For The First Time...

The first time you ever experience an event is special. A first concert, a first love, a first car. For Bella, a few weeks ago, she experienced the feeling of being "first". Her swim team runs practice swim meets every month or so to get the kids ready for true swim meets where the times count. Everything is pretty official. There are timers, the starts are just like competitive meets with the three whistles to signify, "Get ready, get set, go!" Unlike a true swim meet, there are no DQ's or officials looking to make sure each stroke is legal. It's more about getting the kids to understand what the environment of a real swim meet is like before they go to one and get all freaked out and they can't perform. Ultimately, there are a lot less swimmers than a traditional swim meet and the distance is shortened to 25 yards instead of 50, except for a 50 freestyle at the end. Okay, enough back story. So there was Bella, ready on the blocks to swim her breaststroke. She is working hard to be legal on this stroke. Due to muscle tightness in her right calf muscle, she has difficulty keeping her foot flexed during the entire frog kick. That is a requirement for being legal. Right now we are trying kinesio tape to see if that helps to help her get the feeling. Anyway, usually Bella is slow off the blocks (somewhat to do with her hearing loss), but on this day she was very good! Into the water she went and she went into a very solid breaststroke.  As she neared the end of the pool, it was evident that she was going to get first place. Everyone started to cheer, including the three coaches. It was something to behold. When Bella got to the end, she didn't realize that she had won. Becca was timing in her lane and even she was excited. Bella's eyes were about the size of dinner plates when one of the timers handed her the blue ribbon. So maybe it doesn't count officially...but it sure counted to Bella!

Below is a clip of her 25 fly. She also did really well in that race and got 2nd place!

Leader of the Pack...

Life lessons occur on a daily basis. Sometimes they sneak up and surprise us. Last Friday, Bella's swim coach handed her a plaque. It had been awarded at the season end swim banquet that we had been unable to attend. It was the leadership award for her last swim level. Her current coach said, "Coach Brenda's exact words were, "She's the best listener, even though she can't hear half the time in the water!"

Receiving the leadership award was such a great lesson to Bella. Does she have the fastest times? Can she swim the most lengths? No, but as he coaches have said in the past, she is always willing to work really hard and give it her all. Life isn't always about doing the best. As I have often told Bella, a strong work ethic often trumps final results. At some point everyone encounters a time/event where success is not easily achieved. For those without a strong work ethic, it is more difficult to power through the tough times. Having things always come easily is not always a blessing.

Bella was so proud of her plaque. She wanted Erick to hang it up right away with the rest of her swim ribbons.

I hope it is the first of many hard earned successes for her!

Movin' On Up...

As I write this blog entry today, the warm sun is shining on my shoulder, the birds are singing outside, and it going to be 66 degrees outside today. March 13 and near 70 degrees? In Minnesota? I'm really not going to ask too many questions as I am afraid it could be a mirage that might be easily shattered if I fail to suspend my disbelief. I am declaring it now, Spring is here. And if it turns cold and snows in a few weeks, I will bow my head and sink into a deep depression, but as they say, "Live for today..."

Another sure sign of Spring outside of the weather? Bella is on break from her swim team. She finished up her Winter season a few weeks ago. And there is some exciting news! She is moving up to the next level, Bronze. It is something she has been working towards for quite a while. She has had many friends move up, which can sometimes make things tough. But Bella is a trooper and she understands that it takes her longer to achieve some goals. All the sweeter when they are reached. She has had one of the best coaches in the world for the past two years and Bella is really going to miss her. I will too! She has become a good friend during that time and she is a blast to hang out with. We'll have to ensure that our ladies' nights out continue. Bella is so excited to move up and she really likes her new coach, too. Luckily, she got to know him very well because he was helping coach her level this past season. That makes the transition so much easy. We don't have to go through the implant and muscle weakness shpeel the first day.

