Blogging...Oh, how I've missed you!

It has been 5 months since I last wrote. Sophia is 2! She's big! She's been with us for a year already!

I have no good excuses. I'm back. I'm going to do this again! I am going to do this somewhere else, though. We've moved to a new format... a little more of a family blog, a little less of an adoption blog, with still a heavy dose of Sophia... Please join me HERE at Rouxminate!

Vacation Done, School Begun

Yep, my last post was 4 weeks ago. What have we been doing? The lake has been tops on the list, but we've had a little head lice, bat murder, school starting action as well. Yes, you read that right. Just to clarify and avoid America's Most Wanted, that would be the brutal killing of a bat (hairy, flying mammal) not a murder in which the weapon was a baseball bat.

So, the lake. First it was Lake Maxinkuckee in northern Indiana. We (girlfriends and I and kids) have escaped the suburbs for Sarah's family cottage for the past 6 years for a week of every summer. This year we let the hubbies come for the first couple of days. Then we sent them home - just in time for an 11:30pm appearance of Mr. Bat.

There were 5 women with 5 unlikely weapons (a laundry basket, a swimming noodle, a broom, a towel, and a cover-up), 10 sleeping children, and 1 very ugly bat. I had no idea bats were so disgusting until I had to tangle with one. Oh, and there was a video camera too! Sarah caught the final act of violence on tape for the world to see. Needless to say, I was given the title of Bat Slayer and I don't even feel bad about it. That's just how ugly they are. I don't even care that they eat mosquitoes. Seriously.


The next lake was my parent's place in northern MN. Lovely weather and warm water were highlights here. Cousin time was plentiful and my kids caught fish and swam like fish. Sophia, the trooper, loved the water wherever we went! No fear at all, and that's probably not awesome when you don't know how to swim. Hopefully by next summer we'll be able to let her actually walk off the dock!

Back in mid-July, most of the family had head lice, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Thank you, summer camp, for sharing such an enlightening experience. I can't believe how much I learned. Seriously, lice are a pain, but on the up-side, I got to spend hours and hours with my kids as I peered through their very thick hair. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Roux for helping us with that mess.

Finally, yesterday my kids went back to school. "WHAT! how can it be? Is it that time already?" you're thinking. No, actually it isn't. School starts in the middle of summer in Indiana - August 11. Just because school started, doesn't mean it should have. We are surviving, but just barely. The 95 degree days has me convinced that there is something wrong with this system.

Sophia is adjusting back to routine. She's crabby a lot right now, which is probably our own fault for messing with said routine so very much lately. She continues to be particularly fond of me and would prefer to always have my undivided attention. As we are not supposed to isolate her (like put her in her room/crib) due to possible abandonment issues, we are looking for creative ways to eliminate whining and promote independent play. Any ideas? Share, please!

In this photo of her and Marcus, it's pretty clear how she feels about the start of school. I get it, Sophia. I get it.

Grandma and Grandpa Roux In Town

This past weekend was full of fun. One of my students from Summer Project a couple of years back got married here in Indy. The whole family traveled that summer with SWERVE and loved Lindsey. It was very fun to celebrate with her and Cody as they started their lives together! Here's the family all gussied up...

We also had our street over for a cookout. We have fantastic neighbors.

I have been meaning to include some video of some current Sophia action for a while. Here we have two different episodes in one video. First we have Sophia imitating our Summer Project vocalists. She watched enough rehearsals to know what a microphone is and how she would use it. She also is working on her stage presence and gestures. She even makes very cute use of a prop on this living room stage. You'll see a special appearance by "Blanket" and "Plastic Bacon".

The second part of this clip is one crazy morning of randomness. We weren't sure what was going on, but Sophia had a need to move and groove and laugh and talk. You'll see a little of what we see all the time in our sweet Sophia personality. What a fun kid!

