Isaac's World

Long Time No Blog....

2010-12-22T13:07:00.002-05:00

It's been forever since my last update. Partially because I'm not sure how to handle the blogging anymore. Since my last post, we had a new addition to our family, Ezra Esprit Johnson was born Jan. 25th 2010. Ezra, like our middle boy, Noah, is hearing. Yes, I know, he is almost a year old already! Time flies! Isaac is in kindergarden, but we have decided to teach him at home. This was not a choice we made because he is Deaf. It is the best decision for our family. It has been challenging, not because of teaching Isaac, but because of incorporating school into our day with an active pre-school aged boy who loves his big brother (aka Noah), and a walking 11 month old who is into everything!
Isaac loves learning and usually is very quick to master new concepts. He continues to amaze me with how well he is doing. If he were to go to traditional kindergarden, he would be mainstreamed with other hearing children and simply have 45 min. of speech therapy a week! Praise God! He loves learning and can read pretty well for a 5 year old. It is so amazing to witness the first sentence that he read! The look on his face will stay with me forever.
Isaac still has the Nucleus Freedom processors. We are entertaining the idea of upgrading him to the N5 processors, but are unsure how much he will benefit and if the out of pocket expense will justify it. He already talks non-stop. Even withouth his processors on, he uses words in his pretend play with his toys. We are going to GBMC on Jan. 7th to discuss this further. Prayers would be appreciated! This past year has been a whirlwind. I would like to combine Isaac and Noah's blogs into one and am unsure how to do this. I don't know if I will just create a new blog and post Johnson family updates or what. We will see. Merry Christmas Everyone!

So much has happened....Isaac on the news...a birthday...

2009-04-07T13:34:00.004-04:00

It has been forever since I have been able to post anything online. We have had so much going on, and to top it all off, our computer was out of commission for a month. Isaac turned four!!!! I can't believe my little guy is four years old! We had a super birthday celebration for him at Port Discovery in Baltimore, MD. If you have never been there, it is amazing. It is a huge children's museum. It is three floors of running, jumping, climbing, fun. Plus, the kids can learn so much too. We didn't have a party there, Grandpa, Granny, Auntie Lydia and Uncle Mike, Ian, me and the boys went. It is too much fun to even begin to tell.

In other awesome news...our local news station came to Isaac's pre-school and did a news spot on him and another little boy in his class. I don't know if you can still view the video, but the story is at this link http://www.fox43.com/pages/landing/?blockID=234603&feedID=589#comment_name234603.
It was a "beyond words" experience to get to tell a little about our story and introduce the world to our amazing little guy. We would not have been given this opportunity if we had been patients of another hospital. The whole reason we got this opportunity was because of GBMC. We love them so much! Many of the children in Isaac's pre-school have gone to GBMC for their surgery and mapping, speech therapy etc. We are not just a number there and love the people we work with. They have also given me another opportunity to "share our story" with a room full of speech therapists in our county. GBMC came to conduct a seminar for speech therapists in our area and they asked me to give a parent perspective on cochlear implants! It was so incredible to have these opportunities and I cannot give them enough praise. We are so thankful we chose GBMC!

Although I lost a pregnancy, I have felt so blessed in the past few months. God is doing amazing things in our family and I look forward to the future. I had a complete molar pregnancy and they were able to tell me from the chromosome analysis that it would have been a girl. I knew it in my heart that she was a girl. We gave her the name Abigail which is a Hebrew name and it means, "Joy of the Father." We had been praying for a little girl. Even before we had conceived, she had a name and she still has that name even though she is not living on this earth. She is in heaven right now and I will meet her some day. I look forward to that day. She is complete and whole and will never experience the pain or tears of this world. I look forward to meeting her. As I was driving in my car the other day, I had a thought as I was remembering all the past few months have meant. I was thinking about Abigail and I heard her say, " You weren't ready for me yet mom". I don't know how I thought this, but I realize it is right. God is dealing with my heart in many ways, and I want to be complete and whole in Him before I have a daughter who will look to me for the example of a Godly woman. If I am honest with myself, I know this is true. I believe some day I will have a daughter, if not in this lifetime, I will meet Abigail in heaven and we will embrace knowing that God's will is perfect and that although she was in my life for only a few weeks, she was an answer to prayer.

A sad but necessary update

2009-02-02T12:46:00.002-05:00

If you have been following Isaac's blog, right after Christmas I posted that we were expecting a baby in August. Recently, I changed Isaac's blog around and re-posted the Christmas post without that information. I am not going into details because it is too painful right now, but the pregnancy was not viable. I am going in for a D & C on Wednesday. I have not experienced a miscarriage before this, and all I can say is that it is a horrible experience to go through. My heart goes out to anyone who has been in this situation before.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-25T15:20:00.002-05:00

After seeing my sister and brother-in-law on Christmas, I was kindly reminded that I haven't updated our blogs in a long time. It is time for an update. We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent the morning at our house opening presents from Santa and Papaw and Dee in Kentucky. Isaac even went to the Dollar Store and picked out presents for our whole family with Granny. Isaac got me a back scratcher, Ian a scarf and Noah a toy gun (I think it was more for him than Noah). Both of the boys got so many presents that we need to go through the old ones and get ready for a yard sale this summer!

In the afternoon, we went to Granny and Grandpa's house where we spent the day with Granny, Grandpa, Aunt Lydia and Uncle Mike. We opened presents, played with toys, ate a Christmas meal, sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and ate some birthday cake. On Saturday, Great Grandpa Dick and Great Grandma Dory came to visit us from New York. We had a wonderful time with them. They haven't seen the boys since the summertime.

In other news, Isaac is doing well with his 2nd implant. He still does not like to have his "old ear" off and listen with just his "new ear." He doesn't have a lot of word recognition with his new side yet, but I know it will come in time. He is a super smart kid and is doing so well in pre-school. He has a fun loving personality and makes his teachers laugh every day.

Noah is doing well and is talking so much. It is amazing how easily a hearing child picks up the language that we had to work so hard with Isaac to attain. Isaac and Noah really love each other, but they love to pick on each other too. Isaac will set up a train track and Noah will want to play with it and Isaac will get angry because Noah is "messing up the track!"

Isaac has TWO Ears!

2008-10-08T08:33:00.003-04:00

Isaac did great yesterday! My friend Lynn watched Noah so Isaac and I could focus better on the experience. I think it would have been sheer torture to have him there with us. Lynn has two boys of her own who are the same age as ours, so I know that Noah had fun. Thank you Lynn!

The "hook-up" the second time around seemed easy for us. Having experienced it before, we didn't have the explanation of the equipment and Isaac seemed so at ease. He didn't even flinch when the audiologist turned the sound on. Isaac has four programs on his new processor that progressively give him more stimulation. The best I can understand this is, when you move from program 1 through 4, more of the nuances of sound are present. I don't think it gets louder, (that's what the volume controls are for)there is just a greater presence of sound. If anyone can explain this better, please let me know!

By the end of the day yesterday we had Isaac using program 4 and volume 6. We were so impressed. I forgot to check the programs this morning and Isaac cried when I put his new processor on. He told me it was too loud. I quickly took the processor off and switched to program 1. Of course, I felt so guilty and sat with Isaac for a while instead of doing my morning chores. Isaac told me he loves me, so it must not have been that bad.

Thank you everyone for your prayers, encouragement and kind words throughout this journey of giving Isaac bi-lateral implants. As a family, we are so blessed to have such a network of love and support from all over the world. I love reading about experiences that others have with cochlear implants. It has meant so much to me. Thank you family and friends!

Left Ear Activation

2008-09-29T08:23:00.004-04:00

Isaac's activation is on October 7th. It is not that far away and we are excited. Granny made Isaac a picture of an ear with a blue processor to put on our refrigerator. She then used "post-it" notes and wrote numbers counting down to Isaac's receiving his "new ear". Every day Isaac pulls a "post-it" off the ear and throws it into the garbage can. He is so excited to get his new ear.

A few months ago, a man came into the gym where I work who had a cochlear implant. He looked like he was in his 30's and he had lost his hearing later in life. He had really short hair and a black cochlear implant. I haven't seen him since, but Isaac did get to meet him one time. I don't remember the man's name, but Isaac told me last week that when he gets bigger, he can get a "black ear" just like Jeff. This was after I told him that he was going to get two tan speech processors. Everyday he can decide if wants to wear his blue ears or tan ears. I am amazed that he remembered the man's name and the 5 minute meeting several months ago from someone we have not seen since. This is proof that it is really important for children with CI's to meet adults who are just like them. That being said, Isaac's pre-school teacher and speech therapist told me that there is a CI support group being formed for our area. Young and old CI users and their families will finally be able to get together and share experiences in our little town! This is so exciting for us!

Isaac had his IEP meeting at school last Friday and it went really well! I was brought to tears many times when the professionals working with Isaac told us how wonderfully he is doing. They told me that the concepts he understands and is able to express are above that of his hearing peers! This totally blew me away. Our family tries to teach him everything we possibly can, but I always feel like we are playing "catch up". Amazingly this is not true! Isaac didn't hear for the first 19 months of his life, so he should be 19 months behind his hearing peers. In reality, he is closer to 19 months ahead of them. We need to work on articulation of his words, but his actual vocabluary is closer to that of a 5 year old! I am amazed. I give all credit to God. We as parents are doing the best we can to teach this amazing little guy with the abilities God gave us. God created Isaac and knew that we would be the best family for him.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well
Psalm 139:14

Even when I was in the deep sadness of mourning the loss of a "perfect child," I knew that somehow Ian and I would be able to handle it. After all, everyone says that God doesn't give us more than we can handle right? I told people that, but secretly doubted it. I no longer mourn the loss of a perfect child because, I have Isaac-my perfect little boy. He is a precious gift from God and he doesn't hear like most people, but he is perfect.

Surgery is Over!!!!!!

2008-09-11T08:32:00.004-04:00

First I want to thank everyone for your prayers. Everything yesterday went really well. We all woke up really early. Grandpa, Granny and Auntie Lydia arrived at our house at 5:30 in the morning. Thank you Auntie Lydia for watching Noah! It was a huge relief to know that he was well taken care of. After we went over some last minute details, we left the house for GBMC just before 6:00 AM.

I wasn't sure how traffic would be during "rush hour", but we arrived at the hospital just after 7:00 AM. Grandpa and Granny kept Isaac entertained while Ian and I took care of the admissions paperwork. Granny and Grandpa were pretending they had a bag full of tools and Isaac really enjoyed their make believe game. He was pretending to use a hammer and wrench and saw. He had so much energy it was hard to believe that he would be mellow at all that day. We got our hospital arm bands and took some pictures before Isaac's name was called to prep for surgery.

During the preparations, Isaac put on his hospital gown and socks and thought it was funny when mommy put on her gown, hat and hospital booties. He then found the perfect book, a "Magic School bus" book about plants. He LOVES the Magic School bus series on TV now. It is hard to believe that a three year old would be so interested in the intricate details of how plants work, and the detailed topics that the Magic School bus tackles, but Isaac surprises us every day with what he understands and wants to learn. Daddy read the book to Isaac while Mommy answered some of the questions from the doctors. Finally, it was time to go back to the operating room. This is when Isaac's mood changed a little bit. He hugged and kissed daddy and left to go into the room with me. He didn't want to walk there, so I carried him. Even though they had shown him the air mask and let him try it out he did not like it one bit. I had to hold his head to my chest and make him breathe in the air. He was fighting and whimpering until he fell asleep in my arms. I then placed him on the operating table, said a silent prayer and kissed him as I left the room at 8:20 AM. That was a difficult event to go through as a parent.

Isaac's surgery was done around 12:30 and the audiologist came out and told us everything went really well. She tested the electrodes and said that she got a good response from Isaac's brain. She answered some of our questions and then our doctor came out. He told us that he got full insertion of the electrodes and there was no resistance while putting them in, which was such good news for us. This means that Isaac should get full use of the implant when it is activated.

