Getting to know Yangcai and friends

I am finding SO little time to do much other than take care of this BIG family of mine. I desperately want to be sharing my heart and thoughts while Yangcai is here. I can't write much now, but I want to spread the word about an event happening this weekend.

If you want a causal way to meet any of these boys or have any questions about the craziness of hosting, then I have the perfect opportunity for you. This Sunday 2/28 at 12 pm we are hosting a luncheon at our church. All three host families will be present, please join us for awkward noodle slurping. No chopstick skills required ;) Details can be found on our church orphan care blog here.

This is an awesome post from my friend, Tracy's blog. She posted about all 3 boys. Please read here.

And finally, I can't tell you how much good this impromptu pizza lunch date was for my heart. Turns out he LIKES pizza! I love pizza and it was SO fun to realize this about him, to connect with him even if we ate in silence.
I long to "know" my kids and each time we introduce someone new to our family whether biological, adoption or now hosting, I tend to panic in stomach-ill, sort of way. It boils down to wanting to know those I live with, partly because I like things to be predictable (God is helping me with that to) but mostly because my heart wants to know how to love and care for those closest to me.
This is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but God is working in all of us. I hope to be more specific soon.

Welcome Yangcai

The week prior to Yangcai's arrival was full of mixed emotions. It reminded me of my pregnancy nesting days and the days leading up to Avery's gotcha; all preparations for someone I had never met but had prayed for so much.

Ryan gave up his bed for the month (he is rooming with Owen) and Mason graciously agreed to room with a stranger. Sacrifices of love; good lessons learned.

Our wait at the airport was slightly comical and slightly annoying. We had no specific directions other than their flight number. They did not exit when all the other people from their plane did, we still don't know what happened.

A majority of the 3 families were present. A few stayed back for the father-daughter dance at our church.

My dearest friend, Courtney lives close enough that our families got to visit and they came to the airport. Such a blessing for my very nervous heart.

The confusion of greeting someone you don't know when you don't speak the same language.

Yangcai immediately volunteered to gather the luggage which he did very well considering he'd never seen any of this before.

I was so thankful and proud of my boys for welcoming him with open arms. Yangcai was a jokester the moment he stepped off the plane and continues to keep us laughing.

What a typical boy. A peace sign and a goofy face with his food.

In Good Hands

On Feb 3, EJ and I, drove with Ryan and Avery to Columbus, Ohio, to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Avery is a new patient there at the Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction. They are one of the best centers in the country concerning her birth defect.

She had four different appointments in 2 days, the final appointment in the OR under anesthesia for two exploratory scopes. We now know the inter workings not-inter-workings of her precious little body. Be glad I am vague, trust me.

She was such a little trooper and so was Ryan who did a lot of of sitting and waiting around.

The hospital was filled with carved animals. I think Ryan took his picture with at least 10.

More waiting

He ate lots of hospital hamburgers. Ha! We kept him busy with crafts from home and he also spent an hour each day in the hospital "club house" child watch bc he could do more crafts :)

We stayed both nights at the Ronald McDonald house. It happens to be their largest facility. A converted apartment complex and newly done! Such a blessing to stay there and we are grateful for the folks who donated so much to help provide an extremely affordable and loving place for families with sick children.

 
It was directly across the street. A short-cold walk and we were at the hospital.

The local ice hockey team sponsored an indoor play area in one of the stairwells.

After the first day of lots of pokes and prods we ALL needed a little treat to share :)

The second day was A LOT of waiting and more waiting for OR time.She kept all the nurses and doctors on their toes with her questions. Even asked to see their photo ids. We may have the making of a pediatrician on our hands ;) If she only didn't fall and hit her hand so much.

Ninja moves with glitter baton. 

After she woke up from her quick procedure and she was happy to see us.

She recovered quickly and tried walking all over the hospital in her woozy state. Somethings never change. Thankfully she didn't injury herself. A quick lunch on day 2 and then an 8 hr drive home. We were ever so thankful to be home and fall into our own beds. The big boys returned the next day after skiing and going to an indoor water park with my parents!

Overall, we are very happy with our decision to take her to Columbus. This is where she needs to be seen. The Drs were wonderful and gave us the time and attention we needed. They are very optimistic. They were pleasantly surprised by the surgery repair she had in Ch1na. Once again, we see God's hand clearly with her, when we were not.
She will be going back again, but nothing has been scheduled yet. For now we are scheduling a local MRI and changing her bowel management routine a little.

Snow Days

On January 22nd we were hit by a blizzard that lasted 2 days. 12 inches is pretty deep for our area. 

 (Owen)

The kids missed 4.5 school days so I had to get creative after awhile. Homemade puffy paint thanks to pinterest,

 Flower power

 Silly Daddy

For the most part I really enjoyed all the time they had off from school. Not as much "me time" of course but not doing homework and packing lunches, etc. is nice for awhile.

Special Visitor

We are hosting this sweet boy (11 years old) for a month! He is arriving middle of February!

As Yangcai's arrival drawers nearer, I am getting more and more nervous about introducing another special child to our home and hearts. The logistics of not being able to speak the same language is a common fear in my thoughts and what if he doesn't like my American style cooking, but if I am really honest with myself, I am more concerned with the saying goodbye part (oh, my heart).

I have no idea what the Lord is doing in bringing these 3 boys to our hometown. The other 2 boys are staying with incredible families. Both families attend our church and we all have kids of similar ages. The boys will be here for a month, experiencing America and life in a family life for the first time. There are 13 kids in total coming through a hosting program with Across the World Adoptions.

The biggest lesson EJ and I learned while adopting Avery was to trust God in the small steps. If our minds went to the big picture and fears of the future, we would have gone crazy. God wants us to take faithful steps one day at at time. This is what we are doing by saying "yes" to hosting Yangcai. We are trusting him moment by moment.

In November, we were asked if we'd consider hosting a boy whose host family had to back out of the program. Other families were a lot further along in the paperwork and fundraising process, but EJ and I said we'd pray about it. Over the course of a weekend, we could not find a "good" reason to say no. Yes, we had plenty of questions, fears and some anxiety about the cost, but we decided to trust God. Wow, did He provide, and so quickly. It's been a huge blessing to see folks rally around us. God provided all the money we needed through our church, friends and complete strangers! We also have Drs agreeing to see the boys at no cost. This is an amazing journey already and the boys don't arrive for another month!

I'd love if you'd join me in praying for them. Their first time flying experience of a mere 24 hours, being picked up at an airport by complete strangers who don't speak their language. Eating strange food and sleeping in a new place. Oh my! I can't imagine.

Please pray for the 3 host families as we do our best to advocate for them while they are here. This is possibly the only chance they have of being "known" to potential adoptive parents and not just a "file." We have the opportunity to tell folks about them, their special needs and their personalities.

If you have any questions, please please email me at alifogarty@gmail.com