Can I just take a minute to feel sorry for myself? I think I will.
Sometime I feel like the responsibility of making life altering decisions for my children will overwhelm me. I thought that Max and Claire had all of their hospital time logged, but now I don't know. Claire is doing better with her implant, but she is still lagging behind Max's pace. Everyone seems to think that the obvious answer to catching her up is a second implant. I can see the benefits of that option, but the thought of subjecting her to another surgery makes me weak in the knees. I know how safe the procedure is and I know how skilled her surgeon is. However, there is always a small risk, even with the least invasive procedures. Will the second implant improve her learning rate? Will it work as well as the first one. If I knew the answers to these questions, the decision might be a little easier. I don't however, so as usual, the decision is not easy at all.
This leads to another question. If we get Claire a second implant, should we do the same for Max? He is doing well in school, but could he do even better if he had a second implant? Am I holding him back because I am scared to do this for him? The thought of putting my big man through another surgery makes me sick. He is vibrant, healthy, smart and loving. Should we take any risk considering how well he is doing? Am I keeping him from accomplishing great things by not taking that risk?
I just don't know and all of these decisions make me weary. I know that I should give the stress to God, but many times that is easier said than done. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I'm sure that God will lead our family in the right direction. If there is anyone out there that has bi-lateral implants or has a child with bi-lateral implants, I would value your opinion.
Max says he has 5 girlfriends now, by the way!!!
Claire's favorite word is hey-ya!!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Ladies' Man...
It seems that Max is quite the ladies' man. When I arrived to pick Max up from school the other day, he came out with a funny grin on his face and told me that he was mad at me. When I asked him "Why?", he told me that he wanted to stay at school longer and play with his girlfriend! (who shall remain nameless) "I want you to pick me up later, tomorrow." he said. Hilarious!
Even more funny, on the way home Max told me that he has another girlfriend on the side. I asked him what her name is. He said that he wasn't sure, but was certain that this girl is his girlfriend. When I asked him how he came to this conclusion, Max said " I know she is my girlfriend, because when I look at her, she smiles at me. That's how you know!" Smart man, smart man.....
I mainly posted this little story because i think that it is funny. However, I also posted the story because it is yet another example of how kids with cochlear implants can lead wonderful and exciting lives, just like any other kid!
Even more funny, on the way home Max told me that he has another girlfriend on the side. I asked him what her name is. He said that he wasn't sure, but was certain that this girl is his girlfriend. When I asked him how he came to this conclusion, Max said " I know she is my girlfriend, because when I look at her, she smiles at me. That's how you know!" Smart man, smart man.....
I mainly posted this little story because i think that it is funny. However, I also posted the story because it is yet another example of how kids with cochlear implants can lead wonderful and exciting lives, just like any other kid!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Mama Lere Hearing School
Hi Everyone. It's been a long, long, long time since I last posted. My apologies. The kids had a fun Christmas and I am happy to have a normal life again!
Anyway, Claire turned three on January 10th! I can't believe how old she is and how big she is getting. Claire is one of my greatest challenges (just like her mommy :), but she is also one of my greatest joys.
One of the perks of living in Davidson County (Nashville) is that they have some decent programs for disabled children. One of these perks is an early intervention program for the hearing impaired. This program allows children that are deaf or hard of hearing to begin school at Vanderbilt's Mama Lere Hearing School when they turn three. Believe it or not, the county picks up the bill. How awesome is that?
Well, Claire started school this past Tuesday. I hated to pull her out of the West End Church of Christ program and I was sad that Miss Elsie wouldn't get to spend as much time with Claire. However. Stephanie and I both knew that Mama Lere was the best thing for Claire. They use an Auditory Oral teaching method, which is a little different from Auditory Verbal, but I have seen the school's results and they do a great job.
We already know that we made the best decision for Claire. Before Claire started school, she would talk to her family, but not to people in public. After one day at Mama Lere, she was already turning in to more of a chatter box. Her teacher said that Claire engaged the other children and spoke without being prompted. We do the best we can with Claire, but I know that letting her learn from dedicated teachers of the deaf will be such a blessing.
It is our prayer that Claire will be able to " main stream" by the time she begins kindergarten. We would appreciate your prayers as well. Thanks.
Anyway, Claire turned three on January 10th! I can't believe how old she is and how big she is getting. Claire is one of my greatest challenges (just like her mommy :), but she is also one of my greatest joys.
One of the perks of living in Davidson County (Nashville) is that they have some decent programs for disabled children. One of these perks is an early intervention program for the hearing impaired. This program allows children that are deaf or hard of hearing to begin school at Vanderbilt's Mama Lere Hearing School when they turn three. Believe it or not, the county picks up the bill. How awesome is that?
