Coils and Cables and Processors.....OH MY!!

Best Buds

2010-04-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

Baby Brother Love

2010-01-31T15:33:00.001-05:00

MMMM Cookie Dough

2009-12-04T16:11:00.000-05:00

Cookie dough ROCKS!

Again With The Matching

2009-11-06T20:40:00.003-05:00

I watched my friends one year old today and Casha was an absolute basket case. She stressed the fact that the baby took puzzles apart but didn't put them back together again. She also wouldn't allow the baby to put the Pop On's in the "wrong" place. She made that poor child match the colors.

I'm beginning to wonder if my child is sane. I'm also wondering just how on earth her baby brother is going to survive her craziness.

Building Towers

2009-11-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

I just should have put toilet paper on her Christmas list.

Blocks or Books?

2009-11-02T09:01:00.002-05:00

I promise this does not happen on a regular basis.

She was rather proud of herself as it took quite a bit of work to get these books to stand on top of one another.

A Race Car!

2009-11-01T17:34:00.004-05:00

One pink stool + four rolls of toilet paper

+ one crazy 3 year old = A RACE CAR

Chef's Hat LOL

2009-11-01T17:33:00.000-05:00

Her First Weapon?

2009-10-31T21:13:00.002-04:00

I'm not quite sure what to say about this one but it seems she's built her first weapon, a blowgun.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-31T21:09:00.003-04:00

It was rather convenient, given my current state, that Casha really wanted to be a princess for Halloween this year.

Pumpkins!

2009-10-31T21:06:00.003-04:00

Keeping Busy

2009-10-31T21:00:00.001-04:00

This is what we do with the boxes from Costco.

She Still Loves Him

2009-10-31T20:59:00.003-04:00

After a couple of months you'd think the love would wear off but that is so not the case.

Right Foot, Left Foot

2009-10-08T15:03:00.002-04:00

We were getting ready to run to the store today and Casha was sitting at the bottom of the stairs putting her socks and shoes on.
She happened to be putting her right shoe on her left foot so I told her that she needed to switch her shoe to the other foot, her right foot. She looked at me, pointed to her left foot and said, "This is my right foot and", while pointing to her right foot said, "this is my left foot."
I attempted to correct her and pointed to her right foot saying, "This one is your right foot."
She looked back up at me after paying very close attention to what I'd said and told me, "I changed my legs." and went about putting her shoes on.
I about fell over! LOL

Last Chicago Visit

2009-10-07T11:56:00.002-04:00

Well, we bit the bullet and travelled to Chicago to have Casha evaluated by a new AVT. We learned a lot and had some thoughts and ideas confirmed. We're very pleased with the outcome and have lots to think and chat about. We are a little bummed that we used our last possible Chicago visit as a working visit but it was worth it. We do hate travelling all the way up there, using my parents house as free room and board/dog sitting service, and then we barely even see them. They tend to get shafted because we try to combine visits with other people and do other things and then they're usually seeing Casha when she's at her absolute worst. We had hoped to visit with family once more before baby arrives and had been planning a museum trip with Casha:-( I guess it will have to wait until after baby.
And, of course, now I'm feeling sick because I pushed myself too hard. Time to rest and recuperate.

Casha's First Bath

2009-10-01T09:27:00.002-04:00

First dog bath, that is.

She's always just watched me give the dog a bath.

She wanted to help this time and so she did.

Doesn't the dog look thrilled? lol ;-)

My Baby Brother

2009-09-29T11:12:00.001-04:00

Casha is very proud that she got her own copy of this picture so we're posting it here, too.

My dog may never forgive me LOL

2009-09-29T10:23:00.003-04:00

Cinnamon's earrings! LMAO

CHEESE!!

awwwww

2009-09-28T14:18:00.002-04:00

How she loves something so much that is so ugly, I just don't know. LOL

I thought her desire for a skeleton was halloween obsession but I was wrong. She's actually getting into anatomy the past couple of weeks.

She's so strange! LOL

He goes everywhere with us, even the doctor this morning.

And, he watches a quick video with us while we get breakfast going so we can get out the door. But not without Skeleton.

