Cochlear Cuteness

  Well, I know you all want an update on how E has taken to his new accessory. The first few days, he kept taking it off. He didn't take it off because it bothered him, but because he wanted to examine it. He kept pressing the magnet obviously convinced that it was a button and should cause something to happen. We had to downgrade the magnet strength so it wouldn't irritate his skin. We were a little unsure about lessening the magnet strength because we didn't want the coil to come off too easily. Basically though, it IS going to come off. The way E cuddles and plays, it gets knocked off frequently. The good news is that in the past couple of days, E has accepted his new "ear" and does not mess with it. He also has started to come to me and alert me if it disconnects. This seems to indicate to me that he is benefitting from wearing it AND that he likes having it connected. It is a great relief to me to see that he seems to enjoy his new world of sound. As many of you know, it was tough for me to make the decision to get E a cochlear implant. It is very reassuring to see him enjoy it and feel like I actually made a good decision.

  As part of the package of stuff that we received with E's implant, we were given a stuffed koala that wears a Cochlear brand shirt and has two plastic CIs on the ears. The plastic processors attach with velcro to the koala's head and are actual size. E removed one of the koala's processors last night and insisted that I wear it. Thanks to the velcro, it stuck to my hair and sat behind my ear just like E's actual processor. He seemed to be very satisfied and convinced that I was missing something by not having a CI like him. My husband came home to a good laugh when he saw me wearing the koala processor on my head.

  Our cat used to be a paci thief. When E was very small, he would take only passing interest in his pacifiers, but the cat would go to great lengths to steal them and play with them. We would often find them in our bedroom where she had made her stash. We steam sanitized pacis ALL THE TIME. Well, now she has figured out that his sippy cups contain milk. She stalks the sippy cup for the perfect, unattended moment and then we find her licking the spout. Now we are sanitizing sippy cups ALL THE TIME. No matter how diligent we try to be in putting the cup where she cannot get it, she seems to still catch that perfect opportunity. No amount of fussing or scolding deters her. She lies in wait for her precious sippy cup of liquid gold to be placed within reach.

  In other news, I applied to school to pursue a certification in ASL interpreting. I have always wanted to get a masters degree or just take more classes. I'm a dork like that. My perfect job would be having someone pay me to be a full time student. I always said that I did not have time because I worked full time. Well, now that I am being laid-off at the end of the year, my job is no longer an excuse. I still plan to work freelance or maybe part time, but it seems that I will be undergoing a personal re-invention. Maybe I'm crazy? Yeah. Probably.