Can you JUST BE QUIET?!

Those are 5 words that I never thought I would say to my profoundly deaf son. But, after a 7.5 hour long car ride down to North Carolina from our home I was just about fried.

In our family, language is always fostered and often rewarded. I know I'm the crazy Mom who has tracked his sentence progression (noting proper use of pronouns, prepositions, negations...the works...), but it's really helped me tackle certain language limitations. Christian is way past the cutesy little babbling. Now it's full on conversations. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being able to sit down and just ask him "What was your favorite part of today?", and he'll start up a 5 minute long narration about how he particularly enjoyed going to camp at Miss Emily's, but didn't like when Lily decided to chew on his arm. I love watching his imagination at work, especially when he just decides to start making up songs about pirates, firetrucks, and donuts. However, after about 3 hours in the car with NONSTOP question asking, conversations, and songs, I needed some peace and quiet. When I asked him to be quiet and to give Mommy and Daddy a break so we could just listen to the radio, he proceeded to tell me "Mommy, you just need to calm down".

Just another Cochlear Implant Miracle...

Big Boy Changes

This summer has been full of transitions for Christian. The biggest being that he has to be patient since Mommy has to share her time between him and his little sister. Last night when I was organizing my scrapbooking gear that I plan on bringing to our beach vacation (what else can I do at night other than drink margaritas on our porch?), I started making a list of all the little things that have changed for Christian since he got out of school the first week of July:

1. NO MORE BINKIE! I know, I know...any SLP will tell me that I was hindering my little guy's development by letting him use a pacifier. However, to my defense, he only used it at night. I was worried about the transition, but his surgery to remove his adenoids helped make it a little smoother. Before he went to bed the first night, we told him that his doctor didn't want him sucking on anything at night because it would make his nose hurt more. He gave me the binkie, and that was that. HOORAY!

2. NO MORE CRIB! All my girlfriends in my neighborhood know what a toss-up this was for me. We wanted to keep Christian in the crib as long as possible, mostly due to the fact that I didn't want to deal with newborn sleep issues from Lily, while also trying to help Christian transition into his new bed. Well, a couple of overnight trips helped make that transition easier. He sleeps on his air mattress when we go away and LOVES it. While I was with the kids in Michigan, Chuck converted the crib to a big boy bed. AND HE LOVES IT

3. NO MORE GOOPY NOSE! We are beyond pleased with the results of Christian's adenoid surgery. Poor kid has been walking around since October with the crusty nose. He's sleeping better. He's breathing better. And his face doesn't have boogers all over it. Thank God.

4. Progress on the Potty While we're still struggling a bit, Christian has made MAJOR progress on the potty. I know when he's reading this blog archive when he's 16 he'll be mortified that I've chronicled his bathroom habits, but it's been such a big deal in our family that I feel like I HAVE to! We've gone from not using the potty at all, to using it about 75% of the time for #1 and about 25% of the time for #2. He runs to the potty for #1, and always tells me if #2 has happened, or if it's "Too Late". He's used public restrooms, and has started waking us up in the morning to make his "pee pee". I hope by Thanksgiving that I only have one kid in diapers....

All of these transitions have impacted Christian's speech in a very positive way. He's slowing himself down and catching articulation errors that in the past I had to remind him to correct. He's consistently speaking in at least 6-7 word sentences. And his repetition of questions that he does not know the answers to has really taken a dip as well. Other than our weekly Early Intervention visits (which have been more like monthly since our travel schedule), Christian has had no formal therapy this summer. I am so glad that we took the summer off. He starts back into his rigid routine of 5 days of school, plus weekly Early Intervention, plus an additional day of Speech Therapy in just 3 weeks. He's had an AWESOME summer, and I am SO proud of his progress in everything!

New Week, New Camp

Today is Christian's first day of Camp here in our neighborhood. A neighbor runs a wonderful little preschool out of her home and also does several camp weeks during the summer. She's such a sweet lady, and she has a bit of a window into our world of constant therapy appointments as she has an absolutely adorable daughter with Downs Syndrome.

I'm very glad that Christian will have an opportunity to have this camp experience. While I know he had a blast at the Gallaudet camp he did the last two weeks, he still was doing Ling checks in the morning, and the SLPs were working on some articulation issues. This week, he just gets to be a little boy, playing with other typically hearing kids. I'm so thankful for the miracle of the Cochlear Implant. His CI makes experiences like this not only more accessible, but definitely a bit easier for him as well.

Finding Patience

Grr....
Most days, I am the happy Mommy of a loving toddler and a sweet new baby. I love being able to stay-at-home with my children. I love that everyday I wake up and I am their teacher. I love witnessing all of our everyday miracles, especially with Christian's CI. Most days are filled with laughter and joy. Today is a different story. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I didn't have time to put my make-up on this morning, and worst of all...I had to cancel a much needed pedicure this morning. Grr.