Well, Claire started school this past Tuesday. I hated to pull her out of the West End Church of Christ program and I was sad that Miss Elsie wouldn't get to spend as much time with Claire. However. Stephanie and I both knew that Mama Lere was the best thing for Claire. They use an Auditory Oral teaching method, which is a little different from Auditory Verbal, but I have seen the school's results and they do a great job.
We already know that we made the best decision for Claire. Before Claire started school, she would talk to her family, but not to people in public. After one day at Mama Lere, she was already turning in to more of a chatter box. Her teacher said that Claire engaged the other children and spoke without being prompted. We do the best we can with Claire, but I know that letting her learn from dedicated teachers of the deaf will be such a blessing.
It is our prayer that Claire will be able to " main stream" by the time she begins kindergarten. We would appreciate your prayers as well. Thanks.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
It's been a while...
It's been a while since I last posted. My apologies, it has been an exhausting fall thus far. Anyway, before I get back to Max and Claire, I want to take a moment and thank Advanced Bionics for putting us on their website. You can find a link on our blog.
Originally, I had planned on explaining Max and Claire's implant turn on days in great detail. However, I think that I would rather catch everyone up to their current lives. I will say this. Both Max and Claire's turn on days were blessed occasions and their lives have been full and happy ever since. Their cochlear implants are truly a miracle. I will do my best to post a video of each turn on day as soon as I can figure out how to do such a thing. I'm not the most computer savvy person in the world.
Max's implant was turned on around five years ago in Atlanta, GA. He is now six. Even though he was born deaf, Max lives a wonderful life. He is in pre-first grade at David Lipscomb Elementary School in Nashville, TN. His talented teacher, Mrs. Seay says that Max is in the class's top reading group and that there is nothing keeping him from graduating at the top of his high school class! He enjoys playing soccer and baseball. Unfortunately, he also likes to watch cartoons and play on the computer. As most parents know, it's a tough balancing act to manage. He is an awesome kid. His speech is behind that of his peers, but he is quickly catching up with the help of my awesome wife Stephanie and the Auditory Verbal Therapy that he receives through Emily at Vanderbilt's Bill Wilkerson Center.
Claire will be three in January of 2009 and her implant was turned on when she was fifteen months old. I know that I should not compare their hearing journeys, but it is almost impossible for me not to do so. While Max passed most of his speech milestones quickly and with flying colors, Claire is a different child. She is a very smart little girl and completely capable of great achievements. However, she is definitely moving along a bit more slowly that Max. In my opinion, her slower progress is probably a combination of several circumstances. Number one, Claire is just different from Max. While Max was eager to please during his therapy sessions, Claire is without a doubt a stronger willed child. She can do what is asked of her, the problem is, she just does it when she wants to. We are also a busier family than when Max was born. We have two kids instead of one, Stephanie now works full time and we have done a poor job of avoiding the rat race. ( Have I mentioned how great Stephanie is? Not only is she a "looker", she is also a full time HR Manager and still finds time to teach Claire's therapy on a consistent basis. She also manages to take care of Max and me. Stephanie is awesome! ) The final reason that Claire is coming around a little more slowly ( in my opinion ) is that I assumed she would automatically be on par with Max in the speech process. This caused me to become lax in my help with Claire's sessions. I guess I just assumed that she would absorb her vocabulary from Max through some sort of weird osmosis. Don't get me wrong. Claire's implant is working great and she has become quite the little speech trooper. She is quickly learning her colors and numbers and seems to say something new just about every day. I think that she enjoys music as well. I caught her dancing to the tunes today at San Antonio Taco Company! She is Daddy's precious girl. We are debating a second implant to give her more sound, but that is another discussion for another day.
Like I said earlier, I'll try to post their "turn on" videos ASAP. Thanks for reading.
Originally, I had planned on explaining Max and Claire's implant turn on days in great detail. However, I think that I would rather catch everyone up to their current lives. I will say this. Both Max and Claire's turn on days were blessed occasions and their lives have been full and happy ever since. Their cochlear implants are truly a miracle. I will do my best to post a video of each turn on day as soon as I can figure out how to do such a thing. I'm not the most computer savvy person in the world.
Max's implant was turned on around five years ago in Atlanta, GA. He is now six. Even though he was born deaf, Max lives a wonderful life. He is in pre-first grade at David Lipscomb Elementary School in Nashville, TN. His talented teacher, Mrs. Seay says that Max is in the class's top reading group and that there is nothing keeping him from graduating at the top of his high school class! He enjoys playing soccer and baseball. Unfortunately, he also likes to watch cartoons and play on the computer. As most parents know, it's a tough balancing act to manage. He is an awesome kid. His speech is behind that of his peers, but he is quickly catching up with the help of my awesome wife Stephanie and the Auditory Verbal Therapy that he receives through Emily at Vanderbilt's Bill Wilkerson Center.
