I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Using her words...

Mommy, I did a good job... I want cereal... (Laura,Luke,Jacob,etc...)please move... Good morning beautiful... these may be ordinary phrases to many of you, but they are extra-ordinary phrases to this mommy!

You see, my daughter Grace is deaf, she lost her hearing when she was 5 months old due to bacterial meningits. When she was 8 1/2 months old she received Cochlear Implants. She is now 4 1/2 yrs. old and chattering up a storm. Language doesn't come easy for her, she has to work real hard to say her words correctly, there are many sounds she working on, a lot of them sound a like, an example if you tell her to fix her hair, she may try to fix her "ear" (what she calls her implants) or she may just touch her ears.

These last couple of weeks she has really turned a corner on her speach, she is articulating the sounds to the words she's saying much better and she's using words and phrases in the proper context. Modern Technology is so amazing to me. It's amazing how God would give us the knowledge to create such things. The fact that my totally deaf little girl can hear is a wonderful thing.

The first time she said "I love you" to me without any promps was one of the most incredible days of my (and my husbands) life. We were told she wouldn't live, and here she is telling me she loves me, God is so good! Now she says "Good morning beautiful" to me, she signs and says "I love you" all the time to me and everyone else!

I'm so blessed! I am not only her mommy, but I'm her teacher and her language therapist. That can be scary and nerve racking at times, but I know who's in control and who gives me the strength to make it through each day!

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:13

4 comments:

  1. This post really touched my heart! You are so blessed, and I feel blessed to know you. Thank you for always staying true to our God, and the ministries He has set before you. You don't know what it means that you are my friend, and that you are still walking with Him. You are a GREAT inspriation to me. ~Katerina

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  2. Hello from across America! I live in VA. I came over from your post on AO about your daughter. I have no advice, but I just wanted to say that I understand how precious those phrases are too. We adopted our fourth daughter when she was a year old. She was only saying no at the time. It was precious to hear her say Mama for the first time and each word she has learned since. We did some signing at first but as she has learned to make sounds and we have learned to interpret those :) we have dropped that. Today she was babbling away to me and I was catching about half the minute long story she told, and I was just smiling at the simple things that become so precious to us when we have to wait longer for them! I will be praying for you as you strive to learn and grow as a teacher for all your children! Blessings! Eva

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  3. Hello to you too! It's amazing that after five children you don't really appreciate how much spoken communication is a gift, untill after the sixth child and you have a lack of it. With each word, phrase, and sentence that Grace speaks, I am in awe of our awesome Creator.

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  4. Thank you Katerina...you are special to me, you and your beautiful family.

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