A year ago...

Today, I pinned Alice to the floor and chewed on her belly.  What an amazing thing to do with a baby.  It accomplishes two wonderful things at once:

1. Makes her giggle...one of the best sounds in the world.
2. I get to feel her soft, soft skin.

A year ago, I was unsure this would ever happen.

A year ago, I was drowning in paperwork.

A year ago, I was clinging to God's will that He wanted us to go down this road.

A year ago, she was trapped in an orphanage.

A year ago, she had no future. 

A year ago, she had NO idea that having 3 older sisters and 2 older brothers was this much fun. 

A year ago, I had no idea that having 6 children was this much fun.

All Done!

Miss Alice had her surgery yesterday.  She was a champ!  We arrived at the hospital at 6:15, just like we were told.  And we waited for an hour to have our pre-op interview.

Playing while waiting, waiting, waiting...

They asked the same questions as the other day.  Then we went in another room.  And they asked the same questions as the other day.

In "holding" waiting, waiting, waiting...

Her hospital gown.  It also had shorts.  I'm thinking when she's 8 she should fit into it!

Then we went into "holding."  We were "held" for another hour.  She fell asleep.  I almost finished the book I was reading.  Erin read a good chunk of his.

They finally came and got her to take her back for surgery.  I hurried to find food.  I was HUNGRY!  A fruit bowl and rice crispy treat later (breakfast of champions, I tell ya!) I hurried back for Erin to have a turn.  Almost as soon as he left, they called me up to the front.  They were done!  I called him on the phone and he rushed back.

When I got to her side 3 nurses where standing over her.  I was afraid something was wrong.  Nope, they all thought she was SO cute.  One of them asked if they could take her home.  I smiled and said something cute, I think.  I just wanted to hold my baby.  She was awake and chewing on everything.

They taped her eyes down.  That's why they look bruised.

They let me give her a bottle.  She was hungry too!

The doctor came by to talk to us about how the surgery went.

She said...there was NO fluid behind her left ear and only a little bit behind her right ear.  I just sat there, stunned.  Why did we do this, then? I thought.  Why did we subject her to surgery for nothing? I thought.

Good thing Erin was there, because I had stopped listening to her.  But she went on to say that now when she fails her next hearing test we'll know for sure that it isn't because of fluids.  The only way to know for sure was this surgery.

I don't know how I feel about it all still.  It seems rather extreme.  But, I'm trying not to focus on that and let time tell.

She came home super hyper.  She didn't stop moving all day!  But, she is doing really great.  Like nothing happened.

Thank you for prayers and kind words.

First USA surgery...

Sweet Ali girl is having tubes put in her ears tomorrow morning.  After failing 3, yes you read that right 3, hearing tests I finally found an ENT that would put tubes in my baby.  The first 2 doctors were "uncomfortable" operating on her because of her having Down Syndrome.  So, here we are 5 months after I first started trying to make this happen...it's happening.

The surgery coordinator called to ask some questions.  Was she full term?  Don't know.

Has she ever had surgery?  One that we know of.

Was that surgery done at Texas Children's?  No, in Ukraine.  Pause.

Was she adopted?  I can't tell you how much I wanted to say "no."  But, I didn't.

Is is up-to-date on her vaccines?  Beats me.

Is there anything in your religion or culture that pertains to surgery that the doctor should know about?  Um, just don't kill her.  That got me a chuckle from the lady.  Ma'am, it's a 15 minute surgery.  She'll be just fine.  Well, I thought, you asked!

Her surgery is scheduled for 8:15 in the morning.  I'm so excited to see what sort of difference this makes in our sweet girl, if any.  I know she can hear.  I hope this makes her hear clearer and softer sounds.

Although, in all honestly, there aren't many clear and/or soft sounds in our house.

