Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Summer
This is how our summer is going so far:
Miss Angie is swimming almost every single day, sometimes twice a day. She is taking lessons and her progress is amazing. I am so impressed by the instructors at our pool. They are patient and kind and always make sure she understands what they are working on. It is the highlight of my day to watch her lessons after my day at work.
Toby and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary this week. Our good friends, Jeff and Heather offered to come to Clatskanie to stay with the kids so we could get away for the weekend. There are few people that we would/could leave in charge of our crazy household and Jeff and Heather are on the short list. We were so grateful for our weekend, which we spent in Oregon wine country in the sunshine.
Yesterday we attended a permanency hearing for Angie's DHS case. We have struggled with our relationship with the agency due to poor communication and frustration on our part. At the hearing, we did not share the DHS perspective that Angie's adoption is "on time" when we are 13 months into a process we were told would take 6-8 months. I am extremely proud of Toby for his request for specific dates when the remaining steps would be completed, even though we did not receive concrete answers. It is disheartening to feel powerless in a process that means so much to us. We believe that we are approximately 3 months away from becoming Angie's forever family on paper. Almost time to start planning the gigantic celebration that will follow the finalization of her adoption!
Next week, Toby, Angie, and I will travel to Denver for the International Hemispherectomy Conference. We are excited for Angie to spend time at a day camp with other children who have experienced the same dramatic brain surgery. Toby and I are looking forward to hearing the presenters speak about what we might expect going forward and how we can help Angie reach her full potential. I fully expect the experience to be life-changing for all of us. And again, we have someone special, our daughter Jordan, who is willing to hold down the fort at home.
There is a theme here, as I write. We are surrounded by special friends and family who are willing to come into the trenches with us to support our family. Please know that we see what you do and are grateful for every one of you. Your messages of support and prayers, gifts of time, and even brief "check-ins" to see how we are doing mean more than you know. We are strong because of the team of people by our side and we do not question that for a moment. Words are not enough to thank you.
Miss Angie is swimming almost every single day, sometimes twice a day. She is taking lessons and her progress is amazing. I am so impressed by the instructors at our pool. They are patient and kind and always make sure she understands what they are working on. It is the highlight of my day to watch her lessons after my day at work.
Toby and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary this week. Our good friends, Jeff and Heather offered to come to Clatskanie to stay with the kids so we could get away for the weekend. There are few people that we would/could leave in charge of our crazy household and Jeff and Heather are on the short list. We were so grateful for our weekend, which we spent in Oregon wine country in the sunshine.
Yesterday we attended a permanency hearing for Angie's DHS case. We have struggled with our relationship with the agency due to poor communication and frustration on our part. At the hearing, we did not share the DHS perspective that Angie's adoption is "on time" when we are 13 months into a process we were told would take 6-8 months. I am extremely proud of Toby for his request for specific dates when the remaining steps would be completed, even though we did not receive concrete answers. It is disheartening to feel powerless in a process that means so much to us. We believe that we are approximately 3 months away from becoming Angie's forever family on paper. Almost time to start planning the gigantic celebration that will follow the finalization of her adoption!
Next week, Toby, Angie, and I will travel to Denver for the International Hemispherectomy Conference. We are excited for Angie to spend time at a day camp with other children who have experienced the same dramatic brain surgery. Toby and I are looking forward to hearing the presenters speak about what we might expect going forward and how we can help Angie reach her full potential. I fully expect the experience to be life-changing for all of us. And again, we have someone special, our daughter Jordan, who is willing to hold down the fort at home.
There is a theme here, as I write. We are surrounded by special friends and family who are willing to come into the trenches with us to support our family. Please know that we see what you do and are grateful for every one of you. Your messages of support and prayers, gifts of time, and even brief "check-ins" to see how we are doing mean more than you know. We are strong because of the team of people by our side and we do not question that for a moment. Words are not enough to thank you.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Thank you for your prayers, my friends. After my last post I received multiple messages with kind words, offers of prayers, a coffee card, meals, and flowers. I never intended my story to make you feel you had to do for me. I was holding true to my original commitment that this blog would be real. But know that I am grateful. Your kindness has been a true gift.
We are plugging along and our strength comes largely from this girl:
Because of Angie, our days are filled with "I love you", "You are precious" and "I am so lucky". Who can stay in a mood with all of that positive going on? She embraces life with all she has got and she reminds me of all that is good.
Angie has become a pool rat since summer started. She asks to go swimming every single day. This week she started lessons and she is having a blast! I am surprised and thrilled at how free she is in the pool, unencumbered by the challenges she experiences on dry land. She is amazing! And so happy........
Toby, Angie and I will be leaving for Denver in about two weeks. We are traveling to the International Hemispherectomy Conference where Angie will attend day camp with other children who have experienced hemispherectomy surgery. While she is there, Toby and I will attend conference sessions about what we might expect moving forward and how we can best help Angie to reach her full potential. We are extremely excited and I have no doubt that even among others with similar histories, our girl will shine. She is so anxious for her first airplane trip. We will make friends that we will have for a lifetime, who truly know what it feels like to walk in our shoes.
We have been asked about Angie's adoption. It is still happening, although MUCH slower than we expected. We will go to court again next week and we expect to hear the same story as last time. DHS is overwhelmed, understaffed, and trying as hard as they can. We are tired, and so is Angie. She wants to be a Harris. For now, though, she is loved and safe. Some day she will be a legal member of our family and when that day comes, we will celebrate like crazy. I can't wait.
We have so much to be grateful for. Than you for reminding me with your kindness. We have been surrounded by love when we need it most. That is what life is all about, right? Showing up when someone is down and paying it forward. I can't wait until I can do the same for you.
We are plugging along and our strength comes largely from this girl:
Because of Angie, our days are filled with "I love you", "You are precious" and "I am so lucky". Who can stay in a mood with all of that positive going on? She embraces life with all she has got and she reminds me of all that is good.
Angie has become a pool rat since summer started. She asks to go swimming every single day. This week she started lessons and she is having a blast! I am surprised and thrilled at how free she is in the pool, unencumbered by the challenges she experiences on dry land. She is amazing! And so happy........
We have been asked about Angie's adoption. It is still happening, although MUCH slower than we expected. We will go to court again next week and we expect to hear the same story as last time. DHS is overwhelmed, understaffed, and trying as hard as they can. We are tired, and so is Angie. She wants to be a Harris. For now, though, she is loved and safe. Some day she will be a legal member of our family and when that day comes, we will celebrate like crazy. I can't wait.
We have so much to be grateful for. Than you for reminding me with your kindness. We have been surrounded by love when we need it most. That is what life is all about, right? Showing up when someone is down and paying it forward. I can't wait until I can do the same for you.
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