Picnic of Hope...

Sydney's teachers are so wonderful in her early intervention program. They are all so compassionate and passionate about helping deaf and hoh children. One of her teacher's comes to my families house once a month and teaches us sign language and is so patient with our families sarcastic antics.

Another of her teachers just started a meet-up group for all of the local counties deaf and hoh kids. This really means a lot for our family, and others out there that can assimilate with us. We had our first potluck picnic at the park across the street from our house on Saturday. It was rather chilly but when the sun peaked through the clouds it briefly warmed us up. There were about five families that showed up. Everyone was so nice and I was so thrilled to see all the cute kids with their hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Ever since Sydney was diagnosed with a hearing loss I had been in search of people I could relate to that were experiencing the same journey that we are. I managed to find some on-line in forums like Help Kids Hear that made me feel not so alone. Nothing could match actually seeing people face to face and seeing how well their kids are thriving. Hearing all of their experiences gave me the hope that I needed to know that Sydney will be just fine. You would be as amazed as I was to see how cute and wonderful these kids were. They were all so well spoken, I would've never known they were hoh or deaf. I could see some of them signing to their parents from across the park. These parents once were where I am now, and to get the reassurance and see the proof that everything will be OK is all I need for now.

On a different note, please keep Sydney in your thought and prayers that her test for Usher Syndrome comes back negative. We will have to wait a long dreadful two months for the test results. The geneticist was pretty hopeful that this isn't the case, but nonetheless all of these tests are scary until they pass.

My Little Ladybug

Syd's first Halloween came and went and she didn't know any different. I had fun dressing her up in her little ladybug costume. She had fun trick-or-treating with her big cousins, Emma the good witch, Olivia the white fairy, Nicholas the turtle (and birthday boy). She lasted about 10 houses, then she was done.

She got to wear her costume on her first field trip to the pumpkin patch with her early intervention class. She liked listening to Jimbo playing the banjo in the barn. She also enjoyed watching all the farm animals, especially the chickens. The bumpy tractor ride rocked her right to sleep, so she missed out on picking out her first pumpkin.

I guess the first year is a little selfish fullfillment, she could've stayed at home for both activities for all she cared. But I have cute pictures and happy memories to share with her when she gets older, and that makes it worthwhile.