Molly's Hearing...an Update

Last week, this girl spent 90 minutes in an audiology appointment at the U.  In fact, she is spending 90 minutes every other week.  We had to wait about twenty minutes without her aids as they were checked and tuned up.  She kept pointing to her ears and asking "my ears".  When her aids were reprogrammed and given back to her, I popped them in while we were in the lobby and she declared..I HEAR!  There wasn't a dry eye in the house.  This sweet, tiny, little peanut has a way of capturing the hearts of all those around her.  We are spending so much time in the audiology booth because it seems that our Molly is loosing ground as far as her hearing goes.  If the audiograms from the summer are correct, her hearing is going pretty fast.  I have to admit...I am crushed that she might loose the little hearing she has, and I am perplexed by the test results because it seems that she is actually hearing more environmental sounds lately than before.  This girl is complicated that is for sure, and we just aren't sure what is going on.  Her ABR results when her loss was diagnosed was all over the place and quite unusual.  We don't exactly know what is causing her loss, and she seems to have both sensory neural and conductive components.  We haven't yet found a genetic component, and no one has ordered a CT scan to check for missing bones.  Missing bones is a good guess since our dear girl is missing bones in her arm, but it is just a guess.  So we are throwing out new diagnosis, doing lots more testing, and scratching our heads.  Might she loose all her hearing..I hope not.  Might she benefit from an implant..maybe.  Might she have auditory neuropathy..maybe.  There are so many unknowns right now, and so this momma prays.  I might worry a teensy bit too, but mostly I am doing my best to leave this at the foot of the cross as I know that God has been mighty in my little peanut's life so far so I trust Him with her.  I want her to keep her hearing with aids, develop intelligible language, and live a life that shines brightly for our beloved Savior so that is what I am praying for her.  We would certainly appreciate your prayers as we explore this over the next few months.  We have a couple of doctor's appointments and I am hoping someone will be willing to dig deeper biologically to see if we can find anything. 

Homeschooling

Our mornings can be pretty hectic around here, but I love it!  All the learning that is taking place makes this teacher turned homeschool momma so, so happy!

Anna Mei is reading up a storm.  It is hard for her, but it is finally starting to click!

It never gets old seeing a little one reading a book they pick up for the first time!

Ellie Grace is so busy herself getting into everything.  She is wicked fast in this gait trainer, and can reach so much more to pull down.  Never a dull moment. 

Every Little Girl Should Have a Daddy

Jillian has turned into quite the diva this school year requesting that her nails be painted everyday.  Who would have ever dreamed?  Of course, she is also always, always in the mud so having painted nails over the mud that is permanently there is such a funny contradiction, but I love that she is getting such a personality! I went by the bathroom the other night, and saw her Daddy lovingly removing her polish. 

This daddy, that we are so lucky to have, is such a servant.  A daddy crouching down to lovingly removal "old polish" (as Jillian signs it) so that he could paint her new on is something that I wish every little girl could experience.

Watching our daughter, once orphaned, now lovingly cared for by a Godly man who claims her as his own makes my heart overflow.  I often tear up as I watch my man so wholeheartedly loving our babies.  When I speak, women often ask me how I get my husband to agree to all of us.  Truly, he is one special man. 

I understand how blessed we are to be loved on this earth by a man who prays for us, serves us, and loves us like Christ loved the church, and I pray as they grow old my babies will understand too.  For now, this smile says it all.  This beautiful smile from our beautiful daughter who is secure, and loved beyond measure by a earthly daddy, and a heavenly father, more than she will ever grasp.  Grateful this morning for the blessing this man is at the head of our family.

My Helper

I love to cook.  Making a meal for my family to share is one of the highlights of my day.  I love it even more when I have a little help from my favorite little girls.

It thrills me when this girl helps, and lately she doesn't leave the kitchen as all she wants to do is help me make everything.  How I dreamed she would get to this place all those hard, hard months when she was so locked in her own world.  This summer was the first without summer school, and we just saw her blossom here at home because we had so much time with her.  She even got very good at the unloading the dishwasher...

In fact, she loves unloading the dishwasher, and won't let anyone else help.  I love watching her as she knows where all the dishes go.  She is a smart, smart little peanut and being her momma is such a JOY!

Experiment Devotion

When Daddy found this experiment to illustrate Colossians 2 to use at Youth Group last week, he wanted to try it out with the little girls first.

They were thrilled to help Daddy of course.

Just look at my Jilly!  She is so engaged, so connected, and smiling at the camera.  In the beginning there were many dark days that I never could have dreamed this was possible.  All the more reason to praise God! 

My Anna Mei is obsessed with Jesus right now.  It is a beautiful thing, and I pray she keeps Him at the head of her life all her days.  She loves having  "preaching meetings" where she shares the gospel with her sisters.  Last week, she drew pictures of Jesus and wrote sentences about his dying on the cross to save the lost.  She took the pictures to the beach and hung them up in the restroom for all to see.  She loves Him with her whole heart so she was anxious to explain the illustration to us....

My days are so busy, but I love this life!  It is full of so much that makes each moment so much richer and more abundant than I could have ever imagined!  I am just so very thankful!

Look Who's Standing Up

Sisters

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.

Cutting

Molly's teacher caught her on video today cutting.  She has been working so, so hard all summer cutting.  Anna Mei loves to art, cut, and create so as she sat at the table so did my Molly...cutting.  Molly was born without functioning thumbs.  Her fingers, and wrists are not formed typically either, but this girl is determined..and AMAZING!  She is using regular preschool scissors with her fingers to open and close them while cutting a perfect triangle with standard sized lines to cut on.  This girl is absolutely incredible and we are beyond blessed to call her our daughter.

Attachment Progress

Earning the place of momma in the heart of my babies is a long, hard fought process.  I know this in my head.  That is why we encourage attachment at all costs.  Even after four months home, no one else (except Daddy or her sisters) holds Ellie, feeds her, or cares for her.  

I don't leave her in the church nursery, don't go out to dinner, and keep her sleeping next to me until I feel like attachment beginnings are solid.  I say beginnings because attachment work never ends with our girls from hard places, but it doesn't have to be so exclusive when they begin to give me the place of momma in their heart.  Some of my girls have taken years to be ready to move out of the exclusively momma phase, and others only months, but it is a phase that is so necessary for healthy family relationships so I do it as long as I feel like my little one needs.  It can be daunting, and it can a road full of steps forward and steps back, but when the steps begin to be mostly forward oh my heart soars!

Yesterday, I went in to get my Ellie Grace.  For so many months, she would push away from my embrace, but yesterday she returned it.  She wrapped her little arm around mine and pressed her chubby cheeks into my arm with the biggest smile.  Oh my momma heart was full!  Each new day, each new shared experience is a step in the right direction.  It is a privilege to fight for the heart of my babies, and being their momma is a precious gift that is born out of so much loss and hurt.  Rejoicing today that my sweet girl is beginning to be able to return this momma's love, and eating up every single hug and smile she throws my way..today and for a lifetime.