Goodnight Moon

Reuben reads Goodnight Moon Age 4 Nov 2011
Signing and ABCs Age 3 Oct 2010
Signing Aged 2 Nov 2009 (with trach)


Reuben first made vocal sounds at the age of 2, his first word being "Mama", and a short while later, his tracheostomy was taken out. Before that, he was unable to tolerate a speech valve allowing sound to pass by his vocal chords, so his only sounds came from those which reverberated around inside his trach, not vocal sounds. They were his only audible cries and laughs and I was accustomed to that. I remember once thinking I heard a vocal sound, but I couldn't be sure. And when he would hear his own voice, it would scare him so the valve would have to be swiftly removed from his trach so that he could breathe freely again. It was a long and bumpy road for many months. There had been no medical confirmation that his vocal chords were not both paralysed. My dear friend Kristi and I would talk of "yet". He couldn't vocalise let alone speak "yet" - and that word offered promise. When the vocal chords are tested to be working under anesthesia you are of course working on chords which are sedated and therefore not working too well anyway. It's a hard concept to understand that someone can't make any sound. Whilst the right side is indeed partially paralysed, his muscles were weak from not having been used and that he's hard of hearing, to hear him read now is utterly joyful to me. We just have to move beyond the stubborn behaviour of a preschooler, often opening up the book and immediately declaring "I read the whole book!" as the book's slammed shut.

One of those stay home days, reading with Reuben. Callum meanwhile enjoyed himself at the dinosaur exhibit at the National History Museum.

Cold and drizzly so I postponed my shoots. I've become a right southern softie and would need to rethink my photography if I'm to brave temperate shoots, I mean where's the light dancing in the trees?

Had possibly the worst migraine ever last night and I don't think the champagne of the night before at the premiere can honestly be to blame. It's more likely to be due to a rub off of Reuben's sinus infection. Light was impossible to look at and I'm only glad for having had Jenn here to help me out and help me see in the dark to get into bed. That's possibly the worst part to being alone, I don't have anyone to look after me when I get sick, but Jenn happened to be here as a one off helping out with Reuben (actually we attacked the mess of the playroom together in the afternoon and I sadly packed away the toddler toys still wondering, or trying to convince myself that they were age appropriate for the boys).