Cochlear Kids

Vestibular Study

2012-01-22T06:11:00.001-06:00

We had an opportunity to participate in a study at UAB. The Physical Therapy Dept. wants to see about the vestibular functions of children with bilateral hearing loss and see if the expensive testing gives better results vs. less expensive testing. So we had our first round of tests yesterday. I was able to provide them with two children for the study and so were several of my friends since we have more than one child with bilateral loss.

The kids had a ball. It was very interesting and kid friendly FUN! Nothing was scary, nothing hurt, and in fact the kids laughed quite a bit (so did we). Gage of course investigated all the equipment and how things worked and they were kind enough to explain all the extra details he needed (lol). Our last set of tests will be the expensive set of tests (at no cost to us) down at the University of Alabama (Nat'l Champs by the way, ahem).

So what did we find out so far? First, I'll preface by saying Gage's ENT informed us a long time ago that his ears were severely malformed inside, even his balance organ. So I did give them all of that information before attending to make sure he was a fair test subject. I told them I never even remember a time that he's ever been dizzy.

After all the tests, it's been determined that Gman does not use his vestibular system at all for balance. He uses his vision and his sense of feeling. He could still balance pretty decently as long as he had one of those, however, when we took both away (blindfold and moving floor) he had absolutely no ability to balance...he'd fall completely. Brook was able to compensate better and on the third attempt, balanced with no vision and a moving surface under her feet.

Another test I found completely interesting...when people spin around, then suddenly stop spinning, their eyes typically pulse to the side for a few seconds as if you are still spinning. This isn't something you can control, it just happens. We got to see Brook's eyes jerk back and forth via tiny camera in a pair of goggles, she thought it was funny when we went back and showed her on the screen. When Gage stopped spinning, his eyes were perfectly still. No movement! So we got confirmation, he doesn't really get dizzy. He pretty much has a non-functioning vestibular system I suppose.

We are looking forward to going to U of A in a couple of weeks. The kids got prizes for going and they too look forward to going for more testing!

I didn't hear the teacher

2012-01-14T07:16:00.002-06:00

So yesterday, B's teacher tells me a story about something that happened in class where Brook misunderstood her. She felt horrible about the ordeal and she almost cried telling me about it but I assured her, I'd get with B and see if I can find out why she's not hearing her. She then reminded me that B's FM was out for repair. That's what it is.

When Brook got in the car she said, "Mama, I cried a little bit today. Mrs. J told me I could take a test on the computer...I thought she said in 3 minutes, but she said 30, so when I got up in 3 minutes I got in trouble. I started to cry a little bit and I told her that I couldn't hear her. Then she told me it was ok and it was fine to go ahead and take the test." I told Brooklyn that her FM should be back very soon and I know her teacher was reminded she can't hear well. Sometimes we all forget. I am just as guilty.

We work so hard to get our kids caught up that often they fit in too well. The fact that they are still deaf children gets masked by such typical performances in the classroom. No matter how well they are performing, deaf children often work much harder at listening than other kids do. That "work" becomes typical for the deaf kids and no one really knows how much "work" they are putting into just listening and trying to keep up with conversations. With any special needs, these kids might look around more often. What you might think is cheating, they are simply looking at the other kids to make sure they themselves are doing what they are supposed to be doing. What you might think is excessive talking, may actually be the kid trying to verify with a peer that they heard the instruction correctly.

I am very fortunate that Brook isn't scared of the teachers (I don't think she's scared of anyone! lol) and will self advocate when necessary. Sometimes she lets things slide with her peers that I wish she would address more but as she grows, matures, and learns that people aren't going to hate her for needing repeats, etc. I think she'll get more comfortable. I am very fortunate that my kids have such a caring group of teachers. Yes they are treated much like any other child. They forgive my kids when they make mistakes (and let's be honest, this is daily with these two! lol) and we in return forgive them when they make them. One thing is for sure, in some form or fashion, we keep them all on their toes.

Met a blogger

2012-01-08T18:58:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention that at our last appointment for MAPping...I met a fellow blogger. She's hilarious and I enjoy keeping up with her family here in my area.

She saw me first ~~because my kids are insane and running around the place like wild animals~~. The minute she spoke I knew who she was. In fact, I thought I had met her before at the ENTs office. I kept staring at this lady who looked an awfully lot like Mrs. Hornsby from Our Blog. HOWEVER, when I finally asked here if she had a blog, she looked at me as if I ~~had been staring at her~~ stalking her and quickly said, "No." I didn't believe her so I further dug my own grave by saying, "Are you not from xx?" She looked at me with fear out of the corner of her eye and walked off after her kid and again said, "No."

