We are in Italy!

Our church family had a special time of prayer for Anna on Wednesday evening.

Aren't we glad that we can carry every last thing - wishes, dreams, joys, hopes, burdens - to the Father in prayer?


Thursday afternoon, we boarded the plane for Italy with peace in our hearts, feeling strengthened and encouraged! Anna was her usual happy, plucky self. She shook hands with the pilots, greeted the guests, and we left people with our blog address in hand because they wanted to know the end of the story.  She became so friendly with each set of pilots, that on our last flight, from Madrid to Milan, she hugged each of them as we boarded and each of them as we left.  One of the pilots said to me, "You are so lucky, she is such a sweet child!"  I don't think he even realized she was deaf.  I wonder if pilots know that sometimes, they carry people to their most important moments in life - births, deaths, weddings, funerals, chance meetings...and in this case, the pilots were carrying Anna onward to her journey toward hearing.  Do they even realize?

 

As for the people who want to know the end of the story, I'm so glad they want to follow along.  As for me, I feel like we already know the end of the story.  God wins, no matter what.  Anna is HIS perfect creation, and her light and joy have already touched more hearts than we can count.

Tomorrow, we meet Dr. Colletti.  Then we head to Verona!

Thank you for continuing to lift us daily, hourly, even moment-by-moment in your prayers!

Amy

PS - my sweet friend Gayly is doing a t-shirt fundraiser for Anna.  If you'd like one of these really cute shirts, order through Gayly's blog.  All proceeds will go toward Anna's surgery fund.  www.quilt-n-mama.blogspot.com  There is nothing in this for Gayly at all - it's just kindness of spirit toward Anna.  Thanks so much, Gayly!

Can you sign Italy?

Just in case you are wondering, the sign for Italy is to make an "I" sign with your pinky finger and to do the sign of the cross on your forehead. Italy usually conjures up images of the Vatican, the Colisseum, vineyards, and pasta. For us, though, Italy means one thing: the chance for Anna to hear. As I mentioned in a previous post, we sent Anna's medical records off for a second opinion. We sent them to House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles, renowned for their expertise in ear conditions. Shortly after we mailed the records, we learned that House had received FDA approval to perform Auditory Brainstem Implants on children (they have been done on adults in the U.S. for years). On Thursday night, January 31, 2013, we received a call from the doctor at House. He said that Anna could not be in their clinical trial because it cut off at age 60 months. Anna was 64 months old. However, the doctor explained that he believed Anna would still be a viable candidate for ABI and said he would forward the information to the doctor/hospital in Italy. The very next day, we heard from the doctor in Italy. They offered to add Anna to their February surgery schedule. Only...the expense! But God is gracious, and through the incredible generosity of His people - some friends and family, some complete strangers- we have the means to make the trip to Italy and for the initial payment on Anna's surgery. In light of the miraculous things taking place, our family decided to say YES. So, on February 14, part of our family will be winging our way to Italy, while the rest of our family stays home. It has always been our hope and prayer that God would move in a supernatural way to heal Anna. An ABI would not have been our first choice - or even our second or third. However, it is Anna's only chance to possibly hear. We believe that only God can give hearing, but we also believe He can choose to work through doctors, science and technology. With hearing comes speech, literacy, and the opportunity to interact more independently in a hearing world. No matter what, Anna will sign. Anna will learn about being Deaf. Anna will thrive. Anna will learn. This choice is simply about giving Anna options and opportunities. As we have learned from the scripture, God choose the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise. We also see in the scripture that God sometimes allows affliction so that His glory would be revealed. We are praying that, through Anna, God will continue to draw people to Himself. We will keep the blog updated as we travel. Please keep us all in your prayers. Amy

Love, Pray, Give...Taiwan Weekend!

As many of you know, Lucy was adopted from Taiwan, where she was in the care of a missionary family who ministers in many ways, including by operating a very active crisis pregnancy center. The Taiwan missionaries were in the USA on furlough, so the families of the children who were adopted through their ministry came together for a weekend of fellowship and celebration with the theme of "Pray, Love, Give." Lucy and I enjoyed meeting the other families and sharing our story. We even got to participate in a cardboard testimony, which was very moving and special. Lucy is a precious gift from the Lord, and we are so thankful for her life!

