Bella Post-Adoption: Month 10

There were SO many firsts for our baby girl over the last month, all exciting and new! Her first birthday as a member of the Lu Crew :), her first trip to the beach, her first sessions with a new physical therapist and on and on. A look at how she's changed and grown over the last 30 days, with a big medical update thrown in for good measure, on this day, exactly 10 months since we first met her: 

Language. This is still an area we pray for great progress in. This is a BIG goal of mine for Bels over the summer - to see a language explosion for our girl. I ache to hear her voice more, to hear her use her words to communicate with us, but it has continued to be pretty slow going. So, we continue to pray and continue to push. I know Jesus hears our prayers. <3

Motor. The big news here is that we started working with a new physical therapist this month! We were ready for a fresh approach with new eyes, new knowledge, new ideas, and new recommendations, and I think we hit the jackpot! Thanks to the referral from our speech and occupational therapists, we started working with our new PT, and it was clear  that Bella liked working with him immediately. Don't get me wrong - physical therapy is HARD for Bella. She has come so far but has a ways to go - due to decreased tone, nerve damage, lack of exposure for years, etc. And there are tears every session. BUT we encourage her and support her with love and praise. We know what she is capable of - it's just going to take time and a lot of hard work. But we are behind every step she takes, stair she climbs, and jump she attempts. :) And her therapists are doing an amazing job helping her continue to grow and achieve. 

Cognitive. Sometimes, Bels will just bust out a new skill that has us shaking our heads in amazement. Like the other week, when she was able to identify emotions shown on various teddy bears during her OT session. She has so much knowledge that we don't even know about! It's another reason I am so anxious for her speech to come - I want to know what she knows! 'Cause this girl is a smart cookie! 

Out and About/Playing. Like I said at the start, this was a big month for our little lady! We celebrated her 3rd birthday at a magical, rainbow unicorn party (in keeping with her song). 

We traveled to the beach for the first time as a family of six, with two other families we love.

She accompanied us to many end-of-school-year celebrations for her big sibs.

She got her first haircut, helped celebrate her first Mother's Day with me, was registered for preschool at our elementary school, got her first pedicure (matching with Raleigh and me, of course!), was part of a television segment showcasing our fabulous audiologist, and celebrated her first Memorial Day. Yep - it was a big month of firsts for our girl! 

Etc. Bella had four big appointments/evals this month: First, I had her preschool eligibility meeting with our psychoeducational team, where we learned she will be attending the developmental preschool at our elementary school and served under an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). As part of her curriculum, she will receive speech, occupational, and physical therapies. We also plan to continue these services with her current therapists at our home. So, our sweet girl is going to be inundated with therapies over the next year! And I think she is going to SOAR once she starts school. She is so eager to learn and to please, and I know the teachers and therapists are already smitten with our sweet little lady.

We also received some news that shocked me in the best possible way - it literally made me burst into tears when I heard it. Last summer, on June 26, 2017 (which happened to be my 13th wedding anniversary), my hub and I and our (then) three kiddos were at the beach with his "side" of the family. We received updated photos and videos of our girl that day, and after sharing them on social media, had multiple, experienced people contact us privately to gently share that they believed Bella may have a form of a specific, serious chromosomal abnormality due to some of her physical features and constellation of symptoms. You can imagine that this was difficult to hear. BUT our love for our daughter never wavered, not for a single second. She has always been ours and we could not get to her soon enough. But it is never easy for a parent to hear of potential unforeseen, unexpected obstacles for their child (and don't get me wrong - there are plenty of obstacles we are working hard to overcome now; this was a diagnosis we had just not seen coming). No matter what, we knew that God's plan was in place and better than we could ever come up with on our own. And we knew that, no matter what, she is not a diagnosis. She is a child, she is our daughter, one who is perfectly and wonderfully made in God's image. We knew that. We know that. But, ever since that day back in June 2017, we have been waiting to learn if she did, in fact, have this specific, well-known syndrome or another significant chromosomal/genetic abnormality.

We had basic chromosomal testing done shortly after we got home from China, and it was normal. But we knew we needed more extensive testing. At this point, our physician and therapists agreed that there was likely some form of genetic or chromosomal disorder, whether it be this syndrome or something else. About six weeks ago, we saw a developmental pediatrician who also agreed further examination would be helpful.  So, they swabbed her cheeks and sent it off to Colorado. We've been waiting for the results since then. Last week, my phone rang. It was the nurse calling with the results. I grabbed a pen and a post-it and note, ready to write down all the findings that had emerged. I took a deep breath, braced myself, and prepared to hear the news she would deliver. And then..."Dr. Stegman wanted me to let you know that we received the results from the genetic testing. Her results were normal." Cue my tears. I was shocked. Only God. Now, there could still be something we are unaware of, and in fact, we have one more appointment with a geneticist in September to be sure. But for now, these results ruled out hundreds of chromosomal duplication/deletion disorders.  I can say that I felt like I took my first full breath since June 26th on that day, last week. Regardless, no matter what the results reveal come September, we know that she is created to be exactly who God designed. Praise Jesus, our Healer and Miracle Maker.

