In October 2012 our family's life changed in a big way when we added Anna Yinhuan to our family. She has blessed us with her spunky attitude, ability to adapt to any situation, and her determination to defy the odds. We can't wait to bring little brother Samuel home this fall and see what mischief and fun they will bring together to our soon to be family of 7!
I wanted to let you all know that everything went great today with Anna's surgery. Thank you for all of your prayers. The doctor was able to get her foot into position with only lengthening the Achilles. There was a possibility he would have to lengthen other tendons, but he didn't need to. We had them give Anna a sedative before she went with the nurses, so she didn't cry when we handed her over to them. Of course we both felt emotional, but we knew she was in good hands. She woke up quickly from the anesthesia and we were able to head home by 11am. By 12:00 she was eating snacks, crawling, and asking us to help her walk. She even got to go outside and enjoy the nice weather with grandma Gail. She'll have 4 weeks in her cast and then be ready for her leg brace. It is possible that in a few years she could need another surgery if the bones don't grow correctly, but she should be good to go for awhile.
Please continue to pray for the healing process and for patience and endurance as she learns to balance and walk on her own after her cast comes off.
Well it's been over three months since we returned home with our little Anna Yinhuan and what an amazing, chaotic, blessed three months it has been! I am still so amazed at how she has just joined right into our family. She acts just like any other two year old and her language skills are beyond amazing! No one can believe that she can speak as much English as she does and she's only been here three months. I'm pretty sure that neither of my boys had her vocabulary at 2 1/2 and they were born here! Sometimes the challenge is getting her to stop talking, especially in the car. She definitely wants the attention and tries to tell her siblings to be quiet or stop talking so she can be heard. In early December she easily transitioned to sleeping in her own bed at night, which surprised us. She really seems to like going to sleep. This is a huge answer to prayer because that was her biggest struggle when we first got her. She is learning how to play on her own with her toys and especially likes pretend play like dolls, tea party, and making us food at her little kitchen. She's still not best friends with Chloe our dog, but since she figured out how to boss Chloe around she's been pretty happy. With three older siblings it's the only "person" she can find to yell at!
Obviously I've had my hands full and haven't posted in two months. I'm still adjusting to life with a two year old and three older kids, I feel like we are getting more into the normal swing of life now that the holidays are past. This month has been full of doctor visits and castings on Anna's club foot. She will have surgery on Monday the 28th to clip her Achilles tendon and allow her foot to fully stretch into the correct position. We got her fitted for a brace for her right foot, which we should get this week and she will be fitted for a brace on her left foot after her surgery, before the put on her cast. Once she gets her cast off in 3-4 weeks she will have braces for both legs and be ready to learn to walk! We are getting so excited for her. Anna's right leg has gotten much stronger in the last few months and she is able to walk with us holding her hand, holding onto furniture, and with her baby stroller/walker.
Here she is just a few days after getting her first cast on.
Of course we had a great Christmas, and were so blessed to have Anna home for the holidays. I think Christmas day was a bit overwhelming for her but overall she did great with all the family gatherings and lots of new people. She wasn't sure what to think of getting so many toys all in one day, but she's enjoying playing with them now. She is enjoying the concept of actually having things that belong to her. She'll point to things and say, "Huan Huan de" which means- These are Huan Huan's toys. She still answers more to her Chinese nickname than the name Anna, but she is learning to respond to her English name as well. She sometimes calls herself "Banana" which is cute, and I can't help but call her Anna Banana sometimes. Anna's older siblings are still in love with her and big sister Esther often plays dress up dolls with her. We feel so blessed every day to be able to be the parents of four amazing kiddos, and the addition of Anna to our family has been a special blessing. She brings us incredible joy and her smile and courage in the face of adversity are an encouragement to us every day.
We would appreciate your prayers this Monday for Anna's surgery. Please pray that she does well under the anesthesia and recovers quickly from its effects. Also please pray that she would not be in pain from the surgery. Because of her nerve damage the surgeon thinks that she won't have a lot of pain.
