Adopting Caroline Li: December 2006

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It is hard to believe that four months have already past since we first held Caroline in our arms in Nanchang. In fact, Caroline has so completely assimilated into our family that it is hard to remember life without her. Joshua and Katie have adjusted well, and it is easy to see their love for her. Thanks to all of our family and friends who have supported us along the way in the form of meals, visits, gifts, etc. Many people have asked us for an update on Caroline’s condition since we originally reported on our blog that she was born with a cleft pallet and that she had some malnutrition/anemia issues. We’ll discuss this further down in this post.

As Christmas time approaches we often find ourselves reflecting on how much our lives have changed since this time last year. One of our favorite music groups (Third Day) just released a song that captures much of our feelings from last December as compared to this Christmas:

Christmas 2005

There’s a little girl trembling on a cold December morn crying for mama’s arms,
At an orphanage just outside a little China town where the forgotten are.
But half a world away I hang the stocking by the fire,
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine.

It’s Christmas time again but you’re not home
Your family is here and yet you’re somewhere else alone.
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in His arms,
And tell you from my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas.

Christmas 2006

It’s Christmas time again and now you’re home,
Your family is here so you’ll never be alone.
So tonight before you go to sleep, I’ll hold you in my arms,
And tell you from my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas.

In the four months that we have had Caroline (she is now 14 months old), her weight has increased from just under 13 pounds to a little over 18 pounds! She has also gone from not being able to sit up on her own to just on the verge of walking. The only health item remaining is surgery to repair her cleft pallet (which is scheduled January 11th). Ear infections are common in children with cleft pallets (Caroline has already experienced two), so the doctors will also put tubes in Caroline’s ears. Finally, a chromosome 22 test will be conducted after surgery. Basically, we are looking for the presence of this chromosome to rule out further potential health issues that are sometimes found in children with cleft pallets. We have been several times to UNC Hospital in preparation for the surgery, and basically everything has checked out well so the doctors are not expecting problems after surgery. We plan on updating our blog shortly after the surgery for anyone that is interested.

As we have gone though the process of bringing Caroline into our family, our awareness of the global crisis of 143 million orphaned children has been significantly heightened. We have also been enlightened as to how much the Bible talks about God’s heart for these children. For example:

“…you are the defender of orphans…Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.” --Psalm 10: 14, 17-18

“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”— Psalm 82:3-4

“Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan…”— Zechariah 7:9-12

A great website that we feel does a good job to raise awareness of the problem is www.voiceoftheorphan.com. We encourage everyone to visit this site as it provides many practical suggestions and various ways we can respond to God’s call to “practice kindness and compassion” to orphaned children.