A Channel

Proud Moment for Maman

BigAL

BigAL

Al's progress with hearing (cochlear implants)

I was at Canadian Tire earlier this week and was pushing Alex in a cart. As we were walking down an aisle, I stopped in front of a huge framed mirror so Al could look at his reflection. I stood there staring at my son's reflection and had a major realisation that he is no longer a baby. His legs dangled off the seat and seemed to go forever ending at his shoes which were laced up and seemed so grown up. I've been told by some that Alex is really developing a personality in the last couple months and as I observed his silly faces he was giving himself I realized it too.

On a hearing note, Alex misses his ears when they are not on. Since we don't have the magnet screwed in very tight, the coils often fall off, especially when Alex takes a spill, knocks his head or accidentally catches them with his hands. Whenever they do fall off, he comes running to an adult immediately to have them re-attached. He also covers his ears (the real ears) with his hands and then turns his palm upward to say: No hearing?

He is vocalising a lot, much of the time the same sounds. As you see in the video, he points to stickers on the wall and vocalises because he knows there is a sound associated with them, he just hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. What's awesome is you also hear him say bye to his dad while he is on the tractor. And yes, I did falls on my bum while taping and at the end of the video he did run me over...good times!

Progression

"Bye, bye, bye" as Alex waves his hand in the air. I am officially declaring that Alex's first word is "bye". He does not pronounce it exactly perfect, but it is very close. Also, he knows what it means and he knows he is saying it and repeating after other say it so therefore IT COUNTS haha!
He is trying so hard to imitate sounds, especially lately. We still have not heard many vowel/consonant combinations from him other then "ma ma ma", "ba ba ba" and "ra ra ra" but at least those are present. The best sound in the world is hearing him babble almost like he wants to converse with us.
The other night my husband and I are playing cars with Alex and we are doing the fire truck sound. "weee oouuu weeee oouuu" and although he could not do it perfectly, the intonation was exactly perfect. He had the right timing and it surprised my husband and I so much and when we began to praise Alex he seemed almost proud of himself!

My husband is not often home in the evenings but yesterday he had a day off. While getting Alex ready for bed Mich read to him the story of Pinocchio (in french since that is the language Alex will be speaking first) and Alex pointed at the pages at first and vocalised a bit. He really seemed to enjoy it. I have read to him before and he never even paid 10 seconds of attention but yesterday was different. It was really encouraging to see him interact with his daddy's story.

The teachers in daycare say Alex is even doing some gestures with the songs and follows really well. He seems happy with his ears. He no longer takes them off and chucks them to the ground when he is upset, he has fallen asleep with them on whereas before he would take them off when he was tired.

I'm impatient for the what the future brings but looking at Alex now, he is growing too fast and I keep having to remind myself to cherish these times and to quit thinking ahead. Look how he has grown!

Alex Is Practicing His Listening Skills

Great listening skills are being developped. You can tell by his behaviours and reactions..good boy!

This video is overdue! It was about a month ago. It is a few examples of some of the sounds our guy is making. Not bad concidering he was almost completely mute at 10 months old. Love him!

One Month Later

I am such a slacker. I have so many videos to post and great things to say about Al's progress but I can't seem to find the time to get online and post when I have other things creeping up my to-do list. Even today, I need to be working on my report cards. Going back to work has been a whirlwind for sure. Every second Alex is awake and I'm not at work I try and spend with him, it turns out to be like 3 hours in the evening and maybe 1 in the morning. It's not enough! I miss him terribly and he misses me to since he is starting cry when we part (either because of daycare or my mom picking him up). But back to his progress....

Al is trying hard to replicate noises, he growls, he moos, he saps when giving kisses, he flicks his tongue and makes galloping noises for his horse he is babbling mamammam and I herd just a few times bababa. He loves music and dances when I turn on the radio, he points to himself when I ask him "Where's Alex", he startles when the dog barks, he hates when the dog growls and comes to bury his head under my neck, he points to the side of his face next to his ears when he hears the train going by near our house and whenever he hears a new noise.

