Messymom – Page 36 – Making the Best of What Looks Like a Mess

Beach Baby

This little darling is now 8 months old.

It’s been a big milestone month for her. At 7 months old she started to attempt crawling.

A week later she was pretty proficient at scooting around, but she still couldn’t quite keep her belly off the ground.

A week later she was crawling room to room and even over things!

By the time she turned 8 months old she was using furniture to pull herself up into a standing position.

It’s been crazy to see how determined she is to be on the move. Her first 3 months of life were spent sleeping and even after that she was so chunky I really figured she would be like her brothers and take her time getting around, but I was so wrong.

These photos were taken on our trip to Michigan last week. It was Elle’s first trip to the beach (outside of the womb). I really wanted to do a mini photo session at Lake Huron because I had maternity photos from there last year.

Isn’t it amazing the difference a year makes!

I have a family photo from this day too, but I am saving it for our Christmas card. I was trying to do a very quick design idea to make sure we could use the photo and J reminded me that we still have 6 months before Christmas. I reminded him that I may be a loose cannon in many ways, but when it comes to parties and festivities I am a planner!

Anyway, I’ll share more pics from our amazing Michigan getaway later, but I have been overdue to give a baby Elle update and I love these shots so much I just had to post them!!!

By Natalie|2016-07-25T22:52:48+00:00July 25, 2016|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Cow Appreciation Day 2016

I gave cow appreciation day a lot of flack this year, but in the end we still dressed up head to hoof, went out, ate free chicken, and had a great time.

My mom came with us and it was her first year to participate. She loved it as I knew she would.

Of course as I mentioned before it was Elle’s first year too! I had to get a photo of myself with my two youngest because the very first year we ever participated in cow appreciation day these were the outfits Z and SJ wore. She was 4 months old and Z was almost three in this photo from 7 years ago.

Now Elle is wearing the same dress at 8 months old and Ezie is wearing that same vest and pants at 3 years old! Sometimes I feel like I am experiencing my first few years of motherhood all over again with this combination. Especially when the older two are at school.

By the way, there is a story behind my silly costume. I ordered it from Amazon with the intentions of wearing it on cow day and also to have it as a character in the Three Little Pigs skit we did at Ezie’s 3^rd birthday party.

Since it was a farm theme I dressed up like a cow for part of it. I had all the kids gather around for a story. I was the narrator of the story and I got 4 volunteers, which ended up being three grown men to play the pigs and my little nephew to be the big bad wolf.

As I told the story they acted it out and whenever I said the word “BLOW” (for blow your house down) the audience had bubbles that they would blow. So everyone was included and it was the cutest, funnest, best time. Really. I loved that party, and even though the costume thing at Chick-fil-A was kind of watered down this year I am still glad I got the cow costume.

Back to last Tuesday, here are a couple photos from after the festivities. I haven’t updated about Elle’s latest milestones, but she is crawling all over the place now.

She can even pull herself up to a standing position. I can’t believe how motivated she is to be on the move.

Or should I say on the Moooo-ve. Sorry, I can’t help my self.

By Natalie|2016-07-16T00:16:17+00:00July 20, 2016|Uncategorized|3 Comments

Pretty Dresses

One day a lady from my Texas church who I lovingly refer to as granny told me, When I see a pretty dress I think of you. That was years ago before I had children and I can’t think of a compliment that has topped it since.

Granted these days it’s a big accomplishment to be in clothes that were not designed for sleeping or exercise. But on a good day, or for special occasions, I do love a pretty dress. Most girls do. My brother recently text me this sweet photo of my niece which just says it all.

SJ is very particular about what she wears. She’s only 6 and I can’t remember the last time I got to pick out her clothes or even help make suggestions for that matter! So it’s been nice to have a helpless baby girl around that has no choice but to wear whatever I stuff her in. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

J’s family came up for Elle’s dedication at the end of June and they brought with them a special dress. It was the dress my sister in law wore for her dedication, along with many of my nieces, and SJ wore it when she was dedicated.

SJ on the day she was dedicated (she is 7 months old here).

Elle, was very content in pastors arms as he dedicated her to the Lord. He also dedicated me when I was a baby so I love that there is history there. Watching him pray over my daughter is a moment that I will always hold close to my heart.

Another nostalgic dress resurfaced recently when I did a photo shoot of Elle with my wedding dress.

She was born days after our 15th anniversary I consider her our “anniversary baby” That’s why I used this photo for her birth announcement

and that’s what inspired the wedding dress photo session too.

