A Thank You and A New Diagnosis

Thank you all for praying for Seth's MRI.  He did GREAT!!!! The anesthesiologist only used one drug vs. the three that were used with his last sedation.  The difference was night and day.  Praise God!

The MRI results have confirmed that Seth has Cerebral Palsy.  This is our second surprise diagnosis.  Hopefully, it is our last.  I spoke with the neurologist on the phone to review the test results.  We go to see her in person in a few weeks.   One of her suggestions was ABA Therapy - nothing formal, just me doing it at home.  I am also in the process of making my own version of the PECS system to try and help him communicate. 

He turned SEVEN over the weekend!!! We had a fun party and that blog is in the process ... along with our nine month home update.

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BUBBLES!!!!

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Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!!

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Noah and Seth playing with Play Doh. Seth did attempt to eat it. Lol.....always eating everything

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Gloria is not too sure about this lettuce wrap.

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Who doesn't love Math U See???

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Grace wrote her first bible study.

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Easter presents. Yep. Three baskets for nine kids!

Hopefully, we are teaching them the value of sharing and non-entitlement.

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He is risen.

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WOOOO HOOOO Gloria is TWO

Gloria is two today!!!!!!!

I think of her second birthday and then think to last year on her first birthday.

Last year she laid alone in an orphanage.  That is it.

We were sent several baby pictures of Gloria from a friend, Tracey.  

In this picture, Gloria is seven months old and Tracey just finished feeding her a bottle. 

In June of  last year, we saw her picture for the first time. 

Catherine was at the orphanage adopting Francesca and Victoria and sent her picture to us.

Little did we know, Catherine was introducing us to our daughter!!!! 

Today, Gloria has a family that loves her and values her. 

This morning, she awoke to a mommy (daddy leaves for work really, really early) and eight brothers and sisters telling her happy birthday and giving her hugs and kisses.  We all hooted and hollered HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLORIA... about one hundred times. We celebrated her.  Aunt Sissy came with a good morning balloon celebration!

For some reason, my heart is heavy for her birth mother today. 

Gloria did not arrive to the orphanage until she was 40 days old. 

From what is known ... Gloria was full-term, good birth weight, decent apgar scores.  Nothing in her history indicates that she needed to be in the hospital for forty days.

During those first forty days, I wonder  where she was.  Was Gloria at home with her mother?  Did her mother nurse her?  Did she have her mother's love for forty days?  Did her mother take Gloria to her one month old baby check up and there was told that she had down syndrome? 

I wonder about Gloria's mother ...

~Does she remember today is the day she gave birth?
~Does she know Gloria is two?
~Does she wonder what Gloria is doing today?
~Does she know that she has a family that loves her?
~Does she wish Gloria were still with her?
~Does she regret refusing her?
~Does she miss her?
~Does she wonder if the doctors told her a lie?
~Does she know children with down syndrome are fearfully and wonderfully made?
~Does she know Jesus?
~Does she realize children are valuable?
~Does she read this blog?

There is a man who tracks down families of children adopted from Ukraine.  The locating of the families is fairly easy since we know their name, passport number and region where the children were born.  I have been considering hiring him to locate Gloria's birth family ... but what if they reject her again? 

He is Risen. Happy Easter!

BIG Prayer request for Seth

I sat down to write this blog and my precious Samuel pulled a gallon of orange juice off the counter.  Oh man, was I annoyed.  Why can't he ever leave anything alone, all he does is get into stuff, he drives me crazy with his touching, pulling things off of high places, getting into drawers, endlessly playing in the ice and water at the refrigerator.  Just great!  Now I cannot write  the blogpost because I have a huge mess to clean.

WHOA, NELLIE!!!!!  I was convicted of two things ...

1) There is a dark power that is ticked that I am requesting prayer for Seth.  This power is ticked that we are lifting Seth to Jesus.  He tried to distract me ... So boo on that dark power we need you to pray for Seth like crazy over the next two weeks.

2)  Sammy is not an annoyance, he is curious, he is thirsty, he is leaning, he wants to understand things, he loves learning and helping and most of all he is fearfully and wonderfully made. 


So, here goes ...

On April 17th, Seth is having a Sedated MRI.  You may recall that he had an ABR under sedation in November and the furry of facebook posts requesting prayer because he was not recovering well.  This MRI is absolutely necessary.  There is a gaggle of ologists that want to see what his brain looks like and it is needed for his cochlear implant evaluation too.  We are doing it at the main campus of TCH where they have PICU and are fully prepared to provide rescue procedures should he need them .... this is where you come in ...

Please pray ...  that he is able to recover from the anesthesia without intervention, that Narcan is not necessary, that is oxygen levels will remain high on room air,  that his wake up is fast and that he becomes fully awake and aware.  Please pray for us too, for our peace, sound mind and sound judgement in all of the activities of that day.

Thank you friends!

And for your amusement ... a typical Samuel mess ...

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The babies are using forks!!!!

Time is flying so fast and they are crossing so many developmental milestones. 

Babyhood is so fleeting.

Gloria will be TWO next week and Noah will be eighteen months.

Soon they will be in college ...

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Gloria walks and giggles and walks and giggles!!!!!

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If you are a homeschooler, you know what a beautiful sight this is!!!!!!!!

We are building our My Father's World Adventures Library. It has been like Christmas!!!

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Hosanna ~~~ blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord