Beginning Our Family Journey

Hi everyone and welcome to our blog. We are new parents to our first daughter Ella Marie. She was born in April, 2009. Our journey of raising a child that would need extra help started the day we were leaving the hospital. Ella Marie did not pass her newborn hearing screening test and we were told not to worry that it was probably just fluid. Of course as a new parent I was very worried. Everyone tried to tell me not to worry but those who know me knew that I would. I remember my husband Ryan holding Ella Marie in the hospital and making this statement...."She is such a special girl and she is going to accomplish special things." At that point it was almost as though I knew something was wrong. Of course my husband was just talking about Ella Marie and did not think that this statement would linger in my mind. I too know that Ella Marie is special and will accomplish great things and look forward to watching what God has in store for her. After leaving the hospital 48 hours after her birth, we went home and spent time as a family. We went to the pediatrician's office for her 1 week check up. She did not pass again at 1 week and we were told not to worry that they still saw fluid in her ears. At two weeks old she was diagnosed with double ear infections so the doctors continued to believe that she may not be passing because of fluid. At five weeks old we went to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL and they told us that as hard as it may be we needed to wait another six weeks to determine if it was fluid. At this same visit tests were ran and she failed those as well. Finally after multiple failed tests I asked for a referral to Shea Clinic in Memphis, TN. Again, Ella Marie failed her tests there. They set up another appointment about a week or two later and at one day before Ella Marie turned 3 months old a sedated ABR (Auditory Brain Response Test) told us that she was deaf. She did not respond in either ear at 90 decibels. Wow! We were shocked. We thought she may have some hearing loss, but severe to profound hearing loss was not what we were thinking. So of course has been an emotional roller coaster but we also look forward to learning along with Ella Marie and providing her with the best chance for success. After finding out that Ella Marie was deaf, we learned that most likely she would be a candidate for bilateral cochlear implants. Before implant surgery can take place, you must go through a trial period of using hearing aids. She received her hearing aids at 3 1/2 months old. Right before Ella Marie turned four months old Children's Hospital ran an MRI brain scan to see if her auditory nerves were present. Without nerves present Ella Marie would not be a cochlear implant candidate. Praise God everything looked normal in the MRI. Most likely Ella Marie will either receive one implant at 10 or 11 months old and her other one three months later or she will receive both of them at around 1 year old. At 3 1/2 months old she received a speech evaluation. She is currently receiving auditory verbal speech therapy weekly at this point. Of course for a four month old it is more of activities we can do at home with her which is still great.

My husband and I definitely know that God has his hand in our journey with Ella Marie. We know that "our plan" is not always the same as his. Looking back, we can see how God has prepared us for this point. For instance, my degree is in elementary education. I have had the opportunity to work with a child with a cochlear implant. I love to teach children how to read. Since Ella Marie will most likely have difficulty in her oral language development and reading and writing at first, I have the patience to work with her and try many strategies with her. My husband is the most loving and patient person I know. Ella Marie already has him wrapped around her little finger. He is such a hands-on daddy. We are fortunate that Ella Marie will have both parents, family, therapists, and friends committed to her pathway of learning.

We want to devote this blog to our journey with Ella Marie. We want to have a way to share with family and friends what we are learning so they can work on the same skills with her. We also hope that in some way our family can impact other families going through this same situation.