I had the kids pictures taken on Sunday. One thing I definately need to learn is patience when they get their pictures done. I expect way too much out of them.
Anyway, here are a couple of the pictures. I'm sure we'll have more to come.
Scroll down to the post called "My Challenge"
http://www.janeholestinephotography.typepad.com/
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Fish Story
Today Seth and Abby spent the day at Mammie and Papa's house. (I spent the day doing some scrapbooking and getting my hair cut). Seth was laying on my bed watching cartoons this morning and was reminding me all I needed to pack in his bag for his many activities. He had an entire agenda lined up for Papa. They were going to ride Gidget (the miniature horse), swim in the pool, and go fishing in the pond.
I dropped the kids off around 9am, and when I got back at 2:30 this is what I pulled into the driveway and saw................
I dropped the kids off around 9am, and when I got back at 2:30 this is what I pulled into the driveway and saw................
Seth was very proud to tell me he caught this fish, all on his own, on his Lightening McQueen fishing rod. He also was sure to tell me Papa only caught a small fish that he had to throw back in, but he got the BIG fish.
Needless to say, Mr. Catfish is gone. When Daddy got home from work, he was filleted and deep fried. Papa and Dad enjoyed the fish; Seth Robert did not care for the fish, but loved the fact that he caught it!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Busy, Busy
Wow, I haven't posted in over a week! Life is so busy and lots of changes getting ready to happen. Seth Robert will be starting Jr Kindergarten in September! He will be going to school everyday, from 8:30 until 11:30, and then will stay for "Lunch Bunch" from 11:30 until 12:30. He is getting so big! I cannot believe some of the things that come out of that kids mouth; he is so full of ideas. He is certainly not a 'little boy' anymore.
In addition to Seth starting school, Abby will be going to St Joe's everyday as well. She will go from 9am to noon daily, for a toddler class in which they really stress speech and language development. She will also be with other kids who are hearing impaired, wear hearing aids and/or implants, and she will have hearing peers in her class. A hearing peer is a kid the same age as the rest of the class who is 'hearing' and has normal development for speech. It gives the kids a chance to see a 'model' of what other kids their age are doing and hopefully encourages them to grow their language even more. Seth was a hearing peer when he was 2, and I think it really helped him understand his sister's disability.
Ok, so on top of all these changes we are also changing babysitters : ( We FINALLY found a sitter that the kids LOVE and I have never had a single reservation about leaving the kids with her. Unfortunately, her youngest child will be starting preschool this year and she wants to get back into the workforce. The kids (and I) will definitely miss Sarah and her kids. They love going there and when they get home, they talk about all the kids and what they did that day. It helps so much to know your kids are being cared for in a loving home, and they are having fun as well. Anyway, we found a place to send them in the afternoons following their morning school. It is a small 'Learning Academy' and is very close to home. This center is only licensed for 10 kids, and is staffed by the owner and a full time assistant. I'm hopeful it will work out for us!
SO here is a rundown of our daily schedule once school starts: Drop the kids at their schools, work FROM St Joe's while Abby is in school, take a lunch and get Abby from class, pick up Seth from school, drop them off at daycare, back to work for about 4 more hours. It's going to be crazy. The driving is the worst of it. If I was closer to everything I wouldn't have to figure in all the long commute times. I'm really starting to think about going back to Part time. Even dropping 5 hours a week would make things much easier. We'll have to see...I have a new manager and I'm not sure how open she is to that sort of thing.
In addition to Seth starting school, Abby will be going to St Joe's everyday as well. She will go from 9am to noon daily, for a toddler class in which they really stress speech and language development. She will also be with other kids who are hearing impaired, wear hearing aids and/or implants, and she will have hearing peers in her class. A hearing peer is a kid the same age as the rest of the class who is 'hearing' and has normal development for speech. It gives the kids a chance to see a 'model' of what other kids their age are doing and hopefully encourages them to grow their language even more. Seth was a hearing peer when he was 2, and I think it really helped him understand his sister's disability.
