It's a GO!

We got our insurance approval letter in the mail today! We are APPROVED for simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant surgery in December! I'm not sure if a piece of paper has ever brought me so much relief and excitement. Relief that my diligence has paid off (and I can go back to spending my lunch break eating and pumping, rather than scrambling to make a dozen phone calls), but mostly, excitement that Sophie is going to be implanted and activated before she is 10 months old!

This is the best news that we have received in a long time. I am beyond excited! Her surgery is planned for 12/16, which is only 5 weeks from tomorrow. Know what the best news about that is??? Only 5 more weeks of battling with hearing aids! I can see the light! I know that I'm going to be getting very nervous as Sophie's actual surgery day approaches, but right now I am so ready for this new adventure that I'm trying not to think about the actual surgery part.

We also had our last therapy session with Moog before Sophie's surgery, along with her 6 month IFSP (individualized family service plan) review earlier this week and both went great. Sophie is doing a great job at learning to imitate others and mastering the skills that will be needed to map and program her implants. Sophie's therapist is optimistic that she will be a quick learner and has already told us that they expect her to exceed the milestones that are set for other babies/children at her school. While this is great and comforting to hear, it also reminds me of the tough road that we have ahead of us. We are approaching the very beginning of a new battle and it is going to be a lot of work-for Sophie, her therapists, teachers, and us. Sometimes I wish I could get just a tiny glimpse of the future so that I could know everything is going to be fine. Fear of the unknown, I guess...