A week before school started, John and I went to meet with his teacher. She is a wonderfully enthusiastic teacher, excited to have Cole in her class and eager to learn all about what makes our boy special since she has no previous experience with CI's before. When we met with her, we showed her the self-advocacy PowerPoint that Cole and one of his therapists in Illinois made for him right before we left. It is awesome. It has slides about his family, things he likes and doesn't like (showing that he is a just like every other 4 year old boy in a lot of ways!) and then tells about his implants...the part of our boy that makes him unique! As we went through the PowerPoint, Cole sat on my lap told her about each slide....The people that made up his family, that he liked to ride his bike and wants to ride a fast motorcycle someday, that he loves to eat cheeseburgers and that he wears cochlear implants to hear. I was so proud of him :)
On the first day of school, I went for the first half hour to get him settled and to give his new friends a little lesson on his cochlear implants. I sat in a circle with Cole's teacher along with 7 other 4 year olds, while they went around and said their name and how old they were. Each time it was someones turn to share, they shyly mumbled through their name and with lots of help from their teacher, shared how old they were. Cole was last to share, and he (without any prompting) popped up and said...
"My name is Cole. I am 4 years old." And then he sat down, all smiles.
Then I asked him to come sit in my lap so we could tell his new friends about his special ears. He bounced over to my lap, and said (with a little help from me)...
"These are my cochlear implants. They help me hear. When they are off I can't hear. They cannot get water or mud on them." I went on to tell them that if you are trying to talk to Cole outside where it's noisy, and he doesn't turn around when you call his name, he may not hear you. Just move to where he can see you or tap him on the shoulder so you know he's paying attention! I planned on staying longer to help him get settled, but after the speech he gave, I realized he was on his way to a great first day!
Since that moment, he's had 2 weeks of school...Everytime I pick him up, his teacher says he's had a great day and is one of the best listeners in class. She's actually hoping some of the other kids pick up on his great behavior and good listening skills! He even had a computer day already, and before we could send the special cord that plugs directly from the computer to his implant, he tried out big headphones the computer teacher gave him to try that covered his implants completely. From their reports, he told them he could hear well, and as they watched, he played the computer game perfectly! I'm still planning on going in to observe him on the computer to double check he's not just a great guesser :) but the initial reports are encouraging!
So far in preschool, Cole is...
memorizing and reciting scripture (2 verses so far!!!)
doing a great job with his coloring and writing like a champ! (thank you Miss Carolyn!)
eating ALL of his lunch (this brings me SO much joy being the one who packs it!)
playing on computers using regular headphones...(amazing!)
making wonderful friends (though he still seems to be the most social one of the bunch :)
and riding scooters up a storm..(he's a sucker for anything FAST!)
Yesterday, Cole brought home a bracelet he made. He showed it to me when I picked him up, and I oooed and ahhhed over it, then didn't think much more about it. Then, it was time to pick up Ryder. We all piled in the car, Cole with his bracelet, and marched in a long parade-like fashion (which is really how we go everywhere these days) up to Ryder's room. When we arrived, the sweetest thing happened. Cole ran up to his brother and said, "Ryder, Ryder! Look what I made for you!" and then took his bracelet off his wrist and watched as Ryder excitedly put it on his.
"Thank you, Coley!" Ryder said, "I'll make you one when we get home!"
We're thankful for a wonderful preschool for our boy, but SO much more than that, we are thankful for the character and maturity God is developing in him as he grows in and out of school. Seeing him at home with the brother and sisters God has given him is such a picture of the fullness of God and how his plan for us is COMPLETE, not lacking in anything.
God may not have made Cole with hearing, He DID given him...
...a brother who challenges him to talk A LOT in all their adventures together, and who God has made more patient and adaptable in the process of knowing, loving and growing with Cole...
...a sister who LOVES to play house with him stretching his imagination every time they are together, and who God is making more patient, loving and adventurous every day she's with Cole...
...another sister who draws out a the most tender, nurturing side of my little boy that I've ever seen and who is learning what courage looks like close up in her big brother!
God truly is GOOD!!! We praise Him for every moment with our boy, and pray others would come to understand more about the character and heart of our God who loves the disabled, as they know more about the way HE is touching Cole's life. We praise you, Lord for your work and look forward to all you have for his future!