His name is Skeleton, by the way. I tried to get her to choose an actual name but she wasn't having it so Skeleton it is.

All Dolled Up for Daddy

2009-09-21T10:51:00.002-04:00

She said, "I have to make Cinny look pretty for when Daddy gets home."

That apparently requires a party hat, tape measure, and barrettes.

HOLY COW!

2009-09-21T10:41:00.004-04:00

She actually looks like me!

OK, so it's not the spitting image as it is with her father, but still.

And, maybe it's just the ratty hair.

I always seemed to have ratty hair in pictures when I was a kid.

lol That was sometimes due to the fact that I cut gum out of my hair

but that's neither here nor there.

Brownies for Daddy

2009-09-21T10:38:00.002-04:00

Because he's coming home today!

She's so excited to see Daddy after his being gone for a week.

Once again, my poor dog

2009-09-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

Cinnamon apparently makes a great coloring table. lol

I wonder if this will continue

2009-09-19T09:04:00.002-04:00

Digging for worms and pulling weeds. How is it a 3 year old already knows which plants are hers and which are weeds?

She had quite a bit of clover and weeds piled up on the edge of the drive way for Daddy to throw away for her.

Twu Wuv

2009-09-18T23:32:00.002-04:00

and tolerance ;-)

Oh my

2009-09-17T20:47:00.002-04:00

There just aren't words...

Too Funny!

2009-09-17T00:28:00.001-04:00

One letter per tile and organized by color.

Where does she get this from?

Oh wait a minute, I know. Her FATHER! LOL

What you've all been waiting for :-)

2009-09-15T13:57:00.007-04:00

Today was Casha's first dance class and she had an absolute blast! She thoroughly enjoyed herself, as you can see from the pictures below, and is looking forward to returning next week.

YAY! Ballet!

She started dancing before any of the other girls had arrived.

Today was ballerina day so they had tutu's.

Dance partners are provided.

Tamborines!

Brings back memories of one of my recitals I absolutely HATED!

Or was it just the girl I had to dance with?;-)

Story time!

A coloring page and then we go home.

Of course, Casha was one of the first to start coloring and was not pleased that she could not finish coloring her picture before leaving but I assured her she'd be able to finish it at home. lol

Might wanna build an ark!

2009-09-06T09:28:00.004-04:00

We woke to quite a bit of water on the bathroom floor Saturday morning so off to the hardware store we went. We were, of course, side tracked by Halloween decorations but then got down to the business of finding the correct piece to repair our poor broken toilet.

We decided, while chatting about the broken toilet, that we would put our diaper sprayer in at the same time. For those of you who might not be aware, a diaper sprayer is simply a kitchen sprayer hooked to a hose coming from the water line behind your toilet. You can spray the bits out of cloth diapers right into the toilet without having to get your hands "dirty". Clever eh?

Ryan certainly wouldn't have been able to complete this project without his assistant.

Ever the Princess,

still willing to get her hands dirty:-)

Connecting the hose for the sprayer.

We've got a diaper sprayer! YAY me!

poor dog

2009-09-04T10:48:00.001-04:00

Do you think she's enjoying this?

My mother's poor dog. She puts up with more than Cinnamon does, and that's saying A LOT! LOL

Prima Ballerina already ;-)

2009-09-04T07:51:00.011-04:00

I knew she'd have a good time at the dancewear store but little did I know...

We pulled up in front of the store and Casha said, "Mommy! I see tights!" Casha patiently waited to unbuckle from her seat and climb out. We walked into the store and I heard a gasp and "Oh Mommy." She was in heaven. She touched everything within her reach as we made our way through the store.

The first thing we did was size her for a leotard which was easy. At her age and class level, the appropriate style is very simple with no decoration and the size was easy as well, the smallest they had in that style.

Next we moved onto the shoes. Oh boy. When she saw the shoes covering an entire wall I thought her eyes might pop out of her head. She pointed at the shoes and said, " I want this one, and this one, and that one." If she'd had her way we would have brought home tap shoes, ballet flats and pointe. We opted to start with the flats:-D

The sales woman sized Casha for her shoes and I told her to take a look in the mirror. She walked over to the ballet bar and mirror and as soon as she saw herself she struck her best ballerina pose. I asked her if she was happy and, in her sweetest voice said, "Yes Mommy."