I found as Christian gets deeper and deeper into his 2nd year, that I lose more and more patience. By 9am this morning, I already had dealt with two temper tantrums, one broken toy, and a popped balloon (we were at our favorite grocery store that gives out free balloons and cookies). I know I'm "supposed" to be celebrating every word that comes out of this kid's mouth, but does that include the word "NO"? I should be glad that he's using 6 word sentences, but I cringe when I hear "No, Mommy not going to clean-up". I know what he is doing is completely normal and it's par for the course.

And to think that I thought I would never hear him speak.

Mommy's Little Helper

For the past 2 months or so, Christian has been fascinated with helping me with every little task throughout my day. If I'm folding clothes, he'll "help", by taking them out of the clean basket. I've rigged up a Swifer that is just his size, which has been completely handy since most of our house has hardwood floors. Sometimes his helping makes quick things take quite a bit longer, but we have fun talking about everything we're doing.

I'm hoping that he continues on with this once his little sister arrives. I sure would like to enlist him in getting diapers and the Boppy pillow for me. I know I can count on him sweeping the kitchen while I'm nursing, so that is a start! :)

It's the little things that make a BIG difference

Taking your toddler for a haircut, regardless if they have a hearing loss or not, is definitely an "event". In addition to the typical toddler behavior, we also have to deal with Christian not being able to hear us during a hair cut. The whole equipment issue makes a semi-stressful event a bit more chaotic. We're lucky to have several options in our area for kid cuts, and we decided today we would try a new place out that was recommended by several of my girlfriends.

First of all, they have an assortment of vehicles that the little ones can sit in. Of course, Christian picked the firetruck. As he played in the firetruck, the sweet stylist and I chatted. The first thing she brought up was his CI and hearing aid. I was so impressed. She was familiar with the equipment, and mentioned how she thought the implants were "amazing". I was so excited that I didn't even have to explain what that "thing" was on my kids head. She gave him a great cut, and was careful around the aid and the CI. I seriously wanted to give her a hug afterward for treating our family so nicely, and being so attentive to my sweet little guy.

Over the past 2 years, I've learned that in order to make our life work the way it needs to, that adjustments need to be made. Things as simple as what park to go to (avoid those plastic slides), or what type of winter coat to get my kid (we try to stay away from fleece) become "events". I've learned how to make adjustments, and am thankful when I can easily fit them into my kid's life without overwhelming him, or the rest of the family!

Too Too

Can I just say that I LOVE that my little guy is working on his please and thank-yous! Now when he asks for something, and I give it to him, he says Thank You (well, he says Too Too) and SIGNS it too.

I have to get this on video. I LOVE THIS KID!

It's only taken 7 or so months...

So, I finally got a visit from a friendly Montgomery County, MD Department of Traffic and Operations worker this week. I requested several DEAF CHILD signs to be placed around the neighborhood MONTHS AGO. They finally got their act together, and marked our street for placement. We should have them next week.

We live in a lovely, friendly, and all around great neighborhood just outside of DC. My neighbors have been so incredibly supportive with our whole journey with Christian. Yet, I always worry about his safety outside. Now that he's running all over the place, like any other Mommy of a toddler, my heart just sinks. If anything, I just want these signs to make the folks who use our street as a cut through more aware.

Toddler Struggles...

When I was pregnant with Christian, I couldn't stop reading. I got my hands on every book that I possibly could regarding child care. Nursing, Attachment Parenting, Baby-Wearing, Sleep Habits, Sleep Scheduling, Baby Massage, Organic Baby-Food...you name it, I read it. Then, the monkey arrived. The books were put away, and I pretty much forgot everything that I read anyway (other than my sleeping advice from Dr. Marc Weissbluth)

Well, I'm back to reading (AND NO, WE'RE NOT PREGNANT). These days, I'm concentrating more on discipline, dealing with temper tantrums, and general toddlerisms. I picked up this great book a couple of months ago. Christian is a full-on toddler these days. Along with the adorable little aspects of his sweet little personality (like waving to everyone and saying "Hi" to complete strangers), he is also a temper-tantrum, kicking and screaming little monster at times. One of the main points of this book is that we should speak "toddlerease" with our toddlers, which is in essence, cavemen speak. For example, instead of me saying "Christian, would you please stop flinging plates across the kitchen for Mommy?", I should say "Christian, No Throw Plates".

Ok. I get it. It totally makes sense...if you have a "typically hearing" child.

This "caveman" speak totally goes against everything that I try to do with Christian regarding his spoken language and listening skills. I'm supposed to be the positive language model in his life. And now, especially in these crucial weeks after implantation, I want to enrich his little world with as much language as possible. I certainly don't think "No eat socks" is a good way to communicate with him.

So, how am I supposed to discipline him? How do you get across to a deaf kid that you're not happy with his actions? I've tried over-exaggerating my facial expressions, aggressively signing "Stop!" and "No!". And I'm not just concerned about telling him that I don't like it when he grabs things off of the grocery store shelves, I'm concerned about his safety. Will he ever get to a point with his CI when he'll be able to understand my yells to him telling him to look for cars crossing the street?

