School's Out for Summer

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Originally uploaded by Tiff1723

Want to say an extra-special thanks to Mrs. Sims, Riley's kindergarten teacher this year. She did a fantastic job making sure Riley had what she needed to learn this year. Mrs. Sims learned how to work the implants, how to use a soundfield system and how to communicate so Riley could get the most out of class time. I hope her first-grade teacher is as kind and willing to learn.

Thanks, Mrs. Sims! We'll miss you.

Listen up

May is Better Hearing & Speech Month, so I took this opportunity to write a column about our family's journey from deafness to hearing. It was published today in The Huntsville Times.

From world of silence to high-tech hearing


My co-worker also wrote a fantastic story on a local family that has three children with cochlear implants: Their deafness doesn't define them.

Dance to the Music

Riley wanted a new CD to listen to in the truck so we made one Friday night. Here's the playlist:

My Girl--The Temptations

Jesus Loves The Little Children--Veggie Tales

We're Dancing With Wags The Dog--The Wiggles

Over the Rainbow--Jason Castro

He's Got The Whole World--Veggie Tales

Things That I Like--Ralph Covert

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes--The Wiggles

You Got It (The Right Stuff)--New Kids On The Block

You Are My Sunshine--Baby Genius

Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep On His Pirate Ship--The Wiggles

Mr. Tambourine Man--Jason Castro

She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain--Baby Genius

Trouble--Elvis Presley

This Little Light Of Mine--Veggie Tales

A Place In This World--Taylor Swift

Drivin In My Car--Ralph Covert

It's Not Over--Daughtry

Freddy Bear The Teddy Bear--Ralph Covert

In And Out Of Love--Bon Jovi

Clean Up--Ralph Covert

I Climb Ten Stairs--The Wiggles

Once In a Lifetime--Keith Urban

All Through The Night--Tina Malia

Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga--The Wiggles

Riding With No Hands--Ralph Covert

Travelin' Thru--Jason Castro

As we were making the list, I played snippets of all the songs and she approved each one. It's a riot to hear her sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and "In and Out of Love," her two current favorites. We will probably be making new playlists and CDs all summer. I hope to introduce her to more of my favorites, too – there's only so much of The Wiggles a mama can take. :-)

Rock on!

Better Hearing & Speech Month

From Raise Your Hand:

Hearing loss doesn't just affect individuals, it has a serious impact on personal relationships. Better Hearing and Speech Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of hearing loss and the treatment options available.

Read about some cochlear implant users' and parents' favorite sounds here.

My favorite sound is Riley's voice. It's been a long road from her hearing loss diagnosis five years ago to her bilateral cochlear implants, but every time I hear her voice, I know the journey is worth it.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there! Hope it was fantastic. Mine was. I woke up to the sound of Riley: "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! Open it!"
She made me two beautiful cards and a little flowerpot with pink artificial roses. The smaller card was the most perfect and sweet card ever. Some highlights:

My mother is prettiest when she PLAYS.
My favorite thing about my mother is LIPSTICK.
I know my mother loves me because she GOES TO THE GROCERY STORE.
I thank my mother for HEARTS.

All the words in caps were written in pictures, which she then explained to me. I absolutely loved it.

Since I bought myself two pairs of sunglasses and an iTunes card Friday, I told Ryan not to get me anything. He did anyway: a Hershey's bar and a card that Riley picked out. :-)

It's a tie

Riley's softball team got its first non-loss tonight! The Pink Panthers came from behind to tie the game 22-22 in their final at-bat. Riley was up with the tying run on and two outs, and she got a hit to keep the rally going. The next batter brought in the tying run. Riley also played good defense at 2nd base and right center.

I've never been so excited about a tie game. Go, No. 17!

Play ball

The Pink Panthers are still winless, but that doesn't mean the season hasn't been a success so far. She's learning the rules and how to play, she's making new friends and she's taking more responsibility for her hearing and her implants. I call that a win-win-win. Go, #17!