Hi...My name is Alice

And I have decided that naps are for suckers.  Since I'm not a sucker, I'm not going to take them any more.  So, even though I may sit and cry, I'm not tired.  I may yawn and rub my eyes.  But don't lay me down for a nap.  I won't take one.  Unless I have speech therapy this afternoon.  Then I shall fall asleep mere minutes before Aunt Laura comes and when you wake me for our session...let's just say I'm gonna make everyone unhappy.

I've also decided I can feed myself mashed potatoes.  I am not sure that getting it all inside my mouth is a high priority.  So, maybe...maybe not.

And I think that folded clothes are put on this earth for my enjoyment.  And it brings me joy to toss them on the floor.

And I had my first hair cut.  I think I make this cut look gooooooood!

50 Yard Line

I know that having a big family means that things happen in a super-size fashion.  I mean, that simply makes sense.  Until you are the manager of such a family and the one that has a seat on the 50-yd line...in the middle of the field...when you don't play football...and they just snapped the ball.

Last Monday started out normal.  Up at 5:50.  Kids up at 6.  (It's important to get up before the kids when you have a big family.)  Breakfast at 7.

Lizzie started not feeling so great.  She asked to lay down for a while.  Fine.  Sweet thing.  Go rest.  Mommy has got everything under control.  At 11:00 I'm not feeling so great.  Morning sickness.  By this point Lizzie has started throwing up and running a fever.

I feed everyone lunch.  Proud of myself for doing so with as much morning sickness as I was feeling.  By 1:00 I'm laying on the couch with Lizzie begging the Lord to take me home.  Fever and other terrible things going on in my body.  When your stomach hurts it is just simply unfair to have a baby doing trampoline tricks on it all day.  Just sayin'.

So, my sweet Mary is taking care of Lizzie and I.  The youngest 2 were napping and I'm not sure where the middle 2 were.  I didn't care as long as they weren't bothering me.

By 3:00 Mary was sick.  So, the 3 care givers of the family are sick and taking turns laying on the couch.

Tuesday, the 3 of us are better but just achy from being so achy.  Erin took the 3 youngest to grandma's for the morning so we could rest and Charlotte, the 9 year old, took care of us.  I was down for the entire day.  I think being pregnant made it hit me the hardest.  Or I'm a big baby.  I'm ok with either.

Wednesday, I had  fooled myself into thinking that was a fluke thing and we were going to have a great week.  Attending the finalization of a domestic adoption, 50th birthday party, Grandpa and Grandma's birthday party were all on the schedule for the weekend.

Thursday, Charlotte comes downstairs and says, "Mama, look at all these spots."  Now, I know that many of the mothers reading this are either laughing or their stomachs have dropped.

Chicken pox.

They didn't look like normal chicken pox (we've had it here before so I know what they look like.)  So, I called a friend to come look. She did and said she didn't know what they were, but they didn't look like chicken pox.  I then made an appt with the doctor.  Remember all the things I had on the schedule?  I didn't want to cancel them if I didn't have to.

Spent 3 hours at the doctor's office waiting room.  When I went to the front desk and reminded them that we were there to have the chicken pox looked at and that the longer we sat in the waiting room the more children were being exposed, we were seen within 30 minutes.  She said they didn't look like chicken pox, but she didn't know what else they could be.  Lay low and see if she gets worse.  Great.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday skipped all the events on the schedule.  It made us all sad, but being home with everyone was sweet.  Henry and Alice still haven't gotten any spots...yet.

Monday, yesterday, I'm thinking we are back on track.  Weird week last week, but this week is new and improved.

After lunch Henry started throwing up.  On the carpet.  Everything in his stomach that he's ever eaten.  In his entire life.

So, Mary cleans him up and I stare at the carpet.  Shop vac!  After I finish vacuuming up the ... stuff... I realize that the shop vac has a vent that blows air as it's sucking up.  And the vent is pointed at the fireplace.  And that the fireplace should have been cleaned out months ago.  And now there is ash ALL over the living room.

I simply stood there for a minute or two.

Then, I put the shop vac away and scrubbed the carpet.  Then I dusted the living room.

That evening Henry threw up as he was playing with the Legos.  Gross.

