Happy Birthday Isabelle!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Happy Birthday Isabelle - Our Littlest Chinese Princess
We're waiting to celebrate Izzy's birthday until Phil gets back from his annual mission's trip to Peru. But I couldn't let this day pass with out saying...
Happy Birthday Isabelle!!
Happy Birthday Isabelle!!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Celebrating the Homecoming of 2 Summer of Hope Children from Ethiopia
Some of you may remember, last summer, our church and surrounding families hosted 18 Ethiopian children for a month long stay. We called it Summer of Hope - Ethiopia. Our prayer was to show the children the love of Christ, have their medical needs met and possibly find them loving, adoptive homes.
While in the states, five families from our church and two other local families stepped up and asked to pursue adoption of eight of the Summer of Hope children. Of course, legally, all the children had to return to Ethiopia and then the formal adoption proceedings could officially begin.
Unfortunately, since that time, almost 11 months ago, MANY mishaps have ensued...some related to the agency's lack of due diligence before the children traveled to the states, some due to the normal course of changes in international adoption, and some due to changes in Ethiopian adoptions specifically, but all of which have caused delays to these sweet children joining their forever families.
It's been a long 11 months for everyone involved. It's not over yet, but it's with GREAT celebration that I announce TWO of the children have now joined their forever families.
Zelelam came home in April to his family, who was also his host family last summer. I love seeing his smiling face at church each Sunday!!
This is a photo of him swimming last summer!
Meskerem, who we hosted last summer, joined her forever family this weekend. I can't tell you how excited we are to get to see her smiling face again!! Her family doesn't go to our church but lives within a 30 minute drive. We're planning on seeing her in the next week or two..yippee!!
This photo is of AnnaGrace and Meskerem swimming last summer. Meskerem was TERRIFIED of the water at first but soon fell in love with swimming!
This is Meskerem's First Time Riding a Horse
This is a photo of AnnaGrace, Meskerem and Meskerem's "new" sister, last summer, (before Meskerem knew the Edwards were adopting her)...how sweet is this!
Praise God, with us, that two of these children are finally home!! And pray with us that all of the details will be ironed-out to get the other children home.
Especially pray for Nesro...the next one anticipated to "come home."
It's been along road for everyone!!
While in the states, five families from our church and two other local families stepped up and asked to pursue adoption of eight of the Summer of Hope children. Of course, legally, all the children had to return to Ethiopia and then the formal adoption proceedings could officially begin.
Unfortunately, since that time, almost 11 months ago, MANY mishaps have ensued...some related to the agency's lack of due diligence before the children traveled to the states, some due to the normal course of changes in international adoption, and some due to changes in Ethiopian adoptions specifically, but all of which have caused delays to these sweet children joining their forever families.
It's been a long 11 months for everyone involved. It's not over yet, but it's with GREAT celebration that I announce TWO of the children have now joined their forever families.
Zelelam came home in April to his family, who was also his host family last summer. I love seeing his smiling face at church each Sunday!!
This is a photo of him swimming last summer!
Meskerem, who we hosted last summer, joined her forever family this weekend. I can't tell you how excited we are to get to see her smiling face again!! Her family doesn't go to our church but lives within a 30 minute drive. We're planning on seeing her in the next week or two..yippee!!
This photo is of AnnaGrace and Meskerem swimming last summer. Meskerem was TERRIFIED of the water at first but soon fell in love with swimming!
This is Meskerem's First Time Riding a Horse
This is a photo of AnnaGrace, Meskerem and Meskerem's "new" sister, last summer, (before Meskerem knew the Edwards were adopting her)...how sweet is this!
Praise God, with us, that two of these children are finally home!! And pray with us that all of the details will be ironed-out to get the other children home.
Especially pray for Nesro...the next one anticipated to "come home."
It's been along road for everyone!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Medical Prayers Please!
Our family is really in need of prayers for our health right now!!