Ok, so on top of all these changes we are also changing babysitters : ( We FINALLY found a sitter that the kids LOVE and I have never had a single reservation about leaving the kids with her. Unfortunately, her youngest child will be starting preschool this year and she wants to get back into the workforce. The kids (and I) will definitely miss Sarah and her kids. They love going there and when they get home, they talk about all the kids and what they did that day. It helps so much to know your kids are being cared for in a loving home, and they are having fun as well. Anyway, we found a place to send them in the afternoons following their morning school. It is a small 'Learning Academy' and is very close to home. This center is only licensed for 10 kids, and is staffed by the owner and a full time assistant. I'm hopeful it will work out for us!
SO here is a rundown of our daily schedule once school starts: Drop the kids at their schools, work FROM St Joe's while Abby is in school, take a lunch and get Abby from class, pick up Seth from school, drop them off at daycare, back to work for about 4 more hours. It's going to be crazy. The driving is the worst of it. If I was closer to everything I wouldn't have to figure in all the long commute times. I'm really starting to think about going back to Part time. Even dropping 5 hours a week would make things much easier. We'll have to see...I have a new manager and I'm not sure how open she is to that sort of thing.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Two Talkers & Scary Morning!
Most people with 2 children end up with one talkative, one quiet; one active, one more reserved. We however have two very active, Chatty Kathy's. This is a great quality for Abby to have as hearing impaired kids can become introverts easily. Maybe because her big brother has always talked her ear off, she wants to be just like him.
This morning we went to speech therapy as we do every Tuesday morning. Judy (her speech therapist) was trying to show me how to 'start over' with Abby's listening skills since she has to learn the basics of hearing again through the implant. Seth Robert went with us, and before we went into therapy I reminded him that this is Abby's time to learn and he needed to remember not to interrupt Abby or Judy when they were talking. By the time we got into Therapy, he had forgotten our conversation. He wanted to do everything first, say everything first....kind of reminded me of myself as a Big Sister!
A scary thing happened with Seth Robert this morning. I got out of bed around 6:15 and went to check on him, and he was not in his room. I started panicking because I knew he wasn't in my bedroom or the bathroom and he usually doesn't go anywhere but those two places when he wakes up. I walked by the front door and saw his little red head standing on the porch. I opened the door and he was just SOBBING. My first thought, was how long has he been out here. Then I realized Seth had left for work a few minutes after 6am. After I got Seth Robert calmed down, I asked him what was going on. He said he heard his daddy leaving for work and wanted to say good-bye so he ran outside.....HOW SCARY! I called Seth and he had no idea that Seth Robert was awake much less that he had followed him out there. I think we are going to start a new routine where I get my behind out of bed when Seth leaves so I can lock the sliding lock at the top of the door : )
This morning we went to speech therapy as we do every Tuesday morning. Judy (her speech therapist) was trying to show me how to 'start over' with Abby's listening skills since she has to learn the basics of hearing again through the implant. Seth Robert went with us, and before we went into therapy I reminded him that this is Abby's time to learn and he needed to remember not to interrupt Abby or Judy when they were talking. By the time we got into Therapy, he had forgotten our conversation. He wanted to do everything first, say everything first....kind of reminded me of myself as a Big Sister!
A scary thing happened with Seth Robert this morning. I got out of bed around 6:15 and went to check on him, and he was not in his room. I started panicking because I knew he wasn't in my bedroom or the bathroom and he usually doesn't go anywhere but those two places when he wakes up. I walked by the front door and saw his little red head standing on the porch. I opened the door and he was just SOBBING. My first thought, was how long has he been out here. Then I realized Seth had left for work a few minutes after 6am. After I got Seth Robert calmed down, I asked him what was going on. He said he heard his daddy leaving for work and wanted to say good-bye so he ran outside.....HOW SCARY! I called Seth and he had no idea that Seth Robert was awake much less that he had followed him out there. I think we are going to start a new routine where I get my behind out of bed when Seth leaves so I can lock the sliding lock at the top of the door : )
Monday, July 14, 2008
Update
Sorry I didn't post on Thursday after Abby's second Audiology appointment with the implant. Time just seems to get away from me.
So we went back to St John's on Thursday so they could do some testing in the booth, and see if Abby's implant could be adjusted any to allow her to hear more. Unfortunately, Abby was not in the mood for Audiology testing (even though she's done this many times before) and was not cooperating with the testing.