Ian and I went to get something for lunch and just as we sat down, Grandpa called me and said that Isaac was awake and very upset. He was asking where his mommy was. I took a few quick bites and went down to see him. Granny was holding him, but he was very agitated as he came out of anesthesia. I don't think he was ready to wake up yet, so they gave him more pain medication and he slept for another hour. I held him for a long time and then gave him to Granny while I left to make some phone calls. When I came back, he was awake and drinking some juice in a much happier mood than before. He was alert but not quite himself when we started to leave. Just as we left the recovery room door, Isaac threw up on daddy. He was so upset about this, but we got him cleaned up and changed. Grandpa gave daddy a shirt to change into and we left the hospital. We asked Isaac if he wanted to take a ride in the wheelchair to the car and he became very upset. He told us, "I don't want to ride in wheelchair because my legs not broken!" We ended up carrying him to the car. As we were driving out, Isaac said," I barfed on daddy. I still love you daddy." It was so cute. For the whole ride home, Isaac was sleeping. Occasionally, he would wake up and start talking like he was part of the conversation all along and then fall back asleep.

When we got home, Isaac just wanted to lay around because he couldn't walk very well. His balance was off. We ordered a pizza and he ate a little bit before falling asleep around 8:30 PM. I slept in his bed with him and he wanted his right "ear" turned on all night long. He slept pretty well and woke up around 3:30 AM saying he was hungry and wanted to finish his pizza and drink some juice. Today, we are doing pretty well. I can tell Isaac doesn't feel the best, but he is in amazing spirits considering what he experienced yesterday. He told me he wanted to go to Tumbletown and McDonalds today. I think Tumbletown will have to wait, but if his stomach gets better, McDonalds is an option for later.

Surgery Tomorrow!

2008-09-09T08:24:00.003-04:00

When I woke Isaac up this morning for pre-school, I realized that this time tomorrow we would be in the midst of the surgery process to give him a cochlear implant for his left ear. I know it is the right thing to do, but as I touched his head above his left ear (where the internal magnet would go), I was thinking that tomorrow there will be a bandage covering a wound on his head in that same spot. Underneath the bandage and the wound will be a miraculous device that will allow him to hear out of his left ear. It is a bittersweet thing. He will have improved quality of life because of it, and for that I am grateful. If I am being competely truthful, I am sad that we have to go through it at all. I know that God will utimately receive the glory for this and Isaac's life as a whole, and I cling to that.

This path that Isaac has been on for his life is not one that I would have chosen for him. It is a path that has many detours, bumps and potholes. It is also a more beautiful and special path than I could have imagined for him and our family.

My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9

This is what we have been praying for. This event is what has tested my faith for the past year. I have cried countless tears over this and now it is happening. Our path is not as easy as the paths of others, but not as difficult as some. I am trusting in the Lord for my strength. This situation has grown me so much in my faith and as a person. Like so much in my life, I stress too easily. As soon as something does not go as I expect it to, I get in a tizzy. I flail my arms and legs while running around in circles trying to find a solution on my own. (Not really, but this is how I must look to God! :-) ) I finally get exhausted and trust God. I am learning, and I say learning because I still struggle with this, that I can save alot of time and energy by just praying and trusting the Lord. This is what I am going to do tomorrow. God is in control. He loves Isaac more than I ever could, and that is a humbling thought because I know how much my heart swells for my precious little boy.

Monster Spray (AKA Glade Air Infusions)

2008-09-04T15:56:00.003-04:00

I can't take credit for this idea. I found it in a magazine somewhere, but never dreamt I would use it. Isaac has started to be scared of monsters before he goes to bed. I told him to pray to Jesus to help him feel less afraid, but this didn't seem to be as effective as Monster Spray. After a long day with this boys, I was feeling frazzled and this seemed like a quick fix for the moment.

The monster spray from the magazine involved getting a spray bottle and filling it with water and spraying it under the bed and anywhere that a monster could hide. I decided to use something I already had under the kitchen sink, Glade Air Infusions. I made a label on the computer and taped it on. I did the creative stuff a day or so later but Isaac seemed convinced that it is the same stuff. Another added benefit of using an air freshner is the nice smell under the bed, in the closet, in the hamper etc. Plus, my monster spray is guaranteed to keep monsters away all night long!

Recycling Mommy

2008-08-06T07:28:00.002-04:00

Alright, I know...the title of this post is a little strange. Our house is full of goofballs. I am as guilty as anyone else. Here is some cute, and maybe a little embarassing proof. However, I need to expain some background before I get to the punchline, so bear with me. Sometimes when Isaac acts in a way I don't want him to act, I will break the stern punishing mom mode and tell him I am going to throw him in the garbage can. (This is a joke and Isaac knows it is a joke!) I pick him up and hang him upside down over the garbage can. Of course this lightens the mood and ends with Isaac giggling nonstop and asking for more.

Now as any parent of a Deaf or Hard of Hearing child knows, we are supposed to dictate as much of our daily routine as possible to give our children the most access to language. That being said, I explain little things to Isaac that he might not know that his hearing peers may have learned from observation. The other day I was explaining why we put plastic bottles and empty cans in the recycling bin instead of the trash can. I told him that when the garbage man takes the old plastic bottles away, he melts them down and can make new bottles so we can use them again. We do this so that we don't have to make the big piles of garbage bigger.

Here is the adorable way that Isaac connected these two circumstances...Yesterday, I was telling him not to get out all of his toys at once because it would make a big mess. He told me, "Mommy is old. Put you in recycling bin and garbage man take you away and melt you down. Make a new mommy!" He thought this was hilarious! There is no doubt he is part of our family. Cochlear implants really are miracles. Isaac is expressing himself just as any of his hearing peers would because of the ability to hear (plus a lot of hard work and therapy).

Dutch Wonderland

2008-07-09T11:52:00.004-04:00

I forgot to post pictures of Isaac at Dutch Wonderland. They are from April 2008. Granny and Grandpa watched Noah while Ian, Isaac and I met our friends at Dutch Wonderland. We got a good deal on admission because it was a pre-school outing. Isaac had the best time.

An interesting turn of events...

2008-06-27T16:36:00.002-04:00

I just thought I would post an update on our crazy bi-lateral journey. Our surgeon from CHOP called a few days ago and told us that CHOP is again doing bi-laterals. He said that they straightened all the stuff out and Isaac could be one of the first ones he gets in for surgery. He originally told us he could get us in on August 4th. Today his office called and offered to have Isaac in on July 9th. This is sooner than our September 10th surgery date at GBMC. Ian and I thought about it and prayed and we feel like GBMC is the best choice. Besides, we already waited this long, what is a few more months. I never really had a "warm and fuzzy" feeling from anyone at CHOP. They all did their jobs, but never seemed really and genuinely interested in Isaac besides the details of the job. Another thing is that our surgeon from CHOP would not write me a letter of medical necessity for Isaac when we were fighting the insurance company. He and the rest of the "team" at CHOP feel like bi-laterals are beneficial, but not medically necessary. This is insanity to me. Of course, it isn't a matter of "life and death" if Isaac can't hear out of both ears. But then, it isn't a matter of "life and death" if he couldn't hear at all either. I told the surgeon this and he didn't really respond to me. He is a really nice guy, but he didn't help us when we had no hope of resolution even after repeated attempts from myself and the Let Them Hear Foundation. This was the biggest deciding factor for me. I do wonder if other parents of CHOP patients have had similar experiences in this. Fortunately for us, everything is working out well and we have another wonderful facility to transfer to. NOTHING in this bi-lateral journey has been easy, ordinary or without tears. I can only hope and pray that we are making the right choices for Isaac. After all, we are doing this for him because we love him and want the best for him. Is 2 1/2 months that much longer to wait for a group of caring professionals who helped us when no one else would? I don't think so. We will be taking our business there.

Surgery Date....Again

2008-06-18T13:37:00.002-04:00

Well, I am finding myself in this situation again. We have a surgery date again. Although this time around I am more educated in many ways. It is farther away than I had originally hoped, but in the whole scheme of things, only 5 months will have passed since his original cancelled surgery. This is a huge chunk of time for a 3 year old, but Isaac is doing so well with only one implant that I am not very concerned. I have no doubts about his ability to "catch up" his newly implanted ear to his right ear. Isaac will have surgery at 8:30am on Wednesday, September 10th 2008. This date is almost 2 years after his first surgery. I'm going to cut this post short because this week is VBS at our church and I am helping to teach the Pre-K through 1st graders. It is tons of fun but also exhausting as I also coordinated the props. Have a great day everyone!

We love GBMC

2008-06-13T15:08:00.002-04:00

We could not have asked for a more perfect day yesterday. Our trip to GBMC took only one hour and we didn't have to pay turnpike tolls either! Even Noah enjoyed the trip. We met with our audiologist and she was the nicest person. The CI program at GBMC is smaller than the one at CHOP, but this makes for much more personal attention. Our audiologist was genuinely interested in both Isaac and Noah. She got out a slew of toys and spread them on the carpet for Noah to play with while we talked about Isaac. The whole vibe at GBMC seemed friendlier to me than we are used to. Instead of only telling us what we need to improve on with Isaac's speech, we received lots of positive re-enforcement. We did a little bit of testing in the sound booth and we got wonderful responses from Isaac across the board. Isaac was so attentive that she was able to get responses from him at the 15-25 db range. I credit the audiologist for keeping Isaac's attention by playing games with him that encourage his full participation. She was so good with him. We selected the processors that we are interested in for his 2nd implant. We are choosing 2 beige for him because he already has 2 blue. She let us know that they could re-program his other blue processor so he could wear it on his newly implanted ear. After we left the audiologist, we were on to meet our surgeon. We had another smooth meeting (well as smooth as could possibly be for keeping a 3 year old and a 1 year old entertained in the waiting rooms). After looking at Isaac's CAT scan from 2 years ago, the Dr. said that Isaac's left ear would actually be the easier of the two to implant. He was excited about that. He was shocked as well with CHOP's recent suspension of the bi-lateral program. He is very excited to operate on Isaac and we are waiting for the surgical scheduler to call us with a surgery date. He said it would be one to two months from now. The only concern I have is that for 2 days, Isaac has to wear a bandage on his head and it could be difficult to put his existing processor on his head. Does anyone have any experience with this? It would be difficult if he couldn't hear anything for 2 days until he can take his bandage off. We are very excited about GBMC. It is a true answer to prayer.

WOW!

2008-06-05T15:00:00.002-04:00

We don't have it in writing yet, but I just spoke to our representative from the Let Them Hear Foundation, and Amerihealth Mercy has approved Isaac's bi-lateral implantation! Now we have been approved by our primary insurance and medical assistance! This has been an incredible week! Praise Jesus!

Thank You Jesus!

2008-06-04T08:44:00.004-04:00

So much has happened in our bi-lateral journey. I can finally say that we are reaching a happy place. Bye Bye CHOP....Hello GBMC (Greater Baltimore Medical Center)! God has His timing with everything and I am learning that slowly and painfully, but also joyfully! In church on Sunday, the Message was on putting God first and loving Him before anything. It seems like a pretty common sense thing, but it actually hit a nerve in my soul. I finally came to the place where I said, "regardless of the outcome of this, I will love You Jesus and not worry." This led me to make phone calls that have changed so much for us. I want everyone to understand that this is not anything I or anyone else has done, it is God. He is the one who gives us strength and can change things. Even though I made the calls and Let Them Hear is working on our behalf, God did this.

I will try to make a long story short. Our primary insurance never denied Isaac's 2nd cochlear implant. CHOP "dropped the ball" and told us they denied the coverage. Our insurance does not need a pre-certification for outpatient surgery (CI surgery is outpatient). CHOP called to get pre-certification and was probably ignored since this is not required. The only thing I can understand is that CHOP interpreted this lack of action as a denial. Since CHOP heard nothing, they were relying on medical assistance. This is where our battle came in. We were trying to fight medical assistance. Now, we don't need to!

Every last detail seems to be falling into place with GBMC. First of all, they are only an hour's drive from our house as opposed to a two and a half hour drive to CHOP. Secondly, GBMC participates with our insurance plan. Thirdly, I made a phone call in the morning and got a return phone call from GBMC within a half an hour. The call came from an audiologist. Not a secretary or someone who would just gather information, but someone who genuinely cared about our situation and listened to me for over an hour on the phone. By the end of the day, I had an appointment scheduled for Isaac's initial consultation and a packet of information on the way to our house. Fourthly, the people at GBMC told me they would contact another bi-lateral family from York, PA and have them get in contact with us to tell about their experiences with GBMC. By the end of the day, I had spoken with this amazing woman about her son and her experiences in this crazy journey. Lastly, this morning I made an appointment with the CI surgeon and it happened that their first available appointment was fifteen minutes after our consultation with the CI Team at GBMC! This means we only have to make one trip! THANK YOU JESUS!

My faith has been tested so much during this journey and I am sure it will continue to be tested. Now I know that God's timing is the right timing. He is the most important thing in my life. He should come first. Before anything and everything. When this happens, everything falls into place. Praise Jesus!

