Triplet Princes and a Princess

You are who you are

2012-01-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

I have talked to many parents about hearing loss and cochlear implants since we began our journey. I have talked to lots of people since Ciaran got his hearing aids. As a parent we only want what is best for our children. What we want most is for our children to just be children. To listen. To speak. To not be different from other kids. To fit in. One of the first concerns parents talk to me about is about how other people will treat their child. Will they be teased? Made fun of? Left out? I know I had ALL of these thoughts about Cormac's future. Would someone want to be his girlfriend? In the grand scheme of things and focusing on teaching our children to listen and speak these little questions are always in the back of my head.

Kids can be mean. Kids can tease. Kids can say hurtful things when they don't even mean to and they also say them intentionally. As I parent I am trying to teach my children to be understanding of others differences. Not everyone is the same. It's what make us unique. Some people need glasses to see some need crutches to walk others need cochlear implants or hearing aids. I want my kids to be OK with who they are just like Frank and I are proud of the little people they are and the bigger people they are becoming. We think they are perfect just the way they are. Our hope is other parents are also teaching their children to embrace their differences. To think about how they would feel if they were the child who was different.

My experience so far has been nothing but positive. We have yet to experience any teasing. We get lots of questions and my kids are not afraid to answer any question about their hearing devices. Cormac has been explaining his implants for years at this point. He says it very matter of fact "I am deaf. When the magnets are on I can hear and when they are off I can't hear." Plain and simple and easy for people big and little to understand. I realize my kids are only five. It could get worse as they get older. My hope is they continue to be the awesome kids they already are and people will realize their hearing loss in no way defines who they are as a person. It will always be a part of who they are but not what they are.

All that said, yesterday we went to pick up Ciaran's new ear molds. He picked BRIGHT green and BRIGHT blue swirls. He LOVES them. Cormac got so excited while we were there he got himself measured for a set of ear molds. He picked blue and red. (He didn't want Colin to feel left out. Ciaran's favorite color is green, Cormac blue and Colin red. Cormac thought Colin needed to be represented in the mold colors) While we were there with the unbelievably AWESOME audiologist Colin told her he wanted "fake" hearing aids because he thought they were so cool. (See, it's all in perspective...it's all how they see themselves.) Well, Colin left the office wearing giraffe print dummy hearing aids with his own set of huggies to hold them on! Obviously, he can't have molds since he has no hearing issues.

Today, they were so excited to go to school. Ciaran had his hood up so he could "surprise" his friends. I walked them to the school line today because I figure I had to explain Colin's new hearing aids to the teacher. (she thought it was adorable and got a chuckle out of it). Ciaran walked up to his best friend, Ryan, and showed him the molds. Ryan's response "whoa, dude, those are TOTALLY cool". Colin was a little shy but couldn't wait for his friends to notice his hearing aids. Little Gabby was behind him in line and she said "Colin, are those FOR REAL?? Colin said " no, they are fake but I love them." She says "I like them too". Cormac was going on and on about how he ordered red and blue molds. It all seemed so....NORMAL.

A perfect afternoon

2012-01-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last week, before the stomach bug wreaked havoc on the house, I had a wonderful afternoon. The boys got home from school, I put Calleigh in for her nap and I turned my attention to the boys. We were playing some games and doing some cuddling when Ciaran says" Mom, I think you look a little tired and you should go lay down in your bed" I am suspicious at this time and give him a questioning look. He then whispers something to his brothers and the other two get all excited and start telling me to go lay down. I figure, how bad could it be?? What could they be up to? Should I pry more into their little plot or should I just go with it? I decided I would just go with it. I go into my room and lie down. A few minutes later the three amigos come into my room carrying a Tupperware full of my favorite cereal and some diet coke (my all time favorite). It was so sweet and thoughtful. They said they just wanted to me to relax and have a nice snack. Then they told me they just wanted to cuddle for a while....I obliged for a while and eventually we all drifted off to sleep for a nap. We woke up when Frank got home from work and found us all snoozing in bed together.

I couldn't think of a more perfect afternoon (unless Calleigh was snuggled in the bed too!)

Nice to hear

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

I had to stop at school today even though they were all home sick to pick up Cormac's FM system. He is going to try and use it at basketball to see if it helps. The acoustics in the gymnasium are terrible. The coach said he would wear the FM if it would help. I'll let you know how it goes.

When I dropped into the classroom none of the kids were there because they were in art class. His teacher says to me " I have to tell you Mrs. Checkit (their new TOD) pulled me aside to say she is so impressed with Cormac. He is doing amazing and she is so happy to be working with both kids. She said she can't believe how ahead of the game his is! SHe is just getting to know Cormac and I am glad he is feeling comfortable around her.

Their classroom teacher commented on how his reading has taken off like crazy. She also said Ciaran is trying so hard. She can tell he does NOT like to get things wrong so he gets frustrated if he can't read a word but he trying super hard. I have noticed in the last week it seems to be clicking for him and he doing way better with his sight words.

So, other than the fact the kids are puking...a great way to start the weekend. LOL

Explosion

2012-01-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

Calleigh has had a language explosion in the last week. I mean she just says everything all of a sudden. It's amazing to hear and makes me so happy. She used to never repeat words when you said them and now suddenly she repeats EVERYTHING. I am so thrilled I cannot tell you. In some weird way I am just as excited or more excited than I was when Cormac started talking. In my heart way down deep I knew Cormac was going to be fine. I knew he would talk. I knew from his first reaction to his implants it would take lots of hard work but he would succeed.

With Calleigh things have been so unpredictable. It seems every time we took a step forward we took two steps back. We never knew what to expect. We still do not know what to expect. A link was never established between the many health concerns she was born with. (Click on the link to Calleigh's story above) No syndrome could be found which is great but also because we don't know the cause you can't predict the future. The not knowing has been a struggle for me. I would much prefer to know what the problem is and come up with a solution.

Cognitively it has always been apparent she understands everything. She has never seemed any different in her comprehension than anyone her age. That said, she was so delayed in meeting her big milestones. (sitting, crawling, walking, running, talking). We waited for 18 months before she could crawl. It took until 26 months for her to walk. Now, I can officially say she is running. She might look like she had a few too many cocktails now and then but she is running.

Her personality might be the cutest I have ever witnessed. She is funny. She is silly. She gets mad quickly. She laughs from way down deep. She kisses me at least 500 times a day. I am NOT exaggerating. She walks up and kisses my legs, arms, hands..whatever..with a big kiss noise. She is loving. She has temper tantrums.. She loves to color. I cannot even say she loves music because it is more than that. Her reaction to music is too cute for words. She dances all day long. Her dimples are humongous. Just like Colin when she smiles her whole face changes. They both have something about them when they smile. I swear their eyes twinkle. There is no way on earth you could ever stay upset with her once she smiles.

She cannot say her own name without it being followed by a squeal of delight. I hope she always loves her name the way she loves it now. She loves her brothers but gets aggravated with Ciaran when he won't leave her alone. She bops him on the head when she has had enough. Yes, I know she shouldn't hit him but when she does it I crack up because I would bop him on the head if he was in y face as much as he is in her face.

While I can't predict the future I am feeling pretty confident Calleigh's future is going to be typical of other kids her age. We still have the heart issue lingering in the future but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I am going to rejoice in all the accomplishments she has made and continue to challenge her to keep moving forward.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T05:29:00.000-08:00

Funny Boy

2012-01-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

You see my smiling sweetheart? In this picture he was messing around saying to his brothers "I am not listening to you." Notice the fingers in his ears??? Well, I say, "hey, little dude, you can TOTALLY still hear them since you don't even hear out of your ears" To which he starts cracking up and says, "I know, I am messing with them" and he proceeds to pull his magnets off his head still cracking up.

A typical Mom

2012-01-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have been so different for me. Calleigh was on a break for two weeks from services. The boys were back in school. For the first time ever and I mean ever in 5 1/2 years I felt like just every other Mom. I was able to take Calleigh to Storytime at the library. We went to a play group. We did our shopping and we played and played and played. All of that without having to worry about a therapy schedule. Most of her therapies are scheduled in the mornings so it doesn't allow us the opportunity to do those things. In the afternoon she naps. It might have been one of the most relaxing weeks of my life.

Keep in mind, Cormac had therapy from birth and it continues BUT it is now done at school. Ciaran gets the same but his is done at school too. For some reason it just hit me this week. After the craziness of the holidays to have two weeks off of NOTHING. No commitments. Except to get the kids to school. Well, it was just plain wonderful.

I know we are back to the grind next week. I am not saying I mind and I know it's necessary. Calleigh also seems much happier the past two weeks. She is doing GREAT. SHe seems more and more like your typical 2 year old (except she is miniature). LOL SHe knows knows lots of letters and numbers. She know some of her colors. She is starting to talk more and more. She is a little chatterbox.

Who knows? Maybe she needed the break too!

Stable

2012-01-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

That is a fantastic word to hear when you are the parent of a child with hearing loss like Ciaran. His late onset loss with NO EXPLANATION can really make you panic. I am not one to panic. If I did I would probably be dead by now with all the things we have dealt with in the last few years.

We switched Ciaran's audiologist to some one more local since we moved. I was very hesitant about switching because it was a huge deal to find someone capable of aiding him in the first place. We are VERY lucky and have a great pediatric audiologist only a few minutes from the house. I met with her first and discussed Ciaran's unusual hearing loss. I was very impressed. She came highly recommended and I was willing to give her a try after her taking time to meet wtih me (at no charge) to discuss his hearing.

We had our appointment on Tuesday and I am happy to report he has no change in his hearing since April. Yep, since April when they first found the loss. This is just fantastic news. It doesn't mean he won't have a change or drop but we are encouraged because it does not APPEAR to be a gradual loss that will continue to get worse! YEAH FOR CIARAN!!

We ordered new ear molds. He chose a swirl of bright green and bright blue. Trust me, you can't miss them. When we first ordered his aids I was not sure how he would feel about them so we ordered just clear earmolds and his hearing aids are skin tone. He now want his hearing aids to be blue but I explained we won't be buying new aids ANY time soon. I have to find really strong stickers to put on them. The stickers made for his hearing aids fall off too easily.

It was a great appointment. Calleigh was surprisingly cooperative even though we were there for 2 1/2 hours and I am so happy with the new audiologist.

On a side note, I often wonder if this blog serves any purpose. I continue to write it because I want to have it for the kids when they are older. But while sitting in the new audiologist office I was told Ciaran's records did not get faxed over by the old office. I was told they really just need his latest audiogram. Hmmm... I pulled up the blog on my smartphone, searched for audiogram and voila...up pops the picture I posted on my blog a while ago! If it serves no other purpose it avoided me having to reschedule my appointment. Gotta love modern technology.

An Spring Day in January!

2012-01-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with Spring like weather in January. It was unbelievably beautiful. We started the day at basketball. I have to say the boys are coming along. This is their first attempt and they are enjoying it. Cormac played the whole time today and did really well.

After basketball, Frank took the boys on a hike while I stayed with Calleigh and did some housework.
They had a blast. They sent me this picture while they were hiking. Holding ice when it is nearly 60 degrees out.

The came home and rode their skateboards in the back yard. I went for a run and knew I had to go and get the boys and head up to the boardwalk/beach. It was too nice. They rode their scooters and I rode my bike. They were barefoot on the beach playground. We build some sandcastles.

My Mom and Richie came down for dinner. The kids were super excited to see them. Maggie made some delicious BBQ ribs and chicken.

The boys were so tired they were asleep in only a few minutes. All in all it could not have been a better day.

Oh, and I will end with the ultimate in cuteness. Calleigh learning early how to be a good shopper!

Flashback Friday

2012-01-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well, not too far of a flashback but this is one of my favorite pictures of Calleigh. She was 6 months old. It was taken almost exactly 2 years ago.

A little look back.

2012-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

I was going through Cormac's binder of information looking for a report to give to his TOD. I came across a report from this first TOD from 13 months post activation (he would have been 2 years 5 months old)
It had samples of his language. Here is what he was saying:

Mommy has a red pocket too.
I have a red triangle.
There is dog food.
I want two doggies.
That one's square
Circle...right there.
I hear mama
Where the other red sock? (he used to skip "IS")
Mommy, I want drink juice...big boy cup.

His receptive language includes nouns, many action verbs, attribute words, names of many people and some prepositions (on, in, under, behind, on top of, around). In addition to understanding many words, Cormac incorporates these words into his expressive vocabulary as well. Cormac consistently responds to simple questions, yes/no questions and "who what and where" questions. Cormac follows directions involving attribute words. He can discern two familiar attribute words IE he can find the small red triangle among many different shapes with varying colors and sizes. Cormac can identify all the letters of the alphabet and all the sounds they make!

It said lots of other things but this is just an excerpt. I love looking back to see where he was and how far he has come!

Now, on to a few funnies I have heard. Some are duplicates from Facebook but I want to make sure they make it into the blogbook so I apologize for the repeats.

We were driving home from a birthday party of the boys BFF from up North, Kennedy. Very seriously Colin says "Mom, I don't know what I am going do. Two girls want to marry me" I say "who Kennedy and Reese?" He says "yes. I know what I will do. I am going to close my eyes and dream about it". I say "Ok." A few minutes later he says " I think I know what to do. Wait? Can I marry both of them?' I said "No, well at least not in NJ". He says "Ok, I am going to have to thiMy more". Ciaran chimes in "Mom, I will marry you" At the exact same time Colin and Cormac say "she's already married"

Ciaran stayed home sick from school. After 5 hours alone with me and Calleigh he says "Mom, I really like being home with you but I am getting Yonley for my brothers". I knew he misses them. Colin and Cormac on the other hand were just fine at school.

My mother in law was ripping up the old mail. Colin says "why are you doing that?" She says "because I don't want anyone to be able to see my personal information" Colin says "what, you don't want everyone to know you are on a diet?" I nearly spit my drink out on that one!

Colin: Dad, I could really use an after dinner mint. That bread sure was garlicky.

Cormac: Mom, your skin is very dry like mine. We both need dry skin therapy. (apparently, Cormac read the lotion bottle!)

That's all for now. Hope you are enjoying your New Year. We started our New Year with an ear infection for Ciaran...Boo

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2012-01-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

I want to wish you all a Happy, healthy and peaceful New Year. 2011 brought many changes to our family. It had lots of ups and downs. Highs and lows. We moved to a new place. While we love living at the beach and our new school we miss lots of people and things from our old town.

Calleigh started walking in 2011 which is a huge milestone. She is now RUNNING! She continues to make huge steps in her development and we know she is going to be fine. I am praying we have no set backs in 2012. We still are waiting for the second hole in her heart to close but we are pretty sure it won't close on it's own at this point. I don't plan on fixing it until she is a little older but I don't have full control over the decision. I am hoping to avoid it until 2013.

Ciaran was diagnosed with hearing loss in 2011. To say it came out of left field is an understatement. We are still dealing with the diagnosis. Ciaran has done really well considering his age when he had to start with hearing aids. Some days he says he hates them. Some days he says nothing. We take it day by day. His hearing has been stable since his diagnosis so this is a positive. He is doing well in school and is a pretty well adjusted kid. Ciaran prefers math over reading and has a real knack for it. His reading is coming along just fine but he doesn't really enjoy it.

THE NEPTUNE was FDA approved in 2011. This is really life changing for Cormac. As the worlds first swimmable processor it will give Cormac access to sound he has never heard before. He will hear in the bath for the first time. He will hear in the pool for the first time. There will be a lot of firsts for Cormac once we are able to get our hands on the Neptunes. We are praying we can get them approved by our insurance. I plan on taking lots of video of him experiencing all these amazing "firsts" with his Neptunes. Cormac continues to amaze us with his speech and language. He loves school. He is fully reading. He has lots of friends. He plays soccer and basketball. He is just a typical kid. This makes me sooo happy.