Everyone has been gushing over these photos which is funny to me because it didn’t fall into place quite as well as I had hoped. The nature center was so crowded, the wind was blowing the dress off the hanger the entire time. in fact at the end of the shoot J encouraged me that we could come back and try again on another day. I knew that we probably wouldn’t be able to do a reshoot before Elle outgrew this dress though which was important to me because it was the dress my dear friend’s baby wore for their dedication with the same pastor. Not to mention it’s just so lovely.

Amongst all of these dresses is the cow print dress. I know this might not seem like it fits in with all the frilly pretty stuff, but it’s a tradition of a different kind. It’s the dress SJ (shown on the right) wore for our first cow appreciation day 7 years ago and my niece (on the left) wore it 3 years ago.

This time last year when I learned that we were having a girl and I took a picture of my pregnant belly with this little baby Gap cow print dress because I was excited that Elle would get to wear it for Cow Appreciation day and this past Tuesday she did! Isn’t she adorable?

Obviously I am the sentimental type. Some people simply see dresses, I see dresses stitched with memories.

By Natalie|2016-07-14T11:12:53+00:00July 13, 2016|Uncategorized|1 Comment

The Lost Individual

My husband wears a bracelet that says One by One. He’s worn it on his left wrist for two years now.

One by one is a ministry in Kenya and Sri Lanka whose mission statement is simply to “Stop for the one”. They have seen an overwhelming amount of poverty and devastation, but God has allowed them to bring hope to countless orphans, widows, and sex trafficking victims because he called them to make a difference in the life of just one individual at a time.

I know this isn’t some new ground breaking revelation, but it’s easy to forget. With the political climate of our nation right now the hate, the brokenness, and darkness can definitely be overwhelming. My heart has ached with grief for all that I see in the news to the point that I have struggled with being depressed and frozen with fear over many issues. I have cried out to God wondering what in the world can I do to make a difference.

I think so many of us are in the same boat. We see politicians touting statistics about all the different people groups that they are trying to win over. We see statistics about guns, the disabled, the transgendered, african americans, and women. People argue about how to help or who is right and in the midst of all this mass media I have felt Christ calling me to stop for the one. People are more than statistics. It’s time to get offline and seek out the lost art of having heart to heart connections with individuals.

When I wrote about “How to Never Offend Anyone” I said

One time I considered writing about
“What to say when you see a child with a disability” because my
daughter is deaf and has cochlear implants. I can tell that some people feel awkward around us at times. The problem with my list is that I would encourage people to talk with me openly about their thoughts
and curiosities. I love answering questions and educating people on what the cochlear implant is all about! However, I have lots of friends who are parents of deaf children and some of them do not like talking about it.
Or sometimes it depends on the day! So there is no list of do’s and don’ts because there aren’t just “Parents of Deaf Children”-period. It’s more complex than that.

Similarly there aren’t just pregnant ladies, or women who have had c-sections, or biracial couples, or introverts,
or working moms. There are just people! Individual people.

Having a daughter who is considered a minority because she can’t hear has really opened my eyes to what that looks like and how diverse and personal living with this disability is. There is no one size fits all bandaid ESPECIALLY in the deaf community. There are not just “Deaf People”. There are lots of individuals who have various degrees of hearing loss and need customized help in getting whatever form of treatment they subscribe to.

Let me give another eye opening experience. Because of what we walked through in the midst of our unemployment we have had exposure to another minority group. Families living in poverty.

My son has been a part of the Back Pack Program and Free Lunch Program. When we were on food stamps we automatically qualified for these opportunities. Which also meant we were offered the chance to have free non-perishable food items discreetly put in my son’s backpack so that he could eat at home. We weren’t in a situation that we needed to participate in that program or the free summer lunches, but the fact is they were made available. The thing that struck me is how many children still go hungry in our community!

When we were unemployed we had access to more food than we ever had in our lives! How is it that people are still going without!? Then it hit me that there are a lot of kids whose parents probably don’t sift through all the papers that come in their child’s backpack so they don’t even know about the programs (or are too drunk or high to care in some cases). Or maybe they don’t have a ride to get to the location where free food is served in the summer time. My heart is broken to the point of tears when I think about it. No amount of programs will stop hunger, but getting to know individuals in impoverished communities and forming relationships would give us a shot at reaching more.

