Pray for Ukraine and Jonathan Medical/Surgery Update

Please pray fervently for Ukraine! Tomorrow (Sunday) Crimea is voting on whether or not to become part of Russia.The ramifications of this are huge of course...Mama Tanya and Papa Igor are on my heart...praying for them...praying for Kostya S, our friend and Summer's son-in-law that we met a few months ago in Ukraine - he still lives in Crimea....and of course for the orphans in Crimea - remember Russia has banned adoptions to the USA - what could this mean for the babes that are still in Elijah's old orphanage or in the institutions??? American missionaries in Crimea? The world-wide political ramifications are huge as well of course.

Please pray for the unity and peace of Ukraine!!!!



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For quite awhile I've been meaning to do a medical update on each of our adopted children. I just haven't taken the time. Elijah and Grace are both doing well. Elijah recovered well from his surgery <2 :-="" absent="" ago="" an="" and="" certain="" chubbin="" cure="" doing="" foods.="" gagging="" great="" have="" he="" hear="" his="" i="" is="" men="" months="" most="" nbsp="" nicely.="" of="" on="" p="" puking="" quite="" race="" s="" seemed="" to="" tonsils="" up="">
Sometimes when you adopt, you think the babies will be the easy ones. Ha!  Jonathan came home a week before his 1st birthday.  While his attachment issues seem to have been a non-issue, his oral sensory/feeding issues have not been.  I know it could be SO much worse, but feeding issues can be all-consuming at times and very frustrating.  Both of the boys started seeing an AWESOME feeding/speech therapist, Sally, last fall.  I learned more from her in their 2 hour eval than I did in 2 years of Birth-3 therapy. It's a 70 mile round trip drive but SOOO worth it.  Grace has started seeing her now too, and I was amazed at how well she got Grace to cooperate and try to mimic sounds.

Anyway, back to Jonathan.  The "Chunky Monkey" is no longer "chunky". He has lost 7+ pounds since late last fall.  Thankfully, he had extra to lose but it is just so wrong to see his ribs and skinny thighs. :-( (His cheeks still look chubby due to his low muscle tone in his face.) He also has increased his "poking" he does on his throat. His teachers at school have seen the increase as well. He's been doing this for almost 2 years, but it is now always on his left side of his neck in the same place.  He had a video swallow study done a few weeks ago, and it was normal. Sally thought it was his tonsils and adenoids as he also does this weird thing with his mouth too.  So, off to the ENT we went. (Oh yes, we are very frequent visitors to our local ENT...)  Jonathan even "cooperated" and did his throat-poking thing in front of the ENT. He thought it was tonsils too. The Dr even managed a look at his throat and his tonsils were stage 3+ out of 4. (The weight loss can be from tonsils/adenoids issues.)

Soooo, Monday, our dear little "Skinny Monkey" will follow his big brother in having his tonsils/adenoids removed, and maybe an ear tube or two just for fun. (The ENT, Dr. P, will look at his ears while under sedation and see what he needs. His left ear canal has always been too narrow to place a tube, so we'll see if he's grown at all.)  Do you think the surgery center will give us a discount for frequent visits?  LOL

So, please pray for Jonathan on Monday if you think of him.  Specifically, please pray for his desire to drink after surgery. He often resists drinking anyway, and can be so so so stubborn when he doesn't want to.  Also, please pray for his weight to come back on after surgery as well. He really is just too thin right now.  I'm also hoping and praying this will lead to a breakthrough in his desire to eat, try new, textured foods and self-feed.  Oh, that would be miraculous! It'd be nice to not stay in the night in the hospital too.

Thank you so much!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So, when is Round 3 coming???  Oh yes, our dear little Grace. I've heard her pauses while sleeping. I've only seen her tonsils a few times - mostly when she is upside down being tickled. While that may not be the most accurate way to assess tonsils, the fact they were touching, yes touching, was a bit concerning. It's also a bit concerning to think about going through this all with her. She might need the "sleepy juice" when we walk in the door. (She flipped out at the chiropractor yesterday. I know, he's so scary.) Poor girl though....I can't help but think what her medical experiences were like at the institution...I know she had a ton of chest x-rays as they gave them to us. Beyond that...no idea. So sad...

Urgent Prayers Needed for Ukraine!

I ask you all to please stop what you are doing and pray for Ukraine right now. Violence has escalated and dozens were killed today in Kyiv. 1000+ people injured. They are standing up for freedom. Please pray for the country, for peace and for freedom.  I can't tell you how important this is!

Also, please pray for my friend, Shelly, still in Ukraine finishing up her adoption and my friend, Stephanie, that is with her. They need to travel to Kyiv to finish up. Oh my... Please pray!!!

My heart is also heavy for all my friends in Ukraine, both American and Ukrainian. Please pray for them as well.

