I spoke too soon....

The day after my last entry, we were back at the children's hospital in the ER with Rae getting x-rays and a cast for a fractured tibia. Talk about a way to "celebrate" our one year anniversary since surgery! She tripped 40 minutes before we were scheduled to close on our house and after her lips turned blue and she went limp (from the pain), I rushed her to the pediatrician. We were a circus act as they wrapped it and sent me to sign papers for our closing with instructions to take her to the ER immediately after we closed. So, we had an 8-hour reunion at the children's hospital that resulted in a cool purple cast (and Rae's first trip to McDonald's for being so brave)! She's scooting around everywhere and quite frustrated with big sister out running her!

We enjoyed meeting sweet Eva and Stella. They are beautiful twin girls that our friends adopted from Ethiopia. They have quite a testimony and we are so glad they are doing so well!

Only Hilltoppers will likely understand this photo. There is an infamous bridge at our alma mater WKU where many romances start and many marriage proposals take place. Jeff asked me out on our first date there after a walk one night. Seemed an appropriate place for a family photo.

One year anniversary since surgery....

The girls with George on Labor Day.

Today I sit in tears thinking about where we were a year ago today. I was sitting in the playroom at the local children's hospital trying to entertain Sophi while completely masking the fear, anticipation, and heartache of knowing Raena was in the middle of surgery and enduring more needles, medicines and other medical vices that children her age should never have to experience. I looked in Sophi's big brown trusting eyes and my heart broke knowing that she would be in the same operating room undergoing the same surgery in a matter of hours.

After months of research I was praying against all of the possible complications and praying for assurance that we had made the right decision. To many hearing people, the choice was obvious...why wouldn't you want to give your children a chance at learning to hear. For the Deaf community, the choice was bitter, why would you want to change what God had created. Why would you want to put them through surgery and possible complications. The decision was made with much consideration, research, conversations with people in the Deaf community who both agreed and disagreed with us, and ultimately with many prayers.

I still remember Amy, our nurse, carrying my sweet Sophi off to surgery while Raena was in recovery. I felt completely helpless as I had when they spent their long two months in the NICU. Again, the medical community was serving as their surrogant mothers and I was left empty handed with only prayers that they were ultimately in their Father's hands and that was the safest and most blessed place to be.

Today, I look at them with absolute amazement. Their bare skin that illuminates their scars are the only marks left from that day. The outcomes from the surgeries....well, they are endless. Their little voices saying, "please", "thank you", and "i sorry" are priceless. Their wiggling toes and arms while dancing to their favorite music is miraculous. Their little fingers signing, "i love you"....breathtaking.

They heard their first sounds in November. We'll make sure we post a video then so you can "hear" where they are. My courageous girls....is there anything more blessed?

Below: Raena & PaPaw hit the slide, Rae checks out an alpaca, Sophi cools off the alpacas with a shower.

Family reunion with Great Grandpa E. Who would guess he's 95?