- Pack some kind of noise-maker! We had to get a cheapo floor fan, because our room was really warm, but I think the noise helped more than anything for Emmy.
- If possible, rent a room or a condo with a pool that is right outside the door. We lucked out on this, and I wouldn't have done it any other way! When Emmy was napping, I could carry my monitor with me and lay by the pool - far better than sitting inside for hours while you're at the beach.
- Pick up some cheap $1-a-yard dark fabric, fold it up, and take it with you on vacation. We would have loved to have been able to darken Emmy's room a bit during the day.
It kills me that I can't post pictures of Emmy. We got some ADORABLE ones. I can, however, post pictures of Layla's beach fun. Yes, at the beach we visited, dogs are allowed on the beach in the mornings and evenings. We had no idea how much Layla would enjoy that!!
As you can tell, Layla is not such a small puppy anymore. She is still all puppy, but in a much larger size...haha. Her ears are cracking us up. When we got her, they were both floppy, then she had one floppy and one that stuck straight up. Then, last week they were both straight up. Now, her right ear is crooked again. She's a funny dog. Ask me today, and I adore her. Ask me on other days, and I can't stand her. Fortunately, we've been having many more good days than bad recently. I still have hope that she's going to be an amazing dog one day!
We also got to spend a little time at the beach with some friends of ours who have since left to begin training to be foreign missionaries for 2 years. We are in awe of their faith, and watching their daily obedience to the Lord has been a huge encouragement to us recently. Unfortunately, we will sorely miss their presence in our lives now, which is difficult knowing that we're all entering such new, scary territory these days. It would be nice to have those sweet friends nearby, but alas...we will hope for more time together in the future, and for now, Skype will be a beautiful, beautiful thing!
Emmy loved the beach and came back a completely different child than when we left. The woman who comes to work with Emmy's development each week was blown away when she showed up this morning. Emmy has really come a long way in a short time. She is extremely social these days, smiling, laughing, babbling, reaching for things, rolling all over the place, trying to crawl. If you met Emmy before, you know what a huge answer to prayer this is! Watching the Lord work in her life has been an amazing thing. I can see life getting even busier soon!
Her case worker also had to visit once we were home from the beach, so she came on Monday with a few updates. Emmy's grandfather has expressed interest in being involved in Emmy's care, although he's not interested in adopting Emmy. I'm not sure how that will unfold, but we're taking it one day at a time. The judge has also asked that no sibling visits occur between Emmy and her older brother. At this point, I see that as a huge answer to prayer, but we still wonder what this all means for Emmy's future.
Another answer to prayer is that we received the results of Emmy's medical testing from a month ago, and all was clear! Hallelujah! I will thank God for this amazing grace on Emmy's behalf for many years to come!
Prayer requests are mostly the same as before, but I must ask again that you join us in praying for the Lord's guidance as we try to discern our role in Emmy's future. We are still not there yet. I also ask that you pray for the Holy Spirit to steer this potential involvement by Emmy's grandfather. Pray that it is a blessing to her life and not another hurdle she has to overcome.
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