Taking it "one day at a time". . . all in stride. :)

Mei Li's surgery on her little ankle was last Friday. And, as usual, she has amazed us with her resilience and "roll-with-the-punches" spirit. She hardly complained at all after her surgery. We kept expecting the pain meds to wear off and the pain to hit! It just never happened. The day of surgery, we were sent home at lunch time. She was very groggy and nauseous. She couldn't keep down anything she tried to eat. And, we stuck to liquids only. It all came back up. She slept most of the afternoon, and at bedtime she slept all night long. By the time Saturday morning rolled around, she was back to about 85% normal spirit and the twinkle in her eyes was back!! She did complain very mildly of pain in her leg. This child rarely complains of any kind of pain, so I take it seriously when she tells me something hurts---and I KNEW she should be hurting after that surgery. I was prepared to deal with the problem of "lots of pain". But, it turned out, the problem lay with "how little" she complained of pain. And, every time I tried to get her to wiggle her toes, she couldn't do it. And, every time I would tickle her toes or pinch them. . . or even hold an ice cube on them. . . she had no idea I was doing anything to her unless she saw me do it. So. . . our Mei Li has no feeling in her little foot. And. . . she has begun to touch her lower back where the fatty tumor is and say, "Ow!!" She has never complained of it hurting her before. But, for the last 3 days, she has told me that it hurts. . . not her leg. I'm just not sure what to make of it. I am definitely concerned. I took her back in to the orthopedic surgeon for a recheck. He took her cast off and examined her. The surgical site looks great, the blood flow is perfectly fine, her foot is warm. . . He suggested that it "might" be the meningocele on her back causing neuropathy in her foot. We don't see the neurosurgeon until Monday, and I am very eager to have his assessment of our little Mei Li.

In the meantime, we are enjoying every minute with both of our girls. My mother said it best. "Mei Li has a way of making herself "at home" wherever she is. And, she has a way of making everyone around her smile". She is truly a ray of sunshine. And, that is true even with all the doctor appointments, specialist appointments, castings and surgery. She takes everything in stride, rolls with it, adjusts herself to each new hurdle that comes along. . . and keeps going!!! With a smile and a giggle, I might add. Such a victorious spirit! If it is true that angels walk this earth, and sometimes humans are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend to one, then I am convinced Mei Li has wings hidden somewhere. She teaches all of us something new every day.

I am trying to learn from Mei Li's approach to life, and take everything "in stride". One step at a time. God has a big plan for Mei Li's life. Or, He wouldn't have gone to such lengths to connect her to a family an entire world away. And, although I want to be sure we do "everything in our power" to provide her with the medical care she needs to make her body healthy and whole, I am trying not to panic when things don't go just right. When a new obstacle pops up in our path, just like our Mei Li works around and overcome every obstacle that she encounters, we will take a minute, assess our options. . . and make a new game plan. Regardless of whether the feeling returns to her foot or not. . . Mei Li's life and health has changed "for the better" now that she has the love of her forever family, her new home in America and a team of doctors and specialists tending to her medical needs.

Please continue to lift her up in your prayers. And, thank you for following!