Four Years

We awoke on a beautiful, sunny morning four years ago today, knowing that our son would hear his very first sounds at his cochlear implant activation that day. We knew that the real work would begin that day. We knew that we would be deeply involved in speech and auditory training for the foreseeable future. We knew, no matter what may have crossed our path, that it was the beginning of our sons road to talking and communicating with his family and the world.

What we didn't know four years ago was how remarkably normal our life would become in this short time. That therapy appointments would really become a distant memory, a thing of the past. We didn't know how naturally hearing and speaking would come to him, but it did, and with his cochlear implants he has soared. Four years later our summer is filled with t-ball games where Drew can hear just like his teammates; it's a summer filled with trips to the pool where Drew can hear in the water. It's filled with everything that a little boys life should be filled with.

What we didn't know four years ago was that Drew was clearly born to talk. Happy 4th Hearing Day to our Drew.

Across the Field

Drew attended his first Ohio State football game this weekend! We made the mistake of telling Drew on Wednesday that we had tickets to this weekends game. He was instantly excited, and has been asking each morning if it was time to go to the game. Today, when we opened his bedroom door, he simply said, "Terrelle Pryor?" To which I nodded, and Drew's grin lit up the whole room.

Drew's love for all sports is infections. His love for football is awesome. Drew's Dad and I are really enjoying sharing our love of everything Ohio State with our little boy. Today, we introduced him to "Skull Session", stadium hot dogs, The Best Damn Band in the Land, Carmen Ohio, the Buckeye Bounce and an Ohio State Victory.

Third Hearing Day

We're celebrating tonight! What an amazing three years it has been, full of listening, games, playing and fun. It's been lots and lots of hard work; days spent in hospital offices, with therapists, audiologists and at all day pre-school. Drew's progress has been nothing short of amazing and we're thankful everyday for his gift of hearing. And listening. And speaking. And communication.

We captured a little video of Drew tonight to mark this third hearing anniversary.



Happy Hearing Day Drew! We are so thankful that you are such a happy, loving and hardworking little boy. We are so lucky to be your Mommy and Daddy!

It's Official!

This little guy is...

POTTY TRAINED!

2010 is going to be a great year!

Wow!

I just looked up at that little ticker that tracks the "age" of Drew's hearing and it says 2 years 6 months. Wow! My little guy has been hearing for 2 1/2 years. Two and a half fabulous years of hearing for a little guy that is profoundly deaf.

I don't really remember if I had an exact idea of how this whole "cochlear implant thing" would turn out. I certainly knew that Drew would be able to hear something if we gave him cochlear implants. I certainly knew that Drew would be able to learn to listen over time. I certainly knew that when we chose to implant him we were giving him the best opportunity to learn to talk.

But I don't think, even in my most wild of dreams about Drew's future, that I even envisioned the past 2 1/2 years playing out the way that they have. A little boy that loves his ears. A little boy that communicates all of his needs verbally (and Drew has a lot of needs!). A little boy that tells "Knock, Knock" jokes with his sister. A little boy that sings Christmas Carols with his grandparents. A little boy that hears the church bells ring, the roar of a lion, the "I love you" whispers from me.

I am just so, so thankful. So thankful that Drew's Dad and I made the choices that we did when we learned of Drew's deafness. So thankful for a smart, hardworking little boy that has spent more time in therapy than on a playground. So thankful for the team of professionals that have guided us. So thankful for the technology that has given Drew not only the gift of hearing, but the gift of a lifetime of endless opportunities.

Two and a half years. Wow!

First Trip to the Dentist

Drew had his first dentist appointment this week! We prepared Drew for the appointment by talking a little about what the dentist would do, like count his teeth and brush them, and we told him that he would have to lay in the chair and say "ahhh!" He was really excited to be a "big boy" and go to the dentist like his big sister.



It only helped that we have probably the worlds most fabulous dentist when it comes to working with children. Seriously, he is excellent. He played so much with Drew and was so interactive with him, which is exactly what Drew needs. Drew wanted to know everything the dentist was going to do, and was talking to him throughout the entire appointment, to the point where I had to tell Drew to be quite so the dentist could work on his mouth! The fact that Drew was so open with him was just amazing.

And it didn't hurt that the world's best big sister sat right by Drew's side, talking him through the whole process. I mean, seriously, how cute is this?

