The Hunt for the Perfect Christmas Tree & ETHIOPIA

One of our long-standing family traditions is cutting down a fresh Christmas tree each year. Here the girls are searching for the "perfect" tree...

When we finally found our tree, each girl had an opportunity to try their hand at the saw. Sarah Mei thought the entire tradition was a blast!

Her favorite part was taking the last sip of Torie's specialty coffee

The crew proudly displays the tree "bagged" in the back of the truck. Now it's time for the trek home and the lights...

Now if you're wondering what cutting a tree and Ethiopia have in common....the Acacia tree. The Acacia tree is a tree in Ethiopia which offers shelter and protection from the elements. Like the Acacia tree, Christian World Adoption and Christian World Foundation, (sister organizations) are offering protection and shelter to many of Ethiopia's orphans. Phil and I have been praying about ways to champion the cause of the 143 million orphans in the world, and recently Phil was given an opportunity to make a difference in Ethiopia. Phil and a professional photographer, Ken, along with the founder and co-founder of Christian World Adoption and Christian World Foundation, Bob and Tomilee Harding, will be traveling to Ethiopia in mid-January. CWA (the adoption agency we used for both of our adoptions) in conjunction with CWF have been given an opportunity to build an orphanage and medical center 20 minutes outside the Ethiopian capitol city of Addis Ababa. CWF has the land but now must raise $3 million dollars to proceed with the building of the facility. While fundraising is in progress, CWA is caring for literally hundreds of Ethiopian orphans ready for adoption. They have several temporary rental homes where the children are being housed. Phil and Ken's "mission" is to travel to Addis Ababa and to a town 7 hours south of the capitol city. They will be shooting footage for a promotional DVD to be used for project fundraising. They will also be shooting footage and taking photographs of the waiting children in hopes of using the material to help place them in loving homes here in the United States. We are so excited about this open door and ask for prayers for safety and health for the traveling crew and, most importantly, for many homes to be found for the sweet waiting children of Ethiopia.

(If you'd like more information on Christian World Adoption's waiting children or the Acacia tree project, you can visit the website http://www.cwa.org/ and click on the right Acacia tree button.)

October Update

It's been six weeks since Sarah Mei's surgery and life is getting back to normal (whatever that is??) Her recovery has been amazing despite several setbacks (a cold, turning into a respiratory infection, a visit to the ER, steroids (boy do those make a girl moody!!!), antibiotics and breathing treatments...phew.) However, Thursday was the follow-up appointment to the cardiologist, and we got the "all clear" to take her out in public...yippee! Her cardiac regurgitation is still moderate, so we'll visit the cardiologist again in 4 months. A 2nd surgery is a possibility but it could be in months, years or never. We're so thankful that we serve a God who knows every hair on our head and is in charge of it all!! We find great peace in this and know Sarah Mei is firmly in His hand. We are continually reminded of the verse He gave to us when we 1st began the adoption process for our little Hunan doll..."You hem (her) in-behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon (her)." Ps. 139:5 The Psalmist goes on to say, in the next verse, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Ps. 139:6. This is definitely how Phil and I feel as we watch God's hand of protection and provision in Sarah Mei's life.
Last week Phil's school had a week off, for their traditional fall break. We capitalized on this time and went to the beach. We decided, "how many germs could Sarah Mei be exposed to in the wide open sand??" It was a great time of fun, laughter and relaxation. My parents were able to travel with us which was an extra special bonus! The following pictures are a "snapshot" of our trip. Enjoy and praise God for His beautiful creation.

Sarah Mei...5 weeks after open heart surgery!

This is the child who screamed at bath time when we 1st brought her home. I think she's getting used to the water!

Michaela plays with Sarah Mei in the surf.

AnnaGrace beginning a sand castle creation.

Sarah Mei even had to have her "blankie" (yes, we know it's a washcloth but somehow saying where's your "washcloth" just sounds strange??) on the beach.

Sarah Mei, asleep in Elaine's arms, after a full morning of playing in the sand and surf.

Torie knows how to enjoy an afternoon...floating down the Lazy River and reading a good book.

Torie introduces Sarah Mei to the joys of whipped creme on top of your hot chocolate. What are big sisters for but to teach you the finer things in life!

