Man! The highs are highs!!!!!

This morning we had Shi's hearing with the aids in tested, I say that loosely. Like I said before, Michael and I were not sure he was really getting any benefit from the ha's. We weren't seeing responses that were distinctively responses to our voices or sounds.


But today Shiloh was definitely responding to these tests, so he id definitely hearing something with the ha's in!!!!!!!


Our audiologist had me sit in a booth holding Shiloh on my knees (facing outward). On the left and right side about 2-3 feet away were large speakers and video screens. In front of him was a teddy bear in a dark box that would light up to get his attention forward at times. The first few times her voice came through the speaker he didn't really show any response. And right before the test she checked his ears for fluid and he does have fluid on his left ear. So we didn't expect a response from that ear.

Then there was one time where she came over the speaker and talked and he looked in that direction. But we weren't sure if it was a response or if he was just turning his head. Well, when he looked she played a video clip of finding nemo - this gave him the message that if you hear a sound and you look in that direction you will get this 'reward'. And when he'd look in a direction and there was no video he learned there was no reason to look so he'd focus on the teddy bear in front (can we say Pavlov?). So the first time he looked he smiled at the video but we still weren't sure if he heard her. Then nearly almost every time after that if she spoke into the right speaker he would immediately look. He never really responded to the left speaker (because of that fluid in his ears).

BUT WHAT MAKES IT SO GREAT THAT HE IS RESPONDING FROM HIS RIGHT EAR .... is that his right ear is the ear that had absolutely NO response when he was un-aided. The left ear had some responses at a very severe hearing loss level. So for the WORSE ear to respond to 70 dcb, which is just above speaking voice - IS AMAZING!!!!!! Even though there is no guarantee that he is hearing everything she said, he is hearing some sound. And that's what we want, just knowledge that he's not completely isolated, that in some way he hears us walking by him when he's in his swing, or playing on his belly. Just something is wonderful.

I can not tell you the pride I felt when he continued to turn his head. It's so far from being a 'hearing' moment, because there's no way to tell what he heard. But seriously, just something is beautiful.

That little man is still so incredibly perfect. AND ON A FUN BABY NOTE, little guy has 2 freakin teeth!!!!