Daddy's Girl

Last Wednesday, Michael was able to attend one of Hannah's therapy sessions. We were lucky enough to have Liz available in the evening so her Daddy could see how hard his little girl is working. Hannah started her therapy session a few minutes before Michael got there so Liz had him knock at the door. When Hannah turned to see him, she was at first slightly confused to see him at her place of work, but quickly enjoyed showing off to her Daddy.

Daddy's little girl.

Liz told us that Michael's deep voice would be easier for Hannah to hear. It's upsetting to know that your little girl can't hear you sing to her, talk to her as clearly as you hoped, but soon enough her cochlear implants will hopefully change all of that.

We again worked with the surprise drum that had the six different "learning to listen" sounds - the ball, the baby doll, Sophie, the boat, the dog and the cow. When she reached for the boat, Liz said, "Toot" to Hannah and eventually we heard a new sound from Hannah. She gave us an "oooo" when she was playing with the boat. It was a very exciting moment indeed.

Hannah also played with a sing-a-long piano like the one below. After we LaLaLa'd along with some of the familiar songs, Hannah began to explore the toy. Michael talked aloud as if he were Hannah, which Liz really liked. She said by talking to Hannah using words and sentences as if she were the one doing the talking would expand her vocabulary by introducing lots and lots of descriptive words.

Hannah's musical piano.

It was so so great having Michael attend Hannah's therapy session. Hannah's sessions are during the day which make it difficult for Michael to attend them a consistent basis. He works long hours each week, working hard to make sure we have everything our family needs. I know how much he's looking forward to hearing Hannah call out Daddy and explaining to her the virtues of The Grateful Dead and The Yankees!

One Busy Girl

Hard to believe, but Hannah's busy schedule just got even busier. Michael and I decided to switch her speech therapy to New York Eye & Ear (NYEE) from The Clarke School. There were several reasons for the switch, but mostly because Hannah's therapy sessions at NYEE are now an hour long from a half an hour and her audiologist Megan and Dr. Alexiades also are a part of NYEE. I like the team approach. Her speech therapist at NYEE is Liz and she comes with over 40-years experience working with hard of hearing kiddos. When she first greeted Hannah on our first day, she said to Hannah, "Let's go to work" I felt we were in great hands that will help Hannah learned how to listen, hear and speak.

So now her schedule is Monday and Wednesday from 9-10 am with Jessica at CHC, Tuesday from 10-11 am and Thursday from 9-10 am with Liz at NYEE and Fridays mornings from 9-10 we continue at The Clarke School for group therapy with Sara and Cassie. Both Jessica and Liz are really special and amazing for Hannah. They both take cues from Hannah's playing and gear the session to what Hannah is saying or doing. It amazes me each time how simple toys like a push-toy with balls can spur so many words.

The tumble and twirl toy below is one of Hannah's newer favorites. A fun, colorful toy like this will teach Hannah words like "push", "stop", "eyes", "butterfly", "wee" "open", "shut", "ball", "in", "out", "up" and "down" as well as some colors and numbers.

Today, during our session with Liz, Hannah explored a range of vocalizations (al, lala, jaja, mmm) when paired with play routines. She primarily responses to low frequency sounds like banging, but it is our hopes this will change and Hannah will also hear the high frequency sounds like Ssss so she can say her big brother Sam's name. One of our goals is to pair changes in the duration and syllable number to everyday routines so Hannah can understand the differences in rhythm. Another goal is to wait for any type of vocalization from Hannah so she displays her intentions for a desired actions like picking up something that has fallen.

On our second visit with Liz Hannah seemed to comprehend the word "bang". Liz hid a number of toys, including Sophie, the beloved giraffe, Pluto the dog, a baby doll, a ship, a ball and a cow into a vintage (1979) Fisher Price drum. Liz would help Hannah open the drum and Hannah picked out which toy interested her. Liz assigned a sound, bark for the dog, LaLa for the giraffe and so on. In between each toy, Liz would shout out, "Bang, Bang Bang" and would bang on the drum and Hannah copied. On about the third or fourth toy reveal, Liz said bang bang bang and Hannah switch gears and went back to the drum and banged on it. It was pretty cool.

Vintage toy drum used in today's session with Liz available on Etsy.com

Hannah has always had a very long attention span and it really is amazing to see her so focused during these hour-long sessions. I don't think my high school or college classes were an hour and I do remember watching the clock on several occasions (especially during math classes) and wondering when the bell will ring. She can play with a single toy for about a half an hour before she gets bored and want to move on to something else.

