Dabney11's Xanga

Another Bump in Micah's Perthes Road

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:01:08 GMT

Recently, we found out that Micah's hip has worsened to the point of needing immediate attention. Noticing that his limp had become more pronounced, Wade and I were both wondering what new information we would receive with his scheduled appointment. This Perthes journey which began 2 years ago has been a tough one. Next week we will make another 4 day trip to Dallas in order for Micah to be placed in a Petrie Cast. While under anasthesia Micah's legs will be spread as far apart as possible and then casted with a bar between to keep them in this position. (I know...pretty vulnerable position) He will be in this Petrie Cast for 8 weeks...EIGHT WEEKS!!!

(Petrie Cast)

Afterwards, he will have a similar brace that he will wear until the ball of the right hip joint grows back in a way that is securely in the socket. It is my understanding that on average this takes 18 months to 2 years. Because Micah's hip is now categorized in the "worst case scenario" he could be in the brace longer. As you can imagine, this news knocked the wind out of us. Just two weeks ago Micah accomplished one of his goals in the swimming pool and swam his first "BB" time in backstroke.

Micah is in lane 4

(Micah finishing up his backstroke race and earning his first "BB" time)

Looking forward to his Summer swim season, Micah set his sights high on making the Ponderosa Invitational. He knew his best chances of qualifying were in two events: backstroke & butterfly. If I could only communicate how hard he has worked. Two years ago, Micah had to give up all of his other sports: baseball, soccer, and basketball... all of which he enjoyed MORE than swimming. But the doctors told Micah that swimming is the best therapy, so 3-5 days a week Micah has been in the pool. After his last surgery in October 2010, Micah's commitment to swimming increased. He asked if he could begin competing in USA Swimming meets like his brothers. And then 2 days after his "BB" success, he learned that he would be "giving up" swimming as well. Many tears were shed.

(Micah with two of his buds from church: Caleb & Jack)

(Noah, Ayden, Jack, & Micah)

We are not exactly sure what all of this is going to look like yet. We are thinking that we will move Micah's bedroom into our dining room for the next two months as his legs will be wider than his wheelchair making it impossible to maneuver to the back of the house. A friend is working on some shorts for him that will velcro up the sides, to help with the clothing side of things. For the driving side of things, we will remove the two passenger bucket seats in the van so that Micah can sit in the back seat, and then take two vehicles wherever we go. That's about as far ahead as we can see at this point.

(Christopher & Micah)

Will you pray for Micah? Pray for his adjustment to an entirely new life. I'm still asking the Lord that what Micah lacks physically, that He (the Lord) would give back spiritually... I'm praying that Micah would grow in his understanding of how much God loves him and that this journey of pain, struggle, and disappointment would only increase Micah's dependence upon his Maker and Helper...and that God would knit his hip joint back together without deformities and without any further delays. Will you also pray that we will handle the challenges that arise with grace and dignity? We know that things are coming that we will have to figure out as we go, and we are thankful again in knowing that our Help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth. Micah has received encouragement from this Truth as well as the promise that Christ's strength is made perfect in weakness...actually, he is clinging to these Truthes. We know and understand that this will be difficult. This road has already been painful, heart-wrenching, and tearful. Even though we don't understand all of what God is doing, we do trust that He is in control and are confident that God has not forgotten Micah...in fact, Micah's name is engraved on His hands...we know that this too shall pass, but nonetheless we are still grieving as this long road just got longer. Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support.

(Micah & me)

(Just a crazy picture. I hope it brings a smile)

My Favorite Spot

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:19:25 GMT

Matthew Henry said, "the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."

A New Kind of Workout

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:25:41 GMT

Joshua is ready for his workout

Noah loves it when Joshua tosses him

Cara Beth wants a turn

Christopher wants in on the action

Joshua tries a different method with Micah so as not to injure his hip

Micah decides to give a shot at lifting Joshua

And then Christopher tries too

Fun times!

Matthew Knox Anderson - Always a Joy

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:12:18 GMT

October 27, 2005 - April 23, 2007

Cara Beth & Asa's First Communion

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:39:11 GMT

Cara Beth & Asa (cousins & friends)

Today, April 10th, 2011, Cara Beth and Asa took their first communion. As the service progressed my mind was flooded with memories of their first 5 years... how her life was an answer to her older brother's prayers as Micah approached the throne of grace confidently and consistently, asking, seeking, and continually knocking, praying that God would give him the privilege of being an older brother. When Asa was born Micah thought it wasn't fair that Ayden was a big brother at 2 & 1/2 years of age and he was almost 4 so his prayers grew in focus and intensity. Cara Beth was born 8 & 1/2 months later. :) Then for the first year of her life, Micah came home from church every week and shared his Sunday School lesson with her whether she wanted to hear it or not. I remember Asa's and Cara Beth's baptisms in the "old" sanctuary. I remember my parents were in town for Asa's baptism and dad prayed a prayer for Asa afterwards. I remember how members of the congregation promised to pray for them and share the love of Christ with them...I remember Cara Beth taking her first steps with Joshua encouraging her to "get the ball" he was holding, and how she walked with arms out wide toddling and crawling around a chilly soccer field with her friend Knox, who was a couple of months ahead of her in the process. I remember when Cara Beth told her Oompah that she wasn't going to get married, she was just going to be great friends with Asa forever. Thinking of Asa and his painful bouts with pancreatitis, I am thankful for how much he has grown and that he has been an entire year now without an episode. I am reminded how every time we sing Cara Beth's favorite song in church (Mighty to Save) she sings with gusto, following her older brother Christopher's lead. The simple fact of it being the month of April I am reminded of their friend Knox and the painful day of his accident almost 4 years ago, the 10 days he lived afterwards, his funeral and burial, and how time continued on as we clung to the hope of the Scriptures and the beauty of the truthes within. I remember praying and begging God to spare Knox's life. When he died I remember asking God how I was supposed to live with the guilt and shame that was so heavy...and His Spirit led me to scripture..."not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord." As Cara Beth and Asa grow up there are moments when I remember Knox, thinking things like, "I bet he would've taken his first communion today too." But today the Lord reminded me that Knox already has sweet communion with his Savior, one which Cara Beth and Asa haven't tasted yet, but by faith believe that Christ is preparing an eternal home for them too. The thought is a bitter sweet one (bitter because we miss Knox, sweet because we will see him again when we meet our Savior face to face), but as I worshipped today and the truth hit me again the tears flowed easily and it comforted me. I am reminded that some trust in horses or chariots, but our trust is in the name of the Lord our God. He sustains me and my help comes from Him, the maker of heaven and earth. Today, was a happy day. Asa and Cara Beth took their first communion and I was reminded again that the promises of Scripture are for us and for our children. Thank you Lord.

Dad and Cara Beth

A Month In

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:20:23 GMT

One month ago on the 17th, our precious Noah Serxhio Stephen met the rest of his family. So many wonderful things are happening but my life is even more full with another child in the family that finding time to blog is nearly impossible. Are you wondering where the "Stephen" came from? About a year ago we were reading through the book of Acts. When we read about Stephen the discussion afterwards lingered on for an hour or more. The boys loved many things about him: his courage, his willingness to speak the Truth even when facing death, they wondered what it was like in heaven when Paul arrived and Stephen and Paul met on different terms, they thought it was "cool" when Stephen was dying and looked up into heaven and saw Jesus standing. Nearing the end of the discussion, one of the boys (I'm not sure which one) asked if we could add Stephen to Noah Serxhio's name, and the other children joined in the requesting. Initially, I wasn't sure. We were already adding Noah to the beginning of his name and that would be a transition. Adding Stephen to the end seemed, well it seemed like a long name. So needless to say, this decision has been an up and down one. However, when we were in Albania on our first visit we were discussing names with a new Albanian friend, and she told us that it was a common custom in Albania to have a family member give you your name. That did it. Stephen would be added. So the official name of our newest addition is Noah Serxhio Stephen.

