Our Journey - Micah & Cochlear Implants

Micah is 6 1/2 months old now.
He started daycare in February, and has been doing well.
The staff is lovely and very sweet to him.

Granted, he is a very chill and easy baby, they also seem genuinely interested in helping him thrive by learning to sign to him.
I am worried that he is not getting enough language exposure. I sign every chance I get, but I know he needs more.

We have also gone through several more appointments, more testing, and Micah got new hearing aids!

If only we would be more consistent with keeping them on him.. We should put them on him much more, but it isn't easy keeping them on him because he constantly rips them off, and fusses about them and pulls at his ears when they are on. I am still experimenting with different ways to keep them on. This weekend I will be sewing some new hat designs:)

I am still at the cross roads of one of the biggest decisions I will make in life.

COCHLEAR IMPLANTS

I have to admit, I have always leaned toward NOT getting them, but I had a feeling Rico was leaning toward wanting them for Micah.

We have been home with Micah because he has been severely sick with RSV, which gave us lots of time to discuss things like the implant, and finally Rico expressed his true feelings about them.

His thought is that Micah should be given as many opportunities as we can offer.
Including the opportunity to be part of both worlds, hearing and Deaf.
He says that since implantation at a young age is better for his development of spoken language, we should get it at the age the doctor's are recommending.
But that we make sure he understands that it is his choice. If he doesn't want to use them when he is older we will fully support his decisions.

I understand that giving him opportunities is important.
However I have still not gotten passed the feeling that the whole process is an invasion of who my son is, and what he was born to be, which is beautiful and needs no adjustment, fix or change.

I feel like life for him can be full of opportunity just the way he is.

The only factor that makes me consider the implant, is safety, and communication.
I think of my son, wanting to communicate with hearing children, and not
being able to.

I see him falling and not being able to call to me for help if I do not see him.

I think of him injured and hurt and unable to scream for help.
He may use other methods of communication, but because the "mainstream" society, will not know to look for these other signals, what if he is not heard????

As a mother, I want my child to be proud of who he is, in every way. But I want him to feel safe, and I want him to be able to make new friends without getting frustrated, or feeling alone.

So, I am still reaching out to other parents, and that has been super helpful. Some parents are doing what we want to do, be bilingual with speech and ASL, and others dropped ASL completely because the doctors emphasize the importance of using speech as much as possible with an implanted child.

We want to make sure Micah can communicate when sound is off, and we want him to feel comfortable sounding off at home, using ASL anytime he wants.

Still the decisions feels far, but our audiologist says we should start the process as if we were going for the implant, just to learn about it and get things rolling early, which will prepare us should we go for it, and also educate us about it.

I will keep my blog updated:)

Day 8 of Healthy Deliciousness

What was for dinner last night?
Amazing organic and wild caught Tilapia and mango salsa on whole wheat tortillas, sound gross? It sooo is not. Check it out.
Crazy good!

AND, I just signed up for a membership at Club Zum. It is a bit pricey, but after gettign totally ripped off at All Star, I am glad to have a gym that has modern high tech, low friction equipment, free training sessions and a 60 day challenge. I am a competitive person, so any challenge is going to light a fire under my booty:)

MY MEDIATION FOR TODAY:

It feels good to nourish myself, and my family, with good healthy food.
I AM NOURISHED BECAUSE I LOVE

Day 7

It's been almost exactly one week since I went on this healthy foods kick. I will weight myself tonight to see if I am down from my last weigh in at a whopping 200 lbs! YEAH I said it. I didn't say it proud either. I am very very disappointed in letting my outer layer get this fluffy! lolI felt quite superb until, uh I would say pound 190.

Even though I am thankful that I can feel like a hottie with a naughty body at 190 lbs! It is not a good feeling on my bones, joints, back and hips.

Healthy eating, takes a bit of creativity, but I'm up for the challenge.

My shopping list last night looked like this:
Kale
Tilapia
Chicken Breast
Mango
Banana
Almond Yogurt
Tofutties
Organic Asparagus
Organic tomatoes
PB2 regular and chocolate peanut butter
Romaine Lettuce (MUST HAVE)
Flax Chocolate chunk muffins
Proscuitto
Lime
Wheat tortillas
and
Prawns

I'll see what I can come up with using these ingredients and post them over the next few days:)

New Outlook on Food - Making Delicious Healthy Choices

Who would have known how amazing healthy food can taste. Day 3 of my new lifstyle, was last Friday.

I made romaine lettuce boats with lemon garlic cubed steak, and sauteed red bell peppers, avocados and onions. (above)

TO DIE FOR! Full of flavor and sooo very filling!

Day 4, (breakfast, was a scrambled egg with spinach and some leftover cubed steak, and avocado.

Day 4 Dinner, We ordered pizza, I scooped the topping off of the bread and put them on top of a rice cake, cutting my caloric intake into half!

Day 5 Breakfast, (we ate out) I had to modify my order to make my Loco Moco less LOCO. I ordered it with scrambled egg white, no rice, and gravy on the side, with a cup of coffee. It was filing, and didn't leave me feeling full and sick like it usually does!

