Look at those big hands, Corrina's that is! I love her eye brows. They give me hope that she really will have a tinge of orange in her hair!

Corrina wanted to join in the fun of researching for a paper (which I am currently 1/4 of the way through.. not so good...). She was trying to add pictures to library books, but did not succeed.

The opposite of no sleep

I'm not so good at taking pictures of food, but i wanted to share this delicious breakfast that we cooked up last week. I almost don't want to share the recipe because then I could claim it as my own specialty, but since I found the recipes in other books I can't do that! The food you see is Healthy Pancakes, with Banana sauce (instead of butter and syrup), sprinkled with Hemp seed, which provide protein and healthy fats!


The healthy pancakes recipe is here, on another post I did! The whole wheat flour and wheat germ provide your body with many needed nutrients to charge you up for the day!
Banana Pancake Sauce: Squash up one or two Bananas, add a Tbsp of plain yogurt, some cinnamon, and a tsp or two of Brown sugar; blend and enjoy! You really will enjoy, i think!

I demand that you try these! Family, I will be making these when you are visiting, so you will get a sampling!

This morning Dave got out of bed at about 7:15. I stayed in bed, dreaming that I found amazing hooks and shelfs and other fun house stuff for the new place that we will probably be buying. It was a great dream! I kept waking up though and listening for Dave playing with Corrina. But, I heard nothing. She usually wakes us up at about 7:15, so seeming that it was 8:45 by the time I was done shopping in my head it was different to see her still asleep. Even odder, it is 9:35 and she is still snoozing. Now, just 2 days ago we again saw the doc for meds for yet another ear infection (this kid has a running streak of 1 per month!). After administering her first dose before her nap time she slept from 12:30 to 5pm! What a nap. Poor thing had not been sleeping for naps all week, nor had she been making it through the night with an comfort. I think she is playing catch up. I keep checking, she is still breathing!

We kept our house cool by keeping all blinds down and windows closed throughout the day, so when Corrina goes for a nap or night sleep she has a few blankets that she rolls around on. I always go in to lightly cover her after she is asleep. Just the other night I found this:

I thought maybe it was a fluke that she had wrapped her teddy up in all her blankets, but she did it three more time! I took the teddy and some blankets out eventually because I worry that she will wrap herself up and not know to make noise to call for help. Cutie though!

I have more school work to work on this weekend, so Dave and Corrina will go out this morning. By next thursday night I will be done my 'spring' distance ed course. Unfortunately monday the 30th I start a summer intensive course. This one will be in class, with people, with a rather funny prof, which I look forward to. That week Corrina is be cared for by friends, daycare, and Dave. When she is with Dave she gets to go to Church VBS! Good luck with naps there! Ha!

A house update: We have been praying very diligently that God would help us to know if this is the right house. We have been praying about the problems the house has, and about the neighborhood. We are praying for guidance and vision. Just last night Bre and I were on our way to a Harry Potter book release party but decided to take a detour to the house to see what the street is like on a Friday night at 10pm. We arrived and looked at the front yard again, when the neighbors pulled up and started looking at us suspiciously. We explained that we were thinking about moving in, which they were very excited about. They said they were thinking of going in and calling the cops because odd people were walking around a house! It's nice to know the neighbors would do that!
We asked about the neighborhood and they gave a full report, which was very very positive. Eventually they invited us in to their place because the bugs were getting us. They were a nice family, who had lived there one year and had great reports about the street. They told us that a lot of families lived on this block, that no one caused any trouble, there were never loud parties, and none of the recent crime had taken place there. We were very encouraged by this meeting and thank God so much for the chance to talk and the timing! I feel alot better about the place now!
We observed that indeed the street was very quiet, alot of lights were out, no one was sitting outside partying and making noise. Praise God for the way every seems to be falling into place!

house looking

We are looking for a house and have found a neat place. These are the photos mid-reno's! We are not sure about the foundation as of yet, but are going to have a structural engineer's inspection before we move forward anymore! These pictures are mostly for mom and dad c so they can give us an honest opinion. We very much welcome any other thoughts regarding things to look for (hint hint, dave N). This house is 1400 sq ft, plus basement, built in 1913. It has four bedrooms. It has a great entry way with room for shoes, shelves and hooks (things I love!)

