Bi-lateral CI... YES !!

About a week ago, one of Lotte's processors broke down. It was the actual microphone part of the processor... So using the bodyworn (which for us is a backup) wasn't an option.
Of course, this happened on a holiday, so it took a while to send it off to the company that replaces the item.

Fortunately, Lotte still has the other CI, and she just keeps on chatting away as she allways does.
For her, understanding what the rest of the world is saying is the challenge.
It was straightforward noticed in the kindergarden. Normally, she has little problems following what's going on, but with only 1 CI it's difficult for her to follow or to get her attention...

Also in an amusement park we noticed the difference. (Of course we know, but it's nice to see it happen..)
Lotte was playing and her sister called her. We could all see Lotte (we were a level higher up) and although she could hear us, she had no idea where the sound came from.
Her sister kept on shouting, not understanding that Lotte could not hear where the sound came from, so we had to explain it to her (Lotte's sister is 8+ years old..)

At one of the speech-therapy sessions in the kindergarden, Lotte told her therapist that her "ear" was in Oslo. And when we told her the ears had come back again, her face lit up. She understood the difference and was eager to get back to normal...

The day after, at the next "speech-session" she proudly showed her new CI....

It all shows that a second CI is not just a little advantage. There's a big difference. Granted, the first CI makes a huge difference, obviously from no sound to sound, but the second CI makes the sound go from 2D to 3D... From cartoon to movie... (and let's assume normal hearing is high-definition TV)
SO, for all parents out there that are considering a second CI for their child....
GO FOR IT.!