We spent Sunday evening in the ER for a suspected kidney infection for Michaela. She has had an ongoing urinary reflux issue which occasionally results in kidney infections. (Some of you may remember that we kicked off 2009 in the hospital with Michaela fighting a kidney infection...not a fun way to spend New Year's Day!!!)
Michaela had two out-patient surgeries in 2009 to correct the issue but both "failed." Now it looks like we be scheduling another surgery in June or July to correct this ongoing problem.
Before our trek to the ER with Michaela, Sarah Mei and I made a trip to our pediatrician on Friday morning. Over the last weeks I've noticed that Sarah Mei was bruising more than usual. We are an active family and Sarah Mei is constantly running, skipping, jumping, tripping, falling, somersaulting, etc. However, despite all this activity, it still seemed like Sarah Mei was bruising more than average. The pediatrician drew some bloodwork but didn't expect to find anything.
Let me digress for a minute...
Friday afternoon (after the trip to the pediatrician and the blood draw) all 5 girls and I made a trek to the local tack store (for those of you "unhorsey" readers...a tack store is to horse lovers what Barnes and Nobles is to a book lover...need I say more!) We went to purchase a few items for Torie and Michaela for a weekend show, but while there we decided to purchase Sarah Mei's 1st set of riding breeches and 1/2chaps. (Half-chaps are worn over your riding breeches and are used to both protect your legs and offer a little more grip for the rider.) Sarah Mei was absolutely over the moon and was counting the minutes until we got home, so she could go out and ride her pony, Popcorn.
Upon arriving home, the phone was ringing and the nurse on the other end said they already had the blood results back for Sarah Mei. It's NEVER a good thing when you get blood results back quickly. They told us her platelets counts were very low, and we needed to have them checked again on Saturday morning. Of course not only did that negate our plans of a family weekend away at the horse show (Phil, Torie, Michaela and AnnaGrace went to the show near Asheville, NC while Sarah Mei, Isabelle and I stayed home), but it also left me googling low-platelets on the internet...I know...dumb idea...and wondering what I'd find out on Saturday.
Saturday we did another blood draw with the news that the platelets were even lower and to come back Monday for another draw. Monday we were referred to a hematologist and received the diagnosis of ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura). We were relieved that Sarah Mei didn't have leukemia! But now we begin the learning curving of what it means to live with ITP.
Thursday Sarah Mei received her first WinRho treatment. This will help boost her platelets. Friday we had her platelets checked and they were up to the 60's (normal is 150-450), and she's been in the low 20's. Platelets are the clotting mechanism for our blood and with the #'s so low internal bleeding is the big concern...especially cerebral hemorrhaging. I had to laugh when I read one of the educational pamphlets. It said when trying to decide which activities are safe for your ITP child, follow this rule of thumb...they may do anything where their feet don't leave the ground. Are they serious??? Are they parents of an active four year old?? This rules out jumping, biking, horse back riding, swinging, etc. They obviously haven't been to our house lately. That rules out about 90% of what we do...hmmm.
On a positive note...The pediatric hematologists practice we go to is amazing. It is complete with their own art staff, DVD collection, stocked kitchen with children's snacks, juice boxes, etc. to keep the children occupied while receiving their treatments. They even had a guitarist come by the room yesterday and play for Sarah Mei while she was having her treatment. The entire staff is SO child friendly. We've been there 5 days straight and Sarah Mei loves it!! I'm really thankful since we'll be there on a weekly or semi-weekly basis for a while as we learn how Sarah Mei's platelets "trend."
On another positive note... The Dr.'s are very sensitive to Sarah Mei's love of horseback riding, so after her good platelet reading on Thursday, they said she could come home and ride (just the one day - as platelet counts can vary dramatically form day to day) but one day was like a Christmas present.
Sarah Mei decided not to waste her one ride on her pony. So dressed in her new riding breeches and purple half chaps, she rode Torie's Thoroughbred instead. (Don't worry...Torie or Michaela were within arms reach at all times.)
