June 2010~

Maddie Wright here.  Hope this finds y'all well and happy.  Other than the heat (and the storms), we are all doing okay:  me, my husband, Greg, and the kids: Alyssa (adopted from Russia); Kesogo, Emmanuel Thaddeus, and Mordechai (all adopted from Africa, from the country of Kenya); Korina Thu Grace (adopted from Vietnam); and our three "homegrown" kids -- Kaylie, Kristmas, and Kensington.

Hard to believe that just two years ago, we only had three kids.  Then we adopted Korina, and the others (Mordechai, Thaddeus, and Alyssa) just sort of followed thereafter.  Now we have eight kids -- and it looks like two more kids might be coming in the near future.

That's right:  Greg and I have applied to adopt twin girls (Jamila and Jonquil) from Haiti.  They are six years old, pretty little things, who look like carbon copies of each other.  They are also both disabled:  both have cerebral palsy.  Jonquil can walk (with crutches and leg braces); her sister cannot: she is totally dependent on a wheelchair to get around.  We applied to adopt the girls just after I wrote back in April; it's now nearly the middle of June, and we just completed our (umpteenth) home study.  We are waiting to hear from the adoption agency, to see if we passed (and I have no doubt that we did!).

The weather here in Conyers, Georgia, has been hot, to say the least.  Every few days it seems we get storms, mainly in the afternoon and evening, which only adds to the humidity (and brings out the bugs at night).  Poor Korina, Alyssa, Kesogo, Emmanuel, Kaylie, and Kristmas are all bug-bitten; they are covered with bites.  I have been giving them Benedryl and rubbing their bites with calomine lotion to relieve the burning and itching sensation.  For some reason the bugs leave Mordechai and Kensington alone.  They don't seem to have any problems with bugs biting them.  LOL

We pray to God to keep our two potential daughters safe from harm, especially since the earthquake that devastated Haiti just a few months ago; in fact, the children lost their family; they were the only two that survived.  We got a call from our adoption agency, to see if we were interested in adopting them; of course, we said yes!  So the process has been set in motion, and here we are, playing the waiting game yet again (we have been down this roud before with the five that we adopted previously).

If God allows us to have Jonquil and Jamila, then it's His will; if not, then that's okay, too.  Whatever He decides:  the ball is in His court; it's out of our hands.  It would be nice, though, to have some more sisters for Kaylie, Kristmas, Korina, and Alyssa!  Yet if I know the boys, they will probably gripe that we didn't adopt a brother for them!  LOL

Since her surgery earlier this year (appendectomy), Korina has been doing fabulous!  She is just about healed, and she's nearly back to full speed ahead, just as she was prior to getting sick.  She had this done back in February, nearly four and a half months ago.

Of course, Korina still balks at therapy; what kid doesn't like to work?  LOL  The same applies to Mordechai and Emmanuel; they don't like therapy any more than their sister.  LOL  Afterwards, they don't mind because we always stop at Dairy Queen, and they have a Blizzard, which quiets the grumblies and puts smile on their faces.  Works like a charm every time!  LOL

Well, I am in the middle of attacking a mountain of laundry, so I'd best get to it, especially since the dryer just dinged, signalling that the clothes in there now have dried.  I will write in here again soon, hopefully before the Fourth of July hoiliday.  Seems hard to believe that the year is half over, doesn't it?  Seems like only yesterday it was the start of the new year!  Take care; may God bless you always!  Pray that we will be able to adopt Jonquil and Jamila; prayers are greatly appreciated!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Georgia, Maddie Denise Wright.  :)