Oh Glorious Days

It is Mother's Day, again... That's right, my oldest two are both finally back in school.

M has been attending school since Tuesday, a great thing since that means he only missed 1 day of school in the transition. He just moved right on into that classroom and is, I am proud to say, doing well. His behavior has yet to get in the way. I think it really helped that his previous teacher (a miraculous soul who enterred his life at a critical time and who, by virtue of sure determination, found ways to help M be a better learner and peer) was able to send along a written explanation of tricks that she found that worked well with M and also included explanations of M's little quirks. So far it seems to be working. I am hopeful that this transition will continue to be a smooth one for M.

C is finally, and gratefully, at the precise school I had hoped she would be enrolled in. I forwarded all the information I had for her, including her most recent IEP and several evaluation reports, the week before we moved to help move the process along faster. These were enough to persuade the local school district that they couldn't, in fact, meet C's needs. I kept trying to tell them that when they so abruptly removed her from this school at the beginning of kindergarten in the summer of 2008. I was really angry about this sudden change and was frustrated at the sense of loss that both C and I felt because the opportunity that was so brisky wisked out from under her was so perfect and met her needs to ideally. Needless to say, the child who came home today from her 1st day of school was GLOWING... Almost literally. She was ecstatic that there were so many signers there. It's the first thing she said to me when she got off the bus... "SO MUCH signing!" I couldn't be more thrilled. Needless to say, all the hard work that C's IEP team put into her latest IEP and all the goals that they listed REALLY made the difference in C's current educational status. I am now confident that C will be able to gain enough language skills upon our departure in a couple of years that I have had a great burden lifted from my shoulders.

Except for the lack of Speech Therapy that M received at our previous location (which was so miniscule as to be practically non-existant... In fact, it was so horrendous that M's speech/language skills deteriorated tremendously during our stay there AND I actually had to threaten legal action... But that's a whole other story. Anyway...) The education and support that M and C received while in California was so tremendous as to, literally, be life altering!!! I cannot thank M's Teacher and C's entire team for everything that they have helped my two amazing children achieve... THANK YOU, ALL!!!

Welcome Home

WELCOME HOME, MY LOVE!!!

Matt arrived safely back in the US yesterday afternoon (1:00pm Pacific). He phoned just as I was walking out the door to let me know they had just landed in Bangor, Maine. He said that was the loudest landing he had ever heard. When I asked him to clarify (since I'm afraid of flying, I had all these concerns running instantly through my head), he said that the cheers that were emmitting from the returning soldiers was both deafening and inspiring. Just hearing the description of their joy at arriving home safely was enough to give me goose bumps as tears welled up in my eyes. I was so happy for them. He called again at nearly 8:00pm last night to tell me that they had landed safely at McCord AFB in Washington and would be getting on a bus for the short drive to Ft. Lewis and his bed as soon as they got their bags off the plane. He said he would call me again as soon as they got back to Post. At 10:00 he called to tell me that it would be a little while longer (they still hadn't unloaded the luggage) and by 10:30 I was wiped out from pure excitement of the day. So, when I still didn't have a phone call I just went to bed. I was smart, though... I took the phone. And at 10:40pm he finally called. Since I had important information about our housing, which he will get today, to impart, I had to get back up. We didn't chat for long. He said he'll call again today to chat with me some more.

But, the important part is...

MATT IS HOME, SAFE AND SOUND!!!

Our next struggle? We're just hoping to make it out to see Matt's mom before she passes away... Which may not be too much longer. She's been bravely hanging on to every last breath, so we're hoping and praying that she can hang on just a little longer... Long enough, at least, for Matt to complete the reintegration training, which is the soonest he is allowed to take leave (unless she passes away, then he can take leave to go to her funeral).

12 Of Us In A Room Together

My aunt sent me this forwarded message. I generally think forwards are a silly superstition, but I also know that sometimes odd things happen with these things. Having said that, though, I dearly wanted to share the quote. It's a beautiful quote that I wish for everyone. Besides, there are so many women who have touched my life and played an important role, that it would be difficult to pick just 12. So, for all you have given me, I thank you.
Wishing you all much love and peace...


Subject: 12 of us in a room together

I am supposed to pick 12 women (who have touched my life) and who I think might participate. I think that if this group of women were ever to be in a room together, there is nothing that would be impossible. I hope I chose the right twelve. May this remind you how special you are. Please send this back to me.

