One hard week well worth the out come....

The Time it takes to help change a life..

Hello from the Hosptial...

Hey everyone!!Jo has had his heart repaired....It was a moderately big hole the surgeon said but he fixed it and not Jo is just recovering.
He is one tough Liberian...Everyone in ICU could not get over how he came from surgery with no medication to help stabilize his blood pressure and pulse. They said that 99% of babies come back with that medication but not our Jo...We got to see him at 11.00 at night and he looked good. It was kinda scary seeing the breathing tubes and all the wires and chest tubes but...he is fixed......
As we were leaving they told us that they would take the breathing machine off in the afternoon of the next day. We called at 7.30am and they said Jo was sitting up watching cartoons. He had started breathing on his own at 3.30 and so they took the machine off at 5.30...They said he is really doing incredible...We got to go see him in ICU at 9.00am and I started talking to him and he started crying really bad...I think he was hungry because for the past two weeks all I have done is feed him..So he probably heard my voice and thought hey she is the one that feeds me..
They let me feed him a bottle and he wanted more and so we fed him another one..We were going to leave until the next visiting time and they told us that he was doing so good that they were going to move him to a room...Mind you he was supposed to stay in ICU 36-48 hours..It has only been 12.
Our head charge nurse said "you have one tough little boy" his recovery is so not normal....
I guess looking at Jo's life he has had it hard and it exchange it has made him tough..
He woke up this m orning (Thursday) and is in alot more pain and does not seem to be as chipper as he was yesterday but he reaches for me and does not let me out of his sight if he can help it.
Have I told you how much I love this little boy? He is such a blessing to our life.
I wished I could send pics but when I get home I will.
I'm so thankful that God saw him through surgery and I can see the how he is changing lives through Joseph. I have had people walk in our room and want to know more about African adoptions and want to hear Jo's story..I tell it proudly...I'm so proud and honored to be his mom.....

I'll write more late and send pictures, please pray for him today as I believe it's going to be along one for us both.

grateful mom,

A day wondering what we did without Jo-Jo

I have to tell you I'm alittle nervous about the up coming days ahead with the surgery and all. I already Love Jo-Jo so much and I can't see our life without him.
This is a huge surgery and I know he will have to go through so much. I don't want to have to see him in pain. I know this will be for his good and he will feel better but I wished I could do this part for him...
I struggle with should I let his mom know that his surgery is on Tuesday.
I think I'm going to wait until it is over so I can send pictures of him before and after....I wonder if she is wondering though.
I know that this is the day she has waited for his whole life. It's here now and her worry of him growing up normal is at last going to be a reality.
He will have a chance to be a strong healthy little boy...I'm so thankful we got the the opportunity to help him, to love him and to be his American family....What a Gift.
I plan on taking pictures through out his stay in the hospital the good and the bad..so make sure you check in so you can get a up date...
Please continue to pray for him and Dr. Kirkland as he does his surgery.

love,
Robin

Take Me Captive Lord

Make me captive, Lord,
And then I shall be free;
Force me to render up my sword,
And I shall conqu'ror be,
I sink in life's alarms
When by myself I stand;
Imprison me within Thine armes,
And strongs shall be my hand.


My heart is weak and poor
Until it master find;
It has no spring of action sure-
It varies with the wind,

It cannot freely move,
Till Thou hast wrought its chain:
Enslave it with Thy matchless love,
And deathless it shall reign.


My will is not my own
Till Thou hast made it Thine;
If it would reach a monarch's throne
It must its crown resign;
It only stands unbent,'Amid the crushing strife,
When on They bosom it has leant
And found it Thee its life.


~George Matheson

Open Heart Surgery...

On Monday morning we go to the hospital and check in Joseph.
He will have Open Heart on Tuesday morning.
The Dr. said that Jo has a 7mm hole in the lower chamber of
his heart and that he could fix it.Thank the Lord.
It is scary thinking that he will have to have such a big surgery
but this is why he is here..This is why his mom gave him to us to get his heart
fixed and let him live a good life.I'm scared for him but I know that the Lord pulled
alot of strings to get him home with us and so I know he has LOTS of plans for this little boy.
He will be in the hospital for 5 days and each day he should get better and
feel better than he ever has. Because of the hole he does not have
the energy that most 18month olds have......They say we should
notice a big difference.
Please pray for him and us as we journey down this road to getting Joseph feeling better.
much love,
Rob

Home Sweet Home at last...

