Life is Bliss - Lily's Cochlear Implant Journey

The Halloween Experience

There is not much Lily missed about Halloween.  We had the whole experience including making cookies, reading loads of books, attending lots of wonderful Halloween parties and of course Trick or Treating.  Thanks to everyone who added to the flavor. 

Lily learned all about skeletons with bony fingers, cackling witches that say "Hee Hee Hee" and that a "Thank You.  Happy Halloween" always follows the neighbors filling your basket with candy.  We shared many fun experiences with our friends and family and Lily is already plotting next year's costume. 

 

 

Lily's BFF

Lily has a couple of BFFs which I am certain will be her pals for a lifetime.  Here are Lily and Ivy, Lily's "soul sister" recreating memories for their Moms of the hours we spent in the 4-H building as children.

Lily's First Haircut - "That's not so bad"

Lily had an official first haircut for which she sat very still.   We were pleasantly surprised, because of our previous attempts at giving her bangs a little snip.  It must have been the big cape, the big chair and the big mirrors that captured her attention just long enough for the hairdresser to trim her blond locks.  Lily didn't really have much hair until 18 months, so we were only going for a trim. 

As the hairdresser sprayed her hair down with water, Lily said, "That tickles" which was quite amusing for the whole salon.   After finishing up and getting some candy, Lily jumped down and said "That's not so bad."  Again the entire place erupted in laughter. 

Haircuts were situations that "pre-Cochlear Implant" I wondered how we would do it so she could hear.  Fortunately, it didn't present a problem at all.  When the hairdresser was cutting one side, we just flipped the head piece down and as she moved to the other side we replaced the head piece and took the other one off.   No problem.   Lots of anxiety created over nothing.   

Japanese Birthday Celebration

We were so happy to be able to celebrate Aunt Kelly's Birthday this year.  Here Lily is demonstrating how to use chopsticks at the Teppanyaki (Japanese grill) Restaurant.   These chopsticks were rubber banded together, but Lily preferred to eat with just one stick.  Fortunately, we were eating sticky rice.  

The japanese chef gave Lily lots of new experiences to think and talk about including throwing bowls into his hat, lighting a huge fire on the grill, cracking eggs with a spatula and blowing on a train whistle while pushing a steaming onion.   Some of these experiences are harder to explain "why" than others.

Pre-Halloween Experiences - Costumes, Books and Song

Lily has been getting lots of pre-Halloween experiences.  She's read a dozen books about haunted houses, pumpkin patches and bony skeleton fingers.  And the big news is that she decided to be a "puppy dog" for Halloween.  Very cute pictures to come soon. 

Here Lily and Barb, from the Omaha Hearing School, are trying to decide what Lily should be for Halloween.  Maybe a ghost?   Then they read/sang a book.  Each page was a Halloween picture. This one was the Ugly Witch - The witch goes "Hee Hee Hee" and of course they made an ugly face.    

The final picture demonstrates that it is getting colder here and Lily is dressed so stylishly in her leapord print and hot pink accessories.  Pretty fancy!

Learning to Fly

On our search for a Halloween costume, we stumbled upon these beautiful pink wings with glitter that falls off wherever you wander.  Lily took to the wings instantly and now believes she can fly.  Not sure what she was doing in this picture, but she was insisting that she, baby Pooh and daddy Pooh all climb into the backpack together.  Our little angel. 

Halloween Update - Lion or Cow?

Lily has decided she wants to be a lion for Halloween, for now.  She has been set on cow for the past few weeks, so who knows what we will end up with. 

Talking at the Zoo

Lily and I have been trying to soak up every last ounce of summer.  Last week we made quick trip to the Children's Zoo for a little fun.  The highlight on this trip was Lily's horse ride.  She was a real "Cowgirl" with her horse named Jack. 

