I love how Emmi first calls for either Mommy or Daddy, then when we don't answer quick enough, she yells for us by our first names. If we still don't respond quickly enough for her, she starts yelling her teacher's name.
As I am currently ignoring her (because I already told her she needs to come to me, and not yell across the house!), she has been yelling for her teacher for the better part of the past half hour.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
You kicked my kangaroo.
Emmi ran over to where I sat on the couch.
"Mommy, you liar!"
"Ems do you know what liar means?" Obviously, I wasn't a liar. I hadn't even talked to her in the last twenty minutes. Unless there was some past discretion she was coming to set straight.
She look at me for a moment before answering, "Pink!"
Um. Sure.
"Emmi, a liar is someone who does not tell the truth. Like this. The dog is blue. Emmi pinched me. Emmi hit me. That is my purse...." I list various lies for her. Some silly, some I have heard both her and Jill use.
"Okay, Ems. Your turn. Can you think of a lie?"
She pauses, thinking. "You kicked my kangaroo!"
Obviously, she has mastered lying.
"Mommy, you liar!"
"Ems do you know what liar means?" Obviously, I wasn't a liar. I hadn't even talked to her in the last twenty minutes. Unless there was some past discretion she was coming to set straight.
She look at me for a moment before answering, "Pink!"
Um. Sure.
"Emmi, a liar is someone who does not tell the truth. Like this. The dog is blue. Emmi pinched me. Emmi hit me. That is my purse...." I list various lies for her. Some silly, some I have heard both her and Jill use.
"Okay, Ems. Your turn. Can you think of a lie?"
She pauses, thinking. "You kicked my kangaroo!"
Obviously, she has mastered lying.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Unsure
A strange thing started happening the past few days with Emmi. She started flinching and covering her left ear when I talk close to her. Also, over the past week, there were several word mixups. At first, I didn't think much of it, but yesterday, I had to repeat MANY things. This is not usual for Emmi. I am thinking we are losing the left side altogether now. The thing is this is how she behaved when she was losing her hearing originally. She would cry at certain voices and flinch. At the time, we had no idea she was losing her hearing. In fact, they told us she was Autistic. Obviously, having never watched someone go through that process, I had no idea what I was seeing. Now, I am suddenly zapped back in time years ago. I didn't even remember some of this, until I watched her do it yesterday. Then, whoosh, it was like I was seeing her at nine months old all over again. The way she would arch and flinch. The look on her face. I just kept thinking, this is the same thing.
Emmi was down to six functioning electrodes in a twelve electrode array. A CT scan back in December(ish?) revealed that sometime over the past three years, the array had migrated partially out of the cochlea. Three electrodes sat completely out of the cochlea with one other perched right on the window, making a total of four electrodes permanently useless. A pesky short between two other electrodes also reappeared, proving that it would not stay away. In February, the decision was made to permanently shut down two more electrodes, leaving us at six. Six. Which put Emmi solidly in re-implantation zone. Except. She still had great comprehension, discrimination, and was solidly scored at 5 decibels better than the right side! In fact, she scores better than many implant users, even with the six out. So why put her through surgery, when it appeared to be working?
Except now, I am not so sure. I really think there is something going on now. So far, I have not been wrong. However, I really hope I am this time.
Emmi was down to six functioning electrodes in a twelve electrode array. A CT scan back in December(ish?) revealed that sometime over the past three years, the array had migrated partially out of the cochlea. Three electrodes sat completely out of the cochlea with one other perched right on the window, making a total of four electrodes permanently useless. A pesky short between two other electrodes also reappeared, proving that it would not stay away. In February, the decision was made to permanently shut down two more electrodes, leaving us at six. Six. Which put Emmi solidly in re-implantation zone. Except. She still had great comprehension, discrimination, and was solidly scored at 5 decibels better than the right side! In fact, she scores better than many implant users, even with the six out. So why put her through surgery, when it appeared to be working?
Except now, I am not so sure. I really think there is something going on now. So far, I have not been wrong. However, I really hope I am this time.
Monday, June 15, 2009
First Day of Summer School
Emmi started the summer school program today. She was beyond excited to get to see her teacher again. Two whole weeks without her! It has been like torture. But today was the day!
We are making some changes to her therapy schedule now, since the summer school program is shorter than a regular school day. Emmi usually attends private speech therapy twice a week in addition to the four - five (depending on the week) private sessions per week she receives at school. I didn't think missing several hours two days a week of the summer program would be a good idea. However, I did have to weigh in how missing therapy for several weeks would affect her overall progress. Emmi has made incredible gains. She is farther than she should be without surgical intervention. Quite frankly, everyone is a little baffled at how she produces some of the sounds she does with her soft palate cleft (VPI). Yet, everyday, her speech gets a little clearer. I don't want to backslide in one area at the sake of another. Yes, I want her as best prepared as possible for kindergarten, but I don't want all this time, effort and energy we have put in so far to go to waste. It was hard to decide what was best to do.
For now, we are dropping down to one day a week in the afternoon (maybe! We will find out tomorrow if we have the time slot). This will potentially be her new school schedule, too, if it works out without and backslide.
We are making some changes to her therapy schedule now, since the summer school program is shorter than a regular school day. Emmi usually attends private speech therapy twice a week in addition to the four - five (depending on the week) private sessions per week she receives at school. I didn't think missing several hours two days a week of the summer program would be a good idea. However, I did have to weigh in how missing therapy for several weeks would affect her overall progress. Emmi has made incredible gains. She is farther than she should be without surgical intervention. Quite frankly, everyone is a little baffled at how she produces some of the sounds she does with her soft palate cleft (VPI). Yet, everyday, her speech gets a little clearer. I don't want to backslide in one area at the sake of another. Yes, I want her as best prepared as possible for kindergarten, but I don't want all this time, effort and energy we have put in so far to go to waste. It was hard to decide what was best to do.
For now, we are dropping down to one day a week in the afternoon (maybe! We will find out tomorrow if we have the time slot). This will potentially be her new school schedule, too, if it works out without and backslide.
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