John 3:16

Her first memory verse. We pray that she will soon come to know what this means.

1 Year Later

It's hard to believe that a year ago today we met our daughter in the Kidane orphanage in Ethiopia. Many of you were praying over us in our journey there and our journey here as the physical and emotional healing of Praise began. This has not only been about unraveling medical mysteries and physical healing but also about unraveling the mysterious ways of God in our personal lives and the spiritual healing in our souls. We have witnessed again first hand that God's grace, mercy, and love is far greater than whatever situation or circumstance we find ourselves. Her name, Praise Tinsae, speaks volumes to us in ways that we never would have imagined.

If you have been following our blog you know that because of dealing with her other medical challenges we could not start her HIV meds until about 4 weeks ago. Today, on our one year anniversary, we received a report from the doctor's office that her HIV is at undetectable levels in her body. What great news! Yes, we believe God timed this news to commemorate in our lives that He remembers each and every moment...of every year... in our lives more than we do.

Do we just believe this way about God because of our daughter's amazing health and progress? What if God chose to lead her to greater sickness or even death? Would we still be able to 'Praise' Him? Our praise of God cannot rest in our perspective of the circumstances that surround us. Our praise of God must find its rest in the nature and character of a Holy God that does all things well even if we never see or understand the 'seemingly' dark and hopeless moments of our lives. It is only from God's vantage point or perspective in His grand scheme of things that we can see how all things work together for His praise and glory. It was God's plan to send His son to a brutal death on the cross. Can you imagine how His disciples felt as they watched Jesus die such a horrible death? They did not understand the price that He had to pay to satisfy the debt for our sin. They did not know about the resurrection. They did not understand the depth of His love. Praise's middle name, Tinsae, means resurrection. Her name everyday reminds us of His love and to Praise the Resurrection.

Thank you for standing with us and praying for us.

His love is...more than we can ever begin to imagine,

Bill & Michelle McConomy

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26

My first braids!

Is'nt she cute, she was so pround of her hair! I made this last for about a week!

overdue update

We have been so busy we have not posted in a while. In August and September we had hospital admissions for wheezing.Praise was diagnosed with a parasite, which may have caused the wheezing.She seems better now but is being watched for Asthma.
She started her HIV meds about two weeks ago, that is going well. She takes three liquids by mouth twice a day. When she can swallow pills it will be much easier.

She also had her first dental visit.Of course she has a problem and will require oral surgery,what's one more thing!

She is running and talking. She is so friendly and social! She gets alot of attention, and loves every minute of it.

Summer Fun

We just got back from vacation, Praise had a great time. She loved the "big wa wa", the ocean, and loved playing in the sand. She napped on the beach or at the waterpark on a towel, she was so easy! She also loved having her Grandmom and Poppop along. She goes for a checkup tomorrow, her health has been stable. She is 21 lbs and 31 inches long. She is so much more social now then she was just a few months ago.

Before and after

Wow!!!I just had to put some pictures side by side. Here is December of 2007 and July 2008.

Praise has been on her new medication for her digestive problems since June 25th, it is helping her. She has gained over 2 lbs, and continues to gain.She has much less stomach pain and is very happy.She is walking everywhere now, no more crawling, she is almost running. It is amasing to see how far she has come. She goes back to the Dr. Sept 9th to start on her HIV drugs.
She had some recent blood work come back with high white blood cells, they are trying to find an infection to explian this, we have not gotten any results yet.
Thanks to all those that faithfully pray for little Praise.

more health issues

Praise was diagosed with pancreatic insufficency, which means that her body does not make the enzymes to digest proteins and fats. She is going to be on a special medication that she takes before meals to help her. Hopefully this will stop the diarrhea and help her to gain some more weight.Please pray that this works for her and that she is able to put on some more weight. Thanks!

Walking!

Praise is starting to walk! It started with standing alone, then walking pushing her cart, now she has walked about 12 steps! She has made some amazing progress in just 6months.

Milestones

I promised a while back when I posted about Praise sleeping in her own room that I would post pictures. she has been doing great, sleeping 1-2 hr nap and 10 -11 hrs at night!

Dr. visit

We went for Praise's checkup. We always test her viral load, (the amount of HIV in her blood ) and her CD4 count(the amount of good immune cells) Her viral load was 16,000 down from 48,000! This without any drugs. Her immune system is still testing in the normal range.
She has not gained that much weight, she was 18lbs 1 ounce.She is having chronic diarrhea so we think that is why she is not putting on the weight. We are going to get an appointment with a GI specialist, please pray we will find out what is wrong.

I will post some more pictures soon!

This was Easter

She was not happy with her Easter dress I guess!

Mcdonalds with a friend

Here she is enjoying her nuggets and fries with a friend! What could be more American than that. She loves it! She knows all about the drive through also. That should put some weight on her, it works for me!

