Rewards

Ahhh, yes they got the reward (that was suppose to happen last week but the migraine rerouted us). I can never say our appointments are stress free, but as long as they behave (no fighting!!!, no inappropriate words, stay right with me) I call it a success. We visited our ci surgeon today and Gage had this follow up already scheduled with the surgeon (everything still looking great with his bilaterals) so I sweet talked them into seeing Brook as well (pediatrician had been out of town). She had croup yesterday (that was the fourth day) and when I asked if she was all better she said her ear was sore but she checked out just fine too and seems to have no issues anymore w/the croup or ears...she just woke up well this morning after I asked them to squeeze her in but oh well, no harm done. We did leave with another surgery date for Gage to have that skin tag (pit) removed off his face. He's not terribly excited about another procedure but he does want it removed (just by magic) and he sits and picks at it when he's bored, and he's been teased about it...so hopefully it'll be gone on July 20! Some people think it's a dimple (he does have dimples) but it's a pit commonly found on those with Goldenhar Syndrome. (it's along his lower jawline)

Now, what will be the reward for this next surgery??? I'm sure it'll cost me dearly but this has to come off at some point anyway or he'll not be able to shave there!

Now also, you can read about his audiologist Mandy on Bama Ears....click here!

Check It Out

The garden is doing great so far this summer. We have eggplants growing and tomatoes, pole beans, watermelons too, but here's what we have so far....banana peppers, squash, cherry tomatoes, October beans, cucumbers Romaine lettuce (which I picked the last one today) and yummy, yummy, it's all so good.

If you haven't checked out Cicircle News in a while, I just put up one called Becoming an Advocate you might want to check out. And keeping with the advocacy theme if you have yet to read the Bama's Bright Light story, it's a MUST READ!! what an inspirational piece, I was very touched by what all she's accomplished over the last six years!

Not much planned around the Blakely home, we go for another post op visit with the ci surgeon on Tues. Have a good week!

Living with a Syndrome....

Today started as your average day, already planned out...Brook needed a quick hearing test (just procedural for the state to approve her final few SLP-speech language pathologist visits) and IF and only IF everyone behaved, we'd stop at the park. I needed a loaf of bread and we were gonna pass two small bread stores on the way so I asked Gage if he felt big enough to go in there alone? He very proudly said "sure, I can do that!" We pull into the parking lot and we both get out, I stand outside the car and he goes in (there's no other customers). He looks back and says maybe I can't do this, I can't see good. I smile and shoo him on in thinking he's making excuses, he's chickening out. He reluctantly goes in only to return with my money and his visual disturbance. We all go in to grab some bread (I grab Texas Toast by mistake) but I now have a potential "condition" on the horizon. This continues for ten minutes and the vision improves only to be followed by a severe headache. Brook had to go in the booth alone (thatagirl !) and now I'm back and forth between the room she's stationed at and the bathroom where Gage is stationed at as he now felt like he was going to throw up...but he doesn't. At least not until an hour later when we were finished and home and he does twice but luckily in the toilet. As I prepare for a virus (stocking the fridge w/Gatorade, checking for chicken noodle soup) the usual automatic mommy stuff, he goes to bed, demanding the light remain off along with his processors, and he goes to sleep...very unusual for him. An hour later he wakes and the ibuprofen helped (when Tylenol did nothing!) but didn't take the pain away but he was starving. He ate meal after meal and had not one stomach cramp/ache so at this point I'm concerned that it's not a virus. I even say to myself...I kinda wish I felt sick now. Though that doesn't happen, a quick phone call is made as my mind races who to call...pediatrician? or ci doctor?....Although I want to call the ci doc for everything I tell myself that this is really the ped's area and I know I can always call the ci surgeon if I feel unsure of the answers I get from other docs. Our pediatrician is out of town til next week but his nurse practitioner (who is GREAT!) calls me back, we discuss in detail the events and the previous events that occurred in Dec. (we stayed overnight for a similar episode w/out the visual impairment). We conclude that Gage is very likely having migraines. Makes a lot of sense! Last December (when he was having all the infection issues) he was fine one minute, then knocked off his feet (within minutes!!) literally, I had to carry him into the ER. He had numbness in his fingers, nearly hyperventilating, vomiting, but it started w/the headache. Anyway, so that's where we are. We assume he's having migraines, we'll watch for another episode, should one come soon, we take him to the nearest doc, should it come in six months, we're likely right about the migraines. If they start coming more often we'll take him to the pediatrician so they can check him. Six hours after the whole event started and he's outside in his cabin playing, as if it didn't happen. His processors are back on, he's just living with a syndrome.....
We never know what tomorrow will bring. Every time we turn around he has some type of new medical mystery but luckily we are surrounded by people who can figure things out and help me sleep at night! We never made it to the park today, I'll bribe them with that for Tuesday's visit w/the ci surgeon.....maybe they'll behave then.

