Coco Key

I took the boys to Coco Key for an overnight stay Sunday into Monday.  We were off from school so we needed something fun to do.  We were able to use the water park on Sunday sleep over and use the park again the next day.  The boys thought it was a fun adventure.  They think hotels are awesome for some reason.  Frank was working so he didn't come and I didn't take Calleigh.  I wanted the boys to be able to just do what they wanted without us having to worry about Calleigh.  The boys can swim and I don't have to be with them every second.  I would have had to stay with Calleigh every minute and been distracted from the boys.

This was our first time in a water park.  I never took them before mostly because Cormac was not able to hear in the water.  With the waterproof Neptunes things are different.  We loved them this Summer on the beach.  We loved them in the pool.  We now love them at the water park.  While I was there I kept thinking how difficult it would have been if he couldn't hear me.  I also kept thinking how much different the experience would be for him not being able to hear his brothers, friends and the life guards.  Not to mention all the other kids around him who were talking to him. I never brought them to a water park before because of this reason. 

On our second day at the park I looked down and saw a tiny little peanut of a girl and to my surprise I saw a bright pink Neptune!!  I got so excited.  It's so rare see someone else with an implant let alone a Neptune. She was a little one.  Only two years old. I immediately went over and talked to the Mom.  Turns out her daughter goes to NYU for mappings like Cormac and had surgery at the same place.  We chatted for a while.  I told her Cormac was in the lazy river and he would be very exicted to see another child with a Neptune.

A few minutes later I walk over to the lazy river and I showed Cormac the little girl.  He ran right into the pool and went up to the girl and said Hi.  He talked to the parents and showed them his Neptunes.  I honestly don't know what he said because I was not in the pool with him.  I figure he is old enough and perfectly capable to have a conversation in the water because of the Neptunes.  He was so excited and the parents looked thrilled while he was talking to them.  I know when Cormac was little it gave me such hope and comfort to hear other children with implants speak and see them just being kids.  It let me see how bright a future was possible for Cormac.  I hope he was able to do that for these parents who are new on this journey.

All in all the experience was amazing.  Cormac went down a HUGE slide that was totally dark inside.  I can't believe he wasn't terrified.  I went down after him and it scared me to death.  He loved it and to see him coming shooting out of it all smiles and hear us all cheering for him was awesome.

The night before we left weh I told Cormac where we were going he made this:

 

Here are a few pictures from our fun days in the water.