Baby cry monitors and other random stuff

Last week, some friends were in town doin' the tourist thing, and came to church with us. It was a fabulous delight to see them again. We hung out at the church and had a picnic before they had to head home to Pittsburgh.

During Sacrament meeting, one of the speakers, Regina,  told a story about her mom coming to her in a dream and telling her to wake up because her son was crying. (She was telling about how Easter gives us hope that death isn't the end of our relationships.) One of our friends wondered, "How do Deaf people know if their baby is crying when their mothers (dead or alive) aren't there to tell you about it?" I realized I had no idea! I guessed that CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) babies probably sleep through the night earlier than the rest of us....

Well, the chance came up to ask Regina. Here's the answer: a light or vibration baby monitor. Oh. Duh.

She pointed out that after your first baby, you have older kids around to help you out, and you don't really need it any more. And a lot of Deaf people have hearing spouses that would help, too.

We had Activity Days this week. It took me an hour and 10 minutes to get to Woodbridge for the activity. But once we got there, it was a pleasant and relaxing evening. We assembled registration bags for the Deaf Blind Camp of Maryland, which provides (as you could guess from the name) a summer camp for Deaf-Blind adults, to enjoy some of the activities that are usually pretty tricky to do if you're deaf and blind. They canoe, ride horses, you name it. This is the 2nd year our branch has helped them with bags. It was a pretty short activity, and then the kids went out to play on the trampoline while the grown-ups had some pleasant time ignoring the kids :) It makes me more happy than a lot of things in my life that these kids are friends. They don't have a lot in common, other than having to put up with parents who make them sign all the time :) But they have a lot of fun getting together. Hooray!!

Lige spoke in Sacrament meeting today. He got through the first page of his talk, flipped the page over, and saw blankness. His signing was much slower once his notes were gone, and I'm sad to admit, I understood him better. But Marriner understood the whole thing, so I'm gonna say the problem was on my end. I think in some ways, Lige is a better signer than I am, and also, he's a teenager. Between those two, I don't catch everything all the time. Which is sorta pathetic, since I read over his talk before church... Just remind myself that my eyes are switching between the speaker and the yeller next to me, so it's ok that I don't catch everything!

This week's random stories

We've all been dealing with a stomach virus that has nailed Martha tonight. As she was going to bed, she told Marriner, "I don't want to say my prayer. I think I'm going to throw up. Can I pray in sign language?" And this is why we're glad we sign!

Marriner was out of town all week, so I let some of the older girls sleep in my bed with me. It turned into the first time I actually thought maybe I really did wish I was deaf. On Wednesday, Lillian slept with me. When I came in to go to bed, she was on top of the blankets, so I had to move her so I could get in bed. Then she turned 90* and spent the rest of the night poking me with her feet. Ugh! So the next night, I let Ellis sleep with me, who is usually less tossy-turny in bed. But I guess she was feeling a little under the weather, and she slept really rough. But the part that killed me was that every time she'd roll over (every 30 seconds or so) she'd grind her teeth! UGH!! Finally, I couldn't take it any more, and I moved to her bed. A few minutes later, "cough, cough" then teeth grinding while they settled back down. GAH! I ended up sleeping on the couch, far away from my noisy family. By then it was after 1am. Teeth grinding is the worst thing ever, guys.

Our branch is sorta big. Marriner and Lige were taking off to watch the General Priesthood meeting with some close branch members, and he was in charge of the ice cream. Of course, they were running late, but I yelled, "Don't you want a cooler for the ice cream?"

"We're just going to the Scott's house, it's not far!...well, and we're swinging by Gallaudet to pick someone up...and yeah, that will take an hour, we'd better take a cooler."

Well, that's enough stories from me for the week. Have a good one!

"I'll say it in sign language"

From earlier in the week:

We all sat down to dinner, and Martha was invited to bless the food. She announces, "I'll say it in sign language." We then spend (what seems like) 5 minutes getting everyone adjusted so everyone can see her. Martha has observed that it's easier for people to see you if you stand up and make sure you're not in front of anyone (if you're standing in a circle) so she stands up and steps back. But now the person next to her can't see her, so we make her move forward. Then we move the milk jug so the person across the table can see her. We turn her facing more toward the middle of the table, instead of straight across from her. She points two fingers toward herself to ask, "Can everyone see me now?" Mom and Dad think, but don't say, because we're not horrible parents, "Yes, just say the prayer already!"

Finally, satisfied that everyone can see her, she bows her head and prays.

In English.