Celebrating 3rd Hearing Birthday

I know I say this every time but WOW it has been awhile since I have written about Miss Chloe Jean - guess that means things are running smoothly and that is exactly right.


Chloe ended the school year by running into the classroom, hugging goodbye and off we went our separate ways.  We recently had her 3 year check up at Boys Town NRH - yes you read that right - Chloe has been enjoying her hearing journey for 3 years now!  She rocked the language and speech evaluation appointment - well she did have some moments of "I don't know" but with encouragement with stickers and stacking monkeys - she was able to complete her evaluation.  At almost 4 years old, with only hearing 3 years, Chloe's language skills averaged above her normal hearing peers.  All that hard work with her service providers really shows when you see results on paper.  It shows even more when you watch her hold a conversation with an adult in a store, church or activity all on her own - no interpretation from parents needed!  And trust me she is very good at communicating what she wants!  Remind you she is still my very strong willed and independent child!

And speaking of hard work - we received some great news from Chloe's private speech therapist.  Chloe will actually get to "Graduate" (be dismissed) from her private speech services mid-August.  I am going to be honest, I had tears in my eyes listening to this news.  And initially they were not tears of joy, but rather tears of fear.  I know in my mind that Chloe is ready for this change - but her Mom is NOT.  Those weekly trips to Lincoln for the last 3 years are like my security blanket.  I have adjusted to this change of schedule and accepted that "wow, look how far she has come in just 3 years."  Think of it, she has gone from not babbling at all to bossing us all around!!

Chloe will be in preschool again this year (and next year too) with a new teacher.  She will continue to receive services from the district to help her advocate when she can not hear in the classroom and work on hearing and communicating during group activities for example.

All the news I have for now - feeling blessed - God is so Great!

Checking In... Mid Year!!

So, wow... it has been awhile since I have updated... guess I'll blame that to just being busy!!

As you may have read, Chloe Jean struggled quite a bit at the beginning of her preschool journey.  It may all have been a bit over whelming for her.  She has several changes that all happened within a matter of a week.  She turned 3 (yea, that should be a happy note, which it is, but with 3 comes being "the boss"), had to change daycare providers (again, change might take awhile for Chloe to adjust to -she's enjoying her new home away from home) and then there was preschool.  Chloe was used to being in a quiet home away from home and needless to say - preschool added some extra noise.



Chloe was asked to join preschool early for a challenge and a challenge it is!  Chloe was excelling off the charts with her service providers who worked with her in a one on one environment.  We all know working the ins and outs of school (academically and socially) is a learning process for any child.  However, for Chloe Jean - learning to listen to the teacher in a classroom setting is a struggle.  She needed (and still is) to learn how to use her FM system properly (teacher amplified with microphone that directly feeds into Chloe's CIs) and advocate to her peers and teachers when she doesn't hear what is the conversation is about.  Chloe's CIs have proven to be a wonderful asset for her to thrive in a listening spoken community - however, she hears the pencil tapping or the chair moving across the floor at the same level of her peers/teachers talking.  I think this was a bit much for Chloe to all digest and was the root to her separation anxiety at drop off.

I am happy to report that for weeks maybe months now - Chloe is back to running into the building, walking into her classroom - and after a short hug and sometimes a kiss - she is on her happy way to learn.  I do have to say that it was probably just as hard for this mom to go through that every day.  It made my heart hurt leaving her - even being told she recovered quickly.  It adds an extra bounce to my step each  morning having her dropped off with a smile!

With lots of hard work from her service providers - they helped work through her emotions and continue to monitor her progress and growth in the classroom.  We recently made our routine visit up to Boys Town NRH for her 2.5 year check-in.  Can you believe it, it has been that long.  I recently watched the video from her activation where she turned to the sound of a bell - seems just like yesterday.  Chloe worked hard that day and made us very proud parents.  She gave her attention to her Audiologist for full two hours so they could make modifications to her programming.  This is very important as without the proper programming, who knows what she could be missing.

