Updated Pictures and Information

In August we requested updated pictures and information about Madelyn. I was not very hopeful that we would receive this information as it has been a long time since we requested it. However, as with everything else in this journey, we had to wait. Well - the waiting is over. We have received updated pictures of our sweet girl and the answers to our questions.

Upon receiving this information, I quickly scanned the email from the adoption agency and immediately went to the photos of her. I wanted to see what she looks like. My first reaction is - "Wow she has grown!" It has been a whole year between photos. She has lost the baby fat of her face that was so noticeable in her first set of pictures. She is beautiful and looks very healthy.

Then I had to know the answers to my questions. I had put alot of thought into crafting the few questions that I could ask that would give me the most information. After reading the response to each question I was very pleased. Here are the facts:

- Her palate has been surgically closed! This is fantastic news. We had questioned all along whether or not her palate had been closed. Her medical record was unclear. Even better news was that it was closed last December when she was 14 months old. In all of the research that I have done they recommend closing the palate as early as possible so that it doesn't affect their speech. This does not mean that she will not have some sort of speech issue but it does mean that it was closed during this optimal time in her life and gives her a better chance of developing normal speech practices. This is very encouraging news.

- She exhibits no evidence of any type of hearing issue. She is responding appropriately to commands and can talk normally with others. This is good news as well. We were concerned with her having cleft lip and palate that there may have been some ear issues that would have affected her hearing. We are still not certain if she will need tubes in her ears but plan on having her evaluated by the ENT when she gets home. This is very encouraging information.

- We did receive her current measurements. She is 28 lbs. and 33.7 inches tall. I compared these measurements with US girls growth charts and she appears to be in the 25th percentile in terms of her height and in the 75th percentile in terms of her weight. This too is great news! She is growing and developing very well. We always worried about feeding and nourishment issues related to her having a unclosed palate, however with news of her closed palate and her current weight and height I am very encouraged that she is on track in terms of growth and development. I am sure that once she arrives home her health and development will only improve! GOD IS GOOD!!!!

My children were very excited to see her picture. Christopher's first reaction was overflowing love and compassion for her. I can see his heart when he looks at her. He immediately wanted me to email him her picture. I have seen him post updates on his Facebook page notifying all of his friends of his little sisters adoption status. I would imagine that I will see her picture on his facebook page within the next day or so. He is a very proud big brother. He is such a sweet kid.

Lizzy has been anxiously awaiting her pictures and was overly excited when she saw them. She cannot wait to get her home and play with her and of course, dress her up in all of her new clothes. She is going to be a great big sister.

Thank you all for keeping her in your prayers. I will keep you posted on our travel dates. Please continue to pray that we will receive our Travel Approval very quickly.