Hey guys! We are about 9-12 weeks from travel to China to bring home Vivi Mei! Aahh!!
That’s so super exciting, and yet the finances to get there feels daunting! We are excited to announce our T-Shirt launch! Check them out! “Love more, Fear less” Who couldn’t use a little more love, and a little less fear in their lives? ️
We have sizes ranging from: Child XS-Adult 3XL
These are super soft, cotton/poly blend “Next Level” brand tees.
$20 per shirt and $5 flat rate shipping per order. Pick up available for locals in Jacksonville.
Please e-mail us at housefulofhoughs@gmail.com with your order. There are a couple of ways to pay;
We are excited to announce that we are adding to our family again through adoption, and are heading back to China! China has been on our hearts since coming home with Evie. We knew that we would return, but didn’t know for sure when, or for who. Well, we found her! She is moving into the number three spot, as she is just a little older than Evie. She is light and life, and you guys are gonna fall in love! Introducing our future daughter- Vivienne Mei Hough
Sorry it has been so quiet on our end of things over the past few months. We have been settling in, finding our new normal, and discovering all that we can about our sweet Evie Joy. We kept her world very small at first. “Cocooning” is what they call it in the adoption world. The thought is to keep their world small when they first come home, make sure to work on forming those bonds and attachments. Teach them about home, about love, and about being part of a family. Evie has been proving that she is starting to understand all of these concepts.
It was hard when she first came home, because she would show indiscriminate affection to almost anyone she met. Imagine though, in an orphanage setting- all of the adults are there to care for you. So going from adult to adult to get your needs met, is just a daily necessity. That took a while to try and undo. What we have discovered over time though is that although she no longer is showing signs of indiscriminate affection, she does however have some indiscriminate friendliness. I truly think part of that is just her personality. She is a friendly kid. She loves people. She loves hugs.
We have also been working on pinpointing more of what Evie’s medical diagnosis and needs are. All that we “knew” from her file in China was that she had Cerebral Palsy. Not certain what type of CP, or what level of severity, we set out to find answers. We met with a Neurologist, and had him do an exam, and a new MRI. Much to all of our surprise, her MRI was clear. Completely and totally clear. As in no damage at all. Which is wonderful. Extremely wonderful. But leaves us wondering- Wait, what!? You see, Evie definitely presents like she has CP. But maybe it isn’t CP after all?? In the meantime, the Neurologist suggested just getting her into therapy and seeing how she progresses. We got her into Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy right away. This kid has done amazing at all of them! She is showing so much progress in all areas.
A few weeks into us being home, I started to notice that Evie ignored me quite a bit when I was speaking to her. At first I thought that it was the language barrier. Maybe she just wasn’t understanding what we were saying. Or possibly even some Institutional behavior. We decided to look into it though, and mentioned it to our Pediatrician. She said that Evie seemed to make great eye contact, and that she wasn’t super concerned- but that we could look into it for peace of mind. We got a referral for an ENT/Audiologist. They ran some tests there in the office, and felt that they were inconclusive. Evie has quite a bit of medical anxiety, and wasn’t super cooperative for most of the appointment. Once again, some of the time she reacted to the noises, and some of the time she appeared to be ignoring it. It was so hard to tell if she was scared, just being a toddler, or really couldn’t hear the noises. They scheduled for her to have an ABR. (Auditory Brain Response hearing test under sedation) The results were not at all what we were thinking. They sat us down after the test was complete to discuss the results with us. I was certain that they may find some hearing loss. Mild. Maybe moderate. Possibly one ear. The results were profound deafness in both ears. Not hearing loss. Not mild. Deaf. Profoundly deaf. In both ears. The room was spinning. My own ears were ringing. I was having trouble hearing what they were saying to us. I heard the words profoundly deaf, both ears, such significant loss that she would not be a candidate for hearing aids, or a cochlear implant. I was in shock. True shock. Not my baby girl. My baby girl has CP. Already things are going to be so difficult for her. She cannot be deaf too. This is too much. Too much for her. Too much for me. I was in denial. The next few days, and weeks proved extremely difficult. I felt like I was going crazy. It seemed like sometimes Evie would hear me, and other times it seemed like she didn’t. I even did a Google search “Can deafness come and go?” A couple of weeks after the hearing test, I received a phone call from the Audiologist. She said that she had been doing further review of Evie’s results. Said that something hadn’t sat right with her. She asked how I felt about the possibility that Evie may possibly hear sometimes, and be deaf other times. Upon further results of Evie’s test results, she had discovered that Evie has Auditory Neuropathy. It is a rare condition where the hearing comes and goes. Literally moments of deafness, and times where hearing breaks through. The great news was that this was a game changer for options for Evie. This meant that she could hear us at least sometimes. It also meant that she is now able to wear hearing aids, and possibly even be a candidate for a cochlear implant. We have had her in hearing aids the past few months, but so far it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference. We are holding out hope that she will be a candidate for a cochlear implant.
