Making Progress

Yesterday ended on such a positive note.... we went to a playroom and she began to crawl a little, laugh, smile and make jokes with her blankie... putting it on her head and then looking up at me to laugh. Again, she slept the 13 hours without a peep! She continues to be confused when she first wakes up but this morning, the tears only lasted 5 minutes and then she looked up at me with a big grin and buried her face in my chest... she does this over and over and it is so sweet. Kind of like she is looking to make sure it is me, that I'm still there, and then quickly puts her head down to snuggle.

We spent this morning at an old traditional chinese home/ tourist attraction, which was fun. We have been collecting gifts along the way to give Mei Sims each year as we celebrate her gotcha day... things representative of her heritage & culture. So today, we got her a chop set to give her maybe when she is 16 that has her chinese name etched on the bottom (like a stamp set but much cooler). I'm including a photo of the man making it because it was amazing. I feel like I have turned into a bit of a chinese tourist, snapping photos left and right of buildings, flowers, etc... but I want to have all of this so that I can paint the best picture possible for her one day about our time in China. For nap today, she wanted to fall asleep nuzzled under my arm and I was more than happy to lay there as long as she needed!

So that you have a better idea of what she is like, thought I'd give a few more observations about MS. She is almost 16 months old but acts more like a 9 month old and her clothing is 9 month old sized. She has absolutely no fanny! She is mostly silent but by the end of the day today, she babbled "da" several times. Every time she smiles though, she lets out the sweetest noise.... kind of like a happy sigh. Her muscle tone is amazingly low-- feels like a total limp noodle. We have photos of her standing but she has yet to do that for us.... and when we try and make her stand, her legs flop. She has been picking up puffs better and feeding them to herself but she hasn't quite gotten the hang of how to open her mouth for us to put a fork in with food. She has been very awkward to hold... as if she doesn't know how to be held/ hasn't been held much... and the same goes for feeding her bottles. She doesn't just relax but is in this leaning forward position which makes me have to use all my muscles... which is why she is in the carrier a ton. BUT, tonight she actually reached for me and wrapped her arms around me. It was awesome. She continues to HATE being bathed but we had to do it again today because she was getting stinky :) She actually sat on the floor with me today and played with a few toys... she especially liked my box of tactics. We really saw so much progress today that just made us smile.

My best friend from when I lived in china arrived today to visit with us for a few days and it was so great to see her. She is such a sweet friend and I love how the Lord continues to intertwine our lives over there past 12 years. I'll post a photo of her tomorrow but I found out that it is "National Women's Day" in china... so women only had to work a half day... and Mellary and I were both given roses at the restaurant tonight to celebrate. Kind of funny and random.

So, tomorrow is our trip to the orphanage. It will be a VERY long day as it is a 3.5 hour drive one way. Please cover this trip in prayer and sweet little MS.... that it would not be too painful for her. I will hold her close the whole time so she knows I am not leaving her and pray that she senses that. We will also get to see the spot where she was abandoned which seems hard to me just thinking about it but again so important for me to have that information to share with her one day. I will also be looking for babies of 2 mamas so praying that the director will let me visit with them. Thanks again to all of you who are bathing us in prayer.... it really means more than you can imagine.

(It may take 2 days to have time to blog about the visit since we will be late getting back & I have mellary here... I apologize if my thoughts are somewhat jumbled tonight.... I'm really really tired!!)

I wanted to leave you with the devotion that was in my inbox before i went to bed last night.... God's timing is amazing... I feel like it was written just to us about what we are witnessing with Mei Sims.


"The LORD looseth the prisoner" (Psalm 146:7).

He has done it. Remember Joseph, Israel in Egypt, Manasseh, Jeremiah, Peter, and many others. He can do it still. He breaks the bars of brass with a word and snaps the fetters of iron with a look. He is doing it. In a thousand places troubled ones are coming forth to light and enlargement. Jesus still proclaims the opening of the prison to them that are bound. At this moment doors are flying back and fetters are dropping to the ground.

He will delight to set you free. It will be joy to Jesus to give you liberty. It will give Him as great a pleasure to loose you as it will be a pleasure to you to be loosed. No, you have not to snap the iron hand: the LORD Himself will do it. Only trust Him, and He will be your Emancipator. Believe in Him in spite of the stone walls or the manacles of iron. Believe in the LORD Jesus, in the freeness of His grace, and the fullness of His power to save.