Keep up to date on the events in Ukraine HERE.  There are many EuroMaidan facebook pages too. I just found this article by the NY Times.

Thank you for praying! The Lord is faithful!

Surgery Tomorrow for Elijah!

Well, I never got around to posting the results of the boys' sleep studies. Jonathan's was relatively fine, Elijah's not so much. He has mild-moderate sleep apnea.  So, tomorrow morning he is getting his tonsils and adenoids removed to help make sure he is getting enough oxygen at night. In addition, he will most likely have ear tubes placed (3rd set). The ENT wants to examine his ears more closely while he's sedated. And finally, he is having a frenectomy. Don't know what that is? :-)  I didn't either until a few days ago. The labial frenum is the little tag of tissue in the center of the upper (and lower) lip that attaches the lip to the gum. So, a frenectomy is the clipping of the labial frenum. His top one will be done. His awesome speech/feeding therapist recommended it to help him with speech. I had forgotten about until I was thumbing through my new book from Talk Tools about feeding.

The ENT wants to keep him overnight for observation due to his Down syndrome. I believe it is usually an out-patient procedure.

We would really appreciate your prayers for a smooth and uncomplicated surgery and quick healing for Elijah.  I'm praying he will be able and willing to take fluids will over the next week.

This will be our first overnight at a hospital besides childbirth.  I know this isn't heart surgery like the Warrior Princess Lyla just had, but its still something new for us. Lyla helps me keep things in perspective. :-) Hopefully Elijah will recover as quickly as she did!!! She's a walking miracle!

On a side note, I sat next to Grace last night and listened to her breathing...I believe a sleep study is definitely in her future too. :-( Oh boy...the thought of that makes me shudder. Yes, I know I thought Jonathan's would be awful getting all those things stuck to his head, but wow...Grace can be a lot feistier than him, and she is very strong too. Maybe she'll surprise me like he did.

Speaking of Jonathan's sleep study, I never posted these pictures of him the next morning as they were taking all of the wires off him as proof of the miracle of him not fussing at all.  Sorry, they are so incredibly blurry. The iPad camera and I don't get along, plus he wouldn't stop moving!

Blessing and Challenge

Adoption = "the biggest blessing and the biggest challenge you will ever face."

As most of you know, today was Orphan Sunday. November is National Adoption Month. In just over a week (yikes!), I'll be posting about plenty about adoption and the process of it. But for tonight, I wanted to link to Meredith's blog about Orphan Sunday.  All of it so very, very true, and will be so much more true when we get Grace home. Thanks for reading it!

http://cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/2013/11/orphan-sunday-2013.html

We have a pretty intense week coming up, not only with frantically getting ready to leave, but we have several additional appointments.  I'd appreciate prayers!  Also, please pray for my children's hearts as we prepare to leave. A few of them are having a tough time already. :-(

Luke 9:23 - 
"Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

The calling of adoption is not just for Pat and I, it is for our whole family.

(Hopefully, I'll have some extra time while we are in Ukraine to do very long overdue updates on Elijah and Jonathan.  You know, things like sleep study results, school, ENT, etc.)

Thanks for praying for our family this week!

BRINGING GRACE HOME: Well, we have news...

Sorry it's been so long since we've updated.  Well, we have news.  Unfortunately, it is bad news. We found out a few days ago our dossier had been rejected due to a tiny date error. I may have mentioned a hundred times once or twice how picky the adoption authority is over in Ukraine. So, I spent the day in Madison yesterday getting the new documents apostilled. The documents are already in Paris as of 12:30 this afternoon on their way to Ukraine via FedEx. I think it may have helped a bit sending them from Madison instead of here, but I'm not sure. They should be there in time for my facilitator to get them notarized and submitted on Thursday, the 15th. (Yes, Rochelle, I know UPS would have them there in plenty of time. :-))

So, what does this all mean??? This is the very hard part.  Once our dossier is resubmitted, we go back in line with everyone else that was submitted that day.  Right now, submission to travel time is almost 3 months. (Families submitted same day as us in June got dates for 2nd week in Sept.)  The thought of Grace having to wait 3 more months is something I can't even think about. She has waited SOO long. I feel so bad for her. My heart is breaking. After we got the news, all day I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Plus, if you do the quick math, 3 months puts us at mid-November. Add a possible 6 week process. Ya...I swore I would never do Christmas in Ukraine again, but I may not have a choice. For those of you that are newer here, I spent the whole month of December in Ukraine to bring Elijah home. We knew from the beginning that it most likely happen and we were prepared (or I thought I was). It was very, very difficult. BUT, having said all that, we, as a family, will do whatever it takes to get her home.  We can always celebrate Christmas when the Ukrainians do on January 7th. :-)

I know none of this is a surprise to the Lord. I am finding peace in this, as difficult as it is. We would appreciate prayers for quick approval of our dossier this time and a speedy travel date.  Also, please pray for smooth "travels" for our documents and smooth submission on the 15th.   (Ugh...when we started this process, "I" was hoping for court on August 15th. sigh...it would have been my grandma's 100th birthday.)

