Promised Art Photos and Baby Update

I told you

that when Karen and I went to lunch last Friday we saw this incredible art. I am so sorry I did not write down the artist's name. I will go back there some time and get it. His pieces were huge and detailed so beautifully.

 They simply took our breath away.

 And I think it was Babs who wanted me to show the actual metal sculptures by Phillip Glasoff after which I did my drawings and paintings while at the pumpkin patch last week.

 This little pumpkin is our Allie who is bundled up in her mommy's arms in the warm comfy heart blanket I knit for her. I think she likes it a lot.

 As you can see she is very much loved by both her mommy

 and by her daddy.

and me too! Allie has a special need as we have learned she is profoundly hearing impaired. I share that here now not because I want sympathy, as I do not. But if anyone has positive stories or information to share about caring for and raising a severely hearing impaired child I'd be open to sharing that information with my kids.

I have the good fortune to have a woman in  the building where I work who happens to teach hearing impaired children. She has given me a stack of books to read; pamphlets and even the phone number of a family near where my kids live to call and talk to for support, as they too have a severely hearing impaired child; older and doing really well.

The kids and I have started learning "Baby Sign"; and they will have someone coming into their home to teach the whole family (and some friends too) ASL (American Sign Language). They already have someone from the county coming on a weekly basis to work with them and the baby. They are planning to have hearing aids fitted to be ready in December and possible Cochlear implant when she turns one year.

We are very hopeful that we will do everything necessary to help Allie have as normal a life as possible. I have already told them some needs, as I too am hearing impaired (I wear two hearing aides) but of course hearing loss came with old age and I have normal speech already. Just have to say "What?" sometimes asking people to repeat what they said as their words sometimes blow into the wind. If nothing else it makes me that much more empathetic and understanding of her needs.