One More Step Towards Hearing

Aly is home from the hospital after cochlear implant surgery this morning. The doctor decided to do one only side, after reviewing the results of the first implant and the formation of the second ear. We will know in about a month (when they start to program her implant) how much hearing the implant will give her.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and good wishes.

Aly, K-sister, K-mom, R-dad

As Time Goes By

We have been home six months, so here are referral, in-China, and home-six-months pictures of Alyson. Enjoy!

Our Dreams for Alyson

We have been on quite a rollercoaster since coming home with Aly six months ago. The ups have been as high as the downs low.

K-mom's job was eliminated the last day of her family leave, and she started a new job (doing what she loves) two months later. Unemployment put a dent in our finances, and we were together as a family for almost five months.

And our NSN (non-special needs) DD (darling daugher) was diagnosed in late May with a serious special need, congenital hearing loss. She is deaf on the right side and profoundly hard of hearing on the left. Aly remains the amazing little girl she always was, and our path with her has taken a sharp turn to places yet known. She will have bilateral cochlear implant surgery this Tuesday, so we ask for your good thoughts that the surgery is a success and that she is able to hear with the implants.

So, our dreams for Alyson are that she leads a normal and (un)eventful life and that that she hears us say "I love you" (and says it back.)