Trip to Magnuson Park

It's been a hot July, and we thought Simon would enjoy one of Seattle's wading pools. When we got there, we were surprised at how tiny it was... but the kids there were having a great time. Simon was tentative at first, but did splash around a little and was excited to play with a ball and bucket that were there. His favorite part was getting to hold Buster's leash as he walked up and down Kite Hill. How lucky we are to have a dog as patient as Buster!

Simon vs Thomas

We took Simon to visit Thomas the Train when he came to Snoqualmie. It was a beautiful day, and a gorgeous view from the train. Our favorite parts were playing with the small trains, of which there were many, and then going for the ride. The conductor in our car was deaf, and he was excited to meet Simon... we were able to sign with him a little bit. Whooo-whoooo!

Dance Class

Simon goes to dance class every week, which has songs, parachute time, obstacle courses, and lots of fun.

Hearing Test

Simon had his first hearing test post-Implant. He goes into a sound-proof room and sits on Tara's lap, and a helper comes along to play with toys and keep him focused. The audiologist sits in the adjoining room and watches through a window; she plays different pitches, types, and volumes of sounds. If Simon looks to the side when she plays the sound, it activates a toy or the TV. Simon looks around a lot, so it's a little challenging, but it's also pretty clear when he's heard the sound. There's a cute part where he waves at the audiologist through the window.

Soccer

Simon has been going to Lil Kickers Soccer classes for the past month. He's learning to kick the ball, stomp on bubbles, run up the field, and stop and go. Here's a movie of Simon in action, complete with "Scaling the Wind Tube" and "Crawling in to the Net" celebrations!

4th of July Parade

We joined the preschool parade of families in the Wallingford neighborhood this morning. It began at McDonald Elementary, which we hope/think will be Simon's school in a few years. He did a great job of carrying his paper flag around, and marching in the parade. We met a 3 year old named Raffi, who will probably be going to McDonald, as well.

Simon Moos

Simon has been learning animal sounds as part of his aural habilitation - Tara has been doing them with him for several weeks. He moos now whenever he sees a picture of a cow, or plays with his toy cow. He also moos when he sees a pig, but he does know the sign for pig.