The View from the Hospital

Amy and Moriah in the hospital kids room

Mike Leach #83 Denver Broncos

Today is our second day at the hospital in Denver. Yesterday morning we got here bright and early for Moriah to have her surgery. After we were all prepped and Moriah drifted off to sleep, the doctor came out saying, "What is that on her neck?" She has a strange, scaley patch of skin on her neck that had gotten very red in just the last couple of days. I had put some anti-fungal cream on it, but it looked pretty nasty. The doctor made a quick call to infectious disease to decide if they could continue with the tethered cord release surgery. I was really praying that they could go ahead. The thought of anticipating all of this all over again was more than I wanted to consider. Thankfully, they decided they could go ahead. By about 11:00 she was out of surgery and recovering. My parents came and sat with us during the surgery and spent a little time with us after she got setttled in her room. The doctor said that her cord was very obviously tethered and it was definitely the right decision to fix it now rather than waiting. Lord willing, by freeing it now, we have avoided any serious nerve damamge. We also had a ENT put tubes in her ears while she was out. Most of yesterday Moriah was really sleepy and groggy. I left about 8:30 last night and went home to sleep. I was super tired. (Maybe I'm not as over the mono as I thought I was). Andy stayed with Moriah. We figured it was good bonding time for the two of them. Our room is private, but very small, so it would have been difficult for both of us to sleep. Tonight Andy will go home and I will stay. We are hoping to be released from the hospital tomorrow (Thursday).

Today Moriah is sitting up, eating lots and quite restless. She pulled her IV out which caused blood to go all over me. Thankfully, they let us just leave it out since she is eating and drinking well. She is such a trooper. We are so proud of her. Meanwhile, Kimberly, Caleb and Josiah have been hanging out with their grandparents (both sets). We have certainly needed their help in these past months. Words cannot express out thanks to them.

This morning a Denver Bronco, Mike Leach (number 83), came to the hospital with his family to visit with the kids. Moriah wasn't impressed (she fell asleep). But it was fun for Andy and me and some of the older kids who are here. Channel 4 and 7 news along with the Denver Post captured the moment so you may see us on the news! Thanks again for your prayers for Moriah.

January Sunshine

This is what homeschooling looks like on a 

warm January day.

Swinging is fun!

What do you think of my new hair-do?

Moriah pulled the big Quaker Oats

tub out of the pantry. I figured since 

they were already on the floor, I'd let

her play in them for awhile. 

It is hard to believe how warm it's been the last few days. Could this really be January in Colorado? We tried to soak up as much sun as possible, but as the clouds rolled in this afternoon and the air cooled, I felt like we should have been outside more while it lasted. We went to the park for a picnic today. The sun was still warm, but the wind was starting to pick up. Every time a big gust would come Moriah would say, "Woah, Woah!" She loved swinging (as always) and sliding down the slide.  It felt good to be out and about. 

My away-from-home activities for the last several weeks have been limited due to a bout with mono. Andy had it soon after we returned from China. I thought I had dodged the bullet, but I started to feel pretty bad around Christmas. I am doing much better now...thanks to lots of rest, meals provided by friends and family and a wonderful husband and kids who have pitched in a bunch.  It did bring to light what an eleven, eight and six year old consider a good lunch: nachos and ice cream. I didn't care as long as they fixed it themselves. We also supported  our local economy by eating out quite a few times.  Moriah was sick for part of the time, too. She ended up with yet another ear infection and a bad cold. It does make me appreciate my normal energy level and feeling good. 

We are preparing to head to Denver on February 2nd for Moriah to have a tethered-cord release surgery and tubes placed in her ears. It appears that her spinal cord is connected at the base in a way that will cause nerve damage if it is not corrected. It is a simple procedure (for a neurologist) that will take about an hour. We will be in the hospital for a couple of days.  While we are in Denver, we will also see another specialist about some of the other concerns with her back. We would, of course, appreciate your prayers about all of this. She is a brave little girl and we expect that she will do fine, but it is hard for us to put her through it and to be away from our other three.  