Look, no teeth!

Just before Christmas, Anna's two front teeth abscessed and made her whole face swell up. Poor baby, she was SO uncomfortable. After two rounds of antibiotics, she was well enough to have her two front teeth pulled. She did GREAT. Anna is such a trooper - always compliant, always cooperative, almost always happy! Anna's new teeth may take awhile to come in, which may make speech therapy a challege for awhile, but she has the cutest toothless smile in town!

Merry Christmas!

We had a blessed Christmas season in West Texas. We enjoyed a get-together with my cousins, some of whom I had not seen in a few years. It was Lucy and Anna's first time to meet some of this extended family. Anna learned lots of Christmas signs: "reindeer," "Santa," "stocking," "Christmas tree," "wreath," "candy cane" as well as others, but the best part was that she learned to sign "Away in a Manger." (Actually, all the kids learned to sign it, and for what it's worth, Lucy probably learned it best!) I know Anna doesn't quite have enough language to have really understood the Christmas story this year, but it still feels like she learned not just new words, but words that truly matter. The weather forecasters predicted that snow would miss us this year, and in fact, the headline on Christmas Day was "Snow sure to miss area." That's what you get for shutting it down early! I insisted to anyone who would listen that we would certainly have snow for Anna's first Christmas, and yes, I said "I told you so!" to anyone who would listen when we awakened on Christmas Day to find our yard blanketed in white. We enjoyed spending the day with my brother, sister-in-law and two nieces. We are a family with five little girls! There is never enough giggling, dancing, jewelry, and sparkle. The flu made its unwelcome presence known (Amelia had it before Christmas, Lucy succummed Christmas Day, and I was down for the count a couple of days later), but overall, we had a joyful, merry, and blessed (no, you can't use that word too much!) holiday season. We have so much for which to thank our Heavenly Father, but even if it were just for this one thing - that He sent His son as baby into this world to dwell among us and to be one of us, eventually choosing to give His life in ransom for ours -- it would be more than enough. We hope and pray you know the love of the Christ of Christmas!

A special treat for Amelia

In one year's time, Amelia has become Big Sister Extraordinaire to two little sisters.  She has pretty much had to adjust everything in her life -- from sharing a room, to sharing her toys, to being driven to school by someone other than Mama.  She's had her moments, but mostly, she has risen to the occasion by being helpful, cheerful and tender toward the little ones.  Her greatest wish for a couple of years now has been to see the Rockettes.  So, for a combination birthday-Christmas gift, I made arrangements to take Amelia to New York City for a couple of days of fun right before Christmas.  My best friend, Melody, who used to live in New York went along to serve as our tour guide.  It was a whirlwind: the Rockettes, the New York City Ballet, Central Park, Mood and Parsons School of Design (for all you Project Runway fans), Chinatown, Times Square, and a Statue of Liberty sighting (we couldn't visit because it's still under repair following Sandy). We had a great time, and hopefully, Amelia will always remember the Christmas she went to New York. She still says she wants to move to Florida.

Another Anna update

Anna has now had all the testing done (ABR, MRI, CT), and we have a definitive diagnosis:  bilateral Michel's Aplasia.  What this means is that in the third to sixth week of gestational development, Anna's inner ears failed to form normally.  Anna does not have a cochlea on either side, and it appears that she also lacks functional auditory nerves.  With this diagnosis, Anna is not a candidate for a cochlear implant.  A cochlear implant requires functioning auditory nerves and at least some remnant of a cochlea.  In layman's terms, Anna is as deaf as you can possibly get!   We will be sending off Anna's medical charts to a couple of places for second opinions -- just making sure we are working with the correct diagnosis, since this is apparently a pretty rare diagnosis.  In the meantime, we are watching Anna develop and are amazed at how far she's come in a short time.  She is accurately identifying letters and colors.  She is beginning to string words together to express complete ideas. Her language is coming along.  She has even spoken her first word: Papa.  I have been reading about Helen Keller and all she accomplished with dedicated parents and teachers.  I pray the same is true of Anna.  She has the intelligence; let us be all we need to be to give her every opportunity for success, not just academically, but in life.