Enjoy!


This, of course, is the front outside of the house (missing a piece of siding which will be put on soon.) This is the little porch, that is glassed in, off the front door. It is quite big with ample room for a chair and table for sitting in the evening! It needs some new blinds/curtains (bamboo would look nice)!
This is the front again, just showing some of the yard. It is small, but at least there is some grass there is some grass to work with. All over the place wild ruhbarb is growing and it seriously needs to be removed from the front!
Here is the far left side of the front, standing under the living room window. This little area might be good for vegtables!
Whole house front view. We do not have access to that top window, the attic, because the stairs have been blocked off. I think it would just be a matter of removing a wall in the back of a closet, but I don't really think we want to get into opening that up because it would suck out heat up to the top. Or, it could make a really neat library, who knows.
This is the back of the house. You can see here that a little extension has been added to the back, which inside, off the kitchen is heated and insulated, which means it would be good for a little breakfast nook/drawing room, or just freezer and bike storage. The window to the very left is the dinning room window. Corrina and I are standing on the porch to the very right! The grassy area is a little bigger than what you see here, extending backwards to the end of the lot. but this whole portion doesn't extend back, just about 5 ft wide of it. The other portion is take up by the double garage (a good thing and a bad thing)
This is the back step, the kitchen window, and the driveway (which needs some serious weed removal as well!) I would grow hollihocks up against the house by the driveway because they don't need dirt to grow. We have some at the apt, I am going to steal the seeds!
This is a funny view from underneath the dinning room window, looking to the back of the lot. it shows the narrow stretch that extends all the way back. We don't like the garage because it cuts off good yard space. But we understand it is very good storage and shelter in winter for cars. Who knows what could be done to improve the space.
Another front shot. The neighbors on either side keep their back yards quite nice. There are kids toys all over the one side, and no kids on the other side apparently. The house to the left is also a North End Housing Project Home (this is the link to the info page if you are interested!)

This, of course, is the kitchen. I don't like the black nobs, but that can be changed (I'm thinking christmas present!) The back splash still needs to be grouted, I don't know if there are very many electrical outlets (we need to look closer next time!), and the fridge and stove are just to the right, but not in this picture. The wall across from the counter without the sink is black and could be used for a cart, or a little table, or a pantry. Who knows! But it it bigger and roomer than the one we use now! There are three doors into the kitchen: one to the dinning room, one to the hallway (you can see a person there!) and one out to the back mud room.
This is a funny view of the upstairs master bedroom. It looks over to a little extension off the room (mud room extension underneath), where there is a little window and a funny long closet. We would use this space for a desk and our wardrobe, maybe.
This is the master bedroom again, looking out the doorway into the landing, where the big tub sits because it was painted. I like the built in shelves!
Duh, washroom, without the sink and tub! I like it this way though, it is very spacious! It is about the same size as the one we currently have.
This is the living room looking into the dinning room. There are wall scone lights in the living room and a ceiling light in the dinning room.
This is another view into the dinning room. the hardwood is fake, but better than other floorings!




This next set of photos is for Chris and Mary, in regards to the foundation and basement. Click on the pictures to see them larger.
It is hard to explain why the colors are all different because some areas are showing the stone foundation, other areas are showing the stuff that was put over, and yet other areas are actualy painted to make it look nicer down there.


Biggest crack (above) where you can see that the stone has spaces between. Someone filled some in with a rubber cocking). We looked outside and some of the ease troughs are not moved far enough away from the house.


I'm not sure what else to say! We think the outside needs a lot of work but has some potential. We want to be able to grow veggies and flowers. This may be the last renovated home available for a while, and the last one with a 10% downpayment grant (that's alot!!). We have some time to think about it though, and won't make any decisions until we have had a proffesional take a look at the basement.