P.S. Isaac's appointments are next Thursday, June 12th. Talk about quickly!

Mommy's Little Rocker

2008-06-01T22:01:00.002-04:00

Isaac loves to play Guitar Hero for the Wii. He always asks to ,"Fight the mean man." He says this because the characters look a little mean and he loves it when they get booed off stage and put their hands on their foreheads. This happens quite frequently because he doesn't have the coordination to actually play the game. I can't take credit for taking the picture. Aunt Lydia always gets the most amazing shots of the kids. Thanks Aunt Lydia!

Bi-Lateral Update for Isaac

2008-05-18T15:07:00.004-04:00

There is a lot of talk about CHOP right now. I know that many others are affected by this recent decision CHOP has made regarding bi-lateral cochlear implants. We are affected as well. I cannot go into details because we are right in the middle of this thing. Basically, CHOP has said they are not doing bi-lateral CI surgeries right now due to a "Compliance" issue in the billing area.

Everyone who reads our blog knows that we are fighting our insurance company on behalf of Isaac to get bi-laterals approved for him. We are running into lots of issues regarding this and the recent decision of CHOP to suspend their bi-lateral program. We are working with the Let Them Hear Foundation to fight our denial with medical assistance for Isaac's second implant. I wish I could just rant and rave about how I feel, but this would undoubtedly cause problems for our case. All I can say is to quote a Veggie Tales song. (This is Isaac's favorite program right now)

"God is bigger than the boogie man. He's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on TV. God is bigger than the boogie man and He's watching out for you and me!"

This means that God is bigger than the insurance companies and the hospitals that stop performing surgeries. God is bigger than all our problems and He's watching out for us.

Pre-School Bowling Day

2008-05-01T11:57:00.004-04:00

The IU Pre-School is awesome! His teachers are incredible. I can't even say how much difference they have made for him in such a short time. He loves school and talks about it all the time. A few weeks ago, the pre-school had a bowling outing scheduled. We had never taken Isaac bowling before, but expected him to love it. He is such an easy-going kid with a zeal for life. He enjoys trying new things and puts his whole heart into everything he does. He is such an inspiration to me. He is just such a passionate kid! Granny and Grandpa watched Noah while Ian, Isaac and I went bowling. Isaac really enjoyed himself. He was really fascinated with the ramp that some kids used to put the ball on and roll it down. He didn't really want to push the ball between his legs because it traveled so slowly. He preferred to use the ramp to give the ball more speed. He is my little adrenaline junkie!

I've been tagged

2008-04-29T12:07:00.000-04:00

Drew's Mom tagged me a few weeks ago, but I've been so busy that I haven't responded. I must admit, I am not as "into" the blogging world as many of my online friends. I am ashamed to say that there is no-one that I know who hasn't been tagged. I will do my part though and answer my questions. Here goes!

A Blogger Tagging Game

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I have to answer questions and people I tag have to answer the same questions, so here I go.

What was I doing 10 years ago:
Ten years ago, I had decided not to go away to college and begin community college. I had no idea what to major in, so I chose music merchandising. I got my associates degree and then transferred to York College of PA and finished with a BA in public relations.

Five Snacks I enjoy:
- Cheese Balls
- Fruitabu organic fruit strips
- Butterfinger candy bar
- Bagel Bites
- Snyder's of Hanover Ranch flavored pretzel bits

In the real world:
- Frozen Red Seedless Grapes
- Pomegranates
- Danon Activia Vanilla Lite Yogurt
- Lean Cuisine Spinach and Mushroom Pizza
- Muscle Milk Lite Chocolate Shakes

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Tithe, Donate to Joyce Meyer Ministries, Give a large sum of money to the Let Them Hear Foundation, Go to school to become a speech therapist (because there is a shortage and I have not met one yet that I truly love), Pay for my boys to go through college, adopt a girl, Pay for Ian to go on many hunting trips, buy a house in the woods, Pay off my parent's, sister's and our mortgages and take many vacations with family.

Five jobs that I have had:
- Assistant Catering Manager/Wedding Coordinator at a Holiday Inn
- Daycare worker at a gym
- Recruiter for a staffing agency
- Marketing Manager for a Hotel Supply Company
- Package Handler for Fed Ex Ground

Three of my habits:
- Playing with my hair
- Eating too close to bed-time
- Running (this is a new habit, but I love it)

Five place I have lived:
- Cottage Grove, Oregon (my birth-place)
- New Cumberland, PA
- Lewisberry, PA
- York, PA
- Dover, PA

Add one new part:

One thing you hope to accomplish in your life:

I want to teach my children that all things are possible with God.

Pictures for Papaw

2008-04-17T08:53:00.002-04:00

If you know Ian, he loves his Dallas Cowboys. That is a pretty difficult confession to make for anyone living in Pennsylvania. We live in an area infiltrated with die hard Steelers fans. It nearly broke Ian's heart to see his boys in Steelers apparel, but we did it for the love of Papaw (who lives in Kentucky). These smiles are for you Papaw!

The Boys Drinking Milk

2008-04-04T09:24:00.002-04:00

This morning I gave Isaac Noah's bottle and told him to go give it to Noah. Isaac told me that he wanted to, "sleep with Noah little bit." I picked Isaac up and put him in Noah's crib with a pillow from Isaac's bed. This picture is one of the few moments where true brotherly love is shown. Most of the time, Noah walks over to Isaac and Isaac grabs him and wrestles him to the floor. Moments later, Noah is crying from a "pile drive" into the carpet. This is a sweet picture of the boys having their morning milk together.

No Surgery

2008-03-28T09:37:00.003-04:00

Isaac has been denied again for a second cochlear implant. We will not have surgery on April 7th. Apparently, Amerihealth Mercy says that Isaac has made too much progress with the first implant to justify the cost of a second one. We are working with the Let Them Hear Foundation. I am pretty sad about the whole thing. Maybe if we had a different insurance provider this wouldn't be happening. I have definately shed more tears over this than I ever thought I would. Unfortunately for us, we are the first ones confronting our insurance companies with this request and are willing to appeal their decision. I know that God is in our corner. I know that His Will will be done, but sometimes it is hard to find the comfort in it all.

Isaac Singing Happy Birthday

2008-03-16T23:05:00.004-04:00

I am trying to post video of Isaac singing Happy Birthday. In the video, he is actually more interested in playing with his new toy than looking at the camera. I had to catch him mid-play to record him singing to his toy. I hope this works. In the past my attempts at posting video have failed. If not, I will delete the post.

Isaac's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-03-16T22:46:00.003-04:00

Isaac's birthday is actually on Monday, March 17th (Yes...St. Patty's Day). We had his party on Saturday, March 15th at Grandpa and Granny's house. It was a really fun party. Granny and Isaac made a home-made pinata a few weeks ago that was a huge "hit" at the party. Isaac's friends loved it because, unlike the store bought kind, it broke rather easily for younger kids. Plus it was shaped like a car and painted Isaac's favorite color these days, green. It had the number "3" on the doors and the licence plate said, "Isaac." Granny is so creative! Our closest friends came to the party and everyone left stuffed with pizza, crab dip, chips, pretzels, cake and ice cream....not to mention pinata candy. Isaac got some really cool gifts this year including a tent in the shape of a fire truck (thank you Aunt Lydia and Uncle Mike}, pop up books, a bubble blowing lion, Scooby Doo and Spongebob DVD's, clothes, cars, a bike helmet, a gift certificate to Tumbletown and some money. Both Isaac and Noah were completely exhausted by the end of the day. Both of them fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Pre-School is a Success!

2008-02-27T13:43:00.002-05:00

Today was Isaac's first day of pre-school. He had a blast. We got there 15 minutes early and he remembered that there were cars and trucks to play with in the classroom. His teacher told him he had to wait until the other girls and boys got there before he could go in the room. Surprisingly, he waited patiently, although he kept saying, " I like play cars...please mommy". When it was time to go to the room, he didn't even look back at me. I had to beg him for a hug and kiss. He is such a big boy.

Surgery Date

2008-02-25T11:43:00.002-05:00

Isaac will go to CHOP on April 7th to have his left ear implanted. Since the 7th is a Monday, we have to call on the Friday before to get the time we have to be there. All these battles we have fought...getting denied for the second implant by insurance, changing insurance providers for medical assistance, finding a new PCP for the referrals becaues our old pediatrician didn't accept our new medical assistance insurance, getting seen by this new PCP before they normally see new patients so we could keep our appointment with the surgeon... all these battles were fought to get the elusive, "date of surgery". Now that we have the official date, I am excited, nervous and so many other emotions. I know God is in control and He has been for this entire roller coaster, I just feel a little sad sending my baby in for another surgery. April 7th will be here before we know it.

On another note, Isaac was supposed to start pre-school today, but we had to keep him home. I thought he had pink eye, but the Dr. said his eye just has a cold. Hopefully he will be well enough to go on Wednesday (His schedule is Mon, Wed and Thurs mornings). Instead of pre-school, we built a tent with pillows and blankets in the living room and hung out there.

Isaac's Appointment

2008-02-16T22:51:00.002-05:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post! The days seem to go by so quickly. This past Wednesday, Aunt Lydia watched Noah while Grandpa, Isaac and I went to Philly to meet with our surgeon. Everything is good, and next week we will pick a day for Isaac's surgery. I will post when we get confirmation of the date.

In other news, Isaac starts pre-school on February 25th! We are so excited, but a little sad because our little guy is growing up. Since he will be attending pre-school through our Intermediate Unit, he can have van transportation to and from school. As a mom, this is such a big step and I want to take him for a few weeks before I really let go and let him ride the van by himself. In all honesty, I feel he would be excited to ride the van right away, I guess I just have a hard time letting go.

Boys in the Tub

2008-01-03T18:16:00.001-05:00

Today was the first successful bath with both of the boys. Isaac had lots of fun showing Noah all of his bathtub toys. It was a rather messy experience because Noah would splash his arms in the water, so Isaac would have to splash too. There was water all over the floor, but I did manage to get some cute pictures.

We have no news on a surgery date yet for Isaac, but we do have an appointment with our surgeon for February 13th. Hopefully it will be a speedy process after that.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-27T13:57:00.001-05:00

We had a really nice Christmas this year. It was hectic but happy. We visited Ian's side of the family in the morning and then my side of the family in the late afternoon. It is crazy getting two kids ready and loaded up into the car, but it is always worth the smiles and warmth we experience from family. The boys got tons of presents and I had to put lots of the old toys away to make room for the new ones.

Isaac really enjoyed all his trains and cars and other toys. He got lots of new Thomas trains from Santa, an electronic tricycle from Grandpa and Granny, a cool LL Bean backpack with his initials from Great Grandma Illeana (should be really great for starting pre-school), awesome pop-up books and shirts(home made) from Aunt Lydia and Uncle Mike and tons of other stuff. Isaac didn't get any snow and he really wanted it. He kept saying, "Please Jesus, send snow!". If it would have been 10 degrees cooler, the rain would have been snow. But that is the joy of living where we do. We rarely get snow for Christmas. We seem to get it in February or March.

A couple of really awesome things have been happening for Isaac lately. He is pretty consistently going to the potty! It has been a long time coming and I must admit that I have been pretty lax in the whole process. It is difficult to do when you have a pretty mobile little 7 month old too. Granny Claire initiated the process last weekend and Isaac has really adapted well. He even wore his big boy underwear all morning today with no accidents! Another cool thing is that Isaac is pretending and telling stories. He plays with his cars and has voices for them! He will make one car say, "Oh no, big mean car is coming! Help me!" and the mean car will make a really mean growling sound. Then he makes the mean car crash into the other car. He also has started saying, "Bad Mommy and Bad Daddy" when we put him in time out. His language has really come so far. We are so proud of our little guy.

Our Christmas Miracle

2007-12-20T13:38:00.000-05:00

Isaac will have two ears! I just talked to CHOP and they did some research for us. Ian's insurance actually covered 100% of Isaac's first implant. They have approved the second implant, so they will cover all of Isaac's 2nd implant! Words cannot express how thankful I am.

Let me just say how frustrating our Medicaid dilemma is. Our state lets individuals choose between 3 insurance providers. We chose the insurer that works with our pediatrician (whom we love). This has meant that for every mapping, speech therapy evaluation and surgeon visit, we have had to get a referral to CHOP because CHOP is not "in network" with our insurance provider. We are now in a situation where we have to leave our pediatrician so we can switch to the insurance provider that CHOP works with because they approve bilateral implantation. The reason we have to switch is, that there is a small chance that Ian's insurance may only cover 80% of the implant as their policy states. As I stated previously, I detest how insurance companies control everything! We are working around their mind games.

