Mommy’s Girl
No matter how big our family gets I know I will always have a special connection with each one of my children individually. With Z, he was my first born and he got two and a half years of undivided attention, and tons of photos to prove it. This next baby will be the third born just like me, so I already feel a camaraderie in that way, and then of course SJ is my only girl and you can’t compete with that.
A Brief Photo Recap
We had lots of great mommy daughter time while we were in Illinois. I will never forget this bonding experience and look forward to many more with my precious daughter.
On the way home we spent a day in Chicago because we had never seen America’s 3rd largest city. Here is a photo of J and SJ in Union Terminal.
New York New Yooooork
New York City was a blast! I really thought that it couldn’t get any better, but then when I arrived back in Kentucky and was reunited with my amazing husband and kiddos I heard another voice that I know so well. This was the voice of someone that I have laughed with, cried with, and shared some of the most memorable moments of my life with. I looked up to find my best friend had flown in from Texas to surprise me on my birthday! My husband set it all up and it’s a one way ticket, no she isn’t moving up here, although that would be cool, but we are all going to Illinois together next week. So it’s been a wild ride and without a doubt the BEST birthday ever!
Pinning for New York
I signed up for Pinterest 5 months ago and it didn’t take too long for me to be hooked. Granted I haven’t had all the time in the world to focus on crafts and cooking lately, but for a while there I was implementing Pinterest ideas left and right.
I often use it to create ideas that I have repinned, like that one valentine’s craft I did.
Or the time Z and I made this angry birds game.
I’ve also made about a dozen recipes that I’ve repinned and eventually I want to do a little mini series on this, but for starters here is a really simple recipe I discovered on Pinterest that is now a reoccurring part of many of our meals. J loves them!
I also love using Pinterest boards to keep all of my ideas in one place. This is what I did for SJ’s birthday party and it turned out to be such a success!
My latest Pinterest board has been all about my upcoming trip to New York City.
I never really shared how or why I am going to be in NYC for my birthday. It’s kind of silly, but I think it’s worth sharing. A couple weeks ago mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I nearly cried. Okay, maybe I did start crying a little bit. I am about to be 30 years old and that doesn’t bother me, but I’ve seen so many of my friends in Texas celebrate this milestone in fun and extraordinary ways. When I left Texas I knew I would not get to be a part of this tradition with them. I started not only missing my friends, but in a way missing my identity. Let’s face it, despite my attempts to live “life in the slow lane“, all year long I’ve been consumed with moving, pregnancy, hearing loss and motherhood in general. My mom did what mother’s do best and listened sympathetically to my little pity party and her wheels started turning. Thanks to working at the airport she knew we could get a great rate on airfare so she asked me where I wanted to go. I could pick anywhere in the US! The idea took me by surprise and I couldn’t think of anything, so she suggested New York city. Suddenly the thought of spending the last day of my twenties in the big apple was like a dream that I never knew I had. Since then I’ve been pinning, planning, and pining for New York city and early tomorrow morning we leave… or bust!
Blog Catch Up
In the past week I have thought about all the many topics that I needed to blog about. So since I flopped at blogging on any of them I’ll just get the ball rolling with a rapid update on each family member.
SJ’s Signs Part 1
It was hard for me to narrow it down because there are so many other signs that she can say, but I don’t think you will need to know cat, bath, or ice-cream while we are camping. Here are some personal notes about the 10 signs I decided on for the video
1. More- This is the one she uses the most and it usually just means she wants something even if she hasn’t had any to have any more of.
2. Eat- She understands and produces this sign.
3. Help- She uses this one usually if she is trying to get something open although it is a little hard to recognize so I show her variation in the video.
4. Please- She doesn’t do this one often, but she has known it since before she was diagnosed hearing impaired, so I try to encourage manners and remind her to sign PLEASE when she wants something.
5. Toilet- Sometimes she signs toilet sometimes she just grabs herself, ha ha.
6. Thank You- Same as please and sorry. We are working on our manners.
7. Careful- SJ does use this sign, but she understands it. Since it is a command that comes up often with her I thought it might come in handy.
8. Sorry- She does not produce this sign either, but much like please it is something we are working on to show respect. If you sign it make sure to be expressive! Facial expressions are an important part of sign language.
9. No- She sees this one a lot and uses it a lot, but it’s usually because she is being a stinker.
10. All done- This was one of her first signs. She also sometimes uses it as a way to express when she doesn’t want something. Similar to wanting more of something she hasn’t had sometimes she is all done with something she hasn’t begun.
If you have any questions just let me know!
Tips and Links for Learning to Sign
Since finding out my daughter SJ has severe hearing loss my sign language vocabulary has gone from barely a handful to a pool full of words and information on ASL and deaf culture. I am still a beginner, but I’ve come a long way and I wanted to share some of the tools I’ve been using.
1. Baby Sign
When SJ failed her first hearing test I pulled out the baby signing curriculum that I haven’t glanced at in years. The DVD includes 145 ASL signs which I kept practicing until I knew them all. I also started watching Signing Time videos which are a great way for both children and adults to learn on a number of levels.
2. Talking With People
One of the best tools for me has been talking with some of my friends that are interpreters for the deaf. I have gone up to complete strangers that have hearing aids and talked to them. I have sought out council from friends of friends that are deaf or hard of hearing. I want to hear from anyone and everyone that can help me on this journey.
