The evolution of ear molds

Julia's first ear molds were clear.  I remember feeling too stressed back then to think about color choices.  We picked flesh colored hearing aids, thinking they'd be less noticeable than a color.

The clear/flesh color combination was tough to see.  So tough that I had to get very close to my daughter to make sure she was wearing her hearing aids.  I was concerned in the beginning that she'd pull them out, drop them, and wander away while our Shih Tzu ingested thousands of dollars of equipment.  My anxiety led me to make frequent checks.

Clear ear molds get really gross looking, so on our next go round we chose flesh colored ear molds.  They had a pinkish cast with slight pink veins running through.  They were still tough to see but they stayed cleaner looking.  Julia was tickled that the ear molds looked pinkish.  Already our family was getting bolder.

After a solid year of the same fleshy color, it was time for Julia to choose a color.  She picked pink with sparkles.  Still tough to see, those sparkly ones have been my least favorite ear molds.  I have no proof, but I think they were the cause of her strange, dark ear wax.  I was happy to see them go.

At the most recent fitting, I guided my daughter to a bright pair of hot pink, purple and white ear molds.  I could have used these when she was just starting out.  In her ears or laying on the kitchen table, they're easy to spot.

The bold color signals a change in attitude too.  Finally, I like seeing her magic ears.


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Cued Speech Update:  Yesterday was our first cued speech lesson.  So far we've learned enough to cue a short list of words.  With practice we'll conquer these first few hand shapes and get ready to learn more next week.  It's tough, but definitely accessible.