Thank you to everyone who offered help, support and prayers. We can now proceed with the process for bilaterals. I know that God had his hands all over this and I thank and praise Him for this Christmas Miracle.

Isaac will start pre-school with our Intermediate Unit in the last week of February. He won't be 3 years old until March and most kids that have March birthdays have to wait until August to start school. All the people that evaulated Isaac agreed that it would be best for him to start as early as possible. They all seemed impressed with how well he is doing. They seem to thinnk that he will have no problem being mainstreamed in the long run. We are excited for pre-school because they sign and speak. Isaac will get speech therapy and help with signing. We are so excited. He will go to school four days a week. It is a little sad for me because he has stayed home with me for all of his little life so far. He is growing up so fast! I am really excited for all the things he will do and the friends he will make. He really needs the socialization. We love our little guy!

On a brighter note

2007-12-18T22:22:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to spread a little Christmas Cheer from my two little deers. I got some encouraging information today about the appeals process for bilaterals. I will give more information as I get it. Isaac is also going to be starting pre-school in February. We are very excited. He is too.

Denied Completely

2007-12-17T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today was a bummer of a day. Ian's private insurance will cover Isaac's second implant 80%, but we received a letter from our state's medical assistance insurer (Gateway Health Plan) that they will not cover a second implant because, "After physician review, the request for service is: denied completely because: the second cochlear implant is denied as because it is determined to be experimental and therefore not a covered benefit of the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program or the Gateway Health plan."

I am so angry and sad. I don't understand why we have to fight for so much. I try to stay positive most of the time, but this has really hit a nerve for me. We struggled so much with the decision and now it seems like we are being slapped in the face. I know I have to write letters and make phone calls, but I am just so tired. Tired of insurance companies controlling everything! I kind of expected a denial, but I was hoping for the best. I am going to contact CHOP and the Let Them Hear Foundation tomorrow. Please say prayers for us. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Insurance Update

2007-12-05T15:16:00.000-05:00

Today I heard from CHOP regarding our request for a second implant. Ian's private insurance will cover 80% of the implant. CHOP is waiting to hear back from our state medical assistance for the rest. This is so exciting! Hopefully we will know soon. It would be a great Christmas present!

Saturday with Thomas!

2007-12-02T21:44:00.001-05:00

Today Mommy, Daddy and Isaac went to Strausburg for the Day out with Thomas. Even though it was very cold (37 degrees), we had an amazing time. Isaac loved it because not only did he get our full attention (Noah stayed with Granny and Grandpa), but he got to meet Thomas the Train! When Thomas pulled up, Isaac's face lit up like I have never seen before! He just smiled and gazed with wonderment as his beloved Thomas from the television was right in front of him! We took a train ride on a car pulled by Thomas and then got our pictures taken with him. We then went and Isaac shook Sir Topham Hatt's hand. We took another half hour train ride and came home with various Thomas merchandise. It was such an amazing day.

With Noah staying with my Mom and Dad, I could really focus on Isaac. He just keeps impressing me more and more with his language. He does not pronounce the words perfectly, but he is putting together 3 and 4 word phrases! It just shocks me! He has so much vocabulary right now that he can tell stories. He uses signs and spoken words to tell his stories, but he is definately remembering things and telling us about them. He will say that, "Mommy and Daddy and Isaac ride Thomas Choo Choo. Isaac happy. Shake Sir Topham Hatt hand. Thomas happy." Our family is just so blessed. There are miracles that happen every day and we love our little miracle, Isaac.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

Waiting for approval

2007-11-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

Right now we are waiting for the insurance company to respond to our request for a bilateral implant for Isaac. Hopefully it won't be a huge struggle. For Isaac's first implant our private insurance covered 80% and our state medical assistance covered the rest. I am curious to see how the second implant pans out.

On a brighter note, I am just amazed at the language that is coming out of Isaac's mouth lately. I was really focusing on him at dinner tonight and I was talking to Ian about this past saturday. I was telling him how much fun I had at the birthday party we went to. Isaac said the "candy on the floor, run to pick up candy, hit hit" That was exactly what he said! He was telling us about the pinata at Olivia's house! I know this shouldn't seem shocking to me, but he just overheard Ian and me talking about saturday at my friend's house. The cool thing is that he heard what we were saying, remembered the party and told us about it! My deaf child overheard a conversation and told me other events that transpired in that same day! Amazing.

Bi-lateral Update

2007-11-08T13:05:00.000-05:00

Ian and I have decided to move forward with a 2nd implant for Isaac. This has been a tough decision to make and we have been going back and forth with it ever since Isaac had his first implant. I wrote a lengthy post a few weeks ago with the inner battle we have been fighting regarding this issue. CHOP has taken a conservatvie approach with bi-laterals and wanted to see results from the research on 2 implants in children before subjecting the kids to surgery on both ears. We are pretty confident this is the best decision for Isaac. He is doing well with one and a second implant will definately help him more than just one implant.

The team at CHOP has agreed that a second implant would benefit Isaac and now we are waiting for insurance approval. Hopefully we can get this done before Isaac is 3 years old in March.

Trick or Treat and Bye Bye My Ear

2007-10-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Halloween was so much fun for Isaac! He was Thomas the Train and he looked so darned cute. We went with my friend and her 3 little girls this year. We only went down one street in our development, but ended up with lots of candy. Isaac was running up to peoples doors and saying, "candy please" and "thank you, bye bye". After loading up on some of his spoils, Isaac was ready for bed. Isaac always says, "bye bye" to daddy before Ian leaves the room and then Isaac gives me his speech processor and we sign "I love you" before I leave the room. Tonight, Isaac took his processor off and said, "Bye bye my ear". It made my eyes water because it was so cute. He sure is a smart little guy!

Thoughts on Bi-Laterals

2007-10-14T13:37:00.001-04:00

I feel like I should post where we are at in regards to bi-lateral implantation. I know that some of my earlier posts seem a little anti-bi-lateral. That isn't how I feel. When you have a child with special needs, it is gut-wrenching to make decisions that will effect the rest of their life. The first implant seemed like an easier decision to make. It was the difference between hearing or not hearing. The second implant will improve the ability to hear in noisy situations, to localize sound and have a back-up if one implant fails. I'm sure there are others, but these are the benefits we see as most important in Isaac's case. Ian and I want to make the best decisions possible to help Isaac succeed in life. I guess the hardest part of making the decision to go bi-lateral is future technology. At CHOP our surgeon is part of the team researching how to re-generate hair cells in the cochlea. He won't go into specifics but he says that "new things are coming". This makes us think twice about having Isaac implanted in his other ear. On the other hand. Just hypothetically speaking, if later in his life, it is medically possible for Isaac to hear "naturally", will he be confused asto what he is hearing? Let me specify...If he hears a digital sound in his right ear from his cochlear implant and has natural hearing from his left ear, will he reject the natural hearing? Will the two different sounds confuse him? I just wonder that because he is so used to hearing through the implant will he not like how things sound naturally. For example, I know a few people who wear analog hearing aids and they don't like the sound of the newer digital aids. The prefer the analog ones because it is what they have used for so many years. I wonder if this is how Isaac would feel later in life. Would it be better to maximize his ability to hear with two implants? Also, if we have him implanted now, he will have the same model of implant for both ears. I have read that a totally implantable device is being researched. This would be awesome! Imagine Isaac being able to hear the water running when he is in the shower....or be able to hear his future wife snoring at night. These circumstances will be possible in the future. It is just a matter of time. I am a firm believer that if you can think it, you can do it.

But, if we opt to have Isaac go bi-lateral now we will maximize his ability to learn during the most crucial learning years of his life. We will give him the ability to enjoy music more. We will make the best use of his auditory nerve. Which I must say is a huge factor in our moving forward with bi-laterals. Over time, the auditory nerve becomes less effective if it isn't stimulated. This is why children do so well with CI's and adults have a lower success rate. This makes us wonder if Isaac's auditory nerve will be functioning very well when this new technology emerges.

I know this is a lengthy post, but I feel that I needed to vent because this is why we are struggling with bi-laterals. I know that other families that have decided to go bi-lateral have felt the same things as we are feeling. I know that careful thought is put into every decision these parents make for their children. I have felt a little guilty and depressed because it is taking us so long to make these decisions for Isaac. I know it isn't true, but I feel like other families are so much more "on the ball" than we are with this. We are taking longer to think about it and longer to research it while our son gets older and older. I know that other families feel the same things but it seems like one day, just like that, everyone I know online is going bi-lateral with their child and I feel like whoa....we should be on that ride....or why didn't the train stop for us? Where was I during that decision making process? Maybe I didn't read the blogs carefully enough to know the tug of war these parents were feeling, or maybe they never posted it. There are very few resources for implanted children where we live. I feel like Isaac is the only one in Central PA. My only connections are with the few families I know through CHOP who live hours away and my online friends. I really lean on other's experiences with their children for support, new understanding and encouragement. I just feel like I missed out on the whole decision making process these parents went through. Maybe it something that is more personal and private, but I would really like to hear that I am not alone in these thoughts. It would help my sanity a lot!

That being said we have contacted CHOP to discuss bi-laterals for Isaac. We have yet to hear back.

Trip to Ashcombe Farms

2007-10-14T13:25:00.000-04:00

Granny, Isaac, Noah and Mommy took our annual trip to Ashcombe Farms for the harvest festivities this year. Isaac played in the hay, in the corn sandbox, went on a hayride and sat in the pumpkin patch. It was lots of fun. Granny bought Isaac a little pumpkin and some kettle corn that he shared with Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa and Granny. Noah was happy because he was held the whole time. He didn't want to sit for pictures in the pumpkin patch though. Isaac tried to hold him but he stayed as stiff as a board.

A Good Use of Corn Skewers

2007-10-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

Isaac was being his innovative self and decided that it was too difficult to put the corn skewers in the corn on the cob. He decided it was easier to eat a hot dog this way!

Bathtime!

2007-10-04T14:04:00.000-04:00

These pictures were just too cute not to post. Isaac does love his baths. This is one time I am glad we sign with him because we need it to communicate. I really support implanted kids learning sign as well as speak. I know that not everyone feels the same way, and that some parents are encouraged to not sign with their kids. I never really understood this philosophy because it seems to strip the children of their ability to communicate at all until they can do so verbally. Also, although the implant is water resistant, it is not waterproof. We have no trouble communicating with Isaac in the bath tub or at the beach. If he was strictly verbal, I don't know what we'd do. In these pictures I could tell Isaac to "sit down" in the tub, "smile" for the camera and "not to splash me". He is too cute.

Isaac's One Year Appointment

2007-09-17T08:21:00.000-04:00

I've been MIA for a while from blogging for a couple of reasons. First of all, having two little ones to take care of really can tire a woman out. Second of all, we haven't had much new to report. I also kind of feel left out in the CI blogging world because everyone I know is going bi-lateral with their kids. We are not 100 percent sure that we want to yet with Isaac. He is doing so well with one and the second implant does not seem like a necessity right now. Everyone that has gone bi-lateral says nothing but good stuff about it and can't seem to understand how we would hesitate. We did meet another couple at CHOP's CI picnic with a precious little girl named Kylie. They have really given us hope and made us feel less "alone".

Kylie will be three in October and she is doing so well! She only has one implant and her parents say she tested above her age in verbal comprehension and spoken language. Their family has been such a blessing to us. They are from the Philly area but Kylie's grandparents live close to us. We all got together and went to the York Fair 2 weekends ago. Isaac and Kylie were so cute together. It was so heartwarming to see 2 little red lights blinking on their ears as they rode rides together at night! Isaac is quite the little flirt as he was hugging and trying to kiss Kylie while riding in the little cars. Isaac isn't around any other implanted kids and Kylie's parents say that the CI kids she is around are older. There was a moment that brought tears to my eyes. Kylie touched Isaac's blue implant and then touched her pink implant and smiled. It was like she knew he was the same as her. It just melted my heart. This family is so amazing and we feel truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Isaac went on Friday the 14th to CHOP for his one year evaluation with the implant. Auntie Lydia watched Noah so we could focus on Isaac. Thank you Lydia!!! The results were very good for him. He tested at 2 years 3 months for verbal comprehension and at 1 year 11 months for verbal lanugage. These are awesome results for us because Isaac is only 2 1/2 years old at the time of testing. Not bad for only being implanted for a year and turned on for 11 months. We are so proud of our little guy. Another thing to mention is that Isaac was implanted when he was 1 1/2 years old. Most of the other people we know had their child implanted at a year old. Six months can make a huge difference when you have only been alive for 2 1/2 years.

