Wordless Wednesdays 6-26-13

Brody's had a busy week. His birthday was Thursday!

 

Aunt Sara and Uncle Dany got married on Saturday!

Brody and Dany's mom

 

Brody with Dany's mom and grandmother

 

Taking pictures before the wedding

 

Fixing his bowtie

 

Waiting for the ceremony to start

 

Brody came down the aisle with grandma.

 

 

Talking to JoJo

 

 

 

Brody's in the back with Grandma. He loves the music. He laughed and smiled through the whole first dance!

 

I am loving summer break with Brody! I have been sick all week though so we've had a lot of cuddle time watching TV.

 

Poor Bear Bryant! Brody has found his way into the dog crate (Bears only hiding place).

 

And his new favorite toy is Bear's bone :(

 

Brody also broke out in hives yesterday :( We are still trying to narrow down what he's allergic to. Until then Benadryl every 6 hours. Poor Brody!

 

We were headed to the doctor yesterday anyway for his 1 year appointment. Brody is 26lbs and 29 inches! Big boy!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Happy 1st Birthday Brody!

It is so hard to believe that it has already been a year since Brody was born. Our family has been through a lot over these past 12 months. We were surprised when Brody welcomed us 3 weeks early. 

We dealt with failing three newborn hearing screenings and ultimately having no response on the ABR test (the more in-depth hearing test that Audiology clinics perform). Brody received his hearing aids at three weeks thanks to loaner hearing aids and a pair of earmolds a mom had just turned in. After having some auditory stimulation from the hearing aids, the next ABR showed some responses! Brody's hearing was still in the profound loss area though, so we started looking into Cochlear Implants.

Around 5 months of age, we got the results back from his genetic testing. We found out he had Usher Syndrome Type 1. Suddenly we were put into unfamiliar territory; this was a whole different experience. I knew people who were deaf could lead wonderful, successful lives. I had experienced it first-hand.  But what about people who were deaf AND blind? Jordan went into research mode. We found a ton of resources and information that gave us hope that Brody would be successful in life. So what if he wouldn't be able to drive? He could live in a city with public transportation..right?! Through our experience with Ushers, we have met some amazing people. We have become advocates for our son and we will continue to take everything day-by-day.

Brody has come so far in such a short time! He is army crawling, getting into sit and stand on his own, babbling up a storm, cracking us up on a daily basis, and as of this week...cruising around furniture! The average for a baby with Ushers to walk is 20 months. We're going to accomplish it sooner (hopefully)! In two months he will have his Cochlear implants and be given the miracle of sound! We are beyond excited!

If I could chose a different life for Brody, I don't think I would. God made him the way he is for a reason. Maybe he will be the first linebacker with Ushers :) Or maybe he will be able to benefit from all the research being put into the disorder. Who knows what his life has in store for him? I know that it will be an awesome one though!

Happy Birthday baby boy!

Wordless Wednesdays 6-19-13

Ah! Chocolate pudding! 

New Mickey Mouse bed tent from Grammy and Papa Tom

Brody went to Pyper's first birthday party on Saturday

They love each other so much :)

Brody got to hang out with Daddy Saturday night while Mommy was in Nashville for Aunt Sara's bachelorette party. They had so much fun!

On Sunday, Brody got together with some other kids from Hands & Voices at My Gym. He loved the ball pit! 

Spaghetti O's and goldfish...yum

Watching Mickey Mouse on the iPad 

We have a Surgery Date!

We got a phone call this morning for a surgery date. Since Brody is getting simultaneous, bilateral implants (both ears done during one surgery), it can take 6+ hours. Therefore, Dr. Choo had to schedule him on a day that he doesn't have any other surgeries already scheduled. Brody's surgery date is August 29th. About two months later than we were hoping for, but it could have been later, so we are happy. I was hoping that his surgery would be done before I returned to school in the fall so I wouldn't have to take off at all, but things happen for a reason!

Brody is becoming more and more expressive each day. We have been working on all of the oral motor components a lot of our deaf students have trouble with. He is now able to drink from a straw and blow! Such a superstar!

Brody also started Aquatherapy this week. He is working with Ms. Melody who is a JCPS Physical Therapist. She has her business on the side that she does after school and in the summers. Brody was tired from Vacation Bible School (I have been teaching a preschool class for it this week and he's been in the nursery), so he wasn't in the best mood. I learned some new things to work on in our neighborhood pool with him. In the water, he is working on building his trunk muscles up without as much work as on the ground. The water helps him think he isn't having to work as hard! We will continue it all summer!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Saturday afternoon we celebrated Brody's 1st birthday! His real birthday isn't until June 20th, but Aunt Sara is getting married on June 22nd and has wedding festivities leading all up to that day. So, we decided to do Brody's party early. He loved it! Here are some pictures.

 Nacho Bar

Cake by Aunt Sarah Fromholt! The baseball came off for his smash cake.

 Mommy and Brody with Mrs. Elizabeth (one of Mommy's friends from work)

Family photo! Poor Bordy is a house divided for baseball too-Go Cards! Go Reds!

Back of his shirt...the last name barely fits!

 Aunt Sara liked the bounce house more than the kiddos :)

 Brody wasn't too sure about the cake. He looked like he was going to be in trouble for eating it!

 

 Personalized Notre Dame jersey from Aunt Jodi and Uncle Josh!

Mrs. Pam (a friend of Mommy's from work) painted Brody a sailboat picture for his sailboat themed room! 

Brody loved it! He keeps staring at it!

The front of his shirt. It is supposed to be like the MLB logo with a number 1 in the middle. It says Birthday Allstar. I got it off Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/birthdaycouture?ref=seller_info).

Relaxing at the end of the day with Papa Tom. 

Brody was in really good spirits for not napping until after the party! We have such a good little boy! We heard today from Cincinnati Children's that our insurance has approved Brody's Cochlear Implant Surgery. We are now waiting for them to schedule a surgery date. We are getting close!