Life is Bliss - Lily's Cochlear Implant Journey

Merry Christmas from Lily's family

Merry Christmas to all our blog readers.  We hope the information and inspiration we provide on this blog is helpful to you. We've loved hearing from people around the world about their own hearing journeys. 

It's certainly been a fun five plus years of documenting Lily's hearing journey and beyond.  Someday Lily will read this and be able see the journey she helped so many take with her.  

Life today is bliss.

 

Lily's Card Shop

Sharing a entrepreneurial spirit with her Dad, Lily describes her card shop.  

 

Santa Claus visit

A great trip to see Santa today.   Lily is asking lots of questions like why don't all the Santas look the same?  How is it possible for Santa to get all over the world in one night?  Shouldn't he be working on toys, instead of talking with children all day?  

We've been ringing the Christmas bells and asking Lily if she can hear them.  She always says, "Yes I can hear them. I believe!"  (even when the bells aren't ringing).  Smart little kid!

Therapy via IPads for children with cochlear implants

Great story on using IPads for teletherapy in a program called BabyTalk.  For newly implanted children under three, this program helps babies in Northern California learn how to listen and speak.  It's a partnership between Stanford School of Medicine and Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School.  

Lucile is one of about 17 other hearing-impaired toddlers from across Northern California — from Salinas to the Oregon border — to participate in a new "teletherapy" program called BabyTalk, a collaboration between the Stanford School of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology and the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf in Redwood City. - See more at: http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2013/december/babytalk-1209.html#sthash.OYDThTLM.dpuf

Lucile is one of about 17 other hearing-impaired toddlers from across Northern California — from Salinas to the Oregon border — to participate in a new "teletherapy" program called BabyTalk, a collaboration between the Stanford School of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology and the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf in Redwood City. - See more at: http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2013/december/babytalk-1209.html#sthash.OYDThTLM.dpuf

Lucile is one of about 17 other hearing-impaired toddlers from across Northern California — from Salinas to the Oregon border — to participate in a new "teletherapy" program called BabyTalk, a collaboration between the Stanford School of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology and the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf in Redwood City. - See more at: http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2013/december/babytalk-1209.html#sthash.OYDThTLM.dpuf

Lucile is one of about 17 other hearing-impaired toddlers from across Northern California — from Salinas to the Oregon border — to participate in a new "teletherapy" program called BabyTalk, a collaboration between the Stanford School of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology and the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf in Redwood City. - See more at: http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2013/december/babytalk-1209.html#sthash.OYDThTLM.dpuf

My Gym, Uncle John and brother Bodie

Genetics of Auditory Disorders

Very interesting and descriptive article on the Genetics of Auditory Disorders

 

Barriers for children with hearing loss K-12 in the classroom

New report released by the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University to describe the barriers that children with hearing loss aged birth to 21 face in the classroom and with school administration.

Long-term improvements in oral communication and peer relations in children with CIs: parental testimony

New study out of Penn State showing long-term positive outcomes of cochlear implantation. 

The research shows that on average, children improve in oral communication skills and have better peer relationships years after implantation, rather than immediately after. Even implant recipients who performed poorly several years after the procedure continue to improve....What helps deaf adolescents cope in middle school? The findings of their study suggest that deaf children should be supported in their early development to build healthy levels of self-esteem and confidence. The degree to which implanted children are accepted by mainstream schools – whether they are understood by their teachers and peers – can also help improve their peer relationships.

 

Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss

Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss is a great new resource filled with information about the learning and social issues of children with hearing loss and what you can do to better support the future success of these children. Resources are at no cost, designed to be easy to understand quickly, and practical to use.

Hear to Learn coverage - LJS

Thankful for more coverage of our Hear to Learn celebration - Moms give thanks — loud and clear — to supporters of amplifier project in the Lincoln Journal Star

 

Huffington Post Coverage of Hear To Learn Project

Lily's Mom is amazing (regular readers already knows this). As usual she continues to make an impact for Lily and others. Today she got some much deserved national coverage for her Hear To Learn project to bring amplification to elementary schools here in Nebraska. Check out the Huffington Post blog post and the video (Lily makes a cameo as well).

Technology Can Help Ensure Our Students Hear, Learn, and Achieve.

So proud of the work she does day in and day out.

