We're Home

Appointment Day

Hudson and Ben in holding area...it's too early! In his room after surgery

Ben's surgery went well on Thursday. He is now home and we are keeping him loaded down with tylenol and motrin for pain. He slept better last night, only waking up twice screaming out in pain. We are also praying for his mouth to heal correctly and to not have a repeat of his last surgery in December. With his first surgery, which we thought would be his only sugery for now, his palate opened back up with a small hole five days after surgery. By the time a week had passed the hole had grown bigger. Ten days after surgery we knew he would need another surgery and that the first one wasn't successful. Please pray with us that God will heal his little mouth completely and he won't need anymore surgeries. It is such a painful recovery with so many stitches in their tiny little mouths. Hudson is the son of a dear friend of mine,Sharon, who we found out just three days earlier would also be having sugery at the same time as Ben. We first met his family while they were waiting for a referral in 5/07. We had attended an adoption seminar at their church, where they spoke about how God had placed special needs children on their hearts. This was the beginning of our adoption journey for Shayle and God used them to speak to my heart concerning adopting a special needs child. Before the conference, I was very unsure if I would be able to take care of a special needs child. However, through the words they both spoke that day regarding special needs, God began to melt away my fears of a special needs adoption. We were in the very early stages of our paperwork at this time. As I prayed over the next two months, God confirmed to me that none of us are perfect but we are all made in His image and that He would equip me with what I would need to take care of a child with a need. And so our journey began to adopt Shayle. A few months later, Sharon and her husband did get their referral for Hudson. Shortly after, we both signed up for a secret sister gift exchange through our adoption agency. I was given Sharon's name to purchase gifts for her son, but more importantly to pray for their son, Hudson, who would soon join their family. I began to love this little boy and his family very much as I prayed for them over the next few months. I couldn't believe out of all of us who had signed up for this secret sis exchange, that I would end up with Sharon's name, someone who had changed my outlook on special needs adoptions. God had picked her just for me. He's not just in the big things of this life but also in the little things. Only He knew we would end up in the same hospital having surgery together with our little China Princes four years after meeting. God is so good! This hospital stay was so much nicer having these dear friends with us in the waiting room and then we were placed in rooms on the floor right next to each other. The hospital staff were surprised we knew each other, I think they thought we planned our surgery together...no but God did! So as you pray for Ben please pray for Hudson and his healing as well. Hudson will have to go back next Wednesday to have his stitches removed and will be put under with gas. Shayle also had a follow-up appt with the surgeon to see her progress since her second surgery last April. The surgeon was very pleased with her progress which is a BIG PRAISE for her!! For the first time ever she carried on a conversation with him, and he could understand her! She will NOT need any additional surgeries at this time. He will follow up with her again next April. For now, we will continue in speech twice a week. Since she was older when we adopted her and her palate wasn't repaired until age 6, she has had a lot more catching up to do with developing the English language and the fact she didn't speak much at all before age 6 proves how AWESOME GOD is to bring her this far in just 2 years! I'm very proud of all she has accomplished since coming home. Thank you for continuing to lift her up in prayer, it has made such a difference in her life. I am confident that one day you will be rewarded in heaven for praying for these kids who once were orphans, but they are orphans no more!

Cardiologist Appointment

We will take Shayle for her annual cardiologist visit tomorrow. Please pray with us that she will have a good report. She has not been gaining weight for a few months now and has been pretty tired each afternoon. She may be still adjusting to being in school all day. This is what we are hoping.

In two days, she will have been ours for two years! Wow, time has gone by so quickly since she came home. I will do a post on her with updates on Wednesday.

Ben and the rest of the kids are doing great. We are busy as ever but at least there's never a dull moment in our household! I will do a catch up post on the rest of the family soon.

