Blessed Beyond Measure

We have been blessed with this adoption to be part of a wonderful fair trade store called Once Was Lost. This store was made by an adoptive mother to help out Canadian families in the adoption process. With every purchase designated toward us, we recieve 50% of the sale towards our adoption, PLUS, every 25 dollars spent feeds a child in Africa for a week.


I love all of the products, they are funky and cool..and change frequently enough that their is always some new products popping up. 

If you are interested in purchasing please click on this link
http://oncewaslost.storenvy.com/

When you make a purchase please put our names  in the notes to seller box (Kevin and Jessica Leicht) when you are checking out.

more surgery

Last May, being only home two months, Noah had surgery to repair his cleft Palate(above picture pre-surgery)

We were told that cleft palate surgery is one of the most painful surgeries a child can go through. 

Three weeks of wearing arms splints, and six weeks of baby food was not very fun(sidenote:never, I mean never puree bbq pork chops-  you will never look at them the same again)

We learned today that Noah will likely need a palate revision.  This is needed in about 10 percent of cleft palate surgeries when a child sounds nasally, which in this case, is our Noah. 

On a brigher note, the reason we know Noah sounds Nasally, is that he is talking so much, very hard to understand, but talking, and that makes this momma's heart jump for joy.

I have learned(the hard way many times) that it is all in God's hands, not mine.  What a comfort that is.


Philipians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

A lifetime..with only a few minutes of love.

Have you heard what happens to children who are not loved...THIS is what happens to children with not only no loving family, but, truly no one who loves or cares for them. 
It is heartbreaking..but, ignorance will not fix the problem, nor, averting our eyes from the problems of this world will.
I imagine since this video was taken, this sweet girl now is in the arms of Jesus..running, laughing, singing...because her healing, her love of a family, of a father, came to her not in this earthly life, but, in her heavenly one.

Our appt at the adoption clinic!!

Today Noah saw the O.T to be assessed for his one year home.  He is pretty much age level for both fine and gross motor skills, and has made some huge gains this past year in these areas.

As for attatchment, well, Noah has attatched very well, he currently likes to know where mom is at all times, the last month has been a little out of sorts, so this would perhaps explain the anxiety in our little guy.

The hurdle that Noah faces has to do with his repaired cleft lip and palate.  Although both are repaired, Noah still has huge issues with his expressive language and articulation.  The doctor implied that we have some challenging  years ahead of us, including some pretty intense therapy.(which is not suprising)  Noah has such wonderful receptive language and is such a bright little guy, we always pray the best for Noah, and God's will be done in his life.

Noah is such a blessing in our lives, adoption is such a blessing for parents and kids. Adoption is not just a blessing for the adopted child but, for the family who grafts the child into their family.  Noah has taught me so much this year, about God's love for His children, he has helped me understand why God has called us to care for these kiddos.  Because of His love and sacrifice, he works through me and has allowed me the blessing of adopting our child.

Failure to Thrive

The term failure to thrive in our Canadian medical system is often equated with infants who are not meeting growth and developemental milestones.  In institutional settings throughout the world, we see children up to release(usually a mental institution or streets)who still would be labelled as failure to thrive.
Noah , came home delayed and put on  30% on his body mass in a year and added quite a huge amount of height( beyond what would be considered an average growth on the  curve for a child of his age.)
Sadly, we find 16 year olds the size of two year olds,  starved enough to not kill them, but, not allow them to grow or to develop.  Orphans we assume are toddlers are a few years older than they appear, not only physically but developmentally as well.
I encourage you to read the link below.  Brandon Hatmaker has written a wonderful post on Orphans failure to thrive.

Brandon Hatmaker - Failure to Thrive

James 1:27

 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

 

Our week in pictures...

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

 



 THURSDAY

 

 

 

It has just been one of those weeks.  So thankful my parents live near by..they were a HUGE help. 

 

1 Peter 5:7   Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

 





One year ago today....

One Year ago today, we arrived safely home with our sweet bundle in our arms.
















Thier were four very excited children, who had been without mom and dad for two weeks, and who were anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new brother.















In some ways it seems like less than a year...to watch any of your children grow and develop is a wonderful thing...watching Noah transform from a scared little boy...to a happy toddler has truly been a beautiful experience. 


I love the saying "thier are no unwanted children, only unfound families!!"  If only the families would realize this!!!!

Ephesians 1:5
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.