We haven't had any problems with his processor (knock on wood), all his caregivers are super supportive and we even have a resource teacher appointed to him some of the time while he is in daycare. Stay tuned for videos as proof of all of these miracles.

Monkey See...Monkey Do!

I need to charge the batteries on my video camera and seriously start recording these things. First, Alex is producing some great new sounds. He learned that a dinosaur or a lion makes a roaring sound. He roars really well. Second, last night Al was eating dinner he blurted out a "ah" sound repeating after me. When I feed him I open my mouth wide and say " ah ah ah" three times. This morning while eating breakfast, Alex actually repeated after me, three times "ah ah ah" multiple times. He is so good at taking turns too. Also, after showing him his picture with Santa (taken last night) I would say to him "ho ho ho" he couldn't actually say that but he did hum under his breath three quick hums. Amazing how there is now proof of Al's hearing finally coming out of his mouth and not just with his expressions and behaviors.
Can't wait for Christmas break with him (2 whole weeks). Looking forward to working hard with hearing and more AVT goals!
Finally, Alex loved going to see Santa, didn't play shy and sat on his lap like a charmer while the photographer only shot two pics before getting this one!

Routine Change Up

Well I've officially been back to work for a week and two days. Alex has spent three days so far in the daycare at my school and he absolutely loves it! It's somewhat sad that he is not even a little upset to see him mommy leaving...well sad for me at least! It's much harder on me then on him since he adapts so well and is so social already!
New developments with his hearing have come up some good some not so good. First, he has on a few occasions pointed at himself when asked the question "who is Alex and where is Alex?". He is no fool though since he immediately starts pointing at himself first thing in the morning when I put on his ears he tries to trick me into thinking he is answering the question before it is even asked. But, like I said a few times he has done it. Also, he is letting me know when he hears new sounds more and more often. Today I began banging his spoon on his bowl of oatmeal (not sure why I did that) and he would point to his left ears indicating "I heard that".
Unfortunately, more then ever it has been a battle with Alex to keep his ears on. He takes them off often during the day, it used to be when he was tired but I'm fearing now there is another reason I can't put my finger on. All of his caregivers are committed like us to having him wear them 100% of waking hours of the day. We just need to keep him distracted I guess!
AVT tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it very much.

He is close!

Alex is very close to beginning to imitate sounds. Thus far, he is very good at taking turns when we play with sound. For example, I will make the sound of a car driving by while playing with one of his toy cars (his favorite toys) and he will then take his turn and begin humming, not at all the same noise but serious attempts.
He copies a clicking noise we make with our tongue and the "mouah" from a kiss.
He began days care this week since mommy is back at work. He is also with secondary caregivers some of the week (my mother and mother-in-law) and he is adjusting so well to the routine. I am definitely having a harder time with it then he is.
All in all, I just wanted to mention he is so much more vocal compared to a month ago!

Back to Working Life

Back to work tomorrow after 1 year, 1 month and 2 weeks. 'Nough said...

ALEX!!!

Alex constantly attempts to go for the dogs food bowls. I am constantly saying his name out loud to get his attention and tell him "no". Lately, every time I call his name he's been looking up and looks at me. It's amazing to think he knows I'm calling to him.

Today he did great at his Auditory Verbal Therapy session. We actually think he is trying to imitate the sounds we make. It's actually really cute, his mouth open and closes in the right motions but nothing comes out. He can actually imitate a clicking noise. I hope to get it on video soon.

In the video, you see him bobble his head around...that's him dancing to the music. He's been doing this for about a week or two.

What's Been Going On?

I haven't posted anything in so long. I've actually been feeling guilty about this. The truth is, and as hard as it is to admit this, I actually have been a little let-down lately. Not about Alex of course, he is growing and he is obviously the happiest baby ever but, I think I'm just waiting for my little boy to one day, start babbling and I'm assuming this will happen soon just out of the blue. Part of the reason is I am going back to work in 1 week! I desperately want to be around when he starts babbling vowel/consonant combination but I have to come to realise I won't be. Realistically, he is only 1 month old (hearing wise).

