Dari didn’t give it much thought at first.
When she first noticed, Alex was just a few weeks old and enjoyed burying his face in the pillow. With his legs curled up, his nose buried, and his hands tucked under his breast, he would lie there like a small ball.
“Observe,” she chuckled while filming. “Our son is engaging in a game of hide-and-seek!”
However, after seeing the clip again, the laughter gave way to nervousness. Not a single movement for forty minutes. His face was buried in the mattress as he laid there.
“Hey Simon! She called her spouse and said, “Come here.”
He emerged with a mug of coffee and looking drowsy. “Dar, he’s just at ease that way. Do not be concerned.
She was concerned, though.
The baby’s behavior became more and more weird every day. He would curl up and cover his face as soon as she laid him down. even while he was asleep. even with him in her arms. He didn’t look at her when she sang. She laughed, but he didn’t respond.
She came to the realization one day that he had never once met her eyes.
Daria slept very little by the third month. Fearing that she may one day lose the ability to hear his respiration, she sat by the crib at night and listened carefully.
“There’s a problem,” she muttered.
“You’re simply exhausted,” Simon sighed.
However, he was blind to the way Alex winced at the light and sobbed whenever he was taken up by a stranger.
Daria made the decision to take her son to the park that day. The fresh air might be helpful.
Children smiled and chased soap bubbles as the sun softly kissed the grass. After she placed Alex on a blanket, he raised his head and turned to face the noises. and buried his face in the cloth right away.
Someone played a guitar, bells jingled, and a dog rushed by. Alex appeared to be in a cocoon.
Daria experienced a surge of panic.
She read other people’s stories about “sensory processing disorder” and “early signs of autism” while she feverishly searched websites in the evening. Her heart told her that wasn’t it, even if everything sounded terrifying.
When her son lay face down and stopped moving in the middle of the night, she finally lost it.
That’s all. I’m going to phone the physician.
“My baby keeps hiding his face,” she said in a tremulous voice. He doesn’t look, don’t smile, and doesn’t react.
The nurse said, “Bring him in the morning.” “We’ll work it out.”
It was a longer morning than usual.
In the car, Daria held Alex in her arms, never taking her eyes off him.
They were seen at the clinic right away. The infant was examined closely by a young, gentle-spoken doctor who assessed his reflexes, muscles, and eye contact. Then she grabbed a rattle and gave it a right-hand shake. No response. On the left—silence.
“Has he ever flinched at loud noises?” the doctor asked.
Daria gave a headshake.
The physician became grave. “We must examine his hearing. Congenital hearing loss could be the cause.
The air appeared to be pierced by the words.
“You mean he’s not able to hear?” Daria was able to inquire.
“At this time, we are unsure. However, a child who is deaf tends to isolate himself from the outside world. They hide from the silence, not from you.
After two hours, everything made sense.
Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was the outcome. Extreme.
“However, you arrived just in time,” the physician said. “We are able to assist. The most important thing is not to ignore him.
With tears streaming down his hair, Daria embraced Alex and kissed the top of his head.
“We’ll introduce him to this world. We most certainly will.
The initial weeks of wearing the hearing aids were excruciating. The sound of the refrigerator, the wind, and her words surprised him. It was a new day every day.
She persisted, however. She repeated as she sat in front of him:
“Hi, Alex. Mommy is here. I cherish you.
A month later, he rotated his head one day. His gaze met hers.
And he grinned for the first time.
Daria put her hands over her mouth.
She muttered, “He heard.”
Alex hasn’t covered his face since.
He just no longer fears the outside world.
Because he may now hear the voice of love from this earth.
