Swimming with a Nammu Hat

The rechargeable batteries, aLoksak bags and Nammu hat all arrived this week. Today was the first time we got to go swimming and have Elijah use all three to swim with his cochlear implant Freedom processor. Compared to his other swimming caps that we have used in the past, the Nammu hat was much easier to put on him. He enjoyed being able to hear while swimming and had a really good time! He even let me help him try and swim. He is still not very confident in the water, but being able to hear increases his confidence.

He looks a bit like a pirate! I let him pick out what design he wanted on his Nammu hat and he chose this black one with green letters on it. Here is a link to the Nammu website. http://nammuhats.com/

I am sure he will want to go swimming again really soon!

Filed the Claim

The rechargeable batteries for Elijah's Freedom Processors arrived on Friday. I went online and found my invoice and filed the claim by fax to be reimbursed. The insurance company said it would take about 30 days for them to pay on it, and just hoping they do. I have decided that I will probably keep the batteries even if they don't pay on them. I will just have to suck it up and pay for them out of my own pocket. At least I can write it off on my income taxes, and YES, I have enough to write medical off on my income taxes. Between both boys, they have MANY prescriptions and Elijah has several doctors he sees each year. I keep it all in an EXCEL document and keep it updated!

We are still waiting on the Nammu hat to arrive to use for swimming. The aLoksak bags arrived yesterday! We use his backup Freedom processors when he swims!

I'll let y'all know when insurance pays on his batteries. This is ME being optimistic.

State Testing and Summer is Coming

Here in Texas we have the TAKS and STAAR testing for our state testing. Such fun acronyms. Jacob took the TAKS test this year and his Junior class is the last group to take the TAKS. He passes his English/Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Math tests. He got commended on the English/Language Arts and the Social Studies test and even got a perfect score on the Social Studies test.

A few years ago the state decided to change the TAKS to the STAAR test and make it even more rigorous. Elijah took the STAAR Modified test, since he is in resource classes. The modified test is on grade level, but has fewer answer choices and the reading passages are broken into smaller passages. Elijah passed his math test and almost passed his reading test. I think he has the skills needed to pass the reading test, but he rushes and doesn't put much effort into the test.

With all of that being said, Elijah has many more years of STAAR testing and Jacob is thankfully all done. He is on track for graduation next year!

We don't have too much going on this summer. Elijah and I are going to Austin in two weeks for a Family Weekend Retreat at the Texas School for the Deaf. We will then go and see my sister for a few days. Jacob is staying home, because he is no employed at a grocery store and will hopefully be working while I am gone. My partner is staying in town too, so he won't be home alone. Jacob and I will make a trip to Waxahachie in July to the Texas State Technical Institute to see what they have to offer. He wants to go to school there after graduation. We will be swimming and going to movies this summer too. There are a few doctor's appointments each month, but nothing too horrible! I will also be doing my mystery shopping to make some extra money. I am blocking out two days a week though, so I make sure to spend time with the boys and RELAX!

Took The Boys Swimming

We went to my dad's house to see him for Father's Day. The boys went swimming while we were there. I am happy to say, that we were able to water proof Elijah's CI. We pulled out his back up Freedom processor, put in the rechargeable battery and found the aLoksak bag and swim cap. It took a minute to fit it on just right, but we got it. He only wears one CI processor when he swims. I had to fix it a few times while he swam, but overall it went well. I remembered to increase the sensitivity so that he could hear through the bag and swim cap. Swimming has become much more enjoyable since he can now hear while he swims! Behavior is a lot better too!

Finally, Summer Is Here!

We all made it through another year of school. I think I was as ready as the boys were for this year to be done. I really had a rough few weeks, but it is all behind me now. Jacob finished off the year pretty well. He will be a junior next year and he will be getting his class ring. He starts driver's education on June 18th for three weeks! He turns 16 in July, but has to wait six months after the driver's ed class before he can get his license. Elijah will be going into the sixth grade next year! He had a pretty good year, but there were definitely some bumps along the way. We both survived them though.

I do have some school work during the summer. I am attending a three day workshop that is about 30 min from the house starting on June 12th. I then go to Houston at the end of July for a three day state wide conference for deaf and hard of hearing teachers. I am also presenting at that. I will be seeing two babies during the summer too for ECI services. One of my other teachers is helping out with that as well. I am also back on Weight Watchers and hoping to lose some more weight this summer. I have lost a few pounds so far, but want to lose more! My mystery shopping will keep me busy too! I have set aside several days for the kids and I to do things.

Jacob and I will be taking German lessons from my partner two days a week for the summer. We also set aside days to go to the Rec center here in town. I set aside one day for cooking lessons for the boys from me. Elijah will also be working on school work during the summer and of course, he will be playing either the Wii, on my iPad or on his nintendo during the day some. My plan is to try to limit that to three hours a day. We shall see how that goes.

