Four months and a week

Well, we've been home over four months now. At times it feels like we've together forever (in a good way), and other days only yesterday when we traveled to get Natalie from the orphanage. We cannot imagine our lives without her. She is such a precious gift.

Today I want to give God the glory He so deserves. Steve and I still remember getting off the train in Voronezh after traveling for over 24 hours, our translator meeting us with a hearty hug, looking us in the eye and saying, "the girl may not live...do you still want her?" Without blinking an eye we both said "Yes!". Whether she survived with us a day or a year, whatever time we were given to love her, she was ours and we knew it.

Well, 'the girl' is very much alive and on her way to great health. The issues that were so very grave and life threatening only four months ago are under control and under the hand of our beautiful healer, Jesus. Natalie's left kidney is very tiny and will never function over 7%, but the right one is enlarged and compensating for the left one. Both kidneys have grade 2 reflux, but no surgery is needed, just antibiotic daily, tests every six months and the prayer that it will lessen once she is potty trained. Last week we received a report on the MRI we had done a couple of weeks ago. Natalie's head is very small (according to growth charts) and not growing the way the doctors would like. The MRI showed no major reason for the small head size. It did however show that very early in her little life there was injury/possible abuse, inflammation from injury or infection. This thought is heart-breaking, but I want to praise God that there is no obvious evidence that she is at risk for decreased cognitive processes as she continues to grow. Praise God for all His touches on our little girl's life and thank you for all the prayers you have lifted to our King on Natalie's behalf. She is two inches taller, several pounds heavier and talking up a storm! God is good!!

I was told (while in Russia) that love can make a miracle. I believe that and with all my heart, I believe in the Miracle Worker.

Some New Pictures Of the Clarks

Natalie's Dedication Service

Natalie's Birthday Party

It's My Birthday...I am 2 today...

3 months and a day.......

Well, Steve and I have tried to keep you updated with pictures of little Natalie, but it has been awhile since I actually posted something. Here we go--

I can't believe we've been home 3 months already. Natalie is doing so well in her adjustments and transitions. She usually takes everything in stride and is quick to let us know if something is amiss in her world. Her vocabulary is growing and if she can't actually say the words, she uses the vocal intonation and the correct number of syllables to get her point across. She has said her own name using two words she has down pat: dada and wee (for when she is on a swing) become "dadawee" for "Natalie". I think she is genius! :)

This week in particular she has eaten like never before. Every meal she cleans up and I know she is growing because some of her 12 month shirts just won't fit. YES! Finally getting into those 18 month clothes! Natalie continues to try new foods but she still has her favorites. I keep her snacks on the lowest shelf in the pantry and she'll go get a box and bring it to 'mama' to open. We want her to know that she can have food whenever she wants it and I am thrilled that she is understanding this concept.

The end of August brought transition as I returned to work on a full time basis. On Tuesday she is with her Aunt Angie who is spoiling her every chance she gets. Natalie adores her. Natalie has playtime with cousin Jake before he heads to afternoon Kindergarten and then she gets to play with JP and Jake when they come home from school. On Wednesday she is with Miss Kitty and also has playtime with Danica. I would love to be a little girl at Miss Kitty's house---she is soo much fun!

Other things Natalie loves: the carousel rides at Dulles mall; tunnels, slides and swings at the park---any park; chocolate milkshakes; watching 101 Dalmatians with Daddy; singing with Mommy; giving slobbery kisses, sealed with a 'mwah'; petting her 'deacon' dog; being chased; tickle time; bike riding with Mom and Dad in her new 'tyke trailer'; having her hair blow dried; trying on shoes; playing, playing, playing!

Everyday we are humbled and blessed by this little girl God has chosen to share with us. She belongs to Him and yet He has entrusted us to love and nurture her as her life unfolds. Wow!

