Toddler Ryan was born three months prematurely and spent the first seven months of his life in the hospital. Right before he was due to come home, doctors diagnosed him as profoundly deaf.
But he was a candidate for a cochlear implant. And when little Ryan heard his mother's voice for the first time ...
"Hi, Ryan. Is it tickling? Is it tickling?" Ryan's mother, Jennifer, asks him.
"He giggles every time you make a sound," another voice says.
"I know; it's hilarious," Jennifer says.
Priceless. The 2-year-old's parents told NBC that since the cochlear implant activation, Ryan has been making sounds for the first time and interacting with them more.
Ryan's parents own a company that sells a cloth-diaper cleaning product, and they keep active on their Facebook page. One post says waking up every morning and seeing the toddler's reaction to the words "Good morning, Ryan!" is the best feeling. It was followed by the hashtag: #ItNeverGetsOld.
Jennifer told NBC she's looking forward to listening to Christmas music and driving around looking at lights with her family. And for Ryan, these songs will be a first.
