DISNEY IS READING RALLY CAPS: PLEASE COMMENT

Ok, breathe in - breathe out.

My dad and I wrote Rally Caps, so that deaf children with cochlear implants could find themselves in literature, finally. And...so that hearing children could meet our children and focus on their strengths, strengths earned and learned through hours and hours of speech therapy, sacrifice and determination.

I have been writing this blog for three years trying to share as many experiences as possible and I am asking for your help.

Please leave a comment for Disney and tell them something about your child and your family.

Tweet this, share it on facebook and pass it around.

Thank you...

*LOVE*

Love...still can't figure it out- comes in so many shapes and sizes.
I love my kids, my parents, my ex-husband, my sister, my dog and my friends who have helped me through this period.
I love the moms I meet every day through email or in person who are living the same experience I lived with Jordan.
I have met meny in this period.
Love?
I love the moments and I learn.
But what moments can compare to four in a bed?
We are so many people in one- Mother, Woman, Worker, Cleaner, Slave, Chauffer, etc.
Balancing it all is thoroughly exhausting and honestly, I hit the love limit. However, once the roles start coming together and they come together with passion, sacrifice and integrity...just maybe you can start giving again.
Maybe.
I still can't figure out whether or not we can choose to love or not to love someone.
We either love or we don't?
See, that's the thing about love. It comes in so many shapes and sizes, that it isn't always flaming red...it can be pink.
But we have been trained to associate true love with flaming red...
What if it's really white?

Coming Soon...NHS 2010!! Preparations Underway:-D

NHS 2010 is coming soon...things are crazy here in Jordan and Sofia's house.

My life is becoming an acronym.

Currently working on this:
Global Coalition of Parents of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children (GPOD)

Position Statement and Recommendations for Family Support in the Development
of Newborn Hearing Screening Systems (NHS)/Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention Systems (EHDI) Worldwide

And this:

The establishment of the Italian Pediatric Federation Newborn Hearing Screening Network is the result of an international collaboration between Parents and Medical Professionals in order to promote an effective model in developing Early Hearing Detection Intervention Programs that recognize the role of parents as partners in the process.
Among other factors, one important component frequently underestimated in most early intervention programs, both in the USA and other countries, involves the role of parental involvement within the Early Hearing Detection Intervention (EHDI) process. When a parent receives the news of their child’s hearing loss, reactions may include, but are not limited to denial, grief, guilt, shame, fear and impotency. A parent may begin to ask certain questions: How do we know if the professionals in our children’s lives are capable, educated, trained, up to date in their chosen fields of expertise? Do they respect our children and us as parents? Do they understand the needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing? A life-long health professional - parental collaboration begins at the moment of the diagnosis of that child.
When analyzing the habilitation process of a deaf child, the relationship between health professionals and the crucial role of parents in raising that child is a 50-50shared responsibility. An objective of EHDI programs must be to empower parents by providing support from the beginning of the process. Distributing informative literature regarding the newborn hearing screening process and providing parents with access to resources such as parental support groups upon diagnosis equips parents with the tools necessary to immediately begin advocating for their children. As the American Society for Deaf Children states: Parents have the right and responsibility to be primary decision-makers and advocates. For this role, parents need education, access to information, and support.
The Italian Federation Pediatric Newborn Hearing Screening Network was created by combining the parental perspective and medical protocols in order to establish the roots for stronger EHDI programs beginning from the concept of the pediatric medical home.

Struggling to get the new blog organized...Born in the USA...Made In Tuscany

Praying we'll find a way to get to Baltimore this summer, but it doesn't look good.

The important thing is that even if we get lost every now and then, we find ourselves over three scoops of gelato and a nutella milkshake!!

Makeupless

How often do we run episodes of films in our heads and smile to ourselves as we drive the winding roads?

A friend told me I should look in the mirror everyday and make faces at myself to keep life in perspective.

Another friend told me to stop being a Puritan and that I am a product of my family, my religion and my awful character.