Having Joseph home has been just like welcoming a new baby.
We have to get to know his personality and what he likes and does
not like..
I'm trying to teach my older children that yes this has been very stressful
but when you look at Joseph you know it's worth it.
Every time you add a new child into your family it takes off another layer of
selfishness...It's hard..I have no time to feel sorry for myself or to get on the
phone for hours and talk about how hard life is. I have no time to go shopping
or just go hang out with friends. Now I know why God wants us to have alot of kids
because it keeps us at home and out of trouble..it's forces us to depend on each other within our family. It keeps me hanging on to my husband for his support and advice.
It's crazy around here right now.....You wouldn't think adding one more little boy
would shake things up so much but......it has.
Our world is changed our home has changed...all because of Jo and In the midst of
all the craziness I can honestly say I see God..I see him laughing at me when there
is food all over the place. I see him smiling when all I feel like I do is change poop diapers I hear his voice when I get scared he tells me that he brought Jo into our life for a reason and not to doubt him...I feel his grace and forgiveness when
I lose my cool or feel over whelmed... I see him growing Taylor and Tucker.. I see them rising up to the responsibility of helping us run our house-hold right now.
They too are changing diapers and holding crying little ones. They are being a comfort to their brothers and sisters and honoring Scott and I ..Having them
along side of me gives me incredible unspeakable joy.....
Alot of families I know try and take all the hard-ship out of their children's life.
Protecting them from all disappointments and not expecting their help...Scott and I have never felt like this was the thing to do. We have always taught our children that this life will disappoint you. Friends will disappoint you and yes even your family will not live up to your expectations....One day when you marry your spouse will let you down.....It's through the ups and downs of life that Christ grows us.
It's in the hard times that he waters us and shines his sunshine on us and helps
us to grow stronger and straighter....In his word it says that we should count it all joy when we go through trails and tribulations...because it's then that Christ says I have something to teach you through all of this.....
I pray that our family can and will be forever teachable. Not perfect just willing to learn from the great teacher Christ..........
I pray we continue to teach them that people or circumstances don't make you happy.
We have to put our trust in the Lord..We have had great times as a family. We have also had hard times as a family. We have shared it all with our children and they have grown right beside us along the way....My prayer is that when Taylor goes to get married and her husband struggles that she will be a support to him and lift him up .
I pray that Tuck will be able to put the needs of his wife above his own.....
After all we are supposed to put others first and how else will we learn this if everyone is always putting us first....How else will our kids learn this if we are always making their road smooth....or always making sure they never go through any bumps in life and then when they get married Bam here is this person that don't make everything alright for them......you get the point.....
I said all of that to say :
Thanks to my family for being the only people on this earth I want to go through hard times with..With you guys around it hardly seems hard at all..We will get through this and get Joseph better and we will look back and see God's fingerprints and see how much we have learned through it all....I love you..

Saying Goodbye to her son

As I watched her watch me with her son I found myself feeling guilty.
How can I be so happy and she is so sad. She is praising God that he will
get the help he needs and she tells me Thank you over and over again.
I tell her that I will take care of him and I will make sure he goes to school..
She again thanks me. I'm not looking for thanks I'm just trying to let her
know that I will be a good mama to him.
In every picture I have of Joseph she is wearing a sterling silver necklace and
matching ear-rings she has it on today as well. She takes them off and hands them
to me and says I want you to have these... How can she give me anything else.
I cry and she cryes and we hug each other. I will never forget her embrace for as
long as I live. I will never forget the way she held our son for the last time and
told him "Jospeh I love you and I want you to grow up strong and mind your mama and papa. Go to school and learn and never forget about your sister." I lost it..
I will never let him forget her I will remind him of her love and devotion to him.
She gave him life two times. She gave him up so that he would live and I know this.
She gave him up so that his heart could be fixed while hers would be forever broken.