Blakely Updates

Can you tell it's tax season? I am usually a substitute teacher so I'm used to having off days which I use to play blog catch up but those "off" days are filled at the accounting office this time of the year so I rarely see them anymore. I'm usually at one place or another. I have just a few quick bullets for the Blakely kids and more on the way later...

• Brook will be performing as a Chipette tonight singing "Single Ladies". Yes, my deaf child will dance with her two buddies from church to music that she has been gifted to hear, and sing with a voice that God chose to give her even though He didn't have to. I hope to capture it on video and post a small section of later!
• Brook's FM mic is still out. She needs it, I hope it comes in next week so she can hear better in the classroom. She is doing fine without it, her teacher is fantastic but she needs her mic.
• Gage doesn't use his mic. I'm gonna talk to his Audiologist and see about changing his mix when the mic is on. They do a lot of class participation. He can hear his teacher fine, and clarity is much better with the mic. However, during class discussions or when someone else answers or asks a question, he can't hear them due to the mix on his processors. We have always had it set where the teacher is prominent and background is highly reduced but we are at a point where we need a more even mix so that he gets equal parts teacher and peers.
• He goes in a couple of weeks for Mapping again. He's always went monthly but we didn't have a Feb. appointment set up so he goes in March. He's already starting to need it too. For some reason, maybe his ear malformations, he can't "hold" a good map for more than five weeks. He never has. He's always went in monthly for mapping since he was three. Brook is at a point where she can go practically yearly, and for the common ci user, this is probably average at this point. She's had her's for 5 years now.
• Otherwise, the kids are doing great. They are talking, screaming, fighting, loving, "going out" with people (lol), hanging with friends, singing, dancing, riding four wheelers, going to birthday parties....basically the average kids.