tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6006701278140574692024-02-20T14:18:14.602-08:00Hanging With Hannah RoseJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-85936706401591555842013-03-06T18:33:00.002-08:002013-03-06T18:33:45.583-08:00A Year Has Passed and A Bump in the Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I like to say that a year can make all the difference in the world. A new job, a new boyfriend, a baby. For Hannah, it's the gift of hearing. A year ago, Hannah went from not being able to hear a word to having full access to sound. It was a year ago, our little lady underwent five hours of cochlear implant surgery and now can hear Sam's meows, water splashing, birds chirping, the ice cream truck and Michael and I saying I love you. Hannah can tell you her favorite color (pink or purple), request her favorite song (Wheels on The Bus), can count to ten and loves to hear the toaster ding in the morning, letting her know her waffles are ready. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rzVZ9Obxj680GL42kJO1p5QSWotpGsg5UuDvWZtAQTyucn79qBx166FFZCZ0Fij2UKL83necYvRgZIYMaD3hM92L0zOJ7R5uJ4Q2y9rzGZFMwk5ZjU4ur5YhdSz-1gpz6sm-xLYQLIw/s1600/hannah+post+surgery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rzVZ9Obxj680GL42kJO1p5QSWotpGsg5UuDvWZtAQTyucn79qBx166FFZCZ0Fij2UKL83necYvRgZIYMaD3hM92L0zOJ7R5uJ4Q2y9rzGZFMwk5ZjU4ur5YhdSz-1gpz6sm-xLYQLIw/s400/hannah+post+surgery.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Hannah after her surgery on Feb. 29, 2012</i></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I know I haven't blogged in some time to document all of Hannah's accomplishments. Michael and I get to witness such miracles in our every day life. While I had no idea what would be in store, looking back on this past year I'm just so happy for Hannah and so grateful for the amazing support we have received. Hannah is so lucky to have Liz, her amazing speech therapist at the Children's Hearing Institute that pushes all of Hannah's buttons and is really so dedicated to her success. She also has an amazing family support system who teach her new words all the time. On a recent visit to CHI, we were driving along the FDR and Hannah shouted "tunnel, tunnel" when we drove under bridge. I thought I was hearing some baby babble but when we were through, she said, "Bye bye tunnel". I told this to my mom and she takes full credit as she taught her the word on a recent Monday adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Hannah cheering on the Yankees in the 9th inning</i></span></div>
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Hannah has become a lover of music and is so excited each week while at her music class. She likes to sit next to her teacher, Miss Sara and try out all the instruments. She is learning all the names, saying bye bye cymbals or guitar. Her teacher told me that she loves having Hannah in class and said Hannah is really advanced in her talking. Furthermore, Hannah is getting ready for her first New Orleans JazzFest, where she will be able showoff her musical prowess. </div>
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Hannah is such an amazing little girl with a zest for life and learning and she shows no fear and knows no bounds. She's talking and singing her way through the city streets. She has lead many on her renditions of ABCs and Wheels on the Bus, leading her charges by enthusiastically waving her arms in the air. She can string words together, her first real sentence was at Christmas at Uncle Pat and Aunt Christine's house, saying, "I want more candy please" while pointing to a bowl of M&M's. Most recently, Hannah was getting ready to go out with Grandma and Grandpa and she was putting on her mittens but only could find one. She told them, "I want two." Hannah is also really amazing at remember names and I have a feeling she will be an amazing leader in whatever she does. She always calls her friends by their names and greets the doormen by name when she's coming and going. Hannah has a bevy of words to choose from and has come such a long way from her first word, "up". Right now she is repeating back everything and tackles hard words such as xylophone and edamame.</div>
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Also, one-year post her cochlear implant surgery young Miss Hannah is enrolled in a mainstream 2s program with the Early Learning Foundations School on York Avenue. She will be attending classes here in September on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:45 to 11:45 am. We will have to work on revamping her speech schedule but hopefully we will leave room for some fun.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Singing Wheels on the Bus</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Hannah, February 2013</i></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, we recently hit a snag in our journey, what they call a bump in the road. We had an appointment today with her ENT and we confirmed Hannah has an internal stitch near her implant device that is infected and and has become exposed. He is going to have to surgically clean it up. Not the news we wanted on the one-year anniversary of her first surgery. We set the date today for a second surgery on March 11. While we are hopeful that it is only the stitch and the doctor won't find anything wrong with the implant. There is a chance the area around the device is also impacted and he will have to temporarily remove the device. Fortunately she will be able to hear with her right ear while she heals. I'm trying hard to remain positive that it will just be the stitch and hopefully we can put her left processor back soon.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Until then, we will continue to be amazed on a daily basis by our little angel. </span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-1601968921033006662012-10-02T17:47:00.000-07:002012-10-02T19:59:03.264-07:00Walk4Hearing and Team Hannah<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Michael and I, and most of all Hannah, would like to thank all of our amazing friends and family who supported us on the fifth annual Walk4Hearing. Our hearts have truly been touched and we are so humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and generosity over the past several weeks. Hannah is surely one lucky girl and we know how blessed we are. We raised almost $12,000 for The Children's Hearing Institute and The Hearing Loss Association of America and we were one of the top fundraising teams in the country. <span style="background-color: white;">The money we raised will be used to help provide the resources and services as well as improve the quality of life for all our friends and community who have a hearing loss.</span></span><br />
