Happy Mother's Day

Mom.  Mommy.  Mama.  Mother.  Madre.  So many words to describe the role, but so few that can adequately explain the wonder of motherhood and just how much it means.  It is so difficult to capture in words, especially when you have been embarking on a journey that you never even knew existed.

Madison has been “hearing” for 3 months now.  At the 6 week mark, her babbling “vocabulary” truly exploded.  Prior to getting her CIs, she was only really crying or using the “ahhh” or an occasional “ooo” vowel sound to communicate.  We have learned that these are the easiest, most basic vocal sounds for any baby to develop… and it is a sound expressed by all babies – hearing or not.  When a child is born deaf, they often exhibit early signs of babbling... but they soon come to an end. Thank you to cochlear implants, Madison's world has now changed.. and so has ours.   

After 6 weeks of “hearing” Madison finally began using consonant sounds! This was a HUGE step forward.  “MMMMM” – this was a sound we would always use as we fed Madison.  A few days later we woke up to: “YAYAYAYA”  &  “RARARARA” over and over again.  The following day, “MAMAMAMA”  “DADADADA”… Oh, music to my heart!   Never in a million years did I ever expect to be so happy to hear these words. 

Below is a special tribute in honor of Mother’s Day.  Happy Mother’s Day to all, especially to my own mother who has taught me so much!

May 8, 2012 - 11 months old

Happy 11 Months to Miss Madison.  We can not believe that she will be turning ONE in just a few weeks!!!

Madison has been crawling a ton, and has been pulling herself to stand up - but is still a bit a way from walking.  Gloria bought Madison a baby doll a few weeks ago, and Madison does not let this baby out of her sight. She sleeps with the baby, eats with the baby and even crawls with the baby.  It's funny how the baby tells the story of her day - oh, are those sweet potatoes all over the baby.  But Madison is a great mom to her baby doll, she hugs it and kisses it - and when we ask her "Where's your baby?" - she even crawls to it.  In addition, she has been using her baby as a form of communication.  When Madison wants to play on the floor, or crawl around, she drops her doll.  If she wants to go outside, she points to the door - but if you happen to walk past the stroller, she will literally throw the doll into the stroller.

Madison has been hearing for 3 months and we have seen noticeable changes - she turns to her name, she has been babbling and we think she even knows the dog's (Alan) name - as she only uses a one syllable word when trying to get the dog's attention ("Ahhhhl")...well maybe sometimes the "L" at the end is missing.  Even though the dog is her best friend, she has become more social in her group therapies, though we hope she breaks out of her shell even more.

Madison's schedule has changed.  She still goes to The Center four times a week for individual speech therapy and attends a weekly group session at The Clarke School.  But, she is now receiving Early Intervention services at our apartment with Michelle - a graduate student at Columbia.  So far, Madison has been very receptive of Michelle and we hope this continues.

Her busy schedule just keeps going.  Therapy, story time at the New York Public Library (see picture, where Madison wanted to be in the circle of attention), Washington Market Park, Music Class, Battery Park, the Pier and of course, Barnes & Noble.  Madison loves the great NYC weather and you might see her gallivanting around Lower Manhattan.

April 8, 2012 - 10 Months Old!

April 8, 2012 - 10 month's old today! 

I can't believe how quickly my little girl is growing up.  I feel as though I put her to sleep one day as an infant and she woke up as a grown baby! Where did the time go? It is so easy to get so caught up with her doctor appointments, endless therapy, programming sessions and conventions... time flies more than ever when you are busy!  We need to make a point of stopping every so often and enjoy little Madison for who she is - a cute, loving, happy little girl!
Madison is on the go more than ever these days.  One month ago she was evaluated by a physical therapist with regards to her "lack of crawling".  And today - she is crawling all over the place, pulling herself up to stand and wanting to walk! Pretty sure she will be running from us!

Nanny and Poppy came for a visit 2 weeks ago - here are a few pictures:

We spent this past weekend with family celebrating Passover & Easter:

  My favorite babysitter cousin, Karlye <3

 Yes, that brown blob on the lawn is Alan :)

 Happy in my Grandma's arms as I gnaw on a celery stick!

 Grandpa!

God's Cake

I received this from my aunt a couple of months ago and have been meaning to post this to Madison's blog.  Thanks Mary for sharing this with me :)

God's Cake

Sometimes we wonder,

"What did I do to deserve this?" or

"Why did God have to do this to me?"

Here is a wonderful explaination.

A daughter is telling her mother how everything

is going wrong, she is failing algebra, her boyfriend

broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her mother is baking a cake and

asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the

daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her mother offers.

"Yuck" says her daughter..

"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some four then?

Or maybe baking soda?"

"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies:

"Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.

But when they are put together in the

right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!"