Yet another told me I was sweet, incredibly talented and to make my blog a book.

Sunday morning I woke up with two kids in a bed. Jordan kissed me on one cheek and Sofia smooched the other. They love me even in the morning when my face is makeup free.

They are so few...to whom you give that you.

New Blog: Born in the USA...Made in Tuscany

My friend Greg Abramowitz took this photo during his vacation in Tuscany, and when I saw it on his facebook page, I thought...what an amazing guy who captured the essence of Tuscany in one click. There are so many different faces of Tuscany, but if I had to choose one to represent the entire experience, these would be it. Just above the left shoulder of the elderly man in the beret is a Medieval ring used to tether horses...and just in front of those two old friends is a pigeon that has many a story to tell.

And so do I...check out my new blog:

Born in the USA...Made in Tuscany: Sunflowers and Morellino di Scansano

*Smile*

Kissing 101

Once upon a time, in a land far, extremely far away, a prince spoke to a Queen as they were eating ice-cream under a shady tree. And this is what he said: "Queen Mother, I've decided to make love to a girl when my friends and I go away next week."

The Queen looked at her prince of a son quite taken aback and replied, "Prince, have you got a girlfriend that I know absolutely nothing about?"

The Prince said, "No, but all of my other friends have made love, so I would like to do the same."

The Queen said, "Start with a kiss."

The Prince pondered the idea and the Queen added, "Do you know how to kiss?"

The Prince opened his mouth wide, stuck out his tongue and made some strange jerky movements with it resembling a combination of a lizard and Happy Hippo hippo.

Note: The Queen and Prince were so deep into the conversation that they failed to notice that a silent Princess stood to the side observing.

The beautiful, wise, not-old-at-all Queen took a deep breath and said, "If you'd like, I will teach you how to kiss."

Shocked, the Prince replied, "You're going to kiss me with your tongue?"

Laughing, the Queen said, "No, I'm going to explain you the three kisses."

The Prince relaxed and said, "What do you mean three kisses?"

The Queen smiled and said,

"Kiss number one is actually two kisses, one on each cheek of a fair maiden that makes your hands sweat. If she smiles and doesn't break for the door after the two-cheek kiss, that means she thinks you're kind of cute.

Kiss number two occurs after you've chatted on the computer for about two months and sent some text messages, she asks you to help her with something very easy and obvious in royal school and she laughs at your jokes. Kiss number two is the meeting of the lips. You lightly touch your lips to hers, look her in the eyes and smile. If she doesn't look you back in the eyes, she may be ready for kiss number three. If she doesn't smack you across the face after kiss 2, you're making significant progress. If you can't look her in the eyes, you are definitely ready for kiss number three, but may not have the courage to actually go there.

Should you finally get up the courage and should the chatting online become more frequent, text messaging become overflowing with smiles, winks and the like and should you hear from her friends she thinks you're hot, you may ask her to be your girlfriend. After five months of kiss number 2, kiss number 3 may finally occur. Kiss number 3 involves the use of tongue. Not lizard, snake, hippo tongue, but soft lip kiss number 2 + gentle, exploring every-now-and-then tongue so that you don't look like two dogs happy to see each other. Lips, tongue and a lot of hugs."

The Prince smiled.

The Queen, sweating royally, smiled back.

The silently observing Princess said, "Mommy like this?" as she puckered up her little lips.

Must Be the Change in the Weather..

Jordan: Mammaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I'm home!!! Pyjama party!!!!!
I look at him like what??
Jordan opens his knapsack and pulls out his pyjama top.
Mamma: Why do you have your pyjama top in your knapsack?
Jordan: Buahahahahahahaha.
Mamma: ??????????????????????
Jordan: I took my jacket off during the break because it was hot and as I was eating two of my friends came up to me and asked, "What are you wearing?" When the third person asked me, I looked down and realized I had my pyjama top on. I ran to the bathroom, took it off, kept my undershirt on and put my jacket back on for the rest of the day.
Mamma: Impossible.

Nothing is impossible.
*Smile*