Trick or treat?!

This little kitty is READY for Halloween tomorrow!

We have a day/night full of festivities planned and I'm excited to have the day off to spend with Sophie. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Experiencing new territory

I'd have to say one of the most exciting parts of this journey is that everything is constantly changing. Like any other parent, of course I love to witness Sophie learn new things and watch the wheels turning in her head. However, I feel like the milestones that we encounter are much more celebrated because it is so much harder for Sophie. She is a such a special girl and I will never take anything she accomplishes for granted.


We began this journey by reveling in the fact that she continued to coo and babble during her hearing aid days, even though she was hearing little to no sound at all.  After her CI activation, our days were filled with "A-HA" moments as she began to learn what words meant at lightning speed. Then we began to anticipate her first words and were overjoyed when she finally spoke them and never looked back. We are entering a new stage now as she continues to string together words at an amazing pace. Counting her new words is almost a thing of the past, as I'm struggling to keep up with her sentences!

When we were away last week, Sophie stayed with my mom and I was blown away by all of the new phrases and sentences she came home with. She just tears through the house, spontaneously putting together new sentences. Jared and I are constantly glancing at each other and wondering, "Did she just say that? Really?!" Some of my new favorites are "Be right back!" and "I'm stuck!". Most days it is hard to believe that this little tot is only 18 months old, not to mention has a profound hearing loss. ;) In the video below, Sophie tells me that she is opening/shutting the door (a new obsession) and that it is dark outside.

Such a funny little girl, isn't she?

P.S. GO CARDS!!!!!!!!

Back to reality...

What a week! The hubby and I just returned from a trip to Mexico where we relaxed on the beach, enjoyed amazing food, and met new friends. It was hard being away from Sophie, but so nice to spend uninterrupted time together. I also LOVED not setting an alarm clock for an entire week! I can't even remember a time when I felt this well-rested. ;)

Yum!

Yikes!

Soaking up some sun :)

Simply beautiful

We planned this trip for our fifth wedding anniversary, which was earlier this month. It's hard to believe it's already been that long, as time rolls along so quickly now. And I'm still happy to say that I married my best friend. We've been through some relatively tough times for a young couple and I am incredibly grateful to have Jared by my side. Our life is crazy, but I'm certain that there is no one I'd rather spend it with.

"Even if things get HEAVY we'll all FLOAT ON"

Read a book!

Just a silly video to share! The latest phrase heard throughout the house is "read a book". All. the. time...

In case you can't tell, we're still working on "cockadoodle-doo" ;)

I apologize for just videos lately. I have many things racing through my head that I hope to blog about sometime soon, but I can't seem to find time to formulate my thoughts into words that make sense. I guess that's life with a toddler, right?! Life is busy and work is crazy, but there is a VACATION in my future!!! The hubby and I have a tropical getaway planned and we leave this weekend. Just a few more days and I will be sitting on a sunny beach with a drink in my hand. :)

Can't wait. Will sure miss this little princess, though:

Have we already made it this far?

I came across one of Sophie's old vocab books the other night and thought it would be interesting to go through it with her to see what words she could say. We haven't touched this book in several months, so I was pretty proud of her:

It was quite the rewarding moment to see Sophie express these words with ease, as it seems like it was very recently that we were working so hard to understand them. I remember the feelings of anxiety and apprehension waiting for her to speak her first words. And then her language just took off - almost overnight. Now she is learning to speak several new words a day and this slacker mom can hardly keep her list up anymore (we have definitely reached triple digits, though). 

Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. 

This is something I must tell myself routinely and patience is definitely an essential part of this journey. So, for all the moms out there who are waiting for something, who are patiently anticipating first words or any other "A-HA" moment - it will happen. Keep up the hard work in the meantime. :)

Night-night!

This little girl was quite exhausted after her first full week of school:

Sophie has always been a great sleeper, but I've never seen her beg so hard to go to bed (this was at 7:15). Such a sweetie. ;) Now, time for a glass of wine!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

It's official...

My baby is growing up. As of today, I am no longer Momma, I am now Mommy. Before I know it, I'm going to be just plain Mom. How does this time go by so fast???

Here is Sophie, calling me by my new title:

The funniest part of this video is the way she unwillingly repeats, "love you" in a weird voice at the end. I bet if she could roll her eyes, she would have. At least Mommy sounds pretty sweet, right?

I also shot another funny video of Sophie at dinner. Since her vocabulary is growing, we have started working on simple sentences with her. She will attempt (and pronounce pretty well, age considering) simple phrases such as "Shut the door", "Up, please," or "I want _____", but she had quite a problem tonight trying to say "I want cheese":

She was trying so hard! My silly girl definitely gets an "A" for effort. :)

P.S. - Sophie is absolutely LOVING school and I will try to post more details when I get more time.