My children are my world.  I would die for them; that is how much they mean to me.   

My son is all boy:  healthy.  Loud.  Extremely gregarious with no sense of fear.  My daughter, meanwhile, is deaf, but she is otherwise fine.  She communicates beautifully by using sign language (ASL).  She can talk, but it is very hard to understand her, so she uses signs, to make her wants, feelings, and wishes known to others.  If people don't know sign, then I act as her interperter.

We are a team, Shaoshanna and myself.

Shaoshanna was adopted when she was a baby.  We adopted her from China.  Nobody back in her native land wanted a baby who was deaf, so I took her.  I saw her face on the Internet and it was instant love.  I knew back then we had to have her, so Shane and I applied to adopt her.  

It was a very happy day when we got approved for the adoption, but nothing like when we went to the airport to pick her up.  Oh, how we cried! It still makes me cry when I remember Shao being placed into my arms.  She was absolutely adorable!  Still is! :)  And smart! WOW!!  She could put ME to shame!!

There is absolutely nothing "disabled" about her mind!  In fact, Shao is so smart she is in the Gifted/Talented (GAT) class at her school, where she excells above most kids her age.  She has been tested and has been proven to be extremely intelligent, with an I.Q. of well over 150 points!

Shao taught herself to read by the time she was three and was already reading chapter books a year later.  Now she's seven and can easily read books for high school and college level students!  She can paint and draw so well; in fact at this year's art fair at her elementary school, she took top honors.  We were all so proud of her!

Shao has stated to me (in sign language, remember) that she wants to be a philanthropist, to help other people in need.  She has always had a heart for people who were hurting, and she also wants to be a doctor.  

I wouldn't put it past her that she reaches her goals.  She definitely has the want-to and the determination!  

I sometimes worry about Jebediah.  I mean, when he gets to be school age, how is he going to compete with his older sister?  He doesn't have the early signs of intelligence that his sister did when he was her age, but it's not to say he isn't smart because he IS.  He's just smart in a different way (in the area of creativity and figuring things out; he has a very analytical mind).  He knows what he wants to be: either Elmo from Sesame Street or Bob The Bulder (those are his two favorite tv shows).

Well, Jebediah is crying, so I'd best see what he wants.  I also have to get Shao ready for bed, as she has school tomorrow and I don't want her up too late or she will be grumpy and right now I can't deal with that.  Jebediah has been grumpy all day and he's been testing my patience!

I will write in here again soon with another update; until later, this is Debbie saying so long! May God bless you now and always!

~Debbie Currington.  :)