In just a few short weeks, the dream of having more children added into the family will come true . We have been busy getting the children's room ready and making sure everything is in order before their arrival next week.
We applied to adopt these girls over a year ago. They are three sisters from Poland who needed a family and a home to call their own; we got approved for the adoption a month ago, after many weeks of waiting, uncertainty, and even some tears.
The children are named Annuchka, Sofia, and Daniela; they are ten, eight, and four. They are all beautiful with their long, straight blonde hair and big blue eyes; you can definitely tell that they are sisters.
Soon we will have seven children instead of four. We already have four boys, ages 16, 14, 9, and two. Our boys are as excited as we are, particularly our second youngest, Danny. He keeps asking every day if today is the day that Anna, Sofia, and Daniela come; I keep telling him not yet, but to be patient; that day will come soon. And it will, sooner than he realizes. Our new girls arrive next week!
We have made the house accessible for wheelchairs. You see, Sofia, the middle one, has cerebral palsy. She is in a wheelchair and cannot walk. Yet we looked past that and saw a needy child with a beautiful spirit. We are hoping that others will do the same. Sofia is a child with a disability; she is not her disability! This is a lesson I plan on instilling in my kids (and in others) when Sofia comes next week (and from that moment on).
Nervous? You bet! We know from seeing her picture that Sofia is pretty well involved when it comes to her CP. Her limbs resemble stiff little sticks, and her fingers are permanently curled. She wears orthotic braces on her thin little legs and we doubt that she can ever walk on her own. If she does ever walk, it will probably be with a walking frame. We don't know just how much in the way of damage her brain has suffered, and we are not ready to deal with a child who can't do anything but lie there and wait on others to care for her.
The adoption agency has assured us that Sofia can see, hear, etc., but somehow we aren't convinced. Sometimes people tell us things, and they end up being the total opposite of what they've told us. I just pray that we have the strength, time, and stamina to handle a child who is so severely physically disabled!
Well, the medical company is here to deliver the hospital bed for Sophia (she cannot lie in a regular bed), so I will go now. I will write in here again, probably in a few weeks, after the girls are (somewhat) settled in their new home here in America. Just pray for us, and pray that I or my husband (Jeff) can handle a disabled child! I would greatly appreciate it!
~Love, your new friend in Chardon, Ohio, Esther Grace Underwood. :)
*to be continued.*