We continue our annual tradition of playing putt-putt golf on the day we leave the beach. This was the fanciest course we've been to...complete with an indoor fountain.

Elaine and Torie try not to look too triumphant as they put an end to Phil's long winning streak. Elaine won in 2006 and Torie was the victor this year. (Phil had been the victor in all previous years.) Now the women have to prepare for 2008 and defend their title!

This was the 1st year AnnaGrace was old enough to "really" play with us. She even got a "hole in one." You go girl!

Sarah Mei is sure she'll be ready for competition next year.

2007 at the beach.

(Thanks Bryant's for this great beach photo idea. It will be our new beach photo tradition.)


"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1

Positive Medical Update

Oh my, it's good to be home!!

Thankfully we received a positive report today from Sarah Mei's pediatric cardiologist Dr. Craig Greene. Last week was a week of ups and downs as Sarah Mei battled a fever of unknown origin. Dr. Greene did an outstanding job of troubleshooting the problem...not only did he have blood drawn for blood cultures, but he also contacted the infectious disease physician (who had been treating Sarah Mei for her staph infection prior to surgery), Sarah Mei's pediatrician and the physician staff at MUSC. We were so appreciative that he was willing to collaborate with so many "minds" to decide on a treatment course. Thankfully the fever ended up breaking after 48 hours and then today we received the blood cultures back. They were negative...Praise God!! Her echo looks great, so we won't go back for a follow-up appointment for three weeks. We continue to be in "solitary confinement" until her next appointment, but we're beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Sarah Mei is returning to her bright, cheerful self. As the picture below demonstrates...she was not thrilled with her hospital stay (who would be??) But now that she is home, the fun-loving little girl is returning. My dad (who had open-heart surgery 10 years ago) is amazed at how quickly she has healed and recovered!!

These pictures were taken in Charleston... while Sarah Mei was in the hospital recovering from surgery, Phil and the girls went to a Citadel football game (Phil's undergraduate alma mater.) It was a wonderful respite, from what was a somewhat grueling ordeal, for our other girls.

We're all thankful to be home and back to a routine of sorts. We're back to Torie's senior year at SouthLake Christian Academy, homeschooling Michaela and AnnaGrace, volleyball, riding horses, chores on the farm...the rhythm of each predictable day is a blessing!!

Sarah Mei is Home!!

Just a quick update....Sarah Mei and I returned home today. She was actually discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon; however, after a 2 hour drive she was getting tired and cranky. She has been through so much in the last week that I decided to stop at a hotel to break up the trip. We drove the last 2 hours today and then went to an appointment with her pediatrician. (MUSC requires a pediatrician visit immediately after discharge.) As far as the results of the surgery...Sarah Mei had an echo on Monday, and it showed that there is still regurgitation in the heart. This is not surprising due to the specific heart condition that she had. It means that she may require a 2nd surgery sometime, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now we are just praising God for His hand of protection and thanking Him that we are home. I'll update the blog with more details/pictures tomorrow, Lord-willing, after her pediatric cardiologist appointment. (Yet another Dr.'s appointment....Sarah Mei will be thrilled. She starts crying now if she sees anyone in scrubs or with a stethoscope around their neck.)

Sarah Mei is in Pediatric Cardiac ICU

Sarah Mei has been in PCICU since surgery on Wednesday. We have so much to be thankful for...a great nursing staff, a skilled surgeon and a supportive physician team in ICU!! Sarah Mei's surgery went very well. As shown on the echo, Sarah Mei had an extra flap of tissue, that is not usually present, that partially blocked the hole in her lower heart chamber. This flap of tissue protected her lungs, from the increased pressure, and literally saved her life during her 1st 19 months. The surgeon was able to just stitch her VSD opening in her heart (due to the extra tissue), and he also patched the ASD (hole in her upper chamber) and rebuilt her valves as planned. A 2nd surgery may be required but that can't be determined for months. We're just so thankful for a successful outcome for this surgery.
Sarah Mei has lost a lot of blood and required a unit of platelets and a unit of blood yesterday. She had a very vascular area in her heart, and we're praying that this is the cause of the bleeding....not another source. Her hematocrit is stable today!! She also has a low-grade fever. At this point they are doing no further testing to determine the cause. Some children run a low-grade fever for a few days after surgery. However, if it continues, they will have to investigate a possible infection. Please pray for God's healing in this area.
Despite these few set-backs, she is scheduled to move to a regular room today. She will monitored by telemetry (a heart monitor that is linked to the nurse's station.) She'll be relieved to be moved because then we will be able to hold her. She cries and says "pa" (her word for please) frequently because she wants us to hold her, but the monitors, IV's, chest tube, etc. have prevented that so far.
God's peace has been with us on a moment by moment basis. And Phil and the other 3 girls have even had some fun times walking around Charleston and seeing the sights.
We can't thank you enough for your love, encouragement and especially your prayers!!

