First off I would like to apologize for being so quiet recently. I have no excuse other than to say that we are dealing with a lot of hard "stuff" right now and by the time the day is over, I'm just plain tired! Don't get me wrong, we have had so many moments of laughter and joy, and we are still so beyond crazy blessed, but it seems like life just keeps throwing us new curve balls. Our amazing kids always keep us smiling though!
The last few months David has been in Tucson while I have been in Phoenix at our house with the kids. We see each other on the weekends and Facetime often, but we don't love being separated. We both have our routines, though, and things are going pretty smoothly, so I am thankful for that. Madi did have a seizure a few weeks back when we were in Phoenix and David wasn't with us. Thankfully my parents were able to get here quickly to stay with Conner and Ramya so that I didn't have to leave Madi's side. We were in the ER until 3 am but thankfully her shunt and everything is working great!
We are still trying to sell our house, so the kids and I have to keep it super clean and show-ready at all times. We spend most of our days homeschooling at my parents house, in therapy, or out with friends, which helps keep it clean. It's also been nice to see friends and family so much since we will be moving soon. The kids are loving that part! We are blessed with so many people we love, and we will miss these moments for sure!
We are praying for buyers soon so that we can sell the house by the time Deena comes home. We are trying really hard not to feel discouraged because we are still within the average sale times in our neighborhood. We are just both struggling because we put a lot of time and money in to making it look move-in-ready and felt like it would sell quickly. We both have peace, though, knowing God has the perfect buyers out there and that they will come along at the perfect time. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of it OFTEN, but we do truly believe it. My prayer always has been, and still is, that it will sell before Deena comes home. We would love if you would join us in praying for that!
David was doing really well at work and getting his groove back and then he had this really crazy circumstance that totally knocked him back down. We are worried about finances, especially having both a mortgage and a rent right now and with how much it will cost for us to bring Deena home from India, so I know he's feeling a lot of extra stress at the moment. We ended up owing quite a bit more to state taxes than we planned on and haven't gotten our federal tax refund yet so we are just kind of scraping by until our house sells. I know he is feeling defeated. Please be praying for David and for peace that surpasses all understanding. I fully believe he will get back on his feet; there's no doubt in my mind. We are both working on trusting God during these trials and are praying that God uses our circumstances to strengthen who we are in Him. We both feel at peace, even though we are feeling extra stress, and we are thankful for that.
We were expecting to be in India (*we* as in myself, Conner, and my friend Kariann) this week or next to bring Deena home. Our written court orders were received about 3 weeks ago and all that was left was passport, which takes about 2-4 weeks normally. We just found out yesterday, though, that her passport hasn't been applied for yet. They go on December 4th to apply, and then we have about a 2-4 week wait after that. At this point it's not looking like she will be home for Christmas, which we are sad about. We also found out that they did surgery last week to remove a rod from her thigh bone. The doctor didn't feel like she needed it any more. I think this is what I'm grieving the most over. We were granted a full and final adoption, so legally she is now ours, but they did not tell us they were going to do this. I'm worried she will get home and then need it put back in and she will have gone through all that for nothing. But, most of all, I'm saddened that I could not be there to hold her hand and hug her through the pain. I'm her momma and I can't advocate for her yet, and that is a really terrible feeling. I cannot wait until she is home and I can be there for her. She will never be alone again! We did get her carseat and bed in (though she will sleep in our room for quite a while), so that was a lot of fun. It was nice feeling like we were able to prepare for her and celebrate her a bit. Even Hope thinks her new bed is super comfortable!
We have two more weeks of homeschool co-op and then we will officially join David in Tucson after that. We have already said "good-bye" to our Church family, which was hard for us as we are very connected there and love our community so much. We had our last attachment therapy session as well. It looks like next week will be our last week for speech, occupational, and physical therapy in Phoenix too. After returning home from India I will find new therapists in Tucson for the girls. I would like to take a month off, though, when Deena comes home so that we can focus on our family for a while. I will, of course, continue all of their therapy goals myself in the meantime. I have always believed the biggest strides aren't necessarily made in therapy, though I think therapy is really important, but instead by practicing therapy goals throughout the week.
Here we are "wrapping Ramya in our love" on our last day of attachment therapy...
Here we are "wrapping Ramya in our love" on our last day of attachment therapy...
I think that about sums up life for now! Thank you all for following our journey and praying for our family. Thank you to those of you who have come over to help me pack, have messaged me to check in on me, or have had us over to visit. We love each and every one of you and appreciate you so much! Please continue to pray for Deena's heart and her transition in to our family. Her whole life is about to change! Pray for a safe trip to India to bring her home, safety for David and the girls while they are here and Conner and I are gone, that everyone will remain healthy during and after the trip, and that Madi will not have any seizures while I am away.
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