Our favorite thing the last few days is to hear Moriah say, "Yuv You!" It just melts our hearts. She is just a joy.  It is amazing to remember that scared little girl who was placed in our arms just four months ago. She has grown so much in every area. We can only give thanks and rest in His grace. 

Happy New Year

Does Josiah look happy about this Clone Helmet?

Moriah on Christmas Day with Aunt Connie

Moriah on Christmas Eve with one of her gifts

  (and Mommy) These wooden fruits are great for 

practicing fine motor skills. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

It wouldn't be Christmas without Legos!

Kimberly got lots and lots of beads!

It's hard to put into words the swirl of emotions that filled us this Christmas. There was a sense of completeness as we watched Moriah joyfully tearing paper and enjoying her new toys. Her little face was alight with all the wonder of Christmas.  How long we have waited for her and what a huge blessing to have her home at last! At the same time, my mind often went to the little ones in China (and around the world) who do not know the joy of having a family. I don't think we could have experienced all of the things we did this year without it impacting us for a lifetime. 

We spent Christmas Eve with Andy's parents and Christmas Day with mine. Our families are quite a contrast to each other as Andy is an only child and I am one of nine children. So Christmas Eve was peaceful and fun with lots of presents to open and play with. Christmas day was crowded and loud and lots of fun as we enjoyed three new little ones who have joined the family this year.  Moriah loved rolling around on the carpet with all of the cousins. She fits right in.

Our good friends were also here with us from Albuquerque. Moriah loved playing with their three little girls. I am so glad that she enjoys other children and doesn't seem to feel threatened by them. 

As always, the Lord has been faithful to us and blessed us in so many ways during this holiday season. 

Honestly

We have been talking for awhile about writing a post about some of the more challenging aspects of our adoption journey. While we rejoice in God's goodness in bringing Moriah to us, we have also had some struggles. 

One of the hard things has been Moriah's attachment process to Andy. While we were in China, she didn't have a preference  for one of us over the other. That quickly changed when we got home. Andy returned to work, and Moriah decided she didn't really like all that coming and going. By the time he gets home, they are both tired and it is hard sometimes. I am ready for a break, but Moriah doesn't really want to have anything to do with her Daddy. It is interesting that on the weekends, she does much better. We know that this will improve over time as she learns that Daddy will always come home. Andy enjoys playing rough with the kids. The older ones know that is Daddy's way of playing and they love it. But I don't think Moriah knows what to do with that kind of play yet. He has had to change his approach to find things that she will allow him to do with her. She likes it when he gives her a bath or reads her a book.  Some days are better than others, but we are trusting the Lord to build this relationship over time.

Another challenge has been chasing down medical appointments and information. There are a lot of things going on with Moriah which have required multiple tests and appointments. It is interesting that her biggest medical concern, which involves her spine, was not in any of her paperwork. And her heart problem which was one of the major things in her paper work is a non issue.  We are glad to do whatever Moriah needs, of course, but this process has been tiring. 

And finally, in all honesty, I think we have struggled emotionally more than we expected. Sometimes it is painful to accept that Moriah had a life before we were her family. She will always bear some scars from the hardships of that life. We didn't know how intensely we would wonder about all that happened to her before she came to us.  We take comfort from the knowledge that God knew and that he saw her in her mother's womb and every day after that. He sovereignly cared for her and brought her to us. In this we rejoice! 

To end this slightly depressing post, I will include some funny pictures of the kids. This is what happens when I tried to get a good picture of all four of them.  God has been so good to us. We are so thankful that he chose us to parent this special little girl (and our other three). Each day we see His faithful provision for us. 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

These are all the Leongs who have sat in this high chair!

I love to sing!

Moriah loves Grandpa

The days and weeks are slipping by so fast. Fall has definitely transitioned into winter here in the Rockies. We have had a couple of small snows, which the children have thoroughly enjoyed. We have a small (and I mean small) hill in our back yard that has provided hours of fun.  

