Farewell 2009

Sorry for lack of updates but an unforeseen stomach bug hit our home Christmas Day, first attacking me and then my husband (who is still suffering if you ask him, lol). I didn't even take many photos this year!!! So sad. But the kids have been great, having a blast with all their toys. Gage has been building, customizing, rebuilding, re-customizing his trucks (click on the photo in the right column of my blog to see all his creations)...

As you can see Brook got a pink guitar, some games, art sets and much more, Gage got games (video games and Battleship) and trucks he can work on and art sets as well...and Battleship is one game great for listening since you call out coordinates to sink ships, and Connect Four my kids have used during condition(ed) play during audiology for years, you hear a sound/tone and drop one in...

And as you can see Brook got some real baby toys for her dolls, I mean children when Mom and I took them to the thrift store (their choice) to spend their Christmas money.  Hope everyone has a great NEW YEAR...I'm busy promoting the CONCERT right now which I hope is a huge success and raises lots of $$ for the HEAR Center. Click here for that info. Happy 2010 Everyone!

I Love....

I love that your little hand is still plump enough to look like a child's but you're big enough to put polish on yourself (we can simply use a bottle of fingernail polish remover when you're finished to correct errors, yes a full bottle almost)...

I love that you can get so mad at me at times (especially when you're tired) but it breaks your heart to go to bed without hugging me, kissing me, and telling me at least 12 times how much you love me...

I love that you allow me to pick out only a small portion of your outfits, you MUST pick out the rest! (even if it appears you are going to Madonna tryouts after school)

 

I also love your sense of humor, when you aren't getting enough attention, you'll put on something silly like a fake mustache and come up to me and say "what? do I have something on my face?" just so you can make me smile.

I love that you try your best, no matter how many "no's" you get before you get a "yes", to sleep with me every single night, offering your dad the couch, the floor, and in desperate times you even offer your own bed for the old man to sleep in, just to have a chance to curl up next to me, so I can 'tickle scratch' your arm for all of about two minutes before you completely pass out...

I love that you still occasionally miss your R's (I never did work too hard at correcting those, loved the sound of it too much!)...

I love that you throw in new words (fabricated or real) into your vocab at any given, unexpected moment (just today you said "this is redijuous" instead of ridiculous)...

Just to see how far my precious baby has come (speech/language/otherwise) here's a couple of clips from back in the day and a recent one as well...

Brook's pledge (4 yrs old)

4 yrs old w/new baby kittens

and for the record, it was the umbilical cord

and look at her now

Happy Birthday Brook, six years old today!!!

I love you

Because....

Why would I take on a fundraiser, at Christmastime, when money is tight for almost everyone...because it's especially hard for non-profits right now...

Why would a band like Todd Simpson and Mojo Child, be willing to perform a concert and let an organization like The Children's HEAR Center gain from the proceeds...because they know that little deaf and hard of hearing kids are asking Santa for things like, cd's, ipods, drums, guitars, because they love music ...

How is it a deaf child can do this?

...because no one told her she couldn't!

and why does he like 'games' like this?

...because he loves a good challenge

If you are in AL and want to attend this charity concert to help deaf/hoh kids like mine, here's where you'll find all the information! click here They are accepting monetary donations as well and you'll find out where to send those from the link above.

Why will I be at the concert Jan 9, 2010?
...because
 by the time I spend two weeks at home w/these two kids, I'll be ready for a night out...with people over the age of 8.  *smile*

As always, thank you Children's HEAR Center for helping my deaf kids hear, thank you for giving them a voice to sing in the shower, thank you for giving them opportunities, and thank you for giving them independence. Also thank you Todd Simpson who has also overcome obstacles and learned to play instruments by ear, when his dyslexia confused print...and thank you to Wes for handing your child (Todd) that harmonica a few years ago, we are all looking forward to enjoying your music on Jan 9. And thank you Alabama Power who has always supported Children's Hospital and for gladly helping in funding for our event as well, families all around are grateful for your generosity. Finally, thank you Tom Williams Lexus who immediately agreed to help fund this event and for taking time to "talk shop" with a little 8 year old deaf child. Get your tickets now (go to Jan 9, 2010 to order), we expect them to go fast!

and we're home.....

What a week! My husband had to work over (almost unheard of during recession) so for a couple of days the kids didn't even see him. He was gone by the time they got up for school and not even home when bed time rolled around. But when he finally made it home at a decent hour, we let the kids open one gift (we are so weak, I know!)

I took Gage and Brook to a local ride-thru park full of Christmas lights. We even rolled down the windows and enjoyed the Christmas tunes blaring throughout the park.

Speaking of Christmas music, Brook's class had a fun time at her class party. I noticed Christmas music over a radio (which sounded nice) but also wondered if it had been playing yesterday as well...? B had a terrible day yesterday! She was irritable, disobeyed, and ended up in the principal's office x 2 !!! She and Gage just can't tolerate background music w/lots of other commotion for long periods of time. Either way, she still had a bad day whether that be it or Christmas excitement (most likely reason) or her oncoming cold....

She was very pleased w/her named stitched w/love her teacher made her.
She got lots of other fun stuff too...

...as did Gage. He had a blast and I just have to wonder....


...how many teachers will go home and have a nice drink  relaxing bath, since all kids were a little excited to be leaving for the holidays, not returning until the new year...and now we're home for the holidays...