So with Winter season done and Spring swim season not starting until the middle of April, we have more free time than usual. So far we have been anything but bored. Last weekend, we finished out Girl Scout cookie selling for the year. Bella and I went door to door for about 3 hours and on Sunday there was a troop cookie booth. We have one more troop cookie booth at the end of March, but all of our personal money has been turned in. Selling cookies is not my favorite activity for many reasons. First, there is an over-saturation of Girl Scout sellers in our neighborhood. Erick can't sell at work (or won't, I'm not really sure) so we are forced to hit the streets for our sales. Second, Bella gets that prize incentive sheet for selling cookies and stares longingly at the Ipad and the notebook computer, wondering why she can't sell 1 or 2 thousand cookies. This from the child who gets discouraged and wants to turn around and go home after hitting two houses that don't buy the cookies. Thirdly, I feel like I need to hire a security team to protect the unsold cookies. Trying to ensure a brother, sister and father don't dive mouth first into the cookie pile is exhausting. Not to mention, making sure the dogs don't get close to the pile. This year has been better, but I am sure there are 1 or 2 boxes unaccounted for. Yes, I am glad the selling season is almost over. I feel Bella's 100 cookies sales were respectable and hard fought.

During the next month we have a lot of activities. Becca is going to be turning 16 and we have a special night out planned. No license yet, we are still making it through behind the wheel training. Also, Becca is planning on doing some lacrosse reffing again this Spring/Summer season. Becca is busy, too, with training for becoming a camp counselor for church. Bella is headed off for a week with school in April to a survival camp. I am excited for her, but nervous. I'm sure she will survive...Will I?

Never Knew I Needed...

A decade. 10 years. About 3,652 days. No matter how you say it, it's a pretty long time. In five days, Bella will turn 10. I have kind of dreaded this double digits birthday. She is quickly moving from a little girl to a pre-teen, and we all know what comes after that...

To say she has changed my life in those 10 years is an understatement. All of my kids have changed my life, but Bella has definitely altered it the most. During her 5,249,487.6 minutes on earth there have been times of true despair and heartache, moments of powerful clarity, instances of joyous celebration, and points when I was wrapped in straitjacket of fear. When I look back on her life so far, I am struck by how much she has amazed me and surpassed my expectations. I have pushed her past her comfort zones many times, sometimes with success, sometimes with severe resistance. Yet each time, she has come back stronger, realizing that pushing limits and breaking barriers is how you reach the next level.

Speaking of pushing limits, Bella had her 2nd official swim meet this past weekend. She did a great job. It was a challenging day considering the pool was completely unfamiliar, she hadn't been to a meet since October, and her mind was really focused on what she was going to do after the meet; spend the night at Grandma's with her cousin for a pre-birthday celebration. With all of those factors, Bella managed to shave 8 seconds off of 50 Freestyle putting her at 1:22.38. In her 50 backstroke, the good news is that she perfected her backstroke flipturn, the downside is that she DQ'd herself because she turned over at the end of the race to touch the pads. It's a shame because had she not DQ'd, she would have improved her time by 10 seconds. Oh well. She has another meet in just a few short weeks, so she can try again. The next meet is hosted by her team, so the pool will be familiar and there will be far fewer distractions. Besides, as it has been said before,"It's amazing how much more you can learn by making mistakes, than you can by making perfect decisions"-unknown
    
Life rarely gives you what you expect. It has been said that hardships and challenges define an individual's character much more than everyday experiences. I do think the curve balls are what keep things interesting. Did I ever think I would have a child with cochlear implants? Or that I would become a part time homeschool teacher to provide extra educational support for my child? I certainly did not, but now that I am here, I can't imagine life any other way.

Amazing...

What do you get when you put together two waterproof diving bags, a swimmer's ear band, a swim cap and cochlear implants? Pure magic...

Tonight, for the first time ever, Bella could hear in the water while swimming. Using her back up implants, we used the set up that many other cochlear implant recipients. have used. We secured her two back up processors in military grade diving bags (aLokSak bags) with a swimming ear band to keep them in place, and covered with a long haired swim cap that allowed for extra room on top. It was a bit of a process to get all the pieces in place and I have to say when it was all said and done she looked a little like a being from another planet with a big bumpy head. But I knew the value was right around the corner...

There are moments that only parents of other special needs children can truly understand. I felt like tonight was one of those times. A lot of the other swimming parents were excited by her being able to hear in the water, but it was different. For me, it was truly like she had been activated again. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole way to swimming. While I didn't shed tears during her swim team practice, my eyes were dewier than usual. My level of emotion was heightened and I was on edge as I watched her experience sounds for the very first time.

Her coach signaled to me several times during practice with the "thumbs up" signal and other signs about how pleased she was with Bella's ability to hear in the water. She was able to correct Bella's positioning with simple words like "flatter" or "straighter arms", on the spot. The result? Improved technique in just one evening!

