Peyton Nicole Smith
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
Saturday, May 29th, 2010
I hopped up in the pink car (no surprise there) and picked out a Barney video to watch. The stylist was very sweet and it only took a few minutes to trim off an inch, braid my hair and give me a nice spray of glitter and I was ready to go. On the way out I got a balloon weighted down by a cookie cutter and a sucker - doesn't get much better than that!
In the evening, Daddy, Mommy and I met Uncle Jeff for dinner. He said he had a great Mexican place he had started going to with smothered burritos. It didn't take but a moment for Daddy to realize it was the same Mexican place he was going to suggest - see they are meant to be!
We got right in and while Uncle Jeff talked with my parents, I kept stealing spanish rice off of Mommy's plate - yum!
Peyton Nicole Smith
Friday, May 28th, 2010
Mommy, Grandma and I met with Emilie from the Utah Schools for The Deaf and Blind today to get some more questions answered about the programs. Daddy, Grandma and I will visit each preschool on Tuesday to help determine which path I should take - ASL or spoken language/listening skills. If I go the ASL route I will probably stay in a school specifically for kids who use ASL until I graduate from high school. If I go the spoken language/listening route I will probably attend a school to learn these skills until it is time for middle school and then I will be mainstreamed if I am doing well. Whichever decision my parents make it will be after lots of thought and discussion. They have no doubt I will do well whichever path I choose.Peyton Nicole Smith
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Life Begins at 60
Can we expect happiness and success after 60? We can if history is any indicator. Consider the following examples.
at 62
In 1885, Louis Pasteur gives the first injection against rabies.
In 1969, John Wayne ("The Duke") wins an oscar for True Grit.
at 64
In 1940, Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain proving that courage is not reserved for the young. Vows Churchill, "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
at 68
In 1966 Lillian Carter, President Carter's mother, joins the Peace Corps and spends the next two years working as a nurse near Bombay, India.
So you go Grandma! Happy Birthday!
Peyton Nicole Smith
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
Today was my first step in transitioning to preschool in Utah. It was my evaluation with Early Intervention. I like to make things a little difficult for everyone so as of tomorrow I am officially in the 90 day transition from Early Intervention to preschool. To complicate things further, the school district is getting ready to go out on summer break and I turn 3 right as school is starting for the next year. So basically that means everyone needs to work a little harder and faster to get all this worked out - but everyone is willing to help.We went to Riverton to the Kauri Sue Hamilton School which is really cool! Kauri Sue Hamilton had been a student in the district many years ago and her family was so happy with the special education she received that they donated land in Riverton to the school district to build a school for special education. The school was beautiful and filled with lots of fun rooms with toys that I would have loved to play with. We had a schedule to keep and first up was meeting the nurse for the medical intake forms. While Mommy answered those questions, I got to play with someone from Early Intervention. I may have been playing, but she was completing an evaluation of my skills. No surprise, although I technically qualify for early intervention services because of my hearing loss - in each of the areas I was tested in I am doing "too well" to really receive any services.
I will be in the Canyons School district and a representative was there to tell me about what they had to offer. I would qualify for the special education preschool class that meets 2 times a week for 2 1/2 hours. However, most of the children in the class are developmentally delayed so she didn't feel like it was the best fit for me. Melody from the Utah Schools For the Deaf and Blind was there as well. She let us know about the two programs they have to offer. In California they still use the total communication method but in Utah they will phase that out this year - so I have two options. The first is a listening and spoken language path that focuses on listening and speaking skills so that children can eventually be mainstreamed into the public schools. The second is an ASL path in which children with hearing loss learn ASL and will spend preschool to 12th grade in an ASL classroom. With the ASL path, I would be provided with a deaf mentor who would come to the house once a week until I am six to teach me and my family ASL and about deaf culture. They believe I can be successful in either program and they want me parents to determine where they want to see me in 20 years - as a hard of hearing adult who lives and works in the hearing world or a hard of hearing adult who is fluent in ASL and embraces the deaf culture. Even if my parents choose the ASL path, it doesn't mean at home that I won't learn to speak and be part of the hearing world around me - and if my parents choose the oral path it doesn't mean I can't still learn ASL - but depending on which path my parents choose will determine where the focus at school will be and what my goals will be in my IEP. Whew - that's a lot to think about! There are pros and cons for each path but Daddy, Grandma and I will visit the preschools next week before they break for the summer to see what they are all about and help in the decision making.
Peyton Nicole Smith
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
After missing my pediatrician's appointment last week because I got hospitalized for an URI, I finally made it back today. For those not familiar with Utah, Primary Children's Hospital (where I was admitted last week) is right next door to University Hospital. Most of the doctors who practice at Primary Children's are employed by University Hospital. So we headed to University Hospital tonight to see Dr Norlin. Dr Norlin is my cousin Jackson's pediatrician too. Dr Norlin was running about an hour behind but I was in a good mood and kept myself entertained pretty well in the exam room. When he came in to the room, Mommy quickly gave him a general overview of my medical history (okay maybe not so quickly) and then she had a list of things she wanted to discuss. Dr Norlin was a trooper and spent as long with Mommy as she needed even though his day was long since over. Prescriptions - I need a new prescription for supplies and rescue oxygen since we are changing providers from Sacramento to Salt Lake. Since I am getting VERY low on supplies it was a good thing Dr Norlin had the order from the supply company in hand so we can get the supplies as quickly as possible.
Vaccinations - I need two vaccinations to get caught up. Prevar is recommended in Utah and Sacramento had a Hepatitis A shortage when I needed it last summer. Mommy will make an appointment to get these out of the way soon.
Exam schedule - Dr Norlin would like to see me as a "well child" every six months. That way he can keep up to date on what is going on with all my specialists and surgeries. He's like me to be the last appointment of the night since there is usually a lot to talk about.
On our way out, Daddy got me a sticker and we stopped at the Starbucks in the hospital so my parents could get some coffee and I could get my favorite Madeline cookies.
No sticks and a treat - it was a good appointment!
Peyton Nicole Smith
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