Any parent of a child in our shoes can surely understand the dynamics of this situation. I feel I've worked, worked non-stop for an entire year to bring Alex to this point...all worth it of course however, I just wish I could reap the benefits of his hearing more then the 3 hours a day and on weekends my future holds. In a perfect world I guess.

The start of this week will be filled with brainstorming, planing, executing my return to teaching grade 5 and 6, all along, reminiscing about my past year off with Alex. The year was amazing, probably very comparable to any new mother except:  finding out your child is deaf, driving your child to dozens of testing appointments, doctors appointment, getting the run-around from a hand full of people/paper work that needed to be done, more driving (far distances) to more appointments, a surgery and three days in a hospital comforting your baby, follow-up appointments, mourning what you thought you lost, accepting what you now have, adopting a new way of parenting, a new way of life all together on top of every First Year baby experiences. This has no doubt moulded me into a much stronger person, a person who really sees The Big Picture compared to all the shallow petty things she did before. Thinking right now of everything that happened...just too much to even type, and it all makes me feel exhausted and triumphant all at the same time.
Alex, I love you, I want all the best for you and I promise you, despite the bumps in the road, your happiness comes first! xoxo

Likes and Dislikes

I feel lately I have had nothing to post about until today. I have honestly been just spending time with Alex hoping he will start babbling or do something different with his hearing that will catch my attention. Today, it became clear Alex is developing his opinions on what sounds he likes and dislikes.
As per the video below, Alex really loves when I make the noise of filling up his tractor with pretend gasoline. Smiling to a sound is something that is brand new to him and is really showing me he hears well and can make his own judgments.
Also, he is starting to dislike certain noises. For example, I was using a staple gun to staple material over a frame I had made. Alex immediately tried to flee...too cute! When my mother took him in a different room then me, even though he couldn't see me, he could still hear the staples being pushed vigorously outward and he sat there looking around and began to become really needy with my mom searching comfort.
Other sounds he is not a fan of: the ATV being revved, the air compressor pumping air into the tank and that darn Sock Monkey Jack in the Box music he still hates haha.

Alex is Dancing

Alex received many great presents for his 1st birthday, most of which play music and sing songs. I began dancing around and bobbing my head every time he would press a button making the music go off a long time ago but more vigorously lately. My hope was that Alex would catch on and dance along with me and eventually start dancing by himself whenever he herd music. That day has come.

Today, Alex was playing with a new toy from his Auntie Caroline that sings songs with vocabulary words and while he was pressing the buttons by himself, without me in sight, he began bobbing his head back and forth to the music.

Another amazing proof he is hearing because first, I was not in his sight therefore, not mimicking anything. Second, he repeated the dancing multiple times.
What a great day!

Al's First Birthday Party!

I have so much to blog about right now. Besides the fact that I am exhausted from the party and the day, I'm experiencing a huge high from being so happy.

Today was Al's first birthday party and overall, it was an amazing day. Alex showed off his listening skills today more then he has ever before. Today, while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to my little boy, I was holding back tears of utter joy and relief. We reached this milestone, finally, and oh boy, is it ever worth it.

The first amazing moment I always want to remember is thanks to a gift from Al's Aunt and Uncle. The gift Alex got a Sock Monkey Jack in the Box. To put lightly, the J-in-th-B was not well received. The first time it popped out, it scared the poop out of him. It was the combination of the slow J-in-the-B song winding down and the straggly sock monkey jumping out so quickly...how could ya not be a little "surprised". Anyway, where the hearing comes in to play was later while Al was playing with other toys, a guest began to wind the crank thus beginning the familiar music. It was amazing, Alex immediately stopped playing with his other toy, looked round suspiciously until he layed eyes on the J-in-the-B and began to crawl away. A frightening moment for him was a wonderful moment for me.

