A long overdue update

So here we are, a family of five. It's been two months now since we met our little girl in China. People use the cliché all the time that it's "been a whirlwind," but I can't think of another better description. 

Fast, furious (at times), and scattering debris all over the place. (if dirty clothes and Legos count as debris)

There have been many joys with Campbell: Christmas Eve & Christmas morning. Silly laughter while jumping on the trampoline. Playing chase with her brothers. Dancing & singing at our spontaneous dance parties.

 There have also been many difficult moments that have accompanied this transition. Not all of them have to do with Campbell; her middle brother (Asher) continues his death-defying "stunts" around the house. I swear that boy needs to live life wearing a helmet. He's fine, but not before a trip to the ER for a nasty cut after falling off the couch.

But even as we've been pretty low-key over the past two months, life is still pretty tiring. Campbell's behavior and development continues to steadily improve as the bonding and acceptance happens, but she still has times where you can tell she is still so very unsure about us. Honestly, it's hard not to take that personally, but we know that God is using even those times to mend her broken & abandoned heart. We have to constantly remind ourselves that unconditional love isn't always reciprocated...otherwise it wouldn't be unconditional! We're grateful for the journey that He has us on. Each part of the family has its' part. Brennan & Asher continue to initiate with her with tangible acts of love and kindness (and sometimes the opposite, especially when she breaks their Legos). It is so encouraging when they step in to help calm her or when they keep asking for hugs when she pushes them away. They are pursuing, and it's working!

Thankfully we've also had tremendously good news on the medical side of things. We haven't shared a whole lot about this because it has taken some time to get the bottom line results. In short, the pediatrician was pretty worried about Campbell's head size. It's off-the-charts-large for her age (literally the same size as Erin's head). We measured just to make sure. The worry was that something was inside her skull causing it to grow faster than normal. Something like spinal fluid (hydrocephalus) or a tumor, etc. The words neurosurgeon and brain tumor were thrown around for a few weeks. Even after what we've been through already...those are still scary words! 

We were finally able to get straight answers after an MRI at UNC Children's. The results came back completely NORMAL. Campbell is simply "fearfully & wonderfully made" ... with a big noggin.

With that sigh of relief we are now turning our sights on her eyes. Campbell has Esotropic strabismus. The muscles around her eyes are not attached correctly and she has a hard time controlling them. They cross. They work independently of each other. One is "lazy." The first eye doctor we saw recommended surgery right away, and we are seeking a second opinion just to make sure. But it sure does look like Campbell will have eye surgery where they will realign and reposition each of the muscles connected to her eyeballs. NBD, right? 

So there's a Mullis Family Update for you. Thanks so much for caring for us and praying for us. We're confident that we're right where God wants us to be, and we long to walk more closely in the Spirit's power to meet each new challenge.

 **Photos coming soon!