"She got to go to the Hospital?! Not fair!"

One of the things we've committed to is being "real" about adoption.  As the shirts say, Adoption Rocks!  We all out, 100%, two thumbs up think it's awesome.  But it doesn't really matter what we say.  God's WORD in James 1 says GOD thinks it's cool.  So near to His heart in fact, that He says if we want to have a faith that's pure and faultless, we need to be taking care of widows and orphans in their distress.

But awesome things, like marriage and ministry and jobs are also hard.  Adoption is one of those kinds of things...something positively beautiful that takes love, patience, commitment....and did I mention patience?

We knew going into this adoption that Mia would struggle with jealousy.  Big time.  She went from literally having a shared crib and one too small blanket to her name to having many treasures to call her own.  And no one to share with.  Oh, she had the occasional need to share at school or with siblings, but no brother was begging to wear her hair clips and play with her dolls.  You know what I mean?

She holds her possessions close to her.  As in, saves the wrappers of and envelopes and packaging of her gifts.  As in, the thought of not having something can literally be terrifying for her.  So she's got her history working against her and like her mama she's a sinner.  She's got good old fashion stubborn jealousy that likes to war against the Spirit in her.

A lovely combination.

When Violet's file was publicized, we knew having a sister so close in age would be hard for her.  But we also know that if Mia is to have successful relationships as an adult, learning to share and love is crucial for her heart. 

We waited on God a long time to be sure He was clear that Violet was to join our family.  He was so clear that I cling to that confidence on days like we had this week when Mia said,

"She's got to go to the hospital?!  Not fair!"

I'm not even joking. 

Isn't that so like so many of us, though?  How many of us think life's not fair?  We don't like our job, wish we had a job, wish we had more money, a happy marriage, perfect kids, a farmhouse (I know, I'm the only one that applies to but we're being real here, right?). 

What does God need to do in our lives so we can have "successful relationships"?  What pruning does He need to do?

The longer we're walking the adoption road, the more I'm learning that caring for His kids is just as much about growing and stretching me, revealing the ugly roots of sin in my heart, as it is about healing hurt children.

I'm thinking that's quite possibly why God thinks

Adoption Rocks.

Violet Update

Violet's recovery is going smoothly!  Her pain is minimal, thanks to meds.  Her sibs are doting on her and she's enjoying extra episodes of Curious George and Winnie the Pooh, her favs.  So far, she's been patient about her hindered  state and has had not one complaint.  What a model patient!

This morning was a new day!  Thanks to prayer covering, Violet woke up saying, "I no scared!"  Thank you, Jesus!

We have the BEST Child Life Specialist here...she had V's room sweetly arranged for her this morning, brand new paints and Eric Carle paint book, a fabulous sticker dictionary that she adores, and a huge coloring book...all artfully displayed on the bed with a new doll.  ON TOP of a soft blanket patterned with birds.  "Mama, I share you.  You sleep here.  Not cold."  Bless her heart!

But the best surprise?  A little monkey buddy.  Besides Randall and I, only God would know the significance of the monkey.  In China, we finally got Violet to find her smile by playing concentration.  And every time, we got the pair of matching monkeys, Baba would act like a wild monkey, jump around the room chattering, and lift her silly style to the ceiling.  Whenever sad,  Baba has to just act like a monkey and the world is ok for Violet.  And today?  She saw the monkey and BEAMED.  "Daddy, silly monkey.  I love daddy."  

God is in the details.

Always.

We're now waiting for her to fully wake after a fitful time in the recovery room.  Please keep lifting her up in prayer for a uncomplicated healing.  Thank you!

Pre-Op Visit

This afternoon, we visited Shriner's Hospital and took a little tour of the pre-op and recovery rooms with Miss Jessie and a Mandarin translator. Tell you what. If I could've tucked that little Chinese grandma into my pocket and brought her home, I would've. I'm telling you. Doesn't everyone need a little Chinese grandma getting in your sweet little face with some Mandarin? She made me miss China all over again. Despite the super nice interpreter, Violet was not warming up to the hospital idea. She got instantly quiet. And then, one by one the tears fells silently down her cheeks. Her legs stopped walking. She was so frightened. We've decided not to share all of her personal history on this blog, but I'm comfortable sharing that Violet hasn't had good experiences with at least one hospital in the past. At all. Within moments, she was clinging to my neck as if her life depended on it. Based on her reaction, I'll be getting an up close and personal view of the surgery...in the operating room with her as she falls asleep. Man, I didn't even have c-sections. We came home with surgical masks, hats, gas masks, and...a walker.

Yup. No weight bearing for Miss Scooter/Climb Trees/Rollerblade Queen for 2-3 weeks. Good thing she ALSO likes dolls, coloring, and such. :-) Based on her smiles at home, I'm HOPING she's feeling slightly better about tomorrow. We'll see! At Shriners at 5:30 AM. Surgery begins at 8 and will last about 3 hours. Oofta. So, somebody blog something interesting tomorrow to read for say...3 hours, ok? See you on the other side!

Surgery Coming

On Wednesday, Violet will have the first of three surgeries to help her leg be as functional as possible and fit well into a prosthetic. Surgery #1 will open one side of the band that constricts her left leg. It will last about 3 hours and will be followed by a 2-3 week recovery period and take a full 4-6 months to be ready for Surgery #2. We are thankful for friends who are willing to help us take care of our other kiddos while we concentrate on Violet's needs that day. In other news...we find out tomorrow night if our church will have a young pastor from the seminary headed this way this summer. This obviously impacts our life hugely. There were a few godly men that a few people from our church interviewed and we're excited to see what God has planned! We'll post details of Violet's recovery, so feel free to check back in!