A second moment was when all our guests had left and Al, his grandma Hill and I were playing with his new garage/service station. We showed Alex how to put gas into his tractor and when he put the gas nozzle to an opening in his toy tractor, my mother and I would make a filling up noise "tttttssssssshhhhhhhhh". He learned quickly what noise would happen when he put the nozzle into to hole. He smiled and laughed and became very excited because of the noise, I know because we made sure to hide facial expressions and not make any gestures. So fun to play when sound is involved!

The third moment of the night was right before I got Al ready for bed. I was letting him toss around some Halloween candy bars and he discover a smarties box (the only one in the bowl) and began to shake it like a rattle. Based on the video bellow, it is apparent Alex knew that that particular box made that particular noise when shaken. His eyes reveal so much! Again, what a great day and a big THANKS to all who shared it with us.

Pumkin Patch

The other day, Mich and I brought Alex to Howell's Pumpkin Farm. Right out of the car we put Alex's ears on him and let him hear all the new sounds of the day. The funniest was a chicken coop filled with electronic singing and talking hens. Alex looked at them and took off his ears as soon as they began singing! After putting them back on he got used to the noise and looked at them very curiously, looked over at his father and then me and smiled since we seemed to approve of the whole thing! Alex has always been very intuitive and bases his opinions and feeling on his dad's and my reactions.

I think he loved the whole day! I know I did!

Side note, something that is sticking with me lately is a comment made by a passerby who was dinning at the same restaurant as us a few days ago. As this lady was leaving, she stopped to compliment Alex, saying "He is absolutely adorable". As I was thanking her she kept on by saying "No seriously, I have seventeen grandchildren but there's something about him...he is special!" and she walked away smiling at Alex. One day I want Alex to read this, and not to inflate his ego but I want him to know what a cutie charmer he was as a baby!

Ten Days In!

Alex is more happy then ever. I really think this kids loves to hear for the most part. He is so active and a few time he has actually stopped to look around for sound (like the doorbell) and hearing everyday things really encourages him to do more and more every day. As you see in the video above, he is crazy excited running and playing with his ears on.

As all of us get tired of certain things sometimes, well it's no exception for Al's hearing. Sometimes when background noise is really loud or when he is tired and it's approaching nap time, he will just pull off his processors (ears lol) and hand them right over to me one after the other. I know if he could talk he would say "Mommy, I'd like some quiet now please".

Alex's first birthday is coming up, I am busy getting things ready on top of dealing with day to day occurrences. I don't think I have ever been so stressed out in my life, for reasons I will not bore anyone with. But seriously, what get me smiling every time and what makes me forget about all the petty details is ALEX! The kids just knows how to change my mood and he is such a silly monster I can't help but laugh, play, talk and sing with him non stop. For every mother out there, we are just so lucky, let's take the most advantage of our kids, stepping back and remembering the little things they do to make us laugh.

Seventy Percent!

We returned yesterday (October 19th) to Sick Kids so Gina could reprogram his processors. We got to here each pitch that each individual electrode makes and it reminded me of a piano scale. This technology (Nucleus 5) never ceases to amaze me.
Once again, Alex is responding well to beeps and now he is even beginning to show us with his behaviour that he is hearing certain things in his environment. We changed the program in his processors today so he would be at 70% of his hearing.
We also had our first AVT (Auditory Verbal Therapy) session since Al could hear. It went great. Angelina, our therapist would say how smart she thought Alex was when he would concentrate so hard on fitting a heart shaped block into its proper opening. Alex is really smart and figures things out fast. A way he lets us know he hears is that he always looks up at his daddy. He would stop playing and look up thinking it was him or something. When he herd the drum beating behind his head he immediately turned to his dad and made us all laugh.
Near bedtime, Alex was just plain tired of wearing his "ears". He would take one off and right away crawl to me to place it in my hand. It's cool how he knows it's not a toy...again, he is so smart and intuitive. Also, since the program was turned up he is beginning to startle at certain sounds. I was banging his dessert dish against the table and he would blink every time. Crazy! Not even a week ago he was just experiencing sound for the first time and now he is blinking because of it and looking at daddy. I can just imaging the kinds of electric transmissions are taking place in his brain...wow...still amazed.