Colin continues to make us smile with his sweet little personality. He is never without a compliment for me and anyone else. He thinks many things are "beautiful" and gorgeous". He still gets upset because according to him "there is nothing wrong with his cochleas" and that makes him different from his brothers. He doesn't like they get to get special services from the Teacher of the Deaf at school and he doesn't get to go. He is a smart little bugger. He surprises me with how much he actually knows.

Much love to all of you in 2012!

What did you get for Christmas?

2011-12-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

We got bronchitis! Well, not actually on Christmas day but all four are coughing and miserable. It stinks to spend their vacation sick. I guess it's better than them missing school. Calleigh had to go to urgent care on Tuesday night. She was running a high fever, coughing like crazy and just plain miserable. Our pediatrician is closed on Wednesdays so we couldn't the next day and I could tell she was getting worse. With her history, I didn't want to mess around. The last thing I needed was another was for her to have a seizure or something

The boys luckily aren't running fevers. They just have coughs and congestion. You can tell by their eyes they are not themselves. Tonight I gave them some cough medicine before bed to give them some relief. Last night, I could hear them coughing all night long and they got no rest. I am hoping with a good night's rest they are feeling better in the morning. Calleigh is on day three of antibiotics so she should feel better too.

We did have a marvelous Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Our family is blessed in many ways but most of all we are blessed by the people in our lives. We could not have better family and friends who love us and support us and do things that leave us speechless. I will write another post about that when I have some more time.

I will leave you with these two videos. If you are my friend on Facebook I apologize for the duplicate posts of the videos but these are too darn cute not to put on my blog!

Cormac singing Joy to the World. He still amazes me.

Colin playing piano like he actually knows how to play! Watch Cormac's foot in the very beginning. Colin is hilarious.

Santa brought soccer poppers.....

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

We went to see Santa at Macy's in NYC and to Rockefellar Center to see the tree. Here are ten pictures from Friday. My Mom and mother in law went with us. Four adults to four kids. Excellent ratio. The boys were amazed from beginning to end. The train ride into "Cormac's city". The pedicab (or death mobile), the lights, the window displays at Macy's and Lord and Taylor. And we saw Santa. He was awesome. And don't you know, an hour later we were walking down 5th Avenue and Santa (yes, the same Santa from Macy's) was outside and he said to the boys "Hi boys, remember you. I took a picture with you about an hour ago. AND he remembered what they wanted!!! It might have been one of my favorite days ever....

Here are TEN pictures for Ten on Tuesday.

Church Play

2011-12-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

We took part in the church play on Sunday. Kindergartners were either angels or shepherds. We were three shepherds.

I made the costumes myself and I was pretty thrilled with how they turned out. It was very simple and thanks to my Aunt Lee (who gave me the pattern) I was able to make them. Cormac did the braiding of some of the twine. The kid loves to braid for some reason.

Here is a clip of them singing. Can't tell you how cute it was. They are not smiling while they sing but between songs they were smiling. It still never gets old I have triplets up there singing away and even more one of them is deaf! Years later I am still amazed at how lucky we are to have the technology that exists today!

They only had three days to learn all the songs. We didn't quite learn all the words to every song but they were pretty close. They weren't you most popular songs.

We only have a day and half of school and then we are off until after the new year!! I am so excited. We are going to have a lot of fun. We are planning on trying ice skating for the first time. We are having a play date with our favorite girl, Kennedy, who we have not seen in way too long.

An Inspirational couple of days

2011-12-12T17:53:00.001-08:00

I was blessed to head out to Advanced Bionics on Wednesday. I am a volunteer mentor for them and we were going to get some training. I am also the co-chapter leader for the Bionic Ear Association for the New York/New Jersey Chapter. We are still ironing out the kinks to get our chapter up and running but I have lots of faith it will be very successful.

I cannot say how thrilled I am with our decison to choose Advanced Bionics. I have never looked back after our decision. We have had nothing but success. We get such support from them. When you go to a training session it is so inspiring. To see so many recipients or parents of recipients leaves me in awe. It also gives me time to meet with other parents. We can bounce ideas off each other. We can talk about the future. We can talk to those with older children and learn from them. I can talk to parents of younger children and hopefully encourage them along this new journey.

I truly feel we are just one big family. I know it sounds hard to believe but unless you have experienced it you could not understand. When I call customer service I usually speak to the same person. Well, that person works upstairs in the building and we get to meet and chat with them. I can't think of many companies who make themselves so available. From the audiologists to customer service right down to the CTO/CFO. Yep, that is him below in the pictures. He made himself available and had dinner and spent several hours after dinner just sitting with us and talking about anything and everything. It was so amazing to be so close to someone who makes decision that literally change Cormac's life and all of our lives.

I loved getting to see some old friends from all around the US and Canada and loved meeting some new folks. We have so much in common. We have all travelled a road we never thought we would travel. My life is richer for knowing all of these people.

The real show stopper of the training was The Neptune. This is the worlds FIRST SWIMMABLE PROCESSOR!!! To say this is life changing is an understatement. Cormac will be able to hear in water for the first time......EVER. He can swim, he can bathe (he is dying to know what it sounds like when the water runs over his head. He told me he KNOWS it makes a noise but he just can't hear it). He can play in the snow without worrying of it falls in the snow. He can do anything around water, moisture, dust. You name it and it's covered. On top of that it runs on a triple A battery. We will never be anywhere where we wont have a battery. I mean, you can always find a battery.

Check out the video below.

Cormac will have lots of fun picking out his color choices. He already asked if it come in pink. LOL He wants blue for sure he said. He literally wakes up every morning asking for the Neptune. I so wish we had one now for swimming lessons. It would be so much easier. We are counting the days until January until it is available. We are also praying insurance will cover it....

I just want to Thank everyone at Advanced Bionics for all they do. They asked questions, the recipients answered and they produced it. Most people said they wanted a waterproof processor but they didn't want to sacrafice sound. Well, now we don't have to!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

1. I am leaving for California next week! Very excited to see some awesome people I haven't seen in a while. I will miss the kiddies but I am sure they will survive without me. Frank will be home for the days I am gone.

2. I am in serious need of a haircut/style or something. I am just sick of my hair. It is always horrible. That said, I don't know where to go down here so I have to figure it out.

3. I have the final IEP meeting on Wednesday at school. I am pretty sure we are not going to get approved for the services I requested. I think it's disgusting children get penalized because they are enrolled in private school. The town you pay taxes in still gets money for your child. We are saving them money by NOT sending our kids to their public school but the funds are not available for them in private school. I could go on and on but it's pointless. I guess we will see on Wednesday.

4. I cannot get over the unbelievable weather we are experiencing in the Northeast. We have been outside riding bikes and playing at the beach almost every day. It is so amazing. The kids don't even need winter coats at this point. We are taking advantage of every minute.

5. Frank is off on Friday. I am so looking forward to him having some free time. We have a ton or organization to work on in the house. Having a few hours with him home and only the baby with us will be very productive.

6. The tree lighting in town is on Friday. This is our first year in the new town. It sounds very fun. They have a choir, activities for the kids, Santa arrives on the firetruck and it all ends in the gym with hot chocolate and desserts.

7. The boys started basketball two weeks ago. The gymnasium acoustics are horrible. Not to mention 26 other kids and their parents all in the gym. It is the first time really ever Cormac has said he couldn't hear and got upset. I could tell right away he couldnt hear the coach. He was following along for the warm up but was about a second behind because he was doing what the other kids were doing and not hearing the instructions. It made me very upset. He then got upset and said he didn't want to play. Frank went on the court and helped him (there were other dads helping coach so he didn't feel singled out) and he was much happier. One of the girl coaches came over and gave him lots of one on one attention and he was quite happy! I am planning on bringing home his FM system for the weekend and letting the coach wear it so it doesn't happen again.

8. Cormac was evaluated by the SLP for the county. We finally got the report. I found one statement so amazing "Cormac's speech clarity was so clear after talking with him an articulation test was not necessary" I love this statement.

9. Ciaran needed the articulation test which did not surprise me. He has good speech but some of his sounds are not perfect. All the sounds he struggles on fall directly in his range of hearing loss.

10. My new favorite picture:

Santa Landing and things that still amaze me....

2011-11-26T05:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went to see Santa arrive by helicopter at the oval. We weren't sure if he would come in the helicopter or a firetruck and much to the delight of hundreds of children he arrived on a helicopter. The looks on the my kids faces was PRICELESS. Santa was waving from the helicopter. To see such pure joy is such an awesome experience. The only drawback was it took him almost two hours to walk around and see all the kids. The kids just ran around and played but it was tiring. I had to send Calleigh home with my Mom for her nap. I was left with my niece and nephew and the boys. My niece, Cailan, told me she is pretty sure I have magical powers or am a miracle worker to be able to get all the boys to listen! She is only 9 years old and is so funny.

When the Big Man FINALLY got to say hello to us. They boys along with my niece and nephew.

The boys and the elves.

Cormac and the elves. He was the first to ask if he could take a picture with them.

The smooch

Me and the Smooch.

Waiting....

The next few are when they first say the helicopter with Santa. Priceless

A few more while waiting!

On a CI note, I am still amazed after all these years. Here are two moments from yesterday. My niece asked Cormac to play the alphabet game with her. (She is nine) asked "How do you play it?" She said "I will say a letter and you need to say a word that start with that letter". He says "Ok. Let's play". She went on to name all 26 letters. She could not stump him. He said a work for every letter. She never had to repeat herself. Not once. My niece is the sweetest girl and she couldn't believe he couldn't be stumped! So then Cormac says "now it's my turn to say letters and you say the words"

Calleigh was sitting in her high chair drinking out of a sippy cup. It was making a strange whistle noise when she was drinking. It was so quiet. Cormac was sitting at the table and says "what is that quiet squeaking noise I hear?" AND he only had one implant on at the time! LOL.

Let the Christmas Season begin!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

1. I am so happy it's getting close to Christmas. I LOVE Christmas time. It is probably my favorite time of year.

2. I am enjoying our unseasonably warm weather. We have been so lucky to be getting so much time to play outside at the beach and playground.

3. Calleigh is a chatterbox. Literally, overnight she has become a parrot. She repeats everything We just need to work on her using her words to get things now. She is totally into naming everyone at this point. She can say her name which melts my heart when she says it.

4. The boys are so much fun at this age. They want to just learn and learn. As I type this they are all on their Ipod touches. They are all playing educational games. Not because they have to but they want to. It makes me so happy.

6. Frank had a birthday. The boys made him a crown to wear. He wore it all day. He watched footbal wearing it. It made the boys day. He is a great Dad and puts the kids happiness before anything. We are lucky to have him.

7. We have a half day on Tuesday and off for the rest of the week. So looking forward to all the days with the boys. We are heading to Insectropolis on Wednesday. I get creeped out from bugs but the kids will love it.

8. The day after Thanksgiving we will be heading to see Santa for the first (of many) times. He flies in by helicopter and it should be fun.

9. With Thanksgiving on Thursday I am thankful for so many things. I am hoping to write a post for Thankful Thanksgiving with all the things we are thankful for in our lives (including the kids. Should be interesting what they say)

10. I have a question for all my CI moms. I will blog it soon. Just looking for your thoughts on something.

What makes you different or special?

2011-11-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

This question was asked of the boys as part of their homework. We had to read a poem and then we were supposed to ask them what makes the special or different. I was very curious to see what reponses I would receive.

Somehow I figured Cormac and Ciaran would answer with something related to their cochlear implants and hearing aids. I was wrong. Neither one of them mentioned it as making them different than others. Interesting, surprising and wonderful at the same time.

Colin was the only one who mentioned them and said he was different "because I don't have anything wrong with my cochleas and dont wear anything on my ears."

Cormac said he was different because he had blonde, curly hair.

Ciaran said he was different because he had different colored blue eyes.

I think they were talking about being different from each other as triplets not as different from their peers.

Why am I deaf?

2011-11-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, at my Mom's Cormac asked me "why am I the only deaf person in our family?" He has never asked before and I could tell he wasn't upset. Just curious.. So, I told him "Daddy and I both have a very special gene (I told him about genes and he seemed to get we are made up of them. )and when we both gave them to him and he was born deaf." He said, "oh, ok" and smiled. Then I explained we gave him cochlear implants because we wanted him to be able to hear all the people who love him talk to him and so he could talk with us. He said "I love having my implants. If I didn't have them it would sound like it does when my magnets are off all the time". (For those that don't know, without his magnets he hears NOTHING. ZERO) I said "Yes, it would. What is your favorite thing to hear?" He said "the ocean waves crashing to the shore and the sound of you and Daddy's voices"

Just in case I had any doubt about our decision (which I did not) he reassured me he is a happy hearing kid!

Not so Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

An unseasonably warm week. We have been taking full advantage of the last few days when it will be so warm/

Here are a few memorable statements from the terrific trio.

A few weeks ago Frank and I were going out to meet some family to see a band at a local bar. The boys were asking where we were going. I told them where and they asked "what is a bar?" I told them it was where they make adult beverages. Probably not the conversation I should be having but I was kidding around with them telling them we were going to dance. Anyway, this weekend I was going to a gift auction at a country club to raise money for the school. Ciaran looks at me dressed and ready to go and looks at Colin and Cormac and says "I can't believe Mom is going to Barber AGAIN. I wonder how many times she will go to the Barber" After a huge chuckle I was thinking if he starts telling other people Mom and Dad go to barber alot they won't think much of it. LOL

I posted this on Facebook so if it's a duplicate sorry.
Colin: what's a f*ckaneer? Me: what did you say??? Colin: I said what's a f*uckaneer? Me: do you mean bucaneer? Colin:yes..you know they wear those hats. What are they? I think I nearly died from laughter when I walked out of the room.
I am still laughing about this one. If you could hear his voice it was priceless.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Ten words I currently love...

1. Tank you (not spelled wrong)

2. Ciar Ciar (Short for Ciaran)

3. Purple

4. Lobster

5. One Two Three

6. Blue

7. Eight

8. milk pease

9. Baby

10. Did it

It's been a long time coming but Calleigh is finally adding new words every day! It's so exciting. It seems like it's all clicking. She has amazing receptive language and now the expressive language is coming along. Not sure why it's taking so long but I will take it!

Great way to start the weekend

2011-11-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I went to pick up the boys from school another Mom (who I don't know at all maybe have said hello once or twice)came up to me and says "I saw this picture and thought "Are you also a model as well as a Mom to four kids?"

After the shock wore off I kindly said Thank you and no, that is definitely not me!! It was probably the nicest compliment I have received in years (except for yesterday when someone gave me a compliment about Cormac...you know who you are ) I guess I don't really look as bad as I think I do when I go get the kids. LOL

Manasquan Water Taxi

2011-11-03T05:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went rode the Manasquan Water Taxi. They usually are open for business in the summer and you can ride the taxi between several bars/restaurants on the water. I had done it years ago and it was a lot of fun. This year they tried a Pirate Cruise. (nothing like the Pirate cruise we went on for the boys birthday) You ride the boat (adult beverages are served if wanted)to Treasure Island. Once on the Island you go on a nature hike/treasure hunt. You "find" a treasure chest as well as a pumpkin patch. Such a cute idea. It was a little cold on Sunday but still worth it. The kids had a blast and Frank enjoyed the adult beverages :)

The Island we went to brought back lots of memories because when I was in my twenties we used to go to the same island by boat for the day and enjoy way too many cocktails with lots of good friends.

Something I also noticed and was even surprised by. We were sitting on the back of the boat. We were going pretty fast and it was very windy. There was also music playing. I was able to have a normal conversation with Cormac who was sitting two people away from me. I didn't need to yell. I could just talk to him. Even with all that background noise he was able to have a conversation. Pretty darn amamzing.

We will be back again next year for sure. If nothing else, we go so wonderful pictures!

Some quotes worth keeping and Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T05:22:00.001-07:00

The kids have come out with some good things lately. I put some on Facebook so if I duplicate sorry. I just want to be able to remember these things.

