Hair Cut Time

  We had another cochlear mapping appointment today. Since we were going to be traveling for the appointment, we also found a salon specializing in children near the cochlear office. We had let E's hair grow pretty long because we were uncertain if any would have to be shaved when he had his surgery. We really like the shaggy/surfer look for him, but it was getting out of control. It wasn't just long; there was a TON of it. My kid has a lot of hair! Thank goodness it is stick straight like mine or we definitely would have reached "Fro" status. Since his hair only looked as if it had been brushed for the first 30 seconds after I fixed it, we decided it was time for a trim.

I present for your viewing pleasure the "BEFORE" pic:

E picked out the plane to sit in and was very content to steer his plane and watch Monsters Inc. on the television. This place really has the right idea! With the exception of the cape, he was very easy going and perfectly behaved. The cape was NOT happening. Once he made that clear and we consented to do the cut cape-free, life was good.

Now, thanks to a quick and skilled stylist, here is the "AFTER":

Instant transformation occurred from baby to little boy. The chubby, rosy cheeks aren't going anywhere though :-) 

Just hanging out, getting a trim, flying his plane, and watching the in-flight movie!

  The mapping was quick and went well. They were pleased with his progress so far. He was given another set of increases to work through and an appointment for the next mapping. We are noticing small changes. He is interested in some of his toys that make sound that went unnoticed before. He is adding new letters to his babbling. He has said two different words, but we are unsure if they were intentional or understood. E turns when we call his name. We are pretty sure he recognizes his name. E has already started to indicate that his cochlear needs to be put on or that the coil has disconnected. He already makes an attempt to put the coil back on by himself. I am pleased that he seems to like wearing it and recognizes what it does for him. We are still using sign language with him and plan to continue to do so. We both sign and verbalize the things we say to him. He is great at sign language and loves it. We feel it will be very important for him to maintain his signing communication and not rely solely on the device.