My Hard of Hearing Teachers: Part 2

Last week, I introduced you to one of my former Hard of Hearing Teachers, Annabelle Cutting. She gave a pretty awesome overview of my first year at the Vancouver Oral Centre, when I was 3-years old. Fast forward two years, (at this point, I'm 5 years and probably full of mischief), the foundation has been set, and I'm on the cusp of being mainstreamed into the regular school system.

Next, I'd like to introduce you to Cindi Augustine. Cindi actually has a Childcare Worker degree (not specifically designated as a teacher of the deaf), and I remember seeing her as a bubbly, vibrant person who always had a huge grin on her face!

Even though I was only in her class for one short year, we still keep in touch via email and Facebook. Here is her write up:

My Hard of Hearing Teachers: Part 1

For the next couple of posts, I will be providing some valuable insight(s) from my former teachers of the deaf (as they are titled). From six months to 18 years old, I was provided guidance by the Vancouver Oral Centre (VOC) School for the Deaf, now re-named the Children's Speech and Hearing Centre of BC. 

With their permission, they answered a few questions that I thought would be helpful to parents with children going through a similar program, students currently in the itinerant program, or to the general public wanting to understand more about the tough work behind the scenes in helping a hard of hearing child learn to speak, listen and understand sound.

The first teacher I'd like to introduce you to is Annabelle Cutting, who was one of my first 'in-class' teachers (I started my formal schooling education at the age of 3!). She continues to remain a close family friend nearly 20 years later.

The Radio is Blaring!!!

If you're a HOH, you'll probably cringe at this story.
If you're a 'hearing person' who lives, or has lived with a HOH, this may sound familiar.

Disclaimer: This is a true story. It happened to us in September 2013, when I was 7 months pregnant and starting to really have trouble sleeping at night.

Imagine someone screaming (or maybe just mouthing) in the dead of the night to you  saying the following words: "THE RADIO IS BLARING!!! THE RADIO IS BLARING!!!". You might think that this person was crazy. That was my first thought. That person - my sister in law (SIL) - was going postal for a very good reason, as my bedside table clock/alarm/radio was indeed blaring away.

How to Score Free Movie Tickets (kind of)!

This is an exciting post for me to share with you all, how to score free movie tickets - sort of. If you're hard of hearing, d/Deaf or late-deafened, you've probably heard of CaptiView. In most, though not all, movie theaters across North America, people with a hearing loss make use of the CaptiView technology to watch movies just like anyone else. Heck, we like cinema popcorn and big loud booming sounds too! (and besides, I like having some adult time after spending all day with a toddler)

On turning 30...

Well, well this is it. The fifth actual draft I put together for this post. Dagnabbit, this was harder than I expected it to be. It is going to be a bittersweet write up.

Suffice to say, my dirty thirties arrived a few days ago.

Goodbye 20's. It was an incredible ride. I started out my 20s not really knowing myself. I can't truly say I know who I AM, but let's just say that I've learned a few lessons along the way. Let me paint a general picture for you, as the hard of hearing girl who eventually became the hard of hearing mommy. (attention parents of hard of hearing children: your kids will turn out just FINE).

How to Succeed in Exercising (the Hard of Hearing Mommy way)

This piece is inspired by a paragraph in the book The Way I Hear It. Since February of this year, Curtis and I have been committed to changing some habits. Keep in mind that we aren't fitness experts, but this is what we've been doing for the last few months. These include re-evaluating our non-existent exercise regime, our eating patterns, and most importantly, our priorities.

Health is our first priority.
Looking unbelievably awesome is a bonus.

We choose to focus on health because we don't want our daughter to think we're perpetual couch potatoes. Right now is a time when she needs us to be the most active, physically engaging with her on bike rides to a simple runaround in the neighborhood. We still have our couch nights, just not for 4 hours every night. Maybe 2 hours is more like it.

My Mommy's Ears Don't Work

An imaginary poem - what my little girl might be thinking of me. In recent days she's been looking at my ears and actually saying "Hearing Aid" (I can't quite get her to say cochlear implant just yet, even though she knows what it is). I think, at 19 months she finally gets it that my ears just don't work.