DHH Family Camp

I have deafness in my family.  I grew up speaking ASL and two other languages.  I THOUGHT I understood the overall concept of hearing impairement, having gone through it with a sibling.
I was humbled this past weekend when I came to realize that, I, was short on my understanding.  We spent the weekend surrounded by children and their families who are all walking our walk with hearing impairement, just at different paces.  We had Coclear Implants, hearing aides.  We had bio children and adopted children.  All connected to us by one common ground.
Hearing Loss

There is much to do.  I'd like to get our son involved with other families who have hearing impairement in their lives.  I'd like our son to learn ASL.  I want to never miss the DHH camp.

Our  LiL Man belongs to something so much bigger than "us."  He is a part of the deaf community.  I want/need him to know he is not alone and has the support of his own peers who like him, are walking little miracles.  Hearing aides are access to the "hearing world," yet at the end of the day when my LiL Man rests his head to sleep, he must take them off.  I must always look at him directly when we are giving kisses at night and saying our prayers.  There will always be this vulnerability.  Yet somehow, just like I get up every morning and mundanely wash my hair or get dressed without giving a second thought, so is hearing loss.  Every day my Lil Man gets up and reaches over for his hearing aides.  Every day we all just chug along.  We adapt and we plow through.  It becomes second nature.
Not everyone from the outside looking in can understand that our openness about hearing loss is not our "obsession" but in fact just us plowing through our own acceptance.
Knowledge is power.  The more we can get people talking about taboo subjects the more knowledge we will spread.  The more my son will continue to stand tall unaffected by peoples stares or by people fearing the unknown.
Some people reach over for their glasses every morning.  My son reaches over for his hearing aides.

Blessings....

Pain after trying to water ski

Over the weekend we were out at the river soaking up some delightful sun.  My Lil Man is so adventourous and jumped right into trying to water ski for the first time ever.  Something happened out there.  Everything was going great then all of a sudden he was screaming.
He had been pulled and submerged under water.  Usually, this is no big deal.  When you water ski this happens.  Well, not for Lil Man.  His ears hurt.  Swimmers Ear?
I ran off to buy some swimmers ear liquid, gave him something for his pain and had him take it easy for the rest of the day.  24 hours later it was all better and back to normal.  I should mention that he did not, could not wear his hearing aides during this time.  He said his ears hurt.
What happened