Then after a lunch (which I am not sure if it is the cookie Holly gave her or what, but she was on some goofy sugary high) she had her speech and language evaluation.  She was crazy wild, in a good 3 year old way this go around.  She had the gal at Boys Town smiling and laughing at her spunk and of course language skills.  Chloe again worked hard and gave them two hours full of testing.  Granted there were breaks for M&Ms and stickers - but she did amazing.  Chloe is testing above her peers with normal hearing.  This again made us very proud parents.  It is a blessing to have the technology in place and great "team" members pushing her further and further on her hearing journey.

Now only if we can keep her healthy.  Ugh.  Ear infections after ear infections, and this mom is D.O.N.E with them.  Chloe will be getting a tube in her right ear (left has perforation and doesn't appear to need one) and her adenoids removed toward the end of April.  It is hard to explain but those darn infections and fluids cause disruptions to her programming/hearing and I can't imagine how stressful that has to be for her.

And at home... well.... she tests my patience on a weekly - if not daily - level.  She is very strong willed and gets the best of me.  But then, after thinking of where she has come - I am very blessed she can vocalize as clear as she does what she wants and demands.

The journey of Preschool...

So we are wrapping up our third week of Preschool.  And I really don't know how to respond to how it is going.  Little Miss Chloe Jean wakes up in the morning and once she realizes it is a day for Preschool - she pops up right out of bed.  Gets dressed and continues through her morning routine - without any fits and usually in her own way of getting it done.  She is just so darn excited to ... until... it is time for her to enter the building.  It is hard for this mom to watch her shut down and have so much anxiety about leaving one of us for her to start her day.



If you ask her how her day was... she says how excited she is to go to preschool.  You may get a little bit out of her about her day.  She will show you how they taught her to brush her teeth and what Alle the Alligator says.  I have even been told that she is great at "being responsible" for her FM system.  She is always excited to talk about Preschool - never any "I don't want to go".  If you ask her Teacher how her day was... she will tell you "she had a great day!"  If you ask her Service Providers how her day was... they will tell you that she is doing well in the classroom and having minor issues when it comes to time for them to leave her.


So it all sounds great - but walking away from her with tears and crying she just wants you to stay... makes it a hard to start my own day on a happy note!  I am just lost on what to do.  Granted she just turned 3 and we had so many changes all within a few weeks.  I will give it some time... help her have the confidence to grow and learn through her Preschool Journey!!

Until then... please say an extra prayer or two for Chloe Jean and Mom too!!

Chloe's Journey - Look out Preschool, here she comes!

I shared this video on my Facebook page - but thought this would be another good place to share it with other team members.  We can't thank our team members enough for all their hard work (and patience) when it comes to Chloe's services.  Without you - her journey wouldn't be the same.

Another six months in the books...

As a recap since my last post - Miss Chloe Jean experienced a change in her hearing and had a case of the "whats" - I could tell that she wasn't hearing us as well as she was before.  She was asking you to repeat words and got extremely upset when you tried to cover your mouth to talk to her.  Might ask why we would do this - but it is to test to see if she is hearing us or reading lips.  Yes, even at 2 years old, Miss Chloe Jean can read lips.  Although she doesn't normally depend on reading lips in her everyday environment.  She was in tears, Mom was in tears and away we go into troubleshooting.  Did her programming change?  Is her cochlear implant(s) working properly.  Well... a long story short - it turned out that Chloe had a middle ear infection.  VERY THANKFUL for the Staff at Boys Town and Dr Lusk himself - they went above and beyond during the Christmas / end of the year rush and helped us through.

Last week Miss Chloe Jean had a fun filled day at Boys Town for her 1.5 year check up.  Time sure does go by fast - she is growing and thriving well in her hearing journey.

Chloe was scheduled for a FULL day of appointments.  First was a speech evaluation and second was a audiology appointment (testing her programming of her cochlear implants) and third was a trip to see Dr. Lusk (ENT).  I am always a nervous Mom heading into these appointments.  Don't get me wrong, I feel extremely blessed with how far she has come with her verbal language and adapting to her "normal" - I don't know how to explain the feeling...

