I was sitting in a chair reading when Chance came out, wiping sleep from his eyes and with out implants on. His little sister ran up to him and grabbed onto his leg to greet him. She then handed him some Christmas stories that she had been looking at. Chance pulled her down into a chair with him and began to read the stories to her.
After a few stories, Chance's sister turned to him and said,"You got to sit on Santa's lap yesterday like me!"
Chance did not respond.
His little sister then took Chance's face and turned it until he was facing her and again said,"You got to sit on Santa's lap yesterday like me!"
I heard Chance say, "Huh?"
I heard my daughter's little voice sigh in exasperation. Chance was still looking at her trying to figure out what she was saying.
Chance is an excellent lip reader even when his implants are off. His sister is just little enough though that she is still learning to enunciate her words and sometimes we have to have her repeat things so we know what she is saying. Interestingly enough, apparently this transfers over into lip reading as well. If someone does not pronunciate their words correctly, the shape of their mouth must make it more difficult to read their lips.
By now, Chance's little sister had positioned herself on his lap right in front of him so they were looking into each other's faces I gently explained to her that Chance could not hear her because he did not have implants on yet. Since Chance had started reading stories to her right away, I don't think it occurred to his sister that he could not hear her.
When I told Chance the same thing that his sister had been trying to tell him about Santa, he read my lips and smiled at his sister and said,"Yep! I did see Santa!"
Then Chance suggested to his little sister that she drive little Matchbox cars on his back. It is a wonderful sensation when someone does that, like a little rub down with pint size cars. So right now, Chance is spread out on the floor and his little sister is driving miniature cars and trains up and down his back. Chance looks quite content. And he still can't hear any of us as his implants have yet to make their way to his ears this morning.
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