Our Two Year Old Child Aiden's Cochlear Implant Journey

Another Skyrocket Day

2007-07-23T19:20:00.001-04:00

Ric and I took Aiden to his AV Therapy session today all by ourselves - I don't think that has happened yet! My Mom (who sometimes comes with me) is on vacation, and Noah (who is usally there too) is in summer camp this week. What a big difference in our session - our full and undivided attention was on Aiden and his therapist (which, I guess, is how it should always be - but life just gets in the way sometimes....). And, I don't know if it was because of that or because Aiden is just making such great progress, but he had a FANTASTIC session. Maybe his best yet.

As soon as Aiden's therapist laid out an object, Aiden named it off (or at least its sound) before she could even prompt him. And, when asked to pick an amimal out of a line of about 7 animal cards - he did it every time without hesitation! Not only that, but he was just chatting away to himself (in his own language for now) like crazy. One time during our session, a couple of other people walked through the hallway (behind a closed door behind us) who were talking. Aiden stopped what he was doing, turned around, and pointed to his ear. Wow! I barely hear their voices :>

Other than that, Aiden had a really super day. This was Noah's first day at camp, and I thought that Aiden was going to be really missing him. We kept him pretty busy during the day, so he wasn't bored, but he did walk around the house calling, "moah, moah" a couple of times. I have been taking the kids to a playgroup at the gym that is around the corner from my parent's house (Do those of you who don't live in Canada have this? In our big superstore grocery stores, there is a gym upstairs with weights, classes, cardio equipment, etc. AND a daycare. I think it's one of the best things every invented! Not only does Mommy get some time alone, and some excercise, but the kids get to spend an hour playing with some friends, playing games, and doing "kid friendly" excercises.). Anyway, Aiden ususally goes with Noah and Noah takes care of him while they are there (gets his snack, drink, etc). I didn't know this morning how Aiden was going to fare without his big brother, but I shouldn't have worred - he did great :>

Sometimes a "buh" is just a "bus"

2007-07-21T20:13:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, there's one thing I don't totally get about Aiden's AV Therapy. Shortly after "switch on" we spent a TON of time teaching Aiden to say the sounds that are associated with certain items, and not the names associated with them (ie: meow for cat, ee ee ee for monkey, buh buh buh for bus, moo for cow - you get the picture). I realize that he needed to learn how to make all of these sounds to learn the sounds of speech. But, once he got all of those sounds down pat we are trying to get him to CHANGE and now say the real words. It's like, "Okay, you're very smart - great work learning all those sounds. Now, that's not what I want to hear anymore - say this instead." I'm sure it's frusterating for the little guy. It's frusterating for us too. No matter how many hundreds of times I say "cat" when he sees a cat, Aiden still says "meow" every time.

However, we did have a little breakthrough of sorts the other day. There is a school bus yard just down the street from our house. So, everytime we drive by the yard we hear, "buh, buh buh". In turn we say, "Good Aiden, that's a busssssssssssss". Well, we were all driving in the car out to Ric's Mom's house for dinner, and when we were driving by the bus yard, Aiden said, "bus" clear as day! I think we almost drove off the road :> Even Noah was cheering and clapping with us. Now, the cutest thing happens - Aiden still says a clear "bus" most of the time for all busses, and gives himself a little round of applause each time :> :>

Look Who's Talking Now

2007-07-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

Some days, it seem like Aiden's progress happens tiny bit by tiny bit. A new word one week, a better vowel sound another week, etc. And sometimes, when you are really paying attention, Aiden's progress seems to skyrocket out of "nowhere".

Last Wednesday was one of those skyrocket days. We were in Belleville for a couple of days and Aiden was up at his usual 6:20 am (that changes when they get older, right?). I went in to get him and there he was, cute as always, jumping up and down in his crib with a big smile. He waved and said, "hi!!" in a big excited voice, handed me his soother and said, "soosie", then "up, up, up". We grabbed a diaper and headed into Noah's where we've been changing Aiden since the change table moved to Ottawa. Noah has a solar system mobile on his ceiling that Aiden likes to watch, so we turned it on and he said, "round and round". When we were finished we turned off the mobile, to which Aiden said, "All done. Bye bye." Going down the stairs it was, "down, down, down". When we got downstairs Aiden greeted Noah with a big, "Moah!!!"

It took me a minute after this exchange had happened to realize - hey! - Aiden just had a little conversation with me (okay, TO me) - USING WORDS!!! The funny thing was that his implant wasn't even on until we came downstairs and saw Noah.

Like I said, some days it seems like the progress is slow. And then there are days when you realize that Aiden's really GETTING IT, and this words are really coming together to help him communicate with us. I just can't wait to see what we'll be saying about him in 6 months time.

Progress!

2007-07-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

Happy summer everybody! As you can see above, Aiden is having no shortage of fun this summer :> And, he is progressing like crazy with his listening and speaking. We had him back at the Audiologist a couple of weeks ago for his 6 month "mapping", and that went really well. I think that Aiden is hearing more sounds - even very quiet things. In the sound booth he heard sounds as low as 25 decibels, which is amazing. What it means is that he hears everything that a person with good hearing would hear.

And, Aiden's vocabulary is improving and expanding every day. He says new words all the time, and is now starting to say a couple of 2 syllable words like ice cream and all done. He even says his own name almost perfectly! (But, if you can believe it, still not Mom or Dad!!!!).

