(scroll down to see earlier updates)

March 11, 2008
Leah had her left CI activated yesterday. She did great!!! She was all smiles, laughing and playing with the audiologist.....then they turned it on. She jumped and looked at Karen. I said "Leah" and she immediately looked at me!!!! When I said "you heard me!" the tears startedFYI - her other implant was turned off so everything she heard was with her newly activated one. Even though she's been hearing for 10 months, her left side still needs to be taught to hear. So, her turning towards me was a big deal.She was responding to sound and cooperated with the mapping so we were able to get a good baseline. By time we left the office, she was proudly showing off her new processor. We go back on 3\19 for another mapping appointment (turning up the processor). She had her first speech therapy appointment today with her left CI and we worked on that one for half of the time. Her ST was pretty excited how she was responding already! With her right implant, we weren't even sure she was hearing for about the first 3 months!

Activating the new one sure hasn't quieted her down any

February 3, 2008
Leah had her bilateral implant on Friday morning. After 3 loooong hours (it seemed longer as a mom sitting by herself in the waiting room!!), Dr. Wazen came out and said everything went fine and the implant is working. Thankfully, we were able to come home on Friday night. Last time, she had to be admitted due to severe vomitingThis time, I asked the dr. to order something to be given right away and it helped so much. She actually ate some rice (can take the girl out of China but not the China out of the girl!!) and drank some gatorade and did fine.

(please be patient while video loads)

She was pretty much back to normal by SaturdayI can't believe she had 2 doses of Lortab and kept on going!
We go back on the 11th for our post-op and will schedule her activation at that time.

January 26, 2008
Greetings Everyone!
I must apologize for not keeping our journal updated. I just don't know what I do with all of my free time that I have with homeschool, house, dogs, various doctor & therapy appointments, cooking, being a wife & daughter, etc....

Leah is doing great! She has been home 16 months already - it seems like Kathy & I were just in China! Her hearing is coming along. She responds to her name (even from across the house!), will come get me when the phone rings, knows someone is home when the dogs bark, wants ice in her drink just to hear the cubes hit the cup and so much more. She is trying so hard with her speech - you would think as much as Alanna talks, Leah would be fluent by now! Oh, wait.....Leah doesn't get the chance to talk with Alanna around! Some of the words\phrases she says are: thank you, Amen, bye-bye, Momma, cheese (when we have the camera out!), one, mmmmm, more, sh (with the finger to her mouth). She understands so much more though! She LOVES using her voice, especially for "singing"

We are very excited to announce............ ha-ha, you thought I was going to say that we're adopting again! Leah is going to have her other ear implanted on Feb. 1! That's right - a week from today!!!! Everyone says that they really take off with their speech with a second implant. We see an auditory verbal therapist once a week and Ms. Beth is awesome! We have decided to go with just vocalizing with Leah so no signing. That way, she has to depend on her hearing and not use visual cues. Our entire implant team is wonderful! Leah adores Dr. Wazen. We were at a benefit for the Ear Research Foundation when Dr. Wazen called Leah to the podium. She went running up there and JUMPED into his arms. The moment was definitely a Kodak momentOur audiologist, Karen, is just a doll. She is like a part of our family. Everyone at the Silverstein Institute knows Leah

I decided (after much prayer) to keep Leah home and homeschool her. Some days I wonder "what was I thinking!" It has been a challenge to say the least. But, I know that with God, ALL things are possible. She is improving a little each day.

We had our first vacation as a family of 6! We all piled into my Honda minivan (including our 12 y\o poodle!) and headed to TN for Thanksgiving. We didn't even make it to the interstate before Darryl was ready to turn around and go back home! We journeyed on and had a pretty good time. We went to Dollywood on Friday and the girls had a blast.

In November, Leah & Alanna officially became an AllionWe had their FL Adoption hearing and received US issued birth certificates.

December was full of celebrations. Alanna celebrated her 5th birthday on the 8th and Leah turned 7 on the 15th. They had a joint birthday celebration at the Magic Kingdom. I thought their eyes would pop out of their heads when they saw all of the Disney Princesses!

As for the rest of the family, we are doing great. David turned 16 (YIKES) in June, got a new car and is working at our local Christian book store. At the moment, he's on his way to NC with the youth group for a weekend of skiing. Michael is 13...do I need to say anything else! He really is a good kid though. God has blessed us with wonderful children. Not a night goes by that they don't give us goodnight hugs and tell us they love us. That's not common with teenagers anymore, especially boys. Darryl is just swamped at work which is a miracle considering the housing market in FL!

Hope you enjoy the pictures and thanks for visiting!!

May 1, 2007
We have a celebrity in our family! We were interviewed by our local news station along with Leah's surgeon about cochlear implants. The girls were pretty excited about seeing themselves on TV!

Leah is progressing on schedule. We don't always get a reaction to sound, but we do occasionally. When she does, she grabs her ears and starts laughing. Part of teaching Leah to hear & react, is to point to your ear and say "I hear that!". Alanna is a great helper - she'll tell Leah "I hear that" all of the time. It is so sweet to watch her help Leah.

