Life and Times of the Arkansas Stucky Seven

Thursday, October 29, 2009

We Aren't in Kansas, I mean Korea, Anymore!






I want to let you know right off the bat, for less than 2 weeks in, we are doing better than we deserve! Truly, we continue to feel so blessed by HOW God brought Emma Hope to our family, and that He brought HER to our family! She is so sweet and everyday getting more and more comfortable with all of us. Lots of kisses and hugs are shared all day long, so we are so thankful that the dreaded flu (of any kind!) has stayed away from our home. We trust the Lord knows how much we can handle with His help!!
So all that said, we definitely have room for improvement! We are realizing that had it been possible, it would have been helpful to go into her foster home in Korea and see how they do the basic daily things. Meaning, Emma Hope seems overly irritated by the normal stuff; getting wiped off after meals, changing diapers or clothes, taking a bath, laying down for bed, etc. So either this is just how she is, or more likely, we do all these things so differently than how she is accustomed. For example, her foster mother told us she likes bath time. Well, not so much now! We do know that in Korea the whole family sleeps on a pallet/s on a heated floor, all together. So, we have tried to kinda modify that concept by laying on the ground with her on a sleeping bag or bringing her into bed with us. But those don't seem much more successful. And how much do we try short-term fixes, that in the long-term will have to be changed again? Currently, she seems to have fallen into a pattern of sleeping 11:30pm-2:30am, taking a bottle, then 3:00am-7:30am. We are trying to regulate her naps during the day to try to adjust the night-time sleep. It is a work in progress for sure! Maybe the biggest part of the adjustment is Brad and I functioning on less sleep now!!!
So, we are reminding each other it has only been 2 weeks, the first week of that being shrouded in jet-lag/time change! So, again, in the big picture, all is well! The challenges seem to be things that will work themselves out with time. Compared to what we could be dealing with considering she was labeled "special needs", this is a cake-walk! If we could, we would kiss the feet of whoever gave her that label. As a result, we were given another opportunity to trust God in faith and receive our precious girl even sooner than if she had been on the regular track!
Last night, since our "Sweet Cheeks" was wide awake and happy till 10:30ish, Alyssa was up with us making a final decision on her life Scripture verse. We have been talking this through for some time and finally landed on Psalm 71:14-15...
"But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise You more and more.
My mouth will tell of Your righteousness,
of Your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure."

There were so many verses we love, so many directions we could go because of her story, but we are pleased with the simplicity and longevity of this one for her. It was a great way to end a challenging day, with the truth, the anchor, of God's Word.


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