We do the best we can...

So it's been a tough week, not for Evan, but for Rich & I. We lost a long time friend and classmate at the hand of her husband. Terese was a strong, smart, and beautiful woman. She was motivated by the love for her young son to protect him and this cost her life. She will be remembered for many things, but to me she was a dear friend. I hope that someday this tragic event will help someone somewhere...I know Levi, her son, is safe as is his momma. She is safe in the arms of Jesus and he in the love of family. Her memories will live on through him.

We do the best we can as parents and I pray my children will be as wonderful of a person as she was. I have included a short video from a local news station, please disable to music to the rt. before watching! More news on Evan's progress is coming! We had a great mapping session yesterday and i will post later with details!

Not so quiet anymore!

The weather had been beautiful for the last few days so the kids and I have been trying to spend a lot of time enjoying it! We love to go for walks and I think Evan is enjoying all of the sounds that go along with these walks now too. We watched an old building in our community, Memorial Building, being torn down and the trucks make a lot of great sounds. He was mesmorized by them. It so great to actually see his little eyes in amazement to new sounds!

So super mom thought it would be a good idea to swing through the library as we went by to check out some new books too. We are working on the mmm sounds and the ahhh sounds this week so we went hunting for some books to help. Well my quiet little boy isn't so quiet anymore. The librarians thought it was so great to hear him babbling, but seriously why right now! Earlier in the day working with his TOD he was seriously SILENT for most of the hour and now he won't shhhh! So we found our books, checked out, and went on our way! It's great to hear all sounds and truely a blessing, but there are times that I wonder really why right this second do you decide to talk! So when we are focusing on making sound at supper time, I really hope to hear him say, mmmmm, because I know he can!

Silence to Sound!

Evan has been in two local papers and the local News this past week. Here are the links to each.

Be sure to disable the music on the ipod on the right hand side of the blog before watching the video!

Globe Gazzette article, also in the Britt paper too! Coming of age, Hearing age!

KIMT video click play in the rt. corner on the screen to watch the Silence to Sound and article!

Evan's continued progress has been very encouraging! He likes to make his trucks say BRRRRR...it comes out more as a hummmmm, but it counts! Today working with his Teacher for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Shandra, he made some VERY GOOD SOUNDS! One activities they did together today...she had a box full of film canisters, each one had something different in it, making a different sound when you shake it. After a couple of ques from Shandra he would shake them and make the "shake, shake, shake," sound. When he vocalizes shake, shake, shake he does stop and pause in between each vocalization! This means he is hearing each word and that is GREAT! One of the canisters had a tiny bus in it, he really liked this! Shandra had it make a Bbbbrrrrrrr sound and then a beep, beep! He mimicked it! Yes he did! He made a mmmmmmmmm, and then a mm, mm, this is really very good! One more thing they did today...he despised his socks this morning for some reason and constantly took them off. She made it into a listening game, of course she did, she is so great! She pulled, and tugged and made a moaning or tugging sound whatever you want to call it and guess what! Evan made the sound trying to take them off too! I know some of you know how encouraging this really is and for those of you who done....IT'S AWESOME! Now you know! This is just today, we see exciting things EVERY DAY! I can't tell you how exciting it is to watch my Deaf baby hear sounds and actually verbalize in resposnse to them! CI's are so amazing!

Losses & Gains...

Grandma Sandy meeting Evan for the first time!

We had an unexpected loss in our family in the very recent past. The loss of my mother-in-law was quite a shock and will continue to be for some time to come. Again and again I am reminded what a great support group of family and friends that we are blessed with and I was reminded throughout the week leading up to her funeral and in the days following.

Evan was lucky to have had many days playing with her and his sisters this summer. Grandma Sandy's passion was her grandchildren and I will continue to share this with them as they grow.
It has been difficult explaining to the girls exactly what death and heaven are all about. Seriously it's hard for adults to wrap their minds around, but the words of the little ones sometimes melts my heart. Alayna has reminded me that she will see Grandma again someday and it brings tears to my eyes even now. She is so right...there are gains to be found in the losses we have. We have gained a new guardian angel and she lives in our hearts. That is one thing we have talked about a lot with the girls. Even though we can't see her in heaven she is always with us in our hearts. I find comfort in my belief of heaven...I can only imagine what it's like. So we will remember the good times and the bad. The losses and the gains and support her memory in the minds of our children....they were her passion and continue to be....