There was so much at the zoo to talk about.  From the "hay" the horses eat, to the "caterpillars and the spiderwebs" that Lily climbs on.  She loves to watch and then talk about everything.  For example, we talked about the "Zoo Keepers" and how they were the same as in the Good Night, Gorilla book.  We also found out that the seal has the same name as our neighbor Tony.  

Lily is making more remote connections and drawing things from her distant memory. She is quickly becoming a little girl and no longer our little baby.  Of course she still tells me "I baby," followed by a "wah wah." 

Omaha Hearing School Adventure

Last week we had our weekly visit with the Omaha Hearing School in Omaha.  It was a blast. 

We are now working with Barb, who clearly adores Lily and Lily adores her.  Barb is passionate, aggressive and very creative.  She had worked with Karen for 29 years, who we miss terribly, but thankfully Karen and Barb have a very similar style.  

We played outside in the school's fabulous garden which was all set up for Lily.  Not only was there an obstacle course, but we played on the "static-free" playground, dug in the sand, played basketball and did an active language exercise with paper flowers. 

At the end of the day, the princess was exhausted and fell fast asleep in her tutu for the ride home.

Talking About Lines and Animals and Weather and ...

Lily has been lining items up, then standing next to them and requesting that we take her picture. It is a very interesting observation she has made about photo shoots.  Of course we take this opportunity to talk about first, last and middle, among other photo shoot language possibilities.   Here are the animals after a dip in the sandbox. They were enjoying the nice weather between their pictures. 

I don't remember the exact language Lily used here, but she pretty much talks non-stop now.  We have long conversations and her sentence length and complexity grows daily.  We hear sentences from three to six, even seven words on a consistent basis.    She is asking and repeating lots of questions words, is matching the intonation of language and building her vocabulary database.

Sometimes I pinch myself and think did she really just say that.  Amazing stuff. 

Jumpin' Kate = Jumpin' Lily

This weekend we went to a local community radio fund raiser, which was simply a couple of bands in someone's backyard.   Lily loved it.  She and cousin Ivy were jammin', jumpin' and groovin' to the acoustic guitar sounds of Jumpin' Kate and another guy named Mike who was also terrific, but his name was less memorable.  Lily must get her love of acoustic guitar from me and her Aunt Tiffany.   The band was gracious to wave  and smile each time  the kids ran around the dance floor. 

It was so satisfying to watch Lily dance to the music and listen to the songs.  Carefree and enjoying the sound.  The audience asked Lily questions  between sets like "How old are you" and "what is your name" and she didn't miss a beat.  This would never be possible without her Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implants.  We are so thankful.  

Lily Goes to School

Lily spends a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  While she's there, she attends "Papas" school.  They read lots of books, talk about colors, numbers, shapes and letters.  Lily has mastered most of the colors, the basic shapes, one through ten although two and seven are often missing, and many letters in the alphabet including A, B, L and I.   Many of the lessons are on the computer.  Her reward for good work of course includes M&Ms.  Yes she knows the letter M as well.  Thanks for your help!

I Missed You Emma

Lily and Emma are good pals.  Lily looks up to Emma and watches her every move.  These two are now able to have little back and forth conversations and while Emma is much older, Lily has no problem hearing her questions, even in challenging listening environments, and then coming back with some kind of answer. 

This weekend, when Emma left for a few moments and then returned, Lily rushed up, gave her a big hug and said, "I missed you Emma."  Ahhhhh what a tender moment and certainly a demonstration that Lily understands emotions and the word "missing."

Talk Like a Pirate Day - Good Reason to Eat Cake

September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.   An observer of this holiday would greet friends not with "Hello," but with "Ahoy, me hearty!"   We have good friends that are passionate about this holiday and have already started celebrating with pirate cupcakes.   Lily took one look and said, "ARRRrrrrr."  I have no idea how she knows what a pirate says, but she is well on her way to celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day every year.  Thanks for the cake!

Go BIG Red and Other Must Know Phrases

During Nebraska football season, everything is about the Cornhuskers.  Everyone wears red, even if you have no plans of attending or watching the game. 