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The day was a beautiful fall day, cool and crisp and thankfully sunny. Well over a thousand gathered at 101st Street in Riverside Park to march the 3 miles together in solidarity. What is most amazing to us about the day is that in the New York area, there are many places children can receive speech therapy and other services (and Hannah has been to a number of them), so it's great to see all the families come together as one. It gives the chance for the kiddos to see each other and the parents to reconnect after a busy summer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Personally for Michael and I, it was just amazing to see how much Hannah has grown in the year since we walked with everyone last year. In 2011, when Hannah was only about 4 months old, we were so new to the deaf and hard of hearing community. We heard about the walk about a week prior and went not knowing what to expect. We clung to Laurie Hanin, the director of the Center for Hearing and Communication, who guided us through and showed us all the possibilities Hannah had in her future. We met MJ and his mom Eileen -- and saw how easily MJ could hear in all the noise. We saw lots of children with various hearing technologies charging up the path, excited to be part of the walk. This year, we're so proud of how much our little girl has grown. She was just one of the little kids skipping along the walk, enjoying her day in the sun with her friends and family. We ran into her little friends along the way and it was just amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We also talked about how many words Hannah can now say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bye Bye</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Aa-rrrraaa....Around</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oooh-pin....Open</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Up</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Down</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Dada</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mama</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sammy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Paaa...Grandpa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">P p p...Please</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I waaa...I want</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ufff....Off</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Uh...Open</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pupu....Push</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Baba...Bubbles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Shhh...Whenever she sees anyone sleeping</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ma....More</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">BoopBooo...Beep Beep</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ooof....Woof</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Aaah...ppul...Apple</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bana...Banana</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hooo-raa...Hooray</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">WoooHooo...Her version of the siren</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In addition, Hannah is a little songstress and can hum along to a variety of tunes and even fill in the words at times. The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle as well as Hello Hannah will elicit a huge smile followed by some Hannah singing and hand gesturing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are some photos from the day Grandpa took. They do an amazing job capturing the day. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Michael, Hannah, me and Steph along the walk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">As if the walk wasn't enough, Hannah played a little pickup hockey </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Team Hannah</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Team Hannah</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">She didn't like his driving so she's going to push her way through the finish line</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your support and generosity!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Much love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jen, Michael and Hannah</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-39402243548280444142012-09-23T19:00:00.001-07:002012-09-23T19:00:49.552-07:00Mr. Met and AG Bell Fall Picnic<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We spent this past weekend with oldish friends and new. We attended the New York Mets 6th annual Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day at Citi Field presented by the Children's Hearing Institute. It was an awesome afternoon with amazing families from CHI as well as Hannah's fabulous speech therapist Liz. The sun was shining bright, the sky was a perfect blue and we enjoyed Shake Shack while sitting in the Delta Club. Hannah even got a lift by Mr. Met. In all there were about 900 hard of hearing kiddos from schools from all over attending the game and some even signed the National Anthem. It was really amazing and Hannah loved running around the stadium. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Children's Hearing Institute's Hear-o's and Mr. Met</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah with Mr. Met but I know she is looking at the Yankee score.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">On Sunday, it was another beautiful day and we drove out to Hartsdale, New York to attend the New York chapter of AG Bell's picnic. We got to meet lots of new families with hearing impaired children, all at different stages along their hearing journeys. It was great to see all the bigger kids play together, running around the park, screaming and laughing with each other. We're so lucky to be part of such a group with supportive families and Hannah can grow up having a great mix of kids in her life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We're very excited for next Sunday and the Walk4Hearing. Go Team Hannah!</span></span></div>
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-43454092565606415862012-09-12T18:39:00.002-07:002012-09-12T18:39:39.861-07:00Meow...Introducing Sammy CakesThere is one special little guy in Hannah's life. His name is Sam. Sam is our furry friend who was the first one to meet Hannah when she arrived home from the hospital and the first one Hannah smiled at when she opened her eyes after her cochlear implant surgery. He has been the most amazing little friend to Hannah, he's gentle and protective and has helped Hannah say MEOW.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah's first visitor</td></tr>
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Michael and I are animal lovers and Sam has enjoyed the years he was the king. But he has taken on his role as big brother with such grace. Hannah too sees Sam as her family. At lunch this week, we were sitting at the table and Hannah looked around and asked "Where?" I told her Sam was sleeping and asked her to turn to Sam's page in her little family photo book. Sure enough, she went right to it. I then showed her a small figurine of a cat and matched it to the picture of Sam. Hannah took the cat figurine from my hands, turned the page in her family photo album to the picture of the three of us and then added the cat figurine. So clever, so creative in her showing me how she sees her family.<br />
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A few weeks before, we were again eating. Sam was also eating, but in the kitchen. He let out a meow, probably trying to get in some extra treats. Without skipping a beat, Hannah meowed back to him. It was so cool.<br />
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I was told that having a pet will be an early indicator on how Hannah can hear. When the cat or dog or other animal makes a noise and the child reacts, you'll know she/he can hear. Seeing Hannah turn when she hears Sam meow is so endearing - seeing how happy he makes her and knowing that she hears him -- is always a reason to celebrate.<br />
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Today is Sammy's 8th birthday and we'll have a little ice cream party to celebrate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best buddies</td></tr>
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Happy birthday Sammy Cakes! We love you!<br />
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-34238714943096967572012-09-11T18:43:00.000-07:002012-09-11T18:43:20.314-07:00FM SystemHannah received her FM system today. I've heard so many wonderful stories about it, how it can really help Hannah hear more clearly in noise, but right now I'm a bit concerned with even more technology.<br />
