Just the thing...

Prizes galore! I really love all of my wonderful surprises, especially the puzzle bug book, and of course, the fancy princess lipstick!

Thanks so very much Yi and Uncle Ron-you made my day!

Love, Peace, & Cookies...

Maggie Grace

Learning Curves...

With sunshine and temperatures near 60 degrees yesterday,
Maggie and mama made a "break for it", so to speak.
Cabin fever be danged!
No matter that there was no specific agenda or destination.
A world of possibilities awaited our discovery on the miles of open road before us.
Atlas of the Southwestern U.S.? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Full tank of gas? Check.
Okay, so maybe Sante Fe will have to wait.
But we did make it out. Together. By ourselves.
Just us girls.
On our first outing since surgery two, (which happened to be a week ago to the day).
Not such a big deal, before the spica;
However, now requiring highly detailed planning and just plain 'ol grit!
Just getting out the door presents some challenges.
Every day, we are learning how to better manage these challenges so
Maggie can have as much "independence" as possible, be as comfortable as possible,
and heal as quickly as possible.
Improvisation is key.

Carseats that no longer serve their original purpose (children in spica casts must be outfitted with a special carseat called a "hippo") renewed as "chairs" in various places in the house- enabling Maggie to "sit up" and be able to eat, brush her teeth, do projects, etc.

Pillows...to stuff, plump, bolster, cushion, and, of course, toss at each other.

The stroller, now known as the "transporter"...

used in the house- not only saves backs, it also enables Maggie to sit up and eat at/by the table,

used outside- for it's original purpose, and then some...it is invaluable!

Couple leftover pieces of mdf, which Baba lovingly crafted a "table desk" for Maggie.

Used with the carseat, or bean bag chair on the floor, this desk allows Maggie to have a

large space at arm's level to play, eat, do crafts, read etc.

So, back to our road trip yesterday...

where, you might ask, did we decide to go?

The mall? No.

The Big "W"? Nope.

The golden arches?

Hmmm...perhaps...but we'll never tell where the fabulous Hello Kitty watch came from!

We also went to see Baba at work.

And that, we thought,

was the perfect way

to spend our curvy, sunny day.

Red Carpet Exclusive...

... a glimpse of what the fashion-forward will be wearing tonight for the Oscars:

not just anyone can pull off this cutting-edge look

..."I'm a more-is-best-kind-of-girl...more color, more texture, more pattern..."

...jewels courtesy of les walmartier

Go! GeGe!

Finish Strong!

Go Dogs!

There's a new cheerleader in town...(note the purple sunglasses) and she wants everyone to know that her big brother can kick it in the H2o...Good luck GeGe! We love you!

Yowza!

Despite the fact that each day is comprised
of 24 hours, Wednesday felt more like 48... On the road at 4am, at
the hospital at 6:30am, Maggie was in surgery by 8:30am.
The surgery lasted about 3 hours, and then it was off to
get a ct scan. (The ct scan enables the surgeon to get a good look at his work, and ensure that everything stayed in place
during casting.)
After getting Maggie settled in to her room, we received word
that the surgeon had seen something on the scan that would require
going back to o.r. for at least another look and possibly recasting.
Sigh.
Back to o.r. for an arthrogram at 4pm,
and @ 5pm, the surgeon came out, messenger bag over his shoulder (good sign)
-and, with a slight smile,(even better sign) assured us everything looks okay.
Praise God!
A sleepless night at the hospital,
and then home by Thursday afternoon.
A restful night last night.
Praise God!
And so, another day begins...
...and along with it, more healing, rest, and smiles.
Thanks for the prayers and encouraging words of kindness.
Please keep praying...that the surgery has succeeded putting
things into place for her body to take over for complete healing.

Reaching...

...toward and forward.

Preparing for round two, scheduled for tomorrow.

With the first surgery behind us,

we feel more prepared and perhaps a little less anxious.

Mostly...

Though admittedly, there is also that slight sense of dread at having to go

through it all once again.

Knowing that Maggie most certainly will

be so much the wiser this time around, and

that it may present some new challenges

and difficulties for her.

Or not...

So we prepare as best we know how to.

And pray, though we may not always know or understand,

we always hope and believe in what He makes possible.

"People make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true. Depend on the Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Proverbs 16:1,3

Major Awards...

"I would like to thank my Mama and Baba,the academy, my agent..."

...okay, not really, but since we never win anything around here,

(other than an angel food cake in the sixth grade cake-walk)

we were giddy over the meeting with the orthopaedic surgeon today.

Not only was he very pleased with Maggie's progress,

but, (insert fanfare and drumroll here)...

he said that she had the cleanest spica cast he has ever seen!

How's that for reaching for the stars?!

The other "award" we received today was the good news that Maggie (and Mama and Baba) will be emancipated from the confines of the spica possibly by the end of April.

Whooohoooo!

Oh, and we finally obtained the carseat for her from the hospital today.

