Our Red Thread: March 2016

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

"the messy middle"

Friends,

I read many great articles on adoption, orphan care and all things related. This particular article resonated very deeply with me as I have been reflecting during this Holy week on the cross and the resurrection of Jesus and my own redemption and adoption into God's family. I wanted Our Red Thread friends to have the opportunity to also read this article and consider the author's message. (to read the entire article, click on red link)

"Let's be the people who show up on Saturday"

"Let’s own the Saturdays when the loss is heavy and come alongside those whose burdens feel crushing. Let’s not just celebrate with those who celebrate but also mourn with those who mourn."

"Have we become a resurrection people who gloss over the agony of the cross to get to the part when the tomb is finally empty?" quotes by author Shannon Dingle

Friday, March 18, 2016

Blog Bits and Birthday Beauty (part 3 of 3)

*any picture can be enlarged by clicking on pic.

The third part and final part of our 1st quarter 2016 update continued.......

Celebrating Chinese New Year - this year's February celebration was low key and a bit quieter than our last two.

she's got the "duck lips" pose down

"take a picture like this Mom!"

waiting for lunch at our favorite local Chinese restaurant

Play time - Lucy's choice of what to do with her play time varies depending on WHO is around to play with. If alone, Lucy can often be found playing with matchbox cars (one of her fav. past times), drawing parking spaces for her match boxes, asking for the "bean bin" to dig around in or riding her little car outdoors. You get the idea - she loves cars and trucks!

keepin' up with the boys

snuggled in for movie night with her BFFs

these two can be pals or fight like cats and dogs

First family birthday of the year - celebrating big brother Kaden's March birthday, means that ten days later it will be her turn to celebrate her birthday!

We continue to have the privilege of mentoring, helping, supporting and encouraging other families as they work toward bringing home their children through adoption. The past few months, we've seen an increase in these opportunities. We're excited to share some of these God stories with you in future posts!

Hand painted print in Lucy's room - supporting an adoption
fund raiser. Painted by 2 VERY talented
young adult adoptees from China

In December, 2012 when we started this blog it was the easiest/most convenient way to keep our friends and family updated in one central place during our adoption process. As you can see, Our Red Thread posts have continued well beyond our adoption of Lucy Kim. So many of you lovingly supported Lucy and our family in her journey home as well as expressing to us wanting to know updates on Lucy Kim's continuing journey. The first two years there was much to post as the plethora of appointments and medical needs were attended to.

While Lucy will have on-going transitions and changes, they appear to be (thankfully!) slowing down in intensity and frequency.

We continue to be extremely grateful for your on-going love and support! Really!! I can not express enough how it's often the life line that adoptive families cling to in the "hard" of their journeys (transitions, bonding, attachment and medical needs to name a few) I hope to continue to post periodic updates on Lucy Kim, (sometimes they'll be several posts in succession then a lull - but stay tuned)

It is also my hope to continue to encourage our readers to journey with us as we write and share about other families that are taking the faith steps in their adoption journey. We want to share and encourage you in ways you can continue to support, encourage and be hands on in helping bring orphans home to their families! It takes a village!

Blog Bits and Birthday Beauty (part 2 of 3)

*any picture can be enlarged by clicking on it

Time for a 2016 blog post entry! Time to catch our faithful readers up on some of the things that have happened/transpired/celebrated or we've been doing/working on since the last update:

Blizzard of 2016

Winter/Snow - while many of us in this family are NOT snow lovers, Lucy girl is. After each snow fall this winter, she would ask to go out and play in the snow. Even after Pennsylvania's blizzard which dumped about 30" in one storm, she begged to go out and help "shobel". Walking or trudging through snow and maintaining balance with a brace on her leg is a bit hard for Lu, but that doesn't hold her back from wanting to enjoy the cold wet stuff! Not Me! I've been ready for spring since January!

Bundled and ready to help shovel

Physical therapy - Lucy's schedule is kept busy with her 2x/week p.t. sessions with our beloved therapist "Miss Sarah", as well as daily p.t. at home. Lucy had a contracture in her right leg,which kept her from having a straight right leg for the first five years of her life. In March 2015, she was put into an "external fixator" and over the course of 3 mos. the ex. fix. corrected the contracture so that her leg was in a constant new "straight" leg position. Her anatomy in her leg especially around the knee area is abnormal. Ligaments and tissue were in this contracted position for 5 years and created their own design . Lucy's hard work now (and for many years ahead) consists of gaining/building strength in her (small) right leg and working on obtaining a proper gait pattern. She's also working on straightening and bending the leg (not as easy as one might think!) at will. Lucy Kim practices things at physical therapy like walking very slowly on the treadmill, going up and down stairs, working on getting into the 'ole "criss cross applesauce" position that most littles can get into without thinking twice about and more "fun stuff."

hugs for Miss Sarah

Medical appointments -too many to count since coming home from China 2 1/2 years ago. However, the medical appointments (other than physical therapy) have settled into a bit of a fairly predictable pattern. Every few months we need to check in with Dr. vB (orthopedic specialist at Shriner's Hospital in Philly), periodic x-rays for some other issues related to her previous tethered spinal cord. In March , we made a trip to Philly to pick up Lu Belle's new AFO and KAFO. She was starting to have a lot of discomfort and got a pressure ulcer from her KAFO (the full length brace she wears all night every night). Lucy continues to be in a brace for about 23 hours a day and this will be her protocol until she's done growing.