Dance Fever!

We went to a wedding last night and had a really good time. All the cousins were there so the kids really enjoyed being together! We stayed at a local hotel that the reception was held at so the kids could swim and play together and also so mommy and daddy didn't have to worry about driving home :) So like all other wedding dances the music was super loud and I watched Evan really close to be sure it wasn't too much. He actually really loved the music! I took him on the dance floor for awhile and watched in awe as my deaf son danced to the music! It was just another moment of clarity for me that we have made the right choice for him and that he won't miss out on anything! He actually couldn't get enough, because when his sisters were crying, yes crying to go to bed, he wanted back out on the dance floor! We also had the opportunity to answer many questions people had about him and his "ears." I welcome any chance to share the amazing technology of CI's! Alanya also had a very exciting moment...a man from our community was there who also has a CI. I have not had the chance to meet him personally, but knew of him. Alayna seriously drug me over to show me his super ear. She was so happy and thrilled to find someone else with super ears like Evan. So we introduced ourselves and I'm glad Alayna was as excited about his super ears I was! So Evan did have a case of dance fever and I can't wait to see what moves he comes up with as his hearing progresses!

Language explosion!

So I am obviously not very good about updating Evan's blog, but I am however very good at following many other blogs! So for those of you who like to follow us, I am working on improving! Over the last couple of weeks Evan has really begun to makes a variety of new sounds! His Bye Bye is perfect and Mama is sounding really great! Occasionally it comes out more like Mamba and we are focusing on it, but I think Mamba is rather cute! I answer to it, so it works! He vocalizes very well and other words are emerging I just know it! His Uh-oh has finally started to take on a very adorable "O" face, this has been like pulling teeth, but WOW it's finally here! So o-o-o-o is a great sound to finally hear! Not only his verbal communication, but sign as well. Receptively it amazes me how much he understands, but finally he is signing more too. Last Thurs. alone he has 3 new expressive signs...Daddy, Bug, and ball! He also signs more, milk, all done, and dog pretty consistently. I don't sign as much and I know I could, but am ok knowing he is taking in EVERYTHING! He is always listening and watching! Eventually we will be primarily verbal with him, but I want him to have some basics signs for the pool and silent moments. I am just so thankful that he is able to listen and to speak, how amazing is that!

I love to blog hop and have learned so much from other CI mommas out there without them ever knowing it! There are so many great parent advocates and wonderful ideas on the web that take guess work out of activities for CI kiddos. I know I have learned a lot in Evan's 18 months of life and have a lot to learn yet! Here is my most recent find and can't wait to really spend some time digging through it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have already!

Supports our decision!

It always make me feel great to find research to support the decisions we have made for Evan! He was 11 months at activation and this article is encouraging! He is making sooooo much progress! He has associated a consistent sound with bye-bye...it's more like " ah-ah-ah-ah" but does it every time he waves bye bye! His babble has expanded a ton during play time and is now making the buh, buh sound and ma-ma(not for me, just exploring sounds) and has just started to really respond to music more this week! He has started to dance with music and making more consistent sounds with his toys! I will post some video soon!

I had the opportunity to talk to our local Rotary group and hope I helped educate them more on CI's! We have had a lot of people in the community with questions and many who thought maybe he was wearing head phones :) So I jumped at the opportunity to share the amazing facts of CI's and our journey. 20 minutes isn't much time to squeeze it all into, but I think it went very well!

Our visit to Santa!

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We have a tradition of visiting Santa at Heritage Farms in Hudson, IA.