 

Study: Hearing preservation

Interesting study on Hearing preservation for Cochlear Implant outcomes.

http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/effects-hearing-preservation-for-cochlear-12078

 

New device helps understand how brain processes info from a CI

A new imaging device was launched on campus today, helping researchers in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (CCD) and HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) better understand how the human brain processes information from a cochlear implant.

For the first time, scientists can use a well-established brain imaging technique called MEG, or magnetoencephalography, to measure brain function in recipients of cochlear implants, including young children. The new device overcomes the electromagnetic restrictions of cochlear implants, enabling researchers to gain valuable insight into this established and effective solution for people with hearing loss.

More

 

A purpose? We found it!

I haven't posted forever, but think I'm coming up for air now.  I ran across this post on a blog which I've followed for a number of years and thought it perfectly captured how I'm feeling now.  We met this family at AGBell last year.  Just substitute Lily's name and I could have written it myself.  However this Mom has boy triplets who are seven-years-old (one of which has CIs and one with hearing aids) and one three-year-old girl with her own set of challenges.  The family is amazing.  When does she have time to blog?

http://thelawrencetriplets.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-reason-purpose.html

Her blog post is titled "A Reason, A purpose?"  And I think it captures a big part of Lily and my purpose, at least right now.  We've connected and mentored and been mentored by so many families around the world and in our hometown, many of who have become very close friends.  And many who have gone on to mentor others.  Which is amazingly cool.  Families almost always thank us for giving them "hope" which is so desperately needed, especially in the early days.  

It seems everywhere I go, we are introduced to people with hearing loss or people with children with hearing loss.  It may be fate or our network crossing, but it truly is some of the most satisfying work I do.

Lily inspires them all.  She too, like Cormac in the blog post, has a love of life and the ability to inspire others.  She also has a great skill at listening and spoken language, something we've focused hard on since she was two months old. It's paid off.

She received all 4s, the highest grade in Language Arts, which is dreamy. Her reading test, after the first quarter of the first grade, placed her at the end of the third grade. She could read beyond this, but began to lose some comprehension.  She also received 4s in "Confidence in Self" and "Singing," among others, which is pretty awesome. These are both areas which we have worried about for years.   

But I also see Lily's 22-month-old brother listening with ease, picking up words out of songs on the radio and speaking in four-plus word sentences already.  He probably knows more than 500 words.   At the the same point in Lily's life, she was not yet putting two words together, but she knew 200 words or so and we documented each one.  That early childhood hearing matters.  Lily's certainly caught up, but we certainly can't let up.  

Lily struggles hearing especially when it's noisy or kids have soft voices.  I watch how much she misses when I volunteer in the classroom or when Lily is outside the school.  It's tough.  

One Mom told us she used to tell her daughter with CIs, who is now in high school, just to run after the girls when they run, even though her daughter had no idea what game they were playing or why they were running because she couldn't always hear the conversations.  The Mom said the girls would make it very clear if they didn't want her daughter there.  I think that was pretty good advice. :)  

Eggs are here!

After five months of care, Clarabelle and Isabelle have laid their first few eggs.  Lily has always suggested that one of her chores would be collecting the eggs, so as promised, she is outside checking their nesting box multiple times a day.  We've even made an omlette which was simply delicious.  Something about all that love on a plate. 

Cochlear Implant history and pioneers

The 2013 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award honors three scientists who developed the modern cochlear implant, a device that restores hearing to individuals with profound deafness. Through their vision, persistence, and innovation, Graeme M. Clark (Emeritus, University of Melbourne), Ingeborg Hochmair (MED-EL, Innsbruck), and Blake S. Wilson (Duke University) created an apparatus that has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Their work has, for the first time, substantially restored a human sense with a medical intervention.

Check out their incredible video interview of cochlear implant pioneers Graeme M. Clark, Ingeborg Hochmair and Blake S. Wilson and an extensive description of the history of the development of the cochlear implant. 

It's hard to believe the FDA only gave its inaugural approval to a multichannel cochlear implant in 1985 for treating adults who could hear before they went deaf. 

Class presentation on cochlear implants and other fun stuff

Lily and I have now given two presentations on hearing and cochlear implants at her school.  The first was a presentation to her own class.  We started by asking if there was anything different about Lily.  One child said she had braids in her hair.  Then another one said she had strings on her back.  Love it.  Lily answered all their questions, showed off her Buddy/Melody and American Girl Doll with CIs, and tried to act out each point we made about Dos/Don'ts, FMs and how her CIs worked.  The kids were most interested in the FM and radio waves, as well as the stuffed animals. 

Then one day after school a third grade teacher, who was instructing her class about sound, asked if we could come talk about Cochlear Implants and hearing.  Her class had read a small piece about cochlear implants in their textbook and they were very interested in the subject. 

This presentation was a little more complex with descriptions of the ear, why people have different types of hearing, how a CI works and then questions.  Every child had their hand in the air and they asked dozens and dozens of terrific questions until the bell rang.  They all said that they had tubes or an ear infection at one point, so they could understand when someone was not hearing as well.  A very compassionate bunch.   Their questions ranged from how does a CI work to what happens if someone can't pay for an implant. 

We tried to inspire the students to become scientists, engineers or inventors that helped people.  At the end of the presentation, Lily had taken her headpieces off to "demonstrate" so many times, that her batteries died.  I'd left my purse in the car, which always has batteries in it, and Lily had left her backpack down the hall, which also has batteries in it. 

So....in a small panic...I looked around and saw remote controls in front of me.  I began to open them up and in the second remote I found a AAA battery.  I took it out, put it in Lily's CIs and crossed my fingers that it had enough power.  It worked.  The third graders cheered and clapped and thought it was very cool. The teacher said Lily may now have a third grade "fan club."  LIly was perplexed by the comment, but soon was thrilled by the idea.  Always a language opportunity. 

The Spa Experience

Lily has been begging and pleading with me to get a "facial" ever since she read the sign "now offering facials" at the local nail place.  The power of reading (and definitely more trouble for Mom and Dad). 

We're not sure about how her spa obsession happened months ago.  We certainly don't visit many spas, but Lily has turned one of our bathrooms into her "spa."  No one is to move any of the "spa accessories" which include cups, soaps, tooth brushes, lotions, hair brushes, curlers, pillows, hand towels, etc.  

Finally after weeks of stalling, I took Lily for a "junior facial" as she named it.  I struck a deal with the facial lady and she did a modified facial that her daughters love.   I felt a little bit ridiculous taking a six year old for a facial, but I have to say it was fabulous.   There was warm steam, massage, lotions, exfoliation, rotating brushes, and soothing music.  Again, a language experience.  :)  Lily did not move for 15 minutes.  I kept making sure she was breathing.  She loved it! 

The lady suggested I play soothing music for Lily to help her fall asleep. We didn't even go there or explain what Lily's CIs were.  And we skipped the head massage.  When it was my turn, Lily watched very carefully so she could learn how to provide this service in her own spa.  

This evening she gave Bodie her "signature facial."  Good thing he is an easy going kid.

Apple and Peach Picking

We made a quick trip to an incredible orchard this weekend to pick apples and peaches. The founders of the orchard had a fabulous property and you can see the years of hard work that went into building such a grand place.  Lily was shocked when I told her the family's foundation actually donated funds to our Hear to Learn soundfield project.  Coming full circle in Nebraska.   

It was a hot day but there were no lack of apples and peaches to be picked.  Of course we had to sample the products as we waited for the hayrack ride to pick us up deep in the orchard.  Lots of language exposure like Gala apples, Johnathan apples, Golden Delicious, cider, carmel apples, ripe, rotten, peach pit, kettle corn, etc. 

Bodie took it all in, while Lily made plans for her next apple picking adventure.  What a great day.   

Babies hear their Moms before birth

New research reinforces what many people had believed—babies hear what their moms say and their brains recognize these words after birth. 

The researchers' conclusion was that “The better we know how the fetus’ brain works, the more we’ll know [about] early development of language.   If we know better how language develops very early, we may one day be able to develop very early interventions [for babies with abnormal development].”

Whenever I read research like this it reminds me how critical early intervention is for children with hearing loss.  Not only did Lily miss the first ten months of hearing after she was born, but likely she missed another six or seven months of sound as a fetus.  The implications of that amount of language missed is hard to comprehend. 

You'd never know it today, but it's important for us never to forget. 

Advanced Bionics releases new Naida CI, electrode and HiRes Optima

Advanced Bionics has just introduced the Naída CI Q70 (Naída CI) processor, HiFocus™ Mid-Scala electrode, and HiRes™ Optima Sound Processing. 

With Naída CI, AB brings performance and wireless connectivity and now cochlear implant recipients have access to the combined technologies of AB & Phonak.