Shayle's Surgery Update

God is so good! He is so faithful to supply us with all our needs. Shayle had such a peace about her this morning and I give all credit and Glory to God! We had prayed for her to have peace and not be scared when she found out she would be having another surgery. She not only was o.k. with it, she was very cooperative with the nurses and staff. In the past she would fight them just to have her hospital bracelet placed on her arm. Not today, it was as if God took her by the hand and walked beside her as she got ready for her procedure. Then He took her into his arms and carried her through her surgery. She was such a brave little girl and I am very proud of her!

She did very well during surgery, along with having her palate lengthened she had new tubes put into her ears. One had fallen out so we decided it would be best to put new tubes in while under anesthesia. She did well with her anesthesia and so far has only vomitted once. Much better than last time. She also woke up thirsty and drank gatorade for us while still in recovery. This is much progress, as last time she did not drink until the next morning.

Thank you for praying for our baby girl. Please continue to lift her up as she recovers!

Surgery Tomorrow

We will be heading to Medical City at 4 am for Shayle's surgery. Please pray for her to have peace and that she will not be scared. Once we get there I think she will realize something's about to happen. God sustained her through her scope a few weeks ago and I know He will help her to have peace tomorrow.

Please pray for: Shayle's doctors and nurses as they take care of her.
The procedure to go smoothly and be a success.
For her heart to remain strong and handle anesthesia well.
For her to have a quick recovery and do well post surgery.
For her not to have reactions to the anesthesia.(vomiting)
For her and us as we hand her off to the nurses. (very difficult)

I will update as soon as I get a chance. Thanks for your prayers!

Update on Shayle

Shayle will need another surgery for her palate, Z-Plasty. She will have her palate lengthened which will allow for her palate to close off when saying certain sounds, like c,k,s,g. She has made progress with speech twice/week but the palate just doesn't seem to be long enough. She has had a hard time with conversational speech. Her words run together and then she omits the sounds she cannot physically produce. We should see some positive results soonafter surgery. However, we will continue to see more results 6-18 months after sugery as the scar tissue softens and thins out, which will allow her palate to become longer. Initially, her speech will become harder to understand as her mouth will be swolen and very tender. She will not have speech for 6 weeks after surgery to allow time for healing.

She is scheduled for surgery Monday, April 19th at 7:30 am. Please be in prayer for her as we haven't told her yet. This surgery will be a weeks recovery with one night in the hospital. She will have four flaps cut in her palate. When she is finished her stitches will be in the shape of a "Z".

Thanks for praying her (and us) through!

Dr. Visit Tomorrow

Shayle will be seeing her surgeon tomorrow afternoon for an evaluation and to discuss surgery. We are in a dilema of not really knowing what to do. Her speech therapy and ENT both said it may be possible for her to improve her speech without surgery, with 3-6 months of additional speech. When the surgeon called me he asked me how I thought she was improving. I know she has improved but I'm around her a lot. However, she is still hard to understand sometimes. I of course do not want to make any decisions regarding another surgery. So we decided to take her to the surgeon for him to evaluate her.

Please pray that the surgeon's decision will be exactly God's will concerning Shayle. I don't want to put her through another surgery but if it will help then that is what we need to do. The surgery will not be the p-flap like I thought. He said he would recut the palate and tighten up the muscles and then stitch it back. That is why I'm not sure what to do, her palate is beautiful right now and I don't want to do anything that would mess it up. I know I have a very precise and intelligent surgeon who will do a good job. I have been praying for God to give him wisdom as he makes his decision tomorrow.

Shayle's Procedure

Shayle will have her scope done on Tuesday at 4:45. Please pray for her as this will not be a fun procedure and she can't be sedated. A small tube with a camera will be inserted through her nose and then the ENT will take a look at the back of her palate to see if it closes off as she says certain sounds. This is why she will have to be fully alert and can't have anything to relax her.

In the past, she hasn't responded very well when having her ears cleaned out as her tubes get blocked. She has gone through so much since being with us and I don't blame her for not wanting to go to the doctor!

Thanks for lifting her up. I will post the results after its over.

One Year Gotcha Day!!!!