Actually, his new found ability to communicate is both good and bad... It's good, because for the first time he can actually ASK for what he wants (by saying juice, shoes, cheese, up, more, etc.) - which is great. But, it's kind of getting in the way of his therapy sessions. Up until now, Aiden has happily gone along with his therapy and pretty much did whatever anyone asked him to do. Yesterday, I was doing a little session with him and I said, "okay, now give the ball to the girl." (note: he has to pick the ball out of a number of objects, and hand it to the girl doll as opposed to the boy doll). He looks right at me and says, "No!" What do you mean "no" ????!!!! We played for a couple more minutes, and he says, "all done. up. up. up." Okay.... I guess we're done. I guess I should be excited that he is acting just like any other two year old would :>

One cute story to add. Aiden had a follow up appointment today with his Pediatric Surgeon in Kingston. While we were in the waiting room, Ric and I were playing a little board game with Aiden, Noah and another little girl on one of the tables. The waiting room was packed with people, and when Aiden got bored of the game I went and sat beside another woman on the chairs. We got to talking and she was asking all about Aiden. One of her questions was whether he had any lasting consequences of being just one pound at birth. I said, "well, he lost his hearing in both ears." She looked at me very strangely and said, "but he can understand what you are saying to him" I explained to her about Aiden's Implant, but inside I was thinking, "Seriously! You really think so? The fact that he can hear is evident even to someone who he doesn't know his story, watching him for just 5 minutes? Yeah!!!!!!" Yes, Nicole, Aiden can hear :> :>

Mom? Dad?

2007-05-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

One would think that it would be easy to tell if your child can say "Mom" and "Dad" or not. Well, in our case, you'd be wrong! In just the last couple of days, we think Aiden is saying Mom and Dad.... but we're not sure.

Sometimes, when Aiden wants me to pick him up (he can say "up" perfectly), he says "um um" instead of "up up" - which certainly sounds like it could be Mom. Once he said "Mom" SO clearly that Ric and I both turned right around and said, "that was sure clear"! But, he hasn't repeated it.

"Dad" is the same way. He says "da da da", and once said "daddy" very clearly, but not consistently.

Anyway, I guess it's coming!!

Noah is a different story. Aiden has definately mastered saying "Noah". Okay, so it comes out as "oh ah" - but he certainly means Noah. He calls for him when he isn't in the room, or he can't see him. Cute :>

So Cool!

2007-05-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

This is SO cool - we recently started tracking visits to Aiden's Blog with a new program (well, new to us anyway) called Google Analytics. We can access the program online (www.google.com/analytics) and it keeps a record of how many people visit our Blog every day, whether they are new or returning visitors and where they are from (actually, only where their ISP's are located - but close enough for the entertainment value!!).

I had no idea what kind of resutls we were going to get, but I have been totally amazed!! I have only been tracking the site for 2 weeks, and already we have had visitors from Melbourne, Madrid, Berlin, Olney (in Buckinghamshire, England), Israel, Seoul, all across Canada, and all across the US (the furthest points being Baton Rouge and Carlsbad). So exciting!! Oddly enough, I have found it very interesting that our LEAST amount of visitors are in Canada.

I wonder what all of you from different parts of the world think of Aiden's Blog. Do you have a hearing loss? Do your children? Is there a Cochlear Implant in your life? Are your daily activites, struggles and hopes much different from our own? Imagine if we could set up a network of friends and visit each other when we are travelling around? :> Very cool.

Whoever you all are, I hope you keep coming back to Aiden's Blog. You have certainly given me a bit of extra incentive to keep my posts current. And, if you have a minute, please leave a comment!

Where's Aiden's Implant?

2007-04-25T20:16:00.000-04:00

You may have wondered where Aiden's Implant is in the pictures that we just posted (see next posting below). It's there - it just looks different than you are used to (unless you have seen Aiden lately). About 2 months ago, we got a bit of a hardware "upgrade" for Aiden's implant. You may remember that we were having no end of troubles keeping the behind the ear mic on Aiden's ear. So, we switched him to a device called a "behind the ear processor" or BTE. There is still a magnet on his head. That cord is attached to the BTE. The BTE is supposed to be worn behind the ear (hence the name) like a hearing aid. But, Aiden's ears are not close enough to his head, nor strong enough to hold it. So, we have it safety pinned to his sholder for the time being - as you can see in the above picture with Auntie Sharon.

When you see a picture of him face on, you don't even realize that it's there - especially if the BTE has been pinned a bit back on his sholder. So, now instead of having a blinking light on his ear, there is a blinking light on his sholder....

This, of course, is not a permanent solution. We make jokes about Aiden having this extremely high tech piece of equipment, valued in the neighbourhood of $10,000 (just for the hardware), and we have it safety pinned to his shirt....

There had been some talk of Aiden meeting with a plastic surgeon to see about firming up his little ear, and tucking it in closer to his head to accommodate the processor, but I think he needs to be a bit older first. I really NEVER thought I would be talking about taking my 2 year old to the plastic surgeon!!! Of course, I never imagined I would be doing a lot of things that I find myself doing :>

Pictures!

2007-04-25T20:06:00.000-04:00

Here are some great new pictures for you all to enjoy!
The first is actually the first really great picture we have of Noah & Aiden together - taken on Easter Sunday.
The second is our little Lepricon on St. Patrick's Day.
The third is Aiden & I at the Batawa Easter Egg Hunt one week before Easter.
The fourth is Aiden at the same Batawa hunt collecting his eggs.
The last one I think is particularly funny. This was taken at The Rainforest Cafe in Yorkdale in Toronto about a month ago. They have "thunderstorms" in the restaurant, which are actually pretty loud. Noah didn't like them, and put his fingers in his ears whenever they started. Aiden followed suit... I wonder if that helped?? :>

We're Back!