I have to go cut/freeze some beans, but if I get time in the next few days, I'll share a bit more about my day in Madison yesterday with some tips for families coming behind us.  Some interesting things too...never a dull moment around WI's capitol.

I'll leave you with the verse the Lord gave me shortly after we got the news. (Couldn't help but smile about the word "submit" in the verse.)

Proverbs 3:5-6:

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Please pray for this family...

I can't even imagine... :-(

http://www.abcactionnews.com//dpp/news/region_south_hillsborough/riverview/body-of-missing-10-year-old-girl-found-in-pond-near-riverview-school

Please Pray for Rochelle (x2)

May I please ask you a favor??? Will you please pray for my two friends, both named Rochelle? Both are battling cancer and need prayers for healing.

Rochelle R. is a local friend I met through our monthly home school moms prayer night. She had surgery a week ago.  Please visit her Caringbridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rochellesjourney and leave her an encouraging comment. She is doing pretty well, but I know she would appreciate continued prayers for healing, peace and endurance as she faces treatment in the next month or so. (I believe you need to make an account w/ Caringbridge to view the pages, but it is not a big deal.)

Rochelle C. is a friend I met in Ukraine. I've posted about her and Jason before and their beautiful daughter, Dariya, who was adopted the same time as Jonathan in the summer of 2011. Just like Rochelle R., she has 3 beautiful young children. Her Caringbridge site is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rochellecannon . Please stop by and leave her an encouraging comment as well. 

Rochelle and Dariya on her Gotcha Day!

Thank you so much for praying for these beautiful Christian ladies!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST UPDATES

See last post... PLEASE PRAY FRIENDS!!!!

Reposted from here:

KEEP PRAYING!!!! SELAH IS STILL FIGHTING FOR HER VERY LIFE!!!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 7am Friday morning-
Since adopting the girls, I've told my husband over and over again that I have NEVER been happier or more content in my life. Our house and arms were full and there was just so much love and peace...they were meant to be with us and fit in perfectly. I've loved having the respondsibility for their lives and have been thrilled to go to all the doctors & specialists to improve their health and well being. It's been a HONOR to take care of them, even to changing their diapers:) (yes they both still wear diapers along with Sam) I love dressing them in cute NEW clothes (after all the insituions clothing) I've loved seeing their hair grow longer and have managed to give some bows in Selahs hair a little:) I've thought so many times of the long road it was to bring them into our life and the long road they walked alone before they had a family, but God intersected our paths please keep praying

UPDATE from Yvonne around 7am Friday morning-
UPDATE! Overnight Selah stayed about the same, her blood pressures seem to be more stable but her heart rate is still not coming down to a more normal range. Please pray that her heart rate will come down to 60-100 beats a minute. She is at about 150...again thank you all for your prayers, I've never seen or heard of anything like the support and prayers we are getting! Thank you for bringing Selah's name to God's throne continuously. Keep praying ! We have no hope except in God!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 12am Friday morning-
I want all of you to know, I am shattered, heartbroken and helpless. I shake off and on throughout the day (literally uncontrolably) I don't know what tonight holds much less tomorrow but I still TRUST my Savior no matter where He leads... I am not bitter at all and thank God for the deep peace that comes from him. That doesn't mean I'm calm nor does that mean I'm not anixous...I am ! I can't even sleep although I only slept 2-3 hours last night but I still trust Jesus NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!!!!! So no matter what you are going through tonight, I can tell you Jesus can walk with you through it!!! I can truly testify to that! I am weak, and barely can type becaues I am shaking from stress, fear, heartache but I HOLD to Jesus' hand no matter what comes.... "where else can I go but to the Lord?"

UPDATE from Yvonne around 11pm Thursday night- 

Yvonne has posted a detailed update on her blog - Please go read it here - UPDATE!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm Thursday night-

Update...Selah's heart rate is staying too high, pray for it to come down to normal, not a good sign. Also pray that her blood pressure remains stable it's going up & coming down, it needs to stay around 120/80, Her blood sugar went really low (40) & she had to be given some extra sugar. Pray that God will heal our little sweet LaLa & give her back to us whole. Hug your kids and don't take a day for granted...you don't know what can happen! Cherish the moment!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm Thursday night-

Ronald McDonald House of Rochester NY is so wondrful to us. They have provided a room in the hospital for us to sleep/take a shower in. I can't say enough about their support of our family! It's been like this everytime we've come up and they have just met our needs in such a pracital way. I'm in the room now, going to try and sleep since I didn't really sleep last night at all. Tomorrow my sweet bro in law Jim Clanton is flying up to be with us. Thank you again for all your prayers, please cover us and Selah, this is so hard....