Have I mentioned that I love being a mommy?
Karen

p.s. Please keep us covered in prayer for Sept. 30. Natalie will have an MRI of her head/brain at Children's in DC. The doctors are concerned with the lack of growth as far as her head circumference. We will keep updates coming.

Natalie chilling out on the steps and looking good...

Natalie in Black and white

Natalie and Daddy going to the Petting Zoo.

Natalie is 23 months old today!

The Natalie Faith Song

Gaining Weight and Up a Shoe Size!

We had a good visit to the pediatrician today. Well, good news for us......Natalie would probably not agree since she had to have more blood drawn and also received two more immunizations..
The good news is that she now weighs over 22 pounds and is finally in the 10th percentile! YEAH! The pediatrician was amazed at her progress just since the last visit which was a month ago. In addition to her weight gain, her communication both verbally and through sign language is increasing. Her new words are: Deacon (my best friend's dog), doggie, woof woof, and ow. She is also showing great signs of attachment to both Steve and I. In fact, just recently Natalie has been reaching for kisses from us at bedtime instead of just receiving them whether she wanted them or not.

We continue to be amazed at how social Natalie is. She loves playing with other children and the highlight of her Sunday is going into the nursery at our church. Her personality and facial expressions are delightful and keeps us laughing. I believe she may become an actress one day. Other things she loves to do include: being in her swing, bathtime, pooltime, running up and down the halls of the church office area, being tickled and chased by Daddy, singing and playing piano with Mommy, Little Einsteins dvds, brushing her teeth, having her hair blow dried and trying on shoes....anyone's shoes..(by the way she's wearing size 5 now).

Everyday we are blessed by this precious little girl. How she loves life! How we love sharing each day together through her eyes.
Love to you,
Karen

p.s. We are having her Dedication Service at our church on October 5th. We would be honored if you shared this day with us.

Daddy's Shoes Video

Health Update on Princess Natalie

We've received good reports over the past two days. Yesterday we went to an audiologist to test Natalie's hearing. This was suggested to us by our pediatrician and adoption specialist in our efforts to alleviate this as a reason for her small vocabulary. Praise God--her hearing is just fine. This week her new word is: "wow".

Today, Natalie and I saw a urologist who reviewed the results of all the tests we've had over the past two weeks on her kidneys. Her left kidney is barely functioning; her right kidney is enlarged due to the amount of work it has to do; both have reflux BUT on a scale of 1 to 5, her condition is a low grade 2---this is good. The urologist believes that keeping her on the preventative antibiotic and watching for any signs of infection are enough for now. He believes there is no need for alarm or surgery at this point, living with one kidney is totally acceptable and that she will probably outgrow the reflux in time. I believe that God has already provided healing in Natalie's body and that He will continue the work He has begun!

It is amazing for Steve and I to think back to the very grim diagnosis we were given when we went to get Natalie on trip two. We were asked if we still wanted her with all the ramifications of her kidney issues. Of course, we wanted her no matter what! But to get home and find out that this is not a life-threatening problem is more relief than I can express. God is good!

Natalie continues to be the happiest little girl on the planet. She wakes up smiling and loves to play and explore her new world. Today she even ate apple slices and drank water--this may seem like a small thing---but to us this is a huge step of adjustment and we couldn't be happier at the strides she is making.

Thank you for your prayers, support and love. We are blessed!

1st Beach Trip Video

Surfin' USA

Steve and I love the beach and for years we would talk about how one day we would bring our family to the sand and waves. This past week we took a short trip to Ocean City and made this dream a reality.

Natalie LOVED the beach! As you can tell by the pictures, she wanted to jump in head first and also loved playing in the sand. This girl has no fear. We spent two days playing by the water and then jumping into the pool. She did great sleeping in her pack and play (thanks Aunt Rhonda) and did pretty well eating. Restaurants are too distracting so we tried to feed her before heading out to eat. She loved standing on the balcony with us and pointing to the water, the airplanes, the seagulls and the parasails.