2007-04-15T18:50:00.000-04:00

Wow. Was it really JANUARY 19th when I published my last posting?! I knew it had been awhile, but I was truly suprised that it had been THAT long. I don't know where the time goes, what with me just sitting around at home bored all the time....

Actually, as you might have guessed, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, there is so much going on with Aiden (and the rest of us) that I hardly know where to begin.

Aiden is saying so much! In 5 days, it will be 5 months since he was "turned on", and his progress has been remarkable. Here's a sample of what he is saying (all on his own, without prompting from us):

- Uh-oh (when he or someone else drops something)
- Bye-bye (when anyone is leaving. Also, when he hear's "bye bye" he will turn around and wave
- Meow (when he sees a cat - even on TV or in a store)
- Bow Wow (when he sees a dog)
- Brruuum (for a car)
- Aaaaahhhh - with a cute up and down finger gesture (for an airplane)
- Puh puh puh (for a boat)
- Baa baa (for a sheep)
- Hello (when he is playing with the phone, holding it to his ear - which is actually pretty funny given that he can't hear out of his ears :> Kind of sounds like "oh oh")
- Hi (as a greeting)
- Moo (for a cow)
- More (when he wants anything - a very long and drawn out version of the word more. He first said this word to tell us that he wanted more chocolate Easter eggs...)
- Baby (VERY clear!)
- Ball (pretty close anyway)
- Bounce bounce bounce (in association with ball - kind of like "bou bou bou")
- Hop hop hop (for a frog or bunny - a bit like "ha ha ha" - whispered)
- No (when we're playing a game with his sippy cup and he's telling me he doesn't want anymore. Kind of like "oh")
- Mmmmm (for food or eating - or anything that tastes good)
- Yeah! or Horray! (when he does something he's proud of)
- Hoo Hoo & owl (for an owl)
- Eee Eee Eee (for a monkey)
- Ssss (for a sleeping baby)
- Hot (for hot coffee, etc. - not exactly clearly that word but close and consistent - like "ha")

I could probably go on - but I think you get the point! Literally, I think he says something new - or says something he has already said a little bit more clearly - every day. And, given that his therapist says that what they look for is for a child to have mastered 10 words in 1 year, we think that he is a fantastic, brilliant little star. I think I was up to 22 words on the above list at less than 5 months....

Here's a sample of some of his reactions to sound:
- Whenever we are in a store and he hears an announcement, he always gets my attention and points to his ear.
- Actually, any new sound that he hears that he can't identify or see the source of, he points to his ear and looks as us as if to say, "I heard that - what is it?"
- My Mom & Dad's coffee machine makes a very distinct noise when it is finished brewing coffee (a bubbly gurgly sound), and Aiden now knows exactly what that sound means. When he hears it, he walks right over to the coffee machine, points up at it and then points to his ear.

Here are some things that Aiden has just started doing:
- Saying "a-ta" when he wants something or when he is giving you something (I say that to him when I want him to give me something)
- The "ssss" sound. To me, this is just a HUGE milestone. This is a sound that he DEFINATELY did not make pre-implant - not even remotely close. And, before he ever made this sound (about 2 months ago) I remarked to his therapist that when he did make the "ssss" sound I would know that we had really accomplished something. Aiden first made this sound for Ric when we were waiting at Hotel Dieu for Aiden's 8th (that's right, 8th) surgery that was subsequently canceled (long story). Way to go Ric!
- I think that he tried to call Noah - although it comes out as "ooh oohh"
- Aiden clearly understands more words than he can say. I told him we had to find his jacket the other day (like in plain, not accented language - I was really pretty much talking outloud to my self, and he went and go it! I almost fell over :>

So, what's next? Everything that Aiden is doing is so exciting, it seems a bit funny to be wondering what's next, but here's what we're looking out for:
- Aiden is doing so well with associating sounds with things (like meow for a cat), that now we are working on him saying the actual names of things. I think he will say cat or car next.
- Okay, so what did I count above, 22 words that he says? Well, two of them are NOT "mommy" or "daddy" or even anything close. That better come soon little one. Remember who the people are that feed you chocolate easter eggs....

What Is That Blinking Light On His Head?

2007-01-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

This is actually a question that we got asked at Costco last week :>

As most of you know, there is a little red blinking light on Aiden's ear level microphone that lets us know that the implant is indeed picking up sound - and apparently makes other people very curious! When people have asked about Aiden's implant, I think I have told every person a different story. I have never known quite what to say before (Do I just call it a fancy hearing aid? Do I go into a lot of detail? Am I talking over or under people's heads?) - but I think I've figured it out! Here's what I'm going to tell anyone else who asks me, "what's that blinking light on his head?" (or words to that effect...)

"It's called a Cochlear Implant. It is like a hearing aid. But, whereas a hearing aid is an entirely external thing, part of this device is actually implanted in his head. Plus, a hearing aid's job is just to amplify sound. A Cochlear Implant goes much further - it actually picks sound up with a microphone (the blinking light part), translates that sound into electrical impulses (using this processor on his back), and sends that information to his brain (through this magnet on his head) which then interpret those impulses and understands them as sounds. It's really pretty amazing."

