the scoop on Coop

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One little boy's hearing loss journey

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In October 2019, our son Cooper was diagnosed with full sensorineural hearing loss in both ears as a result of Waardenburg Syndrome. After an array of emotions and lots of processing, we decided to share Cooper's journey in hopes of educating others about hearing loss and offering hope to those in the same situation.

We know it's scary to walk this road, especially at the beginning. As new parents, we found comfort in other's sharing their stories of hearing loss and children. Because of that, we wanted to do that for someone else who is on this same path. We're here to share the good, the bad, the difficult, the rewarding — all of it.

Hello, Holland

The path to embracing your child's hearing loss

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the scoop

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An End To The Waiting Game

By Beth Leipholtz | May 27, 2021

I have been holding my breath since January and finally, I can let it out. If I'm being really honest, I've been holding my breath since we learned of Cooper's...

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All The In Between

By Beth Leipholtz | March 3, 2021

It's been a minute since I've sat down to write an actual blog post about what's on my heart. If you're not a parent of a child with hearing loss,...

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Merch Now Available!

By Beth Leipholtz | January 15, 2021

Who doesn't love cute, inclusive apparel? Check out our new merch shop for a little bit of everything.

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I Have Super Ears Onesie

$18.00

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My Superhero Calls Me Mama Women’s T-shirt

$35.00 – $37.00

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Love Always Wins Toddler Short Sleeve Tee

$17.50

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"Parenthood is about raising and celebrating the child you have, not the child you thought you'd have. It's about understanding your child is exactly the person they are supposed to be. And, if you're lucky, they might be the teacher who turns you into the person you're supposed to be."

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Today I am proud of me and proud of my body. 🏊‍♀️ 🚲 🏃‍♀️

Today I was trying to work on a very specific spee

Today I was trying to work on a very specific speech activity with Coop and he wanted nothing to do with it. Instead he was screaming and trying to climb out of his high chair and hitting.

So, like the mature adult I am, I just straight up screamed at the top of my lungs. Not words. Just noise. Noise that was building and needed to come out.

Did I feel good about it afterwards? Absolutely not.

But I'm at a point with him where it's so frustrating because I know he knows sounds and can mimic them and just WON'T. And I don't know...I don't know if it's toddlerhood. I don't know if it's that he just isn't in the mood. I don't know if it's because he's deaf. I just. don't. know.

All I do know is that other kids don't have to sit in a high chair while their parent tries to force them to make the "ooo" sound for 10 minutes straight. That is what I know.

We had his annual meeting with early intervention yesterday and they said when we factor in ASL and speech, he is on par with his implanted peers. But if we just look at speech, he's behind and that's not abnormal since he's learning two languages.

But all I hear is "behind" and I begin to question the path we've chosen. By giving him access to a second language, am I depriving him of being fully proficient in one?

Again, I don't know.

Our deaf mentor was at the house today and watched Coop sign and speak with me.

At one point she signed to me, "You must be so proud. Of him and yourself."

And I realized something. I AM proud of him.

But I'm not proud of me. I'm hard on me. I run myself into the ground.

Coop said AND signed a new word today. And yet...all I can see is what I haven't done and where he isn't. And there's got to be a way around that.

You are pure magic. ✨

You are pure magic. ✨

You’d have thought we’ve known each other for

You’d have thought we’ve known each other for years.

After connecting on Instagram forever ago, Maca and I finally got the boys together. Tay is 6 months younger than Coop, and also has cochlear implants and uses sign language. My mama heart felt so good today. So good. There is just something about inherently understanding what another person is feeling and grappling with without having to explain it.

(Also, Maca is from Chile, which is where I studied abroad! So it was fun to chat about that!)

I’ve been muddling through certain things lately

I’ve been muddling through certain things lately, struggling to find the right words. I feel…Behind, I guess.

It’s silly, and I know it. But so many people I know who had babies around the same time as Coop are now onto their second child. And the first, the same age as Coop, sometimes even younger...they’re talking. They’re making sentences. Expressing themselves verbally. Being understood.

When you have a child that is not on a linear path for whatever reason, you tend to forget what linear even IS. Especially when it’s your first child, because to you, this is normal. This is what you know. This is where your child is. This is where you meet them.

And I think more than anything, 2020 intensified that. We existed in our little bubble, rarely around other kids Cooper’s age. And now that bubble is expanding again, which is great.

But it’s also really damn hard. It’s landing in reality after being shielded from it.

It’s this internal struggle because I love my friends. I love their kids. I love that they’re learning on their linear path. But I can’t help the literal tears that well up when I hear them talk, and hear Cooper’s babbles in comparison.

I know he’s 10+ months behind other kids when it comes to hearing. I know he is learning two languages. I know his progress will be slower. I know he is so smart and comprehends so much. I know all these things logically.

But I also know the world as a whole won’t meet him where he is. The world won’t know two languages. The world won’t understand HIS pronunciation of words. And that is terrifying.

What it comes down to is that what I know doesn’t matter because logic doesn’t take root in your heart. Love and pain and comparison and fear and reality live there. Not logic.

Ever since moving past Cooper’s diagnosis and accepting it, I’ve been waiting for it to get hard. And it hasn’t been. It’s been challenging logistically, but not so much emotionally.

So I guess this is it — this is where it gets hard. That’s the note I’m ending this on, because it’s where I am. And if the world can meet me where I am, there’s hope that it can meet Coop where he is, too.

This post has nothing to do with Coop, so if that’s why you’re here, keep scrolling. 🙃

Let me tell you a story. Four years ago, this girl regularly had panic attacks over finances. Like full out, on the floor, can’t breathe panic attacks. My student loans were $1,000+ a month and I was making very little being fresh out of college. I had credit cards so I used them. It alleviated the stress of paying for certain things I “needed.” I tried and tried to refinance my student loans and couldn’t. It wouldn’t get approved.

So I met with a banker. I made a plan. I worked my ass off and finally got approved to refinance which really helped.

Still, I had $8,000+ in various credit card debt. Those payments began to stress me out.

Eventually Brandon and I took a Dave Ramsey course. And while now, with a different perspective, I do not like what he stands for, it did make a difference. I didn’t follow the steps the way they lay them out. But I did start saving. And kept saving.

Finally this year I realized that instead of continuing to save beyond a certain point, I need to be paying down debt. So I am.

And today, I am credit card debt free. Completely. I just made a final payment on one remaining card and DAMN. It feels so good.

at the start of getting my financial shit together years ago, I remember thinking how far away a time when I’d have it together seemed. The amount of work felt unfathomable. And yet, that day is now.

Next challenge, since it’s all that’s left…damn student loans. Let’s do this thing.