Alter Ego

Drew really enjoys dressing up as Superheros. He asks nearly every night to watch an episode of Spiderman or Batman "on demand." He uses his imagination to play with his Batcave, and his Spiderman trucks, and just really loves his Superhero friends.

So, it came as no surprise to us, when we were getting ready to go out to dinner one night, that Drew came downstairs dressed as Batman. And instead of fighting with him, and waiting for the twenty minutes it would have taken for him to get dressed, we let him go out to dinner dressed as Batman.

On our drive, we were talking, and Drew's Dad turned to Drew and said, "Hey, Drew, would you like..." But Drew's Dad couldn't finish his sentance. He was interrupted by Drew, who wanted to quickly remind his Dad, "Dad!! I'm not Drew. I'm Batman. Get it right."

O.K. Drew. Our mistake.

Drew Update

There are so many times throughout my day where I stop and think, hey, that would make a great blog post! Then, when I actually have a spare moment at the end of my day to actually sit and write, I can't remember a single thing that happened throughout the day. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm losing my mind and should seek help from a therapist immediately.

Drew is nearly four and a half years old. Where is the time going? His most favorite things right now are sports (especially basketball and boxing, for which we can thank the Wii) and dress up. He loves his alter-egos, either Batman or Woody from Toy Story. Depending on the day he is a crime fighting super hero or your best friend.

Drew's vocabulary continues to expand. Some of the sentences he comes up with now are quite amazing. (Insert that bad Mommy brain - I can not remember half of them!) The other day he told me, "I like Robin more than Batman because Robin can fly and Batman can not. Actually, Batman could fly if you strapped a jet pack to him and blasted him off into the air. But I think I like Robin more because he can just fly on his own, without all that work." His imagination is really starting to take off. The other day I found him in his room quietly playing with his "road rug" and he had airplanes landing at the airport and cars parked at the zoo. He knew what each one was doing, an had a story to go along with each vehicle with which he was playing. It's really amazing to see him growing and developing each day.

We had our parent/teacher conference at the end of February, and learned that Drew is doing quite well in school. He knows all of his letters, both upper and lower case, knows the sounds associated with the letters and can even spell and write some of his site words! We are so proud of him. At the beginning of this year he couldn't write his name. Now look at him!

This spring Drew will be playing tee-ball. He is so excited! He loves sports, and is finally old enough to partake in an area baseball league. We're headed to the sporting goods store this weekend to purchase him a glove, bat and batting helmet! Drew's Dad can hardly contain his excitement!

Language Sample - Four Years Old

I've taken a little video of Drew over the past few days, to give you an idea of how Drew is doing with his language. He will turn four years old this month, and has had his Cochlear Implants activated for nearly three years, three months.

It is really hard for me to believe that this whole hearing journey began nearly four years ago. If only I would have known then, what I know now. It would have saved a lot of tears.

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.

Overheard

Drew is probably going to look back on this blog one day and be so embarrassed at the things I write. And while that is not my intention, the things he says are just too funny not to mention.

As Drew was going potty the other day, I stood outside of the bathroom door. Drew always demands "privacy" while doing his business, and as any mother would, I happily obliged. So, as I stood there, waiting and waiting, I over-hear Drew say, "Come on poopy! You can do it. Come. Out. Poopy! Ahh, that's better. Mom, I'm all done!"

Hilarious. As I opened the door to my smiling little boy, proud as could be that he "did it", I just thought about how amazing he truly is. He uses his words for everything. He talks to himself. Just like I would (although I won't admit to talking to myself as I do my business). Just as you would. Just as every hearing person in this world does. It is just natural. And I am so, so thankful and so proud of him.

Drewisms

Recently, and regularly, heard around our house...

[While shooting basketballs in his new hoop]: "Clap for me Mom! No, not like that! Clap louder!"

"Tell me you love me and I will laugh!" [I say, "I love you Drew."] "Haaaaa!!"