I hope that helps those of you who have wrote me and said that you also didn't know what to tell people.

Or, you could just follow what Aiden's 3.5 year old brother Noah tells people. Last time we were at Aiden's Pediatrican's office (Hi Dr. Dempsey!!), Noah and Aiden were playing in a little house that it is the waiting room with another girl who was probably 9 years old. She asked Noah what was on Aiden's head. I was just about to jump in and offer an explanation when Noah (as confidently as anything) said simply, "It's a Cochlear Implant, it helps him hear." Seriously!!!!! I didn't even know he KNEW the words Cochlear Implant - let alone be able to use them in a sentance that answered the little girl's question perfectly. I guess I could learn a thing or two from him...

Aiden's Second Mapping

2007-01-19T19:51:00.000-05:00

Aiden had his second "mapping" at CHEO on Monday.

The mapping process is actually pretty cool. Aiden's Audiologist unhooks his implant from Aiden's Speech Processor (the part he wears on his back) and hooks it up instead to a laptop. The laptop is equiped with software that can read and change the settings on Aiden's Implant (much like you would change the settings on the graphic equalizer of a stereo). For Aiden's new Map, the Audiologist wanted to change some of the settings, which would increase Aiden's ability to perceive softer sounds (even as soft as a finger tapping lightly on a table). When the settings were first changed, the Audiologist made a "ssss" sound, and Aiden got very upset and cried like he was hurt - much like he did at the time of initial turn on. So, we gave him a break, and tried again with a less drastic change (even thought the first change was pretty small). Aiden adjusted pretty quickly to the new setting, so that Map was saved - and now this is what we use on Aiden's Implant every day.

Aiden's Audiologist has the ability to program 4 Maps into Aiden's Implant. This part is really cool. Aiden's "Map 1" is the new Map that was programmed on Monday that we are to use everyday. Aiden's "Map 2" is a setting that we change change the implant to if Aiden is in a noisy environment. For example, if we took him to a hockey game, we would take his speech processor, click a button, and reset his map to "P2." On this setting, Aiden would be able to hear less of the background noises at the game and be able to focus more on sounds closer to him (like us talking). In noisy enviroments, this is would be a much more comfortable Map for Aiden. Aiden's "Map 3" is a called the "Whisper Map". So, if we are in a very quiet place (like a library - or at home doing his therapy sessions) we change change to P3 and Aiden will be able to perceive quieter sounds with more clarity - and from a greater distance. Aiden's "Map 4" is simply the original Map we had before the changes were made on Monday.

After the Mapping session, Aiden got to have a little time in the sound booth - and he did amazingly well! He clearly picked up sounds at just 25db (which even I had trouble hearing!).

We had a really great visit all the way around this week in Ottawa. On Thursday, Noah, Aiden & I were invited to a playgroup that another Mom with a boy in AV Therapy at CHEO hosted. We had a really great time - it was so nice to meet her and the other Moms that had children with a hearing loss. All of the kids at the group have hearing aids now, and some are hoping to get Cochlear Implants soon. So, they were very interested in Aiden's experiences. I think it is so important to have this kind of support from people that are going through a similar experience as we are - not to mention that it's just nice to have new friends! :>

Happy Second Birthday Aiden!!

2007-01-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous birthday party for Aiden yesterday (not quite the extravaganza that it was last year - but fun nonetheless!). And, he could actually HEAR us sing Happy Birthday to him :> Now that's a cool birthday present. Aiden's Grandma and Grandpa traveled for more than 4 hours back and forth from Ottawa just to have dinner with us, and Aiden's Nanny joined us as well. We cooked Aiden's favourite dinner (ham, Tater Tots and asparagus), and Daddy made one of his famous birthday cakes in the shape of a train. Poor little Aiden has a bit of a cold, so there aren't many smiles from him in the pictures :<

I actually can't beleive that it's been as long as it has since I made my last posting. My apologies to those of you who check here often hoping to hear news of our little man (Hi Shirley!!). Aiden continues to do amazingly well with his implant. As you can see from the last picture in the series above (with Nanny and Noah) we are still having the same frusterations as always with keeping his behind the ear microphone actually behind his ear. So, it dangles around by his neck like this picture shows most of the time. At first that really bothered me - but now I guess we're getting used to it. We have ordered a longer wire from Cochlear through CHEO, so our next step is to try having him wear the microphone on his sholder, as many other people have suggested. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

In terms of his actual hearing and speaking - he is really making amazing strides. The way that things usually progress with a child after implant activation is that the first 4 months or so are spent really just listening and taking in all the new auditory information. After 4 months they start to imitate some new sounds. Think of it this way: a newborn baby hears about 3 months in utero - and 6 months or so in the world before they start making intelligable sounds. Well, Aiden (in his typical fashion!) is just 6 weeks post activation - and is already making an amazing amount of new sounds.

For some time now, he has imiated the airplane (ahh, ahh, ahh) sound. But now he REALLY clearly says "meow" for a cat and "bye" when someone leaves and he's waving. He also says, "ma ma ma" (but I don't think he actually means "mom" yet). He also is very good at imitating sound patterns. Plus, his therapist and I think he makes a train sound ("ooh ooh ooh") and a monkey sound ("ee ee ee"). Pretty impressive I think! Also, I think that Aiden really LIKES wearing his implant. Whenever it is off (bath time, bed time, in the car) he points to his ear like he is missing something. Also, when the magnet falls off - he comes and finds me. Plus, when he sees the implant when it is off, he will always bring it to me and hand it over like he's saying, "come on mom, let's get this thing on!"

