over the years...

one year old...

two years old...

three years old...

4 years old...

I am 4!

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Loving Life in Surround-Sound!

Today we attached the second processor, so Logan is officially hearing bilaterally! I watched him carefully as he walked around the house, playing with his brothers. I was surprised at what a difference we witnessed in just a few hours. Even my older son enjoyed calling Logan's name and watching as he turned his head, knowing exactly where the voice was coming from (opposed to turning his head side to side until he realized the location of the sound).

You should have seen how excited I became when I asked Logan to feed our turtle, while standing a room away, then watched as Logan walked in to the kitchen, opened the fridge and got out a piece of lettuce...all while the TV was on in the room that he was in.

We love being bilateral!

Enjoying a Dave Matthews concert with two years...

"How many ears do we have today?...

"He is your son, not your science experiment!"

Tonight we did a little experiment to see what Logan is hearing with just his right processor vs. his left.
You'll notice that with his original one on he has no problem listening and identifying what is being said, without any visual ques.
However, with his new one on he has trouble staying focused and listening and needs visual ques to be able to repeat the words. He usually just guesses as to what is being said.
My husband joked with me and said, "He is your son, not your science experiment!"

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Ughhh!

What a frustrating week! Logan has not been too happy with his new "ear". He is trying so hard to understand what is going on and is still having trouble comprehending everything. He actually asked for his "Spider-Man Ear" today (his first implant). He said he wanted to "switch". I tried to explain to him that we had to wait a few more days to help his "Bat-Man ear" work better, I couldn't tell how he felt about that. He has been slightly irritable and emotional this week and has been fighting with his brothers (more than normal). He will walk by the blinds, rub his head on the couch and shake his head so that the processor "accidentally" falls off and he'll then say "whoopsie" and look at me like "oh well". I feel terrible that this is so rough for him-- although each day has gotten better. I don't want this to be a bad experience for fear that he'll never like the new "ear".

We made a calendar and marked the day when he could wear both of his implants. He counted the days from now until then and gave me a thumbs up!

I have been trying to be patient as well. I have come accustom to having him hear my voice and respond, so it's been frustrating to have to tap him to get his attention, or run after him when we are crossing the street. And the worst...losing him in a store today and knowing that he can't hear me call his name or even answer a stranger when they try to help him. Ughhh!

He has been focusing so much on lip reading. We have been working so hard to teach him to not do that for the past year, but I have not discouraged it these past few days because, again, I want to make this as easy as possible for him.

Today he was able to repeat the ling sounds, which he wasn't able to do the last few days, so we're getting there. I just hope Logan can be patient.

Logan's new "Bat-Man" ear is up and running!

Today was Logan's activation day for his second implant. It, of course, wasn't as dramatic as turning on the first one, but it was still a big day for us. Everything looks great and the surgery was a success, but Logan isn't too keen on this new ear. He will wear just the new ear for about two weeks to get his brain to start relying on that side as well as the right. The problem we run into is that with only his new implant on, it's like starting over from the beginning--meaning he can't process sounds or language quite yet--which is very frustrating for him. He has adapted very well to hearing the sounds and voices around him, so when he was not able to quite understand the sounds that were going in, he became upset. He told us that he didn't want to wear the new ear because it was "too loud". The audiologist told us that the volume was at a comfort level, but that was just Logan's way of trying to express that he couldn't make out what he was, or wasn't, hearing. We were talking to him, asking him questions and he had a sad, confused look on his face as if he were slightly scared and nervous that he had lost the understanding he once had. Without an implant on, he knows that he doesn't get any sound, so I think it confused him that even with an implant on, he wasn't registering the sounds.
We brought the pack of Bat-Man stickers with us to the appointment and put the stickers on right away. He now has a "Spider-Man ear" and his new, "Bat-Man ear", he now has double the super hero power!
We had to coax him a little to keep it on the rest of the night, but we know things will get better. We are eager to see what this next year has in store for Logan!


It was a little surreal for me to see him with both implants on...

mapping (programming) the new implant...

Not a happy camper...

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Cool ABC language book...

I saw this on the Today show and thought it would be a great way to do an ABC experience book incorporating your own pictures. I made a-cheaper and more time consuming--version for my nephew...
(I had my 6 year old color the pictures)

but although this one is a bit pricy, I think it's fantastic and fun.

HAPPY 2009!

I love to read all of the success and joy that has come with your child's journey into the hearing world. Thank you for sharing your stories.

May 2009 continue to bring new and amazing discoveries.