February 27th
Hello Again from the Krol family in sunny Ellicott City today :) We are SO happy to finally see the sun shining after this crazy-long winter! Last week was especially miserable as we battled the stomach and respiratory flu. We are all on the mend, praise God, and Catherine didn't succumb to any of the germs floating around (must have built up some powerful immunity in the orphanage)! Christmas was a joyous time here although we did miss traveling to Roanoke to see my (Christina's) family. We haven't figured out yet how we are going to deal with the 5 hour trip as Catherine tends to get car sick, sometimes even on very short trips. Possibly an Easter trip is in the planning as the boys get a week off their wild swim schedule for Spring Break.
Yesterday was our 9 month post-placement visit with our wonderful Bethany social worker, Debby. We had a nice visit, and she was quite impressed with Catherine's progress. I guess the biggest news is she is potty trained! She still needs to have a urology consult, but as far as we can tell, her development in this area is completely normal. Also her gross motor skills have improved exponentially...she is running, jumping and climbing like an old pro. A joy to see!
Other news from the homefront: Peter is now 13!!!! Eeek! It is very hard for me to believe we are now the parents of a teenager. Where does the time go??? He continues to be enamored of anything technological but also enjoys reading and listening to Christian radio dramas. Pray for us as we begin to navigate these years of challenges as well as opportunities. The other boys are getting along well in their school work and love being best buddies. They all have plenty of time to rile up, annoy, and LOVE on their new sister as we continue to home school. It is so much fun to see the way their relationships have developed over these months. I am blessed, indeed, to be at home with them as they learn and grow! Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to teach them (and remind ourselves) to love the Lord and serve Him faithfully above all else!
PS Our next step medically is a post-op MRI to be scheduled soon (she will have to be put to sleep) and then a visit to the orthopedic surgeon in May to determine the need for a rod in her spine to correct the scoliosis.
God bless you all!
Catherine and Mommy :)
Merry Christmas
The Krol Side Cousins
Patrick helps Catherine into the snow
Catherine and her Grandfather
Catherine and her brothers playing with the hamster
Culinary Arts with Catherine and Christopher
Mmmm...Cupcakes!
