Our Inspired Journey

Cole's cochlear implants have been activated now for 9 days, so I thought I'd update you on what our first week has been like with our boy who now hears!!! Since we've begun this journey with our boy who is deaf, I've read many stories from parents of deaf children with cochlear implants who have reported their children's progress as well. I now realize how important it is to not compare progress from one deaf child who receives implants to another as there are so many factors that affect their progress after they are activated and hearing. The factors of age, degree of deafness before receiving implants, technology and access to therapy all come into play when considering how the post activation progress is going :)

All that to say, to any who have not been following our journey from the beginning, I welcome you to Phase 2 with our sweet boy! Cole had simultaneous bilateral cochlear implants from Advanced Bionics activated on January 2nd...just 2 days before he turned 18 months. We didn't find out he was born deaf until he was almost 14 months old and since we found out, have been on the fast track to hearing for him ever since! We are incredibly thankful for the ECHO program at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL who have helped us bring our boy into the world of sound so quickly.

This past week, Cole has adapted quickly to wearing his harness and headpieces that bring him sound. He has seemed more alert, content, interested in his toys, and seems to like interacting with us much more! When he wakes up in the morning, he touches his head where his head pieces should be as if to ask for his new ears. :) It's been so much fun introducing him to new sounds that he's never heard before. As we're playing, we'll find a toy that makes sound and watch as his face lights up while he hears it for the first time! He used to have a shorter attention span while playing and wander around the house discontented with the limited stimulation his surroundings brought. He's still our boy who loves to be outside but now will play much longer with us as he discovers greater joy in even stacking blocks (which don't make sound) listening to us celebrate as his tower grows higher and higher! The hearing his implants have brought him seem to have connected him more to his surroundings and to us...he dances and claps with us and even looks at us with greater understanding it seems, even though he's only heard our voices for a week...it's almost as if he's found his way home.

This has only been the first week of him hearing, but Cole has already begun speech therapy twice a week and returned to our audiologist for another mapping session where his implants were adjusted to increase the volume and turn up the high frequency sounds he hears. (He didn't respond as well to high frequency sounds during his last hearing test where his implants are hooked up directly to the programming computer our audiologist uses to map new programs for him.) We'll go back again on Thursday for more mapping as she continues to assess his responses to the new sounds he's hearing and make any necessary adjustments.

Here are the things we're currently working on with Cole...

• Making any sound (vocalization) when he wants something rather than using sign language. This teaches him that his voice has power. He is doing well with this so far! Every time he wants a bite of food (which he loves!) I say, "Say, more!" and I wait for him to make any sound at all and give him a bite while I clap excitedly!
• As we play with his toys, we're making sound effects with them (choo, choo for train; vroom, vroom for car, etc.) It may be a while before he mimics us, but the input he's receiving now will help him as he gets gets closer to speaking!

He's been making more and more sounds which is wonderful for this stage of the journey. At our last mapping visit with our audiologist and speech therapist, everyone was very encouraged by his responses to the hearing test he was given. When he heard a beep, he would stop playing and look up quickly, touch his headpiece and wave excitedly to Tweety who lit up for him every time he waved! It was so fun to see everyone clap for him and say..."Wow Cole! You're a star!"

We'll continue to update you as he makes progress...for now, know that he is progressing wonderfully and we are so thankful for the timing of his activation since he is so eager to communicate with us! We are so thankful for our expressive, adorable, sweet, cuddly, precious boy. Praise God for a great start into the world of hearing!