The areas we really need to focus on are the consonant sounds. Isaac can make most of the consonant sounds except for "t", "s", "sh", "j" and "f". His problem is that he gets lazy. He won't use them consistently. He will drop them at the beginning and end of words at his leisure. We can still understand what he is saying but we need to really hone in on making sure he doesn't get lazy. I am going to try to update the blog more frequently if the kids allow it!

It's been a while...

2007-08-05T17:38:00.000-04:00

It has been quite some time since I last posted something. The summer is really flying by! I can't belive it is August already. Isaac is enjoying spending weekends with Granny and Gramps. We are so grateful for the time they spend with him. He has so much fun. I'm sure he would rather spend time with them than at home with a crying little brother and a stressed out mom sometimes! One thing is certain, life is so much harder now with two kids. I am lucky if I get a shower every day. Noah is now 2 months old and starting to smile now. I love being a mom, but sometimes I need a little "me" time and it seems non-existent right now. With Isaac's appointments and Noah's appointments and working part time, life is such a blur. I am trying to take pictures fervently for fear that I will miss documenting crucial events in my children's lives. I think the key is to just relax and enjoy them when they are this age. I have to learn that it doesn't matter if the laundry is caught up or the bathrooms need to be cleaned. The most important thing is building forts with blankets and pillows and cuddling on the sofa.

Fourth of July

2007-07-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

The Fourth of July was a good one for our family. We went to our friend's house and had a BBQ. We even made the food before the rain got there. Yaaaay! Both of the boys had a good time. Isaac has started to take naps less frequently and yesterday was a day he didn't take a nap. He "goes" just like the energizer bunny...he just gets slower and slower but he won't stop. We didn't go to see the fireworks. We just got a few of our own. The cool thing was, lots of our neighbors put on quite the display. We could just turn around in our driveway and see a different display. Isaac LOVES fireworks. Many of our neighbors have been setting them off a few times a week since Memorial Day. Isaac thinks they are normal and he asks for them almost every day. He will make the sign for "where" and make a really inquisitive face and then say, "boom boom boom" perfectly. There is no mistaking that word coming out of his little mouth. He is a cutie.

Wearing the BTE!!!!

2007-06-26T13:36:00.000-04:00

On our visit to CHOP 2 weeks ago, the audiologist suggested that we start wearing Isaac's BTE on his ear. We were a little nervous at first, but Isaac has not really messed with it at all. Isaac has his daddy's big ears, so it proved to be no problem! God knows what he is doing. He gave Isaac big ears to hold up the processor. There are no problems to mention and now we can even let Isaac run around in his swimming trunks with no shirt to pin the equipment on. It is so convenient. We simply use the mic lock (it is a clear plastic tube that hooks onto the external processor and holds it in place). The only instances (there have been 2) when Isaac has pulled the implant off are when he has temper tantrums. The first tantrum was when Granny was holding Noah and not giving attention to Isaac. We were trying to eat dinner and Isaac did not want to sit down and eat. We tried telling him time after time to sit down and he would not listen. We put him in the time out chair and when he got up he ripped the implant off his head and threw it on the floor! It was as if he was saying that he wasn't going to listen to us as long as we were telling him something he didn't want to hear! He really is a smart boy. Now this makes me nervous, especially when we are in the car and his window is down. All I can picture is him having a tantrum in the car and throwing his processor out the window. I have decided to use the window locks and not let him have his window down until he understands that we can't just go and get another speech processor. The picture above is Isaac showing off in his cool outfit and with his big boy BTE! We are so proud of him!

Making Progress

2007-06-14T15:22:00.001-04:00

Isaac's language and attempts at verbalizing are really taking off lately. I need to put some video on this blog of his conversations. One of the coolest things is to watch Isaac play. He has conversations with himself and his toys. He will say ,"ump, ump ump" for jump and make his cars jump and then he will will babble and babble. The funniest is when he will tell his cars, "mo!" This is his attempt at the word no. I think it is his new favorite word. To think that a year ago I never thought I would ever hear Isaac say anything! He loves to tell Ian and I no when we ask him something. It is kind of infuriating at times but then I have to laugh when I see how adament he is about it. He really is a little man! It is amazing to watch him grow and explore his world. Isaac is a very inquisitive little guy and will repeat what we say if we say it with enough enthusiasm (or if it is something really interesting).

On another note, although Isaac loves the movie, "Cars," he does have a new favorite one...or should I say two. Isaac LOVES Ice Age 2 The Meltdown. He actually says it too. He signs elephant and will say "Ice Age E E E". He says it pretty accurately too. The things he has a hard time at saying are D's, N's and adding consonant sounds to the ends and sometimes beginnings of words. I know this will come in time. His other favorite movie is Chicken Run. The movies are both cute but when you see them for the tenth time, they get old. Gotta love toddlers!

Isaac says, "boom boom boom!" for fireworks and for thunder. We went to see the fireworks around Memorial Day and Isaac was mesmorized. We recently had lightning and thunder storms and Isaac loves to go to the window and say, "boom, boom, boom!" I guess he thinks that there are fireworks somewhere. I am thankful that he isn't scared of them.

Isaac continues to be a good big brother. He loves to kiss Noah goodnight. We put Noah in bed with Isaac when we say the prayers before bedtime. Isaac will sit really still with his arms around Noah and then he will kiss him on the head. It just brings tears to my eyes that this rough and tumbling little man can be so sweet to his baby brother. Motherhood is awesome!

Tomorrow's plan....another mapping and speech therapy session at CHOP. It should be extra fun because Granny is going with us and then Isaac will spend the night with her and Gramps.

We Love You Aunt Lydia

2007-06-04T09:33:00.001-04:00

My sister Lydia has been a huge help to me and the boys this past week. She has come over and played with Isaac all week during the day. They played with bubbles, cars, swam in the baby pool and just played around. Aunt Lydia also made us fabulous dinners including spaghetti, ribs and chicken quesadillas. Thank you Aunt Lydia! We Love You!

Big Brother Isaac

2007-05-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

It has been quite a while since my last post. Isaac is now a big brother! Noah was born on May 23rd at 8:35 AM. He was the same measurements as Isaac and they look so much alike. They will probably pass as twins later in life. Noah looks so much like Isaac did as a baby! There are small differences though. First of all, Isaac had more hair on the top of his head than Noah. Also, I think Noah is going to have Grandpa Rick's dimples. He doesn't smile yet, but when he makes grumpy faces, there are definately 2 dimples.

Noah couldn't ask for a better big brother. Isaac is so gentle with him! Isaac calls Noah "E E Oh ah"...for baby Noah. Isaac will sign baby and then make the sign for the letter "O" for Noah. So it is kind of like signing, "baby O" Too cute. Isaac also wants to hold Noah all the time! When he is done sitting with Noah, he will sign and verbalize to the best of his ability, "All done baby". Isaac also loves to pet Noah on the head and he will say, "Awwww E E". Translated it means, Awww....Baby! I really couldn't ask for Isaac to be better. He is so sweet with his little brother. It really warms my heart. Ian and I are blessed with a great family!

A special thanks to everyone who has helped during this time for me. Especially thanks to Granny and Gramps for watching Isaac while I was in the hospital. I know that Isaac had a great time and was well taken care of. Thanks to everyone for the flowers, balloons, meals, special visits and love you have shown me. It is so different dividing my time between a toddler and an infant! Kudos to all the moms who have done it before. It is so rewarding but way harder than it looks!

Update

2007-04-27T07:08:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since my last post. Life has been a whirlwind lately. It is hard to believe that it is almost May! May is a big month for our family as Ian and my 2nd son will be born. We plan to name him Noah Russell Johnson. There is a link to his blog with some ultrasound pics on the "Links" section of Isaac's Blog. We are very excited and I am ready to be a mom for the second time. Plus it will be nice to be able to sleep on my stomach again. Even better than that, Isaac will have a playmate! We've been trying to expose him to as many young babies as possible and teaching him to be gentle with babies and he seems to be doing well. We have a doll baby we used to get our dogs ready for Isaac and now we are using her to get Isaac ready for Noah! The baby is "sleeping" in the baby's crib and Isaac likes to go in the room after he tells me the baby is sleeping. He will then sit down on the chair and want to hold the baby. He will point out the baby's hands, nose, eyes and toes and then we put the baby back to sleep. I think he is going to be a great big brother!

In other news, we went to a different church last Sunday. The church we currently go to has no deaf ministry, but this new one is amazing! They have a large number of deaf members and other deaf attenders. This was Ian and my first time really being around other deaf adults and we were kind of nervous. We didn't know how people would react to Isaac's implant and our sign skills aren't much more advanced than Isaac's. I was pleasantly surprised though. They had an interpreter for the songs and a different interpreter for the message. It was so beautiful to watch the words to the music being signed. Ian and I actually picked out a few words in the interpretation. It was more difficult because they go so fast! After the service I spoke to a deaf woman who had a hearing daughter who was Isaac's age. It was so awesome! So many people were amazed by Isaac's signing ability. It doesn't hurt that he is adorable too. What I liked most about the church was that once Ian and I started signing to Isaac, a bunch of people came over to talk to us. There were even a lot of hearing people (kids too) that came up to us and asked us if we were deaf. This is what we want for Isaac. Even though he has a cochlear implant, we want him to know he is deaf and to be proud of it. He is such an outgoing child and we want him to thrive. We want him to see other people signing and hear people speaking. Deaf culture is so amazing and I think that all the negativity involving the cochlear implant is because many hearing parents don't encourage signing in their deaf children. I am not so concerned with Isaac acquiring language that is equal to his peers than he be a happy and well adjusted child. He is so smart that I know he will catch up eventually. Right now we are just so amazed that he is progressing like he is. We have no regrets about the implant.

This brings me to Isaac's verbal progress. Every day it amazes me how much he is picking up on. The first few words Isaac spoke, we really had to try to make him say them. We would make him look at our mouths and repeat the word over and over again and he would make attempts to say it. Now he seems to be picking up on words we say alot and starts saying them. His vocabulary is growing but we are trying to focus on his pronounciations of the words. Because although we understand what he is saying, some other people may not. Some examples of what we are working on are the endings of words. He will now say "up" and really spit out the "p". It is so cute. Another thing is he will say the word "book". He says "boo k". It is hilarious when he says "book" because he will separate the sounds like they are two words. He will even do this when his implant is off. At bedtime he has learned that he can climb out of his bed and onto the chair. He will turn on the lamp to the highest setting (it is a touch lamp) and sit there reading more books. He has even falllen asleep on the chair. But the funny thing is, when Ian or I go in to ask him what he is doing, he will say, "boo k!" and he can't even hear what he is saying! It is truly amazing.

Another story of note involves Isaac's little friend Eleah. Eleah comes and spends the day with us on Mondays and Wednesdays. I didn't have a sign name for her until now. I just would wake Isaac up in the morning and tell him in sign that he needed to wake up because "girl" was coming to play with him. Well, I noticed late last week that whenever Isaac sees a girl or woman, he will say, "Eeeeeaaah". I think I may have messed up here becuase he thinks that all girls are called Eleah! Now Eleah has a sign name and I really try to emphasize people's names when we see them. I think it is just amazing though because Isaac picked up on the fact that when I would speak to Eleah, I would use her name! Most of the other words Isaac says are ones we really worked with him to say. It is great to know he is picking up vocabulary just by listening and observing!

Easter 2007

2007-04-08T19:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Isaac, Daddy, Granny and Mommy went to an Easter Egg Hunt at the church. This was his second year attending the church Easter Egg Hunt, and what a difference a year makes! It was nice and sunny last year...Daddy even wore shorts! But this year, it was so cold that they decided to have the 2 year olds and younger stay inside and hunt eggs in the sanctuary. It was really fun to watch. We had been prepping Isaac for a few days by showing him that he needed to pick up the eggs and put them in his basket however, he knew that there was candy inside the eggs, so he would just pick up one and open it and eat the candy. He laid down on the floor in the middle of a bunch of eggs and just smiled. By the end of the hunt, he started picking up eggs and putting them in his basket. Overall, he had a great time.

