Lost Battery

  It has finally happened....we lost something. One of E's rechargeable cochlear batteries is missing. That doesn't seem like a big deal until you realize that that little battery costs $200 to replace. We have turned the house upside down looking for it, but we have had no luck so far. We have two larger ones and one small one left, but the larger ones are still a bit cumbersome for E. We have asked people to help us look for it in the places he may have been when it was lost, but we are having a hard time impressing upon them the importance and cost of this little battery. I don't want to order a new one because I still have hope that it will be found. We have had a bit of an ongoing battle getting people to understand that you cannot lay his processor or equipment down just anywhere. It has a case. Use it. If any of you find a gray compact battery about an inch long with a and orange and white paw sticker, PLEASE let me know!

  On a lighter note, I have found a couple of new foods that E likes! I have started eating greek yogurt. E saw me eating it this past weekend and came over to investigate. He proceeded to eat all of my yogurt. The next new find is Cuties brand tangerines. They are small and seedless and perfect for E. He loves them and I love that he is eating anything besides fries and chicken nuggets!

Champagne Problems

 

     A dear friend of mine recently introduced me to the term, "champagne problems." This is the term we use to describe the complaints of privileged people. We actually call one another sometimes and say that we want to talk about our "champagne problems" meaning we want to be able to vent our little irritations without feeling guilty about how our problems are actually very minor in the grand scheme of things. Some of them are just downright absurd in comparison to the real issues many people are facing. We laugh at our "champagne problems" as we share them. She recently told me about her frustration with having to change her vacation plans from Europe to the Caribbean. My commute to my fantastic job is just too long. I hear other parents whining about their kid talking non-stop and to me, it is a champagne problem. They should be grateful that talking comes so easy for their child. I recently met a family with a special needs baby who faces a life of medical treatment. We connected as parents of children who are not in the "typical" category. I found myself almost embarrassed to describe my son's deafness as any kind of challenge. I realized that our therapy sessions, hearing device care, education decisions, etc. are just champagne problems. E is healthy, happy, and thriving, so CHEERS! Here's to our champagne problem, what's yours?

Big Fish

  Saturday we took E to meet up with my husband's family for the day at a shopping mall. This particular mall happens to be attached to a Bass Pro Shop. Inside is a giant, fresh water aquarium. I have been wanting to take E to an aquarium for some time, but this is the closest we have gotten so far. E really loved looking at the fish and signing "fish" every time one of the big monsters would swim by.

  E also got to spend a little time with two of his cousins. His cousins love him dearly and want to hold his hand, hug him, and kiss him. E just wants to run free, so the hand holding and such wasn't up his alley. He wasn't sure what to do with two girls in tow :-) He ran and they chased and he thought it was a hilarious game for sure!

Easter and Toddler Logic

  First, I finally got around to getting the pics from Easter off of my camera. We took E to an Easter egg hunt for the first time. He had a super cute fuzzy duck Easter basket given to him by my mom that he required me to hold for him while he collected his eggs. He was very careful to pick up the egg without touching the grass!

Coloring his Bunny Orange and Loving it!

Easter Outfit 2012

  E knows that we have to put on our shoes to go outside. E LOVES to go outside. By his reasoning, outside = shoes therefore shoes = outside. E thinks that, if he puts on his shoes, you will take him outside. Apparently, any shoes will do in a pinch. E decided that he wanted to go outside so he put on his Daddy's shoes and walked/dragged to the door. When I did not follow, he realized the error in his thinking and returned. He then grabbed my shoes and handed them to me. Of course Mommy has to have her shoes on too! He even tried to put them on my feet for me. 

Where's Daddy?

  Last night, E was playing at my feet in the kitchen as I cooked dinner. My husband walked into another part of the kitchen and I asked (and signed) "Where's Daddy?" to E. I said, "Where's Daddy? Let's call him...OH Daaaaadddddeeeee!" What I didn't expect was that E cupped his hands around his mouth and called out as clear and plain as could be, "Daaaaaaddddeeeeeeeee." Of course Daddy came running in and E laughed and clapped that the summons had been successful.

  Sometimes E says things that are only understandable in context and if you know what he's trying to say. Other times, he says something so clearly that it makes you pause and marvel at his enunciation. The "eeeeee" sound of words with y endings is not something we have worked on so we were quite shocked when he articulated it so clearly. I know I asked him to call for his Daddy, but I expected a "Dada" if anything at all. Mostly, I expected E to sign "Daddy" since he prefers his signing communication. I have always heard the saying, "If you're going to pray for rain, you'd better carry an umbrella." I guess we can add to that, "If you're going to ask your CI toddler to say something, you'd better be prepared to hear it."

  On another hearing related note, my husband was telling me when I got home from work about E insisting that only one of his socks be placed on his foot. He has this thing with socks...he like to wear only one. I guess E overheard us talking about socks because he walked up to me and tapped my leg for my attention. When I looked at him, he had brought me his socks. Prior to the sock conversation, he was happily engaged in "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" so we were very surprised that he picked up on our indirect conversation. I guess it is really time to watch what we say in front of him like typical toddler parents.

 

A Little Off the Top

  I took E on Saturday for a hair cut. The lady that has cut his hair in the past was no longer working at the salon, so we were scheduled with someone else. They usually start out with the clippers and then use the scissors to trim and shape. After the first swipe with the clippers, I gasped! "A little trim" had turned into a full blown shearing! While E still looks cute, we like to keep his hair a little longer and this was not what we had in mind. Longer hair keeps more of a baby look that we like since we are in no hurry to make E look older than he is. When I got him home, my husband was not thrilled. "I thought you said you were taking him for a trim!," he said. I explained that I had no idea that the stylist had chosen such a short guard for the clippers until I saw that first pass. At that point, there is just no going back. The good news is, we have a while before E will need his next "trim" and I have learned the importance of specifying a size for the clipper guard. Interestingly, when E's hair is short, he becomes a blond like mommy!

 

Tater Tot

 

One Year

  This time last year, on my husband's birthday, we experienced a terrible day in which we had a failed ABR test attempt when the hospital could not get an IV started. The next day, we experienced a joy that made up for that day...our little boy signed his first word. It is hard to believe it has been an entire year since we began this journey and yet it also seems as if I have a hard time remembering what life was like before it. One year ago, my baby signed "Daddy" and brought tears to our eyes. One year later, he has a HUGE sign vocabulary and a bit of verbalization to go with it. Today, I marveled as my little one told a very impassioned story to me (that only he understood) with the accompaniment of random signs and voice. He signed along with me tonight as I read him his Bible story. After tripping in the grass earlier in the day, he said "uh-oh" as cute and clear as can be. I love that he has options for his communication style and I love his personality and energy. He is 100% boy and I couldn't be more proud. This has certainly been the most transformative year of our lives. The journey is hard, but the scenery is breath taking!

In case you missed the original post, here is the video from a year ago of baby's first sign:
http://www.redefiningnormalhmc.blogspot.com/2011/03/babys-first-sign.html