I never expected to spend my first year as a new mom taking my baby to speech therapy each morning. There are some early mornings when I just want to sleep in and put the covers over me. But these next few years are so critical for Hannah's speech and language development, I wouldn't think of missing a day. I am and will always be thankful we live in New York City where Hannah receives the best care - we see the best therapists, audiologists and doctors and have every opportunity to succeed.

Feelin' Groovy

It's been a busy couple of days.

Now that Hannah's surgery date is set (Wednesday, February 29th) and her cochlear implant device is selected (we are going with Advanced Bionics), Michael and I breathed a little bit easier this weekend. Difficult decisions are always hard and they are made even harder when you are talking about your 8-month baby and picking out a medical device for her that she will be wearing for the rest of her life. We felt much relief that we crossed that hurdle and are excited for what's in store for Hannah. Although I almost feel I'm past the panic/overwhelmed stage and ready to run with this, I'm sure there's going to be moments (hopefully not many) in the days ahead where I'm anxious but I can't wait for Hannah to experience sound.

On Friday, at group Hannah reached another milestone. HANNAH CRAWLED. Well, I wouldn't exactly say she would take a gold medal just yet, but she did make it a few yards. There were a few toys that were left unattended and Hannah saw her opportunity and went for it. I like that in my girl. She got up on her knees, surveyed the land, then dropped and sort up dragged herself "wounded soldier like" to the toys. It sure was exciting watching Hannah "Go, Go, GO" but I'm sure this new stage will really keep Michael and I (and Sam too) on our toes (and paws).

I'll have a video shortly. I just can't figure out the technology aspect. Yet.

Saturdays are my favorite days of the week. I used to look forward to Saturday afternoons because we could sleep a little later, spend a little more time at the gym and meet friends for brunch. Now I treasure our new Saturday rituals. We take Hannah to her music class with Ashley at Three Little Birds. Each week, we take a "ride" to a different state and explore its music. The first week we started in New York City and sang along to the Broadway musical Mary Poppins. I promised Hannah we would take her to see it (or whatever Disney production is playing) when she's a little older. On this Saturday, we were in Cleveland, Ohio and listened to rock classics like Simon and Garfunkel's "Feelin' Groovy", Chuck Berry's "School Day"s and The Beatles "She Loves You" and "Hello, Goodbye". I just love the music classes. Not only are they a special place where the three of us spend a great afternoon together, it's also an activity that is just a regular infant program and she is just one of the kids. Oh, and there is also the benefit for her hearing. During class, Hannah hears that different tones and pitches which is really beneficial for her. One of the sure signs we know she can hear Ashley is when a song goes from really loud to really quiet. When it gets really quiet in the room, Hannah starts to shout out Ahhhh as if it's her turn to sing.

Each week, Hannah also tries out a different instrument. This week Hannah ripped a chord on the electric guitar.

Hannah jamming on the electric guitar.

After music class, we head to Southern Hospitality for some lunch. This Saturday was extra special because Hannah joined us at the table in a high chair. She's getting to be such a big girl.

Is that milk?

Later that night, we got gussied up and headed to our second BBQ meal of the day. That's right, a day in the life of Hannah Rose. We celebrated Hannah's Grandpa's birthday at our favorite of the glutenous restaurants Neely's BBQ Parlor. Grandpa was especially excited to share his birthday with Hannah.

Hannah telling Grandpa we should celebrate his birthday every month like she does.

He even shared his Short Ribs.

Does this come with any sides?

Sunday Hannah got to watch her very first Super Bowl. How great is it that her team, The Giants, were in it and won! Woohoo!!! She watched the first half and even stayed up to watch Madonna perform the halftime show. Of course, Hannah helped Eli make those stellar passes.

Hannah studying up on the Giants.

Not a bad weekend for this very special 8-month old. We can't wait to see what this new week brings.

Surgery Date

Today we met with Dr. Alexiades to schedule Hannah's surgery. We've been planning for this day for months and months through countless hours of speech therapy and doctor appointments. Hannah will be bilaterally implanted on February 29, 2012 at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. This means we will be implanting both of Hannah's ears on the same day. There are pros and cons to doing this surgery sequentially or simultaneously, but we are committed to implanting both her ears (as two ears are better than one) and would rather have Hannah undergo one surgery. Our dream is to have Hannah able to hear her family and friends sing Happy Birthday to her when she turns one in May.

