Evan is sitting on the kitchen floor with me eating chips, multigrain tostitos to be exact. I'm not sure why, but for as long as I can remember Evan and I sit on the kitchen floor and have snacks sometimes. I guess its just a thing we do.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Eating chips
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Audiologist appointment
This morning Evan saw the audiologist for a routine mapping. He hasn't had a mapping in a long time, so its been a while since he had to have the coils on his head without things working.
He's at that age where he knows when they're broken, and it really frustrates him. Naturally he was very annoyed this morning. They were able to eventually get the information they required, and new maps were programmed. The new map is very similar to the old map. I don't really have exact details on what changed. Our current audiologist doesn't explain things like are other one does. Our original audiologist is coming back from maternity leave in May, just in time for the next mapping.
After the mapping we had to go to the lab. They call it a lab, but its not the kind of lab you may be imagining. No test tubes or microscopes. There's a special computer, different connectors, and a bunch of other stuff that I haven't bother to ask about yet. Evan is part of a study. That's how he was able to receive bilateral implants. So every time we see the audiologist he visits the lab. It doesn't hurt, they basically just attache their coils to his head and measure brain stimulation with a special cap that goes on his head. It tells them how well he's hearing, and they can compare his old results with new results. The brain answers more questions on its own then his mouth could.
Evan really wasn't in the mood for the lab today, so the two technicians just played with him for a bit and then we went home.
That's it for now. :)
He's at that age where he knows when they're broken, and it really frustrates him. Naturally he was very annoyed this morning. They were able to eventually get the information they required, and new maps were programmed. The new map is very similar to the old map. I don't really have exact details on what changed. Our current audiologist doesn't explain things like are other one does. Our original audiologist is coming back from maternity leave in May, just in time for the next mapping.
After the mapping we had to go to the lab. They call it a lab, but its not the kind of lab you may be imagining. No test tubes or microscopes. There's a special computer, different connectors, and a bunch of other stuff that I haven't bother to ask about yet. Evan is part of a study. That's how he was able to receive bilateral implants. So every time we see the audiologist he visits the lab. It doesn't hurt, they basically just attache their coils to his head and measure brain stimulation with a special cap that goes on his head. It tells them how well he's hearing, and they can compare his old results with new results. The brain answers more questions on its own then his mouth could.
Evan really wasn't in the mood for the lab today, so the two technicians just played with him for a bit and then we went home.
That's it for now. :)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Clear-er
As each day passes, new words are spoken. Those words are now becoming easier to understand, clearer. Gone are the single word sentences, now i expect 2,3,4+ words in a row. I know he can do it, that's why i expect it. He may only be 2, but when i speak to him i feel that he's listening, and understanding at least some of what i'm saying. He still talks gibberish, but that's normal for a child his age, normal hearing or not.
This past weekend we were at a 2 year olds birthday party. Evan is very quite amongst large groups of people. I attribute that to many different things, since i don't know the actual answer. I would assume that listening to 15 people talking over each other is a lot of work, it is for me at least. Maybe he just needs time to process, maybe he just wants to listen. I did notice that he talks very quietly at these types of events. It's really very cute. I don't think he really knows how to raise his voice. He knows how to scream and yell, but talk in a louder voice, not so much. I guess that's something we learn over time?!?!
I don't really mind if he doesn't want to talk, because he's doing what he wants to do, and that's fine. When i was in a quieter area of the house with only a few people around, he did speak up more.
As usual i had to explain the implants to anyone who asked. Nobody knew what they were, and they weren't expecting them. We always get the same questions, "Will he always have to wear those?", "Does he hear anything?". I guess i should be used to it, but come on, aren't those common sense? Will YOU always have to wear your glasses? Well, yes, if you want to see you will have to always wear them. Do YOU see anything? Come on, he wouldn't have magnetic coils attached to his head and a device behind each ear if he didn't hear anything. That would be like a completely blind person wearing reading glasses. You use the device because it's helping you, duh!
I don't lash out when we're asked questions. I try to teach and inform the best i can. Sometimes people just don't want to learn more then what they originally asked, and that's fine. I still try to add in some more info. I have my usual speech about how the implant works, in this weekends case it fell on "deaf" ears, no pun intended.