Colin: I am pretty sure Evelyn is in love with me. Me: How do you know? Colin: I asked her and she said yes Me: Oh, that's nice. Colin: Yeah, but I am in love with Reese. (And so it begins) Then Cormac chimes in "Well, that's ok cause I am in love with Evelyn" Ciaran says "dont worry mom, I am in love with you"
2135Boys are all playing in Calleigh's room. Colin and Ciaran are "whispering" so Cormac can't hear them. I say "He can hear you. He is not deaf. He is in the same room as you". From across the room Cormac says "Well, actually I am deaf but I heard them anyway"

Driving up from our house to my Mom's house on Halloween Colin says all to himself in the car "Wait, I must be dreaming. Is that snow. I must be dreaming because it doesn't snow at Halloween."

Ciaran has been "quoting" me in and doing impressions of my voice. To hear him say things I know I say all the time is outright hilarious!

Everything now has "smurf" in front of it since wee were the smurfs for Halloween. "Smurftastic" "Smurfilicious" "Smurftaculuar"

My Mom got dressed as a witch for a Halloween party and texted me a picture to show the boys. When I showed them here is what they said :
Colin: You look good and pretty and have a spooktacular day.
Ciaran: You look bootiful.
Cormac: You look like a very friendly witch and I don't care if you are scary and have a green face.

They say so many things I can't possibly remember them all but I really am trying to document as much as I can.

On the Calleigh front...she is doing marvelous! She has really started chatting away! She never would repeat what you said to her but now she is like a little parrot. We know she can hear so we weren't sure why she wasn't talking. But then again, Calleigh is really a medical mystery. With all her issues she doesn't have any neurological or cognitive issues (thank goodness). She is still delayed in speech but making HUGE progress. Her favorite word right now is "purple". She says it so cute. SHe is also getting better wth her gross motor and more steady on her feet. If you can imagine we are already starting to talk about preschool! Since she is in early intervention they start the process 6 months ahead of her third birthday. So, that would put us in December! If her speech and gross motor skilss are still delayed she will qualify for preschool in district. Our (new) district has a great program because it's has typical kids and delayed kids together. We are not sure this is where she will go but we will see. If she catches up she will go to the same school as the boys do now. I am BEYOND thrilled with her therapists since we moved. I think a change was good for her and different techniques are a plus. Her PT really has her working hard. She brings things and set up mini obstacle coureses in the house.

And now to leave you with some serious cuteness. We were the Smurfs for Halloween. Cormac was brainy, Colin was Papa, Ciaran was grouchy (check out his eyebrows). Frank was Gargamel, I was Smurfette and Calleigh was Azriel the cat.

Evaluations

2011-10-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Cormac and Ciaran had their evaluations last week by the Psychologist which is part of the IEP process. The purpose is to "assess cognitive, social and emotional and adaptive functioning"

The report on each of them was three pages long and very interesting. Both of the reports were very similar.

Below is a bit of what he said about Cormac. Not the sentence in italics. Could this make me any happier? All the years of hard work have paid off...
He was easily engaged in and took great interest in testing items. He was very curious and verbal throughout. He talked a lot about his brothers, his school, and his family with great excitement. He impressed me as a happy, inquisitive youngster who really enjoys his school and home experiences. Cormac is a happy child who verbalized a lot during evaluation. Cormac demonstrates equally well-developed itellectual ability on both verbal tasks which involve use of language and on non -verbal tasks which involove non-verbal spatial and sequential congitive ability.

Below is a bit of what he said about Ciaran.
Ciaran "was curious about many of the test items as we worked together. Ciaran greatly enjoyed the evaluation process and frequently wanted to interact with and talk with the examiner. He impressed me as a very happy youngster who is interested in exploring his home and school environment. Ciaran demonstrates higher level of intellectual ability on verbal tasks which involove the use of language than he does on non-verbal tasks which involve non verbal visual spatial and sequential cognitive ability. It is important to note that his non verbal abilities are still in the High Average Range.

So both of my children with hearing loss are testing in the 96% for VERBAL IQ. That means only 4% of children their age (HEARING CHILDREN) would score higher than them. I am pretty thrilled with these results.

Cormac's results kind of go along with what his TOD for over 3 years said about him. She felt he was a verbal learned but just happened to be deaf. So, his brain adjusted to be a visual learner during the year he couldn't hear. When we gave him the ability to hear he was suddenly a verbal and visual learner. Most people are one or the other.

They have another evauation on Friday. One down, two to go!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

1. This weekend was an awesome family filled fall weekend. On Saturday the boys' BFF from Cedar Grove and her family came to visit. We did the farm/pumpkin picking/hayride thing and it was so much fun. That evening Frank and I went out with some cousins for some coctails and to see a relatives band. Sunday we went bike riding and hiking on the beach nature trail. We didn't even realize we had been gone for 3 hours. It was a perfect day with Frank and the kids.

2. Monday didnt go as well. Colin was sent home from school with a fever. Calleigh is also sick. By the end of the night all 4 were not feeling well and running slight fevers. We will be heading to pediatrnician tomorrow if they can see us all.

3. Parent teacher conferences were a big success. Their teacher said all the boys are doing great and she has no concerns about them at all. I did have to explain why they each have their own color and city. Ciaran is really advocating for himself when he misses things in class. This makes me so proud. Cormac appears to "not really miss anything". Smile.

4. We are working on getting rid of training wheels on the bikes. Well, we are discussing it. I am thinking this weekend we will take off the wheels and see how it goes.

5. Soccer continues. Ciaran seems to really be taking to soccer. Colin and Cormac enjoy it but not like Ciaran.

6. Calleigh has started talking so much lately. It's like all of a sudden she is blossoming. She said "please", "thank you". Any word that starts with /m/ she can't say without saying mmmmmmmm first. It's adorable. She continues to make huge strides in all areas. She is still quite wobbly when she walks but is getting better. She now calls Ciaran "Ciar Ciar".

7. IEP's are still in the works. Both had their evaluations by the psychologist and we are waiting for the rest of the evaluations. It takes forever.

8. A grandparent of one of the boys' classmates has a cochlear implant...what are the odds of that?? I spoke with her and she said she does really well and has had it for 11 years.

9. I love how even though the boys are in the same class they come home and tell such different stories about their day. They don't sit together (there are three tables: red angels, blue angels and green angels) so they each tell me about everything their friends at their table talk about.

10. I need a professional organizer. Just saying.....

Kindergarten Pictures :)

2011-10-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

You never know what you will get when you aren't there when pictures are taken. I was thrilled when these came home today. I just love the school uniforms. Makes them look like little men!

THe Cost of a Child

2011-10-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

I received this last year at the boys' Pre K 4 graduation. Kept meaning to blog it but kept forgetting. Came across it during the move. It is very true.

A few years ago the government calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about a shocker. That doesnt even touch college tutition. That figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have saved if not for the birth of our child. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It tranlates to $8896.66 a year or $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That is a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advisor might say don't have children if you want to be rich. It is just the opposite.
What do you get for $160,140?
Naming rights. First, middle and last.
Glimpses of God every day. Giggles unser the covers every night.
More love than your heart cold hold. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies.
A hand to hold usually covered with jelly.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, builiding sandcastles and skipping down the sidewalk inthe pouring rain.
Someone to laugh yourself sill with-no matter what the boss said or how you stocks performed that day.
For $160,140 you never have to grow up.
You get to finger paint, carve pumpkins, play hide and seek, catch lightening bugs and never stop believeing in Santa.
You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Sunday morning cartoons, and wishin on stars.
You get to fram rainbows, hearts and flowers under refridgerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreathc for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day and card with backward letter for Father's Day.
You get to be a hero for retreiving a Frisbee off the garage roof, removing a splinter, filling the wading pool and coaching a baseball team that never winds but gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, the first word, first bra, first date and first time behind the wheel.
You got to be immortal. you get another branch added to your family tree and if you lucky, a long list of limbs called grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, and communications that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
You have all the power to heal a boo-boo-, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever and love them without limits SO one day they will, like you, love without counting cost.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here is why I don't have many words to write...I am too busy enjoying an amazing fall!!!

Stuff

2011-10-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have neglecting my blog lately. The final move took way more time and energy and boxes and trips up north than we anticipated. I feel like every time we thought we were done we found something else. We are officially out of the house and it is totally empty. I have lots to say and more to share. Now, I just have to organize our "stuff" here. It's one box at a time.

We are still working on IEP's for Ciaran and Colin. We had our elegibility meeting and they started evaluations today just like they said they would. I am more concerned about Ciaran at this point. He is still not on the FM system and his teacher told me he raises his hand alot to ask her to repeat herself before he will do his work. This makes me happy because he is advocating for himself but of course I don't want him struggling. His classroom has a soundfield system but I want him on the personal FM. I think he will do much better. Hopefully, it will all be resolved in the next month. I am so happy I have the FM system for Cormac.

We attended the Walk 4 Hearing in NJ. I was there as a volunteer for Advanced Bionics. I got to meet some great people. I got to see some people I haven't seen in a while. I have to say I just love going to these events. So many great people. So many people who are friends for life who share a common bond. I just love it.

Still moving

2011-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Even though we have already moved we never finished moving all of our belongings out of our old house. The official date is October 15th. Of course, I kept thinking we really didn't have much left to do. I have no idea why I thought we didn't have much left to do. Maybe denial?? Anyway, we have been scrambling all week to try and finish. I have been so out of touch with people and have been begging for babysitters. We don't want to bring the boys back to the house and confuse them. They are loving living at the beach and have adjusted well. I don't want them to go back and see the old house and get upset.

If you don't hear from me by Friday send in the rescue team to search for me. I will be buried under a pile....We have PURGED so much. It feels really good to get rid of so much stuff. We were in our house for almost 8 years to the day. Eight years and four kids later we have accumulated massives amounts of stuff. We are promising to never aquire so much stuff again. Any annual purge will take place and we will not have so much. The clothes donations alone is astromomical. I am not exaggerating when I say we have at LEAST 20 bags of clothing being picked up by the veterans. It might be more and already donated lots before this week.

We have a guy coming to haul away all the garbage and stuff we no longer use. We could have filled a dumpster. For those that know what our garage looked like....IT IS EMPTY!!! Can you imagine it's actually empty? I don't think we have seen the back 10 feet of it since we moved in! Now we just have to organize the new house. The strange part is we were already living here 4 days a week in the summer so the boys bedroom was already set up. We just repainted it. Calleigh already had her own room here but we redid it to look like her old room. Our biggest project will be getting the basement set up as the family room. It will take some time but we will do it.

I NEVER WANT TO MOVE AGAIN.....but I know we will...

Wordless Wednesday (a little late)

2011-10-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

NYC Walk 4 Hearing

2011-10-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

What a success today was for the Hearing Loss Association of America!! I was so excited to be there with my family. The NYC walk alone raised close $150,000 and the final total is not in yet. I love connecting with others who have walked in our shoes with a child with cochlear implants or hearing aids. I also love meeting those who are new to this journey and are still navigating their way through.
To look around and see so many people with hearing aids and cochlear implants is amazing to me. From babies to seniors. Cormac is pretty used to seeing others with implants but to Ciaran his hearing aids are still pretty new. He was amazed to see so many other children with hearing aids and loved it. He decided his ear molds are not nearly colorful enough (he has clear molds). He decided he wants swirly green ear molds next time. I think it's awesome he wants to show them off.

Seeing some of our Advanced Bionics family is always a pleasure. I always learn something new each time I see someone from Advanced Bionics. I am so happy i am a mentor for them. I look forward to connecting with some of the moms I met today.

I am looking forward to the NJ walk in two weeks!

2011-09-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to meet up with some friends from Summit Speech School. The adorable little girl between Cormac and Colin is the same age as Cormac and also has bilateral implants. It was so nice to see her again and great to catch up with her Mom. It's nice to talk to someone who really understands and gets it. No need for explanations.

The kids has a blast playing together. They were making a pile out of driftwood. They were great at teamwork. Colin thought it was great to see someone else who has implants. He ran up to my friend and said "she has cochlear implants. My brother has them too". We got caught in the rain and had to wait it out at Dunkin Donuts. Their were two kids missing in the above picture. A total of seven kids and all their names started with the letter "C" except for one whose name started with a "K". (Sounds the same though! LOL)

We now only live very close and will be able to meet lots more. When Cormac was little I brought him to Summit Speech School on Wednesdays to a group class for infants. We started with a group of kids and to see how far they have come in 4 years is amazing! I have said it before but our experience with Summit Speech School from the start was the foundation for Cormac's success. While Cormac was in group class the parents were able to sit together and learn from each other and professionals who came to speak to us.

We are looking forward to The Walk 4 Hearing in NYC on Sunday morning. Again, if you want to join us or make a donation please click here.

Walk 4 Hearing

2011-09-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

My family will be walking in the Walk for Hearing in NYC on Sunday. If possible please make a donation to our team. Any little bit can help. If you are not busy join our team and come out and walk with us. It will be a great day. Visit our team page by clicking here. Thank you in advance for all your donations!

Fun at Forty!

2011-09-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

My 40th birthday started at 5:45am when Cormac woke up. He climbed into bed with me and very excitedly yelled "Happy Birthday, Mommy. Today is your birthday and the first day of fall. You are forty today!" I would have preferred it was about an hour later but it made my morning start off nicely.

It followed up by Ciaran and Colin climbing into bed to wish me the same. Last night before bed Colin said he couldn't sleep because he was so excited for my birthday. Honestly, they are so cute about it. They couldn't wait to go to school and tell their teacher. They are waiting patiently to give me my presents when Frank gets home.

We went for a bike ride on the boardwalk for a while after school but got caught in the rain. It was a mad dash back to the house. Basically, I was trying to push Calleigh in the stroller while attempting to pull two of the boys faster on their bikes. Luckily, Kristen (our new friend on the block who is in sixth grade) happened to see us an she gave me an assist back to the house. She is the sweetest llittle thing and the boys might have their first crush....

Ciaran (who LOVES to go a restaurant )is beyond thrilled he is going out to dinner. We really don't go out very often so it's nice. I will get the boys "fancy" as they like to say.

I am really not caring about turning 40. I am exactly where I want to be. I am happily married to an awesome husband and father and have four amazing children. I am healthy and still relatively sane....(LOL) What more could I want? Forty is the new 30, right??

I am looking forward to celebrating this weekend with lot of family and friends. Hopefully, the party will be a success. I think with food, beer, family and friends it has to be a success.

We had a nice dinner and now it's 8pm and all the kiddos are asleep. Time to relax and enjoy the evening.

Phone Conversations

2011-09-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

I am rarely away from my children long enough to have to speak to them on the telephone. I can't even remember the last time I had to talk to them. This weekend my mother in law was kind enough to keep the kids over night while Frank and I stayed up at the old house and got some packing done. It's hard to pack with the kids around.

Sunday morning I called to see how everyone was doing. First I talked to Ciaran who woke up in the night and was crying for me. My kids NEVER wake up in the night. The next thing I know I was talking to Cormac. When I tell you his speech on the phone was crystal clear. I could understand every word he said. He didn't even sound like a child on the other end. I was surprised at how surprised I was at listening to him. At one point he said "Ciaran, can you quiet down I am trying to talk on the phone and I can't hear with all your talking" LOL It sounded so familiar.....But good for him for speaking up for himself!

Still after all this while I am amazed by certain little things that most people take for granted.

This makes me sad.

2011-09-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

I was waiting for the boys to come out of school today and a lady came up to me and asked me if I was the mom of the triplets. I said yes and she said "oh, I saw one has the implants". I said yes. She tells me she has a nephew who is nine years old who is deaf and the family just moved to another state so he could be at one of the best schools for the deaf. I asked "does he have an implant?" She says no. His Mom (her sister in law) won't do it. She doesn't think he needs it. She says "did it change his whole personality when you got him implants? That is what my sister in law is afraid of".

