Mr. Bron

Who is that, you ask? Why Le Bron James. NBA All-star. Dunk master. King of eating vegetables.

King of vegetables?

Yes, that's right, LeBron eats his veggies, or at least that's what we're telling Drew. And LeBron, if you're reading this, you do eat your veggies, correct?

You see, we've had some over-the-top picky eating issues with Drew. Remember this? Anytime Drew is served a meal, you know, that includes something healthy, we get that response. Well, that actually is mild compared to the slinging his plate across the table, screaming "I don't want that!" at the top of his lungs. Yes, it is pretty around here at meal times.

Enter LeBron.

You see, Drew loves LeBron James. Loves him. Seriously. The boy loves basketball. He loves to play basketball. He loves to watch basketball. Especially LeBron. He asks every day if he can "watch LeBron play basketball today Mommy?"

So, an idea came to me. Maybe if we tell Drew that LeBron eats peas, Drew will eat them. Green Beans? Let's give that a try. Spinach? Can't hurt to try!

And the crazy thing? It worked!

Drew now eats his veggies. And while he's eating he'll say, "I eat my peas so I can get big like Mr. Bron."

Drew now cries when we tell him he can't have any more to eat. He'll say, "But I need to eat so that I can grow big and play basketball like Mr. Bron."

Thank you, LeBron. Mr. Bron.

Wonder what else I can parlay this into? LeBron likes to do laundry? Clean the house? Cook dinner? I think I'm on to something special here.

A Little Whine With My Cheese

This post is going to be whiny. Consider yourself warned.
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I signed up for a gym membership. Five years of parenthood, and the stresses of having a child with hearing loss, as well as the stresses of every day life, have not been kind to my body. Sure, I pretty much look the same as I did PB (pre-babies), but I don't feel the same. So, I decided to be selfish and do something for me.

In order to get myself to the gym, I knew that I would need to join a gym with a children's center. With our crazy work schedules, this ensures that I can get my workout in, even if Drew's Dad is out of town or working late. Great idea, or so I thought. The very first night that I left the kids in the play place, all of the older children made fun of Drew and his ears. How sad is that? So, after my workout, as I'm tired and ready to head home, I have to deal with hearing about how all of the other children in the play place were whispering and talking about Drew and his ears. Sucks.
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I've finally made the big decision to enroll Drew in swim lessons. We are heading to Disney World for our first family vacation in 46 days, not that I am counting, and I thought it would be a good idea to introduce Drew to real swimming before our vacation. Well, today I had a little pity party for myself about how hard it is for me to get him to swim lessons. I have to bring his spare left ear parts. I have to put them in the waterproof food saver bag. I have to turn it on, take his other ears off, hold the ear, in a bag, on his head while trying to put a swim cap over it to hold in place. It sucks that he can't just run and jump in the pool like the other children. And the alternative, him not being able to hear while in the pool, is unimaginable.
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Drew loves sport. Seriously loves them. But his ears are always falling off. He has to stop and start playing so many times in a day just because his ears come off and he needs them put back on. And now, he has decided that he enjoys boxing. (I blame that one on his Daddy and the Wii.) Well, he wants to take his shirt off to box. Well, in order to do that, he knocks his ears off and then needs them put back on. It sucks that he can't just play what he wants to play, when he wants to play without having to make sure he can hear.
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I am finished. Now back to our regularly scheduled (cheery) blogging.

Nucleus 5 Upgrade

Cochlear has developed a new external processor, called the Nucleus 5. You can read more about it here, and find many of the new advantages and features that come with the N5. One of the reasons that we chose the Cochlear brand is because all of their current implant recipients can benefit from their technological enhancements and upgrades, regardless of time since implantation.

We have begun the process of submitting for the upgrade through our insurance provider. Cochlear is working with a company called Access MediQuip to assist with insurance coverage for the upgrade. You can contact them at (866) 586-8083. They will ask you to provide you insurance information. Your audiologist will need to provide a letter of medical necessity. More information on the upgrade process can be found here. We should hear something in about three weeks regarding approval (or denial).

Speech Therapy

Since Drew began school in September, I haven't had an opportunity to see any of his therapy sessions. It's funny how I went from being so involved in every little thing in his CI/therapy life to really having little involvement. Sure, I get weekly notes, and am given "homework" to do with him in the evenings or on the weekends, but it really is different from our life the previous three years!

I decided that I wanted to see how Drew was doing in his therapy sessions. Drew's teacher and SLP are fabulous (seriously, we are so lucky to have such wonderful people working with Drew) and they are so willing to let parents observe their classroom and small group sessions. Here is Drew, in action, at one of his most recent therapy sessions:



I can't believe how big my little boy is getting! He just amazing.