Last night, Aunt Kelly and Uncle Eric hosted their first game party.  It has truly been wonderful to watch how they've embraced their new home state, wearing Husker T-shirts for every event, and now even getting the game on pay-per-view.  Kelly wore a Husker N on her face and Eric built red and white corn hole boards (a game where you try and throw bean bags into a tiny hole 20 feet away).  

Lily has also embraced her Nebraskaness and chanted "Go BIG Red" for most of the game.  Aunt Kelly and friend Jill spent part of the evening teaching and photographing Lily yelling "Touch Down" with the appropriate arm movements.  So much important culture to teach. :) 

Take My Picture - A Memorable Moment

Lily and I are trying to soak up the nice weather by going for lots of walks.  Yesterday, Lily demanded that she take a few toys along for the ride.  As you can see, the stacking bucket full of stuffed birds, a teddy bear and the tree stump all joined us.  

Once Lily had climbed up in the stroller and stuffed the toys in, she told me to "take a picture."   I think she realized this was a memorable moment.   The toys actually stayed in the stroller the entire time and Lily even managed to take a little snooze.

Pretending and Singing Mr Sun

We're having lots of fun as summer draws to a close.  It was a beautiful weekend to play outside and do all those summer kid activities like bubbles, chalk on the sidewalk and play dough on the porch. 

One funny interaction this evening was when were pretending with the play dough that we were having a picnic.  I told Lily we were pretending to eat.  Then asked, "What am I eating?"  She finally decided I was eating a strawberry.  Then I tried to change it and said, "Now I am eating an enchilada."  Lily said, "No Mommy.  It's not enchilada, it's strawberry.  Pretend strawberry." 

Lily has also been growing her singing ability.  Tonight she told me to "Stop singing Mommy.  Shoe singing."  She was playing with her pink sandal and apparently it wanted to sing.  (We don't stifle creativity here.)   Then she started into "Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Ol' (Golden) Sun, Please shine down me."  Totally amazing.  We cheered. 

Check out this article called Bringing Music to Their Bionic Ears: Nurturing Music Development in Children With Cochlear Implants.  By Christine Barton - A music therapist who we adore!

A few more fun pictures to enjoy.

Singing Happy Birthday Mommy

Tonight at dinner, Lily serenaded me with "Happy Birthday Mommy, Happy Birthday Mommy, Happy Birthday to Yooooouuuuuu (vibrato)."  What more could I ask for?  Did I ever imagine Lily would be able to do this at two years old?  No.  What a great birthday. 

I received so many birthday wishes from so many special friends and family and had multiple parties, which is how birthdays should be celebrated. 

Yesterday we got to explore Omaha's Riverfront and rode the new riverboat.  Lily  couldn't wait to find that boat and "row row row the boat..."   We even climbed the new pedestrian bridge.  I have a feeling it's going to be a great new year. 

Happy Birthday Mommy

Here's a quick post to wish Mommy a big, beautiful birthday. It's been a great year!

 

Outdoor Adventure at the Home of Arbor Day

We took Friday night dinner on the road this week and ended up in Nebraska City, home of Arbor Day.  It is an amazing little town, full of cool stuff to do and explore.  

The Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure was one of the highlights.   We hiked the trails, climbed through tunnels, touched everything, ate lollipops, jumped on bridges, watched a waterfall and played with outdoor Marimbas.   Lots of outdoor language rich open-ended play.  I have a vision for an outdoor play space in our backyard.   Will need to put it on the "to do" list for this winter. 

This amazing play space is only limited by one's imagination and oh how Lily's imagination has blossomed in the last few months.  She'll pretend to fly on airplanes, drive cars, get candy, throw a ball, get out of a rain storm, talk on the phone, almost anything we can dream up together.  

The ability to pretend not only grows her mind, but also grows her language.  It enables us to have lots of conversations back and forth about what will happen next, who is coming and how it might taste, just to name a few.  What great adventures we have together. 

