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One Word

Has Lord ever given you one key verse, phrase, or word for
the year? Something to focus on as you approach the launching pad for the next
season of life?
I’ll admit that it’s been a while for me, which is why I was
thrilled to feel like even in the midst of my stubbornness and daily distractions I
felt the Lord graciously gave me some direction for 2015.
The concept is big and complicated. It involves shifting my focus. I prayed for one literal
word that would encapsulate this vision that He had given me at this time and I
felt like that word was good.
Not as in an adjective like that’s a good word. I mean the
word for our family for this year is GOOD.
From the first verses in the Bible God is already revealing
that what he does is good.
He creates and sees goodness in it .
 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there
was light. And God saw that the light was good.
-Genesis 1:3
Then he created the earth, plants, fish, animals and
EVERYTHING he made was GOOD! So just like New Year’s day is a launching pad for the year this chapter is the launching pad for the word of God.
How fitting!
I could elaborate on the word good throughout the Bible, but
I will save some revelation for the other 364 days we have left this year. Seriously though, I am truly excited
for the Lord to reveal all that is good as we navigate this next year. I am
also convicted that this will begin with a change in my heart and mind. For the 31 day
challenge I was virtually connected with another blogger, Lauren who writes over at His Grace is sufficient. She did her entire 31 day series on Philippians 4:8

Speaking of good, Lauren’s 31 posts on this verse are really
good and they are all still there to read if you want to check them out. Even
though Philippians 4:8 doesn’t technically have the word good in it, it is all about setting your mind on what is good.
That is what I want to do this year. In the beginning God saw goodness and He
spoke goodness and the same is true today because as we know God is good all
the time!
 I want to see what is good. I want to see it in my life and in
others. Cheesy as it may be even the letters for God are in the word good. I talked to J about how I was feeling led with this word and it resonated with him as well. I’ll take that as a confirmation!

I am confident that 2015 is going to be a very GOOD year for us. Will you believe that with me? 
By |2015-05-18T04:24:15+00:00January 1, 2015|My Life, Uncategorized|12 Comments
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Christmas Card 2014

Every year we do a Christmas card. Even if they seem thrown together or unprofessional don’t let that fool you! I put a ton of thought and effort into every single card. I usually have the card idea planned a year in advance, and if you were to ask me there would be a story behind why I chose that particular theme for each year. Here are the ones that I have done since this blog started in 2008.

2008- Converse Sneakers
2009- Maternity Christmas Present
2010- The Regift  
2011- The Outdoor Couch (scroll down to #4)
2012- Sunglasses
2013- Jingle Bells Batman Smells 

This year I wanted to have a nice family photo because the last time we had one was 3 years ago before Ezie had arrived. I couldn’t simply have a sweet photo printed on photo cards at Costco. It was too predictable. So I decided to go old school and actually make my own photo cards rather than design a digital one. Repurposed is probably the best way to describe them. My mom had a collection of old cards that had never been signed or mailed so I just glued the pictures and scraps of Christmas papers, tape, and stickers on top.
 
Although it was a bit tedious I didn’t mind. I found the whole project to be therapeutic. The thing I hated was signing them. Some of them were even blank on the inside so that was just a huge pain.

The worst part is I HATE my hand writing. I get it from my mom. No offense mom, but one day she wrote me a note giving permission for me to ride home with a friend from school. The school denied my request because they thought it looked like I wrote the note and forged my mom’s signature. They had no reason to doubt my honesty. I was an honor student who was never ever in trouble, but even then I guess they thought there was no way an adult could have written that note. Anyway, all that to say that my handwriting is bad. Not sloppy in a cute way that would make a fun font. Just plain ugly. So, I will never do cards this way again as far as I’m concerned, but it’s over now. Here is how they turned out!

One of my favorites is this one with the Christmas trees because it was a invitation to SJ’s Christmas program at school. I just taped the pretty blue design to a card (I think it was actually a thanksgiving card) and then I glued our photo and snowflakes on top. 

