Gaining ground...

One month ago today we stepped on an airplane in China and began our journey home. What a month. It has flown and yet at the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago. It has been a blur. It has been busy. It has been filled with emotion. But we, by God's grace, are gaining ground. Overall, life with the V.Crew has been going really well. Glory to God.

I have finally been able to catch my breath now that 2 of the 4 (my busy boys) are back in school all day. Chloe is also gone until 12:30 everyday. I miss them. It has given me a lot of one on one time with Mia.
That has been good.
And exhausting.
Mia follows me EVERY where. She wants to be together AT ALL TIMES. And a part of EVERY activity. When sharing this with Steve, he wisely responded with a smile...it sounds to me like she is ATTACHED (be careful what you pray for.) =) Yep. I think so. And that is a good thing. Mia has also cried every morning when we have dropped Chloe off at school. And she has nearly knocked her over each day with her enthusiastic hug when Chloe returns. That is a good thing too.

It is hard to believe that we have been home from China for a whole month. Mia continues to understand more and more of what we are saying to her, but speaks very few English words. Her language acquisition is very much the same as it was with our other children. She will understand long before she speaks, the only difference is that she often has much to say to us in Mandarin. =) For now her spontaneous spoken English words include: milk, banana, baby, please, thank you, Mama, Baba (which is Daddy in Mandarin, so I guess that doesn't count), Caleb, Luke, Chloe, Nolan, Hi and Bye. That's it.

A few more things that we have learned about Mia over this last month...
1. She is terrified of cats.
2. She is terrified of dogs.
3. She ADORES babies and wants to gently touch every one that she sees.
4. She loves playing dress-up and tea party.
5. She misses her sister terribly while she is at school.
6. She does not understand that she needs to hold on when she is on a swing (which has resulted in a few crashes.)
7. She is very concerned when any of her siblings cry and she usually tries to tickle them into laughter.
8. When Mia tickles anyone she says "gicko, gicko, gicko"
9. She is self-concious of her smile and often covers her mouth for pictures (breaks my heart)
10. She loves listening to worship music.
11. She is a great helper with setting & clearing the table and folding laundry.
12. She loves to talk on the phone - give her a call, you just won't understand her (unless you speak Mandarin).
13. She has stopped her tantrums, but now occassionally will stomp her foot in protest - a great demonstration of progress & self-control, in my opinion.
14. She understands when I say, Mia you will not stomp your foot at me. And she stops.
15. She would eat ketchup on everything if given the opportunity.
16. She loves a new pair of shoes like a few other ladies I know. =)

We have had a lot more firsts that have been accompanied by many squeals of joy including...flying a kite, "airplane" rides, dancing to Go Fish really LOUD, eating popsicles and bike races. We have had many others that have been enjoyed "with caution"...like canoeing on the Wisconsin River, playing at the splash pad, dinner with friends, hanging from the monkey bars and getting tossed into the air by Daddy.

Mia continues to do remarkably well.
The Lord has been gracious to us.

I have to remind myself often of all that she has been through in her short little life...especially these last 6 weeks.

She is so brave.

I am certain that the Lord has great plans for her life...for His glory.

She has now been completely off of her medications for 3 and a half weeks.

Without.Any.Problems.

PRAISE THE LORD.

I am still in awe of all that He has done. When I think back to the countless prayers we prayed for her medical needs long before we met her, I am totally amazed. Steve often prayed for complete healing of her seizures. I NEVER imagined this is where we would be. Not even a hint of a seizure. Thank you Jesus. He is GOOD.

I need to say that the Lord would still be worthy of all my praise had Mia's medical needs not turned out this way. He would still be GOOD. And MIGHTY. And HOLY. And WORTHY. Sometimes the road has been smooth and sometimes it has been really hard. When we have been in the middle of the difficult times, the Lord has allowed me to see Him more clearly. In His mercy, He has drawn me closer than ever before. In those places, He has held me and comforted me. He has given me strength and peace. He never promised that it would be easy. More often I believe He has called us to do hard things. I trust Him. And today, I will praise Him for this miracle.

More than anything, I want to be sure that this is clear... The Lord is worthy of my heart-abandoned worship at ALL times. For Who He IS. For His sacrifice of His ONLY SON, His PERFECT, HOLY Son in MY place. Jesus took the wrath that I deserve. Because He LOVES me. Who knows that kind of love? He chose LOVE, so that if only I would respond to Him and place my faith in Him and Him alone, I could spend eternity with Him. And not only that, but to empower me, to give me hope and purpose and victory over sin for my days here on earth. For His Glory.
That, friends, is worthy of never-ending praise.

I've got a long way to go.

Enjoy the many faces of Mia Jane and some sweet moments for the girls...