UPDATE from Yvonne around 5:30pm Thursday evening- 

Update...Sam is completely back to normal but they are keeping him till tomorrow. Selah is still fighting! The doctor that told us yesterday that she would not make it at all said today that she may make it but will not be "Selah" meaning she has so much brain damage... We need PRAYER! Pray that her heart rate will come down to a normal level of 60-100, she is at 150 and pray that she will take more breathes on her own. Pray that she will not get any infections or fevers. Please pray for our sweet girl and for the rest of the family

UPDATE from Yvonne around 7am Thursday morning - 

Thank you all for your prayers....PLEASE keep praying...Selah's heart rate is up (not good) and she is taking less breaths on her own....we need your prayers....please please pray for her like she was your little girl!!! This morning my hope is all gone but I am thankful that you all can hold us up to the Father...

UPDATE from Yvonne around 11pm Wednesday night - 

Looking on FB and post after post after post is asking for prayer for my family....thank you so so much! They are calling the hospital where a friend's son had a near drowning and talking to them. The protcal is different then here and different than the study but he survived....

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm Wednesday night-

Thank you all for the wonderful messages of FAITH! I read through all of them, with tears running down my face. We need you all to hold us up to the Father. We are devasted and have been given no hope. Jon is heartbroken....please pray for our family...we are crying out to God but are in the middle of this and it is hard.... Selah is stable and takes a few breathes on her own & has a little response in her pupils but they still do not expect her to live. We are trusting in God and God alone right now.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!

(Repost from Sarah's blog)

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm -

Thank you all for the wonderful messages of FAITH! I read through all of them, with tears running down my face. We need you all to hold us up to the Father. We are devasted and have been given no hope. Jon is heartbroken....please pray for our family...we are crying out to God but are in the middle of this and it is hard.... Selah is stable and takes a few breathes on her own & has a little response in her pupils but they still do not expect her to live. We are trusting in God and God alone right now.

This is the Clanton family. They adopted two girls from Ukraine eariler this year, and Yvonne is a dear friend of mine.

This is Yvonne's facebook post from today -

PLEASE PRAY!!! If you've not heard, we've had a terrible accident. Jon took Sam and Selah on a walk on the Erie Canal before lunch today. He stopped for a minute on a level surface, to lost control of the stroller & the stroller rolled into the Erie Canal. Jon jumped into the canal right after them. He was able to hold the stroller up & fought against the current pulling him and the stroller down. He couldnt' get the kids' unhooked but was able to pull them up some and evidently got Sam's head up. Someone jumped in and took him out and Jon and another lady pulled up the stroller so they could do rescue breathing on Selah until the EMTs got there. The Erie Canal is very deep, cold, and strong currents...the sides are cement with nothing to hold to... Sam is ok, put is being kept overnight since his body temp went down to 90 degrees. At this point Selah is not expected to live...our hearts are broken. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR SELAH!!! We love her so much and have loved being her parents. We are asking God for mercy! She is on life support, currently she is in a study ( the only hope they could give us) The study is to keep her temp at a certain lower than normal point with the hope that could help. But they still give us no real hope and even if she should live, they feel she won't be "Selah" anymore. Please pray that God will give us a miracle for our little girl!!!!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR SELAH AND HER FAMILY AND SPREAD THE WORD TO RALLY MORE PRAYERS!!!

If you are not friends with Yvonne on facebook, feel free to leave a message for them here in the comments and I will make sure it gets to them!

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for a sweet little girl named Maia. Maia was born with spina bifida and has hydrocephalus as a result. This week she had a severe seizure and has been in the hospital since then. Friday morning she had brain surgery to place tubes to clear infection from her brain. She is one sick little girl. Please pray for the Mighty Physician to heal her and keep her safe in the palm of her hand. Also, please pray for her parents and her brother, Matthew, during this difficult time. You may check for updates on her family's blog at http://findingbabyhansen.blogspot.com.

I had the extreme privilege of meeting Maia's parents, Mark and Melanie Hansen, in Kiev the night before our SDA appointment when we received Elijah's referral. And as the Lord worked it out, we were able to meet up in Kiev at the end of our adoption processes too, so I got to meet Maia!  And...the Hansens went back to adopt Matthew about the same time we were in country adopting Jonathan. Fun, huh? :-) So, as you can imagine, the Hansens have a very special place in my heart. I humbly ask you to please PRAY for them all!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!

I have just a minute as a couple kids are already buckled in the van as we are heading out for a Valentine's party, but this is IMPORTANT.

A wonderful family is in country right now and need us all to storm heaven on their behalf. A judge is not sure they should be named the parents of two very special orphans after court today, but will meet again tomorrow. One of these little guys has a very fond place in my heart as he was in Elijah's grouppa. He has since been transferred to a nearby institution - the same one Elijah would have been transferred to if he had not been adopted - but this is the first international adoption from this facility. PLEASE PRAY for a softening of the judge's heart and that the Evensons would be named Gideon and Micah's parents. They desperately need to come HOME.

