Savanah:
"Oh mitch!" (Which translated means Oh Man!
My hurt arm.
My name is Shamanah Pintince.
I am four years old.
I want bird soup. (Which translated means fruit loops.)-Toucan Sam!
Chicken. Cheese and Crackers. (A lunchable.)
I want pink milk mom.
Dad, you're silly.
I love Margo.
I love Tyson.
I love tree school.
Pink car Grandpa.
I want colors. (Crayons)
My purple room.
The scaries. (Ghosts etc.)
Trip-or-treat (No translation needed.)
My witch.
I love black puppies.
I love my mommy.
Call daddy.
No work tomorrow daddy.
I love Kaela and Maddie.
Fix it Dad.
Gracie smiling.
Daddy shoot deers.
My shooter. (Her play gun.)

There are so many other darling things she is starting to say. . . I am trying to remember some of the things I find so adorable that she says and how far she has come! Way to go our Savanah!

For a four year old. . .

Savanah has definitely had her fair share of trials as far as hospitals go. The latest: a broken arm (elbow matter of fact) that needed surgery, pins, a splint and a whole week without a hard cast. Man is she a brave girl or what? Hardly any tears, even when her parents and grandparents were crying for her. I think sometimes her being deaf and experiencing the things she has had to go through as far as her cochlear implant surgery, MRI's, ABR's etc. What a trooper! We love you Savanah and your broken arm will be all better before you know it!

Two Schools

Desmond and I have been asked why we chose to put Savanah into a private hearing pre-school twice a week along with USDB. Our reasons are as follows: I saw very little progression with speech over the last year while she was in pre-school full-time at USDB. It wasn't until her cousins came into town (who are both hearing) that I saw her speech really soar. There is very little pre-school skills that are being taught at USDB. Reading skills, pre-K skills, handwriting etc. is not very prominent in USDB. She is only with other deaf children, they are each other's models for speech which at times can be very difficult to understand each other and learn from one another. We both want to see Savanah mainstreamed into a regular Kindergarten with very little assistance from a helper. We feel she is extremely capable and very intelligent. She is learing handwriting, numbers, excellent phonics etc. at Kids Village. We have chosen to keep her at USDB for the extra speech therapy she recieves there along with the teachers and the more intimate setting.

SHE is loving school!

Savanah loves school (it's no secret!) - She likes to pick out her clothes for school, get her backpack ready, get on the bus and have a wonderful day at school. Even more so now that she goes to two schools during the day. Kids Village and USD. And for a coincidence both of her teacher's names are Becky. (well @ KV it's Miss Rebecca and USD it's Becky!) - Same diff! I am so proud of her enthusiasm and willingness to learn and try new things. AND now we are starting into homework. Practicing handwriting, numbers, counting, phonics, US History, speech and language, art, computer class, mathematics, cooking, storytime and storytelling, recess and dance. This little girl is getting such a well-rounded education! Desmond and I really try to give her everything she is going to need to be mainstreamed next year for Kindergarten. We know she will do wonderful! Way to go Savanah!

Savanah can be a grump. . .

But I am so thrilled that she can FINALLY express herself and her emotions with a range of vocabulary. When she is angry, she can say "Mommy, I'm mad." or when she is so happy - not only does she smile her biggest, brightest smile but she also says "Mommy, I am so happy." - WOW! What a difference this cochlear has made. It is so incredibly amazing to watch her everyday. I can give her directions now and she can follow through with them, I can ask her a question about something (I may have to repeat it twice) but she can answer it and the best part of all - like noted above - she is expressing herself through words! WONDERFUL Savanah! Your dad and I couldn't be prouder.

J2H Pool Party

What a turnout! It was so much fun and SO NICE to get together with other families who have experienced the same emotions, triumphs and tribulations that we have raising a deaf child! Savanah had such a wonderful time and it was neat for her to see her friends from school.

We Love Cache!