I would love to tell you that I have taken all of this in stride. That I handled it with strength and grace. But I would be lying. It literally knocked the wind out of me, and has brought me to me knees several other times. I have felt the full range of emotions. At the heart of all of it though, I have realized it is a control issue. I hate things feeling out of control. I especially hate things truly being out of my control. I kept thinking- “This was not the plan. This was not my plan.” I felt like I had “chosen” the CP. I had researched it, looked up insurance co-pays, made a game plan… Deafness?? I literally know nothing about raising a deaf child. It all felt out of control. Out of my control. I begged God to change it. Pleaded with Him to make it better. I spent the drive time between Dr appointments praying and crying. There was a song that I kept hearing all the time on the radio whenever I got in the car. God used that song to begin to change my heart. It proved very cathartic, pivotal, and inspirational to me. He began to show me that He really may make it so that Evie can hear again, but even if not… He is still good.
You see, I want it all to be in my control. In my timing. What I chose. The thing is- it was never in my control. This was always completely up to Him. The control I wanted so badly was just an illusion I had created.
Will you please join us in prayer about the next steps for our sweet Evie Joy? Prayers for guidance, wisdom, and peace. For us, and for the physicians. Today is a big day of next steps. We are meeting with a team to discuss the possibility of a cochlear implant. Please pray for us and with us that we will know what to do, and that we will be at peace with it all. Even the parts that are out of our control.
We are in Nanning and are waiting to meet our new daughter, Evangeline Joy Hough. Patiently….quietly… we wait for 2:30 PM to come so that we can go and meet her. See her for the first time and show her the love that we have been waiting to show her for over a year and a half.
Please pray as we prepare our hearts and as God prepares Evie’s heart to join our family. Updates and photos to follow.
Today we traveled to the city of Nanning, which is the capital of Evie’s province (Guangxi) to meet our new guide and prepare for our family day. It is one of the Southernmost provinces of China, and was a 4 hour flight from Beijing. We were excited and nervous and our emotions were definitely elevated. We left our group and the people that we had grown close to over the past couple of days and boarded our flight in the most orderly boarding that I have ever seen without any groups or zones.
The flight was a little rough and at times gave us a good scare, but the friendly and hospitable crew made everything great. They were so kind and excited about us coming to adopt our little Evie. The flight crew even gave us a gift to give to her once we meet her. All of the people here in China have welcomed us with open arms and are so excited to see us, talk with us and introduce us to their country.
This will be a quick post to get you caught up. On our third day in China we had the pleasure of visiting one of the seven wonders of the world, The Great Wall of China. We hopped back in the van and departed on our hour and half drive to the wall. George shared many stories along the way that gave us a better understanding of the Chinese culture and his own background. Further deepening our understanding and love for China and for this new friend.
