Prayers Answered!

I put up my previous blog post on Wednesday, along with a link and request to friends on facebook on Wednesday to pray for Penny as I headed out the door to the pediatrician.  Within minutes I had received a number of encouraging comments that friends and family were praying for Penny's health to improve quickly.  As I pulled into the doctor's office, I made a bottle for her and fed her before we went in - she drank the whole thing!  God began answering prayer so, so quickly.  She smiled for me as I put her in her stroller and while at the doctor (sorry to those of you who think this is too much information but this part just proves that God is totally in the details!) she soiled her diaper and they were able to collect a stool sample to test it as well.  Thank you Lord for caring for the small things as well as the big things in our lives!

Wednesday evening she slept long and hard.  Thursday morning I went to check on her at 8:15 because I hadn't heard her make a peep yet and wanted to make sure she was ok.  She laid there, wide eyed, and gave me a big grin and put her hands up toward me for the first time in four days - huge sigh of relief - things were looking up.  She continued to improve Thursday and by Friday morning, she was running around the house, chasing Lucy the dog and doling out kisses like her old self again.

I hoped for a clear diagnosis when we went to the doctor on Wednesday.  All of his test came back void of any clear direction.  He stuck by his diagnosis of some sort of stomach bug, which I'm sure played a part in things.

But my mama's heart, my intuitive gut feeling for my baby girl is that this period of time when her heart seemed vacant as she stared off into space may also have been her heart grieving.  I have had many people say, "Oh, it's so great that you are adopting a child who is so young.  She won't have had any horrible trauma to recover from.  Plus, she is so young she probably won't remember much."  I usually am at a loss for words when I hear that...

Our precious baby girl has had more transition in her 20 months of life than I have had in 34 years - abandonment, loss, grief, pain, sickness, mourning, loss of trust - and all of it comes at a price.  I can't forget that inside that beautiful smile and bright wide eyes lies the heart and soul of a little girl who is aching to feel safe, cared for, loved and protected.

Penny is resilient.  She is a fighter (in the best sense of the word).  She is as beautiful as they come.  God will heal her hurt.  And I am more than grateful to get to play a part in her healing.  The sickness that overtook Penny (literally body and soul) for 3 days this past week gave me an opportunity to see the healing power of the Holy Spirit in her life and I am convinced that it was because God's people prayed with us to see her healed.

This Sunday we are dedicating Penny to the Lord, in front of our church family at Southbrook Church.  I am going to be a crying mess because it is an opportunity for me to look out over the faces of all those people that have loved Penny and us deeply enough to pray for her safety and protection.

God's got BIG plans for this little bundle of joy!