Good News: House and Hearing Journey

Yesterday and today have been filled with wonderful news...and both things were so unexpected. Isn't that how it often works?! A few weeks ago, our realtor told us that the market was picking up in Oklahoma and that it would be a good idea to put our house on the market. I didn't expect to put it on the market quite that early, but the good weather was bringing out the buyers so we went ahead and did it. It went on the market a week ago Sunday. Sunday night, we got a call from our realtor with an offer. We countered. They countered back. We countered. And they took it!!! We now have a contract on our house!! This is a HUGE praise. We were trying to sell our house last year. We let go of a potential buyer and we regretted it for months. When we couldn't get anyone to give us a respectable offer, we put the house up for rent. I guess it just wasn't time to sell because the house is fantastic and definitely worthy of a decent offer. Our tenants have been fantastic and have taken excellent care of our home. We are so grateful for them. We are set to close at the end of April, which actually helps out our tenants who wanted to extend their lease past 31 March for another month or two while they finish their home. Jason and I are both so excited and grateful to not have to go through months of having the house on the market. I'm sad to see that house go because I love it so much, but it's just a house and freedom from the mortgage is going to be a huge burden lifted.

And now, the best for last!

One day, I'll finish all of my posts that detail our journey to hearing with Elizabeth. For now, I must update what happened today because I can't thank God enough. Elizabeth is currently wearing two hearing aids and doesn't seem to be getting any sound from them. She's really deaf. Most insurance companies won't pay for cochlear implants until the child is at least 12 months. Thankfully, our insurance company happens to be one of the few that doesn't have that age limitation. They only require the child to wear hearing aids for six months with no signs of hearing improvement. Elizabeth has had her hearing aids since she was six weeks old. She's had her MRI showing that everything is completely normal (her auditory nerve, the structure of her ear, her brain, etc.) All of this makes her a great candidate for cochlear implants. Before we can meet with the implant surgeon, Elizabeth has to have behavioral testing in the booth. This is typically done at six months or once the child can sit unassisted. We've talked to our audiologist and our early intervention therapist about our desire to have her implanted as soon as possible after her sixth month of wearing hearing aids. They both know that we want her to hear as soon as possible and they are both on the implant team that meets monthly with the implant surgeon. Our intervention therapist told us that she would discuss Elizabeth's case with the surgeon at their March meeting and try to get a feel for what she thought he might do. (Just to give a brief history, I've been told that the earliest he's implanted is 9 months. The ENT told me that he wouldn't implant until 12 months (but I knew he was wrong). I've met other moms of deaf children who's surgeons won't do bilateral implants that early...only one and then the second one later. I've also been told that head size is a factor.)

In early January, we scheduled a meeting with the surgeon on 8 May hoping to secure a 1 June surgery date because he only does implants on babies on the first Friday of every month and his scheduler recommended that date. Elizabeth will be a week away from being 8 months old on 1 June. I felt that was probably pushing it, but I know that kids have been implanted as early as six months. Why not strive for the earliest date? All he can do it tell me no, right? I've been preparing myself to hear him say that he won't do both until August or September just so I don't get disappointed at the May meeting.

Well, the implant team meets the first Tuesday of the month, so they had their meeting last week. I went to get Elizabeth's ear molds done today and when I walked into the office, my audiologist said, "We had our meeting last week and Jennifer (our early intervention therapist) brought up Elizabeth's case. Dr. Shelton said, 'Why wait? Let's get her seen as soon as possible.'" What?!?!?!?!?! I was so excited. I could hardly believe it. He said to get her booth tested at the next available appointment, which happens to be on 28 March. She can't sit on her own, but our audiologist said that it isn't a problem. We can move up our meeting with Dr. Shelton, the surgeon, to any date after the 28th. We are SOOO excited! I don't know for sure that she's going to get her implants on 1 June, but this sure was a positive step. I was not expecting him to say that at all. I was in shock. I thought that he would think I'm a crazy parent who needs to calm down and relax. I am relaxed. I just want my daughter to hear as soon as she possibly can. We put her in the booth for a couple of minutes today and she didn't show any response to sounds as loud as 105 dB with her hearing aids on! That is deaf! That also means that she's (most likely) not hearing anything at home. I'm ready for her to hear the world!

I felt so grateful to God. No matter what happens (anything (perceived) good for bad), He is achieving His good will and His purposes. I am just so thankful to walk this road with Him and her. I am honored to be her mother. I seriously feel special to get to have a deaf daughter...and she is the most amazing little ball of love and wonder. I don't know if she'll get surgery on 1 June, her grandma's birthday, but I have felt that date jump out at me from the beginning. We'll see what happens. For now, we keep wearing those hearing aids, loving our angel, and waiting to see God's plan unfold. There is no guarantee that the implants will work. I'm okay with that. Whatever comes our way, I just want to embrace it as part of His perfect plan.