banana

I haven't posted in a while, but things are going well these days. Each day, Kevin's clarity seems to be improving. He has started some patterns of omitting initial or final sounds, but even that is getting better. Today, we were looking at a book and he saw a picture of a banana and said the word as clear as day! He didn't say 'nana' or 'bana' or anything else he was previously saying, he said 'BANANA'. I made him repeat it about 10 times! To me, this means that his tongue is really starting to work in his mouth. I am very encouraged by this.

Now, if we can only get those 's' sounds when he talks in sentences!!! That will be our next breakthrough..... :)

Talking in bed

I used to comment that my older son (hearing) learned to talk in his crib. He would stay up for a long time just talking and 'reading' to himself after we put him to bed. That is where he would try out different expressions and words. Kevin never did that. I figured that he just thought bedtime was silent time.

Today, however, he figured out that bedtime is a time for talking too! Remember, Kevin can't hear while in his bed, but he has decided to take up talking himself to sleep too. We always leave a few books in his crib and today, while trying to take a nap, I heard him 'reading' Go Dogs Go. He would say, 'Big Dog, Little dog, Go Dog Go, etc'. It was really cute!

I don't know if his auditory memory is getting better or he has just decided to talk to himself in his crib, but either way it is fun to hear. I figure, the more he talks, the more practice he gets, and the better his language skills will be. (not that he needs to talk any more than he already does.....! He is NEVER quiet!)

Anyway, I just had to share how fun it is to hear your deaf child read to himself in bed!

Kevin can hear while swimming!

Kevin swam with his ears on for the first time today! We 'waterproofed' them using the Aloksak bag and a lycra swim cap. Kevin hasn't been interested in using this technique for a while, but I just bought a lycra swim cap today and thought I would give it another try. He initially didn't want it on, but his brother tried on the whole get-up first. Kevin decided that it wasn't so bad and he liked it! He actually heard while swimming!!! I was sooooo excited!

I sang 'motorboat, motorboat' and 'Sally the camel' and played 'marco polo' with him. I never thought I would be able to communicate with him like this while he was swimming. This has now opened up so many doors for Kevin in regards to water activity. It will make our trips to water parks more enjoyable, going to the beach (lake, ocean, etc) easier, and of course, swimming much more fun! Not to mention how much easier his swim lessons will be!!!

I guess I should really enjoy this because I know there will be a time when he doesn't want to look different from everyone else. Being that he is only 2, he doesn't really care right now. Hopefully, by the time he does care, hearing in the water will outweigh his self consciousness about his look.

I don't think I have been this happy about anything related to his cochlear implant since he was activated. This was a breakthrough day!!!

'K' is for Kevin

Well, as luck would have it, we ended up naming our son a hard name for a deaf child. Kevin can't say the sound 'k'. He can't get that back of the throat hard consonant. We should have named him 'Bobby' or something like that which he can say perfectly! Anyway, today, he said the sound 'k' makes. We wasn't able to use it with a word yet, but he could say 'kuh' 'Dedin' for Kevin. (He doesn't put the 'v' in there either, but can say that in isolation too...). Anyway, I was jumping off my chair when he actually said the hard consonant 'k'. Hopefully it will be a matter of time before he can say his name!!!

The oral-motor therapy seems to be working well. His tongue movement is much stronger than it was a few months ago. I am also noticing a big leap in his articulation. This may be just due to his developmental age, but I think the oral-motor therapy is helping.

Hooray for the letter K!

cute expressions

Kevin has started saying some cute expressions, which just puts smiles on my face all day long! He really sounds like an ordinary little kid these days! One of his favorite new words is 'maybe'. I ask a question and he answers, 'Maybe....'. For instance, I ask 'where is Grandma and Grandpa'. He answers, 'maybe they went on an airplane'. or 'maybe they at home'. or 'Maybe they come here'. You get the idea. He says it with this cute little inflection and I just it so sweet!

Another one it 'Oh my goodness'. He sees something out of the ordinary and starts running around saying 'Oh my goodness, oh my goodness'. He almost shouts this one because he is so excited!

The last one is 'all right'. When he doesn't want to do something and he finally 'agrees', he says 'All right' with a little sigh. I know he gets all of these from either his brother or me, and maybe that is why I find them so funny, but I just love hearing him start to say normal everyday expressions. These weren't 'taught' expressions, but rather just ones that he picked up in ordinary conversation. I don't think I will ever NOT be amazed by the way he talks!!!

WALL-E

Kevin saw his first movie today! We took him and his older brother to see WALL-E. He actually managed to sit through the entire movie (while wiggling on my husband's lap) and seemed to enjoy it. He tried to repeat the sounds of all the robots, which I found quite amusing. It was a good thing the theater was pretty empty, because otherwise the people might have been annoyed with him. I, of course, found it amazing that he could make the robotic squiggle voice (I have no idea how to describe it, but if you have seen the movie, then you know what I am talking about.)

Other than that, things are just progressing along here. Kevin has really enjoyed school these past few weeks, which is a huge relief! I am still in his classroom, but he does so well when I am in there that I have no desire to leave and make him all upset again. He is such a good listener and follows the teacher's directions really well. I am quite amazed at how much he does at just 2 years old. I hope this is setting the stage for a good academic career!

7 word sentence

Things have really seemed to 'click' with Kevin this week. His pronounciation is improving and he is creating more sentences without prompting. Yesterday, he told me a 7 word sentence! 'I get Ethan a blue M&M too.' I feel his speech is really starting to improve and just in the last few days too!

He also decided to do some potty training this week all on his own.... hence the m&m's!!! My little boy is growing up!