Getting it was like an act of Congress.

Or not.

..afterall, we actually do have the carseat now.

Everything you wanted to know about DDH...

...aka "Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips", or Congenital Hip Dysplasia.

Okay, so maybe not everything, but so many family and friends have asked some really good questions about why Maggie had to have this surgery. Afterall, she seemed to be doing really well without it.

(Actually, if you had a chance to see the results of her x-rays and scans, you would know she was doing miraculously well.)

When we initially received her referral information, her diagnosis was an ambiguous and rather frightening sounding one. None of the pediatric professionals we consulted with here in the U.S. had even heard of the term being used to describe what would actually be discovered to be "DDH", or developmental dysplasia of the hips. But God was whispering to us..."trust Me"...and so we did. We requested additional information from China only to discover that her condition was DDH, a very common medical condition, occuring in 1 in 1,000 births. Commonly in the U.S., if treated early, during infancy, this condition can be corrected non-surgically through something called a Pavlik harness. Unfortunately, since Maggie did not receive any early intervention, and also because both (both hips being dislocated is less common) of her hips were dislocated, surgery was the only option to correct this. Without this surgery, Maggie would face a very difficult future- the condition would worsen, most certainly greatly diminishing her mobility and increasing the probability for other physical problems, such as arthritis, and more. The first surgery is behind us, thankfully. We have a follow up this week with our orthopaedic surgeon (affectionately known to us as "the Wizard") to prepare for the next surgery, which is scheduled for next week. We have complete trust in the surgeon's medical/technical expertise, and even more importantly, we have complete faith and hope in our Almighty Father, who has led and protected us every single step of our journey! This experience is not easy, and in fact, it should be noted, that if Maggie were 7 or older, this surgery may not even be an option- it is difficult, complicated and BIG. We are so grateful for God's perfect timing in all of this!

Now, to answer some of the common questions we hear:

Q: What is this Spica cast, and where, exactly does it cover?

A: The Spica is to help facilitate healing of the surgeries, by "holding everything in place" just so.

It is made of fiberglass, and goes from Maggie's chest all the way to her toes.

Q: How long will Maggie have to be in the Spica?

A: Gulp. Cannot answer that right now. Can be anywhere from 3 to 6 months, from what we

know. We will know more after our appointment this week. Gulp. Pray. Pray hard!

Q: How much more does Maggie weigh with the cast?

A: A ton. Okay, so maybe not a full ton...but pretty darn close.

Q: What is the prognosis after the surgeries?

A: We are hoping for the best, which would be, (according to "the Wizard"), having to go back

when Maggie is 15 or 16, and do a little "clean-up" and then that's it.

Q: What do you do to keep her busy and happy during the day?

A: Change positions frequently, play games, do crafts, read books, watch movies...

and her favorite..."go fly"... where she is bench-pressed by her Baba.

Q: What would you say to anyone getting ready to embark on a similiar path?

A: Eat your Wheaties!

How spica fairies learn to fly...

Before any respectable spica fairy earns her wings, she first must learn to master manuevering her "fairy wagon". (aka a mechanic's creeper)

Oil change, anyone?

Chillin'...and a special prayer request

...nevermind that it was zero this morning,
Maggie is well insulated from the wintry cold
in her gortex-lined spica cast.
A "benefit" so to speak, of this hot pink fiberglass contraption.
Yi left for home yesterday morning.
We are so grateful for her special care,
and her love and laughter are already missed.
Each day we are mindful of the progress being made.
More smiles, laughter, and restful sleep.
Our God is so good!
And so are all of our loving friends and family
who have kept us blanketed in prayers and well wishes.
We are comforted and know the peace we have comes only from our
gracious, loving Father!
Thank you to all of our "bloggie" friends for your prayers and kind words of encouragement.
I apologize for being such a "bad blogger friend" right now, but I will try to check in when I can.
I am asking for anyone reading this to please take a moment and send some special prayers for Audrey
and her family tonight.
There is Mighty power in prayer...
"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Matthew 18: 19, 20

"Petaling"...

Spica or no spica, a girl still needs to feel pretty

Tummy time with Yi

Asleep after her first outing- a walk on Sunday- it was a beautiful spring-like day...

...is the term for softening the edges around the cast.

Little moleskin "petals", or patches

that can adhere to the rough, scratchy

edges of Maggie's spica cast.

And so it seems, with each day,

there is "petaling" taking place around here...

...the previous day's difficulties

that may have seemed daunting,

eased a bit more.

This has not been easy on Maggie,

but she has done remarkably.

That fierce determination

of hers again serving her well.

Life in a spica for a toddler that

was used to all the freedom that

mobility brings is challenging.

But it is also manageable.

We are all learning to "manage".

Thanks to Maggie's "Yi", who drove through

the snow and ice to come and help.

We could not have done this without her!

Thanks to all of our friends and family
for blanketing us in prayer...

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart,

and all ye that hope in the Lord."

Psalm 31:24