Three months ago today, we were making final preparations to leave the next day for China. After months of paperwork and fundraising, it was time to go meet our babies. With butterflies in our stomachs, we began the long journey to the other side of the ocean. What a difference 3 months makes!
I would venture to say that LillyAnn and Levi are thriving. They are recognizing commands in English and even trying to say them. They both are learning sign language quickly. We teach them (and Endale) sign language, because it's typical for kids with Down Syndrome to be delayed with their speech. They can understand, but have a hard time communicating, so this gives them an outlet to communicate to us what they want or need. Endale knows 60+ signs at this point and his verbal skills are coming right along! Another really fun fact...they LOVE to dance to music.
The month of January was full of appointments. It took us several weeks to get into see specialists. LillyAnn and Levi both got glasses and that has changed their little worlds. Lilly was very visually impaired.
We visited a cardiologist and was able to get a great report on both of their hearts. Both LillyAnn and Levi had previous heart surgery in Beijing. They both had an echocardiogram which is an ultrasound of their hearts. The doctor could see that they both had both an ASD and VSD repair. These were basically holes in two different parts of their hearts and they were "patched" during surgery. The doctor also did an EKG on both of them to test their heart function. The outcome....the doctor said both of their hearts look "PERFECT"! Praise the Lord! They don't have to be checked again for 2 years.
At our Embassy Medical appointment in China, the doctors discovered an issue with Levi. They invited a second doctor in for another opinion. After arriving home, we had our pediatrician also evaluate him and he confirmed that he needed to see a specialist. This was an issue we were unaware existed until Levi's first full check-up in China. After visiting a specialist, she suggested that Levi have surgery as soon as possible to resolve the problem. So, on March 2, Levi will go in for 1 of a possible 2 surgeries to correct this issue. There is some unknown about the situation until he is in surgery. We're praying for only 1 surgery and the best case scenario. Please pray for his recovery. It will be a rough few days.
We also had several appointments preparing for Levi to attend the preschool that Endale attends. It is minutes from our house and it is wonderful. For you out-of-towners, it is through the public school system and the school has a special focus on children with delayed learning or special needs. They use a peer modeling system, so each class has a nice ratio of typical children as well as children with special needs. While attending, they also receive physical, occupational and speech therapy. Levi was evaluated and accepted, so he'll get to take advantage of some therapy and educational learning for the rest of the year! He starts mid-February. It's been busy, but we accomplished a lot the month of January!
We also had several appointments preparing for Levi to attend the preschool that Endale attends. It is minutes from our house and it is wonderful. For you out-of-towners, it is through the public school system and the school has a special focus on children with delayed learning or special needs. They use a peer modeling system, so each class has a nice ratio of typical children as well as children with special needs. While attending, they also receive physical, occupational and speech therapy. Levi was evaluated and accepted, so he'll get to take advantage of some therapy and educational learning for the rest of the year! He starts mid-February. It's been busy, but we accomplished a lot the month of January!
We just want to again say thank you to all who have embraced our children. Another big thank you to those who have made our older children feel extra special during this time as well. A lot of people think we're crazy....and that's okay. We know what God has called us to and we are privileged that He chose us to care for these children. We also know that our calling won't look like everyone else's. We were joking about how we'd be smooth sailing through life had we not adopted Endale and then LillyAnn and Levi. We'd have a 14, 9, and 7 year old. Everyone can feed, dress, bathe, and buckle themselves. Life would be...well, easier. But God didn't call us to a life of comfortable living. He called us to live radically for Him and with our ALL. Some days are hard and long, but I can tell you the beautiful redemption in these children and in our own lives far outweighs some hard work. I can also tell you that He continues to give us strength and endurance to accomplish what He's called us to.
We would not be who we are today had we not stepped out and said "yes". We would have missed the opportunity for God to show His mighty hand in our lives. We would have missed out on three of the greatest blessings that God had created and were living on the other side of the world. Loving them is so easy. We can't wait to see what the future holds.
