One Year Later....

Where has the time gone??  It's hard to believe that 1 year ago today we saw this sweet girl for the very first time....

Be still my heart!

 

She was amazingly brave that day in the commotion of it all.  There were 7 other families meeting their sons and daughters for the first time.  It was loud and noisy.  There was crying in other parts of the room. We can't help but watch and re-watch the videos our boys took of those first moments.   And, I can't help but be in awe of her.  At only 3 1/2 years old, she had so many disruptions in her little life.  Being left at the orphanage gate at 3 months old.  Loved on at the House of Love in Guilin when she needed additional care.  Moved into foster care (thank you to whomever sponsored our Emily monthly so that she could have a family).  Numerous surgeries and long hospital stays. Separations from her foster parents while she was in the hospital for those days on end. A 6 hour long ride that morning to get to us. Leaving the only family she had ever truly known.  It hurts to think about that.  Therefore, I was prepared (at least I like to think I was...I'm sure in reality I wouldn't have been) for her to come to us grieving and sobbing.  Yet she was smiling.  Calling out her gege's (brothers) name.  Calling me mama.  Leaning over without any prompting and kissing me!!   I will never forget those emotional moments.  Here is a link to our video if you haven't seen it before:

 

  Click Here:   Our Journey to Emily Grace Video

 

Emily loves to watch the videos of her first days with us. She loves to replay those moments. Our viewing sessions always end with huge hugs and kisses and lots of giggles too.   I am especially grateful for her foster family.   She talks often about her mama-e-ah as she calls her, her foster mama. She has told us several stories and we know without any doubt she was dearly loved by them. They gave her a tremendous gift.  

They prepared her little heart for us.

 

So, where HAS the time gone??! 

We have all been reflecting on the past year and are just amazed at how far she has come.  She is definitely our little princess and we can't imagine life without her!!!

 

 

 

She is so completely loved by her big brothers....

 

 

 

 

 

 I knew they would be great big brothers.  What I wasn't prepared for is how FULL my heart is watching them all together.  They don't just love her.....they adore her. If she's not snuggling on Kyle's lap, she can be found playing with Seth.  She proclaims daily to us and to them, "I LOOOOVVVVE Brothers!"    I can't even begin to describe how she has completely wrapped her little self (and she does this literally too...she's our little monkey and gives the best hugs ever!)  around us and our hearts.  I am so blessed to be their mom!

 

 Emily is still quite the peanut.  She has gained about 4 pounds since being home and is now 28 pounds and is 38" tall.  She certainly LOVES big though.  She is so affectionate and always gives us lots of hugs and kisses. Her language is exploding. She talks non-stop and amazes us at times with her vocabulary and the things she already knows and things she remembers.  She loves to dance and sing, and has an amazing imagination.   She can be quite stubborn and certainly likes to get her own way (what 4 year old doesn't?!), but is also very funny and makes us laugh!

 

Her referral file said she was very afraid of animals..

 

 

Not anymore!!  She loves going to Aunt Heidi's house! Lots of animals to play with and ride there.

 

She loves spending time with her cousins.  For awhile, she would call her cousins, "friends."  This English language is complicated,  you know!  Now she understands that they are her cousins and she looks forward to seeing them as much as possible!

 

 

 

Here are some random photos of our year....

 

learning to ride a bike

 

 

 

Getting a ride in Pa's big tractor.  (the same little girl who used to be afraid of every loud noise)



 





 Learning that potatoes grow in the ground! Wish you could have heard her exclaim, "WOW, look at that!"

 

 

One of our favorite things to do, and now Emily's favorite things to do is to go camping.  We had a great time this summer going on several camping trips with our friends, the Cable's.

 

We often find Emily in the strangest positions.....

I think it is a family trait...her Aunt Janeen used to spend lots of time like this!

And, apparently, now so does her big brother Seth!

She loves to draw and do crafts...

Emily had trouble holding a pencil and pushing/pulling it across the paper to make a line when we brought her home! 

Working on a self-portrait to send to her foster mama! 

 

 

 





 

She loves to go swimming!

 

 

 

Another one of her favorite things is her blankie.  Emily always needs her beloved blankie anywhere and everywhere she goes. (thank you, Lynn!)

 

She loves to dress up and was Cinderella for Halloween!

 



 

Must be thinking about all the yummy candy Grammy gave her! 

 

 

 

 

We all think she's just beautiful....

inside and out

 

She is my biggest fan...

 

 

 

And I love her so much!

We are often told that we are such a blessing to her.  In fact, it is just the opposite.  She is such a blessing to us.  It makes me tear up to think what we could have missed out on.  Emily has taught me so much in one short year.  It is such a privilege to be this beautiful little girl's mama.  I can't wait to see what the next year holds! Love you to the moon and back, my sweet girl!



Surgery Update

We are home! Emily was discharged on Sunday late afternoon and we were home by about 6:30. She is doing very well, and other than missing her beloved "frenchie fries" which she has asked for numerous times, she is doing well on the liquid diet.

Pittsburgh Children's was awesome. Their facilities, the staff, Emily's doctor....well...they were all wonderful. Here are some photos!

