Saturday, August 22, 2009

2nd mapping accomplished, one more to go

I returned from Edmonton yesterday, this time my mother came with me. Thank-you for the company and helping me with my girls.

We went for our 2nd mapping appointment, it went very well. Sienna has worn her CI's without a fight for over a week now. I put them on every morning and she wears them all day except for when she naps and when we travel. She is very cooperative, she actually attempts to push it in when her ear mold falls out. Our audiologist gave us 4 more programs to work through. We do return on September 9th for the last of the 3 initial mapping appointments.

From the beginning, even before we knew she was deaf, I always said she was my little social butterfly. She is very interested in communicating, she reads people very well and she is always smiling. This is why I am so very excited about what she will be able to accomplish now that she has her CI's. I am wanting to begin a routine with her... my own speech therapy at home. The teacher in me is coming out. We are from a small town and our resources are limited. Her SLP is about 45 minutes away and has limited experience with hearing impaired children. She is very interested in learning and keeps in contact with the SLP at the Glenrose Hospital. However I feel like alot of the work will fall in my hands. That is why I am interested in taking webinars, online sessions, correspondence courses ... I just need a few more hours in a day!!

I find I am focusing too much energy in "looking" for those hearing moments, reactions to a sound, her head turning to my voice or any kind of "Aha" moments. Instead, I need to just relax and play with her, let her be a 2 year old. Sound to her right now has no meaning. My voice is just another sound. I can't wait to move her up through to program 4... so we can put her in her optimal hearing range... so she can look at me when I say Sienna. I've been waiting a long time for this.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SIENNA
!

She is standing on her own for a couple of seconds.

She is taking a few steps.

She can go to a standing position from a squatting position.

Keep it up, we are almost walking.


2 comments:

  1. Sounds like Sienna really loves to listen! I couldn't keep them on Aiden at first and it became a real struggle! I have found, that even with our luck of having an AVT close by, that I am still Aiden's #1 therapist! I have found that by just talk, talk, talking all day long is therapy in itself. By the end of the day I'm usually whooped. I have also found The Listening Room activities very helpful and have heard the correspondance courses at the John Tracy clinic website are very good too! If you ever need some ideas on a certain subject, let me know. And yay Sienna on almost walking! This is exactly where Aiden's at too!

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  2. AB offers a lot of great webinars on the Listening Room. I highly recommend JTC also... we're on baby lesson #7. That's so exciting about walking! Lucas just started taking steps at 19 months and is almost functionally walking at 20 months. I thought it would never come! I can't wait to hear about when she turns to her name for the first time. It will make it all worth it!!!

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