We went over Hannah's cat scan images and learned there weren't anything structurally wrong with her cochlea. This means Dr. Alexiades can insert the implant without any strange twists and hopefully the surgery will be smooth sailing.

As much as I was anxiously awaiting to know her surgery date, it still felt like a huge tug at my heart. She's still our little girl, she hasn't even blown out the candles of her first birthday cake and we just signed a surgery waiver and shook hands with her surgeon.

Once outside, we gave our little girl an extra-long hug and I took her to enjoy the unusually warm January afternoon. We headed to the swings and met up with our friend Abby.

We have just under a month to prepare, which includes a pre-surgery get-away to sunny Florida to visit Mom-mom and Pop-pop. I'm sure it will be nice to relax a bit before the big day.

Happy New Year

Michael and I had a quiet New Year. We're keeping close to home lately, making the most of our family time together. We are so excited for the New Year and thrilled this will be the year Hannah will finally hear our voices. We can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and know she will soon sing along.

We've taken all the necessary pre-op testing at NYEE. She had to have hearing tests with Megan, her audiologist with NYEE.. The first one was an unaided hearing test, meaning Hannah again had ear plugs placed in her ears and she was taught how to look at a tiny bow in the corner with a silly frog playing the drum when she heard a sound. So with Hannah on my lap in the sound booth and Megan piping in the sounds and observing from the booth, it looked like Hannah was hearing a lot because she kept looking over. I've always hoped she would surprise everyone and she would ace these hearing tests. When Megan came to talk with us after the test, her findings were still consist with a profound hearing loss. It's just a constant pull at my heart and I wish these tests would just stop.

The following week Hannah took an aided hearing test, meaning she went into the sound booth and took the hearing test with her hearing aids. Like before, Megan would pipe in sounds and Hannah looked over at the silly frog in the corner. The findings said Hannah had a moderate hearing loss with the hearing aids on. This level was not sufficient, meaning Hannah's hearing aids weren't providing enough sound through their amplification, she was no eligible for a cochlear implant.

We also met with Liz, the director of hearing habilitation with NYEE, for a speech evaluation. Like Hannah's therapy sessions, Liz played with Hannah using toys to see what her hearing levels were and how she responded to sounds. Liz had a whole new flurry of toys for Hannah. I really liked the way Liz was with Hannah. She is stern and certainly has high expectations but has the experience to teach Hannah.

Finally, we went to Manhattan Diagnostic Radiology for Hannah's sedated cat scan. We need to have the cat scan before we meet with Dr. Alexiades. It will show Hannah's cochlear and it will become the roadmap on the day of her surgery. If there was any abnormalities with the cochlear, Dr. Alexiades would need to know so there aren't any surprises for Hannah's surgery.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Hannah the Banana. Isn't she cute?!?!

Hannah started the day at The Center. Afterwards, we met Grandma and Grandpa Weitzman for a walk in Central Park. It was a gloriously warm afternoon and the sun felt so good. Hopefully all of Hannah's Halloween's will be this sweet.

Lucky for us, Michael got out of work a little early and joined the park festivities.

Our building had a trick or treat parade and Hannah and Michael joined. Hannah stayed in her banana costume but Daddy changed out of his monkey suit and was his boyhood idol: The Man In The Yellow Hat. That's the great thing about kids. You get to relive your childhood or at least have the excuse to carry on. After Hannah came home with some candy loot, we met up with The Flemings for a bite at Go Burger.

Clarke School

Hannah is a busy girl. She is now going to The Clarke School for more sessions. She sees Jen every Tuesday and Friday at 8:30 for a half hour private therapy session. Like The Center, Hannah works hard at discovering sounds and using her little voice to make requests. The session starts with a Hello song. Hannah just loves this. Jen works with Hannah on the Lings Sounds, those six sounds that lie within the speech spectrum of hearing. Jen will present Hannah with toys that represent each of the sound so an airplane represent the aaah sound, a cupcake or ice cream cone the mmm sound, a monkey for the eee sound and a rattle for Hannah to SHHake for the shhh sound. Jen will start by saying the sound, wait for Hannah to notice the sound and then show Hannah the appropriate toy.

We also attend a Friday morning parent/infant group with Hannah every Friday morning from 9-10. The group consists of a total of seven families with children who have some degree of hearing loss. This has been a source of so much support for all of us and getting to know the other families has been amazing.