May 6 - second eye exam follow up May 11 - new earmolds made and ordered, hearing aides both amplified up
audiology: We went to the audiologist only once this month for some hearing aide maintenance and a first try in the sound room. The first was successful, the latter wasn't. His ears were beginning to to show signs of growing so we had new earmolds made and they were sent to the States almost three weeks ago. They "should have" been back here by now! I was assured that it wouldn't take nearly as long as the last order but if they don't come this week, it will be way past the expected delivery date. At this point his hearing aides are falling out so much that it's almost too frustrating to try to keep them in all day long. And if they aren't out completely, they're often whistling with lot's of feedback. Frustrating!
Lt. Duhon also hooked his hearing aides up to the computer to adjust the settings a bit. It's amazing to see all the info available from the mini computer chips in his aides. We were feeling like we had to talk very loud and purposefully in order for Isaac to hear us so both aides were bumped up in the high and low tones. Right away, we could see improvement in his reactions to sounds. For the first few days, he was much more aware of what was going on around him and was very observant of everything. And now he is starting to babble with consonant sounds for the first time! We're very happy about all of this. I don't think the right ear is set correctly though because he tends to respond to sounds on the left side more consistently. So, we'll talk about that at our next appointment.
One of the big goals we have for him is to be able to reliably respond to sounds in the audiology sound room. At our appointment, we attempted this kind of testing for the first time. (this was before amplifying the hearing aides) It didn't work so well because he was quite fussy and didn't look in the direction of the sounds. However, he did become alert to most of them. He would stop squirming and sit very still and sometime he would look up but didn't really look around to find the source or direction of the sounds. He usually does much better during our therapy sessions so it was kind of sad to actually see him not responding to what was going on in this environment. Travis was with us for this appointment (for the first time). I was glad he was able to witness "proof" of his hearing loss because he tests Isaac at home with clapping and such things and questions whether or not he really needs the hearing aides. I guess to a point, we both wonder about it. I've been the one with him through all the testing and diagnosis up to this point so I've seen everything he's been through and watched the tests fail, etc. He seems so normal and healthy in every other way that it's hard to accept that this teeny tiny part of his body doesn't work though. I suppose this is all part of accepting and dealing with a disability. But we can always hope and pray for healing. right?
early intervention: We continue to see Lisa, our speech therapist, twice a week. It's very encouraging to acknowledge the changes and progress that we are making by working with her so often. She often points out little improvements that she notices within just the few days in between our meetings. I get to gush about all the cute and wonderful things Isaac does and she gets just as excited and proud of it as I do. She's very good at working with my questions and worries too. She's helping me with baby massage techniques, rolling over issues, encouraging neck exercises and sitting strength, eating strategies, and all sorts of playing techniques for very purposeful playtime. It's fun every time we see her. Just last week he started babbling with yayayayaya, and mamamama! We're very happy about this milestone. The baby books say this initial babbling should begin around six months old and he started a week after 8 months so I don't think that's too far behind the expected normal time frame.
optometry: We saw the other doctor for an eye exam follow up and she diagnosed him with a level 2 astigmatism. I'm doing a little research on the internet to learn more about what this means but from what she told me, if he had a level 4 or more, he would definitely need to get glasses right now. However, at 2, we'll simply watch for possible progression with follow up exams every two month. In July we'll set another appointment. I guess his vision is okay for now but the astigmatism can affect it differently than near or far sighted vision does. I need to learn more about this to understand it better and will add more info in a different post. I know I have astigmatism mixed in with my poor eyesight but my vision is bad all around so I really don't know how this affects visions by itself.
baby things: He's starting to eat table foods and seems to prefer this much more than the pureed baby foods. I've also started teaching him to use a sippy cup. He refuses a bottle and I'm still trying to get him to drink apple juice (or prune juice) to help move his bowels so I'm hoping he'll catch onto this sippy cup idea soon. No success yet. We have a doctor appt scheduled for next week to follow up on his lack of bowel movements despite the fact that he's been on medication for this for over seven weeks now. I also want his take on why Isaac isn't rolling from stomach to back. I think this is an important milestone and he just doesn't do it at all so it makes me worry!
