First Night...AND ACTIVATION SCHEDULED!

We put Christian down last night around 7:30pm, after we gave him his Tylenol with Codine. Chuck and I planned to check on him every couple of hours or so, as we really wanted to make sure that he kept his dressing on. The little man, slept straight through the night, and he woke up around 6:30am. He was in such a good mood, and ate a pretty decent size breakfast.

Can I just say how happy I am that he isn't tugging on his bandages? I thought we would have major issues with that, but he doesn't seem too interested. I am trying to figure out how we are going to get away without giving this kid a real bath for a week. He is such a boy, and we usually give him a nice long bath every night. He gets so grimy, food in his hair, grass stains on his knees, and dirt on his face. Once we take his dressing off tomorrow, we can give him a sponge bath. Should be interesting...

We got a call from The Listening Center this morning and ACTIVATION DAY IS SCHEDULED!!! We're going in on May 27th!!! For everyone who isn't too familiar with this process, after surgery, the patient waits 4-6 weeks before the implant is actually turned on. We have a series of 4 appointments starting on May 27th, where Christian's implant will be activated, and then programmed.

I've had some friends ask us exactly what Christian will hear once he is activated. It's hard to say, and we just don't know. However, one of my favorite Moms on the Web posted this VERY helpful link on her blog that has a great simulation of what CI users hear. Please stop by her blog and check it out. She has been such a great resource for our family during our journey!

I think it's VERY important to reiterate at this point that Christian's Cochlear Implant is not a "cure" for his deafness. He will always be Deaf. He will have to take his processor off when he takes baths, goes swimming, runs in the sprinkler, and when he sleeps. He will never hear like a "normal" person. However, we hope that his CI will help him hear BETTER than just with his aids alone.

Some of our friends have asked us if we are still going to sign with Christian. The answer right now is ABSOLUTELY. There are going to be so many times when all of us will have to interact with him with his processor off. In fact, we're relying more on our signs with him RIGHT NOW than anything. As we wait for activation day to come, he only has one usable ear. His left ear only hears 40db aided....don't give up signing with him. HE NEEDS IT RIGHT NOW.

Today is a PJ day for our family. We're not going anywhere. We had a late breakfast, and Christian is playing with puzzles at the moment. I have a feeling we're in for lots of naps and cuddles today.

More later...