ECHO

Today Kelson had his follow up hearing test at the ECHO center (Expanding Children's Hearing Opportunities). The goal was to have him in a deep sleep during the test. When we arrived at the center, we went to a room with a rocking chair to feed Kelson and make him sleepy. They attached electrodes to his forehead and behind his ears. Shortly after getting a full belly, Kelson was asleep in my arms and they were able to begin the test. They placed a tube in his ear that was attached to the computer to produce sounds. Kelson was an excellent patient.

Unfortunately the results of the test were not what we were hoping for. Kelson has a hearing impairment called "Auditory Neuropathy" (AN). His ears can hear sounds, but the nerves have trouble recognizing sounds. Basically there is a miscommunication between his ear and his brain. We will not know the severity of his condition until he continues to develop, but hopefully early intervention will help the prognosis. We were told that this condition could improve as Kelson matures, and there are devices that can assist with hearing down the road. For right now we just need to wait and see.

Even though this was disappointing news, after what we have been through, this is a minor complication. Kelson has broken so many belief barriers, that I'm sure he won't let this slow him down. We know for a fact that God will not give us more than we can handle.

Otherwise Kelson is doing great. Last night he ate at 10 PM, went to sleep, ate at 2:30 AM, went to sleep, and woke up around 5:30. Hopefully he has his days and nights straight so we can continue to get a pretty full nights sleep. It is exciting to have our first weekend home together!