All about Corrina

Corrina is almost 1.5! Wow... she is such a smarty pants, so adorable, a social butterfly, and sweet too!

We had a great trip to the beach with our friends from church last week. This family has two boys who we totally love hanging out with. They are brilliant guys. The awesome part is that they love hanging out with us too, especially Corrina. It's nice that she has 'big brothers' in her life!
Corrina, to my surprise, did not like swimming. I would take her in holding her against my chest and she would cry and squirm. When she saw anyone we were with swimming she would start to freak out, whether we were in the water or not. I think she had some feeling that maybe they weren't safe. She was so upset for about 20 minutes and I eventually just had to get Dave to come out of the water. It was very bizzare. Finally Corrina found her grove on top of Dave's shoulders, with only a bit of her in the water. It felt funny to arrange our whole day around her being happy at the beach, but we just wanted her to enjoy herself.


Today at the grocery store while I was loading our food onto the conveyor belt Corrina, from her seat in the cart, turned around and started handing me everything and anything she could reach (think superstore carts that have that elevated part behind the child spot)! She lifted cans, salad dressings, and a big box of yogurt. What a buff and helpful little girl. I was blown away at her ability to lift and her helpfulness.

Corrina loves to imitate everything we do. When I am in the bathroom she likes to brush her hair when I do mine, wash her face, brush her teeth, and yes, use the powder brush to put her 'makeup' on.

Corrina wanted to help me dust the other day. I guess she thought I wasn't doing a good enough job. She focused in on one area in the house, herself!


We work on certain sounds everyday with Corrina called linge sounds. These sounds let us know that she is hearing speech at every frequency. We play a little game with one of the sounds and her baby. Mommy says "Shhhhh, time to go to sleep" and I put my finger to my mouth to say shhhhh. Today I was just saying it to Corrina from behind around naptime when she turned around to face to face and put her finger to her lip! I thought maybe she's just pointing to her nose so I tried again when she was facing away again. As soon as I made the SHHHHH noise she flung around, smiled, and put her finger to her lip! This means not only is she hearing noises (and quite high frequency ones at that), but she is learning that sounds have meaning and she can associate them with actions! This is a big step.

We are also seeing her turn to her name a little more. We have been focusing on teaching her animals noises because let's face it, mooo, baaaa, wooof, roar, and me-ow make up the majority of beginning sounds. We were playing with a monkey and a cow yesterday, saying eeeeee, and mooooo. After playing for a bit we put them each on opposite sides of her high chair tray and asked her "Where is moooo, moooo?" You bet, she pointed at the cow! We tried again with the monkey sound and she pointed to the monkey. After that she stopped pointing to the rght animal, but we like to think she was just getting bored with us. We are so thrilled to see her learning and caring about sounds. The feeling is incredible.
That's all for today, Corrina has just awoke!

Coffee House

Hey All, DAve here.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to say that my wife is Awesome. Specifically, we had a C&C Coffee House at the church on Sunday and Janie basically put it together single-handedly. Awesome. She also presented the message, which was challenge and fun, generated a lot of discussion, and even got compliments from 2 seminary grads in attendance! Awesome! AAAANNNDDDD she played guitar, drum, and sang (into a microphone, no less) for the first time in public! And as if that wasn't enough, she did a fantastic job of it too.

Way to go Janers!

If I've neglected to mention other reasons why Janie is awesome, please add them on the comments section. =)

I would be hiding in my case... where I should be, but apparently nobody looks!

First bubble bath.. she really did like it, although this photo paints a different story...
No, corrina never does sit still
Officialy, three generations of the Nose!

Sometimes we clean our teeth...sometimes we just suck all the water off the brush!
We went to the children's museum a few weeks ago. Dave had a great time, so did Corrina!
My mom came out to visit for a few days. We had a wonderful, although short, time together! Corrina was pleased to have another person to dote over her!
Sliding deaf baby!

If you were a camera, where would you be?

So today, when I actually found the interest and momentum to blog, with pretty/cute Corrina photos, I can't find our camera.
Please, stay tuned for an update with pretty, smiley faces!