In all of this I am not saying that we shouldn’t label culture groups or races. There is beauty in having these commonalities! I am also not saying we shouldn’t fight for changes in laws or have programs to help minorities. It’s kind of like Christ says in Matthew 5:17- I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. When we look at Jesus’ example he spoke to the masses, but more than that he stopped for the one lost sheep, or the children that wanted to be near him, or the woman who touched his garment.

So when I get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issues our society faces I feel God calling me to be like Him and stop for the one. Whether it’s a neighbor who is in an abusive marriage, or a kid at school that is being bullied, or a woman in front of you in line who needs help paying for groceries. I don’t want to give real life examples because I want to respect the privacy of the people God has brought into my life, but even in a situation where we are still not quite out of the welfare hole ourselves I have had so many opportunities to help serve individuals shoulder to shoulder and to create change.

No matter what happens with any politician there is really only so much they can do with their claims to help immigrants or minorities etc. because they are going to use that one size fits all bandaid approach. We have the power to do more though just by stopping for one lost individual.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

The last photo is from One by One ministries, a team of people who are seeing change by reaching the world’s poorest one life at a time. Check out onebyone.net to hear the heart of what my friends are doing over seas.

By Natalie|2016-07-08T10:59:46+00:00July 8, 2016|Uncategorized|2 Comments

Cow Under-appreciation Day

First off let me say that I love Chick-fil-A. If you read my blog then you probably already know that I am HUGE fan. However I do want to bring some attention to how Cow Appreciation Day has made some changes that I’m not too sure about just yet.

This will be our 7th year to participate in Cow Appreciation Day. I finally broke down and ordered a full blown cow costume for myself this year, but I am a little concerned that the tradition is starting to fizzle out. I do realize that this is going to be the goofiest thing I have ever gotten riled up about but here goes.

Cow Appreciation Day 2016 is taking place this Tuesday July 12th.

Cow day used to be on Fridays but they switched it to Tuesday last year. I remember because my bloggy friend at Little Dove was the one who noticed the date changed. I understand that Fridays are the busiest day and Tuesday are the slowest so it make sense to drive more traffic in on the slow day.

The thing I am disappointed about is that they are no longer giving a free meal to anyone dressed in a “Head to hoof” cow costume. Instead they are “simplifying” things by giving a free entree to anyone wearing any kind of cow accessory at all. This includes the paper hats that they give out for free at the restaurant. They are very clear on their website that you can dress up or just wear the hat.

To which I go from saying moo, to saying boo.

Now hear me out, I am not being greedy. I am thrilled to get a free sandwich or shake, plus the kids still get a free kids meal so I think that’s super generous. The thing that chaps my hide is that there is no longer any incentive to get all dressed up.

Why would someone go out in full blown costume in the heat of JULY to get free food when all they have to do is throw on a paper hat provided by the store? The campaign went from dress like a cow, to simply wear anything “cow like”. Does this mean we will continue to see more and more patrons dressed up cute like this

or this?

I hope so because that’s my favorite part to see all the creative costumes.

I do understand why they streamlined it because I am sure there were people showing up with a dot here and spot there demanding a free combo meal and complaining when they didn’t get one. I just think they should at least have a photo contest to keep some buzz going for this event.

So I emailed Chick-fil-A, because yeah I am that serious about this dilemma and I say Please tell me there is a photo contest. If there is a photo contest then I’m in. They sent me an automated response stating that they would eventually really reply. So, for now I guess I will begrudgingly go through with the original plan to wear my cow suit. I suppose I could just have a good attitude and do it for my kids, but it’s a really hot costume. Really hot. Seriously.

Aside from my oldest child who started at age 2 all of my kids have been participating in Cow Appreciation Day for their entire lives.

I’ve been a pregnant cow twice.

I had a daughter and a niece wear the same cow dress which will now be passed down to my youngest calf who I also by the way have a cow cloth diaper for.

This is big stuff in our family! I would hate to see the tradition dwindle away.

Let’s keep the dream alive people and show our appreciation for cows all across this land! Come on Chick-fil-A. Please don’t let us down.

By Natalie|2016-07-06T10:28:14+00:00July 5, 2016|Creativity, Frugal Living|2 Comments

This is an unrelated photo from last week.

Ezie is kind of into Star Wars these days. He isn’t even aware of the original film, but I think just the concept of there being war in the stars evoke some sense of early masculinity in the heart of most boys I guess.

One day I was cleaning (as I do every once in a while) and I needed the vacuum attachment to get the cobwebs out of the corners in the ceiling. Ezie had been playing with the crevice tool and I told him that mommy needed it now.

No! I pway with it. He argued.