Oh well, at least I finally met the REAL OUR BLOG star!!

Bullet Updates

2012-01-07T17:57:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

So I'm a little late on that one. Our Christmas break has ended and we are all back to work and school (thank goodness!) I have so many blogs, I'm lucky to get this one updated each week but I'm doing my best. My busiest blog or the one I spend more time on these days is The Road.

We got report cards, Brook made A-B Honor Roll and is doing fabulous. Gage's grades have picked up, he wasn't doing ANY homework, but has gotten better. He had a couple of C's but the rest were A's and B's and he is doing really good also. In his elder state (grade 5) he's more into the social aspect of school rather than studying and concentrating on grades.
Both kids had a good MAPping session on Tuesday. We managed to get all four ears "tuned up" and we put them in the booth. Gage drops about 25% in his ability to recognize the (adult) vocab list when background noise is added in. Brook has about a 20% drop when background noise is added with her. The Audiologist states this just confirms they still need their FMs in school. B's is out for repairs right now but she'll get it back really soon.
Brook goes for her 8 year check up next week....whew. Who wants to help hold her down for shots (should she need any)? She is way stronger than most people and it usually takes several of us but we get the job done.
The kids are at "that age" now. With Gage turning 11 soon and Brook being 8 year old girl, they don't really play together like they used to. This can make for some major drama at times and quite frankly I just keep them as far away from each other as possible. We cherish those days or moments when they do get along, and know that this too shall pass.
We were filmed in attempts to help with the new video for our local HEAR Center. I assumed it would be all about the kids, and it was, but they wanted ME to talk. I was sweaty, I cried (and kept talking with tears streaming in an extremely high pitch voice! lol) But oh well, I haven't lost any sleep over it. Hopefully, it will be of some help to new families beginning their journey with children with hearing loss.

A quick run down

2011-12-27T13:04:00.000-06:00

Here is a quick run down of all our blogs and what they are about since we have so many. We might possibly be the most blogging family I know! But we love to write and share and laugh and cry and love and have fun and.....

Brook's Blog-Buzy Beez Blog (click here) This is our newest, she's been begging for a blog for quite some time. Totally supervised she will share her thoughts, her art, her photography, etc. I do not edit her grammar or spelling but will add input at the bottom or in brackets as needed for interpretation.

Gage's Blog-He still loves to invent and create new things. He doesn't blog as often as the rest of us but he still like to show his creations to his buddies and family and anyone interested (click here)

The Road-becoming more and more popular, my spiritual blog. Nothing like feeling The Spirit and loving life both the good and bad (click here)

One Brick Shy-this is my humorous blog. I give very vivid details of my life as I make preparations to enter the world of insanity one day at a time (click here)

I have others that aren't as active-but these are my favorites. We hide very little around the Blakely household that's for sure.

Like Pigs

2011-12-25T14:27:00.000-06:00

We decided to live like pigs today. What better way to spend an Alabama Christmas afternoon than muddin'. Some people question if the kids can wear helmets with their cochlear implants.....yes they do!

A look back

2011-12-22T06:20:00.000-06:00

We have our HEALTH to be thankful for this Christmas! I took a look back at last year and WHEW, it made my stomach turn (click here). Gage was fighting infection from a cochlear implant surgery and Brook and I had the flu.

We have begun our Christmas break at school and don't return back until Jan 4. I am working at the accounting office for the most part and subbing very little these days but keeping super busy nonetheless.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Cochlear Kids.

Bullet Updates

2011-12-12T19:22:00.000-06:00

Just a few quickies from the Blakelys. We have been swamped with gatherings, fun stuff, church stuff, school trips, and who knows what else. I'm subbing less now and back at the accounting office part-time during tax season as I do often to help them out so they don't get behind during their busiest time of the year.

Went on field trip with Brook's class. We had ordered reserved seating front and center but upon arrival, the teacher asked for our "special seats" and they were taken. Her teacher in the most fabulous advocating fashion got us our seats...because we needed them and she had pre-requested them way in advance! Thank you and the theater was more than happy to accommodate. Love it.
B's FM system has a low static sound over the teacher's mic. I will address this at our next audiologist visit which is soon. Both kids will be MAPped over the Christmas-break holidays...whew, that will be a long day!
Kids are doing well in school, socially and academically as far as I can tell. They have friends, they are treated well, and as equals, they have great teachers. We get two weeks off soon and are looking forward to it.
I can't believe my baby is about to be EIGHT years old...for real! Although we've already celebrated it, she will turn eight the day after Christmas.
She did well in the church Christmas play. She read her line perfectly and sang right along with the other children. Never would have guessed that eight years ago!!!

