Dear Blog,

I promise I have not abandoned you. You have been on my mind so much this summer, but when the kids are out of school, I can't provide you the full attention you need. This summer has been extra hectic between (sometimes) up to five therapy appointments a week between two kids. But it hasn't been all work and no play, in fact, we've been having a TON of fun between all the appointments. 

It's been a summer of "firsts" (and some seconds & thirds), such as, 

Kailyn attending a sleepover camp for six days.

 Aiden feeding his first calf, and

 camping/swimming in the beautiful state of Wisconsin with grandma, (ok, definitely not a first, but it is the first time Aiden will remember it).

So much fun to catch up on, so many updates on all levels. 

So don't give up on me quite yet, there's much more to come.

In TEN days I will have a tenth grader, a sixth grader,

and a {talking quite a bit more, and so much crisper} preschooler.

Until then, I'm off to enjoy what's left of summer with my darlings!

Ten on Tuesday

1. We're on VaCaTiOn! It is Ryan's and Kailyn's Spring Break so we headed to Myrtle Beach. Weather is absolutely nasty, icky, blah, BOO. As bummed as I am, it's still nice to walk outside and hear/see the ocean (even at 40 degrees outside) and even nicer to have family time with no schedules, appointments, or practices.

2. Today is supposed to be a high of 61 and completely sunny. Can you say BEACHBOUND?!? I need my sunshine fix.

3. and even with the cold rainy weather, Kailyn and her daddy are such T-R-O-O-P-E-R-S. They are not letting this weather ruin their vacation. My daughter is a fish and weather is not a factor. On a 40 degree night she "dared" her daddy to jump in the outside pool, which of course he couldn't back down on, and she was right in after him. Insane.

4. I'm upset with myself that I didn't plan better and get Aiden the aLOKSAK for the beach. I've read on many people's blogs, like here, and here, and here, who have used this so their child can still wear their CIs to hear while they swim. It scares me. In the same breath, I want Aiden to HEAR and learn the sounds of the beach as he plays in the sand and runs through the waves. Next time for sure.

5. Simply Amazing Moment #1114 - Aiden's daddy turned the radio on and as he turned it up, Aiden, smiling that lovely shit eating grin he has, covered his ears and yelled, "IT'S TOO LOUD!" LaUgH aNd LoVe!

6. I luuuuvvv my coffee in the morning. I love it even more when everyone is still sleeping and it's only me, my coffee, and my computer. Complete peace.of.mind. Now if I can just figure out how to bottle up the sounds and view of the ocean and take it home with me.

7. My mother-in-law is with us on our trip. She is AMAZING and what I consider the ultimate mother-in-law. I'm lucky to have her. Selfishly, it's fun having her to ourselves (remember, my husband has 11 siblings which = 20 grandkids).

8. As I watched the news last night I was saddened by the fact that the LAST thing they showed was one of our U.S. soldiers, returning home from the Middle East, surprising his five year old daughter whom had no clue her daddy was about to walk through the doors. These moments are priceless. Why wait to the end? Don't they know that by the end people have already changed the channel sick of hearing all the "bad"? I think we need a channel dedicated to nothing but "happy" news. Who's with me?

9. I really enjoyed THIS book. I see they're coming out with the movie yet have no intentions of seeing it. The book was so good and I'm scared the film will ruin it for me.

10. I love everything about vacations - spending good quality time together, exploring new areas, playing games, laughing, building our relationships and FoReVeR memories - TOGETHER, as a family - with NO distractions. Pure bliss.

Wisconsin 2010

Last Wednesday, at about 8pm, I decided the kids and I

needed to get our mom/grandma fix before the summer

was over, so early the next morning,

our 8 hour trek across the Midwest began.

There's nothing better than an unplanned roadtrip.

Pure excitement all around.

We didn't get our annual camping trip with grandma this year,

due to a roadtrip to Texas by my mom to support a very

good friend's husband's unexpected passing,

but even in our short unexpected trip,

Aiden still experienced a lot of new firsts.

He played in the rain,

went to his first amusement park, Bay Beach,

which is very old school,

(so were there .25 cents-a-ride prices)

and

saw his first Ferris Wheel.

He rode many fun rides like the boats, airplanes, trains,

and BUGS, which he requested each by name,

and of course, we couldn't pass by

the race cars, which he asked for the "pahle ar".

