Jaryse missin' grandpa's and grandma's and Ecrissa's HA HA's

On May 7th Ecrissa got her hearing aids!!!!! She was so excited to put them in her ears. She has seen them on other people and on the models in the audiologists office. She just knew she was something special to be able to get to shove those plastic things into her ears!!! LOL!!!!!

She doesn't seem to be re-acting to much, but since she has never really heard before, her brain doesn't know what to do with the new sounds that are coming in. This part of her brain has never worked, so it doesn't really know to pay attention to the new input. When we first turned them on, she made some really funny faces and wrinkled up her face and put her hands on her head all while shaking her head "no". It made my eyes water. I could feel the "pain" that she was feeling. OK, not really, but it kinda felt to me that I could! She wore them for 4 hours the first day and then had a melt down and began signing to me that they were bothering her.

We are working on "hearing" and she'll start some other therapies this week or next and hopefully she will soon learn to "listen/hear". Wow! So many steps and new things for this little princess!!!!!

She has been doing wonderful with them! She leaves them in her ears, and does not rip them out. I have not had any problems with her in this aspect. I was told that she'd might not want to wear them, take them out herself, or give me a really hard time, but she hasn't. She has been a true trooper in this whole process so far!

This is Jaryse in his CARS pajama's and putting on his new slippers "like grandma Sessions". He is too cute. He has to wear his slippers every night, just like grandma Sessions he says. He is adjusting well, although he continues to ask to go back to Haiti to see his friends and he misses all of his grandma's and grandpa's in Michigan. I am so lucky to have such a loving boy that he really forms tight relationships with people, remembers them, loves them, and misses them.

As far as Momma, well.....I'm adjusting. I am amazed that I don't just fall back into American life. I really miss Haiti. I know many of you may think I am crazy, but I do. I miss speaking Kreyol, I miss the medical clinic---ALOT!!!!! I miss my friends there, I miss my therapy kids. I miss rice and beans with Legume. I miss Mango's, I miss the big yummy Avocado's, I miss sweet banana's, I miss my weekends in Jacmel. I know, I sound like a weirdo. Here I am in the land of plenty, in LA, with all the luxury's of running HOT water, 24/7 electricity, clean water, no one following me yelling "blan blan, bo'm ti kado", and shall I continue in all of the ways that the US is "better" than Haiti. I am sure most of you are thinking I've surely lost my mind. But, I am surprised at so much here. I am still surprised that I can safely be out after dark--everyone goes out without even thinking of it!!! I am still surprised when the lady at the teller actually has correct change (my mom laughed at me cause I often used correct change in MI). I am still surprised that all the cars stay in line and not cut people off. I am still surprised that there is customer service here and when I walk into a store, I am asked if I can be helped. I am still surprised how much STUFF is in every store and how many CHOICES that I have. I am actually still surprised at the price of things! Milk: Not so expensive, Avocados: super small and SUPER expensive, bread: SUPER SOFT, not so expensive., Mango's: can hardly find them, but the one that I am most happy by is the shear number of forms of Diet Coke that is available at every turn, fountain Diet Coke via drive through, cans and 20 oz, and 1 liter AND 2 liter bottles of Diet Coke in gas stations, grocery stores, target and my refrigerator!!!!!! OK, maybe Diet Coke can help ease my sadness of missing the wonderful (yet slightly Diet Coke deficient) country of Haiti!!!! :)