The "Five O's" Grows!

Today is the one year anniversary of Ruby’s Gotcha Day. I will never forget the moment I saw her for the first time in person. She was across the waiting room in the arms of one of the orphanage staff. At first we weren’t sure it was her because she was SO small, but she was wearing the shirt from the outfit I sent to the orphanage in a care package. Up to this point we only saw her in four pictures and three, six-second videos which I watched over and over every day studying this beautiful little being. I studied her thin, patchy hair, knobby knees, beautiful eyes and how one is smaller than the other and how she was fascinated by her hands and played with them as if they were her only toys. I was her mother, yet she had no idea who I was. She hadn’t been lulled to sleep by the beat of my heart for nine months or memorized the sound of my voice from the depths of the womb. She didn’t recognize my familiar smell or search out my face in the crowd. The profound responsibility and pr...

I hope this post finds all of you healthy and happy. We have been very blessed not to have gotten any of the yucky stuff going around....yet. 😊 Today was a another special day that I will put in my remembrance book (for all you Little House on the Prairie fans!) Today is the 25th anniversary of Steve and my first date so he decided we should go out to eat (and I gladly approved!) We took Audrey and Ruby to Chili's as Jack and Elliana were at rehearsal all night for their upcoming musical. We were seated and I immediately noticed an older couple, probably in their late 70's early 80's sitting 3 booths away in my view, not Steve's. Their interactions with each other was nothing short of beautiful. They conversed the entire time with excitement, lots of smiles and laughter and truly seemed to enjoy each others company. When they got up to leave the gentleman said to her as she was reaching for her coat, "Let me get that for you" and proceeded to put he...

Merry Christmas!! Today is Ruby's first Christmas and the six month anniversary of our Gotcha-day. I cannot believe it has been six months since we first held this little angel in our arms. So much has happened in these past six months...God is so good!  Our first Christmas with Ruby was magical, of course. She was amazed by all the lights, decorations, ornaments and presents. She was not impressed by the big guy in the red suit, but not many two year olds are. She enjoyed putting ornaments on the tree and looking at all the sparkly ones. She became proficient at opening presents but appeared confused why there were so many to open before she could actually play with the toys. We traveled to Iowa for the weekend and stayed with Steve's sister, Jana and her family. Ruby loved spending time with her four cousins, aunt and uncle she doesn't get to see enough. Papa and Nene were there too! We all ...

"Dear God, I am so thankful for everyone who has loved me. Amen" This time of year reminds us to reflect on all the things to be thankful for. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could think this way year round? Ruby is doing great! She continues to be more comfortable with us and others as they come to the house. She enjoys therapy more and going to stores to see the big world out there. A trip to the store with Ruby is never quick as so many curious people stop and ask me about her story. I never tire of talking about her and she never minds saying"Hi" to the new faces! Last week Ruby had her first sickness. Yucky congestion which lead into an ear infection. She is on the mend and we are seeing smiles again. Ruby had her appointment with the holistic doctor again this week. She is very pleased with the progress in her leaky gut. She has added a few more foods she can eat and took a few away. Ruby will eat anything you give her and likes t...

It has been nearly a month since I posted and in that month we have seen so much change! Ruby continues to be more comfortable each passing week. She is less hesitant to show excitement and assurance. When she awakens for the day, we are sometimes greeted with a smile or excitement to show us the stuffed animals she shares a bed with. When she sees one of us across the room she will now run to us with arms up. Before, we had to encourage her to come. Her beautiful smile is shining more everyday, often still takes some work to get, but she will surprise us every now and then with a spontaneous smile. Ruby enjoys playing with toys but has recently taken a liking to books. She prefers the ones with textures and flaps to lift as she likes to be busy. She does not have the patience yet to listen to a story in a book, even the short ones. She likes turning the pages faster than one can read. And when she has flipped all the pages, she gets another book, and another, and ano...

Monday was Ruby's follow up appointment with the holistic doctor. She re-tested her and was pleased with the progress even though it's slow. We had to decrease some of the supplements she wanted her on due to restlessness and getting up 4-5 times/night. This was a huge change from sleeping 12-14 hours/night. She took a few more things out of her diet but then added a few as well. She added a few more supplements and wants to be more aggressive with the amounts we are giving her so we can get her gut healed. She said it could take up to a year!! The next visit is in 6 weeks.  Today was the day we met with Ruby's genetics counselor and doctor. What we heard was not shocking news. It was something I thought of often, just chose not to dwell on it. First they told us Ruby has microcephaly. It's a big scary word that means "little head." Those of you that have met her are not surprised.  The genetics team also came up with 5 different chromosomal concern...

As I sit and reflect on all the changes our family has had in the past 3 months, I realize it is nothing compared to the changes that Ruby has endured in her two years of life. Tomorrow marks three months since we left for our trip to China. Three months ago we knew this transition would change our lives but words cannot describe how incredible the journey has been. Three months ago we left our busy lives to go half way across the world to finally meet the little girl we have been praying for long before she was even born. Ruby was abandoned. She was left on the front steps of a government building, found by police, and taken to the orphanage. She was only three pounds and we were told by several people in China that it's a miracle she survived. "Three pound orphans in China do not survive." She spent several months at the orphanage and then was taken to a foster home. A few months later she got very sick and had to be in the hospital for over a month. Then she went bac...