I am thankful!!!

Snow is so fun!!!

She's flying again!

They both love it!

Five Weeks

Five weeks from yesterday was Emma's surgery.  And she's already healed!  That is NOT a long time.

The doctor made an incision from her neck to her tailbone.  He didn't just cut skin and muscle, he cut bone.  This was a MAJOR surgery.  And a couple weeks later she had complications... leaking spinal fluid, another hospital stay.  That's not minor.  Yet today, we went back to the surgeon's office.  The same office where it felt like just yesterday that he said, "your daughter needs to have major surgery soon."  We left that day with a pit in our stomachs and just a little anxiety.  And today, five weeks after the surgery, he says, "She looks great.  You can go back to life as if the surgery hasn't happened."  The swelling is completely gone.  The scarring of the incision looks fine.  She's even telling us when she has to go potty.  (Loss of bladder and bowel control is one of the first indications that something is wrong in her lower spine.)  Today nothing is wrong.  Today we left with very happy hearts.  In fact, Emma did a little happy dance in the doctor's office.

Join us in praising and thanking the Lord!  His protection, His provision, His complete healing.

"This one...Emma...sad."

Emma was looking at her photo album of friends and pictures from her orphanage.  She’d spent a little time asking questions and talking about her friends.  Then she was looking at pictures of just herself in various rooms in the orphanage.  She stopped and pointed and said, “This one Emma sad.”  “Why were you sad, Honey?”  I inquired with my full attention.  “Emma no mommy, no daddy.”  Wow.  She gets it.  Amazing.  I scooped her up, kissed her cheek, and said, “You have a mommy and daddy now, sweet girl.”  

Emma really is doing wonderfully.  She is healing.  The swelling is going down.  She is back to her spunky, joyful, expressive self.  However, she is just skinny, especially in her legs.  Through the surgery process she lost a little weight, which she didn’t have to lose, and so now we’re trying to fatten her up.  She has her “special drink” (Pediasure).  I searched the yogurt aisle for full cream yogurt.  Do you know how many of them say “low fat” and “fat free”?  And I’m trying to think through how to cram as many calories as possible into her meals, while keeping them out of ours…not an easy task.  Keep praying for full healing and clearance from the doctor to completely go back to life as before.  

Elsie… The results of the MRI are that she has delayed myelination.  This means that the protective covering around the electrical impulses in her brain is not as fully formed as it should be at her age.  It’s likely a cause and effect of her seizures.  It is possible that the lack of stimulation and nutrition in her early years have played a part in this.  And if that’s the case, we should see some improvement when we do another MRI in 6 months or so.  In the meantime, she’s started medication for her seizures.  I am hopeful that this will control them and that we’ll be seeing less and less of them.  She’s also been approved to receive in-home therapies to aid in her development.  So an early intervention specialist as well as an occupational therapist will each start showing up for an hour a week.  I’m very happy about this because I need more help and support to know how to best care for this little one.  She’s a handful, an adorable, eager, in-constant-motion little handful. 

We’re already seeing progress in Elsie.  When we first got her, she wouldn’t let me hold her chest to chest.  She’d try to spin right around.  Now she reaches up asking to be held regularly.  And when I give her kisses and sing to her, she leans in as if to say “I like this and I want more.”  Ahh, the beauty of adoption.  Lives changing before my eyes.  I am thankful.

It's November!

Amazing Grace

Grace: an undeserved gift

These two little girls in my home, they are a precious gift from God.  I pray that I will never stop seeing them as such.  I also pray that one day they will fully know and understand God's amazing grace in the gift of His Son, Jesus.  His death on the cross for our sin is the ultimate undeserved gift.