SneAdventure

My Trip to Haiti - by Silas Snead

2011-04-13T16:29:00.020-06:00

me with some of my new friends in Jeremie, Haiti

"tent-living" in Port au Prince

me with one of the orphan village's "mamas"

the kids did not speak English, but by the end of the week they all knew the word "SILAS"

2 meals a day served in a frisbee and brought back to their room

cooling off in the ocean

frisbee with one of the "grass cutters"

Dou Dou - the "gentle giant"

me and Robinson

The one word that comes to my mind about this whole Haiti trip is GIVE. Giving love. Giving friends to the friendless. God giving me an indescribable experience. During the trip, I met some people that I really enjoyed: The mission team, Dou-Dou (he drove the bus and has big muscles!), Robinson (one of the orphans there), Sonia (another orphan), and many more.

The most challenging parts of my trip were mainly when I was tired (the roosters woke us up a lot), and also when Mr. Jason (on our mission team) told me he'd pay me a dollar for every conch I ate (yuck!). I'm proud to say that I earned $3! One of the hardest times was when I was trying to lay down, but the orphans wanted me to play with them at all times. I prayed to God about it, and after that I had an incredible time with them.

It hurts your heart to see men working all day out in the sun cutting a field of grass with machetes and the only get paid $1/day. My dad threw a frisbee to one of them and then we threw it back and forth with them for a little while.

I got to film a practice session for Mr. Gerald (our worship pastor). He is teaching the orphan choir original songs to record a CD. They will use the money they make on the CD's to hire a music teacher for the orphans. You could hear the orphans singing "Bondye Bel..." all over the orphan village! ("Bondye Bel" means "Beautiful God" in Haitian Creole.)

I had a really great time on the trip when I played a soccer game with the kids. One thing I ate that I really liked was goat. (yum!) During the week my dad and I had silly bands and candy in our pockets to hand out to the kids. They really liked it. I made friends with an orphan named Robinson, and on the last day, I gave him my sunglasses.

Me and my dad climbed up on top of a sunken submarine...COOL! The ocean was the bluest ocean I'd ever seen, and I loved getting drenched by the humongous waves.

Something I learned about myself on the mission trip is that God can use even the smallest people to do his will (I was the only kid on the trip). It was also incredible to me that I could use my ability of playing to serve God. When you're trying to be a servant of God, be a servant to others. If there is another mission trip to Haiti, I would love to go. After the trip I committed to God that I would do whatever I can to go on another mission trip, and that I would do the best I can to serve Him here in Tennessee.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers!

Silas Snead, age 9

We're off to Haiti!

2011-03-31T12:20:00.005-06:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for helping me to go on this mission trip! I was able to give $281 to my church for the "Crazy Love" offering, and over $1000 toward my trip. I will be leaving with my dad this sunday (April 3), and I will be returning the next Saturday (April 9). Thank you all for your kindness and support. I will be building, playing with the kids in the orphan village, and helping the kids to know more about Jesus. Please pray that I will have a safe trip and a great experience. I'll be posting an update of my trip when I get home. Above is a picture of me pointing to Jeremie, where I will be working.

Thank you all,

Silas Snead

Silas' "Crazy Love" adventure!

2011-01-27T07:16:00.005-07:00

The following post was written by Silas, our eldest, who has a love for painting/drawing and a heart for orphans. Please read his post and pray about being a part of his "Crazy Love" adventure....

"Hello. I'm Silas Snead. I'm 8 years old. I have decided to raise money for the orphan village my church is building in Haiti. I will be selling notecards made from pictures I have painted. This is one way that I can use my talents for God, even though I'm just a kid. I have been to the orphanage where my brother and sister used to live in Rwanda. I wished I could do more, and now I can.

Here's what God says we should do: 'Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of the orphans.' (Isaiah 1:17) All the money I make will go to help the orphans in Haiti, and to help me be able to go there with my dad this spring to help as well. The money will help them have a school to go to, food to eat, a home to live in, and to learn about Jesus. By buying my cards, you will be able to help these kids too.

Please cklick on the "buy now" button to the right to purchase with a credit card, or email my mom at shellys1216@yahoo.com if you would like to order by check.

Also, your prayers can be powerful and effective, so please keep not only this endeavor in your prayers, but the orphan village as well, as the cholera has finally reached Jeremie. Two of our orphans there have died, and 8 others are sick. We are sending out an emergency medical team this week to help. Having the clinic there has already been a huge blessing! Thanks again!

"Gotcha Day" one year anniversary!

2011-01-23T20:50:00.007-07:00

What a fun day! "Gotcha Day" is the adoption word for the day we "got" our two newest family members, Savanna and Samuel. Today was the one year anniversary of that day and we set out to make it special and memorable!

We began our day by wearing matching shirts that proudly displayed the Rwandan flag...

Though we "stuck out" at church, we were also congratulated by so many in our church who love, support and participate in adoption. Then we came home for lunch and enjoyed Africa-shaped cookies.....with a "heart" right on Rwanda (or close to it, anyway! Its a pretty small country!)

We had a relaxing afternoon preparing a Rwandan meal (Rwandan Beef Stew, prepared by Art and the boys, and Rwandan Honey Bread prepared by Shelly - Savanna slept through most of this...hence the "relaxing afternoon"! ) Then we played some games and read books and began dinner! The only thing we regret is not having Orange Fanta bottles, which is what the kids drank with every meal while in Rwanda! ...on the list for next year...

Finally, we watched videos of our first meeting with Savanna and Samuel, and some of our time in Africa. We also enjoyed a FABULOUS slide show put together by one of the other moms who adopted from Rwanda when we did. It was great to see how everyone's Rwandan babies have grown so much over the last year in so many ways!

This has been such a whirlwind of a year, and it was so good to slow down today and take a look at all the progress that has been made, the bonds that have formed between parent and child as well as between siblings, and the positive changes that have occurred due to time, growth and God's amazing faithfulness. We look forward to this new year with great expectations and anticipation over what God will do next in our family to draw us closer together and make us more like Jesus. If you have the time, sit back and enjoy the following slide show of our first gotcha day, today's celebration, and some favorite photos of the last year! Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Happy Birthday Savanna girl!

2010-11-27T13:05:00.010-07:00

the princess and her royal subjects...aka brothers...
her new dollhouse (goodwill, $10...sorry, I'm just so proud of myself...)

the flower ceremony - each of her "men" gave her a pink carnation and told her
why they loved her...

Silas - a sweet speech about how glad he is that she is in our family, and he loves her for enjoying things they like to do (ie, she's not TOO girly)

Josiah - loves her b/c she is kind and pretty

Samuel - got a little too shy to speak, but LOVES to play with Savanna

After 8 years of Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, Legos and Star Wars parties, the Snead family enjoyed its first "Princess" Birthday today for our very own princess, Savanna Komera Snead. Though we've only known her for 10 months, Savanna turned 4 years old today, and we hope that she was made to feel "one of a kind" special and loved! She recently asked me where her baby pictures were while looking at her brothers' baby albums. It was very sad to tell her that we don't have any photos of her before the age of 3. But I determined then to try to make her feel just as special and loved as her older two brothers whom we've had since birth. So today I'm sharing with you all a slide show that gives you glimpses of her first year with us. The first 4 photos or so were taken before we ever met her....you'll be able to see the progression of her smile in the photos that follow. Many of the photos show a head with no hair, as hers was pulled out by jealous girls in the orphanage upon hearing that Savanna was being placed in a family....you'll be able to see the progression of her beautiful locks in the photos that follow. You'll also see many "firsts" for Savanna - first dance with daddy, first swim in the ocean, first summer in a swimming pool, first Easter, first Halloween, ...and you'll be able to see the progression of her love for us and our love for her.

Happy birthday, "baby girl". You are loved beyond belief...and YOU BELONG!

Cardboard Testimonies from Long Hollow Baptist Church

2010-11-23T11:51:00.002-07:00

Check out this video from our services last weekend at Long Hollow Baptist Church...half are members of Long Hollow (and the testimonies are really their own!), and half are from kids at the orphanage our church started in Jeremie, Haiti. God is good!

Compelled: Cardboard Testimonies from Long Hollow Creative on Vimeo.

2010-11-06T21:50:00.004-06:00

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised." Proverbs 31

Oh God, though I fail at so many other areas of life in word and deed, let me succeed at this one, and instilling it in this precious (however strong-willed!) little princess! For ultimately she is yours - YOUR workmanship, created in YOUR image to be YOUR daughter and accomplish the things YOU have created her to do... don't let me or my silly little plans or my preconceived ideas, or my multiple moments of daily insanity get in your way!

Tired...but blessed

2010-09-20T20:13:00.004-06:00

I know, I know. Its been a LONG time since I've written any gut-wrenching, motivating, personal blog entry. I've got 3 words for you....

I AM TIRED!

Tired from...

homeschooling, cooking, cleaning (okay, so I haven't been doing that one), trying to get highlighter drawings off of my bed sheets (no, I did not draw them myself, or I would have chosen a lighter color than florescent orange), attempting to teach one of our kids to count in English...to ONE...unsuccessfully, almost lighting the kitchen table on fire after teaching about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,

taking 3 kids to baseball practices and games where I try to shout to Samuel where his "knees" are (cause the coach is wondering why he's not bending them while at bat), cleaning candle wax out of Savanna's hair (if you know her, you don't have to ask), making sure to pour the right kind of milk for each child (one needs extra calories, one does not, one needs lactose free, and one gets whatever is leftover at that point),

realizing that the temporary still and quiet moment I am experiencing is only because Savanna has found my makeup again and is pouring the base all into the bag, trying to explain to her the reason I can TELL she had my makeup is because she has put it on her face, and we have slightly different skin colors...., searching for shoes - not even matching, just any 2 shoes that will fit the child making us late b/c he can't find any, taking ibuprofen, cleaning out Goodwill, smiling at the employees of Publix who now greet us all by name, wondering why they know our names?...

enjoying visits from family and friends, learning 3-4 new songs each week for kids' worship at church, scheduling and enduring doctors and dentists appointments for 5 (sorry Art, you're on your own), collecting more stool samples from Samuel (or as we call it around here, "pooping in the hat"), tending to Josiah's continuous tube-feeds during the night and calculating how many calories he has taken in during the day, taking a little more ibuprofen,

Drinking more caffeine than I should, yelling more than I'd like, laughing a lot, crying occasionally, sleeping really hard when I can, clinging helplessly to power and wisdom from the Holy Spirit (when I remember to call upon God cause I can't do this in my own strength)...

THANKING GOD THAT THE REASONS I'M EXHAUSTED ARE NOT BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY, HOMELESS, OPPRESSED, POVERTY-STRICKEN, LONELY OR LIVING WITH A LACK OF PURPOSE.

I'm THIS TIRED, because I'm THIS BLESSED...

BUILDING THE BLOCKS...: While we wait...

2010-09-11T14:57:00.001-06:00

A neat post I came across this week - something to think about! Also want to shout out a LOUD congrats to our cousins Curt and Lanaea who have just become adoptive parents to a precious baby girl! One less "fatherless" child in America! Praise God!

BUILDING THE BLOCKS...: While we wait...

Why, God?

2010-08-12T16:01:00.002-06:00

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when he could do something about it...but I'm afriad he might ask me the same question" - Anonymous

This is the incredible quote on the back of a great T-shirt you can order to help support another new friend's adoption! Please visit www.livingtolove.com and check out their journey, their t-shirts (kids sizes too!) and be a part of changing the world, one life at a time by participating in their fundraising and keeping them in their prayers. (They already have one adorable son from Tawain, and are in the starting stages of adopting sibling group from Ethiopia!)

God bless you and yours today!

HELP BRING ANOTHER ORPHAN HOME!

2010-08-11T12:08:00.005-06:00

Adoption is one of greatest things we can be apart of, whether bringing a child into our own home, or helping someone else do it through prayer, financial contributions or just practical service to the family.

Not only is it a scriptural mandate for believers, its an amazing way to change a life FOREVER.

Many of you have supported us through prayer and encouraging words over the last year and a half as we journeyed through miles of paperwork, homestudies, approvals and finally across the ocean to bring home Samuel and Savanna. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

And now I'd like to ask you to help a friend do the same! A precious little 10 month old girl in Ethiopia is waiting for her newly adopted parents to come back and pick her up! (They have already been once for the court ruling - and had to leave Lucy behind, as the new laws in Ethiopia require parents to travel there a second time to pick up the child). While they will relish your prayers, they would also appreciate your financial contributions (still need around $3600 for the trip back to Africa to pick up Lucy). Please go to their blog where you can actually make a contribution right away - no matter how small, every dollar counts! As Jennifer states in her blog post, if 360 people gave $10, it would be done!

http://www.my-crazy-wonderful-life.blogspot.com

Many Blessings!

The Sneads

Happy Birthday, sweet Samuelli!

2010-07-24T17:50:00.006-06:00

Fittingly, today's post will be all about Samuel (or "Samuelli" as he calls himself, and was called in Rwanda). I could tell a lot of funny stories, (like how he loves dancing naked), brag on his athleticism (like how he does perfect cartwheels with no prior training, and dribbles a basketball quite well, again with no prior training) or try to describe his fabulous laugh that lights a room, but instead, I've decided to give you some "one-word" descriptions of our precious gift from God, Samuel Irambona Snead. ("Irambona", by the way, is a word meaning "God sees me" - which fits him quite well. He is still overcoming fears of the dark and being left alone, and we can't wait until He finally meets the one whose eyes have been on him his whole life and been His Father even while his earthly father was not yet in his life...)

SWEET

EASY-GOING

SHY

ENERGETIC

ACTIVE

HILARIOUS

MUSICAL

FUN

FEARFUL

COMPLIANT

KIND

SMART

HANDSOME

BLESSING

...OURS...

And now some highlights from his happy day:

Samuel, Savanna, mommy and the cake (not the leaning tower of pisa, but the "yellow hat" from Curious George...)

Blowing out my candles and laughing hysterically when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me

shooting on his new goal!

sliding backwards with Josiah at Monkey Joes (we call Samuel and Josiah "the twins"...for obvious reasons....they look so much alike...)

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-05T09:32:00.003-06:00

S & S's first July 4th! They're not technically U.S. citizens yet, but sure had a great time celebrating and watching the fireworks!

Going crazy. Wanna come?

2010-07-03T21:03:00.003-06:00

Thought I'd send out a transcript of a comical, yet quite typical, car conversation that ocurred in the Snead van yesterday. I accidentally got on the freeway instead of the road right next to it which leads to our subdivision (don't ask....distracted and still getting used to a new city...) and somehow Samuel noticed....

Samuel: Mama, where goin'?
Me: Crazy!
Samuel: I wan' go!!!
Me: okay, Samuel, come on!
Savanna: Mama, where crazy?
Me: Anywhere we all are, sweetie.
Savanna: Oh. Okay.

And as if that conversation had made complete sense to them, they contentedly went right back to singing their rendition of "Days of Elijah" (which features their favorite lyric, "There no Gah like JehoBa"....)

So glad God has a sense of humor. Otherwise, taking a wrong turn would not have been so much fun!

Blessings!

Family-isms....

2010-06-26T12:46:00.005-06:00

"Put on my baby soup?".....no, this is not a type of stew Savanna is suggesting, but rather what she calls her "bathing suit"! The kids have so many funny pronunciations of things, that some of them have just stuck, and we find ourselves all 6 using these "Savanna and Samuel - isms" - just for fun!

Another great one is "I beeya beeya beeya ..." for "I'll be right back"....Evidently, when we first got the kids, if we ever left a room temporarily we would be careful to say "I'll be RIGHT BACK". Because one day, Savanna was about to exit a room, but she stopped, looked at us meaningfully, and said "I beeya beeya beeya ..."....

"Si-lay" has turned into a new nick name for Silas because it was how Samuel and Savanna pronounced it for so long... He even calls himself that a lot now...

"moto car" - not many Americans call their vehicles this, but again, when S & S used it over and over (and sang it over and over every time we got in the van), it just stuck...

"Mama, I wan' play train-guh!" = seems like it'd be easier for him to say "train", but he just can't stop adding the "guh" at the end...so of course, Josiah has adopted the new pronunciation!....

some others include:

"Wallow" ("water")

"sitee" (sit)

"sockies" (socks - which by the way, I can't seem to pry off of Samuel. Everyday he comes down the stairs dressed in socks and tennis shoes, and everyday I send him back up to put on sandals telling him its too hot for "sockies"....To which he usually replies "Samuel no ot!" b/c he also has trouble with h's at the start of words - just ask Mrs. "Ah-ddy")

"book-ah" (again, Samuel always has to add an extra syllable!)

"Sho-siah" (Josiah)

"Music no too loud!" - Please turn up the music!

Words they have NO trouble pronouncing include: TV, cool aid, and Bible Study...go figure?

Hope you enjoyed a taste of our little "isms" .... we've had a lot of fun (along with many challenges) listening to their English come along, and are very amazed at how far they've come. But I must say I'll be sad when Savanna stops asking to put on her "baby soup"....its just so sweet and so "Savanna"....
This is Savanna with her newest cousin "baby Finn" (whose parents, Doug and Julie, she renamed "Papa Finn" and "Mama Finn")...

Samuel and Savanna's first views of the ocean!

2010-06-11T22:00:00.004-06:00

Yesterday evening we arrived at Orange Beach in AL and our two newest children experienced the ocean for the first time....and loved it! But on top of that, our second oldest, Josiah has been to the beach a few times, but never been allowed to go in the water due to his trach (waves are too unpredictable and the water would've gone straight into his lungs!). So it was a cool experience for Art and I to have and watch them have! We were only able to enjoy the beach last night and today, though, as the oil has finally made its way to the shore now, and we'll most likely be staying away from the beach and hanging out at the pool.

But we're here with a large number of extended family and having a ball! (As my Aunt Linda pointed out today, S & S are probably thinking, "wow, we've moved in with some crazy people, and now they've brought us here to meet a whole bunch of other crazy people!").....

Savanna is completely captivated by her newest cousin, "Finn", constantly asking, "Where baby Finn?...".....Samuel is in love with the pool and cousin Doug's "claw" routine....... Josiah is enjoying getting some loving attention from his Sipes cousins.....Silas is enjoying his "twin" cousin (they are 3 months apart) ..... And tomorrow they will meet about 60 more cousins they've never met at the Headrick family reunion in Pensacola!

Made contact with a neat African Adoption Fellowship Group here in Nashville that meets once a month and can't wait to get to know them soon! (and hopefully get some help with Savanna's hair once it finally grows long enough to braid!!!)

Thanks for checking in!

We are here!

2010-06-08T18:22:00.002-06:00

Like the "Who's" in Who-ville (Dr. Seuss), we feel like shouting "WE ARE HERE!"

Still have many boxes to unpack and "junk" to sort, but have been enjoying the warmth of the climate and the people here in Nashville, TN for one week now! The kids have been swimming in the neighborhood pool everyday, attending VBS at a local church (Longhollow), and hanging out with their Uncle Jonathon and cousin Samantha who came for a few days to visit!

The first couple of days at the pool, I thought I would never be able to take all four of them by myself (Samuel and Savanna's fearlessness + their complete inability to swim = disaster!!!). But now after 5 or 6 days, they are both swimming underwater and having a ball! It's been amazing to watch them - especially Savanna who apparantly is a little "water bug"!