...and on a syndrome related note, Gage has an appt. in March w/a team of docs who will begin to lay out his next phase (jaw alignment, jaw distraction, orthodontics, dental implants)....hopefully it won't be soon, he's enjoying his no surgery break!!!

Brook-week

she celebrated her b'day at school yesterday...her real b'day is on Dec 26...I showed up and had lunch w/her

she just had to take a minute and write Santa back today...

according to her, it says "I Been Good"

hmmmm, no comment

the Kindergartners got to go sing at a local nursing home this morning...

how great it is to hear my hearing impaired child singing w/her classmates!! She may not get every single word but these days she's getting most (like 80%) of all lyrics!

PJ Day

High fashion here 'round the Blakely home...PJ Day at school (aka movie day). My kids were not as excited about the movie as they were the whole social pj experience. Several grades at a time went into the gym to watch a movie, eat snacks, lie around on blankets, quietly socializing. Gage got more out the movie than Brook did, but still couldn't hear it too well but as all the kids, the enjoyed the socializing.

I'm not convinced they'd been too into the movie even w/perfect hearing, they love to talk......

...then they came home and called Aunt Jamie and cousin Chase and performed Happy Birthday

um...Mrs. Blakely....

First off, my computer time is shrinking in case you haven't noticed! This guy right here is to blame, lol. And too, I'm getting calls here and there to sub so I take any opportunity I can to be in those class rooms, I love it!! The teachers and kids are great! You won't find a whole lotta chaos in that school, they get to run a little wild and play at recess to burn off bottled up energy but this has always been a well run school, everyone pulls together and looks after ALL the kids...
But yesterday I had the chance to be in one of my own kids' rooms for half a day. Usually the kids immediately want to pour information (any kind of information) onto the subs when we are new to the class, they are just trying to help out and I understand that. Yesterday was no exception...
As I began to take roll, a little girl pointed near me and said, "um, there's Gage's thing" and I looked at a huge green folder full of papers and continued to take roll but gave her a quick nod so she knew I had heard her. After roll and announcements she said it again so I picked up this folder, thinking it was his folder or something but I realize it was full of classwork for the whole class, like future worksheets and such...I'm thinking why would that be Gage's so I continue w/class, still wondering what she was referring to....
One of Gage's buddies takes charge and walks up to me, points past the green folder to the FM mic...."um Mrs. Blakely, there's his mic, you're supposed to wear that!"     hahaha, Mama forgot, love those kids!!!!!
And as promised I tried to embarrass Gage (I jokingly threatened him all week) so I said to the kids, "First thing I'm gonna do is sing" and then Gage ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER KIDS, chanted..."sing, sing, sing" and I laughed, and I made let them all sing instead. The girls sang first (Rudolph) and then the boys (showoffs, lol) wanted to sing Sweet Home Alabama but couldn't remember the words so they chose the country tune, "Big Green Tractor" (Jason Aldean)...music had been cancelled this week due to that class(music) being so busy w/ the holiday programs so I felt like they got their music in for the day, anyway. It was fun, and they were great.

to the Res-Q

Got a call this morning shortly after taking the kids to school from Nurse A saying neither child had any tape for their processors and Brook needed some. She went to change her batteries (w/brother Gage supervising, lol) and realized she had no more tape at school. Mama came to the Res Q and brought more...for each kid. It's bad when you take an "ear" off and can't stick it back on....and even though she has average ears (unlike Gage) she HAS to tape, can't stand it w/out it!

I have a cold, so as my husband recommended, I go back to bed for a brief nap! Ahhh, something about an old black and white matinee that'll knock ya right out.

(she'll hate me one day for this)

I get to sub for Gage's class in the morning, he's so excited. I told him the first thing I'd do is sing that Jason Aldean song he despises lets me sing in the car...the one that makes him nervous when we approach his school each morning, the one that always makes him notice his surroundings and say things like "Mama I think one of my friends is in that car!!  He might see you!!"  I know how proud he is of my singing voice so that is first on my list, right after spelling! Let ya know how it goes...

Take a minute

Yes it snowed in AL today!!!

Can I just say...if you have the ability to listen to your child's mic's occasionally (it's recommended to listen daily w/younger ones) and/or do a babble check, and/or simply look at the settings, regardless of age, please do so. I realized over the last couple of days Gage saying "huh" alot. Given his age and great feedback abilities I assumed he needed a mapping but I decided to check (guilty! of not doing listening checks daily w/my 2!!) However he passed all Lings (oo, ah, mm, ee, sh, s) in the dark at 10 feet so I asked he wanted his volume upped a bit, "maybe just one" he says... so when I checked, his sensitivity was up 2 notches on one ear and 3 on the other from where it was defaulted, and his volume sounded better when I upped him 2 notches once I went back down on his sensitivity. He wasn't bad off but enough to cause issues, he says it's better being back down on sensitivity and up on volume so we're good. Oops, should've been checking that, but at his age, I'm gonna pass it on to him, he can have that responsibility now that he knows! We are too old for locking them now since they need to use the buttons but we must have bumped them somehow and got 'em out of whack. I will be doing random checks now!

Girl talk

I have to let the videos speak for themselves! But you'll notice speech babble, and Emma's speech has come a long way. You can see from the picures all Brook's babies got new hearing aids recently...this is the result of Brook wanting to borrow my camera.