Tricycling and Worshipping. Priceless.

Selah had her sedated brain MRI and skull CT scans yesterday, but we won’t find out the results until April 5, when we meet with the neurosurgeon and craniofacial surgeon.  The results will determine whether or not Selah will need the second phase or her skull reconstruction.  We’re praying God will (or already has) miraculously healed Selah’s skull so beautifully to where she won’t even need phase 2 of her skull reconstruction.  Jehovah Rapha is able!!!

 

Selah never does well with restraints, nor with anesthesia.  Together, the two make for a VERY unhappy, stressed little girl, for hours…until we get to the car, away from hospital staff, where Selah knows she’s safe.  I love that she knows she’s safe with us, I just wish she didn’t have to endure yucky hospital visits and sedations at all. 

 

Once we got home from our 6.5 hour hospital excursion, Selah was ready to PLAY.  She ran to meet Kiefer and hop on his tricycle so he could push her around.  I love these kiddos so much.  My heart swells with delight to see the sibling relationships God is knitting within our family.  Here’s a video of Kiefer pushing Selah on his tricycle (Conner and Cooper are also sitting outside watching the action):

 

Today we are readopting Conner and Cooper so that they will have Texas birth certificates, and so I will be listed as their mom on their birth certificates.  Because Matt adopted as a married individual in Ukraine (since we filed our dossier that way so I wouldn’t have to travel to Ukraine since Selah was supposed to have phase 2 of her skull reconstruction last fall, at the same time we were supposed to be traveling), I was not able to officially adopt the boys in Ukraine, only Matt could.  Because only Matt adopted the boys (even though I ended up traveling), I need to readopt the boys in the US.  And, because only one parent legally adopted the boys in Ukraine, Conner and Cooper didn’t enter the US as American citizens, like they would have if we had both adopted them in Ukraine.  In order to become American citizens, I need to readopt them, then apply for US citizenship.  (BTW, if you adopt internationally, I highly recommend readoption in the US.  This will allow you to easily obtain your child’s birth certificate in the future, as you would be able to get it from whatever state you readopt in.)

 

Before I close, I wanted to share the video below of Cooper worshipping at church last Sunday.  He LOVES the music, and we all just melt when he voluntarily starts clapping to the beat and/or flapping his arms up and down with excitement.  I haven’t been able to fully capture this on video, but the short clip below shows Cooper flapping his arms with excitement at the same time the worship leader sings, “We are FREE”!!!  Priceless.