Teeth and Cupcakes (Cell Phone Version)

 Party of 6.  We've got a lot of togetherness going on. 

We cupcake together in celebration of the end of the school year. 

And, we get our pearly whites shined up together!

Dear Grandma,

You were a blessing.  You showed up just in time to love on the kids and us on spine surgery day.

Then you stayed to babysit, fold baskets of laundry, give us a date night (major points), swim with the kids and generally make life more awesome. 

 And the fact that you were game for our impromptu late spring hat parade?  Extra cool. 

 All the little people miss you.  And a couple of big people too.   

 

 

Thanks for all of your help, your love on the kids, your hospital stay help, your support with all the daily tasks, and heaps of encouragement. 

 

We need you back, pronto. 

Not just because of the date night and laundry.  Though those things are always welcomed and encouraged.   :)

 

Love,

Your People



Grandparent Time

Our Florida grandparents visited in April and we had such a fun weekend!

Grilling, chilling and soak up Papa and Mimi love.

 Thanks for bringing big smiles. 

You are loved.  Come back soon!

'Nastics

 We love giving our little people new opportunities to learn, grow, and exercise!  We needed to keep it super simple this past season, so we did a low key community center gymnastics class with both girls and their cousins. It was a whole lotta tumbling, flipping, bouncing, balancing and giggling.

So proud of our girls!

Mentoring Moms

 

I'm amazed at how God keeps opening doors and stretching in the area of orphan care and adoption. His latest gift to me has been an opportunity to help build a network of moms with adopted kids willing to mentor other moms through No Hands But Ours.  These mentor moms will advocate for orphans with a medical need by being open to review and give advice on medical files. The sharing of their personal story with their child will help address the fears of potential adoptees.  They'll answer questions, provide resources and be a voice for kids with that medical need. 

 

So, we need you, adoptive momma.  Take a read and see if this might be YOUR new way to serve. 

 

We have 65+ volunteers so far, but still have many special needing volunteers. 

 

I am so. excited.

This project has been in the *dream* stage for a long time. But with a website overhaul pending, and realizing our need for more organizational and informational supports to make NHBO all it can be, the time to turn this dream into reality is now.

Joining me on this adventure are Rebecca, Liberty, Becky, Amy and Sheryl. All moms of precious kiddos from China, who just happen to have special needs. All passionate advocates for the orphan. And all just as excited as I am to be working together to launch this crazy big idea.

And we want you, adoptive mama, to be in on this, too.

So just what is it we are doing? Well, I’m so glad you asked.

Our dream is to establish a network of Mentoring Moms (or Dads, as the case may be) to represent most, if not all, of the special needs that are seen in children coming home from China. Each need would be represented by two or more moms, depending on the amount of support a specific need might require and how many children are represented by that specific need. Each team would be lead by one mom who checks in regularly with the larger NHBO team.

Collectively, each team of Mentoring Moms would work together to 1) improve the resources available on NHBO and keep it updated with the most current and most accurate information available for that specific need 2) publish occasional posts on the NHBO blog and help raise awareness through social media 3) work together to help educate and inform those who are considering parenting a child with special needs 4) work together to support parents who are already home with a child and wondering what the best next steps in parenting a child with that specific need.

Individually, a Mentoring Mom would be someone who is parenting a child with a specific special need that they have become so familiar with, so knowledgeable about, that they’ve become something of a non-trained-but-eat-sleep-and-dream-about-it expert.

Read the rest and apply to be a mentor mom at No Hands But Ours. 

Served: A Mary to Martha Nudge

Fried chicken and hash brown casserole. Our plane from China touched down, and she knew to dish up comfort. With two newly adopted kids and ruthless jet lag, months of coordinated meals became divine provision. Weeks later, shell-shocked from a hospital stay and hard news for our new daughter, she brought cheesy breakfast biscuits.

