Happy Birthday Henry!

Henry's birthday is an amazing influx of emotions for me. For him, I hope and strive for all joy and fun. My goal: that he feel loved and his heart be full... that he knows that we celebrate his life.  My heart wanders though. I think about his birth mama. I try to grasp the depth of her heartache as she knew this was a baby she wouldn't keep. Maybe he was the third child.. not allowed by the laws of her country. Maybe his heart was too sick and she knew she wouldn't be able to care for him medically. Whatever the reason she walked away that day , my heart hurts a for her. There's a saying I'm sure you've seen me post before. My prayer for her today is that her heart will be comforted, that somehow the Lord will assure her that he is LOVED!

Henry had no idea what this was all about. We went all out since it's his first bday with a family and first one celebrated! Last year was so hard knowing he was ours but that we couldn't be with him. This year made my heart complete! 

Sisters have thoroughly enjoyed helping celebrate 🎉 his day! 

The cake.... he was all neat and tidy at first but soon enough, he went to town and had a blast with his smash cake!  I was worried we would be up late with a tummy ache but he made it through no problem

.

After breakfast with family we opened presents. These were his first presents to open and the girls were chomping at the bit to help. He said "WOW!" Multiple times! It was so much fun to watch him!

What a great few days. Family in town, friends dropping by, memories made and remembered. 

I LOVE ❤️ LOVE ❤️ LOVE ❤️ my family. My heart is so very full. Pressed down shaken together and overflowing! 

Happy second Birthday sweet boy. Here's to many many more together. We love you big! 

Life & a lot of info!

It has been a little over 4 months as a family of 5. I still get hung up on the idea that I have THREE kids.  It's the most AHHHHMAZING BLESSING. These little ones warm my heart and bless my socks off every single day.

Henry is a rock star. He's still soooo easy going. He LOVES CARS 🚗. Any car. He adores his sisters and every school day he can't wait to pick up the "goirls ". He's saying more words and getting more steady on his feet. He's stolen just about every heart that he has encountered. He's amazing. He's a joy. He loves to be bounced on the mini trampoline in the living room and y'all... his laugh... it's infectious.

The girls are adjusting like champs! It's not been without its bumps. They love him. Emily is especially attached to him, I often hear them giggling from the other room. Livvy has been a hard sell. She's coming around but the attention he's gotten has been hard for her. She's getting better every day.  She's very tender hearted and gets her feelings hurt easily. We try to make sure and remind her just how loved she is. It's a balancing act making sure all three know that they're adored.  I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make sure they know they're loved and trying to make sure they all think that they are my favorite!

That's the day to day... Life is crazy.  My mom has officially 90 miles down the road.. it'll be hard to not have her 5 blocks away but we will be back and forth lots, im sure.  We are almost done with her move and then can commence rebuilding our kitchen.  Yeah, if you missed it... our kitchen that was newly finished and floors we finally wrestled down... all demolished with a water leak in the wall. It's awful. But... it could be worse.

First up for the Summer is surgery.  You might remember a couple months ago the girls and Henry had Dr. Appointments in Dallas.  I'll start with the girls.

We knew going in that Cleft lip/palate could be an ongoing series of surgeries.  We hoped it would be one and done but that's not the case.  Both girls will have another palate surgery this next week (May 25th).  Olivia will have the same surgery Emily had last year and Emily will have the next in a series to lengthen her palate and help her speech develop.  She has a harder time than Olivia keeping air from escaping her nose.  That's due to a short palate.  We hoped to avoid this one but it looks like we have no choice.  Emily also will see a Endocrinologist before surgery.  We knew she had a benign tumor in her brain after her first palate surgery.  We've been watching it, and while this year's MRI showed no growth... we discovered she had TWO pituitary glands and TWO arteries going in to her brain stem. You and I just have one.  It's an extremely rare condition.  Even the pediatric neurologist said he had to look it up it's so rare.  The Endo will give us more info of what this could mean but we are praying she's going to be fine!  Please pray for the girls and us as we wrestle two littles in pain and take care of Henry in the process.  Pray for safety of course, it's nerve wrecking to kiss your baby goodbye and put them in someone elses hands.  We will be in Dallas most of next week for the surgery and recovery.