He rode a carousel, all.by.himself (such a big boy)

where we saw another little boy with bilateral CIs,

but weren't quick enough off the ride to stop them

to say hello.

He got to sing Happy Birthday to his 81 year "young"

great-grandma, whom I am VERY close to and LOVE

the fact that her and Aiden's great-grandpa get to see the miracle CIs

provide him, whom they were very

concerned about, but now can't get over just how

well he HEARS and TALKS.

Something they never dreamed of.

Not necessarily a first, but still too cute -

getting into mischief with his second-cousin as they

scoped out the glass bowl of m&m's, pulled them

off the counter and munched up handfuls

before an adult stepped in and stopped the sugar fest.

Always fun at Uncle Mike's and Aunt Jane's house!

(where he had his first ride on a riding lawn mower,

and at the end would yell, "YAYYY")

He even had some firsts with language.

"gampa" and something I couldn't even try to spell out

for grandma, but he definitely tried.

"tan tu" (thank you) out of nowhere and all.the.time.

Before this trip it was all sort of a humming.

Another summer, another trip to my stomping grounds.

A place where I feel at home, and my kids do too.

Full of laughter, love, and new experiences.

Full of GRANDMA, for all of us.

and I just love every.single.bit.of.it.

A New Tradition

Every year the kids and I head to Wisconsin for our annual camping trip with grandma, but this year, due to a very unfortunate event, we weren't able to go. Therefore, we chose to get our camping fix locally over a long weekend with four other families.

aiden was in his element,

content the whole time.

he pointed to his ear over and over.

"was a?" he'd say, as he

heard birds screeching, leaves rustling,

fire crackling, cicadas chirping.

he RAN to keep up with all his cousins

and friends, and when he couldn't

keep up, they never left him behind.

his quote of the weekend (and newest three word phrase),

that was said over and over and over again,

"be ri ba" (be right back),

as he'd hold up his index finger, look us right in the eye,

then run off to catch up with the others.

It was a weekend of hangin' with cousins and friends

of all ages, no fighting, no arguing,

just joking and pure enlightening laughter.

It was a weekend of spinning tops and decorating the patio with chalk.

of playing baseball (which Aiden hit his first ball by himself!)

of flirting.

a weekend of paddle boats and canoes,

of fishing and snapping turtles

of complete pure innocent silliness from the younger ones

and the older ones alike.

it was a weekend of laughter.

of great food. of great company.

kids ages 2 through 40 something joined the outdoor festivities,

although us 10 " grown kids" were outnumbered

by the 16 kids aged 2 to 15,

we all had equally amount of fun.

it was a weekend we decided to start a

new tradition, it was our first annual

friends and family camping trip,

with many, many more to come!

Summer O'Fun - Disney World 2010

Every year, Aiden's daddy and I work hard to take our kids on vacation. Last year, with the recent move to Maryland, Aiden's CI surgery, then activation, then many, many appointments, and my husband's new job, it just wasn't happening. In fact, the last couple years have been full of "something" for all of us, and our kids have been nothing but troopers through it all. With our latest move to Ohio, we finally feel at home, settled into our "new normal", rested. We're ready to put the past behind us and have some fun. Therefore we've deemed Summer 2010 to be our family's "Summer O'Fun!"

We started it off with a BANG and piled in the car for a ROADTRIP to Florida to meet Mickey and pals. Everyone was excited to get away for some fun, although my older two are pure beach bums and would've rather been heading to hit the waves, but they loved every minute of it!

CI Highlights:

Aiden was wonderful in the car! He left his CIs on, LOVED watching ELMO on the portable DVD player, and would "play lings" (oh my!) with his Legos (hold a Lego to his ear, say a ling, then drop it in the tin can or pass the Lego on for someone else to repeat) ... ya, you think it's part of his daily ritual?

At the Magic Kingdom they had a "Dance Party" with the characters. It was our first day there, it was nearly 11pm, and it was LOUD. Aiden's sister and cousin were tearing it up on the floor, doing the Electric Slide, Macarena, and Cha-Cha Slide and Aiden was right there jammin' along with them! He wouldn't leave Pluto and Goofy alone! I thought it would be too loud for him, but he didn't reach for his CIs once. His goal was to get up on stage and I had to keep pulling him away from the steps, which the loud speakers sat up on!