EI Update Conference 2009

As a presenter I'm very grateful for Early Intervention to have asked us to present at this conference. "I'm All Ears" has already opened up so many opportunities and we had a blast even though the rather large sanctuary was quite intimidating...I'm used to smaller rooms but hey, I only shed a couple of tears, got my act together and finished without feeling like I made a fool of myself. We even sold a few books even though that wasn't what we were there to do (we aren't 'making' money off the book either, it's priced so we pay for printing/accountant/LAWYER-we get nothing and never have), we were speaking more on the therapy side of things this time, and hope to do it again at the one in November. Robert (who likes to steal my spotlight) was there as well and he was asked to present after us as a cochlear implant user and people loved him as usual.

Now, as a parent..........
You have no idea how much I loved going to this. I met some really great people. I met several that actually worked with Early Intervention (EI) directly and families as well. First I met my Facebook/blogger friend Lisa. She's a school teacher and has a little girl with cochlear implants and she also wrote their story on Bama Ears (click here). She is so adorable and she had really great questions and she worries about the same things I used to also. I wish my camera battery had not died and I would have more pictures. I love meeting people I communicate with via email/blog/FB in person, I was totally star struck!

Moving on to the lady that she brought with her....
I see this lady with big white hair, big blue eyes, I figure she's around 60-ish. I sit down beside her on the very edge of a frail bench I had nearly fallen off of earlier (it was a little off balance) but apparently I didn't learn my lesson the first time and the lady was nearly catapulted off the seat! I quickly and nervously redeem myself and politely sit all the way back careful not to crowd her personal space. She's dressed to impress, hair perfectly done, jewelry, she obviously is looking hot and wants to keep it that way! She tells me that she had her 50 yr class reunion a while back and a third of them were already 'gone'. I realize that maybe she's not 60? but then she turns around and tells me she dropped her keys down the elevator shaft this morning when she was leaving the gym!! As she spoke, I'm thinking "could you invite me to your house for dinner, I want to keep talking to you!!" She was amazing to talk to and then someone comes up and introduces their sister to her and notes her as "The Grandmother of Alabama's Early Intervention" and she's Betty Bell. Well, I've heard of the Bell Center (click here)
and I realize hey, this woman is a living Legend. Maybe I should have gotten an autograph but instead she asked for mine! (she had bought a book) and now I'm thinking "can you come home with me and stay a few days so I can pick your brain and hear all of your stories?" But I lost my nerve and I didn't ask her, maybe that would have been inappropriate...?