Also, David's folks are in town. It's great having them. Today, Fran, the kids, and I took in Sahm's Park Pool for some relief from the 90 degrees. Fran even went down the crazy tube waterslide (after much coaxing by Lauren). Tomorrow, after Marcus' football camp (he's in heaven), we might take in the Children's Museum or shoot B.B. guns. We'll see who wins!

Happy Half Birthday Sophia and Happy 234th Birthday USA

Yep, Sophia's half birthday is on July 4th! As we didn't get to celebrate with her on her 1st birthday (we got her 2 weeks after she turned 1), we are thinking we might have to do it up a bit. And this is her first Independence Day as an American citizen also, so we've got a lot to celebrate! We'll see what I can come up with.

We've celebrated Marcus's 8th birthday this past week with the "Water Battle Birthday Bash." We're also getting ready to send our four project bands out on the road. Their dress rehearsals are Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings in Westfield, IN. It is already July - how did that happen? The kids start school in about 5 weeks. Not cool, at all. And my sister is going to have her baby! - probably on Monday. Woohoo! You can do it Nikole.

Overall we've been terribly busy, although we've been home much more over the past week. I've actually contemplated reading a book. I haven't actually done it, but I got as far as checking a couple out at the library. Maybe I'll get there. Lauren finished her first old-school Nancy Drew mystery (that's a tribute to you, mom/Grandma Zellmann). And I have been forcing Marcus to read too. He thinks I'm a tyrant.

Another fun thing going on is actually happening in my friend Amy's life. She and her husband Trent are beginning the adoption of some babies from Africa. I totally get how daunting that all is! If you could pray for Trent and Amy, that would be fabulous. To raise funds for the blessings, Amy, a creative jewelry maker, is launching a new line of her cool silver solder necklaces. Look her up here! If you're in the Indy area and would like to host a show in your home or office, she'd love to accommodate!

Have a fabulous 4th of July!

Poop on the living room floor

Yep, she did that. I had to run to the backroom for wipes. I was gone for almost no time. Upon arrival back in the living room, I found Sophia in the squat position next to the love seat. Jokingly, I said, "You better not be pooping over there, Sophia!" Well, when I picked her up, there was a golf ball sized carpet deposit! Thanks, honey. Seriously, why do people own dogs?

This week at the Roux house, we are spending a lot of time at Keynote hanging out with students. I really like college students. They make me laugh, I learn things from them, and I think God just made me to like them. I love to see how their lives change. It seems like college students are in the perfect place to grow and change and revolutionize their worlds. Over the weekend, the whole family went on the "Story Retreat" which was a 24 hour time to get away with the students who would be sharing their stories this summer. Tess was one of the students that came with us to hang out with Sophia while David and I worked. Sophia loved playing by the little lake, swinging on the baby swing, and eventually really warmed up to Tess.

Anyone in the Indianapolis area July 4, 5, or 6, join us for the students' dress rehearsals. They will head out on the road for the following 2 1/2 weeks, but these shows get them ready to go. I will post more on that later.

Father's Day was busy. Poor David didn't have a moment to put his feet up all day! He is a really great dad though. We'll have to properly celebrate him some other day! Here's the 2010 Father's Day card:

Summer Fun

Our life is so full now, but full of such fun things that I must tell you about them! Yesterday I met some friends and their kids for some time in the park at a spray ground. The water was nice as it has been toasty in Indiana. Sophia would stand near the holes in the cement that periodically spout water just minding her own business. Then the water would spurt into the air all old faithful like and she'd cover her head and look offended. It was very cute actually. Poor kid, at least 5 other mommies were getting a laugh out of how adorable this routine was. She eventually became accustomed to the ordeal and enjoyed it almost as much as the spectators.

After an hour of playing in the park, the adjoining creek was discovered. We've had a plethora of rain lately so all the creeks and rivers are running fast and full. How fun was this! I tried hard not to think of the snakes that could be slithering in and out of the stream. The kids loved exploring the banks and islands and "rapids." Sophia desperately wanted to be in with the big kids, but this picture shows how close she got.

Over the past week I've been collecting some video to share. Here's a sampling of a very giggly girl! Her laugh is catchy!

