Life is Bliss - Lily's Cochlear Implant Journey

Advanced Bionics - Making The Magic Happen

Here are just a few of the great people who played a part in creating Lily's cochlear implants. The folks at Advanced Bionics were so gracious with their time and spoke candidly about the importance of their work on helping people hear better. They were as excited to meet Lily as we were to have her meet them. We can't thank them enough.

Our Trip to Advanced Bionics - Part 1

We have always wanted to visit Advanced Bionics since the moment we chose the company's Cochlear Implant for Lily.  In fact if we knew it was so easy to visit, we might have journeyed to California much earlier to take a tour, meet the people and  see where the magic happens.

We were in the area for Lily's Dad's work, so added a few days on to trek to Advanced Bionics which is located just North of Los Angeles.  AB has two locations, a factory and a headquarters building, which is soon to become one in a beautiful new facility down the street from their current headquarters. 

While we only requested a tour, we were invited to speak to the entire company about Lily's hearing journey.  AB feels it is important for every member of their company from factory workers to the CEO to hear the CI stories of their customers, both good and those who have had challenges.  With this aim, AB invites about 30 customers a year to speak and requires their staff to attend.

We were one of those customers to speak to the entire  staff in both locations.   It was truly an honor, and yet quite intimidating to talk to those inventing, improving and producing products that have allowed or will allow Lily to hear better. 

We saw it as a rare opportunity to directly impact those who will shape Lily's hearing journey through improved hardware and software.  We saw it as a opportunity to directly thank those who made Lily's implants.  (They pulled a half dozen people off the floor to meet with us, who in part made Lily's implants.)  We also saw it as a time to motivate and inspire the company by demonstrating Lily's success with acquiring listening and spoken language. 

I'd say we left our visit as "believers."  While we definitely identified things we thought they could do better, we drank the Kool-Aid and are so happy we chose AB for our partner in this hearing journey. They even told us and showed us some of the secret stuff they are working on and boy are we excited.

There is so much to report about our visit and vacation, we'll have to break it up in a number of blog posts.  As they say on TV.....Stay Tuned.   

289 Words ++++

As part of the Baby Lab, we fill out the MacArthur Bates Word Inventory.  As we are now only keeping track of expressive words, this inventory is getting harder and harder to do.  Lily is saying so much. 

To fill some of the areas on the inventory out, we have to resort to saying "Lily, what's this?"  And she'll know.  And we will think, "How does she know that?"   We've checked 289 words, but I think she probably knows another 100 or more that aren't on the list. 

We are so thankful for all the supports we receive, for her Cochlear Implants and that she is just a great kid, with a good sense of humor and lots of patience for her passionate parents. 

Happy Father's Day - We Love You

Lily's Dad is a great father.  He works hard all day, then comes home to work equally hard at night.  He is constantly supporting our family in endless ways.  He helps to provide a language rich environment for Lily, helps around the house without me even asking, and always wants to support me so that I can be a better Mom.  He is really the perfect Daddy for Lily.  Always ready to "Come Daddy," always ready to listen to "Muuusi" over and over, and always ready for his good morning "Kisses."  He is my partner in Lily's hearing journey and my wonderful partner in life.  

My Dad, Lily's Grandpa, is a great father and grandfather too.  It was very apparent as Lily's Dad and I were driving in the car yesterday.   From the backseat we could see Lily making her baby dance.  She was singing "Dancing Queen, yn an swe Dancing Queen, on tam yeah!"  Or something like this.  How does she know ABBA's Dancing Queen?  From the hours of sitting on Grandpa's lap and watching ABBA videos on YouTube.  It's no accident that one of Lily's first words was ABBA.  Thanks Grandpa for all your help and language input.  It is really paying off. 

Look Mommy! Mess

Lily has discovered a new little trick, which is naughty but funny at the same time.  She will push or dump her toys on the floor and then come running and say "Look Mommy!   Mess."   Of course we use this as a language opportunity when we have to "pick up our toys."

Seriously Gross

Lily is doing Zoo Play this summer and last week's theme was bugs.  Here is Lily messing with some Meal Worms.  They wiggled when you shook the box a little and had an awful smell, but Lily was quite fascinated with them.   Lots of language surrounding bugs, including GROSS!!!

