Cochlear Contest

Are you on Facebook?  If you haven't already seen it, I have a treat for you there.  Search for "Cochlear" on Facebook.  Once you get the Cochlear TM facebook page, click on the box below the banner that says "Celebration 2013 Video Contest."  You will see a few thumbnails for videos.  You should recognize Boo's video ... there is a picture of us nose to nose.  Will you do us a favor and vote today, tomorrow and Thursday for that video?

This is the thumbnail picture

If we win, we get a free plane ticket to San Diego and hotel stay at the Cochlear conference, where we get to learn more about Boo's implants.  I think we may have a chance.  It would be great if you voted!  Especially any of you out there that have been "lurkers" on this blog.  You can remain anonymous, because I can only see the votes of those who are friends with me on FB.

Thanks so much!!!

Evelyn and Boo


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Alas, we did not win the contest, but I am happy we created the video.  It was worth it.  A teenaged girl with implants won.  I think she will get a lot out of the conference.  She deserves it.  Thanks for your support!

Wordless Wednesday - Scrumptious

Wordless Wednesday - Trash Day

My Heart Hurts

This is a picture of my boys this morning.  My boys.  Both on their way to the same school this year.  Both.  My feelings for each one could not be more different. Scootle is an "elder" in his primary class, his last year of the three year Montessori cycle (this year, he is in the equivalent of Kindergarten).  He is a school pro at this point.  This is his third year with the same teacher, in the same classroom.  Dropping him off at school made me happy today.  There were no tears or even a glance back from him.  I am happy because he is in his element.  He gets special privileges this year for being an elder and he was excited.  He is still there right now, as I write this.

Boo-boo is an entirely different ball-game.  This is his first year at this school.  Last year, he only went for two mornings a week to a pre-school.  It felt like a little safe nest, with kids his own age,  three teachers that adored him and lots of toys to play with.  Now he joins Scootle at a wonderful public Montessori school just a few minutes drive from home.  We visited his classroom at the end of the school year last year and again last week.  We spent a lot of time getting him used to the new environment.  He loved it.

But this morning, on his first day, there were other kids there.  Big kids (the class is for 3-5 year olds).  Boo was the youngest there - even the other 3's were months older than him.  I had no idea how that would affect me.  It was really hard to be putting my little guy out there in a big school, looking so small.  His teachers haven't learned his ways yet.  His signals are not yet known.  I felt so completely protective of him!  It was a tough morning.  There was one child there crying loudly and uncontrollably the entire time, two others crying softly.  The loud crying put everyone on edge.  Boo's teacher is out on maternity leave for a few more weeks, and the sub seemed overwhelmed.    There were too many people, too much noise, too many big kids, too much talking and crying.  The parents of the three year olds were required to be there for an hour with their kids (weird district policy), even though the threes won't start school until after Labor Day (which I am very thankful for). 

I know this is good place for Boo.  I have been in and out of the school for two years now.  His head teacher is kind and gentle.  The co-teacher is also wonderful.  And she is chocolate, as Boo points out, copying Scootle's observation.  I feel like we made a good decision.  But I was not prepared to come home and fall completely apart.  I sobbed as I talked to Bill at lunch.  Totally unexpected. 

When Scootle went to school at three, it was such a different experience.  He had been home from Ethiopia a few months, but I think he missed being around kids.  Going to school and being around other kids seemed to ground him.  He loves a challenge and has really taken well to Montessori.

Boo, on the other hand, has been pretty glued to me since he came home.  Because of his birthday, he is 7 months younger than Scootle was when he started at this school.  His speech is somewhat delayed, so it is hard to explain to him why Scootle stayed at school longer, why we left after one hour and that he won't go back for another couple of weeks.

