I Hear Ya, Baby!!!

Yesterday I had to pull M and C out of school around 11:30 so we could race down to Sacramento for C's audiology appointment. She had to get her implants "mapped" (this is where, using a computer, the Audiologist configures the interior implant and the exterior processor to work together in such a way as to allow C to hear best, which varies for each individual person, though it is generally similar).

MJ was a bit fussy on the drive down because he didn't have a decent nap that morning. This would have been annoying except that he suddenly stopped after just a few minutes of crying. I looked into my child review mirror, which hangs just below the van's rearview mirror, to see C signing to me... She had heard MJ's cries and gave him his pacifier. This was the first time she acknowledged hearing MJ crying and actually recognized that it was a particular sound.

C has been hearing sounds since the 29th of January, when her implants were initially activated. She has asked what she is hearing every day. It's been quite interesting to see this change come about. But, she is still in the learning stage where she is trying to figure out what each sound she hears actually means. So, this is huge progress to have her recognize MJ's cries. The only other thing she recognizes is the sound of the Microwave beeping as it stops, but that's only if she knows something was cooking. So, officially, this was the first unassisted recognition of a specific sound... And it was amazing!