Lily's 2nd Birthday Cake

With Lily's Oswald obsession, it was only proper to highlight this blue octopus at her birthday.  We'd ask, "Who is (or was) on your cake."  She'd say, "Oswald, Daisy, Henry and Weenie."  Right! Whose Birthday is it?  "Nil-Ni" (That means Lily)  Is it Daddy's Birthday?  "Nooooooo.  Nil-Ni."  A Great Birthday. 

Bless You

Lily and I were driving to meet Mommy at Jazz in June this evening when a sudden urge to sneeze came over me - AHHHH CHOOO! 

From the back seat I heard a little voice say "Bless You." 

Blessed indeed.

Two Year Check-Up - Ahead Of The Curve

Lily went to her pediatrician today for her two-year check-up and aside from a few tears for her vaccination shot, all was good. Lily was a star as usual answering the doctor's questions and even saying his name when Mommy asked "Who's that?" The doc said that Lily was on track in every category and was even ahead of the curve for many of his "normal" hearing kiddos. What great news after such a tough beginning.

CI Sighting at the Grocery Store

Saw a middle-aged woman today at the grocery store with an AB CI.  I was so surprised, she left before I was able to "accost" her.  :)

Happy Birthday - Lily Turns Two

Lily turned two today and had a heck of a party with family and friends. She had an "Oswald" cake and way too generous grandparents and friends who filled the living room with presents. 

Last year at this time she was just beginning to use her "ears" to recognize and respond to sounds. Tonight I was filling out the doctor's checklist for her 2-year check-up tomorrow and she's meeting all of the developmental and language milestones on the list (20+ words, two-word sentences, use of pronouns, following 2-part commands, etc.). Wow! What a great birthday gift. 

Here are a couple of pics from the party. Enjoy!

Singing in the Car - A Great Time for Language

We do a lot of singing in the car.  Sometimes we sing the dozens and dozens of kid songs we've learned since Lily was born. 

Lily asks for music a lot.  It sounds like Mur-or, then I correct her with "Mu-sic" and she says "Muuuuuu-si."  Hard word to say. 

Lily knows which songs she likes.  She'll say "No-no-no," indicating that she wants to change the song.  Today she started saying "Next song."  She has a couple of favorite kid songs including one that sounds like Bob Dylan and another that talks about ice cream.  (Of course).  She'll wave her arms and legs around and try and dance to the music. 

We've also started singing the A-B-C song and Lily is really picking it up fast.  She will fill in certain letters and words when we pause.  Grandma has an alphabet caterpillar that has also really helped her learn this song. 

The car is great time for singing, dancing and music. 

Color Discovery

Lily has discovered colors.  She can consistently identify and say pink, blue and yellow.  She cay say green, red, and purple, but her color identification is not always accurate.   She especially likes yellow buses, pink shirts and blUUe everything. 

Counting at Kindermusik

We started a new Kindermusik class today.  The theme for the session is Under the Sea or something related to the ocean.  One of the songs was called Five Little Seashells.

"Five little seashells lying on the shore, Swish! Went the waves, and then there were four. "  You get the picture. Repeat until there are no more shells. 

Miss Shawna asked the kids "How many shells are there?"  Lily piped up, "Three."  She was right.  Miss Shawna took a shell away and asked again.  Lily said, "Two."  She was right.    Although Lily lost interest by One, she can now count consistently up to three, and says four and five. 

I Love You - The Sweet Sound

Yesterday, after being inspired from the Baby Lab (results to come soon), I decided to teach Lily "I Love You."  At the Baby Lab we were talking about two word sentences and then Mary Pat actually heard Lily use a three word sentence.  So "I Love You" was a perfect three word sentence to work on. 

I started saying the words to Lily and she filled in the last word.   I - Love - "ELMO",  Hmmmm.   Started again.  I -- Love -- "BEAR".  Started again.  I - Love - Then I whispered Mommy.  Lily repeated the whisper  Mommy.  So I started again.  I - Love - "YOU"  Lily said You instead of Mommy.  I didn't even know she knew the word You.  Big kisses of course.