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The FM is a wireless system that will help Hannah better understand speech in noisy situations - while in her stroller, a classroom, a restaurant or the playground - and over distances within 50 feet. It works like this: The person speaking (her parents, a teacher, a coach) will wear the transmitter microphone or in our case, the transmitter can be placed in the middle of the group to pick up speech from all around. Then the system will use radio waves to send speech signals to Hannah who will be wearing a small receiver attached to her cochlear implant. The result is Hannah will hear the speaker's words directly in their ears, without any distracting background noise, allowing her to enjoy and participate fully in every conversation.<br />
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The FM system comes in two parts - a transmitter and receiver. Hannah will be using Phonak's SmartLink+ transmitter. It features 3 microphone models - superzoom, zoom and omni, the last which will provide a 360 degree setting that picks up sound from around the transmitter. This will be great for family dinners as we can place the transmitter on the table and it can pick up every one's voices.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Transmitter</td></tr>
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Hannah lives in New York City. We do a lot of walking and there is a lot to see and talk about. Unfortunately it's very noisy and hearing clearly can be a challenge for anyone and especially for Hannah. With the FM system I'm really looking forward to walking around with Hannah, showing her the sights and knowing she can hear me loud and clear through all the noise. It's a big relief.</div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-1577388490550878542012-09-11T04:28:00.001-07:002012-09-11T04:28:15.767-07:00Food Attacks and Grandma's BirthdayFall has unofficially begun in New York City and the sidewalks are alive again. What better way to explore the kingdom and learn a little bit more about its history than a food walking tour. That's exactly what we took Hannah on over the weekend. We joined <a href="http://www.sidewalksofny.com/">Sidewalks of New York</a> for a and Hannah really went to town, devouring all the tasty treat along the way, including bagel, pizza, cupcakes, cannolis and rice balls.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This rice ball is delicious. I'll take ten.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Hannah will make a great cannoli tester.</span></td></tr>
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And if that wasn't enough, a few hours later, Hannah got her BBQ on at <a href="http://neelysbbqparlor.com/">Neely's</a> to celebrate her grandma's birthday. Grandma got a special birthday treat this week - a hug from Hannah. What can be better. Hannah developed a particularly close bond with my mom this summer over the Itsy Bitsy Spider, their theme song. My mom would sing it and as she did Hannah would mimic all the hand gestures. This week the song has changed to the Wheels on the Bus and Hannah likes to fill in the blanks with words. This week at speech, Hannah has been playing with figurines representing Grandma and Grandpa, which she is enjoying immensely. She even gave the toy Grandma and kiss.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy birthday Grandma! Love you!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Hannah's third dessert of the day. Life is rough.</span></td></tr>
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Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-5407993195791535052012-09-04T18:31:00.003-07:002012-09-04T18:31:50.066-07:00Hello SeptemberWow, how fast time really does fly! From the last time I've updated on Hannah's journey so much has happened. I can now say I've gone from being a total nervous nellie to totally excited for Hannah. That's not to say that I'm not going to worry. If there is one thing Michael and I took away from the AG Bell conference in July is that you can never rest on your child's accomplishments. We need to stay vigilant and make sure Hannah is hitting all of her milestones. But as Hannah has progressed, I'm feeling a lot more comfortable teaching Hannah to talk, to listen and I have found my own way to be Hannah's mom, which I will get into later.<br />
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Most importantly, Hannah is progressing nicely and is flourishing. She is saying new words...such as around, wait, please, to name a few...and is understanding simple commands like, "Hannah can you brush the baby's hair?" She is also amazing at discriminating between sounds, and able to pick out with ease which animals says BAAAA vs. MOOOO vs. QUACK QUACK. She also is an expert at Meow thanks to her kitty Sam. Last week we were at a <a href="http://www.lilyogisnyc.com/">baby yoga class</a> when Hannah pulled a cat out of the bag and she proudly said Meow in front of the class. I was so proud.<br />
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Hannah is also letting us know when she hears things both in our apartment and outside. So when a plane whizzes past or a taxi goes beep, Hannah will point to her ear and approximate the words, "I hear it."<br />
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Another amazing achievement is her singing. Hannah has always loved music and music relaxes her. She has hummed the words to her Hello song and now she participates in songs like "If You're Happy and You Know It" by clapping her hands, patting her head when she listens to someone sing. She also says round and round and shhh shhh to the appropriate parts of "Wheels on The Bus."<br />
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Hannah is also walking, or rather running towards anything. We recently got her a baby doll stroller so she could push through the city. You can catch her walking with pride, waving to folks along the way. It's so cute to see.<br />
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I know all this progress came with a lot of hard work by Hannah and to the amazing speech therapy services she has been receiving. But we reached a point where we thought it was too much therapy and not enough time for Hannah to just be a kid. While we increased speech services through EI at NYEE, we had to say good bye to the Center where Hannah began. We wanted give her more time to go to story hours, museums, play in the park and get dirty. Hannah has an unbelievable zest for life, she is open to enjoying new experiences -- and living in Manhattan offers just that. I've learned so much over the past 15 months, more than I have ever learned about life and I know I can help her progress even further. We have also enrolled Hannah in a couple of mainstream programs. She will be enjoying a musical animal adventures program at <a href="http://www.theartfarms.org/">The Art Farms in the City</a> as well as gymnastics at <a href="http://www.nykidsclub.com/">NY Kids Club</a>.<br />