Pray that her ITP is the acute type. Acute ITP will be a one time occurrence which will burn out in 6-9 months and will resolve on its own. (The other type is chronic and will flare up for years.)
And our final health prayer request is for me...I'm scheduled to have an ovary removed next week. They found a mass on one of my ovaries last year. In the preparations for travel to China, open-heart surgery, etc., I asked to postpone surgery. My physician is not concerned that the cyst is malignant, so she obliged my request, but now it's time to have it removed. Pray that the surgery will go smoothly. If all goes well it can be done laprascopically and will be done as an out-patient surgery.
We're tired of Dr.'s visits, the majority of which are in downtown Charlotte - a 40 minute drive - each way, from our home. All of these visits are in addition to Sarah Mei's regular weekly speech therapy appointments and Isabelle's regular weekly physical therapy appointments. And don't forget I can't drive (due to my recent seizures), so either Torie or Phil have to chauffeur me everywhere.
It's a crazy time in our lives when the Lord is shaping us and molding us more into the image of Christ. Pray for strength for each of us and that we will glorify Him in the process.
We spent Sunday evening in the ER for a suspected kidney infection for Michaela. She has had an ongoing urinary reflux issue which occasionally results in kidney infections. (Some of you may remember that we kicked off 2009 in the hospital with Michaela fighting a kidney infection...not a fun way to spend New Year's Day!!!)
Michaela had two out-patient surgeries in 2009 to correct the issue but both "failed." Now it looks like we be scheduling another surgery in June or July to correct this ongoing problem.
Before our trek to the ER with Michaela, Sarah Mei and I made a trip to our pediatrician on Friday morning. Over the last weeks I've noticed that Sarah Mei was bruising more than usual. We are an active family and Sarah Mei is constantly running, skipping, jumping, tripping, falling, somersaulting, etc. However, despite all this activity, it still seemed like Sarah Mei was bruising more than average. The pediatrician drew some bloodwork but didn't expect to find anything.
Let me digress for a minute...
Friday afternoon (after the trip to the pediatrician and the blood draw) all 5 girls and I made a trek to the local tack store (for those of you "unhorsey" readers...a tack store is to horse lovers what Barnes and Nobles is to a book lover...need I say more!) We went to purchase a few items for Torie and Michaela for a weekend show, but while there we decided to purchase Sarah Mei's 1st set of riding breeches and 1/2chaps. (Half-chaps are worn over your riding breeches and are used to both protect your legs and offer a little more grip for the rider.) Sarah Mei was absolutely over the moon and was counting the minutes until we got home, so she could go out and ride her pony, Popcorn.
Upon arriving home, the phone was ringing and the nurse on the other end said they already had the blood results back for Sarah Mei. It's NEVER a good thing when you get blood results back quickly. They told us her platelets counts were very low, and we needed to have them checked again on Saturday morning. Of course not only did that negate our plans of a family weekend away at the horse show (Phil, Torie, Michaela and AnnaGrace went to the show near Asheville, NC while Sarah Mei, Isabelle and I stayed home), but it also left me googling low-platelets on the internet...I know...dumb idea...and wondering what I'd find out on Saturday.
Saturday we did another blood draw with the news that the platelets were even lower and to come back Monday for another draw. Monday we were referred to a hematologist and received the diagnosis of ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura). We were relieved that Sarah Mei didn't have leukemia! But now we begin the learning curving of what it means to live with ITP.
Thursday Sarah Mei received her first WinRho treatment. This will help boost her platelets. Friday we had her platelets checked and they were up to the 60's (normal is 150-450), and she's been in the low 20's. Platelets are the clotting mechanism for our blood and with the #'s so low internal bleeding is the big concern...especially cerebral hemorrhaging. I had to laugh when I read one of the educational pamphlets. It said when trying to decide which activities are safe for your ITP child, follow this rule of thumb...they may do anything where their feet don't leave the ground. Are they serious??? Are they parents of an active four year old?? This rules out jumping, biking, horse back riding, swinging, etc. They obviously haven't been to our house lately. That rules out about 90% of what we do...hmmm.
