Random Updates...

It's been while since I've updated so I thought I'd give an update on our happenings.

Elli started pre-school last week. The first two days she cried and ever since has loved it! She goes every day of the week in the afternoons. It's the perfect transition for her. She still gets daycare and her friends she's known her whole life in the mornings and then school in the afternoons. This pre-school program is through LPS (Lincoln Public Schools) and runs on the normal school schedule so it's basically just like kindergarten to her. Elli doesn't adjust to change very well so I knew if we took her out of daycare to full day kindergarten it would be very hard on her. This way she'll know what school is all about and the transition will be easier next fall. It's so hard for me to believe that we are at this stage with her. It has gone SO fast and she is an AMAZING little girl with a HUGE heart! Nick and I have been very spoiled with her!

Before preschool on her 1st day.

Elli doesn't actually ride the bus but she wanted her picture taken next to it.

After school on her first day.

Here is a picture of Elli's "little -BIG" brother sitting on her lap. Briggs is almost exactly 3 years younger than Elli and weighs only 4lbs. less. He's average for his age and Elli is tiny for her age.

More exciting news... Briggs is doing SO AMAZING with his hearing!! We had a mapping appointment for him last week and the words out of our audiologist mouth were, "he is WAY above the curve or average". She said, she didn't want us to think other kids don't do as well as him but he is VERY advanced. It was SO great to hear those words. Our audiologist is definitely one to play devils advocate, which at times can be discouraging because we report things and she always challenges us on whether or not he's really doing it but this time she witnessed it all so it was fun to prove to her that he really is doing the things we report!

Briggs is 4 1/2 months hearing on his right side and 3 months hearing on his left side. He can identify a cow, pig, sheep, monkey, ghost, horse, duck, ball... I have a bag with these items in them and about 8 other random things. I ask Briggs, "where's your cow? Mooo" and he reaches in and grabs his cow. Then he puts it up to his mouth and says, "moo". He can do this for all the items listed above. If you ask Briggs if wants to take a bath he walks right to the bathroom, opens the shower curtain and tries to get in the tub. If you ask him if he's hungry and tell him to go get in his chair he walks to the table and pulls out his chair. If you ask him to throw something away he walks to the trash and throws it away. If you ask his to "knock, knock, knock" on the door he'll walk over and knock on the door. If you ask him to get his shoes, he'll go get his shoes and bring them to us. If you ask him if he wants to go outside he waves bye and walks towards the door. He waves hi and bye and says "hah" for hi and "bah-bah" for bye bye. He says "uh-uh-uh" for up-up-up. If you ask him for loves he leans in for a hug and/or kiss. If you tell him to get a ball he'll walk right over and pick up a ball. He's imitating alot of words and he's babbling all the time! He's having his baby conversations with us all the time. These are just some of the things he's doing and only at 4 1/2 months hearing!! He's just doing amazing!!

People who have never dealt with the "hearing" issue don't understand that the child's brain has NEVER (in our case) heard sound. They assume that once a child is implanted they should be where their normal hearing peers are right away. They don't understand the "catch up " part until it's explained. So his brain has not been able to associate any sounds with objects or people, until he was implanted. When he was first activated his brain had to figure out what in the heck this new sense was... then it has to start putting the puzzle together. So for him to have accomplised all the above and more in just 4 1/2 months is truly AMAZING!!

Tonight we are going to the fair and that will be fun! Tomorrow Nick and I are in a work golf tournament. That should be interesting.

That's all for now!

Happy Birthday Merry-Go-Round Grandma!!!

Yesterday was my mother-in-law Sandy's birthday and we celebrated by going to Applebee's (Elli's favorite restaurant) and then riding the carousel at the mall. Elli kept singing happy birthday to grandma in the restaurant. It was cute! The carousel is one of Elli's favorite things to do and it is a treat for only special occasions (it cost $2 for a 2 minute ride). It was also Briggs first time and he thought that horse was pretty special! He was SO excited and then when it took off he got this very concerned look on his face. A few seconds later he was all smiles again. After the ride we stopped in the Husker store...25 MORE DAYS TILL FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!!!!! GOOOOOOOO BIGGGGGGGG REDDDDDDD!!!! GO BIG RED! We LOVE Husker football!! Pretty big deal for us Nebraskan's... Anyway, Nick's mom then SPOILED us with new Husker apperal! Did I mention this was HER birthday!! We were supposed to be spoiling her! I know I'll do the same for my kids and grandkids but at the time we felt SO bad BUT are SO thankful to have such wonderful parents!! Thank you SANDY and we hope you had a great birthday!!!!!