Chloe really needed a good day in the booth - to check in on her programming - and since this appointment was in the afternoon, I was a little leery how Miss Independent would do.  But she proved of us wrong - she rocked both of her appointments.  Chloe had fun "playing" with Katie - and was eager to show them how much she knows, especially when it was for a sticker!  Chloe is doing extremely well in her hearing process - she is testing above anywhere we had dream she would be in a year and half time... she works so hard and loves to learn (reminds me of her older sister)!

After a break for lunch - off to see Jacquelyn - her audiologist.  Once again, Chloe proved me wrong and was a rockstar - sat through a TWO hour appointment for programming.  Gave them reliable information so they could make the needed programming changes.  I have always said that her right ear is her dominate ear.  It was her first ear - but by only a few weeks.  Testing proved my theory and they made changes to try to decrease the gap between the two cochlear implants.  She does well with her left side - but could she do better if programming was changed.  Time will tell...

As far as her appointment with Dr Lusk - since she had another ear infection since Christmas - we are now back on the fence about getting her third set of tubes.  Hopefully she will out grow the need - but if she needs them, I am okay with that too.  Especially since her one ear infection affected her hearing - she was so frustrated, Mom was so frustrated, tubes are worth it.  (If I can sit through two cochlear implant surgeries, another set of tubes seems like nothing)

Chloe picked up yet another word this week - reminding - she now tells me that she is just reminding me... needless to say I have to tell her that often when she informs me that "I AM" doing... whatever it maybe that I ask her to do or not to do... she's something else that is for sure!  A little more independent than her sister ... okay.. much more independent!!

That's just a little news from our house to yours - we have a team meeting coming up to discuss her upcoming goals and preschool.... sigh, can't believe she is ready for preschool... but again.. another adventure with more concerns for this mom.  Praying she can adapt once more to thrive in a different and more than likely a noisy environment....

Merry Christmas!

There are too many blessing of 2013 to say them all - but here is a recap of a few of our blessings:

*** Chloe Jean has gone from saying about two dozen different words (Feb 2013) to using 3 or 4 or 5 words in a sentence (October 2013).  She easily expresses what she is thinking or what she would like by putting words together.  She loves her big sister - and plays so much like her big sister.

*** Chloe gets so excited to tell us about all the fun activities she gets to do with her service providers, Holly and Casey.  Pictured is Chloe as a Santa Claus.  Thought I would also include a video of Chloe telling me about an activity she did with Holly.

*** We celebrated Chloe's First Hearing Birthday with awesome results from Boys Town.  Everyone is pleased and excited with how far she has come in her first year.

*** Within this short time, Chloe has learned how to also advocate for herself when a CI isn't turned on or needs a new battery.  Right now we are trying to troubleshoot with her equipment - it seems as if she has something going on with the devices and/or programming.  She is saying "what" all the time and looking at your lips to get a better understanding of what she is hearing.  So off to Boys Town we go - but very thankful that they were able to squeeze us in during this busy holiday/end of year time.

*** Can't leave out big sister Sydney.  She is loving the life of Kindergarten.  Surprisingly she enjoys most of the school lunches as well! She is excited to report what they are learning in reading, language, math and science.  Her best friend Kennadee is still at the top of her list of things to talk about - those two are just fun to be around, doesn't matter what they are doing - there is a smile on their face.

May your days be Merry & Bright - Looking forward to what 2014 may bring our family.

Little Miss Independent Chloe

Things have been running pretty smooth in our house lately - which is good to report.  Chloe is putting three to four words together to express her thoughts.  They are working with her on completing the endings on words... like ing or ed or even an s.  Also working with Chloe to understand two step directions - whether it be following two actions or getting two objects.

At the end of August - she had her 1 YEAR speech evaluation - went from barely babbling at all to hitting age appropriate milestones.  We feel blessed that Chloe is a smart little girl who wants to wear her cochlear implants and grow in her hearing journey.

