Bianca's Story

A few days ago, I wrote about Rudy and how malnutrition took his life. He is in a better place now - much more comfortable - no longer hungry - no longer struggling to breath - no longer in pain.

Today, I want to share a miracle story about a baby who has survived her battle despite her grim prognosis.

I learned about Bianca when I first arrived in Haiti. There is a young woman from my community who serves in an orphanage in the city of Leogane, just a 30 minute drive from where we were staying in Haiti. Her name is Rhyan. I also have friends who are in the process of adopting 2 girls from the same orphanage.

I tried every effort to go to this orphanage to bring donations and to see my friend's girls but it just wasn't meant to happen.

However, I was able to connect with Rhyan by phone. At the time, she was at the hospital in Carrfour (the same city we were staying) with baby Bianca. She asked if we would pray for her because her health was failing fast. I learned from Rhyan in our brief conversation that she was not expected to live.

To call Rhyan, I had to walk across the street from where we were staying and through our translator, used the neighbor's personal cell phone. I spoke with Rhyan briefly, just enough time to give her the address of where I was staying and Pastor Amos' cell phone number. We were staying at Pastor Amos' home at the time.

That was the last I heard from Rhyan until we arrived home from Haiti.

Once home I learned that Rhyan indeed did call Pastor Amos the very same day. Rhyan asked him to come meet her at the hospital, assuming he would bring me with him.

What I learned is that Pastor Amos walked to the hospital on his own, met Rhyan, prayed over Bianca and baptized her. Bianca was expected to pass away any day.

Rhyan left Haiti that week for a scheduled trip back to the US. She had to leave Bianca behind in the care of the hospital. She was uncertain whether she would see Bianca again.

Bianca was very weak and was going in and out of consciousness when Rhyan left her.

However, instead of passing away, Bianca regained strength. When Rhyan returned back to the orphanage, Bianca had returned to the orphanage!

Since then Bianca has been back in the hospital once but again regained her strength and now is back at the orphanage. The last report is that "she is going to make it." She is a fighter!

In the midst of much suffering and pain in Haiti and around the world, there are stories like Bianca's, stories of miracles and hope. No doubt God has big plans for this precious little one.

Bale's Story

For those of you who are following Drawn From Water and their story of rescuing children from mandatory infanticide, you may be interested in learning more about Bale, the first child rescued. Go to My Crazy Adoption and read the Wahlberg's adoption story of this beautiful girl.

Broken

I thought I was broken before my trip to Haiti. I thought I was broken enough when I returned from my trip to Haiti. But God keeps breaking me more and more as weeks pass by.

Obviously, I have a heart for the orphan and with each story of heart ache that I come across I think God can't break me anymore. And then He shows me another story of pain and loss.

Today I want to share one of those stories. It is the story about a little baby boy that I only knew about after returning from Haiti and since has gone to be with Jesus.

First, I have to back up several months when both Olivia and I had a discussion about adopting another child. I had been thinking to myself about a girl. Years ago, our family used to visit a sweet couple at the local nursing home and the woman's name was Ruby. I always liked the name Ruby and thought I would name my daughter Ruby if I ever have another daughter.

Well, during this discussion, Olivia shared with me that she thinks our family should adopt again and she thinks there is a girl named Ruby out there waiting for us.

A couple Sundays ago, Olivia and I had a discussion about Ruby again. Steve has not said 'yes' to another adoption but Olivia and I have been planting seeds for him hoping that some day adopting another child will become 'his' idea. But in the meantime, we talk and dream about a little girl named Ruby.

So, Olivia and I are sitting at the computer on a quest to find Ruby. Recently back from Haiti, we wondered if maybe Ruby is in Haiti. I came across a blog of a family going through their first adoption from Haiti. On there blog was a link to their daughter's orphanage..

We clicked on the link and the first blog post was a post about a little baby boy named "RuDy". Whoa! We were very taken back, especially when we first read it to be "RuBy". We read Rudy's story about his severe malnourishment and that he had just been relinquished to the orphanage.

Then we scrolled down to the next blog post, which was about a little girl named Olivia, a young girl who has a heart for orphans and who rallied her class to raise hundreds of dollars for the orphanage. Double Whoa!!

Baby Rudy has been in my thoughts and prayers. I stumbled upon the same orphanage site again today for the first time since that Sunday. I was struck with great sadness when I learned that Rudy had gone to live with Jesus last Friday. His little body was just too weak. Oh how my heart breaks for God's children who are suffering needlessly.

I don't know what all of this means for our family. But the more God breaks our hearts, the more motivated we are to help in some way. So, we continue to pray for God's guidance and direction. Please pray that our family hears God's specific assignment for us.

