The Blaedow Chronicles: December 2008

Joanna and Stacey at their last session together.
Joanna brought her lady bug costume to show Stacey.

Joanna made a crafty witch project her last session,
she had to show it off!

Well, this past Sunday 12/14 Joanna completed her Auditory-Verbal program. She has actually been done for about a month now, but she offically graduated on Sunday. After a complete evaluation of her listening and speaking skills, she is now age appropriate if not ahead of where she should be for her age!

Joanna started the program 3 years ago this past October. Guy was in training in California, getting ready to leave for Iraq when we found out about her hearing impairment. Thankfully, we had one more opportunity together, before he left, as a family in Jacksonville, NC. We spent the week before he flew out together and were able to discuss and decided what we wanted for Joanna. We decided that since her hearing was able to be brought up to within normal limits, we were going to give her the chance to hear like everyone else. So we, after looking over all our communication options, decided that Auditory-Verbal therapy was the best, so we moved forward.....and Guy moved away for 6+ months.

I can look back and am so thankful for the support given our family by so many friends and relatives. And everyone at the Auditory-Verbal center treated us as family and were so helpful. Joanna's therapist was Stacey Smith back when we started therapy and during the three years we got to enjoy her engagement, marriage and just two weeks before Joanna's graduation, the birth of her first child. She will always be apart of our lives. Stacey Vincent, her married name, is a great therapist, she knows how to play! She has always been straight forward and helpful to me, and just plain FUN for Joanna. Joanna had a hard time not going to see Stacey on Tuesdays anymore, but since little brother Emmett is still at AVC, she knows she can go a back anytime and visit.

Well, I am going to post some photos of Joanna's last session (above) and some from her graduation Christmas party (below.) Thanks for celebrating with us! Joanna is now five and enjoying some pre-school/Kindergarten activites at home....and doing a darn good job of it! We thank God for his many blessings......for he gives so many!