I have been looking through old photographs and getting very nostalgic. Whilst looking at pictures of Isobel before she was diagnosed, I noticed there are so few of her really smiling.
The guilt of not realising she was deaf still gets to me, thinking she was just a naughty, angry child. The sadness of finding out she was deaf, my perfect little baby girl was maybe not so perfect. The challenges we went through, fitting hearing aids, putting her through surgery, second guessing our decisions so many times it was fifth or sixth guessing. Advocating for her with friends, teachers and doctors. Making sure we were in the right place, with the right team, to give her the best chance that she could possibly have.
This journey we are on is tough, it tires us out. I have never spent so much time thinking about the English language. How we say things and reinforcing right language whilst still trying to give a natural speech rhythm and not. say. each. word. slow. and. deliberate. Because that's not how we speak!
But now I look at her and she beams at me, full on cheesy grins. She goofs around and finds herself hysterical! She has friends! She looks out for them, takes care of them when they're hurt or sad. She has a special relationship with her sister - all be it, love one minute, drive crazy the next. We can chat together, she tells us about her day, we laugh, we joke, we have fun!
We still have a way to go, but Isobel's most recent speech and language tests have come back with great results. She'll be finishing Preschool next week and moving on up to Junior Kindergarten!
So, here's to the journey so far!
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