I plan on taking them both shopping tomorrow for a few summer things. Both boys need some shorts and Elijah needs a swim suit. We plan on swimming at my dad's house whenever we can. Hopefully, it won't be TOO hot to swim this summer. I hope to get to the movies a few times and see some new releases. OH and we plan on going to my mom's house in a few weeks for a three days! That will give us all a break!

There are a few doctor's appointments that we have over the summer too. Both boys go to the pulmanologist on Monday. Elijah has an appointment with the psychiatrist towards the end of the month and he goes to the endocrinologist in July! FUN STUFF, right??

So that is our summer! I'll let y'all know how it goes and hopefully I will learn more German by September!

Second Summer of Swimming and Hearing

This is our second summer for Elijah to swim with his CI processor on. We use his backup Freedom processor, aLoksak bag and a swim cap. He loves being able to swim and hear. My dad and step mom have a pool and he loves to go swim there. Once I say we are going, he dashes to get his swim suit and swim shirt on. He will then come find me and remind me to get his swim cap!

Once we get to my dad's house, he asks again for the swim cap and we now have it down to a fine science. Before we even left the house, I have put his one back up processor on. He just has one processor once we leave. We get there and I put the processor in the aLoksak bag, he holds the CI and bag on his head and I put on the swim cap. I ask him if it is OK and if he responds I know he has heard me.

We were at my dad's house for about an hour tonight. He communicates with his cousin, uncle and me very well in the pool. If he misbehaves, I can handle it quickly by talking to him. He also has a lot less anxiety when we swim and he can hear. I do turn his sensitivity up on on his processor so he can pick up more sound since he has the sack and cap covering the processor.

I asked him if he likes to hear when he swims and he says, "OH YEA!" I am looking forward to swimming with him the rest of the summer!

Our Summer So Far

Well, our summer has been fairly uneventful so far. I had a 2 1/2 day workshop last week and Jacob watched Elijah for me. Things went well and no one killed anyone!! I ordered a new swim cap for Elijah and we used it tonight so he could swim with his processor on. He does so much better with his behavior when he can hear!!

We have a week worth of doctor's appointments this week and I have some errands to run. I plan on taking both boys to the movies later this week. We want to see SUPER 8!! We will go and see my sister in July and go to Fredricksburg for two days too!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer so far!!

The Heat is ON!

Well, summer is definitely here! It was HOT today and will continue to be hot. The boys are both done with school as am I. I do have a 2 1/2 day workshop next week, but other than that I am DONE! I am planning on taking the boys swimming tomorrow at my dad's house tomorrow. I am going to wear my new bathing suit!

We have several doctor's appointments in the next two weeks. I will be glad to get them done and over with! Nothing major, just the typical stuff. Elijah has an audiological appointment at the end of the month. I am hoping to get some better MAPs for Elijah so he doesn't let the left coil dangle!

Jacob got his hair buzzed off the other day. He wanted his hair SHORT and easy to take care of. I also got Elijah's hair cut a bit shorter than usual. I plan on having ready to me each day or at least every other day. I am also planning on having him doing some writing with me also. He really needs to work on it. I am hoping that I can make it fun for him, or as fun as you can make writing!

Last Weekend of Summer

Well, I have survived the first week back at work and here we are at our last weekend of the summer. I am hoping to take both boys swimming at my dad's house on Sunday. Jacob probably won't want to go swimming, so I may have to drag him with us! Elijah loves to swim though, especially now that he can wear his processor and hear!

I am hoping to rest up this weekend and get some chores done. I need to get some clothes washed for both boys and make sure we have everything we need from the grocery store. I need to make a run to Sprouts to get my chicken salad too!

I have a busy week with work next week. I'll be on the road quite a bit checking on kids and delivering FM systems for the next two weeks. I have my schedule to get in order too!

I think our kitties will miss us too. We have three cats as you know...Oreo(black with some white), Perky(white with some black) and Tiger(black tabby) and NOW we have a fourth cat....YES a fourth cat! She is temporary though, but will be with us until June 2011. A young lady posted that she was going to college in Colorado on scholarship and had to live in the dorms. She had no one to take care of her cat and needed a temporary home. I was reading it and then scrolled down to the picture of the cat and it was a Norwegian Forest cat...a Maine Coone cat basically that is black, grey, with some white and a little orange in there too. Ridgeway, our cat that died in Nov. 2008, was a Norwegian Forest cat and we had loved her so much. I don't see them often and so I contacted the young lady and we met up. The cat's name is Whisky and she has been with us for a week. She is hanging out in Elijah's room and is now quite freindly with us. We locked up the three other cats and have left the door open to Elijah's room but Whisky won't come out. She is definitely nervous about coming out. It will just take some time. The young lady paid me to buy some food and litter and will send me money each month to help with expenses! I am hoping we can all be one happy family! I'll get pictures soon!

Going to head to bed here in a bit and sleep in some! OH and I am getting a new queen size bed tomorrow! Can't wait!

Swimming with CI Proccesor

I have finally joined the rank of parents who have waterproofed their child's cochlear implant processor. I never thought I would have the courage to do it. I had heard stories of people using something called an ALOKSAK bag or using other things to waterproof their child's processor. Now that Elijah has backup Freedoms and dealing with some crazy behavior while swimming, due to frustration and not being able to hear.