Sophia's first trip to the pool

When we got to the YMCA this afternoon, the sun was shining and it was 92 degrees! Perfect pool weather. We lugged our big bag of "necessities" to an open lounger and put the swim diaper on. Lauren and her friends Cana and Regan were very excited to introduce Sophia to the 0 depth kiddie extravaganza. You can see by these photos that she was not scared or timid about the whole encounter! I really think she could have spent all day exploring the sprinklers, the fountains and just how deep she could go and still lay down on her tummy. Thankfully she didn't freak out when she misjudged this a bit and got a mouthful of pool water!

Within 15 minutes of our arrival, the clouds rolled in and the sky got dark and the wind picked up. Everyone began to leave the pool, but not us! We stayed until the thunder was heard and we were chased to the indoor pool. We had to get a couple more photos!

Sophia was completely happy inside, as well. This girl likes water a lot! Every time we had to get out for some reason she would reach longingly for the edge.! I have another Marcus on my hands. She doesn't have a clue how dangerous the water is, but instead, thinks the pool is her new best friend. Already twice, I caught her going under the water for a second , as happy as can be. No sitting around on the edge of the pool reading magazines for mommy this summer.

Another Visit to Dr. Sadove - 2 months out

On Monday we saw the good surgeon for another follow up visit. He looked at Sophia and said, "she sure is cute, but I'm not really satisfied with my results." Honestly, we were expecting this. We aren't entirely satisfied either - or at least we had expectations that it would look even better than it does. It's been hard to know though, because my expectations typically get me in trouble.

She sure is a cutie though. He and we expected the lip to be smoother, without the mildly off center notch (coincidentally, or not, right beneath the spot where she developed her hole a while back which has closed completely thank the Lord.) I believe our surgeon's desire to get it perfect would have Sophia in surgery within the year, but we are going to wait to determine that until the fall once all the redness and healing is completely done. Previously, we anticipated waiting until she was 4-5 year old to do a second surgery, which still may be the case, but we will see. Yet again, a good lesson in 'it's good to hold things loosely'.

Besides all this Sophia is doing fine. She is comfortable going up and down the stairs, is attempting a lot of words (still not quite accomplishing very many, but it's cute to see her try!), and is generally communicating really effectively. Yesterday we were playing on the floor and I asked her if she wanted to go "nigh-nigh." She nodded her head, got up from the floor, picked up her blanket and walked down the hallway. What a good kid! On that note, she is an excellent sleeper, both at night and for her 2 naps every day. She doesn't make a peep when we lay her down and generally wakes up happy, playing in her crib. We are some very lucky old parents. The no-sleep thing would have been hard to readjust to after years of big kids. Our friends who adopted a little guy, Ethan, when we did are struggling a ton with getting him to sleep, so we are definitely counting our blessings!

Today is Lauren and Marcus' last day of school! What a wonderful feeling - no more homework. Marcus will be in 3rd next fall and Lauren moves up to intermediate school as a 5th grader! The goals for the summer: teach them to do their own laundry and get them to read every day. Does anyone have any tricks or good reward ideas?

In the mean time, David and I are very busy getting ready for students to come for our summer mission project at Keynote (where we work). Crazy yet fun all at the same time!

Sophia is getting molars?

The drooler, code for Sophia, is at it again. She is cutting teeth. She currently has 2 on the bottom and 2 on top, so we've been keeping our eyes on the next 2 on the bottom - they look like they are on the verge. Well, at supper tonight, David said he thought he felt something a little further back. I stuck my finger in to her reluctant mouth and proceeded to get bit! from the top and the bottom! Sure enough, she has all 4 of some big teeth on the sides. This is not the normal order, so I am not sure what's up. I'll be investigating this tomorrow with my friend Angie, the hygienist who's coming for lunch. No wonder she does such a good job chewing meat. Who knew?