At that moment, Cormac comes barreling out of the building yelling "hi, mommy, I missed you today. I had so much fun at school. Guess what we did today? We got to go outside for recess and play with the other class and I saw my friend Kristen" (she is in sixth grade LOL). The look on her face made me so sad. She had obviously never met a child with implants and had no expectations of it actually working because of what she had been told by her sister in law. I asked her if they sign and she said she really doesn't know much and feels like most of the family can't communicate with him and feel very detached. Her sister in law and brother both fully sign at this point.

She explained her sister in law's parents are both deaf but the sister in law is not deaf.

I realized it's a personal choice for everyone. But to see this woman look so sad when I guess she realized her nephew could be hearing her voice broke my heart.

And this makes me happy...I will leave you with the cute quote of the week. This week it comes from Colin. Here is the back story to why he said it.

While the boys were at school I made it my mission to get there room organized. Since we aren't fully moved out of our house yet and not fully moved in the new house it has been very chaotic. Their room was very unorganized and was starting to make me crazy. Keep in mind, the boys have had this room since they were babies but only used it in the summer. I got all the clothes put away. I hung their pirate hooks, I put their rug in. I made the beds with their stuff. When they came home it was all done. They went upstairs to get changed out of their uniforms and Colin says "Hey, Mom, our room looks so good. Thank you for making it so beautiful and now it feels like our home with all our stuff" I love that kid. He is so sensitive and notices everything.

A day to remember

2011-09-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I went to talk to the boys class today about Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids. After posting on Facebook for suggestions on what information to share I decided to follow Melanie's advice and let Cormac and Ciaran speak for themselves. This morning now goes down in the books as one of those moments you always want to remember.

Ciaran went first and said he wears hearing aids "to help him hear better". He wanted to show his class how the battery door opened and what the battery looked like. He walked around the carpet and made sure everyone saw it. He told them "when it beeps once it's working and lots of beeps means it's time for a new battery". He could not have said it better and was so very excited.

Cormac went next and stood up next to me and said "I have Cochler Implants because I am deaf. See, these are them. (pointing to his ears). When I was born I couldn't hear but now I can hear. When my magnets are on I can hear when they are off I can't." (He was demonstrating) He also showed how the processors blink green when they are working and he said "if you see red I can't hear you". Then pointed to my necklace (It a spiral that looks like a cochlea)
and said "this is what the inside of your ear looks like and that is what doesn't work in my ears"

Cormac also explained that lots of noise makes it harder for him to hear so being quiet when the teacher talks is helpful and that is why he wears the FM system.

Colin said "my ears work just fine but it's cool my brothers have cool stuff on their ears"

The kids asked a few questions and checked out all the "cool" equipment.

To have such well adjusted, proud and happy kids was always my goal. Today, I think I realized they are just that. They were PROUD to show everyone why they were "different" and don't think of it as something to be upset by but choose to share it. I could not have explained things better myself. I love those kids more than anything. It's overwhelming how much emotion I feel when they are making me so proud.

I, of course, left the class and called Frank and was crying like a baby. But they were tears of joy so it's all good. Frank was so happy to know it went so well and he said "they weren't born that way. They learned that from you". Frank scored some brownie points...

Could it really be?

2011-09-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

KINDERGARTEN!!!! Yep. The time arrived. My babies are now full time students. It's like I know it's real but can't believe this day has come. It seems the last five years have flown by but have taken forever. Does that make sense? I guess the days are long but the years are short.

The unexpected move sort of threw a monkey wrench into our long thought out plan of Kindergarten. It sent me into a frenzy. We are not just a family that shows up in your school. We are first triplets. Can they fit all three in one class? Will they try and force me to break them up? I had this all worked out at their original school. Oh, and let's not forget...two IEP's. So we don't just blend in when we arrive. THere are going to be some delays in getting services started but luckily I have possession of an FM system so Cormac was able to use it today with no issues. His teacher was totally awesome and had no problem using it even though it's not required since his IEP is not finalized. Ciaran will have to wait because we don't have the shoes for his hearing aids yet. They should be paid for by the county who is responsible for his IEP. He is just starting the evaluation process since he is newly diagnosed with hearing loss.

Nothing is simple. Our day to day lives aren't really different than anyone else but trust me, nothing is simple when it comes to school. Being in private school complicates matters more than being in public school. We made the choice to do private school and feel strongly we want our children to attend private school. So the added pressure is self inflicted :)

It all about your resources. Having Summit Speech School as a constant and consistent support system is priceless. Their knowledge and experience cannot be matched by anyone else. I feel truly blessed to have so much love and support from them. Our new principal is an amazing man. He not only welcomed our family into his school but he rearranged other students so my three could be together. He has already made the calls necessary and has promised to rearrange his schedule to be available to attend any and all meetings with the county. That is not required of him.

Hours of phone calls, countless time organizing folders and reports has seemed to pay off. It looks like we will be able to get the services required. It is not set in stone yet but things are looking good. My best advice to any parent is to be prepared and educated. A well educated parent is a districs worse nightmare. Know your rights, understand your rights, know what you want and WHY you want it and have the reports from people WHO KNOW YOUR CHILD ready and waiting.

Ok, enough of all the boring details. Let's get to the cuteness of Kindergarten. Their class was adorable. Their teacher was sweet as can be. They went in to school with no problem. Hung up their backpacks and joined the class on the rug. They signed "I love you" to me and that was it. I was better than I thought. Seeing them so happy made it much easier. I only cried for a second after we left.

They came out of school just as happy. They were very excited to see me and Calleigh. They came out telling me all kinds of stories. Colin said he made a new friend named Ryan. Ciaran said he made friends with a girl but he forgot her name and Cormac said his girlfriend is Mary. They attended music class and thought it was awesome. They were teaching me what they learned. I just love how they love to learn. Their brains just absorb everything. It was a great day for them. Such a milestone for our family. Seems like yesterday they were born. I will cherish the years I stayed home with them. It's kind of scary to hand your children off to someone else for so much time.

We finished the day with soccer practice. The boys were asleep before their heads hit the pillows. All day at school and soccer sure must be tiring!

Why I love waking up in the morning....

2011-09-05T06:14:00.001-07:00

For moments like this! Sure the whole day isn't filled with all moments like this but there are plenty of them. They make it all worth it!

3 days and counting....

2011-09-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Three more days. That's it. The start of a new chapter in our lives. They will head to Kindergarten on Wednesday. Tuesday is the meet and greet but I get to go the that :) We enjoyed a long day at the beach today. We head back up North to our house tomorrow to pack up some more stuff and prepare for the final move.

In the meantime, enjoy some pics...

I didn't ask them to pose for this. They asked me to take a picture...

The "unofficial" last Friday of Summer

2011-09-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Friday of Labor Day weekend usually signifies the last weekend of Summer since everyone goes to school the following week. We do start Kindergarten next week. BUT since we now live at the beach.....well, I guess it doesn't end! We can still go to the beach after school, we can still go on the weekends. This is just hitting me and I am so thrilled. Even if we have soccer on Saturdays we have the beach after.

September is the most beautiful month of the year at The Jersey Shore. Not many visitors. Very quiet. Warm temps in the day with the cool ocean breeze at night. I am so looking forward to sitting on the front porch, reading to the kids and enjoying my favorite smell of the ocean. The first day you need to put on a long sleeve shirt in the evening is my favorite feeling.

Starting on Wednesday I will have six hours a day with just Calleigh while the boys are at school. It is so bizarre I can't even comprehend it. Calleigh and I are going to start enjoying some real girl time. What's my goal? I like to jog. Always have. This summer I was actually able to maintain a little bit of a routine and got in about 3-4 days a week. (Thanks to my mother in law who doesn't go to work until 1pm and I got to sneak out early in morning. I usually do about 3 to 3/12 miles. There is one straight path along the water. When I get up to the beach if I go left it winds up in the 3 mile range to the end and back. If I go to the right it will be 5 miles there and back. That is my goal. I want to do the five miles. Of course I will be doing it while pushing Calleigh but that is ok. I don't think it will be so hard. I don't have much trouble with 3 1/2 miles but I will work on my time and try and reduce it.

So, I hope you all have a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend. We will be relaxing on the beach....

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

1. The boys go to Kindergarten Orientation on Thursday. I will be with them. I am terribly upset. Their first official day is Tuesday.

2. Since we are moving I won't know any of the other parents. At their old school I knew most of the moms of the soon to be Kindergarteners. I think that will make it a little harder.

3. I can't believe we are actually moving. I am sad we are moving. I will miss a lot about where we live now. Mostly my Mom who will be an hour away.

4. Calleigh's only mode of transportation now is WALKING. Yes, she looks like I did back in the day after a drink too many, but she gets better every day.

5. I have to transfer her services to another county which will hopefully go smoothly.

6. We survived Hurricane Irene unscathed. We were prepared for the worst and our area got lucky. Two towns away the entire town is evacuated and there is devastation everywhere. It seems you either got off easy or you were devestated. No inbetween.

7. Frank is back at work but working on their old contract. He did not agree with this but it is what it is.....my feeling is they will go out again when the 30 days is up.

8. Preparing for two IEP's in a new district sucks. (Well, sucks worse than your average IEP prep)

9. The boys started their first soccer in our new location. They loved it. I thought it was cute and hysterical. What's not so funny is they play their games at 8am on Saturday mornings....

10. Oh, yeah, I still have to pack my entire house. Haven't even started.....

A whole new journey for our family....

2011-08-23T11:26:00.001-07:00

The Lawrence Family is making a move....we will be relocating to the beach. It is all happening very fast and was all last minute but things seem to be falling into place. We are sad to leave but happy to see what is ahead of us. We have to leave St Catherine's which is difficult but the boys are enrolled in St Rose. St. Rose is an amazing school. The Principal was very helpful and understanding. Of course, we have to get two IEP's written in the next few weeks which will prove to be a challenge.

It will mean a new Teacher of the Deaf for Cormac and he loves his current teacher. He hasn't seen her all summer so I think it will be easier. Ciaran will have his first IEP ever. I am not really sure what services he should receive. I do know I will only let Summit Speech School provide any of the services. I want consistency and I know they go to Monmouth County.

The boys will start school after Labor Day at St Rose. I can't believe I will have three Kindergarteners. I can't believe I have to pack up my entire house in the next few weeks. We sure have a lot of stuff. It's time to purge ourselves of EVERYTHING we don't need or use. I am going back to simplicity :)

I am thankful for my blog and facebook to be able to keep in touch with so many people! But it's only an hour away!

Perception

2011-08-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

I had someone tell me the other day my kids were lucky to have me because not everyone could handle children with needs. (It was a total compliment and I was not upset) But you know what?? I was taken aback. I don't think of myself as a parent of a child with special needs. Don't get me wrong, I realize Cormac is deaf and wears implants. I am perfectly aware Ciaran has hearing loss. I am more than understand Calleigh is delayed in her gross motor skills. I realize I have two children with IEP's starting Kindergarten . I have had Early Intervention in my life for 5 years now. To me they are just my kids. I guess it's all about perception. My children just think of themselves like any other kid in the world. I think of them as just your typical kids.

So, now I have been thinking. Is that how people perceive me? Are people looking at me all day with pity because they see I have one kid with Cochlear Implants and another with hearing aids? I hope not. I honestly don't get that feeling from people. Sure, lots of people have it easier but lots of people have a much harder life.

My question to you is do you think your perception of yourself is different than how other perceive you?

What a day....

2011-08-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

My day started by getting all the kids up, fed, dressed and to my Mom's house by 9am so I could get into NYC with Cormac for his mapping. (Remember two weeks ago he wouldn't get a map?) I made it to the city at exactly 10:30am for his appointment. He was a rock star and did awesome. He happily went along with his mapping even with a different audiologist and assistant. He was totally cute too.

I leave the city and head back to pick up the kids at my Mom's house. I scheduled an appointment for Calleigh at the pediatrician. Tuesday night she had a slight fever (not even 100). She didn't have any other symptoms. Wednesday she was very cranky most of the day and continued with a low fever. Wednesday evening her fever was a little higher. The highest was 101 but with tylenol it went down. I decided she needed to see the pediatrian and make sure she didn't have something else going on.

We go to the doctor at 2pm. They took us in and the doctor had finished her exam. No ear infection, rapid strep was negative. She had a bit of a red throat so I was to continue tylenol if she had a fever and keep an eye on her. Bring her back if anything changed or the fever continued. The doctor left the room. Calleigh was in my arms. I was waiting for him to come back to give me a script (for a cream for diaper rash). She looked like she wanted to go to sleep. Her head was resting in the crook of my arm. All of a sudden I just knew something was wrong. She went limp, her eyes rolled in her head and she was blue/gray. I yelled for the doctor who came running in.

They brought in the Oxygen but it wasn't needed. ( I thought maybe he should have given it to me at that point). He was listening to her heart and lungs and he said she was OK and would come around. I thought at this point she was literally dying. She looked that bad. I am NOT an alarmist. I have SEEN and lived through lots with my kids already. I have SEEN Calleigh not breathing at 8 weeks old and given her rescue breaths. I have seen her stop breathing in the hospital after her colostomy surgery and watched them bring her back. I was pretty sure this was the same thing.

It took her a long time to come around. It was a slow process. She was in a deep sleep for a while. She was very groggy. My pediatrican wanted us to go to the hospital to get bloodwork and cultures. With her medical history he doesn't ever like to take any chances.

He called Frank and asked him to come meet us at the office. (Frank is on strike so he was home which worked out. About the only good thing about the strike) Luckily, my Mom was around and she came up to stay with the boys. We headed to the ER and got there around 3. The ER was ridiculous. It was so busy. It was 5:30 before they even took the blood and urine samples. (Horrible experience. The poor girl has not veins) We stumped the entire staff with her medical history because no one knew what Duane Syndrome was and we had to tell them. (It wasn't critical to her care so I wasn't upset).

After many hours the results were in and they couldn't find anything. All tests came back negative. They are assuming it was a Febrile seizure. She really never had a high fever but it went from 99 to 102 in a very short amount of time. She never actually seized. She just went limp so it seems weird.

We finally got home about 8:45pm. (yep, I was out of the house for 12 hours and never had food or a drink!) Calleigh is sleeping in her crib. I am afraid to leave her alone. The doctors assured my they are harmless. My doctor told me three times. If it happens again she will come out of it. He kept reminding me he did NOTHING and she was ok. That is easier said than done. And I am not a doctor. He also said if I was scared to always call 911 and have them come. We follow up with him tomorrow morning.

My heart breaks for Calleigh. She just cant seem to catch a break. She is the sweetest girl ever. Why does she have to go through so much? She just started walking this week. She looks like a drunken sailor but she is walking. She worked so hard and now this?

They really get it..

2011-08-09T17:38:00.001-07:00

Spending the summer on the beach means extra time for Cormac without his implants. He doesn't really mind being without them when it involves water. I let him where them when he is just playing in the sand away from the breaking waves. What I have witnessed is such a wonderful sight to see. Ciaran and Colin have become his "ears". I have overheard Colin telling a friend they met "we are triplets. His name is Cormac and he is deaf but has cochlear implants. Make sure he is looking at you when you talk to him so he can read your lips and then he will just answer you." So cute to hear them explain it to other children.

Today while they were in the water I had to keep getting them to move back over in front of me since they kept drifting. I must have kept saying "Ciaran, Colin come back over here." A lady sitting next to us says "What is the thirds one's name? I only hear you calling two" I never even realized I didn't call him. His brothers automatically tap him in the shoulder and tell him. I don't even have to ask them. I explained to the lady he was deaf in the water without his implants.

It's never great when you child cannot hear when it involves a large body of water but we really seem to have a nice rhythm. I am so blessed Ciaran and Colin are just such awesome, caring and loving brothers. When they find something on the beach they never leave him out if he is missed something. They run over to him and get his attention and show him what they found. If a plane or helicopter flies over they always point it out to him so he can see it.

