learning new words

my son, jesse, is starting to talk with words that we sometimes can understand. he is really good at mama, dada, nigh night, nanner (banana), and biper (diaper). but he is also learning work - because all day long he is asking where daddy is so he is learning daddy is at work. and lunch is a new word. it is so cute to see his little tongue come out to make the "l" sound. he is definitely doing more copying - trying to do and say the things we do. yikes, is that scary.

i was watching a documentary awhile back about a deaf boy who was getting cochlear implant. it talked about his thoughts and feelings about the whole thing. one thing he really wanted was to hear his girlfriend say his name. he got the implant and had to wait two weeks before they turned it on. so he goes to the doctor to turn it on. they tested it and then turned it on. he was in shock when he heard his mom speak to him.

then they left the office and just walking to the car overwhelmed him. all the noise we take for granted - people talking, cars driving by, radios blasting, even the wind blowing. after total silence for his whole life, there is all this sound in his head.

but the thing that just struck me was that he has to learn the language. i didn't even think about that part. i just was thinking he will get the implant and be able to talk and communicate verbally with people. but he has to learn what the words mean. he's never heard them before. just like a baby, the words are just sounds till he can associate them with what they mean. it just blew me away. they were saying it could take as long as 2 - 3 years for him to understand everything.

i'm sure his mom is just as excited as i am about my son learning new words and being able to communicate verbally.