New Technology in 2010!

Today Philip is getting a new pair of hearing aids, and it got me thinking about how this year (2010) has been a year for much needed new medical technology for our family! First, in June, Carter got tubes (or for those down with the medical lingo he got tympanostomy tubes via a myringotomy procedure in both ears). While not really NEW technology, I know the tubes and procedure have changed greatly since I got them TWICE in the 80s. After suffering from an ear infection that would come back right after each antibiotic was finished from December to the day he got his tubes, Carter became a new child with his tubes! Less than an hour after waking up from his surgery, he was running around the house screaming "Baaaallllll!" (one of only a few words he could say at the time eventhough he was 20 months at the time)....now 6 months later he is caught up completely in his speech development without ever needing formal speech therapy! While his speech is not 100% clear, what 2 year old's isn't, he can now say 4-5 word sentences and most importantly he is not waking with a fever and screaming in pain all the time anymore...please know that he does still scream ALOT because that is in his nature! So that was the first piece of medical technology that greatly improved the lives of our family this year.

Then in early July, I got my newest pacemaker! Given that my previous one was just past 12 years old, there was definitely a wealth of new technology in pacemakers out there. My doctors decided on the Medtronic In-Sync III pictured below, which uses three instead of the two leads I had most of my life. So for the first time in my life all four of my heart chambers are coordinated in their beating/contraction. To many this may seem like nothing but when you heart beats out of sync, believe me you get tired quickly. In fact according to my doctors by January (6 months post surgery) I should have more energy than I have ever had...I know that scares some of you who know me! But more importantly this pacer with improve my cardiac output/efficiency and lessen the work placed on my poor ventricle that has to pump to my whole body despite being designed to only have to pump to my lungs! So you can clearly see that this second piece of medical technology will improve the lives of our whole family because the kids will have a mom with more energy who has a heart with less stress placed on it despite being formed wrong during development.

Which brings me to the third piece of medical technology that will hopefully change the lives of our family for the better...Philip's new Oticon Sumo hearing aids, which he is getting as I type this just in time for the start of the new year. While I do not profess to know nearly as much about hearing aids as my hubby or his parents (who by the way have been FABULOUS enough to pay for his new hearing aids because they stupidly are not covered by insurance [but that is another post entirely and not a cheerful one] and because all this new medical technology has been quite an expense especially with the economy), I have learned a thing or two in my 7.5 years of marriage and 11 years of knowing my hubby. From what I have read and Philip told me after testing out his new hearing aids, these new aids will help greatly with his ability to hear in general and especially the little voices of our little children who I might say are champs about daddy not always hearing them right or the first time they tell him something. The Sumos, which stand for 'Super Power Maximum Output,' "make an ideal amplification solution for people who don't want to compromise on performance or power." According to the Hearing Planet website they offer:
Unmatched output power with less distortion

Power where you need it - in the low frequencies!(aka little children's voices)
Better battery economy - stronger for longer....new battery management system prolongs battery life and ensures consistent output performance throughout the battery lifetime.
(woo hoo less batteries used equals more savings for us since batteries also are not covered by any insurance)

Superior design - small, robust and functional. SUMO is extremely small and attractive (I have always thought Philip's hearing aids were CUTE btw...see picture fyi).

" It is a robust and reliable instrument that you can depend on every day and everywhere." Wow if that is not a selling point what is?!

So after noticing for the last year that Philip either cannot hear me as well(maybe because his current hearing aids are older than our marriage!) or is chosing not too, I will finally know which it is because these new hearing aids should help him to hear better than ever before...but be aware that he will still need to read your lips and will always benefit from signing because he is still hard-of-hearing and I for one would not want him any other way!

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts and information on the new medical technology in use by our very unique and wonderful family! We may be somewhat bionic but what we lack in medical perfection we make up for in love and persistance!

Family Holiday Letter

Happy Holidays from the Woodward Family!

2010 in Review…

Philip & Lyla:

2010 brought some special days for us to celebrate with the 10th anniversary of our first kiss in October and the 10th anniversary of us officially becoming a couple in November! It also brought with it some new challenges with Lyla having her first heart surgery since before we met and, thus, her first as a wife and mother. After much discussion with her doctors at Duke, Lyla was given a new high-tech pacemaker with three, instead of two, wires that will supposedly give her more energy than she has ever had! Lyla did “wonderfully” during the surgery and asked for her “blue-eyed medicine” (Philip) as soon as she woke up. Philip was nice enough to sleep in a chair and stayed by Lyla’s side her entire time in the hospital, so the only difficulty she had was with the “no lifting arm or objects with arm for 6 weeks” restriction because Philip is not so great at doing Lyla’s hair and the kids did not understand that mommy had to be careful for a month and a half. Just before her surgery, Lyla graduated with 4.0 and Birth-Kindergarten teaching license. But she decided to wait and not take a job until November so that she could spend lots of quality time with the kids including being Bella’s pre-K classroom room mom. Lyla is now working two days a week, while the kids are at preschool, as a developmental therapist. She works with children under the age of 3 with disabilities and their families/teachers/etc. to help them achieve their service plan goals and further their development as much as possible before preschool. Philip continues to make a name for himself promoting accessible tourism in NC. His travels took him across NC from the tactile talking fish at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores to the Mile High Swinging Bridge (it’s not as scary as it sounds!) at Grandfather Mountain! His family even got to travel with him some; for example, they trekked up the steep slopes of Clingman’s Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and paused at the Appalachian Trail for the above photo. He also continues to be a great father and enjoy every moment with the kids, creating games such as spinning Bella in circles in the air, bathtub basketball with Carter, and pulling both kids on a piece of cardboard (“magic flying carpet”) through the kitchen!