Right now we are working hard on potty training - such a different child from her older sister - we are getting  closer, but really it is a matter if Chloe wants to participate or not! :D

Here are two videos from the other night.  She loves to read her books (which is exactly like her older sister) and wants to "I read to you" to show you she knows the book.

Happy "Hearing" Birthday Chloe Jean

One year ago today, again we nervously traveled to Boys Town NRH - but this time for activation of her right cochlear implant.  Not knowing what to expect - whether it be her cries from being scared of the new sounds or no response at all...

One year ago today Chloe Jean turned her head to the sound of a ringing bell and looked at it in wonder, no tears at all.  Mom had plenty of tears, joyful happy tears once the day was complete.  A day that I will always remember, a day that started Chloe's hearing journey... A day that we don't regret.

We celebrate this day - just as if it is a birthday, her hearing birthday.  As one year ago today, Chloe barely babbled at all.  And now, she talks and talks and talks...

It is hard to get her on video of her spontaneous speech - but boy is there lots of it these days.  Three or four words combinations to get her wants, needs or excitement expressed verbally.  Chloe is doing great - far above any expectations we were hoping for - the hard work is paying off!

This journey is still amazing in all aspects - amazing people are working with Chloe to make sure she is hearing sounds and speech properly  - amazing people are "playing" with her weekly to help her speech development - amazing people care and pray for Chloe and her journey - God has blessed us on this journey and continues to guide us with each new hurdle we face.  

The first of several... "It's been a year"

Chloe Jean - 8 1/2 months

It has been one year... May 22... a day that I won't forget... the day we nervously sat and waited for the results of Chloe's MRI scan.  The moment when Dr Lusk walked into the room and gave us a positive report and the news that gave us hope and started what I now call "Chloe's hearing journey."

Chloe's MRI results showed that her hearing nerve was present, her cochlea (middle ear) and vestibular system were normal - which allowed Chloe to be a candidate for the cochlear implants.  Flipping through (more actually like clicking through) pictures from that time still brings tears to my eyes, it is a reminder of - a day that both of us had had lots of joyful tears, a day that gave us hope for her future, a day that lifted weight off our shoulders...

It also brings back that painful phone call where they found the cyst - but several visits later, there is still no concern of that cyst and hopefully after one more positive check this fall, Chloe can cross that specialist off her list of routine visits.

 Recently had one of those moments where I probably should of stopped and thought before I spoke (yea, I know, it happens... ) But thinking back I don't know that I would have stopped myself... Chloe and I were out shopping and running errands, Sydney and her Dad were out and about - tball, dance, cattle, who knows... here's the story:

Chloe Jean - 20 months

So like any other outing or activity, I use shopping as a great learning and language activity with Chloe and talk to her as we go up and down the aisles - just think off all the different words you might use there that you don't at home playing on the floor and besides this keeps Chloe's attention and I don't have a fussy child - so anyways as we were in line, taking items out of the cart, we were still talking back and forth - lots of items Chloe was naming and lots of "what's that"... the cashier informed me "You know mom, you are teaching her all those words and pretty soon you are going to be telling her to shut up." And I without a pause simple and nicely said "No, I don't think so.  Chloe was born deaf and any spoken language we hear from her is a blessing to have."

May 2013 - Just checking In

Wow - it has been awhile since my last post - guess that means things are going pretty good then - and yes they are!!  Chloe has really exploded with all of her language - in fact - she is pretty good at telling you "NO" when she doesn't want to do something.  And she is quite the Little Miss Independent Chloe -- it is a hard decision to make - do you get frustrated or upset with the situation or praise her for using her words to tell you what she wants.  I found this the other day and thought - yes, that is our Chloe!!

Chloe is doing great in her hearing journey - I have discovered within the last few weeks that she can actually tell you which one (left or right side) is turned off or not on.  The CIs beep when they are not connected to the internal processor - basically they are off her head - and she does great and coming to one of us (including Sydney) to ask for help to put the CI back on.  Well, for some reason (I was rushed and out of sync with our normal routine) her right side the other Saturday morning did not get turned on, but it was physically on and as normal... but after only a few minutes, Chloe came running to me and said "Ut Oh Mommy, help Chloe" and pointed to her right side.  Well, since it was still on her head and just turned off, it wasn't beeping - she could just tell that it wasn't turned on!  How amazing is that?!?  I think for a 20 month old - that is great and shows she knows exactly what her CIs do for her!!!  Our next step will be to work with her on putting them back on all by herself.