This is another favorite because SJ was helping and she cut these mittens out, but they were from a gift bag and I didn’t really want her to cut up the gift bag. In the end though it looks cute and she has great precision for a 4 year old so I ended up really liking his card. 

This red card stock was the backing for some gift tags so I ended up using it too! 

This polka dot one is funny to me. It’s actually Valentine paper, but add the words Merry Christmas and a little Elf sticker and it looks pretty Christmasy. The funny part is that I didn’t realize the preexisting message on the inside of the card said “What a glorious time to renew our faith and refresh our souls in the Savior’s love.” Which is great, but it doesn’t quite fit with the happy sledding elf I put on the front. 

That’s just a fraction of the 40 cards I made, which didn’t nearly cover my list. I think I covered most of the family and as for everyone else this digital version will have to suffice. 
Merry Christmas everybody! 

By |2015-05-18T04:24:24+00:00December 25, 2014|My Life, Uncategorized|5 Comments
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SJ Latest Vocab Explosion

This was one of my most recent updates about SJ’s progress in her cochlear implant journey, which was posted August 12, 2014.

“I feel like we have been at a stand still over the summer. I always keep a log of new words and phrases that I notice SJ saying and the last time I did an entry was the two months ago. Maybe some of it’s because I have been too busy to notice, or maybe it’s because she was on vacation and out of school so she is just plateauing. Or perhaps this would be a slower time anyway. These burst of vocabulary breakthroughs do tend to happen in waves.”

I tried to stay positive, but when I know SJ has so much catching up to do it is hard to see so little progress. Fortunately we did have another wave of new words come last month. She was suddenly communicating so much I could barely keep up.

One day in September I dropped Z off at Sunday School, but since there are no classes for my youngest children I just take them to have donuts with my mom (their Me’me’). I told my mom that was one time I was a little grateful that SJ couldn’t talk too much because if she told her brother he was missing donut time he’d be upset.

 It wasn’t but a week later that we were going to do our donut tradition and SJ piped up “Donuts with Me’Me’?” I couldn’t believe my ears. She wasn’t copying something I said, she just had the language to say it herself and I was blown away. Although it was also a little comical since I had been trying to keep our donut outing a secret!

Another time shortly after that I was trying to convince her to wear a headband.

She used to wear headbands all the time to keep her Cochlear Implants on until one day she decided she didn’t like them anymore. So now we keep the CI’s on her ears with special tape. It’s technically used for wigs and toupees. Anyway, I prefer the headbands for various reasons so I thought I would see if she would switch back, but she clearly told me

“I don’t like headband. I like tape.”

This is a big breakthrough for her to be able to express her desires so clearly. It certainly alleviates a lot of frustration for both of us.

I have just a few more stories for you, and for me actually because I want to look back this time next year and remember what her sentences were like.

One night SJ brought me a package of Oreos and with a sheepish grin she lifts up a finger and says “One?” Then she says “Not two. Not five.” As she shakes her head. How can I resist? I tell her okay then she immediately asks “One for baby Ezie?” Again I was just amazed at how much she was able to communicate and it certainly is hard to turn down requests when she does!

  These last two milestones were SO exciting for me and I will never forget them. You know how you can’t really see your children grow, but sometimes you see growth? Well, maybe that doesn’t make sense, but that is what these were like.

J is in school a lot so SJ always asks “where daddy?” and I tell her “Daddy is at school” One day she didn’t even ask where daddy was because she knew the routine by now, she simply said “Daddy with teacher?” I turned around wondering if I heard her right. Did you say “Daddy with teacher?” and she said yeah. Again I was stunned, because she had put the pieces together. I never said daddy was with a teacher, but she knew what school was and that there were teachers and that daddy was probably at school.

