In Which Connor Goes Shopping, And Makes Sure Mommy Doesn't Get Lost

Connor managed to lose one of his hearing aid earmolds last week.

He did this by waiting until we were out in the parking lot after his therapy session, and then quickly popping the hearing aid apart while my back was turned away as I deployed the ramp.  Then he dropped the earmold onto the asphalt, where it remained when I wheeled him into the car.  So he's down an earmold, and since absolutely refuses to wear just one hearing aid (he also does this with socks) he's sans hearing aids until the audiologist can squeeze him in.

So he's having kind of a hard time right now.  Whenever we go somewhere crowded and noisy, like the mall, normally if I stop pushing his wheelchair because I want to look at something I'll talk to him while I'm browsing, and because he can hear me he knows I'm there.  Well, we went shopping at the mall today, and since I am a creature of habit I did what I always do, forgetting that he couldn't hear me.

Connor came to the conclusion, whenever I stopped the wheelchair and was standing behind it for more than about three minutes, that I had either abandoned him or gotten lost.  He decided the easiest way to locate me was by echolocation.  So he'd begin emitting glass-shattering, blood-curdling screams, which no doubt really added pizazz to everyone's shopping experience.  Goodness knows they livened up mine.

Towards the end of the day he got tired and was more quick to assume that I'd left him.  As in, the second I stopped the wheelchair.  This worked out well in check-out lines; I either had to stand in front of him and pull the wheelchair every twenty seconds or so, or I had to slowly weave back and forth or circle in line.

I can't wait until we have his new earmolds.

~Jess