Happy Easter!

This weekend we are celebrating Easter, representing the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are spending time with family and enjoying Easter egg hunts. Elijah picks up eggs as quickly as possible while Ethan takes his sweet time. The boys are similar in many ways, yet still fairly different. We love their unique smiles and personalities. 

Pictures from our family photo shoot :)

Elijah's Doctor Appointments

Today Eli had appointments with a speech pathologist, surgeon, and ENT. The speech pathologist observed his sounds, evaluated his mouth, and gave us suggestions to help develop his speech. She said his drooling may not just be about his new anatomy, but also awareness of his open lips. We're going to work on that... The surgeon was able to get a good look at Elijah's palate. She said it appears the hard and soft palate were repaired but that the soft palate is still not completely closed. She said there may not have been enough tissue or a few stitches didn't hold. This small hole may make speech difficult for Elijah, as well as allowing food/drink up his nose, so repairing it is beneficial. The PA at the ENT office evaluated Elijah's ears and mouth. She cleaned out his ears and after looking inside, wanted him to have tympanometry. The audiologist used a machine to measure the movement of Elijah's ear drums, which was minimal. His tympanogram was a flat line, indicating he probably has fluid behind the eardrum and needs tubes. The fluid can cause ear infections and muffle his hearing, making speech difficult. So the PA introduced us to the ENT who will clean out Elijah's ears during surgery and place tubes if necessary. These procedures are currently scheduled for April 20.  

Brotherly Love

Last night both boys slept in their room all night for the first time! And Eli only woke up once! This may not seem like a big deal but it is huge to us. Thank God for some decent sleep!

Eli and Ethan are really enjoying each others company. It is so sweet to see them play together. I hope they love being brothers. We look forward to watching them grow closer and closer. 

Quick update

Quick update:

Today the founder of CCAI, Joshua Zhong, called to check on Elijah and our family. Have I said how much I love CCAI?! We absolutely could not be happier with our placement agency and all the amazing help they provided during our adoption journey. 

Elijah meets with the cleft team at Brenner Children's Hospital on March 15. 

Tonight we moved Elijah's bed into Ethan's room. Here's to hoping this works out and they both sleep!

How much?

From first finding out we were adopting to now when people see our adopted son, the first word we usually hear is "expensive." "Isn't adoption expensive?" or "I hear adoption is really expensive." Let me make one thing extraordinarily clear: Adoption may be expensive, but it didn't cost us a thing. You may be thinking that's crazy talk because we spent a lot of money on our adoption journey. What I mean is that we are not worse off, or lacking, or in want, and we will definitely never regret making that decision. Yes, we could have bought a car, started a college fund, or took many a beautiful vacation. But look at these smiles!

This is what God intended, that Elijah be a part of our family. And where there's God's will, there's a way. Yes, we still have post adoption report expenses, NC court (readoption) expenses, and Elijah's second surgery expenses. But there is not a doubt in my mind that we followed our hearts to our second son. If you've ever met adoptive parents before, then you know the parents believe this child was meant to be with their family. Adoptive parents would do it all over again in a heartbeat to bring their child home. 

If you're interested in adoption from China, here is a general breakdown of expenses. But remember that while the paper chase is expensive, your child is priceless. Adding a member to your family is invaluable, no matter how much you spend on the journey (adoption or assisted reproductive technology). Feel free to contact me with questions. If you want to begin this journey, I will support you whole heartedly!

Expenses (approximate) by Category:

Placement agency fees $7350

Home study fees $2500

Dossier preparation $500-1,000

USCIS filing & fingerprinting $890

Orphanage fee $5,500-6,000

CCCWA $1700

Parent's visa $280

International Airfare $1,200-1,900 per adult (child over 2 also requires ticket)

In-China travel, accommodations, food $4,200-4,800

Adoption registration & notarization $400-800

Child's passport, physical, photo, visa $580-650

Court validation fees & Child's state birth certificate - vary by county/state

Post placement report fees $1000

Remember that these fees are spread out over the course of the adoption process. 

Adoption Aid:

Fundraisers, Donations, Employer benefits, Adoption grants, Low/no interest loans

Let me end with a reminder of the joy of Gotcha Day and what this journey is really about: The face/person/soul waiting on the other end!

Pictures!!!

Today we received electronic files from Elijah's orphanage containing medical information and lots of pictures. I, of course, went straight for the pictures to watch the storyline of his life. It was amazing to see the transition from tiny infant to sitting baby to standing toddler. I'll share a few of them with you. Try to hold back the tears... or maybe that was just me.

November 2014 - This picture stood out to me because it was the first one where Elijah was smiling (and the same month we signed our adoption agency contracts!)

December 2014 - Elijah's first Christmas

June 2015 - Elijah's birth month (I may have cried seeing his first birthday cake and the people gathered to celebrate his first year of life)

October 2015 - Match Month! Interesting hairstyle bud...

December 2015 - No pictures of Elijah as he was in Shanghai recovering from surgery, just pictures of the contents of his care package we mailed

January 17, 2016 - Elijah's last day without a family, a farewell party before Gotcha Day

January 21, 2016 - A picture the nurse took of us while visiting the orphanage

We will forever cherish these wonderful pictures. We are thankful that the people who cared for Elijah captured these moments in time!

Surgeon Appointment

Today Elijah met Dr. Sanger, a surgeon with Wake Forest. After several attempts, she was finally able to see inside his mouth. (He has quite a bite!) Dr. Sanger said that his hard palate repair looks good, but that he will still require soft palate repair. (She said that sometimes cleft palate repair is complete in one surgery and sometimes it requires two surgeries, depending on the type and extent of the cleft.) Although this confirmed the doctor's suspicions in China, it was still hard to hear as a mother. It was difficult to know he had endured surgery without us, but now he will have to endure the pain and recovery of a second surgery.

Elijah will need this surgery in the near future so Dr. Sanger is referring him to the cleft team at Brenner Children's Hospital for further evaluation.

(Elijah falling asleep in his chair at lunch.)

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings 

There’s not a day ahead You have not seen
So, in all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less

You are my strength and comfort

You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher

Your plans are always good
There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move

When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Trust In You, Lauren Daigle