A similar breakthrough happened when J was calling my name from the other room and I heard SJ say “Mommy?” and he said “Yes, I need mommy. Can you get her for me?” She said “Okay”(which usually sounds like oh-hey) and I heard her little feet pitter patter down the hall. I was excited to see what she would do because this wasn’t the norm at all. I knew for sure she wasn’t going to say Mommy, daddy wants you. but as she approached the doorway she declared with confidence. “Mommy, daddy talking.” I said, Okay! Thank you! and squeezed her so tight she was probably wondering what in the world the big deal was.

There have been lots of little connections happening. Phrases like “I need help pajamas” and “That mommy’s coffee” and “I will hold it”. Her teachers and therapist are much better at explaining exactly what all of the milestones are and the new goals of syntax, phenomes and receptive learning. All I know is that things are clicking in a new and exciting way. She has gone from just learning vocabulary, labeling, and reciting to actually understanding and communicating her thoughts and needs. We still have a long way to go and there are many times we just flat out can’t understand her, but I am happy with the recent progress and it just makes me more excited to see what comes next!

By |2023-06-12T06:26:43+00:00November 19, 2014|Hearing Loss, My Life, Our Hearing Loss Journey|4 Comments
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About My Parenting Journey

I figured since we will be doing this thing for 31 days, and you all will be reading my voice the whole time, I would share a little of background info.  I’ve got all the fun and casual details on my Meet the Messy Mom link, but I would still like to give everyone a little peak at my mom credentials. 
My three kiddos are all lovely and talented of course, but in very different ways.

My oldest son fits the stereotype of a little guy with glasses. He enjoys reading, writing, geography,
and math (where did he come from!?)

 I also have
a daughter who is deaf. She goes to school for the deaf and works very hard,
but she has a long way to go before she is caught up even among her peers with
hearing loss. At four and a half years old she is just learning to talk. It’s
all for good reason obviously, this isn’t about comparison and it is not a
shameful thing whatsoever. I just want to be transparent with you so that you
know that when I talk about Teachable Parenting I have an invested interest in special needs from one end of the
spectrum to the other.

Last but not least, I have a two year old boy who keeps my heart rate pumping and did I
mention he is two, and he is a boy? Yeah, I don’t think I need to elaborate too much on the parenting challenges I face there. 

Even with the differences they all have one thing in common. They are strong
willed.

I am not dissatisfied with
the personality of my children, in fact I wasn’t the one to even label them
strong willed in the beginning, but that’s what I’ve been told that they are at some point or
another. I usually hear it around toddlerhood

 He’s strong willed isn’t he? 
Second runner up to You sure do have your
hands full. 
Followed by Such a busy
little guy.
Or the sympathetic Is it nap time? 

I don’t want to sound bitter. I have said, and stand by my
statements, that parenthood is the best thing that has ever happened to me or my
marriage. It’s been the most amazing 7 years of my life so far.

Let’s pause for a moment on
that number. SEVEN years. You could look at it like I have been training and
studying childrearing daily 24/7 which would mean I should have at the very
least a Master’s Degree right? Then the fact that I have 3 of children that
just makes me even more qualified to be on top of this mom thing. I mean, when
I went in for my prenatal appointments with my last child the Doctor was like
this is your third healthy pregnancy? I nodded yes and he said well then let me
step out of the way, you should probably be telling me how it’s done! You would
be surprised how many people got wide eyed at the announcement of my third like
I had reached a whole new peak of the mountain that only few travelers dare to
venture toward. Seriously.
Now on the other hand three
is not that many children. I have LESS children than most of my friends or my
mom or mother in law. And seven years is not really that long. In mom years I
am 7 years old. Forget the Master’s Degree I am in the first grade of
motherhood. First grade! I have just begun!
In other words I want my
reader’s to know that as I share all the wisdom of these books for this series
it is not to imply that I have achieved this high status as a caregiver and now
I am ready to show everyone how it’s done. I am just your average mom dragging
my daughter out of the play land against her will or realizing my son slept in
his clothes and wore them to school the second day in a row. That last one
happened one time, the other thing happens all the time. Anyway, my hope in
this 31 days endeavor is that maybe we could learn together, laugh together,
and have grace for other moms and ourselves.

