I am thankful for.....

Let's see.... What am I thankful for? I've been focusing on the negative lately, so this should be a good exercise for me. I am thankful for a beautiful, kind hearted, hard working, intelligent, loving wife, who is an awesome mother to Max and Claire. I am thankful for two wonderful children, who happen to be deaf. I can't imagine my life without their smiles, hugs, kisses and laughter. Max has the biggest heart I've ever seen and Claire gives the best hugs and kisses. They will melt your heart! I am thankful for my Mom and Dad. Everyone would be a better person if they had parents like mine. I am thankful for my grandparents who are still with me. I haven't always been the best grandson, but they have always been the best grandparents. I am thankful for my little sister. I wish that I was more like her. I am thankful for Christian in-laws who gave me such a wonderful wife. I am thankful for all of my extended family. I don't have very many close friends, but I am thankful for the ones that I do have. You know who you are! I am thankful for my church and church family. I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for David Lipscomb Campus School and all of the wonderful teachers who work there. I am thankful for Mama Leer Hearing School. Katie and Rob rock!! I am thankful for Eggleston Children’s' Hospital and Vanderbilt Children’s' Hospital. They are doing God's work. I am thankful for Advanced Bionics and all of their outstanding employees. I am thankful for doctors David Haynes and Wendell Todd. I am thankful for Mary Anne Costa and Edie Gibson. I am thankful for all of my earthly blessings. I am thankful to be an American and a Southerner. I am the most thankful for Jesus Christ. I am thankful for countless things. I hope you are as well. Oh yeah. I'm thankful that the Titan's will not go 0-16 :)

Claire's Mickey Mouse SKINIT

This is not the best picture, but Claire's Mickey Mouse SKINITs came in last night. She was very excited!

Nashville Predators SKINIT !!!!

Well this is really cool. I learned about SKINIT at the Advanced Bionics seminar. This company is known for making "skins" for cell phones, PDA's, laptops, etc. However, they also make "skins" for the Advanced Bionics Harmony. You can chose from just about any pro or college sports team, kids' theme or you can even design your own. I obviously suggest the Nashville Predators "skin". Your kids will love them (Max does) and their friends will envy them! I'm starting to sound like an infomercial. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know about something fun for your kids. Claire's should arrive shortly! Oh yeah. http://www.skinit.com/

The Parable Of The Lost Ear....

Oh the ups and downs of a cochlear implant family (especially ours). Upon the completion of a fairly cruddy week and a weekend that did not go as I had planned, I decided that I needed a break. So instead of going to our weekly "small group" at church, I decided to lay out and watch football instead. Stephanie decided to give me some alone time and took the kids to group by herself. While they were gone, I fell asleep in my red sleeping chair and woke up about an hour later in some sort of nappy, sleep induced stupor. No more than five minutes after I woke up, I received a phone call from Stephanie. I figured she was calling to ask me what I wanted for dinner. I wish. Stephanie informed me that Claire had lost her new "ear" at church! She said that everyone had searched high and low with no luck. "Crap." I scoured the house, the garage and the yard and struck out as well. "Double Crap!!" As those of you with implants know, these things are worth several thousand dollars. Advanced Bionics does offer a one time replacement service, but I didn't want to use that up this early in the game. Anyway, needless to say, Stephanie and I were in a very foul mood. Until about ten minutes ago that is. We received a knock at the door, which is rare for 9pm on a Sunday night. When I opened the door, who did I see? Martina McBride!!!! Just kidding. I saw Jake, our teenage next door neighbor. Jake likes to take walks late in the evening. Well, Jake found Claire's ear!! It was laying on the side of the road just a few feet from our yard. Way to go Jake! We owe you one. I guess there's really no moral to my parable. I'm just glad Claire's ear was found and that we managed to avoid a crappy ending to a crappy week :)

Mentor Training 2009; Advanced Bionics; Valencia, CA

What a wonderful experience. From the incredible Advanced Bionics Staff to the other BEA Mentors, our trip was truly a blessing. I knew that I was pleased with our decision to go with Advanced Bionics implants for both of our children before this trip, but now I have no doubt that we made the best choice. When making our initial decisions, we obviously did some research, most of it involving the number of meningitis cases, implant failure rate, etc. What we did not realize during our research however, was the fact that AB outpaces its competitors in the area of technology by a long shot. All of the cochlear implant companies seem to produce a very reliable product, but the advances in AB's product are amazing to say the least. I don't have the time or the expertise to explain all of the advancements in a short post, but if you are thinking about an implant for your child, please check out the Advanced Bionics web site. There is a link toward the bottom of my blog.

While technology should steer your decision in choosing a cochlear implant, the people that make up the implant company should also serve as a rudder. I've been to many conferences throughout my professional career, during most of which I couldn't wait for the ending. However the Advanced Bionics seminar was totally different. I have never before seen such an excellent, well prepared, knowledgeable, eloquent group of presenters. From the CEO on down the line, I have never met a more gracious, sincere group of representatives.The most interesting part of our trip, was the tour of the manufacturing facility. We were allowed to see the Advanced Bionics implant assembly process. It was pretty cool to say the least. We had some fun as well. Our hosts took us to a great Italian restaurant on Friday night. I don't remember the name, but I do remember that it was GOOD.

Anyway, Advanced Bionics is not paying me to say all of this. It is the truth based upon my experience. If any parents out there have any questions please feel free to send me an e-mail.

See ya.