Benefits of new Naida CI:

• 55% improvement in speech understanding in noise when AB ClearVoice™* and Phonak UltraZoom features are used together
• 100% wireless connectivity—streaming from consumer electronics by leading brands, including Apple, Samsung, and Nokia
• All-new Binaural VoiceStream Technology™ designed for improved hearing in noise
• Bimodal streaming—media can be streamed to a compatible Phonak hearing aid and a Naída CI sound processor at the same time!
• 40% smaller than the previous behind-the-ear sound processor—incredibly lightweight for barely noticeable on and off-ear comfort
• First-ever bilateral feature for easy use and peace of mind—each processor can be programmed for both ears so the best ear can still hear if a second processor is misplaced
• Compatibility with AB performance innovations, including ClearVoice, AutoSound™, HiRes Fidelity 120™*, and HiRes Optima Sound Processing
• All-new, discreet T-Mic™ 2 microphone

In addition to the Naida CI Q70 Advanced Bionics has also recently received approval for the HiFocus Mid-Scala Electrode (designed to protect the delicate structures of the cochlea) and for HiRes Optima Sound Processing (which offers optimized battery life)!

We are definitely going to get the HiRes Optima soon for Lily's Neptunes.  It's another trip to the audiologist, but well worth such an increase in battery life.  

Currently, Lily's batteries will die around 4pm.  She is starting extracurricular Spanish class this week that, you guessed it, ends around 4pm. So what should I do?  Go to school and change the batteries between school and class?  Ask the teacher to do it?  Or get this HiRes Optima ASAP. 

We'll also be investigating the Naida CI which looks exciting, although we love her Neptunes.  Lots of exciting new options to think about.  

CI Toolkit for parents and teachers

Recently I received The Cochlear Implant School Toolkit which was funded by a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Insitute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders for review. 

Included in the toolkit were:

• A Parent’s Guide to help parents prepare their children, their children’s schools, and themselves for their children’s entries into mainstream classrooms
• A lesson plan and DVD for typical children with activities to create peer acceptance and to smooth the integration of children with cochlear implants into mainstream classrooms
• A website with supportive and interactive features for parents, teachers, and children
• A Teachers’ Guide & DVD that provide concrete strategies and examples for teaching a student with a cochlear implant, tips for creating an inclusive classroom, suggestions for classroom modifications, and testimonials from parents and teachers who have been through the mainstreaming process with a child with a cochlear implant.

All of the pieces are well done and an impressive advisory panel guided the toolkit's development. 

The research-based teacher's toolkit should be standard reading for each teacher that has a child with a cochlear implant.  The guide has been espeically useful for Lily's school.  Lily's teacher is very willing and open to learning everything and anything we provide to her.   It includes basics information such as learning about CIs and hearing loss, working as part of a TEAM, understanding challenges, setting up a classroom and refining and reporting your progress.  It is easy and quick to read while providing tons of resource materials. 

The company that developed this toolkit is also working on The Cochlear Implant University which will support high school and college students with cochlear implants and their parents as the student transitions to higher education.

The toolkit is a must read for all famlies and teachers who work with kids with Cochlear Implants. 

Bodie's first haircut

Bodie's first haircut came around his 18 month birthday.  No salon.   No big cape or fuss.  Just Mom and a pair of kitchen scissors.  He's quickly becoming a little boy and talking non-stop.  He repeats everything wtih ease and says the first sounds of hundreds of words.  Some words like "All Done" are very clear.    His receptive language is extensive.  Full hearing makes it easy.  

 

Summer Fun

Lily recently learned the photographer's phrase "Work it baby!"  She thought it was hilarious.  

Cochlear Implant Balance Research Study

We've participated in various cochlear implant research studies over the past five years because we feel it's important to give back and help advance the field.  

Last week, Lily was in a balance study at Boystown that was trying to determine if there was a connection between cochlear implantation and balance issues.  The researchers asked Lily to walk, hop, stand on a balance board, spin around in the dark, do eye tests while shaking her head and twist her head for some kind of nerve measurement.  

We learned that Lily had great balance and eye sight.  The physical therapist said that knowing she reads really well and can ride a bike without training wheels also indicates that there are no balance issues. All in a days work!

 

Chickens: A new language opportunity

Always in search of new language opportunities, we have now become chicken farmers.  

