Can you believe how great she looks!!!

We are praising God for the success of Sarah's surgery. She's back to her normal happy self, and Mommy let her stop wearing her arm braces early. She had her stitches removed, and we think she looks amazing.

Thanks so much for praying for her. Her palate surgery is scheduled for April 29th, so we'll keep you posted.

Blessings,

Denise

Surgery day!

We got to All Children's Hospital bright and early at 5:30 am. Sarah looked adorable in her baby hospital gown. At 7:30 we watched the nurse carry her back to the operating room. She didn't cry, but mom almost did. :) A 1/2 hour later the ENT doctor came back to tell us the tubes had been successfully put in both ears, and that Sarah should be able to hear much better and be free of ear infections.

After another 2 hours, Dr. Gallant (our plastic surgeon) came to our waiting room. He told us the surgery was a success and took us back to see Sarah for a sneak peak. While we were there, she began to stir, and blood began running out of her nose. At this point the nurses rushed us out of the room. That was probably the hardest part of the morning, watching our little Sarah having a hard time coming out of her anesthesia.

After about 15 minutes we were taken to a small recovery room where a nurse met us with Sarah. She slept in our lap for the next several hours. We then were brought to our overnight room. It's a private room with a great view of St. Petersburg.

Sarah is doing much better. She is eating well (which is no surprise for our little butterball), laughed at Papa's missing thumb trick, and even began "talking". She said "mama" to Denise (well, sort of...)

Right now she is in her crib, trying to get comfortable for what we hope is a good night's sleep. We should be able to go home tomorrow.

Thank you to all those who prayed for the surgery. God graciously answered our prayers.

Martin

Sarah's surgery TOMORROW!

After being told it wasn't possible to have her lip surgery before February 5th, the Lord has worked it out for us to have it tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. We're excited. This new time is much better than the old time as Sarah won't have to fast so long before surgery. Plus, now it's POSSIBLE that we won't have to stay overnight in the hospital, because the surgery is so early in the morning. Please pray that everyone stays healthy and the surgery is successful. We will keep posting as we get more news. We will miss her wide smile, but are eager to see her new one!

Sarah's surgery canceled

The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs


We were all geared up for Sarah's surgery tomorrow at 12:15, but this afternoon the surgeon's office called and told us that they had to cancel. The surgeon is sick with the flu, so they have tentatively rescheduled for February 15th. I guess we get to enjoy her adorable, extra wide smile for a little longer. We were dissapointed at first, but we know that God has a great plan for Sarah. He knows the perfect day for her to have her surgery!

Thanks for checking in and praying for Sarah! We will keep you updated.

A Special Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!! What a special Christmas we are having this year! Everyone seems to be doing well aside from a few colds, and I am especially enjoying each of the children on their vacation from school! Sarah is fitting in so well that it seems miraculous. She has bonded with our family, and seems to charm everyone she meets. She's such a sweet lovable baby with an adorable, funny personality. She gets a lot of attention everywhere we go. I think at first people are staring at her because of her cleft. Then she shoots them a huge grin and they can't help but smile back. What a gift from God she is!

The boys and Kimberly are doing fantastic too. Jack is still struggling with some separation anxiety, which he has had off and on since I was sick. He also complains of tummy trouble often, and we're thinking that's related. He is still my snuggle bug, even at eight, and I love it! Nathan loves Sarah and smothers her with hugs and kisses. He is adjusting to having to share Mom and Dad a bit. But he's excited to move up to big boy status at the same time. Daniel has really grown up a lot this year, and we are proud of his growth in character especially. He has even been babysitting for me some, and doing a great job. Kimberly is a gem to have around - so fun and helpful for me. It's so cute to see how crazy she and Sarah are about each other, although I think Sarah is finally starting to realize that I am her mother, not Kimberly. Kimberly is growing up too. In fact, we've started looking for a used car, since it will be so helpful for her to drive this April. She's thrilled.

We have had a few doctor visits for Sarah. Her routine blood tests have all come back normal. She will have her first surgery on January 12th to repair her lip. Then she will have another surgery to repair her palate at the end of June. She will probably be getting tubes in her ears during one of those. She also will likely have a nose touch up surgery sometime next fall. I'll keep you posted as her first surgery approaches. Please pray for her as these surgeries are painful, and somewhat complicated. She'll be going to the new All Children's Hospital in St. Pete. We hear it is really nice. Martin or I will stay with her constantly.

They're Home!

Martin, Kimberly and Sarah arrived at midnight on Saturday night at the Tampa airport! I went with Daniel and Jack, all of us eagerly awaiting to spot them walking down the hallway. Picking them up was a big party, because Martin's parents and his brother, Gary, and Stephen and Hannah went too. So far, we are all adjusting extremely well to Sarah and she to us. She fits into our family perfectly, like she's always been a part of it. It's so amazing to see her apprehensive of strangers and yet she's never acted that way towards us. God has answered my every prayer about that. What a dream come true she is - so adorable and sweet and fun-loving. She definitely prefers Martin and Kimberly still, but she goes to all of us. The boys can make her crack up, and her grin just melts your heart! Our biggest challenge right now with her is that she seems jet lagged and wants to be up for a few hours at night. Pray that she will adjust to American time soon. Thanks for all of your prayers and love for us throughout this journey. It has been such an incredible experience for us, and we are overjoyed and praising God for all of the many ways He has worked to bring this very special little girl into our family.