Four Months Old!

Just over a week after getting his hearing aids O turned four months old. 

Leading up to getting the hearing aids we had run through a list of developmental milestones with our APSEA rep. The two categories we focused on were 0-3 months and 3-6 months. 

In the first he was hitting every single milestone - except those that related to language development.

In the second he was hitting many as well - except again any that related to or rely on language development.  

In the nine days since getting the hearing aids O has been developing by leaps and bounds. 

We're hearing coo's & babbles we never heard before. He's experimenting with different sounds, volume, and random little noises. He's more engaged with certain toys that held no appeal in the past. He will look for noises. Startling to sounds that didn't startle him before. Beginning to take turns when "speaking" 

It's amazing what two little pieces of plastic & technology can do for such a tiny person. 

The First Week

During the lead up to hearing aids I kept reminding myself that it would be a completely new experience for O. He would be experiencing things that - to him - never existed before.

It was easy to accept that. But it wasn't easy to live that. 

The first week with his hearing aids was HARD. 

My sweet happy baby would have, what we call in our house, a nuclear meltdown two to three times each day. He would scream and cry and fuss in ways he never had before. I know that it was a result of the over-stimulation from a very new and unique experience, but it was so very challenging to watch and handle. 

By around 5pm every day we would have to take the hearing aids out. I know the goal is for him to wear them every waking hour, but sometimes it's just not feasible. So out they would come. And then he would cuddle for about 20 minutes, then nap, and once he woke up we could put them back in to finish the day. 

That face. Those tears. Heartbreaking.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.