 

Emily playing in the pre-op area. Thank you Pastor Josie for coming to be with us and pray for Emily!

 

Our angel out of surgery

 

John went home Friday nigh and my sister came and stayed. It was great for Emily (and especially me!) to have her Aunt Janeen there! There was a great playroom area on our floor. What an awesome distraction. She loved the toys and the crafts. In fact she liked it so much, they made a kit for her to take back to her room so she could keep doing them!

This was a neat activity mat outside the playroom. Emily loves to dance. She enjoyed popping the balloons and making fireworks on the mat! We were even able to take her in her little car out those doors in the back to a little garden area. Nice for us too....we were able to get some fresh air!! At this point, we were almost ready to be discharged. Yeah!!

Home sweet home! And on a walk to pick flowers!

This week Seth and I took Emily to a local spot complete with lots of neat wooden playground equipment. Big brother Kyle and Daddy were at a baseball game!

This picture is for you, Pa!

 

We had a follow up appointment at Children's on Wednesday. Everything was healing well except for a small area, which is normal. She has to remain on her liquid diet (we were expecting that) and will go back next Wed. Hoping it will be healing better and is closed. Emily is getting very tired of her favorite foods being blended. She just wants her rice and noodles whole!!!

She has also had several nights of difficultly sleeping. She would wake numerous times crying, thrashing, and often pulling at her ankle apparently thinking she still had her IV in her leg. One night the crying lasted a full 2 hours. Break.This.Mama's.Heart. These nightmares are typical however, especially for her age group, we are told, and are associated with the anesthesia. However....she slept all night last night and is still sleeping! Hooray!

 

I can't help but look at her and the boys and wonder how easily we could have missed all of this. She is such a joy and a blessing to all of our lives. Even during the sleepless nights lately, I was thankful to God for entrusting her to our care and choosing us to be her parents. If you are ever interested in adoption, let me know. I'd be happy to talk to you!!!

 

Birthdays, Surgery, and almost 6 months since Gotcha Day!

Life just keeps moving faster than I'd like!!! I can't seem to keep this updated! We've had a busy couple of months. Sorry to all of you who have been watching to see updates. Shortly after I last blogged, Kyle, John, and Seth ended up with what was likely the flu. Seth got it the worst and was sick for 5 days and was just miserable. Thankfully Emily and I escaped it, but we didn't get to see our family over Palm Sunday as planned. We were so disappointed as we don't get to see them very often. Luckily, the sickness left our house and we were able to celebrate Emily's fourth birthday and Easter!

Last weekend we went camping with our friends, the Cable's. We had a great time and it was a perfect relaxing weekend. Emily especially loved playing in the sand and swimming in the indoor pool. She just amazes me with her adaptability to new situations. We have a fifth wheel camper, and when we pulled out of our driveway Emily asked, " Where's camper?" John said, "Look behind you! We are pulling it!" The look on her face was priceless!! "Wow!!!," she exclaimed and giggled. It was so funny!!

The boys really enjoyed going to the Football Hall of Fame that weekend too! They had an awesome time!

We are now sitting in Children's Hospital at Pittsburgh and our precious little one is in surgery for her cleft palate. They are re-repairing the muscles in her soft palate and hoping that it gives her better speech. We will have a difficult next few weeks, but know it is for the best. Emily's vocabulary is amazing. She talks in paragraphs and is understood by us probably 90% of the time. She's probably understood by others 50% due to her nasal speech. We are praying this will be the last palate repair she will need. She will have future surgeries (bone graft, potential lip revision) when she is older, but if today's surgery is successful, we won't need anything further for awhile. Thank you Jen and Rob for keeping the boys and running them to their baseball games!!


Emily's transition to our family has been amazing. She is doing so well in every way. She gives the best hugs and kisses, loves her brothers and needs to know where they are at all times, is starting to try all foods offered to her, and has actually gained a pound since we got her home! This Monday will mark 6 months since we saw her sweet face for the first time. I'll repost a link to our video if you haven't seen it:

Our Journey to Emily Grace

We are so incredibly blessed to call Emily our daughter. It was such a leap of faith to answer His call and travel half way around the work to bring her home. I can't imagine our lives without her and thank Him every day for my family. We are truly blessed!

First time in shorts and flip-flops!

Update: Emily is out of surgery and in her room. Everything went really well. The muscles were never touched in China which is a huge praise! It made it easier for our surgeon to reattach them correctly and lengthen the palate. It also took less time than he anticipated- only a little over 2 hrs. She's sleeping now and the goal for today is just to manage her pain and let her sleep. She has a tube in her nose to keep her airway open which will come out most likely in the morning. As soon as she drinks well, she will be discharged. For little ones that is often quick, but her at her age is more difficult sometimes. Praying she does well and is able to go home soon. We will have a rough several weeks ahead of us. She has to wear arm restraints and is on a restricted soft food diet for quite awhile....no straws or utensils to avoid puncturing the palate, so our little princess will be one unhappy princess for awhile. Please keep her in your prayers. She has been through so much in her little life. This makes surgery number 10....(8 in China). I am just in awe of her bravery. Love you my sweet girl!