I think alot of people are on summer vacation now, either from school or work, and to you I ask: WHY are you using your time off reading my blog? Although that is up to you don't be shy of the sunshine (just spf up because who wants to look like a cowboy in ten years.. not me!)

Sometimes communicating with other people about life is difficult for me, but only if it is not in person. So, forgive me for my lack of correspondence on this here blog. Really, things are happening, Corrina is getting chattier and taller, and I do have pictures to share. But, I work best in person. Sorry

I always forget

I had so many things floating around in my head to write about. Normal things too, life stuff instead of just 'news' (which I know is important and exciting for everyone, but sometimes there is just enough news)! The only thing I can remember to say is that I made delicious iced tea, but i botched the batch. Would that have made a better title for this post: Botched the Batch? Ha! Anyway, here is what I did:
1 big juice Jug
6 Regular tea bags
+boiling water
*Let steep for about 3 minutes (maybe less, maybe more... that's a lot of tea bags)
Remove bags, add 1 sliced lemon
* and here is where I think I went wrong*
Place jug, with lemons in fridge overnight (and you will find a very acidic, bitter cold tea in the morning.) Take out lemons in morning
I think I should have taken them out at night! Maybe... maybe not though, because once I added sugar (or splenda, depending on my mood for the day) and watered the tea down a little, like 3/4 tea 1/4 water the iced tea taste EXCELLENT!
There is my summer iced tea recipe then for everyone! Until I create a better one!

Today Corrina is at daycare learning learning learning (everything is said in three's now! If you come to visit and want to know how to talk to Corrina my biggest tip is to talk in three's three's three's!). Corrina's one-on-one worker is very dedicated and excellent. We were sent home from therapy last week with some coloring sheets of pictures like boats, animals, cars, etc. to give Corrina more opportunity for language... after our therapy session yesterday (detailed post at Hear we Go) our 1-1 worker P was telling us about the great evening she and her daughter had coloring the pics and talking about being a special needs worker! I liked that she took the time to actualy color the pictures. She will laminate them at the daycare and hang them up for Corrina and all the kids (the best part is that they put velcro on the backs and stick them to a carpet wall so the kids can move them around. they all have a picture of themselves up too!). All that to say that she does excellent work with Corrina and we thank God because we (i?) were worried about how daycare would go. She is definately receving great attention and language opportunities there!
So, today Corrina is at daycare, which means I am at home listening to two 3hr lectures on the ipod, and writting summaries! I am getting antsy because my bottom is soar from sitting... i don't spend alot of time sitting usualy, and my ears are actualy hurting from having ear buds in them... I need a break, this is it.. but i still need a break where I move around a bit.
The lectures are great and I will find a way to share the summaries about the theology of John Wesley because it is such a neat theology. Some info more than others is important and interesting, but I will put it up somehow, somewhere for those who would like to better understand sin, redemption, justification, salvation, faith, love, forgiveness, etc.. all those good things that make a theology substantial.

We desperatly want Corrina to do well, so we have spent alot of time collecting toys to use while playing which will give us lots of opportunity for language. Because we have many new (big and little) toys around I transformed my craft shelf to a toy self. I was sad to see everything go but have held the thought in my mind that someday soon Corrina and I will be able to do lots of crafts together, and talk!

This is becoming a big post because I keep adding to it. It is the night now, and I am working on our weekly menu, but i feel so bored with the food we normaly make. I am looking online at some menu planning sites. Menus 4 Moms is pretty neat and includes alot of information, but I was wondering what do you mom's out there use when you get bored? Is there a site? A book, and a plan! I would love to make your favorite meal in our home this week, if you let me know what it is... and if it's pretty easy and healthy. So I welcome ALL comments about food and menu planning...Do you rotate your menus? Do you have them organized on your compy (I am working towards this), or are you a random maker of meals? All in all, after looking at sites and such, i feel bored with our food and overwhelmed by the ideas out there. Help me.... (ps. i really hate cooking.. baking I love, salads I HATE, but love to eat!)
On that note I shall end this post, with no pictures.. hope you still read it!