As a parent.....
I have to say, the opening act was this guy and his father playing music together and the 20 year old was singing his heart out as he sat in a chair and played his music. You could tell that every muscle in his body wanted to get out of that chair and perform a more active version of his songs but his bottom remained appropriately in the chair. As I sat, I'm thinking, dang Alabama's pretty darn cool to provide this entertainment for us as people are finding seats, meeting new and old friends and I suddenly realize that my feet and head are starting to groove with this music, they are really, I mean REALLY good. I sat next to Tamara (the other half of I'm All Ears) and she says, "I know him, he grew up w/my son." Now was she just showing off? Nah, she follows up with "I wonder how they got all those pictures, their house burned down!" I look up at the big screen (I had not noticed, my eyes were on the boy and his dad) and his story is up in pictures. I get chills. He's a special needs child. He has DiGeorge Syndrome. And at that moment, he was my child. Even though it wasn't hearing loss related, I watched in tears at some of those photos of him in hospitals, tubes running everywhere, surgery after surgery...but there he was, looking/acting like your "above average" young man, singing with so much passion that I suddenly realized that it was now my bottom I was having to keep in my seat. I saw a girl standing nearby (from a distance I though it was his girlfriend, turned out to be his mom! no joke) and I watched the slide show over and over until I reached a point that I had to focus back on the music or I was going to be full blown basket case and I had a presentation to give! Then as they finished their set and the dad was handed the mic, I watched this man talk with the most unbelievable pride I've ever seen! Again chills. He told of how severely dyslexic Todd (the son) is that he couldn't take the exit exams for high school. But Todd marched himself into the Principal's office and demanded he be given the test orally. How's that for self advocacy? He told of how a few years ago he was playing music w/his own friends and Todd picked up a harmonica....a few days later (no joke) he was up on stage for almost an hour w/a very well known Blues band and played for everyone at City Stages in Birmingham Alabama! That's how well he could just 'pick up' music. He couldn't read music if he tried but he could listen and play! A few years later he did the same thing with a guitar, and look at him now. He's a bright, twenty year old, with groupies and everything! Being a stay at home mom that never gets out, I had no idea how popular this guy was...again, I should have asked for an autograph but they bought my book instead! How flattering is that? I'm waiting on the mom to get her's finished. I could sit and write it here but I'll make you wait til it comes out, we hope she has it out by Spring (Ida, is that enough to get your butt writing, you now have a deadline!) Mom got up and spoke for the final ten minutes but this time, I was in awe. This woman spoke about her son's history, his journey, and where his is today with confidence I only wish I had. And she was speaking to everyone, a full house, not some small session I was having later. I wanted to meet her, I wanted to be her. I met her, and she assured me, I could be her. Thank you for this experience, I have memories to last me a lifetime, this was definitely a life changing event for me, I love Early Intervention !

here is a link to find out more and watch videos of this young man Todd Simpson and Mojo Child
http://www.toddsimpsonandmojochild.com/ his dad is the foxy white haired man (he gave me 5 bucks to say that!)

p.s. thanks to Cochlear for all the bags I won! they were a huge hit and people loved them and the resources found inside!

the Father.........

Happy Father's Day all you Dad's !!

Sometimes Father's grow up and become really great PawPaw's!! This one here is a great PawPaw, he can even be found babysitting for hours while I take a child in for mapping or the ENT or some other appointment. He knows exactly how to communicate with the kids even with the processors off. He speaks directly to their faces and can gesture with the best of 'em! And even though he's holding up his rock n' roll hands (pinky and index only) as we pull out of the driveway each time, the kids return the sign with all three fingers of the "I love you" sign and have never told him any different 'cause they know what he means. Happy Father's Day Daddy!
And sometimes Father's have unique patience that we frazzled stay at home moms need at the end of the day. This one here always takes the kids outside to play for hours as soon as he gets home from work each day. What more could you ask for? We love you!!

hearing and the deaf swimming together

Does anyone else's kids do this when they don't want to hear their siblings? My kids are constantly sporting dangling coils these days as the cabin fever sets in. Can't we all just get along?

Pool fun w/cousin Kendall


This is when the hearing child is the minority!! Had a fun day swimming in the pool with the kids.

Finishing up the vacation stories......