Surgery Continues

We just received a surgical update (11:30 a.m.). Sarah Mei is off of the heart/lung machine and the surgeon is closing. We should talk with the surgeon in about an hour when Sarah Mei goes to ICU. Thanks for the prayers and continue to pray for a smooth finish to the procedure and for a quick recovery from anesthesia so Sarah Mei can get off of the ventilator tonight.

Surgery In Progress

We just received our 1st update from the surgical team. It's 9:30 a.m. and Sarah Mei is on the heart/lung machine. The surgeon has begun work on her heart. Please continue to pray for God's guidance for the surgeon especially as he repairs Sarah Mei's valves. (She is also having 2 holes in her heart patched, but in the words of the surgeon "the tricky part is the valve repair) We'll update you as soon as we hear more. We feel such peace from the Lord!! And are thankful for His promise from Psalm 139...(He) hems (Sarah Mei) in behind and before, He has placed His hand upon her.

New Surgery Date

Sarah Mei's surgery is rescheduled for Wednesday, September 5th. Please pray for the following: 1) An opening in the Ronald McDonald house for our stay in Charleston. 2) A smooth pre-op day on Tuesday, Sept. 4th. (Sarah Mei will have 4-5 hours of pre-op tests.) 3) God's hands to guide the hands of the surgeon. 4) Successful outcome from this surgery so no 2nd surgery will be required. 5) A committed and knowledgeable support staff for the surgery and aftercare. 6) That our family will be a testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ, and that we will be ready to give an answer for the hope within us!
We'll try to update the blog daily while in Charleston.

Surgery Rescheduled AGAIN

We received a call from the cardiac surgeon's office today. They've asked us to postpone Sarah Mei's surgery once again and take her to a pediatric infectious disease specialist to confirm what type of staph infection we are dealing with. The MUSC surgeon's office called and made an appointment with Dr. Ahmed at CMC in Charlotte. The first available appointment was next Tuesday, but in God's providence, the office called this afternoon with a cancellation appointment at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. Please pray for wisdom for the Dr.'s as they try to determine the best course of action. We are racing against the calender...the best time for open heart surgery and recovery (which takes a month) is before the fall respiratory infection season. We're reminded again that God's timing is perfect. We're resting in that!!

Thank- You CWA

Flight to China: $1,600

Outfit at Gymboree: $25

Being a Mom again: PRICELESS

We just wanted to say a special thank-you to Christian World Adoption (CWA) for all their hard work in helping us bring our daughter home. While Torie & I were in China picking up Sarah Mei...Phil, Michaela and AnnaGrace were able to visit our caseworker at CWA, Mei. Mei was a constant help and listening ear during our 9 months of adoption paperwork/waiting. She has such a heart for the waiting children and for the adoptive families. THANK YOU Mei for everything!!



After returning from China, we were able to visit the CWA offices again in July. Jane, CWA's China Program Manager who resides in Hunan, China, was in town. We were so excited to get to meet her face to face. She was not only responsible for helping us bring Sarah Mei home, but also worked with us in 2000 and 2001 when we were paperchasing and waiting to bring home AnnaGrace. AnnaGrace's homecoming was in December of 2001 and Jane was involved every step of the way. THANKS JANE for your faithful service to the waiting children in China. You are such an advocate for them!

Sarah Mei continues on her antibiotic for her staph infection. The pediatrician has decided to keep her on the antibiotics for 4 weeks in an effort to finally resolve the staph. We are waiting to hear from the pediatric cardiologist to confirm that he will still be able to perform her heart surgery on August 31st despite the on-going antibiotic treatment. Please pray for God's wisdom for the physicians as they make health decisions for our little girl.