Float 4 Life - Lily's Swimming Adventure

Lily's been taking a Float 4 Life class.  I'd call it boot-camp swimming lessons (15 mins each day with a one-on-one teacher) where the goal is to teach babies and toddlers to float.   See this YouTube Video of the program. 

Lily is in the toddler or "little girl" program, as she prefers to be called.   Last week she learned to come up from under the water, turn over and float on her back.  This week she will learn how to turn back over on her tummy from the back float and then swim to the edge and climb out. 

It will be a truly amazing and life saving accomplishment if this works.  It's a little intense, with a few tears, but by the end of the week, she'll be able to save herself from drowning.  

During the session, I am supposed to hide.  So the picture is just to give you a flavor of swimming.  Lily is behind the basketball hoop with her teacher. 

As for her CIs, we've been taking them off right before she goes in the water and putting them on immediately after getting out of the water.  The teacher says most of the learning is non-verbal anyway.  The teacher does lots of smiling and clapping and said Lily responds with a "Yeah!"

Lily's Buddy "UnJohn"

Uncle John was here visiting for the past few weeks.  He was quite popular with Lily.  She'd yell, "UnJohn come upstairs" over and over again.   They read lots of books together, played with cars and bubbles and even went to the Safari Park (see Big Black Bear below).   Then "UnJohn go airplane."  We miss you already.  Come back soon.

Communicating Her Needs Or Stalling Tactics

Lily is quite the communicator. She's using her new skills to try and convince us to let her stay up later at night. Last night we came home from dinner at Grandma's and before Lily headed upstairs to put on her pajamas she ran over to the kitchen table, jumped into her booster seat, buckled herself in, and said, "I play cards now Mommy". She was referring to activity cards that she played with Mommy earlier in the day from Advanced Bionics Listening Room. She knew that it would be hard for us to say no to just a little more language learning. Clever girl. Here's a photo.

Tonight was a little different. We've been reading the book "Baby Can't Sleep." In it the daddy tries to get baby to fall asleep by counting sheep to her (One sheep chasing fireflies, two sheep playing guitar, three sheep staring at stars, etc.). Lily was a little restless and reached for me to pick her up and said "I count sheep, I count sheep, I count sheep," which sounds remarkably like "I can't sleep." Once I made the connection we counted a few sheep and she promptly relaxed and fell asleep. Ahh the power of language.

Journey Through the Sand Hills

I'm not a big country music fan, but I love the Dixie Chick song called Cowboy Take Me Away.  It must have been written by someone who had just spent time at a wedding in the Sand Hills of western Nebraska.  Here is an excerpt:

I said I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly

I wanna sleep on the hard ground
In the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of blue bonnets
And a blanket made of stars

Oh it sounds good to me

I said cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to Heaven above
And closer to you
Closer to you

I wanna walk and not run
I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon
And not see a building standing tall

I wanna be the only one
For miles and miles
Except for maybe you
And your simple smile

Oh it sounds good to me
Yes it sounds so good to me

A few photos (taken with my iphone out the car window) of the Sand Hills and our journey west, with a stop at the Niobrara River and Smith Falls.  

Ah the sound of rushing water and those on river tubes screaming Go Big Red.  Why must the two mix? 

Visiting The St Louis Magic House

One of our side adventures in St. Louis was the children's museum appropriately called The Magic House. This was one of the most enormous, extensive and original children's museums we've seen.  

Built around an old house, there were exhibits on three levels.  Unfortunately because there was no admission cost that night, most of St Louis had also come for a visit and the listening environment was horrible. 

Lily climbed, fished and worked on cars non-stop until it was time for our nightly ice cream or custard as they called it in St Louis.   The Magic House certainly gave us a lot to talk about.

