Rattins living Coram Deo

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd update the world on our princess. Yes, "princess." And she knows it. She definitely needs some siblings to divert some attention! She received her orthotics this week (AFO's are stiff plastic molded braces that start below the knee and end at the toes), so doesn't think she can walk in them so she hobbles stiff legged unless she's excited enough (chasing Daddy) and then she picks her little knees up in the air and lurches forward. Her auntie Amy bought her bright new sneakers (a size bigger) to fit her braces but apparently Gracie thinks they're too heavy because when she's wearing them her right leg REALLY doesn't work! She'll figure it out! She also had a wheelchair fitting and a small wheelchair was chosen to enable her to join other kids in activities and eventually be able to push herself around and transfer in and out of the chair. This is all through Shriner's Hospital in Springfield,...

A friend shared with me how "strange" (and scary) our decisions appear to those observing our lives. Most people are barely surviving residency and then for me to decide to adopt, to decide to adopt a child with special needs, to decide to adopt this child from the uncertainty of Liberia, to decide to start my Master's of Public Health during residency... it all seems crazy and overwhelming to the observer. But what my friend did not take into account is that God's calling on our lives will not always appear sane. Our choices are neither noble nor insane if they are what God has called us to. These choices are simply obedience to sovereign God! We are not living for life in this world, we are in fact aliens to this world and shouldn't settle down and get too comfortable because our joy is in heaven. God calls each of us to "not waste our lives" but live each day with an eternal focus. With an eternal focus, we should not only adopt a child with disabil...

Little Gracie is doing quite well keeping her glasses on and looks so cute in them too! :) She seems to be surviving Mama going back to work and is enjoying her time with Grandma and Daddy. She has been more "needy" of late, but seems to be catching on that Mama can be gone for a few hours and will come home!

We are finally settling into more of a routine - or as much of a routine as possible given that I am still on vacation. Between winter weather, nearly daily doctor's appointments to see every specialty possible, lab visits for lab work, parties, swimming therapy, and church responsibilities, this 3 year old is busy. Through the busy-ness, however, she remains focused on people and loves to spend time with her extended family with periodic huge grins, hugs, snuggles, and slobbery kisses for Mama and Daddy to reconnect in the midst of all her adoring fans. She is learning certain important lessons these days, such as: root for the winning team! Go Patriots!

Gracie decided that the New Year needed a little spice and excitement. So, shortly after 2007 rang in, she had a seizure which then lasted 2.5 hours! She had to be paralyzed and intubated and put on the ventilator and shipped down to Boston Children's Hospital. Needless to say, her family was very concerned and the trip to Boston seemed to last an eternity. At Children's, she was in the medical intensive care unit and spiked temperatures to 105.4 degrees! Poor baby! She had every test in the world done to try to find a source of her infection - nothing has come up yet except that she now has a terrible cold/bronchitis. She only stayed on the ventilator till Monday afternoon and was out of the ICU Tuesday evening. We spent the night on the neurology floor and convinced them to let us go home Wednesday evening - maybe one of the shortest stays in the history of ICU patients at Children's (per the chaplain). Those three plus days in the hospital, mostly in ICU, felt like s...