Today he was running a fever.

This morning Lizzie woke up with hives all over her arms and neck.  Emotional stress?  Nope.  An allergic reaction to the heat.  Nice try, Sweetie, you still have to go outside and clean up after the dog.

Again there are those mothers that are dying laughing right now and those that simply feel sorry for me.  You know who you are.

I laughed.  I have told and retold these stories so that I can hear others laugh too.  Did it make the situation different?  Nope.  Did it make how I looked at the situation different?  Yep.

So, don't feel sorry for me...laugh!  And share some mothering stories that either make people laugh or feel sorry for you.  It'll make me feel like I'm not the only one on the 50-yd line.

Freedom

I've been thinking a lot about Ali's freedom.  It's been 6 months since we took her out of the orphanage for the first and last time.  She's not the same little, blank baby we took out of there.

She's free from care takers that took care of her, but didn't love her...we love her so much.

She's free from a diet that barely kept her alive...we work very hard every day to feed her good food.  AND she's starting to eat something more solid than baby food.  To God be the glory!

She's free from SO many layers of clothing...this summer she's often wearing a diaper only.

She's free to crawl into the kitchen where all the action is...not just around a large play pen all day.

She's free to be loved on by 2 brothers and 3 sisters....with them often fighting over whose turn it is to kiss her.

She's free to laugh...and she does, a beautiful belly laugh.  Usually at Thomas.  When she hits him.

She's free to smile so hard her eyes have developed crow's feet.

She's free to have an opinion.  And don't think that just because she is little and has Down Syndrome that she doesn't have an opinion.  Cause she does.  And she's loud about it.  very loud.

She's free to play and chew on things besides the crib bars.

She's free to hear the gospel taught in her home most every night.

She's free to hear Who made her and what He did for her.

And I have freedoms too...

I'm free to call her my daughter...I no longer think of her as adopted.

I'm free to help others with fundraising...not having to worry about our own.

I'm free to delight in her gaining weight and not worry about how little she is.

I'm free to get all warm and fuzzy when I think of her as a big sister.

I'm free to forget that she has Down Syndrome...which I often do...she's just Alice.  

But, all my true freedoms were bought for me...

I'm free from guilt...I've been washed white by the blood of my savior.

I'm free from the threat of hell...I've been given a one-way ticket out of here and it was through no works of my own.

I'm free from the bondage of sin...my redeemer paid my debts in full.

Just like Alice was taken from the orphanage never to look back, Jesus carried me in his arms out of the only life I had ever known.  I was blank.  I was and still am a sinner.  He brought me into his world of love, compassion and grace.  I didn't ask for it.  I didn't deserve it.  I didn't work for it.  And believe me, there is not a more special-needs Christian than I am.  Yet, God adopted me into his family to share in the inheritance of Christ.  Just saying that gives me goose-bumps.

If the Lord hasn't saved you yet, call out to him.  Repent of your sins and beg for mercy.  I pray that the Lord will give you freedom, too.

A baby in need

Not my baby.  But another mother's baby.  She's Victoria.  She was adopted and taken straight from the airport to the hospital.  She is in desperate need of prayers, money, prayers, help and most importantly...prayers.  Please get the word out.  Please pray for this family.  Here's their blog address so you can read the back story and get updates.

Sweet Victoria

She is currently in the Children's Hospital of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

She needs help.  So does her family.

Shelly Burman, who just finished going through the same nightmare with their daughter Carrington, has volunteered to organize people to help the Ferrones through her Carrington's Courage blog. 

If you live in the Atlanta area and can help- please contact Shelly through that blog and let her know what you can do to help. 

If you don't live in the Atlanta area - then consider helping the family out financially.  They could definitely use every single donation made at this point. 

There is a chip-in on Carrington's Courage.

Please pray for this family.  I can't imagine what it would be like to have to go from the airport NOT home, but the hospital!  I wish I could do more, but I can pray.  I can tell others.  I can pray.  So can you.