And will be making the drive to Logan to have Cache Pitt map Savanah's implant! I don't feel she has EVER had better results then we have had with Cache. Since her first time seeing him in April, her vocab has increased tremendously and he has been very aggressive! So Logan here were come in October. . . also had a great turn-out at the "J2H" social at the pool last Saturday - took lots of great pictures but have had some technical difficulties uploading pictures. More to come!

"Water's Wet"

Savanah is doing so GREAT! She has some of the funniest sayings - one of which is - when something gets wet, or the sprinklers are on or it rains. She exclaims: "WATER'S WET!" It is so darn cute, we are so proud of her daily for her strides in her vocabulary!

Savanah's Cool Ear

Savanah is so PROUD of her "ear"! She told me to take this picture, when she had her piggies so you could really see it. I love her so much and we are so happy that she loves her implant also.

A Call to Arms - Support USDB Children!!!

July 1, 2008

As concerned parents of children with sensory impairments we are sending out a call-to-arms. Please take a few moments to review the ten talking points at the end of this email. They will define the present situation. And now we ask the following:

Please join us on the south steps at the Utah State Capitol building Tuesday, July 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Please bring your student if you feel they are old enough to attend. Please bring signs (suggested captions are below), but please do not attach those signs to pickets, sticks or poles. Please review the talking points below so that we can all be on the same page. This is one battle for funds to renovate facilities for this coming year in what is indeed a greater war. Ultimately USDB needs to build facilities in Salt Lake and Orem for our kids. Ultimately there needs to be a paradigm shift among legislators and DFCM as regards our children and their school.

We understand not every parent and student will be able to attend, but we hope for just as many as possible. Whether or not you attend the demonstration, please review the talking points and email your own legislator as well as the following legislators who can choose to play a strong role in correcting this situation: Sen. Curtis Bramble, Rep. Gregory Hughes, Sen. Howard Stephenson, Sen. Margaret Dayton, Sen. Lyle Hillyard, Sen. Patricia Jones, Sen. Mark Madsen. Sen. Ross Romero, Sen. Karen Mayne, Rep. Sylvia Anderson, Rep. Brad Dee, Rep Craig Frank, Rep. James Gowans, Rep. Kory Holdaway, Rep. Brad Last, Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, Rep. Ronda Menlove, Rep. Michael Morley, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, Rep. LaWanna Shurtliff, Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, Rep. Stephen Urquhart, Rep. Mike Wheatley.

Please title any email "USDB Classroom Emergency" and thank the Representative or Senator for the work they do. Make your comments short, polite, and to the point. If you are a constituent of any of these individuals, please title your email "Constituent Concern". Additionally, sending an individual email rather than a mass email is better received. All email addresses and phone numbers can be found at:

http://www.utahsenate.org/perl/roster2007.pl for Senators or http://www.le.state.ut.us/house/members2005/membertable1add.asp for Representatives.

It is time that the State of Utah stop marginalizing our children. Whether you are the parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child, a blind or visually impaired child, or a deaf/blind child, we need your support. Our children are all students of USDB. This isn't about programs or disciplines. We must advocate for the education and educational environment our children deserve.

Sincerely,

Gwyneth Kenner
Parent

Talking Points:

1. USDB is a statewide school serving over 2000 students throughout Utah, 410 of whom are served in self-contained classrooms by teachers specifically trained to work with deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired and deaf-blind children.

2. Legislature has turned down USDB permanent building requests for 10 years.

3. In the legislative session of '07 USDB was given a used five story office building to house our children and $500,000 for renovations with the assurance it was this or nothing. This was in place of approving a request for an actual school building.

4. USDB made a good faith effort to make do with the scraps that were thrown their way only to learn that a) renovations and bringing the building up to code for a school would cost 1.4 million for renovations to the first floor alone, and b) a school cannot be more than three stories. So, the building and the funds were taken away and not replaced.

5. The building which housed USDB's newly expanded ASL/English Bilingual students was due to be demolished this year leaving the school with nowhere to house those 72 day school students grades pre-k through 9th grade.