First, make a wish before you read the quotation. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. Just send this to twelve women and let me know what happens on the fourth day. Sorry you have to forward the message, but try not to break this, please. Did you make a wish yet? If you don't make a wish, it won't come true... This is your last chance to make a wish!

Quotation:

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.'

Now, send this to 12 women (or more) within the next 5 minutes. And remember to send this back. I count as 1... you'll see why ~

I Hear Ya, Baby!!!

Yesterday I had to pull M and C out of school around 11:30 so we could race down to Sacramento for C's audiology appointment. She had to get her implants "mapped" (this is where, using a computer, the Audiologist configures the interior implant and the exterior processor to work together in such a way as to allow C to hear best, which varies for each individual person, though it is generally similar).

MJ was a bit fussy on the drive down because he didn't have a decent nap that morning. This would have been annoying except that he suddenly stopped after just a few minutes of crying. I looked into my child review mirror, which hangs just below the van's rearview mirror, to see C signing to me... She had heard MJ's cries and gave him his pacifier. This was the first time she acknowledged hearing MJ crying and actually recognized that it was a particular sound.

C has been hearing sounds since the 29th of January, when her implants were initially activated. She has asked what she is hearing every day. It's been quite interesting to see this change come about. But, she is still in the learning stage where she is trying to figure out what each sound she hears actually means. So, this is huge progress to have her recognize MJ's cries. The only other thing she recognizes is the sound of the Microwave beeping as it stops, but that's only if she knows something was cooking. So, officially, this was the first unassisted recognition of a specific sound... And it was amazing!

Introduction to Sign Language

One of my cousins asked me a question today that I thought was interesting. It dawned on me that many people might have the same question, so I though I would address it here...

Cousin A wanted to know when we would be introducing sign language to MJ. He's only 5 months old, but it's never too early to learn language. Language is taught to a infant starting while they are in the womb. A fetus can hear it's mother speaking and learns the sound of her voice. After the baby is born, he/she begins learning language almost instantly... They learn their name. They learn to respond when they hear Mom or Dad. So consequently, it is ver feasable to teach your child a second language immediately. In fact, children in households with parents who speak two different languages learn both langauges quite readily.

Needless to say, we are attempting to sign to MJ as we speak and we are hopeful that he will be one of our more fluent family members. He should be since sign langauge is the only form of communication that C is able to use. It's been great because I ask her to babysit (while I'm doing the dishes or taking a shower) and when I peak in on them I find her, more often than not, signing to MJ.

I think that teaching MJ to sign from the get go will accomplish more than just giving him 2 languages to be fluent in... It will also allow him to communicate earlier and, hopefully, will help elleviate some of the "Terrible Twos"!

GREAT question Cousin A!!! Thanks for asking that. I would not have thought about explaining this concept to others if you hadn't brought it up because it's simply an every day part of our world. ;)

Happy New Year, Tiger!!!!

Happy Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger) and Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I am sorry to report that we did not celebrate the New Year. I had hoped to take M, C and MJ to a celebration, but C ended up having a guest stay the weekend and I was unable to accomplish that plan.

We did attend our church today. I took my 3 kiddos and C's guest. C and her friend (who I'll call Miss A) are both deaf. Miss A's parents are also deaf, so Miss A was raised with ASL being her natural language. She is the same age as M and C (they're all 7 years old) but she can spell almost anything. In fact (and I'm sorry for making this comparisson), she can spell better than my sister! For example, she spelled enthusiastic and then proceeded to show me the sign!!! I was stunned, to say the least. Anyway, as I was saying... the 5 of us attended Mass and I ended up having to interpret 2/3rds of the Mass because Miss A preferred to do that than read the book. I was unsure I would be able to do it because I thought my ability was cruddy. Come to find out, my ability to sign is good... It's my ability to read what others are signing to me where my troubles lay. In addition, the other problem is that C is still at the beginning of her signing abilities. She signs super fast, and she is using real words, but she is putting things together that make no sense. It's as if she's talking like a baby who is learning how to talk. She's learning the words but needs to learn how to use the language correctly in order to communicate. So, it has been a big relief learning that she isn't surpassing me!!! Whew!!! ;)

In addition to all that has happened in the past weeks, we're adding packing and cleaning to our list of chores because we're preparing to move back with Matt. He's due home from Iraq in a few weeks, though we won't know exactly when he'll be back in the states until he calls us and says, "I'm back!" That's okay, though... As long as he comes home safely.