One ordinary night of haircuts for all of the older boys turned into an extraordinary night of giggles and smiles. Noah watched as each of his brothers hopped into the chair and daddy cut their hair in turn. At the end, Wade started to put things away and Noah walked over and pointed to himself. Wade asked if he would like his hair cut also and he replied with a hearty, "PO!" (Albanian word for "Yes"). With a joyful grin and a bit of a giggle, Noah jumped into the chair and Wade started. I'll just let a few pictures do the talking. It was very sweet.

Of course, this wasn't his first haircut, but it was his first haircut FROM Daddy!

Noah has been busy meeting his new extended family:

Aunt Laura and Uncle Keith with their children, Preston and Nell arrived on Christmas day. I have always said that any amount of time my children spend with Preston and Nell is time well spent. Noah had a wonderful time and loves being a part of family. How precious it is to see him giving and receiving love so freely!

Noah with his Aunt Laura (this is one of my favorite shots)

Here is Uncle Keith.

Nell and Preston take a minute and pose for a picture with Noah and Cara Beth.

A shot with the TX & WV cousins together.

Some TX and OK cousins enjoy a Pajama Run to Spoons!

Noah went on his first PJ run when his Aunt Esther along with cousins Jacqueline, Jonathan, and James were in town.

Noah is learning to share Daddy with Cara Beth and his cousin James. :)

Then Aun Oui and Uncle B came to town for a few days. Noah is eating up all of the new attention and seems to revel in the fact of being a part of family.

Noah enjoyed listening and dancing as Uncle Bryan gave us a special concert.

Noah LOVES his Aun Oui!

I only have about a MILLION pictures, but I can't share them all. So here are a few from our first "Gotcha Day" as well as a few others.

This was our very first family picture taken with Noah. Sorry for the backlight, but I love it anyway, with Christopher's goofy face and all, because it was our FIRST!

This was the first one taken of all 5 kiddos together.

This was when Noah met Anna-Kate and Ayden for the first time.

He loves Aunt Hannah and feels very safe and secure when she is around.

Oompah, Cara Beth, Noah, & Savta (or Nona as Noah affectionately calls her, for Nona is the Albanian term of endearment for Grandmother)

This picture was taken on Christmas morning. It wasn't until later that I realized Christopher was wearing his Albania shirt that day. I love that.

Well, it's 12:15 am and morning comes early, so I'm signing off for now. There are many new things for our Noah. Every time in the car brings a new experience whether it is to church, the gym, school, the grocery store, a basketball game, a swim meet, a soccer game, but he is taking it all in stride. Willing to try any and every word, Noah is learning English. He is like a parrot, and it is exciting. Although there are many new things for our boy to learn, I know that our God continues to be the same faithful God, extending his faithfulness to each generation. What a blessing for me to see His faithfulness extended to my children!

Short but Sweet

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:15:05 GMT

This will be a short post as I am at a friend's apt. and only have access to the internet while I am here. As an added bonus Wade's computer battery is low. I may not have another chance to post so I'll try and make this short but sweet. Our first greeting with Noah Serxhio was everything I hoped it would be and more. When he saw me he ran to me and gave me a big hug and kiss. We hugged for awhile and Wade slowly approached, and then Noah reached out to Wade's face and stroked it gently and gave him a big hug. We kneeled there on the ground for a few minutes hugging and kissing and crying. (Well, I was the only one crying). We had some paperwork to notarize before we could take Noah away from the orphanage, so we didn't take him from the orphanage until today. We spent a few hours together yesterday, and then this morning we went to the orphanage and had a party with all the children and then said our goodbyes. I have been so amazed at how well everything has gone. Presently, as I type we are at Austin and Beverly's place (friends here in Albania), and we are conversing as Wade and Noah are playing, and Noah is laughing hysterically, just like any son enjoying his father. I'll try and upload a few pictures. Thank you for your continued prayers. I know God is helping and answering those prayers.

