Getting Closer...

The other day I was giving the girls a bath together when Paityn stopped what she was doing and said "Mommy, when is Evy going to start talking?" This kind of a question from my four year old would usually make me a little sad and lost for words. Although they are very close and have their own special ways to communicate, I know that they can both tell that there is something missing. I would normally be searching for an answer to give that would help Paityn better understand, but this time I didn't have to. I quickly and proudly replied ..."SOON!" It felt good to say that word and know that I meant it! All of our relentless pushing, researching, testing, and hard work has finally paid off! I know that we have a long road ahead of us and that perhaps Evy's hardest moments will be after her surgery, while learning to listen and speak through intensive therapy.

We received a list of dates from her ENT surgeon that we're pretty excited about. On 1/3/12 we will see the doctor for a pre-op appointment so he can take a look and make sure that Evy is in good health for her surgery. Then on 1/11/12 we will go in for her actual implantation. The doctor said the surgery will take about 8 hours and afterwards will need to stay the night at the hospital to be monitored. If all is well, they will discharge her the next morning. This will surely be the most stressful 24 hours of our lives, and the next week will be spent at home, caring for our precious Evy. We're also lucky to have such amazing family and friends that will be here to help and spend time with Paityn!

The day that we will be most excited for is 1/25/12... Activation Day! Evy will be implanted with the internal device on 1/11/12, but will not wear her external processor until 2 weeks post-op. She will need time for swelling to go down and for her sutures to heal. When she gets activated, she will have access to the sounds around her for the very first time! Although we anticipate this being a happy day for us, the audiologists said to expect any range of reactions from Evy. Being activated is exciting, but can also be very frightening to a child who has never heard these noises and voices before. She will probably be a little overwhelmed and scared, but it's normal. That's when the intense therapy comes in! Her teachers and audiologists will constantly be working with her and programming the implants to her specific needs. Nothing will happen over night and this process will take lots of hard work from all of us, especially Evy, but I just know that she will enjoy the hearing world so much that she will adjust quickly to her new way of life! We'll have a little chatterbox before we know it; especially with her big sister around to show her how it's done ;)

We certainly have a lot on our minds, but for now we are going to enjoy the holidays with our family and focus on having a great Christmas! Hope you all do the same!