6. DFCM offered USDB an actual school building in the Salt Lake City school district. It turned out the building was riddled with asbestos and so far from code it would take over 1.5 million to renovate and then another $660,000/yr to lease. DFCM provided a mere $236,000 in one time lease moneys. The rest was to come from cuts in direct services to students.

7. The meetings and negotiations related to finding a building for USDB students have intentionally taken place without the presence of USDB administration being invited or allowed.

8. Leaving USDB again without a home for the children, DFCM delayed and delayed and finally gave up one more office building inappropriate for student use. Again trying to make do and without further recourse as the '08-'09 school year looms, USDB will house these students in another dilapidated old school building on Connor St in Holladay, where the preschool for the Blind and a number of related services staff are presently housed, and move related services and administrators to the office building. Even so, the school on Connor St lacks sufficient space, is extremely run down, and has only one year left on the lease. Additionally, the legislature has allocated only $263,000 of one time lease money that can be used to retrofit and upgrade both buildings. After the Conner St lease expires in Spring 2009, where will DFCM shove this group of children next?

9. DFCM has successfully marginalized school children whose sensory impairments appear to make them less worthy citizens than other "normal" school children who have buildings and equipment and green space and mascots and identity. Our children have been relocated from facility to facility, in some cases annually, in order to sweep them under the rug and DFCM is held accountable to nobody!

10. The State of Utah does not care about the education of the blind and deaf children whose parents live, pay taxes and vote within its borders. Or at least it would seem so from the treatment of DFCM. When will all children matter in Utah? I guess No Child Left Behind only means test scores. When will legislative leadership step up and make this a priority so that we can have the funds to build, or so that DFCM will get us an educational facility or contract with a local school district who understands our needs?



Suggestions for sign captions:

"Every Child is of Worth!"

"Crumbling Classrooms are Not Acceptable!"

"DFCM = Deny Funding/Children Marginalized"

"Our Children are Citizens, Too!"

"No Child Left Behind…Except Ours!"

"DFCM Must Be Accountable!"

"Extreme Makeover for USDB Kids!"

"DFCM Do Your Job!"

"See Us! Hear Us! USDB Kids!"

"School Building NOW!"

Before her surgery. . .

We decided to take her on a trip to Las Vegas and Phoenix to visit her cousins and play before her big day.

Hair

One of my biggest fears of the cochlear implant surgery was the fact that some of her hair had to be shaved. Savanah had the most gorgeous, long blonde hair for a three year old. I took pride in her hair, made sure it always looked good. We would spend about 20 minutes doing her hair each morning. So when I walked back to my little girl in the recovery room and found a huge clump of her shaven hair next to her and a gauze wrap around her head, I almost fell to tears. Not because I was upset, but I was so overcome with emotion. I knew we had made the right decision for her, I knew that in one month, when she was activated she would be able to hear things she had never heard before. Her hair didn't bother me, the bald spot didn't bother me. She was still my beautiful baby girl who had overcome a tremendous surgery and did wonderfully. We ended up cutting her long locks in September of that year to help the part that was shaven grow and catch up with the rest. She now has the most adorable bob you've ever seen.

My Hearing Doggy

The night before her cochlear implant surgery I thought it would be a wonderful idea if we took Savanah to Build A Bear and let her create her very own surgery buddy and in the process, put all of her old hearing aid molds into whatever she picked out. We arrived at the mall and she immediately went for this brown and white dog, she had so much fun making this all her own. She gave the heart a big kiss and made wishes, she brushed and washed her all up and carefully placed her hearing aid molds into the dog and sewed her up. She didn't want any clothes for her dog, silly parents. . .dogs aren't suppose to wear clothes. When it came time to name her, we decided the only phrase she could say clearing was "Oh Baby" that is what this special doggy became. She traveled to surgery with Savanah - staying every second with her and since then has been everywhere also - even in bed with her everynight.