Then came surgeries and more kindness. Next was an unexpected hospital stay, so she organized another meal train. Others have also served with extravagance over the past months. They’ve babysat, held kids and written anonymous checks for medical bills.

Our gratitude has overflowed, but I’ve argued with every servant, assuring them that they were busy, and we had it under control.

In between organized meals, four wise mentors watched as I, on overdrive, managed our new family of six through extensive medical appointments, teaching English, therapies, medical care, attachment issues, homeschool, and gymnastics. It was time to let go of my Martha-like inclination they said, to become a little more Mary-ish.

Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what [the Lord] said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42, condensed).

They brought occasional meals and folded baskets of our sheets, each time cleverly bringing bags of M&Ms as a Martha to Mary nudge. My challenge? To spend distraction free time with our kids whose lives had also been turned upside down. From their front row seats, my mentors observed as I danced around offers of help.

They looked deeply, saw my overly fierce independence, and lovingly suggested change.

Read the rest over at Ungrind.

Evie's Miracles (Ancient Cell Phone Edition)

So, Evie's miracle quota seems to have no bounds. 

Spine surgery in two spots of Friday, released on Sunday.  Playing by Wednesday. 

 

Our neurosurgeon had prepared us for the worst case scenario of ICU, extended hospital stay and lots of time laying flat at home. 

 

When she came out of surgery complication free and was placed in a regular room, we knew many prayers had been answered.   

 

She spent two days hanging out horizontal doing lots of snoozing and watching "Happy" on the iPad.  Then balloons sent from KY brought smiles, and visitors started to arrive bringing lots more joy with them.   All things look brighter with Grandma in the room.

We've learned that hospital rooms don't have to be boring. 

A super special overnight guest turned the last night into a slumber party!



Big love to Aunt Jen who showed up with Chipotle, perfect stuck on your back toys and braiding skills.  

More big gratitude to Jace and Karen who brought "bips", chocolate and a book on Saturday night, then arrived Sunday AM with donuts and milk.   They've clearly mastered the art of hospital visitation!

 

 Finally, our girl rolled on out in a red wagon. 

Back home, she chilled on her back and slowly started to sit up for short periods. 

 

Then, all of the sudden there was this. 
Our tiny but mighty girl pushed through aches and pains and started playing again. 
Two rows of sutures down her tiny back and she's smiling and sticking noodles in play doh. 
Oh, girl.  You inspire me.  

Thank you, God, for hearing our prayers and blessing Evelyn with another miracle. 

We are in awe of You and her.

Dear Mamaw and Papaw



 

Best surprise ever!

 

 

Knock on our back door anytime!

 

                                                              

 

Book Review: I've Never Been to Vegas but My Luggage Has

Author and blogger Mandy Hale's latest book is insightful, funny and filled with funny mishaps, almost perfect, but not quite relationships and lots of great advice.  She vulnerably shares her story as a single professional in a way that anyone, whether single or married can relate to and gain wisdom from. 

 

I needed a laugh at the time that I was holding this book, and it delivered.  The bumps and bruises life has left her with altered her perspective and made me think about my reaction to life's detours.  She shares with hilarious stories that make you want to hang out with her over dinner for a good laugh.   She is funny, optimistic, and has gained great wisdom and faith trough professional and personal successes and failures.

 

I reviewed this book with 3 out 0f 5 stars.  It is relatable, witty and an easy read.  

 

Disclosure: I received this book for free from publisher through BookLook Bloggers in exchange of my honest opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines

Surgery Day

 Yesterday was spine surgery day for our girl.  Thinking we'd hit traffic, we left way early, only to make it there with tons of time to spare.  So, we headed to the hospital garden to take care of some veggies and herbs. 

 These pre-surgery mornings are hard on a momma's heart as you know she had no idea what was coming.  She was just gardening, living moment to moment.  Such wisdom in how she lives. 

 Next, we headed in for lots of hours of food and drink free waiting.  Listening to "Happy" over and over and over again kept her mostly distracted. 

