Madison turned ONE on June 8, 2012. We celebrated her birthday with a party
at our apartment with family and friends on June 2nd. Madison had a monkey-themed birthday
party. Our daughter has always
been fascinated by monkeys… In fact, one of the flower baskets that we received
after Madison’s birth came with a stuffed monkey. This animal quickly became Madison’s favorite toy. In addition to a monkey birthday
cake, we had a “balloon artist” from the neighborhood perform for all the
little kiddies. Madison had 6
little friends attend her party, and about 25 adults. The weather was perfect and we had the event on the rooftop
of our building.
With Madison being a year old – naturally, Brian and I have
been doing some reminiscing.
Imagine where we were a year ago?
Who would have thought the last 12 months would have gone how they
did? June 8, 2011 was the greatest
day of our lives – and we love Madison so much! From those who are living a similar journey to us, or who
are a few years ahead of us – we are constantly reminded to enjoy your little
child. Take a step back from all
the therapy and emotions and appreciate the fact you have a beautiful little
muchkin! Today, on our trip to the
grocery store, Madison was wearing a sun hat and she kept on trying to put it
on her head. It was so cute…seeing
her try to put the hat on her head and getting so frustrated. Or, seeing her watch the trains at
Grandma & Grandpa's house this weekend…and seeing how excited she would get – hence, reminding
me of my childhood.
It has been 10+ months since we learned of the degree of
Madison’s hearing loss. It has
been less than 5 months since her surgery…and about 4 months since her
activation. 12 months ago I never
would have thought how seeing my daughter turn to her name is surreal. Madison babbles and is continually
introducing new sounds. She
rattles off Ma Ma Ma and Da Da Da, but there is no meaning at this moment for
either of those. I believe her
first (true) word is “AH” for Alan (Al).
It’s the only time she says “AH” and always points towards the dog. It really is her best friend. While her speech is progressing, we
feel that her listening and comprehension is really starting to pick up. This weekend, Grandpa taught her where
her “eyes” and “ears” were and she would touch them when asked. We even had Madison in one of those
inflatable plastic outdoor pools in Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard. She was a happy baby with a diaper
under her swimsuit, and then…she looked up when she heard the plans make their
descent into JFK!!!! And she kept
on looking up every time the planes came by… and would point to the sky and say
“AAAAAAHHHHH”! Finally, another
event took place this weekend…Madison’s device fell off her ear and she tried
to put it back on her head. I
couldn’t believe what I saw…so I knocked it off her head a few minutes later
and sure enough – she reproduced the same action…grabbing the processor and
trying to put it back. We never
doubted the decision we made to go down the path we chose, however, right then
and there, we knew that we made the right decision. We will attempt to get this on video!
I’m so excited for what the next 12 months will bring, but
need to make sure that I cherish and appreciate this next year. I have learned so much this past year... more than I ever knew was possible. I am so thankful for how far we have come and continue to look forward to what the future will bring!
Happy Birthday to our sweet (baby) Madison! We love you XOXO