The beginning of the week was filled with doctor appointments and tests. We spent the entire day Wednesday at Fairfax hospital having a test done on her kidney. Next week we have two more tests and then the following week is filled with followup appointments with a urologist and a nephrologist. So far we know that her left kidney is barely functioning at around 7% and that her right kidney is scarred as well. Living with one kidney is not unheard of but we must do everything we can to make sure the right kidney can do the job of two and stay healthy. Please continue to pray for her as she endures some pretty grueling tests this week and pray that God will touch and heal her little body.

Before heading to the beach, we met with our International Adoption Specialist. He took baseline measurements and evaluated her developmental milestones. Overall she is functioning between 15 and 17 months, with speech lagging behind. He wants us to get her hearing checked to see if there is any issue there that would add to her lack of verbal communication. I can tell she is trying to imitate our sounds and she is beginning to follow simple commands like "please get your pants and let's put them on". Hopefully with our constant conversation and repetition, she will begin to add more words to her repertoire.

After hearing and vision tests, the urologist and nephrologist, we will be headed to the cardiologist and neurologist. There can't be too many more "gists" left for us to see! I am incredibly thankful for the level of medical care in our area and blessed that we are able to get Natalie the kind of care she needs. She was scheduled for surgery in Russia if we did not adopt her and it looks like the procedure they had planned would not have been a long term solution to her kidney issue. I praise God that she is with us now and I pray that He will continue to give the doctors here wisdom in how to treat her.

We are overwhelmed and blessed by our precious Natalie. Thanks for letting us gush over her with you!
Love,
Karen

I'm 21 months old today!

We are so blessed to finally be sharing a 'birthday' milestone with Natalie. Four months passed from the time we saw her till 'Gotcha Day' and each month seemed like an eternity. We can't wait to celebrate her two year birthday in October!

Yesterday we made it to the pool and she LOVED it! We went with Natalie's cousins, JP and Jake and Aunt Angie. She clapped, laughed and squealed with delight the entire time. We are so glad that she likes the pool and the water. We were worried, since bath time was not her favorite thing. But now, even bath time seems better to her since our visit to the pool.

Today has been a sick day. Natalie has had a fever since early this morning and we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. This afternoon it spiked to 102.8, which can be a bit scary (for the parents). But we were able to get it down with cold compresses and Tylenol. She sat in her Aunt Rhonda's lap for quite a while today, which is a definite indicator that she still isn't feeling well---to get her to be still is not easy---she likes to be on the go. I am sure Aunt Rhonda didn't mind holding the little patient!

This past Sunday we made an appearance at our church so all our church family could see her. There have been many prayers going up on our behalf and we wanted everyone to see her and share in our joy. Natalie is a testimony of God's faithfulness and we want to be careful to give Him the glory for her life and for the privilege of being her parents. Truly 'nothing is impossible with God".

Blessings,
Karen

Our First Week at Home

Tonight marks one week home for us. All three of us have been transitioning well even though Steve and I have been sick. Natalie continues to be a good sleeper. She goes down for her two naps without a problem and then sleeps thru the night at bedtime. What a blessing! When she wakes up, she is happy to see us and ready to play. The only time she is grumpy is when she doesn't feel well or if she doesn't get her way. Wednesday was 'defiance' day and I am glad that she is displaying the normal testing of boundaries typical of a 20 month old. Thursday was our 9th wedding anniversary and we were so blessed be a family---she is the best present we could give each other. Truly a gift from God!

Natalie loves to eat peanut butter crackers and cookies. I am also feeding her nutritious baby cereals and organic baby foods. She is picky about the texture of her food and so we are working on expanding her menu. Natalie has gained 1.5 pounds since she's been with us, so I guess we are on the right track. Her favorite thing is to ride in the wagon her Aunt Becky bought her. We pull her all around the neighborhood. She loves being outside, touching things, playing the piano, taking apart legos, watching Little Einsteins and saying 'hey' to everyone. Bath time is NOT her favorite thing but today we are going to try the neighborhood pool---we'll see how that goes. Her cousins, JP and Jake are in love with her and I believe it is mutual. They follow her around as she plays and babbles to them. She also loves to play with Deacon, Aunt Chelle's dog. He is a patient pet lets Natalie play with his toys and smack, I mean pet him.