See Sarah's blog http://matthew18vs14.blogspot.com/2012/02/please-storm-heaven.html for pictures and more details. And most definitely stop by the Evenson's blog http://addtothebeauty-evensen.blogspot.com/2012/02/court-bad-news-and-good-news.html and leave them an encouraging comment to let them know you are praying for them.

Just a reminder - THIS IS WAR!

Update, Prayer Request, and Another "One Year Ago Today"

Update: Elijah's ear tube surgery last Wednesday went very well. He was in and out of OR in less than 15 minutes, woke up fine, and we were on our way home by 8:30am.  The next day he seemed a little less frustrated, so I'll take that as a good sign! He'll have his hearing tested again at the 4-week post-op check up.

Prayer Request for Jonathan: Jonathan will have his ear tubes placed at about 10:30 tomorrow (Wed) AM. The ear tube part of the procedure should be quick, but they are conducting a sedated hearing test. This may take up to 2 hours. Please pray for him to handle the anesthesia ok. He did get a clearance letter from the cardiologist, but a little extra prayer never hurt. :-) Also, he won't be able to have a bottle after 4:30AM.  I have a feeling he won't be a happy camper...so prayers for contentment and peace (for both of us) would be appreciated too.

One Year Ago Today:  "Auntie Debbie" FINALLY made it to Elijah's city after a nightmarish trip to Ukraine through snowstorms across Europe in which she "visited" France, Italy, Germany and finally Ukraine, including a night in the Milan airport, as well as a night on the lovely Ukrainian train. I was never so glad to hear someone's voice when she called from Max's phone. But whatta friend, huh? I'm SOO grateful for Max as well. He gave up a few days of his very, very busy schedule to pick up Debbie in Kiev and then guided and protected her on the 15-hr train ride. I chronicled her journey a bit HERE, HERE, HERE (which also includes an update about sweet Shea. I'll tell ya, there is nothing like shouting about a child that you've met and then seeing a family commit to him while I was still in country! What a joy!!!) and HERE.   I'm forever grateful to Debbie for willingly giving up her Christmas with her family to spend it with me and Elijah. I can't even begin to tell you how much more difficult it would have been to be away by myself over Christmas. As I'm hearing Christmas songs this year and finding myself getting weepy, I'm realizing those emotions from last year are still pretty fresh. Having Debbie with me on the way home was a HUGE help too of course. After coming home alone with Jonathan, it made me realize how much more difficult the trip home with Elijah could have been.

So, thank you, Debbie, aka "Auntie Crackers", for giving of your time, friendship and all that you gave up physically, mentally, and emotionally to travel half way across the world to be with Elijah and me. You and your family will always have a very special place in my heart. :-) Debbie did a guest post for me last year while in country. You can read it HERE. Maybe I'll ask her to do a follow-up post in the next couple of weeks...the Lord has done AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING things in her family over the past year!!!

The Last Day...

Today is the last day to enter the iPad2 giveaway to help bring Teagan and Kelten home! Click HERE to donate and read the details. Just $10 gets you an entry. Every single dollar helps the incredible Burman family bring home their boys.  Teagan and Kelten are in an orphanage in EE. But many of the children in this orphanage are VERY tiny and VERY malnourished. As you see below, Kelten is TWELVE YEARS OLD and is an infant walker!!! Teagan may very well be in the same shape as Carrington was when she came home.  (As you may remember, the Burmans adopted Carrington from Elijah's orphanage earlier this year. She was literally hours from dying when they got home.)

One of the precious little ones has just come home from this orphanage. Little Katie weighed less than 11 pounds and is 29" inches long. Now given that my children were about 7 1/2 pounds and 20" long when they were born, you will realize that Katie is long and very thin (by baby standards). What you wouldn't know by looking at those stats is that she is NINE YEARS OLD. Yes, she is the same age as my 4th grader, Anna. I was looking at the photos on her blog and just started weeping. I was holding Elijah at the same time and just keep thinking that could have been him...

Folks, Carrington, Katie, Kelten and Teagan are not the only ones in this state of just existing (they are not even in the same country)...locked away from society. Why??? Just because they have Down syndrome. That's it. This is why these children, Teagan and Kelten need to get home ASAP. This is why it is SO important to support adoptive families with your prayers AND your financial gifts. Please don't let money stand in the way of Teagan and Kelten coming home to their mommy and daddy and a whole lot of siblings that are going to love them to pieces. :-)

Oh, that reminds me of another thing I wanted to say about large families adopting (again). But I guess I'll save that for another day. It's one of those posts I've had swirling in my head since we got home with Jonathan. Sometime soon I hope I can get that post out of my head and onto the screen.

Please pray for the Burmans to pass through USCIS and to have all of the funds they need to travel to get their boys.

