All Hallows Eve!

Sorry it's a couple days past but I wanted to post a blog about our Halloween night! It was a fun and when I say night it was actually a couple nights of Halloween. The first night Thursday we craved pumpkins, Gavin's pumpkin got Bilateral implants. Which he thought was funny. He kept saying same. Which was funny. Then Gavin and I dressed up for one night and went to two trunk or treats and watched Hocus Pocus. We went to Delta to visit my family and made sugar cookies. We had a fun time! I took the Halloween Decor down and up went the Thanksgiving Decor. I love this time of year. It's one holiday after another. I made Gavin's ghost costume this year which was fun. I should have used a pattern. But OH WELL! I hope everyone HAD A GREAT FUN HALLOWEEN!

Halloween Stories By a Witch!

This was Great Fun! I enjoyed getting all dressed up and painting my face green. Gavin watched

me paint my face and he would say face, and I would say yes Mommy is painting her face green. Then he would say een face! een face! After I got all witched up. I took Gavin over to our little friends house and read them some Halloween stories. I had a ball and the kids love it!

Yesterday I fell down the stairs. I hurt my ankle pretty good. It is swollen and bruised . It hurts. Gavin right after it happened. He ran over and said mommy are you ok? Are you alright? Mommy you crying. I was crying! But I loved how he was able to talk and so well and could hear me fall. It definitely made me feel a whole lot better. Consider the fact if we didn't have hearing technology none of listening and talking wouldn't be taking place.

Cochlear Implants VS the Car Ride! And Rain Play!

So lately Gavin has been liking to chew on his implants while in the car. He chews the ear hooks and the battery holder inside the controller. So after multiple battery holders and ear hooks being chewed and broken. I decided I needed to get some creative ideas for the car rides. So I thought bring toys, coloring book with crayons, DVD portable player, food and books. This way Gavin would leave his implants alone for the ride cause he would be busy. If anyone has any other ideas? Please feel free to let me know.

Gavin has been saying:

Stop it!

Ew Dark! (It was Bedtime, so we were in Gavin's room, with no lights)

Where are you Daddy? Mommy? Scooby Doo?

ooooo OOO ooo Boo!

Treat or Trick (I'm getting him ready)

Here you go

Blow my istle! (whistle)

We been having lots of Halloween fun! Doing crafts,Reading Books,taking walks around to look at the decor outside, corn mazes and other fall community activities. Gavin and I are both enjoying it. Also it has been raining here! So what better way to learn about the rain, then to go out in it, with a friend.

Corn Maze Fun!

Friday, We went to some corn mazes. Gavin had a lot of fun. The corn mazes where made for little kids and I could see the top of Gavin's head as he ran through it. Gavin's little friends came with us which is always a fun time. Gavin and I have also been enjoying the walks around the neighborhood looking at the Halloween decor.

Gavin's speech is still growing at a pretty fast pace. He blows me away with what he says. He is putting 3, 4 , 5 word sentences together really well now. He is singing the Clean up song,Twinkle Twinkle little Star, Old McDonald. Gavin is over hearing conversations. Gavin can hear me yell his name 10 townhouses down from me. Gavin can hear me call his name while he is downstairs and I'm upstairs.

I met a lady at the store the other day. She came up to me, pointed to Gavin,and said that is a cochlear implant isn't it? I said yes. She told me that she has a son that was born deaf. Her son is now 43 years old. She also put her son in the State Oral Program. She told me that if her son was born today that she would have got him cochlear implants. She just had hearing aids and even hearing aids have come a long way to since then. I feel so blessed to have this technology, and be at a time, that hearing aids and cochlear implants has made leaps of progress for my son and others.

Auditory/Verbal Technques and Strategies to live by.....

Gavin in his Daddy's shoes. Gavin has some big shoes to fill!

This information is from Hearts for Hearing! I found it helpful.

Be a bird Dog!

point out sounds: I hear that!

Be a Director

direct the child to "listen!"

