I have some cute stories to share today.
I was reading the 'Voices' magazine the other day and left it on my bed. Yesterday, Kevin came running down the hallway all excited and pointed to the picture on the front and said, 'Look, Mom! She has a cochlear implant just like me!'. He was so excited to see that in a magazine and he wanted to see everyone with an implant throughout the magazine. It really made me realize that it is so important for us to have pictures of other people with an implant throughout the house. Whether it be books, magazines, or other CI friends, Kevin needs to see that there are other people having fun who wear an implant. I guess I never realized that he would take notice of something like that so young.
Also, on the drive home tonight from my parents, it was dark and we were just having a typical conversation. We must have been talking about how dark it was and how late it was and Kevin told me that, 'I wear cochlear implants and I have lights on my ears. Maybe I can help you see the road, Mommy'. He wanted to use the red blinking lights on his processors to help me see the road! He and his brother proceeded to have a conversation about why this would work and why not. My 4.5 year old, of course, was right with his argument, but I have to say that Kevin, at 2.5, gave pretty good arguments for his case. Most importantly, though, was the completely normal conversation they had as two brothers riding home in the car. This is something that at one point in my life, would never happen. It is hard to believe that in such a short time, things are basically where they would be if Kevin was born hearing...
I just had to share these stories because they put a smile on my face!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
It has been a while since I posted, so I thought I would give a status update on Kevin's progress.
The other night I was awaken by Kevin stirring and talking. I went to his room thinking he needed me, only to find him sound asleep. I stayed in his room to make sure he wasn't going to wake up and sure enough, he started talking again! I realized that my deaf son talks in his sleep! It isn't all gibberish, it is actually English that he is saying. I found that to be completely amazing! To me, that signifies that while he is deaf, he is functioning as a hearing child and he has assimilated to this new world we created for him beautifully. I told you he is NEVER quiet... now it is really true! He even talks in his sleep!!!
His progress is coming along really well. He has always had trouble with 's' and 'f', but he says those on the end of words almost all the time. That means that he says plurals really well. His middle 's' and 'f' is coming along nicely too. The initial ones are still really hard for him, but if I stop him and correct him, he can do it. Actually, I have started acting like I don't know what he is talking about and he self corrects himself. For instance, he'll say 'do you ee that'? I'll respond with 'hmmm, what is ee? I don't know how to ee.' He'll then smile and say, 'do you s-ee that'? So, it is coming. His blend words are easier for him, like star, stop, etc.
The exciting news is his tongue movement! He can now move his tongue all the way to the left, right, and down. He still can't raise it up, but I am assuming that will come next. We have been working a lot on oral motor therapy hoping that will correct his articulation and it seems to be working.
Artic aside, his language is amazing! He seems to have full grasp of the English language (for a 2.5 year old) and says very complex sentences. I still think that he focuses so much on what to say because he has soooo much to say and so he gets lazy with some sounds. He is making huge progress all the time, though, so I'm sure it will all fall into place soon. He took another artic test yesterday, so I am anxious to see the results. I know he made a lot of progress since his last one 6 months ago...
The other night I was awaken by Kevin stirring and talking. I went to his room thinking he needed me, only to find him sound asleep. I stayed in his room to make sure he wasn't going to wake up and sure enough, he started talking again! I realized that my deaf son talks in his sleep! It isn't all gibberish, it is actually English that he is saying. I found that to be completely amazing! To me, that signifies that while he is deaf, he is functioning as a hearing child and he has assimilated to this new world we created for him beautifully. I told you he is NEVER quiet... now it is really true! He even talks in his sleep!!!
His progress is coming along really well. He has always had trouble with 's' and 'f', but he says those on the end of words almost all the time. That means that he says plurals really well. His middle 's' and 'f' is coming along nicely too. The initial ones are still really hard for him, but if I stop him and correct him, he can do it. Actually, I have started acting like I don't know what he is talking about and he self corrects himself. For instance, he'll say 'do you ee that'? I'll respond with 'hmmm, what is ee? I don't know how to ee.' He'll then smile and say, 'do you s-ee that'? So, it is coming. His blend words are easier for him, like star, stop, etc.
The exciting news is his tongue movement! He can now move his tongue all the way to the left, right, and down. He still can't raise it up, but I am assuming that will come next. We have been working a lot on oral motor therapy hoping that will correct his articulation and it seems to be working.
Artic aside, his language is amazing! He seems to have full grasp of the English language (for a 2.5 year old) and says very complex sentences. I still think that he focuses so much on what to say because he has soooo much to say and so he gets lazy with some sounds. He is making huge progress all the time, though, so I'm sure it will all fall into place soon. He took another artic test yesterday, so I am anxious to see the results. I know he made a lot of progress since his last one 6 months ago...
Monday, December 22, 2008
K sound is here!!!
Yea, just in time for a great Christmas present for us, Kevin can say 'k'! He actually can say his name if he really concentrates and thinks about, otherwise it still sounds like 'Devin'. The ending 'k' sound is coming pretty easily now. He says things like 'lock', 'book', etc with complete ease. It is strange how all of a sudden, just one day he can now say 'k'. Has he been holding out on me just so I would get a nice Christmas present? :) I have noticed that his tongue is moving a lot more now. He has some oral-motor issues and we have been working on his tongue movement a lot in therapy, and I guess it is starting to pay off.
What fun that my boy can now officially say his name!!! Now for our last name.... well that will be a while! Talk about a HARD name for a deaf child!!!
What fun that my boy can now officially say his name!!! Now for our last name.... well that will be a while! Talk about a HARD name for a deaf child!!!
Monday, December 15, 2008
new sounds and Happy Holidays!
