Profoundly Seth: Not much for content, but there are pictures!

We've Moved: A Fresh Start for Seth

Hello everyone! Our family has relocated, and it's been quite a journey to get here. Over the past year it became obvious that the school system we belonged to simply didn't have the resources or the know-how to give Seth the interventions he needed. We've discovered that while some parts of the company understand cochlear implants and what students who use them require to thrive in school, other areas have had very little exposure. In our district, Seth was actually the first child with cochlear implants they had ever worked with.

After plenty of prayer and deep reflection, John and I decided we weren't at peace with spending Seth's pre-K year in that district. We feel incredibly fortunate that a school built specifically for children like Seth—kids who are deaf and communicate through listening and spoken language—sits just a couple of hours south of us. We toured the campus and talked with the staff at length, and by the end of that visit everyone involved agreed it was the ideal fit for Seth.

The catch was that we'd have to move and then qualify Seth for an alternative placement through our local district before he could officially enroll. We felt torn. In the end, John put it best: he would do whatever it took to give Seth every tool he needs to succeed, and time was running short to close his language gap. (The language centers of the brain are most flexible and adaptable during the first six years or so of life.) So the house hunt began.

Finding the Right Home

The house we found was truly a God thing. It sits roughly halfway between John's job and the school, and it was owned by a couple who originally bought it for their kids during college. Since it's in a college town, they were delighted to rent it to a family instead of students. It's an older home, but it's wonderfully spacious and honestly perfect for us. We met the owners, hit it off on both sides, and felt great about the whole situation. A month later, we were moving.

We've been here a few weeks now, and it wasn't until we pulled into the garage the other day and Seth sang out "We're HOME!" that it really hit me—we are home. This house feels like home in a way nothing else has in a long time. Everything has come together beautifully.

Family photo from our move — Settling into our new place

Snapshot from the move — Moving day memories

Another moment from our relocation — A fresh chapter begins

Photo of the family at home — Feeling at home

New Schools, New Routines

Ava and Jace have started at a local charter school and are loving it—and so am I. I'll admit I'm selfishly enjoying the extra time with the little ones while the big kids are at school. I love homeschooling too, don't get me wrong, but I know this was the right choice for Ava at this point. We've had our first case conference for Seth and are working through the evaluation process to qualify him for the school that can help him. AWANA starts this week, and we're quickly learning that a little extra space really does keep the house much cleaner overall. We're down to just a few unpacked boxes, and for the first time since she was an infant, Ava has a room to herself. Honestly, for the first time since Seth was a baby, John and I aren't sharing a room with an infant either!

There are sacrifices, of course. John has a long commute, which means long drives for him and long days for me. I'm not plowing through my own schoolwork as fast as I used to. Gas is painfully expensive. And we're searching for a new church right now, which is always hard. But overall, we know that for now this is exactly where we're meant to be. We feel incredibly blessed to have kids who make friends easily and who treat their siblings as friends—they've got friends wherever they go!

Little Updates on Everyone

Evany is finally growing some hair! She's impossibly silly and keeps us all laughing. Coen is fourteen months old and so cute that I kiss his chubby cheeks far too many times a day. Ava is impossibly grown up for a just-barely-eight-year-old, and Jace is a walking encyclopedia of random facts. Seth believes he's in charge of everyone in the house and checks in with me throughout the day to confirm where everyone is and when they'll be home. "Ava? Is she at school? Oh, okay," he'll nod soberly, as if making sure everyone is where they should be. One day I asked if he heard the door open, and he rolled his eyes at me. "No, Mom. Dad's at WORK." He didn't say it, but there was an implied "Duh!" at the end.

Now I've got five children in bed and a husband to spend time with before the week starts all over again. Pancake batter to make and uniforms to iron—there's always something to get done, right? I hope everyone is doing well!

Posted by El at 7:47 PM