We've just started our official journey to the (better) hearing world. After many months of fluid in LJ's ears causing moderate hearing loss and many, many auditory tests, his ear tubes/adenoidectomy surgery is scheduled for this Thursday. We've been patiently waiting ever since the test at St Joe's confirmed that it should help. Our first surgery date was May 24th which was then postponed until June 1st. A bunch of snafu's later, here we are.
I've oftentimes wondered how LJ's voice will sound and what it might feel like to hear him saying "Momma", "Daddy", "Doggy", "Nate" or "Mine!". He's been so quiet ever since he was a baby (except for a good pension for crying) and now we understand that its probably because he never had the reinforcement of hearing himself cooing. To him, everything has probably sounded like it's garbled underwater.
I hope that he gets to hear the whirl of a fire engine whooshing down the street...or mommy singing him a lullaby...or Nate telling his baby brother how much "he loves him more than all the people in the town". I hope this procedure is going to give him the ability to start communicating orally. We've been trying to teach LJ some baby sign language but he seems limited by his motor function. It has got to be so frustrating to live in a world where people do not understand you. That's just me projecting all my neurotic, mommy worries on him. Still, it's also our dream that this surgery could greatly impact his ability to swallow easier (removing his adenoids should help) and possibly eat like a normal, healthy toddler. We even wonder how much his balance will be improved- will it help him to walk or even sit in a propped position? We are so nervous about what lies ahead but at the same time we have so much hope.
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