RESCHEDULED Surgery Date

Sarah Mei's staph infection continues. She is on her 4th antibiotic. Sensitivity cultures were done last week, and we are praying that this antibiotic will be THE one. A staph infection and open-heart surgery aren't a good mix, so surgery has been postponed until August 31st.
I'm reading Amy Carmichael's biography, A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot. It's such a timely "read"!! Amy Carmichael is such an example of leaning on the Lord, for everything, in prayer. For those of you who aren't familiar with her...she was a woman who after serving on the mission field in Japan was called to India and began a children's home for Indian orphans. Many of the orphans were little girls destined to be sold to the temples as temple prostitutes. Amy Carmichael saved their lives and served for over 50 years in India without a furlough. Her life was such a testimony of what it means to be a true disciple of Christ!
After reading about her life, I wouldn't even think about complaining about Sarah Mei's surgery date change. This is just an opportunity for me to (in Amy Carmichael's words) do "nothing less than to walk with God all day long." I pray that He will find me faithful!!

Now THIS is Sarah Mei's idea of riding a horse.

AnnaGrace celebrated her 7th birthday last night. It's hard for us to believe that she's already 7!! Here she is sharing a hug with her daddy before dinner.

Meeting with the Surgeon & Farm Life

We met with Sarah Mei's cardiac surgeon on Tuesday this week.
We were very impressed with both his medical skills and his wonderful communication skills (not always common in a surgeon:) We are excited that we are in the two week countdown for surgery!! It will be a relief to have that behind us. All of Sarah Mei's other medical appts....audiologist, swallow test, back x-ray, chest x-ray, etc. have gone well. She has no other major medical issues at this point. Praise God!

Sarah Mei is finally brave enough to "ride" one of our ponies with her big sister's (Torie's) help!!

Each of the girls planted their own plants in the garden this year. AnnaGrace is VERY excited about her 1st watermelon. The picture to the right is of AnnaGrace with her 2 goats...Patches and Puddles.

Sarah Mei's Surgery Date

We heard from the surgeon's office yesterday. Sarah Mei's surgery is scheduled for Friday, August 17th. We will travel to Charleston on Wednesday, Aug. 15th in the late afternoon. She will have pre-op appointments for 4-5 hours on Thursday and surgery on Friday the 17th. We travel to Charleston next Tuesday, July 31st, for an initial meeting with the surgeon and to see the facility.

Sarah Mei continues to adjust and bond to our family amazingly well!! As one of our dear friend's observed...she's our family's "otter". If you are familiar with the 4 personality types...golden retriever, beaver, lion and otter....our family has a disproportionate number of lions. The lions are the bossy, leaders...LOL. Sarah Mei is an otter...always looking for a party or a reason to have fun!! What a great balance for our family. God knew exactly what we needed.

I continue to stand in awe of all of your love, support and prayers. The gifts, meals, phone calls, e-mails and visits have blessed us incredibly. We're thankful, to God, to be part of a loving church family and part of the Body of Christ.

On the farm...staying "germ-free"

Life on the Farm...AnnaGrace and Sarah Mei look at God's beauty in a flower. Amazingly, during this photo shoot, Sarah Mei actually let her toes touch the grass...a first since she's been home.

Sarah Mei in her princess dress...a gift from the Cernuto family.

Sarah Mei and AnnaGrace in matching outfits from their special friend,

Brenda Scott!

All is quiet here at the Horton home. Since we are trying to keep Sarah Mei healthy for her heart surgery, we are spending the majority of our days here on the farm. Sarah Mei is warming up to our animals which is a relief. When we first brought her home she would have nothing to do with fur....not a good thing for life on a farm with cats, dogs, horses, goats and a bunny!

We have been so blessed by everyone's love and care. Our church family has been amazing. Their outpouring of love through prayer support, meals and beautiful gifts,

for not only Sarah Mei, but our other girls as well, has warmed our hearts. Also, we've felt special support, from my SisterChics (who gave me an incredible baby shower!) and Sarah Mei's Chenzhou sister's families! Many others have e-mailed, called us and given tremendous prayer support. We can't thank you enough!