Also, as an aside, now that he can hear, Aiden's sign language skills seem to have improved! He clearly does the sign for cat, milk and sleep. Very cute :> I'm trying to get him to sign "all done" for when he's finished his meal instead of throwing it on the floor...

Other than that, we couldn't be happier with his progress!!! I can't even imagine what kind of a posting we might be making a year from now on his third birthday!!!

Is That a Car Sound I Hear?

2006-12-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

Very exciting - both Ric and I thought that Aiden is making the "car" sound ("brrrruuuum") when he is playing with toy cars today. Also - Aiden is definately doing the "airplane" sound ("aaahhh aaaahhhh"), plus several other "hard" sounds like "ba ba ba" and "da da" (although not in relation to anything in particular).

I mentioned earlier in the week that Aiden's Audiologist gave us some wig tape on Monday to try. We have used it on a couple of occasions, and it seems to work - but only for a limited amount of time. One perfect example was in the grocery store the other day. I used the tape to secure his ear mic behind his ear and it stayed on for the entire trip. This was a HUGE improvement from last time when it came off every two seconds. The tape seems to hold until Aiden decides that he is going to pull the mic off. Then, even just one removal seems to weaken the "stick" of the tape. However, it works for awhile which is better than nothing! We have run out of our sample, so I will have to visit a little wig store in Belleville and re-stock.

I should mention that most of the times we have had Aiden out this week, lots of people have commented on or asked about his implant. EVERYONE takes an extra long look at him, but more people are actually saying something now. One lady in the grocery store commented to her friend, "oh, that baby (yes - she meant my 2 year old!!) has a hearing aid." Again when we were at the checkout another lady asked about Aiden's implant and said she thinks she has seen him at the store before. This lady was interesting, she told me that her husband had to go to an Ottawa hospital A LOT too - every six months!!! I didn't have the heart to tell her that we go every week. To her, twice a year was a real challenge :>

Then again, when we were out for lunch at Cora's, a couple at the next table asked lots of questions about Aiden's implant. I keep thinking that I should make little cards or something with a picture of the internal and external device and a little description of the implant to hand out. I think it's nice when people are genuinely interested - and I feel like I should at least try to give them good answers to their questions.

Great Weekend!!

2006-12-04T18:58:00.000-05:00

We had some really fantastic "winter" fun back in Ottawa this past weekend. Spencerville, a country town near Ottawa, had a Winter Festival on all weekend. We all (me, Noah, Aiden, Grandma & Grandpa) packed up and headed out there first thing on Saturday morning to enjoy the "Santa Breakfast" at the local Legion. Aiden ate a HUGE helping of pancakes, toast, sausage and scrambled eggs. Then the kids got to have their pictures taken with Santa. Noah told Santa that he wanted a John Deere, and construction trucks ... Aiden, however, was a little suspect of Santa :>

After breafast we participated in lots of other great Festival events: decorating Gingerbread Men, horse drawn sleigh ride, kid's crafts, Barbershop Quartet, and hot apple cider over a fire outside the town's Mill. We really had a great day. Again we are all amazed that Aiden wears his implant up at full volume around all of this hustle and bustle - and it doesn't seem to phase him a bit!

Back at home, we met up with "Auntie Sharon" (my sister). We then got the chance to all sit around the table and have a little Therapy session with Aiden. He did GREAT! And, again, he CLEARLY showed that he heard all of the "sounds of the speech spectum" and all of the "learning to listen sounds" that we made as well.

Then, to top off that great weekend - Ric came to Ottawa this morning so we could both accompany Aiden to his AV Therapy (Audio-Verbal) at CHEO. And, what a little superstar our boy is!!!!! In the sound booth, Aiden showed very distinct reactions to sounds at just 30 db (like a whisper). Then, during his AV Therapy, he actually COPIED the sounds of a cow (okay, so it was an "oooo" - but pretty close!!), a monkey ("ee ee ee") and a sheep!! Aiden's therapist was SO amazed by him - and so was his Audiologist. (We also received some wig tape for Aiden at this appointment - and it actually seemed to be working, until Aiden got really tired at home and just kept pulling it off!) They just can't get over the progress that he is making (especially considering that his implant was activated just 2 weeks ago today). Way to go Aiden! I think that next week I will take some pictures of Aiden from the NICU to show them. I know that, although they think he is amazing now, when they see his start in life they will really understand he is nothing short of a miracle. We sure do anyway :> :>

Back at Home for a Couple Days

2006-12-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

The boys and I had a great couple of days "back at home". They sure enjoyed playing with their Dad (the picture of them laughing was taken when they were bouncing up and down on his chest :>). You can see a bit of our frustration in action in this picture as Aiden's behind the ear mic is dangling down around his back because he is bouncing around. I also took Noah and Aiden to see the Christmas Train at the mall (the second picture). The train really captured both of their interest - and we made lots of "train" noises for Aiden's benefit! We're still keeping up everyday with Aiden's "learning to listen" sounds therapy - and he really does seem to respond to all of the sounds that we make.

