Music Time

 Miss Kat has been using her CIs to enjoy the world around her. She is so into music and has had the opportunity to do some really awesome things in the last few months.

First, she went with a friend to see Imagine Dragons

Then we went as a family to see the musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Over Fall Break, she and I traveled to Las Vegas to a music festival where we had the chance to hear a few dozen awesome artists. It was a fun mother/daughter adventure.

And then last night we watched "Jekyll and Hyde" the musical as well.

I know that her love of music and plays is in no small part due to the blessing of her cochlear implants. Several of her Christmas presents this year are going to be experiences such as these. It is so awesome to have the opportunity to enjoy singing, plays, and yes, even rock concerts, with my deaf child.

The Irony

 In what can only be considered a full circle moment, I would like to announce that our family is headed back to Utah (the place we fled to find appropriate listening and spoken language services for Miss Kat so many years ago)

AND

in January I will start as a remote employee of The John Tracy Clinic!!

We believe that JTC was a linchpin in our journey to get Miss Kat talking. They were also the first place that worked to educate ME as her parent. It was where I began my journey to understand listening and spoken language, and the very first step toward my career as a Teacher of the Deaf.

I will be providing AVT, parent coaching, and parent education.

We could not be happier.

14 years and counting

14 years ago today Miss Kat was in surgeryfor her first cochlear implant. We had no idea how it would change all of our lives. We thought that the CI was a chance for her to regain the ability to turn when we called her name (for convenience of signing and for safety) but instead it opened doors we never could have imagined. So how did it change things? The best explanation is through an average day in our household. So what did we do yesterday? 

1. Miss Kat woke up and did her homework. (She is attending BYUI with minimal accommodations. She has an FM for her professors and gets captions on any videos.) 

2. Miss Kat had to work in the afternoon. She is a cashier at a local store she loves. (She interacts easily with the public. She even had a child with hearing loss come up to her and point out that they both have hearing devices...something we did with teens and adults when she was young. Now she is the example!)

3. Miss Kat had Institute. It is like a Bible study for young adults. (She attends church with the other "young single adults" in the area. Sometimes she brings her FM for services and when they watch movies she asks for captions.) 

4. When Miss Kat got home, we finished listening to a podcast we had started the night before. 

She has been through three sets of processors, each improving her hearing and giving her more freedom. She can now hear when she swims and Bluetooth her phone (and music) directly to her ears. She talks, she sings (badly!), she loves music, true crime, and everything psychology related. I don't know where we could be without her CIs but I know for sure it wouldn't be here.

One Down....More to Go (maybe 7, 9, who knows!)

Miss Kat just finished her last final for her first semester at university! She got strong grades and we are super proud of her. She learned a lot about being an adult and about how to be successful in college. She is heading home for a visit and can't wait to see her.

Time to Reconnect

Some thoughts while visiting Miss Kat at her dorm on my Spring Break. 1. Teen girls can be just as messy as boys. 2. True love is listening to the playlist your child creates without complaint. 3. Kids are still physically growing at 18. I'm pretty sure she has gotten taller in the last three months. 4. Sitting in the hot tub is a great way to bond (Thank goodness for those waterproof devices! This would have been impossible in the past!)

Bye Bye Miss Kat

 

Miss Kat is headed to the dorms!!! While she has been enrolled with BYU-I for Pathways and now this fall semester online, she has made the decision to enroll full-time as a campus student. As of January 3, Miss Kat will be on her own!

She is taking her Roger Select with her and has asked for real-time captioning in her classes. She will have a doorbell with a light (so she doesn't get surprised by maintenance if her implants are off) but other than that she is headed to the dorms just like any other girl her age.

CONGRATS GIRL, YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY!!

Meeting Friends for a Wedding

 Miss Kat returned from Africa with amazing stories and great friends. The leader she had spent the three weeks with was getting married this weekend and all the girls wanted to attend. They set up a travel plan and are road tripping out to the wedding outside of Phoenix right now!

15 years ago we had no idea where her life was headed. 13 years ago we took a chance on a cochlear implant. That decision changed everything. She hears and speaks. She laughs and chats with friends. She sings songs while joyriding with her girls.