Of course, you know what happened as soon as we got home.

Very pleased with herself

Now for the Pretty Ballerina dance:

"Plie, releve, tendu, and passe. Turn around and touch the ground. I'm a pretty ballerina, ballerina, ballerina. I'm a pretty ballerina, I love to dance all day."

2009-08-26T10:35:00.002-04:00

Hummingbird Moth feeding in Casha's petunias

You can even make out it's proboscis as it was uncurling to take a sip of nectar just as I took the photo.

Finally!

2009-08-12T12:51:00.005-04:00

I finally took the time to update this thing.

The summer has just flown by and left me with little time for posting pictures. It's wet and gray outside so I thought it a fabulous time for blog updating. Casha has been working next to me on her toy laptop and has had much input as to which pictures are posted.

Hope you all enjoy and have lots of fun catching up.

By the way, if you didn't already know...

we're expecting in December

Just Like Her GG

2009-08-12T12:46:00.002-04:00

Casha fell asleep while reading Curious George :-)

Her True Love

2009-08-12T12:44:00.000-04:00

WATER!

My Awesome Dog

2009-08-12T12:41:00.003-04:00

Only Casha could ever get away with this kind of behavior.

Her Father's Daughter

2009-08-12T12:38:00.002-04:00

She said, "No Mommy! Don't take a picture. I not done oranizing yet."

p.s.
You may notice a trend in recent posts, dresses and a blue crown :-)

Her Latest Passion/Obsession

2009-08-12T12:35:00.002-04:00

We do this daily...

proof...

Enjoying our favorite park

2009-08-12T12:30:00.002-04:00

Holiday Park, Indianapolis

peek-a-boo

rock garden path

noshing before playing

watching a chipmunk in the tree

Casha's Butterfly Garden

2009-08-12T12:27:00.000-04:00

Helping again

2009-08-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

Dad gets all the help these days :-)

Scaling the fence

2009-08-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

Barefoot and in a dress no less...

The Crown

2009-08-12T12:20:00.000-04:00

Always with the crown...

Helping Daddy in the garage

2009-08-12T12:15:00.002-04:00

She has her own hammer with flowers on it...

Safety first...

Picking Strawberries

2009-08-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

My poor dog

2009-08-12T12:11:00.001-04:00

Cinnamon covered in smilie face stickers...

Cinnamon dressed as Little Red Riding Hood...

The Solar System

2009-08-12T12:08:00.001-04:00

Now all she needs is a star projector for the ceiling.

One of Casha's favorite things

2009-08-12T12:01:00.002-04:00

Sidewalk Chalk = F U N

2009-08-12T10:32:00.003-04:00

For your viewing pleasure

2009-05-19T20:50:00.002-04:00

Now that she's 3 we figured it was time for a real bike and she absolutely LOVES IT!

Crazy but true

2009-05-12T10:53:00.005-04:00

While at the library the other day, I thought it a good idea to pick this up to prepare her.

;-D

WOODY!!

2009-04-12T07:06:00.003-04:00

We've been receiving daily visits from a Downy Woodpecker and Casha just loves it!

Surprisingly Yummy

2009-04-11T15:22:00.002-04:00

I recently discovered this recipe while clipping coupons.

Tuscan Tuna Skillet

1/2 pkg egg noodles
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium Spanish onion, diced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground or whole fennel seed (we like whole)
4 fresh basil leaves chopped
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
2Tbsp capers-rinsed
15 oz can diced roma tomoatoes
14 oz can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
12 oz jar roasted red peppers
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, julienne cut
6 oz can tuna, solid white or light in water, drained (we like albacore)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, as needed

Cook egg noodles according to package directions.
In large skillet over medium heat add olive oil, onion, garlic, fennel, and basil, saute until onions become soft and transparent. Add lemon juice, capers, canned tomatoes, artichoke hearts, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, tuna, and black pepper.
Simmer until sauce is hot, toss with hot pasta.
Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 (More like 6 in our house:-)

We're planning to try this with sliced or cubed boneless skinless chicken breast next time. Let us know if you beat us to it!