Moog Center's Parent Workshop - We're in Love! Part 1

We spent the last few days at the Moog Center's Parent Workshop.   We are in love with this place.  The workshop had about 15 families with children from one to five years old who had hearing loss.  Some kids wore hearing aids, many wore Cochlear Implants and a few wore both.   

The families were from all over the country and seriously committed to helping their kids learn to talk and listen.  The last question of the seminar from the parents was when can we come back?

The workshop lasted four days and covered topics such as Modeling and Imitation, Simulated Language Learning, Audiology, Benchmarks, Capitalizing on Routine Activities, Mapping, IEPs, Teaching Family and Friends about Communicating with your Child, Parents Share and a Kids Panel made up of first and second graders and their Moms.  Betsy Moog Brooks delivered most of the sessions and seemed to have an answer for every question that the parents asked.   She meant business and was clearly there to make an impact on kids with hearing impairments.   

Bestsy’s mother, Jean Sachar Moog was also there and presented research on Early Educational Placement and Later Language Outcomes.  She highlighted the significant impact two-year-old classes for D/HOH kids can make in later language outcomes.  These two women are leading the way in helping children learn to talk and listen.  What a thrill to be a little a part of their lives.

The research they gave us about the Moog Center says that at three years old 81% of their kids were at or above their age level in receptive vocabulary and 86% were at or above their age level in expressive vocabulary.  At age five, 94% were at or above their age level in receptive vocabulary, 97% in expressive vocabulary, 91% in receptive language and 77% in expressive language.

It seemed nothing at the Center happened by accident.  Everything was recorded, strategic and intentional.  We would move to St Louis in a minute if Lily was not thriving from the services in our area.   Lily had an hour of speech therapy everyday with Laurie, a Moog SLP, and spent the rest of the time talking with Moog teachers in the toddler room.  At the end of the workshop, we knew everything Lily worked on and where they believed we should put our “language and speech” energy.  

They said we should focus on requiring Lily to use two and three word sentences every time she talks.   Lily has a huge receptive and expressive vocabulary, but just needs to move towards more complex sentences.   If Lily doesn’t attempt a two or three word sentence after we model it, they said we shouldn’t give her what she wants.  

This is their model of modeling and imitation.   It seems to already be working.  Lily is talking non-stop and we don’t know where she is coming up with some of the words and sentences she is putting together.  Some of that started before we got to St Louis, but the "strategy" seems to definitely be accelerating her language.  

The facility itself was beautiful, incredibly quiet for the best learning environment and run with an eye for detail.   We are re-energized!!!

Here are some photos of the Moog Center.

(Note the metal slide and static-free play structure)

A Trip to the Zoo - There Is So Much to Talk About

This week we went to the zoo with some of our CI pals that also work with the Omaha Hearing School.  The other kids are about two years older than Lily and are talking beautifully. 

Karen, the director of OHS, commented that all the Moms were seamlessly reinforcing, expanding and correcting everything each other's kids were saying.  We've all had such great training from Karen, I think it is now just second nature.  We are so lucky that the Omaha Hearing School is able to continue serving our community and providing top-notch oral education to this area of the country.

Highlights at the zoo included Lily's first horse ride, catching butterflies, and the worm Karen helped the kids pick up and put back in the dirt.  Oh what she'll do for a language experience. 

Beach Scene in Nebraska

On the way back from our July 4th adventure in Northern Nebraska, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant for dinner.   When we were leaving the restaurant, Lily saw this picture and started screaming "Beach, Lily (nil-ni), Beach, Waves, Toes Sand."  Then she hugged the picture.  

We love the beach and all the language opportunities it created.  She wasn't, by the way, looking at the beer.  She is well hydrated with her fancy new six-hour milk cup from Grandma. Thanks.

Farm Living is the Life for Me

We had a fabulous trip to small town Nebraska this weekend to celebrate the fourth of July and to meet up with Auntie Kara and Uncle Ron. 

