The 3 years. Weekly trips to Lexington. Therapy sessions multiple times a week. Conferences. Conventions. Our journey has been filled with experiences and opportunities. I am thankful that Gail (Katie's mom) video taped Brody from pretty much the moment he came home from the hospital. Without her videos, I would never remember how far Brody has come. As I sit at the dinner table and have a "serious" conversation with my 4 year-old, I have to hide my laughter as he tells the most ridiculous story or excuse of the day. I wish that I could consciously be thankful for his Cochlear Implants everyday, but the fact is they have become part of him. He has even started putting the batteries on the charger by himself and putting the processors in his dryer! I didn't know if I would be comfortable with Brody handling his processors until he was maybe...10? He is 4; 4 years-old and already understands the importance of them; what they do; to let us know if they are not working. I obviously remember this day, 3 years ago, when he was activated. All he did was point toward the light on the ceiling when he heard a sound. It was such a non-eventful thing, but it meant the world to me. He finally had the ability to listen for the first time in his life! From that moment on, Brody hasn't looked back and has blown us away!
As Brody gets older, I can't help but think about his vision. I absolutely have no worries about his Cochlear Implants. He is such a good implant user. He advocates for himself and loves wearing them. His possible vision loss, on the other hand, is a mystery. We have no timeline on when/how it will happen. We basically just know, through genetic testing, that someday he may start to lose his vision. To what extent and how fast is also not known. Even with this diagnosis, our family pushes forward. We know that time is not our friend so we plan to expose Brody to many things while his vision is normal. We go on trips and travel as much as possible. I hope that as Brody gets older he will have many happy memories that he can look back on.
3 years. The last 3 years have had highs and lows. I few times over these 3 years I've broken down. I would ask Katie "What will Brody do when he is older?" "Can he live by himself?" "How bad will his vision loss be?" It has made me emotional but Katie is always there to be me my rock. She let's me know that no matter what, Brody will be OK. We will be there to help him, but he will fine. For the very few low times I've had there have been uncountable highs! Brody is such an amazing little boy. I am so happy to be his Dad. I've watched him overcome all the obstacles in his path and continue to overcome the ones that show up as he gets older. I can't believe how much his Cochlear Implants have changed his life in 3 years but it has been an amazing 3 years!
-Jordan
I let Jordan "guest post" tonight because he is a better writer but won't ever write the posts! We celebrated Brody's processors' (who he randomly named Johnny and Wreck-It today...?) birthday. They are 3 years old! Brody was so excited! He requested party hats and candles too.
Also since I haven't posted all summer...here's a photo dump!
We stopped at Lake Michigan on the way to my cousin's wedding this summer in Minneapolis.
Brody loves his little sister. Ella loves her brother even more!
We took in a few Louisville Bats baseball games this summer.
First official family of 4 picture.
Pure joy together!
First day of preschool as a 4 year old! Brody has new teachers and friends. He is loving his new class!
Brody is obsessed with magic because of watching it on America's Got Talent. We got to see a magic show at the Kentucky State Fair. He loved it until they cut the girl in half. He freaked out because he thought there was going to be a ton of blood. He was so amazed when there wasn't any. ;)
We have been walking for Usher Syndrome for the last 25 days. It ends tomorrow!
Along with magic, Brody is in love with anything Space. He's going to be an astronaut for Halloween and has dictated that the entire family will be different planets. We'll see!
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