University of Montevallo

2011-11-26T14:06:00.000-06:00

To some extent she's right. Implants are almost impossible to buy. They are expensive (covered by most insurances) and you need a prescription (so to speak). That was her point. She went on to write "Save your money if you can't hear!!!"

We went to our (almost) annual visit at the University of Montevallo Monday afternoon to talk to the up and coming Deaf Ed/Speech Therapy majors. The kids' former SLP is the instructor/teacher and we had a great visit.

Everyone was very respectful again this year about our choices. There's almost always some students in there that sign only and this year was no exception. We had a bonus this year and found out one of the students was wearing a cochlear implant too! Neither kid wanted to talk.......at first. Then after they warmed up, they did fine. In fact, Brook stood next to me and mocked me as I spoke...fabulous. She really liked one of the interpreters (she's often present at events we go to and I've ran into this lady for years). Brook even wrote on the board, "The lady in the green jacket likes me." Gage brought a vehicle he'd created and spoke on that subject for a little while.

I discussed our background, Goldenhar Syndrome, school, FM systems, parenting, language opportunities, AVT, ADHD, and so much more! We talked about home life and how they communicate without processors on, and the difference between bilateral and hearing with one implant.

We hope we shed some light on how "normal" yet insane at the same time, we can be. The kids got a gift card as a reward which I happily bought them prizes with on Black Friday. We look forward to hopefully returning next year. My mother even came this year with us and she kinda warmed up and spoke a little too.

Ladies and Babies

2011-11-21T07:12:00.001-06:00

We let Brook invite some friends over yesterday to celebrate her birthday...early. Being born on December 26, she's not had a successful birthday party in like, ever. The flu, strep throat, and other nuisances have prevented her from actually having that enjoyable, wonderful, celebratory birthday that she deserves. So when I had to cancel last year's party (again) I promised the child I would let her have one...well before December!

I thought of the theme Ladies and Babies. The first thing the girls did was drop their babies in a chair and leave them there. The adults were left to babysit a pile full of plastic while the ladies, who had on everything from heels to make-up, ran...screamed...cried....squealed and ran some more! But man did they have fun! Brook loved her special cupcakes I had made for her (by a professional) and I'm enjoying the morning after...where I have cupcake and coffee for breakfast! Yum.

Some of you may be wondering, how many of her friends are hearing impaired. I can tell ya, none. She is the one one. She is treated the same by them and no one even makes a big deal about. Thank you to all the "ladies" who came out to wish B a happy (early) birthday! She had the best day and is still smiling!

Today, the kids and I (with my mother as reinforcement) will travel to the University of Montevallo to speak to the up and coming Deaf Ed & Speech Therapy majors...very exciting! Let's hope we are all on our best behavior!

What is that clicking

2011-11-15T17:03:00.002-06:00

Gage: "Mama, I keep hearing a clicking sound in my room. I don't know what it is."

Me: "Hmm, is it the dishwasher?" (His room is adjacent to the kitchen and the dishwasher was on)

Gage: "No, it's not that." He goes back in to listen some more. "Oh, I think it's you typing on the computer." He goes back to his room and he keeps going in and out to listen. "Nope, that's not it either. What is that sound?"

Me: I enter his room and close the door, so I can listen. When I realize what it is, I look at my child, hug him and smile at my baby boy ~~who will kill me for calling him that~~. I walk over to the window, raise the blinds, and open the window. He smiled from ear to ear when he realized he could hear the gentle rain falling on the dry leaves outside. Brook came in his room and he said excitedly, "Brook!! I heard the rain!!"

Now that's a sound he hasn't heard in quite a while. He must have got a real good map last week!

Ear Tune Up

2011-11-11T14:06:00.000-06:00

So thankful for all our Veterans who have risked everything to ensure we continue living our free lives.

We didn't sleep in our day off from school though, we headed to Birmingham to get Gman an ear tune up. Everything went great, he's still lookin' good as far as audiology goes. We go back on our Christmas break for both kiddos. Brook doesn't need near as many visits as he does but she will need a tune up soon we went ahead and decided to get both kids seen next month.

I am staying booked as far as subbing goes. I rarely have off days anymore but I like being busy. If I got back to the Accountant's office in January I'll just have to carve out a couple of days a week to do that and sub the other days. I actually like being at the high school this year. I'm over there as much (if not more) than I am at the elementary. I used to dread getting those calls but I've stuck with it, and now I like it.

