Jordan Blair has faced many obstacles in his four months of life — from illness to hearing loss. But, in a viral video showing the infant's sweet reaction to hearing for the first time, Jordan giggles and appears so happy, one would never know of his challenging beginning.
The video, shot when Jordan was three months old, shows the baby laughing and squealing at the voice of his mom, Taryn Blair. Blair, who lives in a suburb of Perth, Australia with her husband, Damien, says the giggles of her child were a welcome change from the months of crying and sickness she has watched her baby endure.
"He's had a rough start," Blair told TODAY Parents. "So when he laughed in this video after the constant screaming since birth, it made it even more wonderful to see."
Jordan's "rough start" began shortly after his birth on April 16, when he did not respond to hearing tests performed at the hospital where he was born. At three weeks old, Jordan was hospitalized with a chest infection and diagnosed with RSV, a highly contagious virus that affects the respiratory tracts of young children. Audiologists were then unable to get accurate results from hearing tests, as the baby's ears were filled with fluid.
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Jordan also has laryngomalacia, a condition that causes breathing difficulty and acid reflux, was born with ankyloglossia, commonly known as tongue-tie, and is being treated for torticollis, a condition that causes him to bend his neck to one side.
Blair says hearing loss runs in her family — she herself requires a hearing aid and her siblings have been fitted with cochlear implants.
"We were not shocked when we found out that he could have a hearing loss," said Blair, who also has a 2-year-old son, Ryder, who does not have hearing loss. "He didn't react a lot at home. Ryder did at his age, so we knew what signs to look for."
Jordan has been put on a waiting list for a special hearing test that will be performed under sedation, and will hopefully give his family a more detailed explanation of the severity of his hearing loss and determine whether or not he is a candidate for cochlear implants. In the meantime, audiologists recommended that Jordan be fitted with hearing aids.
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Since getting the hearing aids last month, Blair says her son has been responding to sound, giggling and interacting with his family much like he did in the initial video.
"We were thrilled, and so happy to see him giggle and smile like this," said Blair. "I cried with happiness to see my baby laugh at my voice and watch him giggle at the rattle sounds."
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"When Jordan is happy, he has the cutest little smile and laugh, and loves watching his big brother play with toys," said Blair. "As a mother, it's lovely to see the bond Ryder and Jordan have created and how Jordan already looks up to him."
"I call Jordan my little warrior, as he's been through so much," Blair continued. "Hopefully, it's onward and upward from here."