3. Phone Apps
There are a few free phone apps that I downloaded to help me learn on the go. There is one called Wierman’s family ASL which includes 50 signs and you can take quizzes. All the free apps are very limited, but every little bit helps when you are starting out and you can always delete them if they are taking up too much space.
4. ASL University
This website is really in depth and I’ve only completed 3 of the units, but it’s been informative and it was recommended to me by someone who teaches ASL full time.
5. Online Dictionaries
I have three websites that are my go-tos for looking up signs they were all recommended by some of my professional interpreter friends.
My biggest advice as someone learning to sign is CROSS REFERENCE! It’s hard to learn when there is so much conflicting information on which sign is the right one. Many times there are a few different signs used depending on a persons age or region. It’s a bit of a headache, but I always check 3 sources and pick whichever is most common or up to date.
6. TV
Once I started learning ASL I noticed that signing was happening all around me already. For example programs my kid’s watch like, Blue’s Clues, Sprout Good Night Show , and PBS kids all use some sign language. Then I came across this Sia music video, which I had seen several years ago, but it didn’t occur to me at the time that the entire video was in ASL! Now I can watch it and recognize most of what they are signing. src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/t1x8DMfbYN4?fs=1″ width=”480″>
7. Switched at Birth
I had a signing teacher recommend this show to me (featured on ABC family, ABCfamily.com, and netflix) and I was skeptical at first because I am just not a fan of teenage drama. Watching the entire first season has confirmed that this show would probably be my last choice in entertainment OTHER THAN the sign language. Many of the main characters all communicate with ASL. Seeing the usage in conversation and modern language was SO helpful. I think this program is what really taught me to be more comfortable implementing what I know into every day speech. I would often rewind pause or try to interpret without reading the subtitles. I fully intend to watch the entire show again eventually just to see how much more I understand the second time around.
At this time in my journey I invested in a heavy duty hard back ASL dictionary for about $30 at half price books. I use it all the time, but I do wish it was even more current than 1998 edition because some of the words are outdated already.
9. Documentaries
The Sound of Fury
Through Deaf Eyes
Touch the Sound
The first two documentaries are on Netflix and they teach you a lot about deaf culture, cochlear implants, and the history of sign language. The last one is a film I saw several years ago about a deaf percussionist.
10. Practice
I think one of the reasons I have been more successful with ASL than any other language I have tried to learn is because it’s applied to my everyday life. I needed a language to speak to my daughter that is still in-between the world of the deaf and the hearing. I use sign language everyday and I keep an ongoing log of words I want to learn. My 4 year old keeps me on my toes anytime he asks me a sign that I don’t know I just say lets write it in the notebook and later we look them up. We usually do this practice once or twice a week. I will learn one song or story at a time and this helps a lot too. Every time I learn a new song or children’s book I realize there is a little less that I have to look up because my vocabulary is expanding.
I’m linking this up with Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings. I know it’s a lot of info, but I’ve wanted to share these tips with my friends and family for a while and I always love to network and learn new things myself (see #2). For those interested in my daughters story feel free to browse through the blog or read this post for details.
Getting Used to Hearing Aids
SJ got her hearing aids on Friday. It was a long and exhausting day, but it had a good turn out. Our doctor told us that there were so many different reactions with children that you just never know what to expect. They may cry, they may squirm or act confused, they may not react at all. Or she said in a few cases you have that “Disney moment” where the child lights up when they hear their first sound and act like this is what they were waiting for their whole life!
For SJ we did not have a Disney moment. In fact, I would call it more like a dentist moment or worse (for the stereo typical child that does not like the dentist). The hearing aids were squealing, she got very upset and kept trying to pull them out. The Doctor wanted to make sure that J and I knew how to put them in so she had us practice a few times before we left and it was rough. She repeatedly told us that we just had to work through this stage and when SJ takes them out just put them back in. She cried and cried and looked at me with those big puffy eyes full of tears like MOM save me! I pictured us wrapping her up in our arms like a straight jacket just to get her out of the office with them still in. It was not a pretty mental picture. LUCKILY, we were told to give her a rest and try again when we got home. We are supposed to start with 2 hours a day, increasing the amount of time she keeps them in each day, and by a week they basically need to be in at all times.
After a stop at McDonald’s and a nap, I said Okay, let’s do this. Hearing Aid boot camp here we come. We pulled out all the stops; squeezable yogurt, a juice box, and a popsicle. J pushed her in the swing which was perfect because she had to hold on. We watered the garden and played fetch with the dog. These are all activities that she loves and kept her hands occupied and her mind distracted. By the end of the two hours I felt like we had tamed the beast.
Once she had warmed up to the idea of the devices I got out my camera to document this moment. These shots will give you an up close look at her new daily accessories. The aids are attached to a bungee cord that clips on the back of her shirt.
For now the aids are encased in a flesh colored sock thingee (don’t mind my technical jargon) and this is to prevent damage if they do fall out or hit something.
There are still a lot of unknowns with her condition and a lot of trial and error from what I’m told. The volume starts at HALF of what it should be and will gradually increase over the next 3 weeks. So far I’ve noticed a few times that she seemed to react to a noise (once was at the doctors office when they tested with some maracas.) Honestly though, it’s hard to tell what she can hear and I try not to jump to conclusions. I’ve learned a lot about patience through this journey so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how she does as the volume increases and the speech therapy begins. Our Disney moment will come. God has a plan. I really do believe that.