Wow, what a difference a year or two makes in someone's life! 2 years ago, we had recently found out about Kevin's deafness and were going through the CI evaluation process. I remember Dec. 23 clearly... that is when Dr. Roberson walked in the room and said Kevin had 'a date with hardware'. He meant that all checked out well with Kevin's anatomy and that his surgery would be scheduled for a few weeks later! That Christmas was filled with sorrow, anticipation, and worry about Kevin and the whole unknown.
Last year, Kevin was well on his road with his CI and was a little over 18 months old and talking like an 18 month old. We did have that bump in the road when Kevin fell in October and knocked the internal magnet out and he had to have another surgery to fix that. That was a month of unexpected drama, but a blip in the road in the long run. He was doing great, but 18 month olds still don't really 'talk' like a person yet. I felt no more sorrow, but still had anticipation about him really talking, and, of course, worry about Kevin and the whole unknown.
Ahhh, this year! This year has been pure bliss with respect to Kevin's CIs. He is now talking like a regular natural hearing 2.5 year old and won't ever be quiet! He is processing information and returning thoughtful answers to questions, not just regurgitating words. In other words, he is REALLY talking!!! It has been so much fun watching him learn new sounds and new vocabulary. So, now I don't have any sorrow, no anticipation about him talking, but of course, I still have worry because I am a Mother and I think I always will. Part of the job description of being a Mom is being able to worry for your children because they shouldn't be burdened with that.
On to the new sound... Kevin can finally say 'G'. He says it very good at the end of words (pig, dog, hug) but just today started a word with a G sound. He said 'goat'. Up until now it was 'doat', but now he has 'goat'! Yea!!!! Now, the only sound that he hasn't really mastered is 'k'. Ironically, his name starts with that, but it will make it that much sweeter when he finally gets it! He can say it in isolation, just not in words yet.
I know that many more fun times await us in the next year!
Happy Holidays!!!
Last year, Kevin was well on his road with his CI and was a little over 18 months old and talking like an 18 month old. We did have that bump in the road when Kevin fell in October and knocked the internal magnet out and he had to have another surgery to fix that. That was a month of unexpected drama, but a blip in the road in the long run. He was doing great, but 18 month olds still don't really 'talk' like a person yet. I felt no more sorrow, but still had anticipation about him really talking, and, of course, worry about Kevin and the whole unknown.
Ahhh, this year! This year has been pure bliss with respect to Kevin's CIs. He is now talking like a regular natural hearing 2.5 year old and won't ever be quiet! He is processing information and returning thoughtful answers to questions, not just regurgitating words. In other words, he is REALLY talking!!! It has been so much fun watching him learn new sounds and new vocabulary. So, now I don't have any sorrow, no anticipation about him talking, but of course, I still have worry because I am a Mother and I think I always will. Part of the job description of being a Mom is being able to worry for your children because they shouldn't be burdened with that.
On to the new sound... Kevin can finally say 'G'. He says it very good at the end of words (pig, dog, hug) but just today started a word with a G sound. He said 'goat'. Up until now it was 'doat', but now he has 'goat'! Yea!!!! Now, the only sound that he hasn't really mastered is 'k'. Ironically, his name starts with that, but it will make it that much sweeter when he finally gets it! He can say it in isolation, just not in words yet.
I know that many more fun times await us in the next year!
Happy Holidays!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
My real name
Kevin has called me Mommy for about a year now. I would expect him to call me this (or at least, Mom) for the rest of my life. Yesterday, he was taking a shower with his Dad and wanted to get my attention and said, "Kristen, please get me my boat". I thought I was going to split a seam! I didn't even know he knew my real name, and he said it without even being able to hear (in the shower)! He has said it various times today, and I know it is a phase and he is testing out the sound of my real name, but I think it is one of the funniest things I have heard him say.
Kevin has quite the personality! He already is starting to crack his own jokes. His favorite is when we are all sitting around the dinner table and he says something that he knows is a joke (for a 2 year old) and gets this big grin on his face. Watch out teachers.... he will keep you on your toes!!!
Kevin has quite the personality! He already is starting to crack his own jokes. His favorite is when we are all sitting around the dinner table and he says something that he knows is a joke (for a 2 year old) and gets this big grin on his face. Watch out teachers.... he will keep you on your toes!!!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Happy Birthday Mommy
My birthday was last weekend and I captured the boys singing Happy Birthday to me. I love how Kevin is just a few seconds delayed in singing, but it also shows what a great language model his older brother is! Enjoy...
Monday, November 3, 2008
You're not listening!
Today I realized that Kevin has been listening to me all along, even when I don't think he is. I think all of his training, both formal speech therapy and informal family training, has paid off with Kevin's ability to really listen. Remember, listening is very different than hearing. We all know that we can hear something, but not really listen it, and therefore not process it. When we are in noisy situations, I often tell Kevin to 'listen to me' or 'you're not listening' if that is what is going on. I guess I have said that enough to Kevin. Today, we were playing play-doh and I was zoning and staring off in space thinking of all the things I had to get done that day, and Kevin said something to me about looking at his sculpture. The next thing I heard was, 'Mom, you're not listening'. I had to try hard not to laugh because the way he said it was just like I say it! I guess we all just hear sometimes, deaf or hearing, but don't listen!
On a side note, one of Kevin's new words that he picked up incidentally is weird. I was telling him that his old therapist was going to be a party and he said, 'that's weird'. He had the right context and everything! It's so nice to hear him really start to use incidental language like that!
On a side note, one of Kevin's new words that he picked up incidentally is weird. I was telling him that his old therapist was going to be a party and he said, 'that's weird'. He had the right context and everything! It's so nice to hear him really start to use incidental language like that!
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