Sorry Hannah, I don't think we will get to skype today. Maybe we can try another day. Noah Serxhio is "goti" ready to go to bed. Please hug all my kiddos and tell them that we love and miss them. I am so excited for Noah to meet the rest of his family.

Thanksgiving

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:09:21 GMT

For what am I thankful? As I have thought about this question and what components I would like to share I keep returning to our struggles, the Colemans’ trials and difficulties. I want to express that I am thankful to the Lord for our hardships. Using these experiences in my life to expand my perspective, even in situations now where my perspective is limited, God continues to increase my dependence on Him and decrease my dependence upon myself. He gently and continually reminds me time and time again that He is my God, our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, and our help comes from Him.

First, our eldest son Joshua was diagnosed with dyslexia at the end of his first grade year.

God has used Joshua’s dyslexia and the challenge of learning to read to teach me to be patient when it comes to teaching my children…to persevere and to trust and acknowledge the Lord in all of my ways, and He really will direct my path. I remember asking the Lord on a regular basis to help me know how to teach Joshua…to increase my ability as a teacher as well as Joshua’s ability as a student. In my own background I did not possess the tools needed to meet his needs, but I was seeking Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are stored and I want to tell you, God has answered and continues to answer the prayers prayed on Joshua’s behalf. Today, Joshua is an avid, gifted reader. Our God is our help, and for this I am thankful.

God has also used a seizure disorder with our second son, Christopher to teach me that I can trust the Lord even when I am afraid. It is a scary thing to watch your child have a seizure and I remember lying awake at night giving all of my fears to God over and over and over again…what if he has a seizure and we are not around? What if his friends think less of him or are afraid to be around him because of this disorder? What if he seizes in the middle of the night and we don’t get to the hospital in time? Many of you walked this journey with us back when Christopher was diagnosed and then placed on medication.

Now Christopher has been seizure-free for 6 years and medication free for 2 ½ . I want to tell you that NOW I am thankful for Christopher’s seizure disorder. When we were walking through it I was so filled with fear that I didn’t know how to be thankful, but God used it in my life anyway. He reminded me that there are many places that Christopher can go and be out of my sight, but there is really nowhere he can go and be out of God’s sight and watchful care. I can trust God with the numbered days of my children as they have already been written in a book. This knowledge has brought me peace in the midst of my fear…it’s a peace that truly passes understanding. Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, and for this I am thankful.

Now, we are walking through a hip disease known as Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, or just Perthes, with our third son, Micah. This has been difficult and the perspective is not as clear, but I want to tell you that I am still practicing thankfulness. I know that God loves my son even more than I do, and I’m learning to trust His plan. When Micah was born he was off the chart… a strapping boy, over 10 pounds and almost 2 feet long. Everyone agreed, “He’s going to be your lineman.” As the reality of the disease has set in there have been disappointments, especially in the realm of sports.

(These pictures were taken during Micah's last year of sports. He was unable to play in his last few baseball games because of pain in his hip. Perthes had not been diagnosed yet.)

Micah has gone from the field to the sidelines, and it is anything BUT exciting for him. We are a year and a half in and his hip is still collapsing, and he has a number of years yet until the Perthes completes its course.

We are hopeful that the bone will be restored in the next five years or so, but we are unsure what the future holds. However, today, as a 9 year old boy with a significant limp, Micah is learning to seek the Lord in the midst of his frustration, struggle, and pain. He is learning that his help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth as he once reminded me, “Mom, If God made heaven and earth, how easy it must be for him to remake my hip joint.”