April 16, 2007
Leah is now 11 days old hearing age. She is adjusting wonderfully! The first day she kept taking off her processor, and after being told many times to put it back on, she finally gave in and left it on. At church the first Sunday, she became very nervous and teary eyed when the music started. Once I assured her she was ok, she was fine. She actually started clapping to the music!! We are working on the absence and presence of sound and learning what sound is. Occasionally, I'll see her react to a sound without prompting.

I just had to share this video with you all!! I was watching the news and she came up, patted my arm, and said "Mama"!!!!! I've been working on her name so that attempt is also on the video.

(please be patient while video loads)

We still have a long way to go, but are a step closer today. How great is our God!!!

Blessings to all,
Jodi

April 7, 2007
Leah had her implant activated on 4\5. She was pretty nervous with the first "sounds" and ignoring the audiologist and myself (hoping that noise would go away!!). Then the tears came. We are so proud of her!! She did an awesome job.

(please be patient while video loads)

She has a long way to go. As of today, she is 2 days hearing age. We need to teach her to hear and what to do with the sound. Once she understands that, then we move on to speech.

We had our first Easter Egg hunt and let me tell you....she was proud of her finds! Tomorrow, she'll hear her first Easter service at church. What a great "first" church service!

March 10, 2007
Wow! Tomorrow will 6 months since Leah officially became a part of our family. The time has gone by so fast. Here's what's happening around our house:

Leah is still doing great. We have our moments where she'll "try" us, but she'll come out of her little pout session with a smile and a hug. She is loving school and takes dance classes that she enjoys. She loves to color, put puzzles together, ride her four wheeler and read books. She adores Alanna! As soon as Leah gets off of the school bus, she gives Alanna a hug and off they go.

We had her eye surgery on Feb. 16. When they called me back to recovery she was fighting the anesthesia. Her little eyes were all swollen and she couldn't even open them. I leaned down, kissed her forehead, and she reached right up for me. She knew it was Mommy even though she couldn't see or hear me.Not a single tear after that.

Yesterday (9th), we had her implant surgery. What was intended to be an outpatient procedure ended up becoming an overnight stay in the hospital. She came thru the surgery just fine - Praise God!! - but was unable to keep anything down. Poor little thing vomited every time she moved and developed a fever. Once again, no tears! What a trooper. I brought her home this morning and she's doing great. She and Alanna are coloring and she ate a 3\4 of a can of Chicken Noodle soup. Alanna was pretty upset because Leah didn't come home the first day. They really watch out for each other.

The implant will be activated in about 4 weeks. Please continue to pray for her! It's going to be a long 4 weeks for me!! I get all teary eyed just thinking about it.

Hope you enjoy the pictures! I can't wait to post the video of her first sounds!!!!

January 20, 2007
The first.........
Leah has had so many new adventures in the last 2 months. It is awesome to experience all of "the first" with a little 6 y\o girl. Some of the events are:

First Thanksgiving, first birthday party, loosing the first tooth, your first actual birthday (in China they don't normally celebrate birthdays like we do), first Christmas, first day of school, first sleepover, meeting Mickey Mouse, etc...... Soon I will be able to add the first time she heard!!!

Leah is just so excited over everything! Whether it's a new pair of socks or going to Disney, she celebrates just the same.

Leah has started school and just loves it! She is in a class with two other hearing impaired children and the teacher signs all day. She is starting to pick up on signing more....realizing that the signs have meaning. She had her little sign book out today practicing. It was so cute! She also gets to ride the big bus home which is a treat as Alanna doesn't

Leah was also able to celebrate her 6th birthday along with her Great-Grandfather who turned 90. It was a special time for all. Looking forward to the 7th and 91st birthdays next year!

We are wrapping up our cochlear implant evaluation. Leah IS a candidate - Praise God!!!! Next step is the actual implant. We're hoping for February. About 4 weeks after surgery, they will activate the system. I can't wait to post the video of her first sound!!!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures of some of Leah's "first" adventures

Blessings,
The Allion family

December 24, 2006
On this date in 2003, a family took their 3 y\o little girl for a ride. She must have thought they were going on a trip since they ended up at the long distance train station. How excited she must have been! But, wait.....where are the suitcases?

Did they tell their daughter to wait on the bench while they bought the tickets? Did they tell her they would be right back that they were going to the bathroom? Being the obedient little girl she was, she sat there and waited.....and waited.....and waited. Finally, the local police were called to help find her family. The excitement of the "trip" turned into fear as she could not hear what everyone was saying around her. Her trip ended at the local orphanage, never to see her family again.

But.......we serve an awesome God! He watched over this little girl, keeping her wrapped securely in His loving arms - protecting her.

It is now Dec. 24th, 2006....... the little obedient girl is sitting quietly like she was told to. This time, however, she is sitting with her forever family as they sing praises to our Heavenly Father.