I am sorry, but mommy needs it now. You can play with it when I’m finished.

He wasn’t going down without a fight. I think I was Darth Vader in his eyes at the moment. So I had to eventually do the ole grab-and-go technique. I snatched the attachment from him and that is when he lost his ever loving mind.

Now this isn’t my first rodeo so I just continued doing what I had to do and started vacuuming despite his cries of sheer horror. He grabbed my legs begging and pleaded and shouting

STAAARRRRR WARRRRS!!!!

I figured that the crevice tool was his lightsaber. I have an imagination too and I can totally get that it looks like a lightsaber.

I shouted back over the roar of the vacuum.

I know honey, Star Wars. Just a minute and you can have it back.

His face was turning red as he panted

Starararar Warararars….

I felt bad, but soon enough I was done and handed him his lightsaber back. He looked inside the vacuum part and was not satisfied. Buckets of tears ran down his cheeks and he managed to squeak out

Star wars in there

and he pointed to the vacuum. I admit I was confused for a minute and then it hit me!

I pulled the vacuum apart and because I am a loving and courageous mother I dug into the vacuum bag full of dirt and hair (and possibly dead insects). Sure enough there was a mini R2-D2 figurine which he had lodged into the crevice tool before I took it from him, turned on the vacuum, and sucked it into a galaxy far far away. He wasn’t trying to get his lightsaber, he was trying to get me to give him his toy!

Once reunited with his beloved R2D2 I was a heroic Jedi.

That was a close one though.

By Natalie|2016-07-05T10:42:34+00:00July 4, 2016|Laughter|0 Comments

My Personal Hearing Loss Story

This might be a bit of a bore, but I just got hearing aids and there are a lot of people shocked to learn that I have hearing loss. Shoot, even I am a little surprised in some ways. So here is the story start to finish.

When I was a little girl my parents took me in for a hearing test because it didn’t seem like I was responding as well as I should. At the time I was diagnosed with stubborn toddler syndrome. In other words there was no sign of hearing loss.

I never struggled in school or carrying on a conversation so the idea of hearing loss didn’t come up again. In high school I realized that I couldn’t hear really high pitches that my friends could hear, but that’s not a big deal.

When I was 20 (2002) I had a bad episode of vertigo and experienced ringing and stuffiness in my left ear.

I expected it to subside, but when it didn’t I found an ENT and had a hearing test done. Their report showed mild hearing loss, but I was told there was no remedy and to just play music to distract me from the ringing. It was such a discouraging consultation considering I had no insurance at the time and shelled out $350 for the exam. I just wanted some answers. I wanted help.

Fast forward about 10 years (2012) and my daughter SJ was diagnosed deaf.

Her hearing loss is genetic, but we were told that J and I are both carriers of the genetic mutation. So it’s recessive. We have no history of deafness in our families.

In the mean time my hearing seemed worse, but I put my needs on the back burner. I thought maybe I was imagining it because there was so much focus on hearing loss in our home. I was always misunderstanding people or not hearing them at all. One day my sister in law asked if I ever considered getting hearing aids. I dismissed it because compared to SJ I was hearing just fine. I was in denial.

However three years later (in early 2015) I bit the bullet and decided I would have another hearing test done. I went to a GP who referred me to an audiologist. The audiologist tested me in a sound booth and the results showed that I had moderate to severe hearing loss on the left and mild on the right. I had so many questions for the audiologist, but she had no answers. She said that I needed to see a different doctor. They told me they would call me and they never did. I could have followed up and been more assertive, but I had three children plus one on the way and again I put my needs on the back burner.

After Elle was born she failed the newborn hearing screening. I swore she could hear because she flinched and startled to noise. Yet she failed the screening over and over again. Sadly, I knew this meant she would eventually be deaf like her sister. HOWEVER, the genetic test (which takes about 6 weeks for results by the way) showed that her hearing loss is different than SJ! Her hearing loss is still genetic, but it’s generally a mild hearing loss. None of us saw that coming. The geneticist said the only way this is even possible is if either the mother or father also have this hearing loss. I voluntarily suggested that it was me. Basically between SJ’s DNA and Elle’s DNA they uncovered the missing link to my hearing loss mystery. So they ordered a genetic test for me just to be sure. I got it back a couple weeks ago and it confirmed that I do in fact have hearing loss due to genetic mutation (I know that sounds weird). I asked about why it didn’t show up as a real problem until later in life and so far no one has an answer for that.