 If your new to Messy Mom please introduce yourself. I’d love
to know where you are from, how many children you have and what ages they are, along with their social security numbers and genealogical history. Totally
kidding about that last part, but serious about making this an interactive
community. I can’t wait to dive into the next 26 days with you!
By |2015-05-18T05:06:21+00:00October 5, 2014|Lifestyle, Motherhood, My Life, Uncategorized|5 Comments
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SJ’s 2nd Year of Preschool

I can’t believe this will be SJ’s last year of preschool. I never  necessarily even planned for my children to even go to preschool, but as you know SJ case is a little different. The idea that a year from now she will be starting kindergarten really shocks me! I suppose I am getting ahead of myself. One year at a time. I am so very anxious (in a good way) to see what this year will hold for her.

You may have noticed I have a page on my blog now that is dedicated strictly to SJ’s story and her current progress. I don’t have any recent updates because I feel like we have been at a stand still over the summer. I always keep a log of new words and phrases that I notice SJ saying and the last time I did an entry was the end of June. Maybe some of it’s because I have been too busy to notice, or maybe it’s because she was on vacation and out of school so she is just plateauing. Or perhaps this would be a slower time anyway. These burst of vocabulary breakthroughs do tend to happen in waves. I’ll be glad to have her back in school full time though, and not because I want to be away from her because I don’t. 

It’s just that I can tell a difference in her progress when 
they are purposefully working towards speech compared to the incidental learning that usually happens at home.




She has two new teachers this year. One is for academics the other is speech. I hate change and having school age children has forced me to adapt to new people on a regular basis. Bleh! However, I LOVED her therapist in Louisville, I loved her teacher in the toddler program, and her therapist last year, and I am sure these two lovely ladies that she is currently paired with will be just as nice of a fit. I already have a good feeling about it since SJ received a card addressed to her personally with a hand written note inside. It told SJ to her to let her mom and dad know that she will be in the classroom on a certain day and time and to come by to say hi. In other words, meet the teacher.

Last year’s teacher and this summers therapists. She will forever have a special place in our hearts!

I do have one little prayer request which isn’t really hearing or CI related, but it kind of is. SJ has always had huge tonsils. She snores like a 50 year old man and she has since she was a one year old. Seriously. However, we have had many experienced Doctors and Pediatricians take note of this fact without showing any concern. My mom brings it up a couple times a year because she just wants to make sure SJ is safe and her airway passages are clear. Then SJ’s team of therapists brought it up at our end of their meeting and told me to talk to her ENT about it at our next appointment so last week when I saw her Otolaryngologist I did just that.

He said that her tonsils are a 3+, and that is on a scale that ranges up to 4. So they are in fact big, but without frequent strep throat or sleep apnea (neither of which she deals with) there is no reason to remove them. In fact there is some kind of a cautery tool that they would normally use for surgery that cannot be used on SJ because of her implants. An alternative procedure would affect the coronary bleeding which is an added risk to consider when weighing how valuable this surgery would be to her. Once again it doesn’t mean that they are ruling it out and don’t want to do the surgery, but he is going to reevaluate in a year and see if she has grown into them at all. He said sometimes these things correct themselves with time. I don’t know why there always has to be another hand, but on the other hand he said there are advantages to doing the surgery while the child is still young. It’s easier on them, so we don’t want to put it off if it is inevitable.

Sheesh. Don’t quote me on all the details of that because I wrote down what the Doctor said, but I don’t have the paper in front of me. I just remember him saying to not worry about her for now because there is space in her mouth, so she is fine. It would be my heart’s desire that she would not have to go through another surgery if we can avoid it. I pray that this situation will be cleared up without any medical intervention. In the grand scheme of things it is not an earth shattering concern and I do believe God’s hand has her covered head to toe.

So that’s what is happening with the girlie. She has had a wonderful summer.

 I am sure she is going to be bummed to realize it’s over, but happy to be reunited with her friends. One week to go!

