Written Monday, April 15, 2019:

We are feeling more physically tired, but less emotionally spent than we did yesterday.

I spent the morning searching for some spring/Easter craft ideas, and reached out to my artsy friend again. She and Robyn have taken those ideas, communicated with each other, and managed to coordinate a couple more fun craft days with the kids at home. This has brought so much comfort to my mind and heart as I try to divide my attention between hospital and home. Now that I know they have these fun things to look forward to doing over the next few days, it has made it easier for me to just relax into hospital life and settle into a routine here with Lilyan as we move through what we pray will be our final days here.

Lilyan didn’t run fever again last night or today, and she seems healthier practically by the hour. This is so, so great to see and brings us such joy. Her next surgery is planned for Wednesday, but we don’t know what time, yet. We continue to pray that things will have healed enough for her doctor to close up her wound and remove the wound VAC, but they have assured us that, even if she can’t, they will be able to send us home with a wound VAC in place before much longer now that she is doing so well. It will mean more trips back here for other surgeries, but we can do that.

Lilyan’s final post-adoption report for China is due, and Scott spent the day working on that. As we filled out forms and went through old photos for this report, it suddenly occurred to us that this will be our last post-adoption report for anyone — forever. This is the official closing of a really major and precious chapter of our lives, and as much as I hate doing post-adoption reports, this brought a lump to my throat and a few tears. What an amazingly beautiful and agonizingly tough two decades this journey of adoption has been for us. I am amazed as I look back at those years, and it makes me anxious to finish our next book and share “the rest of the story” that follows our first book. Maybe soon. God truly does write the most incredible stories!

Lilyan spent the day learning to sew some simple stitches. She loved this little kit we got from the gift shop downstairs, and it was so fun to just have the time to enjoy doing this with her. What a blessing. I’ll end with a few pictures of her experience and, unless something unexpected happens tomorrow, I probably won’t update again until after her surgery on Wednesday.

Blessings to all!

Getting started

She took to this pretty naturally

Her facial expressions as she worked and thought so hard were so fun to watch – “The Faces of Concentration”