"I've got crabs" probably isn't the best pick up line for a fella to use but it worked well for Gage down at the beach. He got a lot of attention from these ladies here (who had been "sampling the sauce" all day if you know what I mean, haha) Gage went over to show them all his crabs he and Brook had caught and they all laughed and talked at once not realizing he couldn't hear at all. Daddy came to the rescue though since he was standing nearby and told them he couldn't hear as they were asking many questions that went unanswered.

They had a ball with those little crab nets and Gage had fun pushing his trucks around in the wet sand too.

I drove one car (I have to drive due to car sickness!!) and my parents drove the other. The kids swapped up, one riding w/them and one w/me. My kids talked back and forth to each other via walkie talkie the whole trip....and understood what was being said. I've already posted about those a few weeks ago, it amazes me that they can hear THAT well!!

correction! Cochlear Implants! Intervention Tools and Living with Cochlear Implants

SORRY !!! I've misread our time slots for the EI presentations....

"I'm All Ears" is gearing up for the upcoming presentations for Alabama's Early Intervention Program in Tuscaloosa, AL. If you're in the area, join us at the University Church of Christ at 1200 Julia Tutwiler Drive in Tuscaloosa on June 23 from 8-4. Our sessions are from 10:30-11:45 and then repeating at 1-2:15. We will be demonstrating ideas and tools to help those little ones learn to listen and speak. I'll also be talking resources, resources! We will again present a different session in Novemeber at another EI conference so we want to see you at both! Professionals can earn your CEUs so come down and join us!! Hope to see you there.

A Glass Bottom Boat Ride

Thank you to Sissy, this lady seen here with Brook as they do their "beauty queen wave" to those on a private beach as the glass bottom boat tour passed by. Brook just loved the attention that Sissy provided, she was the Captain's mate and was there to help spot the dolphins and sell snacks to the passengers. We saw lots of dolphins too by the way!

As I mentioned before, I only spoke one time about cochlear implants on this vacation and it was here, during this boat ride. As you can see here both kids took over the vessel and the Captain's seat but not for long. When Gage sat up there their radio (CB) started going absolutely crazy. Coincidence? As they were trying to figure out the occurrence I had to speak up because I noticed when one child was there, it was okay, but with the two of them (four ci's) it went crazy. So Gage hopped down with delight, his ADHD kicked in after about 30 min into the two hour tour...

...he was more interested in the motor anyway.

When I spoke to the Captain and Sissy about the possibility that their cochlear implants may be on this frequency and causing interference....(audiologists, don't kill me, I have no idea if that is even possible, there was just no interference when one kid was present as there was with two, could be total coincidence!)...anyway, I just basically said that's what they hear with, otherwise they are deaf, and that's all I needed to say. I spent more time explaining Gage's ADHD than anything! After an hour and a half Gage told the Captain he was finished and needed to go back so he could swim, and soon after we headed back since the tour was almost over. But they enjoyed it regardless, but my husband and I agree, it would have been better if it had been like a 75 min tour rather than 2 hrs. Sissy's son had ADHD also and was not medicated either so she completely understood!

And yes Leah (queen of language opportunities) we had great opportunities here to pick up some new vocabulary. Have a great day!

My Little Advocates

For all you mamas I've made very nervous.....

We did take the processors off after a few minutes....And into the Cochlear bag that I use as a beach bag they went. We used our otter boxes that Dani sent me earlier and all survived.
Now, I do have a proud mama story...

I remember a few years ago, I felt like at every turn, I was preparing our environment for my kids. I would see people look at my kids with confusion wondering what was on their heads/ears and I would start explaining sometimes before I was even asked.

Now I've reached a point where I rarely need to do that anymore because my kids do it for themselves. When my kids reached age 3 I was pretty adamant about making sure they answer questions for themselves. I didn't get in the habit of speaking for them once they learned to speak. When I would get that look of "mama you tell them" when someone would question their equipment.....I replied, "they asked you, you tell them" and now it's automatic. In fact, it can be quite funny. When we would go down to the pool or beach, most of the time we left the ci's in the room after that first day. They had heard the sounds of the beach and just found it easier to leave them in the room.