To say I am proud of them does not do it justice. Time and again I realize his brothers are his greatest teachers, his best friends and such amazing little people.

Belmar's Treasure Trail leads to different side of the Jersey Shore

2011-08-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

Belmar's Treasure Trail leads to different side of the Jersey Shore NJ.com: ", the Belmar Treasure Trail, a nature walk located across from 1st Avenue next to the Belmar Fishing Club, offers visitors a nice change of scenery, without leaving the beach.
Essentially, the Treasure Trail presents a peek at what the Jersey Shore looked like before it was overrun by bulldozers, boardwalks. Though short, the trail includes sweeping dunes covered with native vegetation. You might also catch a glimpse of some of the animals that live on the shore, like seashore grasshoppers, common terns, and white-footed mice.The Treasure Trail is great for kids as well. There are educational signs posted throughout the trail, teaching children and adults alike about the importance of dunes and how they provide homes to the various plants and wildlife. Kids can also go online and answer questions about the Treasure Trail to win some 'treasure' of their own"

Me and Grandma packed up the boys and cousin Corinne while Aunt Juanita watched Gavin and Calleigh. My boys have been asking to go here since Memorial Day Weekend. Anything involving a "treasure hunt" peaks their interest. We followed the trail and read the signs of what to look for along the walk. The kids were thrilled to find almost all of the "treasures" we were searching for along with some extras. We found an entire flock of the special bird we were looking for (white bellied something or other), lots of flowers on the list, grasshoppers. I was very happy we didn't find the giant eared mice but the kids nearly lost their minds when Ciaran found the cottontail rabbit! Ciaran said he just knew he could find one in this "special bush". And he was right! We saw it two more times.

We brought home a collection of shells, rocks, driftwood and the "best" ever we found the skeleton of a bat or some other small animal and we rought it home.

It was such a wonderful way to spend some time. We watched some boats in the inlet go under the draw bridge. The kids were thrilled we got to see the bridge go up. We waved to some boats goinng out of the inlet. Lots of talking and vocabulary. Lots of fun.

We are having a great summe so far.....

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

Ten Things I hope to teach my children: (in no particular order of importance)

1. Love

2. Compassion

3. Understanding

4. Acceptance

5. Independence

6. Hard Work Pays Off

7. To Embrace differences

8. Empathy

9. Value of friendship

10. Family is forever

All about Ciaran!

2011-08-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ciaran lost his FIRST TOOTH today! He is the first of the boys to lose a tooth. It was very wiggly all weekend. Today we went to the beach and he came out of the water and started talking. All of a sudden Colin says "Ciaran, what the heck happened to your tooth?" (I know not the best of things to say) Ciaran had no clue it had come out in the ocean. So, our first tooth is lost at sea. He said he would write her a note but I took a hint from a blogger friend and we sent the Tooth Fairy a text telling her he lost his tooth!

He asked for Hot Tamales and a dollar. Frank just ran out to get him the candy.

Here is a classic Ciaran story from the weekend. Sunday we were up at the beach. Frank had built some structure with them involving a tunnel and a bridge. Nothing fancy but pretty cool. There were two boys sitting near us. They started playing around and one of them purposely destroyed their structure. My kids didn't really get upset. They said it wasn't nice he did it but I said "no big deal. We can rebuild". These boys were about 7 I would say. Well, one of the boys had built an "arena". Ciaran knew it was his. Ciaran NEVER said a word. Ciaran was nice as pie when we rebuilt the ruined structure. Ciaran acted like it was no big deal. Fast forward about an hour. I am watching Ciaran. He is walking ever so slowly along the beach (I WISH I had it on video!) and he casually gets closer to this kids "arena". Without missing a beat and almost stealth like his little foot knocked down the "arena" in one quick stomp of the foot. If you know Ciaran this is Classic Ciaran. No one gets over on him. Ever. The big kid through himself on the ground and started screaming crying like he was a two year old. The father says to him "well, really, what did you expect? You knocked theirs down." I told Ciaran it was not nice to do it but man was I so secretly proud of him! I always say Ciaran is the kid you do not want to mess with. He thinks and plots his plan of action. I love that little toothless boy!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-07-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ten books a day. This is what was recommended at the Cochlear Implant Convention. I have been trying to stick to it every day but it's not that easy every day.

Here is our ten books for today:

1. Reptiles Are My Life.

2. I am a Whale. The life of a Humpback Whale.

3. Beauty and the Beast. The Beast's Feast.

4. Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure

5. Hippie Grandma

6. Welcome the the Green HOuse

7. The Butt Book

8. My Mommy Hung the Moon.

9. It's hard to be Five

10. The Bone Book (Colin picked it from the library and it's filled with information on human bones.)

Melancholy

2011-07-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

mel·an·chol·y/ˈmelənˌkälē/
Noun: A deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness.
Adjective: Sad, gloomy, or depressed.

Cormac asked me what the word melancholy means the other day. I told him the definition of the word. For some reason he found the word utterly amusing and hilarious (just the opposite as he should). He understood the meaning but could NOT stop himself from just saying it over and over again. He could not control his laughter after he said the word.

A little while later we are walking and I guess Cormac thought Colin was acting a little sad and he says "Mom, Colin is not melancholy he is melancolin." I found it so hysterically funny. So did Cormac. Colin on the other hand did not find it so amusing and began yelling "Hey, I am not melancholin" Oh, I just cracked up. Cormac is STILL saying the word a few times a day and laughing out loud!

Holy Heatwave, Batman.

2011-07-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

After my Ten on Tuesday post I realized from Wednesdat to Saturday we were heading into a heatwave. They were predicting 100+ degrees with a heat index even higher. I had to head into New York for a mapping on Wednesday. So I decided to head down the shore Wednesday evening to ride out the heatwave on the beach.

For the first time ever Cormac was not cooperative during a mapping. He was very excited on the way into New York. he was thrilled when we got there. After the auiologist hooked him up to start the map he was so upset. He cried. He said "he didn't want the grey things on his implants and he just wanted his implants to be normal" There was really no negotiating with him. On our way home from mappings we usually stop along the way and he gets some kind of treat. I even explained to him we were going to have to go right home and not get to stop. I tried to bribe him with something i KNOW he wants. No go. So we did the bare minimum and went home. What can you do? He has always been so cooperative. We will go back sooner rather than later since we need to make sure we have a great map to start Kindergarten.

We went to the beach on Thursday. It was not even too hot at the beach. There was a nice breeze and we were able to stay for most of the day. My kids are such beach lovers. The ocean is there friend. Ciaran has reached new limits in the ocean. The kid will run and dive into the break of the waves. He will get clobbered by a wave and just bounce up laughing. Colin and Cormac are loving the ocean just the same but Ciaran seems to just be a natural at riding waves and boogie boarding.

Friday was the hottest of the days and I decided not to bring them to the beach. Temperatures reached 103 or more degrees. (not including the heat index) I didn't think it was safe for Calleigh since she can't swim in the water. The thought of her just baking in the son seemed like too much. We went to the movies instead. We saw Winnie the Pooh. It was ery cute movie. Just long enough for Calleigh to sit through. The boys enjoyed it. We hung around the mall for a while after to stay cool and busy.

Frank came down on Friday early evening for dinner. We went up to the beach playground. Cormac decided to jump from the rock wall. His knee hit his mouth and he hit his front tooth. His tooth pushed up and back. It is not loose and it didn't turn black (thank god). His lip is still purple and swollen but he looks like a totally different kid. It looks like he lost his tooth but he didn't. I have to bring him to the dentist this week to get it checked. I am going to be so upset if he loses his front tooth and another tooth doesn't come in for 2 years.

The heatwave continued for Saturday and Sunday but the beach was great. The water has been a little rough but I have spent lots of time in the ocean. We head home tomorrow after a few hours on the beach.

Next week we go back to NY for our FOUR YEAR post activation speech evaluation. I cannot it has been four years......

This is one of my new favorite pictures. This is the first time Calleigh ever took a bath with them. I think she liked it???

Ten on Tuesday

2011-07-19T18:12:00.001-07:00

1. My new favorite app for my droid is I Heart Radio. Totally loving it.

2. Busy week with appointments. All four had dental cleanings and check ups. All was well. Ciaran actually has two wigglers. Calleigh might have a missing tooth. (eye tooth). We wont know until she has xrays and I am not going to worry about it right now. Ciaran had his first follow up with audiologist for his hearing aids. The audiologist is great but still trying to figure out the best way to . get him access to the sounds he can't hear without messing with the sounds he can hear so well. We are pretty comfortable with his programs for now. Cormac is going for a mapping tomorrow. I am pretty sure he needs it badly. He has seemed a little off for the past week or so.

3. The heat is ON in NJ. It's supposed to feel like 100+ tomorrow and I have to head into NYC. Not really looking foward to it but what can you do.

4. We are going to head down to the beach tomorrow night to ride out the rest of the heatwave at the beach :)

5. I went jogging tonight outside which was probably not the best decision.

6. Summer is flying by very quickly. I am not looking forward to it ending. Only 8 more weekends until school starts. We dont start until September 12th.

7. Today I bought the boys' uniforms for school. (Well, their summer uniforms they wear until the end of October.) They are going to look so stinkin' cute. I guess no one will realize they are dressed alike since the whole school will be dressed alike!

8. Calleigh is still taking steps but not fully walking. She can walk around pushing her push toy with no problem and can also do it one handed.

9. I am sporting quite the tan....those who know me well know this is odd to see. My legs are no longer pasty white. I love it!

10. Boys are still doing tennis lessons and they love it.

Vermont

2011-07-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome vacation in Vermont. It was the first time we have gone away for longer than a few days as a whole family. Since the boys were born we have always had so many doctors appointments Frank has used most of his vacation days to watch the other kids so it was a nice break for all of us.

We did a lot in Vermont. We went to the Pico Adventure Center. We did Power jumping.
(Well, Calleigh just enjoyed watching!)

Colin

Cormac

Ciaran

Cormac did some rock wall climbing...

A quick shot with cousin, Michael.

Pony Rides...

For the actual 4th of July we went to a parade in the town of Killington. It was so much fun. This is the boys 4th year at the parade and they loved it. We wore our red, white and blue to celebrate. We learned all about why we were celebrating and the meaning of 4th of July. We learned some new songs (Grand ole Flag, Yankee Doodle!) The kids got to do potato sack races, egg toss, water balloon toss and many other fun games at the picnic in town. We swam at the pool and Ciaran and Cormac have mastered swimming without floaties!!

Calleigh loved the cake and the fireworks. This is the first time the boys stayed up late enough to see the fireworks. I can't belieive I let Calleigh stay up to see them! I would have NEVER done that with the boys. She truly loved them and slept very late the next morning!

The next day we rode the gondola at Killington Mountain. Lots of words to be learned. Gondola, peak, slope, summit and many more. The boys LOVED the ride up to the Summit.

We did some fishing. Lots of vocaulary for this one too! Cast, reel in, bait, bobber, patience, line, algea, tackle (as in tackle box and not as in tackling like the kids usually do!) We learned difference between pond, lake, stream, river.

We did mostly family bonding. Cuddling on the couch in the evening. We went out to dinner one night and a band was playing. The kids got down on the dance floor. They were shakin their groove things for sure!

We also went to the lake. I didnt have my camera for the lake. Took lots of pics on the phone but I cant get them to transfer.

We finished up the week by heading to Massachusetts to the Cochlear Implant Convention. That will have to be another post!

Along the way in the car we played some great games. Whiz Kids is awesome! We also played a game where one person says a word and the next person has to say a word with the LAST letter of the word the person before them said. You can make it harder by making it be only words of a certain topic. We learned about each state we travelled. (The Bay State, the Empire State, The Green Mountain State, The Garden State). Lots of hours to talk in the car. LOL.

All in all it could not have been a better trip. Unless of course,Aunt Lee and Uncle Bill could have been there with us!

Summer

2011-07-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time keeping up the blog because we are just too busy enjoying our Summer! We are down the shore today but heading back North in a while. I am so upset scheduled an appointment for Ciaran for a Monday. It is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow again. Oh well, live and learn.

I still owe an update on the convention and I promise it is coming. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I can work on it.

Leave you with a short story on Cormac. Cormac was telling some family about the Neptune (the new waterproof processor coming out shortly). He was saying how he can't wait to get it. Then he tells me "you know I can wear it in the bathtub." I say "i know you can wear it anywear" He says "know what I want to hear?" I say 'what" He says "when I stick my head under the faucet and rinse my hair I KNOW it makes a sound and I really want to know what it sounds like". Hmmm...first time he has ever mentioned it to me. First time he has ever said he wanted to hear something he couldn't. I was a little upset to realize he was missing something BUT in the very near future he will hear it. SMILE

Ten on Tuesday

2011-07-11T07:46:00.001-07:00

Ten Things about the Minuteman Northeast Cochlear Implant Convention:

1. I was so inspired by the people I met. To see SO MANY people in one place walking around with implants is just amazing. People of all ages and all different reasons why they needed an implant but mostly with the same goal. To feel connected with other people and not feel isolated.

2. The psychologist who gave a seminar was by far my favorite speaker. She said things I never knew. Taught me things to look for in the future. I asked her for a copy of her presentation so I can share it with others.

3. Frank's favorite seminar was "Sports and the CI".

4. We are a special community of people.

5. Advanced Bionics is part of the family. Choosing them has made me happier than I can ever imagine. The love and support I feel from everyone there is amazing. I don't think many companies function like they function. Right down to meeting Tiffany, one of the customer service reps who helps me when we need to order parts.

6. Cormac was "recognized" by people who have never met him! The power of the internet....he said he was like a "rock star". He is a rock star to us for sure.

7. I .got to listen to two of the pioneers of AV therapy, James Watson and Lea Watson. They were amazing. I am reassured we did and are continuing to do things correctly :)

8. TEN BOOKS A DAY!!! This is what Lea Watson said we should be reading to our children. We are big readers but I don't think we do ten books a day. She said she has never had a parent come back and say "we didn't need ten books a day". But she has parents who tell her how early their kids are reading and how they are the top readers in their class. I committed to reading 10 a day. Monday was our first day. We did it!!

9. Knock, Knock jokes are great for kids.

10. We need to instill in our children the ability to self advocate. It is critical to their success. They need to be able to say "I didn't hear you " or "I didn't understand you" which are two very different statements. They need to not be worried about others and always ask for clarification and not be embarassed.

This could easily twenty or thirty on Tuesday but will stop at 10.

We're Baaaack!

2011-07-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

It's been an amazing 10 days of vacation. We did alot. We played alot. We laughed alot. We learned alot. We covered Vermont, made it to the Cochlear Implant Convention is Massachusetts and ventured back to NJ. We covered a lot of ground and I plan to give a great update as soon as we settle back in at home. The convention was marvelous. Being surrounded by so many amazing people is priceless. Getting to meet IN REAL LIFE people i have "known" for a long time beyond priceless. Seeing so many inspirational people and listening to speakers who are so knowledgeable was unbelievable.

So, stay tuned for the whole story.....

On a side note, Ciaran is a champ. He has never missed a beat with his hearing aids. He woke every morning and asked for them. He PROUDLY showed them off to anyone who would listen to him. He has not complained once about them. He was in a play group at the convention and I got a text from one of the group leaders "Ciaran just told me his hearing aids are making a different beeping noise and he thinks it means he needs new batteries". I only told him once if he heard beeps he might need batteries. He is totally taking ownership of his hearing aids. I could not be prouder of him.

Day one

2011-07-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

We picked up Ciaran's hearing aids this morning. He was very excited and couldn't wait to go get them. He seemed like he was really trying to be excited even though I could tell he was a little nervous. He did awesome. He was great with the audiologist.

