Life is good & we are blessed. The kids are growing up so fast ~ we've had 6 birthdays in the last few months! We are waiting any day now for the phone call that Braxton's birthdate has been officially changed. Once that happens, we'll then have 7 birthdays in the spring! Wow! Brent turned 17 yesterday and Lidia turns 16 the day after tomorrow. What's going on lately around here? A lot! Braxton's learning how to hear and has lots of therapy and will be moving soon to a different school, which has an auditory/oral program for cochlear implant kids. He's making great progress. Ben is currently playing his favorite sport, baseball. He recently finished track, having been drafted onto the high school track team even though he's in middle school. The school system has decided to move Ben up to high school, skipping 8th grade.. to begin a 5-year high school plan. We are really lucky to be in this county, where we have great deaf education services. Briella recently competed in another math tournament. Bellamei has been in chorus all year & is performing a solo this Friday night (in Chinese) at the school concert. We've decided to homeschool Briella & Bellamei this fall using the Abeka Academy. They are excited about it and will both be doing 7th grade. Brinley is growing like a weed! She, Bayla & Braxton are on the same baseball team - so fun. The 3 of them were also on the same basketball team. Brent will be on a swim team again in the summer & he says it's his favorite sport. He also works part time at BiLo grocery store. Lidia's on the high school soccer team & has enjoyed it a lot. Blake is currently trying to join the Navy, which we are very supportive of. Brianna has been unbelievably busy, going to college full time and working full time as well. Not to mention, volunteering at the Surgery Center at CMC Northeast Hospital & soon she'll be doing an internship at Urgent Care. She graduates June 23 & is really excited to work in her field. She has worked so hard, and has stayed on the honor roll as well. In addition, she's getting married in September, so she's been very busy with all of those plans too. We're very proud of her! Mike and I are enjoying life and counting our blessings.
Mike & me at his company Christmas party
Ben & Braxton
Bayla before leaving for the father-daughter dance
Brinley before leaving for the father-daughter dance
Loving basketball!
Cool blue cover for Braxton's processor - he loves his cochlear implant
Look at this beautiful hair!
Briella decided to donate her lovely hair to "Locks of Love"
They had enough to make 2 donated braids
Brinley, Bayla & Braxton are on the "Blue Jays"!
Learning the game
LOVES riding his bike
Ben on the pitcher's mound
Get ready...
Strike 3!
Brinley & Bayla on the "A" Honor Roll & in the academically gifted program
Bellamei on the "A/B" Honor Roll & is excited to be homeschooled this fall w/Briella
Ben, Briella & Bellamei did a fundraiser for their upcoming mission trip to Kentucky
Even the Mayor of Concord stopped by!
Our stunning & amazing Brianna ~ college graduation is June 23!!
You did a great job ~ we're so proud of you
hmmm... who will be the lucky employer??
Spring time May 1, 2013
Birthday?
We are in the process of having Braxton's date-of-birth officially changed. Upon coming home in October, the pediatrician said she believed his birthdate to be off & ordered a bone age test. After doing that test, and getting a statement from the radiology center, the pediatrician & our dentist, we've completed paperwork to have his birthdate changed to reflect a more accurate estimate. If everything goes through, he will have just turned 8 on February 1. They backed up his birthdate by 16 months. Braxton has no idea how old he is, so this shouldn't be too confusing for him. Once we know for sure that it will go through, we'll tell him how old he is! We thought Bayla would always be our baby, but now may become a big sister, and she seems fine with this :)
Activation Day!
January 28, 2013
Today Braxton was "activated". This means that his sound was turned on for the first time since having cochlear implant surgery on January 4th. He was excited and playful. His reaction to sound was very positive! He liked it and was not overwhelmed at all (this is a good sign). People often ask me if he's always THIS happy. Yep! He has a sweet personality and he's always smiling. When we returned home from Chapel Hill, he and Ben went all around the house making different noises/sounds like; the piano, running water, ice maker, etc. He was so cute, just laughing as he played the piano keys!
February 21, 2013 (update) Braxton has been activated for about 3.5 weeks now & is doing great. We go to Chapel Hill every 2-3 weeks for volume increases and he continues to complete all the volume programs without any issue.
Life is Good
12/27/12
Can't believe it's been over 2 months already since bringing Braxton home! Time sure does fly by. It's been a wonderful time of bonding with Braxton - he is a precious little boy. He loves every minute of every day. He loves to smile & interact. He's picking up new signs all the time and communication is going well. He seems to love us as much as we love him, and he shows us by showering us with smiles, hugs & kisses. He gets along really well with all the kids. Sometimes when Ben goes to bed later than him (they share a room) he sleeps in the spare bed in Brinley & Bayla's room. He loves to play with the girls, and he is afraid to sleep alone. He cooperated for all of the many evaluations needed to qualify for our county's deaf education program. The IEP team & principal/faculty involved all fell in love with him! He finally started school last week and he loves it. He really enjoys the bus! Even though his age says 9 on his papers, his doctors don't think it's accurate. He was only 39 lbs & not on the growth chart. His features just don't look like a 9 yr old. The pediatrician ordered a bone age test & the result said his skeletal age is 7 yrs old. The test can have a deviation of up to 9 mths, and growing up in an orphanage can affect growth, due to lack of good nutrition & stimulation. The dentist & orthodontist estimate him to be around 8. We also agree that he seems more like an 8 yr old. We're not sure what to do about it & have made a couple of calls, but no leads on what to do. It would benefit Braxton if we could change his birthdate back a year. His orphanage guesstimated his birthdate when he entered there, and his China paperwork wasn't created until 2009.
He's also had all of the screenings/tests to see if he is a candidate for a cochlear implant, and he is! If he is in fact younger, then that is a benefit for implant success. They fit him with temporary hearing aids, mostly since it's an insurance protocol. The surgeon said with his severe hearing loss, the aids won't be of much benefit to him, but he can practice with hearing the amplification, it just won't be clear or very usable sounds. He liked them for about 10 days and then didn't want to wear them. I think the molds that fill up his entire ears bother him more than anything. He also has pointed out to us that it is not like Ben's. He wants what Ben has. There is also a little boy in his class that has bilateral cochlear implants. This little guy is only 6 yrs old, and Braxton is smaller than him. There are only 4 children in the elementary class for the deaf, including Braxton. The class is for kindergarten through 5th grade. They placed Braxton in 1st grade for now. His educational testing revealed only very basic math skills. He was able to read Mandarin & successfully matched up several phrases (in Mandarin) with corresponding pictures. He's super smart and very focused. So far, he's doing great in school and LOVES when I sign his agenda every night, just like I do for the other kids. His teacher writes a summary every day and it always says that he is a joy. He's motivated to learn.
His surgery is scheduled for Januray 4. It is quite soon after coming home, but he has transitioned with such ease and has truly bonded already. The surgeon told us that if we are wanting to implant, not to wait - due to his age. Braxton is counting down the days for surgery, just as he did for starting school. He marks every day off in his calendar. We of course are nervous, as we were with Ben. It is intricate & amazing surgery. Ben did wonderfully & hopefully Braxton will too. The medical team puts us at ease by telling us that most children do great.
Here are some pics of his homecoming & some others too...(click on 1st picture for slideshow)