ANYWHO, Bella had her 3-year well-check the following day (the day after we received the results for the genetic testing). She is a healthy little girl who is continuing to make developmental gains, grow, and melt the hearts of those around her. :) When I shared the news about the normal genetic test results, our pediatrician expressed that he was not surprised, as the girl he was examining that day was vastly different than the one he had first seen so many months ago, when we first brought her home from China. <3

And lastly, we saw a new (awesome!!!) orthotist just yesterday, who briefly casted Bella's legs in order to create better orthotics for her sweet feet. We are anxiously awaiting them to be ready for her to rock in just a few weeks!

Bella, we are so proud of you, darlin'. We know you work harder than any 3-year-old should ever have to, just to try and "catch up" with some of these milestones that come so easy for others, but you are making great progress and we are always, ALWAYS behind you! On to Month 11 we go. Keep doin' yo' thang, sweet girl. We love you with all our hearts!

Cheers! Schooooool's......Out...For...Summer!!!!

I remember last summer when I was praying, praying, praying that my hub and I would be able to get to China and back, with our new daughter in hand, all before the 2017-18 school year began. God heard our prayers, and we made it back with exactly one week to spare before that first day of school! 

And somehow, some way, the school year has now come to an end. As we've done the last two years, we are headed to the beach with two of our favorite families in just a few short hours (letting our kiddos skip half a day today as well as tomorrow), but before we hit the road, I wanted to share a couple of things we're saying CHEERS to until I return to blogging sometime next week. On this, our last day of school, we say CHEERS to:

Dance recitals. Last Saturday, Raleigh had her dance recital. She took a combo tap/ballet class all year and was SO excited to finally take the (big!) stage at Winthrop University. She did such a great job, and we were so proud of her! Her big brother and Nana and Pop joined us for the occasion, and we had great seats - second row, front and center - where she could see us from the stage. She locked eyes with us and just smiled so big and sweetly the whole time. Way to go, Rals! We are so proud! She has decided to continue dance next year and will be taking a combo Jazz/Hip Hop class as well as a tumbling class, AND she wants to cheer; so, it's going to be full, fun 2018-19 for our tiny dancer, and I can't wait! <3

End-of-Year Elementary fun. Field Day. Parties. Market Day. Celebrations. Awards. This is what the last week has entailed for Banks and Raleigh, as they have wrapped up second grade and kindergarten, respectively. I am so proud of both of them. They have worked hard and learned so much and have formed new, and strengthened old, friendships. I am SO excited to have more time with each of them this summer.

Healthy baby girl. Bella had her 3-year well-check with our beloved pediatrician earlier this week and had a great appointment! He couldn't believe how far she has come since he first met her and has high hopes for what the future holds for our sweet girl. The day before the appointment, we got a BIG phone call with some GREAT news, and when I shared it with our pediatrician, he was not surprised that this was the news we got, seeing all the progress our little has been making. I'll share more about *that* phone call, the one that made me burst into tears, when I share her next post-adoption update next week. To be totally honest, I want to read the report with my own eyes before I talk about it any more, and I'm waiting for it to arrive in the mail. For now, we say HALLELUJAH!!!!

Summer plans. We have lots of fun family plans for the summer, and I am so excited! We have our two annual family beach trips, one with each "side" of the family, AND my hub and I are sneaking off to Cabo for five glorious days. We haven't been on a nice, extended beach vacation like this, sans kids or friends, just the two of us, for like a decade! And we cannot WAIT!!! I am so excited to celebrate my hard-working hub and soak in time with just him. <3

Also this summer, Banks is doing the Dabo Swinney Football Camp at Clemson, a sleep away camp (!!!) for five days with our church, and a Father-Son  Camp; Rals is doing cheerleading and dance camps; Harrison is doing Vacation Bible School; and Bella will continue three hours of weekly therapies all summer, with our speech, occupational, and (new!!!) physical therapist. We are also in the midst of swim team and All-Stars baseball, both of which will wrap up by the start of July. So, this promises to be a full summer, but also one filled with plenty of family time, friend time, pool time, relaxation time, and memory-making time. 

We are ready for you summer! Bring.It.On. Starting......NOW!

We're outta here, friends! Be back here sometime next week! 

And Happy Memorial Day to all, especially those whose loved ones have battled bravely to keep us safe and are now keeping watching in God's embrace. <3 Have a lovely (long!) weekend, friends!