Great Quotes

2006-11-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to do this for awhile, and I haven't really had a minute until now. Over the past few months, I have read so many great quotes that have really resonated with me. I want to try and remember them all, so I think this Blog is as good a place as any to list them. If readers have any that they would like to add, just put them in a comment and I'll add to the list! As for my own list, I will keep adding to it myself.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes." Charles Swindoll

"What I've learned in good times I can fit on the head of a pin" C.S. Lewis

"Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbour ... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of Bod's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting" Mother Teresa

On Flossing (:>): "If you are pressed for time, here's a tip for you: only floss those teeth that you would like to keep" Dr. Oz

November 24 - Four Days Post Switch On

2006-11-24T13:55:00.000-05:00

Well, they said it would happen - and it did! This morning when we put Aiden's implant on, there was no crying! In fact, he did so well that I thought we should try changing his settings to Map 3 instead of waiting for the weekend. So we did, and again he did great!! I almost went to Map 4, but I decided not to push my luck. Maybe tomorrow :>

Great responses to sound today. We notice him responding the most when he is in his booster seat at the table. I wait for him to look away or down and then either clap or make one of his "learning to listen" sounds - and right away he looks up! Of course we clap and cheer and get all excited. He seems to think this is a fun game.

One of his "learning to listen" sounds is of an airplane (ahhh, ahhh, ahhh - not your typical airplane sound, but the one we are supposed to do with this therapy). Today, after I did the sound, I handed the airplane to Aiden and he flew it around and made the ahh, ahhh, ahhh sound!!! Coincidence? Maybe, but I gave him lots of encouragement none the less.

Noah again is great with him today. He wants to do listening sounds with Aiden as well, and has invented a few of his own. Who knew that "dig, dig, dig" was the listening sound that a bulldozer made? :>

The ear level microphone is staying on better today. Still not GREAT, but better. We are using the little "huggie" that holds it on and that seems to work a bit better. I'm still looking forward to Ric bringing the ear mold to try that trick out. He's planning to come either today or early tomorrow.

There is such amazing weather here in Ottawa today that it's hard to beleive we're into late November - and almost a month away from Christmas. I think it must be 10 degrees. This has allowed us to go to the park and out for walks, so that helps keep us busy. I'm missing the "break" that I got by going to work a bit today. At least it is fun to point out everything to Aiden and tell him the words for lots of objects. I'm sure that will keep me entertained for another couple days, weeks, years - whatever :> :>

Actually, when the kids wake up (yes, both sleeping at once!!!) I think we will head to Starbucks (thank your for that break Cheryl!!!) for a drink and to Chapters to check out what books they have in stock that contain some "learing to listen" sounds for Aiden. Until tomorrow....

November 22 - Two Days Post Switch On

2006-11-24T07:58:00.000-05:00

10:00 am: Again, Aiden's Implant went of first thing this morning when he got up. In fact, this is going so well, I'm not even going to say that anymore - the implant goes on when he gets up and only comes off in the car and when he sleeps. Again, there was a bit of crying first thing, even on volume one of Map 1, but it didn't last more than a couple of seconds before we were able to distract him.

The rest of the morning was a bit frusterating. Keeping the ear level micorphone on is a real challenge. Every time Aiden moves his head a bit too fast - off it comes, and pulls the magnetic coil off with it. Plus, we don't seem to notice too many reactions to sounds. We know that, although he HEARS sounds now, he doesn't UNDERSTAND them, but I thought there would be more clear reactions.

9:00 pm: We had our first "post switch on" follow up appointment at CHEO at 2:15 today - and it went really, really well!!! Despite the fact that Aiden would rather make the "hallway circle" through the Audiology Department than sit down and have a therapy session, he did great!

It wasn't too long that we were there before both his Audiologist and AV Therapist agreed that the ear level microphone was as irritating as I thought it was earlier (glad to know I'm not the only one!!). The problem seems to be that the cartilage in Aiden's ear isn't finished forming - and so his ear isn't firm enough to hold the device. Secondly, there is still a lot of muscle compacting behind his ear from the surgery which is making his ear stick out more than it will eventually - and that makes it hard to hold the microphone as well.

They had a couple of ideas on how to fix the problem. The first was double sided wig tape. However, because the skin behind his ear is still thin from the surgery, we can't try this solution out yet. The second was to attach his hearing aid mold to the microphone - and us this to kind of "secure it" into his ear. Ric is coming to Ottawa on Friday, so I'll have him bring the mold and we'll try this out.

To be honest, I am starting to wonder whether the implant that DIDN'T have an ear level microphone might have been a better choice - but it's a bit late for that now :> We will make this work - I just haven't figured out how yet... When I talked to Ric today, he mentioned something about Duct Tape - so maybe we'll try that next!!! (typical boy :>)

Anyway, back to the appointment. Aiden's Audiologist switched his implant settings to Map 2 (I'll have to explain what this means another time - but it means the sound is louder at a VERY basic level). When the switch first took place, Aiden cried again and they had to turn the volume down. We distracted him for a bit and eventually got Aiden happy at Map 2 - Volume 9. After that, he had some really, really great responses to sound! He CLEARLY looked at people who were making sounds out of his visual field. This time there was no mistaking it!! He even turned around and looked at Noah when he was clapping, so Noah was pretty happy about that :>

His AV Therapist said that she was really happy with Aiden's responses today. We left with some homework assignments for therapy at home (including making lots of "airplane, sheep, firetruck, cow and kissing" sounds) and told that we could turn Aiden's Map settings up to Map 3 on the weekend.

After the appointment, we went to pick my Mom up at the airport on her way back from Winnipeg. This was a pretty busy and noisy environment, and Aiden didn't seem the least bit spooked or anxious about it - so this is a good thing I think!!

