Thursday, August 27, 2009, 3:02 a.m., P.T.~
Dear Journal~
Terri Ruth here. Sorry if it's so early. Can't sleep. Still can't believe that all the waiting is finally over!
We have four children: our sons Hyman and Wallace (Wallace was adopted from China last year), and now newly-arrived Mordechai Daniel from India and Alyssa Grace from Russia; they just came a few days ago!
Mordechai has a cleft palate and lip, but that doesn't detract from his beauty. He is absolutely gorgeous! He has big, black eyes, thick, wavy, blue-black hair, and beautiful dark-brown skin with pink palms and soles. He is two years old, just a little peanut of a child!
As for Alyssa Grace, she is the exact opposite of our family: while the rest of us have dark eyes and hair and olive skin tone, she is blonde, fair-skinned, blue-eyed. She is nearly six. She is perfectly healthy other than having three fingers on one hand (left).
Both Alyssa and Mordechai have huge adjustments to make: getting used to living with strangers who speak another language other than their own, spacious backyard and home with plenty of room to romp around and play, going to school (Alyssa), learning to read/write in English, among other things. We know there will be plenty of opportunities for tears and/or tantrums, but we are well prepared to handle whatever comes our way.
We hope we are, anyway!
Mordechai has surgery scheduled in the near future, so his cleft palate can be fixed. He has difficulty eating and swallowing because his nose and upper lip are so messed up. He is prone to choking if we aren't careful, so we feed him by way of a special baby bottle or spoon, to make eating easier for him.
I know he won't enjoy that, but we plan on being there for him, every step of the way!
Wallace has reverted to speaking Chinese again, thanks to the arrival of his new brother and sister. We know he is scared or perhaps jealous; we will try to help him get used to them and tell him that we love him as much as we did when we first adopted him last year from China.
Maybe he thinks we'll love Mordechai and Alyssa more than him.
I just wish Nashi Danielle, our daughter who died this past March, could have been alive to see this moment. I am sure she would have enjoyed meeting her brand new brother and sister.
No, she can watch over them from Heaven, and one day we will all be reunited. That will be a joyous day, indded, especially when we'll see her running around, healthy, happy and whole.
No more Canavan disease. No more wheelchairs. No more tube feedings or crushed medications. No more doctors poking and prodding her. No more pain or suffering. She is an entirely new creature who has Jesus and the angels to keep her company.
Unbeknownst to them, Alyssa and little Mordechai have an angel to watch over them as they live their new lives in America.
We plan on telling them about Nashi, sharing her story, showing her pictures with them; that way they will get to know her and love her as we did. Do.
As I write this, it's quiet. Peaceful. Serene. I am sitting in the kitchen, the clock's ticking the only sound I hear. Children and husband are asleep; I might as well take full advantage of the tranquility because by nine it will be "up and at 'em" as the family rises to greet a brand new day!
It is still dark, with only the moon, stars, and the street lights lighting the world we live in. Very few lights are on in the houses surrounding ours; ours is one of them. The cat lies nestled against my feet, purring softly as she nods off to kitty dreamland; she will probably dream of catching a nice, fat mouse. She's a Norwegian Forest cat; we got her shortly after Nashi passed away, and she's been a constant, trusted friend ever since.
Well, I am going to go. I hear someone crying; I think it's Mordechai. I will tend to him. I will write in here another time; until then, this is Terri Ben Ami saying so long! Yeshua bless!
~Terri Ruth. :)
