If you watched the news a few weeks back, there was a heartwarming story about a 3-year-old boy named Grayson. He was born deaf and was the first child in the country to receive a hearing implant on his brain stem. If you saw the video of him hearing his daddy’s voice for the first time, then you probably cried along with the rest of us. (Click Here to see that story.)

It truly was an amazing moment to watch, and his sweet reaction probably exceeded his parents expectations. I was thinking about that video leading up to Gideon getting his hearing aides. I had certain expectations for our own sweet boy as our big day drew near. Thankfully my husband reminded me that because Gideon was a lot younger, he might not have the same reaction as the little boy from the news. I’m so glad he brought that to my attention early in the week, because unfortunately, he was right.

Yesterday my sweet Gideon got his hearing aids and to put it plainly…he hates them. (As you can tell by this photo.) He tries to rip his ears off anyways, so putting these little devices on them really makes him mad. On top of having foreign objects shoved in his ears, he really doesn’t like the sound of the world around him. Our audiologist, Kristin King, was so patient and wonderful with him….and us! She taught us all about the maintenance and care for the hearing aids, while Gideon screamed most of the time. If all her patients react like Gideon, then she has a really tough job.

Thinking about my expectations, there was something I was hoping for and if you watch the video I think you can see it… Gideon has a moment where his eyes get really big because he does hear us clearly for the first time. It was a small, short moment of surprise before the tears began (my fault as you will see), but it was still sweet moment of joy for mommy and daddy. To see my little warrior’s reaction click HERE.

Could you see it? It’s crazy to think that this whole new world for Gideon will be a whole new set of obstacles for us. I’m not complaining, just observing. After yesterday, I’ve thrown out all my unrealistic expectations for this next chapter of his life. I’m confident there will be a constant battle of trying to keep them in his ears and out of his mouth…he will probably hate the sound of our world for a long time (especially since big sister like to get right up in his face when she talks to him)…and I have a feeling in two weeks Gideon will no longer cry about them–not because he’s accustomed to them, but because we will have forgotten to change the batteries.

I guess my point to all this rambling is that expectations are okay sometimes. We expect our spouse to be loving and kind. Bosses expect employees to do their job. Parents expect their kids to act a certain way. But how many times do we place unrealistic expectations on our family, friends, and even ourselves? And then, when they (or we) don’t live up to those expectations, we get disappointed. At the end of the day, we have to let some stuff go. You and your spouse aren’t perfect. Employees mess up. And like Gideon, sometimes our kids don’t react the way we hope they would. Let’s face it, life has a whole lot more joy when we let go of expectations.

Gideon didn’t respond to his hearing aids like Grayson did. And that’s okay, they’re not the same kid. Our big day was still great for us. My little boy has the means to hear better! I was talking with my husband last night about how lucky we are to have Gideon. Having a child with a peroxisomal disorder isn’t what we expected; but since he’s been here, he has changed us in a way that’s been unexpected yet remarkable. And because of that, I can’t help but proclaim how great is our God?! He’s doing something amazing through my little boy and he’s only 8 month old! It’s been a crazy ride, but as a family, we are learning every day to let go of what we expect and grab onto the One who knows what’s to come.