Happy Hearing Day!

Marlee, 

Today we are celebrating two years of hearing!! It is your hearing birthday! Before you had implants, you could not hear me when I called your name. But two years ago today, your implants were turned on, and you heard me. I was so happy! Now, you hear Mommy and Daddy every time we talk to you. You hear the rain outside and you hear baby Jack when he laughs! You hear yourself when you talk, too! You love to talk and sing all the time! You have learned so much in just two years! 

I am so very proud of you. You work hard in therapy and in school and are such a good listener. I am glad you love school. I hope you always love school just like your mommy. 

You have made such sweet friends at school. You, Olivia, Lewis, Jacob, and Jordyn are a perfect team. You love to hold hands with your friends. You play and learn together everyday. Your face lights up when you are with your friends and when we talk about them at home.

Your teachers are proud of you too! When you first came to school, you could say two words, but now you use five to ten word sentences all the time. That is because you have teachers who love you and love coming to school everyday to teach children to listen, learn, and talk. Sometimes last year, you were shy at school, but not this year! You love to talk to all of your teachers! We talk about them at home too. When you do something special at home, you always say, "I want to show Ms. Holly." 

Sometimes, I still get sad that you are not home with me everyday, but then I am happy because I know you are smiling, learning, and having fun at school. If you did not have implants, we would get to play more at home together. But if you did not have implants, we would not know Ms. Abby,  Ms. Holly, Ms. Katie, or Ms. Elizabeth. We would not know all of your friends at school. They are very special, and I am so glad we get to know them! 

We have so many things to thank Jesus for. We thank him everyday and especially on this very special miracle day. It is a day just for you to remember that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that he has let you hear many wonderful sounds! He has given you a voice to talk and sing pretty songs. He has given you sweet friends and teachers. 

Marlee, He has FILLED your life with GOOD things! Honor him with a life of joy and gratefulness! 

I love you sweet girl! You are my sunshine!

Sweet Summertime!

Today's happy smiles were brought to us by Med-el's new waterwear for rondos! 

Rondos are the all-in-one processor and magnet that are worn on her head only and not on her ears. Marlee will not wear these everyday, but they will be great for swimming now that they have a cover for water protection. 

Before this waterwear came out in July, we used make-shift covers (ziploc bags) at the beach to protect from splashes and sand, but we had to take the implants completely off in the pool or ocean.

Now, thanks to the new waterwear, Marlee can play in water and hear at the same time! She had a blast with her friends at MOSD's water day yesterday, and today she played in her pool at home for the first time this summer. She played for HOURS! I told Greg that it finally felt like a summer day - even though it is already August 1st! 

Here are more fun pictures of our little fish (and her brother) on this perfect summer day! 

Do you hear what I hear?? I hear the sounds of a squealing, happy little girl splashing in the water -- and she hears them too!!!

Ready or Not...

Here we go again! 

Marlee has been out of school for the month of June and what a glorious month it has been. We had a great beach trip and have made lots of fun memories. The best part is that Marlee has had lots of time to just play at home and play she has done!!

Tomorrow is the beginning of MOSD's summer session. I have a lump in my throat thinking about getting back into the school routine. Unlike the first day last year, now I know how much Marlee loves school, and I am excited for her to see her friends. She will transition to a new classroom, Ms. Holly's room, but her same friends will be going with her. 

I feel guilty talking, once again, about how much I will miss her. Maybe all of the days she is not at home make me appreciate the days she is even more, but there is absolutely nothing I love more than having her home with me all day. If I let myself think for too long about not having her here, I would cry for days. Instead, I am reminding myself of all of the mom's who have to do this everyday when they go to work. The best thing is to remind myself how much Marlee loves her teachers and friends and how much they love her.

I also remember that at the beginning of last year, I never thought it would be hard for the end of the school year to come but that is exactly what happened. Here is the letter I wrote to her teacher, Abby, thanking her for all she had done for Marlee. 

Dear Abby,

From the time Marlee was only three months old and I knew she would be attending MOSD until August of last year, I dreaded, with all of my heart, the beginning of school. I knew Marlee would eventually love school just as I always have, but the thought of taking my baby, not yet two years old, and leaving her every day was too much. I dreamed my whole life of being a stay at home mom. Being home each day with my little girl was everything I could have hoped for, and it was being taken away too soon. For me, sending Marlee to school, has been the hardest part of this journey. Even through the scariest times in the beginning when Marlee's diagnosis was unclear, she was right with me. Going to school, however, meant that being at home with me was not what was best for her, and that I had to entrust my most precious gift to someone else.

Thank you, Abby, for loving my most precious gift. I could have never dreamed of a better teacher for Marlee or hoped for a better place to send her each day. It was not an easy transition and the first few weeks of school were not without tears (from both Marlee and me), but Marlee loved you instantly. Thank you, for letting her cling to you. Thank you for being her safe place, her lap to sit on - for being her friend. Thank you for expecting her to do big things but for letting her be little.  Thank you so much for letting her be little.

There is a quote in the hallway at MOSD that says "Where there is great love, miracles happen." I have witnessed miracles in Marlee's life every day this year thanks to the love she has received from you and so many others at MOSD.  Never did I imagine that by the end of this year I would be listening to Marlee sing songs for 45 minutes to and from school every day or listening to her talk from the time we get home until she goes to sleep. Rather than crying each morning as she did in the beginning, she now wakes up saying, "I go see Abby." I love when we leave school and she says, "Bye, Abby's home." :)

I could go on and on because I could never thank you enough for loving her, for teaching her, for cheering her on, and for being so genuinely proud of every accomplishment. As happy as I will be to have her home with me for a month this summer, my heart aches that this year is ending. She still has so many things to achieve at MOSD, but this will always be the year that Marlee learned to talk - something some may take for granted, but not us. Every day she talks is a priceless gift that we are forever thankful for. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for playing such a huge role in that gift. And because I just can't tell you enough, thank you, again, for loving our Marlee. 

Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new year of memories with Ms. Holly. I am praying that Marlee will feel as safe, secure, and confident with Holly as she did with Abby. Other than her home, I cannot think of a better place for Marlee than MOSD. Tonight, even with a heavy heart, I am looking forward to all that this new year will hold.