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We're really looking forward to the fall.<br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-63774747888832648392012-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:002012-08-22T06:09:30.820-07:00Team Hannah<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Michael and I became involved with the Hearing Loss Association of America's (HLAA) Walk4Hearing in New York City last year when Hannah was only 4 months old. She was already diagnosed with profound hearing loss and was wearing her hearing aids. This world was so new to us but to see so many children and their families was so inspiring and has become a tremendous support system to us. It has been quite a busy year since our last walk - Hannah received her cochlear implants about six month ago and she is flourishing. We're so proud of her and all of her hard work. Along the way, we have come to know so many amazing people - both families and professionals and we have been so lucky to experience so many wonderful services that are available to help Hannah along her hearing journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This year, Michael and I decided to form Team Hannah to raise money and help spread the word that hearing loss will not limit Hannah's growth but instead can be used to empower her and other children in NYC like her to live a full life. The money raised will also benefit one of Hannah's school's, The Children's Hearing Institute, where she attends her speech therapy sessions three times a week as well as receives all of her audiology services. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We are so fortunate to have so many friends and family who have supported our journey, but Hannah's journey is just beginning. To help in our endeavor in raising awareness, we would love you to join Team Hannah on Sunday, September 30, at Riverside Park, NYC (W. 97th Street and Riverside Dr.) Registration begins at 9 and the 3.1 mile walk will kickoff at 10 am.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Walk4Hearing increases awareness about hearing loss, helps to eradicate the stigma associated with it and raises funds to provide information and support for people with hearing loss. Since 2006, the Walk4Hearing has raised more than $5 million and has become the largest walk for hearing taking place in cities across the United States.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For more information on the Hearing Loss Association of America, please visit <a href="http://www.hearingloss.org./">HLAA</a> and for more information on Hannah's school, The Children's Hearing Institute, please click <a href="http://childrenshearing.org/">CHI</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks so much!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Love,Jen, Michael and especially Hannah</span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-87521395830453328812012-07-26T18:26:00.001-07:002012-07-26T18:26:13.958-07:00Splish Splash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hannah made quite a splash this week. She now has no fear with the sprinklers or just about any body of water. Just a few weeks ago you couldn't put her near water beyond the bathtub without her feet becoming alligator-like. Now, she screams more with delight than fear and as soon as we are close to the sprinklers at the playground I can't get her out of her stroller fast enough. I'm so glad she likes the water, especially with this crazy, hot summer.</div>
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I'm especially excited that the cochlear implants she wears by Advanced Bionics, <a href="http://www.advancedbionics.com/com/en/Neptune/waterproof_technology.html">The Neptune</a>, is the only swimmable implant available. What this means is Hannah will be able to hear when she is in the water - be it the bath, the pool, the beach and the sprinklers. While it's of course more fun to be hearing, it goes without saying how much safer she will be. Hannah will never know the difference, she will only know that she can hear in the water. But for so many kids this summer, this will be the first summer they can hear while running through the sprinkler and I'm so happy for them. </div>
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Hannah wears the same processors she wears all day, we just need to swap out the head piece for the water proof one. Hannah will always know what it means to hear in the water as she was implanted at the same time the Neptune became available in the US. And I love that she is able to hear herself laugh and sing and hear the kids around her as well. </div>
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It makes me wonder too what new, amazing advancement Hannah will get to enjoy that will be a game changer for her the way the Neptune is for countless other children and adults.</div>
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These pictures were taken by my Dad at <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/johnjaypark/">John Jay Park</a> near our apartment. Enjoy! She sure did.</div>
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-34332197259116329562012-07-25T08:30:00.001-07:002012-07-25T08:30:18.123-07:00Birthday Celebration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had a pretty fabulous weekend. It was Michael's birthday and we spent the weekend frolicking around Manhattan. Michael is such an amazing dad - he's attentive, loving and always has Hannah in fits of laughter. He even makes washing up after one of his yummy meals fun. I'm pretty sure Hannah's determination and fierce independence comes from her Dad. </div>
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We celebrated Michael's birthday by brining the greater outdoors to the urban jungle. We spent some time at <a href="http://www.citytreehouse.com/">The City Tree House</a>, a hidden playroom that is centered around a treehouse. In the tree house there was a hidden cave illuminated with stars that Hannah wasn't too sure about until two older kids went in. There was also a small water flume where Hannah enjoyed splashing around with balls in the cool water. After the tree house, we walked along the <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/">The High Line</a>, an elevated park in Chelsea, and enjoyed the unique city views. Summer seems to be a great time to visit as the <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/pdf/12_07_Bloom%20List.pdf">lush plants and trees</a> was a cool juxtaposition against the city backdrop. Hannah really enjoyed taking off her shoes and splashing along a shallow stream of water gushing along the sidewalk. </div>
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Of course, it wouldn't be a birthday without lots and lots of good meals. After the long walk, we went and got our BBQ on at <a href="http://bluesmoke.com/">Blue Smoke</a> in Battery Park City. It's a great restaurant for kids. They gave Hannah an adorable pig-shaped piece of cookie dough that she could sprinkle herself and they would bake for her to eat for dessert. The next morning Michael made Hannah a special "H" pancake and it was delicious. </div>
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Happy birthday to you Daddy! I love you so much!!!</div>
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-41145019724852616082012-07-21T19:18:00.000-07:002012-07-21T19:18:19.972-07:00Me and Grandma Down By The School Yard<br />
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We had a great day with you on Monday Hannah dear, especially when we went to the park and you got into your swimming attire for a run through the sprinklers. Well actually Mom did the running, but it looked like fun.</div>
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Of course you played on the swings and the climbing towers but we all enjoyed the image of grandma taking you by the hand (or you taking grandma by the hand) into the schoolyard for a pickup basketball game. You would’ve won if they gave you the ball. Next time for sure.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Ending the day with ice cream. Not a bad ending. What’s not to like?<u></u><u></u></div>
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Grandpa<u></u><u></u></div>
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<br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-64709811035670586172012-07-18T10:34:00.001-07:002012-07-18T10:34:34.614-07:00Hot Town Summer In The City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We are living through the Hot, Hazy, Humid and Hannah days of summer. Not that you haven't noticed. We're trying to stay as cool as possible in the greater air-conditioned indoors, but sometimes a young girl needs to be outside and playing. </div>