By |2015-05-18T05:08:53+00:00August 12, 2014|Hearing Loss, My Life, Special Needs, Uncategorized|1 Comment
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Breastfeeding in a dress

Breast is best, but can it work in a dress? See what I did there? First of all, about the breast is best, it’s a slogan I’m quoting and it’s scientifically proven, at least for now. Some people can’t breast feed their baby. Some people don’t want to. I don’t care how you feed your baby. This particular post is about breastfeeding, but please don’t be offended if you’re path looks different than mine! I have been the first to admit that the thing I would miss the most if I couldn’t breast feed would be the freebies. Not the nutrition, not the bonding, but the flat out frugality of it. The second favorite is getting to eat all of those bonus calories! How noble of me. I am such a sacrificial lactavist.

I have breastfed for 4 and 1/2 years between my three children over the course of 7 years. I started out like most new moms, kind of awkward and self conscious, but now I am comfortable enough to breastfeed on an airplane with the toddlers head resting on the arm of the male college student sitting next to me. I prefer not to be in that position again, I am just saying I don’t give a rat’s patootie anymore.

I used to think there was no way of breast feeding in a dress because you would have to pull the whole garment up so I would choose my outfits accordingly.

Since then I have learned that I could gear my shopping toward dresses that I could nurse my baby in simply by pulling the neck line down. Whether sporting buttons, a crisscross wrap style, or even strapless most styles these days are very accommodating.

Here are just some of the dresses that I have to choose from.

 

 

 

This is an instagram I posted of the dresses I packed for my trip to New York and I have easily nursed in all three outfits.

Here is one that I cannot wear while breastfeeding! It’s super form fitting and really high up in the front.

Although, one time I witnessed a mom wear a shift dress like this for her babies dedication and then when it was time to nurse she went to the cry room and had someone help her unzip the top of her dress  so that she could feed the newborn. That’s quite a bit of effort, but I guess it shows that it can be done if you are really set on a particular outfit.

The point is, if you are breastfeeding, don’t be afraid to branch out. I recommend layering with nursing tanks and nursing bras. Those are my go to for wearing under everything. It just makes life simpler during this season. My advice to new moms that are just starting out, wear what you feel comfortable in and when in doubt practice at home first to see if you can nurse your baby with ease in a certain ensemble. I promise you I have done this on many occasions before I have determined what to wear. You are better off giving it a go in private before you are at a restaurant and realize the material isn’t as stretchy as you thought all the while trying to console the hungry screaming baby in your arms.

By the way, it is World Breastfeeding Week (or at least it was) so to all the women out there that are feeling exhausted, embarrassed, or the many that are just in love with the whole experience I hope you are encouraged that you are doing a great job. Hooray for the normal, beautiful, natural thing that it is!

By |2015-05-18T05:17:50+00:00August 10, 2014|Babies & Toddlers, Motherhood, Natural Living, Uncategorized|4 Comments
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Our 5th Annual Cow Day

Chic-Fil-A time, cow day, dress-like-a-cow, free food, cow appreciation day- whatever you want to call, it it’s a fun time and something that is starting to become one of my favorite days of the year!

This year I was saddened when I realized Z would be out of town for cow day. I had already planned on painting the kids faces this year and almost considered changing our whole summer schedule around  the event just so that he could be a part of the action. That was unrealistic though. So instead I decided we could still dress up and take pictures like we do every year, but we would do it before cow day at my aunt’s barn.

The weather was gorgeous and the children really ate up the chance for some extra special pretend play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then later they ate up the free food when all but Z went in dressed like cows on July 11.

On the left is my niece for her first cow day wearing the same dress SJ wore 5 years ago on her first cow day (pictured right). It was so sweet! 



Between all the free meals we’ve gotten over the past 5 cow appreciation days, my family has ordered at least $75 worth of free Chic Fil A. That’s a pretty sweet deal. I am cheap, so I usually just get a couple kids meals and share with the kids. I don’t mind because it’s still delicious, but on cow day you better believe I get myself in full garb and I order a chicken sandwich meal with a LEMONADE all for me. YUM.