We certainly miss all of our friends and "family" in the Southwest, but Josiah has not worn oxygen ONCE since leaving the Sangre de Cristo mountains which were our home for the last 3 1/2 years, so we know the decision to move was definitely the RIGHT one. Silas came home from VBS the first day saying "I've met my new best friend", and they have all been calling the church we have visited here once "our new church".....all in all, everyone is doing well. Art is adjusting to work here, although putting in some long hours to catch up from the move and anticipating a little vacation we're taking this weekend to the beach with my side of the family.

Unfortunately we don't have internet hooked up yet so I'm writing this from Chick-fil-a while the kids are going wild....I'll try to post some new photos of my "swimmers" this weekend from the beach!.... thanks for checking in and thanks most of all for your prayers during this time of transition for us!

Really LONG road trip!

2010-05-30T07:55:00.002-06:00

We have not dropped off the face of the earth.... just dropped off the face of the computer for a few days! (little time or access to on-line). But we're having many fun adventures along the way to Nashville, TN, where Art and Silas are waiting for us (and the moving truck) at our new home! (The truck will not arrive with our things until Tuesday, so the 3 younger kids, myself and my mom made a detour to my hometown of Auburn, AL for a few days).

I'll try to post some photos later, but we've made stops at Cadillac Ranch, many McDonald's playgrounds, Holiday Inn Expresses, and a water park to name a few. We have currently taken over a friend's home in Auburn until Monday afternoon when we'll re-load the car and head for Nashville.

Please pray for Savanna, who has had a cold and is having a rough few days of crying, clinging and overall frustration..... Everyone else is holding up, and we'll keep you posted as we can!

...with child-like faith...

2010-05-14T21:31:00.004-06:00

Don't mean to focus on solely on Savanna lately, but since much of my emotional and physical energy is spent on her (these days, all I have to do is look at her sternly and she says "no touch, Savanna?"), makes since that she takes up a lot of our blog, too! So here's a funny Savanna story that might also make you think...

We were driving to the grocery store (the closest one is over 10 miles away....once again, I'm looking forward to Nashville!). Anyway, it began to rain and then suddenly turn to hail. Savanna and Samuel were both in the middle seats with their hands over their ears saying "too loud, too loud!". I informed them that while I could do a great many things, changing the weather was not one of them. It stopped just as quickly as it had started, and evidently Savanna had begun to enjoy it, because she said, "Mama, again! Again!", while pointing to the windshield.

I replied, "Savanna, I can't control the rain. You'll have to ask God about that one." She quickly responded by looking up at the ceiling of the van and saying very matter-of-factly, "God! Again!"

I could not control the laughter! But it did make me think of all the times I've tried to manipulate the outcomes I've wanted instead of asking the one who is actually in control of all things....

"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." (Luke 10:21)

A photo from this morning with our dear friends, the Morris children (on their trampoline which we frequent!), or as Savanna and Samuel say, "Mrs. Oddy!" (can't say 'H's or 'L's yet for some reason)...

Savanna, we've come a long way, baby!

2010-05-11T20:49:00.003-06:00

Last night was our end of they year interns banquet for Glorieta Camps and Conference Center, so while all the adults were in one room for the banquet, all of our kids were being watched by volunteers in an adjacent room, watching movies, eating pizza, etc. I had stayed home with Samuel who was recovering from a couple of days of very high fever (thankfully, the ER confirmed that is was not malaria the night before). Around 7:45pm I went to pick up Savanna since she and Samuel go to bed at 8-ish, and when I got there, she had evidently just tripped and fallen (very common occurence for her as she is a "size bigger" than her age/brain!) Anyway, she was only mildly wimpering in someone's arms until I came into view, then she bursted into uncontrollable tears....exactly the kind you WANT to see from an adopted older child....the kind that says, "I can let it all out now, my mommy's here!"....

I held her tight all the way home, enjoying her clinging to me and feeling completely free to be comforted by me. Then, she performed the "clenching" act of the evening. With her head laid on my chest, arms around my neck, and crying slowly fading, she said "I want mama".... (She wasn't implying she wanted someone else, but rather that this was where she wanted to stay).

It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. She's been affectionate to me plenty over the last 3 months, wants to be held all the time, gives great hugs, etc. But this was a defining moment - Mine were the only arms that brought her the kind of comfort she desparately craved. When I shared this with Art later that evening, he said, "yall have come a long way since week 1!"....For those of you new to our blog, week one in Africa consisted of her being in Art's arms, bawling when I had to take her from him, begging strangers to take her from me, laughing hysterically for Art, but then noticing me watching and becoming totally stone-faced again. Now at the time, I knew all this would change, we had read plenty of stories to know this would likely happen to one of the parents. We overcame that chasm thanks to 5 packs of fruit snacks (Cristy - I'm FOREVER in your debt!).....but love and perseverance has helped us overcome the gulf......

On that note, I'll leave you with a minute or 2 of video footage of the first Snead Family baseball extravaganza, where Savanna is featured....

Mother's Day...let's try again tomorrow!

2010-05-09T16:14:00.004-06:00

I was all geared up yesterday for the glorious post I wrould write on this one day of the year that honors the contributions and superpowers of me, the mom. Now, I'm glad I read J.B.'s post first so that I'm not alone in thinking I'd really rather try this again another day. This one has gone down the tubes. But I still wouldn't trade being a mother to these four precious children...

One of which now has scabs and sores forming around his ears where his oxygen tubing is rubbing him....(Hence, the attractive "cotton dressings" sticking up over his ears in the photo...) We can't get to Nashville soon enough!

The other middle child, Samuel, has a fever of over 103 - not sure any of my kids have ever had a fever that high.

The response of Savanna, the 3 year old little sis, "Savanna hurt. Savanna medicine.".... The response of Josiah, the 5 year old brother who's issues of his own seem to have made him apathetic, not sympathetic, "hmmmm..... I'm going to play trains.".

Then, there's the unprompted response of Silas, the oldest brother who immediately went and drew a get-well card for Samuel (even writing the "kenyirwandan" phrase for "I love you" on it), who then proceeded to tape pom poms on his face, put on a costume and juggle underwear to try to entertain Samuel (...who fell asleep during the "exhibit"). "A" for effort Silas....you might have just saved Mother's Day!

Has it really been three months?

2010-04-30T20:28:00.002-06:00

As I write this post, my 5 boys (this number includes the daddy and the canine) are in the den watching the season finale of Clone Wars. Savanna has drifted off to sleep and I am putting off the 1000 other things I should be doing right now. (Why ruin a peaceful moment with responsibility?...)

I just spent the last 20 minutes reading the posts we made while in Africa. It brought tears to my eyes, and actually made me a little uneasy as I was reminded how absolutely hard and tiring those 2 weeks were. Meeting your new children for the first time is quite amazing, but the whole process probably sounds more romantic than it actually was - we were tired, hot, unsure of ourselves as we dealt with completely out of the ordinary child-rearing/caring issues, doubting the wisdom of getting 2 preschoolers at once, and stressed out over various paperwork issues that inevitably come up no matter how detailed you are.

But here we are, a family, enjoying things we never dreamed imaginable that first week! (A good reminder that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine!). We have good days and bad days - but who doesn't? There are days I bask in the wonder and joy of being a mother, and days (like yesterday) I'd rather be laying on the beach with a good book! Days I make great parenting decisions and display amazing patience, and days I think my actions or words have screwed my kids up for life!

At then end of the day, you just have to look at the bigger picture - not where you are, but how far you've come, not who you are, but who God can help you become, and not how you'll do, but how much you will trust God to do in spite of you! At least, that's the perspective I'm trying to have these days.....

Blessings!

Blog Facelift!

2010-04-24T14:07:00.005-06:00

As you can see, I've finally gotten around to giving our blog a "facelift" - hopefully it is a bit easier to read and navigate these days! Speaking of faces, I wanted to share a photo from our trip to Africa that includes 11 of the 12 children who were adopted on our trip by 9 families from the USA. The precious lady in the center is the POA for those of us who adopt through AWAA, and she does an amazing job when families are in country, getting them around, providing them with touching and special detailes of their child's life, and introducing them to Rwandan culture. (She does quite a bit of paperwork before the families ever get to the country as well!) I mainly wanted to show this for the benefit of those who follow our family blog but may not be in the process of adopting. There are many parents prayerfully WAITING for an email that basically says "here is a photo of your new child, and here is when you can come and pick them up!" I'd like to ask for your prayers not only for them, but for the Rwandan Ministry of Family and Children whose job it is to read every dossier thoroughly (and these documents are LENGTHY), approve the waiting families, go to the orphanage and select a child that fits their request, photograph these children and then get in touch with the waiting families with the good news that their wait is coming to a close! I know these families would appreciate your prayers!

2010-04-21T21:33:00.002-06:00

"Silas, would you please read some books to your sister?"....."Silas, would you please watch Samuel while I'm out of the room to make sure he doesn't feed his food to the dog?"......"Silas, would you please turn on the Wii for Josiah?"......"Silas, would you please take out the trash?" ....."Silas, would you please go in the garage and get an extra oxygen tank for the outing?"....."Silas, would you please fix your brother a snack?"....."Silas, would you please balance the checkbook and do the taxes?"....

Okay, so maybe I've never asked you that last question, Silas, but after shooting this cute photo of you and Savanna today, I was reminded of how much I expect, ask and require of you each day to keep our lives running smoothly (or at least, running!). You are an incredibly responsible 8 year old and live up to such high expectations on a daily basis. But you also make me laugh so much (like today when I told you something very ordinary, and with very sweet sarcasm you replied, "how touching." ) I love the things you draw and the machines you "build" on your engineering computer game. I love your voice, your compassion, and your insatiable appetite for anything Star Wars and a stack of saltine crackers. I love how you love your brothers and sister, all of which have had "celebrity status" most of their lives because of their unique entrances into our family.

But you are incredibly unique, and uniquely able to put up with my impatient outbursts, constant requests for help and constant nagging about the messes your hourly craft projects incur! I love you, son, and am proud to be your mother. I know God has great plans for your life, and I just wanted to say publicly that no one is more excited about seeing them unfold than me!

Your loving mom

VID00140.MP4

2010-04-18T21:57:00.000-06:00

My Crazy Life

2010-04-18T20:25:00.004-06:00

Today was Art's 39th birthday...its interesting that the more kids you have, the less focus the adult gets on his birthday! But we tried to make it special for him!

As many of you know by now, the Snead clan will be packing their bags (and everything else we own) and moving to Nashville, TN - where the elevation is around 600 ft above sea level.... which means Josiah will no longer need oxygen on a regular basis. We knew this day was coming ever since the doctors and specialists told us that Josiah's lungs were "as good as they're gonna get", but we never imagined how quickly the opporutnity would arrive, or how well-adjusted our newly adopted children would be this early in the "game". All in all, it is apparant that God has been the orchestrator in the events of our lives over the last 6 months or so, and has paid attention to every detail (even though I still have a few questions about "timing" for him when I reach heaven, I have to say, he's got my full support on this one!)

As I am living each moment of each day, it feels so normal - tiring and patience-depleteing at times, but normal. But if I stop to think about the last 6 months or so, I think, "wow, we're CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A 7 week stint in the hospital with Josiah, followed by a 2 week trip to Africa to pick up 2 new additions, a few weeks at home to teach them English...and how to sit still....and how to speak without yelling...and how to keep food on their plates instead of putting it in their pockets....and that list could go on and on...., a quick trip for Art and I to TN to buy a house, and now 5 weeks to get ready to move there. Oh yeah, and before then, we'll have 2 kids in the science fair, finishing a year of homeschooling, end-of-year testing, soccer games and practices every week for the boys, a couple of classes of co-op PE to teach, and that list is going on and on too!

I told someone back in January that I wanted the year 2010 to be boring! (did God think I said "roaring"?...not sure...another question for heaven...) However, in reality, I'm not sure I could have it any other way. For better or for worse, we have been put in positions or put oursevles in positions where "boring" is not an option. Sometimes that means sleep is not an option, giving in to my natural tendencies can't be an option (something I am working on constantly), keeping the house clean or straight isn't an option (no laughing from the "peanut gallery" - my husband and friends who are wondering what my excuse was "before" crazy) and maybe even eating healthy can't be an option (right now I'm being sustained by coke and cookies!).

But the one thing that IS constant is peace. Sure, Art and I can get on each other's nerves, the kids can argue over the DUMBEST things, and I hear myself saying several times a day to various children, "you're making me coo-coo!" But in the midst of it all is a constant flow - or at least an intermitten flow - of serenity reminding us that he who called us is faithful, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, that "this too shall pass", and that when we have finished the race, we will receive the crown of life that God has for us, as He says "well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into eternal rest!"

Eternal rest...ahhhhhh. But for now, I'm content with crazy. I laugh so many times throughout the day when my children do hilarious things (Like Samuel's "putting on my clothes happy dance")! I pat myself on the back when my children learn new things in our homeschool and understand new concepts (even if Silas does seem to be figuring out his math problems while I am re-reading the lesson plan that I don't quite understand...), I feel my eyes water when I hear Silas telling his brother in the other room, "you know, when I trusted in Jesus as my Savior, Mom became not only my mom, but also my sister!", I smile when I hear my youngest two singing praises to God with their native accents and unspeakable joy, and I rest peacefully at night beside a man who loves all 5 of us dearly and does so much to take care of us not only physically and materially, but also emotionally and spiritually.

Are things perfect - no way! Are they slow and reflective - not a chance! But as long as I can count on the Lord to sustain us at this pace, I guess I'm okay with crazy!

(Next year, though, might be a good time for "boring"... and God, that was "B-O-R-I-N-G!"....)

Esse quam videri

2010-03-14T11:03:00.003-06:00

"To be...rather than to appear to be." This happens to be the state motto of North Carolina, but although I lived there for more than 10 years, I don't remember hearing this phrase until reading through a John Eldredge book several years ago. Since that time, whenever I'm fortunate enough to remember it, I'm reminded and challenged to ACTUALLY BE WHAT I PORTRAY MYSELF TO BE. And I need to be reminded and challenged...on the days my c0-workers get my best throughout the day and my family gets what's left over (or even my worst) when I get home...because it's easier to ignore Colossians 3:19, 21 (and many other parts of God's Word) at home than in public...as I'm not particularly comfortable thinking about the future without knowing exactly what's ahead (even though I claim to and desire to trust the One who does).

As is the case with so many other things right now, I'm thinking about this phrase in light of our recent adoption. Are we simply doing things to make our home run more smoothly, or are we really growing together as a family? Are we focusing on discipline for the sake of making things easier in our home, or are we consistently keeping an eye on the goal of helping our kids become what God wants them to be? Are we doing all we can to give each of our kids the time and attention s/he needs, or are we looking for shortcuts which hopefully (but not certainly) won't cause too many issues down the road? Are we simply discussing how quickly time is flying and our kids are growing up, or are we living each day with that paradigm, trying to make each day count?

Lofty goals and genuine desires that sound (and are) great but sometimes lack what's needed to back them up: our actions (or perhaps I should say "my" and not "our", since I think my wife's much better in these areas than me). Lots of questions I need to consider and lots of reminders I need God to provide (and to which I need to respond).

A good week this week...we had Silas' Lego birthday party yesterday (his birthday is Feb. 14, but that was right after we returned from Africa) and a good time was had by all. Josiah had some sickness earlier in the week but is now doing well...Silas seems to have caught something (I'm home from church with him this morning...its almost noon and he's still asleep). Samuel and Savanna are still learning more words and phrases, trying new things (yesterday we had Icee's at Sam's), and melting our hearts when we put them in bed, they ask us to lie down with them, and then they sing us "Yes, Jesus loves me" and "Things are Getting Better".

Before closing, I'll share a link to a blog post Shelly came across last night...while I can't even pretend that I actually operate with the author's mindset as consistently as I'd like to, I can certainly identify with some of the hopes and goals that she has...hope you enjoy it.

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-my-children-to-be-happy.html

FIRSTS...

2010-03-03T21:03:00.010-07:00

With Si and Jos we had that parental set of "firsts" - first smiles, first steps, first foods, first words..... It's a whole new set with our adopted preschoolers, but just as exciting (and exhausting!) This month is was first ice cream cones, first Sunday School class attendance, first sentences in English (which for Savanna, was "no touch, Savanna" ... she obviously hears that a lot, and "I lov-a-yooooo" from Samuel. That makes it sound like they've really bonded with us and truly love us, but just as I was feeling quite confident they knew what they were saying, Savanna patted me on the back and said, "Good dog"....so who knows...). There have been first trips to the grocery store with 4 children (3 in the buggy...where do I actually put the groceries?....Samuel was sitting on the 1/2 gallon of whole milk unbeknownst to me and we trailed it through half the store before I realized it was busted and quickly leaking out...). First love affairs with shoes (Samuel and Savanna would wear them to bed if I would let them...Sometimes Savanna changes hers several times a day). First trip to Chuck E. Cheese (where Savanna helped herself to whatever food complete strangers had left on their tables...have I mentioned she loves to eat?)

Last week I took all four kids on what would be Savanna and Samuel's first field trip! They did an amazing job (especially since new environments usually scare them). It was to a children's museum in Albuquerque with our homeschool organization (whom I love DEARLY - and they have treated our new children like celebrities, making them feel very loved!) Samuel, Silas and Josiah attended a one hour hands-on class while Savanna and I watched a little and played a little. The funniest moment was when I realized that my 4 children were the easiest to locate in the large, crowded building. One of them is on oxygen, 2 of them were the only African-Americans there, and the oldest child had a walkie talkie that I could reach him on... That may become a place we frequent for that reason alone!

And there have been firsts for Josiah and Silas too: Josiah - first time swimming without a trach! He was cautious, but extrememly happy! Silas - other than his first trip to 3 foreign countries, he also constructed his first replica of the frozen planet Hoth (Star Wars...he lives and breathes it)....

Life is definitely not all smiles and laughter for us as we are learning to adjust to more bodies and noise, as well as getting to really know our 2 newest additions - the good and the bad! But God has faithfully sustained us so far, and as I've said before, the progress we see on a daily basis in their behavior, adjustment to new circumstances, relationships, etc. is so encouraging! Keep those prayers coming for us - we appreciate them!

posted with laughter from Shelly

Our quiver is full...no, REALLY....

2010-02-21T17:13:00.009-07:00

As you can see from the photos, we're having fun in the midst of the craziness of: adjusting to being a family of 6, having 2 children who don't speak English but love life anyway, homeschooling 3 1/2 kids, and falling on the couch in exhaustion when they're all in bed! I'll try to write more specifics later, but mainly wanted to share some photos!

Seeing Samuel and Savanna for the 1st time

2010-02-14T20:36:00.002-07:00

Couldn't really upload videos while in Africa due to slow Internet connections, but here's a video I took as Samuel and Savanna arrived to meet us for the 1st time...

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

2010-02-14T18:37:00.002-07:00

Verse 1: The Whole World
Verse 2: Mama and Papa
Verse 3: Jar Jar Binks (yes, from Star Wars...Silas got them on this verse).
We are so talented.

we are home!!!

2010-02-08T04:10:00.004-07:00

Praise God, we're home! Yesterday was our first full day home, and I thought the kids did exceptionally well adjusting to time zone, our home, new rules, etc. The trip home was very tiring, but we lived through it and now can begin our new life here with four children, ages 3, 4, 5, and almost 8! Our biggest hurdle so far has been Eli, our extrememly docile, old dog. But for Samuel, there may as well be a large roaring lion in the house! We sent the dog away the first night, but brought him back yesterday for the kids to go ahead and get used to. They have made much improvement, but still, if Samuel hasn't seen the dog in a while and kind of forgets he's here, he goes crazy when Eli appears (we're not just talking about a little crying, but paniced yelling, flailing, screaming, etc.). We saw imrpovement yesterday, so please pray that we will continue to be patient as he learns to coexist with an animal. If this is the biggest issue we have to deal with, I really can't complain!