Moriah is becoming more and more at home with her role as the youngest Leong. She likes all of the attention that the other kids give her. She is starting to say a few more words such as "hi" to everyone in the mall, "all done" accompanied by the sign, "bye-bye" with vigorous waving and several others.  She gives kisses (ok...licks) freely. Especially nice just after she's had a snack. 

She has been struggling to overcome a persistent ear infection. We are on our third antibiotic. Next step may be tubes. She is excelling in her OT and PT. I think the therapists look forward to seeing her cute little face. Her right thumb, which was almost completely turned in and unused, has strengthened a lot. She uses it quite a bit now to turn pages in a book or hold a spoon or cup. Her back has straightened quite a bit, too which has improved her walking. She is not doing her bottom scoot at all anymore. When we first started going to the therapy, she was very timid. Now she walks in like she owns the place. The therapists are excellent, so we are thankful.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Andy's parent's house. It seemed that Moriah knew it was a special day. She ate her turkey and all with gusto! Grandma has a Little People Thanksgiving set complete with pilgrims and Mayflower, so she enjoyed playing with that. 

And now Christmas is just around the corner. Andy and I have had some trouble getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Could it be because we feel like we have already received the greatest gift that we could wish for? The older kids are busy lobbying for their wish lists and working on school.  It is a great blessing to live near family again after living away for twelve years. We have lots of fun things coming up with both of our families.  What a blessing it is to add our fourth stocking to the mantel and have our little Moriah home at last. 

Love Without Boundaries and Swallow's Nest

I have wanted to write about foster care in China ever since we got home. Somehow life with four kids has been busier than I expected. So I am finally getting around to this post!

Moriah was blessed by two separate foster care situations. The first, Love Without Boundaries, is an organization that was started by families who had adopted from China. They wanted to do something to improve the lives of those orphans who were still in China. Over time their work has grown to include nutrition support, homes for children who are not sick enough to be in the hospital, but not well enough to be in the orphanage,foster care, help to pay for surgeries, coats and cribs, etc etc... They do a huge amount of amazing work.   

Moriah was one of five children who came to the Zhengzhou orphanage in the winter or spring of 2007. The orphanage director felt that these five children would do better in foster care than in the orphanage. There was no Love Without Boundaries foster care program in Zhengzhou, so he made arrangements for them to be taken to Keifeng, which is another city about two hours away. There, each of these children grew and thrived. They received loving care from their foster parents. We prayed daily that Moriah would be loved and cared for until we could come for her, and by God's grace she was.  The agreement between the Zhengzhou orphanage and Love Without Boundaries lasted for only one year. The logistics of the arrangement made it complicated. So in June, all five children were brought back to the orphanage. They all got sick within a short period of time. 

That is where her second foster care home came into the picture. Love Without Boundaries made it possible for all five children to enter another foster care program called Swallow's Nest. This was another huge blessing for Moriah and the others. Each of them received tender care which restored their health and prepared them for adoption.  We were able to meet Pam and Clay who run the Swallow's Nest. What a highlight of our trip that was. They have given their lives to investing in "the least of these." And we are so grateful.  

We knew that Moriah had been in foster care, but we didn't know very many details about it until we got home. At that time, Love Without Boundaries sent us the pictures and reports that had been written about Moriah. What a treasure to have these early pictures. One way that Love Without Boundaries raises funds is through a sponsorship program. Our Moriah had two sponsors who helped to pay for her care. It is just amazing to see God's hand of Providence as he cared for our little girl long before we even knew she would be ours. We will never be able to thank her foster parents in Keifeng personally, but I hope by spreading the word about this great organization, more little ones will be able to be helped. You can visit their site at www.lovewithoutboudaries.com. 

The Swallow's Nest is funded by donations as well. Their site is www.swallowsnestzz.org   We will never be able to thank these folks enough for the love they showed to our little girl.  And we continue to pray for them as they help so many little ones in China. 

