I apologize for the lack of updates recently, but time just gets away from me.
Karlye had a wonderful first Thanksgiving, despite a change in plans due to some attachment challenges. Nathan and I are so overwhelmed and blessed this holiday season to be the parents of our precious daughter. As we hung the "Santa's Wish List" ornament on the tree this year, with the word "Referral" written as the only item on the list, it brought back so many memories of last year, as we longed to be parents of a precious little girl. We can clearly remember this time last year, as we eagerly waited to be matched with our daughter, and here we are one year later, waiting to spend this Christmas season together as a family! God is so good!
Karlye is making some good progress with attachment; however the progress is very slow. We have been working diligently and intentionally as a family over the last few months to better her attachment to us, and we have seen some really nice behaviors. The constant trauma of doctor's visits, operating room visits, and painful procedures has decreased over this time, which has certainly helped out. We would ask that you please pray for our family as we continue to work through these attachment challenges.
She is slowly but surely adjusting to her new braces, but is definitely happier when out of the braces. Who wouldn't be? We had a follow up visit today with the orthopedic doctor for him to check the status of her feet after being in the braces for a month. He was very pleased with the way her feet looked and actually told us we could give her a little more time out of the braces. Praise the Lord! We will see him again in 6 weeks, and hopefully at that point she will only have to be in the braces during her nap and at nighttime. Karlye had a very difficult time at the appointment this morning, scared to death as usual. However this time all of her crying and hysterics led to her throwing up all over herself and her mama. Yuck! I believe the doctor excused himself at that point in a very quick, yet polite manner. Oh, and leave it up to us to have a shoe emergency (the shoes that are part of her braces) over the Thanksgiving weekend. Of all things, the middle strap on the shoe broke, which happens to be the most important strap to hold the foot in place. So, after contacting the nurse and the resident on call, the consensus was to rig the shoe the best we could. So...we used tape and pliers to get the shoes through the weekend! Needless to say, we got a new, clean pair of shoes this morning, and they will replace the broken pair, as they are supposed to last 6 months.
Karlye had her first trip to the park without braces! She had a blast and turns out to be a little dare devil going down the curvy slides. The park experience almost brought tears to our eyes as we watched her walk and play outside, which is something we have longed for her to do. Karlye is walking well, but continues to be a bit unsteady at times. This should improve as she is allowed more time out of the braces.
I will stop rambling for now, but I have posted a ton of pictures below...
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| Excited about the Christmas tree! |
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| Playing with her Nativity. |
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| Helping push the clothes in the dryer. |
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| Her first walk outside in real shoes! |
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| Sweet! |
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| Copying Daddy! |
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| Making Thanksgiving sugar cookies! |
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| Licking every cookie! |
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| Loving the icing! |
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| Happy Birthday Mama! |
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| Opening an early Christmas present from Pops and GiGi! |
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| Visiting with Pops and GiGi! |
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| Opening an early Christmas present from MeMe and Pappy! |
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| Thanks Aunt Shelly, Uncle Steve, Cousin Kirsten, and Cousin Anthony! |
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| Karlye was very surprised at her new Smurfette made with love from Cousin Kirsten! |
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| Our Christmas Tree and Santa Bag! |
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| First (of many) Christmas pictures. |
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| Done with the pictures! |
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| Swinging at the park! |
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| Sliding head first! |
Nathan and Stacie, she is just breathtaking! God IS so good!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting these. We love them. Really missed you all last weekend but we will get together soon. So glad th Smurfette was a hit. Had to get it since you were a Smurf lover as a child. Now you need to go seet he movie!
ReplyDeleteKarlye is a precious child and you two are wonderful parents! Hang in there, this brace thing will be over soon.
Love you!
Aunt shelly
What a beautiful daughter you have and a true blessing from God! So glad we got to "see" you last weekend and so glad to see these photos and hearing of her progress!! I know if must be tough at times, but the long term outcome will be worth it all. Give her a big hug and kiss from us and love to you all!! Can't believe she is almost 2!! Love you Aunt NeNe
ReplyDeleteShe grows more precious each day we are privileged to know her. As you said, last year we were praying for "a child", this year, we rejoice for "the child". Karlye brings tears to my eyes every time I stop and think about the "what ifs", what if she still lived in China, what if she had been adopted by a family that did not provide her with a warm Christian home, what if she did not have a mom and dad that love her as you two do, thankful that the "what ifs" turned to "what is", and she is safely at home with her forever family. Thank you for the pictures, they are beautiful. Papa Steve
ReplyDeleteoh goodness- these pictures bring tears to my eyes. her precious smile is such a blessing and just seeing her standing there with "real" shoes is an answered prayer! love you guys :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for a playdate. :)
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