Today we went to church and Isaac wore the outfit that Great Grandma Dory sent for his 2nd Birthday. He looks like such a little man in it! Later we went to Gramps and Grannys house and ate Easter dinner with them and Uncle Mike and Aunt Lydia. The Easter Bunny got Isaac lots of candy, a few Easter toys and even a little money for his savings account.

The pictures are of Isaac in a home made poncho from Great Grandma Dory, and Isaac in his "Easter Best," also compliments of Great Grandma Dory.

Happy 2nd Birthday Isaac!

2007-03-17T19:59:00.000-04:00

Today was Isaac's 2nd Birthday and St. Patrick's Day. For breakfast, we went to Cobblestone's. Isaac ate toast, hash browns with ketsup and green scrambled eggs! I didn't know if he would eat the eggs because of the color, but he did. Later on we went to Tumbletown and let Isaac have some fun on his special day. Isaac and Daddy really had fun in the ball pit, jumping on the trampoline, climbing and going down slides. I just stood around and watched. As my pregnancy progresses (I'm 29 weeks)I can't move around as well as I'd like to.

Isaac's birthday present from us was a Thomas the Train wooden train set. To say he loves it would be an understatement. He won't even let Ian or me play with the trains if he is around. We can build the track for him, but in no way can we look like we are having fun with his trains. He will sign "no" to us and make an "oh" sound and then make the sign for Isaac. He is telling us that they are his trains and we cannot play with them.

Tomorrow we are going to Chuck E Cheese with Granny , Grandpa, Aunt Lydia and Uncle Mike after church. The snow didn't stop the fun this year!

A trip to CHOP

2007-03-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

Today Grandpa, Isaac and I went to CHOP for speech therapy and an audiology appointment. We had speech therapy first and Isaac was a stellar pupil! The therapist conducted several activities to determine how well Isaac was doing with his implant. One of the activities included about 6 tiny plastic bears. The therapist took out a dollhouse bed, dollhouse chair and a little car. She put them on the highchair tray and told Isaac, "Go to sleep" for the bed and she placed a bear in the bed under the covers. She then said, "Sit down" and placed one of the bears on the chair. When she placed the bear in the car she said, "Go." She then took the bears away and told Isaac each of the phrases with her mouth covered and gave Isaac a bear to place where she told him. He did this activity nearly perfectly! He tried his best to repeat the words she said. He made awesome attempts and the words green, purple, orange, bubbles, pop, and various others. We did many activities and Isaac followed directions like a champ. At the end of the session, the therapist told us that she wished she had video taped the session because Isaac was the epitome of where a child should be at this point in the implant journey.

Isaac did equally as well in the sound booth. He was hearing across the board at 25 db and down to 20 db at one frequency range! This is so amazing! We are so proud of him. Both the audiologist and speech therapist were very impressed with our little superstar. He was strutting around the hospital like he owned the place. I think he knew he impressed everyone. The funny thing is, Isaac only performed a portion of how well he does at home! We definately made the right choice to have him implanted. He is the poster child for how well this can work...I'm just sure of it.

Cars!

2007-02-22T13:48:00.000-05:00

Isaac has a new obsession...the DVD of the movie "Cars". We must have watched this movie at least 8 times in the past few days (well at least the beginning part of the movie). Every time he walks by the TV in the living room, he says, "Baaaah E E E" He says, "Baaah for the word "crash" and E E E is his pronounciation of DVD. He loves the beginning where all the cars are racing for the Piston Cup. There is a huge crash at the beginning where the main character, Lightning McQueen bounces off another car and flies through the air with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Isaac loves that part! He will sit there on his little blue chair with his hands folded in his lap sticking his tongue out. It is so cute. In this picture, he is mesmorized by the movie while holding on tightly to the DVD case.

Snow!

2007-02-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

We took Isaac out in the snow today. He did not want to come in.

Hey everybody! Why won't my bike move?

Cars and Words

2007-02-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Isaac is very particular with how he plays with and puts away his toys. I was trying to play with his little cars with him and he got so mad at me for moving them out of the line! He keept picking up my hand and pushing it away from his cars. He then proceeded to line them up. Here is his smile of satisfaction. I am very happy that Isaac is doing this however because he puts things back where they belong.

Last week I spilled some water on the floor in the kitchen and I pulled a dish towel out of the drawer and started to mop it up. Isaac screamed until I let him mop it up and then he tried to put the towel back in the drawer that it came from! I told him, "no" that it was dirty and he became angry. He would not let me hang it up to dry. He yanked it from me and put it in the drawer, closed it and signed, "thank you".

Isaac's language or attempts at language are really blossoming. There are too many words to list that he tries to say. He tries to imitate what we say a lot of the time, especially if we are doing something fun or interesting to him. One of the cutest things he says is an attempt at the word, "water". He says, "Bah bah" as he makes the sign for water. He also has a vocalization for dad now. He makes kind of a growling sound, makes the sign for dad and says, "ra ra ra ra". I think one of his favorite sounds to make is "eeeeeeese". He uses that vocalization for the word, "please" and more recently, "cheese". It is so hard to deny him anything when he looks up at me with his big blue eyes, sticks out his chin and says, "eeeese!" while making the sign for please. We are just amazed at how fast he is progressing. We know he is a bright little boy but we have no idea exactly what he hears. His vocalizations are proof positive that the implant is working and he is "gettting" the fact that he can use his voice in different ways to get what he wants.

Bubbles and a Haircut

2007-02-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

We have a new word....bubbles. Isaac loves playing with bubbles. I let him blow bubbles inside and the dogs go crazy. They jump in the air and try to eat them. Isaac laughs hysterically when they do this. Isaac knows the sign for bubbles, but I was trying to get him to say it. He just recently started making the "b" sound. I kept repeating the word "bubbles" right before I would blow bubbles. Then I let him blow some bubbles and he said "bubu" right before he blew the bubbles! Amazing!

The haircut was actually a few days ago. But this is the first picture I have of him since the ordeal. I say "ordeal" because it was not a fun experience, for Isaac or me. I told the hair dresser to just give him a trim. I thought nothing of it when she got the clippers out first. Until now, they have just trimmed his hair with scissors. I thought maybe she was just going to trim around his ears first. Well...she went straight up the back of his head with the clippers! I gasped very loudly! She asked if it was too short. What was I supposed to say...yes? I mean she couldn't glue his hair back on. I told her it was a little shorter than I wanted, but that his hair would grow back. Another challenge we have when cutting his hair is that I have to take the implant off. It is really hard to comfort Isaac in these situations because I have to hold his head still so he doesn't get hurt and it is really hard to sign when I am doing this. I am hoping this gets easier as time goes on because Isaac got a mouthful of hair and started screaming. At the end, he got a lollipop so life was perfect afterwards. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know! He is a cutie pie no matter how short his hair.

Other news on the CI front: cell phone success! When Ian calls from work I usually put the cell phone up to Isaac's speech processor and let Ian talk to Isaac. Usually, Isaac will just make the sign for phone and hand it back to me. But yesterday, Isaac made the sign for "dad" when Ian was talking to him. I didn't tell him dad was on the phone! It brought tears to my eyes. Without the implant, this never would have been possible. Parents talk to their kids on the phone all the time and knowing that Isaac doesn't have to miss out on this is just incredible.

Dirty Boat

2007-01-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

Isaac is making the sign for "dirty" here. He is telling me his boat is dirty.

Here he is intently scrubbing his boat.

The other day, I took all of Isaac's bath toys and soaked them in bleach water to get the soap scum off them. I washed them in the kitchen sink and Isaac was very upset at the time. I don't know if he was confused because he was used to seeing the toys in the bath tub. Maybe he thought that I was taking the toys away.

Today, Isaac took his toy boat (it is actually a Mega Blocks boat but it floats really well in the bath tub so it became a bath toy) out of the bath tub and brought it to the kitchen sink. He made the sign for "dirty" and the sigh for "yes" as he shook his head up and down. He then proceeded to hurl the boat at the sink! I thought it was so cute. When he makes the sign for "dirty" he usually sticks his tongue out and makes a sound that sounds like "uuuugggghhh". I figured there was no harm in letting him clean his boat again. These are some of the pictures of him washing his boat.

"Uh oh, mom, more, please"

2007-01-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

These words could actually be a sentence, but they are words that Isaac has said or tried to say in the past few days. He has been saying "mom mom mom" as he makes the mom sign for a while. On Sunday he said Uh oh. Monday he said "more" when he wanted more milk and he made the sign for more also. He also tries to say please by just saying "eeeeee" when he makes the "please" sign. We are convinced he is trying to speak or at least imitate us. I am thrilled beyond all belief. He is a smart little guy and I knew in my heart that it was just a matter of time before he would start to say things, but I admit, I still had my doubts. It is just so awesome to hear Isaac's voice for something other than crying or screaming!

"Uh oh"

2007-01-22T08:03:00.000-05:00

This may seem kind of a trivial thing to report, but to our family, it is a pure miracle. Every time one of Isaac's toys fall to the ground (either by legitimate falling or by Isaac throwing them) we say "Uh oh". When things break or Isaac falls down we also say "Uh oh". Yesterday a piece from one of Isaac's little cars fell off, so I said "Uh oh". Amazingly, I heard an echo with the same intonation that I had used! Isaac said "Uh oh"! Ian and I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke, so we both kept saying it. There was Isaac...clear as a bell, repeating "uh oh"! He kept saying it for about 5 minutes. I know that "uh oh" isn't really a word, but people will know what it means if they hear it....so we are overjoyed.

VICTORY!

2007-01-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

This is Isaac sleeping in his big boy bed as I am typing this! I laid him down for his afternoon nap at 12:30, and after an hour of squirming, re-arranging his stuffed animals and making noises.....sleep! He looks so tiny in his bed, but finally I won!
Big Boy Bed Battle: Isaac-3, Mommy-1

Water Fountain

2007-01-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

I brought my pretty water fountain out the other day not realizing what a lure it would be for Isaac. I may have to put it back away or in an area that he can't get to. I placed it on the baker's rack in our kitchen which Isaac can't reach, but he pushes the stool that Great Grandpa Dick made over to the baker's rack and climbs up so he can reach! I guess I made a mistake by letting him see what it was at first becuase now he wants to play in it all the time! He likes to drop the rocks into the water and then get them out...all to start over again. Here are some cute pictures of it. The last one, he is making the sign for water. He doesn't have the coordination to make the "W", so he just puts his pointer finger to his lips.

On the CI front, not much is new. He is trying to vocalize more when he wants something. He knows to make the sound "muh, muh, muh" when he wants me to pick him up. I always say "up, up, up" and the way Isaac says it, it sounds like the word "up" except he keeps putting the "m" in the front of the sound. Whenever he wants me to open a box or anything, he makes the sound "ooooo" for open. Those are the only things I can think of right now, but I am sure I will have new things to report soon.

As for the big boy bed battle...well, let's just say that the score is now Isaac-3, Mommy-0.

Isaac's Big Boy Bed

2007-01-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

Ian and I are trying to transition Isaac from his crib which is in one room to a new room and a big boy bed for Isaac. It sounds simple enough because at Granny's house Isaac already has been sleeping in a toddler bed. So I began the search for a boys comforter set. I really wanted one with cars on it, but this proved to be more difficult than I originally expected.

Isaac's new bed is actually a full sized bed that used to be Ian's and mine before we got our king size bed. It is already in our guest room which we plan on making Isaac's new room. Isaac is really into anything with wheels now so it seemed logical to get him a comforter with cars and other modes of transportation on it. When I went shopping I realized that most of the cute kids bedding is for a toddler bed or a twin size! I must have visited every store in York before I realized that this was mission impossible! Unless I wanted to purchase something online, I was pretty much out of luck. So I decided to forgo the "cars" theme and go with a hunting theme for his room.

I found a "camo" comforter at Bass Pro Shops in Harrisburg and a cool outlet cover for his light switch. The outlet cover is made out of resin and is three dimensional of deer antlers. It is too cool. I started to paint his room and will finish this weekend when Isaac goes to Granny's house. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with this new room so far. Granny even purchased a guard rail to put along one side of the bed so Isaac wouldn't fall out. (the other side of the bed is against the wall)

Now onto Isaac's reaction.....Well, he loves the bed. But not to sleep on. He knows it is his bed, but he loves to jump on it! I tried to put him in it a few days last week to take his nap, but I think the taste of freedom was too much for him. He was getting in and out so many times and never did end up napping those days. So I am giving up until the room is totally finished. So for the time being, I have admitted defeat.