PEEPS in the Park Nov '11

2011-11-11T13:46:00.000-06:00

We had a great time at the PEEPS in the Park last Sunday. The Delta Zeta girls from the University of Alabama came out, they had snacks, they had face painting, crafts, games...the kids had a blast. We didn't have as many families show up as we usually do but I met 4 new families who have children with hearing loss.

The paperclip trick

2011-11-03T17:24:00.000-05:00

I was trying to show her friends and teacher that a paperclip would stick to her head, even with her coils off. So when she got out of the shower, I showed, her. She thought it was funny.

And here's some of her photography. Her rabbit, in the cat box, wearing a pumpkin "lid".

Bullet Updates

2011-10-31T15:32:00.002-05:00

We've been super busy here lately but here are a few quickies from the Blakely kiddos.

We have realized Gman isn't growing out of his lazy phase. He MUST get it together with this whole homework issues...or lack there of. Good thing we can access a few of his text books online now and I can see his teacher's lesson plans for the week....hee hee, can't get away with much that way.
Gman goes for a tune up the 11th of Nov. No real noticeable probs yet, but we are looking forward to seeing his Audiologist again who keeps laying out of work, having babies.
I am subbing quite a bit. Cheerleading is over. I spend all my "extra" time at home or at church...am I boring or what?
We are looking forward to the PEEPs in the Park event coming up Sunday. The Delta Zeta girls from the University of Alabama are coming to give us all a big ole Fall Festival
We are scheduled for our annual visit to the University of Montevallo where we go talk with the Speech/Language class my friend teaches. This will be the first time both kids have attended...but we are out of school that week for the Thanksgiving holiday so what do ya do? This should be interesting. They may demonstrate wrestling or Fight Club while we are there for the students!

Other than that, we are just going to work/school, keeping busy with life as most everyone else.

The Church Festival

2011-10-24T12:48:00.002-05:00

We had so much fun at our church Fall Festival. I'll just have to give it to you in pictures. We had so much fun and are so glad our friends Brenda and Roger invited all the church members to come out to their land to enjoy it's space and beauty. As you'll find, B finally grabbed a mic, she's very self-conscious about singing in public...she wants to so bad but she's still timid. She understandably has a harder time learning the words than the other kids in church but she keeps trying! That's my girl. You can see her looking at her friend for guidance.

Her very best friend in the whole wide world!! Could she look any happier?

Don't forget my other blog-I write on it mostly now...The Road (click here)

I still cringe

2011-10-22T11:32:00.001-05:00

I know I've strayed away from "advocacy" for quite a while. I feel comfortable with my kids getting what they need at school. However, I still cringe when adults say to me "Oh, she could hear me!!"

Brook had mic issues the other day. According to her, the sub turned the mic on when it needed to be off and off when it needed to be on. They apparently had issues with Brook's behavior and I hate that. Brook immediately told me as she got in the car this day all of her troubles. Unfortunately, when no one listens to Brook, Brook gets very angry, and sometimes even disrespectful. She got in the car with ATTITUDE pouring from her. She vented, and I assured her, the teacher didn't hate her. I was gonna address it but when I'm met with the words "Oh she heard me!!" I simply brush it off as, why even try?

It's not always VOLUME she needs, it's clarity and people just don't understand. Plus the mic will buzz when it's out of range and on unnecessarily at times so I can see Brook's side. I however, haven't written down the steps for the mic to be left for sub teachers, and believe me, I know how subbing can be. You are lucky to have a clear moment to figure out anything much less technology.

I am only aggravated at myself because I've reached the point where we are too comfortable, and it's affecting my kids. I must put back on my advocacy hat at some point and go back to educating the public. Maybe I should just do a presentation somewhere, lol- like the old days. I shouldn't have ever got that comfortable--no, I won't be receiving Mom of the Year!! Darn.

HEAR Center Zoo Trip

2011-10-17T16:02:00.000-05:00

We had a great time last Sunday at the Zoo with our HEAR Center family. The zoo hasn't changed a whole lot since I was a kid, and somehow I always forget HOW BAD IT SMELLS!! But we had big fun and we can't wait til our next PEEPs event on Nov 6.

Gage had his MAPping last week also, so he's still looking good! He's glad to have /L/ back, which he was missing on both ears. He was repeating /m/ or /n/ for /l/ but we got it all worked out!