We've watched two chickens grow from week-old chicks to four-month old adults.  While they haven't laid any eggs yet, Clarabelle and Isabelle have a nice view of the rain garden and become free range when we are hanging out in the backyard. 

Lily has even spent some time reading chapter books to them.  See the first picture below.  Bodie would rather the coop be a playhouse, but he loves chasing the chickens around the yard and saying "bock bock" each time we ask if he'd like chicken or beef.  

 

Summer Camps

Lily has attended some great camps this summer.  After Farm School, she attended an Art and Cooking camp with her CI/hearing aid friends and then last week it was "Fancy like Nancy" camp, which builds off the Fancy Nancy books.  Here we are at the final tea party in our fanciest dresses.  Bodie is spending his days hanging out and talking up a storm. 

Lily's first piano recital

Lily, age five, has her first piano recital after five months of lessons.  We call her Beethoven, she calls herself Lady Gaga.  In the video she is performing Twinkle Twinkle and This land is your land. The set up takes longer than the song. 

The early laugh came because the paper clips we had on the pages flew off when she opened the book.  Near the end of the second song you can hear her brother cheering her on when he shouts her nickname "Coocoo."

With Cochlear Implants and determination, anything is possible.

 

Auditory Brain Stem Implants for children in the US

If a Cochlear Implant doesn't work for a child with no auditory nerve, there may be a new option in the US. Check out this recent story about a 3 year old boy implanted with an Auditory Brain Stem Implant.  

This type of implant has been used in Italy for three or four years now, but this is a first Brain Stem implant for a child in the US.  So exciting.  Researchers are not sure if it will give the child full access to language but it certainly gives the child sound.  Great video demonstrates the child's reaction to sound.  

New bike helmet - Giro Flume

The last picture shows an amazing new Giro Flume bike helmet that we purchased off the sale table at the bike store because Lily needed "two helmets."  To our surprise, this helmet doesn't knock off Lily's CIs at all.  Even after a five mile bike trip to celebrate father's day.   The helmet stays on and doesn't move.   It has changed the biking experience entirely.  Thank you Giro!

Happy Birthday Lily - To An Amazing Six Years

Happy birthday to our daughter Lily - Amazing, talented and now six years old.

Bright Lights Farm Camp

Last week, Lily attended the fabulous Bright Lights Farm Camp.  Run by a retired kindergarten teacher with 37 years of experience, there was a plan, vocabulary, instruction time, songs and free time.  There were areas to pet chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, and cats.  Kids could brush or ride horses.  They could fish in a stock tank with nets or build things in the workshop.  At the end of each day the kids even wrote in their journals.  

If you enlarge the picture below, you can see how farm camp could be a very difficult listening situation. It was partially in a metal barn, with open doors and cement floors, and 30 kids.  However, the teacher wore the FM and even when her face was turned to the back wall, Lily, situated in the front row, could still hear her well.  

Challenges came when there were guest speakers and the lead teacher forgot to pass around the microphone.  For example, Lily missed all the information about the bull.  She just couldn't hear it. Overall, Lily ended the week with a ton of great farm experiences and language.  Not too bad for a city kid loaded up with technology.  Life is pretty normal/extraordinary.  

Bodie and Coocoo

We think about language a lot and Bodie's language amazes us.  His receptive language is extensive and he can easily hear a word in a sentence and make a comment about it.  For example, if you say "chicken" in a long sentence he'll immediately say Bock Bock.   He's also on the verge of putting two words together because he already has numerous words and word approximations.  

Bodie loves his sister and calls her - Coocoo.  Coocoo is said with a lot of meaning like Coocoo stop bugging me or Coocoo get off me!  Or where is Coocoo?     

He calls Dad - Nana.  If Dad requests him to say Dada, Bodie smiles and says Nana.  

And of course I'm Mama and he loves looking and calling for Mama over and over again.  What a joy! 

Getting Bigger!

Lily says she is "very into dresses now!"

A Meerkat Kiss

This was just funny!  A trip to the zoo.

Boystown Run 2013

Grateful to walk in the Boystown Run/Walk this morning to raise money for the Boystown Cochlear Implant Center.   It was cold and rainy, but Lily loved running the kids 400m, and then we all completed the Family 1-mile.  

We also saw Lily's Audiologist Jeff.  He's very patient with me.  I'm always asking a million questions about how we can help Lily hear better.   

