And the Words Are Coming

It is easy to get impatient waiting for Logan to start saying more words since he is already 19 months old and we spend so much of our day just talking and talking to him.  He has had his implants turned on for 6 months now and, so far, has said a handful of words over the last couple of months.  Jasmine was an early talker so we always try to be careful not to compare him to her, especially because, at nearly 3 years old, she can really talk your head off!

Cochlear implants actually don't restore a person's natural hearing.  Instead, they provide a different way for the brain to access sound. Electrical signals are transmitted into the internal device which stimulates the auditory nerve and sends those signals to the brain for interpretation.  My point in describing this is to explain that the cochlear implants provide a completely different way to access sound, and because of this, when they are first turned on after surgery the recipient's hearing age is 0, like a newborn.  And since Logan's hearing age is 6 months now, we can expect him to make babbling sounds like a 6 month old would (this is the average for children implanted at 1 year), which he does.   

Our goal is for him to 15-20 words by the time he is 2 and to catch up to his hearing peers by the time he is 3.  Based on his progress so far, I think this is a very realistic goal.  Just today he said 3 new words!!!!  He said "flush" (or "ush"), he said "trash" (or "ash") and "yuck" (or "uck").  Andrew said he thinks he also heard him say "sit" to Blackjack.  This coupled with him saying "Jasmine" (or "jah ihn") earlier this week, we are well on our way.  He has already managed to say at least 10 words these last 6 months!  I am just so proud of my little man!

Half a Year of Hearing

I can't believe it's already been 6 months since Logan's ears have been turned on!  He is such a different boy today than he was before he had his implants.  He has always been a happy boy, but he has really seemed to blossom over the last several months. He is such an explorer, always trying to take things apart and put them together again (like his daddy).  He is so independent and likes to feed himself.  He has gotten quite good using his fork and spoon.

Logan is on the go all day long. He is walking very well now, has gotten pretty good outside on uneven terrain and is trying to jump now.  Because he is doing so well, we were able to decrease his physical therapy services down to twice a month.  At this point, it is just practice for him, but his physical therapist will keep him on her service until he can jump, climb stairs, kick a ball and a few other gross motor skills.

If you recall, we also see a teacher from our school district, our advisor from Sunshine Cottage, and a deaf educator and speech therapist from Easter Seals on a weekly basis.  We added the speech therapy a few months ago to help Logan along a little more. We started with a different therapist than we have now but Logan really did not connect with her and most of his session consisted of him crying. So I asked for a different speech therapist about a month ago, but the week we were supposed to have our first session was the week that the flu struck our house.  We finally met her last week and we absolutely loved her.  She is on a whole other level than our first speech therapist and is perfect for Logan's team of teachers.  She came for her second session with Logan today and he immediately smiled and walked over to greet her!  That made me so happy because you can tell when he really connects with his teachers. He always gives hugs out to them and sometimes doesn't even want to come back to me!

As far as Logan's language progression, he is getting more and more words receptively every day!  Today Andrew said "Logan, hug mama" and he immediately looked toward me and came and hugged my leg.  Also, when I tell him "let's go upstairs" he will stop what he is doing and walk to the gate at the bottom of the stairs and wait for me there. He even goes to the door sometimes when I say "it's time to go!" 

Logan has also been babbling and imitating sounds more and more.  His latest attempts to say words have been "bath," "up," "uh-huh" and "on."  And much to Andrew's delight, he has finally mastered "dada!"

It's been a lot of hard work these past six months, and more of it is coming, but I can't wait to hear the payoff when he finally starts talking.

Loving the Love....From Sunshine Cottage

It is easy to tell when Logan's cochlear devices are working properly.  The front of each of his sound processors has an indicator light that blinks green when it is connected and working properly. If there is a problem or the coil is not sitting on his head correctly the light will blink orange.

For the past few weeks we've had intermittent problems with Logan's right side device. At first it would start blinking orange until we removed the coil from his head and repositioned it.  I finally solved this issue when I changed out the cable that goes from the processor to the coil that sits on his head.

I thought all our issues were over until a few days ago. I've made a habit to check the indicator lights throughout the day to make sure everything is working so that he gets as much access to language as possible. Well several times throughout the day I found that the sound processor had powered off.  Each time this happened, I turned it back on and made sure I locked the buttons just in case little fingers were getting to them.

Today I called Logan's awesome audiologist Marci from Sunshine Cottage about the issue and we did some troubleshooting together. She was leaving early to spend the weekend with family in another city and gave me her cell phone number in case I needed anything. She even called to check in with me after she left work.

Everything seemed to be fine until we got home from picking Jasmine up from her preschool. When I got Logan out of the car I noticed his processor was off. When I went to turn it on, nothing happened! I tried for several minutes and still nothing. So I tried a different, fully charged battery and it still didn't turn on. I immediately got out my phone to call Marci to let her know what was going on.  I can't even begin to express how awesome she is and how well she takes care of us.  She immediately called Cochlear Americas to overnight a premapped replacement sound processor. To ensure this could even happen, she had to take all Logan's mapping information with her on her trip.