Big Boy Bed Battle: Isaac-2, Mommy-0

It's 2007!

2007-01-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!
I can't believe it is 2007 already. Last year was such a busy and eventful year for our family. 2007 promises to be interesting as well. Isaac will get a brother or sister in May....which seems sooner and sooner every time I think about it, and we are expecting Isaac to make leaps and bounds with his implant. He has already done well so far and he has only been hearing for a couple months.

His progress keeps amazing us every day. He is not babbling and making as many noises as I expected or hoped for, but boy is he listening and observing! This kid does not miss a beat. He is already following some verbal commands without signs. I will ask him where his shoes are, and he will get them for me. I tell him to be nice to the dogs and he will pet them nicely instead of poking at their eyes and ears. I ask him where the dogs are and he will make the sign for dogs. Those are just a few examples, but he amazes us every day with a new "trick". He even makes the sound "mmmom mmmmom mmmom" when he is making the sign for mom. This is the cutest thing ever! He doesn't do it consistently, but it lets us know he is making connections.

Another thing we are grateful for is that he seems to enjoy his implant now. The first couple months were a struggle. He would cry and bury his head in my chest when I would put it on in the morning and I would have to start on program 1 and gradually change programs and increase the volume throughout the morning only to have to start over after his nap. Now I let him see the implant and even push the "on" button before I put it on and he doesn't cry. I even show him the implant, make the sign for "yes" and he makes the sign for "yes". Isaac seems to notice when the magnet falls off his head too. Sometimes, when he isn't too busy running, he will hand it to me and stand still so I can put it back on his head. If you saw how much he objected to having it on at first, you would know what a miracle this simple gesture is.

We have had a great 2006 and look forward to 2007. I wish everyone reading this many blessings for the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-26T01:30:00.000-05:00

This was the picture we sent in our Christmas cards.
Uncle Mike, Aunt Lydia and Isaac with 2 freeze pops!
Gramps, Granny and Isaac
Mommy, Daddy and Isaac
Look at me everyone, aren't I cute?

Christmas was awesome this year! We got the best gift of all....Isaac can hear! We did lots of traveling in December. We went to Kentucky to visit Ian's side of the family and then to New York to visit my side of the family, and then to Philly for another mapping for Isaac. Great Grandma Dory provided the adorable Christmas vest, tie and trouser ensemble. He just looks so grown up in it. Absolutely adorable.

Isaac made out like a bandit this year. He got so many gifts. I think I need to donate some of his older ones to the Salvation Army. We are being over-run by toys! I will say, the best gift this year is one that God provided: Isaac's cochlear implant. There were lots of people involved in the entire process including professionals, family and friends who supported us along the way, but we know that God allowed it to work for Isaac and we are so thankful for this amazing Christmas gift.

Mapping and Speech Therapy

2006-12-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

Today Gramps, Isaac and I drove to Philly for another mapping and for some speech therapy. When we got there, Joy Peterson took us into the sound booth to test Isaac on what he was hearing. Pretty much across the board, he is hearing at 30 db. We are so happy. He is hearing and responding to speech and even loud whispers. Joy didn't change any of Isaac's programs because he was doing so well. Our next appointment for mapping will be in about 3 months.

This was the first speech therapy appointment that we had at CHOP. It went really well. Isaac is able to hear and respond to the 6 "Ling" sounds including: ah, ooo, eee, sh, sssss, and mmm. Now it is our job to teach him to differentiate between them. Isaac picked up on the games that Rebecca Ramirez, the Speech-Language Pathologist was playing pretty quickly. He was following her verbal commands pretty well. She would tell him to put a shape in the bucket or "uh-oh" and drop it on the floor. Towards the end of the game, he started to understand and follow her verbal requests. It was nice to get a different perspective on teaching Isaac to listen.

The trip to Philly was a good one and we are very happy with the outcome so far. Isaac is right where he needs to be along this journey. We as parents and his family will make sure he succeeds by giving him love, support and every tool he needs to make the best use of this technology. We are so proud of him.

A Great Weekend!

2006-12-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

Isaac had a super weekend. Friday night he went to Granny's house to spend the night and he slept all night in a toddler bed! She got one for him and has been putting him in it for his naps and he stayed in it the whole night! Looks like mom and dad will have to get his big boy room ready sooner than we thought!

Saturday, Isaac had a visit from Great Aunt SuAnn and Great Uncle Chuck. He was showing off his Christmas present.(that he isn't supposed to have yet, but mom gave in!) Later that night we went to Hersheypark's Christmas Candylane. It was pretty cold outside, 35 degrees, but we had a great time. Isaac loved the Hershey's Chocolate World ride. He didn't understand that it was trying to tell him how choclate was made, but he loved the cows that told the story! Isaac went on many rides including the Buzzy Bees, Frog Hopper, Convoy, Dinosaurs and Carousel. We finally found Santa's Castle.....Boy he loved that. It was a heated play area for kids while they waited to sit on Santa's lap. Isaac loved the bouncy inflatable room. He cried when we took him out and refused to sit on Santa's lap. We had to give in and let him go jump in the room again. We lost track of time and it was 10:00 PM before we knew it. We left Hershey and Isaac finally fell asleep in the car after we dropped of Gramps and Granny. I don't think he wanted to miss a thing. He was sure tired though.

Sunday morning Isaac went to church and we met our friends Brandi, Randy, Genavee and Olivia there. After church we all headed to the Christmas celebration at the Land of the Little Horses in Gettysburg. It is a horse farm with tiny horses as well as other animals like Emus, Llamas, Sheep, Goats, etc. Isaac loved it. He loved the donkey, Trevor. He keept going up to Trevor and giving him some of the food we bought for him. Isaac got to ride a pony and then we went on a hayride where we saw Pastor Mike, Michelle and their two girls Chloe and Sierra. It was a surprise to see them because we had to drive 45 minutes to get to the Land of Little Horses! Isaac had an awesome time and didn't want to leave. Overall, he had a fun packed weekend. This coming weekend we are off to Kentucky to visit Ian's family and next weekend it is New York to visit my family. December sure is a busy month!

Mapping

2006-11-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took Isaac for his third mapping. He is doing really well with his implant. The audiologist said he is hearing at about 30-35 db with his implant. It seems to have improved since the last mapping. She also changed his programs giving him more exposure to sound. He likes having the processor on and notices when it falls off, but first thing in the morning he still struggles to adjust to sound initially. We have to start him out on a quieter program and gradually increase the volume. He also seems to notice when anyone touches the processor on his back. He will pull away and frown. I don't know why this is, but I think he may know that I am going to turn up the volume, or maybe it even makes a noise when I touch it. I just don't know.

Update

2006-11-17T08:31:00.000-05:00

Isaac is making progress with his CI. We are so proud of him. It is much of the same thing, but the consistency is what we are so happy with. We are sure he knows his name which to some people may not be a huge thing, but we know it is a miracle. God answeres prayers....in His way and in His time. Isaac is very vocal now. He is signing up a storm, but knows that he can make sound now and that he can use it to get our attention and what he wants. We are working on having him make some other sounds other than the "muuummmm mummmmmm" sounds, and I think it is slowly coming. We tried to have him make a "la la la" sound because it is easy to see the tongue moving but he doesn't seem to grasp it yet. He sticks his tongue out like a lizard and then makes the "muummmm muuummmm" sounds. We will continue to work with him. We started making the sound "oh" with him and he kind of does it. It sounds more like an "ah" sound but he knows to keep his mouth open. It is really cute to see. When he wants something we make him sign what it is he wants and to try to make the vocalizations, however he does get impatient and mad if he can't do it and he really wants something! He is such a character. He just brings us more and more joy each day.

Baby Steps

2006-11-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

Isaac is really adjusting to sound. He turns most of the time when we call his name now. It is really awesome. Another cool thing that he does, is that he talks to us. Whenever he wants something, he knows to vocalize. I have stopped putting my hand to my throat when I want him to vocalize and I just ask him to "tell me" what he wants, and he makes sounds. He also is starting to imitate us. When we talk he tries to use the same syllables as we use when we talk to him. When the dogs bark, he looks out the window or door. When I came home from the store the other day, I asked Isaac where the dogs were (without signing) and he made the sign for dog and then the sign for where as he smiled. It is such an amazing thing to see him connecting sound to events.

Happy Isaac

2006-11-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

This morning Isaac is in a really good mood. He was running back and forth laughing hysterically! He then climbed on the wooden horse that Great Grandma Dory and Great Grandpa Dick made. He was just having such a good time.

Trick or Treat!

2006-11-01T01:18:00.000-05:00

Last year for Halloween, we just passed out candy because Isaac was only 7 months old and couldn't enjoy candy. He dressed up as a pumpkin(like most other babies). This year, my friends Brandi and Randy and their two girls, Genavee and Olivia came over. We only walked a small loop in our development, but Isaac got TONS of candy. He caught on pretty good to the whole idea of Trick or Treating very quickly. He would go up to each door and hold out his bag. He even signed "thank you" to most of the people. Another cute thing is that he was giving kisses to lots of the people handing out candy! He is just so friendly! He got tired about halfway through and we didn't bring the stroller, so Daddy carried him from house to house and then we put him down on the sidewalk to walk up to the porches of the people. Isaac's bag of candy was getting so heavy....but he just wouldn't give it to anyone to hold! He had lots of fun.

Isaac's 2nd Map

2006-10-31T21:38:00.000-05:00

Today Isaac and I drove to Philly for his second Map. We met with Joy at 10:30 AM and were there for about an hour. Isaac kept asking where the cars were because the box of cars was not in the room. He remembered that the last time he was in that room, he got a whole box of matchbox cars to play with. He has the most amazing memory! Joy had to wait until a meeting was over to get the cars for Isaac, because he kept asking for them.

We went into the soundproof booth and Joy tested to see how well Isaac was hearing. She said she couldn't get a really accurate reading because Isaac was so alert and busy. Before she even started, he was pointing out the bunny in the box and the bear in the box. He was making all sorts of signs that I never saw before. I think he was telling stories about the animals. It was cute, but he was too busy to pay attention to the listening exercises. Joy did confirm that Isaac was hearing speech at 40db, but beyond that, she couldn't tell.

Joy gave Isaac new programs. She kept 2 of the older programs and added a new one that was louder than the others. Isaac cried when she first tried the louder one, but by the end of the day, we had it turned up and he didn't seem to notice. I think when we turn up the sound gradually, it works out better for Isaac. He gets upset if we put the equipment on at the loudest or even middle volume. We have to put it on at the softest and then when he is playing or distracted, gradually increase it.

On our way back from Philly, we stopped to see Granny at work for lunch. I couldn't tell who enjoyed the visit the most...Isaac or Granny. When we left, Isaac was upset. He cried for a few minutes and then made the sign, "Grandma...where?" It almost broke my heart, but I couldn't stop driving. When we got home, we made dinner and got ready for Trick or Treating.

Baking Bread!

2006-10-27T12:21:00.000-04:00

These pictures were just too cute not to post them. Isaac helped mommy bake some homemade bread today. Even the dogs got in on the fun. As you can see, there is flour everywhere!

We're making progress...

2006-10-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since my last post. Both Isaac and I got the cold that's been going around, plus I am pregnant and have been really tired lately. I go for my first ultrasound on November 9th. Isaac doesn't know it yet, but he will be a big brother before next summer! Ian and I are really excited. Now maybe Isaac won't be so spoiled seeing as he will have to share his time. Ha ha ha.....I think he will always be spoiled. He will steal the spotlight I'm sure because he is Mr. Personality.

We are beginning to see some progress with the implant. I must admit, my expectations were that he would turn to every sound he heard, but it just isn't so. Even though the "experts" said that it would take a while, I just knew Isaac was brilliant and he would react and start babbling right away. I guess every parent has high hopes for their child. I know this is going to be a journey, but we are beginning to see signs every day that Isaac hears. First of all, he does react when the dogs bark. We have 2 boxers, a male named Sakuraba and a female named Layla. Sakuraba barks at EVERYTHING...from the wind to every person that walks down the sidewalk in our development. Isaac seemed startled the first time it happened, but now he just looks at the dogs and laughs while he makes the sign for "funny".

Isaac also was startled yesterday when I did a load of laundry and let the lid to the washer fall instead of placing it down gently. It made a loud bang and Isaac's eyes got big and he looked around. I did it again and showed him what made the sound. Another cool thing that Isaac does is he will vocalize on command. He makes the sound mmmm mom mmmmm mom. Whenever he wants something I put my hand on my throat and say the word when I sign it and Isaac will put his hand to his throat and make a sound. It isn't babbling yet, but he knows that if he wants something he has to vocalize which is a good start.