Aiden was able to go on a lot more of the rides than I thought. Some of his favorites included Dumbo, the Toy Story one (also my husband's fave), Nemo (well, he actually fell asleep during it, but he loved the beginning), the Dinosaur Land rides (at Animal Kingdom) and more. He really loved wearing the 3D glasses some of the rides and shows had. In fact, during the Muppet 3D show, they had bubbles coming down and there's Aiden yelling, "Pop, pop, pop!"

The mini splash parks at Epcot ruled. What an excellent idea for cooling off or for families with small kids waiting for the older ones on rides. Aiden LOVES water. We did take off his CIs for this, as he did get soaked, and as hot as it was, we were just fine with it.

Another of his favorites was the meet and greets with the characters. Aiden's sister and cousin Lizzie were on a mission with their autograph books to get signatures from all the characters. I thought Aiden would be scared, but not at all. He would run right up to them, hug them, then turn around and smile for the camera when asked to do so! Tigger knocked off his coil on accident, but Aiden put it right back on and continued with hugs!

As we were waiting to meet Minnie Mouse, one of the character assistants was so excited to see Aiden and his Cochlears as she had a cochlear implant too! Of course I wanted to stay and chat, but our conversation had to be short. She was born with hearing loss, has had one CI for about five years, and said it was the best thing ever! She was so excited to see Aiden with two and at such a young age.

We found out fast that standing in even a short line with Aiden was not an option. He's much more hyper than your average two year old, and keeping him next to us was not fun. This is where the Fast Pass and parent swap option came into great play. We only stood in lines with him that had immediate to very short wait times OR we had a Fast Pass for. They're heaven sent and I couldn't imagine our trip without them.

Everynight, one (or more) of the parks would put on a spectacular fireworks show. This was another area of concern for me, as I thought they'd frighten Aiden with how loud they are. They didn't faze him. It was either that he was so wiped at this point, or truly enjoyed them. Not once did he try and take off his CIs.

We spent a good part of each day at one of the parks, but always made time for swimming at the condo. Again, Aiden LOVES water and all we had to do was say, "Let's go swimming!" and he was taking his clothes off. We'd talk all the way to the pool about it ... water, swimming, pool, jumping in, floaties etc. Once we got down there though, he'd hand us his CIs, knowing he couldn't wear them in the water. I wasn't ready to try the Aloksak (that protect the CIs from water) that other CI parents have used and Lucas' mom talks about here. It made me too nervous, so Aiden went without sound while swimming. After the first day at the pool, I wish we'd of had them. Not only was it a great listening opportunity, but also for safety. He still had a blast. Next time though I think I'll brave it out and try them.

All in all, we had a great CI experience. It was nice to forget about all the appointments and stressors. It was much needed by all. It was purely MAGICAL to all. It also wore us all out, so now onto the more relaxing Summer O'Fun destination number two ... our FIFTH annual "Camping With Grandma" in Wisconsin and I can't wait!

Update via Videos

I haven't been posting a lot lately due to our trip to Wisconsin, plus with summertime here, my kids hog any computer time possible. I have caught some moments of Aiden on video though that make me smile and show a little bit of where he's at in his hearing journey.

I've mentioned before that Aiden was vocalizing what sounds like "Mmmmmaaa" for "more". I finally got it caught on video. On this day, I was feeding Aiden his first cold bowl of cereal ... and he LOVED it.



We try to focus on a select few key phrases each few weeks. The ones we're working on now are,

• "Knock-knock-knock .... hello (or open)", before we open a door or really, with anything that opens.


• "SOOOO BIG!" (then throwing hands in the air).


• "Let's go bye-bye." (then talk about putting on our shoes and shake the car keys, etc, or say "bye-bye" to whoever is leaving and watch them leave.)


• "Get down please." Because he climbs onto everything ... and for him to vocalize when he wants down from his highchair.

In this video, Aiden had just started throwing his arms up when I'd say, "So big!", but what's even better is the Harley Davidson motorcycle that takes off outside and scares Aiden! You'll see too that he only has on one CI (since I was on vacation and it's inevitable that something WILL break anytime you're on vacation ... and this time it was one of his CIs). Anyway ... here's the video.



