- Adoption, Depression, Faith, Family, Grief, Hydranencephaly, Life, Love, patience, Special Needs, Special Needs Parenting, Unexpected
National Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month. It’s also the month that Wonder Woman was born, and marks the day we heard those life changing words over the phone, “She is yours.” My cell reception was awful that night and the audio cut in and out as I paced across blue kitchen tile and said her name over and over to our social worker, hoping she would accurately hear it. This name was treasured by us and had been held in my heart for years as I waited for a baby girl. The most important thing—the only thing—I could do for our little girl right then was give her her name. Despite…
- Adoption, Depression, Faith, Family, Grief, Hope, Hydranencephaly, Life, Pressure, Special Needs, Special Needs Parenting, Unexpected
What Happened in the Fire?
I don’t know why it’s so easy to flippantly read about God’s miracles. Why don’t I get excited and jazzed every time I read about how he healed a blind man with spit or commanded the wind and waves to be still. Maybe it’s the unintentional byproduct of growing up in church that somehow these stories become “normal” to me. There’s nothing normal about the miraculous. You might be familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s found in the third chapter of Daniel in the Bible. It’s one many children hear growing up, which is interesting because it’s just one chapter. Their names are mentioned in the…
Tis the Season for Reminiscing
The chicken thighs were boiling in my large stock pot on the stove, the air filled with the warm fragrance of chicken stock, and I was peeling and cubing potatoes. The next step would be getting the biscuits cut up for dumplings. This is one of my favorite meals to cook because it has 3 ingredients and is almost mindless in its preparation. Added to the fact that I always make it in obscenely large quantities, it’s one of my go to recipes to share with families in need of a meal, which is why I was making it again this week. Listening to the thwack of my knife against…
The Exhausting Mundane
We’ve entered a new phase of life. I call it The Exhausting Mundane. It was a gradual slip into this new normal, and it’s been hard for me to wrap my brain around it. I guess that’s why it has taken me so long to update our blog. On paper, things are easier. Superman is now 5 years old, he’s incredibly helpful and independent. Batman is growing up too and there’s been a giant jump in his independence, especially when combined with help from big brother. Wonder Woman is out of what I’d call the acute phase. She’s now 18 months old and for the most part, she’s a very…
One Year Later: A Medical Update
We have now had Wonder Woman in our arms for a full year. I can’t wrap my head around all that has happened, all that we have survived together. As many of you know, and we haven’t been shy to share, it was statistically unlikely that she would live for a whole year. I’d like to take this time to update you medically on where we are at, what her future holds, and answer what I can about her prognosis from this point on. To say that it was unlikely she would reach her first birthday to me rings as both true and untrue. Because her system is so fragile,…