The whole time we were there, I just kept thinking how amazing it was that Drew was able to communicate his needs completely by himself. Spit? Check! Drink? Check! Toy from the toy chest? Check! Without his cochlear implants, Drew's Dad and I would have had to do all of the communicating for Drew. Not that that would be bad, or the end of the world, or anything. But how wonderful is it for Drew that he is able to communicate his needs all by himself?

Poo-Poo in the Potty!

Oh, man! I think potty training Drew might be the end of me, but we've finally had success with getting #2 in the potty! (Is that TMI?)

Drew eating pizza at a celebratory outing to Chuck-E-Cheese!

Having successfully trained one little one, and having changed diapers for nearly five years I'm done with changing diapers! (Unfortunately, that statement isn't literal!)

I really don't think potty training is worth it - and won't even work - until the child is truly ready. Pull-ups are a huge waste of money, and in my opinion, just do not work. And the whole idea of "scheduled potty training" is great for the first day or two you try to put your little one in big-boy (or big-girl) underwear, but how long can I actually keep setting a 15 minute timer?

My goal? A child that recognizes that he has to use the potty and then actually gets himself to the potty in time to do his business. Once we see the potential in this area, it's game on! And that finally happened last night! Drew, who was watching the Lion King (his new favorite movie) in the basement, walked up the stairs and pro-claimed, "I'm gonna go pee-pee and poo-poo in the potty!" Then, he walked upstairs, sat on the potty and went! #1 and #2!! Yahoo!

Since this major break-through, Drew's Dad and I have been dealing with full on tantrums from the little guy. He is refusing to wear a diaper! So, off to school he went today in his Spiderman underwear. I can hardly wait to hear the report from today's adventure at school.

Oh, please, God, let this be the end of my diaper changing, potty training days!

Second Hearing Day

Today we celebrated Drew's second hearing day! Two years ago our son's cochlear implants were activated and he heard his very first sounds. To be honest, the day almost passed as usual. Every day life is just so normal, and Drew hears so well, that I sometimes forget what we went through to get to this day. In a way, that is good, but I always want to remember this day, and give thanks to those who have given our son the opportunity to hear, and learn to communicate with his family, friends and community. We are forever grateful.

As a little hearing present, Drew decided to learn how to put his ears back on himself! When they come off now, he'll pause and put the coil back on his own head. It is wonderful! And he gets so excited each time he successfully puts his ear on, and proclaims, "I did it!" He is growing up right before our eyes and it is just so wonderful to see. I am so happy that God chose me to be his Mommy. I am truly blessed.

Please Talk To Me

Last week I took Drew with me to Lowe's to pick up some home & garden equipment at fabulously low prices (can you tell "Pitchmen" is my favorite show this summer)?

On the way there, the boy just wouldn't shut his mouth. Perhaps we should start calling him "Mouth". I don't remember what he was talking about, but he likes to repeat things.

"Dad, I have my ball. It's a golf ball."

"That's great buddy, you have a golf ball."

"Dad, I have a ball. A golf ball."

"I see that Drew, you have a golf ball"

"I have my golf ball."

Now I'm always happy deep down inside whenever he says anything at all, but I wasn't feeling that deep down warm and fuzzy feeling at that point. I was beginning to tune him out.

A few minutes later, I start to realize that he's talking to me. Not about the golf ball. So once I tune in I realize he's a little upset. What's he saying?

"Daddy, PLEASE talk to me! Talk to me DaDa!"

It was wonderful. I might have had a tear. It was another one of those moments that make some of the rough times worth it - a moment where you remember just how special it is that he is able to continually improve his speaking ability, and a time to be so thankful that he can talk and likes to be talked to. Nothing can diminish that feeling!

Except...

"Dad?"

"Yes, Drew?"

"I have a golf ball. It's my golf ball, Dad."

It Came and Went

Yesterday was October 26. Exactly two years after Drew's Hearing Loss diagnosis. Last year the anniversary struck me rather hard, but this year I barely remembered. I guess that is what happens when life is just plain good.

There are still times, even after two years, that I get sad. Mainly only when I think about the fact that it is not fair that Drew's life will be harder in the future as a result of his hearing loss. I worry about him being teased, or that school or the dreaded teenage years will be harder for him than a hearing child. But overall, I am ecstatic with where we find ourselves two years post diagnosis. Who knew that my deaf little boy would be learning to talk and communicate so well?