Things are going great here at the Roux house. Sorry I've been so lax in blogging. A lot of fun stuff's happening, but we've been rather busy. There are 8 more days of school left (woohoo!) and the kids are feeling the itch to be done. Sophia experienced her first campfire on Friday with some good friends. No camping, as sleeping outside isn't my favorite without a 1 year old. That will have to wait a couple years. She loves to be outside and she loves s'mores so she had a blast.

Sophia enjoys the stairs. She likes to go up and down and sit on them and walk really close to the edge of them. She has the most experience with the carpeted, inside ones, but today she was all about the cement front steps (In my brain I have visions of a bloody lip, a screaming baby, and a trip to the ER where they tell me I'll just have to let it heal again.) She wiggles in my arms and attempts to launch herself out of my grasp if I attempt to carry her up or down stairs.

Right now, some of her favorite things: music and scrolling pictures on the lap top, her stuffed puppy, and "winking" (very cute 2 eyed squint with a .2 second grin). Her lip is healing. She is a touch asymmetrical and there is still a bit of a scab where the hole used to be, but otherwise, she is starting to look pretty good. I included a close up photo so you could see the progress. Continue to pray for healing. We will see the surgeon again on Monday.

Retreat for Me, Angel baby for David

Today, Sophia is 16 months old. As I predicted a couple of months ago, she is a walking machine!

I went on my retreat from Friday to Sunday. It was fantastic...girls were authentic and open, bonding was happening at every turn, there were a lot of tears, and we got very little sleep! All you could ever want in a retreat, right? Seriously, this is my 9th small group retreat in 9 years. This may have been the best one yet. I love these girls!

An interesting thing I learned while listening to these 18 great high school girls share their stories: Middle school stinks if you're a girl. That's where all the wounds are made. Good to know. Lauren will be entering 5th grade at Riverside Intermediate in the fall. Note to self: love your middle school girl like crazy.

While I was retreating, David was holding down the fort here at home. He always does a wonderful job when he gets to stay home with the kids. They sleep a little less, eat a little worse, and have way more fun than with Mom. How Sophia got wind of this Dad weekend mentality, I am not sure. She sure understands more than we give her credit for. She slept til 8 each morning, ate good, napped good, didn't make a peep at night, and the kids fed her breakfast while David slept.

It's like they know. They know when mom's there and that she'll just take care of business. Let's just take it easy on Dad, though. Let him sleep in! (I haven't slept in since January! I may have to make that my mother's day request!) OK, enough whining! I'm actually thrilled that things went great in my absence. Sophia adores her siblings and her daddy and it is wonderful to behold!

Walking Proof

Here is a video of Sophia walking around the house. It was shot on Tuesday. She actually is walking even more now. As you will notice in the video, she is having a little trouble keeping her pants up. She has no hips, butt, or anything to hold them up so we usually stick to leggings. Today she's actually wearing a pair of shorts that are 3-6 months! They fit this 16 month old perfectly! We are a bit worried that all this walking (sometimes running) will cause her to lose weight. I guess we'll have to butter the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and add a side of cinnamon roll.

If you think of me this weekend, pray for my time with my small group girls! - and maybe for David at home with the kids all weekend too! I know God will show up. He always does.

Life Continues...

It has been too long since I reported in! It seems that when you receive a baby and home-life becomes crazier, the rest of life should be put on hold, right? Nope. Life keeps happening.

One of those involvements over the past 9 years has been with a high school girls' small group from my church. Every spring, my co-leader and I host a small group retreat. This is such a fun retreat where we all grow closer to each other and to Jesus. It also creates a bit of busyness that is mildly complicated by the wonderful presence of a 1 year old! The retreat is this weekend, so I am really feeling the rush and demands of my regular old life. It doesn't slow down!

Sophia has lost her plastic nose place holder thingy. It came out a week ago. The stages were kind of funny to watch. First, it just started to descend a little at a time until it was almost touching her lip. She looked funny, but didn't seem to notice its presence.