As a parent, I am learning to give my hopes and dreams for my children to God. I’m asking God to knit Micah’s hip joint back together without deformities, and I’ve been praying that whatever Micah loses physically that God would give back spiritually. Concerning Micah, I WANT to say the worst is behind us, but I do not know for sure. What I do know is that I can trust God and His plan for Micah even though I do not know what that plan is. Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He has shown His faithfulness even in our adversity, and I am certain His faithfulness will endure, and for this I am thankful.

Lastly, most of you know we are in the middle of an adoption. Our youngest son Noah, who is 3 years old, awaits our arrival in an Albanian orphanage. For two years we have been working on this adoption with a seemingly endless list of things to complete…applications, home studies, online classes, dossiers, passports, visas, medical exams, interviews, background checks, fingerprinting, fingerprinting, fingerprinting, and more fingerprinting. The list goes on and on. For this administratively challenged woman, the sea of paperwork seemed to drown out any hope of an end in sight. I have watched Noah for the past two years grow up through emails and online pictures, weekly updates and now the wonderful invention of Skype.

These are two of the first pictures we saw of our boy

Through tears, I remember confiding with some friends last Fall, right after we received a very large document that needed to be completed, I wasn’t sure I was capable of doing what needed to be done to get Noah home. I wasn’t organized enough to keep all the paperwork straight. The job was too immense. Immediately, one friend shared how she had walked through, not just one, but two international adoptions and both had fallen through, but maybe she had walked that road, she explained, so that she could walk alongside of me and help me on our road. She encouraged me to meet her for two hours a week for the following six weeks, and she was sure we could get the document completed. Then another friend jumped in, “I will babysit your children while you two work.” And then two other friends offered to cook meals for our families on the days that we were meeting. God used this act of friendship in a big way in my life. He was reminding me that His grace is sufficient for me and that his power is made perfect in my weakness. It took 8 weeks to complete the document. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” My help comes from the MAKER of heaven and earth!! That’s heavy duty HELP. The body of Christ truly is a beautiful thing. God has used the body of Christ to teach me many things about community. I am thankful for those who have walked/are walking this road with us. The many prayers that have been prayed have encouraged us, and God is answering those prayers. When we visited Albania to meet our precious son face to face for the first time the latter part of September moving into early October, the body of Christ cared for the rest of our family here. Numerous pitched in to help by driving kids to soccer practice, football practice, or swim team, piano practice, ballet, or youth group. Showing up to help with school, cooking meals, and bringing snacks, loved ones helped lighten the load. Friends bought paper products and took kids to the movies. Every day was a different adventure and this adoption would not have been possible without the assistance of the body of Christ, specifically our church family here. The labor pains are almost over. Noah’s passport is now complete, and we hope to return to Albania December 6th to bring him home. The waiting is almost over. It is so close I can taste it. I don’t know what adversities await us in the future, but I do know that I can trust God. He is the maker of heaven and earth and our help comes from Him, and for this I am truly thankful.

Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:44:01 GMT

It's time to decorate pumpkins again! For a couple of weeks we have all been thinking about which characters we would create this year. This tradition is a family affair!

Cara Beth and Anna-Kate working on a pumpkin.

Hannah & Asa

Austin

Kevin LOVES it when I take his picture

Cara Beth working hard!

Hannah Banana

Micah

Mrs. Potts was Micah and Cara Beth's inkling

Where is Perry?

Perry & Add

Perry & Anna-Kate

Christopher works on Ferb

Ayden and Perry work undercover together

Anna-Kate and Larry the Cucumber

Mrs. Potts

Phineas, Ferb, and Perry the Platypus

And it wouldn't be complete without silly faces! It was a double diamond day.

Happy 5th Birthday Knox

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:11:29 GMT

Today, I'm thinking about Knox. I remember when he learned to walk and I can see him toddling around a chilly soccer field, arms out wide for balance, blonde hair and Anderson blue eyes. Today is his 5th birthday. I love and miss him still.