As we approached the wall the landscape quickly changed from the flat lands of Beijing to the mountains. And then we saw it. Out of the mist on the mountains we could see the towers and sections of wall weaving through the mountains.
We got out of the van and had to decide the “beginners” side or the “advanced” side. We chose the “beginner” side but quickly found that it did not mean that it was flat. The wall quickly climbed the mountainside, and so did we.
We made it to the top and were able to enjoy the beautiful view. But then it was back down which involved backwards climbing at some points to keep from falling. It was amazing and tiring.
As we got back to the van, all of us felt exhausted but amazed at the beauty and size of the wall. Then it was off to our next adventure, to learn about the Chinese National Treasure of Jade. We approached the government run Jade Factory and were led in to see so many huge and intricate pieces. We were able to take part of this treasure with us as a reminder of our trip to get Evie, and of the amazing country we were visiting.
Then back to the hotel to rest for our next adventure.
This morning we began our tour of Beijing with our CCAI travel group. This was the morning that we would be immersed in our daughter’s culture, and when we would meet the fellow adoptive families that are on this life changing adventure with us. These people who we share a unique bond with, and who we will never forget. There are certain groups of people you meet in life, that even though your time with them is short they will always hold a special place in your heart. We also met our travel guide, who would be watching over us in Beijing and then leading us to our next destination. Geroge is his English name which we were glad to call him as we couldn’t pronounce his Chinese name. He has an infectious smile and a warm heart. He works with so many different American families, and it’s difficult for him to remember all of our names so he nicknamed us “Sticky Rice”. That way in a crowd he could yell “Sticky Rice” and we would know he was calling for us. This group, “Sticky Rice” would be one that we would stick with us and we will never forget. So sticking together we left the hotel…
Our adventure started with a bus ride to the entrance to Tianamen Square, but sadly due to the visit of our United States Secretary of Treasuary we would not be able to enter the square. In the words of George, “Your big potato is here”. So we just saw the square from a distance. Even at a distance it was amazing. The size and architecture is so different than anything else we had ever seen. It took our breath away. We then walked up to the Empire’s Palace, also known as the Forbidden City and we were left in awe.
The size of the entrance gates and the beauty of the structure is amazing, and it is hard to believe that it was built over 600 years ago, and only took a mere 14 years to construct. We stood and gazed at the immeness, and then entered through the side gates. Only the emperor would enter through the center gate.
As you enter the first courtyard, the size is just amazing. You then continue through the next gate, and the next courtyard is even larger. You wonder how it could get larger, but it does and the beautiful architecture continues. You can see the thought and detail that was put into each part of the structure. From the detailed paintings, complicated drainage system, and ramps that intentionally have angled stone to create grip. Every stone and brush stroke was not done without careful thought.
We continued through the palace admiring all of the details that had been crafted in stone, metal and wood. We learned the meaning of each statue throughout the palace, and continued to be in awe of the size and detail.
After walking through many courtyards and gates, we entered the emperor’s garden. It was a beautiful mixture of stonework, trees and plants. A beautiful oasis from the stone and wood that dominates the palace.
After leaving the garden we walked through another large gate and exited the palace. Our bodies were exhausted from the walking, and our minds proccessing all of the sights that we had taken in. But that was just part of our adventure.
Our group moved through the crowds until an opening was found for us to wait for our bus. We watched the artful dance of the Beijing drivers as they worked together to move the masses through the city. Horns were honking but no one grew mad or angry. In the states this would have turned into an outright road rage, but these drivers just kept moving.
The bus swept us up and we traveled to our next adventure. This adventure started with a rickshaw and Hutong tour through Old Beijing. Seeing parts of the city that reflected what the heart of Beijing really looked and felt like. The tour ended at a couples home in which they invited us in for lunch. We were then served amazing home cooked Chinese dishes ranging from dumplings to Chinese meatballs. It all was delicious, and we left feeling grateful for being able to experience a traditional home cooked Chinese meal.
