Wednesday, March 27, 2013

LOA!

Amazing! We received our Letter of Approval for Linda! This is so much faster than we expected. It only took 48 days . . . our LOA for Joy took 3 1/2 months. So, this is about half the time. God is in control, and He continues to make that very clear. We are now about 3 months away from bringing our little Linda home! We can hardly wait to wrap her in our arms. I have prayed that she would be home for her 5th birthday which is June 12th. The timing could actually be pretty close to that. It was exactly a year ago on her birthday that we received the phone call about her. Here she is on that day.

 
Precious Linda, we can't wait to celebrate the gift of your life with you! We continue to wait and trust in our sovereign Lord. His timing will be perfect, of that we are sure!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
 Psalm 139:14

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Spica Chair/Desk

Victory! Introducing David's latest invention . . . The Spica Chair/Desk! "Thank you, Daddy!" Joy squeals. Because of the fact that Joy's position is so reclined, it has been difficult for her to sit up enough to comfortably eat, color, do crafts, etc. (basically all of the things that give her some independence and occupy her time). One of Joy's favorite phrases is "Joy by yourself." Just so you know . . . she can do it by herself! So, the wheels have been spinning in our minds for the past week . . . how can we remedy this situation? Well, we believe that our ever faithful God gave my handyman husband the idea and the tools to get the job done! With a little creativity and ingenuity, this is what emerged:



The chair is narrow, short, and padded to fit the cast and accomodate the bar. To make sure she doesn't fall out, we secure her with a strong, velcro, wrap around belt from Home Depot. The desk then slides in and out. Joy can now sit upright and "do it by herself". The smile on her face simply makes our hearts sing! A common phrase for the past week has been, "Sit up more, please." Poor baby just wants to be able to feed herself and focus on her arts and crafts which, by the way, include much gluing! Gluing, a favorite pastime, has been difficult and a bit messy to say the least. So, Joy, glue to your heart's content! (With a little help from big sis, Mia!)


 
 
It may seem like a small thing, but it is actually huge. Living with a spica cast is all about finding the small (or big) things that make the practical things doable. Joy can now feed herself, create her works of art, color, do playdoh and more all with the help of this invention.
 
We have turned a corner! Of course there are limitations when a body is immobile. However, we are finding new ways of doing things. It is actually starting to feel "normal". Joy seems to have fully accepted her situation, and her joyful spirit is shining through!
 
 
 
 
"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!" Psalm 126:3


Thursday, March 14, 2013

We're Home!


We are so happy to be home! As soon as we pulled into the garage Joy said, "We're home!" Big sigh of relief! She is doing really well and continuing to adjust. Her pain is minimal, and she has only needed Tylenol once this morning. We are figuring out all of the practical logistics and finding our new normal. There's no place like home! Although, yes, we are a bit tired . . . at least some of us are!

 
Thank you to all who are praying for us and supporting us! We feel it! We have so much to be thankful for, and God's care and love abound!
 
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Surgery Success!

We made it! It's over! Praise the Lord! Joy is resting peacefully after a long day. The doctor said everything went great, and phase 1 is complete. This little girl is such a trooper, and we are so proud of her. She was happy and sweet as they wheeled her away. (Although mommy was a bit emotional!)

After 3 1/2 hours of surgery, we saw our precious girl looking so small in that big bed. She was definitely relieved once she saw mommy and daddy and immediately wanted a hug. The first words she spoke were, "Take it off!" Oh boy! That pink cast suddenly wasn't as fun as it was talked up to be. Yet, she is already adjusting and adapting to her new normal. We have even had a few smiles after she talked to big brothers and sister. :)

She is saying "hi" to all of the nurses and remembering her "pleases" and "thank yous". So cute! Her pain seems under control, and we may even be able to go home tomorrow. We'll just take it all one step at a time. We are so relieved to be on the other side, and we thank our Lord that Joy is safe. We feel everyone's prayers, and we continue to be at peace. We were even blessed with a private room. God is just so good! Here are a few before and after surgery pics.



Monday, March 11, 2013

Peace

Peace. We have it. It is a gift. It only comes from the One who is Himself the Prince of Peace. Thank you Jesus for your peace!
 
