What a difference 23 days can make! Drew is making new noises daily. This journey is so amazing and we have only just begun.
In the last 23 days the loud, screeching sounds that Drew made before his cochlear implants have completely disappeared. Now our home is filled with beautiful "singing" and blissful laughter! It is so pleasing to our ears. He will sit on the floor for half an hour singing. I think that he can hear himself doing it, so he is getting used to his voice. It is so much fun to just sit and listen to the little noises he is making.
Drew is even mimicking sounds that we make, such as "ahhhh", "mmmm" and even raspberries. Whenever he is sitting on the floor not looking at me, I will make the raspberry sound and he will mimic it and turn in the direction he heard the sound coming from. He'll give me a cute little grin, as if to say, "Yeah, Mom. I heard you!" It is truly amazing! Whenever he is eating, we narrate the whole experience. It goes something like this:
Daddy: "OK, Drew. Open your mouth. It's time to eat some bananas!"
Drew: Opens mouth as wide as he can and sucks every bit of banana off the spoon. (He's a hungry and growing boy!)
Daddy, rubbing his belly: "Oh, Drew. Banana's are yummy. Yummy, mmmmm."
Drew: "Mmm, mmm"
Amazing!
We are enjoying each and every day with him - and his sister. When Drew's Sister was born two years ago, I don't think we took the things that she did in developing language for granted, but I know that we did not have an appreciation for how children learn to communicate through hearing. When Drew was born with profound hearing loss it gave us a great understanding of this amazing process and for that I am forever grateful. Now everything that both of our children do in developing their communication is truly special. Just yesterday, Drew's Sister (who is two years, three months old) broke out the "Why?" question. Drew's Dad and I have heard it about one hundred times since then and we will continue to hear it for years to come. And even though it can be irritating to hear, we are just so thankful that she is able communicate with us!
2 comments:
Wow, he is making good progress. When I got my CI, I was told that my voice changed and got quieter. I guess when we hear better, we vocalize and talk better.
My dad is losing his hearing. As a result, he is talking louder and louder every time I see him. I thought it was just me but my siblings say that it isn't. He can hardly hear on the phone, too, and does all the talking. . .
Sounds like Drew is a sweet little boy charming everyone's hearts!
That is the most sweetest looking kid I have ever seen and I am so happy that he is progressing wonderfully! And make the raspberrys have to be a real thing to see and hear!
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