Day 5 Dinner,
Organic Italian Chicken sausage, with sauteed onions and orange bell peppers, in a romaine lettuce boat.

Day 5 LUNCH , I went down to our 10th floor cafe and grabbed 3 big green romain lettuce leaves, and filled each one with something different

• Tuna salad and capers with a dab of dijon
• Turkey salad with sauteed zucchini
• smoked turkey cold cuts and small pieces of havarti (1/2 slice)

SOOO YUMMY!

Proud moment of note: I went to a birthday party and actually passed on the pizza and cake, and I didn't miss it. Yes I did pat myself on the back:)

Something within my core has changed, my attitude about food. Usually I deeply crave the greasy snacks packed with salt, the cake, the ice cream, the bubble tea and popcorn chicken. However, deep in my core, the cravings are just gone.

Sometimes the scale tells us more than what we weigh, it tells us how we view food, the world, money, and ourselves. If my weight is some reflection of how I feel about myself, then I had better make a change. I have always been confident, happy and full of energy. I feel my weight dragging me down. When I look in the mirror, I see a size 9- but my pants say 14.
My photos look like a different person! I need to eat healthy to bring me back, and let me shine:)
Lighter, more energy, and I think this goal has reprogrammed my thoughts around food.

I am fighting back! I am battling against chips, waving my sword at cakes, defeating fatty foods with wreckless abandon and calorie counters! By way of rice cakes and lettuce! Watch out fat, here comes defeat!

New Leaf

In an effort to begin a new health regimen, I have been inspired by friends, like Jeni Fujita and Edgar P. and their photos of delicious HEALTHY food.

How many other people out there think of disgusting bitter greens, expensive grocery shopping (i.e. Whole Foods, for the good organic stuff) not to mention hwo difficult it is to think up a yummy meal with these ingredients that cost an arm and a leg. Well, time to get creative people, like a child in a 3rd grade cooking class.

It's not hard to do.

Wednesday was my first healthy experiment.
I made a ginger garlic spinach soup with chicken breast and a little rice, cost under 20.00, for a giant pot.

Today, I went to our closest cafe, grabbed two giant lettuce leaves, and stuffed each with some tuna, capers, a pickle, and a little bit of dijon. TO DIE FOR! (inspired by Edgar's lettuce "blunts")

I admit, it left me a little hungry, so maybe I would get three lettuce pieces next time.
Guilt free, creative gifts.

I think with a little child-like creativity, we can really create some delicious healthy snacks, without the expensive cookbooks, or diet plans, just with our own minds and with the intent of bringing love, and health to our bodies through natural delicious food.

Notice your impulse to "do," fix, and/or manage your discomfort.

Notice your breathing. (Is it shallow? Is it relaxed?)

After you've scrolled through once, go down the list again and zero in on the ones that brought up some emotional weather. Use your clearing journal to release some charge:

• Is there something in your purse or wallet that doesn't need to be there? Yes, a ton of papers
  
• Is there something in the backseat or trunk of your car that's been there longer than a week (that doesn't need to be there)? Nope
  
• Are you wearing something right now that you don't love, doesn't flatter you, or doesn't fit perfectly (yes, including underwear)? YES!!!
  
• Is there something in your closet that you haven't worn in over a year? OH YEAH
  
• Is your sock drawer a jumble of pair-less orphans? Sort of
  
• Do you have stuff in the fridge or freezer that is over six months old?
• Is there food that hasn't been put away? Some cereal boxes stored on counter
  
• Are there dishes that need to be washed? Or put away?
• Is there something on the refrigerator door that is expired, aged beyond recognition, not even noticeable?
• Is there something on the floor that belongs on a surface or in a drawer? Probably
  
• Do you have a plant that could use a little pruning, or watering?
• Are there lights on that are not being used?
• Do you have to dodge something to get past the entryway to your home? Nope
  
• Are you feeling pissed-off at a family member, partner, or roommate for not doing their part to keep things clear and tidy? Sometimes, but not right now.
  
• Is there something you're doing right now that can wait? No
  
• Is there something you can do right now that would be a better use of your time? Yes
  
• Is there something you can do right now that better matches your energy level? YES, SLEEEEP:)
  
• Are you feeling any twinges (even a hint) of overwhelm or anxiety as you scroll down this list?
• Are your buttons getting pressed by these questions?

Clearing Journal

Complete these statements in your journal:

• Right now I'm feelin: a little worried
  

• Sensations I experienced while doing this exercise were: laughter, realization
  

• The problem areas that made me go into self-judgment, blame, overwhelm: the part asking about family members. I feel like maybe one of my family members gets frustrated with my lack of time to organize things!
  

• One thing from the list that I can address right now/ sometime today is: Organizing my purse and sock drawer:)
  

• Right now I'm feeling... [note: this is a new minute, notice if you're feeling the same or different than you did the last time you checked] Fine
  

Clearing My Home and Clearing My Life - Daily Om Course- Daily Reflections

Clearing Journal

• Right now I am feeling…:
Overwhelmed

• One thing I wasn't previously aware of before today….: How easily I can be pursuaded to make purchases I might not be sure about

It is easy for me practice being aware when: When I quiet my mind and silence my thoughts and just breathe