Some of my favorite, and not so favorite, things Drew has said recently:

• "I'll get it," when referring to his ball that rolled under the TV stand.
• "I don't want it," when referring to his dinner. If dinner is a bunch of carbs, no problem. Any veggies? "I don't want it!"
• "No! Brown shoes!" Letting Mommy know that he doesn't want to wear his tennis shoes.
• "Kiss. All better," as he makes me kiss his legs, arms, head, any body part.
• "Love you, Mommy." It's taken a while, but it melts my heart. I nearly cry every time I hear him say it.
• "Yeah, Baby!" He sounds like Austin Powers when he says this, anytime he is happy about something.

Off and A Little Conversation

There are many times during a day when one (if not both) of Drew's coils fall off through play. Either from falling down, rolling around or running, it is inevitable that coils will fall off, thus leaving Drew with only one ear to hear from or in silence. In the past, we have relied on the little flashing lights on his ear level piece to tell us that Drew is not hearing. I find myself constantly looking at his ears to make sure that everything is working correctly. Now, we have a new way of knowing: Drew!

Drew now tells us when his ear(s) is off. He can even tell which ear is off, as he will bring his hand up to the ear that is off while saying, "off, off." While driving in the car yesterday Drew said, "Mommy." I turned to look at him while saying, "Yes, Drew." He then pointed to his ear and said, "Off." Drew actually knew to get my attention and then tell me that his ear was not working correctly. I found that rather amazing.

At dinner this evening, Drew kept pointing to his left ear while saying, "Off." I kept telling him, "Drew, you ear isn't off," because I could plainly see that the coil was attached to his head. Upon further investigation, the flashing light was off. I found that his processor had indeed turned off and that Drew was not able to hear. I need to learn to listen to him and investigate more thoroughly!

On another note, Drew is having fantastic conversations with us! I feel like he is really understanding what we are saying and he is conversing with us appropriately:

Me: "Drew, please stop pushing your sister."
Drew: Continues pushing her.
Me: "Drew, look at me." [Drew turns his head and looks at me] "Will you please stop pushing your sister?"
Drew: "No."
Me: "Drew, you need to go to timeout."
Drew: While walking toward the timeout chair, "Okay."

And a conversation with his sister:

Drew: [Calling sister's name while running after her]
Drew's Sister: "Drew, do you want the vacuum?"
Drew: Shaking his head, "Esss."
Drew's Sister: [Hands him the vacuum] "There you go, Drew."
Drew: "Thank you."
Drew's Sister: "You're welcome."

The expression of "normal" is often over used and mis-understood. And seriously, what is normal? But I can't help feeling that whatever "normal" is, we're there. Sure, I have to talk to Drew all. the. time. And do "therapy." But I love to talk, so I would talk to him all the time even if he wasn't deaf. It feels natural, not forced and has become part of who I am and who we are as a family.

We're having a lot of fun. Drew is becoming a toddler, exploring the world around him and becoming more and more independent. Drew can have conversations with his sister, his Daddy, his aunts and uncles. Can it get any better? Knowing Drew, I'm sure it will!

He's On the Move!

Drew has captured his balance enough to start walking! He took a couple of steps on New Year's Day, and since then has taken some each day. We caught this tonight:



Usually Drew will just decide to walk instead of crawl, completely unprompted. In order to get him on video I had to give him a little incentive - he was trying to reach his new tool bench.

Last night I was sitting in our playroom with Drew's Sister watching Aladdin while Drew played. I happened to look over to where Drew was playing, just as he decided to walk out of the play house across the room to the play stroller. He took about ten steps. Again today, he was doing much of the same while playing with Daddy. He's making tremendous progress very quickly. And the most exciting thing is that he is choosing to do it on his own.

Make no mistake, crawling is still his prefered method of transportation, but at least he's giving his two feet a try!

What Happened to Mama?

Drew is talking...a lot. But what happened to Mama?!?

Drew has quite the personality. I think he is saying "Dada" on purpose! Every time I ask him to say "Mama" he says "Dada". Actually, my daughter did the exact same thing. She said "ma ma ma ma" first and then went months before she said it again. It looks like Drew is going to follow in his big sisters' footsteps!