Next, last Wednesday, one of the sides popped out. At first, this didn't seem to bother her either, but that afternoon she woke up from her nap very crabby. She kept brushing her hand against her nose (which she never does if she can help it.) She was so irritated by it that she allowed me to give it a slight tug and out it came!

The hole seems mostly closed at this point, but the healing continues. Slowly but surely her upper lip is returning to normal!

Sophia is walking all over the place these days. She prefers walking to crawling and is adorable doing it! Her arms are outstretched and often she's jabbering and drooling away! She is ridiculously fond of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and can eat a whole one! She's a huge fan of this little puppy in the picture and hugs it and gives it love with such enthusiasm, all the while making her very own "woof, woof" sound (mostly just an "F" sound.) She continues to enjoy the trampoline and the outdoors in general. Today, she was introduced to the Little Tykes sedan. She and her puppy loved it and didn't want to get out...until, of course, a ride on the trampoline was offered.

Broken Glass

I got the opportunity to go to a morning writing seminar today! As I like to write, this was a treat. Thank you, Cheri, for hanging with Sophia.

One of the activities in the seminar was to write a story in 6 1/2 minutes that happened in the past six days... Here is what I wrote: This happened yesterday!

I was scurrying around the kitchen, hoping to get the dishwasher unloaded before Sophia began to fuss. On my tip toes, I shoved my favorite baking dish and its lid on the top shelf of the cupboard on top of another dish and moved along to the next rack. About 2 minutes later, in a flash of sound, the dish and its cover reappeared in my life with a CRASH and shatter as pieces that looked like thousands of tiny (and not so tiny) diamonds flew everywhere – really everywhere! Kitchen, hallway, stairs, entryway, dining room, even under the piano in the living room! How did pieces get all the way in there?

So often, I work in the kitchen with Sophia at my feet, often standing right there at the dishwasher playing with the silverware. Miraculously, this time, she was in the next room! Not for long though…wanting to investigate the ridiculously loud distraction, she came crawling intently through the debris, so I swooped her immediately up, shook off the glass, and took her to her crib to wait out the extensive and potentially painful cleanup process!

To wailing in the background, I began…there was glass in the cupboard, in the sink, in the dishwasher, in the silverware tray, on the counter, under the rug, on the hardwood, on the carpet, and everywhere it could possibly find a way. I shook rugs, swept, and vacuumed, all to the accompaniment the confused cries. Finally, after 35 minutes, I was done – and so was Sophia – actually, she was done at the beginning!

Another Visit to Dr. Sadove

We had a another follow up visit today with our lovely surgeon. He thinks all is well.

Sophia's little plastic nose place holder is coming out (I wish I had a good close-up photo for you! Maybe tomorrow!) This was put in at the time of surgery and should come out sometime on it's own. The good doctor said that it is actually kept in with a stitch. So, that is why it isn't coming all the way out! It looks like it will soon, but that stitch needs to deteriorate or get snipped.

So, we are hoping it will take care of itself. If it doesn't, the current plan is to do a quick 15 minute snip in a month. This will require anestheasia (BOO) but a pretty mild dose. I am not sure I can handle a whole month of it hanging there... It looks a little funny, and Sophia doesn't seem too comfortable with it either.

This is mild compared to a hole in her lip or a 104 degree fever, but it is what it is and where we are at today...a plastic place holder! The saga continues!

I need my bed!

Sophia's Trampoline Fun

The hole in Sophia's lip still seems to be closing. She officially cut her front two top teeth this past week. Her hearing seems normal (she was tested this past week.) And she has discovered the joys of the trampoline.

Now, this new trampoline was a birthday gift for Lauren and Marcus from us and from the grandparents. We knew they would love it, and they have not disappointed us! Lauren has been practicing her gymnastics, and Marcus has been entertaining every friend on our street on his trampoline.

