Hearing

Can you imagine what it would be like if you couldn't hear?  You would miss out on those high-pitched giggles from your children, whispered sweet nothings from your spouse, and the joy of hearing your preschooler's first music concert.

I have two deaf dialysis patients, both whom I've gotten to know fairly well.  Lately I've realized what a challenging life they may lead, living in a world where technology and communication is developed for those without any hearing impairment.

Both of these patients lost their hearing when they were very young so living as hearing impaired is all they know. Ironically both are parents, and at least one spouse is also deaf.  Can you imagine not being able to hear your child crying?  How challenging would it be to sleep at night, knowing you wouldn't wake when your little one needed you?

They say that when you lose one sense, your other 4 senses kick in and make up for it.  Possibly they had a different sense that was stimulated when their little one was in need.

So many of us multi-task when talking to someone.  Being hearing impaired would be difficult because you would need to utilize your hands for communication.

One of my patients sends and receives text messages from friends that have videos of them signing messages.  She said this is her primary way of communicating with friends, along with text messages and emails.  I suppose this is an example where technology has possibly helped expanded her ability to communicate.

I primarily communicate with her by writing messages. I grab some paper, a pen, and start writing.  I always have to allot extra time for her as communicating this way takes twice as long.  She is able to read lips but has some difficulty with this.

I can't help but wonder that she is missing out on so much, not being able to hear the world around her.  Specifically, she is not able to listen to music. I find listening to music so enjoyable and I turn my radio or Pandora on whenever I have a chance.  However, I've read that the hearing impaired can feel the vibrations of music which still allows them to "hear" the music.  Beethoven was still able to compose music even as his hearing declined which again emphasizes the significance of our other senses.

Cochlear implants are becoming more and more popular.  I love watching videos of little ones after this surgery, when the implants are turned on and they hear their mother's voice for the first time.  What a joy to see what science can do.

https://youtu.be/ZDD7Ohs5tAk

These situations help me realize we cannot take our health for granted.  We should cherish our ability to hear the sweet voices of our children, the off-tune singing of our spouses, the welcome bark of our dogs, and alarms that sound to signal danger.  Our lives would be much different if we couldn't.

A Basketball Weekend

Last weekend was full of basketball.  We attended our first Woodward Granger sporting event when we headed to the girl's basketball game at the high school.  Alena had signed up for a dance clinic and performed at the halftime of the game.  She had a great time and it was cute watching all of the performances.  This was my first trip to Woodward.  It was weird sitting in the gymnasium thinking that this is where we may watch our children play sports.  I still love the small town feel of this school and we were able to mingle with our neighbors that live directly behind us during the game.

Saturday morning, Alena had her first basketball practice.  While I entertained two 3 year olds, I occasionally caught a glimpse of her working on different drills.  She was one of only 3 girls who went out for basketball and by far the tallest of all the kids.  I'm sure the other kids will catch up to her soon.

We went home quick for an early lunch and then headed to Ames for the Women's Iowa State basketball game.  Alena was chosen to be the Honorary Captain for the game which meant she needed to be there ahead of time to participate in some special things. She was able to be in the locker room with the team and coach, tour the training room and media room and get her picture on the big screen with her name announced. She was so excited and had a great time.  What a special day for her!

Media Room

Men's Locker Room

Clone Cone!

We ended the weekend by enjoying another sport, football, with a little Superbowl Party.  This was one of those weekends where I am exhausted come Sunday night but it was all worth it. We squeezed a ton in and everyone had a fabulous time.  I am ready for some outdoor activities though-come on Spring!

A few random pics of our adventures this winter:

Swimming at the "Pirate Pool" (We will definitely do this again next winter)

This boy refused to stand still for a picture...

She loves ice skating!

Picky Eaters

Dear Mom and Dad,

I apologize for every time I complained about what you made for dinner.  And for every time I said "yuck" when you placed my plate in front of me.  And for refusing to eat the meal you prepared for me.

Love,

Me

Karma stinks.  I know I was a picky eater when I was growing up and I'm sure my parents hated it!  I've heard my little ones complain about what I made for dinner many, many times and now I know exactly what my parents went through!

As I've gotten older I've tried more and more foods and love them. I can't help but think that maybe if I had just tried more when I was younger, I would have developed a palate for many more things.

Toddlers are picky eaters.  I know few toddlers who aren't and I think it's pretty normal.  I accept that I will have to deal with the pickiness.  What's even more challenging with my three kids, is they all have different palates.

I decided many years ago that I was not a short order cook.  I meal plan every week and what I make for dinner is what you eat.  The only exception is on left over night, when the kids can decide to eat left overs or choose something else, (usually PB and J or grilled cheese).  I always make sure that each child likes one component of the meal, whether it is the main dish, the vegetable or another side.

I have many go to recipes, some all my kids love, others one or two like, and a few that none of them care for, but Justin and I really like.  I also try new recipes all the time, listening to feed back from the family to determine if they are keepers or not.

There are some days my kids eat great and other days that are hit and miss. One week they may love something and hate it the next week.  They do understand that if they don't eat much for dinner and are hungry later, they will eat their dinner.  Some may think this is harsh but honestly it's helped my kids be a little more adventurous with trying different things, and many times once they do try something, they realize they actually like it.  We don't force food down their throats or make them finish their plates.  However, the words I can't stand hearing 15 minutes after the kids leave the table and Justin and I are finally finishing up the dishes are:  "I'm hungry!"

It helps that my kids are exposed to a lot of different foods at school.  They have all been great eaters at school.  It used to drive me nuts that A loved the broccoli that Chef Carlos made at school but she didn't like mine!  I secretly wanted to pull Carlos aside and ask him his secret to making broccoli my child would eat!  (Ironically a couple weeks ago I steamed broccoli and not one of my children wanted to try it-L used to be my "little tree" eater!  They all agreed to finally try it and they LOVED it!).

I love trying new foods and recipes and hope my little ones will continue to be excited about trying something new.  Most importantly, if I can incorporate them into helping me make meals, they are even more likely to try something they had a hand in making.  Hopefully their palates will continue to expand as they get older!