So far she has mastered saying "mama", "dada" and "hey". She also learned how to turn around and back down the stairs in one day. I am trying to teach her baby sign language for things like: eat, more, finished and help---we'll see how it goes. Natalie picks things up quickly, but it has to be on her terms, in her time. She is a strong child; she had to be to survive. Natalie also loves kisses, especially on her hand and her belly (anything around her face is not tolerated). I am anxious to see what the doctors say when we go for her pediatric and adoption specialist appointments. It will feel good to get her evaluated and on the road to better health and development.

We have taken her to several restaurants this week, to Target, the mall and the church where I work. She loves riding in the carts and does really well eating out and even enjoys her car seat. Overall, we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed. She is a happy girl and we know that love can create miracles. Natalie is blessing our days beyond what we could imagine.

With our love,
Karen

WE ARE HOME!

Our long journey back home is complete! We began Friday morning, leaving the hotel at 8:30 AM (Moscow time). Our flight left Russia at 12:55 PM and we landed 12 hours later in Atlanta around 4:20. It was good to back in the US--to things that are familiar to us. We will cherish the memory of the immigration officer handing us Natalie's passport and declaring her a US citizen. Then he sweetly bent down, touched her head, and said, "Welcome to the USA, Natalie!"

Our last leg of the trip was from Atlanta to Dulles. Natalie slept this entire flight (mostly because she hadn't hardly slept in over 12 hours). We were completely touched and overwhelmed by the reception of our family and friends (around 50 of you!) when we walked through the arrival gate. Natalie had been crying because we had to wake her out of her deep sleep. But when she saw all the people clapping and heard the happy shouts, she lit up, gave everyone a huge smile and said, "HI". Thank you to everyone for your love and support in praying us home safely. Thanks for the warm welcome home. Our bodies are so tired but our hearts are full. We are blessed.

We'll post more pics and videos once we are better rested.
We love you!
Karen, Steve AND Natalie

We've hit the ground, running in Moscow

It's Tuesday evening here in Moscow and I wanted to give you an update on what we've been doing since we left Voronezh. The 11 hour, overnight train ride back to Moscow went quite well. We were really crammed into our little compartment with all our luggage and a little one too. Natalie slept well on the train--I think she was the only one though. As soon as we ended our journey into Moscow, we were met by our facilitators who took us directly to the medical clinic for Natalie's required checkup. Then to a photo place to get her picture taken for her visa and then to the American Embassy to apply and pay for the visa. Finally, to our hotel. Natalie was incredible. She went with the flow of the busy morning, without her morning nap, with finger snacks and juice to sustain her till we could check in. Then it was straight to the crib for naptime. While she slept, Steve and I ordered a filet dinner and split it---yummmmmmmy!

Today, we completed our Embassy visit and Natalie now has her own visa to enter the USA! Our facilitator will register her with the Russian Embassy tomorrow and will give us her passport with all the necessary seals and stamps. We are getting closer to home and I can almost 'taste' it!

Natalie is still not feeling well. Please continue to pray for her. It's hard to watch her cry and try to figure out how to comfort her, it's a learning process for all of us. Also, pray for me. I have been sick with a sore throat and horrible stomach pain. Our facilitator believes that I have picked up a germ from Natalie---this is hard to imagine!!

I want to end this blog by bragging on my husband. He has become one of the best daddies in the world. Natalie adores him and even wants him over mommy---and that's o.k. with me. They play and laugh together over the smallest things and I love watching them together. My heart is bursting and I think Steve's is as well.

Love to all (Friday's coming!)
Karen