Sophia is just as enamored with it as her siblings. And she expresses herself with squeals of delight as I try to not worry that she's going to smack her lip... here's the footage I captured this morning:

Sweet Springtime

I am sitting on my deck looking out over my baby leaves and green, green grass breathing the most amazing spring air. Oh, and birds are tweeting, I have coffee (french vanilla, I love you!), and a coconut chocolate chip cookie from Paradise Bakery (these are amazing, and Vicki knows about my love affair with them and enables me. Thanks Vicki! How do they make them so good?) It is good to sit quietly while a 1 year old naps!

We have had such a fun week! Spring break felt a little more like summer break at times as we had a lot of 70 degree days! That meant a lot of time outside breaking in the new trampoline (birthday gift that I think will keep on giving). We also had the fabulous Zellmann grandparents in for the weekend. Everyone enjoyed this and Lauren, was thrilled (understatement) by the surprise stow aways, Helen and Claire Hale (cousins from Wisconsin).

Sophia has been very busy as well. She has also been enjoying the outside and seems to like everything we introduce...except the second half of the run I took her on last night. For the first 15 minutes she was completely enjoying the novelty of the stroller - talking and laughing and waving at her brother and sister who were on their bikes. Then, she decided it was time to be done. Well, we were, at best, 10 minutes from home. I hope the nice folks in that lovely neighborhood didn't mind the screaming baby in the red stroller. I know I didn't care for it much and sprinting with a stroller wasn't my favorite either. "We're almost home baby!...pant, pant...The itsy-bitsy spider...pant, pant...just a couple more minutes...pant, pant...look at the puppy dog!...pant, pant..." all to the tune of "WAAA, WAAA, WAAAA!" The kids rode on ahead. I think they might have been embarrassed.

Sophia is really walking a lot these days. She even likes to stand up on the trampoline (scary). She loves to bounce, but hasn't mastered the stand and bounce yet. Her lip does seem to be healing slow but sure. We won't see Dr. Sadove until next Monday, but it looks a teeny-tiny bit better every day. Although Sophia did warm up to her grandparents and cousins rather well, she has been pretty needy for me these past few days and hasn't slept well. This, of course, hasn't been my favorite either, but yesterday Marcus said, "maybe she's getting another tooth, Mom." Well, I dismissed it at the time because what does a 7 year old know about these things, right? but this morning, I think I may have spotted something trying to come through on top! We'll see. It also may be my imagination.

I was thinking at the beginning of my time on the deck about the past months. Really, I've never had a time in my otherwise very cushy life that has had as many struggles and stresses. Or perhaps as much joy and pain. Adoption is amazing and trying at the same time. Kind of like a 1 year old in general. I don't think I'm particularly good at 1 year old parenting either. But as I read in the Bible this morning, "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction." I am so often stupid in this way! Not that I'm being punished with difficult or stressful things, but I have been very aware through this that difficult things are like discipline and they train me. How I respond or react to challenges reveal where I need correcting. It is good. I want to never stop learning even though I sometimes hate the process! As I said at the beginning, it is good to sit quietly while a 1 year old naps!

Happy Easter Happy Spring!

So much has happened this past week. A week ago, we found a hole in Sophia's face that was supposed to be stitched shut. The roller coaster of my life hit a low spot and I was so very anxious. After talking to the Doc and thinking for a couple days, we started back up the hill.

Now, I really think the hole in her face will close. It hasn't yet, but it does seem to be getting smaller. She still looks pretty messy, but it gets a tiny bit better by the day. The doctor saw us again on Monday and was pleased with Sophia's progress. He did admit that my alarm over the hole was not an over reaction and that he was actually puzzled over the fever too. We will see him again in 12 days. Lately, she has had a couple of really happy days. What a fun baby she is!

Spring break has been going great at the Roux house. Easter service at Grace Community Church was amazing. Lots of people placed their faith in Jesus for the first time and worshiping with 1500 people was wonderful. He is mighty to save.

The kids got a trampoline for their 2010 birthdays, so that has been a huge hit. Lauren actually turned 10 on Easter. We've had 80 degrees a couple days in a row, the grass is green, and we're in the middle of a good thunderstorm - we didn't even have to leave Indiana.