Then today, Lily was running around at Grandma's and she laid her head on my lap and said "I wu you," then went to Grandma and said the same thing.  We were excited to say the least.  Not even prompted, but a spontaneous "I love you."  Were there articulation issues?  Of course. But we were thrilled. 

Jazz In June

Lily dances to the music at Jazz In June next to the Sheldon Art Gallery.

Language Opportunities Everywhere

There are language opportunities everywhere.  

We had the opportunity this spring to watch three robins being born.  Lily checked on the birds everyday.  They went from beautiful blue eggs to big feathery birds leaving the nest.   Lily was able to talk about the Mommy Bird, Daddy Bird, babies, nest, eggs, shhhh - don't scare them, blue, feathers, open their mouth, worms, and on and on. 

We also just visited the local Children's Museum.  Lily loved the grocery store and quickly learned how to pile all types of food in her cart including pineapple, sausage, yogurt and bread.  The kids are able to scan their groceries and pay the bill. I always ask Lily if she brought any money.  She responds, "Noooope."

AB On The Brain

So as we're going back over notes and resources from the past two years in preparation for our presentation at Advanced Bionics, Lily's Mom stumbled upon another great blog by a recent AB user and a post about why she chose AB. Good reading and a great summary of AB benefits.

Preparing For Our Advanced Bionics Trip

From the day we chose Advanced Bionics for Lily's implants we've wanted to make a visit to see the company in action. As luck/fate/karma would have it I was going to be in the area attending a trade show for my work. We decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to tack on a couple of vacation days and make it a family adventure as well. So the whole family will be making a trip to sunny SoCal in a few weeks. 

Lily's Mom made a few calls and managed to schedule a tour for us at their facilities. During the conversation, the AB rep asked if we'd be interested in speaking to the employees to share our story. We jumped at the invite to meet the people who've made such an impact in Lily's life. So we're now in the process of prepping a 60-minute presentation to be given to both the manufacturing facilities and AB headquarters. Stay tuned for updates and insights.

Singing Happy Birthday to Grandma

Yesterday was Grandma's Birthday. To celebrate the occasion, Lily learned the fundamentals of singing Happy Birthday. 

It sounds like "Happy Bir To You."  Or we would sing "Happy Birthday" and she would say proudly, "To You!" 

In the official song to Grandma, we sang "Happy Birthday dear _____"  and Lily filled in "Grn-ma."  What a priceless birthday present for Grandma. 

Listening to the Turtle Doves/Owls

Twice today, we were outside and Lily said "Owl" and tapped her cheek.  Sure enough, off in the distance, there was the faint Whooo, Whooo, Whooo of an Owl or in this case a Turtle Dove.  With all the other outside noises, I was surprised she could hear the soft sounds of a specific bird.   She is listening all of the time, even when she is ignoring us.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

When we were leaving from story time at the library today, we were squeezing through the hallway as kids from the next session were coming into the room.  Lily bumped into a kid and said "Sorry."  I looked up at the Mom sort of shocked.   She looked at me and we both just started laughing.  Then we turned the corner, Lily bumped into another kid and said "Sorry" again.  So funny. 

Hearing Journey Posters, A New Book and Listening Tests

Faye, our Hearing Resource Teacher, has brought a couple of great posters from AB's Hearing Journey website including the Sleepy Time Poster and the "I Heard That" Farm Poster that Lily has loved to explore and talk about. 

She also brought a book from Eric Carle called Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.  It involved a father climbing up a ladder, on top of a mountain, to get the Moon for his daughter -- something Lily's Dad would definitely do.  Lily soaked the book up as we read it, but didn't react too much.   Then later that same day, as her Dad was holding her, she tried to reach and grab the moon herself.   She's already an independent woman and definitely understood and could apply what she had read.

Lily's languauge continues to grow everyday.  She repeats everything and many of her words and sounds are getting clearer.  Today our SLP Staci was doing a listening test where she would ask Lily to point to the box with the Baby, Ball and Star or Book, Blocks and Heart, etc.  After the exercise was completed, our SLP said Lily had done fabulously and that she usually waits until kids are three to do these exercises, but that Lily was definitely ready for them.  Too fun!

A CI Success Story for Inspiration

Here is a great article about a successful 18 year old, who is a bilateral CI user and the co-valedictorian of her high school.