[Flushing the toilet]: "Bye, bye poopy! My poopy goes down, down, down!"

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" Referring to his bedroom door each morning. He wakes, and lays in his crib saying this, over and over, getting a little louder each time until we finally get him up for the day. The crazy thing is that his ears are off during this time.

[After having a tantrum]: "I want to squeeze your nose, then I will feel better."

"I wanna play the Wii! I wanna play basketball! I wanna play swords! I'm the best! I'm the Drewsie Man!"

"Mom, I'm not the Drewsie Man anymore. I'm just going to be Drewsie."

"Can we go Chuck E Cheese? Today? Tomorrow?"

He's a really funny little boy. That really likes to talk. A lot.

Story Books

Wow! Have you seen these?

I've been working on uploading our family pictures from the year - I'm a little behind. And I happened to see these books! I have not ordered one, so I don't know exactly what they look like, but to me, they seem like a perfect thing for our little HOH/deaf kiddos! There is one about birthdays, bed time and farm animals. Too cute.

Enjoy!

Moog Summer Workshop: Parent Share

One of the best parts of the Moog Summer Workshop included a "Parent Share" on Sunday morning. Each family shared a language activity they have enjoyed with their hard of hearing or deaf child.

We shared our literacy idea with the other parents. Many of the families in attendance have children much younger than Drew, so I hope they will find the idea helpful in the coming years. Drew certainly has benefited from the activity, and will frequently ask us to walk around the house with him and point out the letters. It has also been an excellent way to identify which sounds Drew is able to produce, and which ones he can not.

Some excellent ideas we came away with from the parent share include:

• Peek-A-Boo bags: Excellent for throwing in the diaper bag and using as an activity while waiting during doctor appointments. I really like the A-Z and Learn to Read bags and will be ordering them soon!
• Tune Ups! Music: In the car, music is a great activity for all children. This CD was created specifically for children with hearing loss. It includes ideas on how to incorporate language while listening to the music! So exciting!
• Experience books using a Snapfish-type service. I've made some homemade versions, but hadn't thought of making a more professional style book. They look so nice and are much more sturdy.

Others shared favorite books, like Five Little Monkey's or homemade matching games with pictures of items throughout their house. I really like this idea, as it incorporated items that should be familiar to the child. It was by far one of my most favorite parts of the seminar.

Talking on the Phone

As a working Mom, sometimes I have to travel out of town for several days at a time. This week finds me on the road again, with only the telephone to connect me with my family at home. When I call home, I love hearing Drew's sweet little voice in the background say, "I wanna talk Mama!"

Over the past several months we have been able to hold the phone to Drew's ear, and prompt him with what to say. (Tell Daddy, "I love you!") But this time, things are different. Drew is actually having full conversations with me. (And this isn't being done on speakerphone, or with any assistive technology. He is holding the portable phone to his ear, like you or me, and listening and talking!) And while his speech isn't completely intelligible over the phone, I can get most of the conversation.

Today we talked about his lunch. He went "to McDonald's with Gramma." Upon further questioning I found out that he ate a cheeseburger. And when I asked if he ate the whole thing, he said, "Yeah! I did!" But he "didn't have fries today."

We talked about his love of basketball. "Mama, I shoot the ball in my basketball hoop net." He also told me about how he played basketball at Gramma's house, and "made a brick."

When I asked Drew whether or not he slept well last night, he said, "My sheets wet." I immediately knew that, once again, his overnight diaper leaked and he wet the bed!

And best of all, he said, "I love you Mama!"

Cochlear Implants are pretty damn cool!

Lip Reading

Drew wakes up each morning, and talks quietly in his crib for a little while. I always know when to finally go in his room and get him up for the day when the volume of his talking grows louder and louder. It is so nice that he wakes up happy each day and can entertain himself for a bit in his crib!