Regardless, now that I had it in writing with DNA evidence I was ready to do something about it. I went back to the same doctor, and was sent to another doctor, and then to the audiologist and was tested AGAIN and FINALLY got my hearing aids. So even though it looks like this diagnosis and treatment came from out of nowhere it’s kind of been leading up to this point for a long time.

So that’s the back story. I have a daughter who is deaf, a daughter who has mild hearing loss, and between the two of them I finally recognized that I have moderate hearing loss.

Of course everyone wants to know if it’s related to gender at all, but it’s not. That part is completely coincidental.

I am still getting used to the devices, but I do feel like I can hear a lot better with them. That does not mean that I hear perfectly though, so please be patient with me if I am not understanding or if I have to ask you to repeat yourself. Thankfully I have been reminded by several professionals that no one hears perfectly so I don’t need to feel bad.

This whole hearing loss journey has been a wild ride, but I at least we’re getting somewhere.

By Natalie|2023-06-12T06:19:00+00:00July 1, 2016|Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss|3 Comments

Messy Mom Math Problem

If you are not following Messy Mom on Facebook then you haven’t seen my latest fascination with creating my own memes.

Like this one

Or this hilarious shot of baby Elle’s face

Or lastly, another funny baby Elle expression.

Today’s Messy Mom original meme is kind of like a common core math problem and yes those are just a fraction (excuse the pun) of my family of six’s mix-matched socks.

I am going to get back to sorting, but I have an audiology appointment later this week. I’ll be sure to give an update on my hearing aids!

By Natalie|2016-06-28T17:07:43+00:00June 28, 2016|Laughter|1 Comment

Store Membership Rant

I know I will be dating myself with this complaint, but remember when you could go into a store and buy your groceries by simply exchanging money for goods? There was no harassment from cashiers or cash registers asking you a gazillion questions at check out? It was as simple as That will be $29.37 will you be paying with cash or check? Done.

Not anymore. Not even close.

Let’s say I’m at my local drug store buying some chapstick and gum really quick and I am asked for my rewards card. I say I don’t have one, but then of course there is the speil about how I could sign up for one and it wouldn’t take long, and I would save so much. Blah blah blah. I politely say no and continue on with my purchase. The next question is debit or credit. I say debit, then swipe my card and enter my pin. Done. Just kidding.

First I get asked if I want to donate a dollar to some worthy cause. I say no and feel like a terrible person. Then the machine asks if I want cash back. I say no. If I am at a gas station it will ask if I want or a car wash or a snack. NO. NO. NO. The answer is no. I just want my chapstick and gum and I want to get out of here. Except for in my haste I accidentally selected “No” when it asked me if this the amount was correct. Crap. Now I have to start all over.

Here’s the thing about all the membership card stuff, they will brain wash you into joining their cult. I held out for a long time, but eventually I realized that it wasn’t going away so I succumbed to having an outrageous amount of plastic keychain cards on my key ring because despite the hassle it really did save me a bunch of money. At first I was really frustrated about having to get a stupid membership for every store I stepped foot in even if it’s a store that I only go to once a year, because if I am not a member I might pay $3.89 instead of $2.59 and I don’t know if I could live with myself if I let that deal slip by! Over time I was suckered into signing up for every single rewards program, advantage card, extra care ID, loyalty plus, or pharmacy covenant card out there. I finally stopped complaining and decided it wasn’t so bad. In fact I forgot that it ever really bothered me. That’s when it happened.

I call it Attack of the Apps.

That’s right friends, it’s not enough to have a rewards card. Now you have to have an app for every store you step foot in. I don’t have room on my phone for another stinking app! Maybe if I delete a couple hundred selfies that my toddler took, but I don’t have time to do that at the moment and therefor I have to pay $4.27 instead of $3.39! Or I have to wait in line at Starbucks or Chic-fil-A with other low life people that don’t have the app. Gah!!! Why can’t a store just have a sale, take my money, and be done with it.

Except, I am a blogger and I know why they can’t do that. It’s because they want your commitment and they want your information so that they can continue to ~~harass you~~ offer you awesome deals. That is why I have experts telling me that if I don’t have a pop up ad asking for your email I must not really care about blogging and if I don’t have said pop up ad I should expect to never have a real fanbase. I have never followed through with this advice and probably will never have a substantial fanbase because of it, but whatever.

Eventually, I will probably get all the apps. I will have the apps and the cards and a pop up subscription. Then they will probably want me to get a microchip implanted in my wrist, but that is where I will definitely draw the line.
I don’t care how much I save on shampoo. So there.

