A smart little diva

Sophie now officially loves to sing. She makes up babbling songs of her own, throwing in real words, people, and phrases every now and then. Along with this new talent comes an aversion to me singing to her. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that she is approaching two in a couple of months and everything is becoming difficult, but she absolutely hates when I sing. Miss independent, I guess. ;) It can be quite comical:

I don't mind the fussing one bit. I love that she hears my voice, even though she despises it at times. I love that she can carry a tune and is memorizing lyrics to songs. Oh - and the part that she sang at the end - it was seven words in a row. I love that, too! ;)

One for my husband

When we discovered that Sophie is deaf, we were crushed. It was a very rough time for us, but we made it through and I like to think that we have prevailed. Those early days were very hard on my husband, maybe even harder than on me. He could not talk about it, as if saying the words out loud would make it real. With tears in his eyes, I remember him saying to me over and over again that he just wanted to hear her sweet little voice one day say, "I love you , Daddy." My heart ached for him, as this is something most dads just expect to naturally happen as time goes on. And there he was, scared that this simple wish may never come true.

Even as we researched CIs, made it through surgery, activation, and Sophie began to speak her first words, Jared continued to dream about that day he would hear those words. Our days were spent focusing on language opportunities, tracking receptive and expressive vocabulary, and just generally doing everything in our power to help Sophie progress. Even during the exciting times where Sophie was saying several new words each day, I knew exactly what Jared was patiently waiting for Sophie to say. Unlike phrases such as "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Birthday", what he was waiting to hear was never rehearsed or practiced, as he wanted her to say it naturally, on her own terms.

And now that time has come (or probably came a month or so ago, as I have been behind on my blogging!). It is the first thing we hear in the morning and the last thing we hear at night. Sophie regularly tears through the house, stopping to grab one of our legs and give it a quick kiss while saying, "Hi, Mommy/Daddy! I WUV you, Mommy/Daddy!" And I'm not sure which brings me more joy - hearing those words said to me or seeing Jared's face light up as she says it to him. Either way, I believe those four words will always be the sweetest thing that we ever hear our deaf daughter speak. :)

Happy Birthday, EARS!

Yesterday was a very special day for us - it was Sophie's first hearing birthday. We celebrated all day long and ended with a PARTY! We are so thankful for everyone in our lives that has accompanied us in this journey and it was so great to celebrate one year of hearing and all of Sophie's successes with those closest to us. At one point last night, as I glanced around my house full of people, dodged the kids whizzing by me, and listened to the adults chattering away, I was overwhelmed by the immeasurable amount of love and support that I felt encompassing us. And I just thought to myself, "Wow... aren't we lucky...?"

"Happy Birthday to my ears!"



"Yummy! For me?!"



Cousins! (this is the best one - quite difficult to capture a good shot!)

Jared and I also put together a video to document Sophie's journey thus far and we cannot wait to share it with her as she grows older. Of course, yesterday she just pointed and whispered, "Baby Soapie? idd-eo?" :) It's quite long, but I think it's worth it:

It is sometimes hard to describe all of the thoughts and emotions I've encountered during this past year, but one thing is for sure - I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be Sophie's mother. She continues to teach me and help me grow every single day and I'm so grateful to have her in my life - I can't wait for what this next year of hearing will bring!

A time to CELEBRATE!

Tomorrow is Sophie's first hearing birthday - the anniversary of the day her CIs were activated and she heard sound for the first time. I can't believe an entire year has already passed and it is time to celebrate the day that has had such a great impact on Sophie's life. Preparing for this day a year ago, I felt excited... nervous... emotional... and even uncertain. However, I was also hopeful that we were at the starting line of something extraordinary. And now I can say with great certainty that we were! This has been an EXTRAORDINARY year (of hearing!) and I cannot wait to celebrate all day with Sophie tomorrow. I took the day off to play and then we are having a small celebration with our families! :)

Finally!

One of the moments I have been waiting for:

I just hope she is able to put them back on in the car as well! :)