Almost a year...

I can't believe that it has almost been a year since Kevin's activation! One week from today will be one year exactly! This Valentine's Day, Kevin can actually say 'I love you' (comes out like I uh you and I have to prompt him with each word, but he DOES it!) I find myself reflecting a lot these days about how all of our lives have changed since Kevin was activated. Obviously, Kevin went from a completely silent world to a hearing world and I can only imagine all of the changes he experienced last year. But, I also know that my world changed. When Kevin was first diagnosed, after the initial devastation I had complete fear. I had given birth to a child that I had NO means to communicate effectively with. If I wanted to hold meaningful conversations, I had to learn a new language. This is like someone giving you a baby and saying that the baby will ONLY speak Chinese and you better learn Chinese if you want to communicate with him. Of course, I was willing to learn a new language, but knowing that I HAD to was completely terrifying to me! Allowing Kevin to be implanted has given us the ability to effectively communicate at a much deeper level much earlier than if he didn't get an implant. He and his brother have a completely normal relationship and they communicate very well for an almost 2 and almost 4 year old. The day Kevin was activated last year was the first day I wasn't terrified of everything. I knew Kevin would be able to hear in this world and he would be able to hear me whisper all the sweet nothings in his ear. The last year year and just gotten sweeter and sweeter as Kevin has acquired his basic language skills and I know year #2 will be even better! I can't believe it has been almost a year!