Part 3

We did as the doctor ordered and let her grow up...but not without a heck of a lot of intervention.  Over the years we've learned the in's and out's of unilateral hearing loss and a whole lot of life lessons.

She started speech therapy at 3 months old and just finished earlier this year at the age of 6.

She didn't make her first noise (other than crying) until she was almost 7 months old.  We had been working with her for months to help her realize that she had a voice and how to use it.  Once she found her voice she let it ring loud and clear.  In my journal I wrote, " Yay!  She has finally found her voice.  She now squeals all day long and loud!  I have never been so grateful to hear the squeal of a baby.  I am grateful for the reminders everyday to be grateful for the little things...like a baby's voice."

{Jennifer Kite - Utah School for the Deaf & Blind}

On January 21, 2010 (7 months) she was fitted with her first trial Baha - a bone conduction hearing aid.  Every doctor seemed to have a different opinion on whether or not it was necessary & if it would help her.  With a price tag of $5000 and insurance refusing to cover any of it, we weren't sure what we should do so we started with a trial to see what we thought.  We noticed almost immediately that she was able to locate sound which she had never been able to do before.

Still with many unknowns Jared and I finally decided that we never wanted to look back and say "we wish we would have" so we decided to purchase one of our own.  God is good and another tender mercy came and we received a grant from the United Healthcare Children's Foundation in the amount of $5000, exactly the amount we needed.  The medical bills were pouring in by the thousands so this grant was an amazing blessing!  

{6 years & multiple Baha's later I can say that they are worth every penny.  It absolutely helps her to hear!  However, I can also say that no child should ever be in charge of a $5000 item.  You name it, it has happened.  We've lost it, washed it, it's been thrown down the stairs, dropped and broken countless times.  We've had more than our fair share of repairs & replacements.  It was a source of stress many times over the years but it has been worth it.}

We've been blessed with some of the very best speech therapists over the years.  Each one of them have played a vital role in Kambri's success.  Words cannot express our gratitude for them.

{Marge Edwards - Sound Beginnings}

{Ali Devey - Sound Beginnings}

{Lisa McBride - Sound Beginnings}

{Angie Anderson - Sound Beginnings Graduate Student}

{Claire Yoshida - Sound Beginnings Graduate Student}

{Brandi Nielson - Sound Beginnings}

Kambri started school at Sound Beginnings when she was just 18 months old.  We were blessed with incredible teachers & staff and an opportunity to rub shoulders with many amazing families who were also dealing with hearing loss.  Kambri made leaps and bounds of progress during her time at Sound Beginnings.  I could write 100 posts about Sound Beginnings & the people and the experiences we had there but I will spare you the details and just simply say it was amazing and we are forever grateful.   

In May of 2013 she graduated from Sound Beginnings!  She was ready to be mainstreamed into a regular classroom and we were so excited! 

{her teachers Nicole & Marie}

{Wendy the receptionist}

She continued speech therapy & regular audiology appointments at Sound Beginnings but got to be in my preschool class for one year before entering Kindergarten.  That year of preschool was a cherished time for us.