deaf week

After settling into his CI for quite some time, Ellis has been taking it off and pulling it apart recently. Mostly, it seems, because he's bored and/or a bit ornery (as he is with a lot of things--understandably getting used to a new baby and getting through some developmental angst [my new term for "disequilibrium"]). All that pulling apart did a number on the coil (the wire that goes from teh external processor to his head and that holds the magnet), and wouldn't ya know, we are well into the long weekend with Cochlear's office closed when I finally figure out that it was the coil and not battery issues. (So a few days of trying to figure out what was wrong, combined with crazy schedules and just trying to keep track of the CI since E kept throwing it around. *gah*)

So first thing Monday morning, I called for a new coil, and it didn't arrive until this afternoon. So it's been about 5 or 6 days with no CI. (Just don't even bring up the spare right now.) I was frustrated, because that's a long time to go when you're trying to get into the CI groove, but hey, we sign, so no language was lost in the process.

In fact, it was kind of an interesting week in terms of language development. We've really been encouraging Ellis to use more words together to say what he means, speaking and signing. In the past day or so, Ellis started using ASL sentences that were as long as 6 or more words to tell me what was going on. One of my favorites was: GRANDDAD BATH UPSTAIRS SHOWER (complete with sound effect) WET *pause* HAIRCUT ALL-DONE. He periodically reminds us that his haircut is all done. His last haircut was around two months ago. I guess the thought of water squirting on the head reminded him of his haircut.

I feel like Ellis made a jump in expressive language this weekend. I don't know if it was being reduced to one language, or if it was just coincidental (he was gearing up for a developmental spurt--I can always tell from the insomnia).

When the new coil came, I was worried that he would totally reject wearing the CI. I asked him if he wanted to wear it, and he said yes, and tried to put it on himself. But I forgot to turn it down from when he had worn it last on its highest setting. It's been over 5 days since he heard any sound, so when I put it on, he shrieked and cried a little. I grabbed the coil off his head as fast as I could. I felt SO BAD, I just about died. We waited awhile, and I asked him again, and he said yea, so we did it nice and slow. He spent the rest of the evening constantly vocalizing. I think he may have liked having it back.