So, for now, they left her settings where they are. We will go for about 2 weeks and watch at home for new things she hears. We go back to St John's in 2 weeks and hopefully Abby will be a little more cooperative : )
I'm still trying to get the videos on my computer. I haven't had much time to mess with it, but I do plan to post them once I get them transferred from the tape to my PC.
Not much else going on right now.....
So we went back to St John's on Thursday so they could do some testing in the booth, and see if Abby's implant could be adjusted any to allow her to hear more. Unfortunately, Abby was not in the mood for Audiology testing (even though she's done this many times before) and was not cooperating with the testing.
So, for now, they left her settings where they are. We will go for about 2 weeks and watch at home for new things she hears. We go back to St John's in 2 weeks and hopefully Abby will be a little more cooperative : )
I'm still trying to get the videos on my computer. I haven't had much time to mess with it, but I do plan to post them once I get them transferred from the tape to my PC.
Not much else going on right now.....
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
She's On!
What an awesome day! We went for Abby's Initial Stimulus at St John's Audiology this morning (this is where she gets the external piece of the implant, and they turn it on). It was not as eventful as other kids initial stim's that I have heard of or seen via video. However, it was very exciting for us.
In Abby's case, she has heard SO much with her hearing aids, that she is very used to hearing a variety of sounds. While getting ready for her turn 'on' I tried to take the hearing aid out of the right ear, but she she did not want that so we left it in, but turned it off. Then came the first sounds she heard through the implant. When they first turned the implant on, several people in the room were talking, and Abby immediately pointed to her left ear (the ear with the implant). We knew right away that she was hearing through the implant!!!! She was NOT scared, startled, mad, or really even confused; she almost seemed just kind of curious like "what is that I'm hearing".
I asked the audiologist what she was hearing and she said the way adults with implants have described it as either clicks & pops or Mickey and Minnie sounding voices. Eventually the brain will just 'click' and the brain will start interpreting those noises as identifiable sounds. So, we really don't know what Abby heard, but she definitely heard something! We did a little bit of testing with Bev ( the audiologist from St. Joseph's who will follow Abby). Abby did a great job of playing the listening games with Bev. The St John's audiologist programmed the device while Abby and Bev playing their listening games.
I wish I could say it was more remarkable than it was. For me it was definitely an incredible experience because we knew right away that thing they put into her head and inner ear was working. However, Abby's reactions were nothing overwhelming (this is a good thing).
Later in the day after Abby's nap, I put the implant on first before putting on her hearing aid. After putting on the implant I said "SSSHH" and Abby looked up at me really quickly. I did this a few more times, and she looked each time I said "SSSHHH". This was probably the highlight of the day for me. SSSHHH is a sound Abby has not heard before unless you REALLY yelled it, and then we were never quite sure she really heard it.
I have some video from the initial turn on and once I figure out how to get my videos to clips on the PC, I'll post them.
Oh, we go back tomorrow for more testing and programming of the device. I will keep you posted on how she's doing/hearing tomorrow.
In Abby's case, she has heard SO much with her hearing aids, that she is very used to hearing a variety of sounds. While getting ready for her turn 'on' I tried to take the hearing aid out of the right ear, but she she did not want that so we left it in, but turned it off. Then came the first sounds she heard through the implant. When they first turned the implant on, several people in the room were talking, and Abby immediately pointed to her left ear (the ear with the implant). We knew right away that she was hearing through the implant!!!! She was NOT scared, startled, mad, or really even confused; she almost seemed just kind of curious like "what is that I'm hearing".
I asked the audiologist what she was hearing and she said the way adults with implants have described it as either clicks & pops or Mickey and Minnie sounding voices. Eventually the brain will just 'click' and the brain will start interpreting those noises as identifiable sounds. So, we really don't know what Abby heard, but she definitely heard something! We did a little bit of testing with Bev ( the audiologist from St. Joseph's who will follow Abby). Abby did a great job of playing the listening games with Bev. The St John's audiologist programmed the device while Abby and Bev playing their listening games.
I wish I could say it was more remarkable than it was. For me it was definitely an incredible experience because we knew right away that thing they put into her head and inner ear was working. However, Abby's reactions were nothing overwhelming (this is a good thing).
Later in the day after Abby's nap, I put the implant on first before putting on her hearing aid. After putting on the implant I said "SSSHH" and Abby looked up at me really quickly. I did this a few more times, and she looked each time I said "SSSHHH". This was probably the highlight of the day for me. SSSHHH is a sound Abby has not heard before unless you REALLY yelled it, and then we were never quite sure she really heard it.