Shayle on gotcha day 11/3/08



Shayle on gotcha day 11/3/09





Today marks one year since God blessed our family in such an amazing way. One year ago Shayle became our forever daughter! Her world as she knew disappeared into a distant memory as she was given a new hope and a new future. Just as in Jerimiah 29:11 The Lord wants to give us a future and a hope. Novemeber 3, 2008 the Lord gave Shayle a new future and a new hope. I never dreamed how well she would adjust to her new life and family, but God knew. He knew before she was born that she was created with a plan to become our daughter. All the glory and gratitude belongs to God who allowed us to be a part of His plan. We were changed forever as He placed this beautiful little girl into our arms one year ago today.

Shayle has grown so much in all areas since being home. She has such a sweet and kind spirit who can be shy but also be outgoing at times. She adores her brothers and sisters and really looks up to them. She misses them when they go to a friend's house and wants them to be home. She has grown very attached to her grandparents and looks forward to seeing them. She loves her mommy and daddy as if we were her parents since she was born.

She loves school and she is learning many new things. She absorbs everything being taught and puts forth her best effort in her schoolwork. She is continuing speech twice/week and making progress. We think she has come a long way since being here with us. We are very proud of her!

In the last year she has been through a lot of medical appointments and surgeries. She has undergone dental surgery, cleft palate surgery, tubes in ears, speech, dental visits, catching up on immunizations, cardiologist visits & tests, she has had strep throat twice and the swine flu. With all of this going on, I am thankful to God she has progressed as much as she has. Each time she gets sick, she loses weight. We have had to stay on top of her weight due to her heart issues. At adoption she weighed 27lbs and was 39" tall at 5yr 8mo old. Now she is 6yr 8mo and weighs 34lbs and is 42" tall. We are happy she is growing and doing so well.

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY SHAYLE!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Cardiologist Visit

Shayle's visit went pretty well overall. The doctor will call us back at the end of this week to talk with us once she has had a chance to review her echo pictures from last year to compare them to the echo she did yesterday. She travels to a small town nearby for patients who do not live in the DFW area. She is located in Dallas and all of Shayle's records and images are kept in that office.

We did find out that if she should need a valve replacement sometime in her life, she will have to undergo major open heart surgery. This news was devastating to me since we misunderstood at our appointment last year that she would only need a heart cath. to fix her pulmonary valve. The heart cath. would be to repair her large heart murmur. The dr. told us that sometimes kids will need this as they go through growth spurts. Sometimes they don't need it until they are adults. We will just have to continue to monitor her weight and activity level to determine when it will be time for the surgery. Everyday, since before we went to China to get her I have prayed for God to keep her heart strong and I'm asking you as my friends and family to please put her on your prayer list. I will post again once we hear back from her doctor.

Cardiologist Appointment

Prayer Warriors, Shayle will have her annual visit to the cardiologist tomorrow to check on her heart. Please pray with us that her heart will look great and that no additional tests or restrictions will be needed.

Shayle's 1st Day Of Kindergarten

Shayle started to school last week on Tuesday, September 8th. She is going to a half day program at Kids Central, where I taught for the two years before we travelled to China to bring her home. She went there in the spring 2 days/week. She had a good first week of school, but I think she would rather be home with mom. When I told her she was starting to school, she asked, "Is mommy going to school too?" When I told her no, she then held up two fingers and said "two days". I said no, you have to go five days like your brothers and sisters. She then replied, "Aw man". This is her new favorite phrase, learned by one of her older siblings.

