just in case you're homesick, Doug...

the reason I started the blog was so my oldest, who married and moved out of state, could see home when he got homesick and he could keep caught up on what we were doing...

pictures are so important for him...

Doug was born deaf...

and everything has to be so visual for him...

you know the phrase- a picture is worth a thousand words?...

it is so true for him...

his wife is deaf, too...

and I know I see things differently than most people...

Doug taught me that...

because when he was diagnosed...

I knew he could never come into my hearing world...

I had to meet him in his...

and I started to really see without hearing...

to watch tv without sound...

to turn all the noise off...

and everything I could see and feel were more intense...

but at the same time...

I had to really hear everything...

all the little sounds...

to be very aware of what was happening around us...

because he couldn't hear...

not the danger...

not the joy...

no birds...

no motors...

when he became "aware" that he was different...

and there were things we all could hear and he couldn't...

we would walk around and I would try to tell him what was making noise...

what it sounded like...

hard...soft...

high...low...

pleasant...scary...

so we were walking one day and saw a butterfly...

and he wanted to know what it sounded like...

with the wings flapping so fast...it had to make noise...

he was totally amazed that it was "silent"...

I didn't have any advantage of  knowing when one showed up...

everyone...hearing or deaf...have to watch closely for one...

I see what most walk by because of him...

for you, baby...mom loves you...