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
  

Tomorrow's the big day. It's here. We are sorrowful, yet rejoicing. The anticipation will end, yet the reality of life post surgery will begin. We have a long road ahead of us! It struck us today as we watched Joy's adorable little hip swinging gait . . . this is the last time she will walk this way. And . . . this is the last time she will walk this way! It is bittersweet. We love her fully and completely just the way she is. We will miss her "Joy walk". But, we love her so much that we want to do whatever possible to help her. We pray that she will emerge strong and confident; that she will jump to her heart's content; that she will dance and spin; that she will run like the wind! However, our deepest desire through it all is that she will trust in her Savior; that she will cling to Him; that she will tell of what He has done; that she will love Jesus with her whole heart! No matter what . . . we will love Him!

"And the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
  


Friday, March 8, 2013

Preparing for Surgery

We are now just a few days away from surgery. Joy knows the date on the calendar that says "Joy's Cast". And her request is that it be a "pink cast"! We are not exactly sure if what is about to happen is truly registering, but how can she really understand "surgery" until she is living it? Every now and then she will randomly blurt out, "Doctor fix legs . . . Joy jump!" She has also occasionally stated, "Joy no like that cast." (Yes, she does often speak in the third person!) She goes back and forth from acceptance to denial. We aren't even sure if she really knows that there is anything wrong with her legs, since she has never known any different. However, she is such an observant little thing! I have watched her attempt to cross her unbendable legs several times "like Mommy and Mia". She also is aware of the fact that she falls a lot. Yet, she takes it all in stride and rarely cries or complains. Technically, it is her hips that are the culprit of the problem since they are both dislocated. After her hips are placed into the formed socket, the doctor believes that the knees will probably line up better. However, Joy will most likely need surgery on her knees as well. Invasive surgery is extremely painful, and 5 months in a body cast is a long time! We are trying to think of it in small doses rather than in its entirety.

Amazingly, we have very dear friends whose daughter recently underwent surgery on her hip. Joy was able to see what it looks like to be in a spica cast and to ride in a wheelchair. They have shared their pearls of wisdom and a plethora of practical advise about living with a spica cast. God is so personal, once again! It is knowing these same friends and their daughter's history with hip dysplasia that prompted us to be open to adopting a child with this same condition. Our God cares about every detail of our lives, and we continually stand in awe of His constant guidance and provision. When Joy's wheelchair arrived last weekend, the first thing she said was, "Just like Sarah.". :) She hopped right in with a huge smile on her face! She has already learned how to navigate herself around the house. Of course, it will be a bit different once she is in the cast, but the practice is so helpful.


 
We have been so incredibly blessed by how the Lord has shown His love and care to us through our church body. The consistent prayers and words of encouragement are a comfort to our hearts. And just last evening our care group surprisingly showered us with a care package full of treats, gift cards, numerous crafts, and items to keep Joy occupied during her state of immobility. Wow! We were so blown away by the generosity and love that went into this gift! We are humbled and grateful beyond words. Joy was pretty excited when she saw this . . . !
 
 
Thank you, everybody, for your love demonstrated through this amazing gift! We feel so loved!
 
"For the joy of the Lord is your strength!" Nehemiah 8:10 




Saturday, March 2, 2013

Update on Linda

We recently received some new info on our precious Linda! A team of women and young girls went to China and visited the kiddos in the foster home where Linda lives. Some of them shared priceless pictures and even some video with us. It is so amazing to see our daughter's beautiful face and to know that she is doing well. Even more amazing is that this team was a part of telling Linda about us, her family. Once again, God is so personal! Our adopted "Grandma" who Linda is named after was leading this trip. She was able to bring a photo album of our family that we made and then share it with little Linda. A young woman who is a missionary and speaks Mandarin was able to read the words to Linda that we had written. With tears of joy in our eyes, we had the privilege of seeing her face as she found out that she has a family waiting for her. She is being adopted! She is an orphan no longer. She is our daughter!

 
"God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68:6
 
A special woman on the trip shared these words with us, "I have to tell you that your little Linda is such a light. What a beautiful, happy little girl…Im sure you know this but "wow" she is an amazing little girl. She hung on to your scrapbook all day and asked us to re-read it to her!!!"
 
What words of encouragement! Our hearts are full of joy and excitement. We can hardly wait to bring our little Linda home!
 
The team also took the kids on a fun outing to KFC . . . yes, even in China! It looks as though this girl loves her food! :)
 


 
She is wearing "several" of the clips we sent her! So cute! And the stickers on the face seem to be a global occurrence as my sister recently pointed out. :)
 
We continue to pray and wait! We are so thankful for this update. We know and trust that God's timing will be perfect to bring this little one home! We love you, Linda!!