We took the 3 younger kids to play in the snow today and they had a ball! Samuel and Savanna are always up to trying new things and seem to thrive on every new experience they have! (except, of course, owning a dog). Just getting them dressed is hilarious because they giggle with hearty laughter at the practice of putting on new pants, socks, shirts, etc! We are having to really work on teaching them to be "calm", quiet, etc., do sitting down activities that we take for granted with our other children (like sitting down while we read a - they are so figgety and not used to sitting for any length of time and focusing on something). But this too shall pass. Yesterday they worked puzzles and we read a few books to them. Progress already.

When will I homeschool the older two? not a clue! But again, the progress I've seen in the last 2 weeks has been amazing, so I'm hoping to use this week to teach them some independent skills, and thanking God that they both at least still take a nap each day! (so don't call between 1 and 3, I'll actually be accomplishing something! ha! ha!)

Please pray for Art as he goes back to work tomorrow. He'll have quite a lot of catch up to do, and we are all still adjusting to the time zone change. This morning at 3am we locked ourselves out of our bedroom (trying to keep the dog secured) and had to take the door handle mechanism off to get back in. Just another adventure that we'll be able to laugh about in days to come!! Again, if this is the most we'll have to deal with, I really can't complain!

Sorry we did not update much (at all?) the last week of our trip - we did not have free internet in the room, and it was a crazy week! Suffice it to say the children made great strides in language and adjusting to us as parents. They are both extrememely happy kids (who now seem to love BOTH of their parents!) and we are so thankful for all that God has done and is doing in our family! Keep us in your prayers, and we'll try to update again soon!

2010-01-28T14:25:00.001-07:00

2010-01-28T14:13:00.002-07:00

this will be quick because i MUST go to bed! Today might have been our best day yet in terms of steps taken with our kids. I see that Art went really "easy" on me in his last post when he shared how Savanna preferred him over me. The truth is, she would completely lose it when Art left her with me, screaming, etc. (One afternoon I was carrying her during one of those times, and she was even reaching out to total strangers in a "please take me" position!) But today when Art, Samuel and Silas left for Giterama, she cried, but then began to calm herself much more quickly. She only cried once or twice after that, asking the bus driver 'where is my father?', but really had a great day. She took a nap for me, and even took 2 walks with me WITHOUT Art when he got home. The biggest step of all - she let me tickle her and laughed for me/with me.

So, maybe I did give her 5 packs of fruit snacks during our shopping trip and let her eat french fries and a milkshake for lunch....whatever works at this point!

Art and the boys had an AMAZING day at the project and home of our compassion child. I'll let him fill in the details for you later, but it was an incredible experience, and we now know first-hand what an incredible organization Compassion International is in making a major difference in entire families around the world. I'll try to post some photos before drifting off..thanks again for all the prayers - keep 'em comin'!

Still learning in Rwanda

2010-01-27T05:16:00.002-07:00

Each day we learn more about our new children, and each day we realize how much we just don't know. We know many of you are praying for our family during this time and checking the blog for updates, and we know the updates have been slow in coming. Honestly, each night when we make it to bedtime we are so exhausted that we can't post an update. Today I'm writing at 2:15 PM because Shelly has Samuel out for a walk, and Savanna has finally drifted off to sleep for her 1st nap with us (after 30 minutes of crying, etc.).

Samuel (or, as his sister says, "Sa-moo-elle") is doing pretty well over all, and we think most of his issues are related to language barrier and/or just getting used to us. He's already picking up English words and seems to enjoy learning to say things in our language. He will occasionally get a distant, despondent look on his face, but for the most part he is a happy kid who seems to be enjoying his new family. At times he does not like being told no and will moan and pull away from us, but he usually recovers pretty quickly. Today we went to a local park and he jumped on a trampoline for what we think was his 1st time...he loved it. He is usually the 1st to wake in the morning (by 6AM) but thankfully he stays very quiet and in bed, occasionally propping himself up to see if anyone else is awake yet. He is basically potty trained...only the one accident on Day 1 since we've been here. We've quickly learned to recognize his look when he has to go to the potty...his eyes get huge and his face has a "we need to take care of this immediately look". And, as we've said previously, he loves to wash his hands.

Savanna (we're still thinking that's what we'll name her, but we're actually considering other options now) has begun to come out of her shell, although what we see from her is much less consistent than what we see from Samuel...there are times we can make her laugh, and other times we do the same things and we get a stone-faced look. Her given name is Imelda, and Samuel calls her "E-mell-E-dah" or "Mellie"....we like the sound of both. Today we learned her last name (Umuhoza) means "the one who will wipe away your tears"...since we've seen lots of her tears, hopefully that applies to herself as well. Each day we see more from her...her smiles the past few days have remained rare but become relatively more frequent, and only today were we actually able to capture one on camera (Silas helped produce it and she didn't know the camera was around). She has also begun to try some English words, and calls us "Mama" and "Daddy" or "Papa". She is both physically strong and strong-willed, and although bigger than Samuel or Josiah, it's certainly easy to believe her estimated age of 3 years old is probably close based on her behavior. She has generally felt more comfortable with me than Shelly, although I've also upset her on occasion. Yesterday we saw her passport picture taken 2 weeks ago, and she had lots of hair...however, she has very little now. Our POA explained that the other children in the orphanage were jealous of her hairdo and getting a family, so they pulled much of it out...in fact, today we shaved her head (per our POA's recommendation) so her hair growth can start over.

Each day we learn more but also realize there's so much we do not know. How much is due to what they've experienced in their brief lives? How much will change once we get them home and in a routine (living in a hotel room with 5 people is not easy)? Both Shelly and I are struggling with choosing the right issues to address and keeping up with them, and how to parent these children in the best way possible...suffice to say, there haven't been times when we've said "Oh, remember when Silas (or Josiah) did that, and this is what we did that worked"...it's been a totally different challenge, and obviously, having 2 instead of 1 has made it more challenging. We're consistently praying for wisdom, patience, and discernment.

Our paperwork here in Kigali is basically done, and the rest of this week will involve doing some fun things and continuing to get to know our new children. Tomorrow Silas, Samuel, and I will travel to Gitarama to meet Manzi, our Compassion child. Shelly and Savanna will shop in the morning, then our POA will babysit Savanna and other kids while the adults go to a genocide memorial here in Kigali (hopefully I'll return from Gitarama in time to attend). Sunday we travel to Nairobi and do all we can to get our visas next week so we can return home at the end of the week.

We miss Josiah and are eager to return home so our family can be together. Thanks for your prayerful support!

One worn out family!

2010-01-26T12:54:00.002-07:00

sorry no post last night - we were all in bed and pretty much asleep by 8:30pm. I'm falling asleep right now, so this will be short! Thanks for continued prayers! We saw many baby steps today, but also larger challenges in dealing with language barrier, fear, correction, etc. Savanna Imelda is slowly coming out of her shell - many smiles today (mommy even got to see a few). She still only prefers daddy - had a major meltdown on the bus when he went inside immigration office and she had to stay with mommy and siblings. Samuel seems to be prefering mommy and this point (possibly because Savanna is attached to daddy like another appendage?) Savanna has started repeating some English words for us, and has learned to give daddy a "look" when she needs to potty! (BIG steps!) They are both EXTREMELY active and remind me of 2 year olds as far as "getting into everything" goes! Whew! have we got our work cut out for us! This is partly because of all the new sights, smells, sounds, experiences they are getting. We hope that coming home will help with control and consistency.

All of the paperwork is finished! Spent most of today in Immigration office, US Embassy, and Rwandan Ministry of Family and Children...at least the US Embassy was air conditioned! Tomorrow will be a "free" morning, then lunch, then a tour of their orphanage during the late afternoon.

Again, sorry for no photos and less detail, but I need sleep!

Samuel and Savanna LOVE socks! Samuel laughed hysterically when we put them on, he was so excited!

Samuel is incredibly talented at anything to do with a ball - kicking, throwing, catching, etc.

Savanna loves chocolate sauce. (who wouldn't?) and stickers.

Again, sorry for no photos and less detail, but I need sleep!

2010-01-24T12:39:00.004-07:00

Today was another good but very tiring day for all of us. We spent the late morning with all of the other families at a restaurant. Savanna was still very quiet, expressionless, and showed no emotional responses other than just staring at us. So we did what all good and wise parents do and ordered her a chocolate milkshake! By the time she was done with it (while sitting in her father's lap), she began pointing to other drinks on the table that she wanted to taste (mom's coke, dad's sprite, etc.). This was HUGE! Her first obvious communication with us! She then proceeded to play cars with her brothers and the other children her age that were adopted by the other families. Silas came and told me twice that she smiled - i missed it both times of course. Samuel did well also, still loving Art and Silas (by the way, the only detail Art did not make clear in yesterday's blog, probably out of humility, is that Samuel is absolutely in LOVE with his "daddy"! He loves being held by Art, tickled by Art, wrestling with Art, repeating every word Art asks him to say, etc.) I can't say enough how helpful it has been that Art learned many Rwandan phrases and words before we came here. Anyway, Samuel had another fruit drink and LOVED it....of course, he also loved my coke, Art's sprite, and basically anything that is offered to him (or not offered to him). One of the few other times Savanna "communicated" with us was when Art put ketchup on Samuel's plate. She began to make a noise and push some food over on her plate to make room! (coke and ketchup...children after my own heart)...

After lunch it was back to the hotel, where we played with the kids in the courtyard and then went inside during a rain. The kids all enjoy playing outside together (especially with the other Rwandan children they know). Silas is an AMAZING brother, so patient with the kids and extremely helpful! We had some downs in the day too, one of which included another large "unannounced" poop from Imelda that once again covered the legs, shoes, floor, etc. before we could stop it. This was very upsetting to her, as she was already very sleepy. I can't imagine what she is thinking or feeling in this brand new and somewhat shocking environment. Bringing them to the hotel tomorrow for good should help a lot with continuity, consistency and eventually trust.

But finally, it was daddy again to the rescue - he actually made her smile on the bus home! of course, when he tried to get her to do it for me, she put on the guarded look once again, and she cried buckets of tears when I tried to pry her away from him to hug her goodbye.... It was a little hard for me in that moment, but I'm honestly just so glad that neither of the children are afraid of Art (as happens often since they usually have never seen a white male). We keep reminding ourselves what we've known all along...this will be a process, not a "moment".....Both of the children are calling us "mama" and "daddy", which sounds really cool...especially from Savanna who has said so few words to us so far!

Even Silas hated leaving them at the orphanage again today...did I mention how wonderful he's been?... But from tomorrow morning at 7:00 until we leave, they are with us 24-7, so we are taking advantage of a much needed good night's sleep tonight.

tidbits:
Samuel LOVES candy (which he calls "bon bons") - going so far as to try to get the broken pieces we throw away out of the garbage to put them in his mouth again...

Savanna loves holding her cars (only puts them down to potty or wash hands!)

Samuel plays HARD! a future athlete, perhaps? but also "drums" with whatever objects are in his hands (and has great rhythm)

Savanna loves to be held, and puts both arms around you in a hug the whole time!

They both love bubbles and admire their big brother.

They both love washing their hands!..over and over...

Please pray for rest for us and wisdom as we deal with challenges physically, mentally and emotionally that accompany this adventure! Also, please say a prayer for my health (which has been GREAT, by the way), but I'm coming down with laryngitis - hopefully caused by allergies and not a cold. We feel incredibly blessed! We'll try to post when able, but may not have as much time or energy once the children join us full-time tomorrow. I'll try to post some new photos if I can figure out how tonight before turning in!

Meeting Samuel and Savanna

2010-01-23T14:44:00.002-07:00

It's almost midnight as I type this is the hall outside our room (trying anything I can do to speed up a slow internet connection)...hope to also upload pics and perhaps a video later, but will likely do that while I sleep.

This morning we drove to the orphanage to meet our new children. It's difficult to find words to convey exactly how we felt, but suffice to say it was an amazing day. After arriving at the orphanage, we entered a small room to wait. A few minutes later, our POA walked into the room along with Samuel and Savanna. From that point on, here's a list of experiences we had this day:

1.) When our POA arrived in Samuel's room to pick him and and tell him we were there, he told her "I'm going to hug my Papa." And when he walked into the room, that's exactly what he did...he walked right up to me and gave me a big hug.

2.) Savanna entered the room, walked toward Shelly, and held her arms open for a hug.

3.) A huge role reversal from what was anticipated: In all pictures we were sent, Samuel never smiled once. Savanna had a big smile in one of them. Also, our POA had told us Samuel could be shy, whereas Savanna could be a bit feisty and talkative. Instead, Savanna was very quiet most of the day, simply sitting in one of our laps and watching the activity around her. Samuel, on the other hand, immediately warmed up when we left the meeting room, began smiling, talking and laughing, and showed what a happy kid he is. Just goes to show you that pictures don't give the whole picture, and you never know how kids are going to act when they 1st meet their parents.

4.) Having Silas here was a huge help. The kids warmed up to him almost immediately...he played with them, blew bubbles with them, made them laugh, shared his milkshake, helped keep them out of trouble,...just an amazing "Big Brother" day. It wore him out.

5.) After leaving the orphanage, we went to eat their 1st lunch out. The highlights? The kids scarfed down their food, tasted ketchup for seemingly the 1st time and loved it (dipping fingers over and over in it), enjoyed chocolate shakes and a strawberry freeze, ate meatballs, played with cars on the table...Samuel even walked over to a man at another table and got food from him to eat.

6.) One thing we noticed all day...when we gave the kids something, they tended to clutch it. Example: Both held a toy car we gave them for much of the day. Each carried around a cracker for much of the day (although Samuel did put his on the bathroom floor when it was time to wash his hands...obviously he's hygiene-focused...so proud of him for washing his hands...he enjoyed it so much he washed 4 times after one potty episode and I finally had to pry the soap from his hands). Near the end of the day, Savanna was holding so much stuff she'd accumulated that she had trouble carrying it all. Samuel, after Shelly showed him his suitcase, would periodically pick up cars the rest of the afternoon and put them in a zippered pocket on his suitcase).

7.) The kids have been loved by the nuns and nannies at the orphanage, and by our POA.

8.) Silas' favorite part of the day was playing 1-on-1 dodgeball in our hotel room with Samuel while we waited out an African rain storm.

9.) Samuel was so curious...flushing toilets amazed him, and he opened every item in Shelly's makeup bag that he could get his hands on.

10.) To Shelly's delight, Samuel repeatedly touched her arm and called her "Mama" during lunch and throughout the day.

11.) Lowlight #1: Two poop/pee emergencies simultaneously...Shelly dealing with massive poop with Savanna (all over her) in the restroom while I ran with Samuel to our back patio (2nd floor...look out below) when he began peeing with no toilet available. Overall some potty training has occurred, we're just not sure how much (granted, today was an abnormal day for all of us, and the kids drank more than just about any kids I've ever seen).

12.) Lowlight #2 (and the hardest thing for Silas): Taking the kids back to the orphanage by 5pm, as they must stay there during nights until we pick up our travel letter on Monday. However, they're old enough to know we're coming back for them tomorrow and they've had friends who've been adopted previously, so our POA says they know the drill.

Tomorrow it's back to the orphanage in the morning to see them again...in the afternoon we'll return them and then tour a genocide memorial here in Kigali (Silas will hang out with our POA's son and not go to the memorial). How will Day 2 go? Who knows, but it was a great Day 1, and we're looking forward to tomorrow with great anticipation. Our POA assures us we have yet to see Savanna's real personality, so if Samuel is in fact the shy one...WOW...

We've arrived in Kigali

2010-01-22T13:27:00.002-07:00

Sorry there's been no update since Tuesday night, but we've been on the road (or more accurately, in the air) since then. On Wednesday morning, we flew from ABQ to Houston. After a 4+ hour layover, we boarded a huge plane and traveled almost 15 hours to Dubai. FYI, we flew on Emirates Airlines, and it was very nice...seemed to have more leg room than usual, an incredible entertainment system (movies/tv shows on demand, video games, etc.), helpful staff, good food...can highly recommend it. We arrived in Dubai and spent the night at the Millineum Airport Hotel. Since Silas slept most of the flight to Dubai and we arrived at 7:45PM local, after sleeping a few hours that night he woke up wide awake at 3:30 AM. I was also very awake, so we went downstairs for a late night snack and then hired a cab to take us to see the Burj Dubai, which is the tallest building in the world. Even at night, it was an impressive sight. After returning to our room and showering, we joined Shelly for breakfast and then we headed to the Dubai airport, where we met the Watsons, a couple from California who are also adopting from Rwanda and are in our travel group. They're adopting a 9-month old boy who will be their 1st child, and his parents are accompanying them on the trip...very nice people, all 4 of them. A 5-hour flight to Nairobi, a 2-hour layover, and then a 90-minute flight to Kigali, and suddenly (seems strange to say that after 23.5 flight hours to get here) we're in Rwanda.

Rwanda is beautiful. Lush green, lots of hills, huge skies (like New Mexico)...absolutely beautiful. After clearing customs and collecting our bags, we met our POA. After checking into our hotel, we joined her for dinner and lots of questions and conversations. "N" is such a great person, and we learned so much by asking her questions and listening to her explain about life in Rwanda, adoption in Rwanda, etc.

We're now back in our hotel room. The travel has exhausted all of us (especially Silas, but he's handled it very well).

At approximately 9AM local time tomorrow morning (midnight MST tonight), we'll meet Samuel and Savanna for the 1st time. Our POA described Samuel as shy, and Savanna as feisty and very talkative...should be amazing. We'll try to post pics as soon as we can (possibly short video clips, although Internet speeds are pretty slow)...we'll actually take the kids from the orphanage back to our hotel tomorrow before returning them to the orphanage by 5PM. 3 more families arrive after lunch, and 3 more after dinner. Good night!

Trip Day 1 (1 Day Early)

2010-01-19T21:43:00.002-07:00

Our trip to Rwanda began today, one day earlier than planned. Last night Glorieta was hit with 6+ inches of snow, and I-25 was actually closed for a couple hours early in the morning. It snowed most of today and there's a high chance of snow tonight, so we decided to come to ABQ tonight in order to avoid any chance we might have troubles in the morning due to snow. This earlier than expected start ensured today was a non-stop blur of final packing, checking and re-checking, etc., made even more challenging at points as the electricity at our home kept going off and on. Nana was a big help entertaining the kids while Shelly and I finished our preparations. Our great friends the Suggs drove us to Applebee's for dinner (Silas' choice), Target for a last second opportunity to stuff our bags with more donations for the orphanage (and a quick goodbye from Hal, who met us there), and then to our ABQ hotel. We're now resting comfortably less than 1 mile from the airport and looking forward to tomorrow.

So, for the past 2 months we've wondered how we'd be able to be ready to leave on time...and God helped us leave one day early...

Trip Schedule

2010-01-17T21:35:00.003-07:00

Preparations for our trip to Africa are well underway. The past week and a half have been a whirlwind as we try to pack what we need and what we can give away, finalize and collect paperwork, get plane tickets, etc.....the list goes on, but let's just save time for all of us and say it's been quite busy. However, we've been so blessed that Josiah got to come home earlier than expected, as this has given us more time in New Mexico to get things lined up.

We are so excited, and Shelly and I get more excited each day. Our POA told us she visited the kids on Wednesday and the oldest ones (ours are among the oldest) are so excited about their parents coming to pick them up!