So what did Bella think? Well, it was a lot for her to take in. She was surprised about the examples the teachers gave about how to do things. She said they told for one stroke to pretend she was climbing a ladder. Before she could only watch and gain some instruction by lip reading. Having the actual auditory instruction made a huge difference. Another surprise? Bella said, "You know when you blow bubbles under the water? Those make NOISE!" The little things we take for granted. She was also surprised that you couldn't hear people talking above the water when she was underwater. She thought it would be quiet, but she thought it was something she would be able to hear. Finally, the splashing of her arms in the water as she swam was louder than she expected. I'm sure she will discover more things over time.

Was I nervous to try the "waterproof" set up with her back up processors? Yes! But I was happy when I took them out of the bags and their was not one hint of water or moisture. Bella hearing in the pool? Well that was priceless....

I Believe in Miracles...

I have noticed an unsettling trend in the media. It seems that almost everyday a "miracle" occurs. The "miracles" can range from a homeless man with a great radio voice being discovered through youtube to a contestant on American Idol being saved and allowed to compete another week. Now I know in our society of 24 hour news cycles, there is a lot of pressure to make stories exciting and a bit over the top to keep viewer interest and yet...

Perhaps it is the Easter season that has caused me to notice this trend. There is a lot of talk of miracles in church at this time of year and somehow those miracles seem to carry more weight than "if the price of gas came down anytime soon," which I also heard would be a miracle according to a CNN contributor.

Big news of the week: The new cochlear implant upgrade is available for Bella. While some say it is only change in appearance (quite a bit smaller and thinner) there is also research that states it improves overall quality of speech recognition for recipients. We did go ahead and order it through Mayo Clinic, but I am always nervous about insurance until we actually receive it. By all my calculations, insurance should pay for it, but for anyone who has dealt with the wonderful world of insurance companies, you understand my hesitation and uncertainness. Anyway, if we do receive the new upgrade, we hope to be able to keep Bella's current processors as backups. And if we do, I have a plan. For years I have read about parents who have used diving bags, food saver machines and water tight balloons to allow their children the ability to hear while swimming. The key is to provide a waterproof environment for the cochlear implant. I have never risked this with Bella's implants. I mean if something goes wrong and the implant gets wet, that's a big "whoops". And expensive! But with all of the swimming Bella is doing and the research I have done over the last few weeks, I am willing to give it a try if we have a back-up to spare. Bella does a great job of lip reading and keeping up on her swim team and yet...Just imagine if she could hear all the instructions the teacher gives; all of the counts that help develop timing which is so important to the sport. Well I dare say it would be a mir...well, ok maybe not, but it would be super cool!

It's All About the Climb...

I have always admired people who view each day as a clean slate and look for challenges to conquer on a daily basis. Pushing outside of your comfort zone is not always easy. At least not for adults. Yet, I look at children and they have this attitude daily. Pushing boundaries, trying new things, looking for fresh adventures, is second nature to kids. When did we lose that and how do we get it back?

Last Friday, Bella pushed outside of her comfort zone. She was at swimming with her class at school for PE and I asked if she wanted to try jumping off the diving platform. She had tried this last Spring, but was very fearful and didn't enjoy it. This year was a whole new story. She jumped off and swam over to the side ladder. I looked at her face to see if there was fear, but all that I saw was a big smile. She quickly got out and went again...and again and again. Then after awhile, I saw they were getting the rope swing down where you have to hang on and then drop off and swim to the other side of the pool. Was she up for that challenge? You bet! She got out and told me she was scared to let go of the rope at first, but then it was ok. After a few times, she looked like an old pro.

Becca is all too familiar with pushing boundaries (oh, the life of a teenager), but lately she has done it in a new direction. She joined girl's lacrosse for Minnetonka High School. It wasn't completely initiated by her. The coach got her name from some girls on the team that Becca has played lacrosse for the 7-8th grade league the last two years. When faced with the opportunity, Becca was unsure whether to join. After some thoughtfull comtemplation (and some well meaning pushing from her parents), she decided to give it a try. A week into it, she is not liking the piece of getting into shape (2 mile daily runs), but I think she likes the team aspect. Stay tuned for more...

Well, onto find some challenges to conquer...