In the mean time, we're having to deal with a few fallouts from M and C due to the move. M has been fighting with a fellow school mate. I actually had an opportunity to chat with the other boy's mom on Thursday. She surprised me by saying that she doesn't care and that she's not correcting her child at home. So, ultimately, she is condoning and encouraging the boy's behavior. Well, I can't continue to punish M if he isn't going to have a way out. Needless to say, I told M to kick the boy's rear end if he won't be allowed to walk away. I also broached the subject with M's teacher so taht she would be aware that though M would understandably get into trouble at school and he knows that I will support this action but at home he will no longer get into trouble if he is fighting with this particular little dude and paraphrased the previous conversation. She was surprised and totally understood where I was coming from in my stance. She appreciated my honesty and the support I would give regarding the school's need to punish the participants of a fight but was supportive about my need to encourage M to defend himself.

As for C... She's been interesting, to say the least. She actually started crying on Thursday morning jsut as we were heading out the dorr to go to school. When I asked her what was wrong, now (because she is truly my daughter... She is super dramatic), she glared at me and M and said, "I'm so mad at you two!" Wow, wonder what we did wrong? So, when I asked her, she explained that she was severely angry at him and me because we were making her move to a new home and a new school and she couldn't take Miss A. She didn't want to go! Well, I was stunned that she would actually explain this to me and I didn't know whether to be irritated that she, as usual, was blaming M for yet something else or to be thrilled and proud that she would actually express herself! So, I chose a middle ground and told her that I was super proud of her telling me these things but that she didn't have a right to be angry at M since he had nothing to do with the move. If she wants to be angry at someone she needed to be angry at Mommy and Daddy. Well, that immediately cleared up her tears because there was no way she was going to be mad at Daddy. Mommy? Sure. M? Definitely. But Daddy? No Way!!! She's also been having some issues at school, too.

So, both kids are having some bahavior problems associated with the move. But they are really doing far better than I had anticipated. Even MJ is showing some signs of nerves, though he has no clue what is going on. I think his problem is more due to the fact that he doesn't have my parents around every day (that or he is responding to my stress level, in which case I'm in trouble because that would be two kids who feed off my energy).

On the positive side, M and C are both asking when Daddy will be home. The only problem with that is that they are asking me every few hours. I finally pulled out my calendar and marked the date that we are moving (as Matt should be home by that date). They have been crossing off the days since the 1st of February. We're all definitely ready!!!

January Update

I know it has been an extremely long time since I updated this blog and my readers, so my sincerest appologies. A lot has happened lately, some of which I can't share. Here is what I can share...

Earlier this month my parents took M, C, MJ and I to the USS Hornet. Dad had served on the Hornet during the Appollo Missions and was able to share some of his experiences. It was quite fun to hear his stories. Just Thursday M received an award called "Every Child Succeeding Award". He was one of only sixteen kids who were honored with this award this year out of the entire county. What an honor! Mom and I were able to attend the award's breakfast banquet along with M and his teacher. It was a very humbling and enlightening experience and I couldn't have been more proud of M. In addition to this great honor, M also took an Advanced Reader's test on Thursday (yesterday) after arriving back at school. He passed with 100% accuracy. What is so special? Well, he passed reading at a 2.1 grade level. He's in 1st grade and was struggling to read at a late-kinder/early-1st grader level... That's how much he has improved all around!!! What a trooper!!! C is doing great, too, although he bus driver forgot to pick her up yesterday... Yes, her bus driver forgot her (and she's this person's only student, so it makes me a little concerned). I had to pick her up, but she handled the extra hour at school like a trooper, too! She's improved drastically in math. I think my concern that I expressed last month sank in because her interpreters are giving her extra help (they're actually giving her the answers rather than allowing her to raise her hand and ask for the teacher's help). But now, she seems to be getting it. Now if we could only get her reading up to par... But what do you expect from a child who has to memorize every single word they see?!? She can do it, though... She's so smart!!! MJ is doing great, too... He's growing like a weed and is doing all the things babies should do! I'm so proud of all my kids. Hope you enjoyed the photos!!!