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Hannah and I enjoyed an afternoon at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/st-catherines-park-new-york">St. Catherine's Park</a>, a local playground by us, with Grandma and Grandpa. Hannah got to show them her adorable walking skills as she sashayed through the sprinklers. Of course, what would a summer afternoon be without sidewalk chalk and swings. We ended the day with a real treat - chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Yummy!</div>
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Thankfully the fourth heat wave of the summer is supposed to end today and we can soon venture out and enjoy more of the outdoors.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-29659991099693458442012-07-16T19:34:00.000-07:002012-07-16T19:34:01.503-07:00Sing Me A SongHannah has been wearing her Cochlear Implants on the right ear for nearly four months and on the left for about three months. It's hard to believe how quickly time passes by and how many new sounds Hannah is now producing. We marvel at each one and are so proud of how hard our little girl is working.<br />
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Hannah's first word was "UP" and we were so thrilled when she would say it. Everything was up. When Michael came home at night, he was greeted by Hannah calling him "UP". But now she is using it with meaning. For instance, when she sees monkeys playing she points to them and says "UP", when a toy falls down she tells Mommy and Daddy "UP" and when she is done eating she says "UP" to come up and out of the high chair. Some other words she is now using with meaning is "OPEN" or "Ohh-p" which is exciting because it's two syllables. When doors and elevators need to be opened, Hannah lets us know what she wants. Hannah is also waving and saying "BYE-BYE".<br />
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Hannah is also babbling much more. Sounds like "MAMAMAMAMA", "BABABABABA", "DADADADADA" and "RARARARARA" are part of her everyday talk. It sounds so much like she's excited to share a story about her day with us. It's just wonderful to hear her sweet voice.<br />
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One of the most exciting things Michael and I heard over the weekend was Hannah singing a song. There is a "Hello" song she has been hearing in her therapy sessions that goes something like this: "Hello Hannah, Hello Hannah, Hello Hannah, Hello and How Are You?" There is the same pattern with a "Good Bye" song as well. On Friday morning, I brought Hannah over to her stuffed animal collection from The Central Park Zoo to say Good Morning to them. She carried it with her to get her diaper changed and started to sing the song in her babble voice to the spotted leopard she grabbed. It was just amazing and she's been singing the song all weekend long.<br />
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Hannah also took a hearing test at Friday. She did great in the hearing booth, turning when she heard the sounds to the drumming panda much like she did when she was activated with her CI's. Her hearing took a slight dip in the higher frequencies. She now has hearing ranging from 15 to 35 decibels. Her programs were readjusted and hopefully we will start to see the "EEEE" and "SHHHH" sound emerge. Her next hearing test is Sept. 14.<br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-19037175611986370342012-07-12T22:56:00.000-07:002012-07-12T22:57:45.880-07:00The Sounds of Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first time I went to Coney Island, my brother and I ran directly into the water. My Dad warned us not to because we didn't have anything dry to change back into for our drive back home. Oh well...live and learn. Since that day, the sound of crashing waves have always been soothing for me and has lured me back to Coney Island many times. </div>
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I couldn't wait to take Hannah to Coney Island. There are so many sounds for her to soak up. The Cyclone as it roars through the sky, the ort oct of the seals, the music coming out of the boom boxes, the laughter, the wind blowing off the ocean. As we strolled down the boardwalk, Hannah was already sitting at the edge of her stroller, greeting the world with her amazing smile. The whole world is now hers to dream, to explore, to hear. </div>
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This past Monday, my parents were also able to joined our escapades. One of the highlights was Miss Hannah going on her first rides. BY HERSELF. I can't take how quickly she is growing up and how independent she is becoming. I love how free-spirited and fun Hannah is and I love watching her soak up life. Next year, I'm predicting she'll sit in the front row of The Cyclone. </div>
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After the rides, we hit up the beach. Hannah is slowing building up her feel for the sand under her feet. For a city girl, pavement is more her speed. </div>
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We also went for lunch at <a href="http://www.spumonigardens.com/home.html">L&B Spumoni Gardens</a> for their famous pizza. I goofed by not ordering the "square" pizza and opted for the traditional round pie. It was so mouth-watering delicious. Hannah had a few bites and judging by her smile, we'll be back for the square pie. After, we indulged in the Pistachio Spumoni which was pretty spectacular. </div>
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This is Hannah's first summer where she can actually hear all the sounds. Her smiles tell it all, she is loving them. My Dad's photos below capture it all.</div>
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<br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-29483110460597770382012-07-08T18:40:00.002-07:002012-07-11T15:57:32.050-07:00Family Potluck Picnic with CHC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today we attended CHC's first annual family picnic in Central Park. It was an awesome day, filled with lots of families, both familiar and new, as well as the Center's speech therapists and executive director. I call it a family picnic because obviously of all the families that were there, but the Center has also become a family to us. We have been taking Hannah to CHC since she was about 3 months old and it's such a tremendous place of love and support. They have taught us so much about hearing, children and have helped us in more ways than I have the words for. I love it so much there and I'm so thrilled Hannah will learn how to listen, how to communicate and how to hear at the Center. CHC is such a huge part of all our lives and we're so thankful.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah loving all the delicious salads at the First Annual CHC Family Picnic<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great afternoon with our CHC family in Central Park</td></tr>
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-64252363860374744742012-07-05T18:26:00.001-07:002012-07-05T18:26:30.745-07:00Happy Birthday AmericaTo celebrate the fourth of July, we took Hannah to a baseball game to see the Brooklyn Cyclones. We savored over hot dogs, french fries and ice cream. It doesn't get any more American than that. This game marks Hannah's third baseball game in just as many boroughs. She loved all the sights and sounds, the smells and especially enjoyed hearing all about the national pastime. <div>
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While the Cyclones were pouring on the runs, Hannah played a little game of her own called "Peek-A-Boo" with my brand new Brooklyn Cyclones hat. She can play this game all day and loves when you say "Ahhhh" when you (or she) is hiding and "Boo" for the big reveal. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ahhhhh"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Boo"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And again...</td></tr>