Now Henry.  We knew Henry had an unknown "CHD" heart defect/condition.  We weren't sure the accuracy of his medical records because several things were lost in translation.  We knew it could be from one end of the spectrum to the other.  He was healthy, we knew that.  He was chunky, which is rare for a CHD baby.  He wasn't "blue" .. no blue lips, blue hands and feet, etc which would tell us that there is bad oxygen flow.  I was fully expecting to hear that he was healthy.... so it was a bit of a blow to hear he indeed has Ebstein's Anomaly.  It's a CHD that affects the valves and where they're located compared to a healthy heart.  Feel free to google it b/c explaining it here would bore some and confuse others.  haha.  We know after a second opinion that he has a "moderate" case.  We just watch and wait.  He will eventually have to have open heart surgery to correct it.  This CHD is rare and surgery is something to be taken seriously and it's recommended that we entrust that to the best of the best only.  That means going to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota  where the surgeon who has done the most of these surgeries is or Boston Children's Hospital where they are world renowned for their care of Pediatric cardiology patients.  We have no clue how soon this will have to happen.  One Dr suggested school age might be the time but we just don't know.  We appreciate your  prayers for our strong heart warrior.. that God would heal him and keep him whole.

That's a whole lot of info.  My head is swimming with information.  Trying to sort through it and take it one day at a time.  Thankfully I've got an incredibly understanding boss that allows for time to get my act together and take care of my family when needed.  I'm so grateful for a great place to work.

So here we go. We head to "Big D" Tuesday. I'm currently fighting a virus and Henry has been battling a high fever with me. PLEASEEE pray the girls (and rob) get bypassed and Henry and I get well in the next 24 hours or so.

We covet your prayers as we embark on this busy/ stressful week!

With love and hope!
TEAM TAYLOR

One month together!

Can you believe it has been a month?

One month ago... this.

In the last 30 days Henry has amazed us. He is smart, incredibly sweet, easy going, calm, has a hot temper, is giving, and is truly a gift from the Lord. He says "mama" and "dada" some days he's pretty vocal though I've no idea what he's saying. Haha. He brings so much joy to our lives it's hard to describe.

We have spent the last 30 days learning to be parents of THREE children. It's definitely different. It's challenging but really... the jump from 0-2 was much much harder than the jump from 2-3. We are learning. I am learning. We have ventured out a few times as a family of 5. It's been crazy and fun and surprisingly easy as well as down right difficult. Don't worry. We are tenacious. We will be doing it like pros in a flash! 😜


The main thing about having three kiddos is we see x 3 Every. Single. Day. How very blessed we are! It's hard to choke back the tears, hold them close enough, find the words to express how thankful we are that God entrusted us with these special blessings. I feel like I'm using way too many adjectives but sheesh y'all. It's absolutely, incredibly, wonderfully amazing! Sure, it's not all hugs and flowers, sunshine, and roses... some days are HARD. Some days I'm not sure which end is up or if I can recall my full name. Even so... no matter how mad I get at them for emptying the toy basket for the eighth time after I've put it up 7... no matter how frustrated I get for having to say "get back in the bed!", I look in those 3 sweet faces and my heart melts. I'm reminded of the gift I've been given.  My blood pressure calms down... my anger and frustration fade and all is right in our world.

So here we go... jumping head first into month two... and forever! 

Please continue to pray for all that becoming a family of 5 encompasses. 

We are so so grateful for your love and support! Thank you for cheering us on! 

With love and gratitude, 

Jenn

One week home.

It's been a fast, hard, wonderful, amazing week.

Rob and I both are sick 😷 sinuses yuck! I don't know if it's good ol west Texas or the pollution we breathed for two weeks. Either way we are sucking down the emergen-c and trying to push through.

Henry is adjusting well. We are struggling to sleep the though the night but getting better each night. He loves his sisters and watches their every move. He doesn't seem bothered by the dogs and loves Sharing his snacks. He's exploring all toys and trying to figure out what they all do.  He doesn't like the word "no" one bit. 😂 He's learning the floors here are not softly padded like the orphanage so when he throws himself back in response to "no" ... it doesn't feel great. He's such a wonderful kid. I couldn't have even known to ask for a gift so great. His laugh fills up my soul. His smile warms my heart. We have ventured out of the house a few times and he's capturing the hearts of everyone he meets. He loves being outside like his sisters. He thinks I make the best congee in the world... ok maybe I made that up....

Emily and Olivia are great helpers. Emily wants to hug and hold him often. Livvy... well she's not really sure. She likes to help with feedings and baths but she's struggling with how he affects her place in our hearts 💕. We keep reminding her that love multiplies. Our hearts get bigger and we love each other more! It's going to take time. We will get there. Slow and steady wins the race! I mean I guess it does... haha.

