E Discussing O's Hearing Impairment

Oliver had his first visit to his pediatrician yesterday.  His weight is up to 9 lbs, 1 ounce.  For those keeping score at home, this is up approximately 1/2 lb since his birth almost three weeks ago.  He is starting to take a little more by mouth.  He's averaging 10-20 ml (1/3-2/3 of an ounce) with each feed which is better than the 1-2 ml that we found ourselves celebrating in the hospital.  

It's been a little difficult to know what Ezra thinks about his little brother's situation.  He gave mom a clue on the way to school the other day. 

Ezra:  "Oliver can't hear."

Mommy: "That's probably right."

Ezra: "I'm going to teach Oliver how to hear."

Mommy: "We may not be able to teach Oliver how to hear."

Ezra: "Get him batteries."

Mommy: "Batteries won't fix Oliver's hearing if he can't hear."

Ezra:  "Oliver has four senses."

So, in his non-chalant manner,  Ezra has demonstrated an understanding  that is consistent with the best of our knowledge at this point.  It's a relief in many ways that E has responded in this way.  We haven't had to do a lot of explaining or dealing with an older sibling's anxiety over the situation.  While I'm assuming that Ezra has not carefully considered the ramifications of having a deaf sibling, it's clear that this doesn't change how he views his brother for better or for worse.  Since E can count to ten in approximately five languages, ASL will probably be the next one.