Alexander's last two sound booth tests went well. Last month, during an aided check (hearing aids on) he responded to speech at 20dB. This is great news as normal hearing is in the range of 0-20 dB. Last week, during an unaided check (hearing aids off) we learned that his hearing has not changed since birth. He responded to speech at 40dB. This is also good news because we know that there is a chance that his hearing loss could progress and his hearing could become worse. If his hearing continues to stay the same, he will not need cochlear implant surgery like Lily. He will only need to wear his hearing aids.
Lily is still doing fantastic with her hearing and speaking. She is speaking in sentences and picking up new words all the time. We are currently in the process of making a decision about preschool for Lily next year. It doesn't seem like she can be that old. It seems like just yesterday she was a tiny baby asleep in my arms. Now she is a toddler asleep in my arms; still my baby. :) She is potty trained and ready for school in the fall. We are leaning toward putting her in a mainstream preschool. The closest oral deaf preschool in our area is about an hour away and the children attend every day, all day. I don't think I'm ready for Lily to be at school that long when she is so young. I also can't imagine how exhausted she would be attending school all day and then riding to and from school for 2 hours. Also, because her birthday is in November, she will have to attend preschool for 3 full years before entering kindergarten, which seems like a lot of school. Therefore, we are thinking of sending her to a private church preschool next year that she will just attend one day a week and spend the other four days with my mom. She will continue her auditory verbal/speech therapy at Children's Hospital next year.
Since Lily will probably be going to a mainstream school next year, I made her a book on shutterfly.com about her ears. The teacher can read it to the class as a way of introducing the other children to her CIs. Here are a few pages from her book.