The whole experience just makes me smile! I’ve decided at this point it’s worth it for me to come up with a permanent costume. Every year I dress in white and tape black spots to myself, but I think next year will be different. Yes I am already planning for next years cow day. I am a true CFA fan. Moo.

 

 

 

By |2015-05-19T20:08:52+00:00July 28, 2014|Creativity, Frugal Living, Uncategorized|1 Comment
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Fun For the Fourth

Keeping with my summer progress reports I am delighted to share that we had an exciting week full of family, fireworks, fun, and festivities. Here were the boredom busters for last week.

1.  Family

This week was FULL of family. We visited my aunt that lives out in the country at the beginning of the week.

We also spent a good deal of time with the cousins that live about an hour from us so that was a real treat.

Lastly, we had family, including J’s parents, come from Texas.

2. Games

Amongst all of socializing and stimuli the kids have had this past week there were some quieter moments tucked in there as well. One night we just hung out and played games. Classic children games like the one that spins around a bunch fish opening and closing their mouths while you try to catch them, or dilapidated game of candy land where every single card has been bent, bitten, or torn, but you can still make where you are supposed to move your gingerbread man so that’s all that matters. The adults even played one of my favorite card games called Hand and Foot. My team won by the way. Just sayin’.

3. Water Table



There are a few different places I have been to that offer these water stations where the kids wear little aprons to keep dry while their hands get to splash, pour, and play in the water. This particular water table is at the Cincinnati Children’s museum and it’s a hit every time!

4. Camping

Because the grandparents came in their new RV they rented a camp site to stay at while in the area.

Z and SJ got to spend the night with them and we had campfire where we roasted hot dogs and smores, we hiked and saw wildlife. We did all the fun stuff that comes with camping minus sleeping without electricity.

5. Fireworks

We had a BLAST at the church’s 4th of July party.

The fireworks were great, but it doesn’t have to be an activity limited to the 4th. One of the things that’s great about this season is that you can easily find sparklers and poppers for sale and use them for entertainment throughout the summer. That’s what we’ve done.

6. Beach

We spent a lot of time at East Fork beach which is where the family was camping. It wasn’t the pretty blue water with gorgeous white sand, but it was still an enjoyable and relaxing time for sure.

I am pleased with how the summer is starting to pick up the pace and I can’t wait for what comes next.

By |2015-05-19T20:13:25+00:00July 8, 2014|My Life, Uncategorized|1 Comment
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Last Day of Kindergarten

Today I put Z on the bus for last time, at least for Kindergarten. I remember putting him on the bus for the first time 9 months ago. I watched him square his shoulders, march to the back, and sit next to the window with the seriousness of a soldier reporting for duty. You could tell he felt like a grown up. All I saw was my little 5 year old who was changing right before my very eyes.
And change he did. Today he brought home some final assignments, one of which he had been working on since the beginning of the year.
The first page chronicled how he wrote his name and drew a self portrait the first week of school.
One of the final pages was the same thing except from the last week of kindergarten.
It’s amazing how much his hair and ears grew this year. Just kidding, it’s a lovely drawing.
At the beginning of the year he could write very short words and made attempts with sentences that he was already familiar with. He was reading books that were specifically designed for the earliest of readers. You know the kind, where the content is limited to three word sentences with three letter words like “Sam can sit”.
A year later and he is writing sentences like the ones from this worksheet.
Obviously he has some spelling to work on, but this is Kindergarten. He’s doing SUPERB if I do say so myself.
He loves to read and write stories. The other day he wrote an elaborate story which he labeled “non fiction” (in his own spelling) and it was all about his trip to New York City from over a year ago. As I was flipping through the pages I looked at my mom and I said “does this make you think of anyone one” hinting that it reminded me of myself at a young age and she agreed. He isn’t reading chapter books or anything, but when he is reading a story he doesn’t want to put it down and sometimes this calls for reading on the go.
I pray that this thirst for literature stays with him. Maybe it will, or maybe he will mellow out with age and that’s fine. I am glad though to see him start off on the right foot. Here is part of what I shared with Z’s teacher today in a thank you card I gave her.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher for Z’s first year of school. He learned so much from you, but most importantly he learned to love school. What better way to kick off the next 12 years!”
I have had so many emotions going on this past week from this latest milestone after the struggle that we have been through to get to this place. I am grateful that we made it, and that God, as always, has been so faithful. It has been a great year for Z.
Boys begin boys after their graduation.
 I know that his school and his teacher were perfect for him during this season and I feel incredibly blessed. I am proud of my son.

