Are you really ready? Do you understand what this means?

A few months ago, I had taken one of the kids into the pediatrician's office for a fairly routine visit. As the doctor and I chatted, I mentioned that we are the adoption process and that I would be making an appointment to go over Baby O's medical report. The doctor asked if I had any major concerns, and I answered, "Not really. He does have Down Syndrome, though."

The doctor stopped in his tracks, set down his clipboard and asked, "Do you understand what Down Syndrome is?"

I managed to make it through the next few minutes without getting angry or bursting into tears. The rest of the conversation wasn't exactly encouraging, though, so I'll leave that part out.

Fast forward a few months and we're finally set to travel to Eastern Europe to meet Baby O. We get an updated medical report on him and while I'm reading, my heart sinks. We knew from the prior report, which was over a year old at that point, that Baby O was on the small side. We knew that the combination of orphanage life and Down Syndrome might contribute to him being smaller than the average child. We honestly had expected him to grow over the past year. We were wrong.

Instead of growing, our sweet boy had lost a pound and a half on his already small frame. We tried to picture how a little boy about to turn three could be smaller than our biological kids were at one year old. We prayed that perhaps something was lost in translation while at the same time, we tried to prepare our hearts for the possibility of a really small three year old.

When we met Baby O, after first noticing how stinkin' adorable he was, we realized that he truly is small. The doctor at the orphanage confirmed his weight. At three years old, Baby O weighs sixteen pounds.

Now, Baby O has an impressive medical history. He has had a few surgeries. Most of these issues seem to be resolved, but we will most definitely be following up with doctors when he gets home just to be sure. These medical issues could certainly have contributed to his small size. He may not be getting all of the nutrients he needs and perhaps he has some absorption issues. But looking around the orphanage, even at the healthy children, I realized that there is so much truth to the belief that it takes more than food and water to make a child grow. What is missing is love.

I wish I could show you pictures of my teeny tiny Baby O, but until he is legally ours, I will refrain. Even the pictures we took cover the truth of his skinny arms and legs because of the layers of clothing that he wore. I would push up his sleeves and look at his tiny wrists and forearms. I never saw his feet and ankles because he either wore footed pajamas or outfits with long tights layered underneath. One day, he came to us wearing tiny little bitty shoes, in an infant's size three. His clothes were size 9-12 months.

The Daddy Guy and I have high hopes and great expectations for this tiny little guy. We know that bringing him home into a family where he'll probably get more attention and love than he'll be able to handle will change all of this. We have seen other families bring home their tiny children and watch them change before their very eyes. They grow. They thrive. Baby O will grow. Baby O will thrive. We believe this.

Another family brought their four year old daughter home from Eastern Europe this past year. At ten pounds, she was quite possibly the tiniest thing I have ever seen.

 

 

Six months later, this is the change in her life:

 

 

Can you even believe that's the same child? What if her parents had been asked if they were really ready? I wonder if someone asked if they understood what they were taking on. What would be the point?

 

Our family has had the privilege of watching our friends who adopted a child from the Philippines. In the past two years, this child has learned to walk, talk, play, sing, and tap out songs on the piano, all without the benefit of sight. The changes in this child's abilities have been amazing. As his parents brought him home, I wonder if they were ready. Were they ready to see the miracles happening in their own home?

 

This week, we met with a different doctor. During the appointment, we had the chance to share with him about the truths of children with disabilities in orphanages. As we were working on a care plan for Baby O when he arrives in the U.S., I was able to explain to him that while all of the medical interventions are going to improve Baby O's health, the purpose of our bringing him here was to give him a home, a family, and a future. We know that God has a promise for Baby O in Jeremiah 29:11, " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

 

As I think about Baby O and bringing him home, I do wonder if we're ready. Do I even know what we're getting into? More importantly, are we ready to see the miracles? Will we see the changes in him and understand what they really mean? What I really pray for is that those around us will see the changes and wonder how those changes happened. Will the doctors see it? Will they wonder what it means?