Father's Day

Happy Hippy Toddler!

I am trying to get used to calling Corrina a toddler, because well, you should see her toddle (and throw tantrums!)

She is so stunningly beautiful (along with your child of course, if you have one that is!).

We had a busy week, as always, but tonight we have a BBQ with the other families at the CSHC (Central speech and hearing clinic.. the place we do all our therapy and audiology! amazing people). It will be great to meet the families and children!


Corrina got her first pair of sunglasses today! I will post pictures once i get some. Corrina and I went for a long walk this morning, hitting some of the downtown shops. We have a huge Bay store just up the road, and a mall at the end of the street, not to mention other unique downtown shops all over the place. Somehow I always forget about these places (most of them aren't the cheapest I guess) and drive over to suburban malls for little errands. But now that the weather is nice Corrina and I are walking around more.
This afternoon I am working on research regarding bilateral implants and other related things. We have alot of work to do to advocate for Corrina's needs. The clinic we use for therapy, for instance, is not fully government funded, while other AV programs in Canada do receive full funding. If we would have chosen ASL or Oral verbal therapy for Corrina the centers that carry out that type of therapy are fully funded. I think this is wrong and we are going to team up with other parents to bring the issue forward to the MB health minister! Fun times!
I started laundry just minutes ago at our laundry mat across the lane and I felt really bad because some of the bibs I put in the machines were moldy... I left Corrina's laundry really long this time because I just haven't had a chance to get across the way. Yuck. Hope they come out clean. Any suggestions for removing moldiness or mold stains from cloth? Hope I never have to ask for that advice again.

Phone Call From Far Away

So I got a phone call today that might shape the future of the Colvinson clan.

It was actually an appointment by phone with Scott from the Classical Animation dept at Vancouver Film School. VFS offers a 1 year intensive program in Classical Animation (think Flinstones/Simpsons, not 3D like Toy Story) including hands on training with instructors from within the industry and an emphasis on employment. More importantly, however, is the fact that it would mean drawing cartoons for a living. And not just drawing! Watching! I'd have to watch cartoons as part of my homework! Also a big plus is the 100% employability rate of graduates. That doesn't hurt!

So school is expensive and intensive, so it's not exactly something we as a family are quite up for just yet. This is definitely LOOOOONG term goal, not anything that's going to be happening in the next few years. But hey, it's a dream come true. I've wanted to be an animator ever since preschool (no joke). I love the idea of bringing characters and objects and stories to life. I love that you can get a pencil line to move and talk and make you smile and even cry. I love the fun of cartoons, the mystery behind it all, the breadth of the medium. And I just love to draw. I haven't done nearly enough in the last 5 years, preferring to explore other mediums, but I really do love to draw.

But it feels really risky, because you've gotta put yourself out there and put your work on display for everyone to see. Plus pursuing a dream is always risky, because what if it doesn't work out? What if you were wrong? But I know deep down that even that would be better than saying "if only" for the rest of my life.

And it's not that I don't like being a youth pastor anymore. I'm not going to stop ANY time soon. But somewhere on the horizon, some where out there beyond more kids and Janie's 2nd degree, is an opportunity that I for one am very excited about.

So I'm going to do it. Not any time soon, but I will. And I just wanted you all to know.
-DAve


PS> Mr. Anderson, does this finally get you off my back?
PPS> here's one of my favourite shorts from the VFS website. See more here.

Sing a song

***UPDATE**** I now have the video working properly. Watch and Enjoy!***Great pictures regarding Corrina's hearing at Hear we Go!**** Please check out both blogs. I will still post on this one, but more details regarding hearing will be posted at Hear we Go!