It's amazing to watch Drew's development. Not only is he developing his language but he's been working hard on his gross motor skills again this week. He stood on his own a few different times for three to five seconds. We have noticed a drastic improvement in his overall balance in the last week. He has been pulling up on the furniture for quite some time now, but he has always been shaky when standing. In the past week the wobbling is gone. He will also let go of whatever he is holding on to and will lean forward and catch himself on something else. He doesn't have to be holding on at all times anymore. And with walking...tremendous progress.

Did you notice his receptive language at the end? He seemed to understand "backward"! Drew's Dad and I are just amazed with what he understands. We are very proud of all the things our little boy has accomplished.

A Long Over Due Update on Drew

Life with two young children is quite busy these days. Add in a full time job and a lot of family activities and my blogging somehow falls behind. With that I have failed to update all of the exciting things that have been going on with Drew! Here are some things he has been doing over the past few weeks:

• Drew has been concentrating hard on his motor skills and has made tremendous progress in the past week. He can climb the stairs like a champ. He is all business and can get to the top of the stairs in about two seconds flat. He is also starting to walk with his walking toy and does well putting one foot in front of the other. I can not help but notice that he struggles with his balance. I feel that he has some underlying vestibular issues as a result of his hearing loss that are affecting him. I am concerned that he is not yet standing on his own, but I am thrilled with how hard he is working on his motor skills. I spoke to the pediatrician about this at Drew's one year appointment and he did not seem overly concerned about the fact that Drew can not stand on his own. He said that he will reevaluate him at his 15 months appointment and go from there.
• Another area of concern has been Drew's ability to chew solid foods. Whenever he put solids in his mouth he would chew for a little bit and then when the food would get to the back of his throat he would gag and act like he was choking to death. Seriously, it has been very scary at times. In the last week he has begun to really chew up food and swallow it without choking! In fact the last four nights he has eaten some solid food and not had one choking moment. It seems like such a minor thing but it makes life so much easier! When he can chew on a biter biscuit at a restaurant for 30 minutes it makes our dinner much nicer. I think now we will move at a fast pace with him transitioning from jarred baby food to solid table food.
• Drew's babbling is expanding daily. He has added the /s/ sound to his repertoire. He also will try to "moo" like a cow when we work with him on animal sounds. We are working on body parts right now, using baby dolls, Mr. Potato head and ourselves as models of the spacialilty of various body parts, like eyes, ears, mouth, etc. Drew is very interested in mouths and will always touch mine when I am talking to him. I'll be interested to see if this is the first body part he identifies on his own.
• Drew understands the words "up" and "eat". It is very exciting to know that he is actually able to hear and comprehend different concepts. If I ask him, "Drew, do you want up?" he will put his arms in the air and wait to be picked up. I love that Drew has made me learn to appreciate little things like this. I am now practicing little things with him like, "How big is Drew?" and then throwing his arms in the air while saying, "So Big!" He has so much fun with that one.
• Giving kisses is Drew's favorite pass time now and Drew's Dad and I are loving it! I got three kisses (and by kiss I mean he leans in with an open mouth and slobbers all over you!) when he woke from his afternoon nap and Drew's Dad got eight kisses before putting him to bed tonight. Drew does not make the kissing noise while giving the kisses, but he will make it in response to our kissing him.
• Drew received a lot of "learning to listen" toys for his birthday and we are loving all of them! He has a house, barn, trucks, zoo and lots of new books. We use them to practice things like open and close doors, animal sounds, and one step directions like "Put the dog in the car". Drew is very active now and really likes doing these activities (except when he is supposed to do them at therapy! He clams up at all of his therapy appointments.)

Drew continues to amaze us daily with the progress he is making. October 26th will mark the one year anniversary of finding out that Drew is deaf. This month has been hard for me as I reflect back on my emotions during this time last year. I will share more on that later. It's time to watch the Buckeyes vs. the Boilermakers. Go Bucks!

Drew Can Hear The "Ling" Sounds (Video)

Drew is consistently moving through his different "maps" and is doing well. Yesterday we tested his hearing ability by having Drew's Mom sit behind him and make the "Ling Sounds". These sounds are 1) "aaah", 2) "oooh", 3) "eeee", 4) "mmmm", 5) "ssss", and 6) "shhh", and are supposed to represent the sounds that one needs to be able to detect to hear speech properly.

Here is Drew hearing the "Lings":





We were excited to see that Drew clearly responded to most of them and seemed to respond to the others when the sounds were made at close range. We will keep moving farther and farther away to monitor how well he is hearing, but this is a great start!

