She can hear!!!
We drove up to Children's Hospital in Seattle on Tuesday and our lives are changed forever. By the time she got the aids, she was completely exhausted (no nap that day). When the audiologist first turned them on, V's eyes got wide. Mike and I got very excited and started talking (loudly, excitedly). It tripped her out and she stated crying. Then her crying scared her, so she started screaming bloody murder. It was awful, simply awful. She was so afriad, she took my hand and put it on her ear to try and stop the noise.
She had them on for about five minutes. We left and hoped that she take to wearing them for a couple of minutes a day--slowly building up our time. They like to have them wearing the hearing aids full time in about three weeks, if possible. After the first reaction, I hoped that we would have them full time in three months time.
She slept on the way home and we had dinner right away. After dinner I got the hearing aids out and she seemed very interested. I asked to put them in and she said okay. We kept our voices down. She became immediately excited. I went and got her recorder and played softly. Her little eyes got big and she ran to get her tamborine. She was playing and dancing and laughing--going from loud toy to loud toy banging it and shouting with glee! Zoe made a cooing sound (from the other room!) and V ran to her and said, "Shhh! Loud!" Mike whispered "I love you!" as we left to see her Grandma and cousins. She didn't see him say it--she said "I love you" without even turning around!
In the car, I turned the music on (Indigo Girls for a rocking good time). She threw her hands up in glee and danced in her seat. She sang (in tune!) all the way to grandma's house. I also played the Moulin Rouge soundtrack--LOL--there are so many good songs with a strong beat. She was loving it. She would say "Yea!!!!!!" and point to her ears. "Hear!" "Hear!" she said.
That night she wore them for four hours straight. The next day she wore them all but for her nap--and its been the same ever since. She sometimes asks to take them out. Sometimes we do, but mostly we say, "five more minutes..." and she is fine with that. The first thing she does in the morning is ask for her aids. At night it is hard for her to take them out.
The TV isn't blaring anymore, we are not shouting. She is listening to me in the store (and in general) and we only had one temper tantrum--because she still doesn't understand that we have to buy something before we open it. It is amazing.
Our neighbor and friend is an opera singer. She was rehearsing the other day (across the alley). Violet looked toward the house and pointed. "That's Karen singing!" I said. "Oh! Pretty!" she replied.
I can't believe how much they help her. I can't believe how much the difference is--how we've been fighting this battle for so long without even knowing how hard it is. We've been working at 75% capacity--now we are full speed ahead!
She is making sounds she had a very difficult time making before-or had never made before: P, S, T, K, H. It's amazing.
Just had to share! Thanks to all of you for your very kind encouragement.
You can see Miss V with her new hearing aids at:
www.picturetrail.com/indiegirl in the first album.
We drove up to Children's Hospital in Seattle on Tuesday and our lives are changed forever. By the time she got the aids, she was completely exhausted (no nap that day). When the audiologist first turned them on, V's eyes got wide. Mike and I got very excited and started talking (loudly, excitedly). It tripped her out and she stated crying. Then her crying scared her, so she started screaming bloody murder. It was awful, simply awful. She was so afriad, she took my hand and put it on her ear to try and stop the noise.
She had them on for about five minutes. We left and hoped that she take to wearing them for a couple of minutes a day--slowly building up our time. They like to have them wearing the hearing aids full time in about three weeks, if possible. After the first reaction, I hoped that we would have them full time in three months time.
She slept on the way home and we had dinner right away. After dinner I got the hearing aids out and she seemed very interested. I asked to put them in and she said okay. We kept our voices down. She became immediately excited. I went and got her recorder and played softly. Her little eyes got big and she ran to get her tamborine. She was playing and dancing and laughing--going from loud toy to loud toy banging it and shouting with glee! Zoe made a cooing sound (from the other room!) and V ran to her and said, "Shhh! Loud!" Mike whispered "I love you!" as we left to see her Grandma and cousins. She didn't see him say it--she said "I love you" without even turning around!
In the car, I turned the music on (Indigo Girls for a rocking good time). She threw her hands up in glee and danced in her seat. She sang (in tune!) all the way to grandma's house. I also played the Moulin Rouge soundtrack--LOL--there are so many good songs with a strong beat. She was loving it. She would say "Yea!!!!!!" and point to her ears. "Hear!" "Hear!" she said.
That night she wore them for four hours straight. The next day she wore them all but for her nap--and its been the same ever since. She sometimes asks to take them out. Sometimes we do, but mostly we say, "five more minutes..." and she is fine with that. The first thing she does in the morning is ask for her aids. At night it is hard for her to take them out.
The TV isn't blaring anymore, we are not shouting. She is listening to me in the store (and in general) and we only had one temper tantrum--because she still doesn't understand that we have to buy something before we open it. It is amazing.
Our neighbor and friend is an opera singer. She was rehearsing the other day (across the alley). Violet looked toward the house and pointed. "That's Karen singing!" I said. "Oh! Pretty!" she replied.
I can't believe how much they help her. I can't believe how much the difference is--how we've been fighting this battle for so long without even knowing how hard it is. We've been working at 75% capacity--now we are full speed ahead!
She is making sounds she had a very difficult time making before-or had never made before: P, S, T, K, H. It's amazing.
Just had to share! Thanks to all of you for your very kind encouragement.
You can see Miss V with her new hearing aids at:
www.picturetrail.com/indiegirl in the first album.
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