Happy Birthday, Tori Beth!
Twelve years and 15 minutes ago Tori Beth was born.
When a baby is new, anything is possible. You cease thinking about the future, and start thinking in real time. There are so many immediate needs that the future is just too easy to put off thinking about. We got through the milk allergy and subsequent colic,intense sleep deprivation, then it was on to two nightmarish daycare experiences, various illnesses, a zillion immunizations, multiple first steps mishaps and a few kitty scratches for good measure. We didn't think about her future- that was later and we were too wrapped up in the now. Then, the biggie: an ear infection- not just any old ear infection, but the double whammy intractable bilateral acute otitis media variety. Ten antibiotics and one fucked up HMO later, we finally got the surgery that saved what little hearing she had left and we found ourselves in uncharted territory: hearing impairment. Not a huge deal, in the vast scheme of things; it's not as though it was life-threatening, just life-altering. Suddenly, our daughter was Special Needs, and we were looking at a strange new world. The good thing is not many kids have Tori's kind of hearing loss, primarily because not many kids have asshole doctors like she did. The bad thing was........not many kids have her type of hearing loss; most HI kids are Deaf, and automatically receive appropriate services and education, etc. They didn't know what to do with our girl. Well, in the nine years since her diagnosis, we've come a long way. We had to become very independent and not count on anyone for help, but I think we've done alright. We've home schooled for the past four years, and she is doing fantastic. I'm certain had she remained in public school this would not be the case. I used to worry about her future, but not so much anymore. She's a smart, fun and with it kid, and I couldn't be prouder.
Happy Birthday, big twelve year old. :-)
When a baby is new, anything is possible. You cease thinking about the future, and start thinking in real time. There are so many immediate needs that the future is just too easy to put off thinking about. We got through the milk allergy and subsequent colic,intense sleep deprivation, then it was on to two nightmarish daycare experiences, various illnesses, a zillion immunizations, multiple first steps mishaps and a few kitty scratches for good measure. We didn't think about her future- that was later and we were too wrapped up in the now. Then, the biggie: an ear infection- not just any old ear infection, but the double whammy intractable bilateral acute otitis media variety. Ten antibiotics and one fucked up HMO later, we finally got the surgery that saved what little hearing she had left and we found ourselves in uncharted territory: hearing impairment. Not a huge deal, in the vast scheme of things; it's not as though it was life-threatening, just life-altering. Suddenly, our daughter was Special Needs, and we were looking at a strange new world. The good thing is not many kids have Tori's kind of hearing loss, primarily because not many kids have asshole doctors like she did. The bad thing was........not many kids have her type of hearing loss; most HI kids are Deaf, and automatically receive appropriate services and education, etc. They didn't know what to do with our girl. Well, in the nine years since her diagnosis, we've come a long way. We had to become very independent and not count on anyone for help, but I think we've done alright. We've home schooled for the past four years, and she is doing fantastic. I'm certain had she remained in public school this would not be the case. I used to worry about her future, but not so much anymore. She's a smart, fun and with it kid, and I couldn't be prouder.
Happy Birthday, big twelve year old. :-)