We also found out today that we'll be able to meet Manzi, the 6-year old boy we sponsor with Compassion International. It looks like we'll go to his home (approximately 1 hour from where we'll be staying in Rwanda)...it should be an amazing experience, as we've prayed for this boy, looked at his picture on our refrigerator for the past year, written to and received letters from him, etc. We're hoping the visit to his town and possibly his home will make a big impact on Silas and help "realify" (yes, not a word, but hopefully you know what I mean...am too tired to think of the correct word at this point) Manzi/poverty/faithfulness/God's love to our oldest son (and to us).

We have a friend named Tom Wright at our church who leads a ministry called Global Outreach (check them out at http://www.globaloutreach.ws/...they are doing such important work). They make an impact all over the world, but our family has been especially interested in their work in Africa, particularly Rwanda. Global Outreach is working with a pastor in Kigali, Rwanda, who just built a large church in one of the poorest areas of Kigali (and that's saying something). The congregation includes a large group of AIDS victims, among others. Tom has such great respect for Pastor Ezechias and has repeatedly shared how this man is serving God in Kigali. I've been emailing back and forth with Pastor Ezechias, and we're hoping to meet him and attend worship at his church while we are in Rwanda. While in Nairobi, we're also hoping to spend some time with Sabina (not sure of the spelling on this one), an East African woman that Global Outreach works with to help develop micro-business opportunities for women in East Africa. In October 2008 she visited our church with Tom and spoke about what she sees God doing in East Africa. During the week before her visit, Shelly and I had felt God leading us to adopt from Rwanda (in East Africa), and Sabina's visit and testimony were a confirmation for us of the direction God wanted us to go.

As you can see, there is so much we're hoping to see and experience on our trip. Without a doubt, meeting our 2 new children and getting to know them is at the top of the list, but we hope to meet and encourage others along the way as well.

I was asked today to provide a timeline for our trip so people could follow us and pray as we live this experience. Here goes:

Wednesday, Jan. 20: Fly from Albuquerque to Houston to Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Thursday, Jan. 21: Arrive in Dubai; overnight layover
Friday, Jan. 22: Fly from Dubai to Nairobi, Kenya to Kigali, Rwanda (arrive in Kigali at 5:45PM local time)

Total Flight Times: 2 hrs to Houston + 15 hours to Dubai + 5 hours to Nairobi + 1.5 hours to Kigali = 23.5 flight hours from NM to RW!

Saturday, 1/23: MEET SAMUEL AND SAVANNA (but they must stay that night at the orphanage)

Sunday, 1/24: More time with Samuel and Savanna (but they must stay that night at the orphanage) + possibly worship at Pastor Ezechias' church

Monday, 1/25: Hopefully receive our travel letters from the Ministry...if so, we'll be able to keep Samuel and Savanna with us 100% from that point forward

Rest of the week: Spend time with Samuel and Savanna, tour Kigali (including a genocide memorial), some adoption appointments, pick up the kids' passports, etc.

Thursday, 1/28: Drive to Gitarama and meet Manzi, the 6-year old boy we sponsor

Friday, 1/29: Josiah has his next followup bronch in Cincinnati (no, he's not going with us to Rwanda...but Silas is). His Nana will take him, and the doctors expect to find that he's continuing to do very well.

Sunday, 1/31: Hopefully worship at Pastor Ezechias' church; in the afternoon, fly to Nairobi, Kenya (US Embassy in Kigali doesn't issue the visas we need to bring our children

Monday (2/1) - Friday (2/5): Very busy with appointments in Nairobi...medical appointments all day on Monday, then other consulate appointments all week...THE GOAL: Pick up our kids' visas Friday afternoon and board a plane from Nairobi to Dubai. IF the visas aren't ready, we'll have to stay in Nairobi into the following week. IF our children test positive for TB in Nairobi (they've already tested negative in Rwanda, but a positive test in Nairobi could happen), then one of us parents will have to stay with that child(ren) in Nairobi for approx. 2-3 more weeks. Please pray (1) the visas are ready and we pick them up on Friday, 2/5 and (2) NO POSITIVE TB TESTS! If so, we'll leave Nairobi for Dubai at 11:35PM local time, arrive in Dubai at 5:35 AM local time on 2/6, board a plane to Houston at 9:05 AM local time, arrive in Houston at 3:55 PM local time, then...it depends. We're booked on a flight to ABQ that leaves at 6:05PM, but this only gives us 2 hours to arrive on time from Dubai, go through customs (we've heard it could take longer than usual since we'll have 2 new Rwandan kids with us), get to the gate, and board the flight to ABQ. If God gets all of this done in 2 hours and we make the flight (hey, He's pretty good with timing...think about how He worked out Josiah's Cincinnati experience and this adoption trip), we'll arrive in ABQ at 7:24PM on Saturday, 2/6. If we don't make that flight, we'll stay in Houston overnight and catch a flight to ABQ on Sunday, 2/7. The latter option could have some benefits, as we'd likely arrive home while it's still light outside on Sunday, which could help the kids with their transition. However, we're hoping to make it back home on the 6th so we can be home sweet home...we'll see how it turns out.

FYI, our plan is to update this blog throughout the trip...depending on Internet connections and how tired/busy we are, we'll see how it goes. We are taking our camera and FlipVideo, but have heard download speeds are pretty slow, so we're not sure how much we'll be able to share visually.

As God brings us to your minds, we'd appreciate your prayers. In addition, please know that we're traveling with a group of families who'll be going through adoptions as well. In all, our travel group consists of 9 families who are adopting a total of 12 children. The families' last names are: Clark, Dokolas, Fisher, Maddox, Snead, Thomas, Thompson, Watson, and Woodman. Please pray for our group.

Well, this post ended up much longer than I planned...not sure we'll post again until we're on our way. Only 2 more days of preparation and packing (I say that in both a grateful and frenetic way)...

Another SCC Adoption Video

2010-01-12T12:14:00.002-07:00

An encouraging friend sent me a link to this video...wasn't able to embed it on our blog, so if interested you'll have to follow the link as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beZ5hF-qZDY

The Sneads: Officially a Family of 6!

2010-01-08T19:22:00.005-07:00

For those of you that haven't been keeping up to date with Josiah's CaringBridge site, he and Shelly left Cincinnati and came home last night. Although they missed their connection in Salt Lake City due to weather delays, they arrived in ABQ at 9:30 PM and we arrived home around 11 PM. Once we put the boys in bed, I checked my Blackberry and...suddenly we were officially a family of six (God's timing can be a bit unnerving occasionally, but is truly best)! There was an email from our Rwandan power of attorney stating that we got a favorable court ruling, and two kids from Rwanda are now officially Sneads...so, here are the introductions:

Samuel (his given name) is almost 4 1/2...our POA says he doesn't like to have his picture taken, hence his serious look in all the pictures we've received.

Savanna (not her given name) just turned 3 at the end of November...based on measurements we've received, she's actually taller and weighs more than Samuel at this point. Both of them are similar in size to Josiah. It's likely neither speak any English, so we've been learning some Kinyarwanda phrases and wishing (for the 1st time in our lives) that we'd paid more attention in French class in high school and college.

Samuel and Savanna are not biological siblings, but they are from the same orphanage, and our POA says they now know they are siblings.

Shelly, Silas and I leave on Wednesday, January 20th to go get them. We'll fly through Dubai and Nairobi on our way to Kigali, Rwanda. After a week in Kigali, we'll return to Nairobi for 5 days (hopefully no more than that) to obtain visas for the kids before returning to U.S. (again, though Dubai) and hopefully reaching New Mexico the evening of Saturday, February 6 (although our return schedule is pretty tight, so if there are any delays it's possible we won't make it home until Sunday, 2/7). Josiah will stay with his Nana at our home in NM, with a quick checkup trip to Cincinnati mixed in.

We're so excited and blessed to now be a family of six...hang on, Samuel and Savanna, we're coming soon!

SCC Christmas Adoption Song

2010-01-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

Came across this today...so glad I found it before this Christmas season ends!

Merry Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T19:53:00.001-07:00

10 Things that helped make our Christmas Eve a great one:

1.) The Hoeh family...20 years ago they lost a son near Christmas in the hospital. On Christmas Day, someone brought them a meal at the hospital. To remember and honor that kindness, their extended family now prepares and serves Christmas Eve dinner at the Cincinnati Ronald McDonald House, and even makes sure Santa shows up at the end of the meal. What an example of service!

2.) D.J. (we've previously requested prayer for him and his foster mom Terry) was able to move from hospital to RMH today...awe

some!

3.) Leander (a 2 1/2 year old guest at the RMH) was able to have his 1st successful bronch ever yesterday, and the doctors discovered he has vocal cords (they've never been able to confirm this before)...and his parents' smiles afterward.

4.) Family around the country...wish we could be with you on Christmas, and we hope you have a wonderful day!

5.) Prayerful support of many people.

6.) Referrals of 2 beautiful Rwandan children which came earlier than expected but right in line with God's timing.

7.) The opportunity to be at an outstanding hospital with an outstanding medical staff.

8.) A smooth day for Josiah.

9.) Graeter's Ice Cream

10.) Luke 2

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

An overdue update

2009-12-20T23:07:00.002-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in some time, but it's been a busy week. Still having some issues with Josiah's recovery...you can check his CaringBridge website for more on that. A few things have happened on the adoption front in the past couple of weeks. First, we formally accepted our referral. Second, we were sent a few additional pictures of the kids...we can't wait until we pass court and are able to share them (and other information) online with you! Third, our Power of Attorney (POA) is working on getting our court date, so hopefully we'll know about that this week.

Two quick stories showing how God is continuing to bring our family together from around the globe:

This past week during one of his medical appointments, the nurse asked Josiah if he has any brothers and sisters. Without hesitating, he said "I have 2 brothers and 1 sister." Of course, he also added that his sister's name is "Adopt" (as this is what he's insisted we'll call her for many months now)...

Got an email from our POA this morning, and in it she said: "...and they know they are siblings now."

Silas and I fly to Cincinnati tomorrow so we can spend Christmas week with Shelly and Josiah. We're eager to have our family (at least 4 of us) reunited for the first time in almost a month...can't wait until our family (all 6 of us) is united for the first time ever!

Hanging at the RMH and a Night at the Zoo

2009-12-11T20:35:00.002-07:00

Someone called tonight, mentioned he hadn't seen an update in a while, and wanted to make sure everything was still o.k. Sorry about our break from providing updates...w

e've just been adjusting to (and enjoying) life outside the hospital. Until his next bronch on Wednesday (12/16) we're not sure how many updates we'll post because there's not a lot going on respective to his health situation.

However, we're pleased to say we were able to move him to RMH yesterday, and he's enjoying the change of scenery. He sleeps in our room with us, eats meals with us, and loves to wander around the RMH (which is a pretty big place). More good news is that he did very well during the night last night. Before we were discharged, the nurse practitioner on the airway unit emphasized that we are to contact them if he shows any signs of breathing difficulty, reiterating that the reason they want us across the street at RMH is because it's not uncommon for kids to have to be re-admitted to the hospital. However, so far he's doing great, so we're hopeful our next trip to the hospital will be on Wednesday for his bronch.

I (Art) will fly back to Glorieta on Saturday night, as caring for Josiah at RMH is not as physically tiring as doing so in the hospital. In addition, Shelly's mom will arrive in the next day or two to assist Shelly and give Josiah another familiar face to see. The rest of our schedule the next few weeks is on hold for now...Silas and I are supposed to fly to SC for a family wedding on 12/17 (the day Josiah and Shelly were originally scheduled to fly back to NM), but as the doctors now feel it's likely Josiah will be here at least through Christmas, it's more likely Silas and I will fly back to Cincinnati so we can spend Christmas together as a family. That decision will be made after the bronch on Wednesday.

Tonight the Ronald McDonald House took a van shuttle to the Cincinnati Zoo (about 1/2 a mile away) so we could see the Christmas lights at the zoo. Josiah's been so excited to attend so I bundled him up and we had a father-son night out. The lights were wonderful and abundant, and I mostly just followed Josiah around everywhere he wanted to go. His favorite thing was a display featuring two white tiger puppets who cracked jokes, sang funny songs (Josiah liked the one about Santa's underwear), and interacted with the crowd. We went back to see this four times. He and I had a blast spending time together. Before leaving, as we were heading down the hall to the lobby, I had the feeling I'd forgoten something. I went back to the room and asked Shelly if we needed to take anything, as for the past 5 years going out with Josiah has required a large backpack (suction machine, emergency spare trach, HMEs, etc.) and usually oxygen. She said "No, you don't need to take anything." It's hard to explain how surreal and precious that moment was...if you've ever seen us out and about, you know that we typically don't travel lightly, but tonight Josiah and I just grabbed our coats/hats/gloves and headed out like most fathers and sons do. It was an incredible blessing and a memory I'll carry for a long time.

People around the country are "praying for pink", and we remain grateful for the support of so many. Since we haven't provided an adoption update in a week or so, he's a brief update: Our Power of Attorney (POA) in Rwanda is working to obtain our Act of Adoption for each child. Once this document is obtained, our court date will be set (hopefully in the next couple of weeks). Then, we (Shelly, Silas, and I--Josiah will remain in the U.S.) anticipate travelling to Rwanda to pick up the two newest Sneads sometime in January or possibly early February. As you might imagine, things are very busy right now, but also very exciting. Thanks for checking on us!

12/9 Bronch Update

2009-12-09T11:35:00.002-07:00

An update regarding Josiah's bronch this morning...s

ome good news, some not-so-good news.

Josiah was especially anxious about his bronch and being put to sleep this morning...we and the medical staff agree he's probably just getting more and more tired of being here and having things done to him.

The bronch was relatively quick. For those of you who don't know, a bronch gives his doctors an opporunity to check on the condition of his airway.

First, the good news. His doctors still think it will be o.k. for Josiah to leave the hospital tomorrow and move to RMH with Shelly and me. RMH is literally across the street from our hospital, and they want us to stay close. His discharge tomorrow will also depend somewhat on how today and tonight go, but we expect to move to RMH tomorrow. For Josiah, it will be a welcome change of scenery, new activities/surroundings/opportunities to play...for us it will mean more consistent rest. Good news all the way around.

The not-so-good news: His airway does not look as good as we were hoping. We've included a photo taken this morning (we have others but this one seems to best show the important issue)...basically, the white tissue on the top and bottom of the picture (in reality, where his anterior and posterior grafts were done in his airway) represent the grafts done during his surgery 2 weeks ago. The pink tissue is mucosa, which is the lining which produces mucous. What we were hoping to see was very little (if any) white tissue, and mostly (or all) pink tissue, which would mean the airway is healing well. However, as you can see, there's still a lot of white tissue. They said this helps explain the breathing issues he had at end of last week, and just means the healing is not progressing as quickly as we'd hoped. Hopefully we haven't grossed anyone out, but we're including the picture to give you an idea of specifically what you can pray for: We want the pink tissue to cover/replace the white tissue!
The doctors also advised us that it's very unlikely Josiah will go home on the 17th as was the original plan. He will have his next bronch on Wed., 12/16 as originally scheduled, but it likely will not be his last before we leave Cincinnati. The doctors said we should expect to continue to be here and have weekly bronchs so they can monitor his airway's healing. Whether that means an extra week or possibly longer remains to be seen...however, at this point it appears likely we'll spend Christmas in Cincinnati. But, as one of his nurses pointed out this morning, Santa Claus visits Cincinnati, too!

We're still processing this news that wasn't quite what we'd hoped and there's some degree of disappointment, but we're o.k. We are excited about moving Josiah to RMH, and we have full confidence in his medical team here at Cincinnati Children's Hospital (may your children never have serious health issues, but if they do it's hard to imagine a better place for them to come than this hospital...it's earned "5 stars" from Snead's Hospital Touring Service). In addition, the longer we are here the more reminders we see of how much for which we have to be thankful, as other families and children face circumstances which appear less hopeful than ours. We're waiting to see how God works out the details for our upcoming travel to Rwanda to pick up our 2 new additions, as it looks like that will occur in January...but He already knows how that will work out.

Thanks for checking, and remember: Think (and pray) Pink!!!

Familiar Faces, Bronch Tomorrow

2009-12-08T20:20:00.002-07:00

An eventful day for Josiah (in a good way)...Shelly is already asleep at RMH so I (Art) will try to fill you in before I pull out the chair and try to get some rest.

We had visits from two familiar and friendly faces today. First, Mr. Byron Hill drove up from Nashville last night and visited us this morning. He brought two puzzles (Toy Story and Spiderman) which Josiah loved...he finished the Toy Story one late this morning. We hung out in Josiah's room for a while and then showed him the play room (one of Josiah's favorite places on Earth). Then, Ms. Melanie Calceterra (a friend of Dad's from both high school and college) came to visit. She lives north of Cincinnati with her family now, and she met us for lunch one day during our September trip here. Her kids (who couldn't come due to visitation restrictions at the hospital) sent Josiah several gifts, including a Webkin dog that Josiah named "Snow" and a "Create Your Own Popup Book" set with stickers, markers, and two blank pop-up books...we're planning to save one for Silas since he loves to write books so much. A picture of Byron working the puzzle with Josiah is included...unfortunately, Dad forgot to take the camera and get of picture during Melanie's visit, and Mommy was asleep so she couldn't help us remember. We also learned Josiah has a long way to go with some of his manners...he was so anxious to get back to the playroom that he basically waved goodbye to Melanie for most of 20 minutes...ugh!

On Josiah's 2nd trip to the play room, several members of the Cincinnati hockey team were visiting. We don't think Josiah knows anything about hockey and he certainly didn't know who these guys were, but they thought he was so cute and ended up playing Wii with him for a while.

A nurse came in to take Josiah's temperature just now and reminded me of two funny-but-not-really-so-funny stories we've not shared with most of you yet. We've always been careful with Josiah's health, especially during flu/cold season, but we've been especially vigilant the past few months before his surgery...keeping him away from large groups of kids and sick individuals, lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer, etc. Story 1: The day before his surgery, we were at the Cincinnati Children's Museum (a huge former train station that's an amazing place, if you ever get the chance to go)...I took him in the restroom...usually he stands to the side and waits for me...when I looked over at him this time, he was playing with the urinal mint in the urinal next to me...disgusting, right? Not as bad as: Story 2: When they check vitals, the nurses use a digital thermometer...it has two probes, a blue one and a red one. Each is covered with a hard plastic sleeve that is disposed of after each use. The other day a nurse set it on his bed while she did something else...when I looked over, curious Josiah had pulled one of the probes out and was putting it in his mouth...was it the blue (oral) one? No. Was it the red (non-oral...use your imagination) one that the nurses always say not to touch? Yep. The nurse quickly reminded us they always throw away used plastic sleeves as soon as their used and that they wash the probes...we know, but still disgusting. Moral of this story: Even though we were as wise and careful as possible in protecting him from germs leading up to this surgery, God made sure Josiah stayed healthy, as there's no telling how many disgusting things he's done that we never saw or knew about...after all, he is a 5-year old boy...

Changing to a much more pleasant subject, tomorrow morning is Josiah's next bronch. All along the doctors have said we'll gain much more information from this one than the one last week, as Josiah's airway has had more time to heal. It's at 9:45AM EST and should be pretty quick...the doctors are expecting to see good things, and their hope is to discharge us to RMH on Thursday. Although bronch's are usually outpatient procedures for us, due to only 2 weeks since his surgery and the fact that his issues last week started the night following his bronch, they want to keep him in the hospital under medical supervision for at least 1 more night. Hopefully we'll get to move to RMH on Thursday and stay there until after next bronch on Wednesday, 12/16 (Shelly's birthday, by the way). As for me, my return home originally scheduled for Thursday, 12/11 will likely get postponed to Friday or Saturday.