Finally...An Update

Reformation Day...heading over to V7 Presbyterian Church for their Reformation Celebration

Here is the crew with grandma

B-2 flying over our house for the AF-Navy game...Go Falcons (Andy's alma mater '95)--we won't mention the final score :(

    Caleb watching the football practice at the park near our house

        Kimberly and Moriah at the park

        Out for a family stroll at dusk...

Moriah takes in God's snow cone

    First haircut in the US...not too sure about this

           Getting ready for the winter!

     Opening gifts from our church's welcome home shower

Moriah in a bowl!

We have been so remiss to get an update out (by about a month or so)...but finally some new photos.  October flew by as we were busy with lots of doctor appointments, homeschooling and just getting settled with Moriah. Overall, she is doing very well.  Kimberly, Caleb and Josiah love her very much. It feels like she has been with us for a very long time. It is hard to imagine that a short two months ago, we were meeting her for the first time. It has been a great joy to watch her get to know her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It has been hard for her to have Andy coming and going to work. She isn't too thrilled about him when he comes home at night. He leaves before she gets up, so in her little world, he is gone for a long time. On the weekends, she seems to do better. We know it will take time, but it is hard for both of them in the process. 

Instead of big shower, our church had a mini-celebration between church and Sunday School for us. Our pastor prayed for Moriah and we had cake. We brought the gifts home and had fun opening them as a family. Everyone was so gracious to us in showering Moriah with cute clothes. Kimberly was relieved because she thinks it's embarrassing that I sometimes put Moriah in some of her old clothes. I think it's fun to see her in things I remember Kimberly wearing, but Kimberly thinks they're very outdated. (They are 10 years old.)

Moriah was baptized at our church on October 26. We were blessed to have lots of family and friends at church and later at our home to celebrate with us.  Our pastor preached a wonderful sermon about baptism. It was a special day that we will always remember.  Thanks to both of our moms who helped a great deal by making chili and cookies and staying to clean up.  Sadly, we were both so busy and preoccupied, that we didn't take pictures! argh! I will put Moriah in her baptism dress again and get some pictures soon.

We had a lot of fun on Reformation Night with my brother, sister-in-law and their kids. Village Seven Presbyterian Church does a great job of teaching the kids a little about the Reformation while also having a lot of fun. Our costumes weren't all Reformation themed, but the kids had fun. Moriah's squeaky shoes from China were a hit. The place was so loud that they didn't drive anyone crazy. She had a great time walking all over. I burned off the extra candy calories chasing her! I am thankful that in God's providence this positive event in church history happened on October 31. It is a wonderful things that we can celebrate and teach our children about. We will choose Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation over witches and ghosts every time. It always gives the kids something to talk with their neighborhood friends about, too. 

We have gotten a fairly predictable school routine going. Moriah is pretty happy to play with various toys while we do school. I am trying to keep some activities just for school time for her. Her attention span is about 30 seconds, so we can go through quite a few things (and make quite a mess) in the course of a few hours. The older kids are frustrated with the added noise and chaos at times, but we all seem to be adjusting to this new "normal" for our school day. We all appreciate nap time, when we can dig out from the mess and finish up our school work. 

Our doctor appointments have included multiple x-rays, two MRI's, an eye exam, ear exam, heart exam, orthopaedic exam, and PT and OT evaluation.  We are waiting for results on some of these. Her heart is fine, though, so we are very thankful for that. Ears and eyes are great, too! She will start PT and OT to address some of her developmental delays next week. I am excited to be done with all of these appointments. She handled each one very well. She is quite relaxed and curious in each new situation. She makes everyone who meets her smile. We are so blessed to have the privilege of parenting her.

We have changed our blog name in hopes that we can continue to post occasionally about our family as a whole. The Latin words "Sola Gratia" refer to the grace of God alone by which we are saved and by which we live our lives. His grace brought Moriah into our family, and by His grace we live each day seeking to glorify Him.