Angels We Have Heard

Faith to Davis:  Who is your favorite wise man?  Mine is Frankenstein.

Davis:  Is that the girl one?

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted on the BB!  I plan to resume writing here soon and posting new photos and videos.

And We're Back. . .

We are at home today.  Pearl's anti-hospital hunger strike back-fired and earned her an extra night there.  They didn't want to let her go until she was eating, though we were pretty sure she wouldn't eat until she was home. It wasn't bad to have an extra night of IV fluids, though, and she is doing well today.  It didn't seem to matter that we did the same drill, often with the same nurses, every four hours - she never gave up her temp, blood pressure, etc. without a LOT of loud, tearful protest.  She is still a fighter for sure.

She will be on a liquid diet for a few days and then soft foods for several weeks.  She also has to wear those nice arm restraints ("No-no's") again for a few weeks to keep her hands from her mouth.

Thanks for the prayers for our sweet, brave Pearlie.   

Summer Morning

Today the kids are playing - Faith and Davis are riding the plasma cars while Pearl keeps pace on foot running the circuit: kitchen, dining room, living room, hall, playroom, kitchen - one big circle of squealing and gasping giggles.  They stop every now and then for crab walks ("this is how the professionals crabwalkers do this," says Faith.  What a thought!) There are penalties and screams and tensions rising and falling, but mostly they are having a good time.  We've already had a talent show.  Faith's first of several talents was staring at the audience.  Davis' one-man-show involved jumping and tossing pillows.  The only thing left on our agenda is a trip to the library.

This will be our last carefree day for a little while, as we will get up early in the morning to take Pearlie in for palate surgery.  If all goes according to plan the surgery will begin at 7:30 and last 3 - 4 hours. 

I know we are blessed with an awesome team of doctors.  I know it is a necessary procedure.  I know it is all for the best.  It is another opportunity for gratitude that she is here where such excellent medical care is available. 

I know it will be hard to hand her over in the morning.  Hard to wait and hard to watch her suffer through recovery.


It is no small comfort to know that I serve a sovereign God. 

And I am reminded that He is the one able to do the true work of restoration.  It is long, painful work that I resist because I would rather be comfortable.  Running along with hidden broken places.

Sacrifice

We are not really looking to move, but the other day David was talking about a house he had seen recently that interested him.  When he said that it had six bedrooms, Faith got pretty excited. 

"Hey, Mama," she said,  "We could each have our own bedrooms!  And you and Daddy wouldn't have to share anymore!"

Deep Thoughts. . .by Faith Bullington

Faith asked me this at dinner tonight:

What if there were parents who named their child "anonymous?" They wouldn't even know who he was.

Please

Davis really is the sweetest. I can nearly smother him with hugs at bedtime and he will still call me back in a few minutes after I leave his room for just a little more.

Last night at a few minutes after midnight Davis woke up crying. I went in to see what was wrong and he told me about his bad dream, "Mama, I wanted someone to kiss me and no one would come." I kissed his little face and tucked him in while my heart went out to all of those little ones who are waiting. Waiting for someone to love them. And to the parents who are waiting to give that love.

We were once waiting. And then on this day three years ago. . .

We got the CALL about our baby boy!! We saw his sweet face for the first time in these photos:

And fell in love big time.

If you are considering adoption, please listen. Hear the motherless and fatherless children for whom the lack of love is not just a bad dream. Hear them asking for a mama and daddy to tuck them in and give them just one more hug.

If you are already moving towards adoption do not be discouraged. Paperwork hassles, enormous fees, government slow-downs, and any other problems you face along the way are all meaningless next to one "ordinary" sweet moment with your child.

I'm a Liar. And a Thief.

Davis asked, "What do you have?"

I said "Nothing," through a mouth stuffed with his Valentine candy.

Oh, the shame. I am not even joking.

Greetings!

Newsworthy

There's a nice article on our Chinese adoption group in the news today, along with a super sweet photo of our Pearlie-girl! It is a great testimony about how far Pearl has come in sociability that she let a photographer - a stranger - get close enough to her to get this shot. It is true that she was sitting safely in my lap at the time, but it wasn't so long ago that she would have totally freaked out about this.
I'm grateful to this reporter for sharing such a positive, joyful message about the adoption community. I have such a great desire for others to see adoption as a normal, even celebrated way to be a family, and not an isolating experience for us as parents or for our children. And I'm so very grateful to the Drafts family for tirelessly organizing and hosting these group events!

I couldn't help being reminded today that this is not the first time Pearl has been in the news. One of the artifacts we have from Pearl's early history is her "finding ad" - an advertisement in the newspaper from Pearl's hometown province that included her very first known photo and some information about her. These types of ads are meant to call birth families forward. Pearl's face is oh-so-tiny in her finding ad - several of the infants and toddlers in the ads surrounding hers also have clefts. All of these children were faces without names--little and lost and waiting.

And then there is today - when we are so thrilled to see our baby girl's beautiful photo in our newspaper. We can't wait to frame it and hang it on the wall next to our previous news-maker's handsome baby face.

In this sometimes strange, looking-glass life, I really can't imagine the original reaction to that very first, beautiful picture in the news across the sea of place and time. I have so much compassion for those who may have seen it when it was printed and know the story behind it in a way that we never will.

it's a small, small world

It Makes Sense

This morning we were watching the Rose Bowl Parade preview on the home and garden TV station. They were showing different floats being put together. I said, "Look Davis, they're making a giraffe."

He said, "Oh - is that God's place?"

Happy New Year

One of my favorite songs by Ben Shive and some of my favorite images (and dances!) of 2011.