Our Suet

2009-04-02T13:42:00.003-04:00

The Chickadee's prefer the suet in the branches, while the Woodpeckers munch on the suet in the split of the trunk.

Best Buds

2009-02-15T09:26:00.001-05:00

...of course, Casha was eating popcorn when this picture was taken.

Do you think the dog got any?? ;-)

What we did yesterday...

2009-01-24T08:08:00.003-05:00

I was removing the sheets from Casha's bed yesterday when I saw that one of the slats on the bottom of the bed was broken. After a family discussion that included Casha's input, we all decided it was time to move into the big bed:-) She was so excited to help take the little bed apart as well as to choose her sheets and comforter.
After removing the little bed and moving Casha's bedroom around a little bit, we ran to the store. By the time we returned home it was time for dinner and then bath. During all of this, Casha had forgotten about her bed. She'd forgotten that is, until she was sitting nice and calm getting ready for bed. All of a sudden, she jumped up and said, "It's time for bed! In my princess bed!" (This is what we're calling the big bed.) Then off to bed she ran. She nearly jumped into bed and went right to sleep!

You know she had to help Daddy.

"That's a bolt", she said.

And, a test drive is absolutely necessary:-)

As happy as can be in her new Princess bed!

Not again!!

2009-01-20T09:04:00.001-05:00

At least she can't break her arm on this balance beam :-D

Fun at Grandma's house

2009-01-14T12:50:00.001-05:00

Apples sure do fall close to the trees

2009-01-14T12:48:00.000-05:00

And, she cooks too!

2009-01-14T12:39:00.002-05:00

pancakes

pierogi on Christmas

Christmas cookies at Grandma's

7 layer cookies for Christmas Eve

must've been the hat :-D

2009-01-14T12:33:00.001-05:00

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

2009-01-14T12:13:00.003-05:00

I decided to try to be creative with this one.

Please forgive the cheesiness.

Snowflakes that fall on your nose and eyelashes (and your tongue;-)...

Snowballs to throw at Mommy and Daddy...

These are a few of my favorite things!

Scully Bristol, Scully Bristol, Scully Bristol...

2008-12-28T11:02:00.001-05:00

PIEROGI!! She's a Polak folks!

2008-12-22T19:14:00.002-05:00

Just had to have 'em

2008-11-14T22:32:00.002-05:00

...showing off the latest addition to my wardrobe...

...admiring the cuteness that is me...

...yeah, I'm uber cute ;-)

Another self portrait

2008-11-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

Test drive :-)

2008-11-14T22:25:00.000-05:00

ummmmm.....

2008-11-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

1st Haircut

2008-11-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

OMG! 2 CUTE!

2008-11-14T22:03:00.003-05:00

I absolutely LOVE Halloween at this age. They don't care about the candy

(so there's more for Mom and Dad) and they look totally cute!

Free candy sure does make you thirsty.

Could she be any cuter waiting for trick-or-treaters??

She's taking after Meghan.

2008-11-14T21:52:00.003-05:00

She took this picture of "Baby Puppy Princess Meghan"...

and this picture of her alphabet poster...

and this picture of a picture of her adorable baby cousin Lyla.

aawwwwww

More concert pics :-)

2008-09-29T09:20:00.002-04:00

Ear plugs, schmear plugs. Who needs 'em?

My pass to meet the band.

"This is Rick and this is Robin."

Rock stars need sleep too ya' know :-)

Just about a year ago and...

2008-09-23T23:31:00.001-04:00

she now sings, "Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright, Casha's alright..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtqLhmpn8XY

Mom and Dad said this was going to be fun...

2008-09-11T09:49:00.006-04:00

I'm dressed in one of my cutest outfits and away we go!

Can you see who that is standing behind us? The lighting was so bad BACK STAGE! That's Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick guitarist! (and, yes, that's Rick's signature on my cute little pink guitar.)

These are our seats, 11 rows back! We're waiting for the band now.

Mom barely had to zoom for this shot, we were so close!

I'm a PARTY ANIMAL!

ROCK ON!!

Check back for more pictures soon!

Mom and Dad just didn't have time to add them all.

