We've come a long way baby!

This week as we sat at the annual 4th of July parade in our area, I was taken by the thought of just how far we have come with Chance since he was first diagnosed as being deaf.

The 4th of July is a big deal in our hearts here at our house and in our area as well. There are big festivities that take place all through out the weeks leading up to the 4th, one of the biggest being the parade. People line up the streets for blocks and blocks. Typically you have to get there really early to get a spot to watch the parade as some people even camp out overnight to save a place.

After we found out that Chance was deaf, taking Chance to places like the parade where there are lots of people and the potential to get separated is greater than normal was quite scary. Chance could not hear real well in places with lots of people not to mention the fact that there were clowns, fireworks and various other activities to distract him. All it would take was for Chance to get interested in something and start walking toward what he saw and he would be lost. We could not call out to him in the crowd because he could not hear us. To make us even more nervous was the fact that we realized that Chance could not tell anyone who we are should he get lost. He could not tell anyone our names. In the beginning he could not tell anyone his own name. With all of this in mind, we were on high alert each time we went out in big groups with Chance. Many times, one of us would just track Chance while the other one worried about the other kids and getting us where we needed to go.

We considered not going to the parade and doing something else instead, but the boys really wanted to go so we came up with a plan of sorts. We wrote down our names, address and phone number on a piece of paper and stuck it in Chance's pocket. We made a big deal about that paper and told Chance that if he could not find us he should find a policeman and give him the paper. Luckily, there are many policemen hanging around the parade, so after we got a spot to sit for the parade, we took Chance for a walk and showed him where policemen were located as there were several on surrounding corners.

We also did not go really early to the parade. We did not want the pressure of tracking Chance for several hours before the parade actually started. Tracking him during the actual parade was going to be enough to keep us busy since he could not hear us and there were literally people 10 and 11 deep on the sidewalks all around us. Plus, one of Chance's hearing aids started having a problem so it was being repaired and we were down to one aid.

Thankfully, some nice people let us sit by them so that we got a spot to watch the parade.

The next year, Chance could hear a little better, but one of his hearing aids wasn't working right so we had to send it to NEW YORK to get it fixed. So again, we were down to one aid over the 4th of July. This time, we found a spot to sit later in the morning as well since we did not want to track Chance for longer than we had to. A lady let us move our blanket in by hers and it seemed all was well, but then during the parade, she wanted her grandkids to be able to lay down, and she got annoyed at us when all of them couldn't. We all scrunched together and tried to make her happy, but she could not be satisfied. She actually got quite mean when I tried to explain to her that Chance was deaf and could not hear and waved her hand at me in an annoyed gesture.

The other people around us seemed annoyed by this woman and her actions towards us and after the parade, several people told us it was a pleasure sitting by us and one family gave the kids some suckers.

Those years are well behind us now. Chance is perfectly capable of finding us or help should we get separated. Part of that come with age, but part of that simply comes because Chance can hear. He can hear!

Yes, we've come along way baby! And thankfully so!