FYI, Silas flew from FL to Albuquerque today...due to a large snowstorm in Colorado, his Papa B can't pick him up until tomorrow, so he's staying with his Aunt Laura, Uncle Fred, and cousins in ABQ tonight. His Nana said he had a great time in FL but was ready for his next adventure today...what a great kid! We are so happy he's having a great time, but we miss him like crazy...I'm looking forward to our reunion at the ABQ airport early the morning of 12/17 when he and I fly to a family wedding in SC. This is the same day Shelly and Josiah will fly from Cincy back home...we'll all be reunited as a family on 12/22, a full month since our departures on 11/23. We ready to be together again!

We'll update after the bronch tomorrow! Thanks for checking on us and praying for us!

Another great day...and we're thanful

2009-12-07T18:09:00.002-07:00

Last night was a great night for Josiah...he actually slept until about 7:30 this morning, which is sleeping in for him (he's been getting up 6 AM-ish). He was moved from PICU back to the airway section, which means he was able to make trips to the play room today. On his trip tonight he got to play Medical Bingo (ex: "N-rubber gloves") and won a cool blue 18-wheel truck (see attached picture).

His bronch will be Wednesday morning as originally planned. Even if it goes great (and they expect it to), the earliest he'll be let out of the hospital is Thursday, especially since it was after the last bronch that he started having some issues...they don't think it was necessarily bronch-related, but they want to keep us under watch that night. They've also advised us to stay at Ronald McDonald house over the next week rather than with some friends since RMH is so much closer to the hospital.

Tomorrow Silas flies from FL to NM where Papa B will pick him up and take him to Colorado for the next week or so. He and I will be reunited early the morning of the 17th when we meet at the ABQ airport to fly to SC for a family wedding...I am looking forward to seeing him so much!

A Big Turnaround (yes, that's a pun with the picture below)

2009-12-06T21:33:00.001-07:00

Josiah's turnaround from yesterday at noon until today has been awesome. A great night last night, and a great day today. Although we've not been told anything official, we believe they'll move us out of PICU and back to the airway section of this floor if he has another good night tonight (and we're off to a great start so far). Josiah's attitude was so good today...lot

s of smiles, patience when we told him (multiple times) he couldn't go to the playroom today (not allowed for PICU patients), enjoyed movies, and playing in bed with trains/trucks, ...he is currently in one of his favorite sleeping positions (see included picture): lying on his chest, legs crossed Indian style with his butt sticking straight into the air to greet any medical staff who enter the room...even when he's asleep, he's clearly making his feelings known...

Got a visit from a former player (Melinda R.) today...was great to see her and really appreciated her coming by...nice to see a familiar face! She's in physical therapy school at UK and doing very well.

Hope to find out tomorrow morning that they're moving us out of PICU and whether they'll move up his next bronch or keep scheduled on Wednesday AM as originally planned. We're still hoping to be out of the hospital as early as Wed. (although Josiah and Shelly will have to stay in Cincy area another week) so we can take him to the Christmas lights program at the zoo Wednesday night...that would be an awesome way to spend his 1st night out of the hospital...we'll see!

Please forgive the short update, but it's late! Hopefully Shelly's already asleep, and I hope to drift off soon as well. Thanks for checking on us!

Update

2009-12-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

So many of you are following and praying that I (Art) want to give an update before getting some sleep. Last night was somewhat of a contradiction: (1) Josiah actually slept more than he has the past few nights vs. (2) his retracting while sleeping continues to worsen, so he woke up exhausted this morning simply because he had to work so hard to breathe. His doctors continue to be more concerned and are trying to control the symptoms while figuring out exactly what is going on. They are unsure why there is such a large discrepancy between Josiah during the day (no need for monitors, breathes well, etc.) and Josiah and night (who struggles so mightily). Certainly the fact that his airway/muscles relax and "go to mush" when he rests is contributing, but they're wondering if there's more than that. However, in a sense this discrepancy is a good sign, because if his airway were collapsing it's likely he'd be struggling all of the time.

Many of you know his surgeon prescribed 1 round of steroids yesterday morning to "speed up" the shrinking of the nodules in his airway in order to determine if they're the cause of his issues at night. Steroids prevent inflammation, which on the one hand is good; however, healing involves some inflammation, and they prefer not to use steroids because they don't want to slow down the healing of the grafts and the mucosa which covers them. At 1:45AM this morning, the chief resident made the decision to try another round of steroids in light of Josiah's increased breathing struggles. Josiah also took two doses of Adovan (sp?) to help him relax, and twice had to be woken from a deep sleep to receive breathing treatments (he hates these) as the doctors/nurses tried to find ways to help him out.

At 6 AM this morning the ENT team met and decided to do a bedside scope (the camera down his nose procedure with Josiah awake...yes, he hates it, as some of you probably remember from his previous trips to Albuquerque and Cincinnati). There is a good bit of adema (swelling) and the vocal cords are moving somewhat, but they didn't find a clear answer for the issues he's having at night.

They will watch him closely today, although we expect he'll have another great day as long as he's awake. In terms of what could be next: The doctors do not want to put a tube back in his airway if at all possible. There are several other things they can try before we reach that point, but most of them require Josiah going back to the PICU. We'll monitor him closely today and, if his struggles begin again this evening, he will likely be moved back to PICU. In addition, they are considering moving up his next bronch (originally scheduled for Wed., 12/9) so they can try to better figure out what's going on.

Although better sleep for Josiah last night, he continues to get more worn out overall as the breathing struggles accumulate. Thankfully, Shelly got pretty good sleep last night, but we are concerned (trying not to be worried). As each of you parents knows, it's difficult to see one of your children struggle. After his 2nd breathing treatment last night, Josiah looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "But Daddy, we already did that TWO times tonight" and "Are we going to have to do that EVERY night?" Then, as they prepared to do the bedside scope, he tried to be brave but cried and said "Please don't do this." I know these things need to happen and are best for him, but still it is hard because it is hard for him.

God is good, even in hard times. When I returned to our room at RMH today, I looked at today's note provided by a group of our friends. It's from the Sefziks, family friends who moved to Seattle several months back. One passage stood out in particular in the portion of Psalm 121 they included: "Your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side." Whether we rest or are awake, He watches us more carefully and with greater care than the medical staff who closely monitored Josiah last night, and His love for this boy is even greater than our own (as hard as that is to imagine). As you pray for Josiah today, please ask God to help us remember this truth, even in the hard times...and may you remember it in your hard times as well.

Great pic of Josiah

2009-12-04T22:10:00.002-07:00

Another good day today...and thus far, another rough night tonight. Josiah is retracting and we're still trying options to help him not have to work so hard to breathe.

Did want to post this incredible picture of him, though...probably the best so far without his trach.

A speed bump

2009-12-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

We're asking for your prayers this morning. Last night was very rough, with several visits from doctors, lots of retracting (heavy heaving in his abdomen when he has to work so hard to breathe), alarms, another IV insertion, etc. Shelly got about 90 minutes of sleep, so she's back at RMH this morning trying to get rest.

Josiah is great when he's awake, so much so that they will allow him to be off the monitor, go to playroom, walk around, etc. But when he tries to sleep/relax (whether a nap or at night), the issues begin. His doctors (and we) are hopeful this is not a result of his airway partially collapsing...

it looked so good 2 days ago when they removed the tube, but it's since that point that he's had problems. They hope the issues are being caused by some inflammed nodules they found on Wednesday which are partially blocking the airway when his muscles relax as he tries to rest. These nodules are supposed to shrink on their own over the next few days, but the doctors have decided to speed that up by giving him steroids. They don't like to give steroids at this point if possible, but feel the risk is outweighed by the need to determine if this is what's causing the problem.

We are concerned but also fully aware that God knows what's going on and is in control. Hopefully the nodules are causing the issues and the steroids will take care of the nodules and not cause other issues. This is the 1st speedbump thus far in his recovery which has gone so well (and for that we are very thankful). The dose of steroids just finished, and we'll see what happens from here. Thank you for your support and prayers!

A day that's run the gamut

2009-12-02T21:40:00.002-07:00

A late night at the end of a long day, so I (Art) will likely use this post on CaringBridg

e and SneAdventure:

What a great day. 1st, Josiah's bronch went well and his doctors said the airway is looking very good, so good that they removed the tube from his airway and did not replace it with a smaller tube. So, Josiah's airway is now tubeless. His doctors said the key is making it for 24 hours this way and we're approx. 14 hours of the way there, so things are looking good. However, they also again cautioned us that we are not yet out of the woods, and they'll know much more about how things are looking at the bronch on the 9th.

When Josiah was waking up after the procedure, it was pretty traumatic for him. We think it was mostly due to the new sensation of breathing without a trach and without the tube in his airway...also, it's likely his throat was sore. It took a long time to calm him down. Finally, I started readinng books to him. Then, I asked him what he wanted to do, expecting him to point at something, and he said "Puzzle." Immediately his eyes lit up and he got so excited he began waving his arms and kicking his legs, as he realized he could talk again. The rest of the day he was a different person...lots of talking, eating (Jello, 2 slices of cheese, some ham, some chocolate pudding) under the watchful eye of a feeding specialist, more walking, lots of smiling. I've included a picture of him eating with this post.

About his talking, it is VERY faint, like a whisper although he's not whispering...more difficult to understand him, but I think that's mostly because it's much less volume than before his surgery, but that could be due to sore airway, recent removal of the tube that's been there for a week, etc. We're hoping to hear the volume increase in the days ahead.

I am with him tonight, and thus far it's been pretty rough. Josiah cannot seem to get comfortable, is having to work hard to breathe, is receiving some supplemental oxygen, is crying some, and sounds very congested. They've already done a breathing treatment to open things up and hopefully that will help. This is the most fitful rest I've seen for him since we've been here. If you're still awake and read this tonight (a blessing of us being on the east coast), please pray for his body to calm down so he can get quality rest tonight. Thanks.

We will probably be moved from PICU to a special section for airway patients tomorrow morning. After that, it's more waiting until the bronch next Wednesday.

On the adoption front, we received another photo of the kids today along with some additional health information. The little girl has the most incredible smile in this photo...wish we could post now, but will have to wait until we pass court. Be assured we will share the photos and other information as soon as we can!

Josiah Walking Better Today

2009-12-01T16:41:00.003-07:00

Short post today...only got 3 hours of sleep last night and none today, so my brain is fried. Our highlight was Josiah walking on two occasions, and his balance and strength were much better than yesterday. On his 2nd trip, he walked two laps around his pod in the PICU. His nurse worked with the Child Life Specialist to make a trophy for him that says "#1 Walker, Josiah Snead". He loved it!

HUGE NEWS ON THE ADOPTION FRONT

2009-11-30T12:38:00.003-07:00

WE RECEIVED OUR REFERRAL!!!

Two days ago we received our approval letter (that was dated in October 09)...typically it takes 2-3 months between receiving approval letter and receiving referrals, but this morning I received an email from the Ministry in Rwanda with our referral info. As I type this entry, I'm looking at pictures of two beautiful children who will hopefully be part of our family very soon. I'll do my best to describe the experience, but there's no way I can describe in full detail the joy we've experienced this morning.

We requested two children, 1 girl and 1 boy or girl. Due to some revisions we had to make on our paperwork, we weren't sure exactly what our referral would be, but we suspected 2 girls. However, we are THRILLED with the girl and boy God is providing for us. We have received very little information so far, just a photo of each and their current names. NOTE: There are still steps in this process that must occur before the adoption is finalized...one important step is that we must "pass court", which is when our in-country legal representative will go to a Rwandan court to try to obtain a court ruling that the children are officially part of our family. Until we pass court, the children are not ours, and in order to protect them we are not allowed to post personal information about them in any public forum, so you won't see photos, official names, etc. appearing in our blog until that happens (which we anticipate will occur in January...but keep in mind that's just a guess, as we continue to learn the timeline can adjust drastically). In the days ahead, we will receive additional information (medical records, birthdates, etc.) for review. From what we can tell, the girl appears to be 3-4 and the boy appears to be 4-5...they are AMAZING!

We showed the photos to Josiah this morning, and he flashed a thumbs up and was excited. Then we emailed them to Nana and called Silas to give him the great news as he opened the email and saw the photos...he is so pumped up.

So much going on in our lives right now...and so much good for which we are thankful!

A Very Cool Moment

2009-11-29T17:16:00.003-07:00

Today was mostly another looooong day in the hospital. On several occasions Josiah's tolerance level for being stuck in bed reached a point where he was miserable and didn't really want to do anything to make himself feel better. However, there were also some cool moments:

1.) To spice up his wagon rides today, Shelly created a scavenger hunt for him. She taped 6 envelopes along the PICU corridor walls with his name on them. As we rolled him around, he had to watch for the envelopes and find them. When he did, we'd open them and read a card/note to him, and there was a small prize (crayons, lollypop, puzzle, etc.) in each. He enjoyed it and Shelly is already planning something more elaborate for tomorrow.

2.) Tonight after dinner I asked Josiah if he wanted to do a puzzle...previously he's said no but this time his eyes lit up somewhat and he nodded yes. Using a hospital rolling table arranged over his bed, we opened a 100-piece puzzle and began to work. I could see his mind working as he positioned the pieces, and he flashed repeated thumbs up as we worked together and made progress. I've included a picture of him working the puzzle.

3.) Probably the coolest moment happened tonight when we held up a mirror so he could see his neck without a trach for the first time. He stared at the mirror for a few seconds, then shot his arm up in the air with a big thumbs up. I think it was a strange sight for him, but one that he's excited about. I've also included a picture Shelly took while this was happening.

Josiah is getting better at communicating with us (or maybe we're just getting better at understanding). As you probably know, he can't say anything due to the tube through his nose that goes down through his vocal chords. The sign language he learned several years ago (a necessity because he couldn't talk at all then) has come in very handy, and he's also developed a system of pointing, thumbs up, etc. to help us know what he needs. For several days we've noticed occasions when he fidgets and rubs his legs together...usually happens at night and keeps him awake. We've previously asked him if his legs hurt, and he shook his head (no). About 4:15AM this morning I thought to ask if his legs itched, and he nodded yes. I sat beside him and rubbed my hands up and down his legs, and within 3 minutes he was fast asleep. His nurse brought us some lotion, and we've applied it several times today to his legs...it has helped his comfort level a great deal. We later found out that some of his medicine is probably drying out his skin.

Before closing, here's a specific prayer request...it is very important that the tube in Josiah's nose remain in place until it's time for them to take it out. He has done a great job leaving it alone...however, at night when he's back on the vent (and the tube is connected to other tubing) and he moves, it starts to pull on his nose tube. Last night there were 3-4 times the respiratory therapist had to push it back in...Josiah does not enjoy this at all. At one point she even wondered if we needed to re-tape and re-position it, which would require him being sedated and paralyzed while they do it so that he doesn't move at all. In the end, she ended up adding a single piece of tape to help stabilize it. It's done very well today, but please pray that the nose tube stays stable tonight while he sleeps (and wiggles). Only three more days until his bronch on Wednesday, and if all is well at that point they'll downsize to a smaller tube.

Pics of Silas in FL

2009-11-29T15:12:00.002-07:00

As you can see, Silas is having a great time with his FL cousins...

More progress for Josiah...and big news on the adoption front!

2009-11-28T20:02:00.001-07:00

Josiah continues to make progress. He no longer has a bandage on his neck, he is completely off of oxygen, and the drain tube from his neck was removed this morning. On the flip side, he's getting more and more fidgety and it's getting more difficult to keep him entertained.

Today was filled with more books, movies, listening to Silas read a book over the phone, listening to Aunt Chabba read a book over the phone, listening for a 2nd time to a story recorded by Glorieta intern Mindy, watching Dad put together two Lego Christmas ornaments, 2 wagon rides, computer games, ...and it was still a challenge. He was more grumpy today and showed even more frustration/fear than usual when medical staff had to do things with him. Without a doubt, his least favorite thing is being suctioned through his nose tube. Second least favorite thing is probably having new IVs installed, although he actually did pretty well with the one tonight. Although there are fewer tubes attached to him than at one time, the IV sites must periodically be changed.

Shelly and I continue to tag-team our time with him (particularly the nights), although all 3 of us are frequently in the room during the day. Typically whoever stays overnight with him doesn't get much sleep, and then returns to the RMH for a nap the next morning. We are both getting to exercise each day, which helps relieve stress and gives us an opportunity to get out of the hospital.

Summary: We continue to make progress, pray that the grafts will work, and look forward to his bronch on Wednesday and possible down-sizing of his nose tube at that point.

Probably the best news of the day: We received an email from our Power of Attorney in Rwanda with an attachment of our letter of approval from the Rwanda Ministry! This was the next step for which we were waiting in the adoption process, and now we'll be waiting for the actual referrals. Timeline for others ahead has typically been 1-3 months to receive the referral...not sure when it will happen for us, but we're sure looking forward to it!

Thanks for checking in on us and your continued prayer support!

Post-Op Day 2

2009-11-27T15:08:00.003-07:00

Josiah continues to improve today. Last night he slept until about 3:45 AM and was then wide awake as the medical staff worked with him. He is fully off the vent now, just receiving a small amount of humidified oxygen. He foot IV is gone (still has one in his hand), his catheter is gone (didn't watch that removal), the drain tube in his side is gone (the one in his neck will likely be removed tomorrow),...all of these are good signs of his recovery. He certainly isn't acting normal yet, but we see glimpses of his personality emerging. No smiles (we think it hurts him), but he's actually reverted to the sign language he learned years ago before he could talk in order to communicate with us. He's eaten some crushed ice, taken two rides today around the PICU in a wagon (see attached pic), quacked at a nurse when she showed him her toy duck, given thumbs up several times,...he's getting there. Still in some pain and discomfort...has just now (5PM) drifted off for a little nap after having been awake since 3:45AM this morning.

Josiah with Eyes Open

2009-11-26T20:55:00.003-07:00

Shelly took this photo tonight while Mamoo read a book over the cell phone to Josiah...he's drifting off to sleep now and will hopefully get great rest tonight!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T15:21:00.004-07:00

Hoping that all of you who read this have enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Although we're spending Thanksgiving in the hospital, we have much for which to be thankful.

Josiah has been awake much of the day. He usually cries when a staff member enters the room, and always shakes his head no when asked if he needs medicine. His attending doc today said that he probably is in pain, but just doesn't want anyone coming near him, so they're giving him Tylenol every 4 hours. We've read lots of books and he's watched two movies, mainly trying to keep him comfortable and peaceful.

Good news - he is breathing so well on his own that they are slowly taking him off of the ventilator. The large tube must stay in his nose to keep the airway open and to be there in case it collapses, so they don't have to intubate through the airway sites they just repaired. They have turned him down to 24% (I think 21% oxygen is considered "room air"), and he stil has something going on with the ventilator that provides a push to open his lungs. They will slowly wean him off of this and if he can tolerate it, this will allow him to be able to sit up more, etc. (although right now he gets upset if we even have to adjust his pillows to change his position every few hours).

He continues to be a real trooper. While in obvious discomfort and somewhat frustrated because he can't speak, he is remaining calm, compliant and controlled. He just gave me a quick 1st smile of the day, but other than that he's just looking around most of the time. His level of calm is great because the more upset he gets over things, the more movement and the more possibility of jarring something in his airway that is still healing. We have even removed the restraint from his right hand, and so far he hasn't touched his tube.