Corrina did well today at day care. She only takes the processor off when she hears very loud noises, like other children screaming, or her screaming! Ha ha

Tonight I put her to bed at 7pm because she didn't have a full nap at daycare. She fussed and eventually once she had calmed down I went to put blankets on her thinking she was asleep. Well, instead of snuggling down into her bed she was sitting in the corner sorta playing peak-a-boo with herself. Out she came... here is what we did while she had a little snack:
ps, this is only about our second time singing this song.. she caught on really quick.. she likes the 'evening' action (rocking your arms back and forth like you would with a baby) I think she likes this one because we have been learning to rock her baby doll! Ha ha
Enjoy!

If you did not see the post before the post before this post I have set up a hearing blog for Corrina to record what's happening and the milestones she is making! Feel free to add it as a link on any of your sites if you would like. Might be boring at times, but its all important to us!
www.hearwegocorrina.blogspot.com

Someone thinks this is a good idea

Janie says I never post on here any more. We'll, you can blame this on her then.

Dirty Dancing: The Video Game

I know I've never felt this way before.
-Dave

Another new blog

Not to distract your attention away from the wonderful post underneath this post regarding Corrina's activation, but I wanted to draw your attention to a NEW BLOG all about Corrina's hearing experience. Right now the blog summarizes our journey, including some interesting links (although I bet claire has seen them all!). In the future it will be the place I post new developments in Corrina's hearing and listening, at least in detail. So check it out from time to time!
Oh yeah, the link

Hear We Go
www.hearwegocorrina.blogspot.com

I will post some new photos tomorrow, or the next day. Tonight I am off to fold laundry with Dave! Yippy!

Corrina's hearing adventure begins

Greeting all, from our 100% hearing family! In the above picture Corrina is hooked up to the software on the computer while the audiologist sends impulses to the electrodes on her implant in order to find a comfortable setting for her brain (my description of this process is sorely lacking because I hardly understand the procedure myself). In the below picture Corrina is playing, and yes her processor is on, and she is listening (has been for awhile at this point)!


I am going to keep this short because I have some house work and preparation for tomorrow's day of hearing and play to get done, and my feet are aching from this long day (thus I probably won't be answering all the question you have; do leave a comment if you want to know something more specific).
In the below picture Corrina is "live" which means her microphone is turned on and she is hearing everyone!

Corrina's activation was mellow. We turned her on and she did not cry, she did not laugh. She sorta just stilled for a moment, moved her eyes around and then started waving at everyone in the room and continued with her play. It was odd indeed. We were expecting a much more observable difference between deaf and hearing, however all throughout the day Dave and I kept asking each other "She is hearing right, her processor is turned on, everything is in place and she hears us right??" A few times we saw her stop and sorta listen for a noise, but mostly she just played like she usually does and we jabbered in her ear more than we usually.
But, this is NORMAL. We have to keep telling ourselves that. It takes children a little time and lots of instruction to learn to look towards noises when they have been deaf. They do not retain the newborn instincts that cause them to startle at the sound of a loud noise. Corrina was a little more interested the phone because the buttons made noise, and once we saw her turned toward Dave when he started talking, but other than that we were doing a lot of directing. On Wednesday we will be in the sound booth with our audiologist to see her response to deliberate sounds. I think it is there that we will really see her respond because we remember her unresponsive behavior before. In the picture below you can see that we were sitting on the ground and playing while the electrode testing was taking place. Once we went "live" we put Corrina on Dave's lap so she could have comfort if needed!

Although the activation was mellow, we are glad about this because a calm, content transition means that Corrina is not having trouble integrating noise into her activity. She was very smiley and social during the entire morning as there were a number of friend we invited to participate! We are proud of who she is, the easy going spirit she has been given, and her love for life! (And we REALLY appreciate all our friends and extended family who showed up for this once-in-a-lifetime event!) She was super happy and excited to play. This kid loves her child sized tables (we are on the look out for one!) and couldn't wait to be unplugged from the computer so she could get to the table!

Tomorrow we are going to continue on. We'll keep you posted. Oh, and we all had cake together and I made lots of silly 'yummmmmm, mmmmm, good cake.. look fork' noises in her ear. She really just wanted to eat the cake! The staff at the clinic work hard to make the time a celebration, hence the cake!