We hope our audiologist comes back soon, not that we have any problems with the 'stand-in' one, but we miss our girl!! She's been busy having like her 14th child in 3 years....or something like that...but we look forward to seeing her again!!

Cheerleading is now over for the season...all but the final end of the year party. I'm gonna miss those practices but glad to have gained our Saturdays back so we'll be 4-wheeling all the time now.

Our school's Fall Festival is Friday, so I'll be volunteering for that ALL DAY, followed by more volunteering at a 1/2 night lock-in for the kids followed by our church Fall Festival the next day! Whew, busy but FUN weekend ahead!

We are good

2011-10-12T06:14:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update on these Blakely kiddos...

Gage has had no issues whatsoever recently with pain, itching, weird sounds, nothing! And let me be clear, the weird sounds only happened once in class and after I put his processor in the machine that night, he never heard it again. It was a clicking noise which could have been something in the room or near his classroom interfering. So we are good.
Having said that, some people are getting really confused on the Cochlear recall. If you want the most current/accurate info, just go here and read first hand about it. Here's a sample of what they are saying:

"The recall is only for the unimplanted CI500 series cochlear implant. The Nucleus CI500 series cochlear implant was introduced in September 2009. Those implanted prior to that date are not affected."

Brooklyn's behavior has been really good the last few days and she even got to move back to her table (she was sitting alone) and she was thrilled about that.
I've been subbing almost everyday which is great. I'm always between the elementary and high school and we have one more football game to cheer at and our season is over. So I've been a busy girl.
We are still loving our new church. Click here to read all about our adventures there. There's a bunch of good stories that have been given to me from there.
And don't forget my crazy blog which has nothing to do with hearing loss but it's the lighter side of the Blakelys...and my adventures as I make my way to the insane asylum. Click here.

She Hit Not a Soul

2011-10-06T17:07:00.000-05:00

I've been dreading this trip for a long time. In fact I rescheduled it twice before I said to myself GET THAT CHILD TO A DENTIST. Most of you are long time readers of this blog and know how ~~awful~~ un-delightful our previous dental visits have been. (Click here if you wanna know just how bad it used to be "Rabid Child").

Anyway, it was her idea today to be a big girl. She had no intentions of hurting anyone and she wanted to just make it through the appointment and get back home. Well, no x-rays. They tried several times and were super sweet but B shut her mouth tighter than a clam. Not happening. But she hit not a soul! Improvement.

I left the room and the lady chatted it up with Brook and somehow managed to clean the top choppers. B tried to knock her hand down a few times but in a gentler way than she typically has done in the past. The lady didn't push Brook and for today, that's all they accomplished. The lady did come out, and she seems sensitive and I was worried B had hurt her feelings but after we talked she was fine. She felt like a failure but after I told her how wonderful I thought her accomplishment was, she was pleased and relieved. Brook wouldn't even sit down our first visit there (this is a new place we have started going to).

I have high hopes that this child will get all teeth cleaned on our next visit and possibly even some x-rays by age 10...? This is a very good dental office and they communicate well with my kids, with and without their processors on. We only remove them for the x-rays even if it's probably not necessary, we do it anyway.

Tomorrow we have the Homecoming Parade and we both look forward to riding and cheering in that. Big fun!

For no reason at all

2011-10-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of patience with my children. In fact, if I want to see any of it, I must pray for it before I start my day. Yesterday, was horrible, which made me feel horrible when I went to bed. I said right then, I wasn't going to forget to pray for patience when I wake up, if I'm lucky enough to get another chance.

So I did just that. I had the best day ever. Sure, the kids were at school for the most part but afterwards, we went for a walk...like we used to do everyday. The kids are getting older so part of me thinks they'd rather be doing 'other stuff' than walking around with Mom. I couldn't be more wrong. They loved it.

I remember doing these walks for speech/vocabulary purposes...I hear a dog barking, where is the dog, let's find something that starts with a /t/ sound or let's find things that are living and things that are non-living...

So it's hard for me to remember to do things for no reason at all. Doing things just for fun, or because I want to see something pretty or because my kids missed me all day. Today was an awesome day, I am thankful !

We are looking forward to our Zoo trip Sunday where we'll see all of our HEAR Center families. We love events like this and look forward to it.

Gage hasn't been hearing his best this week so far, he has MAPping/audiology next week so they'll fix that hopefully. His ADHD appointment is in the morning so we'll see if he's gained any weight at all...

Brook's behavior has improved so far this week. We are thankful for the good days for sure! Our high school has Homecoming this week so lots of exciting events lined up this week at school.