Bandages Off

Drew's Incision

Sitting Up

Drew's Sister Playing "Piggies"

I took Drew to have his bandages removed today. Dr. Kang removed them fairly quickly and said that Drew is healing nicely. It was a very fast - my kind of appointment.

As a side note, I have to say how thankful I am for Dr. Kang. He has given Drew and our family a gift that we will never be able to repay. Moreover, I think Dr. Kang genuinely cares about Drew's ability to communicate with the hearing world. I love the way that he casually talks with Drew. He will walk into the room and sweep Drew out of my hands and say, "How are you doing today, buddy? Are you ready to hear? We're expecting big things from you, young man!" It is so refreshing to have a doctor that genuinely cares for his patients. We knew from our research that we were working with a very skilled doctor but we got so much more! I am so thankful that he is in Columbus. We are very blessed to have him leading the cochlear implant program here.

I have to imagine that Drew feels a lot better with his bandage off and that his incisions will heal much faster now that they are exposed to some fresh air. The incisions are actually smaller than what I was expecting; I don't know why but I thought they would be larger, but I did. Also, I was amazed at how close the magnet is placed to the incision. And both look to be lined up quite nicely. (For all those that know my type A personality, you had to know I would want both coils lined up perfectly on his little head!)

I included two pictures of Drew sitting up because I am amazed at how much better his balance is since his surgery. Seriously. Amazed. He is actually sitting up! Tonight I had him sitting on the floor for 30 minutes by himself! He was looking around, watching television, chewing on his toys, thoroughly enjoying life. I am 100% convinced that the surgery made his balance better. Also, he is making attempts to crawl like never before, and when he is unsuccessful he gets really upset! My little boy will be crawling around here before too long.

We are so thankful for the way Drew has recovered from this surgery. We thank you for your prayers for Drew.

Now, is it June 28th yet?

Drew Heard Something!

Today we had our monthly parent education meeting through the Regional Infant Hearing Program here in Columbus. I should say bi-monthly in this case, since we were snowed in for our February meeting! Our parent educator had not seen Drew since January, so I think she was really excited to see how much he has grown in the last two months. All of the staff at the AG Bell School is always smitten with our charming little boy and he put on a nice little cooing show for them before our appointment!

Today the teacher and the audiologist decided to put Drew in the "booth," a ritual that I am sure to become accustom to in the coming months and years. This sound booth allows them to test what Drew is able to hear while wearing his hearing aids. They ran the test across different frequencies and decibels. I am happy to report that we saw noticeable reactions (did you notice that was plural?) to different sounds, including a drum at 60db and a set of maracas at 55db! It was so much fun for me to watch him react to the sound - this was the first time that I actually could see a reaction in him. I hope to have many more experiences like today!

The teacher tested some sounds several times to make sure we were really seeing a reaction from Drew. Testing a six-month-old baby is very difficult, so you have to look not only for a reaction (such as turning in the direction of the sound), but also for any change in behavior while the sound is playing or once it is absent. One time Drew reacted by jumping while I was holding him on my lap. Another time, his breathing got really fast, like the sound was stressing him out! Then his breathing slowed when the sound went away! Both the teacher and audiologist were laughing about the idea of putting a child into respiratory distress from a hearing test - that would be a first!

I'm not getting myself too excited about the test today, as this level is still not enough to get Drew's hearing into the speech banana for developing his communication, but it is very encouraging that he is able to detect some sound! And it makes putting the hearing aids in his ears each morning a little more worthwhile. Anything we can do now to stimulate Drew's auditory nerve is only going to help him once he receives his cochlear implants!

It was a beautiful day...the sun was out and it was a reasonably warm day. Spring is almost here. Oh, and Drew heard something!

We Have Laughter!

Drew started laughing today. Drew's Dad and I have suspected for several days that he is laughing while laying in front of his conversation mirror, but we weren't quite sure. Well, Gamma and Uncle Ran-Ran confirmed that Drew was in fact laughing at some rather silly faces Uncle Ran-Ran was making today! It is the cutest laugh you will ever hear. It is as if it comes up from his belly and finally produces sound. What a wonderful sound!

It's pretty amazing to me that he has never heard anyone laugh, but knows how to make the sound. It must be instinctive. Laughter. A beautiful sound.