As far as language goes - she is really starting to put two or three words together to tell you things and she is great a labeling items... for example, Mommy coat, Sydney hat, Daddy pants, kitty bowl..etc etc etc.  One really never realized how much language children grasp from their environment until you are teaching a child to hear everything that surrounds them.  Every new sound to Chloe is a learning activity - and when she stops, points to her ear - you know she is hearing something new or different and would like an explanation of what she is hearing.  Like a lawn mower - she could hear that Dale was mowing (daycare) but couldn't see it so I walked her over to the lawn mower so she could get a visual... all the little sounds outdoors especially ones we tune out that she discovers... makes you think!!!

We are thankful for all the service providers that Chloe sees - and they are truly more like family members than therapists.  And for now, Chloe just thinks that it is extra play time and not work time - but she is working hard!!!

6 months and counting!!

So it has been six months since Chloe began her hearing journey - six months ago she pretty much had stopped vocalizing all together and now she has lots of words in both her expressive (what she says) and receptive (what she understands) language.  Just tonight I decide to track all the different words she used...and I stopped tracking when I hit 2 dozen words.  That 2 dozen words in six months time - blessing!! 

Just the other day wwe were enjoying a snow day at home and when looking outside I told her it had snowed and she said "Brrr" and pretended to shiver.  I agreed with her and said, yes it is very cold outside.  That same day we were playing downstairs (with the wood stove roaring) and I was going to go upstairs to check on supper.  She was all upset with me that I was leaving and was telling me "up, up, up" - I told her "if you want to go up you need to find your socks and shoes!"  Chloe stopped, looked at me and turned around to walk straight to her socks and shoes which were across the room right where we took them off.

I have tried to catch her on video talking back and forth or during moments when I "quiz" her about all that is around her - animal sounds, what's this questions, etc...but it is very hard to get her on video!

Here is just a small highlight of Chloe: She is also starting to master using silverware which is what I initally tried to capture but of course fingers are better on camera too!



Working with Chloe at home doesn't feel any differently as it did when Sydney was around her age.  Granted we work with her every day on certain tasks and checks with her cochlear implants and she is receiving speech therapy or like activities three times a week - but her progress so far in her hearing journey is remarkable to think where she was just six months ago.  Oh don't get me wrong, it is no easy task getting her here or what lies ahead in her future but with lots of hard work and faith - we are all on this journey together!

An Amazing 2012...

Chloe's journey in 2012 sure has been quite the rollercoaster ride - lots of UPs and downs and fast curves but we have survived it all (a pure blessing from God that we do not take for granted) and looking forward to a great 2013 - but maybe with a little let drop kick to our knees, please... thought I would take time to review Chloe's Journey in 2012

 Received results from genetic testing that Chloe's hearing loss is due to a gene mutation... March 2012
First set of tubes and MRI that confirmed Chloe's hearing nerve was present... May 2012
Rushed appointment to Neurosurgeon - concerns of cyst found during MRI... June 2012
Chloe's first cochlear implant surgery... July 2012
Activation of Chloe's first cochlear implant... August 2012
Chloe's second cochlear implant surgery... August 2012
Activation of Chloe's second cochlear implant... August 2012
All the different sessions, meetings, etc with Chloe's Educational Team... Ongoing
Miles and Miles to Boys Town National Research Hospital (Love this place!)... Ongoing
Miles and Miles to Heartland Speech for speech services (Another Amazing place!)... Ongoing
Rushed trip to Children's Hospital due to thought pneumonia... October 2012
Second set of tubes... October 2012
Another round of chest x-rays, breathing treatments for mona/walking pneumonia... November 2012

Seeing Chloe turn to the sound of a bell for the first time, Watching Chloe explore the sounds during bathtime, Hearing Chloe say Mama & Dada for the first time (and all the time), All the jabber and chatter that fills our house, The first words (Up, Moo for Cow, Ut Uh, Out, All Done, Hot, Please, Hat, Help, Sydney, Donna), Having Chloe understand simple conversations, And seeing the girls play together and talk back and forth...

