
The biggest question we deal with is "When is she having her spots taken off?" Now we can finally answer that question! We went to Nashville last week and met with one hour with Dr. Chester our plastic surgeon. She is an amazing woman with the personality of a sweet grandmother. After looking at Anna Faith's nevi she determined she will do the spots on the top of her head up to her eyebrow all in one surgery, and no tissue expansion therapy is necessary! We were a little skeptical, but she assured us that there is enough extra skin in her scalp to cover over the area that will be cut out since the skin they attach to is a narrow strip. A second surgery will be to insert a tissue expander in her neck, and third surgery three months after that to use the stretched skin (we will be giving her weekly injections to stretch it) to flap over the spot under her chin, and possibly a forth and fifth surgery to insert an expander behind her neck and later flap skin over those nevi. As for the wide spot on her cheek, she's going to look closer at how she can do that while Anna Faith is under anesthesia in the first surgery and let us know. So what we imagined would begin in May will start 3 months later in August. We aren't too upset about waiting to August because since there will be no tissue expanders on her head it is as if we just gained three months anyway and we can enjoy summer activities (especially the pool) without restrictions. Dr. Chester wanted to wait until August because she is concerned that Anna Faith needs to adapt to being home first. A surgery for a child is a traumatic experience and she doesn't want our daughter to associate surgery and pain with her relationship to her new family. We are at peace with that rationale, and know that God's timing is perfect. We continue to receive hats for her. The count is up to 43 now! It is fun to dress her in her outfits with a coordinating hat every day when we go out. She is getting used to them too.
It is hard to imagine our home without our daughter in it now. She is such a part of our family and our daily routine. She lines up to get her teeth brushed, get in the bathtub, sit down to eat, and load up in the car just like her brothers. She goes right to sleep every time we lay her down and wakes up every morning just like clockwork. She has become for the most part a rather easy toddler as long as she is being entertained! Josiah asked me a couple nights ago "Can we get two more sisters?" With all the blogs, articles, radio broadcasts, and videos I've been watching I've been thinking the same thing. God's answer is very clearly "wait" at this point. We aren't ready. But Kris and I definitely don't hear a "no". I see the empty beds in her room and keep thinking "we have room for more!".
Is that what our Father thinks every time another man, woman, boy or girl comes into His family? "There's room for more, I need to knock on the door of one more heart, inviting them to be adopted into MY family for forever? " He will never be satisfied until all the lost are redeemed that He has predestined to be a part of His family. I see so many pictures, faces, hopeless situations, and keep thinking that same thought: "There's room for more". There's never too many flowers. Is God speaking that same message to your heart, brother or sister in Christ? Does He want you to open up your heart and home to an orphan who needs a forever family? It is an experience that no one can accurately describe when a child is rescued, redeemed, and transformed when she enters into a loving family who wants her, accepts her unconditionally, and takes her in. I want to take them all home with me, but I can't. What I can do is plead with the hundreds who read this blog. Pray, pray, pray, that God may impress on yours and others' hearts what He wants YOU to do about the crisis of orphans in this world.
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