The other morning, as I walked into his room, with his ears in my hand, he started saying, "Mommy, I want lunch. I want lunch, Mommy."

I hadn't turned his ears on yet, so as I worked to get both of them turned on and ready, he continued, "I want lunch, Mommy," over and over. And over again.

I knew he must be hungry, since he never wakes up asking for food the way he was on this particular morning.

In an attempt to quite him down, and prevent any melt-down type behavior, I looked at him, with his ears still in my hand, and said, "Drew, it's not lunch time. It is time for breakfast. Let's get you dressed and then we'll eat breakfast!"

Drew paused for a minute, then looked at me and said, "I want breakfast, Mommy!"

Now, I certainly don't think that Drew understood every single word that I said, but clearly he was able to read my lips enough in our conversation to understand that I was telling him that it was time for breakfast. It truly is amazing how much of a hearing child he really is. Even without his ears, he is able to communicate.

Language Evaluation

We received some very exciting news today upon the completion of Drew's latest language assessment. At 29 months of age, 20 months post bilateral cochlear implantation, Drew tested at 40 months of age! Woo hoo! This test is for typical language development, and in no way takes into account his late start. He is ahead nearly one whole year! Drew's parents are full of excitement this evening.

I have been corresponding with a mother who just learned that her son has profound hearing loss. I so clearly remember those first days. All of the uncertainty. And although this mother lives a thousand miles away, we are forever connected by this experience. It is hard to know in those early days that everything really with be Okay. That life can be normal. My hope is that Drew's story provides comfort to those who have just learned, or will learn, that their baby is deaf. Happy days lye ahead.

I put together a new video of Drew. It's fairly short, but shows you some of his greatest loves: cars and sports. You'll notice that he is only wearing one of his implants in the video. Most evenings after bath time, we will have Drew wear only one ear while we do a little "therapy." We do this because it gives us a clear understanding of how well Drew hears with each ear individually. We know Drew hears very well with both ears, but we want to make sure that his individual ears are mapped appropriately, so it gives us a little insight on how well he is hearing. Enjoy!

Too Loud For My Ears

Drew is hearing quite well these days, and immersed in all of the daily activities around our house.

As we were playing yesterday afternoon, Drew and his sister decided to create a band for our "listening pleasure." Drew assigned himself the drummer, while Drew's Sister was left to choose from the variety of other instruments. She finally settled on the saxophone, but continued to whine about Drew playing the drum. She would have preferred him to select a different instrument.

As Drew continued to drum, the whining from his sister grew louder, and more annoying, as time went on. "That's too loud for my ears, Drew! Whaaaaa!" She continued whining, throwing her hands over her ears in typical dramatic fashion, while continuing to tell Drew that his drumming was just too loud for her ears.

Drew's Dad and I, while largely trying to ignore the situation, finally had our attention drawn to the band playing and whining, when we noticed a sincere act of kindness. Drew, with his natural, loving nature, decided to stop playing the drum, and gave the drum sticks to his sister. It was so kind, and a sincere act of sharing, or so it seemed. As soon as Drew's Sister began to bang the drum, Drew, while throwing his hands over his ears, screamed, "That's too loud for my ears! That's too loud for my ears! Ahhhh!"

It was a total set up. He repeated word for word what she had been saying over and over to him. Such a sweet little boy, with a devilish streak. Can't wait to see what he pulls next.

A Conversation

While at Urgent Care Wednesday evening, treating an ear infection, Drew and I had a little conversation:

Drew: "I wanna go Chuck E Cheese!"
Me: "OK, Drew. We can go to Chuck E Cheese one day."
Drew: "I wanna play basketball with Daddy. And [sister's name]. I wanna go to Chuck E Cheese."

At that point, I would have really enjoyed being almost anywhere other than where we were. The wait at Urgent Care was going on two hours, and I was growing impatient and increasingly tired.