We're trying very hard to get Aiden walking. His sister didn't walk until she was 20 months, but we also know that with his hearing loss, he's more focused on learning to hear than learning to walk. PLUS, he does have EVAS, which can cause balance issues. In this video Aiden has learned to walk using his walking toy ... and then in the end gives a show of his silliness and "So Big!".

and last but not least ... Aiden dancing! It's not the best video, but Aiden has started bopping along to music lately and it just melts my heart! We are a HUGE music family ... we all absolutely love belting out some good tunes! One of the things we looked at when picking our CI brand was quality of music. In fact, we even debated going bimodal (one CI and one hearing aid) so Aiden could enjoy the acoustic sounds of music (vs. the digital sound that a CI provides). I've seen many, many videos of CI kids though dancing away, such as our blog friends Thomas, and Lucas or maybe one day he'll create his own songs like our friend Gage does.... and here are Aiden's first dance moves .. to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" ... captured on video.



Aiden has really taken off with his vocalizations this past month. Not much at all we understand, but he's making noise and any noise from him is music to our ears. He screams with laughter as he plays with his brother and sister, fluctuates his vocals, mimics short and long durations, and all in all, is just a completely silly, VERY ACTIVE one year old boy. He makes us smile ALL of the time and we can't be any prouder of our little man.

Wisconsin Part One - The Grandparents

Every year I take the kids to grandma's house in Wisconsin to spend a couple weeks. We always have so much fun! My mom and I have a very close relationship and it is through her that I have acquired my strength and courage. We have been through thick and thin together and without her, I don't know if I'd be the person I am today.

My mom is not only a wonderful mother, but THE ultimate grandma ... in fact, after returning from our trip, I always say, "Gotta beat the grandma out of the kids and get them back in line." They do no wrong in her book! They are the apples of her eye.

In my journey as a mom, and especially with Aiden's deafness, family has been such an important piece of the whole puzzle. Without the support I've received from so much of my family, I don't think I'd be where I am today ... especially from my mom.

I'll never forget calling my mom when I found out Aiden was deaf. We had gone through so much pain already that year with my dad dying and I didn't want her to deal with anymore. I wanted to sound strong. I wanted to protect her from the wounds of my heart. I told her I was okay. But I wasn't. I called her back the next day and cried my eyes out, explaining I wasn't okay. I was a mess and felt lost. And she listened and comforted me in a way that only a mother can. She cried with me. She felt my pain. And to this day she continues to listen and comfort and support and love and share in my bad days, but even more so, Aiden's milestones, the laughter, and the tears of joy.

Aiden's grandma researches and reads and does her best to learn all she can about his world and his therapy. She puts on his CIs and tries her best to troubleshoot and understand everything about them. She constantly narrates to him, gets on the floor and plays with him, takes him for listening walks, and uses an auditory verbal approach without even realizing it. She gets it. It's just amazing how she just gets it.

And the best part about it all ... is that she has this type of relationship with each of my children ... each in their own special way. And each of my children love her to the end of the world and back.

I love you mom! Thanks for being who you are ... not only to me, but even more so to your grandbabies! You'll never cease to amaze me.

Then there are my grandparents. I'd like to say my mom's the best grandma in the world, but I can't compare her to her own mother, my grandma, whom I believe is the icing on the cake (Kailyn's middle name is after my grandma ... Laurel). Her and my grandpa have always been a top priority in my world. I have a very close, special relationship with my grandparents and feel so blessed that my children get to know the two people who have always been so perfect in my eyes. My grandpa is the only grandpa my kids have. They know this and they cherish every part of it.

Ryan and his great-grandpa talking WWII.

Four generations

Both of my grandparents are still going strong and looking great! Every morning Aiden and I would head over for breakfast for interesting conversations and to laugh as my grandparents "talked" back and forth at each other. Loved every minute of it. These are times I will always cherish.

I remember last year tears rolled down as I talked to my grandparents about Aiden being deaf. My grandpa would shake his head and say in a worried voice, "He's going to be okay. He's going to be okay," and continue to tell me about his deaf aunt who read lips and communicated just fine.

When they saw Aiden this year, they were amazed at how far he's come. They asked questions about his "equipment" and were amazed by the technology. They were surprised at how Aiden turned to their voices and how rambunctious he was. Aiden's great grandma said, "I've never seen a baby as smart as he is. Look at him just figure things out!" Aiden made them laugh. He let them see the miracle of hearing through CIs. This year, my grandpa wasn't worried about him and instead said proudly and with a smile, "He's going to go far. He's one helluva kid."

