My newest AVCC students

Here are my newest AVCC students - all three of them. In Auditory-Verbal Therapy, we coach parents how to make sure their child develops natural communication skills. The parents stimulate listening and spoken language for their child who listens with hearing aids or cochlear implants. This little 4 month old is doing what most 4 month olds do; turning to what her parents say, having "baby conversations", & smiling to her dad's whistling. She babbles, laughs, blows raspberries and really listens! So cute!

Top of the Hub with Meme

My Wednesday "Adventure Views" took me to the Top of the Hub Restaurant with my mother. Our original plan was to have lunch at Towne on Boylston Street where my niece Selena works.

After 15 minutes of searching for a place to park in the Prudential parking lot, walking across the plaza in the rain, we talk with the guys at the closed Towne restaurant who inform us they do not serve lunch. Back across the rain driven plaza, up the escalators, and elevators to the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower, we are happy to enjoy a day of Boston's Restaurant Week with spectacular vies of the city!

Mom and I have fun conversations reminiscing about our life experiences in Boston. Her family moved from Taunton to Roxbury for her senior year of high school. She graduated from Roxbury Memorial - a girl's school! I didn't know she went to an all girls school for her senior year! I also went to high school in Boston. Winsor is an all girls school, too.

She met dad at Boston City Hospital. Their reception for their wedding was on Commonwealth Ave. They often took walks along Comm Ave especially in the spring with all the flowery trees blossoming....so many happy memories. I love listening to mom as she wanders back in time looking over the city she and dad loved.

Boston is an interesting metropolis to view from above - with all the curving streets, flat iron buildings, river twists, and harbor islands. During our lunch time the rain stopped, the clouds cleared, and we could see up the coast almost to Gloucester!

the Charles River - "love that dirty water....oh, Boston...you're my home".
A glimpse of the airport and the harbor islands.
A rest from the rain - was it really raining?
Find Trinity Church and the BPL?
Spinach salad for me, Croque Madame for mom, and we shared her french fries.
Maple creme brûlée.
Meme loves the pear tart.

Walk Wingaersheek

How does your garden grow?

Jim digs out weeds and adds fertilizer.Anybody want some strawberry plants?
Jim dares to open up that compost bin!

Warm weather helps motivate us to plant the early seeds. We plant spinach, Swiss Chard, and peas.

Gloucester Summer Day in March

Spending Grampy's Special Day With Meme

On March 21rst, Keara, Meme, Jim & I escape to the movie at the Cabot Street Theatre;" Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy " and then dinner at Chianti across the street.
Gluten free 'zucchini spaghetti' - delicious~
We raised a glass to Grampy.
Nice dinner at Chianti....
Meme and I had lunch in Wakefield. Great to spend the day with my mom.
Sitting together....calling various Donovans...nice day...sipping Vietnamese coffee.

RIP Alfred Michael Donovan, MD August 21, 1920 - March 21, 2011

Jim and I sit sipping our #1 weasel Vietnamese coffee. Jim says; “Look, a cardinal!” as he points to the Ash tree right outside the window.

“Where?” I question. I am remembering how after my dad died last year, a cardinal sat on our deck railing as I wrote about my sadness.

Now I look out and find the red bird sitting close to us on the branches. “Oh, that’s my dad….” I whisper. Today is the first anniversary of my father’s peaceful passing.

As we watch thinking of dad, the bird comes closer. We sit and watch and feel…love.

Back to AVT in the USA

As parent guidance coaches in listening and spoken language, we love to take the therapy outside the AVCC office. Early spring weather makes backyard pronoun and preposition work easy and fun!Run AROUND the tree...
Follow her around the tree...
Balance on top of the log. Walk along the bench. Go ahead of him.
Go BETWEEN the forsythia, bend over, go underneath the branches....wait for her.
Oh, a wet leaf...floating on top of the water...
Look for the fish in the pond...they are down deep.
Teaching with the preschool teacher is part of AVT....she shows the kids where Vietnam is on the globe.
Quiet zone for sharing a book in the preschool classroom.

Picking a crocus, blowing a kiss, so much to listen and talk about as we share first signs of spring!

Listening and talking about 'forehead', 'chin', and 'fun' with play doh!

I am appreciating Early Intervention, Newborn Screening and Appropriate Amplification as I get back to "work which is really play" in my office.