Hear it BEFORE you see it

audition first , direct attention toward the object,use the hand cue

Play By Play

use familiar phrases, be a radio commentator

It's your turn

EXPECT a response from your child, pause and wait for response,use the hand cue to indicate turn, use auditory closure,someone else to model

Keep' em on their toes!

use sabotage

Make it Easier

control the listening environment, move closer, use acoustic highlighting

Create a Listening Sandwich

listen-cue-listen

Beyond the Here and Now

extend and expand the child's utterances

Help me, but Don't tell me

give support, ask for or provide more info, suggest opposite/rhyming words

What did you hear?

nonjudgmental way of learning what the child heard and understood

Bye Bye Summer, Hello Fall!

Wow! Time Flies! We are getting ready for Halloween in this house. I went to the library and checked on alot of Halloween Books. He really likes the Ghost in the House Book and We are off to the Witches House. Gavin knows the titles to these books as well. I can say, go get the Ghost in the House Book, or Witch House Book. He will go get the right book and bring it to me . He also is liking the Pumpkins around the neighborhood. Halloween is a great time for me to introduce colors and creatures to Gavin. Like purple, black, orange, green, witches, Dracula, mummies, bats, Frankenstein, and etc. I love the Holidays and it starts with Halloween.

As Far as Gavin and his speech, He is taking off. He continues to floor me daily. With what he hears and talks about. He is really catching on. I turned on the Wheels and the Bus song, and I didn't start singing it or doing the actions. Like I normally do. Gavin was able to know the song in the first sentence of the song. He said Bus! Bus! and started moving his arms in the motion of the wheels. So that was very cool for me to see!

Yesterday Gavin and I went to the Aquarium We took Lincoln and Logan with us along with us. 3 Boys under the age of 4, you think it would be crazy. But Lincoln and Logan both stay close to me and Gavin doesn't run off with friends around. So that makes it nice for me.

Good Going's ON!

It was been awhile since the last post. Gavin is making huge leaps of progress. His Slp told me. When he says two or three words sentences, to give him one more word. Example Gavin says I want drink. I'll say I want a drink. We are trying to learn pronouns as well. Example, give it to him, or she has a ball. Any Idea's? Also I'm wondering have any of you tried to teach your deaf or hard of hearing child to swim without signing? How did you go about it? Let me in on some ideas? Cause Gavin can't wear his implants in the pool. I feel learning to swim is a important life skill that is needed for everyone.

Anyway this week was a crazy week. We had to go to Logan for mapping. Gavin and I are working hard on condition play which is, in the testing booth, when Gavin hears a sound he drops a object into the bucket. This is a skill that 3 years old do in the booth for mappings. Gavin is turning 3 in January, on the 7Th. So it doesn't hurt to get started learning this early. But currently he does this in the booth, Where he hears a sound and turns his head to the screen for a picture of a dog,rabbit and many more types of pictures.

Also this week. We had our Ag Bell Ice Cream Social. Which was fun and had a really good turn out. There was two big bounce house's for the kids to climb and jump on. We had six gallons of ice cream. Melinda and I planned this entire event cause we our on the board for AG Bell Utah Chapter. I picked up 25 pounds of bananas. Reserved the park and the bounce lady. Got the toppings. So I did lots of running around. I would also recommend this bounce lady. Here is her blog, and just tell her I recommended you for a good deal. She does birthday parties,family reunions, all kind of events.

http://jumpforjoyinflatables.blogspot.com/

Friday, at playgroup Gavin got to paint himself with Chocolate pudding. He enjoyed licking himself from his shoulder to his hand in one big lick. It was funny. It got in his hair, all over the place. But oh well he had a blast and that's all that matters.

Saturday night we went to Tyson's Birthday Party. It was fun! Gavin play with fishing for the car game,coloring on the table cloth paper, pop balloons and eat cake. He loves birthdays and trying to help blow out the candles on the cake.

We also went to the Aquarium. Gavin loves fish! Of course Nemo! And every kid that see's a clown fish says Look Nemo!! Gavin got to pet a stingray. Which they feel like a wet,slimy mushroom. He liked the sharks and the frogs as well.

Gavin also still is loving Scooby Doo. He isn't scare at all. Scooby Doo was my favorite cartoon as a kid as well.

Gavin's favorite words these last couple of weeks

#1 It's stuck!

#2 Ghost

#3 House

For Halloween I'm going to make him a ghost costume of course!