We love spring

Praise loves this warm weather. She loves to be out in the stroller. This is more like the weather she is used to! We welcome it as well, it is good to get out of the house more often.
Overall Praise is thriving. We have some issues to work on with her medicines and her diet, but she is growing and adjusting well.She contiues to humm her favorite tunes, is it so cute.
She also spent her first night in her own room, everyone was happy about that.I will post a picture as soon as I take one of her in her own room. Sorry I have not updated, things have been busy!

What a cutie!

...little Praise that is...not the big guy!

So much talk about health issues I haven't said much about adjustment. Praise is doing so well, and seems so happy in our family. Much easier than I thought. There is still anger there, but it is less. She was tested yesterday by a developmental specialist and she did very well. Of course she is behind in gross motor skills, she doesn't walk! But in fine motor skills and cognitive development she tested at 2yrs old. She surprised me with some of the things she could do like simple puzzles and putting pegs in a wood block with holes. She followed the woman's instructions and tried to do everything she was shown. I was proud of her. She is such a blessing to us.

Home again!

We were able to bring Praise home from the hospital yesterday, she is doing much better now. The change in how she's been feeling over the last couple of weeks and how she looks and feels now is so drastic. The congestion in her lungs and sinuses is completely gone. Thanks for your prayers. It is good to be home, we pray that she will stay better for a while.

The Doctors at the hospital that saw her in December said she looks like a different child, we take for granted how she has grown. Here are before and after pictures. The first picture was taken when she was in the hospital in early December when she first got home. The second picture was taken at the end of January.

Back to the hospital

Yesterday I took Praise to the ER with a fever of 104.6, she was admitted so they could find the source of her infection. She is on IV antbiotics and seems to be improving. She may be home tomorrow. The good news is her immune sytem seems to be holding it's own. Her CD4 counts were up to 2139 which is normal! Please pray for her full recovery.

Health Update

The HIV numbers are in. Her CD4 counts are up, which is her good immune cells. The HIV numbers are up from 35,000 to 48,000 but the Dr says that is not a significant increase. She is not even being treated for HIV right now so the immprovement in her immune system is from good food and love (via God's grace).

She has had a cold and runny nose since Jan 28th and she also has a rash on her face. She is happy and singing and playing. We will be having her evaluated developmentally in the next few weeks and then she will be getting some therapy to help her catch up with things like walking and speech.

Praise has been a blessing to our family, she is such a joy to have around. If we had to do it all over again we would. I wish other families would consider adopting HIV+ children. It is not all that hard and people shouldn't be scared of it. These kids just need a chance. If anyone is even thinking about it, they should be encouraged to go for it! In a few years I am sure this will be like any other special needs adoption and it will become more popular, especially when people see how well the children do.

Dr. visit results

The Dr. appointment went well, her blood draw was successful on the first try! That is an answer to prayer. She does have ringworm in her scalp and unfortunately cannot take the medicine because it is metabolised by the liver and so are her TB drugs. This would put too much strain on her liver. She is on a topical ointment but it probably will not work. Her liver is still doing well. Her HIV numbers are not back yet. Please pray that they continue to stay within an acceptable range. Overall, she is doing well. Also, she gained a 1\2 pound this month. Thanks for your prayers.

Upcoming doctor report

Our Doctor appointment is Tuesday, January 29th. Praise will have bloodwork done to see how her liver is functioning on her TB meds, HIV viral load, and CD4 counts to see how her immune system is doing. Please pray that she will have an easy blood draw and that her numbers will be good enough so she can stay off the HIV drugs until she is done the TB drugs. There's about 5 more months until she is done taking the TB meds. She will also have a flu shot so she will not be happy. Please continue to pray for her. I will post more after the DR. appointment.

My Ethiopian Dress

Praise knew she looked cute in her dress! She values clothes so much , more than toys. That is suprising at such a young age.

Pray For Us - Vision For The Orphan

Praise-Tinsae has been doing really well. Her fevers continue to come and go but they don't worry us. Her next Dr. appointment is January 29th.

We see changes everyday. She's making all kinds of new noises and really loves being a part of the family. She also continues to eat REALLY well. Her world still revolves around food. She giggles a lot and has also starting singing to herself. Perhaps one day her name will be her calling. We are so blessed to have her.

Thank you all so much for your prayers concerning her health and adjustment. We value your prayers. We have seen on this journey how God speaks and how He also hears. We believe that Praise's adoption is a part of a much longer journey. We believe that God wants us to do more concerning the plight of orphans. As God brings us to mind, will you please pray that God gives us a clear vision for the next step that He wants us to take and that He would also give us the faith and courage to 'go' and to 'do.'

His love is ... more than we can ever begin to imagine.

Love,

Bill & Michelle