PRICELESS!!

We are thankful for the blessings God provides us each and everyday - we are reminded how precious our two girls are each and everyday - We thank from the bottom of our hearts our family that supports us through Chloe's Journey, Our employers who understand that our family comes first and allows us to take the time away from our work to do so, The AMAZING Team that works with Chloe each and everyday - And for all of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Our Blessings...

As Thanksgiving is right around the corner - I want to take this time to reflect and express our thankfulness.  Brian and I could not be more thankful for the Team that is working with Chloe and all the love, support and encouragement we receive from family and friends!  

Sydney Mae teaches me patience every day and reminds me that you learn all you do by asking so many questions.  She can turn any given moment into a game - and her smile is contagious.  She is learning so much in preschool - she counted to 149 the other day (prompted her a little past 100) and stopped only because she was tired of counting.  Her love for books comes from me but her "hoarding" every little piece of something comes from her dad.

Chloe Jean's progress through her hearing journey has taken off in leaps and bounds and there is no way we ever expected such amazing results.  My heart is filled with joy when I say bye bye to Chloe and she runs to me wanting a kiss - in a little over 3 months ago - that communication did not come as easy to our family.  But it shows that Chloe is working with a great team who is pushing her harder and harder each week as well as surrounding her with support and encouragement.  We also understand that there are going to be low moments where it seems as if she is not making any progress at all - and we can tackle that hurdle when we get there.  The fact that she smiles and gets excited to see her CIs in the morning - her face is priceless - shows me that she is enjoying her "hearing" journey just as much as we are!

Happy Thanksgiving from our hearts to yours!
(Chloe had a few things to say too - although she gets quiet when the camera is running)

Checking In - 3 months!

Can't believe October has came and went - been very busy in our house!  Chloe was healthy enough to get tubes a few weeks ago - hopefully this will prevent us from more ear infections.  Surgery didn't seem to bother her too much but she is done having her oxygen level checked and screams when she see it - and the only person that could make her smile that day was Dr. Lusk.  I would have to agree with Chloe - he is an amazing person (Mom smiles too).  Now if I can only keep both girls in a bubble and away from all the crud going around.

October brings us Halloween - and Chloe wasn't so sure about the whole costume idea - but thankfully we were able to capture a few pictures.  Little Bo Peep and her Sheep (thanks to their very talented Grandma)

Chloe's walk through her hearing journey is amazing - she is responding so well to speech and sounds and making leaps and bounds with her progress (its only been 3 months since she heard that first sound of the bell ringing).  Chloe is responding to her name majority of the time (some of the time I believe she hears me, but is choosing to ignore my request) - makes several sounds of her own Moo for cow, Maa for milk, Dadda, Mama, Uhh for up, Mo for more, Sss for a snake...just to name a few.  Lately she likes to play with her John Deere camera and holds it up to her face and says "EEEE" for cheese.  Her receptive language is very strong as well - She is starting to look for toys (objects) with no visual cues, example "Where's your ball, Chloe?" - and she will go look for a ball.  Chloe is also pointing to her ear when she hears a new sound or a sound she recognizes implying "I heard that!"  And of course, her dad taught her "touchdown" to help cheer on the Huskers!  Chloe is a very busy little girl and likes to be playing right next to her sister - it's cute to see the two of them play together.

Haven't talked a lot lately about Chloe's cochlear implants (CI) in terms of the device, thought I would share ... There are lots of pieces and parts to Chloe's CIs - and in order for this Mom to stay organized, I purchased and tweaked a mini storage unit to help with it all.  The two units on the side are dryers; the CIs are taken apart (7 total pieces) each night to dry and have the batteries recharged.  We also have several different color options because this Mom likes to coordinate her CIs with her outfit for the day!!