Teagan Chance         Kelten Drake

 

4 years old                12 years old

Hearing tests x2 - Check!

Jonathan had his hearing test on Monday afternoon. Our unscientific test with the pot lids was pretty accurate. Neither of his eardrums seem to be working very well - if at all. I do believe he can hear something, but not much. The past few weeks he has really started to babble a lot more, so that's a good sign. So, he will see the ENT doc next week for a medical evaluation. He has super tiny ear canals (pretty common in kids w/ Ds) that were pretty filled with wax. So, please pray with me that a good cleaning (probably will have to be cleaned fairly regular) and tubes to drain any fluid behind his ear drums will take care of his hearing problems. Thanks!

Ok, on to Elijah whose test was this afternoon. I didn't have any concerns about Elijah's hearing. His speech seems to be developing well and he usually hears all that we say to him (minus "selective hearing" :-)). A hearing check was on the list, and something I should have done months ago. Well, his LEFT ear works just fine. His RIGHT one, not so much. :-( He definitely favors his left ear when she tested his side-to-side hearing. She did say she saw some wax in his right ear as well. So....we have yet another appt with the ENT doc to get it checked out. We tried to combine both boys appts but we couldn't. So, we left J's appt for next week (right after Elijah's eye appt) and Elijah's will be the week after Thanksgiving. Thinking about it, sometimes when we ask Elijah to come back from standing too close to the TV, he has his left ear turned towards it. Not always, but sometimes. That probably explains why he ignores us when he is standing like that! :-) He hasn't had any ear infections since we got home. We had his orphanage medical records translated when we got home, so I'll have to ask Dr T if any were recorded.

So, that's the scoop from here. I've been pretty busy with helping Pat "process" chickens and canning spaghetti sauce from tomato puree we had in the freezer from last fall. We have more meat coming this week so the tomatoes needed to get out of the freezer.

God's Blessings to all of you! Thanks for reading.

Please pray for Nathanael!!!

This precious little boy needs your prayers!!!

Nathanael has a life-threatening condition called hydorcephalus. If Nathanael would have been born in this country, he would have had surgery to place a shunt to drain the excess fluid on his brain. He most likely would have lived a fairly normal life. But...he was not born here. Many attempts were made from this side of the ocean to get him the life-saving surgery he needed, but these attempts were in vain as he was not "allowed" to have surgery.

His potential adoptive family sped through the dossier prep process to get their paperwork over to his country ASAP. They were then slowed down by the infamous "special needs list". Hydrocephalus wasn't on there. (Hoping to hear about the new list this week.) Now, his country is changing things (again) so they face yet another delay.

But today, his family found out his birth mother has been visiting him. She has already relinquished her rights, but has said she would contest his adoption. WHAT?!?!  So, basically, she will not give him the treatment he needs and won't allow a family to adopt him to give him the surgery he SO desperately needs. He WILL die if he does not have surgery.

Ok, here's where you come in. PLEASE PRAY for the softening of his mother's heart to allow this adoption to happen!!! PLEASE PRAY for his family to be able to get over there ASAP!!! And finally, PLEASE PRAY for Nathanael's health...that he would hang on long enough for his family to get him home safely. Thank you so much. I believe God can and will save his life.

His family's blog is http://savenathaniel.blogspot.com/  if you want to stop by and leave them an encouraging note.

"Pretty soon..."

That was a quote from a precious 5 year old boy, Joshua. Last night, he told his mama that he wasn't going to see Jesus overnight, but it will be "pretty soon".  Breaks my heart! Please pray for this special family.

I've been following his story for several months now. His family adopted 2 girls w/ Ds last fall. Their bio son, Joshua, was born with spina bifida, as well as many other medical issues. Please visit the blog set up in support of them http://helpparkerfamily.blogspot.com/ . You can follow their CaringBridge page by clicking on Joshua's photo with the paint brush.

I can't fathom the depth of their pain right now. Please pray for the Lord to give them peace and comfort. Thanks!

Eyes of a Child - Andrei Needs YOUR Help!

This is a repost from my friend, Stephanie's blog. If you remember, she adopted Theo and Zhen from Elijah's orphanage last summer. This post is about a young man that remember seeing at the church (founded by American missionaries) we attended in Simferopol while adopting Elijah. The missionaries were a HUGE HUGE blessing to me, especially when I couldn't be home on Christmas. They welcomed Debbie and me into their homes and made us feel like family. I'm forever grateful. The pastor's wife shared with me the same story about Andrei that Stephanie shares below. Absolutely heartbreaking. Please pray for them and please pray about helping this precious family out financially.

Since I'm about a week behind on getting this posted, there is only a week left to help Andrei and the need is great. I know the fee just to apply for visa to come to the US is $140 per person. Often, $280 (or less) is one month's salary for an adult in Ukraine. And no, I'm not kidding...this is a huge financial burden for this family, but I know they would do anything to help their son retain some of his vision. Wouldn't you? The link to donate is below.

