Six Months of Forever!

Six months. A blink of an eye and yet a lifetime.

How appropriate that Olivia and I celebrate six months of forever on the first day of the new year. A chance to look back at the blessings which we have already been given, and look forward with anticipation to those that are ahead.

In six months we have gone from tears and our broken "Chinglish" to joyful laughter and full sentences with a vocabulary that continues to amaze and impress me with the speed with which it is growing.

We have had dental surgery that led to root canal, extractions, and 12 caps; a broken leg formerly bowed but now straightened by 2 titanium rods (and the expertise of Dr. Dan!) and which for the first time matches the other in length; new glasses worn without battle; and an in-patient infusion of Zole (bone strengthening IV meds Olivia will receive every 3 months)...all with unending smiles and laughter!









We have sailed; taken road trips to Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville, and DC; moved; baked, baked, and baked some more; enjoyed and flourished every Wednesday night at AWANA; hung out with Steven Curtis Chapman; and, bonded via FaceTime and in person with cousins.














Olivia loves to sing (she writes most of her own music), pray, tell people about Jesus, study procedures and then play doctor, fold laundry and make beds (I'm still trying to get her to understand that calling me into her room at 3:30a because she can't get her quilt straight is not ok), swimming, reading, ice cream, going to the zoo, shouting "Go Buckeyes!", organizing, bubble baths, and telling me I am beautiful. I am regularly told to call her "Princess Doc Olivia."















Olivia has one of the most generous and compassionate hearts I have ever seen or been blessed to be in the presence of.

Through our six months of forever I have been granted a glimpse into the heart of our Heavenly Father. I have seen a new way of love, grace, patience, compassion, joy, and gratitude.















We regularly talk about and pray for her friends who are still in China and long for them to experience the love of family that we have found...(we would be happy to tell you about them if you'd like to have your life blessed like ours has...)

What will the next 6 months hold? Preschool starts next week, I will go away for the weekend on a retreat with some of the other amazing China Mommy's I've met on this journey, I will head back to China to love on kiddos still waiting for their families, there will be more doctors visits, lots of laughter, ice cream, visits to Shangdi's House (church - she gets so excited to go there!), and...we will see...

God is good and we are so blessed! Looking forward to more forever!