We are truly blessed to be where we are at today - Chloe has an amazing "team" of individuals that help her succeed in her journey - 

CrAzY wEeK

Crazy isn't even the right word to explain this past week - getting the call the Chloe needs to be admitted to Children's Hospital of pneumonia, plus stop by the office first to get her "stats" to be approved to skip the ambulance ride was more than I was expecting.  But good news is that Chloe did not have pneumonia but a viral broncolitis.  Spent the night to be monitored (as Monday night she was wheezing and having troubles breathing) but released Wednesday and has been running laps since.  She is a tough kid that is for sure - she does have an ear infection (left) and fluid (right) and is currently taking antibiotics - as soon as she gets a clean bill of health from our amazing Doctor, she will again have surgery for tubes. :( Disappointed, yea a little - we are ready to be done with this chapter and move on to the fun learning things!

Speaking of fun things, her are a few things we have caught Chloe doing this week:
Eee (and signs with one finger to her lips) for Eat
Elo or something like that when she holds a phone to her ear
After she hears a door close, she will sometimes look at it and wave bye bye (at hospital, didn't see them leave)
My phone made a sound for new text message, and she looked for my phone and held hand up to her cheek
She liked to watch out of the hospital window and made lots of vrrr vrrr sounds as the cars went by

We are working with some higher frequency sounds, like Sss, to see if we can get her to respond.  And although we haven't gotten her to turn her head, there have been a few examples here within the last few days that she has repeated or spontaneously made the Sss sound.  Maybe, just maybe she is hearing it but not giving you the true reaction... something to keep working on.

Thought you might like to see how active (and noisy) she can be ... I know you are suppose to be quiet while waiting in the doctor's office - but this Mom can't quite tell her to stop chattering, I just enjoy it too much!

The little things...

Sometimes you take the little things in life for granted - might even go by without noticing all the sounds you are exposed to during the day.  Chloe does a good job of reminding me - that if you stop and listen - there is always something you can find to listen to.  Here are just a few examples from Home...

During meal time, Chloe was in her high chair but finished eating.  Brian had her focused as he was playing a tickle game with her, however, Chloe stopped looked out the window and waved to a grain truck that drove by (our windows were open).

During family pictures outside near a highway, Chloe looked at 80% of the vehicles that drove by and waved - most of the time her back was to the highway and she was engaged in something else.

She has now learned about the clothes dryer - when she "helps" me do laundry, she pushes the clothes in and closes the door, and just this week she made a "rrrr" noise before I started it - and smiled and shook her head yes once I did start it

Chloe is chattering quite a bit more these days - and I like to use that word over babbling as there are more variances - but she is still being "nice & quite" during all her weekly "sessions" - Little Stinker!  Chloe also has started to turn to her name...it may take the second time we say it, but she is starting to put all the pieces together.

Took some time out of our busy schedule to just be a family - have some fun - and enjoy being outside during a beautiful (almost) fall evening.  Chloe is learning how to walk outdoors and with her shoes - even was able to kick the ball once or twice.  But it was an unfair advantage to me trying to play soccer and carry her around when she didn't want to be on the grass.  

Sydney started dance a few weeks ago and just LOVES it - she likes to show off all her new "tricks" she has learned - can't wait to watch her recital later down the road.  

There are days where I think we are doing great and then there are days where I have a hard time keeping up with the basics of a family of four.  Trying to find the balance of mother, laundry maid, wife, cleaning fairy, employee, chef... just to name a few, is tough.  But then having a night like tonight - there is nothing that I wouldn't give up - the laundry can wait (for a few days) and why not write your grocery list in the dust that can be found everywhere and my girls are only little once - it doesn't always hit me right away, but just getting down on the floor with my girls or seeing the small reactions from Chloe makes it worth everything!!

Week 5 of Chloe's Hearing Journey

Eating Cheetos!

