Becky Covington here.  Thought I'd update you on what has been going on in our family.

I am married to my husband, Derrick; we have four beautiful children:  Heather Danielle (14), Ryan Seth (12), Haad Asul (8 1/2), and Dakodah Jamison (2).  We did have three; however, a year ago, a little handicapped war orphan from Iraq came into our lives, and our lives haven't been the same since.

Little Haad Asul lost his legs in a bomb blast; he spent nearly a year in hospitals, undergoing numerous surgeries and therapy treatments; he still faces more in the years to come; but between hospital stays, he is a quiet, rather shy little boy who is learning to trust us, his family, and to get used to his new life here in America.

Haad is learning English:  already he can say Mamma, Daddy, brubber, sister, dog, cat, good, happy, hungry, bathroom, just a few of the many words he's picked up.  He is very smart; we are very proud of all that he's accomplished in the short time he's been with us.

The Fourth of July was a bit of a challenge for our newest charge:  the bursts of the fireworks reminded him of bombs or guns going off; he started yelling in Iraqi; we had no clue as to what he was saying, only that he was extremely terrified.   It broke our hearts to think that a child so young could witness such horror, such devastation, including to his own physical body.  It is because of the war that he now no longer has legs:  he has to get around by scooting himself on his bottom or by using crutches or artificial legs.  It's been a hard, emotional journey, not just for him, but for all of us.

All we could do was hold him and try to reassure him that no bad people were coming to kill him and that he was safe here in America, with us, his family, and that we loved him very much.

We are waiting for Haad to learn more in the way of English before we help him with his citizenship papers to where he can become a citizen of the United States of America.  Right now, though, he has a green card; this allows him to stay with us, legally, until the paperwork can be completed, and he can take his citizenship tests.  Then, hopefully, he will become a new, full-fledged citizen of America.  That is one of our biggest hopes right now.

Dakodah, our baby, has been having problems with allergies; he went to the hospital twice in the last month for asthma attacks.  The doctors are still trying to figure out what has been causing his breathing difficulties; he now sleeps with oxygen at night, and we have to give him breathing treatments and give him meds, in the hopes of keeping his lungs clear, and to stave off yet another attack of asthma. 

As for Heather and Ryan, they've been enjoying their summer vacation from school.  Heather loves hanging out with her friends at the pool while Ryan busies himself with skateboarding, basketball, baseball, and football with his friends, or playing video games on the computer on rainy days.

Well, Dakodah just woke up from his nap, so I will go now. And Haad is calling me; he needs help trying to remember where he put his crutches, so he can get around.  LOL  Silly boy!  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Becky Covington signing off!  God bless and talk to you again!

~Love, your friend in Binghamton, New York, Becky Covington.  :)

*To be continued.*