Play Date

Last Friday Shayle and I had the opportunity to finally meet a family who has been close to my heart. We had lunch with my friend, Sharon and got to see Hudson for the first time, in person anyway. I have seen him in many photos over the last 18 months. Sharon adopted her son through the same agency that we adopted Shayle through. While we were waiting, a secret sister exchange began. I was given Sharon's name, who I had already met at a previous adoption seminar that she spoke at. I was very excited to be able to take part in praying for her and her family as they travelled to China to bring home Hudson. It was so nice to see him face to face!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Shayle had a special day yesterday at Disney's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. First, she went shopping with mom, Myranda, & Payton to pick out which princess she would like to be. Well, after narrowing it down, she didn't want to be a princess instead she wanted to be Minnie Mouse! She has always favored the color red, but she also loves Minnie and Mickey. She then went to the Boutique to have her royal treatment in Cinderella's Castle. She changed into her dress and then picked out her hair style, which she chose the Disney Diva style. This includes a hair piece to pin into her hair. She had several choices and she chose Pink! So pink it was. She then had the choice of nail polish, eye shadow, and lip gloss. She chose pink and blue polish and pink lip gloss. The Fairy Godmother's finished her hair, nails and makeup and then finished off her treatment with a princess tiara, sash and of course pixie dust. She had so much fun and I must say, she was the cutest Minnie Mouse around!

We then went to Chef Mickey's for dinner where the kids had a chance to take pictures with some of the Disney characters. We all had a great time!

One Year Ago Today

This photo was one of our referral photos, taken 02/08 just 3 months b/f we received her referral.

This photo was taken after Shayle's bath. She got a new pair of summer silk p.j.'s with panda's on them. Daddy and Mommy picked them out last summer before traveling to get her.

This is Shayle cheering for her sister, Myranda at her soccer game this evening.

Today marks one year since we received that wonderful phone call for Shayle's referral. I remember the day quiet well. I was busy cleaning my house when the phone rang. I thought to myself I would just let the machine get it so that I could get finished. Then as I heard our family coordinator from our agency speaking into the machine, I quickly ran over to pick up the phone. I was in a state of shock and excitement to hear her say, "We have a little girl on the shared list that I think your family may be a match for. She is five years old with a repaired heart condition. Would you like additional information and pictures to be e-mailed to you?" Of course I said yes, and then well that was the end of house cleaning for the rest of the day. I immediately turned on my computer and then called Darrel. We both fell in love with this sweet little face. However, we had always imagined adopting a little girl who would be three or younger. Her referral came just three days after Mother's Day, in which I had been praying and telling God that a referral would be the best Mother's Day gift ever.

In her referral info, we read that she liked animals, loved playing outside and lived in a foster family with several siblings. Well, we just happen to live on 40 acres with animals and 4 siblings! She even liked some of the same foods that were favorites of our other kids. God is so good. He not only created Shayle for us, He created her to like the things that our family likes. He does have a great plan for adoption, so if you are still waiting just know that God will bring your family together and it will be perfect!

Once we researched her heart condition a little further, we decided to lock her file on the shared list. This then meant we had 24 hours to get our letter of intent to adopt written along with some other paperwork completed and overnighted to our agency. Once you lock a file on the shared list, our agency then has to send our paperwork to China electronically within 48 hrs or the file will be released back to the shared list. This meant we had to act fast or we could possibly lose her file to another agency.

That night we continued to pray about taking an older child. My husband went to his men's bible study at church where they all prayed for our decision. All of the men in the group kept telling Darrel to take her. On the way home from church as Darrel was driving, he was listening to a Christian radio station. He wasn't really paying attention to what song was playing, he had his mind on this little 5 yr. old. When the song ended, a little girl's voice came on the radio and said, "Daddy, come over here and get me." Needless to say, this caught his attention. He still does not know what song had been playing and hasn't heard it since. I truly believe God will speak to us in whatever way will get our attention. After that moment he was convinced she was our daughter. Once he was home and shared this with me, God also confirmed in my heart that she was meant to be ours. We sent the paperwork in and six months later, we brought Miss Shayle Elizabeth Qiao Pierce home to Texas to be with her forever family. Thank You God for this sweet, precious daughter you sent to us!

Fun At The Park

Little Sassy Girl

I wanted to do a quick post and share some pictures of Shayle last week at the park. We had a playdate with Max and Vivi Jo. The weather was so nice and they had lot's of fun.

