Yeah! Matt made the bus!

Okay, all the heavy talk about therapy. While typing the last post, my husband called and when I went to get the phone, I realized what time it was. I had forgotten the clock on the computer is running slowly, due to processor problems. OH MY GOSH, MATT'S BUS WAS COMING IN TWO MINUTES! Of course I figured I'd never have him outside in time, that I'd be driving the boys to drop Matt off at school.

Well, I hung up on my husband, more like slammed the phone down on him, whipped up the stairs, grabbed Matt's CI, threw it on him, turned it on and yelled, "MATT, YOUR BUS IS COMING RIGHT NOW! GET UP!" Didn't I do something like that last week? But this time I really made sure he knew I meant business. He threw his clothes on, I grabbed a juice box and couple of cereal bars (bad mom, but at least he got something in his tummy), shoved his books in his bag (thank GOD we did the homework right after school yesterday), and kicked him out the door. Believe it or not, the other two kids were dressed, too! All in less than three minutes. Thankfully the bus was a few minutes late, and Matt should be sitting happy in class right now. Yeah!

I think the bus would stop at our house, but today he was standing at the corner a few doors down. I was able to yell to him, and he back to me, to see if we forgot anything. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm bonkers, but hey! I was able to yell at my kid three yards away, and he understood! Not a shining CI moment, but one for which I'm happy about! :)

Meanwhile, Josh is telling me he's hungry. Chris is thirsty. Life goes on.

Okay, on a different note, not just about my boys. I've been active again on some CI forums, and answering some personal e-mail about children with CIs and CI candidates. I'm no expert, but I'm thrilled to share our experiences if they can help someone else. I also find a lot of support and information on the different CI forums, too. The biggest thing I've learned from others and in my own family, is that each child is very unique. In their history, skills, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. I can't stress this enough. What works for one child and family may not work for another. But through support of others we can learn what has worked for others and new things that may help us, too.

Okay, something else. Very important. I can't stress enough how important post CI "therapy" is. I don't care what works for a specific child or family, but it is very important for the family to work as a team with the therapists and their child on a daily basis. Around the clock. Maybe that's why I liked Karen Rossi's presentation so much. The cochlear implant is an amazing opportunity for many deaf children. Some kids are able to jump immediately into the world of sound. The progress may be slower, much slower for others. It has been quick for Matt, much slower for Josh. But I am encouraged by his continual progress, even if it is slow at times. It helps to keep a journal of even the smallest bits of progress. Then I can look back and say, WOW! Look how far he's come in a year! I wonder what he'll be doing next year! In our case, next year, or maybe a few more years later, I'll be missing the more quiet days, ha ha! But we keep plugging along, being thankful for those little blessings we see. It really helps to have support of other parents sometimes, to know we aren't going through this journey alone. :)