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Tomorrow is the one year anniversary in which we learned of Rowan’s hearing loss. It was a like a bolt out of the blue and we were shocked and unprepared for the news. A rapid absorption of information occurred as we tried to sift through the strange new vocabulary for “cochlear implants” and “profound hearing loss.” However, we had a pretty clear diagnosis and an even clearer path to take: bilateral cochlear implants followed by intense audio-verbal therapy. Understanding Davin and his needs has been like a mountain path that meanders casually through a dense forest and then sharply accelerates to a narrow vista, only to be obscured again by more trees. There were times that I wondered about Davin, but he always met his developmental benchmarks and the pediatrician seemed to think he was fine, making me feel like an over-obsessed parent. Then issues started to arise; Davin had a hard time integrating into preschool at age three. We had him tested by the school district who determined ...

I have two silly guys at my house and their funny little moments keep me laughing and loving. Laundry Davin has been a big helper lately, willing to learn how to do chores around the house. He was interested in doing the laundry and I was more than happy to let him (laundry is not my favorite chore). Rowan can’t be left out of any game, so he decided to join the effort. Apparently Davin really needed some laundry as he lacked pants… Mustaches While I was in Utah, Chris took the opportunity to introduce Davin to one of Chris’s favorite Brazilian treats: avocado smoothies (not my favorite, hence the reason to wait until I was gone). Davin loved it (I guess it is a male bonding thing)! I introduced him to my favorite berry smoothie recipe as well. Apparently the size of the smoothie mustache is equal to how good it is…

My grandmother, Beth Millerberg, celebrated her eightieth birthday at the end of February. My family planned a surprise party for her and Chris and I decided it was important that I should attend. Rowan and I traveled to Utah the day before the party and had a great time participating in the surprise. She didn’t even know that I was coming, so it was especially fun saying hello. We had a lovely dinner at the Lion House; Grandma seemed to glow from all of the fun and was so beautiful. Rowan and I had a great time spending time with family in Utah. We spent one night at the beautiful Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah, and enjoyed the beautiful ice castle on the property. The day that I flew to Utah my brother, Jeremy, called to let me know that he proposed to his girlfriend the night before and she accepted! I had a great time getting to know Haley and I’m so excited to have a new sister! We had a fun time taking their engagement pictures; they are such a cute couple and we can’t wait to ...

The best thing in Davin’s world is his birthday. If it isn’t his birthday, celebrating someone else’s birthday is an adequate substitute filling in the time as he waits for his own birthday to roll around. We had a fun time talking about Chris’s birthday last month and planning for the big event. Davin learned what it meant to give someone a gift and how fun it is to think about what that person might want. He determined that Chris wanted a basketball for his birthday. It is basketball season after all and our house frequently erupts in a spontaneous game of hoops with all three boys actively shooting. Chris is religiously attached to church ball and plays year round, sometimes taking Davin to his workouts and games. Davin is still working on the concept of “the surprise.” Chris heard about the basketball he was getting for his birthday many times before the actual event. We decided that Chris needed a hoop for his basketball, which resulted in the arrival of a very large box that sat ...

Winter in Charlotte usually brings a couple of snow storms and this year was no different. The first storm was a mix of rain and snow, followed by arctic temperatures afterwards which resulted in about an inch of ice on the ground covered with a dusting of snow. The perfect glaze made the dramatic hill in our front yard into a perfect sledding hill, and our large cement patio into an ice skating rink. Even before the snow started to stick, Davin was excited about the idea of playing hockey and he was rewarded with the perfect hockey conditions the next day. If you wonder what it is like to take a ride down our hill, check out the video! The second major storm was the day before Valentine’s Day. We awoke to a beautiful blanket of perfect snow; unfortunately Rowan and I enjoyed the snow from my bedroom because we were too sick to go outside (which seemed to be the story for most of January and February). Davin and Chris made good use of the snow and had a great time sledding down the h...

Hello, it is the Reeses. Sorry for the long neglect of our blog. It seems that one project is never one project. We bought a new computer in January and although we are excited with the newest member of our electronic family, it was (and continues to be) a chore to get everything set up and working the way that we wanted it to. It didn’t help that I downloaded a super nasty end of the world virus to our old computer; Chris spent a great deal of time working on recovering the files from the hard drive and eventually gave it to our neighbor who has a data recovery business. We added our new computer to our entertainment center, which involved designing a new office space into a tiny corner of our living room (hello Ikea!). Now I am happy to post the first blog from our new computer, something I truly appreciate considering what a chore it has been to get here. Some serious updates will follow!