Yikes! Where has the time gone??

June 2008

Hi friends....so I have been nagging and nagging mommy to give you an update on my progress.
My CI is working and I am learning to hear!!!

I am working on the following skills: "Learning to Listen sounds". This is taking a toy or picture and giving it one special sound. My main ones are mmmmm for ice cream, ssssssss for snake, oooooo for owl, ee ee ee ee for Monkey, shhhhh for baby and aaaaaah for airplane. I have been practicing these since I was 9 months old...and I have never repeated sssssss or ssssssh before (meaning that I have never heard them either). I try these 3 times a week or more, and have gotten up to 4 of them at once--but my results are usually all over the place. It is soo hard to concentrate sometimes. :o) If I can get these 6 sounds, that means that I am hearing all the sounds in the speech range--- which will prove the major improvement with the Cochlear Implant.

Mommy is saying lots of things to me and also signing them. I am learning more signs--she says I have about 75 now and my first goal with speaking will be to be able to recognize and repeat all 36 Learning to listen sounds. Mommy says these will quickly turn into words!

We are having a busy summer between home, therapy, audiology appointments and Desert Aire for swimming....

But....I said my first word! More!!!!! I also now have Mama and Dada! Yeah! This talking thing is sooo fun!

Here are my June highlights:
Real Age: 18 Months
Hearing Age: 1 month
-Speech: FIRST WORDS: More, Mama and Dada
-Signs: 75 expressive (signs that I can make) We don't know how to count the ones I understand.... lots more than I can make, of course!!

Thank you all for keeping up with my progress!

Hugs,
Audie Lou Wilson