Part of me doesn't want him to go back ever.  I have nothing but good feelings about sending my five year old to school today.  I feel guilty for sending my three year old (in the very near future).   I feel guilty for not keeping him home until he is older. Yet Boo never once cried at pre-school last year.  He thrived.   I know that I have been wanting more ME time for a long time now.  I do have a part time job, as well as a spiritual life and a body that desperately need tending.  I will be a better mother for having 3.5 hours to myself five mornings a week.  I know I will.  I also have a suspicion that Boo will continue to thrive at this big-kid school.  I may even have the audacity to complain that I only have 3.5 hours to myself a day.  But right now, my heart just hurts.  A lot.  I could not be prouder of my brave and strong five year old.  But my three year old growing up breaks my heart.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - Hot Stuff

I Think I Can Do Three

Boo-boo turned THREE yesterday.  Another family milestone.  He has been with us twice as long as he was in Ethiopia.  Even though I have two boys of different ages, I am only now getting to repeat an age - another reminder of the uniqueness (you can substitute challenge) of adoptive families.  Scootle was three when we brought him home.  Up until now, every age we experienced was brand new - 8 mo, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  Now, we are back at three!  I have already survived one three year old.  I think I can do this.  The realization brought me such relief!  Parents of single biological children experience every age brand-new, but with adoption, there are so many other issues, issues that have been very present in our boys, that just feeling capable of handling the developmental needs of a three year old does wonders for my esteem as a parent.
My little guy is three.  Just today I've heard these two contradicting phrases a lot: "I do it by myself," and "mommy hold you" (meaning 'mommy hold ME').  It is a cute and mind-boggling stage.   Boo's turning three has really helped us have a lot more compassion for Scootle.  When HE was three, we expected a lot more out of him.  We didn't know that three year olds were still babies in so many ways.  We are also floored when we think of all the time Scootle had in Ethiopia before coming into our family.  He was a month older than Boo is now!  My respect and admiration for Scootle has grown in these last few months.  I am trying to give him more of the mothering that I was not able/aware enough to give him when he first came to us.  I made a lot of mistakes.  But I've turned a corner from feeling guilty about it and am trying to do my best now.  The guilt was not helpful at all. 

Our family life has been sweet lately.  We went on a camping trip for spring break.  Being together, just the 4 of us, 24/7, away from home and all distractions was so good.  Our bonds were deepened.  It was not an easy week, but we were able to have fun experiences to balance out all of the coaching we found ourselves doing.  So far, being home has been easier than before.  The time and effort is paying off. 

Three.  Big sigh.  Big inward smile.  I can do this.

Wordless Wednesday

Friday Flick - The Boy With a Motor

Please excuse laundry and mommy mess.  Can't say it's unusual, unfortunately!

Wordless Wednesday - Squishy Face

The Smarty Pants Conundrum

It is not that I expected my children to be unintelligent.  I just didn't expect that they would be so incredibly bright.  Two years into our little family and Bill and I are finding ourselves a bit overwhelmed with what to do with our little smarty pants boys.  I know, big waah, right?  This is a good problem, I know.  Nevertheless, it still needs attention. 

First, there is Scootle-doot.  He is in a Montessori pre-school (public - a miracle in our state) where 3-5/6 year olds are grouped together in a primary classroom (a 3 year cycle).  He went in as a barely-speaking-English 3 year old two years ago.   In two years, he has mastered 3 years worth of work and we are having to decide whether he should skip Kindergarten.  Doesn't that sound kind of ridiculous?  Who skips Kindergarten?  This is such a conundrum for us for several reasons:

• Scootle-doot is 5, but his real age may be 6.  His maturity level is more of a 5 year old.
• All of his buddies are moving up to the Lower Elementary classroom next year.
• We were going to evaluate schools and apply to other magnet schools when he finished Kindergarten.  If we skip him, we are too late to apply to any other school and are not 100% sure that his current school is the best for Elementary grades.   There is a greater likelihood of getting into other schools as a first grader than there will be as a second grader.