This celebration included a parade, turtle racing, greased pig contest, tractor pull and lots of incredible food including Nebraska steaks, corn on the cob and blueberry pie.  Could it be more picture perfect for a Midwest fourth?   We even got to stay in a converted barn, which should be featured in the next HGTV conversion show, and go deep in to a field of dreams, I mean popcorn.  

Lily's phrases seemed to get longer and more complex this weekend with all the adventures.  We heard such things as  "Daddy I'm running" and "Mommy's pillow."  Lily was even talking in her sleep. It rained most of the day on the fourth and Lily must have been dreaming about it.   She said very clearly, "Raining.  Umbrella." Then was out like a light. 

Our hosts were so kind to treat us to a great weekend.  What magic moments.  Thanks!!!

We Love the Beach

I Love the Beach has been the theme at Kindermusik this session, so actually going to the beach was the perfect opportunity to build on what Lily was learning.  Of course I love the beach as well; the smell, the sounds and the sunsets.  Reminded me in many ways of living in Hong Kong. 

We dipped our toes/legs in the ocean twice and Lily loved it.  She learned new words like ocean, beach, waves, shells, and seaweed.  She loved getting sand between her toes and putting all the seaweed in a big pile.  

We were really cautious about getting Lily's processors wet. One fall in the water and it could have meant trouble.  We did learn from our tour at Advanced Bionics that even the Body Worn Processors are pretty water resistant.  The real issue for the BWP is the headpiece taking a direct hit.   So with that knowledge, we monitored Lily's jumping in the waves, making sure she stayed upright when the water came in, but she was a little wet when we left.  

Hopefully the next time we go to the beach, Lily's processors will be totally waterproof and she can splash to her heart's content. If not, we'll have to resort to MacGyver waterproofing methods. 

Building Legos Building Language

After our visit to Advanced Bionics, we journeyed three hours south to Carlsbad, CA.  We found a lovely seaside community with great restaurants, a good beach, a fabulous Sheraton and of course Legoland.  It has a lot of Legos with a few kid rides mixed in.   Here are some pictures of our adventure. 

As you can see, Lily is non-stop action.  She loves to jump, go down slides and actually build with Legos. Lily received a a Lego Duplo set and tickets to Legoland from Grandma and Grandpa for her Birthday.  Thanks!!  There was so much to talk about and new adventures to discover.  It certainly had a major impact on her language. 

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.

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. 

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!

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."

Boys Town Cochlear Implant Run

We survived the Boys Town Cochlear Implant Run.  Lily's Dad ran the five-mile race and the rest of us walked the one-mile race, very quickly.  Then it was off to face/arm painting (a first for Lily) and a visit with our audiologist Jeff who was staffing the information booth.  Jeff is a pro.  He always answers all of my questions very seriously, including those I start with, "Is it true that...? and I read on the CI Circle that..."  

A couple of pictures to summarize the day. 

Loving Life - Lily's Two-Year Photos

Sneak peak at our recent family photo shoot.  Lily is a natural in front of the camera and we are amazed at the pictures. More photos to come soon.  

You can see how her Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implants just blend in, especially as she gets more hair. 

Lily Talks with a Husker Legend

Lily met this Husker legend the other day.  She calls him the man.  He was just her size.  Perfect for hugging, kissing, leaning on and poking.  Grandma used this opportunity to teach Lily, "GO BIG RED."  Lily embellished it by jumping with each word.

Great Moments In Photography - Kabloom Studios

This weekend we had Khara of Kabloom Studios come over to shoot some professional pics of Lily. It was the first time we have used a professional photographer since Lily's implants. There were a couple of great moments. The first one came when we didn't have to explain to Khara that our daughter can't hear so you'll have to make her smile/laugh/etc. with something other than funny sounds (a standard for most children's photographers). The second great moment was watching Lily interact with style and ease. Khara would ask Lily to do something like "kick the ball." Lily did everything asked of her on the first try and "worked the runway" like a pro. Can't wait to see how the shots turn out.

