THINGS I'VE LEARNED....

Laurel has been here almost a year and a half and I thought I'd give a bit of an update on her progress. We we first felt the Lord telling us to adopt this little deaf orphan girl in a very far away place we were excited but as you can expect we were EXTREMELY nervous. Would she ever be able to hear, how would we communicate with her, what is her mental capacity, are there any more significant medical issues, will she get along with Noah and a whole host of other question ran through our minds. We truly believed that the Lord would honor our obedience to this call and work these issues out. Well I'd like use my little blog as a place of public praise to my Great God for the work that he has done in this little girl.

Here's where she is right now.

**She's gone only being able to eat mush to: Eating whatever you put in her path (especially Candy!!!)

**She's gone from having NO words or gestures (only screams): To speaking in 3-6 word sentences!!

**She has gained 11 lbs and 12 inches in a year (from 18 month clothes to 4T's).

**She LOVES her brother. Did I mention she LOVES him? She likes to dress him and has been known to try and wipe him when he needs help on the potty (and he's 4) :) Ah, boys!

**She went from not knowing what a Mama & Daddy are to: Saying "I love you" and giving hugs and kisses freely

**She went from NEVER laughing: To giggling uncontrollably

**She went from Rocking herself to sleep up on her knees: To, a pacifier and now mostly pacifier free!

** Oh and she's now 95% potty trained.

This little girl is bright, has a great sense of humor and loves her new life. We can't imagine life without her.

BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.