Often times we had to share the elevator with other families and I felt sorry for the people who had to ride with us, it was ATTACK of information. As soon as someone stepped inside, my kids were like overloading them with information.....here was a typical conversation between my kids and the other people on board....(keep in mind it was both kids talking at once w/out knowing it so you can see why my husband calls them "sensory overloads")

two adults board the elevator with us and before the doors close shut...

"hey we're on our way down to swim, we've been at the beach and I found five crabs, and I caught three fish, and my daddy has a huge shell that he found and we saw some dolphins and we're taking our floats so we don't drown and we're gonna be at the pool..."

poor people try to interject but are cut off with ......

"we can't hear you we don't have our processors, we're supposed to have cochlear implants but we don't swim with them so we're deaf and we can't hear you but we're gonna ride a boat this afternoon and I fed a seagull..."

and the door open and all I can say is, "that's a lot of information" and everyone chuckles and they reply with "well they're not bashful that's for sure".........


I'd also like you meet Kate from Alabama over at Bama Ears, one of my favorite little girls...

click here to read her story

We're Back !!

Just a reminder if you haven't read the second article on Chronicles of an Extreme ENT, click here for that Bama Ears article. We had a great time, I have lots of stories to tell but you know me, it'll take several posts to get them all out of my head, and I only took 188 pictures this weekend. Here's a few to get you started. I will tell you, I have a couple of advocates now. The word cochlear implants only came out of MY mouth once and I'll get to that, but my little deaf awareness/ci awareness kiddos spoke to many about them. More on that when I get settled in.

If You Need Something...

Ask a busy person......ever hear that? Naomi, from the famous cicircle once quoted that in a blog post and I'll always remember it. This morning I got started on a post I'm working on for Bama Ears. With my obviously ADHD brain, I get random thoughts of panic, as if I'm about to leave on a trip *grin* and forget something. I think of other blog posts I need to be working on so I quickly email those prospective writers and ask them to write! Then I watch a great video of someone who's finalizing their blog post for me already. Then of course while I go clean my toilet, I think of something I need to tell Lydia (from cicircle, cicircle blog and cicircle website too!) So I chat it up with her who was tracking down her immunization records so she can finish enrolling in the AuD program for school, faxing, emailing, filling in all the papers necessary for this to take place while she sent a letter to a friend, cleaned her kitchen and fixed the grout in the bathroom! WHEW!

Already I've accomplished a whole day of volunteering (I did my DV moderating at six am so that was behind me) and my washing machine was running in the background as I tell the kids to go pick the squash from the garden.......not bad for a morning on the job, when you don't really have a job, haha. And not bad for a lady who survived the dinosaur age. Gage asked me yesterday..."how long ago were there dinosaurs?" and I replied "millions of years ago." He thought a moment and said "so you've seen one?"

Cochlear Implants! Intervention Tools and Living with Cochlear Implants

"I'm All Ears" is gearing up for the upcoming presentations for Alabama's Early Intervention Program in Tuscaloosa, AL. If you're in the area, join us at the University Church of Christ at 1200 Julia Tutwiler Drive in Tuscaloosa on June 23 from 8-4. Our sessions are from 1-2:15 and then repeating at 2:30-3:45. We will be demonstrating ideas and tools to help those little ones learn to listen and speak. I'll also be talking resources, resources! We will again present a different session in Novemeber at another EI conference so we want to see you at both! Professionals can earn your CEUs so come down and join us!! Hope to see you there.

The 8 hr trip.......

actually turned in to only six hours!! They cooperated and did well...considering we had four ears to map today. Gage pushed his trucks and played in the floor after the heated battles between he and Emily one of the audiologists(listening games). Then it was Brook's turn and she did just as fabulous. Now, I'm not saying they completely behaved, in fact we did NOT stop at the park afterward due to some inappropriate actions/behaviors. But we were home two hrs before I thought and I'm going to sit on the patio and read for a few minutes to unwind but an overall pleasant trip, I'm even taking them both back next month for Gage's next mapping and Brook's booth testing (all the same day).