 

Then, after a flurry of nurses and doctors came through, she was given loopy juice and then we walked into surgery.

 

Mark and I walked back down the hallway without out her, control totally released, an experience we've had too many times. 

 

Two hours later, we got word that surgery was over and went without complications.  She had two procedures done, but both were easier than expected.  They has warmed us that ICU was an option for her first night due to her other issues, but she was eventually placed in a regular room.  She was fever free in recovery, but very traumatized, taking her a couple hours to calm down. 

 

She ended the night puffy and loaded up on pain meds, but managed to munch on a few chips. 

 

She'll need to remain on her side, due to the incision on the back and bladder needs on the front.  So, the next days will involve lots of more pain meds, getting her to eat/drink and keeping her still. 

 

 

This day was very hard on our hearts, but we thank God and celebrate a successful surgery.

Hitting the Field

A new teammate hit the soccer field this past season.   



 He had no clue what was happening, but he smiled the whole time!

 

 His coaches were the best with our little silent one, always giving him a chance to get it on the action.

 So fun to hit the field with this little guy.  He loved every minute!

Evie Update: Tethered Cord Surgery

 Surgery time has come again for our tiny but mighty, Evelyn. 

On Friday, May 23rd, she'll have surgery to release her tethered spinal cord and dermal sinus tract.

 

This will be Evie's 9th hospital visit in the US, and we don't even want to fathom the number in her two years of life in China.  Though we hate the thoughts of walking back through the doors of the hospital and all the trauma that that brings, we feel surprisingly, mostly, at peace.

 

We've sat in waiting rooms before.  We've released control of our girl again and again.  We've done IVs and antibiotics.  We've walked into hospitals and we've walked back out.  It's less scary now. 

 

This surgery, though it will be hard on Evie, is a fairly common neurosurgery.  We feel confident in our neurosurgeon and more confident in our God of miracles.  He has a tract record of them. 

 

The recovery is a 2-5 day hospital stay where she will have to remain laying flat.  She'll then be prescribed with time to be flat at home as well. 

 

Prayer Requests:

1.  Safe, no complications, surgery

2.  Wisdom and gentleness of all medical staff

3.  Minimum hospital stay

4.  Release from fear/pain for Evie

5.  For the hearts of her siblings who worry and make sacrifices

 

 

We were informed of Evie's condition during her first hospital stay in December.  At that point, we were told that she has VACTREL association, or a series of related conditions, of which she has three.  

 

 VACTREL

abnormalities of vertebrae (V)

 anus (A)

 cardiovascular tree (C)

trachea (T)

esophagus (E)

renal system (R)

 limb defects (L)

 

 

 

Tethered Cord Explained:

 

      In the case of tethered spinal cord syndrome, a child's spinal cord is abnormally attached to the tissues around the spine (most commonly, at the base of spine). As a result, the spinal cord can’t move freely within the spinal canal.  This abnormal attachment is associated with progressive stretching and increased tension of the spinal cord as a child ages, potentially resulting in a variety of neurological and other symptoms, including motility.   

We are a thousand times ready to have this behind us.   At the same time, it is before us, so we'll face it, pray endlessly, try to find some joy, try to love well, connect with medical staff, release control and rest in the new trust that has developed in us. 

 

But when it is behind us, summer is game on! 

Penguins, Sharks and Otters: An Aquarium Adventure

 Our road trip also brought a different kind of water fun. 

 We spent two days exploring the  Chattanooga aquarium, lingering and taking in the adventure.   

 

 We got up close and personal



 made some new friends,

 

and even touched a few.

 Big sisters took care of little sisters. 

Of course the ocean has its predators, and we had some harrowing moments.  Luckily, all four littles made it out safely. 

 

 We worked at not rushing by such amazing glimpses of the magnificent underwater world. 

Can't wait to dive in again sometime soon.