Of course, Lily wore her waterproof Advanced Bionics Neptunes.  It was a perfect day to play/hear in the rain.   

Lily talking about the monkey bars

If you didn't get enough of Lily in the last video, here she is talking about her experiences on the monkey bars.  This was her narration and the first "take." 

Lily talks about learning to ride a bike

At age 5, Lily's training wheels have come off and she is riding independently.  Here's an interview with Lily about how she learned to ride. 

Almost done with Kindergarten

A field trip to the park.  How is Kindergarten almost over?  

Hearing is all about the brain

Good article on How the brain processes auditory signals.  It's not that easy.  

Phonak's new Roger

Exciting new update by Phonak with Roger. 

"a new digital standard that bridges the understanding gap, in noise and over distance, by wirelessly transmitting the speaker's voice directly to the listener. Available for the education market beginning Summer 2013, Roger is designed to surpass today's Dynamic FM and equivalent digital systems."

Check out The Hearing Review for more information

More at Phonak

Oberkotter Foundation establishes new national center for professional learning in LSL

Oberkotter Foundation plans to establish a new national center for professional learning in listening and spoken language. It will be launched in spring of 2015. 

This is such a needed resource to support professionals teaching children with hearing loss.  It can't come soon enough. 

EHDI Resource Guide

Extensive free Resource Guide for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention from the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University. 

Amplify - New Parent Group

We recently formed a new group in Lincoln for Parents of Children with Hearing Loss, better known as Amplify.

Amplify's goals are to support families through their children's hearing journeys, collaborate on important issues related to hearing loss, as well as welcome new families.   As a parent-driven group we share information, answer questions, focus on local issues, and brag about our children. 

Our second meeting will include a parent panel of "older" kids who have cochlear implants. 

For more information, contact Missy Stithem at [email protected]

Optimizing cochlear implant programming

Here's some research I'm watching for improved CI programming.

At Vanderbilt University they are performing Image-based frequency reallocation for optimizing cochlear implant programming.

The major goal of this project is to assess the clinical utility of an image-guidance system for Cochlear Implant (CI) programming assistance that we are currently developing. For each CI recipient who participates in this research study, state-of-the-art image processing methods are employed to detect, using pre- and post-implantation CT, the position of the CI relative to the neural stimulation region and to analyze electrode stimulation patterns. Using the important information these spatial analysis techniques provide, we reprogram the CI recipient’s processor. Programming parameters include which electrodes are active, determining the relative power of each electrode, and determining an electrode frequency allocation table. Improved hearing performance for research participants will demonstrate that image-guidance can lead to more effective CI programming and better hearing restoration.

 

Chinese Cochlear Implant

Nurotron, a Chinese cochlear implant has been launched in the Chinese mainland for patients aged six and older. In China, there are 28 million deaf people and 30,000 babies born without hearing each year. Priced at $16,000, this could have a interesting impact on the implant market. 

Hear to Learn classroom amplification project

Thrilled to update you on our Hear to Learn classroom amplification project. Here's a short video describing our dream. 

 

Photo Update

Making banana bread with Lily's doll Lanie.

An sunset trip to the playground.

Bath time in the sink.

Sledding with the neighbors.

The perfect sled from Grammy.

The Girls watching our talented friend Carter staring in a play titled "What the wind taught me." 

Bodie yelling dog (GA).  At 15 months, he's got dozens of words. 

Kindergarten science fair project on sound

Lily's first school science fair was a huge success.  Of course her project was on sound. 

Titled "How loud is my school?" Lily and I measured various classrooms with my phone sound meter.  Lily made predictions, documented all the measurements and then created a graph with the readings. She learned the word "vestibule"  for the school's entryway, knows decibel is a measure of sound, and can now explain what the "speech banana" is all about. 

While the kindergartners weren't judged on their projects, Lily knew she won when her family came for her "official" presentation, she received a ribbon and her amazing school principal (seen below) discussed the project with her. 

 

Pinkalicious - Community Theater

We recently attended a fabulous community playhouse show called Pinkalicious starring Lily's good buddy Emma.  In the dedications, Emma gave Lily credit for inspiring her to try out for the show because Emma only loves red, while Lily loves pink.  Certainly Emma has inspired Lily to do many things like getting involved in theater. 

Fortunately the theater was quiet and the actors wore microphones.  Lily didn't want to miss a single word!