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We stayed the full nine innings but Hannah took a good snooze for the seventh inning stretch. She missed the fireworks after the game, but she is our little fire cracker all the time.</div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-80640038334626352982012-07-03T18:47:00.002-07:002012-07-04T08:20:13.152-07:00Group TherapyHannah's already busy schedule just got even busier this summer. In addition to her 4 hours of individual therapy a week at both <a href="http://www.chchearing.org/">CHC</a> and <a href="http://nyee.org/">NYEE</a>, Hannah takes part in a group session at CHC twice a week with 5-7 hearing impaired children her age. Our first session was today with Fara, who is her individual speech therapist, and Anita, her audiologist when she was wearing hearing aids. The group was a lot of fun, they sang songs, played with blocks and Hannah's personal favorite, shook things up with a parachute. The goal of these group sessions is to teach the children how to listen in noisy environments and listen to their peers. Since so much of Hannah's therapy involves one-on-one with an adult, the group is a fun change. Hannah seemed to enjoy the new atmosphere and she was able to keep her focus on the activity in the noisy environment.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-33060658980036038572012-07-02T18:38:00.000-07:002012-07-04T08:34:19.404-07:00AG Bell Conference in Scottsdale, ArizonaThis past weekend, we went to the <a href="http://www.agbell.org/">AG Bell</a> conference in Scottsdale, Arizona and had such an amazing, inspiring time. While Hannah was experiencing her first child's program on her own, Michael and I attended various sessions such as advances in hearing technology, growing up with a cochlear implant, reading to children and how to have an effective 60 minute therapy session. We had the opportunity to meet and talk with lots of industry leaders including speech therapists, audiologists, early interventionists and parents from around the country, all sharing ideas and best practices. We met extraordinary people full of so much passion and learned so much about different ways to introduce language to Hannah and just how important repetition is. Normal hearing kids hear 24 hours a day, as there are no "earlids" -- so the brain is always absorbing the information channeled through the ear. But for people with hearing aids and cochlear implants, they are missing access to sound when their technologies are turned off.<br />
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The best part of the conference was meeting other parents, especially those with children a little older than Hannah and getting their advice on the road ahead. One thing we realized is how lucky we are to be living in New York City where Hannah receives the very best care in her hearing journey. We heard stories of families from the middle of the country who were told that their hearing impaired children would only sign and wouldn't be able to talk and it was the parents who researched and fought hard to get their kids an oral education.<br />
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While we know that early implantation is great and important for her overall development, one thing for sure is we will not let Hannah rest on her successes. We need make sure all of her hearing needs are met throughout her educational career. We are going to be Hannah's strongest advocates to help her be the best she can be, even when the test scores show how well she is doing.<br />
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After attending the various sessions, we were able to enjoy some family time where Hannah enjoyed the pools at the resort. While previous pool visits were not here favoirte, the 113 degree temperatures melted away any lingering resistance. We splashed and laughed and eventually Hannah felt safe enough to fall into the water from the side of the pool. We even enjoyed a few trips around the lazy river, though her aqua mics took a trip by themselves. Yikes! Luckily, Michael was able to recover them.<br />
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We had such an amazing time and would recommend this conference to anyone on the fence thinking about attending. We loved meeting everyone from Advanced Bionics (Hannah's CI manufacturer) and our new AG Bell family. We can't wait until Disney World in 2014.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-979794074074370572012-05-14T19:31:00.001-07:002012-05-14T19:53:20.600-07:00Mother's Day Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mother's Day was extra special to me this year. It was my first Mother's Day with my precious little angel Hannah Rose. I can't lie and say I downplayed this holiday. Just the opposite. I had plans, big plans of marking this special occasion. I was super excited about my first Mother's Day and I needed the entire weekend to celebrate and do something special with Hannah and Michael. I've been Hannah's mom for almost a year and although my rookie year is almost over, I just love this little girl to bits. Being Hannah's mom has been a pure joy. She is the most amazing little girl I've ever known and being Hannah's mom is such an honor. She is one special little lady.</div>
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To kick the weekend off, we took the subway to Brooklyn and visited the New York Aquarium and Coney Island. Michael and I went to Coney Island pre-Hannah and I just love the carnival-like atmosphere. From the aquatic life to the taste of Nathan fries, I was sure Hannah's senses would love it just as much. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The New York Aquarium was filled with lots of new sounds and sights for Hannah and it was exciting just to see her discover the world around her. She came face-to-face with sharks and turtles and got to enjoy a show with sea lions.</span></div>
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Afterward the Aquarium, we walked around and took Hannah to some of Coney Island's famous scenes.<br />
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Hannah got a new stuffed animal, this one a colorful frog we named Andy. I think she likes him.<br />
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On Sunday, we enjoyed brunch with Grandma and Grandpa at Fishtail. We went to this restaurant last year for Mother's Day, which was two days before my due date. It was a thrill to now have Hannah join us. We enjoyed the lobster and Hannah was "forced to eat chocolate cheesecake lollipops.<br />
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We ended the day at Central Park, testing out the grass. All in all it was a pretty perfect weekend.<br />
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<span id="goog_619745687"></span><span id="goog_619745688"></span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-70470676190139548072012-05-06T17:49:00.001-07:002012-05-06T18:56:34.660-07:00Grandparents Day at CHC<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Wednesday, May 2, was Grandparents day at the Center for Communication and Hearing. It was a delightful and educational day for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hannah is so at home here. When she arrived she was the center of everyone attention. She seems to know everyone there and she loves the doting that's bestowed upon her . I feel so comfortable that this environment was so welcoming to her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">First we went to her therapy session with Farrah. Farrah is a wonderful therapist who seems to know Hannah very well. First Hannah waved her hand at Farrah, then she looked at Mommy and to my delight, Farrah said "Say hello to Grandma", Hannah looked at me and waved and blew her awesome kisses. Hannah's go to word right now is"up"and she usually uses it appropriately, especially when something is dropped on the floor. She's learning words, such as in, out, open, shut, push. She played with a doll and we all sang la la la as the baby was rocked and put to sleep. She's learning the Shhhhh sound.and the ooo sound. Hannah has quite a long attention span. She played with us for about forty minutes without showing any crankiness. Farrah shut the lights to demonstrate the shhhh sound. This did not frighten Hannah at all. In fact she looked at me in the dark, smiled , and waved like the Queen of England. I don't mean to sound grandmotherly, but I think she's gifted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After about forty minutes, Laurie Hanin, the executive director of CHC had me come out and observe the rest of Hannah's therapy session through a one way mirror. Laurie talked about the progress that Hannah was making. She told me that her development is equal to any other eleven month old. She told me that she will definitely be main streamed in whatever school setting Jennifer and Michael choose for her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hannah is a star. She's making wonderful progress. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After my session with Laurie, I had my own hearing test. By some fluke I passed, which is strange because I'm often told by people that I don't listen. And these are the people who love me the most.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Next I took a tour of the facility with Nancy Nadler, Director of Development. There are not only programs for children Hannah's age, but there are also programs for school age children, adolescents, teenagers and adults. We went to audiology rooms which were designed to make children feel at ease and not intimidated. There was a simulated living space where people with hearing loss can learn to adapt to their own living environment. I was especially impressed with a room that was designed by an architect and a sound engineer to help people with hearing devices adapt to such settings as a noisy restaurant, an office or a sporting event.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Grandparents Day last spring in Central Park</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I feel very reassured that Hannah is in such a wonderful environment with caring and highly professional people. I'm writing this on Jennifer's blog for Mom mom and Pop pop who are in Florida, and for Grandpa who is recovering from hip replacement surgery. You were all in my thoughts so I share this with you.</span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-78286176642288900322012-04-22T19:59:00.001-07:002012-04-23T18:40:55.699-07:0011 Months, Left Ear Activation and Near Perfection on the Right<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hannah turned 11 months on Friday, hard to believe. I can already start to feel the wave of emotions as I think about her first year coming to a close. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah is 11 months</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We started the day with Megan, Hannah's audiologist. It was a two-part appointment as we missed the third mapping earlier in the week when Hannah was sick. The first part was to officially test and see where Hannah's hearing stood after a month of wearing her implant. To do this, Megan felt Hannah was ready to go into a hearing booth. Then after her right ear was tested and mapped, we were going to finally activate her left ear, almost two months after her surgery. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Megan wanted to see how Hannah would do in a sound booth since she responded so well during the first two mappings. Hannah sat on my lap and listened to a series of different beeps and sounds that were piped directly into her implant. This was a more controlled setting than the previous mappings and would give a more clear picture of how Hannah was hearing and how softly Hannah could hear. Hannah did really well, turning to looking at the drumming panda in the box like she did during the mapping sessions. When it was over, Megan came into the room with a huge smile, saying she was really pleased. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Megan showed us Hannah's audiogram, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">a graph that shows the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies</span>. Hannah is now hearing almost at normal levels in her right ear! It is in the upper range of the hearing banana. She was now hearing between 20 and 30 decibels with her cochlear implants, from 50-70 with her hearing aids and 90-110 unaided. What this means is that Hannah could now hear all the sounds in the speech banana, from the low to the highs and everything in between. Needless to say, I cried. This is a true miracle.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To see Hannah's unaided audiogram, click <a href="file:///Users/jenniferweitzman/Desktop/Hearing%20Test%201-5-12.webarchive">here</a>. To see Hannah's new audiogram with the cochlear implants, click <a href="file:///Users/jenniferweitzman/Desktop/Hearing%20Test%204-20-12.webarchive">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After, the right ear, Hannah's left ear was activated much like her right ear. Hannah's right ear processor was now removed and Megan only worked on her left one. After various tones piped directly into her left implant to test Hannah's threshold on the left side, the base levels were set and we will gradually bump up the sound on the left side during the week while only tweaking the right. Here's a small sampling of her left ear activation. Note in the video how Hannah's says "Up" when she drops a toy. She's such a smart cookie.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hannah now has two Neptunes - two headmics and two processors attached to her tiny body. It's a lot of equipment, it's a lot of times they fall off. But we are seeing our little girl come alive with sound and it is glorious. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Afterwards, Hannah and I headed uptown to visit Grandpa in the hospital where he was recouping from hip replacement surgery that morning. Hannah, you sure brought a smile to my Daddy's face!</span><br />
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</div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-37159690126938674562012-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:002012-04-23T09:02:58.524-07:00Mama I'm SickHannah caught her first virus. I just wanted to snuggle with her and make it go away. From Sunday night through Tuesday Hannah had some sort of stomach virus that sent her temperature soaring to 104.3. But, BUT Hannah gave me a gift. She uttered the word Mama today. She knows I'm her Mama, but may not know to call me that as everything is mama. I don't care, she will. I just love hearing her voice. It's so beautiful.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-12103098920805289422012-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:002012-04-23T18:49:39.635-07:00Hannah's First Subway Ride to The StadiumI remember my first Yankee game. It was 1977. The price of gas was .66 and the number one song in the land was Rod Stewart's Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright). I remember my father explaining to my as we were filling our Gremlin's tank that the Yankees were playing the Detroit Tigers in a double header. He told me we didn't have to stay for the whole game, that the second game was free. True to form, we stayed for both games. We sat under the bright blue sky for hours, it was one of the most magical days. My dad and I have returned to Yankee stadium numerous times over the years, including the 2001 World Series, when the Yankees played the Arizona Diamondbacks.<br />
