On October 22nd, 20008 I gave birth to a perfect baby girl, Arianna Rae, at 34 weeks. She stayed in the hospital for 9 days and then went home. At 14 days old, she got her first double inner ear infection. The doctor said it was probably due to her being early and having a weak immune system. The double inner ear infections kept coming and coming and coming. They'd clear up and soon after she'd get another. By her first birthday she had 18. When she was 10 months is when she lost her hearing due to the chronic inner ear infections. I knew she went deaf before the doctor even told me. She wasn't the same baby anymore. She'd jump and scream when you went to pick her up from behind, she didn't respond to her name or noises anymore and she cried constantly.
I soon started teaching both myself and her sign language. I did the hand-in-hand technique. She picked up on it amazingly quickly. When she was 13 months she started getting sick again, but it was more than inner ear infections this time. Her joints her bloated, she was completely lethargic and then started passing blood in her urine. Long story short, she had Nehpritis triggered by Goodpasture's Syndrome, which is lung and kidney failure. I've almost lost her to it more than once. I would always think "just how much more can one little person take?" and then something else would happen.
Now, she's three and is doing much better, apart from never sleeping. Her health has improved, her attitude has changed. She is fluent in both ASL and BSL; had to teach her British when we moved to England. She just blows me away with how smart and strong she is. There are still some pretty rough days, but we always get through them. This little girl is my world and I can't imagine my life without her. She is still as perfect to me now as she was the day she was born.
I soon started teaching both myself and her sign language. I did the hand-in-hand technique. She picked up on it amazingly quickly. When she was 13 months she started getting sick again, but it was more than inner ear infections this time. Her joints her bloated, she was completely lethargic and then started passing blood in her urine. Long story short, she had Nehpritis triggered by Goodpasture's Syndrome, which is lung and kidney failure. I've almost lost her to it more than once. I would always think "just how much more can one little person take?" and then something else would happen.
Now, she's three and is doing much better, apart from never sleeping. Her health has improved, her attitude has changed. She is fluent in both ASL and BSL; had to teach her British when we moved to England. She just blows me away with how smart and strong she is. There are still some pretty rough days, but we always get through them. This little girl is my world and I can't imagine my life without her. She is still as perfect to me now as she was the day she was born.
