#9 - Top Missed Moments from 2007

Thanksgiving! And boy, did I have lots of thanks to give!

Did you know:
That I've never had to walk anywhere in my entire life?
That I never cook, clean, or do any chores?
That I've never done any laundry?
That I don't even know what the word laundry means?
That I never bathe or dress myself? (Unless splashing water and pulling off my socks counts)
And I never change my own diapers?

A REALLY BIG THANKS to everyone who takes care of me! Especially Mom, who does much more than anyone else. She takes care of me and Dad all the time and still always smiles when she sees me! I'm so thankful for every minute I spend with her, even when she's not cleaning up after me!

Although traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, Thanksgiving is actually a harvest celebration that can happen at any time of the year. It's a time to celebrate family and friends. We had Thanksgiving dinner a little early this year, so we could celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa D before one of their trips to Philadelphia. It was like an all you can eat buffet on our dinner table! I never knew there were so many kinds of potatoes!

We also went to a really neat restaurant called White Fence Farm, where they let you pet and eat animals! Dad ate some cow and I pet a goat. It was a great day!

#10 - Top Missed Moments from 2007

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This may be hard to believe, but I'm actually in this picture. I dressed up as a pumpkin for my first Halloween. See if you can figure out which one is me! Good luck, I'm a master of disguise!

Just like Valentine's Day, Halloween is a special holiday that used to be religious but now is mostly related to candy. On both days people dress funny--on Valentine's Day people dress up in red and try to look pretty for each other, on Halloween people dress up to scare each other. On Valentine's Day people buy flowers, on Halloween they buy pumpkins. They're practically the same day for me, because Mom and Dad won't let me near candy on any holiday.

Valentine? Sister?

Hey everybody! I learned two new words today!

First, Valentine. Valentine was a nice priest in ancient Roman times. A grouchy Emperor Claudius decided that boys made better soldiers if they weren't husbands or fathers, so he outlawed marriage. Valentine thought this wasn't right so he married people in secret anyway. He got in some trouble later (Dad wouldn't explain how) but now he's a saint so he's okay now.

Today is Valentine's Day! And just like ancient Roman times, today is a day where everything that I want is outlawed! There's this stuff called chocolate and these little candy hearts and these pretty flowers with spiky stems... I can't have any of them. Mom and Dad said maybe next year. Hopefully St. Valentine will sneak me some treats when they're not watching. :)

I also learned the word Sister today. Because I'm going to be one! Mom and Dad went to the doctor and took pictures of this little grape sized baby that's hanging out in Mom's uterus (wherever that is). The baby looks like a big ball of lint in the pictures but I guess I'll still have to be nice when they get older.

Dad says Mom's belly will swell up like this balloon in the next several months. I think that's why Mom is staring at the balloon in the picture!

By the way, if you'd like to learn the hand sign for Valentine or Sister, you can try www.ASLPro.com, a website with over 11,000 video clips of different signs in American Sign Language!

Super Bowl Sundaes?

This is so different than I expected! Dad and I went to the grocery store today and it was completely crazy! Everyone in the store looked panicked and in a hurry to get somewhere. I think it's because of the Giants that will be fighting on television later with a bunch of guys who are all named Pat.

I thought everyone would buy ice cream and Cool Whip and chocolate syrup, but apparently other people make sundaes with avocados, Velveeta and chicken wings. YUCK! Even Dad bought Rotel tomatoes and tortilla chips. There's no way I'm putting either one on my ice cream.

I hope everyone is enjoying the special commercials today while they're eating weird sundaes in super bowls. I didn't see it, but apparently a Dalmatian dog helped a big horse lose some weight. Mom cried when Hank made the team. Apparently the guys named Pat are beating the Giants right now and Dad is a little upset. He says cheaters never win, whatever that means.

Well, some guy named Tom Petty is about to break some hearts, so I better get going!

Stay tuned for lots of pictures in Madeleine's Top Ten Missed Moments of 2007!

Hear No Evil

It's been a really long time since I last wrote and so much has happened! I want to tell you all about Halloween and Christmas and my teeth and blowing raspberries and the snow--but everyone only seems interested in my ears these days. The rumors are spreading quickly, so I should probably set the record straight.

I might be deaf, or profoundly hearing impaired. I can't hear sounds, even really loud ones. Apparently people and car horns and iPods (whatever those are) all make the air vibrate. My ears are supposed to notice these vibrations and convince my brain that there's something called sound happening. My ears, however, are only cute.

My ears may never hear sounds. Dad says that's okay, because I won't have to hear all of the mean, awful, ugly sounds that exist in the world. I won't have to hear crying or gunshots or curse words or rude people burping. Mom wishes that I could hear all of the happy things like chirping birds and her lullabies and Duran Duran.

I really appreciate how concerned everyone has been since they found out the news.

I know some of you are really sad that I'm different, but I haven't changed! I think I've always been this way. The only thing that's changed is the fact that everyone finally knows. Each one of us is different in our own way; this is how I am different. That's the only thing we all have in common: we're all different! I'm still the same extraordinarily adorable girl that loves to laugh and eat bananas and smile at everyone I meet.

I've seen a few new doctors lately and they have poked around in my ears and hooked wires up to me and filled my ears with weird pink plastic stuff. They think someday I might be able to use my ears to hear sounds if I get a little help from hearings aids or this thing called a cochlear implant.

Until then, I'm learning to hear with my eyes and my fingers and my nose. My eyes are really good at hearing things and I can certainly talk with my hands! (Hopefully Mom and Dad will figure out what I've been saying to them!)

If it's possible, I wouldn't mind if my ears could pick up on those vibrations in the air. But if I can't, I know I'll still be just as happy because my family and friends love me so much!