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The love of going to a Yankee game is also shared with Michael. So taking our child to Yankee Stadium was a day we have been looking forward to experiencing since I was pregnant. There would be no doubt which team he or she would be rooting for. After all, Hannah will be a fourth generation Yankee fan in our family. We're such Yankees fans, that when we found out we could see the Mets play in early May with Center for Hearing and Communication, both of our first reactions was "No way would Hannah's first baseball game be with the Mets" and immediately bought Yankee tickets for a game before the Mets.<br />
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We left for the Stadium bright and early on Saturday. It would be Hannah's first subway ride too. We navigated all the stairs at the 59th Street subway stop and got out in the Boogie Down. Like in 1977, the day was beautiful, bright and sunny. We were like kids in a candy store, excited to share with Hannah Yankee lore and Lobel's. We got to our seats about 20 minutes before the first pitch, took our photos and ate our lunch. Hannah was asleep by the first pitch.<br />
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Hannah woke up by the fourth inning, but the Yankee bats were still asleep. Hannah didn't seem to mind. She just has a zest for life and started her waving and smiling. What a ham. By the 9th inning, with the Yankee down 7-1, Yankee Stadium was quiet except for Hannah, a true Yankee fan.<br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-83705028482011385442012-04-09T19:23:00.002-07:002012-04-09T19:23:35.711-07:00NYC Exodus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hannah and I celebrated her Passover in New Jersey with Grandma and Grandpa. Michael had a wedding in Cape May so us ladies were on our own. Hannah had been practicing the Seder all week and she rose to the occasion on Friday night. Maybe next year she can read the four questions. She also got to try all sorts of new foods like matzah brie and matzah balls, which she particularly loved and which made Grandma very happy. Three days of photographing Hannah made Grandpa very happy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passover practice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All this Matzah is making me gassy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah's first Matzah Ball. Diagnosis: Delicious.</td></tr>
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Michael came bac to join us on Sunday and we went to the Duck Pond in Ridgewood, NJ. It was really great there and Hannah had a lot of fun on the swings and slides. She came face-to-face with some pretty aggressive ducks and we made some loud quaking sounds of our own.<br />
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The weekend ended with a trip to New York Eye & Ear Infirmary on Sunday afternoon. Hannah's incision on her left ear got red and a little swollen and we thought it best to get checked out. I was so nervous there could be something wrong with the implant and she would have to have it removed. Fortunately for Hannah, it turned out that one of the stitched never dissolved and it caused a little swelling. She had to have it drained and she was not happy. After a day on antibiotics and some ointment, the incision looks much better and I'm feeling much better. I'm glad we got it checked out.<br />
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I hope everyone had a happy and sweet Passover and Easter.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600670127814057469.post-14699089569029901942012-04-03T19:26:00.000-07:002012-04-23T09:18:42.517-07:00Thank you, First World and More Encouraging SignsA HUGE thank you to everyone for all the heartfelt messages about Hannah's TV debut and sharing in her activation day. Our phones and Email and Facebook accounts have been ablaze with so many kind words. Hannah is one lucky little girl to have so much loving support.<br />
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We had a small viewing party at our apartment for Hannah's TV debut. We shared the special moment with Grandma and Grandpa and later Hannah's friend Parker came over and we got to watch the show again. I thought the newscast came out great and Dr. Max Gomez did an amazing job telling Hannah's hearing journey. I think he should definitely do a followup in a few years.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Hannah, me and Parker</i></span></div>
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A week after her initial activation, this past Thursday, Hannah had her second mapping appointment with her audiologist Megan. Megan gave Hannah a new set of programs based on what Hannah was comfortable hearing now. Since Hannah had been using the Neptunes for a week, and slowly getting used to the new sound, she was ready for more volume. As a result of the increased sound this past week, she has become more animated, turns to sounds - both loud and soft and has been even practicing a couple of new sounds.<br />
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Hannah is lighting up the room with her charming personality. Since she has gotten her Neptune sound processors almost two weeks ago, she has been so darn happy. She waves to everyone, flashing her pearly whites in the biggest smile. Everyone she meets or passes in the street are just dazzled by her. She was always pretty friendly, but we have definitely noticed she's even more animated. My parents took Hannah to lunch and the entire staff at the restaurant raved about what a cute, happy baby Hannah is.<br />
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This past Saturday, we took her to music class at Three Little Birds. She just loves the music class. Hannah seemed a little more comfortable, a bit more confident. For the first time Hannah crawled to the middle of the room to look at the map (each week, the music theme is based on a different state and the class starts with the teacher showing the children a map of the US). She also was more responsive when the teacher. The pianist told Michael and I she has seen a big change in Hannah this week.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Hannah checking out the bassoon.</i></span></div>
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Also, another encouraging sign happened today during speech therapy. Hannah is now responding to soft sounds. Liz plays a toy CD player that plays soft music that until today Hannah hasn't responded to yet. Today, on several occasions Hannah turned to the soft sound. This was amazing. You have to remember that Hannah's hearing is like a baby who is only 10 days old who generally don't respond to sounds. Also encouraging, Hannah played the "learning to listen" game with Liz where Hannah picks a special small toys from a drum. The small toy is associated with a sound. A boat is toooot, the cow moooo, a baby doll lalala and wahhhh, a bunny is hop hop hop. After Hannah went through all the small toys, Liz held up two toys, one in each hand, and promoted Hannah with one of the sounds. Hannah's job was to choose the toy associated with the sound. So Liz held the boat (Hannah's favorite) and a doll and Liz said wahhhh. Hannah looked at each one and picked the baby doll. We did this for the remaining four toys, two more times and my girl got it right each time. GO HANNAH!<br />
Even more, Hannah produced her first word: UP! While playing with the spinning Pooh toy, Hannah said UP to indicate she wanted the Poo to pop back up. </div>
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Later on that day and more encouraged, Hannah and I were playing in her room and I made some sounds with some of Hannah's noise makers and Hannah turned to the sound. She's also talking more both with me and when she's by herself.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Enjoying a spring afternoon in the tulips along Park Avenue.</i></span></div>
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I can't wait for the sounds to keep coming!</div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439748658511761756noreply@blogger.com3