Bella:

In 2010, Bella has really gone from very young child to a big girl! She continues to amaze us with the way she sees the world; for example, while making a Mii character of her friend on the Nintendo Wii, she asked why the program does not have the option of selecting a wheelchair for her friend who needs one to play sports with her and why Daddy’s Mii does not have hearing aids. She has also become not only a great friend to her brother, but also a great help with him, and even asked to share a room with him for much of the year. This year Bella officially learned to swim with no help or flotation devices both above and below the water surface. She also obtained her second belt in Tae Kwan Do and then decided to take time off from organized activities. Just before her 4th adoption day, Bella participated in her first race, which raised money to help birthmothers in the area and promote adoption. She continues to ask for a baby sister, has bunk beds ready to share with her when she is old enough, and even threatened to steal a “blue punch buggy no punch-backs, drive it to the ABCD (BB&T Building where our adoption agency is located), and get herself a baby sister!” Unfortunately in March, Bella had her first (and hopefully only) trip to the ER due to a febrile seizure caused by a strep infection, so now she gets to sleep with Mommy and Daddy whenever she is sick so that we can keep a close eye on her, which she LOVES! Bella will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and already knows her letters in English and Spanish and has 3-4 pages of homework each week in Spanish as part of her Spanish immersion Pre-K program.

Carter:

In 2010, Carter did a LOT of growing! Between his first and second birthdays, he grew 5 inches and gained 7 lbs! Despite a rough first half of the year with recurrent ear infections, once Carter got tubes in his ears in June he really started talking! Some of his favorite words are: “Beba” (Bella), “Race car,” “choo-choo,” “fra fra” (pacifier), “blankie,” and “ha shawlet” (hot chocolate). He can also identify every common sports ball, including a tennis ball, and throw them like a mini-pro! He took his first organized sports lessons including basketball, soccer, and T-ball and was one of the best at following the coach’s directions and performing the skills. He is very excited to be taking football with his Daddy in January! Carter turned into a typical “trying” two-year old this year, mastering the art of throwing himself to the ground (even in parking lots!) when he does not get his way or get to do things on his own. In honor of his 2nd birthday, his crib was converted to a toddler bed, and he adjusted much more quickly than we expected him to. Carter continues to enjoy his Spanish immersion pre-school and really loves that his class and Bella’s class have recess at the same time. He is counting in English and Spanish and beginning to show other early learning skills. This year Carter has really started to show preferences for certain toys (especially toy vehicles), TV shows (including Dinosaur Train), and more!

We wish you a happy and healthy 2011! Love, The Woodwards

So Unique, Yet So Perfect Together

As we begin in earnest our third adoption journey with the completion of our updated home study...I can't help but think about the two little miracles that have already become ours through the wonderful (but often uncontrollable) process of adoption. There is no doubt in my mind that our Bella and our Carter were meant to be just that...OURS! And more importantly, it is clear to me every day that they were equally meant to be siblings! These two treasures are two of the most unique little creatures, and yet they share so many similarities most of which have nothing to do with their shared Hispanic heritage. They both have smiles that can light up a room! They both have laughs that are nothing short of contagious! They both have such free spirits and positive ways of looking at the world. And they both are going to give me gray hair when they become teenagers and start dating because who can deny they are just plain beautiful! As these pictures show so clearly, while they share the same basic hair, eye, and skin color and have similar creases around their mouths when they smile, they also embrace totally different styles with Bella being the perfect princess and Carter being the ever energetic athlete! And while I am somewhat overwhelmed at times at facing the roller coaster of another adoption journey... when I look at them I can't help but wonder and get excited about what our newest edition will be like and I know without a shadow of a doubt our next precious miracle will be equally destined to be part of our funny, loving, and often crazy family where genetics has nothing to do with how perfect we are together!

PS I cannot mention the blessings we have been given through adoption without sending some love and appreciation to our children's birthmothers and all the birthmothers out there who love their children so much that they let them become part of families like ours!

Where to start...

Ok..so here it goes...I have been reading and loving so many of my friends blogs for so long and am tired of the restrictions on my posts on Facebook (length, pictures, etc.) so I decided to create my own blog as a birthday present to myself. After all you only live once and I truly have an amazing life! Also I have failed miserably at putting together baby books and photo albums of all that had happened since my life truly began when I met Philip in 1999, so I figure this may be the best substitute until I find time to put such books together...like maybe in my 60s! I was not sure where to start but I figured starting with a picture of my glorious and huge 30th birthday cookie cake was a good option. So here goes nothing...a new adventure for my 30s and beyond...don't expect me to write too often but check back religiously like I do all of your blogs if you have one because you never know what will happen in my life! After all it began with me living unexpectedly, followed by my two-story fall out of a window without injury, through me becoming a national spokesperson for medical research (including my appearance on Oprah), to me meeting my husband all because I went to a college in a state I had never been to when I applied, to the adoption of my children who may not have grown inside of me but who were meant to be mine just as much as any biological child would be, and so much more!