Celebrating Micaelyn

Four years ago today a precious baby girl was found at the back of a restaurant in Guiyang, China.  The weather was cold, windy, and rainy on that winter day.  I hope the precious baby didn't wait long out in that terrible weather.  I wonder if the person who left her there was waiting by to make sure someone found her.  If I had to guess I would bet they probably abandoned her not for lack of loving her but because of her special needs.  The combination of multiple birth defects with an enlarged tongue that was too big to even fit into her mouth (according to her paperwork her tongue was also "slightly cyanotic") was a sign of something more than just the obvious birth defects.  While they may not have known exactly what was wrong with her, they almost certainly knew she had some sort of genetic syndrome, and if they did know what was wrong with her they would have known she would need blood work done every 6 weeks and ultrasounds every 12 weeks to screen for tumors and that her risk for childhood cancer was very high.  They were probably told she would need treatment for club foot, and they may have been told she might need surgery to reduce the size of her tongue.  She was in the poorest province in all of China, people there do not have insurance to cover medical expenses, and those who cannot afford to pay do not receive treatment (it is an absolute miracle she had already received life-saving abdominal surgery as a newborn to put her abdominal contents inside her body where they belong).  Her needs were probably more than her birth family could handle financially.  Perhaps when they gave her up they prayed she would find her way into the arms of a loving family in America where she could receive all the necessary care to allow her to live a long and happy life.  I pray God gives them peace and comfort whenever they think about their precious baby girl, and I pray they are my brothers and sisters in Christ so that one day we can all be together in Heaven.

It was six months ago today that precious little girl walked into our arms, and our world was forever changed. Her smile is adorable, her laugh is contagious, and her love is amazing!  She is an absolute joy, so loving and affectionate, a true sweetheart.  She readily captures the heart of all she meets.  When we are out in public people often seem completely captivated by her.  She is full of spunk with a smile that lights up any room.  She is so full of happiness, so full of love, and we are indescribably blessed to have her in our lives!

This picture was taken a month ago on her 4th birthday.  When she was found on March 5 they assigned her a birth date of February 5.  I was hoping to have more cake for her today, but between baseball tryouts, a football scrimmage, and an awards ceremony for basketball our day was pretty packed.  I'm sure she'll be just as happy with cake tomorrow!