The swim cap arrived on Tuesday and the aloksak bag arrived today. I turned up his microphone sensitivity and put the right freedom in the aloksak bag. It took a few tries to get the red cap on his head with the magnet in the right place(oh and I strenthened the magnet too) but we did it. He then said, "I wear it for two minutes then take it off." He is so protective of his "ears" and I think he was afraid it would break. We got in the water and after a bit his head got wet. I asked him if he could hear and he said YES! He then started going under the water and really enjoying himself. I really enjoyed being able to talk to him too. My dad and aunt came out to check him out and thought it was pretty neat he could hear too.

I think this will make for a nice birthday party for him! He seemed to have more fun and have less anxiety being able to hear. Maybe now I can finally teach him how to really swim!

Visit to the Audilogist

I took Elijah in for a hearing test today and also to get his microphone and volume controls on his processors unlocked. I am planning on trying the aLOKSAK bag with a swim cap the next time he swims and want to make sure he can hear us! The sensitivity on the mic may need to be set higher, since the processor will be in a bag under his swim cap. This is also true for the volume! I had the controls locked because with the eargear he wore, they seemed to get accidentally turned up or down. This picture shows the processor on the ear and the internal parts of the cochlear implant also. The aLOKSAK bags came in today, so the next time we go swimming we can try them out!

Elijah cooperated pretty well in the sound booth. His mappings were not changed. Here are his results:

Right ear
500 Hz--15 decibels(dB)
1000 Hz--20 dB
2000 Hz--10 dB
4000 Hz--20 dB
6000 Hz-- 20 dB

Left ear
500 Hz--15 dB
1000 Hz-- 15 dB
2000 Hz--15 dB
4000 Hz-- 15 dB
6000 Hz-- 10 dB

Normal hearing is at zero decibels and without his cochlear implants Elijah detects sounds at around 110 dB, which is VERY LOUD. With both ears performing so well, he probably hears better than these tests show, because he uses both ears together, not one at a time.

We also discussed the length of his coil cord. She had ordered us 2 1/2 inch cords and I had wanted three inches. The 2 1/2 is working pretty well, but it seems to bend the cord at more of a right angle and I worry about wearing out the cords quicker. I think I am just going to keep an eye on it for a while and see how it goes.

I'll let y'all know how it goes the next time we go swimming. We have had rain and overcast skies the last few days, so it may be next week before we get to swim!

Raising a Deaf Child Who Hears

Elijah is a deaf child who hears with his cochlear implants. He functions very well with them, so much so, that at times you almost forget that he is deaf. This is great, of course, but then there are times when he cannot hear. This is all compounded by his tourette syndrome, OCD and ADHD also. When his "ears" are off he is even louder than his usual self and harder to discipline. It is like he knows he can't hear and so he acts up even more.

Many in my family forget Elijah is deaf when his "ears" are off. They continue to talk to him at the pool and then realize "DUH, he can't hear." Weclome to my world. When he bathes we communicate well, except for the constant, "mom, mom, MOOOOM, mom, mom, mom...." that comes from the bathroom at times. I may be in the middle of something and can't quite get to him and usually it is NOT an emergency just him wanting to tell me something. This same thing happens at bedtime. There are times when I am tired of hearing my name. I waited a LONG time for him to talk....A LONG TIME, and now sometimes I wish for silence...at least for a bit!

Tonight was the final straw. We went to my dad's house to swim. No one was home, so I needed to start the filter. I went in to the house to start it and can hear him just yelling for me over and over again. With his ears on I had told him I was going in to turn on the pool and he had taken his ears off after that. Here we go again with the constant, "MOM, mom, mom, mom...." over and over again. I get outside and he yells at me in a gruff voice to turn on the blowers in the hot tub. My stepmom was on the phone with me telling me how to do it and I was signing to him that I was going to turn them on, but he keeps yelling. I wasn't swimming and was just going to watch him swim. He did fine and played well in the hot tub area. He then yelled at me about losing something in the pool and not having his goggles. ARG. Almost every time we go swimming, even when we discuss behavior prior to him removing his ears, the same thing happens. He yells about something and just gets irrate. I know this is due to his other conditions but it is frustrating nevertheless.



We are planning a swim party with his friends in a few weeks and I just cannot have all of this at the pool. I have seen where others have waterproofed their child's CI processors to swim and I decided it was time. I ordered an Aloksak bag(waterproof) and a lycra swim cap. We will try it with one ear only and with his backup processors. I think if he could hear while swimming many of these behaviors would cease.

Dealing with Eiljah's hearing has not always been easy, but we have dealt with it and handled it. Dealing with his tourettes, OCD and ADHD on top of it has been the most difficult. Hoping to get these in the mail and hoping he will tolerate trying this. I asked him about swimming with is processors and he said NO, he knows they cannot get wet. Well, if he wants to swim he is going to have to try.