Cheri Kay in Haiti....where my life became meaningful.

On June 16th Ecrissa had her second surgery. She was implanted on the Left side and in 3 weeks she will be activated and have access to sound from 2 ears!!!! We have been talking about this implant and I asked her if she wanted it and she said yes! We have been talking about surgery day, reading the same book we read last time, looking at pictures from last time and just trying to prepare her for the day. She was AMAZING pre surgery. She was happy, compliant and excited for her surgery. She woke up much better than last time. She did not try to hurt me and she was not literally climbing the walls. She did not like the IV's in her arm and once those were discharged and taken off she was much better. She still really wanted to pull the bandage off of her head, but other than that she did a really good job. Once we got home she calmed alot. She layed on the couch, ate a little and took her meds with no problem. But then, the vomitting began. She was not tolerating the pain meds well. ...

The kids are at their last day of school right now as I type this! Can it really be??? I am alwasys so amazed at how fast the time goes. I am currently enjoying a 3 week vacation (I work on an adjusted school calendar and will work a few weeks throughout the summer) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE being home with the kids. I got to help in Jaryse's kindergarten class one day last week and I also got to attend their field day activities--SO FUN! I also got to attend the Deaf and Hard of Hearing end of school party with Ecrissa. I'm amazed at how much they have both grown in so many areas throughout this school year. (at the Children's Museum!) Ecrissa will have her second cochlear implant surgery this coming Thursday. We have talked about it and she is excited to have an implant in her left ear. She has been telling people that she is getting one. I hope that she remembers her excitement when she is waking up from the surgery next week!!!! :) (fun on the trampoline at the Deaf and H...

It is sunny, warm and beautiful outside!!! YAY !!!! This is the way it is supposed to be! After living OUTSIDE of Michigan (either LA or Haiti) for the last 10 years, the winter was very very miserable for me! I was so thrilled to have a sunny day! We walked to church and had shorts and T-shirts on again!!!! YAY !!!!!! We had a picnic today after church and had A BLAST!!!!! Jaryse and Ecrissa ran around and played in the grass, blew bubbles, climbed trees and just had so much fun hanging out!!!! I played with them and sat on the blanket in awe of them. If you look closely at the picture above, you'll see how talented Jaryse is at picking out his own clothing! :) Ecrissa is enjoying her new birthday presents and has had a great week at school! Isn't she super cute!!!!

Ecrissa had an awesome birthday!!!! She got to celebrate with me and her brother on Thursday as well as both of her classrooms at school. She was so super happy all day long! Jaryse on the other hand slept all the way through her dinner at Applebee's! Guess it's not as exciting when it's not your own birthday!!!! Ecrissa loved her food and ice cream at Applebee's. Then on Friday, we went to dinner with my mom and opened more presents. Then on Saturday, we celebrated at Chuck E Cheese with my dad's side of the family. She got more presents and tons of fun at C.E.C's!!!!! She is now fully exhausted and in bed! I am fully exhausted and about to go to bed! I am so glad that she is so loved and so special to so many people! But, I am also glad that birthday week is over!!!!! That is too much stress on the momma who wants everything to be perfect for her princess!!! Sleepy time! Good night!

......is that Ecrissa is anticipating it!!!! In the past, she has not had the cognitive skills to fully understand what her birthday was all about, understand days, months, or time in general to grasp that she was going to have another birthday or that it was coming. This year is different. She has been talking about her birthday for about 2 weeks. She keeps asking when it is, singing (signing) the song, and for the past couple of days telling everyone that it is her birthday! This is such a fun thing for me to watch! Such a confirmation of her overall growth over the past year! One of the "family traditions" that I started when we got home from Haiti was that for every holiday I decorate the table. We have a calendar on the wall with various explanations, with pictures and signs, of the holiday's of the month and the kids put up the number each day. The day of the holiday, after the kids go to bed, I decorate the table for that holiday. It helps to cement into Ecrissa...

Ecrissa will turn 8 years old on Thursday. I am so AMAZED. Time flies!!!! Is it because I met her when she was 17 months old???? Is it because she was almost 3 years old when she finally began living with me??? Is it just because she is SO. STINKIN . AMAZING. that I just can't believe my baby girl is growing up so fast???? I think I'm going with the last one! This week serves as another week of reflection for me. Not because I remember the week before she was born, and not because I remember the day that she was born. Unfortunately, I did not get to participate in those moments of her life. I reflect on so many things. How much she's grown, how much I've grown and just on our lives in general. I'll share some of those reflections over the next couple of days. Yesterday, I wanted my baby back. As I watched her play, I really longed for that baby. My almost 3 year old that began living with me. The tiny, fragile, 18 pound baby (I know, 3 years old isn't a baby...

So, I had more than one request to keep the blog. So, I'll keep it! I am honored that this blog blesses even one person, let alone more than one! So, I got a new computer and have enjoyed some of the new things that I can do with it. It has been kinda fun. Over spring break the kids and I went to Frederik Meijer Gardens with my dad and step-mom. We had a blast!!! It was colder than I would have requested for it to be, but we had fun anyway! I know that having family, especially grandpa's and grandma's around us is the most beneficial thing that has happened since moving back to Michigan. The JOY that my children emit when they are with their grandparents melts my heart. Jaryse explodes with happiness when there is a grandparent around. If nothing else was good for us here in Michigan (which is not true, there are lots of good things), the relationships that my children have with all of their grandparents far out weighs anything else. Jaryse had another belt testing this ...