So COOL!

On June 2, 2009, exactly 2 days short of being 22 months old, Jake heard with TWO ears for the first time in his life! Hooray Jakey. I am happy to share the intire occasion with everyone. I am blessed enough to have Jake's Audiologist Ellen Hansen from Summit Speech School in my life. She was very happy to have me photograph the entire experience.
I will never forget this day. As soon as the second hearing aid was put on, his eyes widened and he started turning his head from Ellen, then to me. He said "Oh, oh!" and continued to point out in a picture book Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and Grover on command. Jake was truly amazed and kept looking back at Ellen, who was sitting behind him , when she asked him a question.

I always thought that he localized sound well with one hearing aid. I was wrong. Bilateral hearing loss NEEDS TO BE AIDED with 2 HEARING AIDS. Unilateral hearing loss NEEDS TO BE AIDED. You will talk to many ENTs (Ear Nose & Throat specialists) that will tell you it's not necessary. Not necessary to hear with 2 ears.

Ask my father-in-law how much his life has changed since his sudden deafness in one ear. It is because of him and the new challenges he has that we pressed the issue of Jake's 2nd hearing aid.
Thanks Dad. We love you more than you could ever imagine.
Thanks Ellen. Thanks for loving with all that you are. It shows. We know that is why you are
SO COOL!

Somethin' To Smile About!

Well, Jake's second hearing aid was finally approved, ordered, and received!! At last. Thanks to New Jersey's Childhood Early Intervention program , Jake will for the first time experience sound from 2 HEARING AIDS.

Tomorrow is a busy day. We will drop brothers Dylan, Timothy, and Casey off at school and head up to Summit Speech School with our new BAHA and let Ellen do her magical adjusting for Jake. I think I will bring the video camera so I can show how he likes it! Camera, hmmm. Watch out Ellen. It's about time we got your beautiful face on film for this little guy to see!

Of course nothing happens without it's glitches! The WRONG band was shipped with the new BAHA. Jake needs a headband with 2 holders now, and the one shipped only has one. How special. It wouldn't be me if there wasn't at least one wrench in the spokes of my bike every day. As Al Pacino so eloquently said in the movie The Scent of a Woman, "if you 'tango' up, you gotta just 'tango' on"; and tango, we shall!

Life is GOOD.