Sarah Mei's 1st Outing

Tomorrow marks the 4 week anniversary of Sarah Mei's open-heart surgery. I just couldn't stand it anymore, so we made a break, out of jail, one day early!! Torie was working. Michaela and AnnaGrace were spending time with friends, which just left Sarah Mei and I at home. Hmmmm...what to do? Triple couponing at Harris Teeter of course. (is couponing a word???if not,it should be) I'm not sure that's the kind of activity Sarah Mei had in mind, to celebrate the lifting of her quarantine, but alas, she is a Horton girl! Bribed with a free Harris Teeter sugar cookie and the privilege of "organizing" the groceries in the cart, she was a happy camper.


Here is a photo of Sarah Mei admiring our "take" for the day.

For those of you who aren't coupon cutters, Harris Teeter has Triple coupon days about every 3-4 months. On those days they triple coupons, valued at less than a $1.00, i.e. a $.50 coupon becomes a $1.50 coupon . It just doesn't get any better than that for a die-hard bargain shopper. The only catch...HT will only triple 20 coupons a day (and the sale only lasts for 3 days). I bought 21 items (including 2 bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies) for $10.73...not too bad for today's outing!

Sarah Mei's recovery continues to be amazing. And we were blessed with more good news. The MRI's, ordered by our pediatric neurologist to rule out spina bifida and congenital strokes, all came back normal. Next week we visit a pediatric neruo-surgeon to rule out other possible medical issues. Pray, if it is the Lord's will, that Sarah Mei will receive a clean bill of health from the neurosurgeon.

In December, 2006 when we decided to pursue our 2nd adoption from China, we received a file on a toddler girl with a heart condition. Before accepting her referral, we had a pediatrician and a pediatric cardiologist review her medical records. We didn't feel we were prepared to adopt a child with multiple or serious medical issues; however, both Dr.'s felt that her medical needs would be minor upon her arrival to the States. They even suspected, that due to the lack of symptoms, she wouldn't need any surgeries. That file was Chen, Ji Qing's...soon to be our Sarah Mei!

Little did we know that within a year of her arrival in the States, Sarah Mei would need 2 open-heart surgeries, weekly speech therapy, weekly physical therapy for right sided weakness, be diagnosed with facial paralysis which would lead to testing for strokes, discover a dimple at the base of her spine which would lead to testing for spina bifida, discover a misshapen skull which would lead to a recommendation for a consult with a neurosurgeon and have an uneven gait pointing to a possible problem with her hip/leg which will require an orthopedic consult in the future. Had Phil and I known all of these "needs" before bringing Sarah Mei home, I fear we wouldn't have considered the referral. But God, in His great mercy, knew that Sarah Mei was our daughter. And He brought her home despite our weaknesses! We can't imagine our life without her. I'm SO thankful God's ways are not our ways and that His plan can not be thwarted by our weak, sinful human nature!
We are TRULY blessed!


"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;"
Ps. 98:4
"For the Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all generations." Ps. 100:4