1.30.13
"Year in Review"
There’s no doubt that the last twelve months have been the busiest months of our lives. So much has changed in our family that it’s been hard to keep track of it, as evidenced by the lack of updates we’ve made here on our blog. Despite the crazy schedule, continual lack of sleep, and occasional insanity that has become the norm, we have been blessed beyond measure.  While driving to another out-of-town appointment last week, we started talking about all that’s happened this year. After a while, a theme began to develop and we realized that there have been some very specific numbers tied to the significant things our family has experienced. We decided to jot some of the ones down that came to mind and share them here...

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10.6.12
"Moebius Syndrome Conference..."
Since bringing our precious Hannah home in December of last year, we’ve had so many amazing experiences as we've watched her grow... plus we’ve been to a LOT of medical appointments. Although there have been some sobering moments where we’ve learned more details about how her syndrome will affect her throughout life, God has filled us with so much hope and enthusiasm for the future, especially in seeing the confidence and determination that radiates out from Hannah’s vibrant personality...

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5.26.12
"Staying on Our Toes..."
It’s been five months now since Hannah joined our family, and as we reflect on our time together, one thing has become abundantly clear: life isn’t slowing down anytime soon! Although our weekly drives to Shriner’s Hospital in Sacramento tapered off last month, life as a family of six keeps us on our toes. Whether it is doctors appointments, school drop-off/pick-up, homework, or just getting the grocery shopping done, we keep plenty busy. We’re also still working on getting Hannah to sleep peacefully at night, which hasn’t improved a whole lot since we first got home, but in spite of all the exhaustion, long drives and sleepless nights, we couldn’t be happier...

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3.5.12
"Surgery for Hannah..."
After a busy month of taking Hannah all over the state for medical appointments, she will finally have her first surgery this coming Thursday. Her doctors are going to snip her achilles tendon on her left leg to increase the range of motion in her ankle, and they will also work to open up the webbing on her thumb so she can pick thinks up with her left hand. Since we don’t know anything about Hannah’s medical history, the thought of her going under for surgery is a bit scary, but at the same time, we are completely amazed at how God has blessed our little girl with the absolute best doctors and hospitals, despite our meager “economy” health plan. Aside from being in awe at the miraculous ways God has provided for Hannah’s health, we have also been surprised to see how He has been preparing this plan for quite some time...

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2.2.12
"So what is Moebius Syndrome?"
To follow up on our last post about Hannah's diagnosis, we wanted to provide the following common questions and answers about Moebius Syndrome. Our goal is to help educate everyone in our family and our circle of friends about the syndrome so they can be more understanding about what Hannah is going through now, and what challenges may lie ahead for her. We hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, just email us and let us know. Now for the Q&A:
What is Moebius? Moebius is a rare syndrome which is present at birth and remains throughout a person's life. It causes varying degrees of facial paralysis, making a person unable to move most, if not all of the muscles in their face including the forehead, eyes, cheeks and mouth. It also makes the eyes unable to move from side to side, meaning that someone with Moebius has to turn their whole head to see things around them. One "official" definition from the Moebius Syndrome Foundation website describes the syndrome this way...

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1.28.12
"One in a Million..." (Hannah's diagnosis)
It’s now been one month since the day we first held Hannah in our arms... one month since we first kissed her soft round cheeks... one month since we first whispered in her ears that she would always be ours. The memories of those first days together are still so vivid in our minds and hearts. We will never forget how Hannah would spend hours staring at us, probably wondering who we were and why we were so happy to see her, and we'll never forget how she would snuggle in close and take constant cat-naps as the stimulus of her new experiences were so overwhelming. In those first days, we spent a lot of time pondering what her personality might be like once she warmed up, how active she would be once she could play with her siblings at home, and even what her smile might look like once she felt comfortable enough to laugh with us...

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12.22.11
"Any Given Saturday"
There is one thing that I wish every person in the world could witness just once in their lifetime… something that would change their lives and make them rethink the way that we all assess value based on a person's outward appearance or abilities, and how God accepts us. That one thing that I wish everyone could witness is the coming and going of children at the Shamian Island Medical Clinic on any given Saturday. Sarah and I have experienced this phenomenon twice now, and each time it has left us speechless...

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12.7.11
"Why do you adopt internationally when there are orphans here in the U.S.?"
As we get ready to travel for Hannah, our fourth child adopted from overseas, we've been thinking about this question. It's one that we get asked a lot… sometimes it's in a very direct way, and other times it's just in the look we see on people's faces. Regardless of how it's asked, the first part of our answer always involves an explanation about how we know there's an equally important need for domestic adoptive families, and we think it's just as strong of a calling, but that in our own lives, we've both clearly felt God calling us to travel overseas to grow our family...

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