I am so amazed by the love Logan has received from the wonderful women that work with him. This is just another example of how much they care for him and his success. Marci didn't have to do all this for us. She could have told me that I needed to call Cochlear Americas and work it out with them. But instead she chose to take time while she was off the clock to ensure Logan gets what he needs. She even asked me to let her know as soon as it arrives so that she knows he has it and that it is working properly.  We are so lucky to have these women in our lives and I am thankful for them everyday.

My Early Christmas Gift

Like most children who have not learned to speak yet, Logan has taken to pointing and saying "mmm mmm mmm" toward the object of his desire. Up to this point, he usually uses this gesture when he wants some food, his sippy cup or when he wants a toy that is out of reach.  Today, I was pleasantly surprised when I got him out of his crib when he woke up from his nap.  Since he does not wear his cochlear equipment to sleep, we usually place it on his changing table while he naps.  Well, as soon as I got him out of his crib and he saw his cochlear equipment he made his "I want" gesture. This made me so incredibly happy. It really shows that he understands the difference between when his is wearing his equipment and when he isn't, and that he prefers having it on!

Merry Christmas to me!

Music To My Ears

Logan has had his ears turned on for 4 months as of today. During these months, we've seen Logan's receptive understanding grow so much.  He will point to daddy when asked, he will look at our dog or point at him when we say dog or his name, he knows that he should walk to his booster seat when we tell him it's time to eat, he will turn the page of a book when we ask him to, he will turn the lights on and off and so many other things.

We've been patiently waiting for the words to start to come out, and he has tried to say our dog Blackjack's name a few times. But today was SO WONDERFUL!!!! He said Mama!!!!!! Not just once, but all day long. I think he wanted to make sure I heard it and that I knew he could say it. I am so proud of my little boy. I have been waiting for him to say it for what feels like forever. He used to say it every once in a while before his surgery but had to relearn it. It was music to my ears!  I'm so excited to hear what words he starts to say next.

Thankful

On the eve of Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about how much we have to be thankful for in our family and in regards to our sweet Logan.  We are truly blessed.

In honor of Thanksgiving day, here are some things I am truly thankful for:

1. My two beautiful children.
2. Their laughter.
3. Their hugs and kisses.
4. My sweet husband and his unconditional love.
5. That he has been able to support our family so that I can stay home with the kids.
6. My mom and the support she gives me.
7. My sister and best friend.
8. Newborn hearing screenings.
9. Hearing aid technology. Although they weren't powerful enough for Logan, they helped lay a solid hearing foundation for him in his first year of life.
10. Cochlear implant technology. It is giving my sweet Logan a chance to be part of the hearing world.
11. Early Childhood Intervention services. The women we work with are so invested in the success of our little boy that they are an extended part of our family.
12. That we live in San Antonio and having my family nearby.
13. That wonderful place called Sunshine Cottage.
14. The strides Logan is making in learning to listen and trying to speak.
15. Extended families in other cities and states.
16. That we are able to send Jasmine to a preschool program a few times a week. Not only does it give me time to work with Logan and do all his appointments, but she is learning so much while she is there.
17. That the virus that caused Logan's hearing loss didn't do more damage because it could have been so much worse.  
18. That Logan is practically running now.
19. For good friends.
20. For our home.
21. For good food and conversation.
22. For good coffee.
23. For playtime with the kids.
24. For being able to reach out to other families who have children with hearing loss and offer support and friendship.
25. Conversations with my 2 1/2 year old Jasmine. She really says the funniest things.
26. The kids' afternoon naps.
27. Toddler messes all around the house. 
28. Naptime and bedtime stories with the kids.
29. Quiet time with Andrew at the end of the day.
30. This past year filled with learning and growing

Walk for Hearing 2012

This weekend we drove out to Houston to participate in the Walk for Hearing 5k.  I wanted to get some shirts made for us but I procrastinated and ended up just making simple signs for our wagon.  I wound up being quite happy about this because we were the only team that had signs and there were many with shirts! We even had someone ask to take a picture of the kids in the wagon because she thought it was so cute.

We had a great time during the walk, got to see many other kids and adults with implants, met a very nice woman who is a Cochlear Americas representative, and even took pictures with Kaci the Koala.

After the walk, we headed down to the beach in Galveston to feed the Seagulls some bread.  Jasmine had a blast throwing bread to them, although she kept throwing whole pieces to them.  Logan, on the other hand, was only interested in eating the bread, once the excitement and giggles wore off.

After the beach, we headed to the Houston Aquarium and had a fun time. Logan really enjoyed watching and laughing at the big fish there. It was a long, tiring weekend but it was well worth the trip.