Spring, Spring, Where Did You Go?

Maybe Vivaldi's Spring can help us.
This snow and cold just can't be true! Here's a picture from last week...

Off with her hair!

She did it! Anna bravely donated 10 very beautiful inches of hair to Locks of Love. I am very proud of her. I think this new cut is so cute on her. I told her that I think she should keep it this length, but she is still mourning the loss of being able to wear a ponytail.

Spelling Bee

Way to go Anna! Those words were stinkin' hard! She got 2nd place at the school spelling bee. I tried to act like I wasn't nervous, but I really was. She worked hard and she maintained her cool--even on gestalt.

Disneyland!

We made it to Disneyland! It was fun and exhausting. Our family's favorite ride was Soaring over California--very cool. I was hanging onto my seat with white knuckles. The kids couldn't believe it when they saw Bert and Mary Poppins walking down Main Street. The part that I'll always remember is getting the phone call from my friend--just as we were about to enter Mickey's Clubhouse--that the firetrucks were at our house and all of the smoke detectors were going off. That started the adrenaline pumping! It turned out fine--a dirty smoke alarm had set off the whole system. I was relieved that we had all made our beds before we left the trip since firemen went through the whole house. The miracle of it all was that I just happened to turn on my cell phone--which I usually leave off--the very moment that the firemen were about to break a window. Yes, we would have loved to have them get in the house any way they could in an emergency, but as it happened, I 'm thrilled I don't have to go window shopping right now. Here are some pics of our Disneyland trip and visit with Aunt Andrea and my cousin Phillip and wife Allison.

Happy Valentine's Day

I think Spencer had this photo taken for something official at school. It turns out that I don't have pictures in my photo folder of just him--or me--for that matter, so I'll post this formal picture. (I guess we always focus the camera on the kids.) However, it's February...and time to focus on my spouse. So, Spencer, here are ten reasons why I love you.
1) You told me I looked beautiful and ready to go on a date minutes after Alex was born.
2) You are encouraging us all to learn sign--and making us use it.
3) You don't complain that we can't spend the night in homes that have cats.
4) You've only once asked me to not make a particular dinner again.
5) You loved me even after you saw what a wimpy bike rider I am.
6) You didn't give up after I ran off on Valentine's Day when we were dating.
7) You are taking us to Disneyland.
8) You try so hard to be good.
9) You can make me laugh.
10) You are so handsome, of course!

Stone Fox

Leah has been begging me for weeks to read the book STONE FOX. I thought that I was too busy for quite awhile and kept putting her off. Anyway, last week I read it and loved it--but oh, how sad at the end! I knew that Adam would like the book, so I started reading it to him on Wednesday. We finished it on Thursday at the hospital while we were waiting for Alex's hearing test. Adam and I were both choked up at the end. I could hardly finish reading it, and Adam looked over at me with his voice cracking up and said, "I love you, Mom." He then gave me a hug. I don't know if he'll remember reading that book with me, but I'll remember it.

Bad News

So, we went for another hearing test (ABR) yesterday and learned that Alex has lost more hearing. He now has a profound hearing loss. I feel like the rug has been swept out from under me again. First of all, we understood that his hearing loss due to the connexin 26 was supposed to be stable, but now they say there are always exceptions. I do not like that Alex is an exception. Anyway, we are now crossing our fingers that Alex can have bilateral cochlear implants--the sooner the better. We'll start saving our money, and we're thrilled that our insurance will help a lot. Right now I can hear Alex and Spencer laughing together in the other room. Alex is a very cute baby, and he'll soon be a cute baby with a lot of expensive hardware on his head.