We look forward to what tomorrow will bring the Blakelys!

Boundaries

2011-10-02T08:31:00.000-05:00

Oh, we're getting back to where we were last year as far as behavior. She's been doing so well and then WHAM...we had a rough week.

One of her main problems is when she gets sent to the Principal, she starts crying and doesn't give her side of the story. She gives it to me when she gets home and it always goes along with the teacher's version but if she would plead her own case, they could resolve things much easier and more efficiently.

I feel like her underlying major issue is that she doesn't understand boundaries. Not sure if it's actually hearing related...I know that people give us cues with the tones in their voices when we cross the line, but they usually also give us visual ones as well such as furrowed brows, and various other gestures we pick up on...

She has a little boy she likes to play around with and they make each other giggle by calling each other silly names "Old lady," etc. and they both giggle and think it's funny. However, it gets them in trouble, and I completely understand that this 'game' will eventually go too far and they need to find something else to talk about...before someone gets mad.

So Brook asked him a question...just an honest seven year old question about his family. He got offended and said she was making fun of him. She got in major trouble, likely because she started crying and didn't plead her own case. She was so confused when she got home. "I still don't know about his family. Kids are supposed to look their parents." I have no clue about the child's background but we discussed foster care, adoptions, extended families, and anything else I could think of. I don't think she was intentionally making fun, she just had a question that people got mad about instead of answering for her. We need to figure out a way for her to stop crying so much when she feels "wronged" and ask the appropriate questions instead of crossing boundaries. I wholeheartedly believe this is the underlying issue rather her trying to be mean. She likes the kid...but she's only seven too. So that's what I am going to focus on for a while and see if that helps. I'll have to get the teacher's help though since I won't be there when the situations occur.

Now don't get me wrong, she still gets into trouble for other things (mainly talking) but for this particular issue, based on the info she gave me...she was just looking for some information about his family...not really trying to hurt his feelings. She just has to learn when to STOP!

Oh goodness, this will all work out in the end (we hope) and she'll grow and learn from her mistakes. Let's just hope she learns to do this outside of the Principal's office rather than inside it!

On a different note, we are looking forward to our Zoo trip next Sunday with The HEAR Center! We love seeing all the kids with hearing loss explore the zoo for a day.

Quickies

2011-09-21T09:58:00.001-05:00

Brook got a new rabbit since her's died. It is black and its name is Blackie....we are very creative!
I'm back at the gym trying to complete 60 miles in 30 days ( a local challenge ) and I'm sitting at 27.5 miles with 18 days to go...shouldn't be a problem.
Cochlear has tried to contact me twice about my last blog post to make sure Gman is doing fine. I did email them to assure them he's fine and I don't think the clicking sound was related to a failure.
Gman did wake with pain on the other ci-side once this week but he simply removed the processor for most of the day and he was back to "normal" in no time.
School is going okay. Gman is finding out the hard way that he DOES need to do homework and he DOES need to study or he won't make good grades. And Brook is finding out the hard way that you MUST keep quiet, and behave or you'll be sitting by yourself at lunch. But both are doing well otherwise.

Cochlear Recall

2011-09-16T18:36:00.001-05:00

So around September 1st or 2nd, Gage came home with only one processor on. He was missing his right and when I asked him why he removed it, he said, "Because it was clicking." Okay, so I put it in the machine, and it hasn't done it since. It could have simply been something in the room, he was only hearing it on the right side though so who knows.? So I never mentioned it to anyone other than his audiologist last week. She checked him out good and said everything looked fine.

Of course, it's been all over the web this week about the Cochlear recall on that device he's wearing on that particular ear. So naturally I'm a little nervous. But again, he's not had any weird sounds since. He just got that device last year after a Freedom failure so we're hoping it was a fluke and all seems well now.

Both kids are doing fine, if HE will do his homework and if SHE will behave. She's done really well up until this week so I'm hoping it's just a bad week.

And lack of new photos are because I still have no camera. I haven't bought one!!

So here are some from cheerleading I took w/my cell so sorry.

Brook and all her cheer buddies

No more ear tune ups for my kids!!

2011-09-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

That's right. I've made an executive decision to not take my kids in for MAPping anymore! No more ear tune ups!

Apparently I sound much better when I sing pre-tune up since no one makes fun of me, shames me in public or shakes their head angrily at me BEFORE we go to audiology.

Afterwards however, this is what I get...

...and this is when I was singing ~~just like~~ Beyonce. Nope, no more ear tune ups if they make me sound this bad...