XOXO

In the photo below, look past the big head wearing the white t shirt.

You see that shiny silver thing? Right in the middle of the picture?

That's our new BFF (best friend forever), Carla.

HI CARLA!

Girly Girl:-)

2008-09-06T15:09:00.003-04:00

Thank you Nastia Liukin!!

2008-09-03T13:10:00.009-04:00

I must preface this string of photos with a little story.
Ryan left for the race on Thursday morning. It was a typical Thursday, nothing too out of the ordinary. I expected the rest of the day and evening to continue on as uneventful as it began. I was looking forward to a nice quiet evening at home.

It went something like this:

Fed Casha dinner

Got Casha in the tub

Got Casha out of the tub

Dressed Casha in her jammies

Read Casha a few books

Put Casha to bed

Went downstairs

Fed the dog

Let the dog out

Poured a glass of Shiraz

Let the dog back in

Went upstairs to check my email

This is where my plans for an uneventful evening were completely derailed!

You see, just as I sat down and took a sip of my Shiraz I heard a very loud THUD! from Casha's room. This was followed very quickly by a loud SCREAM! from Casha's room.
I knew immediately she had fallen from her crib. I expected that I would pick her up, calm her down, and get her back into her crib. That is not what happened.

As I entered Casha's room, I noticed she wasn't getting up. I thought, "well, she's crying so she didn't knock herself out." As I scooped Casha up off the floor she cried, "arm hurt, arm hurt!" I picked her arm up from where it dangled by her side and noticed that it was doing just that, dangling. In that instant, I recognized a borken arm.

I told Casha, "It's ok sweetie, we're going to go get your arm fixed." I grabbed my purse, took a quick look inside to be sure I had my wallet, threw an extra pull up in, grabbed my keys, and we were out the door.

Before I go any further, I want to add that I had been cleaning house that afternoon. I was wearing the same "lounge around the house pants" I had been sweating in all afternoon as well as the t shirt I'd been sweating in all afternoon. I had a weird, teeny, tiny pony tail in my hair, it's too short for a pony but I had been planning to stay home!

Back to the broken arm.

Our experience in the ER was pretty typical. Walk in, register, get an ice pack, sit for a little while, listen for the name SCOTT and determine if they're really calling us or if that was someone's first name. When they do call us, we go in, see the doctor, get some x rays, determine the arm is definitely broken, get a splint made, and pay the ridiculous ER co-pay.

There was some crying during the x rays, no big deal though. I thought for sure Casha would freak out about the splint and she did cry some. However, when she started to cry she turned and looked at me. I wrapped my arms around her chest and told her, "toughen up, no crying. You're a big girl." She looked right into my eyes and said, "ok Mommy" while fighting back the tears. I have never seen a two year old fight back tears like that. It was a proud moment when I realized just how tough that little girl is.

After the splint, we were out of there pretty quickly. It didn't take the financial department long to come in to collect our co-pay and once I took care of that, we were on our way home.

Thursday night, around midnight:

Friday, during the day:

Now, let's chat about why I'm thanking Nastia Liukin.

The swelling was enough on Thursday night that the doctor chose not to cast Casha's arm and so we left with just the splint. (As you can see in the photos above.)

Yesterday (Tuesday), was our appointment with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon. He decided to go ahead with the cast yesterday, no problem. Ryan and I looked at one another with a look that said, "great!" On the road to recovery.

We chose the color of the casting material and the doctor and nurse began chatting with Casha about what they were going to be doing. The doctor asked Casha, "How'd you break your arm sweet heart?"

Casha looked him right in the face and said, "I nastics", "turn over, nastics." (translation: I was doing gymnastics while I should have been sleeping. I decided to flip over the side of my crib and see if I could stick the landing.)

I couldn't believe my ears! She just admitted that she hadn't fallen from her crib but she was flipping around on it like it was a pommel horse or something! I said to Casha, "Look at me. Did you fall down while climbing out of your crib or were you doing gymastics?" She looked me right in the eye and said, "nastics", in a very confident voice. I'm still a little shocked by this.

So, I thank you, Nastia Liukin! My daughter is never allowed to watch the olympics again and she is certainly not going to be watching X Games! :-D

The signatures on her cast are lovingly referred to as tattoos.

