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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Gobble Gobble!



A Special Thanks from Dad

For months now, I have been promising Elise that I would post something on the blog. I figured that giving it is Thanksgiving, I would use this time to say a few words of appreciation. Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

Shrimp Boil
I want to start out by thanking everyone who helped with Hunter’s fundraiser. It is hard to put into words the appreciation that Elise and I have for what you all have done for Hunter. The fundraiser was as smooth as I have ever seen, and more tickets were sold than we could have ever imagined. This will help Hunter for a long time. To everyone who helped, contributed, purchased and donated… please realize that you are and will forever be a part of his long journey. Thank You!

Family and Friends
To the network of our friends and family, you have been our strength through Hunter's young journey and for that, we cannot thank you enough. Thanks for the love and the shoulder to lean on. Thanks for answering the phone, words of encouragement, clearing our minds, and accepting Hunter for who he is with open arms despite his challenges. Thank You!

Elise
Thanks for being who you are and the mother that you have turned out to be. Thanks for being a teacher, a therapist, a planner, a wife, a mom and a role model. Thanks for showing Hunter and I strength. We have been handed a gift in Hunter, one that does not allow us time to look into the rearview, but one that has us anxious for the future. We love you….Thank You!

Hunter
Thank you…thanks for teaching us love, strength, understanding and patience. God has given us such a precious gift by blessing your mom and myself with you, and I would not have it any other way. Until April 4, 2011, I thought it was my job as a father to teach you the world, but seeing God’s plan unfold, you are now teaching everyone around you a whole new world. Thanks for teaching us the face of love and what acceptance really looks like without words. I wouldn’t change a thing for the world, Bud! I love you!

-Hunter's Dad


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving Tribute

In honor of Thanksgiving, we have posted a video of the Helping Hunter Hear shrimp boil fundraiser. We are so appreciative for the people who surround us. To those who bought tickets, sold tickets, spread the word, donated their services and time, those who donated to the cause, and to those who simply send their kind thoughts and prayers. We are forever grateful and humbled by your graciousness. God has blessed us with so many things in this world, for Hunter and for you all, we are especially grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!
- Hunter's Parents

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The way sound is heard by a child with a cochlear implant

“I'll try to make a visual picture that relates to the way sound is heard by a child with a cochlear implant. Suppose that you have to identify a four-legged animal, and you’ve not seen that animal before, but you have to figure out what it is. Maybe you have to draw it. Maybe you have to learn the name for it. Now, that animal is standing behind a bunch of trees. To see that animal, you have to look through tree trunks that are hiding big parts of that animal. Now, if you were looking through those trees with the equivalent of a hearing aid, you could probably only see the tail end of that animal, because you could only hear the low frequencies with that hearing aid. With a cochlear implant, though, you could see pieces of that animal’s head, pieces of its neck, its legs, its body, and pieces of its tail end, but you still would be missing pieces in between each of those that you could see. The reason I’m bringing this up for you to think about is because it’s important for us to realize that children who are using cochlear implants still don’t see the whole animal. They see more of a range of that animal, but they have to use their brains. They have to use what they already know about the world. They have to use their cognitive abilities to fill in those gaps to be able to put together a picture of that whole animal. That’s the kind of task that a child is facing using a cochlear implant.”
Dr. Patricia Spencer. Considerations for the Future: Putting It All Together, Presented at
Cochlear Implants and Sign Language conference, April, 2002.

Ten on Tuesday

So I guess it comes with the territory of being a mom, but I had my Ten on Tuesday all ready to go and I forgot to post it last night! (maybe it's because H just didn't feel like taking his normal evening nap, I'm not sure). So I am posting on my lunch break today.

1. We never know the reason why things happen the way they do. But my heart goes out to my dear friend Brandi who lost her two month old last week. I guess God just needed another good to angel to be by his side. Please remember this family in your thoughts and prayers.

2.  Our special teacher went to see H at the sitter a few weeks ago and said she had him on all 4s and he actually balanced on one hand to get his pacifier. This is quite a step for him… gaining more and more strength every day.

3. The fundraiser that our friends put together this past weekend was an absolute success. The response was overwhelming, the people who came that day were amazing, and we cannot thank everyone enough to helped to make it possible. We are truly touched by the love everyone has shown to our sweet Hunter.

4. On Thursday, we went to New Orleans for them to administer an ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) test. The ABR test evaluates how well sound travels along Hunter’s hearing nerve pathways from the ear to the brainstem. A device near the ear makes clicking sounds. Earpieces in ear canals conduct the sound and electrodes on the scalp/earlobes track sound moving through the ear to the brain. As expected, they gave a profound hearing loss diagnosis.

5. While we were there and Hunter was already sedated for the ABR test, they also conducted a CT scan on the brain to detect whether or not the cochlea bone was correctly formed. In order for Hunter to receive the implants, the cochleas in both ears have must be free of any malformations. After a long weekend of awaiting the results, everything looks normal! (even though the chances of malformations was less than 1%, you just never know!)

6. We haven’t seen our PT in about a month, and tomorrow we have an 8am appointment with her. It’s not H’s best time since he usually wakes up around 6, and seems to get a bit cranky by 8. But we are hoping for a successful appointment! (PS. Since I am posting this on Wednesday, he and I actually took a mini nap after my bootcamp but before therapy which really seemed to help! Phew!)

7. Our OT is coming on Thursday, and we are thrilled to be able to show her how long Hunter has been sitting up for on a daily basis. He is still wanting to lean forward and is not really able to balance himself without his hands. But he is trying to grab at most everything he sees, and testing out his balance with one hand when he wants his pacifier or to shove the remote in his mouth J

8. Hunter turned 8 months on Saturday, I cannot believe my baby boy is getting so old. I feel like it was just yesterday we were finding out the gender of our little man!

9. So what next? I just heard back from our audiologist at Ochsner’s. The next step is to submit the authorization form to the insurance company for pre-approval of surgery for the implants. She said once it’s submitted that it’s a waiting game from there. I am hoping to have an answer before the first of the year, but it will be up to them once it’s submitted!

10. And yes, are looking to get both ears implanted on the same day, and hopefully that will be his first birthday 03/12/2012!


1.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Giggles Galore!

Too good to not share! He is loving his new car seat :)
(PS. Video will not show up in email, only on the actual blog)