Then there was the 5 year old who kept asking what they were. I would explain to her in the simplest terms that Evan needs those to hear. After her last attempt at asking i compared the implants to glasses. I think she finally got it, or just grew tired of asking. Either way, this particular 5 year old was so sweet to Evan. She was playing with him, talking to him, trying to teach him things. That made me feel very good. I always worry that children won't include him because they don't understand. Unfortunately, it will happen. Everyone in life becomes excluded for one reason or another.
This past weekend we were at a 2 year olds birthday party. Evan is very quite amongst large groups of people. I attribute that to many different things, since i don't know the actual answer. I would assume that listening to 15 people talking over each other is a lot of work, it is for me at least. Maybe he just needs time to process, maybe he just wants to listen. I did notice that he talks very quietly at these types of events. It's really very cute. I don't think he really knows how to raise his voice. He knows how to scream and yell, but talk in a louder voice, not so much. I guess that's something we learn over time?!?!
I don't really mind if he doesn't want to talk, because he's doing what he wants to do, and that's fine. When i was in a quieter area of the house with only a few people around, he did speak up more.
As usual i had to explain the implants to anyone who asked. Nobody knew what they were, and they weren't expecting them. We always get the same questions, "Will he always have to wear those?", "Does he hear anything?". I guess i should be used to it, but come on, aren't those common sense? Will YOU always have to wear your glasses? Well, yes, if you want to see you will have to always wear them. Do YOU see anything? Come on, he wouldn't have magnetic coils attached to his head and a device behind each ear if he didn't hear anything. That would be like a completely blind person wearing reading glasses. You use the device because it's helping you, duh!
I don't lash out when we're asked questions. I try to teach and inform the best i can. Sometimes people just don't want to learn more then what they originally asked, and that's fine. I still try to add in some more info. I have my usual speech about how the implant works, in this weekends case it fell on "deaf" ears, no pun intended.
Then there was the 5 year old who kept asking what they were. I would explain to her in the simplest terms that Evan needs those to hear. After her last attempt at asking i compared the implants to glasses. I think she finally got it, or just grew tired of asking. Either way, this particular 5 year old was so sweet to Evan. She was playing with him, talking to him, trying to teach him things. That made me feel very good. I always worry that children won't include him because they don't understand. Unfortunately, it will happen. Everyone in life becomes excluded for one reason or another.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Excuse me while i tie my shoe
As far as titles go, this title has nothing to do with the content of the post. The title just popped into my head and i went with it. If you would like, i could mention shoes? Evan got a new pair of shoes this week, and a pair of slippers. Happy?
Ok, now on with the show. We had our normal AVT appointment this morning, and it went splendidly well. Tania was able to come with, by the way Tania is my wife, Evan's mom. I'm sure i've mentioned that before. Tania isn't able to secure time off work to join us, but she's off work due to an injury so she was able to sacrifice an hour of rest, for an hour of AVT. I do love it when Tania is able to join us, after all it's Evan's progress that we get to see. To me it just feels right when we go as a family.
Mila, our AV therapist told us that every year audiologist students get together and meet a child who basically exemplifies how well a child with cochlear implants and AVT can do. We were asked if we wanted Evan to be that child! What a freaking honour. That just shows how far he's come, what's hes overcome, and his amazing potential. I'm so proud of him.
Ok, now on with the show. We had our normal AVT appointment this morning, and it went splendidly well. Tania was able to come with, by the way Tania is my wife, Evan's mom. I'm sure i've mentioned that before. Tania isn't able to secure time off work to join us, but she's off work due to an injury so she was able to sacrifice an hour of rest, for an hour of AVT. I do love it when Tania is able to join us, after all it's Evan's progress that we get to see. To me it just feels right when we go as a family.
Mila, our AV therapist told us that every year audiologist students get together and meet a child who basically exemplifies how well a child with cochlear implants and AVT can do. We were asked if we wanted Evan to be that child! What a freaking honour. That just shows how far he's come, what's hes overcome, and his amazing potential. I'm so proud of him.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
He's just a normal kid...
