I have needed to use my brain and emotions so much in the past month and a half, that I have found that I am immobilized.  I can't seem to face the littlest of tasks without becoming overwhelmed. I drift without accomplishing anything.  That is one of the reasons I haven't written in a few days.

My deaf daughter is really testing the boundaries.  And keeping up with her toddler behavior before she breaks something or puts herself in danger is very tiring.  Yesterday she got out of the wrong side of the car, after it was parked, directly into the line of traffic.

I had bought another shampoo for her to try, and I showed her what it was and to use it...  Remember before I had to number the shampoo #1, and the creme rinse #2 so she would use them in the correct order?  Tonight I had the whole family go out for a walk after dinner.  When we got back she said she was hot a sweaty and proceeded to smell under arms a few  times and make faces.  I told her she was taking a shower tonight, and she said no.   I said yes, shower now.  She still balked and made faces of being deeply put upon.  I said shower now, go!  Every time I tell her to take a shower we go through this which can be very exasperating.  On Friday morning she was taking a huge amount of time to get downstairs to go to school.  She was running late.  I go upstairs to see what the heck she's doing, and I enter the bathroom and she's washing her arms!  What!?  What are you doing?  She replied they were dirty.  I said that is why I tell you to take showers!! ARRGH!

Back to the story anyway, as she was in the shower tonight I go in and check on her and she signs, #1, #2, #3.  No, that is the new shampoo not #3.  You are supposed to use this as #1 instead of the other #1.  But I found out she has been doing- shampoo-creme rinse-shampooing.  I have also found yet another shirt that she has ruined because she tore out the label which left two large hole in it.

I was helping her with her homework and she was learning about American coins and adding.  There were pictures of the front and back of all the coins. She could label one picture of each coin the correct amount that it represented.  But she could not comprehend that the other pictures were the reverse side of the same coins.  She does not have any deductive reasoning skills.   We have such a long way to go with her.

On a brighter note, she will be having her very first birthday celebration soon.  I will be taking her to a wonderful zoo with her friend who is Chinese and also deaf.  It will be a great day. She also keeps signing a cake and blowing out candles, she is besides herself with excitement to have her first birthday cake.  On the actual day, I'm a little hard put who to have at a party for her, but I will have balloons and the cake and presents.  She is still a little girl and this will be a dream come true for her.

Tonight, just before bed, she signed something to me, and she needed to do it several times, because I couldn't quite get the concept.  Finally I understood, I think.  It went something like...when I'm 14 will I fly to China, and who will sleep in my bed, her older sister?  It took a long time to explain that she can live here for as long as she chooses, and this will always be her bed.  You and your two older sisters are different people and each of you will make different choices.  When you are all grown up if you want to move to a different place you can, but you can also choose to stay.  You can even be living here when you are 30.  (She looked SO surprised at that!)  When she finally understood, she got a look on her face that said.."Hmmm, imagine that."

Then after I remade her bed, she had the sheet upside, and no pillow case, she lay down and grabbed two teddy bears, one in each arm.  She signed this one is the Papa, and this one is the Mama, and she squeezed them tight with a huge smile on her face and let out a squeal of delight.