Here we are, six weeks later...

Sophie was activated exactly six weeks ago today! It's hard to believe that it was such a short time ago, because I feel like she has shown an incredible amount of progress. We have gone from being elated when witnessing Sophie turn to our voices to now expecting her to turn to softest sound or whisper. It's a good feeling!

Sophie hasn't spoken her first word yet, but we have been told not to expect that for several months. Right now, is "listening time". Her receptive language, on the other hand, has really exploded. Below is a list of words that Sophie knows:

doggy
ball
Mommy
Daddy
kitty
sock
baby
rattle
kiss
up
hi/bye

I'm sure she understands more, but these are the words that have been "tested" repetitively and I am 100% certain that she comprehends them. She also claps her hands together when we say, "Yay!", which is also very cool. We were told to expect Sophie to understand approximately 25 words by 6-9 months after activation. I think she has a pretty great start and we are extremely proud of her. Of course, I am anxious for her to start talking, but I have to remember that she is only 10 months old! Slow down, Mom - most hearing babies are still just babbling. ;)

Below is a short video of Sophie and her daddy reading How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Cats?:

It's a little hard to see, but there are a mix of dinosaurs and cats on the pages and Sophie was picking out the "kitty" on each page. She was right on!

We are truly watching a miracle unfold before us and we are forever indebted to the inventor of the cochlear implant. Professor Graeme Clark, thank you - you have my eternal gratitude!