Rob and I are so thrilled to have three kids. It's a logistical challenge but I'm working on a rhythm. It's not nearly as hard as going from 0 to 2... this feels much much easier. Not easy... but easier than with the girls. Our hearts are full and proud and blessed beyond measure and we are humbled that God gave us these amazing kids to love and treasure.

Mom is "recovering ". She's been sick, probably finally came down with all the bugs the girls had while we were gone. We are so grateful for all that she did while we were gone! She's an amazing woman... I'm not sure she will volunteer again though hahaha.

Please continue to pray for us as we adjust and get to know each other and learn what being a family of 5 is like. Pray for the girls to be confident in their place in our hearts and in this family. Pray that Henry will continue to grow and get settled.

Your prayers have sustained us this far.... we are so so grateful for your love and support! Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts 💕

With love and gratitude.

Team Taylor

Home.

It may be 2am, I may be awake but I'm as content as can be. All THREE of my babies are snug in my home. One is on the same time schedule we are but we are working on getting him down. It's hard to believe that it has come to completion.... at least the getting him home part.... thank you thank you for all the prayers and encouragement. God used you in more ways than you can ever know.

We ask you continue to pray as we all get to know each other amd grow closer as a family. I cannot believe I have THREE kiddos. Amazing. God is so so good!

Travel went as well as can be expected except for almost missing out last flight. Henry was great... a few melt downs but all in all he slept. All of our flights were packed full and that's never fun... especially on a 14.5 hour flight. Either way, we survived. It's sad to be missing our travel group. Each of the couples in our group are so special to us and what an adventure to go on with someone! It's wonderful and terrible and easy and hard and then impossible. It's an honor and a privilege to be called to this path.

Not off to the best start 😳

He tried watching cartoons 

Slept in daddy's arms

A fresh new American citizen... haha. He wasn't as thrilled as I'd like! 

Big sister jumping right in. 

#taylorpartyoffive

The girls are excited. Livvy is a little apprehensive and jealous all in one. Emily is jumping in with both feet to her big sister role. I cannot wait to see how morning goes.

Maybe I'll go try to go to sleep.

More of this adventure after we catch a few winks.

Goodnight! 💤🌙😘

Last night in China 🇨🇳

we are packing up our stuff. Somehow our stuff has expanded and we have more than when we got there. I must've packed better heading out. Oh well. 😩

Guangzhou has been a whirlwind. Feels like we just got here in so many ways. We received Henry's visa paperwork and it's nice and sealed and ready for us to hand it to us immigration in the USA! Everything is stamped and approved and as soon as his little feet touch US soil he's 100% American citizen! Woot woot!

Every day we are here it's closer to Chinese New Year and decoration are going up everywhere. It's so beautiful 😍!

It's been fun to watch them go up! We have had a great travel group. With every delay we had we kept saying " God is preparing our travel group". He sure did and oh how blessed we are by each of them! We have enjoyed these families every bit as much as our last travel group. We were worried they would never measure up! 🤣 

In the background of my mind is the little boy that will not become an American citizen tomorrow. He should be getting ready for an exciting adventure and instead he is sleeping in his orphanage. 😞 It breaks my heart y'all. I look at my sweet boy sleeping and my heart is about to burst with love... then I think of that sweet little boy that is not getting a million hugs and kisses and snuggles. It makes  my heart hurt. 💔💔💔 I know there's a bajillion more out there that aren't receiving the same but this one boy is on my heart tonight. When you're in the trenches of something like this... it's easy to be singularly focused. 

It has been a wonderful trip. Long but great. We miss our girls so so much and cannot wait to see them soon! Wears excited to have all three babies under one roof... even if it is a little crazy. 

Well the next post will show all three kiddos together. Thanks for following our journey.  I can't believe it's over. Amazing! 

Love, jenn

Last leg

we arrived in Guangzhou last night. This is where the US side of his paperwork is completed. We had our medical appointments this morning where Henry got all checked out. It was such a different experience than with my girls. They threw a fit and screamed and cried and we cried... it was emotional. Today was easy peasy! Who knows how long it will last but for the most part Henry is super easy going.

We do some paperwork this afternoon, tomorrow is more... then we wait. Tuesday is our US consulate appointment where we promise everything is right and then we wait for them to complete his immigration paperwork. It sets in place that as soon as his little feet touch US soil he becomes an American citizen! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

We are missing our girls like CRAZY. It breaks my heart to see them sick and not be able to hold them and comfort them. Soon. Thursday night! I cannot wait.

In the meantime... we are here so we will enjoy the beautiful city and tropical climate.

Will update again soon!

Ps. I tried tried to get a bottle of wine out of the wine vending machine and then I found this




Unplugged! Ugh.