God works the same way.  Many times we wonder why

He would let us go through such bad and difficult

times.  But God knows that when He puts these things

all in His order, they always work for good! We just

have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all

make something wonderful!

He sends you flowers every spring and

a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.

He can live anywhere in the universe,

and he chose your heart.



Sunday Funday... I've mastered two new tricks today!

This video captures two important milestones.
Madison began "turning" towards her name just a couple of weeks ago - it was so nice to witness, but was it just a coincident? Well Madison turns towards her name 99% of the time and we are convinced she knows that is her name. I also believe she knows "dog" & "Alan". When we ask her "where is Alan.... Where is the dog...?" it really seems as if she is looking for him!!
Rewarding with food has finally paid off - it looks like we will spend the upcoming weekend, baby proofing the apartment!

On The Cusp

6 weeks ago, my “ears” were activated.  During this time, I’ve begun to hear sounds I never knew existed…. The microwave warming up my food, a phone ringing, the door buzzing, the dog barking (well, on occasion), my toys playing music, water filling up my bathtub, mommy & daddy calling my name and saying “I LOVE YOU”… the list is endless.   Since my surgery, I have been to the audiologist 4 times, and will continue to go there for the rest of my life.  My therapists, nanny and parents have been training me on the “LING” sounds.  These sounds represent various speech sounds from low to high pitch.  They are very important to focus on because hearing these sounds ensures that I am hearing everyday conversation.  My parents (and therapists) have “special toys” that they use during play time to incorporate each of these 6 sounds:

Ahhhhh – Airplane is flying by and goes “AHHHH”

Eeeee – Monkey says “EEE EEE EEE”

Ooooo – Cow says “MOOOOOO”

Mmmm – This ice cream tastes good “MMMMM”

Shhhh – The baby is sleeping “SHHHHH”

Ssssss – Here comes a Snake “SSSSS”

In addition, Madison had her PT evaluation occur during the first 15 minutes of her individual speech therapy session at Clarke last Friday March 9.  The evaluation occurred at 8:30 am (with her group therapy session from 9-10 am).  The physical therapist joined Daddy, Gloria, Madison and Lauren.  Upon her arrival she asked, “Does Madison like strangers.”  At that point, Daddy knew things weren’t going to go well.  Madison is pretty particular with the people she likes…she has her inner circle of females – mainly Mommy, Gloria and Jessica – and isn’t too fond of any other ladies.  The therapist takes Madison and then lies her on the ground (on her back) expecting her to move around.  Madison doesn’t move at all.  She’s frozen, like a mummy.  The therapist then tries to “move” Madison and immediately tears begin flowing from Madison’s eyes.  The therapist leaves the room and watches from the observation window and Madison becomes a little more mobile.  The therapist then re-enters and Daddy and Gloria discuss her movements at home.  The therapist believes that Madison is on the cusp of crawling, but if she is not crawling within 4-6 weeks, Madison needs to have another evaluation.  After we were done conversing, Madison pointed at the therapist (she loves to point!!!) and then pointed at the door – instructing her to leave.  Everyone laughed. 

The physical therapist also advised us to have Madison spend as much time as possible on the floor, making sure that we place her favorite toys (or favorite dog!) out of reach, which will encourage Madison to explore… Brian and I are amazed at her progress over these past 10 days.   Expect to see a video of the little Miss crawling within the next week or so… She really is THAT CLOSE!  

Despite my busy schedule, there is still time for some F-U-N!

Can't beat 70 degree weather in NYC during "the winter" - First time on a real swing... I'm so in love!

I began weekly music class with 6 other babies my age... I love banging on the drum and playing with the rain stick.  

Check out my new floor mat.... I spend so much time rolling around learning how to crawl.  Somebody else decided to roll around in it as well....

Any guess who the culprit was???

March 8, 2012 - 9 months old today!

Little Miss Madison turns 9 months old today.... 28 inches long and 18.3 lbs! Madison was in serious mode during today's photo shoot and we couldn't crack one smile out of her.  Today was a busy day for everyone - a morning audiology mapping appointment, followed by a mid-day play at the park (thank you for the 70 degree weather in NYC today) and lastly, an afternoon appointment with the pediatrician.... All in all it was a very good day - but the little lady was beyond tired, even for just one tiny smile.
Tomorrow, mark's Madison's 1 month hearing day! Which I can not believe how fast time flies... Things have been progressing very nicely with regards to Madison's hearing and we will be posting an update.
In addition, it has been suggested that Madison receives a Physical Therapy (PT) evaluation.  We received this news yesterday by The Clarke School (which is the location of her speech therapy and group therapy every Friday).  The main reason revolves around the fact that Madison is not crawling at 9 months of age.  We are trying not to get too concerned just yet - Madison will be evaluated tomorrow morning during her speech therapy session.
Stay tuned...