If you haven't seen Riley on Bama Ears click here, cute video, the story is "Tiny Dancer" and shows her listening and keeping up w/the music and routine...very impressive.

Also, final survey results before I close it out, again remember, these results are from all over the US.

64.3% agree it's very important to have even reception knowledgeable about hearing loss in the ENT's office and the audiologist's office.

46.4% want more parent group meetings w/professionals attending, 25% want the pros to stay at home and 32.1% don't have time for group meetings (this didn't surprise me)

61% are very open discussing scheduling conflicts, discipline, at-home therapy, etc. w/their professionals

Less than a third of people live within a 30 min drive of their clinics and of the one's who drive 30+ miles,57.1% say the service is well worth it.

57% say they think their professionals understand some of the stresses of multiple appts./school issues and therapy issues some parents have.

68% of parents who took the survey say they connect w/other parents at least weekly in some form or fashion (blogs, forums, email, etc.) but almost all say the professionals did not provide the information.

and duntataduh......79% say that professionals should provide resources to parents such as local blogs, forums, or parent contact information such as email addresses of local parents who are willing to help. (p.s. I know my clinics do this because I'm contacted on occasion from parents and they also have my book in their library for parents to borrow.)

Gotta run, my sunny patio awaits!

My Songwriter

He's such a little writer. The lyrics for his latest song "Tearin' Up the Yard" are as follows:

What are you gonna say, if I go away...

little darling?

Well I will if you let me...

and I'll take my cop badge with me!

So what I will do...

is go away.

He's such a rock star! He sings it w/his best AC/DC voice and I did get it on video but the music was too loud to hear his voice so pictures will have to do.

We are taking a trip to attempt mapping on all four ears in the morning. We leave at six in the morning and hope to be back by one or two in the afternoon. The reward for good behavior is a stop at the park on the way home (we have to do rewards!! ADHD is the toughest issue here). Wish us luck !!

He's slowly getting more and more musical (again) and we are now two months post activation and still infection free!

Not sure Cochlear actually recommends this......

...but we do it anyway and have never had any issues. The Freedoms being water resistant eases my mind when they want to keep them on in sprinklers (even very active ones like these at the local park). He did eventually take them off when he decided he wanted to get soaked. But they went right back on his ears, no worries, and I'll pop them in the dry n store over night. Had a ball today !!

Nothin' Goin' On

Other than the kids needing mapping, which we go on Tues for that....both kids, four ears in one appt. But hey, it was my choice to try...we'll see how that goes. Anyway, aside from the constant "what? huh?" they are having a ball so far being out of school. They are playing in their cabin and riding bikes and talk-talk-talking (I love their imaginations). I'm about to go hoe some more in the garden (after I drink my pot of coffee!) and we are getting used to the idea of living on a dirt road....so we don't go anywhere...unless we have to! We have peaches, and veggies are starting to grow and the kids are swimming everyday. (No they don't need life vests in that pool they just like them) I'm still reading "The Shack", this one makes me nervous but I'm loving it, I read just a few pages a day....we are so busy doing nothing it's great! I have several stories I should be writing for Bama Ears but that won't take long, I can do them this weekend.

Survey Results (so far)

So people from all over the U.S. took this survey. It's not formal at all, I made it up and was just curious about it. You can still take it Click Here to take survey if you are a parent of a child or children with hearing loss. Here are the results thus far and a couple surprised me a bit but keep in mind we are from all over and use various clinics and have various experiences.... I apologize for my font sizes getting out of control but I didn't have time to fix it, sorry!

56.5% say that it's extremely important for all staff (including reception!) to be fairly knowledgeable about hearing loss, hearing aids, BAHAs and CIs at the ENT's office and/or audiologist's office. One person noted that these are the people representing that organization being the first person of contact and they should be knowledgeable also about how to communicate w/those with hearing loss.