Drew: "I go Check E Cheese!"
Me: "OK, Drew. We can go to Chuck E Cheese one day, as soon as you learn to go pee pee and poo poo on the potty."
Drew: "Like [sister's name]?," he questioned.
Me: "Yes."
Drew: "OK, where is potty?"
Me: "Drew, you want to go to the potty right now?"
Drew: "Yes, go pee pee, go poo poo on the potty. Go to Chuck E Cheese!"

I tried to explain to Drew that we really needed to stay in our examination room. While I am all about the "potty training," I also knew that I did not want to miss (and have to wait longer for) the doctor for an uneventful trip to the potty.

Drew: "Go poopy! Go to Chuck E Cheese!"

As I continued telling Drew that we couldn't go to the potty right that second, he decided to slide down the wall he was standing against, squat in place and pretend to go poopy. It was hilarious! And, most surprising, he actually understood every aspect of our conversation. I was using a lot of language throughout that I really thought was kind of over his head. Apparently not, as he clearly understood everything I was saying.

Our little conversations around here are getting really fun!

Auditory Memory

After Drew woke from his nap yesterday afternoon, he was very cuddly. I love it anytime either of my children want to cuddle, because it seems as though those moments are becoming fewer and farther between. I was holding him on my lap, rocking him, as he watched television.

I leaned in and gave him a little kiss on his neck, telling him how much I love him. He continued to look at the television, content that I was holding him, but wanting nothing to do with looking at me.

I made a kissing sound a couple of times, and then asked, "Drew, what noise am I making?"

Drew, with his attention still focused on the television, said, "Mommy making a kissing noise."

I was so excited! Drew actually knew the sound I was making, from his auditory memory, and was able to tell me exactly what sound I was making, without any visual clues! I can not believe how normal his hearing development is. Just amazing.

Bathroom Conversations

Last Saturday afternoon, as we were house bound together, Drew said some fabulous words, "I need go potty!"

Drew's Dad sprang to his feet, immediately grabbed Drew and carried him upstairs to the potty. Drew's Sister was right behind them, proclaiming, "Drew, I will show you how to do it. That's what big sister's do!"

I remained seated. Seriously, Drew is a crazy boy, and I will be lucky if he is potty trained by the time he is three years old and starts preschool. I have no delusions about that, and I knew this time wasn't going to be any different.

Drew's Dad sat Drew on his little potty, and Drew's Sister climbed on her "big girl potty" and they both began to do their business, which for Drew meant playing with himself. I mean, he is a boy after all, and that is what boys do best. (This is where the story gets a little PG-13, so I will try to do my best.) As Drew's Dad tells the story, Drew began to play with himself so much that "it" became, um..., erect.

Drew immediately got a concerned look on his face, and then glancing up at his Dad questioned, "What's that? What's that? What's that?," over and over.

I can only imagine the look on my husbands face, and as he hurriedly tried to come up with an answer to his two year old son's question. "Drew, that is your wiener!"

"Weeeee-nah. Weeeee-nah?" Drew continued, pointing at it with his index finger. "Weeeeee-nah!"

I of course, was still sitting in the living room as this was unfolding, when I hear my name being shouted urgently from upstairs. I sprang to my feet, wondering what on Earth needed my attention so quickly. As I approached the bathroom door I heard, "Weeeee-nah!" I opened the door to find Drew's Dad sitting on the edge of the tub, Drew's Sister sitting on the big girl potty, and Drew, sitting on his little potty, pointing to his penis, saying "Weeeee-nah?"

I could not help but laugh. My little boy, with an erection sitting on his potty, calling it a wiener, over and over. (I feel a bit like Jodi in this post.)

"You called?," I asked my husband.

"Yes," Drew's Dad replied. "He asked me what that is, and I told him it was his wiener. I'm now thinking that isn't the best thing to call it."

"Um, no," I said. "I don't think wiener is good. How about we call it what it is? His penis?"