I have some video from the initial turn on and once I figure out how to get my videos to clips on the PC, I'll post them.
Oh, we go back tomorrow for more testing and programming of the device. I will keep you posted on how she's doing/hearing tomorrow.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Let Freedom Ring!
What an awesome Holiday! Independence Day... The day we can celebrate our freedom! Despite if you are Republican, Democrat, Independent, etc, we ALL love our country and the freedoms we have here!
We had a really great weekend. Friday morning we went to a breakfast at my in-laws church. A very close friend of the family, who Seth grew up with, is a Marine and had 3 tours in Iraq, spoke for a few minutes after breakfast. How great it was to see someone who loved his country enough to put his life on the line day after day (this is a man who signed up after 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq and Afghan wars).
We also went to a BBQ at my sisters house this weekend. The kids had a great time playing with all of their cousins, eating lots of food, playing in the sprinkle, and of course watching their uncle shoot off fireworks. We had to leave before dark (because my sister lives about an hour away and the kids were ready for bed) but they enjoyed watching the snakes and the whistlers.
This is going to be a great week! Abby's 'turn on' is Wednesday and Thursday this week. I am in a training class Monday and Tuesday, off Wednesday - Friday. It's always a great week when you don't have to work : )
I'm so excited about Abby's implant getting turned on. I've heard lots of stories of kids and their reactions to the turn on. It is a very strange sensation for them; they have electrical stimulus running into their inner ear, and sometimes, it's scary, sometimes it's exciting.....We are ready for any kind of reaction. The audiologists start out very conservatively so I'm not anticipating a very great reaction. I will definitely be taking pictures and will video tape it. As a matter of fact, I need to get into the habit of keeping the video camera running. I've seen video's of other kids with new implants, and hearing things for the first time that Abby has been hearing all along with her hearing aids. Abby has done so well with her hearing aids that she can hear the dog barking outside (from inside), she hears you call her from another room, she hears so much it is truly a miracle.
When she said "I wub oo" (I love you) last weekend, it brought tears to my eyes. I cannot wait to hear her say SETH. Right now Seth is just "E" She cannot hear the S or the TH in his name. I think the day she says Seth will also bring me to tears.
I will definitely be posting more often this week. I will let you all know how it goes with Abby!
We had a really great weekend. Friday morning we went to a breakfast at my in-laws church. A very close friend of the family, who Seth grew up with, is a Marine and had 3 tours in Iraq, spoke for a few minutes after breakfast. How great it was to see someone who loved his country enough to put his life on the line day after day (this is a man who signed up after 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq and Afghan wars).
We also went to a BBQ at my sisters house this weekend. The kids had a great time playing with all of their cousins, eating lots of food, playing in the sprinkle, and of course watching their uncle shoot off fireworks. We had to leave before dark (because my sister lives about an hour away and the kids were ready for bed) but they enjoyed watching the snakes and the whistlers.
This is going to be a great week! Abby's 'turn on' is Wednesday and Thursday this week. I am in a training class Monday and Tuesday, off Wednesday - Friday. It's always a great week when you don't have to work : )
I'm so excited about Abby's implant getting turned on. I've heard lots of stories of kids and their reactions to the turn on. It is a very strange sensation for them; they have electrical stimulus running into their inner ear, and sometimes, it's scary, sometimes it's exciting.....We are ready for any kind of reaction. The audiologists start out very conservatively so I'm not anticipating a very great reaction. I will definitely be taking pictures and will video tape it. As a matter of fact, I need to get into the habit of keeping the video camera running. I've seen video's of other kids with new implants, and hearing things for the first time that Abby has been hearing all along with her hearing aids. Abby has done so well with her hearing aids that she can hear the dog barking outside (from inside), she hears you call her from another room, she hears so much it is truly a miracle.
When she said "I wub oo" (I love you) last weekend, it brought tears to my eyes. I cannot wait to hear her say SETH. Right now Seth is just "E" She cannot hear the S or the TH in his name. I think the day she says Seth will also bring me to tears.
I will definitely be posting more often this week. I will let you all know how it goes with Abby!
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