34.8% say it's only somewhat important for the full staff (including front desk) to be knowledgeable and
8.7% say it's not that important, they just explain what's not understood

52.2% say they want to see more parent group meetings with professionals attending (this one surprised me a little) and
26.1% say more meeting without professionals, parents only
26.1% also say they do not have time for group meetings ... some noted that people rarely show up for these meetings and several asked for some meeting w/pros and some with parents only...sort of an even mix

65.2% say they are very open discussing issues such as behavior, discipline, at-home therapy and scheduling conflict with these professionals.
26.1% say somewhat comfortable

8.7% want to keep this discussion between parents only... someone noted that parents are just better sounding boards for these issues

56.5% are driving (even flying) more than 30 minutes but say the service is well worth it
26.1% are within a 30 min drive and
4.3% have no choice, the drive the long distances because they have to

13% say the travel is highly inconvenient and causes added stresses and as one commenter noted, It's not very convenient but the service is worth it

65.2% agree that their clinics try to reduce these stresses making things as convenient as possible
26.1% say they don't think their professionals have a clue what it's like and

8.7% are undecided...the comments here again suggest weekend therapy appts. and also noted was that they don't feel some professionals know what it's like to ride in a car for an hour or more with a newly diagnosed child who's hungry, fussy, sleepy, and frazzled by the time they get to the appointment

43.5% claim to have stresses at times over all the appointments but they did not have suggestions for their professionals while
30.4% did, here's what they say: some want evening or weekend appointments and some just want their clinicians to stop rescheduling unless it's EXTREMELY necessary. People have to take off from work and some even have to change flight plans when their professionals reschedule! Some are not getting automated reminders for appts. Some people have to call around to many offices before they actually locate the professional they are looking for since they work at different offices...can we get a central number please! (I feel for ya on that one, luckily mine works in one location) and someone else has to lug around audiology records or call around to have them sent from here to there when their idea to have a central "bank" for these records so they are all located in one area and accessible to the other professionals that work with the child. And still, by far, the biggest request is encouragement!!! One person noted their doc gave them a "he's perfect" at a check up and that made her day! Another suggests that these professionals offer encouragement even when the child isn't progressing as fast as they feel they should with each "assignment" (referring to the therapy) and she also notes "It is not motivating to leave a therapy session feeling like a failure." !!! nice work guys!

26.1% don't have additional stresses due to appointments.

86.9% connect with families weekly (at least) though most of these resources were not provided by the professionals
13% occasionally connect via forums, email or blogs while

0% say they do not have the time or interest

82.6% want their professionals to give them resources like local blog addresses or forums or email addresses to connect with other local parents !!!
13% said they did not want this info from their professionals and
4.3% were undecided

if the results change by much I'll re post the results over the weekend........thank you for participating.

Less than 2mos post activation and he's using a walkie talkie !

...........I'm not kidding. This is a great listening tool. These are not toy walkie talkies, he got some really good ones for his birthday and less than two months post activation, he can talk to me sixty yards away (actually they supposedly have a 16 mile range but right here he's about 60 yds away....you have to look really close, he's in front of the hay field. You might can see Brook better since she's wearing a white shirt but they are standing with their bikes right there together. I zoomed the best I could but maybe you can see them. This just assures you he's hearing me, not reading my lips or my gestures.


Also I want to give a shout out to my crew over at Cochlear Corp. I was one of the winners of the volunteer contest they had last month to see who could come up with the best ways to raise awareness. The prize was that they will fund your idea (yes there is a price limit). My idea was to have prize bags full of information and goodies from Cochlear, like info on the HOPE seminars, and bilaterals and early implanting, etc. So June 23 at Alabama's Early Intervention Conference I'm presenting at, they will provide the attendees with the goodies. I have two sessions that day so I'm really excited! Congrats to Rachel and Elizabeth too!