"Okay," Drew's Dad said, turning his attention back to Drew. "Drew, that is your penis. Can you say penis?"

Drew looked at his Dad for a minute. Then began to touch himself again. "Weeee-nuhhhh!," he proclaimed.

I think this crazy boy is going to be hard to potty train...and raise!

All Is Well

I have been a bad blogger! But I guess everything is just so normal around here that I don't have much to say. I can only say that cochlear implants are truly a miracle so many times. The number of words Drew uses on a daily basis is in the hundreds, if not thousands, at this point, so keeping a running list for you is impossible. I just can't put into words how normal life is, how wonderfully lucky we are that Drew is able to hear and how rewarding it is to see our hard work pay off on a daily basis.

Our most recent efforts have been centered on our upcoming Preschool tours and the impending IEP process. We find great value in sending Drew to a hearing impaired preschool program (which I will blog on the "why" in a seperate post), and we are very fortunate that there are three programs in our area that specialize in teaching the hearing impaired. We have preschool visits scheduled for the first two weeks of February, and we will share with you our analysis of each program and our final decision. I have also been educating myself on the IEP process, and have much to share. There are many of us going through this at the same time, so I am hopeful that we can learn from each other how to secure the services best suited for our child and our families.

Drew continues to amaze us all with his progress. As I was putting him to bed the other night, he looked at me and said, "Mama, I wanna go to golf (golp) store and hit the ball in hole." 12 whole words in one sentence, and it's not surprising that his first 12 word sentence would involve something related to sports! The boy loves sports, probably more than anything else in the whole world.

This is just so, so, so much fun!

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.

Overheard

Setting: Our living room. Daddy and Drew are playing the Wii. Mario Kart, to be exact.

Drew: "Do it again," referring to another race.

Daddy: "You want to do another race, Drew?"

Drew: "Yes. One more time. One more time...One more time," while holding his index finger in the air.

Daddy: "OKay, Drew. We can race. ONE. MORE. TIME"

I sensed that Daddy was becoming a little annoyed with Drew's repeated requests to continue to race, for over one hour. Drew continued...

Drew: "Drive cars. Mountains. Snow. My turn. I can do it. Drive cars. One more time."

Daddy: "Drew, can you say anything?," referring to Drew's wonderful use of vocabulary while playing the Wii.

Drew: "Anything. Anything..."

Drew and His Sister Playing at COSI

After the holiday, we have been going a bit stir crazy at home, and the mess is still beyond annoying, so I decided to take the kids to COSI today. Despite the fact that it was incredibly busy, we had a very fun day. The Sesame Street Exhibit was awesome, and the morning was enough to wear the kids out for an excellent afternoon nap!

It is amazing to me how much Drew has grown and changed, in so many ways, since our last trip. I'm so excited that we received a membership for Christmas, so now we can go to COSI whenever we want! Enjoy the video!



Drew absolutely loved the rat basketball. He probably could have watched them make baskets all day. Every time the rats would make a basket he would say, "Made it again," or "dunked it" or "see that?" It was awesome!

As a side note, I am loving my new Flip! camera. Thanks to this Mom for recommending it! It is so easy to trim and edit videos, and make a movie. I love it!

Drew Singing On Christmas Day

Our Christmas day was filled with everything wonderful, as we truly enjoyed Drew and his sister as they experienced the magic of the season. This is the first year that they have both really enjoyed waiting on Santa's arrival, and they truly enjoyed opening their presents. (Although Drew felt that he needed to open, put together and play with each toy before opening another.)

The highlight of the day came in the form of a song, sung by Drew, while playing his new piano. It is a moment that will be forever etched in my memory, as time stood still. Everyone paused, a few of us cried, and we all gave thanks for the gift of Drew's hearing.



Two Christmas' ago, I thought this might never be possible. Hearing my little boy sing. I received many, many wonderful gifts today, but none greater than this.

We hope this finds you winding down a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas from our family!