I want to do right by my boy.  I don't want him to be bored at school.  I want him to continue to love learning at his own pace.  Our inclination is to keep him where he is and let him finish the primary cycle, but he will be the big kid in the classroom, the one the teacher will have to do special lessons for, the one who gets left behind in terms of his friends.  Our other option is to skip him, putting him in a classroom with 1st-3rd graders, giving him plenty of challenges, but limiting his chances to get into a really good school for the next school year.  A conundrum.

Then there is Boo-boo.  He has gotten into this same Montessori school, where he will start going every morning next year.  We are thrilled.  However, we fully expected that he would have speech therapy or some sort of hearing services to help him along.   He is deaf, after all.   He is "graduating" from an early intervention program in our state at age 3 (he turns 3 in two months).  This program provided his physical therapy when he needed it,  and it has provided weekly speech therapy as well as at-home therapy for his speech twice a month.  All of that will be gone when he turns 3 and gets transferred over to the school system. 

Today, we began the testing with the school system to see what he qualified for.  It looks like he might qualify for ... NOTHING!  He is too smart.  He tested at 41 months for his speech when he is only 34 months.  This is GREAT, of course.  My child who has only been hearing for 1.5 years has caught up and gotten ahead.  Great news.  BUT, I am afraid of stepping into a world where he gets no therapy.  He is doing great, but I don't want him to fall behind.  I should have coached him to say nothing in the testing today.  Oh, well!  A conundrum.   It is a conundrum because I know Boo has not yet reached his fullest potential.  If you put him side by side with a kid his age from parents with our educational background, he is clearly behind.  But compared with the average, he is ahead.  State services don't care about the fullest potential of a child, they are concerned with good enough.

I hope this post does not come off as "look how smart my kid is!"  Trust me, we have our challenges with behavior, attachment and sibling rivalry out the wazoo.  And now the welcomed conundrum, which is still a conundrum - what to do with our smarty pant boys!

Anybody have experience with any of this and/or advice?  

Friday Flick - Jumping Bean

I finally found a way for my jumping bean to jump without losing his "ears."  Oh, what fun!  (Sorry for the terrible video from my phone - again!)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - Yummy Times Two

There Was A Little Boy ...

Who had a little curl,
right in the middle of his forehead.
And when he was good, 
he was very very good.
And when he was bad, 
he was horrid.


- Mother Goose

This is our two year old Boo-boo, described to a "T." 

Wordless Wednesday - OM

Hair (Primeira Parte)

Things were going ok with Boo-boo's haircare routine until last week.  I was trying to detangle his hair.  He was in the bathtub, his hair was covered in conditioner and I was using a wide tooth comb as gently as I could.  MELTDOWN.  I had to forget about it for that day.

The next day, we did it completely different.  I got him out of the tub, into PJ's, sat him in front of Elmo on my lap, drenched his hair with detangler and worked SLOWLY over his beautiful head of tiny little curls.  It was a much better experience, but I knew it was time.  There were just too many tangles.  I knew I had to take his hair care to another level.  So, I did a bit of research at Happy Girl Hair.  I have ordered the following products that I cannot wait to try!

Africa Sleeps - CANNOT wait to try them.  The back of his hair gets matted so easily when he sleeps.  I hope this will help.  Wish me luck keeping them on his head!

This actually has already arrived - the smell of rose is too strong for my taste, but it really worked well on my hair.  Will try on Boo today.

 

Last night, Bill read Boo this book:

When he got to the picture of Deron's mother brushing his hair (notice Deron barely has any hair!), Boo immediately pointed and said, "HURT!"  It is time to turn hair brushing into a better experience for my little guy!

Things that make you go "Awwww"

Boo-boo and his speech therapist were playing with a doll house today.  She was giving him instructions to "put the bed in the house" and "put the boy in the bathtub."  When it came to "put the mom in the bed," he tried as hard as he could to take the little doll's (painted on) shoes off.  Then, he tried to take her ears off, just like I take his processors off every night before he goes to bed.  

Wordful Wednesday

A little taste of Boo's speech therapy session which happened on Monday .... he is understanding and speaking a lot more.  I think he is up to 100-120 words.