Isaac also blew his first bubble yesterday! We have been trying to get him to blow for some time now, which he does now. He makes the b or p sound at the beginning of blowing which is great. My mom and dad come over on Thursday nights so they can learn new signs from Michele ( early intervention teacher of the Deaf). We got the bubbles out and let Isaac blow. Every time he would blow, we would say yaaay and raise our hands above our heads. Isaac finally blew a bubble and we made a huge deal out of it, so then every time his mouth would get close to the bubble wand, he would raise his hands above his head. He is such a little character! We just love him.

Activation Day!

2006-10-21T01:40:00.000-04:00

Today was a very long day. Mommy woke up at about 2:30 AM to get the diaper bag packed and make sure we had everything we needed for this special day. Isaac woke up at about 4:00 AM and both Daddy and Mommy were shocked at how happy he was to be waking up so early. We went into his room and he sat up, made the sign for jump and stood up in his crib and began jumping. Isaac was certainly more awake than us! We got him dressed, packed up the Explorer and headed over to Granny's house to pick her up. We finally left Granny's house for Philadelphia at 5:22 AM. The trip to Philly normally takes us about 3 hours with the traffic, but I guess we left early enough to avoid most of it since we got to CHOP in record time....2 hours! We were at the appointment about 45 minutes early!

Isaac's appointment was at 8:00 AM and the whole thing was quicker than we expected. Kevin Franck programmed Isaac's speech processors with the information they gathered at Isaac's surgery and then put the implant on Isaac's head. He made sure everything was working ok before he allowed any sounds to go through the implant. We put Isaac in a high chair because he was running around the room so much. He loved the little cars that Kevin gave him to play with. He was making them crash into each other.

I'm not so sure that Kevin allowed any computer beeps to go through Isaac's implant. I think he just turned the microphone on really low...so low that Isaac couldn't tell right away. He kept gradually turning up the volume and Isaac stopped pushing the cars around so much. I think he realized that they made noise! Then Kevin turned the implant off for a little bit and Isaac got louder and played rougher with the cars. Then Kevin turned the implant on again and Isaac stopped playing and looked around. Kevin turned the volume up a little more and Isaac got really upset. He started crying, so I took him out of the high chair and held him. Kevin turned the volume down but Isaac was still crying a lot! We had to take him out of the room and walk around a little bit to calm him down. He still had the implant turned on.

Isaac wouldn't go back in the room, so Granny walked with him in the hallways while Daddy and Mommy learned more about the different programs Isaac had saved on his processor. Right now Isaac has 4 programs and 1 is the softest, 4 is the loudest. We kept turning up the volume on program 1 after we left CHOP and Isaac didn't really seem to notice. We began the trip back home.

Overall, the activation went well. We are convinced that Isaac can hear. Now the hard part is beginning. We have to help him make sense of what he hears. A few times when we would call his name, he would turn to us, but not consistently. I know that will come with time. We are so happy. It was a long and tiring day, but Isaac can hear. Praise God!

A cute way to wear the processor

2006-10-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

Granny had a great idea to put the bodyworn processor inside a beanie baby or small stuffed toy and pin it to Isaac's back. This is what I came up with.

Trip to Ashcombe Farms

2006-10-15T11:45:00.000-04:00

The cutest pumpkin in the patch.

Look Mom! I can drive!

We've got our own John Deere!

Isaac Loves Horses!

We're ready for the hayride!

On Saturday, October 14th, Isaac, Granny and Mommy went to Ashcombe Farms in Mechanicsburg, PA for their fall festivities. We went on a hayride...Isaac just loved the horses, sat in a pumpkin patch, and played in the hay. Even though it was only about 50 degrees outside, we had a great time! Isaac didn't want to leave.

We've got the equipment!

2006-10-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

Tuesday October 10th was a great day. Isaac, Gramps and Mommy drove to Philadelphia to pick up the external parts of the cochlear implant. We chose the color blue for Isaac. When we had to choose between a BTE (Behind the Ear) and a Bodyworn processor, we chose one of each. CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philly) wanted us to choose 2 bodyworn processors but we thought one of each would be good. After trying them both at home, we have discovered that the bodyworn seems kind of cumbersome for Isaac. He is so active that it just seems to get in the way. We are going to ask if we can return the bodyworn and trade it in for another BTE. The BTE is a little big, but Isaac has strong ears and it didn't seem to bother him as much as the bodyworn. We will see what happens when we try to exchange them.

The Day After Surgery

2006-09-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

What a day this has been! Last night Isaac woke up a few times (probably from pain). I think that the whole surgery was tougher on us than Isaac. Mommy couldn't sleep that well worrying about Isaac. But amazingly at 6:30 AM, Isaac woke up and began playing like his normal self! It was a shock to me! He started pulling out all of his toys and signing and asking for milk. He really didn't want to eat that much other than crackers and milk. Other than that, he was pushing his toy lawnmower around and acting like his energetic self! I wanted to wait a while before taking off his bandage, but Isaac had other plans!

9-26-06
This is Isaac's bandage on the day after surgery. After he got up from the sofa, he took the bandage off his head, handed it to me and signed, "thank you!"
9-26-06
We couldn't get a really good picture of the scar, it is barely noticeable!

Day of the Implant!

2006-09-26T00:57:00.000-04:00

This is the day we were waiting for! Isaac woke up at 6:00 AM and got dressed. Then mommy and daddy let the dogs out one last time before we left for Gramps and Granny's house. We got in the Explorer and drove to meet Gramps, Granny and Aunt Lydia so we could begin the drive to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. When we got to their house, Granny gave Isaac a freeze pop since he was only allowed to have that or apple juice before surgery. Then we began the drive. It took about 3 hours to get to Philadelphia with the traffic. We checked in at 10:00 AM and Isaac played with the cool toys in the waiting room until the nurse called his name.

We took Isaac to a room where they could update his medical record and we got him dressed in the surgery gown. Granny showed Isaac his special book while we were waiting. That seemed to keep him busy. Then daddy, mommy and Isaac went into the pre-operating room where the nurse gave Isaac some giggle juice. This is a special medicine that is supposed to relax Isaac and make him happy. At first we didn't think it was working, but all of a sudden Isaac couldn't move very much. He was really happy and acted like he was drunk. Dr. Kazahaya asked if we had any questions. We gave our last kisses and Isaac was off to the operating room.

The procedure began at about 11:39 AM and was over by 1:45 PM. It was much quicker than we all expected. Gramps, Granny, Aunt Lydia, Daddy and Mommy all ate lunch at the hospital cafeteria and waited. It seemed like everyone took their turns sleeping. The nurse updated us a few times and finally Kevin Franck the Director of Audiology came in and told us the great news! They tested all the electrodes on the implant before they closed the incision and they got a great response. We were all so relieved because we knew then that Isaac's hearing nerve was fine and that the cochlear implant would work. We made our choice on the external parts of the implant and the Cochlear Corporation gave us a cute stuffed koala bear with a bandage on his head for Isaac.

Mommy was the first one to see Isaac after surgery. His cheeks were flushed and he was sleeping. He had a bandage on his head and was connected to an IV, and a heart moniter. Mommy sat with Isaac for a while rocking him until he he was well enough to go to the recovery room. There everyone took their turns holding him while he slept and woke up. Granny handed him the koala bear and he held it as he slept on Gramps. We could tell he was not happy after the surgery because every time he woke up he cried until he fell back asleep. It seemed like he knew that something happened to his head.

We got him dressed, gave him his pacifier and headed home. At home all Isaac wanted to do was sleep on Mommy's lap. He didn't want to be put down....which everyone knows is not normal for Isaac. Daddy went to the drugstore to pick up the pain medicine and antibiotics for Isaac. We then got Isaac dressed for bed and laid him in his crib.

Signs That Isaac Knows!

2006-09-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

I know I am missing some. I tried counting all the signs that Isaac knows up to this point, and I think I have a pretty good list. There are 131 on the list. If you can think of any that I missed, please let me know!

mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, boy, girl, baby, dog, cat, sheep, bear, horse, cow, pig, dinosaur, elephant, duck, bird, Elmo, worm, fish, bug, frog, snake, penguin, gorilla, monkey, turkey, car, boat, bike, airplane, please, thank you, more, eat, drink, milk, juice, water, soda, broccoli, meat, cracker, cookie, freeze pop, apple, orange, toast, noodle, ice cream, candy, grapes, cheese, cheese puffs, chips, up, outside, ocean, flower, tree, rock, sand, grass, leaf, sun, cloud, wind, rain, bubbles, color, crayons, book, paper, ball, shirt, hat, pants, diaper, socks, shoes, jacket, off, on, stinky diaper, toilet, bath, tattoo, nice, Jesus, pray, light, fan, Isaac, wash hands, brush teeth, sleep, bed, pacifier, jump, fall down, stand, sit, throw, hit, swings, slide, turn around, do a somersault, phone, tv, walk, open, bye, hello, kiss, go, come, ready, where, strong, money, ears, eyes, nose, feet, hair, cochlear implant, candle

Introduction

2006-09-20T20:35:00.000-04:00

Hello all,
I am a hearing mother of an 18 month old deaf son named Isaac. Isaac passed his newborn hearing screening but my husband and I noticed that he was not reacting to any noise. I would sing to him in his crib in the morning and he wouldn't awaken unless I touched him. So one day, I started singing louder and louder until I was screaming.....there was no response from him. I told the pediatrician my concerns so she held an electronic device over Isaac's head to see if he would react to these silly electronic sounds. He blinked his eyes a few times, so she said he was ok. She told me that newborns blink as a reaction to sound. I still had my doubts.

We finally took him to get an ABR test when he was 4 months old. We had to have him re-tested because he was awake for the first test. Finally when he was 6 months old we learned that Isaac was profoundly deaf. We applied for medical assistance to get hearing aids for him and finally got approved when he was about a year old.

Hearing aids did not provide any benefit for him, so we looked into a cochlear implant. After many tests and visits to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) we learned that Isaac was a candidate for a Cochlear Implant. We decided to implant him with the Cochlear Corporation's Nucleus Freedom model. We chose the color blue. Isaac will be implanted on September 25th, 2006.

Highlights from Isaac's First Year!

2005-12-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

Introducing Baby Isaac!

2005-03-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Isaac Stewart Johnson was born on March 17, 2005 at 10:15 PM

Isaac weighed 6lbs. 15oz. and was 21 inches long!

Isaac's World

Long Time No Blog....

So much has happened....Isaac on the news...a birthday...

A sad but necessary update

Christmas 2008

Isaac has TWO Ears!

Left Ear Activation

Surgery is Over!!!!!!

Surgery Tomorrow!

Monster Spray (AKA Glade Air Infusions)

Recycling Mommy

Dutch Wonderland

An interesting turn of events...

Surgery Date....Again

We love GBMC

WOW!

Thank You Jesus!

Mommy's Little Rocker

Bi-Lateral Update for Isaac

Pre-School Bowling Day

I've been tagged

Pictures for Papaw

The Boys Drinking Milk

No Surgery

More problems with insurance

Isaac Singing Happy Birthday

Isaac's 3rd Birthday Party

Pre-School is a Success!

Surgery Date

Isaac's Appointment

Boys in the Tub

Merry Christmas

Our Christmas Miracle

On a brighter note

Denied Completely

Insurance Update

Saturday with Thomas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Waiting for approval

Bi-lateral Update

Trick or Treat and Bye Bye My Ear

Thoughts on Bi-Laterals

Trip to Ashcombe Farms

A Good Use of Corn Skewers

Bathtime!

Isaac's One Year Appointment

It's been a while...

Fourth of July

Wearing the BTE!!!!

Making Progress

We Love You Aunt Lydia

Big Brother Isaac

Update

Easter 2007

Happy 2nd Birthday Isaac!

A trip to CHOP

Cars!

Snow!

Cars and Words

Bubbles and a Haircut

Dirty Boat

"Uh oh, mom, more, please"

"Uh oh"

VICTORY!

Water Fountain

Isaac's Big Boy Bed

It's 2007!

Merry Christmas!

Mapping and Speech Therapy

A Great Weekend!

Mapping

Update

Baby Steps

Happy Isaac

Trick or Treat!

Isaac's 2nd Map

Baking Bread!

We're making progress...

Activation Day!

A cute way to wear the processor