We've also had a good friend Neil Downy in town for a conference, so there's been a lot of staying up late and talking. Neil and his wife Jenny knew David and I before we knew each other back in college.

Tomorrow, my parents will be arriving for supper! Very exciting. The kids have been talking about it all week. The funny thing is, they don't even know the half of it - my mom and dad are bringing their cousins, Helen, Claire, and Edward Hale, along with them. We are not going to tell them until they arrive! I will try to capture that moment on film... should be fun!

Trusting and Hoping

The trickiest part of the last 48 hours has been coming to terms with the fact that we can't do anything but watch and wait. We are not in control. We cannot heal. We cannot know. We can only pray and trust and hope. I am more of a doer usually. And, as a woman, I am especially fond of control (Eve). Can any of you relate? This is, yet again, an excellent exercise in surrender. Thanks, I guess.

So, today was tiring as it was the first day of spring break and everyone was home. And I mean everyone. At one point there were 12 children on our property. I only have 3. There was a water fight, a nerf gun battle, and egg dying on the deck. It was 80 degrees! That felt fantastic. Things were busy, Sophia was needy, and I, of course, was her necessary prop. As usual, as the day wore on, she got happier and happier. She loves the evenings. So tonight, I decided to capture some action in the pink and white sleeper:

Here is the girl working on getting to know some of her grandparents. My mom and dad are coming down in a week, and I thought they should get acquainted, so their picture has been moved to Sophia height on the fridge. She usually points at the picture when I say, "where's Grandpa and Grandma?" Then, out of no where, she threw some letters around and this is what she came up with! She's brilliant. I tell you, we're starting calculus as soon as her lip heals.

Sophia was extremely affectionate today too. Sometimes, when I ask her for a kiss, she'll give me the customary baby kiss/lick. Sometimes she just looks the other way, like, "Nope. Not today, Mom." Well, today she was trying to kiss me all the time! It was very cute and very wet. This evening after a particularly wet kiss, she wiped my face off for me. I could hardly stop laughing.

As I wiped up some diet coke I spilled this afternoon, I noticed that she was doing the same! She was imitating the exact motion on her hands and knees next to me. This photo is staged, but I spilled some water on the ground again and started wiping and she jumped right in again. So cute. Man, I love this little girl.

A Starbucks Rendezvous With A Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Sadove is sublimely kind. To ease my anxious heart, he suggested I come and see him for a moment in the hospital Starbucks (yes, this was one swanky hospital - only in Carmel, IN or maybe Beverly Hills). Not really a check up, but more of a see-if-we-need-a-check-up meeting. So, Sophia and I went to the Starbucks, looked at some books (as you should always do when in a coffee shop,) and met up with the good Doctor.

He wasn't worried about the hole in her above the lip area near as much as I thought he would be and said he thought it would come together in a couple of weeks. Phew! Now, I must say, Dr. Sadove is the most laid back, chill doctor I have ever met, so I wasn't entirely surprised. I do trust him very much as a doctor though, and I'm sure he would never give me false hope. So, we wait and keep cleaning it and hopefully get to watch God do His thing as He knits flesh with flesh over the next couple of weeks.

On a side note, baking gingersnaps is an excellent way to cope with stress. Lucky kids coming home from school! Spring Break is here, and I guess we are celebrating with hot gingersnaps! Wonderful. Keep praying for healing.

Praying Friends, We need your help!

Just when we thought things were settling down, we have another concern. Could you please pray for supernatural healing for our Sophia's lip? As of last night we discovered that this one area beneath the right side of her nose is not knitting together like we thought. When we got some of the dried blood off, there is hole there that wasn't there after surgery.

The doctor says there is nothing to be done right now. It may close on it's own or it may not, but we can't take care of it for 6 months or so either way. We will see him on Monday, and he'll be able to make a better assessment then.

In the mean time, could you pray that God would do two things: Heal, heal, heal! and calm my heart. I'm anxious and sad. I just long for normal again. Thank you for praying.