And that he is grandpa. Thanks to you both for being such an important part of our lives! You'll never know just how much you mean to me! I love you both so much and could never ask for better grandparents!

Blogcation Time

We've been in Wisconsin now for almost two weeks. We spent every moment possible coming and going to/from my grandparent's house and Aiden getting to know his great grandparents. What fun times ... I love the fact that my kids get to know two of the best grandparents a person could have! They mean the world to me and having them a part of my children's lives as well is a dream come true! I love the fact too that they can see the amazing technology of Cochlear Implants at work. They are in awe of the whole thing ... they are in awe of how busy and into everything Aiden is. More to come later.

Then, for the last three days I took all three kids to Glacier Canyon Resort in Wisconsin Dells. What a blast that was! My younger brother, Uncle Kevin, came too, and helped out with the crew. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't have all the vacation time we'd like him to have, so he's missing out on a lot of this, but will be meeting us here in about a week. WE MISS HIM SO MUCH! ... especially mom! I realized at the park how spoiled I am on vacations. He always lets me relax, soak up the sun, and drink my pool side drinks while he entertains the kids. None of that this time, but it was for the kids and I had a blast entertaining (and was so thankful for Uncle Kevin) ; )

I forgot the USB cord specifically used with my camera back home, so I'll post pictures and recaps when I get home.

Just being in Wisconsin has been a wondrous world of sound for Aiden. The birds are constantly chirping, there are lakes all around, laughter and I love yous from family, airplanes flying overhead, old style train tracks with trains constantly choo-chooing by (he heard his first train the other day and we were only feet from it - his look of course was priceless), big trees and flowers and big black ants and so so much more to talk about. and the best thing of it all .... NO THERAPIES - NO APPOINTMENTS - NO DISRUPTIONS! We needed this break and we're all enjoying every minute of it!

Now tomorrow we're heading out with my mom for our annual camping trip! No tents here - just a real nice trailer with all the necessities for a city girl in the middle of nature (with very little technology capabilities). We'll be off for the next week and a half, tubing, boating, soaking up the rays on the beach, playing with the kids in the sand, taking nature walks, enjoying long talks with my mom over morning coffee as we listen to the same woodpecker peck at the same metal sign over and over again, relaxing and enjoying life. I.LOVE.IT!

Taking Time for Me

Friends + Cocktails + Beaches & Sun rays on Bahama's Paradise Island =

a refreshed. rested. rejuvenated. and ready to go again mommy.

This is how I feel after four days in the Bahamas with my two best girlfriends from Texas. It was a much needed vacation from the nonstop life I've been living the past couple of years. When they first started planning the trip, I couldn't shed that guilty mom feeling and it was so hard for me to say, "Yes, I'll join y'all in the Bahamas", but it really couldn't have come at a better time.

I tried to justify to myself (and have others justify to me too) exactly how I could go away. Then I looked at my calendar for the past two plus years. I've been taking care of everyone else but myself. Between my dad and Aiden, I've been running from appointment to appointment, fighting with insurance companies, consulting with doctors and specialists on the best game plan, finding the best doctors and specialists to help devise this gameplan, fighting with insurance companies (this NEVER ends) etc. etc.

Then I remembered a piece from Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother":

"...But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?" God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive..."

I knew I needed this for myself and for my family.

I have two of the best girlfriends life could ask for. I've known Andie and Helen for over 11 years, they aren't only my best g's, they are my sisters I've never had. It was so great just hanging, laughing, and catching up as we soaked up the rays and drank cocktails all day long! It was the rejuvenating medicine my soul has been searching for.

Here's the breathtaking view from our room. I couldn't get enough of it. Our all inclusive we booked, overbooked, so they sent us next door to the Atlantis, which allowed us to take full advantage of all the amenities on the grounds! That included their spa (which was oh so wonderful), waterparks, lazy rivers, aquariums, and beautiful pools and beaches! This is definitely a place I want to take my kids one day.

me and my girls loving our time away together

By day four, my heart was missing my babies and I was ready to come home (well, seriously, I could have tried and stayed a couple more days). I can't wait to plan a getaway like this for Aiden's daddy and me.