Palomino, an upscale restaurant in Cincinnati, catered Thanksgiving lunch in two seatings at RMH today. Shelly attended noon and I attended 2 PM. Very good food and so kind of these folks to volunteer not only the food but also the time away from their families for part of today. The hospital itself is like a ghost town today, but the staff that are serving are cheerful and so professional. I remarked to someone yesterday that our interaction with Cincinnati Children's Hospital on the Sept. trip and now is probably the best customer service experience I've had in a long, long time. The hospital's motto is "Change the Outcome"...what an awesome mission.

Josiah is now again napping, which is great for him...his little body is so worn out. In closing, I want to share another Josiah story from this morning. Josiah hasn't seen a picture of himself without the trach and his neck is still bandaged, so this morning I wondered if he realizes the trach is gone. I asked him, "Josiah, do you know that your trach is gone and that you're breathing thru your mouth and nose just like Silas does?" He looked somewhat surprised and shook his head "No." I replied, "That's pretty cool, isn't it?", and he nodded yes. I'm sure it will be an even bigger deal to him when he feels better, which should continue to happen over the days ahead.

Hope you've had as great a Thanksgiving as we have!

A Great Day

2009-11-25T16:47:00.004-07:00

Josiah did great today. We could tell from the moment we woke him that he was a bit anxious about the surgery, but he really handled it all very well. It lasted approximately 4 hours, and now we are in a PICU room for the next week for his recovery. His neck and right side (where they took the rib) are bandaged, but it's still an amazing site to see him without his trach. The doctors said "It went as well as it could've gone", but they also cautiously reminded us that 1 in 30 patients who have this surgery must be re-trached because the grafts don't "take" (ie., no blood circulation, etc.). We should have a good idea of the probability of success for Josiah in 2 weeks when he has his 2nd of two scheduled bronchoscopies. So, Josiah's recovery the next few weeks is as important as his surgery was today. The plan is to wake him in the next day or two and see if we can keep him calm as he recovers over the next week. There are benefits to him being conscious during his recovery, but there's also a risk with kids of his age that agitation could cause movement that will harm the grafts put in today. As God brings us to your minds, please pray for peace and patience for all three of us (Josiah, Shelly, and Art) in the weeks ahead.

As for Josiah, he's worn out as you can imagine. Throughout the afternoon he's floated in and out of consciousness...it started with him barely opening his eyes every 30 minutes or so and mouthing "Ow" (he can't talk because the tube in his nose goes down thru his vocal chords). Now when he opens his still-droopy eyes he seems more alert, and he'll try to nod or shake his head to answer some of our questions. So far we’ve been able to pacify him back to sleep, but tomorrow will most likely be a lot rougher on him once all of the anesthesia wears off. I've included a picture of him from this afternoon post-surgery so you can get an idea of how he looks.

Two Josiah stories I'll share before closing:

We're always careful with his health (especially during winter), but have been even more vigilant over the past 2 months, limiting his exposure to sick people, constantly applying sanitizer to his hands, etc. Yesterday while in the Cincinnati Children's Museum he and I went to the men's room. I looked over and saw him playing with the mint in the urinal...yep, the day before his surgery. Just more evidence that despite our best efforts, it was God who kept Josiah (and the rest of our family) illness-free in preparation for today.

The 2nd story involves Josiah's actions this morning as the doctors and nurses prepared him for surgery. He began to cry, kept saying "I don't want to do this", and even put his hands over his trach so they couldn't have access to it. Although trying to be brave, he was afraid, and his reaction was to clutch and protect the target of the doctors' efforts to help him. Whether due to fear, confusion, or a combination of the two, he clung to what was familiar even though the best course of action was to just let it go and move forward with the experts' plans for him. While trying to calm him down, I briefly wondered how often I postpone or miss out on God's best for me because I'm clinging to what is familiar but no longer part of His plan. I'm so thankful for His constant patience with me!

On the Eve

2009-11-24T19:23:00.002-07:00

Great day with Josiah today. We went to the hospital for a short visit and lunch, and then headed to Cincinnati Children's Museum (free tix and free shuttle provided by the hospital). We'd considered the zoo but we went there on our trip in Sept. and it was a bit rainy today. A huge, old train station houses several museums (Natural History, Children's Museum, etc.) here...was neat to see how this structure has been transformed from a busy transportation hub many years ago to a museum today. We had a great time with Josiah, and he enjoyed the water activities exhibit, an exhibit called Energy in Motion, and, of course, the Thomas the Tank Engine play table they had.

Tonight we had dinner and now he's in bed. We're hoping to all get a good night's rest, as tomorrow will be a long (although good) day and the last 2 nights have been rough...short sleep 2 nights ago as we had to leave so early for the airport, and last night none of us got much good sleep because Josiah was congested (so lots of suctioning, patting his back, getting him back to sleep, alarms, etc.). The great news is that he doesn't seem to be getting sick, so we're not sure what happened last night.

We also received a schedule for tomorrow...all times are Eastern. We'll arrive at hospital at 7:15AM, surgery is at 9:15 AM and scheduled for 5 hours. During the surgery, Shelly will probably knit and I'll probably work/read in between all the praying and waiting. We're not sure what will unfold after the surgery (how quickly they'll wake him up, if one of us can stay in his ICU room with him, etc.), although we do expect him to be in some pain/discomfort. We'll try to provide updates when we can.

We're in Cincinnati

2009-11-23T20:54:00.002-07:00

For those of you that keep up with www.sneadventure.blogspot.com (our relatively new family blog) and www.caringbridge.org/visit/josiahsnead (Josiah's current CaringBridge site), it's likely Shelly will keep CaringBridge updated and I (Art) will keep the blog updated while we're here, so there will often be different information on both. However, there will also likely be occasions when we simply copy one to the other. As it's been a long day and it's late, tonight is one of those occasions. By the way, if you're a glutton for punishment (or just want to learn more details about Josiah's health issues leading to this point), you can check out his original CaringBridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/nc/josiahclete/...this one was started when he was still in the NICU after birth 5 years ago and was his primary site before we migrated to the new CaringBridge format a year or so ago.

We left Glorieta at 5 AM this morning for the ABQ airport. Silas flew to Florida with his Nana (and is having a blast with his FL cousins already), while the rest of us headed to Cincinnati (via Atlanta). Something unexpected and cool: One of our church's staff members (Kari Reeves, Director of Christian Spirituality and Art) was on our 1st flight, and she prayed for Josiah once we reached ATL. Also during our layover, we received a call from the Cincinnati Ronald McDonald House. They informed us a room had opened up for us to use...this is a great blessing because the hotel where we were booked was approximately 10 minutes away, whereas the RMH is right across the street from Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Also, the RMH has a library, activity rooms, other children and families to meet, and a great dinner prepared and served each night by community volunteers...truly an awesome ministry to families of children with serious health issues. We previously stayed in the one in Chapel Hill, NC, when Josiah was born, but he doesn't remember that. This one is huge...supposedly the 4th larges of all RMHs with 78 rooms. It's pretty much full but it's so big it doesn't seem crowded. After settling in and getting some equipment exchanged (there was some confusion with our equipment order), we enjoyed homemade tacos. Then Josiah and I headed to the library to read a myriad of books. Now he and Shelly are asleep while I'm getting some work done.

Josiah's surgery is not until Wednesday...we traveled 2 days early because winter weather has begun and it's Thanksgiving travel week, and we didn't want to take a chance we'd get delayed and not be in Cincinnati by Wednesday morning. Tomorrow we'll likely drop by the hospital for a brief visit, and then possibly head to the zoo to enjoy some time outside before several weeks of inside confinement for the Toaster. If weather isn't good, we'll possibly do a museum instead. Although we understand what the surgery will entail and accomplish, we're still a bit in the dark on details. It should last 5 hours, but we don't know if they'll wake him up afterward or wait a couple days. He will spend 1 week in ICU and will likely be sore (both in his airway and his side, due to the rib cartilage they'll use in reconstructing his airway), so we'll be reading books, doing puzzles, watching videos,...anything we can do to ease his discomfort and keep him from fidgeting and damaging what the surgeon's have accomplished...will be tough for a 5-year old boy, so please pray for patience and peace (for Josiah and us!).

We know there are many who have prayed over the past five years for this day, and many who will be praying on Wednesday and the upcoming weeks of recovery. We treasure your prayers, not simply because it means you're thinking of us, but because you are communicating with Almighty God on our son's behalf. Yesterday the Glorieta community had a special prayer time for our family at a Thanksgiving celebration on our campus. They also presented us with 3 identical packages of notes (1 for Shelly/Josiah, 1 for me, and 1 for Silas), so our family could each read the same scripture and words of encouragement even while we're at times separated during the next few weeks. One note for each day, each contributed by various members of the Glorieta community...we read our 1st from Mary Kay while on the plane today (Josiah actually remembered and asked about it). Such support means a great deal. One additional item I'll mention: Josiah loves it when people sign the Guestbook on his CaringBridge site or post comments to him on our blog...during our last trip to Cincinnati, we read them to him at least daily while in the hospital, and we plan to do the same again this time. If you get a chance, write something for him on one of these sites and we'll make sure he gets it.

Shelly and me? We're excited. Although there's much about Wednesday's experience we can't predict, we're looking forward to it with great anticipation. This day has been so far off for so long, and we've been so busy preparing for it the past few weeks, the impact of it hasn't hit us yet. I think at some point on Wednesday the emotion is going to overwhelm us as we get squarely reminded of what God has accomplished in Josiah's life over the past 5 years, and what He's going to accomplish that day. I'm not fully prepared for it, but I'm ready for it to happen.

Ready to Go To Cincy

2009-11-22T14:54:00.001-07:00

Below is the post Shelly put on www.caringbridge.org/visit/josiahsnead earlier today...we'll try to keep both that site and this blog updated while we're gone, and will likely sometimes copy one entry from another:

We're off to see the "wizard(s)"!..............

We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning to catch our plane to Cinncinati, Ohio for Josiah's airway reconstruction! YIPEE!!!!!!

His procedures are as follows: this Wed., Nov. 25 (probably starting around 9:00am). This is the official surgery which is estimated to take around 5 hours. He will most likely be sedated for a time afterward (a day or 2....we're not really sure) and on a ventilator. Josiah doesn't really have a clue who rough the next couple of weeks are going to be....so pray for his recovery and emotions as well.

Then he'll be in ICU until Dec. 2, when they'll do a scope/bronchoscopy (while he's under anesthesia) to check things out. If everything goes well, he'll then be put in a regular peds room in the hospital, with another follow-up scope on Dec. 9. Finally, he'll be released from the hospital where we'll stay with some friends for the following week until his last bronch on Dec. 16. If everything is in order, we'll come home on Dec. 17.

Shelly's mom flew in last night and will be flying Silas to Florida where he will spend to incredible weeks with her, and all his cousins, uncles and aunt on my side of the family...Nana will then fly him to his other grandmother's where he'll have another incredible week at the "Butler Farm" and spend time with Papa B, Mamoo and other friends and family.

Lastly, Art and Silas will fly to South Carolina for cousin Corrie's wedding, along with a tirp to see Grandpapa and Grandma Linda. As you can see, Silas is DEFINITELY going to have an amazing holiday season, for which we are VERY thankful. (I asked him yesterday how much he was going to think about me, and he answered very kindly but honestly, "well, probably not much because I'll be pretty busy".....but that, too is a blessing, isn't it?

Well, we sure appreciate your thoughts prayers and journal entries (we read them all to Josiah and he appreciates them too!) We'll try to update pretty regularly starting Wednesday evening......Its all in His good hands...

Sara Groves Rwanda Video

2009-11-15T15:45:00.002-07:00

If you haven't seen this yet, it's worth watching...powerful images and song by Christian artist Sara Groves, who wrote this after returning from a journey to Rwanda. Looking forward to the day when we reach the Land of A Thousand Hills on our journey to Rwanda and see the faces of our girls...

Referral Day for Several Adoptive Families

2009-11-10T21:45:00.002-07:00

When I checked my email this morning, I saw something I've been looking for the past few weeks: Referrals began coming in from Rwanda for a group of adoptive families. I can only imagine the incredible joy those families are experiencing as they look at the pictures of the Rwandan children who will soon become part of their families. I am happy for them, and I'm also eager for the day that we receive our referrals. To put names and faces with "our little sisters in Rwanda", which is how we typically refer to the girls when we're praying for them, talking about them while seated at our dinner table, or when Silas and Josiah go into "our little sisters' room" to play...that will be amazing.

In the meantime we continue to learn all we can about the wonderful country of Rwanda via books, films, blogs, people who've visited...we've even downloaded mp3 files to help us better learn the Kinyarwandan language (still have a ways to go in this area, but I'm trying). It's amazing what God is doing in this small but special African country...for just a glimpse, check out the documentary "As We Forgive" and/or the book of the same name (both, by the way, written/created by Furman University alums...go Paladins!).

In the meantime, only 2 weeks until Josiah's surgery! We're doing what we can to keep him free from sickness while still allowing him to be a 5-year old boy...his birthday party last Saturday was a lot of fun. Tonight as we prepared to change his trach (typically a weekly event), Shelly told him this was one of the last trach changes he'd ever have...I honestly hadn't thought of it in those terms before. While hosting the interns for dinner last night, we showed them pictures of Josiah as a baby and a diaper like the ones he wore in the NICU (it's tiny, but it used to swallow him)...how far he has come, and how faithful God has shown Himself to be along the way. Only 2 more weeks!

23 days and counting, Adoption Update

2009-11-02T21:22:00.003-07:00

23 days until Josiah's surgery, and only 21 days until we leave for Cincinnati. We originally planned to travel to Cincy the day before the surgery, but due to potential winter weather and Thanksgiving week, we'll travel on Monday to give ourselves an extra day to get to Cincy on time...don't want to take the chance of not being in Cincy the morning of the 25th!

Participated in another conference call for Rwanda adoption families last Thursday...as eager as we are to get further in this process (which for us means receiving a letter of non-objection from the Ministry), there are several families who are waiting to receive referral information on the children who will be joining their families...that's got to be exciting but tough at the same time, especially since the 2-month deadline originally given to them has passed.

Summary of info from the call:

1.) Whereas we'd previously been told to expect a wait of 3-6 months between the time our dossier arrived in Rwanda (DTR = Dossier to Rwanda) and receipt of non-objection (ie., approval) letter, it now looks like at least 5 months. Also, the Rwanda program coordinator repeatedly emphasized that timelines/deadlines are treated much differently in Africa than in America...whereas we tend to look at them as set in stone, in African culture they're viewed in a much "looser" manner...reminds me of the following exchange in "Pirates of the Caribbean":

ELIZABETH: Wait! You must return me to shore! According to the rules of the Order of the Brethen --

BARBOSSA: First. Your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, and so I 'must' do nothing. Secondly: you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply. And you're not. And thirdly ... the code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner.

Yes, that was a bit random, but hopefully you see the connection...in international adoption, "deadlines" are "more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules."

2.) It's likely the adoption process will continue to slow down before it speeds up again. The increased delays are mostly a result of:
a.) Lack of manpower (only 1 individual in the Ministry currently tasked with most international adoption matters)
b.) Technical issues (sending/receiving a fax and scanning documents not as commonplace as in America)
c.) Rwandan Ministry's recent (within the last few months) decision to take a greater role in the referral process
d.) Increased number of families wishing to adopt from Rwanda...our agency is actually limiting the number of dossiers it sends to Rwanda in order to avoid overloading a system which is not yet ready to handle a large number of adoptions.

3.) In spite of the fact that this Rwanda adoption process is slowing down, adoption from Rwanda is still quicker than most other countries.

So, whereas we were originally hoping (back when we started in October 2008) to receive our children by Christmas 2009, and during the past few months we were hoping to travel to Rwanda in February-ish, it now seems more likely we will travel late spring/early summer 2010.

They're likely behind these doors

2009-10-28T21:20:00.002-06:00

Was surfing several blogs from families adopting from Rwanda tonight (o.k., the term most people use is "blog-stalking") and came across the following picture. These are the doors to the Home of Hope Orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda. This is the orphanage the Ministry has been using (and is expected to continue to use) when referring children for adoption. Since our dossier is in Rwanda awaiting approval, it's quite likely that our two girls are currently living behind these doors. Wow...that hit me like a load of bricks tonight. As excited (and blessed) as we are about Josiah's upcoming surgery, we're still longing for the day our family expands by two precious girls from Rwanda. Although our family has each other, this longing can still feel lonely sometimes and reminds me of the following words from a David Wilcox song: "When I get lonely...that's only a sign...some room is empty...that room is bare by design...when I feel hollow...that's just my proof that there's more....for me to follow...that's what the lonely is for." The longing that we feel is often placed in our hearts as a gift from the Lord...while it's not really a pleasant feeling, it reminds us there's something else out there...I think John Eldredge once wrote (here's my paraphrase) that our disappointments and frustrations with this world remind and point us to the fact that we're made for something better, something that is yet to come. So it's currently a struggle between impatience with and thankfulness for the longing.

Missing the family

2009-10-25T17:45:00.003-06:00

Shelly and the boys went to visit Mamoo and Papa B in Colorado yesterday, and they won't return until Tuesday. I wish I could've joined them, but we're hosting the Baptist State Convention of New Mexico starting Monday, and I needed to be around for this event. It was strange attending church without them this morning, and I fielded lots of "Where is your family?" inquiries while there.
However, I did get some shopping done...not something I typically do much of, but I bought a king-size electric blanket for our bed (Shelly is excited) as well as Josiah's birthday present...got to keep the latter a secret, but it's something the entire family is going to enjoy and hopefully something he can take to Cincinnati to help pass the time while he's in the hospital. His birthday is November 7th.
I know my family is having a great time but I sure do miss them. Am trying to get a lot done while they're gone!

Countdown to November 25th

2009-10-23T19:09:00.002-06:00

We have a date for Josiah's surgery: November 25th! Not only is this 1 month before Christmas, it's also the day before Thanksgiving...we'll have so much to be thankful for! Shelly, Josiah and I will travel to Cincinnati and stay for several weeks (depending on how typical Josiah's recovery is). The Toaster (Josiah's nickname) has been telling everyone he's getting his trach out...we're all very excited!

There's a chance we could get bumped up if a cancellation occurs, so we're living life on "standby" in case that happens. We're praying our family (especially Josiah) stays healthy between now and his surgery so we're not postponed. Flu season is certainly impacting our area, and we're trying to be careful with him while still letting him live a 5-year old's life. That's right, Josiah will turn 5 on November 7th. He's come so far in the past 5 years and we're so blessed he's in our family!

2nd grade is going well for Silas. He's becoming a great reader...I'm amazed at how smooth and quickly he reads out loud, and he loves to sit by himself on the couch and read chapter books. He's continued to do great in soccer (only 2 more games).

Shelly and the boys head to Mamoo and Papa B's home in Colorado tomorrow for a few days away. They'll check on all the chickens and yaks, and bring home the packaged half-steer so we can enjoy some great beef over the months ahead.

The next Rwanda adoption conference call is next Thursday (the 29th). All that's going on with Josiah has made the adoption waiting a little bit easier, but there are still so many times we as a family talk and wonder about the 2 sisters who'll be joining us (hopefully soon)!

The cold weather has arrived at Glorieta! After a beautiful fall with vibrantly colored leaves of many colors, the cold weather hit Wednesday with our 1st snowfall of the year. It didn't stick, but we can still see quite a bit on some of the mountaintops in our area.