Gotta Love the Daddy's

2008-08-24T22:59:00.003-04:00

This is what Daddy's do when the Mommy's go out for the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diIB_EiFTBo&feature=related

Thanks Grandma! xoxo

2008-08-24T22:18:00.000-04:00

????????

2008-08-24T22:13:00.001-04:00

Is that ice cream or nuclear waste?!?

Ummmmmm...

2008-08-24T22:07:00.002-04:00

She loves to read.

2008-08-24T22:04:00.000-04:00

She loves the violin.

2008-08-24T22:01:00.001-04:00

You wouldn't believe the things you can do with an empty macaroni box :-)

Our caterpillars!!

2008-08-24T21:55:00.001-04:00

The Black Swallowtail

And, the Monarch about to Chrysalis in Casha's playhouse. She didn't quite know what to think of this. LOL

Father's Day 2008

2008-08-24T21:44:00.002-04:00

Today, we went for a wagon ride...

And, looked totally adorable!!!

And, helped with the garden.

Happy Mother's Day from a friend

2008-05-21T22:48:00.003-04:00

I received this from a friend and have finally gotten around to sharing it.

Happy Mother's Day By Lori Borgman

Expectant mothers waiting for a newborn's arrival say they don't care what sex the baby is. They just want to have ten fingers and ten toes. Mothers lie. Every mother wants so much more. She wants a perfectly healthy baby with a round head, rosebud lips, button nose, beautiful eyes and satin skin. She wants a baby so gorgeous that people will pity the Gerber baby for being flat-out ugly. She wants a baby that will roll over, sit up and take those first steps right on schedule. Every mother wants a baby that can see, hear, run, jump and fire neurons by the billions. She wants a kid that can smack the ball out of the park and do toe points that are the envy of the entire ballet class. Call it greed if you want, but a mother wants what a mother wants. Some mothers get babies with something more. Maybe you're one who got a baby with a condition you couldn't pronounce, a spine that didn't fuse, a missing chromosome or a palate that didn't close. The doctor's words took your breath away. It was just like the time at recess in the fourth grade when you didn't see the kick ball coming, and it knocked the wind right out of you. Some of you left the hospital with a healthy bundle, then, months, even years later, took him in for a routine visit, or scheduled him for a checkup, and crashed head first into a brick wall as you bore the brunt of devastating news. It didn't seem possible. That didn't run in your family. Could this really be happening in your lifetime? There's no such thing as a perfect body. Everybody will bear something at some time or another. Maybe the affliction will be apparent to curious eyes, or maybe it will be unseen, quietly treated with trips to the doctor, therapy or surgery. Mothers of children with disabilities live the limitations with them. Frankly, I don't know how you do it. Sometimes you mothers scare me. How you lift that kid in and out of the wheelchair twenty times a day. How you monitor tests, track medications, and serve as the gatekeeper to a hundred specialists yammering in your ear. I wonder how you endure the clichés and the platitudes, the well-intentioned souls explaining how God is at work when you've occasionally questioned if God is on strike. I even wonder how you endure schmaltzy columns like this one-saluting you, painting you as hero and saint, when you know you're ordinary. You snap, you bark, you bite. You didn't volunteer for this, you didn't jump up and down in the motherhood line yelling, "Choose me,God. Choose me! I've got what it takes." You're a woman who doesn't have time to step back and put things in perspective, so let me do it for you. From where I sit, you're way ahead of the pack. You've developed the strength of the draft horse while holding onto the delicacy of a daffodil. You have a heart that melts like chocolate in a glove box in July, counter-balanced against the stubbornness of an Ozark mule. You are the mother, advocate and protector of a child with a disability. You're a neighbor, a friend, a woman I pass at church and my sister-in-law. You're a wonder.

Lori Borgman is a syndicated columnist and author of All Stressed Upand No Place To Go, her latest humor book now available whereverbooks are sold

Casha's Processors

2008-05-14T11:51:00.002-04:00

RIGHT EAR with snugfit and being worn in the babyworn configuration from Cochlear Americas

LEFT EAR with snugfit and being worn in the babyworn configuration from Cochlear Americas

Casha's Day At The Race Track

2008-05-14T11:41:00.002-04:00

We've arrived and we're standing in pit lane. "I see Daddy!"