On a positive note...The pediatric hematologists practice we go to is amazing. It is complete with their own art staff, DVD collection, stocked kitchen with children's snacks, juice boxes, etc. to keep the children occupied while receiving their treatments. They even had a guitarist come by the room yesterday and play for Sarah Mei while she was having her treatment. The entire staff is SO child friendly. We've been there 5 days straight and Sarah Mei loves it!! I'm really thankful since we'll be there on a weekly or semi-weekly basis for a while as we learn how Sarah Mei's platelets "trend."
On another positive note... The Dr.'s are very sensitive to Sarah Mei's love of horseback riding, so after her good platelet reading on Thursday, they said she could come home and ride (just the one day - as platelet counts can vary dramatically form day to day) but one day was like a Christmas present.
Sarah Mei decided not to waste her one ride on her pony. So dressed in her new riding breeches and purple half chaps, she rode Torie's Thoroughbred instead. (Don't worry...Torie or Michaela were within arms reach at all times.)
Pray that her ITP is the acute type. Acute ITP will be a one time occurrence which will burn out in 6-9 months and will resolve on its own. (The other type is chronic and will flare up for years.)
And our final health prayer request is for me...I'm scheduled to have an ovary removed next week. They found a mass on one of my ovaries last year. In the preparations for travel to China, open-heart surgery, etc., I asked to postpone surgery. My physician is not concerned that the cyst is malignant, so she obliged my request, but now it's time to have it removed. Pray that the surgery will go smoothly. If all goes well it can be done laprascopically and will be done as an out-patient surgery.
We're tired of Dr.'s visits, the majority of which are in downtown Charlotte - a 40 minute drive - each way, from our home. All of these visits are in addition to Sarah Mei's regular weekly speech therapy appointments and Isabelle's regular weekly physical therapy appointments. And don't forget I can't drive (due to my recent seizures), so either Torie or Phil have to chauffeur me everywhere.
It's a crazy time in our lives when the Lord is shaping us and molding us more into the image of Christ. Pray for strength for each of us and that we will glorify Him in the process.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Taking a Moment Off My Hamster Wheel to Celebrate Mother's Day
The last few week I've been like a hamster on an exercise wheel. I keep running faster and faster, continuously going in circles, but not really getting anywhere. When I climb in bed at night I have a "To Do" list longer than the previous day and a sinking feeling that I haven't met all of the emotional (and sometimes physical) needs of my children and husband. I keep reminding myself that the Lord can meet the needs of those around me, and I am not called to meet all their needs. But I confess these feelings of inadequacy are SO hard as a mother. And then I'm reminded, "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
So, today on the Lord's Sabbath and Mother's Day, I'm going to step down from my Hamster Wheel and just be still and rest. And I'm going to celebrate.
I'm going to celebrate....
Isabelle giving me Eskimo kisses through hymn singing time in church today;
I'm going to celebrate...
Sarah Mei filling my life with smiles
I'm going to celebrate...
AnnaGrace embracing her role as a big sister, selling her pony this week and trying her hand at playing the piano...
I'm going to celebrate...
Kaela's eclectic interests, fencing (Kaela's on the left), and passion for helping others including collecting clothes for our planned mission's trip to Haiti this summer...
I'm going to celebrate...
Torie's work ethic as she works almost full-time at Tractor Supply while attending college full-time. We're also celebrating God's hand of protection on her. This week she cut her hand, at work, with a box cutter and had 9 stitches. Then this weekend, while competing, she took a nasty fall off her Thoroughbred. Thankfully she was scrapped up and is sore but was not seriously hurt.
I'm going to celebrate...
that I'm married to a wonderful, godly (really good-looking) man, and he is SO patient with me!!!
And I'm going to celebrate...
that I serve the Lord who has blessed me with the desires of my heart.
"It is good to praise the Lord and Make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night." Ps. 92:1,2
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