Cleared by Children's Hospital

2009-10-14T19:41:00.003-06:00

Last Friday Josiah had an ECG in Albuquerque. On Monday we received word the results looked "normal", although the medical team in Cincinnati would have to review and interpret the results when they met on Wednesday. Yesterday Shelly worked relentlessly to make sure the team in Cincinnati received the ECG report in time to review it today. We also received a copy, which stated "other than some dilation of the PA system, no other signs of PAH."

Today we prayed for wisdom for the Cincinnati team as they reviewed Josiah's case. Although we did not expect to hear from them until tomorrow or Friday, we received a phone call today from Dr. Cotin's nurse, Janet. She is the individual who told us last week that Josiah wasn't yet ready to be scheduled for surgery because the PAH issue needed to be investigated. Her news today was great. The Cincy team feels very good about the ECG results, and they have sent our file to the scheduling department, meaning we'll be able to proceed with his airway reconstruction and trach removal.

We're still not sure why things were put on hold last week, but we're very grateful all issues have been investigated and we've been cleared to proceed. Janet told us to contact the scheduling dept. by Friday and check to see where they are. It took several months to schedule our 1st trip to Cincy, but we're hoping things will go much more quickly this time since they've already dealt with our insurance company once (also, we think it's a good sign that they initially told us to come so quickly last week). Shelly made sure Janet knows we're very flexible in making a trip to Cincinnati at a moment's notice in case they have any more cancellations. Janet replied they've had several cancellations (this is what happened last week when they initially called us to come) due to flu season. We're not hoping anyone else gets sick, but we'd certainly like to go as soon as possible!

Speaking of the flu, I read on an adoption blog today that the Minister and her family (in Rwanda) have the swine flu, which is slowing down the adoption process for multiple families at this time. Hopefully she and her family will recover fully and quickly.

Change in Plans

2009-10-07T21:38:00.002-06:00

This morning we received a schedule from Children's Hospital listing the procedures Josiah would have over the next 3 weeks. Later, we received a phone call from Dr. Cotin's nurse...when she heard we'd been contacted by someone from Children's Hospital to schedule the surgery on Monday, she was shocked and basically said that no one should've contacted us. For several hours we waited while she discussed with other doctors (Dr. Cotin wasn't in today), and then she called back with the news that they are not ready to proceed with Josiah's surgery at this point. Apparently there was some confusion between departments there and we shouldn't have been called to arrange an appointment yet.

Here's an explanation that Shelly wrote on www.caringbridge.org/visit/josiahsnead:
"WE ARE NOT GOING TO OHIO THIS WEEK. And I am officially OFF the roller coaster ride! We're not exactly sure why the surgeon and his scheduler jumped the gun, but the other people on Josiah's team would like to get rid on one "red flag" before prodeeding with surgery.The red flag was this: Hemosiderins were found in the washes done by the pulmonologist during the bronchoscopy last week. This could be a normal thing, as 50% of preemies have these. BUT, in light of Josiah's oxygen requirements, they want to make sure it's not signs of pulmonary hypertension (caused by possible hemmoraging in the lungs). The O2 needs could very well be explained by altitude, but its better to get everything checked out and treated BEFORE this major surgery occurs. " We're still not perfectly clear on what this means, and I think the pulmonary hypertension could cause possible hemorrhaging in the lungs (not vice-versa), so we're again waiting. Josiah will have an echocardiogram (ECG) on Friday morning in Albuquerque and the results will be sent to Cincinnati. Janet, Dr. Cotin's nurse, thinks it will be normal and said they'll then be able to schedule us...if it's not, it's an issue that will have to be resolved before they do Josiah's surgery, as we don't want to risk the hemorrhaging. When Shelly asked what it would take to resolve the issue if it exists, Janet didn't provide a direct answer, so we're not sure.

So now we're praying for a normal ECG on Friday, continued wisdom for his doctors and nurses, and genuine trust in God's timing. Several friends have commented along the lines of "God's timing is perfect" after hearing the news today...it's one thing to hear it, say it myself, and even know that it's true...but sometimes it's a much more difficult thing to BELIEVE it. Not sure if that makes sense or suggests a lack of faith, it's just sometimes a struggle (at least for me) to LIVE it. However, my struggle in that area doesn't change God's faithfulness, and that's comforting. Pastor Martin actually spoke last Sunday about how Abram was a friend of God and yet even he expressed doubts when God told him he would be the father of many nations (and how that would take place). One of his points was that we can be honest with God when it comes to doubts, frustrations, etc. He made us, knows us, and loves us, so it wouldn't make sense to do otherwise. I just thought of that sermon now as I'm writing this...I wish I'd remembered it earlier today, but at least it's an unexpected blessing from writing this blog (which I really didn't feel like doing tonight).

One cool thing about today: So many of you expressed your excitement and joy for us based on last night's news, and we appreciate you sharing in our excitement and joy. We all got a glimpse of what it will be like, and that was pretty amazing.

GREAT NEWS!

2009-10-06T21:12:00.002-06:00

Well, those of you who have visited Josiah's Caring Bridge site (www.caringbridge.org/visit/josiahsnead) or my Facebook page tonight are already aware, but I had to try to put it into words on our blog tonight:

JOSIAH GETS HIS TRACH OUT ON MONDAY! Shelly received a call from Cincinnati today and was told Dr. Cotin (who invented the airway reconstructive surgery he will perform on Josiah) wants to know if we can be there on Monday (as in October 12, as in 6 days from today) for the surgery. I was in a meeting at work, but Shelly called and said she had to speak with me right away. Her sense of urgency caused concern among the individuals trying to find me, and when I called I heard her crying on the phone. Then she told me the news and I was stunned, absolutely overwhelmed. That's how I can best describe what our family is feeling tonight: we are overwhelmed in an exceedingly positive way, acutely aware of how blessed we are. This is amazing! Tonight we went to dinner at Red Lobster (Josiah's favorite non-fast-food restaurant, even though he goes for the mac-n-cheese and broccoli rather than the seafood), and several times I caught myself just staring at him, thinking that one week from today he will no longer have his trach, and listening to Silas repeatedly say how excited he is for Josiah.

I hate that I was not home when Shelly got the news...when she got off the phone she told Silas "Your brother is getting his trach out on Monday!" She said Silas got so excited he began crying tears of joy, said "This is what we've been praying for!", and ran around the house for 45 minutes (she finally sent him outside to get some exercise). As some of you know, at least 95% of the times Silas has prayed during the past 4 1/2 years (whether before meals, or at night before bed, or during the day), he asks God to help his brother get his trach out...there have been numerous times Shelly and I have been convicted that we've lacked the consistency in petitioning God for this request that our 7-year old son has had. I wish I could've seen the joy in his face and heard him say "This is what we've been praying for!" when he first heard the news today. Just another example of the huge heart Silas has for others and a glimpse of how his faith is growing.

As for Josiah, Shelly said he initially cried when he heard "surgery" but then Silas said "Josiah, when you get your trach out you'll be able to go swimming with me!" and then Josiah started getting excited about it all. Several times over the past year Josiah has said he doesn't want to get his trach out...we think it's because the only time his trach is out is when we're changing it, and he struggles to breathe during those times which is scary for him. However, he's continued to grow more excited about all the things he'll be able to do when he gets his trach out, from swimming to spending the night at people's houses to no more suctioning and trach changes, etc.

So here's the plan: Our insurance company is already working on travel and hotel plans for Shelly and Josiah. With the surgery on Monday, we don't yet know if we'll travel on Saturday or Sunday (perhaps they'll have to see him for pre-op on Sunday?), but as soon as we find out I will try to get a flight as well. The 1st week he'll be in ICU, and the 2nd week he'll be in a regular hospital room. The 3rd week they'll likely release him from the hospital but he'll have to stay in the Cincinnati area. If his recovery is "typical" (keep in mind that Josiah has never been "typical"), he'll then be able to come home for 2-4 weeks before returning to Cincinnati for a followup checkup. After that, he'll continue to return for followups, with the time between each subsequent visit generally doubling. During the two weeks Josiah is in the hospital, we'll likely stay in a downtown hotel or the Ronald McDonald house so we can be close to him. During week 3, we'll likely stay with a family in Cincinnati.

So many of you have prayed for this event, and now it appears it is almost here...please continue to pray for us as we make plans (travel plans, plans for Silas, etc.), travel, Josiah undergoes surgery and recovery, etc. Thank you!

Back Home

2009-10-02T21:19:00.002-06:00

We're back home in NM after returning late last night. Shelly and Josiah met Mamoo this morning to pick up Silas and Eli, so we're all back together tonight.

The final day in Cincinnati went well. Josiah and Shelly stayed in the hospital Wednesday night while Josiah had an impedence probe (a tube with multiple ph probes) down his nose to his stomach while being hooked up to a monitor that collected data and looked for reflux. On Thursday morning, the tube was removed and we headed back to otalaryngology for the final procedure of our stay, another scope down Josiah's nose and throat. This was the same procedure he's struggled with before, except this time he had to eat and swallow, not just talk. HE PERFORMED LIKE A CHAMP! Perhaps it was a matter of getting used to the procedure, or knowing this was his final procedure before going home, or a result of so many of you who were praying...but he did great. A little fussy at the beginning, but then he followed directions, ate and swallowed, and kept calm. When it was over, he jumped up and down on the floor in excitement!

His medical team in Cincinnati is still waiting for the results of a few tests and will meet next week to discuss where we go from here. However, unless unexpected red flags pop up, they believe we'll be moving toward airway reconstructive surgery and trach removal in the next few months.

After leaving the hospital, we met a friend of Art's from high school and college for lunch and then headed to the airport, arriving back home after 11 PM MST (after 1 AM EST). Our bodies are still somewhat mixed up as to what time it is, but hopefully we'll get good rest this weekend.

On the adoption front, there was another conference call for families adopting from Rwanda last week. We actually missed it because of Josiah's appointments, but I did listen to a recording and there wasn't any really new information. We're still in a waiting period while our paperwork is reviewed by the Ministry in Rwanda.

Cincinnati Update #4

2009-09-30T20:14:00.002-06:00

Here's an update Shelly wrote for Josiah's Caring Bridge website late today. If you haven't visited the site, check it out at
www.caringbridge.org/visit/josiahsnead
It's got lots of great pictures (including some from our Cincinnati trip) as well as a place you can write Josiah messages!

Here's Shelly's update from today...it has some GREAT NEWS in it:

WOW! What a whirlwind this week has been! We flew in on Sunday, and drove to West Chester to stay with our wonderful new friends, Rick and Sharon Schatz, who hosted us (and all of Josiah's equipment!) for our stay here. Thank you thank you thank you! (and thanks, Scooter, for the connection).

Monday was a pretty easy day - we spent the morning at a place called "EnterTRAINment", an enormous hit with our train enthusiast. Then off to the hospital to meet with anesthesia to get ready for Wed's procedure. This took a while, but we made it to the zoo for a short time and Josiah had a great time! Then it was off to dinner and back to the Schatz home for bed.

Tuesday was a rough, long day, but a very informative and hope-giving one. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30, Josiah was given anesthesia (which made him VERY upset, since he didn't need it for his last scan). At 10:30 he had a hi-resolution chest scan. After lunch at the cafeteria here, we headed up to see the ENT/speech pathologists at the voice clinic. Josiah was fussy and freaked out most of the time there (a very uncomfortable procedure for him - probe placed through his nose to get a good look at his vocal cords while breathing and talking). He also did some speech testing with a microphone/computer that we've never had done before. Results of the tests showed that, indeed, his vocal cords were not really moving, but we found out for the first time that this was not "the end of the world", as it is treatable with surgery/therapy. However, Josiah may have voice issues (a light, breathy voice) as a result, and we'll do some voice therapy via skype and other in-home therapies to work on this, even before the surgery. Then we saw the pulmonologist, who gave us a LOT of valuable information that I won't burden you with here, but suffice it to say, we were very hopeful going into Wednesday morning's bronch. Finally, we saw the Gastrointerologist, who basically said he didn't think Josiah was refluxing...the shortest appointment of the week so far! When we were FINALLY done (around 5:45pm!), we headed to the Great American Ball Park for a Cincinnati Reds game, which daddy splurged and got us 7th row tickets to (...which happened to be a few rows over and up from Pete Rose, who was also at the game..).

Wednesday, the day we had been anxiously waiting for! Finally it was time for the triple procedure - bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy, endoscopy, and maybe a few other oscopies, I lost count! They also inserted an impedence probe through Josiah's nose all the way down to his tummy and left it in (will be taken out after 24 hours, tomorrow morning) to accurately measure reflux posssibilities. Josiah was pretty fussy (as he went to bed pretty late and got up pretty early....and was very tired of procedures at this point), but finally after an 8:00 arrival time, he was put "out" of his misery at 10:00 and taken to the OR where 4 doctors "did their thang". (sorry, I'm getting tired too....!) After an hour, they came out and spoke to us and here is the nutshell:

THERE'S A REALISTIC POSSIBILITY WE'RE GETTING HIS TRACH OUT SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(do I sound a little excited?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?)As long as all the tests run this week and biopsies/washes that were done don't produce any red flags, i.e. signaling other issues that might need to be treated first. It could even happen as soon as 6 weeks or so....but I've learned to be ready for things to change at any moment, as some problems wait and rear their heads AFTER we've gotten all excited, but anyway, here's the tentative plan. He will have a single-stage reconstruction of his upper airway, with two grafts put in - one in the trachea area which has somewhat collapsed, and one between the arytenoids which are attached to the vocal cords, and are preventing them from moving due to scarring. The trach will be removed at this point! When that surgery is scheduled, he will be in the hospital here for 2 weeks and then must stay in the area one more week. Then, 2-4 weeks later we come back to Cincinnati for checking up on, then again a few weeks later, etc, etc....its a lengthy process to make sure everything is okay, but well worth it. The doctor in charge of this reconstuction is actually the one who INVENTED it!!!!! And has been, along with his wonderful team of physicians, improving upon it for a while. Needless to say, we have been very impressed with the doctors here.

I know many of you are tired of reading (if in fact you've made it this far), but I have to tell a quick story of our flight here. As many of you know, Josiah is quite the "charmer", loves people as soon as he meets them, etc. So as we were boarding the plane, we happened to be ahead of the pilot who Josiah had a lengthy conversation with. When we were readay for take-off and the pilot got on to welcome everyone, he said "and I'd especially like to welcome Josiah on the flight - he's 4 years old, and a fine young man." Josiah was pretty excited. Throughout the flight, the flight attendant fell in love with him, and half-way through it came back and said, "can I get him some pringles or some M & M's for free?" (they're usually $3 each). So I leaned over to Josiah and asked if he'd like some chips, to which he replied, "Yes, I'll take some chips and salsa please". (spoken like a true New Mexican?!) The attendant brought him back chips, M &M's and a deck of Delta playing cards....

Thanks to ALL who have prayed for us on this trip. Unfortunately there is one more unpleasant procedure tomorrow morning (the nasal probe looking at his vocal cords again, but this time he has to eat something with it in there so they can evaluate his swallowing). Thank you to Mamoo and Papa B who have been taking amazing care of Silas in Colorado this week! We love you all! Shelly, Art and Josiah

Update From Cincinnati #3

2009-09-29T20:58:00.003-06:00

Today was a long day...not sure how much detail I can provide before heading to bed, but we'll give it a shot.

We arrived at hospital at 9:15AM. First up was a cat scan on Josiah's chest. We had told him he wouldn't have to get anesthesia (he calls it "anastasia") since he didn't have to on his last cat scan; however, once we arrived we were informed he would have to have it since they needed to carefully control his breathing during the procedure. Even though this doesn't hurt at all, as it was a change to what he was expecting it was a bit upsetting to Josiah. I do have to say that Shelly and I were able to be with him when they put him to sleep, and we both thought it was pretty funny how quickly it happened. The cat scan went well and once he woke up he was full of energy and excited (most kids are sluggish and grumpy), so we took a break for lunch and called Silas on the phone.

After lunch we saw several doctors and specialists, including ENT (ear-nose-throat), pulmonologist, and GI. Overall Josiah did well today, but there was a period of about an hour that was pretty rough when he learned he'd have a scope today (a camera probe is put down his nose and he has to talk so they can view his vocal cords, which is a key reason why we're here). Josiah's vocal cords are moving only minimally, which is a cause for concern relative to airway reconstruction/trach removal. He went through this procedure once before in ABQ and remembers it vividly...although I don't think it's particularly painful, I'm sure it's strange and involves discomfort, and he HATES it. Once he learned he had to have the scope, he was so anxious that it affected some of the other tests that really weren't so bad because he was dreading the scope. They recorded him with a microphone at a computer making sounds with his voice (how high pitch he could go, how low pitch, how strong of a voice without screaming, etc.)...he did o.k. with this but we could tell he was starting to get tired. When they tried to put a mask around his nose and mouth for another recording test, he melted down mentally and physically so much that they stopped the test. They said with 4-year olds it's 50-50 as to whether they make it through that test...suffice to say that Josiah is very strongly in the "No" 50%.

After calming him down, it was time for the scope. The procedure lasted less time than the one in ABQ and overall Josiah did much better during it, but it was still pretty traumatic for him. Fortunately he recovers very quickly after such experiences. They had to use a very small probe to go down his nose, which means they couldn't see quite as well as they could've with the larger probe. However, the ENT doctor felt he got good information, including some things the doctors will investigate further during his procedures tomorrow.

After the scope, we still had 2 more doctors to see. Fortunately, most of those appointments consisted of answering questions and discussing rather than procedures, so he did o.k.

All of the doctors we've seen have spent much time with us, answered our questions as best they could (which has for the most part been very good as they truly are very experienced with Josiah's issues), and impressed us with their knowledge. We'll know more tomorrow when we meet with them after his procedures, and we're still processing much of what they told us. However, whereas our ABQ doctors felt there was a possibility his vocal chord damage could prevent us from reconstructing his airway and removing his trach, the tone of our discussions today seemed to focus more on simply being careful to determine an airway reconstruction/trach removal plan that minimizes increased risk of aspiration, negative and permanent impact on his voice (could always sound "breathy"), etc. (i.e., finding a way to fix the most significant problem without making other problems worse).

A tiring day, a day of massive amounts of information we're still processing, but a good day in that we're speaking with experts and gaining information, which is why we brought Josiah to Cincinnati. Also, we love the team approach utilized by the different departments here, which was something we also appreciated when we were at Chapel Hill. Also, we ended the day at a Reds game, sitting in the 7th row between home plate and the dugout (approx. 30 feet from Pete Rose himself!). We left after 5 innings so Josiah could get to bed, Shelly could pack, and I could catch up on work, but it was a great experience.

We have an early morning tomorrow with a bronchoscopy, endoscopy, and then an overnight Ph test. His procedures should be over by late morning (followed by additional meetings with his specialists), but then he'll have a Ph probe tube down his nose the rest of the day and night so they can explore possible reflux issues more thoroughly than past tests have made possible. Josiah and Shelly will actually spend tomorrow night in the hospital. On Thursday he'll have another scope (he must eat during this one) called a FEES, then we'll hopefully have time to meet a friend of mine from college before boarding a plane and heading back to NM.

We know many people are praying for us this week and we value your prayers. THANK YOU!

