Eyes and Ears

Sweet HG had an eye operation on Wednesday. This was to help correct the alignment in her eyes. They look GREAT! We won't know for sure if this will be the final surgery needed for the alignment for several weeks, but they look good and straight to me! I'll try to take a picture of them tomorrow. They are a bit swollen still and rather red, but they look much better than I expected, to be honest. I imagined that they would be much more blood shot than they are. She has taken it easy for the last two days and is still rather tired. The hardest part is that she has to have drops put in her eyes (antibiotics and steroid) for a week, 3 times per day. She doesn't care for this at all! She did do better today. I'm sure about the time she gets used to it, it will be time to stop. She also cannot touch her eyes at all and so she has to sleep with these splints on her arms. She doesn't really seem to mind the "no-nos" on the arms and actually asked for them tonight! Ha! She doesn't wear them during the day, but she knows she cannot touch her eyes. If I see her getting close to touching them, I will remind her in spanish. She will then repeat it to me, telling me "No tocas!" That girl!
After the eye surgery, they did a sedated hearing test (ABR). We did not expect any hearing issues but did this at the request of the speech therapy folks. They feel that HG will benefit from a specific type of speech therapy but she can only receive it if she has no hearing loss. Well, the ABR showed a signficant hearing loss. We were shocked! It did not seem possible for her to have this severe of a loss and for us to not notice it at all. Yes, her speech is bad, but according to the initial/verbal report from the ABR, she shouldn't hear much of anything at all. If you have spent any time around HG, you will know that she does indeed hear you, often repeating what you say. Today we folllowed up with the ENT and his initial comment was, "Well, this is going to be an interesting case for sure!" The ABR was contradictory to some of the findings of the initial hearing testing done in his office with an audiologist. He said that if he only saw the paper report on HG, he would say that she could not hear much of anything at all and that we would definitely notice it. Since she was responding to his commands (in poor spanish at that!), he knew she could indeed hear better than the ABR showed. So, his approach is "let's wait and see." She does have a large amount of wax in her ears (he cannot even see her ear drum) and wants to work on getting that out before we go to the next step. He said that he thought the ABR "over stated" her actual hearing levels. So, we are grateful today for that potentially good news.
For now, we will continue to heal and continue to "work" on HG's development. She is doing SO well!

A Work of Art

I know. You're probably thinking that this looks like any other preschool art project. You're right! It does! And that is SO exciting!

Yep, our little HG made this fireman puppet at her preschool this week after a visit to the fire station. She colored it herself (look at how she made the different parts different colors), cut it out herself, and placed the pieces on the sack. She didn't have time to finish it all at school and so I had her cut it out at home and I confess that I did squirt the glue out for her (all in the interest of the little time we had left after her cutting) but she did place the pieces appropriately!

Why is this such a big deal? This child didn't color in the lines a few weeks ago. This child did not color different parts of a picture different colors. This child could barely handle a pair of scissors. And this week, she put it all together and made a puppet.

So pleased with her work, aren't you? She's learning, working hard every week. I'm a proud Mommy, that's for sure.

Home for 3 Months!

At times it seems like just yesterday that we arrived home with HG and at other times, it seems so long ago. Yesterday marked our 3 month family anniversary with HG. No, we didn't celebrate but perhaps we should?? Just a few thoughts, in no particular order, regarding our last 3 months:

• It's not always easy. I'm guessing that most of you have figured that out by my lack of posting on here. I'm delighted, don't get me wrong, to have HG home. But it's work. She is happy most of the time, but her lack of communication skills and her desire to be in control give her "reasons" to have some tantrums. Her preference is to be with me and me only, meaning she can have my undivided attention.
• She is attending preschool and is doing well there. Her teacher says that each week she gets more into the "school groove" and I can tell a difference in her school work too. She LOVES going to school, asking me every night and morning if she will see her teacher tomorrow. Her preschool, by the way, is in English.
• She also loves her gymnastics class. It too is in English but she is able to follow the example of the other kids and does well.
• She is learning to complete a series of events such as take your pajamas to your room and then put on your clothes, do this gymnastics skill and then move onto a different station, returning to the skill later. This is helping her tremendously in so many aspects.
• She is working with an occupational therapist who thinks that she is doing great! She is able to focus more, paying attention to completing a task. This is huge as HG likes to wander from one activity to another. Her therapist is bilingual and said that she feels like HG is understanding more English each week.
• She has had her speech assessment but the therapy has not started as of yet. We're waiting for the good ol' insurance approval and then we'll be ready to go. Her therapist will be bilingual.
• Her need to be in control is often rather subtle. We might put the dinner plate down and then she will move it, only about 1 cm, just so that it will be where SHE put it. We require the girls to drink all of their milk at dinner. HG will leave just enough in the cup to barely cover the bottom and then she will try to give it back to you. Nope, you gotta drink it all. She'll put it up to her lips and do it again, not drinking anything. Ah, that girl! She is learning, little by little, that J and I ARE in control here. She is learning that we will provide and protect her and that she no longer has to do it herself. She really does the control thing with J much more than with me.
• She will now kiss me on the lips without wiping it off. In fact, she will often pucker up, asking me for a kiss! This is HUGE considering that at one point she could not even stand to drink out of a cup because she didn't want the liquid to touch her mouth/lips. Lots of lip gloss applications have helped with the mouth desensitization.
• She has learned many things, even if they are small. She has learned that she doesn't have to be the first one in the car because everyone WILL get to go. She has learned that she doesn't have to be served her meal first because everyone WILL get something to eat. She has learned where to put her dirty clothes, her eye glasses, and her night-time diaper (she's potty trained but not at night). She has learned that Mommy WILL return when I take her to school or if I have to work late/early. She has learned how to make her bed in the morning and where to put her stuffed animal, Donkey, so that she can find him for sleeping again. She has learned to take a bath, including washing her hair, without screaming (at least not too much screaming!). She is learning that Mommy does not hurt the children. She is learning that wresting/rough-housing is fun. She has learned to make the letter H which is pretty important, you know. :)

I could go on and on in the "what she has learned" category, but I'll leave it with these things for today. My sweetie is evolving, changing, blossoming. I always knew that she was "in there," and I'm starting to see that sweet child on the outside. Beautiful!

Nuevo Lentes

Mira! Yo tengo nuevo lentes! Que linda! Look! I have new glasses! How pretty!

Home Sweet Home

I think most of you know this by now, but we arrived home in TX with HG one week ago today! What a difference a week has made! We're all still settling in, of course, but little by little, we will get there! We were in Guatemala for 3 weeks, missing Thanksgiving with the family (HV and K were the travelers with HM and J staying home).

Here's a photo of all 3 girls together tonight!

HV, HM, and HG

Sweet Photo

August 2010 trip, on the train with HG at the Guatemala Zoo

3 years for #3!

Well, it is official: HG is now part of our family! The PGN/Attorney General's Office has approved the case and the US Embassy did indeed issue THE document we waited 13 months to obtain! It's been a LONG 3 years and we are SO ready to have her home, as you all know. The wrap up steps are already underway. I don't have an exact "time of arrival" for her, but my guesstimate is before the end of the year! I'm hopeful to have her home by Thanksgiving, but that might be wishful thinking! Wouldn't that be a GREAT Thanksgiving Day to have all THREE DAUGHTERS at the same table on such a day? Oh my! I'll keep you posted as some of the major milestones are achieved!
As you can see, we have updated our "Chip In" widget to the right here. In humility, again, we are in a position of needing help with our fees. If you've been around for a while, you know that we have had to pay, pay, pay during this journey, spending about 6 times the amount we expected to spend on this adoption. We've wiped out our savings account, sold what we can sell, borrowed where we can borrow, and we're still short. The amount requested on the "Chip In" is just a minimum to what we can expect to pay. In other words, I know it will be at least the $5500. If you are so inclined to help with HG's fees, thank you for your generosity. We appreciate it.
If you are new to our blog or story, please feel free to go back and read more about us. In a nutshell, we began the adoption of HG in Fall 2007 when she was almost 3 years old. Our adoption of her is not about us having 3 children but about following God's call to our family. HG has many developmental delays and special needs--she is developmentally only about 2 1/2 years old even though she will be 6 years old in January 2011. She has extreme vision issues (she's technically legally blind) and we believe that many of her developmental delays stem from the fact that she has such poor vision. She began walking at 3 1/2 years of age and while she does have good comprehension (in Spanish), she speaks only in single words, not sentences. We definitely will have our work cut out for us but we are EAGER for this part of the challenge and journey with HG to begin.