Claire will be three in January of 2009 and her implant was turned on when she was fifteen months old. I know that I should not compare their hearing journeys, but it is almost impossible for me not to do so. While Max passed most of his speech milestones quickly and with flying colors, Claire is a different child. She is a very smart little girl and completely capable of great achievements. However, she is definitely moving along a bit more slowly that Max. In my opinion, her slower progress is probably a combination of several circumstances. Number one, Claire is just different from Max. While Max was eager to please during his therapy sessions, Claire is without a doubt a stronger willed child. She can do what is asked of her, the problem is, she just does it when she wants to. We are also a busier family than when Max was born. We have two kids instead of one, Stephanie now works full time and we have done a poor job of avoiding the rat race. ( Have I mentioned how great Stephanie is? Not only is she a "looker", she is also a full time HR Manager and still finds time to teach Claire's therapy on a consistent basis. She also manages to take care of Max and me. Stephanie is awesome! ) The final reason that Claire is coming around a little more slowly ( in my opinion ) is that I assumed she would automatically be on par with Max in the speech process. This caused me to become lax in my help with Claire's sessions. I guess I just assumed that she would absorb her vocabulary from Max through some sort of weird osmosis. Don't get me wrong. Claire's implant is working great and she has become quite the little speech trooper. She is quickly learning her colors and numbers and seems to say something new just about every day. I think that she enjoys music as well. I caught her dancing to the tunes today at San Antonio Taco Company! She is Daddy's precious girl. We are debating a second implant to give her more sound, but that is another discussion for another day.
Like I said earlier, I'll try to post their "turn on" videos ASAP. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My Ear Is Magic !!
I feel the need to postpone Max's journey for one post and just take some time to brag on my son. I know that I am a little biased here, but Max is the bravest, strongest, most confident little boy that I have ever met. When another child asks Max "What's that thing on your head?", it is extremely hard for me not to step in and answer for him. Surprisingly, I have done a pretty good job with letting Max take up for himself.
I remember one Sunday at church when Max was lining up with the other kids for children's' worship, a very precocious little girl came up to Max and asked him, "What is that thing on you head?" Max very matter-of-factly turned to the little girl and said "It's my ear and it's magic! It helps me hear."
Max is so much stronger than I! I remember another time at Green Hills Mall when a boy that was old enough to know better came up to Max and asked him if he was retarded. I wanted to tell the boy that Max was probably smarter than him, certainly had better manners and that Max could probably knock a knot on his head if he pushed the issue. I also wanted to grab the boy's mom and dad and tell them that they were pitiful parents and that they needed to teach their son some social skills. Max however, always as cool as a cucumber, looked at they boy and calmly explained that "that thing" was his ear and it helped him to hear.
What an example Max is for me! Just this past Saturday at the Vanderbilt baseball clinic a boy that was Max's partner for a throwing drill called him "hearing aide guy". I don't think that he said it with malice, but it still bugged me. It didn't bug Max though. He paid close attention to his baseball instructor and quickly mastered the drill long before his curious partner.
I love my son Max. He is my constant example in patience, friendliness, and good will towards others. Every day I strive to be more like him!
I remember one Sunday at church when Max was lining up with the other kids for children's' worship, a very precocious little girl came up to Max and asked him, "What is that thing on you head?" Max very matter-of-factly turned to the little girl and said "It's my ear and it's magic! It helps me hear."
Max is so much stronger than I! I remember another time at Green Hills Mall when a boy that was old enough to know better came up to Max and asked him if he was retarded. I wanted to tell the boy that Max was probably smarter than him, certainly had better manners and that Max could probably knock a knot on his head if he pushed the issue. I also wanted to grab the boy's mom and dad and tell them that they were pitiful parents and that they needed to teach their son some social skills. Max however, always as cool as a cucumber, looked at they boy and calmly explained that "that thing" was his ear and it helped him to hear.
What an example Max is for me! Just this past Saturday at the Vanderbilt baseball clinic a boy that was Max's partner for a throwing drill called him "hearing aide guy". I don't think that he said it with malice, but it still bugged me. It didn't bug Max though. He paid close attention to his baseball instructor and quickly mastered the drill long before his curious partner.
I love my son Max. He is my constant example in patience, friendliness, and good will towards others. Every day I strive to be more like him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
