Countdown to activation

So it has been a little over a week and Molly is doing just great. We made the trip up to see the surgeon and get the final OK which we did. More exciting than the fact that she is healing quite nicely is the fact that we got to wash her hair....finally! No scrubbing the sides...but at least we can get that area wet. Molly hasnt complained about the "ouch" behind her ear for quite awhile so we are hopeful that the worst of it is behind us. Rob and I are both in a week long hockey clinic so every night we have been spending two hours on the ice which has really helped time pass as we get closer to her activation day next week. We go in with "high hopes and low expectations" I read that somewhere and that pretty much sums up what we were told to expect. I know there are a lot of followers out there that believe that implants are like flipping a switch ...similar to turning the MUTE button off...but that really isnt the way things work. The brain has to have time to adjust....to learn HOW to hear and then how to associate that sound with meaning. Molly will do great...she has been through so much that we really think that this will be just one more experience that she has had.

This past Monday we had the opportunity to readopt her and file for her American birth certificate. Because the International Adoption Clinic disagreed with the birthdate that China had assigned to her ( Molly was not left with a note from her birth mother as to what her name or actual birthdate was) we chose a new birthdate for her. We also picked a new middle name as well. Her name was given to her, not by her birth mother which we would have undoubtably kept, but by a random doctor on duty that gave her a physical when she was found. Honestly, we may have even kept that but it is unpronounceable by the western tounge...so Rob picked a name all by himself and he got to name his little girl...her middle name is MeiLi. Here are some photos of our readoption ceremony. The boys were a little disgruntled about being forced to wear a tie...but we all survived!

  Molly and Daddy




                            The boys are tired, hungry and hate wearing a tie. I dont blame them.

Our attorney and friend. What a terrific guy to take care of this. The judge let the kids sit at his special judges table. Molly didnt seem to appreciate it as much as the boys did.