Through Mommy's Eyes

It's been a few weeks since writing so I thought I'd post a quick update on Henry. First of all, today was five months since his Gotcha Day in China! We will be having a 6-month post-adoption home visit in the next few weeks for the required China report. He is doing great in so many ways- loving preschool, family, the spring sunshine and flowers, and playing whatever and whenever he can. He needed another CT scan recently and we enjoyed a visit to the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland's Chinatown afterwards. Anytime it is nice outside, we try to be out in it as much as possible. Now Henry has a canopy over his sandbox play area in the front yard to shield him from the sun. This is a great way to keep him busy and safe while I get some yard work done! 


Henry brings so much joy to our lives each day, even as he requires a lot of supervision, care, and interaction. Sometimes his insecurity and fear of separation comes out, but mostly he is just easygoing, cooperative, happy, and adventurous. I always have a buddy to try new things and visit new places with! Probably our biggest challenge is my energy level and work load, needing breaks to rest and take care of myself...which can sometimes be a source of anxiety for Henry, but he is definitely feeling more secure and learning that Mom is much better when I get those things! Afternoon nap time is one of our favorite times as we get to rest and snuggle together.

His language is coming along nicely; I get so excited to hear him speak full and sometimes complex sentences. English is so difficult, though, and he continues to learn new words each day while trying to understand why the same words can have different meanings and how they may change just slightly or totally depending on tense, quantity, gender, etc. He likes to meet new people and will almost talk to anyone, but thankfully he doesn't usually want to go off with them. We've had to talk about safe boundaries and strangers...not everyone is a wonderful, caring, and trustworthy volunteer from New Day!:) The good thing is that he trusts us to care for him and to only entrust him to people we know will take good care of him. This becomes very important when separation must occur, especially in the major surgery coming up that he is not looking forward to.

The c-spine fusion surgery is officially scheduled at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland for June 2nd and things are coming together in preparation for this. That is only 24 days away and yes, I am nervous about it. I am mainly apprehensive about the halo attached to his skull and caring for him while wearing it. The hospital staff will prep us wonderfully, no doubt, but still...and I wonder how the heat of the summer will affect him in the halo and vest. We have to figure out how to cool the house down for sure. Not a lot is planned for the summer and basically we are in wait-and-see mode. I took him to the eye surgeon just this week and hopefully he will be scheduled soon for minor surgery on his left lower eyelid to turn it out as the eyelashes are scratching his retina. Change is in the air in a lot of ways, so thank you for prayers in all these details!


I will keep you updated as we get closer to and go through surgery. We so appreciate your love and kindness for our precious son and to our family. As Mother's Day approaches, I can not help but feel beyond blessed to be a mother to our incredible three sons. This current season of my life in which I can really only focus on and care for my family is one that I treasure and wouldn't trade for anything. Not only do I love these guys more than I can say, I am growing and learning so much about myself (the good, the bad, and the downright ugly) and about the incredible nature and character of God in the midst of it all. Happy Mother's Day to you special ladies out there! You are dearly loved and appreciated!