Merry-Go-Round Grandma and Elli at Applebee's
Weeee... Briggs and Daddy on the carousel

Elli and Grandma

Can we do it again??!! Grandma also spoiled us with lot's of tokens for future rides. Thanks grandma!!

Elli and Briggs Swimming

Nick surprised Elli with a new pool last Friday. She was VERY excited because it has a slide, and it ended up being perfect because Briggs could swim too and be safe (the pool is only 8 inches deep)! Briggs LOVES water and kept trying to climb up the slide. Great purchase daddy!!!

Ahh... the slide!

I need a drink... it was cute...he got out of the pool and walked right over to his sippy cup for a refresher.

I don't want to be done swimming...

C.I. Sertoma Club

Last night I received a call from another C.I. mom (thanks Susan!) in regards to an ice cream social. I've been wanting to get involved in these types of things, groups etc. and last night was a perfect opportunity to get right in! We met at the Dairy Store and had ice cream and I met a bunch of wonderful people, some with C.I.'s and some not. VERY nice people and I'm excited to attend more meetings. Lily just turned 2 and has bilateral implants and is doing AMAZING! She talks and talks and talks and talks! So inspiring to watch and listen to her! Isaac was another little boy who will be in the same H.I. pre-school program as Elli. He is also a little talker and doing amazing. A lot of neat, inviting individuals!

In a few weeks we head to Old Chicago for another gathering... this time through SENRP... for a build your own pizza!! Very excited for that as well!

It's so great to get out and meet other families. Last night Lily and Isaac's parents were telling me about the Omaha School of Hearing, which I've always wanted for Briggs but the commute is impossible and they informed me that they will come to us! I'm inquiring about that first thing next week.

Thanks AGAIN Susan for the phone call!

Family Work Board

Here is the "family work board". All it is is a piece of poster board with laminated "dry erase" pieces cut out and placed on the poster board. I'm not sure if they are glued on or velcro on but we never take them off. Beth uses one of our towels to erases and then she re-writes. Nothing fancy at all but it is the BEST tool for us!! She suggested we hang it on our wall.

The top box says, "book of the month" each day, and "one new book each day". Mandy, our deaf educator actually wrote this in at her last visit. She went to a seminar on literacy and they said it's very important to have a "favorite book" that you read to your deaf child everyday and then rotate others along with it.

The second box says "high chair toys" - see folder. We have 4 toys attached by string to Briggs high chair at home and at daycare. At home we have an airplane for "ahhhh" and horse for "nayyyy" a car for "vroom" and a boat for "puh puh puh". He sits in his high chair and I say the sound as I'm bringing it up and then he sees the object that goes with it.

The third box says "I spy" and basically it's to describe objects using description, colors etc. and then you show him the object.

The box in the bottom left hand corner has the "common phrases" we're working on along with other things we're working on.

And the 3 smaller boxes on the right are reminder to use the auditory sandwich, a game we play and the 6 ling sounds.

The work board is the best thing ever!!! It's a constant reminder of things to work on with Briggs. I'm very organized and this is what helps me remember everything we're to be working on.

Like I said before we also have a folder that Beth started but everyone uses to review and update. That way everyone is on the same page! It makes for organized visits and a mom and dad who don't have to waste half the visit updating what he's doing. I also take it to his mapping visits so his audiologist knows what he's accomplished. When you're going every couple months it's hard to remember what he's done since the last time we were there. Again, a VERY simple, cost effective thing and it works AWESOME!!!

I hope all of this helps and PLEASE leave a comment if you have any questions!

Briggs Update

I was going back through my posts and realized it's been a while since I've posted an update on Briggs. He is 3 1/2 months post-activation on his right ear and almost 2 months post activation on his left ear. He is turning to his name 100% of the time and localizing sound 100% of the time. His first word and one we hear constantly is vroom-vroom-vroom. He is obsessed with cars and trucks! He'll pick them up and start driving them on the floor and say vroom, vroom, vroom over and over. It is so cute and he's been doing that since about 1 month post activation on his right side. He is saying "ma" for mama!!! Yeah, I'm pretty excited about that one! He says "oof" for woof when he sees a puppy, "uh-oh", "uh-uh-uh" for up-up-up, a much softer "uh-uh-uh" for puh-puh-puh (a boat sound). When asked to point to your eye he stabs us in the eye. :) He's doing so good!!

4th of July

We went to my boss's house for a party on the 4th and one of his friends has a VERY nice camera. She was snapping away all afternoon and evening and she emailed a few to my boss to share with me. I LOVED them! Our 4th was great and we spent time with friends. The kids were in a little parade and then we went to a bigger parade in the town where I grew up. The kids had a blast and Briggs loved the fireworks. He ripped his coils off a few times b/c it was too loud but for the most part he really enjoyed them!