eyes, ears, mouth and nose

I have been thinking that you deserve an update on Jed's hearing. Because I know y'all worry about it constantly. So, take a deep breath and I'll tell you all about it.

Jed loves his ear-helping nose spray. So do I, because it smells like roses. We have to spray it up his nose 4 times a day, and then I follow him around with a tissue for about 10 minutes, wiping up whatever comes down. I think Jed loves his nose spray because it sprays with such force that it gives him a little head rush. A head rush is always something to look forward to, right? I think Jed also loves his nose spray because it works. Seriously, this stuff packs a wallop. I find chunks (my roommate Tara once told me that she thought "chunk" was the most disgusting word in the English language, and I have to agree. Say it out loud to yourself and see how you feel about it) chunks!! of ear wax sitting in Jed's ears now. Something has got to be going on in there, for old ear wax to be loosened and fall from Jed's inner ear, right?

I'm just going to take a moment to say that I am so jealous of this phenomenon. I am slightly obsessed with ear wax. I go through about 15 q-tips a day, because I clean my ears out so often. It's not to avoid ear wax, but rather in hopes that maybe this time I will find some on that dang q-tip. I know the high usage of q-tips isn't helping my desires, that in order to actually see some ear wax, I would need to go for days, weeks even, without cleaning out my ears at all. But I can't do that. I have made the attempt. The closest I ever came was going a week while on Midway, and then I broke down and bought a minuscule box at highway robbery rates from the island "store." 25 q-tips had to last me the next 6 weeks, but I made it through.

Enough about my unrequited desires.

Another way I know the nose spray is working? He hears me! He points to various people and creatures while we read stories, and he actually seems to enjoy reading now. He follows directions after the 3rd or 4th request, instead of the 18th. He claps his hands, winks his eyes and honks his nose if he's happy and he knows it.

Yet another way the nose spray is working? Jed is talking a lot more now. He says "boos coos" when you ask him what TV show he wants to watch. He says "beeee" in the right places when we sing "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam." He goes to the fridge and says "juice, juice" when he wants a drink, then has a little meltdown when I tell him there is no juice. He tells us "hot hot hot" and "cood, cood" during his bath, and yells "bubble" any old time. He says "car," "girl," and "ball" all the time, which I find a little sad--it's like he's 17 already.

I am so grateful for this nose spray! I know it seems like a small thing, and I know we still have a long way to go, but when I compare Jed to where he was 5 weeks ago, he's a totally different boy. I am excited to go to the doctor next week and see how Jed does on the hearing test.

Now I am going to go clean out my ears.