Fall Photo Dump

Here are a few of my favorite pics so far this season. I'm sure there will be more!

Pinch me

“I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!”

 

 

When Sophie was diagnosed with hearing loss and we began to research cochlear implants, we were told that the best case scenario will be mainstreaming her by kindergarten or shortly after. At that time, we set that as our goal and were pretty happy with the fact that she may be able to go to a regular school like a typical hearing child. We figured it would be a tough five years, but with hard work and the right resources, we could definitely make it happen.

 

I can say now, only two and a half years in, that Sophie is excelling beyond what we ever could have imagined and will definitely exceed this goal. About a month ago, we were approached by the director of Sophie's daycare/preschool because she really wasn't sure what to do with Sophie anymore. Sophie was in a class with other two-year-olds, but her language and social abilities were so far beyond the others. The director wanted to move her up with the three-year-olds and after some thought, we agreed to do so. I was a little hesitant because she wasn't yet two and a half and there can be a big development gap in that age range, but I knew she was ready. So, she has been with the "big kids" for a few weeks now and is doing great. Have I mentioned yet that this is a mainstream school?! Sophie is the only deaf child there and the director continues to tell us she is one of the best talkers among the three-year-olds.

 

Some days, I can hardly believe she is doing this well and I feel like we are living in a dream. Just a short time ago, we were so uncertain and worried about what her future would bring and now she is thriving in a mainstream setting with children who are older than her. Sophie still goes to her deaf school part-time and is excelling there as well. At this point, my uncertainty about the future has diminished and pride has taken over in it's place. I know that she will encounter many other hurdles in life, but I also know that she is a very special and talented child who will continue to excel and surprise us along the way.

Who's your sunshine?!

I just have a quick video to share. This made me laugh earlier:

She sure loves her babies!

I have been really behind on blogging the past few months, but I have a couple of weeks off work and hope to get caught up!

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice fall weather. :)

Walk4Hearing

This past weekend we participated in the Walk4Hearing in St. Louis and it was so much fun! It was the first year that we took part in this event and I'm so happy we did. Sophie didn't quite grasp the purpose of the walk, but she was super excited and spent the entire morning running around the house screaming,  "Walk for hearing, walk for hearing!"

Despite the chilly weather, we had a great turnout and helped raise over $30,000 for the HLAA. I was really touched by the number of our friends and family members that joined us for the walk and donated to the cause. I tried to get a good group shot of Sophie's entourage, but of course I ended up missing a few people.

We plan on participating in this event every year and I hope it becomes something that Sophie is passionate about and looks forward to.

A big thank you goes out to everyone that supported us last weekend - we appreciate it!