Prayers this Week

I read many blogs on the ol’ internet. One of them, www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com, is mostly written by a woman named Linny. Linny is a big adoption advocate and is having a special day of prayers for adoptions that are currently underway. She’s calling it The Crazy Love Prayer Challenge and September 8 is THE day for the prayer challenge. Linny’s challenge is asking her readers to pray and fast for those adoption prayer requests listed on her blog. I’ll be joining her and I hope you will too.
As many of you know, we have had such a lengthy adoption journey for HG. So lengthy. Right now, we are waiting for 1 piece of paper. Yep, just one, to wrap up her adoption case and then finalize the paperwork to bring her home. This piece of paper is to be issued by USC*S Guatemala. We have been going round and round with them since September 2009. If you remember, we had a 30 day deadline which ended in the latter part of August 2010 to get them what they needed/wanted. We met that deadline with both a rebuttal letter and the requested paperwork. That was submitted 3 weeks ago. And we still wait. So, specifically on this day, we ask you to pray for the following:
1. Pray that those involved with this process at the US Embassy in Guatemala will have the wisdom and guidance to issue this paper.
2. Pray that the decision/paper will be in our favor. I haven’t spelled out here what it could mean for our family if it is not favorable, but it’s pretty scary, guys. We’ve not given any of the other outcomes much thought because we are remaining faithful that God’s will is for HG to join our family through this avenue. But, it will mean BIG changes for our entire family if it is not favorable.
3. Pray for the right people to be in the right place should questions need to be asked regarding HG’s case.
4. Pray for a speedy issuance of this paper. I know that everything happens in God’s perfect timing and my mind cannot always comprehend His timing.
5. Pray for angels to continue to surround HG’s mind and body. In order for one specific person to agree to obtain/issue the paperwork we needed for the Embassy, I had to agree to allow HG to return to the orphanage where she has not lived since I took custody of her in July 2009. It broke my heart to do it and it breaks my heart to have her continue to live at the orphanage when her loving foster family is willing and able to take her back in just a moment’s notice. I do not fear abuse at the hands of the caregivers of the orphanage or even from the other children there. I fear HG closing her mind to accepting and trusting humans in her life. We have, after all, “abandoned” her at this orphanage, taking her away from her sweet foster momma (or myself). This is probably one of the scariest things to me.
Thank you, sweet friends, for your prayers today (and always). Even if you aren’t up to fasting, will you commit to praying for us as often as you think of us?
Hugs and love to you all!

My silly girl, HG, "washing" her hair (or maybe she's rinsing it?) herself in August 2010 during my visit

Our daughter, HG, on the train at the zoo during my August 2010 visit

If you are new to our blog, you can go back and read about our journey to bring HG home. To give you a super short summary, we began the adoption process for her in November 2007, just 2 months short of her 3rd birthday. It was not about having another daughter. It was about following what God has asked us to do in making HG part of our family. See, HG had been living in the orphanage for almost 3 years and no one had committed to adopting her. She has extreme vision issues and is quite delayed. She is currently 5 ½ years old and is developmentally about 2 years old. She began walking at 3 ½ years of age and speaks much a like an 18 month old, one word or maybe 2 word phrases. My daughters and I made a temporary move to Guatemala last summer where we petitioned the court for custody of HG, having her live with us in a furnished apartment for the summer. When my employer said I must return to work, I petitioned the court to allow her to live with some friends of mine in Guatemala. She has lived with them since September 2009, going to ½ day preschool and learning to be part of a family. We’ve had obstacle after another during her adoption process and are so close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for your prayers!

Just a Little Baby Toe

More singing fun with Tia N. It's amazing that HG would allow Tia N to touch her toes/feet. That would not have happened 1 year ago.

Please pray this weekend for our sweet girl. Pray that God will surround her with His angels, protecting her mind and body. Please also pray for the decision-making folks at the Embassy, asking for a positive and quick response this week.

Same Song, 2nd Verse

Singing with HG. She remembered this song from last summer. That girl....

Submitted

I have just returned from a trip to Guatemala where I did submit some paperwork to the Embassy for HG's visa issue. We have no word from them as of yet. Please pray for a speedy and positive response from them. I won't elaborate too much here, but we NEED this answer now.
I did spend some time with my sweet girl. Oh how she has changed! She talks 900 miles an hour, with many of her words being only those that a Mama can understand from her own child. She loves to laugh, play in the water, and eat! She will get along great with HM because they both have a great love for McD*nald's! Those golden arches! It's not the toy she is after either. It's those darned nuggets! I miss her already!

20 days remaining

Well, to say I'm scared is putting it mildly. To say I'm sad is putting it mildly too. I have some potential/promises for help on the horizon but my fear and sadness are preventing me from really believing and trusting that it will happen. A small glimmer of hope??? Maybe. Please continue to pray. We need it.
I "talked" to the foster sister last night via Facebook's chat. She told me HG was so funny, singing and dancing while we chatted. Oh how I miss that girlie!

Another Day...

of silence from Guatemala is another day of time away from her.

3...2...

