November
2010
Our heart shall rejoice in Him, because
we have trusted in His holy name.
~Psalm 33:21
The beginning of the month started out with a visit to the
pediatrician for Grace's pre-op exam. She was scheduled to have
a sedated MRI in August but we had to cancel due to some fluid
in her lungs. Grace's pediatrician did a thorough exam and we
were cleared to have the MRI the following day. We arrived at
the hospital at 8AM and checked in. The secretary was so nice to
us and tried her best to explain how the day would unfold. We
had about an hour before Grace would be called so Jeremy left to
take Noah to school. This worked out great because only one
parent could go back with Grace anyways. Soon it was Grace's
turn to go meet with two of her nurses and the anesthesiologist.
They treated her like a star and handed her a special crayon and
coloring book. They were so kind and encouraging. The
anesthesiologist spent about 10 minutes coloring and talking
with Grace. I expressed my concerns with her waking up from
anesthesia in a strange place with unfamiliar faces and how that
could possibly trigger some abandonment issues. Due to hospital
policy parents are not allowed in the first phase of recovery.
They understood my concerns and promised to call me as soon as
she woke up. I carried her back to her room and the
anesthesiologist had me show her how to put the special mask on
her face. It was obvious he loved children and his job. He was
great. I held her hands and told her I loved her while he put
the mask to her face and within a few seconds she was completely
asleep. They gave me directions and a time to expect a phone
call. I asked them (for the second time) if they could do the
procedure without actually sedating her and unfortunately they
could not. The thought of having a machine breath for your child
is really scary. I knew the procedure was necessary and that I
needed to have faith that she would be fine. It was difficult
leaving her, but I knew she was in good hands and I needed to
stay focused and faithful. I left the room and met with Jeremy
in the lobby about an hour later. We spent the next 2 hours
praying and waiting for a phone call. The thought of her waking
up without me was unbearable. About an hour later my phone rings
and it's the nurse. She invites me to join them in the first
phase of recovery! I was shocked but pleased with their request.
Apparently Grace woke up terrified and ripped her IV out. She
was crying uncontrollably and they felt that it was in her best
interest to bend the rules for us. She was pretty shaken up by
the time I made it to her. It was horrible. The only time she
has ever cried like that was in Xining at the Ta'er Monastery.
They offered her some juice and a popsicle and before we knew it
she was feeling much better. The MRI itself went very well and
they were able to get all the information they needed to send to
her ortho. About an hour later we made it to the second phase of
recovery and met up with Jeremy. Grace was especially attached
to her daddy during this time. She was feeling great and within
no time we were on our way home. Later that evening we received
some very good news. There was no tethered spinal cord! This
information changed everything and we were now headed in a
completely different direction. Her ortho asked that she have a
CT-Scanogram next. This test would give her doctors an accurate
measurement of her leg length discrepancy and allow them to
create a treatment plan that best suits her. We were happy with
the outcome and ready to move on to the next step!
On November 6th we took a trip to Pennsylvania and met the
Martino's for an afternoon of lunch and fun. As I've mentioned
before, Jenn and Aron adopted
Leah in June. Grace and Leah lived
together at Blue Sky Healing Home, and are also from the same
province. They played so well together and we were surprised
with how similar the two of them actually are. It was a blessing
to be able to spend time with the Martino's and we will
definitely make it a priority to meet up regularly in the
future!
On November 24th we hopped on a plane for China and on the 26th
we traveled back to Blue Sky! Celine was so sweet to Grace and I
could tell she wanted to just take her from my arms and smother
her with kisses! The ayis were so excited to see her again too
and kept calling her by her Chinese name, XiaoYu. She was shy at
first but not fearful. Her curiosity was undeniable and I knew
she felt peace in being there. The entire visit was so surreal
and something that we will never forget. This day was especially
memorable for our family because it was the day that we
officially met our newest blessing,
Eli, and fell madly in love.
God is good.
|
11 Month Anniversary!
Daddy and Grace in the
second recovery room after the MRI
Grace was SO happy to be home after the MRI, and so were we!!
Grace and Lilly hanging out and being silly!
Sweet Grace
Grace and Lilly being cute on our nature walk |
