AllDeaf.com - Blogs - Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/ Most popular, free public forum for the deaf and hard of hearing. Come share your thoughts and opinions on deaf related topics and issues. en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:30:16 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.alldeaf.com/images/misc/rss.jpg AllDeaf.com - Blogs - Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/ Music... http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/62-music.html Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:36:51 GMT Today two great experiences with Lotte.
It started in the car, driving to the kindergarten. At times, she asks to have the radio (CD) on.
Today however, I had allready put on a classical piano-CD in the player. (Ludovico Einaudi)
Lotte did not seem to like it. She told me she wanted different music. She told me where to find it (in the dash-board) and told me it had to be the woman.....
I found the newest album of Katie Melua, and both of us were happy.

Tonight, she wanted to play the piano. With her mother playing the piano, she has an excellent role-model, and in fact, Lotte uses the same sheet-music as her mother.... the same passion, but with different results.....
Here's the video..... enjoy! (33MB) ]]> Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/62-music.html Update.... 3 years with sound... http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/60-update-3-years-sound.html Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:17:10 GMT Lotte is moving on fast, catching up every day.
Lately her sentences became longer, more clear. Discovered rhymes, and more and more singing. Putting on CD's by herself (as in her own choice) with songs and/or stories..
Also writing new words is getting more and more her attention. She can write all the names she knows, but that's just remembering the order of the characters. Now she starts to figure out how to write words she hears.
It's a great adventure.!!

Last week she was at the 1-year control in Oslo, where they checked her equipment and tested her for hearing, sound discrimination, sentences etc.
They skipped the usual tests because allready last year she showed she had no problem with these. So, in order not to waist time (and attention from Lotte) they went straight to the "advanced" tests. She did great.

Some days ago, we had friends visiting us that we hadn't seen for almost a year, and when these kind of visits happen, people are amazed about how well they can understand her now, compared to a year ago. For us, it's a confirmation that she improves. Sometimes, improvements are so slow (like with any child growing up) that we don't notice, and it takes "outsiders" to give a sort of reality-check. ]]> Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/60-update-3-years-sound.html Back to the past http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/23-back-past.html Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:19:33 GMT Yesterday, Sunday, Lotte suddenly remembered one of the teachers (U.) of her previous kindergarten. This is one of the deaf teachers there, who can speak very well. Lotte asked if she could go to the kindergarten and meet her..
SO today, we called the kindergarten and asked if Lotte could visit. She was very welcome!


(Lotte in that kindergarten, March 2006)
Arriving at the school, she remembered where she had played and walked. After all, it is only 1-1/2 years ago, but for Lotte, that is quite a lifetime.
We went inside, and she recognised the school. There are only a few teachers there from the time she has been there, so she was very shy.
But, when U. appeared, she lightened up.
But, even though U. speaks well, she uses sign all the time. It was obvious that Lotte did not follow it. She listened to the speech.
This was even more obvious when another teacher arrived on the scene. This teacher, M. is also deaf, but her speech is very distorted. Difficult to understand for us, but for Lotte is was very strange. She kept her distance from this teacher.

But it was good to see them again. Lotte had obviously grown a lot, and everyone was glad to see her. They still had a book that Lotte "forgot" when she left there, so U. and Lotte went to get it. It didn't leave Lotte's side from then on...

Going out, it was funny to see that Lotte was looking for her coat in the "usual" place from when she went to that school. Straight back into the old habits....

For us, we could see how good our decision has been to have Lotte in an all-hearing kindergarten. The contrast between the two schools are quite big. Obviously, it is difficult to predict where Lotte would have been had she still been going to the deaf/hoh/ci/hearing kindergarten.... ]]> Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/23-back-past.html <![CDATA[Lotte's calling]]> http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/21-lottes-calling.html Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:22:05 GMT We have used the phone for quite a while now. Speaker-phones are great and have been in use by Lotte for quite a while. She'll get the phone and start walking through the house - talking with grandma, or anyone else willing to listen to her.

Handheld is fine as well, but it requires the earpiece to be held by her shoulder, since that's where she has the processor. Still, she is perfectly able to understand what is being said.

Yesterday, I had a clear conversation with her.
Previously, it would be Lotte that would be talking, but yesterday I was able to make her listen to my questions, and I got the answers I was expecting.
Her vocabulary is increasing fast now, in Dutch and Norwegian, so that makes it more easy to ask & answer.

But it was just great to realize that she has access to other people that are not within reach, and she realizes that.
At the time of writing, I am working offshore. So, when my wife was talking to me, I heared Lotte say that she wanted to talk to me. She wanted to tell about her day...

Have to love it ! ]]> Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/21-lottes-calling.html <![CDATA[BTE's - behind the ear?]]> http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/20-btes-behind-ear.html Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:21:24 GMT As most readers of Lotte's blog know, Lotte has nothing hanging on the ear.
Her processors are on her shoulders in two little bags, and they go straight to the coil on the head.

It has never been a problem for Lotte, or us. There's no problems in windy environment. The processor will be below the jacket. Free of wind and rain, and she will still be able to hear us. Probably better then when they would be on the ear.... wind will make a lot of noise.

The only time when she has it behind the ears is just before she goes to bed, or straight from the shower or bathtub, when she's naked.
And she's fine with that. BUT.... not when she is dressed.
She'll happily "allow" the BTE to be hanged on the ear when reading a book (she slept with only her undy during the summer) but if there's any clothing on her, as in T-shirt, PJ's etc, she will refuse.

She's so comfortable with (and used to) the BTE's on the shoulders, that I sometimes wonder when she will want them on the ears.
I guess when she goes to school, becomes more aware of other children... who knows.

For the moment, we just continue with this system. Lotte wants to, and we like it as well.
No CI's falling on the ground. No CI's that need to be dug up from the sand-pit, from a pool, etc.... no processor getting wet, no harness, no lumps on her back,....
It's great! ]]> Cloggy http://www.alldeaf.com/blogs/cloggy/20-btes-behind-ear.html