He may hear differently then you and I, but it's still sound. He's just like any other child, he plays, laughs, learns, and cries. Is he special? Well, i like to think so. But what parent doesn't think their child is special? But is he Special? I still want to say no.
Just adding that capital S to the word makes me uncomfortable. I guess its just the stigmatism that surrounds it. Am i ashamed of my son? Absolutely not! Do i get uncomfortable when people stare? Absolutely. I just wish they would ask questions, rather then stare and wonder. Back to the point, my son is special to me, he's also normal to me, but to you, well, he's different.
Everyone is different. What are we comparing the "same" to? There really is no "same". Identical twins are the same, but they are the same as each other. But they are different from me.
It's all in our perception. I'm guilty of looking and judging, just like most people are. I wish i wasn't though. I've been judged by many, to assume otherwise would be foolish. We're all judged daily, but our collective differences are usual understood. It's those differences that we don't understand that confuse us and make us wonder. Our "same" threshold varies, because we're all comparing the different to something same.
I'm not going to change the world, i'm not going to change a city, i just want to change one. I'll be that one. If i better myself, my understanding of different and same, then i can better those around me. Maybe in 1000 years same will be gone, and everyone will just, be, everyone.
Just adding that capital S to the word makes me uncomfortable. I guess its just the stigmatism that surrounds it. Am i ashamed of my son? Absolutely not! Do i get uncomfortable when people stare? Absolutely. I just wish they would ask questions, rather then stare and wonder. Back to the point, my son is special to me, he's also normal to me, but to you, well, he's different.
Everyone is different. What are we comparing the "same" to? There really is no "same". Identical twins are the same, but they are the same as each other. But they are different from me.
It's all in our perception. I'm guilty of looking and judging, just like most people are. I wish i wasn't though. I've been judged by many, to assume otherwise would be foolish. We're all judged daily, but our collective differences are usual understood. It's those differences that we don't understand that confuse us and make us wonder. Our "same" threshold varies, because we're all comparing the different to something same.
I'm not going to change the world, i'm not going to change a city, i just want to change one. I'll be that one. If i better myself, my understanding of different and same, then i can better those around me. Maybe in 1000 years same will be gone, and everyone will just, be, everyone.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Amazes me....
As usual there is a gap between entries, but, good things take time, right? That's a poor excuse, i really should write more often.
Evan is doing amazingly well. He's using 3-4 words together sometimes. He's adding in the very important "i want", "hold it", "i need" and "please" along with his words. We've lost track of how many words he knows, since he just about repeats everything we say, though he doesn't necessarily understand it all. But he does understand a lot, i'm sure more then we realize. I often test him, i'll ask him questions, or just talk to him about stuff that i would imagine is a little out of reach at this stage, but he usual amazes me.
Another great achievement Evan recently made is he can put the magnet coil on his head. I've been waiting for him to figure it out, and it finally happened. He's known how to take it off, and what to say (ears) when it falls off, but that was the first time he's ever put it back on. The only problem is with the bodyworn cable that he has to wear right now, he'll put the coil on but the cord will route under his arm rather then over his shoulder. So it does have to be adjusted by us. I can't wait till his ears are bit enough to support the full weight of the BTE with the battery attached.
I'm going to sign off for now, i'll try to update this more often.
Evan is doing amazingly well. He's using 3-4 words together sometimes. He's adding in the very important "i want", "hold it", "i need" and "please" along with his words. We've lost track of how many words he knows, since he just about repeats everything we say, though he doesn't necessarily understand it all. But he does understand a lot, i'm sure more then we realize. I often test him, i'll ask him questions, or just talk to him about stuff that i would imagine is a little out of reach at this stage, but he usual amazes me.
Another great achievement Evan recently made is he can put the magnet coil on his head. I've been waiting for him to figure it out, and it finally happened. He's known how to take it off, and what to say (ears) when it falls off, but that was the first time he's ever put it back on. The only problem is with the bodyworn cable that he has to wear right now, he'll put the coil on but the cord will route under his arm rather then over his shoulder. So it does have to be adjusted by us. I can't wait till his ears are bit enough to support the full weight of the BTE with the battery attached.
I'm going to sign off for now, i'll try to update this more often.
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