My good friend Jenny and I talked about this a couple of nights ago while we were having cocktails. She's always rethinking "the norm" when it comes to parenting a toddler. Jenny is a parapalegic, uses a wheelchair, and she happens to have one the spunkiest and sweetest little girls as a daughter I've ever met. Her little girl is almost 2, and it has been such a joy experiencing Mommyhood with her. I asked her how she has figured out her world with her little girl. Jenny put it very simply. She told me it's all just been trial and error.

I decided that I really need to take Jenny's approach and experiment. See what works for us. I'm still going to worry about the safety issues associated with a child with hearing loss. I'm definitely going to continue to work on trying to break through these temper tantrums and outbursts. Most importantly, I'm going to only do what is good for our family.

Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose...

I HAVE TO GET A VIDEO OF THIS!

Christian is now pointing to his body parts and even attempting to say them. When I ask (and of course sign!!!) to him "Where is your Nose?", he points to his. When I ask him "Where are Mommy's Ears?", he sticks his cute little finger right on my ear.

Seriously, he is amazing. How is my profoundly Deaf son who is only aided with ONE aid right now doing this? Prayers are being answered.

xoxoxox

Colors!

Our good friends are getting married this weekend in Florida, and we are SO EXCITED to get out of town and celebrate with them. I need a vacation. Big time. Chuck and I haven't been away on a trip together (just the two of us) since our Honeymoon. Sure, we had our little weekends here and there to Dewey. And we did have an amazing family vacation last summer. So, we are looking forward to spending some time together, and with our friends. It's going to be a bit of a Dewey Beach reunion, and I know we are going to have some fun together.

I pulled some dresses out of my closet today to get ready for our trip, and I heard these little footsteps behind me. Then I heard his very serious, and very sweet little voice say:

OLORZ! OLORZ!

Christian was standing behind me, pointing with one hand, and doing the sign for "Color". I was trying to figure out what he was checking out. And then I looked up:



Can I just say I'm super stoked that my kid gets a kick out of Madras and Lilly already? I definitely am hoping that he is going to be an adorable preppy Gonzaga boy.

Be Careful...You Might Catch The Giggles too...

A certain 13.5 month old little boy has been quite silly these days. I was working this afternoon, and our amazing, wonderful, and sweet nanny was playing with Christian. I usually keep to myself and my work when she is here, but after about 5 minutes of Christian laughing hysterically, I had to take a peak.

Check out the video (and be sure to disable the sound below):

First Steps

I know. Everyone has warned me to be careful for what I wish for. My monkey is SO heavy, that carrying him and holding him these days for long periods of time has become burdensome and quite a pain. So, yes...I have been wishing and praying for him to walk.

He decided yesterday was the day, and now takes 4 or 5 steps to his Mommy or Daddy. I'll work on getting a video up soon.

As a family, we're also taking our first steps today on a different sort of journey. We're visiting The Johns Hopkins Listening Center and meeting about Christian's cochlear implant candidacy. I'm not sure what to expect, but we're hoping that we'll have some answers on what road we're going to be taking next. I'm nervous and anxious. So, we'll see how it goes.

It's So Much Fun Being One!

It's official. He's no longer my little baby. My sweet little infant, nestled in my arms, dependent on me for everything. No more cute little baby clothes with smocking and ducks. No more SIDS MOVEMENT MONITOR (ok, that's a good thing). No more gummy smiles...no more baby...

He's now a TODDLER. He is One Year Old. And I am still flabbergasted on how freaking fast this year went. He eats whatever we eat as a family. He has MOLARS for Pete's Sake.

We celebrated his 1st Birthday this past weekend, in our usual style, with a "Cupcakes and Cocktails" theme. Our little party had almost 50 people in attendance, an insane amount of alcohol involved, a moonbounce, suprise guests, and lots of cupcakes. We felt so lucky to have our little guy surrounded by our family and friends (who learned how to sign HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!). His Aunties Natty, Ali, Rezzie, and Jax all spoiled him COMPLETELY ROTTEN, and also helped us pull off the party with ease. Thanks to my folks, who took care of the little details like cleaning my house and taking care of the food, Chuck and I were actually able to enjoy our time with Christian and our guests. I have to say though, the biggest surprise was my Aunt and Uncle from NC showing up and having a cameo appearance. It meant so much to us that they made the trip!

Throughout the party, I couldn't help but look around and FEEL the love that was in our home. With all the ups and downs we've had this year, we have relied alot on our family and friends' strength and prayers. Our entire circle of friends has embraced our new journey that we are on with Christian, understanding that we are on a bit of a different one than they may be on. We are SO lucky...

Christian learned to sign AND speak the word "Hat", just in time for his party. Ok, his spoken "Hat" sounds a bit more like "BPAT", but give the kid a break. He can't even hear the "H" sound. He loved all the attention he was getting, but was not into eatting his cake. He was more into smearing the frosting ALL over the place. Who doesn't love STICKY fingers?!

I made a little movie with the highlights from the party...be sure to disable the music at the bottom before clicking on it.