Well, things didn't go as planned today with the document. :( Tomorrow, of course, is the deadline. The Embassy did confirm that they will accept the document tomorrow BUT there are problems. It is possible that it will happen and everything will go off without a hitch. I am fearful, however, that it won't go that way. Here's what needs to happen:
1. Z, the clerk, needs to show up at the judge's office at 6:30 a.m. to prepare the document we need (the document is prepared but we need a certified copy which can only come from the Court).
2. C, the sworn translator, needs to pick up the document from Z by 8 a.m., get back to her office and finish the translation of the document into English.
3. At the same time, M has to go to the Embassy at 6:45 a.m. to get in line to get a number to submit documents. They are supposed to give out numbers at 7 a.m., but they are usually at least 1/2 hour late. After she gets the number, M has to go get the translated document from C and back at the Embassy by about 8:50 a.m. If she isn't back in time, she will not be permitted to enter the Embassy. And then we. are. screwed.
Oh, I'm just sad tonight, guys. We've come so far and yet OUR government (yes, this is the US Embassy) is possibly going to stand in the way of us bringing our sweet girlie home. I will keep you posted tomorrow on here. You know I will be on pins and needles, waiting to hear what happens. Please pray that everyone involved tomorrow morning will be calm and peaceful, being able to get their portion of this crazy thing done, just like clock work. Please continue to pray that those at the Embassy will be able to review the paperwork with a clear and open mind. Please pray for peace and calmness for J and I. We're a mess. A big mess.

A sweet friend called me the other day, telling me that this whole mess with the Embassy didn't make sense to him. He's right. It doesn't make sense. I don't want to discuss all of the particulars here on this forum, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out what is up with this thing. Oh my.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Good night, friends.

Agua

This bottom photo cracks me up. Remember that I don't think HG played in the water until January 2009 when she played with HM in the tub.

And then, last summer she enjoyed her first experience in the pool.

She was a bit timid at first, but now? See for yourself.

I'm told, by the way, that she is watering the flowers here. Ha! This will more than likely provide great fun for Hooper our puppy who LOVES to chase and bite at the water.

The Builder

Play Ball!

Well, we're back "in the game" with HG's adoption. Yeah! So, now what? We wait but hopefully not for too much longer. The case is back in the PGN/Attorney General's office as of the end of last week. We hope and pray that they will not find anything "wrong" with it this time and will be able to keep track of all of the paperwork (remember that the file is probably 1 1/2" - 3" thick!). Then, we were able to get something submitted to the US Embassy today. We know that they will ask for more paperwork BUT at least I believe we will be moving in the direction of a resolution here instead of chasing our tails as we have done for the last 6 months (yep, 6 months). EEK! No, I have no true idea on how long it will take, but if you ask HM and HV, they will tell you that HG WILL be coming home this summer! I hope they are right!

A few of you have emailed, asking if HG and and her foster family are ok with the volcanic activity from Pacaya and the damaging rains/floods from Tropical Storm Agatha. Thank you for asking. I got an email from the foster sister on Sunday and she said that they are doing well. She said that they have lost power a time or two and their internet is spotty but they do not have any flooding in their house--thank you, Lord. They have continued to have some troubles with the roadways (flooding) but it hasn't been too bad. Again, thank you, Lord, for Your safe-keeping of our sweet girl.

Drawing her Teacher

HG at school, drawing the outline of her dear, sweet teacher. I'm told that HG did the hair on the head in the last picture! Way to go, HG! (No, I'm not sure why she isn't wearing her glasses. I'm guessing it's just her exercising her right to control something!)

Momma Mallard

Yesterday on my way home, there was a sweet Momma Mallard walking down the edge of the road followed by her 9 little babies. All 9 of her kids were all following clustered behind her, less than 12" away. A car came by and Momma and 4 of her babies jumped up onto the sidewalk. The 5 left below the curb were SCARED! They were jumping, jumping, jumping, trying to get up on the sidewalk. One of them finally made it up over the curb (they weren't even as tall as the curb!) and then the other 4 finally made it. They all huddled in, closer to Momma, now less than 8 " away from her, but still walking along. Too precious. I just sat in my car, watching them go along. I guess they were out for their afternoon stroll, building up strength in their little legs (I'm guessing that they live in/around one of the ponds on the golf course right by our house).

My thoughts automatically turned to HG. She's jumping, jumping, jumping, trying to get to her Mommas and yet she hasn't made it to us yet. Even the little ducks KNOW they need their Momma. They want to be close to their Momma. And Momma wants them close to her. She needs to love them. And teach them. And nurture them. All so that they can grow up and become adult ducks.

And then, my thoughts turned to God and the amazing way He made us. He made us, both ducks and humans, to need our Mommas (or could be Daddies, of course). We need to be taught, to be loved, to be nurtured and God, in His wisdom, created families. A place where you can be accepted and loved, not matter what. A place where you can be taught to be strong, ready to face what comes your way. Being in a family is also the first place you get to try your hand at relationship skills. Skills you will use for the rest of your life. HV and I have been talking about this too--you have to practice being nice to your sister/family because it's your chance before getting out in the real world. Children need parents, not just their basic needs of food and shelter met. What would happen to the baby ducks (and children) without them?

HG and the baby ducks need their Mommas.

Missing Her