Oh well. Next time 😜😉

Thanks for the continued prayers! 

❤️❤️❤️❤️

The beautiful and ugly part of adoption

The beautiful: Today has been great for us. Another day of progress and bonding. We heard lots of babbling and laughter. My heart leaps every single time I hear it. Henry is a Taylor through and through. He's more easy going than I dreamed/wished he might be. He is perfect in every way. I mean, there's struggles like any child and we are learning about each other. There are bad moments and good and since I've been here before I know there is a long road ahead of us. God is in the business of making things beautiful again. He's taking tragedy and abandonment as filling it full of love. It's amazing, hard, and beautiful. It's what we knew we were getting into when we signed up. We had no clue if this part would be hard or easy. One family in our group is having a really tough time. No matter the age of an orphan it's like getting a newborn. These babies have medical/special needs and have been dealt more trauma in their short lives than most adults. Still we love on them and pray over them and work for smiles and try to comfort. It's a privilege and honor to be a part of this calling. I truly dont say that lightly. Im honored that God allowed ME to parent these kiddos. I don't deserve these gifts. ❤️❤️❤️

Before I address the ugly. Here's a few pics of the beautiful side.

The ugly: 

The ugly part is SO ugly. 

I probably shouldn't blog about it but I can't remain silent. 

Now, we know these children were abandoned by their biological families. They were left in the cold, heat of summer, rain, etc and thankfully someone found them. Thankfully the process moved in such a way that they were matched with families. When you sign up for this you hope for the best and prepare for the absolute worst. You decide. You think through all the possible hard parts and decide if you want to take the risk. It's an important decision you don't enter into lightly. Hearts are at stake and these little lives that have been flipped upside down are fragile and need to be valued. 

Today this is what I looked at in the hallway as we gathered and let the children play. 

This is the crib of a precious little boy that was taken back to the orphanage. His adoption final. His passport applied for. Paperwork finished. Fees paid. 

Minds changed. 

I cannot understand any reason that could possibly be given. A precious little soul who thought he finally had a family ... was abandoned again. Again. 

This happens somewhat often people don't prepare, they don't commit. It's scary. It's terrifying I get that. But there's no way in the world I could walk a child back into the orphanage and hand them back over to the nannies. No way. 

This morning at breakfast some of the inauguration events were on the tv. I thought of all the people mad and glad and caught up in who is president or not. And all the while, a little boy was abandoned again. It puts life in perspective a little more. He's not the only one of course. The story is the same around the globe. This one just happened to touch my world today and my heart broke. 

Please pray that his true family will be found. Pray for his little heart. Pray for the hearts of workers that had to watch that all unfold. And pray.... for the family that could do such a thing. It's super hard not to judge in a situation like this. I have to trust that God is in control.

In the meantime, I hug Henry a little tighter and pray a little harder. 

Love, Jenn

Orphanage visit

today was an emotionally trying day.... for me. Ha!  The orphanage visit, in my opinion, is key to attachment and progress. Some moms disagree but all three of my kids made major turns after the visit. It's nerve racking for mom and dad bc you're so afraid your child isn't going to want you back. Afraid that they'll prefer what they know. You dont want them to be sad or hurt again. It's tricky business.

Now I can say it went great for all three of mine. Henry was a popular Dude! All the nannies came running In to see him and hold him one last time. Olivia's nannies came in and wanted to see pictures of her. It amazes me that they can remember these children like they do. There are hundreds of orphans in this institution. It's a huge complex with many high rise buildings.

So, before the visit.... no smiles for daddy. He would NOT drink from anything. No formula no water no juice. Nothing. I bought 4 different bottles at Walmart. Nothing. Also cried every time we changed him. Every time we put him down. No babbles, a few giggles for me but not much.

He came right back to me when it was time to go. They said "go to mama"
And he reached for me. Since we left, He chugged two bottles of water. Changed diapers without a tear, Has been making sounds and babbling all afternoon. We even got a MAMA and BABA (daddy)! He's been light hearted and happy.  It's been a really good day.  We have turned a corner. That's not to say we don't have a long way to go bc we do, but we are making progress!

Your prayers are being felt! Keep them coming. Pray for my girls especially . They're still sick and Livvy is having a really hard time. She wouldnt even look at me or talk to us on face time. She's upset/jealous/sick/etc. please pray God will protect their hearts and give them confidence that we love them like crazy! Pray for my mom as she hasn't had a break from the sickly kiddos. Hoping they'll get back to school asap.

Here are some photos of our day.

Thanks again for the love ❤️!
Team Taylor