Cheers to the Weekend, Last Full Week of School Edition

Hi friends! After the May Madness that was last week, this week felt so much easier. Don't get me wrong. It was still busy with a few additional items on our agenda on top of our regular craziness: a school meeting and an evaluation with a new physical therapist for Bella, a well-check for Harrison, end-of-year celebrations for both Raleigh and Harrison, etc., (and did I mention Clay was in California all week?), BUT I just felt lighter and better able to manage the madness now that our three Lu Crew birthdays/parties, Mother's Day, etc., were done as of Sunday. We still had therapies and dance and swim team and blah, blah, blah, but still, I felt a pep in my step. We are SO close to summer!!!

I am so thankful that this is our last Friday of the school year (we'll be yanking the kids out of school early next Thursday, and skipping Friday altogether, for a little surprise :) ), as I love having all the extra time with my kiddos over the summer! This has been the fastest year of my life, and it is absolutely CrAzY that the school year is coming to a close (didn't we just start?!), but it has been a great year for each of my kiddos; so, we have much to be thankful for as we say Hello! to summer next week! For now, though, a few things we are saying CHEERS to this week/end:

Mother's Day. I had a lovely Mother's Day with My Lu Crew last Sunday! After breakfast in bed and a nice, 4-mile run with my sister (who was still in town from Bella's birthday bash), we headed to church, where I got to love on so many littles I love in my class. We then headed to lunch, which....was an absolute FAIL. My hub had made lunch reservations for this cute place in Charlotte. We showed up on time and then waited and waited and waited for our food to arrive. After an hour of waiting, we finally left, and grabbed Moe's on the way home, which we ate around the kitchen table (fine by me! Moe's is my fave!!). While the kiddos napped, I headed up to our neighborhood pool all by myself. I listened to music and just soaked in the sun, solo. Then, my family joined me poolside for playing and pizza. It was perfect. 

And I just have to document the beautiful gift my hub and kiddos gave me that made me cry multiple times throughout the day. Four years ago, moments after Harrison was born, my hub surprised me with a beautiful right-hand ring he had designed himself, which included the birth stones of my (then) three babies (sapphire-Banks; garnet-Rals; diamond-Harrison). A couple weeks ago, he told me he was having the ring re-insured. Lies. On Mother's Day, he presented me with my ring, only it had another band added - one with Bella's birth stone (emerald). I will wear it 'til the day I die. I love it so, so much.

Family weekend last weekend. We were overjoyed to have almost all family members from both "sides" of our family here last weekend to celebrate Bella's 0-3. And one of my sisters, and her sweet trio, stayed with us, and we just had the best time!!! Time with my siblings is so, so special to me. Not only that, but my very kind brother and sister "in law" offered to babysit our seven kids (four mine; three my sister's) while we attended a neighborhood party. Keep in mind their two kiddos were also in the mix, along with my other sister and her two. So, there were 11 kiddos rockin' and rollin' under my roof at one point, which is awesome because those sweet cousins just love being together. Family is my favorite. <3   

90s party. That neighborhood party happened to be a 90s theme party, and my sister and I happened to cheer on varsity together for one year in high school in the 90s (I was a senior; my sister, a sophomore). We both still have our letter jackets, and our friend is now the coach of varsity cheerleading at our alma mater; so, we were able to borrow a couple of uniforms and pretend we were DFHS cheerleaders again. ;) It was SO fun! My hub was there, too, rocking a David Hasselhoff shirt in all its 90s glory. Such a great night with so many friends we love! 

Harrison's big week. Harrison had his last day of school on Monday and closed out the year with the most adorable program on Tuesday. Now, he's officially a big, bad member of the 4s class for his final year of preschool before kindergarten - sniff! sniff! He sang his sweet heart out, rocked his motions, and made me so proud!

The following day, he had the dreaded 4-year well-check. I didn't tell him about the shots until just before the nurse returned with them at the end of the appointment. Luckily, my dear friend hung out with Bella back at the house so that I could focus on Harrison alone during the check-up/shots. He did GREAT! He only cried for a few seconds and recovered quickly. His leg has been a little sore since then, but our feisty little peanut is pushing through. <3 

Raleigh's EOY celebration. Raleigh had the sweetest End-of-Year celebration on Wednesday in her classroom. There were the most precious songs and slideshow, and it took all I had not to lose it. How is my Raleigh graduating kindergarten? But she has done so well this year! She has come out of her shell and is such an excellent reader and writer. She LOVES to write me notes and letters, and they just melt me. She is such a great friend to others and adores her precious new BFF. I am just so proud of this girl and can't wait to have so much time with her over the next few months. 

And that's it for now, y'all! As of last night, my hub is back home (hooray!). We have all-stars baseball practice (weather permitting - hit the road, rain!) as well as a dance recital dress rehearsal tonight and the big show tomorrow. We are also supposed to have Harrison's last teeball game tomorrow (again, go away, rain!), and I have a friend's birthday dinner to close out the weekend on Sunday. Other than that, we'll be gearing up for the last few days of school and prepping for the big fun that awaits next weekend. 

Yay! Have a fabulous weekend, friends! I'll try to pop back in a time or two next week before Summer 2018 officially kicks off!