!

A few weeks ago, we learned that there would be a picnic in Chicago for families who have children with Microtia/Atresia (this is the ear condition that Hannah and Nathan both have).  It was a bit of a drive and we haven't really taken any long trips (especially any overnight ones) since Hannah joined our family, so we decided to wait until next year to attend.  Then last week I got an email from a very prominent surgeon who does ear reconstruction (we have begun to research our options which is why he had our email) saying that he was going to be at the picnic!  We soon realized that several well-known surgeons would be attending and that this would be an amazing opportunity to meet in person with surgeons from all over the country.  We just couldn't pass that up, so we booked a hotel and decided to go! 

Let me just say, I am so thankful that we did!  

The kids had a blast.  They absolutely loved the hotel and we even slept reasonably well, which was shocking.  We did have one little event with Nathan waking up screaming and trying to escape the hotel room (thank goodness it was bolted!) but other than that it was fine :)  Never a dull moment with these three!

The next morning we took our time getting ready and then went to a nearby hotel to meet with Dr. Reinisch, a surgeon from California who only does ear reconstruction.  He has been doing this for a long time and had lots of valuable information to pass along to us (including some info about Nathan's speech that we didn't realize - more on that another time).  We were very grateful to be able to meet with him and to get some of our questions answered.

Next it was off to the picnic!  It was great to meet with other families on the same journey as us, trying to make difficult decisions for their children about reconstruction.  There are many opinions about this and to be honest it is a very hard decision for a lot of reasons.  The more we pray and seek opinions and learn and discuss it the more we are leaning towards a type of ear reconstruction called Medpor.  We are looking at 6-8 surgeries all together for the two kids and that is overwhelming, but we feel more and more confident that we are choosing what is best for our family.

The picnic was fun but tiring - trying to talk with people and keep track of these busy little ones was a difficult job!

The best moment of the day was when Hannah got to hear for the first time using a bone anchored hearing aid!  This is the type of hearing aid she will wear (it has been ordered but has not come in yet) and it was absolutely amazing to see the way she froze, her eyes got huge, and she just stayed still listening to my voice!  I couldn't stop telling her that I love her!  It was a very special moment I will always remember.

We met with another doctor named Dr. Lewin who also works in California and does Medpor ear reconstruction.  We loved talking with her and are looking forward to getting more information about the financial side of things.  It's such a huge thing and we continue to seek the Lord for guidance and direction every step of the way.