Joshua had a great day yesterday.

It was great to pick up Josh from school today and hear how well he did. He is progressing in his communication, albeit slowly. But it was also reassuring that Josh is relaxing enough at school to show them the same communication he does at home. I've learned it's one thing for me to see progress at home, it's another for him to show his teachers all he can do.

Something seems to have "clicked" for Josh, or is just now clicking, for his vocalization. I have to remember that just a year ago getting any expressive language out of Josh was very difficult, and now he is really moving along. This gets me excited about how he may be doing in another year. Matt did move much quicker in his progress, but I remember wondering if he'd ever "mainstream". Now I forget all the time that he's "deaf". He IS deaf, has just adjusted and is coping so well that it's not the first thing I think about when communicating with him any more.

I don't know if things will ever be so easy for Josh, but I get more hope every day. We are thankful for his CI, but also very mindful that we have to continue every day to help him improve his hearing and speech skills. Two boys, same family, same physical etiology, so very different in needs and abilities. They're my kids, but this still overwhelms me all the time.

Okay, real quick back to Josh's great day. I like the school he's at right now, very much. But the program director is stepping down at the end of this year. That scares me, because she's really wonderful at what she does. I'm sure they'll find someone else great to take the job, but I'm a little cautious. I've been looking at other options for Josh's schooling. It's good to know there's another option out there for him if we find the need to change.

Ugh, I'm just tired thinking about this. But I'm keeping my mind open to Josh's options. It will be interesting to see what happens.