Saturday, May 23, 2009

What's Lucas up to these days?


Lucas is 17 months old today, and at 4 months 2 weeks post-activation. Even though I wasn't really expecting it, a part of me was hoping that he might be talking by now. We were always told to keep our hopes high and our expectations low. But I'm ecstatic that he's responding sooooo well to spoken language. Speech will come! I'm also excited to report that he's *attempting* some approximations - bye-bye, down, hi!

I have lots of videos to show some fun things that he's doing! Let me first clarify that any time he responds to something I say, it is with verbal cues ONLY! That means he's hearing, understanding, and reacting! I am just so thrilled!

* Please turn off the music player on the sidebar before playing videos. *

In this video, he's signing down (and a pathetic form of please, but we'll take it).

This is a new one he just learned, while riding in his favorite mode of transportation (the horn is tough to push).

This might just be my new favorite skill that I've taught him.

And you've just gotta love his infectious laugh. He thinks pulling the pig's tail in the Happy Book is pretty hilarious (and maybe my rendition of "boing" too).

I have to tell you though... if there's one thing that I want Lucas to do more than speak right now, it's walk. I know he will eventually walk, but I'm ready for it now. He's not really that close either. He pulls himself up, cruises well, and walks with a two-handed assist. One-handed? Nope, that throws him waaaay off balance and causes him to fall. Standing? Too much balance needed. And I swear if I hear one more person tell me I'm lucky that he's not walking yet, so that I don't have to chase him around, I'm going to scream. He is definitely trying though, and making strides every day. He's also finally able to do this (I love it!).

And lastly, for a little added humor, this is how Lucas likes to crawl when he's in the grass (so as to touch as little of the grass as possible.)

Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend! We're celebrating Opa's birthday this weekend too! Happy Birthday, Opa!

11 comments:

Lissa said...

Lucas is soo beautiful!! You'v done a great job!! Keep up with the updates! i love reading about Lucas!!

Lily's Mom said...

Lucas is so cute. I'll be praying that his balance improves. Lily just started tilting her head to one side. She's only done it like 4 times, 2 different days, but I'm worried.

And don't you just "love" the comments some people make? We were in a furniture store today and someone was asking about Lily's hearing aids. I explained that Lily is deaf and the woman said, "No she's not." What?! Yes, she is. She then proceeded to tell me that "she'll grow out of it." I explained that it's genetic so she won't be growing out of it.

Anyway, I wanted to ask you about the babyworn CI. Have you always used the babyworn or did you start with the bodyworn? Any problems or advantages with either? We've got to make a decision soon. Thanks for your help.

leah said...

Oh, he's doing so well! Not only does he respond to all those verbal cues after only 4 months of hearing, but I swear he imitated the "ouch" in the pig book video- and he definitely said "boing!" Those first approximations will blossom into full blown words.

We have a lot of word approximations that I count as words (some of his words are clear and a lot are quite "off" still).
Nolan first said "ya" and we weren't sure if it was really for "shoes" or not. Then it was "ghee-ya" and now it is "ghee-you." Getting closer!!

And people make the strangest comments. I honestly think they don't know what to say, so they try to make a joke. They don't have a clue about how upsetting their comments can be. I think our worst (and strangest) comment was,

"Hey, is your baby deaf? My dog is deaf. I trained it really well using hand signs."

I wanted to respond, "yeah, it's TOTALLY the same thing!" while dripping with sarcasm. GRRRR. I still fume over that one. Instead I just said "we have to go now" and walked away.

It's a little easier now that people come up and wave at him, and he turns and yells, "NO! Mama, up!" ROFL.

Amy said...

Congratulations on Lucas' totally awesome progress! WOW that's amazing how he understands and that's the key - first receptive language and then expressive will follow. He is such an inspiration for us - keep up the good work!

Unknown said...

I completely understand people saying that it's better if they walk later. Courtney couldn't walk completely on her own, not jsut across the room until she was just about 18 months. I can't find the official research anywhere, but through "Mommy research" I think it is all related to the hearing loss. Courtney is now 20 months and only has one tooth and people always say that the later the better. Are they crazy?

Hang in there! And what amazing progress!!!!!

monica said...

lucas is doing so well! i love all of the little clips of him. and watching him work his way across the grass reminds me of my oldest son. so funny.

Bill and Shelly said...

OHHH, what a precious little guy you have. You are so blessed. I love his laugh. There is nothing cuter than a good old fashion belly laugh.

I really don't think people think about what they are saying. Shortly after Allison got her CI, I was standing in line and someone asked me about what was on her head. I explained it all to them and was rewarded with this response, "Oh, what a shame that she has to wear that stuff on her head." I told them, that I would rather have her wear that "stuff" on her head then not be able to hear at all.

Everyday I am reminded of what a gift the CI is. Each night when Allison tells me "I love you, mommy." it just melts my heart.

tammy said...

LOVE all these videos! He is getting so big! and his laugh ... how addicting is that!?! he is definitely saying "bbbooooing!" Thanks for the smile this morning. I just adore him!

Now I'm off to order the Happy Book! It looks so cute! Any other good suggestions?

Herding Grasshoppers said...

LOVE that laugh!

And I heard him say "boing" too :0)

Love how he reaches for the pig's tail, and then looks at you, anticipating the "boing".

What a cutie!

Julie

Katie Gray Gluibizzi said...

Jenny, these posts are so amazing. Thanks for taking the time to do this, it is so wonderful to see him so frequently through video/photos. He's one amazing kid. You're one amazing mom!!

Jennifer said...

The videos are adorable. I had to laugh at the "bboing" because when Cormac was younger he used to crack up at that sound too! We must have watched the 15 seconds of the show Kipper the dog a thousand times. An acorn falls on the pigs head and I would say "bboing" every time and he would laugh so hard and say "more". I have a clip of it on my blog