From Stephanie:

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future
For the lessons of life there is no better teacher
Than the look in the eyes of a child

On occasion you will hear me complaining about Zhen's eyes. Seriously, why couldn't the orphanage arrange to have his cataract removed when he was a baby? Then his vision could have developed normally as he grew. The sad truth is that in Eastern Europe, babies with disabilities just don't get the medical care that they need.

Then I stop whining. And I'm thankful. For I remember a bright and beautiful boy that I met at church in Ukraine last summer. Meet Andrei...(Jill's note: He has the voice of an angel too!)

About two years ago, Andrei was having some problems with his eyes. His parents took him to an eye specialist in Kiev who recommended laser surgery! Cool huh?


After the laser surgery was performed, the doctor came out to talk to the family and said... "Oops, we made a mistake and your son is now blind in that eye". (Can you even imagine?! The word "malpractice" comes to my mind.) The doctors did not operate on the other eye at the time, (thank God!) but said that it would need surgery in the future.


Over the course of the next two years, Dema and Marina, Andrei's father and mother, home schooled Andrei because the doctor said that a blow to the head or a fall could make him permanently blind. Now, I ask you, is that any way for a young boy to live, in fear of getting bonked on the head or falling down? No rough housing with his little brother? No running?


Now Andrei is now down to 50% vision in his one good eye.

 

What a nice looking family! Andrei's father leads the singing at church and teaches young adults. His mother is the church pianist. This photo is a couple of years old.

Last Friday, Andrei was having some problems with his eye and so the doctor wanted to take his eye out (!!!) and coat with silicone to help preserve the eye. Well, instead of that (sheesh!) we would like to get Andrei to the United States as quick as possible so that the doctors here can work on him. Marina had an appointment today at the US embassy in Kiev and thankfully, she was able to get the visas they need to leave Ukraine right away.

In a couple of weeks Andrei and his mother will travel to Chicago. A doctor there believes that he can help save his one good eye. A nearby church has agreed to host mother and son for one month while Andrei receives treatment. The good doctor cannot treat Andrei for free, but he will reduce his fee. What a great opportunity!

In keeping with our mission to improve the lives of children in Crimea, Project TLC  would like to assist this family with their expenses. We will dedicate contributions received over the next two weeks in order to preserve what is left of Andrei's limited eyesight.

The total projected need is at least $2000, so please share this far and wide, and donate as you are led. Please click HERE to donate.





Or you may send your gifts to:


His Kids Too!
219 – B Delta Ct.
Tallahassee, FL 32303


*note Project TLC on check memo

God bless you!

Urgent prayer request for the Warner Family!

Pictures are coming soon, I promise! We are doing well, but I wanted to share this (snagged it from Sarah's blog) as the prayer need is URGENT!!!! Please pray!!!!


PLEASE REPOST AND SHARE - Spread the word for the need of this special family!!! STORM HEAVEN for this family! Everything imaginable is going wrong, and they need PRAYER!

Joshua (Cliff on RR) and his Mama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Christie

 Lisa Warner is landlocked in the Ukraine. She and her husband traveled overseas to ransom a child and bring him home. Fundraising was ALWAYS a struggle for the Warner's. I am begging you now, for all you know, to share this story and donate ANY AMOUNT to their FSP.

Joshua, their son, is sick. The Embassy doctor will not release him for travel. She believes he has pneumonia--however, she will NOT treat him for pneumonia and neither will any other doctor they have seen because they do not believe he has pneumonia.

They contacted the CDC with the xrays and doctor's reports they have---CDC is giving the doctors a few options. Wait it out (6-8 weeks and retest) or surgically obtain sputum samples to test of TB and risk Joshua's life.

The Warner's are in a very precarious situation. Lisa's sister was found deceased in her apartment by Lisa's mother. Lisa's mother has been caring for their other young boy, Jacob, at home in Michigan.

It is very likely Lisa and Dave will allow the surgical procedure to test for TB and rule it out. This is not an easy decision, nor is it safe for Joshua. The doctor who refuses to let them leave has said she does not want to do this test because it puts Joshua in danger. The doctor is consulting with her team but will ultimately leave the decision up to Lisa and Dave.

They need funds. I would love to see $6,000 more raised for their FSP. Dave has been without income for over a month now. Dave could lose his job over all of this. I pray that does not happen; but it is a real fear and one that needs prayers.

I have nothing to offer you, nothing to entice you with. No fancy cameras. No iPad. No Kindle. Nothing except the comfort in knowing you have helped bless the Warner's in a much needed manner.

You can donate directly to their FSP here http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorwarner  

You can follow Lisa's blog at BUILDING OUR VILLAGE 

Please do anything you can, share, donate, PRAY.