I was most nervous about the molds bothering him. He doesn't seem to notice them. He is very enthused and says "things sound a little louder and my voice sounds different" He decorated them with green stickers. He was all excited about the pediatric kit Phonak provided. He loved the bag and wanted to carry it with him. He said we have to make sure to bring it to Vermont.

When we got home he could not have received a better reception from his brothers. They came running to the truck asking to see them. Colin said "wow, Ciaran, those are so cool. I really like them". Cormac said "Ciaran, now you are like me. Can you share your stickers with me? I want to look cool like that" I let Colin try them on and he was excited. I might have to get him so dummy hearing aids!

All in all it has been a great day. Ciaran had a yummy donut when we were done (it was too early for the hot dog truck!) and then we came home and CALLEIGH TOOK THREE STEPS ALL BY HERSELF. God works in mysterious ways. I was a little down about Ciaran having to get hearing aids and then I come home and the smooch walks for me. She is a little ray of Sunshine in our lives!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

1. Summer is in full swing for us. I love Summer. Wait, did I say I love Summer. We just returned from a long weekend in Wildwood, NJ. We are blessed to have some really great family friends. We were away with Frank's neighbors from where he grew up. There are 6 siblings in the family. Frank has always kept in touch with two of them but he hadn't seen the rest in a really long time. They were all there with all their kids. I think there were about 40 of us all together. I don't think I have ever met a nicer family. Old friends of Frank's and new friends for me and people we will always stay in touch with.

2. I am preparing for another trip this weekend. We are leaving for Vermont on Saturday. My uncle and aunt have a beautiful home in Killington. We have spent all our 4th of Julys in Vermont for so many years I can't remember. Both my sisters go along with their children so it's an awesome time for all of us to be together.

3. We will be attending the Northeast Cochlear Implant Convention from July 8th to 10th. It is held is Sturbridge.. This will be our first time attending. I am really looking forward to seeing some friends and meeting some new families. The convention has some great speakers and tons of stuff for the kids to do while they are there.

4. We made our own sidewalk chalk today. It is hardening over night. I am hoping it works. This was a science project of the day. I am hoping to do a few a week. Keep their little brains stimulated over the summer.

5. Three more days until we pick up Ciaran's hearing aids!

6. The house is DONE!! (well, except for the new light fixture and mailbox) but it looks AWESOME. It's so hard to make such a huge decision. One you have to live with for a long time. I am thrilled with the color. I love the window we chose. I will upload a before and after if I can.

7. Ciaran and Cormac are now swimming without any floaties as long as they can stand on their tippy toes. I am confident they could swim in deeper water but they still are not ready to try. Colin is close to doing it as well but he is my nervous nelly. All three of them will jump off a diving board and go down a slide into the deep end.

8. Calleigh is a fish. She gets so excited when she sees water. I can put her totally under water and she thinks it's the best thing ever. If I sit her on the edge of the pool she just leans off he side and plops into the water to whoever is waiting.

9. Wants to fully enjoy "fun drinks of the deck" while in Vermont. I have to come up with a new drink.

10. I have realized I am mildly addicted the ID network (Investigation Discovery). I am not sure why I watch this channel all the time.

Such a typical moment...

2011-06-26T18:30:00.001-07:00

We just returned from an amazing couple of days away with some really awesome people. I plan to post pictures and all about it but I wanted to write this down.

You see the picture above? Those were most of the "kids". I know some of them are older but they all sat at the kid table when we went out to dinner. (except for Calleigh LOL) I sat at the adult table with about 16 adults. We had two very long tables. I had my back to the kids table. We were lucky because the older girls totally took care of the boys. All that to say, I always have the worry in my head. "It's so noisy in here, will Cormac be able to hear and follow the conversation?, will everyone understand him? will he be overwhelmed?"

So, I am sitting with my back to him but I could hear him. And I was also able to just observe him. And you know what? He was just another kid sitting at the kid table talking to everyone around him. He ordered his own food. (ravioli and meatballs) He asked for a glass of water when the waitress asked him what he wanted to drink. He talked the ENTIRE time to the people around him. He told them he wanted to be a dentist. He told them about constellations and outer space. He told them the school he goes to where he lives.

This weekend was the first time he had ever met ANY of the kids at the table. Not once did anyone NOT understand him. Not once did he seem out of his element. He was just, well, he was just "Cormac". Even after four years some things still never get old and still amaze me.

July 1st

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

That is the date we FINALLY pick up Ciaran's hearing aids. Took some time and searching but we found an absolutely awesome audiologist. Ciaran's hearing loss is not typical. I guess some audiologists were just not experienced enough to handle his loss. Since he only has loss in the mid frequencies you don't want to aid the high and the low. By putting in an ear mold you have to be careful to not take away his access to the frequencies he can hear.

Of course, we are picking up the hearing aids the day we leave for vacation for 10 days. Not the ideal situation but it is what it is. We need him to be really comfortable with them before school starts. I already showed him what they will look like and he seems like he is really good with it. I am not sure how he is going to react to the ear molds. The ear molds are by far my biggest concern. He gets bothered by stuff. Things sometime bother him but we will see how it goes.

After much consideration, we went with Phonak Nios. It was the best fit for his loss. The audiologist ran his audiogram through the various software programs for Oticon and Phonak. Phonak is owned by Sonova which also owns Advanced Bionics. So, we are staying in the same family of companies. Phonak is the leader in the miniaturization of hearing aids. They are bringing their knowledge together with Advanced Bionics to create much smaller processors for implants. Cormac will benefit greatly from this merger.

You can see it in the picture below. It looks much bigger in this picture. It is so tiny especially compared to Cormac's processors. It will only take up about 1/4 of his ear. We went with a neutral color hearing aid and mold. He wants green because it is favorite color. We will use stickers to decorate. With the cost of these little suckers I don't want to be locked into one color only to have him decide he doesn't like it any longer. With him starting Kindergarten in the fall who knows how he will feel when September rolls around.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

It was a great day all around. Only thing that would have made it better would have been to be able to be with my father. I still miss him every day. I struggle with the knowledge my boys will forget him and it breaks my heart. Calleigh never met him since he passed away while I was pregnant. He passed away two years ago on the boys' 3rd birthday. I have never been to the cemetery because it was always simply overwhelming for me to go.

Yesterday, I finally forced myself to go. Frank and I went with the kids. And while it was sad and I cried it also made me feel OK. The boys asked lots of questions and I was happy to answer them. It was an opportunity to tell them great things about him. They all "talked" to him and said very sweet things. Colin said "how come I can't hear him answer me?" I told him you have to listen with your heart and not your ears.

Calleigh sat in the grass (something she doesn't like too much) and placed flowers all on her own and "talked" away. It was like she was at peace while she was there. Almost eerie. She was just playing and smiling.

After that we headed up to Frank's brother's house to celebrate his birthday and Father's Day. My kids love seeing their cousins, Corinne and Gavin. Great food, great company and alot of fun.

I couldn't ask for a better Dad for my children. Frank loves our children so much. He is great with them and loves to play with them. Notice his shirt? They picked it out for him and he had to wear on Father's Day. Calleigh, on the other hand, has Frank wrapped around her finger. She totally knows it already. We are headed for big trouble in her teenage years if he can't stop spoiling her!

The Christening of Aunt Trisha's pool by the Lawrence Family!

2011-06-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

My sister and her husband got a pool. This is the first summer with it and we made our first trip to try it out! When we aren't at the beach we will have some good times at the pool. Calleigh is apparently a water bug. She literally was going under and would not get out of the pool. She was kicking and just loving it. The boys, well, they are just fish. They will spend every second in the water. Cormac didn't want to hear in the water today so he went without his cap. He is just as happy with or without it. What's even funnier is how you can have a whole converstation with him and he just talks back. We had to remind his cousins he couldn't hear!

Sigh of relief

2011-06-18T07:06:00.001-07:00

We have finally found an audiologist for Ciaran! She is the third person we have seen (on top of the two hearing tests). I was hoping to find someone in NJ so we didn't have to go into the city more often than necessary. The first place was not capable at all. I won't even get into the details but due to them we were delayed over two weeks only to find out we would have to go somewhere else. The next place took our appointment and we had another two week wait. Two days before the appointment the audiologist herself called me to tell me she reviewed his records and didn't think she was the right person for him. I am glad she was honest but wish it didn't take another two weeks.

Yesterday, we went to Summit Hearing Aid. I was not full of confidence when I arrived but went with an open mind. She was so awesome. She asked all the questions I thought she would ask. She was already contacting his school to confirm which FM system would be in place so it would be a good match with the hearing aid she chose. She said his hearing loss "is uncommon and very hard to aid" and requres an aid that is more high end (just our luck). She wants him to have an aid that "he can grow with him" (ie, Ipods, cell phones, etc) so he can keep those little expensive suckers longer. I really felt great when we left.

We will make the final decision on Monday on which hearing aid he will wear. She is waiting to talk to his school. It looks like we will be going with a Phonak. At least we will keep it in the family. Sonova is the parent company for Phonak and Advanced Bionics (Cormac's implant compay).

I am so happy I kept searching for the right person. I am so thankful for Summit Speech School and in particular, Ellen, their audiologist who helped me so much. And not because she had to help but because that is the kind of person she is and the type of place Summit Speech School is.

Metal

2011-06-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

The other day I noticed Cormac was only wearing one implant while playing on the front lawn. My usual panic set in and I asked him where it was. He is usually pretty great about putting them in his pocket if one falls off but he is still only 5 years old. So, he says, don't worry Mom. I put it right here....

It is stuck to the door of my truck. He says "the truck is metal so the magnet will stick to it and I won't lose it" He tests everything to see if it's metal by sticking his magnet to it!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T04:07:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

1. Our house in nearly 1/2 done with the new siding :) I am so excited and can't wait until it finished. We have waited 7 1/2 years to do it. New roof and new siding, new front window!

2. Having your step father doing the siding is priceless. The boys spent 5 hours outside today with Pop Pop and Phil (Pop Pop's employee) and they helped the enitre time. I swear it was just awesome. They loved it. They only came inside to use the bathroom. They also learned so much. God bless Phil, he was on the ground the whole day so had to answer the brunt of the questions! I on the other hand, put away 5 loads of laundry, cleaned one bathroom, got rid of all of the boys clothes they outgrew, organized Calleigh's room and made a nice dinner... did I say PRICELESS????

3. I have one of the busiest weeks ahead. Three appointments tomorrow. Two on Wednesday, four on Thursday and two on Friday. I am exhausted just thinking about it!

4. Looking forward to a fun weekend. Some good kiddie time but also some time out with just some big kids!

5. Calleigh is so darn close to taking steps. She can stand for so long and do squats but she just wont take a step.

6. Calleigh is also turning out to be a really great signer. She isn't talking much yet but if you show her a sign she can do it immediately. It is really helping in our communication.

7. Is very happy this week is not going to be so hot since we won't be able to get down the shore.

8. Very happy with our summer reading program from school. Boys are already loving it and can't find out enough about Rainforests! We have been reading even more than usual and I just love it.

9. We are heading to Wildwood Crest
the end of next week and am really looking forward to it!

10. Can't wait for the Northeast Cochlear Implant Convention. I booked our room already and am very excited. The whole family will be there with lots to do.

A very nice compliment

2011-06-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was at the mall Tuesday on the search for some beach hats for the boys with no success. We sat down to have some lunch. While we were eating pizza we were talking about synonyms, antonyms and similes. It was such a very normal converstation. The kids were just naming examples of each. "Fast as a rocket, sleeping like a log, hard as a rock, up/down, above/below, toss/throw, jump/hop, twirl/twist" They had some really good ones I can't remember.

Two ladies sitting near us approached and said "are they triplets?" I said yes. I was thinking I was going to get some silly comment made to me because that seems to be the norm. She says "are you homeschooling them?" I say "oh, no. we just finished preschool for the summer". She says "I overheard you talking to them and I assumed you must be homeschooling. The things they are talking about and asking are amazing for their ages." She also said she was a retired teacher. I explained to her Cormac has implants and our family is very focused on language and listening. She said "well, it sure is working!"

So nice to hear from a complete stranger!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

1. We are officially on Summer break as of June 1st! I LOVE IT ALREADY! We have been down the shore for lots of days already.

2. We attended Kindergarten orientation at St. Catherine's. It was mostly for the kids to meet their future teacher and they got a tour of their new classroom along with all the other rooms they will now get to use in the fall.

3. The theme for our Summer Reading Program is "Let's Explore the Rainforest". I am very excited for this theme because the boys will love it. If we complete all our reading the boys get a NUD day at school. (No uniform day)

4. I seriously love the beach. It is by far my favorite place to be. I am so happy and blessed that Maggie (my mother in law)lives at the beach. We are always welcome and the kids love going there.

5. Finds it annoying Spring no longer exists. It goes from 45 degrees to 90+ in a week.

6. Cormac will have two only 3 more therapy sessions and be done for the Summer. Two days when I won't have to be up and out of the house by 8:15am! YIPPEE!!! He will resume services in the Fall and it will only be one hour per week.

7. Calleigh has CLIMBED THE STAIRS!! Yep. Last week she did it for the first time. She was so damn proud of herself it was adorable. The is really making some great progress the last two weeks. She is getting UCJB's (I think those are the intitals) for her ankles to give her a little extra support. I think she will be walking in no time. She doesn't want to crawl any longer and is spending more time cruising. She is also knee walking which means she wants to be mobile without her hands being on the ground so it's a great sign.

8. Calleigh turns TWO on Friday!! Two already. WOW

9. Signing the boys up for Summer tennis again. They loved it the last two years.

10. My blog might be slightly neglected in the Summer because I will be too busy enjoying my time with the family! Hoping I can keep up with it though since i now can update the blog from my phone (I think I can anyway)

A new Chapter...

2011-06-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yep. We did it. We graduated PreK 4 and are moving on to Kindergarten. It was a joyous moment. It was a sad moment. It was a memorable moment. Sad because I am losing my babies. Five years flew by in the blink of an eye. I am blessed to have been able to stay home with them for five years. I didn't miss a minute of their lives. I tried to be always hands on and guide them. I ignored lots of laundry and messes to just play with them. And you know what? I still feel like it wasn't enough time.

That said, it's been an incredible five years. The best five years of my life. To say this is an accomplishment is an understatement. Some thought it wasn't possible. Some thought Cormac might have to be in a different school from his brothers. I never thought it for one moment. If it was for his best interest I would have done it but I knew in my heart my three would be together. My heart used to break when Ciaran and Colin would crawl off and play together and Cormac didn't realize they left because he could not hear. That all came to a griding hault once Cormac got his implants and could hear. He became a natural leader.

What amazes me the most is how Cormac appears to do it all so effortlessly. To anyone watching they have no idea how much hard work and concentration it takes for him to achieve "effortless". But I know. I know how tiring it can be. I know he LOVES being up there. I know he is bound to miss something in such a loud gymnasium with so many people but from where I am sitting it is not apparent. I know his brothers next to him give him support and love and understanding. And if he does miss something I know they will help him.

They have learned so much. They have grown so much. From September to June they are different kids. They have made friends. They have developed so many different interests. Some of the interests are the same and some are different. I love how they are so different from each other and yet can still come together and work so well as a team. They are so happy all the time. They love to talk. (I mean, it's actually overwhelming at times LOL) They are in no way shy AT ALL. They love to learn new things. They ask questions I would not expect from preschoolers. They show real interest in new subjects. Their attention spans have really expanded.

I am so pleased with our decison to send them to their Preschool. Their teacher was the most loving teacher. She was so great with the boys. They honestly love her. We will miss her next year. Luckily, they will see her because they are stying in the same school.

I am so comfortable with my decision to keep them in their current school. It really seems like the right place for our family. I look forwarrd to many years of happiness while our children attend school.

It's hard to write this post because I in no way want to make it all about Cormac because it is not. Make no mistake, I am just as proud of Colin and Ciaran. They are superb students and so very smart. I owe so much to Ciaran and Colin. They are by far the best speech models. We are so lucky to have built in speech models living with us! Although I write this blog about our whole family I started doing to so other parents could see what is possible for their children and see how amazing a child born deaf can do with cochlear implants so I feel it's necessary to point out certain things about Cormac.

This could not have been said better....

2011-06-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Please take the time to read this great post by a fellow blogging Mom whose son also has implants. It's perfect and could not have been said any better.

OUR JOURNEY: just saying ...: "... most of the time it's fine. In fact, more than most of the time you don't think twice about it. second nature like. Get up in the mornin..."

Way back Wordless Wednesday!

2011-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are pics from today's date May 27th 2006. That would make them 7 weeks old.

All three ready for a walk...

This is how we rolled....

Cormac

Colin

Ciaran

A great day (Tuesday)

2011-05-24T19:53:00.001-07:00

Today was just a great day. We didn't do anything special. Went to the gym and the kids just love it there. Did a little shopping and when we got home we played. Old school playing. We had a full out water gun battle on the front lawn. It went on for a very long time. I swear I thought at one point I broke me ankle running away from the tree maniacs who teamed up on me to triple attack me! It was made even better when Frank pulled up after work and they attacked him too.

We rode bikes and skooters. We played with worms and roll polly bugs. We wrote and drew with chalks. We had car races. We blew bubbles. We met a new neighbor who is 3 years old out for a walk with her grandmother. The boys invited her over again next week.

Considering how busy and crappy Monday was it was so nice to have a simple day. Monday the boys had school, Calleigh had an appointment with the orthopedic doctor, we had lots of errands to run and the amount of phone calls I had to make regarding insurance and doctors visits was frustrating to say the least. (Calleigh needs additional physical therapy, the orthopedic doctor also recommended UCBL's for her and I had to find some one else to see Ciaran for his hearing aids). I will post another post about Ciaran. I am so aggravated with Hackensack Audioligy I cannot even tell the story right now. Needless to say, Ciaran will have to wait another two weeks for hearing aid which is beyond annoying.

So, having a wondeful Tuesday sure made up for a frustrating Monday!

And I wanted to thank everyone who offered comments on our new journey. Your support and advice is so very helpful and appreciated. Whoever sent me the link the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's hearing aid guide for children a special thanks. You didn't leave your name but that sure is awesome information. Thanks so much.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ten reasons I am upset about Kindergarten. (We graduate from Preschool on June 1st)

1. Well, the first is simple. I can't believe I will have three Kindergarteners. How on earth did it go so fast? Did I make the most of the very short five years I had to spend with the kids before school gets in the way?

2. Full day Kindergarten. Why? They have years to spend in school. I would prefer 1/2 day but it's not an option. Both the public school and private school have full day.

3. Homework is sure to start.

4. We will no longer be able to do stuff "while all the other kids are in school". We will have to squeeze stuff in on weekends and vacations. Hate that.

5. Our summer will be shorter next year. Preschool gets out much earlier and starts later. Just means less time with my boys.

6. Someone else having so much time with my kids. I know they will be in good hands but I rather they were my hands.

7. Packing lunches 5 days a week. UGH!

8. Sort of dreading the ironing of school uniforms.

9. Two IEP's instead of one now :(

10. See #1

Not sure why this is so upsetting to me but it is truly making me sick to think they will be gone so much. I really enjoy and relish the time with my kids. I am sure having some time on my hands but I would prefer to be with my kids.

A morning at the mill...

2011-05-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

We spent some time Saturday morning on a hike at the mill. We went with a treasure map Colin recieved in the mail from a real life pirate! (Also known as my good and talented friend, Cristina) I of course had to hide some treasure along the way and then we had to "discover" the mini treasure chest filled with a few pieces of candy and some gold coins.

It was a fun and exciting way to spend the morning. Every day is an adventure with this family of mine!

The mystery continues

2011-05-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I got the genetic results back Monday for Ciaran and Calleigh. They are both carriers of connexin 26 and have one of the genes. It takes two genes to be affected. Cormac has both so he is deaf. I am having mixed emotions about the test results. It's awesome for Calleigh. She is not showing any hearing loss at this time so we are confident her talking will come in time. As for Ciaran, I don't know what to say. Why does he have hearing loss? Not knowing is difficult. I am hopeful whatever it is remains the same and it will not be progressive. With connexin 26 it could have been progressive loss. This is a positive but the not knowing why is what gets me.

Ciaran had an MRI on Wednesday to check out the structure of his ears. This requires anesthesia. He did fine with the "sleeping potion" (his words, not mine). He just wanted to get a hot dog off the hot dog truck when it's over. A small price to pay for a scared 5 year olds happiness. He wasn't awake 5 seconds and he asked for a hot dog. I have to say when I went into recovery and saw him still out from anesthesia it made me cry. He looked like such a big boy all of a sudden. I just counted the minutes until he opened his eyes.

His hearing aids will be in next week. It's a new adventure for us. I have no clue about hearing aids. Hearing aids and Cochlear implants are totally different. I am pretty well versed on the implants but am clueless with hearing aids. I have lots of learning and lost of questions. Luckily, one of my blog followers (emmaverdona) wears Safaris and I know help is available (how do you listen to Ipod touch???) Cormac just uses regular ear buds or headphones but that's not possible with hearing aids. A friend of mine also has a child wearing safaris and she could not be more knowledgeable on hearing aids.

So, the mystery continues. Maybe the MRI will reveal something but I doubt it. We should have results on Friday. Further genetic studies could be ordered.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ten things that have been said to me probably 10,000 times:

1. Are they natural? (I have never met a unnatural child but, ok)

3. You sure have you hands full.

4. God only gives you what you can handle.

5. Everything happens for a reason.

6. Don't worry he/she will be fine.

7. Are they all your kids?

8. Better you than me. (yep, if you feel that way I am glad it is me)

9. You had triplets and had another? You must be crazy.

10. Are you done having kids?

I could probably easily do Twenty on Tuesday with this topic. Pretty much all of them are pretty annoying but I have grown used to them and have plenty of witty combacks!

Mother's Day

2011-05-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

This post never got posted for some reason

My Mother's Day went great today. It started off with breakfast in bed made by Frank and the boys. Scramled eggs, taylor ham and hole wheat toast! All my favorites. They had picked me out beautiful flowers and an awesome Super Hero card.

My Mom and Richie came for dinner which was cooked entirely by Frank. I enjoyed a few cold ones which really hit the spot.

For me, every day is Mother's Day. My children are the greatest blessings. Every day is not easy but every day is rewarding. Every day is a new adventure. The worst day at home with my kids is better than the best day in an office. I have my days of insanity and not so great parenting but we have way more good days than we do bad days. My life is full of love and laughter every day and I have my fabulous children to credit.

And talk about rewarding Mother's Day. Read below..... What more could I ask for?

I am giving Calleigh a bath and out the window in the yard I hear Cormac say "Dad, I hear the beautiful birds chirping. Do you hear them?" Brought a tear to my eye. Never gets old to hear your deaf child point out sounds he hears because of amazing cochlear implants!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

1. It is ridiculous an insurance company can tell you they will pay $1,000 every two years for hearing aids. So, $500 an ear. Try and get a hearing aid for that price. We have amazing health insurance and I am shocked this is what I am being told. If he qualified they would cover bilateral implants at NO COST to us. I don't understand why his being able to hear with hearing aids should be treated any differently. I knew the coverage was different but this is really upsetting to me.

2. Calleigh has appointments with the lip surgeon, the ENT and audiology today. Yep, three in a row. They are all at Columbia so it's better for just one trip. We will see how she does. It will be tiring for her.

3. The new roof is complete and they finished in one day.

4. They are predicting beautiful weather all week. This makes me smile.

5. I am still waiting the genetic testing results on Ciaran and Calleigh. I really am hoping to hear something this week.

6. The boys delayed birthday party is on Saturday. I might be more excited but they are very thrilled.

7. Ciaran's appointment with audiology went well. Not sure if we will stick with the same audiologist. I don't think we will see eye to eye. We ordered him Oticon Safari's. He wanted green. We wound up with a neutral color because he can put green stickers on them and we go green ear molds. I didn't want him stuck with green for a few years.

8. My usual upbeat attitude about medical conditions has been hard to maintain the last few days. I hate that Ciaran now will need hearing aids. I hate not knowing what his futre holds. Oh, and I hate the amount of worrying that goes along with another kid who is responsible for THOUSANDS of DOLLARS worth of stuff. I am constantly checking Cormac now I will be checking Ciaran. Trust me, making sure I have all four kids is work enough.

9. Calleigh is standing more on her own and letting go. A step in the right direction but I don't think she will walk by her second birthday which was my goal. This saddens me. She is more frustrated lately. She wants to be out playing but she can't walk and I don't always want her crawling all over. It is heartbreaking to watch.

10. Our beautiful Robin's nest still holds two eggs and no babies. I can't wait until they arrive.

And It's only 12:15 pm

2011-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today went something like this....

6:30 am wake up and take shower. Boys wake up and watch TV for little while.

7:30 am Feed boys and get dressed for school (at 9am)

8:30 am go to get Calleigh in her room since i try and let her sleep as long as possible. Calleigh and her crib covered in vomit and poop. Head to toe for Calleigh and top to bottom of crib.

8:35 am pop Calleigh in the bath and get her dressed.

8:45 am grab lunches and backpacks and load the Fab Four into truck

8:55 Arrive at school to drop off Colin and Cormac since Ciaran has to be at audiologist at 10:00am

8:57 am Cormac decides he does not want to go to school and starts to cry. Not his usual behavior. I think it had to do with Ciaran staying with me. I had to leave him crying and hysterical with the teacher assistant.

9:45am arrive at then ew audiologist for Ciaran.

11:15 am leave audiology and drive home.

11:30am Calleigh vomits in car all over car seat and herself.

12:00 arrive home and clean her and car seat as best I can since I have to pick the boys up in 30 minutes and cant wash and dry the seat in time.

12:15 pm TYpe this post!

So, what did you do before noon today??? LOL

Wordless Wedneday

2011-05-04T04:11:00.001-07:00

Ten On Tuesday

2011-05-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

1. The boys all got an Ipod touch. (Not from me but a combined effort of generous family and wonderful friends) I am thinking I am going to lose my mind trying to keep track of all of them! But I have downloaded only educational games and they are loving them. Cormac's TOD is getting me a list of good listening and speech games as well. They will be great for both Cormac and Ciaran. They are having fun the cameras as well.

2. Cormac saw his TOD for the first time in over 2 weeks today due to Spring Breaks and illness. He was excited to see her again. We chatted for a while and have decided for next year Cormac will only do 1 hour per week instead of two. He is doing awesome and doesn't need anything else. I like ( I mean LOVE) having her meet with him each week because I know he will stay on the amazing track he is already on. She did suggested we use his other hour for Ciaran. It didn't cross my mind he would need therapy but it can't hurt to track him and see if he is losing any of his sounds.

3. Calleigh will see the orthopedic doctor, the lip surgeon, the ENT and audiologist next week....do I need to say more?

4. It will be three weeks since we saw the genetic doctor and I am waiting patiently (NOT) for the bloodwork to come back on Ciaran and Calleigh. It can't predict their futures but for some reason I really want to know.

5. I think Spring might actually be here...I am almost afraid to type it for fear it will go away!

6. We are supposed to be starting the new roof on the house this week. Hoping it happens. Built in entertainment for the boys.

7. Colin, Calleigh and Cormac can't get enough Clementines. I mean you have to buy them by the crate and we are going through them like crazy. The love the "little oranges"

8. We are growing our own strawberries. Wish me luck. This is a first.

9. Our apple tree survived it's first winter. Doubt we will see apples this year but it would be nice.

10. The Robin Red Breast nest in our tree for the past 5 years was ruined this year with all the snow and rain. I am happy to report they built a new nest even better than the last one. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the babies. We have done this every year.

11. I had to add this...as I was typing about the nest a bird just flew into my window and killed itself! Luckily, it was not the mamma birdy!

Spring Break Day by Day

2011-04-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our Spring break started on Wednesday before Easter with a half day of school. I was thrilled to go to school to see them sing some Easter and Spring songs. All the boys were very enthusiastic and particiapted in the little show.

Thursday we headed to Philadelphia Zoo. I posted about it in a prior post so won't bore you by repeating!

On Friday we had swimming lessons and then had lunch with my Mom and Cailan and Michael. Another fun day.

Saturday we went on an Easter egg hunt. It was so great. The rain really put a damper on the festivites but they moved it indoors and we still had a blast. Crafts, snacks, eggs and candy! We also dyed out Easter eggs.

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day all around. We went to Maggie's house down the shore. It was a gorgeous day. My Mom and Richie also came so the boys were thrilled to spend the day with both Grandma's and Pop Pop. We had a great meal. The boys ate like little piggies. Calleigh, well, she are more than the boys! Ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, creamed cauliflower...all favorites.

The bunny came and brought some sweets and some Gyro bowls.

Monday we had to do a little shopping in the morning. Since the the kids love shopping they thought it was great. We went to meet the boys BFF's Kennedy and Jack at the Dragonfly Art Studio (conveniently owned by their Mommy :) We painted some pretty stuff...we had some lunch and followed it up with some ice cream at the new ice cream store in town.

Tuesday was a 2 hours hike at the mill with a picnic at the top of the mountain. Beautiful view. More fun with Kennedy, Jack and Cristina. Kids loved hiking. They all got a little tired at the end. They found forts along the way. The thoey thought they were on a treasure hunt. A little disappointed when they didn't find a treasure but we told them they could always go back and look again.

Wednesday we took a ride down the shore to visit Grandma. My Mom came and my nephew MIchael. It was a great day. Lunch at Circus restaurant. One of our favorites. Followed by a walk up to the beach playground. We spend quite a while there. It was much colder at the beach than up north but it was worth it. And the best part? We came home with NO TRAFFIC and we were travelling at rush hour. The day could not have been more perfect. The kids were great. Happy little buggers.

AIRBORN!!! Fun at the beach playground.

Thursday it will be Joyful Noise. It's a music class at our church. I usually take Calleigh every week byherself but this week we all went. Cormac and Ciaran enjoyed it the best. Colin was good but didn't sing. Cormac knows all the songs because I sing them all the time to Calleigh.

Friday was a birthday party for one of their classmates. It was a fun party. Only boys and they played in the yard. Pin the tail on the donkey, sack races and balloon relay races. My kids thought it was great. They find it very fascinating to see where there friends live. Not sure why but it always gets them excited.

Tomorrow we head to our first communion of the weekend. My niece Devon is the lucky girl tomorrow. We will follow it up with a get together with some friends. Sunday my niece Cailan will make her communion and we will go to an engagement party later int he day!

I will say Spring Break has been wonderful. I think the boys had plenty of entertainment and were not bored for a minute!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

10 things I love about today...so far

1. The Sun is shining!

2. It's about 80 degress outside.

3. We went on a 2 hour hike with good friends. Even Calleigh enjoyed her stroller hike

4. We had a picnic.

5. We have our bounce house set up in the front yard for the first time of the season

6. We don't have to wake up early tomorrow or be out of the house because we are on Spring Break.

7. My kids are having a wonderful day!

8. Frank should be home in less than 10 minutes.

9. I am typing this sitting outside surrounded by beautiful flowering trees.

10. It will be daylight for many more hours!

LOVIN LIFE TODAY!!!

Philadelphia "Colin's City"

2011-04-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Since New York is "Cormac's city" I had to give Colin and Ciaran a city. I told Colin Phildelphia was his city and Boston was Ciaran's city. Now, we have to go to both cities.

Yesterday was Colin's turn and we headed to the Philadelphia Zoo. It was an awesome day. It was bigger than I expected and had lots to do. Not to mention some amazing animals including a baby lemur who was newly born and a baby joey. My kids love zoos and enjoy learning about each animal. They ask me to read all the signs.