Update from Cincinnati

2009-09-28T20:33:00.002-06:00

Today was a good day. Sharon fixed a great breakfast of eggs, fruit, and bacon, and then we left for an hour or so at Enter-Train-Ment, which is supposedly the world's largest model train exhibit. The level of detail was amazing, as was the size of the buildings, landscapes, etc. Mixed in was a great deal of interesting information about the history of trains in America. Shelly and I wondered if Josiah would merely want to play with the Thomas trains in the kids play area, but he primarily walked around and looked at the model train exhibits (that should tell you how intersting it was to him). It was something Silas would also have enjoyed (even though he's started saying "I used to like trains when I was younger").

Afterward we drove to Children's Hospital to go thru registration and meet with an anesthesiologist about Wednesday's procedures. Our first impressions of the hospital? Decorated with an obvious emphasis on making kids feel welcome, very efficient (almost no time spent in the waiting room), and every person we met had a smile and was pleasant: from the women in registration to the nurses to people we passed in the hall to the security guard in the lobby to the guy who collected our lunch payment in the food court to EVERYONE. It was great. The anesthesiologist did run a little bit late, but the nurse notified us early and suggested we use the time to go get lunch, so we spent very little wasted time in the examination room. Overall, we're very impressed. With just one primary appointment, today was much easier than the next 3 days will be, but it was a great start.

Afterward we walked to the Cincinnati Zoo. We only had 1 hour and 15 minutes before it closed, but there were very few people there and so we were able to move around quickly and see a lot of animals. Josiah said his favorite was the camel, which was a bit surprising since it stayed mostly hidden back in a cave and we could hardly see it. Shelly liked the white lions best, and I liked the tiger.

After the zoo we followed the recommendation of Josiah's therapist Julie and ate BBQ at Montgomery's on the Ohio River. A bit pricey but very good ribs and brisket (and grilled cheese for Josiah, of course).

Returned to the Schatz home tonight where I've been catching up on work for the past 3 hours or so...our fiscal year ends on 9/30, so in some ways this was not a great week for me to be away from work. However, we're grateful to be here!

Tomorrow will be more appointments and then (if the weather allows) a Reds game! Josiah has shown a real interest in baseball lately and Sharon gave him a Reds hat to wear (he has it on constantly in their home)...of course, with his short attention span it's quite likely he'll look at us in the bottom of the 1st inning and ask, "Can we go home now?"

Thanks to all of you who are praying for us this week!

Update from Cincinnati

2009-09-28T08:27:00.003-06:00

Smooth travel yesterday...we all had early starts and Shelly's/Josiah's plane was delayed by about 30 minutes arriving to Cincy, but overall a good travel day. We arrived at the Schatz home around 5:30 local time. What wonderful people Rick and Sharon are! They've opened their home to us, made recommendations concerning the local scene (this morning we're taking Josiah to a train exhibit called "Enter-Train-Ment", and are feeding us well. What great hosts!

Today should be an easy day with only 1 appointment at the hospital, followed by an afternoon at the zoo. We're looking forward to that!

Families in Rwanda

2009-09-17T19:09:00.002-06:00

Currently there are 3 families in Rwanda picking up their children. I've been monitoring their progress (and at times, lack of progress) on blogs and a Yahoo group I'm now a part of. It has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for them, complete with numerous dead-ends followed by numerous ways God has worked to get them past those dead-ends. They have their children and are near the end of their time in Africa, but are still facing some obstacles before they can bring their children home.
We've heard that there are always unexpected challenges when involved in international adoption...even more so in Africa...even more so with a program that is as new as Rwanda's (when the 3 families currently in Rwanda return, that will make only 9 families total who have adopted from Rwanda with our agency). Although we've already experienced some of that, there's no doubt there will be more as we travel. Even though we haven't traveled yet, it's easy to understand that the unexpected issues for which we can't plan ahead will test my faith and patience, as I'm an analytical thinker who usually operates with the belief that sufficient planning can prevent almost any unexpected issues...how wrong that is with adoption from Rwanda AND WITH LIFE IN GENERAL. Perhaps God will use this experience to (again) teach that lesson to me. Hopefully I'll be a quick learner, but based on my track record that doesn't seem incredibly likely.
Now that we're past the paper-chasing stage (when we were more actively involved in the adoption process on an almost daily basis), there are times it feels like actually getting our kids seems so far away. And yet we hope for it daily and pray for our girls...we don't know anything about them regarding ages, names, backgrounds, etc. as we haven't been matched yet, and yet we feel in our hearts as though we're already the parents of 4! We talk about our "baby sisters" with Silas and Josiah, and it's amazing to hear the boys pray for them. Following what's happening with the families currently in Rwanda picking up their children brings such hope for the day we will be there.

A Great Weekend

2009-09-13T19:58:00.002-06:00

What a wonderful weekend we've had. Saturday morning both boys had soccer games. It's Silas' 4th season, and he seemed to "get it" much more than he has in the past. He actually scored the 1st goal of the season, he used skills like dribbling, he played hard the entire game, and he was a great sport! He had so much fun.

It was Josiah's 1st soccer game. Even when on the field, he mostly watched what was going on, didn't mind at all when it was his time to take a break and sit on the sideline, asked "How much longer" about 5 minutes after the game BEGAN, etc. When I asked him if he'd kick one for me, he said "I will, I promise", ran over and kicked the ball, and then resumed his stance of standing and watching (as if he'd kept his word and could now go back to just watching). He also picked a flower and gave it to his coach. What a difference between 4 yrs. old and 7 yrs. old, but it was great to see him in his soccer uniform and run around some.

Today we hiked up Canoncito Canyon. We did the same hike last fall, but this time was much different. Silas and I took Josiah with us as we scaled the steep rocks up the side of the canyon (last year Josiah sat at the bottom with his mom). Just like camping last weekend, Josiah loved being able to go with the "big boys" on this adventure.

Two weeks from today we'll travel to Cincinnati, and we continue to hope and pray for answers to what are the options for Josiah. Please join us in these prayers as God brings us to your mind. Thanks!

Cincinnati Plans in Motion

2009-09-08T20:44:00.003-06:00

Our insurance company made travel plans for Shelly and Josiah today, and Art is looking (and hoping) to get the same flights at a reasonable cost. We'll travel to Cincinnati on Sunday, 9/27 and return on Thursday, October 1 (Josiah has a morning appointment this day but we should be done and to the Cincinnati airport by mid-afternoon). Silas will spend the week with Mamoo and Papa B in Colorado, and he's really looking forward to that! While in Cincinnati, we're hoping to take Josiah to the zoo (it's supposed to be a great one) and possibly even to the final Cincinnati Reds game of the season (they're playing the Cardinals).

We received such a blessing from our church last week. Scooter Franks (head of our church's prayer ministry) came to our home to anoint Josiah with oil and pray for our trip. Since he and his wife used to live in Cincinnati, they've been so helpful as we've planned our trip (it looks like we'll be staying at the home of some friends of theirs while we're there). During our meeting, Scooter gave us a check from the church and a couple of families to help us with our trip expenses...he began crying when he gave it to us as he exclaimed "This is what the body of Christ is all about!" He has such a heart for prayer and the fellowship of believers, and we're so thankful for the gift, Scooter's visit to our home and assistance in planning our trip, and our church family.

No news on the adoption front yet...we continue to pray for our "baby sisters" at meals and other times, and we often find ourselves thinking about what they're doing. A family whose blog we've been following is in Rwanda picking up their 2 boys right now, and we're eager for the day when that's what we're doing. In the meantime, we're trying to prepare for life with 6 Sneads...look out world! Shelly is searching for just the right bedroom theme (African, of course), Art is trying to sell his truck and get another truck with 6 seat belts, the boys are busy messing up (and cleaning up) their sisters' room...

Silas and Josiah begin soccer practice this week. It will be Silas' 4th season and Josiah's 1st...we're not exactly sure how Josiah will do but he wants to try and his team will be coached by a man in our church, so we're giving it a shot. Art took Silas and Josiah (and oxygen tanks) camping last Friday night, and it meant so much to Josiah that he was able to be included in the "Snead Men's Outing" and his 1st campout. Dad didn't get much sleep, but it was worth it.

We're entering fall at Glorieta, which is probably the most beautiful time of year in this wonderful place where we live. Come visit!

Changes on the adoption front

2009-08-27T19:13:00.003-06:00

Today we participated in a monthly conference call sponsored by our adoption agency for families currently in their Rwanda program. Here's a summary of what we learned:

This month several families have received their approval (actually, non-objection) letters from the ministry in Rwanda, and more are expected soon. The order of letters received isn't matching up with the order that dossiers were submitted, but our coordinator doesn't think this is a cause for concern. FYI, this is the point we're at (i.e., waiting for our approval letter).

"Rwanda is different" (in the words of the program coordinator): The ministry has many responsibilities (in addition to adoption) in Rwanda. Currently there is only 1 person (a lady) in Rwanda who processes all dossiers.

THE BIGGEST CHANGE: After a family receives an approval letter, the referral (matching) process begins. Up to this point that's primarily involved our agency's in-country rep going to an orphanage to work with the director to get a match. However, the ministry has decided it wants to play a much more significant role in this process, so someone from the ministry will now assume this responsibility. This will likely result in our agency having less of a say than it's had in terms of the referral. Also, once the approval letter is received, the ministry will strive to make a match within 2 months and contact the social worker who prepared the home study rather than our adoption agency or the family. At this point, no one's really sure what that will look like or exactly how it will work.

If you're interested, you can go to the Rwandan government's adoption website by going to www.migeprof.gov.rw and entering "International Adoption" in the SEARCH box...fyi, supposedly it's easier to read if you select the PDF version.

We'll bring our kids home on a IR-4 Visa, which means we'll technically have to re-adopt them when we return to the U.S. The level of involvement varies greatly from county to county, so we'll have to jump through those hoops when we get to them.

In addition to going to Rwanda, we'll likely go thru Ethiopia to get the Visas.

Overall general timeline (from where we are in the process):

Dossier received by ministry in Rwanda
4-6 months: Approval (non-objection) letter received by us
2 months: processing time to get referral/match
4 weeks: to get a court date
After we're approved by court (after we "pass" court):
2-3 weeks until we travel
2 weeks: travel time to pick up the kids

Keep in mind all of these times are approximate...that's how international adoption goes!

Well, as we've learned with Josiah, it's not always good news, but it's always good to know...we'll continue to be as patient as we can and pray for our little girls...we hope you'll join us in those prayers.

Getting closer to Josiah's trip to Cincinnati, and we're eager to learn what we can from that trip. In the meantime, school has started at Carpenter Academy (our homeschool is named after Lucy Carpenter, our Memaw), and we're looking forward to fall in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Take care, and thanks for checking on us!

Cincinnati dates set!

2009-08-15T19:27:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we received a packet from Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. Josiah is scheduled for appointments September 28 - October 1. Looks like it will be a busy schedule for the Toaster (Josiah's nickname), Dad, and Mom. Silas will spend the week with Mamoo and Papa B in CO. As God brings it to your mind, please pray (1) Josiah will do his very best during the tests, (2) the doctors will know from the procedures and results what recommendations they should make, and (3) that we parents will successfully discern what direction to take.

Before you ask, no, there's nothing new on the adoption front...we'll be sure to update this blog as soon as we hear something.

Shelly and the boys had a great week in Dolores with Papa B and Mamoo. They even got to see Aunt Chabba and Uncle Al for a day before they flew back to S.C. The boys enjoyed helping with Mamoo's new group of chickens (these will be layers, not broilers).

Silas starts 2nd grade on Monday, and Josiah will be busy with some pre-preschool activities as well. Hard to believe summer is ending, but it's been a great one!

Back in NM from NC

2009-08-09T15:06:00.002-06:00

We're back at Glorieta. We had a wonderful time in Western North Carolina and were able to catch up with many friends and see some family as well. Travel was long but went very smoothly both ways. Shelly made it to part of a choir practice and helped lead worship at Biltmore Baptist one Sunday. Art got a lot of work done reviewing bids for the upcoming food contract at Glorieta. Silas had an amazing time at Camp Ridgecrest. Josiah enjoyed the freedom of being off oxygen, even for several of the nights (this has never happened before). All in all, a wonderful trip. Special thanks to the Andrews family for letting us invade their home for such an extended period of time, and to the Pownalls for hosting us the 1st night.

No updates on the adoption front, although we continue to closely watch the progress of several families ahead of us in the process. We've been given a tentative date of the last week in September for Josiah's trip to Cincinnati, but that's not definite yet. It's likely Art and Shelly will accompany him, while Silas hangs out with Mamoo and Papa B in Colorado. Speaking of them, Shelly and the boys leave Tuesday for several days at the Butler ranch and will even get to see Uncle Al and Aunt Chabba for part of the time.

Thanks for checking in on us!

Heading to N.C.

2009-07-26T21:28:00.002-06:00

We're looking forward to our trip to N.C. this week. We will have an opportunity to spend time with some family, and we're hoping to see many friends as well. We should arrive on Wednesday in time for Shelly to attend choir practice at Biltmore Baptist. On Sunday after church, we'll drop Silas off at Camp Ridgecrest for a week. He's excited, as evidenced by his having packed (at least, what HE thinks he needs) for camp a couple of weeks ago.

We also hope to hear from Children's Hospital in Cincinnati by Tuesday with news of when they'll schedule Josiah's visit. We are eager to go and learn what the experts there can tell us.

Tonight we went to the summer staff Western Night. A huge storm hit partway through, but then the rain stopped and a huge, bright double rainbow lit up the sky...occasionally strikes of faraway lightning would flash around the rainbows. Certainly there are some things we miss about the southeast, but the skies out here are the most amazing we've ever seen!

Tomorrow night we'll meet Mamoo and Papa B for dinner in Santa Fe. He's speaking at a conference in Los Alamos this week, and we're thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with them.

Rwanda Conference Call Notes

2009-07-21T19:14:00.003-06:00

This morning we participated in a conference call sponsored by our agency for families currently adopting from Rwanda. Two reps read and responded to questions sent in by the families, including a couple that we submitted. At the end, several families offered additional questions. It was very informative and we appreciate this opportunity provided by our agency. We're hoping there will be more conference calls in the future.

Here's a summary of what was discussed:

Since adoption in Rwanda is still relatively new, there continue to be unknowns, changes, etc. In many ways families currently adopting are developing a track record which will hopefully benefit families who adopt in the future.

Once a dossier is arrives at the Ministry in Rwanda, the shortest time for approval is less than 1 month, while the longest time is 5 months. It seems to be getting longer as of late, so we were told to expect a wait time closer to 5 months.

There is no official policy regarding a minimum age for adopted kids. Once we receive an approval letter from the Ministry, it will list the orphanage that will make the referral. The director of the orphanage will be the individual who makes the referral. So far, one particular orphanage in the Kigali area is being used. It's run by Mother Teresa's Nuns and is called Home of Hope Orphanage. Their website is http://hoh.wagnerleadership.ca/. If you have time and are interested, check it out to see pictures, videos, learn more about the ministry, etc.

Currently, travel to finalize the adoption includes 1 week in Rwanda and 1 week in Ethiopia (or possibly Kenya). If the consullate in Kigali starts issuing the visas needed before we adopt, we'll probably only be in Rwanda.

The current estimated timeline between receiving our approval letter from the Ministry and receiving a referral from the orphanage is 4-6 weeks. However, AWA has received word that the referral process will be changing in the future. They don't yet have many details about what that will look like, and they don't anticipate it will dramatically change the wait time.

I'm sure we'll learn much more along the way, and that some things will continue to change. We know God has all the details in His able hands, and we hope we'll REMEMBER that as we proceed.

Dossier in Rwanda (officially)

2009-07-20T21:09:00.002-06:00

Our dossier was officially delivered to the Ministry in Kigali today. Now we'll wait to receive approval from the Ministry. We've been advised this could take 3-6 months.
Tomorrow we're participating in a conference call held by our adoption agency for families who are adopting from Rwanda. Families were asked to submit questions for discussion, and we're looking forward to learning more about what we're going through.
This week, Silas is in daycamp and Josiah is in preschool at Glorieta. They had a blast tonight...Josiah's favorite was duck-duck-goose, while Silas is looking forward to art class led by Shaggy tomorrow night (Silas loves to draw).

Dossier in Rwanda (technically)

2009-07-18T09:51:00.002-06:00

We've been tracking our dossier and it's in Kigali, Rwanda. However, although it was scheduled to be delivered to the Ministry yesterday, there's a "delivery exception" showing a request that the delivery be delayed (not sure what that's about), so now it's showing it should be delivered on Monday.
One of the reasons we started a blog was how much we've learned from reading the blogs of other families who are adopting or have adopted from Rwanda. One such family is the Higgins family (check them out at www.room4more.blogspot.com), who've been of particular interest to us as they are ahead of us in the process and are hoping to adopt 2 children. GREAT NEWS: They received their referral for 2 little boys this week. The boys aren't biologically related (initially siblings were thought to be a requirement for multiple adoptions from Rwanda, but we've now learned that's not the case...again, adoption from Rwanda is still so relatively new there's a lot of learning in the process), and they are 33 months and 17 months old. We're very excited for the Higgins, and we're excited because this is the 1st case of a multi-child adoption from Rwanda that we've heard of, which gives us some hope as we move forward.
In other family news, all four of us will be travelling to Asheville, NC at the end of July. The primary purposes for our trip are to take Silas to starter camp, followup on a recommendation from one of Josiah's doctors that we take him to lower altitude and see how he functions, and to see friends and family. After struggling to find affordable tickets, we were able to utilize our miles so that we're all 4 flying for $400. Still no word on an appointment in Cincinnati...hopefully we'll hear from them soon.

Our dossier is on the way to Rwanda!

2009-07-14T20:03:00.002-06:00

Today we received an email from our family coordinator that our dossier is on its way to Rwanda. She also attached a copy of a certified letter from the Rwanda embassy in Washington, D.C., to the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion in Kigali, Rwanda, which states that "the documents required in child adoption process in Rwanda have been verified and authenticated by the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Washington, DC." It is exciting to know that our dossier was mailed to Rwanda today, although we anticipate several additional months of waiting ahead. Our family coordinator's email says "The expected timeline for your family to receive an approval from the ministry is 3-6 months." After that, we'll still have to receive a referral, court date, etc., so it's very likely we still have a long way to go. We appreciate the support and prayers of our family and friends. Thank you!

Family Update

2009-07-11T11:43:00.002-06:00

Special thanks to Robert for helping us figure out some blog template and design basics. As for our family, we're doing very well. Silas will head to starter camp at Ridgecrest the 1st week of August. Shelly and Josiah will travel with him to spend time with friends in Asheville, NC, and to see how Josiah's oxygen needs adjust at a lower altitude. We have not yet received specific dates for Josiah's trip to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH, but Shelly was told last week they're currently scheduling for September/October. We're hoping to get in before then, but God's timing will be the best (and it has allowed Silas to attend starter camp). On the adoption front, during the past few weeks we've re-done some of our documents to make it more clear that we want to adopt two children from Rwanda. Since adoption from Rwanda is still a relatively new process, we (and our agency) continue to learn things as we proceed. At this point, our completed dossier should be sent to Rwanda in the next week or so. After that, we're probably looking at several months of waiting...and waiting...not really looking forward to that, but we know it's likely and necessary. THANKS FOR CHECKING IN ON US!

The blogging adventure begins

2009-06-28T15:37:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our adventure! We are currently a family with 2 fun boys, 1 good 'ole dog, and in the process of adopting 2 little girls from Rwanda. Our lives are never boring....as much as we might sometimes desire for them to be....so we just hang on and enjoy the journey God has given to us. This blog will be a place to detail the events of that journey, the good, bad and crazy, and maybe a few thoughts about what we're learning along the way!

Jesus said, "I have come so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." (John 10:10)