Seeking hope in Iowa

On Monday we'll spend the day in a variety of appointments (4 to be exact) at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.  We find ourselves traveling 14 hours because we need answers for our sweet girl.

Three of her appointments will revolve around hearing and one appointment with her former endocrinologist.  Ainsley's left ear which was "normal" at birth is now her worst ear.  We decided to aid her left ear about 1.5 years ago and her hearing continues to decline in that ear.  We sought a second ENT opinion here in TX and they recommended having Ainsley see an ENT specialist. The doctor that did our second opinion knew Ainsley's Iowa ENT and highly recommended him.

This is a picture I sent my sweet girl this week as I was away at work.  It was fun to trade pictures with her through her Grammie (thanks Linda!) this week.  On Monday before I went to the airport her Baylor audiologist played a sound sample for me and her grandparents.  She played a conversation with normal hearing and then a conversation how Ainsley would hear with her L and R ear without hearing aids.  I could NOT hear the L ear sample....and I could faintly hear the R. Her audiologist did a wonderful job reinforcing how important it is for Ainsley to wear her hearing aids at ALL times.  She is good about this, but we normally read books after bath when here aids are out so we'll have to change that up so she can hear us well. I didn't cry when I couldn't hear Ainsley's L ear sample--it didn't hit me until I was driving to the airport later that day.  I wonder about Ainsley one day being a mom and not having her hearing aids in at night and not being able to hear her newborn baby or her disengaging in class because she can't fully hear and participate. 

We are returning to UIHC because that is where our sweet girl came into this world. 

They cared deeply for Ainsley for 3.5 years before we moved to Texas. 

Ainsley's first set of tubes (February 15, 2011) at UIHC when she was just 4 months old. 

We are praying that Dr. Smith and his hearing group will help us to figure out what may be causing the progressive loss so we can be able to provide for what Ainsley may need moving forward.

This was another tube surgery--SO cute in her gown.  We will start the day with a hearing test.

We'll then see Ainsley's wonderful audiologist--Dr. Shea.  Ainsley is SO excited to see her!  How we've missed her!

We'll then see her ENT-oto doctor-Dr. Smith at 2:30 pm on Monday and he'll determine if she needs surgery for a 5th set of L ear tubes and/or a possible repair of her ear drum if it is still ruptured and not healed.  He saved a surgery spot for her on Tuesday in case he needs it.

This is an audio chart.  Ainsley's left ear is in the 50s now--so she can't hear anything above the 50 db line without hear hearing aids.  The right ear thankfully is just at a 30-40 db loss.

One of my favorite authors, Angie Smith, used this quote by K. Gibran in one of her books to illustrate that God is present in times of heartache it says, "And the cup He brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears." 
We know that God has a plan for our sweet girl.  She has had SO many challenges over the past 4 years and yet she approaches life with such a JOY and spunk that will not be extinguished.