Security items

Today school is closed due to the weather. So, Steve and I were having breakfast together downstairs while the kids were sleeping in. Just as we were finishing our breakfast, I heard one of the bedroom doors upstairs open and slam shut. We knew it was Samson because this is his routine each morning. I met him at the bottom of the stairs, saw this and grabbed my camera:

When we were preparing to bring Samson home, we were informed that it's very important for your child to attach to an item, such as a doll, stuffed animal or blanket. I read many stories of families returning with their toddlers, feeding them formula from a bottle.

So, we were prepared. We arrived in Ethiopia with bottles, pacifiers, blankets and other potential "security" items.

We were advised to introduce these items to our new toddler son as a method of regressing him back to the baby stages. We were also told that if he can attach well to an item, this will help his attachment to us.

So, you can imagine our disappointment when he refused the bottle after several offers. Also, at the care center, we watched him gulp down several cups of the toddler age formula they fed to the toddlers. The first sippy of formula I prepared for him on the plane, he refused and never would drink another drop of formula from that point on.

We tried encouraging him to gravitate to a favorite stuffed animal, blanket or a doll. But he met this with great resistance. He pushed away any potential security item we offered.

Then he received his doll Yunnie for Christmas last year. We thought this was going to be the key to his security item. However, after the first night, Yunnie wasn't that important to him anymore.

Fast forward to preschool show and tell one month ago. I suggested he bring his doll Yunnie. He was so dis-attached from Yunnie that he didn't even remember his name, even after we tried several attempts over the past year to introduce Yunnie as a potential security item, he still forgot his name. Oh and Yunnie was Samson's nick name at the care center and he named his doll Yunnie.

The last few nights I have laid Yunnie by Samson's side so that he would wake up with him and just maybe want to hold him. I always wrap Samson in his blanket each time I put him down. However, each morning he wakes up, he sheds the blanket and leaves Yunnie behind.

Last night when I rocked Samson to sleep, he asked me for the first time if I could rock Yunnie to sleep with him. So, this morning when he came down with both a blanket and Yunnie, I cried. I don't know how much more this will carry on, but I like seeing my son care for his doll this way. I do see the value in having a security item.

I don't know whether his inability to attach to a security item should be a concern or not. But I'm not worried mainly because well, he has attached well to us and us to him. We have made big strides in recent months with attachment, without him being attached to an item.

But what I like about seeing him with a doll and blanket is seeing the gentle, caring side of him. I knew all along that there was this side to him but he has been hiding it up until this point. He has been showing his "I am tough and I can handle life on my own without any comforts" side to us.

He does let us hold him and snuggle with him and we have sweet moments together when I rock him to sleep. But all of these ways that we try to comfort him were also met with resistance up until just a few months ago.

Suppose Samson did show favoritism towards an object for his security when he first joined our family. I admit, I felt like a failure many times at failed attempts to introduce an attachment item. I wondered what we were doing wrong and why it worked for other families and not ours.

But now, I'm starting to wonder if a security item may have gotten in the the way of or delayed his attachment to Steve and I. I am not a psychologist but I also know that when it comes to raising kids, you can't just follow a book. Each child is so different.

This whole blog post is reminding me of our relationship with Christ. We are suppose to put Him first in our lives before anything else. However, how often do we put our security in things and these things get in the way of us trusting Him.

Just maybe Samson has learned to trust us first and put his security in us first. He now is comfortable with us and knows the love of a parent. I'm beginning to think that God wanted our relationship to be the focus. Maybe other security items may have been a distraction?

P.S. Samson just came and informed me that he put Yunnie in a time out. LOL!! Another sign of his love for that doll =)

Shirts are on their way!

A HUGE Thank You to all of you who supported our 2010 Drawn From Water Limited Edition T-shirt sales!

We had a shirt packaging party this morning and your shirts are on their way!

We sold over 60 shirts total in the past 3 weeks!

100% of profits from the sales of these T-shirts will go to Drawn From Water.

This time it was the right arm

 Another visit to the ER this past weekend confirmed that he broke his right arm just above the elbow. The doctor placed a splint on his arm. The cast would come later after the swelling goes down.

He was such a trooper. The second time around was easier on dad too! We are now too familiar with the broken arm routine.

Two days later, he picked out orange for his cast.

Ask him if he will ever stack up pillows and jump from them again and he will answer, "NO!"

Somebody recommended bubble wrapping him. We are beginning to think that is not such a bad idea :)

Last Day!!!!

To purchase the new T-shirt!

All proceeds go to Drawn From Water!

FALL FUN