Until tomorrow...

November 21 - One Day Post Switch On

2006-11-21T18:52:00.000-05:00

Aiden had a really fantastic day for his first 'real' day of hearing! Last night he had a terrible night's sleep - I think he slept for about 20 minutes from 2:30 am until 6:00 am when he decided it was time to get up. So, I was a bit apprehensive about putting the Implant on him when he was tired and cranky - but we gave it a go anyway (okay, maybe I was a bit excited too! :>). It was only about 5 minutes after he was up that I put it on. And, even though the volume was turned way down, Aiden cried a bit when I first put the implant on. However, the crying didn't last, and I was able to distract him pretty quickly. And, after that he had NO trouble with it at all! In fact, he generally left it alone (which is AMAZING given the nightmare that keeping hearing aids on him was). In very short order, we had the volume his first "map" up to 9 (the highest volume of this level), and it didn't seem to bother him in the least.

We made lots of sounds all morning - in fact if anything we might have overdone it - we all wanted him to hear EVERYTHING (including Noah!), so it was a bit of a noisy environment. Now, there weren't very many occasions when I thought that Aiden was responding to sound - but it's still pretty early yet for that from what I understand. The most amazing thing that happened all day was that this morning the microphone fell off of Aiden's ear - and he PUT IT BACK ON HIMSELF!!!!! This is really nothing short of incredible!!!

The most annoying thing about this implant is that the ear level microphone (the piece that looks like a hearing aid) doesn't stay on very well. In fact, it seemed like everytime Aiden moved his head it fell off. We were able to put a "huggy" around it later in the morning and that helped a bit - but it's still a bit of a pain to have to keep putting it back on every time you turn around. I'm sure this will sort itself out in time though.

Noah was very, very good with today with Aiden. He really worked hard at trying to get him to hear different sounds. He kept saying, "can you hear that Aiden" or "Yeah, you can hear me (and pointing to his ear like we were taught to do)!" and even, "can you hear me now?" Aiden's Implant package came with a toy implant that is meant for a teddy bear - but it is now Noah's implant to play with. First thing this morning he actually wanted us to put tape on his head to hold it in place like Aiden's. So we did :>. Then, just before lunch, Noah held "Implant Clinics" (his words!!) in his bedroom. One by one he called Ric, Aiden and I into his room to see the doctor. We were tickled with a feather, brushed with a luggage tag, and then fitted with the toy implant. "Does that help you to hear?" he asked. Too cute :>

This afternoon we took Noah and Aiden to get some groceries at Loblaws. I think this was the best trip we had to Loblaws so far. It was so amazing to actually be able to TELL Aiden about everything that he was seeing. Loblaws had balloons everywhere today and Aiden was fascinated by them. I'm half surprised that he can't say ballon already for the number of times we said, "b..b..b...ballon!" to him!

People's reaction to Aiden was pretty interesting. No one said anything - but they sure gave him a second and third look. It must seem pretty strange to people that haven't seen an Implant before. I guess we better get used to it! It was kind of shades of the reactions we got when we had Aiden out in the stroller with his oxygen prongs and tank. At least Aiden was happy and laughing for most of the trip.

After the grocery store we took Noah and Aiden to see "Auntie" at a job site she was working on so that Noah could ride in the Excavator. He loved that :>

Aiden's Implant didn't work out so well in the car. If Aiden looked to his right, the magnet and microphone got knocked off really easily. I am hoping we can remedy that soon.

By the time we got home, Aiden was pretty tired. We were able to keep the implant on all though dinner (so it now has a bit of sweet and sour chicken sauce on it!). But, shorly after, he decided that he had had enough and took it off as soon as we could get it back on. So, we deduced that he was done for the day.

All in all, he had a fantastic first day. Although we didn't see much reaction to sound, we are thrilled that the crying seems to have stopped, that he wore the implant for almost the entire day and that he really didn't bother with it. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds! We have an appointment at CHEO at 2:15 and I'll let you know how it goes...

November 20, 2006 - Switch On Day!!!!

2006-11-20T18:20:00.000-05:00

Big day for all of us today - Aiden's Implant was switched on!! So, the answer to the big question everyone has been asking us, "What do you think Aiden will do when they turn it on?" is....
Well... He cried. Yup, cried. Not just little tears - big, big heartfelt crying. Poor little guy. They have been telling us at CHEO for months that this was a possible reaction, but I REALLY never thought that would be his reaction. I was betting on no reaction, or smiling. Not crying!!! However, everyone there reassured us that this was totally normal. Aiden has never had the sensation of hearing before, and it is very foreign and probably pretty scary so I guess his crying isn't too surprising. As we were told, we brought lots of toys that he likes to keep him occupied and happy - so these came out right away. If you can beleive it, a Ziploc bag of Q-Tips (this is something he is ALWAYS into at home, and I don't normally let him play with them!) seemed to be the most popular. Followed by a new shape sorter game, chocolate covered raisins and a tape measure.
The Audiologist took things very slowly. When he turned the implant on, he started with it hooked up to a computer and playing soft to loud beeping sounds to test where Aiden's threshold of hearing is. Then, he did the "mapping" of the implant based on what Aiden can hear, and then hooked him up! But, everytime there was sound coming through to the Implant, Aiden cried. He was sad for a pretty long time, and then his AV Therapist suggested that we let him wander around. Well, as soon as he was on the move, he was happy again! He wandered around all over the place (with the implant on - hearing!!!) and really seemed to pay attention to the sounds around him. They put him in the sound booth for a test, and got really really good responses from him. So, it works!!!