Cochlear Implant Mapping At BoysTown

Lily had her mapping appointment yesterday to adjust her computer program to make sure she was getting access to all sound frequencies. The map is remaining pretty consistent between visits which is good news. We have been going fairly regularly, first a mapping every month, then every three months. Now we're not due back for six months. The best news though is that she's consistently responding to speech sounds in the sound booth at 20 decibels and tones between 20 and 30dBs. 

To test the levels they pump either a voice or a specific frequency tone into the booth and watch to see if she responds by looking in the direction of the sound. When she responds the operator activates a visual stimulus to reinforce the action. In this case a dancing Minnie Mouse or Winnie The Pooh doll. Lily quickly mastered the game and by the end was saying "Minnie" or "Pooh" when she heard the tone in addition to turning to the sound. Our trip to DisneyWorld earlier this year is paying dividends.

Here's a pic of Lily and Mom in the booth taken on the closed circuit TV that allowed Dad to watch what was happening.

Playing with Dog Tango

Our dog Tango doesn't get much sleep these days.  While he is still much bigger than Lily, she is always ready to play with him.  I ask Lily, "What do we say to Tango?"  And she'll respond "Tan-go...No, No, No" while wagging her finger.   

Playing with Flour - Lots of Language Possibilities

Lily loved sifting flour with her electric sifter.    The stream of fluffy flour that poured from the sifter was so inviting.  Of course, by the end, most of it was on her shirt, pants, hair and face.

Fortunately, Lily road around on her tricycle and most of the flour blew right off.  Here is Grandma showing Lily her flour-covered face. 

Talking with the Girls

Lily hangs out with a bunch of girls and each one is a role model for the girl that is slightly younger than they are.  The two oldest girls are tremendous language models.  Below is Lily talking with Zan  about how to work the truck (or something like that).

Lily is saying so many new words each day, I don't know how to keep track of them all.  Recently we've heard the words or phrases:  carry, the end, and one more.  One more is especially popular with one more cookie.  Of course. 

Lily had a slight fever today and was snoring by 8pm.  Not sure if she is teething or what is going on.  It always puts me into a slight panic wishing I had gone to med school.  Hopefully tomorrow she'll be feeling great. 

What's On Your Mind?

I think we've said this before, but one of the great things we've experienced because of this blog is connecting with parent's and kiddos from around the world on similar journeys. So if you're reading this and you've got a question, suggestion, or comment send 'em over. There's a comment section for every post or email us privately. We'd love to make the blog more informative and helpful. Keep sending us your thoughts and suggestions. 

In the meantime, here's a couple of springtime pics.

Hearing the Animals on the Farm - New Baby Pigs

We got to go to Fred's farm today to see new baby pigs, only a week old, as well as chickens, geese, horses and dogs.  Lily loved it all, even when the little pigs were squealing. 

Some of her words this afternoon were pig, chicken, goose, outside, catch it, raining, woof woof, meow, eggs, moo (Emma was dressed like a cow), cheese, and one of her favorite words  baby, for the baby pigs.  She is very interested in Mama and baby pairs. 

Here is Lily looking out of the barn at the horses.  She went out in the rain with her raincoat and loved every minute.  She didn't want to come back inside.  Lily also had no fear of the big mama pig.  Maybe she'll be a farmer. 

Pittsburgh Children's Museum - WOW!

There is an incredible Children's Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.  So many wonderful language opportunities with the wheels, trains, lights, birdseed, steps, pegs, on and on and on.  We even met another four-year old there with a CI and hearing aid.  Small world.   Thanks to our family who took us there.  Here are a couple of the highlights. 

Lily Pic of the Day

Lily hams it up in front of the camera.

"Life's Too Short. Live It Up."

We had a good Chinese dinner with our friends Kam and Yvonne this evening. As you can see by the photo, Lily is living up to Kam's motto, "Life's Too Short. Live It Up."