Taking Puppy for a little stroll down pit lane and through the stands.

No, no. No more photos please.

"I'm wiped out." Leaving the track after hours of glorious fun.

"zzzzzzzzz" While visions of race cars danced in her head.

I Love Samantha and AJ Too!

2008-05-03T14:51:00.000-04:00

I Love Meghan!

2008-05-03T14:28:00.001-04:00

A Few More Pics

2008-02-26T14:34:00.001-05:00

Photos! :-)

2008-02-26T14:06:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures as an apology for not keeping this blog updated.

(on our knees, begging for forgiveness ;-)

Our Bilateral Baby!!

2007-10-02T13:45:00.001-04:00

Cahsa will receive her second cochlear implant on December 11th! We cannot wait to call her a bilateral CI recipient.

I know it's been a while since our last update. Things have been so crazy around here.
Casha is doing SO well. She's talking A LOT, typical toddler. She currently has no language delays and continues to progress within the same level, which just happens to be that of a toddler with typical hearing.
It's so amazing that a child could be born completely deaf and because of early detection, early intervention, early amplification, and early implantation that child can progress as well as her hearing peers.
It hasn't been easy but it's so been worth every step of the mountainous climb.

Keep your eyes open for new pictures coming soon:-)

Mr. Green Bug

2007-09-25T20:10:00.000-04:00

Casha made a new friend today.

His name is Mr. Green Bug.

A Rather Cool Pizza Joint AND A Request;-)

2007-09-10T14:00:00.001-04:00

I've told most of you about Piece and that we were planning to contact them to meet Casha.
Well, I sent that email today. Check them out http://piecechicago.com/

Now, the request.
Everyone, please post comments HERE about how cool Casha is and how cool it would be to meet her :-D
My hope is that the guys at Piece will read your posts and be so honored and thrilled that they don't blink an eye before responding to our email and making plans to meet our adorable little girl.

Thanks a bunch and lots of love!

My Daddy ROCKS!

2007-09-02T22:41:00.000-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rzMh64guYbY

My Daddy is the COOLEST!
He's at the bottom right of the shot.

I've Got Two Words For You

2007-08-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend moving and while that would ordinarily be a horrible experience, it wasn't all bad this time.
On Saturday, Ryan was moving things in and out of the house while I was taking a break and hanging with Casha in the family room. We were just having some fun, playing with toys when Ryan walked through the room. Casha turned to look right at Ryan and said, "Hi Daddy" and went right back to playing. It was clear as a bell! Ryan and I just looked at eachother in disbelief. It's as if she's known all along how to say it but just thought she'd pull us along a little longer. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to get that girl to say hi to her daddy on the phone. I was so thrilled to see the look on Ry's face when he heard his little girl say, "Hi Daddy."

They need better cameras!

2007-08-12T21:09:00.002-04:00

Ooohh Ooohh Aaahh Aaahh

2007-08-12T20:54:00.000-04:00

Meghan says she looks like a monkey in this picture! LOL :-D

BYE BYE

2007-08-12T12:06:00.000-04:00

She said it! She said "bye bye" while we were riding in the van yesterday! The deaf girl SPEAKS!

sniff sniff

2007-08-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

We have yet another HUGE accomplishment in this house!

Think to yourself, for a moment, how quiet the sound of a dog sniffing is. OK, you've got that image in your head now right? GREAT! Read on. :-)

Casha is actually able to hear the sound of the dog sniffing! Each and everytime she sees a picture of a dog, she sniffs. She sniffs at pictures of our dog, other dogs, when she sees her dog outside through the back door, and when she sees dogs on tv. She absolutely loves to watch the Eukanuba dog show on Animal Planet on Saturday mornings.

I do realize this seems a bit extreme to be excited about something like a sniff but if it weren't for her cochlear implant Casha would NEVER had heard anything like a dog sniff. She couldn't hear the lawn mower right in front of her before she was implanted. :-D

Carrie, feel free to post a comment telling us how many dB you think a dog sniff might be:-D