Recess Adventure for Kennedy

I got a phone call around 10:15 this morning, wondering if I could come to school. Apparently, Kennedy was playing a game of 'chase' with the other kids on the playground at recess and she took a fall. She was crying when I got there so I knew it was something, she usually has a pretty high pain tolerance. I took her to the hospital and lo and behold, she broke her arm (humerus - bone between elbow & shoulder).

They don't cast it up that far, so she has to wear one of those slings that keeps your arm sucked right in to her body for four weeks. And yes, of course, it's her right arm, the one she writes, eats, and does everything else with.

I guess I have to feel a little happy that she was playing 'chase' and that this was a hospital visit not brought on by anything CHARGE-related, just regular ol' kid-playing stuff. I still feel bad for her though. Here she is, slightly later with her new sling on:

World, Meet Molly

Last Saturday, our cat of 12 years, Loki, died. He became very sick and by the end of the day we discovered he was in congestive heart failure and was drowning in his own fluids so he had to be put down. All this week, Kennedy kept saying, "man, I miss Loki, I want him back right now!" Today, we decided to bite the bullet and get her a new kitten. We found her at the pet store and Kennedy has dubbed her Molly. I had to get a kitten because I'm not a real cat lover so the only way I'm comfortable with a cat is to have had it pretty much from birth.

Here are a couple of shots from today, we noticed the dirt in her ears and had a good cleaning session thanks to a couple of these pictures!


Here she is on the couch in Kyle's room:



Wonder if we'll sleep tonight?

Has It Really Been A Year?

Kennedy's bowling banquet took place last weekend - she had a great time with all her friends and was especially excited to take home three trophies. We are very proud of her but even more happy to see her experiencing the feeling of being part of a team. Her team won first place in the roll-offs. Here is the team photo in front of the giant trophy that their names will go on, with each of them holding their individual trophy for that:


And here she is, at home (pigtails removed!) at the end of the day on the deck with her three beloved trophies. I'm pretty sure no trophies were ever hugged more than these were!

May Days - An Update

Things are still pretty much in hectic mode around here - we are having a lot of days off for teachers' professional development days so we've had some nice at-home time together. Kennedy is super excited about her upcoming summer plans, which include a two-week Disney-themed theater camp with a full stage production at the end, and a week away (without mom for the first time) at deaf camp.

Last night along with her choir, she performed in the Music Festival and did a great job. This weekend she has a birthday party and a bowling banquet to attend. This kid has more of a social life than I do.

I am having a bit of a "girl night" tonight - one of my pals and I from university are having dinner out then going to see a movie (it's Patrick Dempsey, it can't be anything but good!)

I am also getting ready to begin spring courses on Monday and am thinking about the extra reading I have to do to prepare for my trip to Germany & Poland at the end of June (it's a Holocaust learning tour for teachers - it's going to be very intense).

So, that's pretty much what's going on with us right now, we are still waiting to hear back from the School District about this French program they are implementing in the fall, there is supposed to be a meeting coming up very soon. Wish us luck!

Must-See Movie on Sunday Night!

This Sunday night at 9pm ET/ 10pm AST on CBS, a movie called "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" will be airing. The beautiful and talented Marlee Matlin stars alongside Jeff Daniels with newcomer Noah Valencia playing their son, Adam.

Here is a news release about the movie:

In CBS' new movie, two warm people are divided by a mutual love.

The wife (Marlee Matlin) is deaf; the husband (Jeff Daniels) is not. Now one issue -- whether to give their deaf son a cochlear implant -- splits them.

"Sweet Nothing in My Ear" has surprises for the audience and for the actors. "I had no idea about the pride in the deaf culture," Daniels said.

That's a key factor. "Some may see deafness as a disability," Matlin wrote in an e-mail interview, "but it is a spirit and a sense of community that has been around for over 200 years."

That pride propels the conflict, Daniels said. "(Her) opinion is, 'We're deaf; we're not disabled.' ... My argument is that we should not limit him, when there is this technology that might allow him to hear."

This is a frequent debate. Proponents say the implants can restore partial sound to some people who were born hearing; critics say this can separate them from their deaf family and schoolmates.

"I've seen my share of scripts, mostly poorly researched, featuring cochlear implant storylines," Matlin said. "This was the first one that looked at the issue intelligently, accurately."

The director is Joseph Sargent, 82. "He loves making movies," Daniels said.

In his 1985 "Love is Never Silent," Phyllis Frelich and Ed Waterstreet, both deaf, played parents of a hearing woman. They're back now, as grandparents encased in the struggle.

That was one of the attractions, Matlin said. It "featured several roles for actors who are deaf or hard of hearing."

Noah Valencia was 9, with no acting experience, when he was cast as the son.

"That kid is a wonderful actor (and) he was so prepared ... He was a pro," Daniels said.

Daniels had his own preparation. When the role came up, he said, his agent implied the actor knew sign language. When he got the part, "I ordered this 20-hour series of (signing) tapes and crammed," Daniels said.

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