MRI Results, Hearing aids and Family update

We got the MRI results back and they were normal. Whew! This means that Logan's hearing loss is not due to a structural abnormality and there is a lesser chance now that his hearing will continue to deteriorate. They will do another MRI in March so they can continue to track his hearing and make sure that it has stabilized.

Logan will finally get his hearing aids on Feb. 3rd. After MANY frustrating calls with the insurance where they continued to tell me something different with every call, I was able to get the aids covered this one time. We decided (because of this) that we would get the best ones we can in hopes that they will be able to cover his needs for the longest period of time.

Just a bit of info that I've discovered: Hearing aids (at least for kids) last about 3 to 5 years. They cost between $1,000 to $4,000 A PIECE (Logan needs 2 - one for each ear). Most children get the behind-the-ear models so that the ear molds (which are like a flimsy piece of rubber, molded specifically for each child) can be changed out about every 3-6 months while the child is growing. These cost about $300 for a set so they are much more affordable to replace than the entire hearing aid. Also, there a very few insurance companies that cover hearing aids (I was totally shocked!).

Now on to the update:

For the older boys, Andrew and Matthew, basketball season will be over in the next few weeks. Individually they have both played really well although their teams haven't always done their best. They've enjoyed playing and it's been good for them to have these extra activities to do on Saturdays.

Andrew has already started practice for spring football season. He plays on a rec team in the area. It keeps him busy and helps him continue to improve his skills.

Matthew usually plays spring football, but this year they were unable to find enough boys to field a team for his age group. He's a little disappointed but is looking forward to the extra time to play with his friends.

Kaitlyn has started playing basketball with Young Women's. I don't think they take their games too seriously but have still played well. It's a fairly short season and will be over in a few weeks as well. She also starts practice for spring soccer in about a week or two. She had to cut her season short last season due to an injury so is really excited about the season starting. They have reorganized the teams so that they are a little more even as far as age of the girls so her team should be pretty competitive.

Brie is doing pretty good in school and has a birthday coming up in a few months. She is REALLY excited about turning 12 and being able to go to Young Women's. We live next-door to a family with four girls (ages 8-14). Both Brie and Kaitlyn go over to play at their house quite often. The two older girls are already 12 and Brie looking forward to being able to go to church activities with them (they are members of the church - very convenient).

Ethan is very active and very UN interested in potty training. He will be four in May so this is a big source of frustration for us. We're working on it though and hope that someday soon he will get the hang of it. He loves to play games on the computer and is learning visual recognition of the letters (He already knows how to sing the alphabet).

David is really busy at work. He had a client significantly decrease their mailings; thereby decreasing David's profits. They are slowly starting to increase their business again but David has been diligently trying to make up for the lost business. Besides work he has been working with the older boys on scout projects and goes to as many of the kids events as possible.

I've been doing well - just busy trying to keep up with all the different appointments and family events.

David's dad, Rodney was able to come and visit at the beginning of the month. It was great to see him. The kids really enjoyed having their Grandpa Dotson visit. We hope that we'll be able to see him again soon.

I think that about covers everything. As you can tell, I still haven't been able to find the time to post pictures yet. Hopefully soon!