There are literally stranded in a foreign country with little assistance at this point.

~Christie~

"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:2-3 (NIV)

Lisa wrote this on her blog today-

"Please pray for us. Please pray for my mom who I love with all my heart and it is killing me not be able to comfort her. Please pray for Jacob who today decided not to eat. I fear that my mom's overwhelming sadness is evident to Jacob that something is not quite right. Please pray for Joshua and that God watches over him. I cry for Dave who today was inconsolable, I cry for my mom who was inconsolable, I cry for my Dad who misses his first born, I cry for my children who are far from me that I am not there to comfort them, I cry for Joshua that this promised life for him has not come to fruition yet, I cry for myself because I miss my sister and because I have no idea what to do for any of them. 

I am going to allow anonymous posts with moderator approval because if I get one person posting how Joshua might not be my son when we have to make the biggest decision as his parents for the first time, my head will explode. Thanks for listening and letting me cry... :("

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

...in just over 12 hrs from now! I can.not.wait to get back to hold Jonathan in my arms again. I have missed him dearly this last week. It's hard when my heart is in two places. But, on the other hand, it almost seems like those 3 weeks in June were a dream. I mean I have nothing here to show for it...but that will change!

Ok, it's late and I do need some sleep tonight, so I'm just going bullet point this.

Prayer requests:
- Uneventful flights there and back
- Smooth "paper chasing" on Wednesday for the court decree, the birth certificate, the PASSPORT! All it would take is for one "director" at one of the places to not be in to sign off on something to derail our fast track and we won't be home until Tuesday.
- A fun "Gotcha Day" on Wednesday! I have a couple of things to take care of at the orphanage, so please pray I'm granted favor for that as well.
- Peace for Jonathan as he leaves the only home he's ever known - that he would sleep and eat well and stay healthy.
- Wisdom for me as I parent him solo in a foreign country - so glad Vanya will be with me Wednesday and Thursday. :-)
- Smooth process in Kiev for the medical exam and visa processing
- Sleepy, quiet and cooperative baby :-) on the flights home and that the Lord would put the right person on the flight to help me if need be.
- Here at home: understanding for the kids as Mommy leaves once again, patience and endurance for my parents, the 3 "middles" start swimming lessons this week, Sarah going to Lifest, a fun 4th of July for the family and friends they'll be visiting, and a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANNA!!! She will be 9 years old this week! I'm very sad to miss her birthday, but I know she will be surrounded by those who love her. I'm so proud of her for being so understanding!

Blog updates:
I'm NOT bringing the laptop with me as I would only have the potential to have internet a couple of days, plus it's heavy. I'm hoping Vanya will be able to email Sarah quick updates and she can post updates throughout the week. Gotcha Day photos will come when I get home. :-)

Homecoming:
All the "experts" tell adoptive parents to keep the airport homecoming thing low-key. I'm sure there is wisdom to that. BUT, since we got totally jipped out of the "homecoming" experience with Elijah, anyone who wants to give up part of their Saturday afternoon is more than welcome to join us!  Lord willing my plane will get in about 4pm. :-)

Attachment:
Just a quick note about this until I can explain it better at a later time. Jonathan does not know who his mama and dada are yet. He has always had revolving caretakers, not one single person to "attach" to. So, in an effort to help him understand who his mama and dada are, we will be making a conscious effort to limit who holds and feeds him to basically just Pat and I. We are so grateful to everyone who has loved and supported our family through this process and love you all. We feel this is the best thing for Jonathan at this point. Thanks for your understanding!  Tensey, who brought home Kirill from Russia, wrote a wonderful, thoughtful blog post about this here.

Names:
Typing Kirill's name above reminded me of something.  Jonathan's middle name is Kiril with one "L". It is his given name and we wanted to honor his heritage by preserving his given name as his middle name. In a way, I regret not doing that with Elijah, especially since we are in contact with his birth parents. Anyway, when translating the name from Russian, it is spelled with 2 L's. When translating it from Ukrainian, it is spelled with 1 L. Interesting, huh? Aren't you glad you read all the way down here to learn that little tidbit.

On that note, I'll sign off! Thank you again to everyone for your prayers, love and support for this final leg of our journey. We are beyond grateful! Love to you all!

Court Tomorrow!

Our court is scheduled for tomorrow at 9:30am. Please pray for a positive outcome and that all of the paperwork is in line, we find favor with the judge, and Vanya's travel tonight from the capital city to here. (Maybe he can get a little sleep at least.) Also please pray for our travel home that it would uneventful, we make all of our connections, etc. Oh, and that the pesky flight from O'Hare to Appleton will not be cancelled as it was the last 2 times we've come home from here. :-) Just makes life so much easier.

It's storming again, so I wanted to get this up in case we lose internet again. More cute hat photos of the little guy to come!

Thanks so much for praying! Love to you all!