It has been very crazy around our house the past few weeks. This week is TAKS tests for 3 of my kids. We have been preparing for these so much and I am so glad it will end this week. Their is just too much pressure on kids to take standarized tests in order to be promoted to the next grade level, even when they have straigth A's on their report cards. Some kids just aren't good test takers when their is so much information running through their minds. It's during this time of year that I begin to feel like I should homeschool so that they aren't required to take them, but then reality sets in and I know it would be too hard to homeschool 5 different grades!

I am getting a little time away for a conference. I will be gone Wed. evening through Saturday. A friend of mine and I are attending it together. The main topic is "How to start an orphan ministry in your church/hometown." I am very excited as this is something God layed on my heart before we traveled to China. Please pray for us that we will be able to get an orphan ministry up and running and that God would be in the center of it to make it successful. We both feel like so many people who have thought about adopting haven't because they do not have enough information available to them. The conference will also discuss topics regarding the financial aspect of adopting both here in the U.S. and abroad. One of the sessions will be led by the CEO of AWAA, our adoption agency, who I am looking forward to meeting.

Please keep my wonderful hubby, who will be running around taking the kids everywhere, in your prayers and for the kids as mom is gone. I've talked to Shayle about me going on a trip and she says "no". I told her she can call me on the phone. Pray that she will do well for her daddy and not be mad at me for leaving.

Five Months Today

I haven't had a chance to post in a few days. Shayle has been recovering from surgery and my daughter, Myranda has been sick with pneumonia for the past week. She is getting better and hoping to go back to school on Monday. Today, my oldest son, Arron came home from school and went to bed. When I had finished dinner, he came downstairs with fever and a sore throat. This is how Myranda started out at the end of last week. Please pray for restored health in our family and that Shayle will stay well along with the rest of us who have not come down with anything.

Gotcha Day 11/03/08

04/03/09

Shayle enjoyed planting flowers with mom

Time has passed so quickly since traveling to China. What seemed like an eternity waiting for a referral and then waiting for approvals and then waiting for gotcha day to finally arrive, seems like a distant memory now. I decided to have Shayle wear the same outfit she wore the day we first met. She hasn't worn it since she took it off that first night in China. She really has filled out a lot since then. I could tell a big difference in how it fit when we put it on today.

As I sit typing this, Shayle has been sitting next to me eating yogurt. When she finished, she said "down" and then began saying it in her dialect from China. I asked her if it meant down and she said "yes." I asked her if she knew anymore Chinese words to teach mommy. She shook her head no. She is not only learning more and more English, but now she is beginning to translate her Chinese dialect into English. This will help her as she continues learning English. Who knows, maybe she will teach the rest of us some of her dialect from China along the way. I would love for her to be able to remember her language and to be able to tell us all about Shantou City, where she lived for the first 5.5 years of her life.

She has come a long way the past five months. It has been two weeks today since her palate was repaired, and she is doing great. I am so proud of how brave she has been through all of the medical appointments and surgeries since being home with us. Now, hopefully she will be through with surgeries and she won't think it is a normal thing around here. She did lose 3 lbs. over the weekend after her surgery. She has gained half of that back, praying the other half will be put on soon. Shayle has been more of a blessing than I ever could have imagined. I am so blessed that God chose me as her forever mama.

Magic Time Machine

We had a great time celebrating Arron and Shayle's birthdays at Magic Time Machine. Woody was our waiter and the kids had fun eating in the library. We went the night before Shayle had surgery.

Getting Back To Herself

Shayle is doing well at home. She has been able to eat soft foods and she is talking. Some kids do not talk for a little while afterwards because they have to get used to the way their mouth feels. We will have to wait 6 weeks before starting speech therapy. The surgeon wants us to wait until all the swelling goes down. She has lost 3 lbs over the past 4 days, which she should put back on once the soreness goes away.

I took some pictures of the kids in the blue bonnets, however Shayle wasn't feeling that great. These were outside my in-laws house. I used to take these pictures every spring of Arron and Myranda until we moved away from Texas.