Thank you to the birth family for loving your daughter so much that you wanted her to have a chance at life, to have the opportunity to hear again, to have medical care and an education.

Thank you to God, for protecting her and guiding her forever family to their new daughter. Thank you for the privilege to be that forever family!

PS - a picture of the little girl in the story, our Leah Jade

November 22, 2006
2+2+2 = 2

You're probably thinking that I've homeschooled way too long lol. Actually, this is a special time in the Allion household.
It was 2 years ago today that Lu HanFeng was handed to us, a scared little girl that had no idea what was going on. Now, she is Alanna Lynn and the apple of her Daddy's eye.

It was 2 years ago on the 25th that I met Lu YangZi - a little girl with pony tails sticking straight up in the air and a sweet smile that captured my heart.

It was 2 months ago yesterday that Lu, YangZi and I arrived home from China, now known as Leah Jade.
So, 2+2+2 = 2 *** 2 sweet girls from China that our now known as Alanna & Leah Allion

Update on Leah - she is doing great! We've had our first appointment with the ENT to see if she can have the cochlear implants. If everything is ok anatomically, Dr. Bartels would like to do bilateral implants!! We have the CT scan today and return to the doctor on the 28th. We should know more then.

Leah wears glasses now, too. She is farsighted on top of the strabismus. I can't (or don't want to!) imagine what this little one went thru the first three years of her life. She has scarring on her lips & face and has had trauma to her right eye. I'm assuming that the injuries occurred at the same time. Most people think she had a cleft lip due to the scar on the upper lip.

Leah will also start school after the holidays. She will be attending preschool with other children that have special needs. There are two other deaf children in her class and the teacher signs. We feel that it will be good for Leah to be with other deaf children so she doesn't feel "different".
The girls and I visited my parents & grandparents over the weekend. Leah had a great time coloring with her great-grandfather & great-grandmother. I am so glad the girls have an opportunity to know them. Actually, Leah and her great-grandfather share a birthday - Dec. 15th! We're planning a joint party for them.

We're looking forward to our first Thanksgiving & Christmas as a family of 6. I will try and give an update after Leah's appointment on the 28th. Please keep her in your prayers!

Here are some pictures of Alanna (Forever Family Day & present) and some of Leah.

Hugs,
The Allion Family

October 21, 2006
Today (10\21) is one month since arriving back home with Leah. I can't believe it has only been one month because it truly feels like she has been with us much longer. We still have not seen grieving - not sure if that's good or bad

We have found out that Leah is profoundly deaf in both ears. We have an appointment on 11\8 with the cochlea implant specialist to see if she's a candidate. With the sounds she's able to hear (very low pitched) hearing aids really won't help. Bless her heart, she tries and wants to talk. There are times that it sounds like she says words (MaMa, look...) She is slowly learning sign language so communication has been a little difficult. She seems to understand a lot of what we "tell" her - we just can't understand her. We also have an appointment with the eye specialist on Monday for her strabismus.

She is doing GREAT!! Alanna has taken on the roll of big sister and shows her the ropes - sometimes the wrong rope! They will play for hours together - starting before 7am :(. Leah still smiles all of the time and is just happy go lucky. I left her for the first time last week with David (15 y\o son)and he said she cried and sat by the front door for about 30 minutes, then seemed fine. She will try any food we give her, but prefers noodles, rice & veggies. We went to a Chinese Buffet the other day and she was pretty excited about that!

We have an appointment with the school board to get her evaluated and see what services she'll be able to receive. So, hopefully she'll be starting school next month. She used to get upset when we took Alanna to preschool and she couldn't stay. I'm sure she'll be glad to go to school. She does have some fine motor issues, but we're not sure if it's due to lack of experience or if she does have a problem in that area.

Well, that's about it. I have a lot more going on now and more tired, but I couldn't be happier. Leah has completed our family!

God is good!!

Hugs,
Jodi

September 21, 2006
WE'RE HOME!!!!!!! Yes, I am yelling because I missed my family so much and I'm very excited to be home!

Leah did great on the flights. She slept most of the way from China to LA and all of the way from LA to Tampa. She made friends every where we went! Darryl, David and Alanna were waiting for us when we arrived. Leah went running up to them and was pretty excited to see them (not as much as I was!!!). We had a panda bear for Alanna but Leah didn't want to give it to her. About 5 minutes later, she finally handed the bear to Alanna.

Alanna has taken on the roll of "big" sister. She was leading Leah thru the house by the hand showing her everything. We tried to explain to Alanna that Leah can't hear her, so she yelled "LEAH!". It was pretty cute. She'll get it soon I'm sure. We went swimming for a little while and Alanna was telling Leah to be careful & would "rescue" her if Leah drifted to far away. I was sitting there watching them with tears in my eyes. I can't believe how much God has blessed our family.

Leah has settled right in, acting like she's been here forever vs. a few hours. Alanna is doing fantastic as well. I'm so proud of her!!!

Here's a few more pics - last day at the White Swan, Leah's first McDonalds, and our two Hefei beauties.

Blessings,
Jodi