Although it's nearly a two hour drive for us, the kids have found a lot of magic in it every year! This year my Mom was able to go with us and we really had a great time! Valarie is always the most excited to see the horses, Santa is exciting too, but the horses are her thing! There is a barn with a little pin set up in the middle for the kids to climb in and pet various animals. This year there were piglets, bunnies, sheep, a pony, and kittens. They also had a few different dogs in the barn that were very friendly. Evan was intrigued by the cage with the chickens! He was very vocal about them! We also had the opportunity to ride horses, as I said Valarie's FAVORITE thing! She wanted to ride the Clydesdale, but I encouraged her to ride the much smaller one! It is always a challenge to persuade her to get down! Riding in the sleigh is always so fun for the kids! They have beautiful horses pulling the sleighs through the field and through the trees to the cabin to see Santa! On the way back this year Valarie was brave and rode on a sled pulled behind the sleigh! She was so very proud of herself! Evan was very observant the entire time, a little unsure of the entire thing, but he took it all in! The visit with Santa was scary for Evan! He is at the age that strangers are not so great and one with a red suit and beard is way off the stranger danger metor! So of course he cried and we took a tearful picture and then he was fine. Grandma Wendy took him by Santa later and he did actually touch his beard and check him out as long as Grandma was holding him. Then it was out to check out the snow! He was not a snow lover either! He tolerated it long enough for a quick picture yet again and then back into mommy's arms! The girls loved every minute of everything! The sleds on the snow hills were a blast and having Grandma with was a treat! The kids also loved playing on the swings in the hay loft! As we finished up the trip we were surprised to find presents in each car seat for the kids when we returned! Each one of the girls got a new movie and Evan got a new little tractor. How did Santa know what movies they wanted and that the tractor have to be red at our house they asked...well Santa just knows these things! So the tractor brought the first smile out of Evan for the trip and we headed home. There were a lot of opportunities for listening and learning! Animals sounds, sleigh bells, and of course Santa's "HO, HO, HO!" Christmas is so much fun!

We are not alone...Today show showcases a CI Family

This is a great story that showcases a great example of the miracle of cochlear implants. This mom of these three beautiful children is a member of a fb group I am a member of. It's so exciting to see that these wonderful people I have reached out to and read posts to and about are actual people that I can learn so much from. Our journey has just begun and it's so reassuring to know that we are not alone, there are so many families going through the same thing that we are on a daily basis! The CI kiddos this showcases have a genetic loss, Evan's cause is undermined and probably will remain that way. Occasionally hearing loss just happens, but it's such a small part of who he is and who he will become that I can't imagine him any other way! Take the time to check out this wonderful story!

Mapping went great...now working on more speech!

So our last mapping appointment went wonderfully! Evan was a trooper as normal and responded well to sound as they set each processor. For most of the session he played and hummed along with the beeps, but by the end, he had had ENOUGH! It was nap time and so the last few minutes he really could have cared less what we were doing! For a 1 yr old I am amazed at how well he really does do! It actually worked out great, because eletrophisiology was next, perfect nap time~ he slept through the entire appt. and then we were done! Unfortunantely his speech appointment was cancelled at the last minute, so hopefully it will get rescheduled for next time!

After some research and deliberation, we decided to get Evan referred for some additional speech services. For you parents who have been through this already, you know how hard this can be!

We are not located near a school for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, but we do have great Area Education Resources and distance learning courses available through various schools. So I have signed up for the John Tracy School Distance Learning program and also have started our path towards additional support services through our local outpatient hospital services. Evan's TOD is amazing and will continue to work with him weekly...His AEA speech pathologist is also good with him and has been able to commit to twice a month! We will take as much as we can get, but after some digging and suggestions from his CI team, we had his evaluation for weekly speech as outpatient service in Mason City as well. Although it's a jaunt, it's so worth it! His speech therapist there is Wendy and seemed very excited to work with him. She supported the importance of early intervention and early speech development! I am excited to work with her and to watch Evan as he continues to progress!

I know as parents, Rich and I are his primary educators, but I am not trained to do his therapy! I will do all of our homework, play, and be the best advocate I can be! I vow to be the best mommy I can and seek out as many resources that I can to benefit him! I am really eager to continue this journey, and watch my Deaf baby learn to listen and eventually Speak!