I just wanted to give everyone an update!! Thanks again for your love and prayers.

Update on Sarah Mei

Our girls...Michaela (11), Sarah Mei (1) and AnnaGrace (6) ...missing Torie (17) (she is at The Summit Worldview/Leadership Camp in Tennessee.)

The last week and a half has been a blur with a myriad of Dr.'s appointments. The most important appointment was with a pediatric cardiac surgeon in Charlotte. The information we received from him was invaluable. He confirmed what our cardiologist had indicated, Sarah Mei has AVSD and will need open-heart surgery. After researching many surgical location options, including Charlotte, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Charleston, it looks like we'll end up at MUSC in Charleston. The pediatric cardiac surgeon there has an impressive success and survival rate (97%), and MUSC offers a state of the art surgical team and follow-up care. We meet with Dr. Bradley, the surgeon at MUSC, on July 31st and are praying for a surgical date in August. Sarah Mei's surgery will be slightly more complicated than anticipated due to the fact that her regurgitation (blood flow from chamber to chamber) is in the moderate to low-severe range. Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Bradley and for our family as we plan for Sarah Mei's upcoming surgery. Also please pray for clearing of a persistent sinus infection for Sarah Mei and pray for patience and endurance, as we try to keep her as isolated as possible, to protect her health until the surgery. (The surgery can not take place until she is healthy.)

Despite the sobering news, I can tell you that we have an incredible peace. We know this is all in God's hands, and we are so thankful for all your prayers on our family's behalf. We truly serve an awesome God.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:4-7

Thanks be to God!!

Medical Update

Unfortunately we didn't hear the words, from the cardiologist today, that we would have liked to hear..."no surgery required."
Sarah Mei actually has a heart condition called complete atrioventricular septal defect. This means that she has 2 holes in her heart that need to be repaired (ASD and VSD) and also problems with her valves which will need to be repaired. As I've said several times in this blog, we see the fingerprints of God all of over this little girl. Today was no exception. The cardiologist c0uldn't believe that she had such a serious heart condition, because she is completely asymptomatic. She actually has an extra flap of tissue in her heart which has offered protection to her lungs...thus no congestive heart failure or pulmonary damage. We see this as such a "fingerprint" of God. Without this "extra" flap of skin, she wouldn't have survived to see her 1st birthday.

We continue to ask for prayers as we make critical decisions concerning the location and timing of her heart surgery. We plan on scheduling it sometime in the next 4-6 weeks.

Prayer Request

Sarah Mei rocking in her chair:)

Playing Peek-a-boo!
I'm not sure how many are still following our blog, but we'd love prayer for Sarah Mei's cardiologist appointment this week. We meet with Dr. Greene on Tuesday morning. Please pray for wisdom for him, calm for Sarah Mei (she's not thrilled with Dr.'s...she had 4 immunizations on Friday, so now she's really not thrilled with Dr.'s...LOL) and peace and direction for Phil & I as we make medical decisions for her.

We also found out that she will require an upper GI in the next week or two. She coughs and wheezes when she drinks fluids. They want to check and make sure that she is not aspirating fluids when drinking. Again, we appreciate your prayers concerning this.

We are thankful that God is the Great Physician, and that Sarah Mei is safely in His hands!! Our God is an awesome God!!

Life in Charlotte

High Five with Daddy!!

Uncle David teaches Sarah Mei "high five"!! Now it's her favorite game.

AnnaGrace (age 6 -born in Changsha, Hunan) feeds Sarah Mei yogurt...yum, yum, yum.

Snapshots from China

Elaine, Torie and Sarah Mei at the U.S. embassy after I was sworn-in as Sarah Mei's mother. What a great moment!!

Her second bath in China. She still isn't thrilled with her bathtimes:)

Sarah Mei learns to use the phone...Wai (o.k. maybe not the correct Mandarin spelling but I know it means "hello") We rented a Panda phone in China, and it was a great way to keep in touch with Phil, Michaela and AnnaGrace, at home.

Sarah Mei's medical appointment in Guangzhou. She was so impressed as you can tell!

Sarah Mei is a ham!! This is day 4, in China, and she was already charming us with her big smile and great sense of humor.