Each day we are slowly noticing more and more... Her babbling is progressing as far as new sounds she is making.  Just a few of the sounds we hear her make are Ahh (airplane), Moo (her version) for cow, Mmm and Rawr (her version) for dinosaur.

Waiting to jump in!

Getting Chloe ready for bath time is quite the interesting task.  Although every time it reminds me how thankful I am to have chosen the water proof device as it gives us excellent language and learning time while all of us are stuck in the bathroom.  We have now moved her into our bathtub with her big sister and she thinks that is just great!  But I do think Sydney feels a little more restricted and she has to sit the whole time and stay on her side of the tub as Chloe is still learning on moving around within the tub.

Now that the weather has cool down a little bit - Chloe has discovered she loves the outdoors.  She loves to swing and unfortunately her slide.  I say unfortunately because the slide has static.  Static is something we have to stay clear from as it can either provide her with feedback or it can even wipe out one of her programs.  We are finding alternative ways to keep her entertained outside and that includes feeding the cows and four-wheeler rides with Dad!  Both of our girls love the outdoors just as much as we do -

Vroom Vroom

Just a few days ago we made a return trip to Boys Town (NO cameras this time) for additional mapping.  And Chloe is already showing them her own personality and rules to the "game."  Chloe doesn't always give them the reaction they are looking for my turning her head - typically she likes to play away with the toy and then once the sound stops she looks up, smiles and then waves or she imitates the sound (if she can).  Little stinker.  But after a few attempts and finally just letting her play on the floor - they were able to get some feedback from her which allowed them to tweak her programs just a little bit more.

Driving Miss Chloe

Chloe is "walking" - by no means not ready for laps around the house - but she is getting braver and braver with her steps.  Like tonight, she would stand up in the middle of the room, walk to a toy, play and little and then turn and walk to another destination.  Her balance is improving and she thinks she is ready to be walking while carrying her blanket.  Needless to say, she is not as happy when she falls....

Even enjoys playing the piano, which she  ignored before her CIs.

Chloe's Story.... video from Boys Town

We are thankful for Boys Town Hospital for choosing Chloe to follow and create an amazing video of her journey.  We invite you to take a look at this video, if you are softhearted, you may want to grab a tissue:

WOW!! Second Activation

There is so much media stuff going on right now thought I would share!

Boys Town Hospital did a press release in celebration of their 500th cochlear implant and with that we had a TON (it seemed that way for this mom) of media there today during activation.  Here are just a few of the links:
KMTV - Omaha
MSNBC - NBC 
WOWT - Omaha
Omaha World Herald
KETV - Omaha

Activation was a success - I would say that there wasn't as much of a "Aha" moment - but we know and saw that she was responding to the sounds. Her time in the booth was probably when we saw it the most - as she would turn (sometimes still to the right as that is where she has been hearing from this past month) her head and wave to whatever light and character seemed to be "talking" to her.  

AND then you have to check out the first of two videos they have created... On YouTube search for BoysTown Hospital and cochlear implant and there is a video called "what is a cochlear implant"
Or click here: What is a Cochlear Implant

The second video will be more of just Chloe's story and I will post once it has been uploaded.


We truly feel blessed to be working with Boys Town Hospital and the CI Team as well as all of our "team" members - we would not be where we are today without all of the support we have that surrounds us.  We understand and realize that there is a lot of hard work ahead of us - but in a way fun and energizing as well to see her grow in her hearing journey.  

The sound of hearing her babble again and make all these little steps 

is purely amazing for this mom...just warms my heart!!

It's surgery day #2

We arrived and were all checked in by 7am! Chloe did very well of being distracted and wasn't fussy about not getting her milk. She played in the toy room and gave lots of big cheesy smiles and waves to the wonderful staff we have today.

Chloe got her own special wagon ride to the OR and we were told she was all smiles!!

She should be back in recovery within the hour. Can't wait to talk to Dr Lusk to hear how well it all went!

Noon...She is back from recovery!! Went well with no complications... Might sit a little higher than the other one but that's how her skull accepted it... Soundly sleeping in my arms!

We are home and resting although she's doing so much better than last time!!