18 Months?

That's right! It has now been over 18 months since Drew's cochlear implants were activated. Time flies when you're having fun!

Drew is an amazing little boy, and we could not have scripted this 18 months any more perfectly. He has clearly mastered listening, and will indicate when ever he hears something with the cutest little, "Hear sound?"

Drew is a curious little boy, and asks questions daily like, "What's that?" (We can't wait for the "why" questions to begin.)

Drew is quite social. He will talk to just about anyone, mostly about his two loves: sports and cars. I love watching him talk to his sister, grandparents, friends. He has this cute little way of bending his knees and tilting his head when he is talking to you. It is so precious.

Drew can now clearly articulate his needs. This has made life for the tantrum-proned-boy's Mommy much, much better. When he starts in with a tantrum, I can now say, "Drew, use your words," and he will tell me exactly what he wants. (The only time the tantrum continues is when what he wants to do is not allowed).

Drew now understands the concept of "time-out". If he is doing something he is not supposed to, I will say, "Drew, do you need a timeout?," and generally he will stop the behavior. He also understands my "counting to three" and will stop, most of the time, what he is doing. When Drew does earn himself a timeout, he will sit in the chair and say, "I want down!" And, when it's all over he will say, "Sorry Ma Ma."

My favorite time of day is in the morning. Usually Drew's Sister wakes up for the day first, and will be eating breakfast by the time Drew wakes. After getting his ears on and dressed for the day, Drew always wants to find his sister. He'll say, "Morning [name]. How you?" It is so sweet.

Drew enjoys music, and really likes to dance. He can now sing several songs, relatively in key, and knows most of the words. His favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Shake Out Your Hands, and Jingle Bells. I am so impressed with how he knows to sing "high" and sing "low" with his voice, and he can do so on command.

Drew's Dad and I have been fortunate enough to watch Drew grow over these past 18 months with a sincere appreciation for all he has accomplished. We celebrate each new word or milestone, as it truly is a gift. We are forever grateful for this wonderful technology.

I took some random video of Drew over this past weekend. Enjoy what our little boy can do, 18 months post activation and 2 years, 3 months old!




And, I used Overstream.net for the first time to caption the video. I have never done it before, so I am sorry if the captions are a little off.