chimes and timers

today was the day B got her new ears as we are calling it.

she chose light blue for the computer parts and purple, black, and white swirls for the ear pieces. when we got home, she found the fancy stickers in her "kit" to further decorate them and chose a zebra print pattern that goes on the blue piece. they are sure something else!

they are not amplifiers like i thought that hearing aids were, but instead they have tiny computers in the aids, which take the higher range sound waves and compresses them to a point her brain can recognize and process. now she will be able to hear ssss, shh, sch, zh, zz, th, and tz sounds. i can't wait to see how much more language she acquires now that she will be able to hear EVERYTHING. poor A won't be able to sneak up on B and scare her anymore(a favorite form of terrorizing siblings in our household). A is a bit disappointed. B is most likely relieved.

this is the machine that calibrates and programs the hearing aids to specifically combat her hearing loss. i took some great video of the process, but Blogger is having trouble uploading it. i'll try again another day to get it posted.

wincing...oh my...too loud.

i asked her on the way home if there was anyone she wanted to stop by and see to show off her new ears. she said, "yes, nix and gramma." so we stopped by gramma's house on the way home. while visiting on their front porch she smiled and pointed to the wind chimes hanging above the porch. i asked, "could you hear those before?" she replied, "a little." i think more than a little. the fact that she noticed them and pointed them out leads me to believe that this was a new experience.

later we stopped by to show nix. we also visited on her porch and when her oven timer went off, B snapped her head up and peered into the kitchen to see what was making that noise. hmmm, she can hear timers now too! how lovely to be present for her first sounds(well with me at least...maybe she heard them before the nerve damage...we'll never know).

i am amazed that God has seen fit to bless us with so many firsts. parents of young children often take these tiny treasures for granted. we haven't completely lost out on her life, those ten years before we came into the picture, we are just being given different experiences and firsts to celebrate with her. for as much loss adoption holds, there are equally as many gains.

after we got home she asked to take them off. she stated all afternoon that everything was too loud. the audiologist explained to us that it might take upwards of a week for her brain to learn to process all these new sounds. she suggested we give her small breaks in the afternoon for some stimulus reduction. i am good with that. because i know that these tiny things are making a difference. she is going to want to wear them.

one more thought. i wonder at how lucky we are to have access to modern medical intervention. she did not have access to full hearing for her entire life and most likely would never have if she had stayed in China. yes, she has the gift of family now, but she also has gifts we never imagined a child might need. i feel a stronger sense of gladness that God brought her here. it is a better life for her.

tonight while making dinner she said to me very softly, "mom, i love america."

yes, little one, and God loves you!