Proud Mama!

E had his therapy review yesterday to evaluate his progress and set new goals. E has only been activated with his CI for six months. After the evaluation, his voice and listening skills ALONE scored him at a "hearing age" of one year and eleven months!! E turns two tomorrow and it is amazing that in only six months, he has caught up to his real age even though his "ears" are only six months old :-) His therapists are thrilled and so are we. The evaluation did not even take into account his signing skills which are stellar and way beyond his verbal/listening skills. I am so proud of my smart little boy!!

Boy Dirt

Boy dirt is different than girl dirt. I have said this a million times. Boy dirt accumulates faster, smells worse, and is harder to clean than girl dirt. I don't have scientific proof of this, but my observations tell me this is basic truth.

Last night, our youth group got together to play kickball and cook out. I took E and let him play on the playground. He had a blast and even dragged one of our adult leaders down the tube slide with him multiple times. She was a really great sport :-) It was incredibly hot and he was a happy, sweaty little mess. I wiped him down with a baby wipe mid-play to cool him off and one of the young girls could not believe how dirty the resulting baby wipe was. You would have thought he had been rolling on the ground.

When I got him home for a very thorough bath, I lifted his chin and laughed out loud as I discovered a dirt ring on his neck. Seriously?! HOW does that happen? He was just playing on a slide, not making mud pies! E knows that mommy likes her baby to be clean and he graciously complies with my meticulous baths. Once again, I find myself mystified by the ways of the boy dirt! I am a firm believer, however, that messes should be made. You can always wash your hands. I encourage my son to play, get messy, get dirty, and have fun. Of course, I also teach the importance of good hygiene and insist on a good clean-up once the fun is over.

It's Been a While

Things have been a little crazy lately and I haven't posted anything recently, so here's a little update:

We took a little vacation. E spent the week being pampered by Nana.

 

While on vacation, we made some new friends.

We came home to lots of kisses and giggles.

 

We enjoyed a little down time on a rare, relaxing weekend.

 

E has been showing a lot of interest in sound and music. He tried his hand at the piano Sunday after hearing some of the older kids play.

 

We had another CI mapping appointment yesterday. E did a great job and really poured on the charm. He was rewarded with a trip to Cracker Barrel and an ice cream cone.

There you have it. Of course there has been much more going on, but I chose a few highlights. E continues to do new things everyday with vocalization, signing, and general toddler hilarity. He keeps us grinning and laughing and continues to be a true joy. I am so proud of my little man. Next on the horizon is E's birthday. He will be two! I cannot believe my baby is growing up so quickly :-)

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.