By Natalie|2016-06-21T15:25:41+00:00June 21, 2016|Laughter|0 Comments

The First Day With a Hearing Aid

Yesterday was my first day with my new hearing aid. As with most physical therapy treatments you have to press through a lot of challenges in order to get your body to respond in the way it is supposed to.

So it’s been a rough 24 hours (minus when I slept). I knew there was skill involved in learning to listen with a hearing device because of having a daughter with a cochlear implant, but I assumed since I can hear and was born hearing that I would be exempt from such a difficult transition stage. I was wrong.

It is way more challenging than I ever imagined. When I put the device on yesterday it sounded like the world was on “speaker phone” mode and I don’t know if you have ever had your voice echo when someone else has you on their speaker phone, but it’s annoying and that’s how it was at first. Luckily, the initial reverb didn’t last too long. However everything still sounds like I am in a cave or something. It’s not natural. Have you ever talked while plugging your ears? If not, go ahead and try it. Do you hear your voice muffled inside your head? That’s what my voice sounds like all the time to me right now. I feel like I should be whispering because the sound of my voice is so loud. Some things sound close to normal, but there are thousands of small sounds that appear to be amplified. This is what happens when you go without typical hearing for a while (or have never had it). Your ears interpret all sound the same. It’s all coming at you equally and your brain gradually decides what is needed and what to filter out.

One example I can think of experiencing this phenomenon was when we moved into our first home which was a few miles from a railroad track. I will never forget that first night while our mattress was still laying on the floor of a room full of unpacked boxes. I thought the train sounded like it was running through our house and rattling my brains. It was SO loud. Oh no. What have we done? I thought. I wasn’t sure how we would ever sleep with the train and it’s notorious whistle so close by. However, the sensation didn’t last. I am not sure how long it took, I just know that despite the trains schedule and location remaining the same I no longer heard it. My brain filtered it out. That’s what is supposed to happen with hearing aids. I even asked my daughter’s audiologist for second opinion. Are you sure it’s not being amplified louder than it should be? I shouldn’t be able to hear the toilet paper slide off the roll. She assured me that my case was no different than the others and I just had to push through and allow my brain to file away that distracting background noise.

It can be debilitating though. This is what it is like running a simple errand.

When you walk to the car you hear footsteps on the pavement and the grass. You hear wind (the way it sounds on a phone or home movie, very loud and distorted). You can hear your keys jingling and cars driving by.

As you get in the car you hear the door unlock, unlatch, and the seatbelt slides and clicks into place. You hear the engine start, the AC starts, there is lots of beeping and clicking with putting the car into gear or using the turning signal. And if you are thinking that you already hear all of those things, you are right. But do you always notice them? Do they distract you? Would you consider them loud and intrusive?

As you drive you have some coins in your console that keep sliding back and forth with every turn and slope. You grab a bottle of water and the plastic crumples and sounds ear piercing. You hear the cap unscrew, you hear the water go down your throat, then you hear yourself put the cap back on and return the water to the cup holder.

When you arrive at the store you hear the music which sounds normal, but the hangers on the rack sound extremely loud, a child is playing with a toy in the distance and you hear that. You feel like everyone that is talking is close by, but they are not. When you pay you hear yourself get out your wallet and all the items inside your purse starts banging up against each other like some kind of violent mosh pit. You hear yourself open the wallet, and I kid you not, you hear the debit card slide out of the wallet. You hear the beeping of the cash register as you normally would, but the magnitude of the stapler that the employee uses sounds like she must have used an industrial strength nail gun to combine two receipts. You flinch and hear yourself clasp your purse and grab the plastic bag which never stops crumpling loudly up against your leg.

Are you tired yet? I am. It sounds like I must be exaggerating, but everything I have read and all the professionals I have spoken with tell me this is just how it goes at first. This article form Starkey.com was really helpful and explains everything so realistically. They say “the learning curve can take anywhere from six weeks to six months. Success comes from practice and commitment.” So I am going to keep at it. Many of the articles I have read describe the adjustment time as tiring and disorenting which are the exact words I have used.

I go back in 2 weeks to see my audiologist and see how I am coming along. It may not be perfect by then, but it should be much easier. I hope. Feel free to ask me any questions. I have said so much, and yet there is so much I haven’t covered. Thanks for the prayers and encouragement.

By Natalie|2023-06-12T06:19:14+00:00June 15, 2016|Hearing Aids, Uncategorized|2 Comments

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