New Hair Cut !

 

 

 

 

Loving Fall

 

First Day of Pre-School

Maggie was able to get in our local public school pre-school program and we love it ! We love that Maggie will have a speech therapist right there at her school.  We also love that she will get a head start on reading, which is very important to children with hearing impairment. The statistics show that hearing impaired children struggle with reading/comprehension and early intervention is key to success. Thankfully, Maggie loves books and would choose reading a book over playing with toys. I believe it has been a combination of her love of books and her early intervention with speech and the bone anchored hearing aid that has helped her so much. Maggie is already reading easy words like CAT, HAT, DOG, FOOT, HOP, MOM and DAD !!!  She sounds words out and knows all her letters/sounds. The other day she said "bank starts with b" when we were at the bank. I can't wait to see what she will be doing after a year of pre-school !!!

BAHA - The Good, Bad and Ugly.

The Good
Maggie can hear in the "normal" range with her BAHA. In comparison, she hears in the "moderate - severe range" without it. It is small and most people don't even know she wears a hearing aid. For the most part it stays on her head securely. Unlike a cochlear implant, she hears normal sounds just like a hearing person but amplified. 

Maggie also Loves her BAHA !! She is very attached to it because she knows that it helps her hear. Her BAHA allows her to live in the hearing world. She can do "normal" things like watch tv, listen to me read a book to her, listen to a movie in the car, hear her brothers play with her - everything ! Without it, she could not hear and do all these things without us shouting in a load voice. 

The Bad
Maggie's Implant site has gotten infected twice now. Also, the skin  will try to grow over her abutment. So far, we have been successful with treating her with oral antibiotics and using a steroid cream. I am praying that this will stop soon, but I know that it could be a chronic problem. In fact, some people have to have the abutment removed if they have a lot of infections. I don't even want to think about that for Maggie. 

Mile High Camping Trip

 

This was our second year to camp at Mile High Campgrounds in Cherokee, North Carolina. It is a very primitive campground with no power/water hookups. Mile High is located on the Cherokee Indian reservation and has some of the most beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains.
 

We like to go in July/August because the weather at Mile High is incredible. It feels like a perfect fall day up on the mountain ! The campground closes mid October so the summer months are the best time to go.
 

We camped out with lots of family this time and had fun just hanging out by the fire, playing the guitar. We brought our camper, but others brought a tent.
 

Hammocks are a must when we camp.
 

We saw lots of Elk at the campground. They usually show up around dinner time and gave us a big show.
 

We loved to just hang out at the campsite, but there's a lot to do around Cherokee. One of my favorite things to do is visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.


We hiked to Clingman's Dome, visited the Historic Mountain Farm Museum in the park and hiked to the historic Mill.

 

We are a camping family and love it !

BAHA ( Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) Update

 

In April Maggie had her last surgery for her BAHA ( Bone Anchored Hearing Aid). It went great and I thought I would do an update on how Maggie is doing
 

You can see the small black box hearing aid in this picture, It is small, blends in with her hair and has a tiny red light so we can tell that it is on. The BAHA is attached to an abutment on her skull. The abutment is attached to a small titanium implant post that was placed by drilling a tiny hole in her skull.
 

The BAHA is barely visible to most people and allows Maggie better hearing and more freedom.
 We love it !
 

Maggie did AMAZING during and after her surgeries. 
She's such a trooper !
 

We have seen a big jump in her speech and vocabulary too.

 

The Cochlear BAHA was Maggie's only chance at hearing normally. So far, it's working great ! We have had some minor problems with it though and I will post on that later.
 

Lots more updates coming !
Maggie is wearing the Lucky Stars Knot Dress by Matilda Jane

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

 

 

First Day of Spring !

 

 

 

Update on Abigail. She has a mommy and daddy !!

 

God is so good and I am beyond amazed at his timing ! A family has said YES ! to Abigail. She has a mommy and daddy !! As soon as they receive their PA ( PRIOR APPROVAL) I will share their blog and you can meet this exceptional, sweet and wonderful family. They have already adopted three times from China and have a beautiful large family ( love !).

A little background: They had been praying about adopting again from China and specifically an older  child with Down Syndrome. When they saw Abigail's story on my blog they asked their agency to find her file and started praying. 

I wanted to share part of the e mail I got from this sweet family :

" I am over the moon with JOY!  I can hardly believe how God has answered my prayers of the past weeks for Abigail.  I did not ask, nor plead... I only prayed!  God is SOOOO good!  Abigail already has a Daddy that cries when he says her name!  (Although we call her Abby around here!) :-)    Our agency has already pulled her file from the shared list and is ready to file our LOI...  I will begin the process TOMORROW!

  Kathy~ Be encouraged that God used your beautiful post about Abby to find her forever Mommy and Daddy!  God has gone ahead of you and paved the way....  We are scared out of our minds, but know that incredible blessings lie ahead!

I'll keep in touch as we move ahead on our journey to Abigail... "

Please continue to pray for Abigail (Abby) and her new family as they journey through the paperwork and transition. Also, in other great news - two other children that are in foster care with Abigail are also being adopted !! 

I am just giddy  with excitement ! To God be the Glory !

Enjoying the Sunshine and the Skills !

 

We finally had some sunshine today and Maggie has been begging to play outside.
 

She wanted to try out all her riding toys.

 

The pink scooter, red plasma car, red trike and princess bike were all put to a test run.

 

But, the pink scooter won.  It's more like "the big kids" and Maggie is all about being a big kid nowadays.
 

What did Maggie wear ?
 Pink glasses on a band with velcro ( love !), Pink cashmere scarf thrifted from her mom's closet, Matilda Jane dress ( Serenity Ballet Dress ), jeggings and Uggs. 


 

The girls got skill too ! She loves riding her bike and is so good with her balance on the scooter too.   I was a little shocked she could ride so well with all her major inner ear issues. But Maggie is one determined little girl.

 

 

 

Update on Advocating for Abigail

Abigail has been returned to her foster mom . We are praising God that she only spent a little time away from her foster home and was such a comfort to the other children at the orphanage. I am not sure of all the details, but am thankful for whoever saw that Abigail was very loved and taken care of in her foster home. 

Please continue to pray for a forever family for Abigail. 

Advocating for Abigail

 

Due to an unfortunate accident in a foster home in another part of China,a nation wide policy is taking effect requiring children in foster care to be returned to state run orphanages. My friends sister lives in China and fosters four special needs children. She had to return Abigail to the orphanage, whom she's had for five years). 

 

This is Abigail. She is seven years old now and has Down Syndrome. She is healthy and smart and such a little cutie !  Her foster mom was told that she has been a big help with the other children entering the orphanage from foster care. She knows English and Mandarin too.
 

Her name is Shen Zhiwu from Shenyang, China and has recently been added to the list and is available for adoption.
 

Our hearts break that Abigail was taken from a loving, sweet home and separated from the only mother and family she has ever known. 
 

Please help us get the word out about Abigail.
 

Please pray for all the children that have been affected by this.  I will also be advocating for the three other children that lived with Abigail.
You can contact me for more information.