 

 

I can’t wait to see what comes next.

By |2015-05-19T20:16:22+00:00May 31, 2014|My Life, Uncategorized|2 Comments
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More Than Words Can Say

*This was originally written over a year ago. Sometimes I just need to write even if I keep it to myself, but today, on the 2nd anniversary of her diagnosis, I am ready to share.*

In the world of hearing loss I feel like the label “Late Identified” is a big red stamp across my daughter’s forehead. These days most deaf children are diagnosed through a brief newborn hearing screening before they even leave the hospital. Since SJ wasn’t born at the hospital we never had any testing done until she was over two years old. 

SJ at two years old, a month after she was diagnosed.

SJ’s birth was perfect. It was hands down one of the most amazing, beautiful, and spiritual moments of my life, but if I could change the past then I would have had a screening test done after the home birth.


The first seconds of SJ’s life!

 As with any treatment plan, like with cancer or autism, the earlier you can diagnose and intervene, the better. There are so many benefits to getting started at a young age when it comes to language, and we lost two years of valuable time. However, having those years of not knowing did have some benefits. 

When I blogged for the first time about SJ’s hearing, Amanda (from Oh Amanda) left me a link to a woman she called her hero. That woman was Rachel Coleman of Signing Time. I read her story, got several of her videos, and she soon became my hero as well. Her daughter Leah was also late identified because the hospital had taken a break from newborn screenings for a brief time before they became mandatory and that was when Leah was born. Here is what Rachel said about her daughter being late identified.

 “Was it meant to be? I don’t know. I wonder how over-protective and lame I would have been if they had handed me my newborn baby and said, by the way she’s profoundly deaf. Looking back I can see the blessing it was that we got to know Leah for her first year with the complete expectation that she could do anything, she was limitless. When we did hear her diagnosis “severe to profound hearing impairment” when she was 14 months old, we mourned. We cried. We felt silly. We couldn’t believe it. We thought there was a mistake. We hoped it would go away. We felt all of that and more at once! Finally we looked at Leah and she was still her happy beautiful self. And we recognized that for Leah nothing had changed. Nothing was wrong.”

Boy do I relate to that! When we first came to SJ’s school, one of the advisers had commended me on how well I’ve done at communicating with SJ despite her hearing loss. She told me that many parents have a hard time just talking with their deaf children and unknowingly tend to turn their conversation toward someone that is listening to them. I’d like to take credit for being so loving, but I didn’t know she was deaf.

 Another therapist was astounded by SJ’s cognitive abilities and said she had never worked with a deaf child potty trained at such a young age. I’d like to take credit for that too, but once again I didn’t realize I was potty training a deaf child (and besides that she initiated it). For over two years I treated her like any other baby/toddler. We didn’t fret. We weren’t trying to protect her. We weren’t taking action. We just loved her as she was, and in the mean time she loved us back and proved to be a very capable, thriving, joyous little lady. 

I know now more than ever how vital communication and language is. However, in those years we “lost” by not starting therapy or using hearing devices we also gained a lot and I learned a valuable lesson. She understood me. She may not have understood my words, but our love transcended all of that. Our hearts spoke to one another. I have always told my kids that I love them more than words can say and for SJ I’ve lived that truth. 

By |2015-05-18T05:19:43+00:00May 5, 2014|Hearing Loss, Motherhood, My Life, Special Needs, Uncategorized|10 Comments
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