We were at CHEO for about 2.5 hours. And, by the time we were ready to leave, Aiden had had ENOUGH. He was so tired. We got him home (to Grandma & Grandpa's) safe and sound and put the Implant on again when we got here. When the Implant was turned on here, he cried again - but this time seemed to settle down and get used to it pretty quickly. We have control over the volume, and we can turn it up or down if he is upset or not. The Implant got knocked off his head (or pulled off) a few times. When we have to put it back on again, Aiden cried a bit every time. So, that is going to take a bit of getting used to for him (and us). At CHEO, they said that the crying response should only last a couple of days, and then he will be more used to the stimulus.

Aiden is sound asleep in bed right now (early to bed for him tonight!), and we'll try again in the morning. But, what a huge day for us all!!! We are happy that this day is finally here, and we can't wait to talk to that boy in the morning :>

Note: The first picture here is of the Audiologist putting Aiden's implant on for the first time (not hooked up yet).
The second picture is of poor Aiden once the Implant was turned on.
The third picture is a pretty good view of the new Implant.
The fourth picture is of Aiden following a toy puppy that his AV Therapist was pulling downt he hall once he was a bit happier. You can see his Implant's "harness" in this picture (which holds the processor). I don't think we'll use this very often - it's pretty cumbersome, and the processor's pouch has a clip that works pretty well on Aiden's pants.

November 13, 2006 - 4 Weeks After Surgery

2006-11-15T10:54:00.000-05:00

We made another important decision for Aiden today - we picked and ordered the colour of his implant!! :> On Monday, Aiden will be given a blue "microphone" (the part that sits behind his ear and looks like a hearing aid), a silver "magnet" (the part that will sit on his head behind his ear), silver wires (to connect all the pieces together), a grey body worn processor (the only colour option there was) a black and blue processor holder and a black harness to wear the processor on his back.

We are SO excited about his turn on on Monday. I really can't wait to send my posting on Monday night to let you all know how it went.

Bath Time!

2006-11-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

Yeah, Aiden has been really depressed since his implant surgery. No smiling, no laughing - totally boring. HAH! Just kidding :> That couldn't be farther from the truth. As you can see, Aiden spends a good part of his day laughing his little head off. He thinks a bath with his Dad is especially funny (he's being squirted by a bath Penguin...).

The funny band on his head is on to hold an ear plug is Aiden's left ear because he still has a tube in that ear. The right tube was removed when the implant went in. Because you can't get water in your ears when you have an ear tube, bath time looks like this!

November 9, 2006 - 24 Days After Surgery

2006-11-10T14:18:00.000-05:00

I took what I think is a fantastic picture of Aiden today (if I do say so myself!!). I wanted to take a picture of Aiden to post, and show you that his bandages and Steri Strips are almost all off. Little by little, for about 2 weeks now, as the bandages have been peeling away we have just been taking a pair of scizzors and trimming them up. Today, as you can see, we're almost done (or he's almost done - I'm not sure which :>)! And, Aiden's incision scar looks like it is healing up really well.

After I had taken these pictures, I looked back at them on my camera and noticed a pretty cool thing. On the first picture shown here you can REALLY see the outline of Aiden's implant. I think that's so cool. I never really realized how big it is! As you can see in the second picture (which is just here for comparison sake) under normal circumstances you can't really see the implant at all. I don't know if it was just the lighting or shadows or camera flash that caught it on the first one. But, whatever, it's pretty amazing! Once his hair grows back, this view of the implant will probably never be available again.

Once the bandage is all off, I'll take another snapshot so you can see the incision. I still haven't seen the whole thing myself, but it seems to be pretty long.

Helpful Things

2006-11-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

Lots of people have asked us what they can do to help out during the time of Aiden's Implant surgery, turn-on, therapy, etc. We really, really appreciate those offers of help. And, this is where we're going to do something about them!! When Aiden was in the NICU, lots of people offered help, and we (in some part) were a bit to overwhelmed to even know what would be helpful.

I read an article, after Aiden was discharged, that I wish I had read earlier. This article said that, if people are offering to do thing for you, make a list available to them of things that would be helpful. That way, people can look at the list and pick something that they might like to contribute.

So, here's my list!! Okay, so it's just one thing right now - but I'll keep thinking and add to it :>

1. We do a lot of driving, whether it's back and forth between Ottawa and Belleville, or to and from CHEO and my parent's house. One of my "driving treats" is a Starbucks Coffee. Actually, lately it's a "tall, soy, no-whip mocha". Anyway, I have a Starbucks Gift Card that can be "loaded" by anyone online at any time. So, if you want to buy me a coffee for the road, just go to www.starbucks.com/card. They will tell you what to do. My card number is: 6028 3791 3850 2933. Thanks!

October 24, 2006 - 8 Days After Surgery

2006-10-25T15:21:00.000-04:00

I took this picture of Aiden this morning while he was wolfing down a breakfast of bananas, cherry bread and apple juice. Although you can't see it, his head bandage is still there. However, we got permission from the surgeon at the post-op on Monday to trim the bandage as it starts to peel away. So, it's a bit smaller today (but not much).

As you can see, Aiden's spirits are as good as ever. Nanny is babysitting today while Ric and I work and Noah is at daycare, so they should have a great day together!