Ciaran was most excited about the "big cats". He could not wait to see the Lions and Tigers. There were also pumas, cheetahs, snow leopards and a Lynx. Very cool.

Colin loved the camel ride. Well, they all loved the camel ride. Colin told me when "he marries me he wants to marry me in Philadelphia because the zoo is just so beautiful". He knows how to charm anyone. He is seriously so sweet.

Cormac loved all the animals and loved telling everyone the facts he knew about flamingos legs.

It was very crowded because everyone was on Spring Break from school. Our spring break is next week so I am hoping places we visit won't be crowded since everyone else will be back at school!
Lots of pictures below. Now what to do for all next week.....

Another celebration

2011-04-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

I wrote this post on the boys birthday but forgot to post...

For the boys' actual birthday we started the day off opening gunifts at 6:45 AM. They wanted to open them before Frank went to work or they would have to wait ALLLLL day. So we let them The present were a hit. It was a variety this year Spiderman, horse farm, Ironman, Rapunsel, dinosaurs.

The boys headed to school and were very excited because they knew they would be the "special leaders" for the day. They were the first in line and got to assist with all the classroom duties for the day.

At their school the parent comes to school for a child's birthday and reads their favorite book. I had also told their teachers I would give a little lesson in sign language. It was a huge hit and the entire class was so cooperative and fun. They each took a turn coming up to the front and doing a sign they remembered. Some of them asked for signs I didn't know and were a little obscure (ground hog is one).

I stayed for lunch and then read three books. Ciaran chose You're All My Favorites, Colin chose Whereever You Go My Love Will Find You. and Cormac chose It's Hard to Be Five.

It was amazing to see the whole class sit so quietly and listen so intently to three books in a row. Ciaran, Colin and Cormac were very proud to have me there to read books.

After school we came home and relaxed while Calleigh napped. The boys had decided they wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese. I have avoided Chuck E Cheese for 5 years. Literally, I have never stepped in the door of this restaurant. But if the boys wanted it for their birthday we would indulge them. To say they loved it was an understatement. Games, rides, pizza and cake. Really what else is there when you are five?

All in all it was a wonderful birthday. We are having family over on Sunday for some cake. Their "friend" party (their first one ever) won't take place until May because we are having it on a Pirate Ship and we needed the weather to be better. Trust me, they are counting the days.

Hectic

2011-04-17T15:29:00.001-07:00

Seems like I can't catch a minute lately. Between last weeks visit with Ciaran to NYC and Cormac ending up in the emergency room to keeping up with Calleigh's therapies I literally don't get a moment to myself. It seems like their are not enough hours in a day to accomplish what I want to accomplish. I suffer from serious guilt if I am not doing things with the kids. I seems ridiculous because I am home with them all the time but I feel like if I am home with them I should be with them. I keep thinking these are my last months with the boys. Kindergarten starts in the fall and they are full days. I feel it is so not needed to have full day Kindergarten. They have their whole lives to be in school. I know I am in the minority and lots of others love full day Kindergarten but not me.

We had a fun weekend. I went to book club on Friday night. Some much needed girl time. Always love to see my friends and yes, we do read a book and talk about it for a few minutes. But really it's about maintaining our friendships and keeping up with each other. All our lives are so busy with our families. It's nice to know every 6 weeks or so we can all regroup together.

We had Bunny Brunch on Saturday morning. All four kids LOVE the furry rabbit. I wasn't so sure how it was going to go with Calleigh but she loved it. She actually dove out of my arms into the bunny's arms. Quite a difference from the scared to death Santa picture I have of her!

Bunny Brunch was followed up by going to Nicolas' and Michael's birthday party. Colin said "it was the best party of his life". Seriously, it was too cute. It was a dinosaur party and they loved it. Frank took them to the party and I am sad I missed it. I stayed home with sleeping beauty and got ready for a night out without children.

Frank and I went to the Irish Dinner Dance for the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh. It was a great time. Fun with friends, great music, some dancing and a few cocktails. So glad our friends, Cristina and John, asked us to go.

Today, we went to the The Turtle Back Zoo. We love this place. We spend lots of time there. Today was the Earth Day celebration. The boys are very interested in "taking care of our planet" so it was a perfect day to go. They were able to see what pollution can do to the water. And they were even able to name where the water in the sewers goes after it goes down the drain.

We got to plant a Sunflower seed in a newspaper cup and bring it home with us. They also had a display about butterflies. Cormac impressed them when he told them "a lepidopterist is a person who studies butterflies". They all knew the word "chrysalis" and I think it was Ciaran who told them the difference between a butterfly and a moth. (how their wings are different when they land :) )

We rode the train and the carosel We skipped the pony rides. All in all a great day.

We have appointments this week with the genetic doctor for Ciaran and Calleigh. Just a follow for Calleigh and this will be Ciaran's first time. We won't find out any information tomorrow but we will get his bloodwork done. It takes weeks for the results to come back.

Thankful Thursday

2011-04-13T10:43:00.001-07:00

Ok, so with all we have going on lately it's important to remember all the good too. So, I am taking this moment to jot down some and by far not ALL the things I am thankful for today.

1. Frank. Who could ask for a better husband or father?

2. Very smart people who dedicate their lives to improving others lives (ie, cochlear implants, hearing aids, cleft lip repairs, gastro surgeons, SLP's, TOD's) You name it and it seems we have benefited from it!

3. My kids (that goes without saying but I will say it)

4. Great family and not just my blood relatives but I could not have married into a better family.

5. Really good friends. I have some amazing girlfriends who my life would not be the same without. Constant love and support from people who understand me and get me. Priceless..

6. The Sun. Yep, it has actully revealed itself and it is glorious.

7. The beach. Knowing I have the opportunity to go to the beach whenever I want is wonderful. It is by far my favorite place to be and I am thrilled my children will grow up with the love of the beach like me. Can't wait to have 3 lil surfer dudes and a lil surfer chick

8. My health.

So, what are a few things you are thankful for?

Update on Ciaran

2011-04-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

I took Ciaran to Columbia Presbyterian this morning to see the ENT and do a follow up audiolgy exam. He was so excited he was going to "Cormac's City" all by himself with me. Frank went out at 6am to get him some candy as a special treat.

He could not have been more cooperative. The audiologist said she could not believe he just turned 5. She has kids much older who are not as reliable or well behaved. I think he was a little scared but he was awesome.

The final result? Moderate Sensorineural hearing loss in the mid frequencies. The audiogram looked identical to the audiogram from two weeks ago. The good news? It didn't get any worse in two weeks. Still lots of unknowns. The ENT said when you have an audiogram that looks like Ciaran's it is usually genetic. (not ususally COnnexin 26 which is the genetic cause of Cormac's hearing loss. But it could be Connexin 26) The next step is to get him some hearing aids. We need to decide on an audiologist and hearing aid center. He also recommended an MRI to look at the structure of his ears. This will be performed in the next 6 weeks or so. There is a long wait time on MRI's at Columbia. It won't change the course of treatment so a little waiting is not a big deal. He also said we should get genetic testing. (That is already scheduled for next week)

The ENT also said all of the kids (except Cormac for obvious reasons) should ALL get their hearing tested every 3 months. And they all need genetic testing. We won't know what will happen with Ciaran even after the MRI and genetic testing. We will continue to hope and pray his hearing loss is stable but the reality is we have no idea. We will only know by keeping a close eye on him for....well, forever. This is the part that sucks the most. Never knowing if all his hearing will disappear or if he will stay the same. I can't even imagine if one day he woke up and couldn't hear anything. It would be so scary to him. I know I would be terrified. How could a kid possibly ever understand it?

Ciaran was such a good boy today. I honestly couldn't have asked for him to be any better. I am so lucky to have such good, cooperative kids. Cormac has never even once given me a hard time about all the mappings, testing, therapies. I wasn't expecting Ciaran to be as cooperative but he was amazing. As for him keeping hearing aids on? I guess we will wait and see....

He did get to get a hot dog from the hot dog truck which made his day. We also made a pit stop at Target on the way home for a little present. And in true Ciaran fashion he picked something out for all three because he wanted to "make his brothers smile". Gotta love him

FIVE YEARS OLD!!

2011-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY THREE ADORABLE, FUNNY, SWEET, KIND, SMART, CRAZY BOYS! You are five years old today and I consider you the greatest gift I ever received. (along with your sister). I truly love you with every ounce of me!

How on earth did that happen? My boys are five years old today. I have had the best five years of my life. They bring joy to my life I never knew was possible. They make my heart swell with pride. They make me laugh with how cute and silly the can be. They make me proud to see what nice young boys they are turning into. The love they have for each other is palpable. It is something I don't think I will every fully understand. At 5 years old I still find them all sitting together on a chair watching TV just because they want to cuddle together. My hope is they continue to love each other and take care of each other forever.

The zest they all have for life is contagious. They truly love every day. They are little firecrackers when they want to be. They love entertaining themselves. Their imaginations are endless. The games and stories they think up are amazing. nd while they are most certainly a team they are also such DIFFERENT individuals. They are all totally different from each other. They have their own likes and dislikes. They each have something they really like the other two aren't really into. Ciaran loves horses and sea animals, Colin loves Knights and Cormac loves anything to do with a Princess.

Wherever I go with them they are enthused and excited to see and learn new things. They take away so much from every experience. I honestly don't know how they store all the information in their little brains. The ability to recall information from years ago is astounding. I forget things and they easily remember.

We are so lucky to be where we are at this moment.

Five years old...

Fours years old...and I am very pregnant!

Three years old...

2 years old....

One year old....

A few weeks old...their first picture all together.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Ten things I hope to accomplish in the next few weeks....

1. Get our backyard ready for Spring and Summer. This involves a little more than raking. We are sectioning off the "playground" with railroad ties and filling it with wood chips. Basically, the kids will have the entire left side of the yard for their swings, play house, climbing dome etc.

2. Get Ciaran's second opinion at Columbia and get him his hearing aids.

3. Finally pick out the color for the new siding and roof on the house and get Richie to start the job when he returns from Aruba.

4. Get organized for the boys' first "friend" birthday party aboard the "Pirate Cruise" I am so excited for this day.

5. Stay on track and get to the gym a few days a week.

6. Get Calleigh her hearing test.

7. I am praying Calleigh will walk in the next few weeks. Since my Mom is away for her annual two weeks in Aruba something huge always happens. (not always good) But Since something for sure will happen, I am hoping it's Calleigh's first steps. Sorry Mom.

8. Make the dreaded phone call to my school district to let them know I now have another child who will require an IEP.

9. Get to the dentist.

10. Make a change in the "little" TV room. (We have a family room and a finished basement. The boys call the family room the little room and the basement the "big" room.) I am changing it over into more of an office/home work/coats-backpack-shoe room since we are getting a new garage door we will now enter through the garage and we need a space to put all the junk!

Moonstone

2011-04-03T04:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of what your cochlea looks like.

This is the part of the ear not functioning correctly causing Cormac's profound deafness and Ciaran's moderate hearing loss. For Cormac, none of the hair cells work at any range. For Ciaran, his is fine in the low and high frequencies but not working in the mid frequencies. So, this tiny little spiral in our ears is what is causing all the problems.

About a month ago I was in an Irish store buying some gear for St Patrick's Day. I saw a necklace that caught my eye. It instantly reminded me of a Cochlea.

I asked to take a look at the necklace. The sales woman handed me the necklace and it said the stone in the middle was a moonstone. There was a little card explaining a moonstone. "Moonstone is said to be linked with the moon and attuned to the moon's phases. A protector for those on new beginnings and journeys." It brought tears to my eyes because I thought it was so strange to find something like this so randomly that really meant so much. We always refer to Cormac getting his implants as his "journey to hearing and sound".

But now as I think about it I think this necklace is about Ciaran. We have been travelling Cormac's journey for years. Ciaran's diagnosis is our new journey. Maybe someone knew I would need some guidance or support along this new journey. It could also be about both of their journeys.

Whatever the purpose I bought the necklace and I feel it is so symbolic of our lives.

Care Bears

2011-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have been watching The Care Bears alot the last few weeks. The boys saw an old movie and now we have bought a bunch of DVD's. Here is Cormac singing the song from the beginning with his little dance. The second video is Calleigh laughing at me singing the song. She loves the theme song.

Fun at Medieval Times

2011-03-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we headed to Medieval Times
for the first of the boys' 5th birthday celebrations. Their birthday is on April 6th. This was a gift from my Mom, Richie and Frank's Mom. It was so much fun. Everyone enjoyed it. Colin really liked that you HAD to eat with your hands and were not allowed untensils. We were told to cheer for the red knight and the green knight was our enemy. I had to explain what an enemy was to the boys. At one point Colin yelled "you are going down, green Knight"

Calleigh found the entire show fascinating. She smiled and clapped and cheered not to mention she ate everything in sight. God bless her soul. This girl loves to eat. I guess she is making up for lost time.

Thanks to the grandparents for letting the boys experience one of the greatest night of their lives. They have been talkng about it for hours.

Ciaran

2011-03-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ciaran and Colin were both sent home from school with notes to follow up on their hearing after a school screening. Most people would not be concerned by this but in our family it is a concern. What was most concerning was two screenings were performed two months apart and they both had issues at the same decibel level. I immediately set up an audiological appointment for both of them. They have had their hearing tested several times before but not recently.

Heading to the appointment I drove the wrong way twice and couldn't concentrate. My Mom asked why I was so nervous. My response " i have never taken any of my kids to a doctors appointment when they said they were ok. I always get bad news and I know this is going to happen today". I was not wrong. We are once again faced with another challenge.

First, here is the good news. Colin passed with flying colors and has a beautiful audiogram.

Ciaran on the other hand did not have the same result. He is showing a moderate hearing loss from 1500 Hz to 4000 Hz. We do not know the cause. We do not know when it happened. He was screened at birth and has had subsequent tests due to our family history (Cormac). he was not sick. He did not have fluid in his ears. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was a very reliable and more than cooperative patient. Our next step is to the ENT and the genetic specialist. We will have him tested for Connexin 26 to see if he also has the gene mutation like Cormac. If he does we will know the cause but really not what the future will hold. We won't know if it's getting progressively worse or anything. He will have to be tested every three months to track him.

I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful people who are experienced with hearing loss and willing to look at Ciaran's audiogram just out of the kindness of their hearts. The professionals who helped Cormac are all amazing and I have the utmost confidence in their abilities. Ciaran is no where in the range of Cormac's hearing loss. Cormac is profoundly deaf. A long time ago someone said "he couldn't hear a jet engine if he was standing next to it.

Ciaran is already way ahead of the game. He has no speech delay and has aquired all the speech sounds. If his loss is progressive he can maintain his speech by having access to sound with hearing aids. He will more than likely get hearing aids. With the technology in existence today with digital hearing aids he can be given gain in the areas where his hearing loss is without an worry of amplifying sound in areas he does not need it. If it continued to decrease along all levels and he was eligible for an implant we would do that as well. Lots of "ifs". Lots of unknowns. Lots of waiting. Lots of stressing.

The audiologist is suggesting he get an FM system for school. This would mean a second child with an IEP. Anyone who has one IEP knows how difficult they are and the thought of a second just plain sucks. Big props to those moms (and I know a couple) who have three children with IEP's. You all are my heros!

I am obviously upset by this news. Not because I am afraid of what needs to be done but because no one wants their child's life to be any harder than it needs to be. They say you only given as much as you can handle. I am trying to figure out how much that will be. I have come to expect things to go wrong and not get upset by these things. I am hoping there is a greater plan for the obstacles and struggles our family faces. I am lucky to have Frank by my side and together we make a good team.

So, that is it for now. We are letting it all sink in. We are going to be playing the waiting game. Waiting for the genetic results, waiting for audiology appointments. Hoping for the best but being prepared for whatever happens.

Here is a look at his audiogram:

And in case you are not familiar. Here is Colin's audiogram to compare. Colin's audiogram is just fine.