And a HUGE THANK YOU to my mom, who took off a week of work and drove in from Wisconsin (she won't fly) to take over my motherly duties while I was away. She came in a few days before I left, so I got to spend some wonderful, much needed, time with her too. She hasn't been able to spend a whole lot of time with Aiden since he's been born, so she really had a great time bonding with her youngest grandson. I was so worried about Aiden's CIs and the language he needs right now, but I had to let it go and know that everything was going to be just fine, and it was. She said she had the best week ever and truly enjoyed every moment.

Thanks again mom ... I love you!

My husband, who couldn't take off since he's recently in a new job, did a fantastic job as well playing Mr. Mom. I came home on Mother's Day to a clean house, laundry done, and my family waiting to take me out to eat.

He's so good to me!

Back From the Beach ...

and back to everyday life! Including Aiden NOT NAPPING! Aiden napped so well on vacation ... maybe it was the breeze from the ocean, maybe it was the "we're not doing anything but relaxing" atmosphere, maybe he was just plum worn out from not napping at home! But he napped,

and napped ....

and napped ....Now, when we first got there Aiden got his first cold. Probably because right before we left, I took the snot syringe thingy out of his diaper bag thinking we wouldn't need it. Wrong answer. He ran a small fever the first couple of days and was just stuffy nosed after that and still his happy little self (see his beach pics on the side bar).

This was our first time to Daytona beach. It was nice, but we liked the beaches & atmosphere in Destin much better. The weather was great! Low 90's, but humid and always a good breeze ... a lot better than the hot Texas heat! We spent our days at the pool or on the beach (and from the advice of our wonderful audi, left the hearing aids off and in the room). One day we walked over to the water park, which was right across the street (which, Aiden slept the whole time at!). After the past couple of years we've had, it was just so nice to get away and forget it all!

We came back to 107 degree weather (gotta love Texas) and a broken air conditioner (upstairs one)! Thank goodness they both weren't out and we found one company to come out and fix it the next day.

So we're back into the swing of things, school starts in 2 weeks (woo hoo!) and we'll continue on with Aiden's appts. He has his weekly AVT sessions, ECI (PT & his TOD - Teacher of the Deaf) will be coming out, another audi. appt on the 22nd, and then on Sept. 5th, we have his MRI! All this said with a smile on my face! Here we go!

Nothing but Peaceful Summer Days...

...who could ask for anything more than that? We've been on vacation up in Wisconsin the past week and a half. We come up here every summer to visit my mom, my grandparents, and family and to go camping at Boulder Lake (my mom has a great trailer, so we don't actually rough it). It's a smaller lake in the middle of a national forest and just BEAUTIFUL! The smell of the piney woods and sounds of nature bring a sense of peace about me, a sense I truly needed this year. I look at it as God's way of reminding me that everything will be okay, to just take deep breaths of the fresh air and enjoy His beautiful surroundings. I absolutely love the serenity of it all and this year has been the best trip ... even with a 3 month old in tow.

Camping let my mind rest of Aiden's deafness. It was so nice to just enjoy my children in a place we all love and not worry about running to therapy or doctor appointments (of course I still worked with Aiden everyday ... a little note to not stress my AVT's) or worry about what I can do with my other two to keep them busy all around Aiden's schedule. It brought back a part of me I haven't felt in a long time.

Aiden loved it just as much. The crisp fresh air really put him out! He slept great! Everyday we took a walk through the grounds down to the lake. As I walked, I listened. And naturally, without even thinking about it,

"Aiden, listen. Bird."
"Aiden, listen. Boat."
"Aiden, listen. Water."
"Aiden, listen. Fire."

There are SO many great sounds in nature! Prior to Aiden, my favorite part of camping was to wake up early, get my coffee, and sit on the deck with my mom and just chat with sounds of nature all around. I never thought much about it, just enjoyed the beauty of it. Who ever knew these sounds would become so important to me and my precious binky boy!

Throughout the week I also thought ahead. I know I'm supposed to live in the NOW, but I couldn't help but think of camping next summer. Aiden will be 16 months and (hopefully) have his implants. He'll be running around and I won't be relaxing near as much. Just thinking of what a learning experience it will be for my baby ... just thinking of all the sounds in nature that God has given us ... just thinking of the smiles and wide eyes on my baby's face as he hears these sounds for the very first time ... just thinking of all this brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. I have faith my baby will hear ... my baby will hear the lovely sounds of nature ... one day ... one day soon.