Back on the rickshaw to the bus, but that was not the end of our day. We were then off to an official Tea House for a tea tasting ceremony. We all sat around a table and were met by a friendly Chinese women who took us through the many traditional Chinese teas. Ranging from the black tea to the fruit tea. The fruit tea was the girls favorite as it tasted like an American fruit drink. The tea house was filled with beautiful tea sets and amazing tea. We never realized that tea was like wine, and the older it is the better tasting and the more expensive it is. The tea house sold the back tea in 5 year increments. There was one disk of tea that was being sold for over $10,000 because of it’s age and type. Mind blowing, but I am sure there are bottles of wine that are similar.
Our day was filled with so many different sights and emotions. We were so grateful to be able to see Evie’s country, and to be able to experience it so deeply. It was back to the hotel to rest and prepare our bodies and hearts for the next day. We knew that that more adventure was ahead of us.
We rested up, the girls swam in the pool, and then we headed out for dinner. Things started off quiet on the streets around the hotel, but then we heard the sound of authentic Chinese music. We went through a decorative entrance and found a street full of life.
Then things got even better as we continued down the street. There were vendors on both sides of the street selling meats on sticks and all manor of delicacies. My favorite part was seeing the scorpions and realizing that they were still moving. Josh passed on that, and the girls turned a little green.
We sampled some pot stickers (dumplings) and they were amazing, though a little bit spicer than their American reproductions. After that, we found a small restaurant and sampled some of the local cuisine. The night ended with a peaceful walk back to the hotel accompanied by two local street dogs. They seemed friendly, and the girls asked if we could bring them home. We assured them that they would not make it through customs, and that we didn’t need another dog.
Off to bed to rest up for our tour of the Forbiden City tomorrow.
After a long day of travel, we finally made it to China around midnight on May 2nd. It was a long flight, but everyone was resilient and flexible. There was no whining or complaining, and even the kids did great. We made it through immigration and customs without any hiccups.
After taking this photo I saw the sign that said no photos. Oops, and thank you to the gracious immigration officers who didn’t say anything.
We successfully navigated the Beijing Airport and transportation to arrive at our hotel. It was so nice to be able to rest in a regular bed, not cramped into a tight airplane seat. After a good night’s sleep we got up to explore the city!
To start things off right, we grabbed a Coke and bottled water to keep ourseleves hydrated.
At least we assumed it was Coke Zero, and it paid off. Tasted just like it always has! Then it was off to lunch and walking around the city. We were all blown away with the culture, architecture and beauty of the city. We almost made it into Tiannmen Square, but we did not have our passports on us, lesson learned. We walked around the square and got to see all kinds of other neat things.
Afterwards it was back to the hotel and resting for our next adventure.
Waiting. Lots and lots of waiting. Patience. Lots and lots of patience. This entire journey has been filled with waiting, and lots of practice in patience. Today has proven no different. Our travel to China has had us delayed here at the airport waiting for our next flight, all afternoon. It has tried our patience for sure. They say that anything worth doing, is worth waiting for. I believe that. It doesn’t make it any easier, but I am clinging to it. This whole process has been such a refining time for me. It is also such a picture of God’s waiting and patience that He extends to us.
This evening, that looks like us being challenged in patience and waiting while sitting in the Dallas airport, while our hearts and minds are already in China. We arrived in Dallas at 7:50 AM with a plan to leave at 11:20 AM for Beijing. It looks like we will now be leaving Dallas at 8:25 PM. Twelve hours at DFW was not part of the plan, but we wait. Soon, very soon, it will all be worth the wait.
After taking this photo I saw the sign that said no photos. Oops, and thank you to the gracious immigration officers who didn’t say anything.
At least we assumed it was Coke Zero, and it paid off. Tasted just like it always has! Then it was off to lunch and walking around the city. We were all blown away with the culture, architecture and beauty of the city. We almost made it into Tiannmen Square, but we did not have our passports on us, lesson learned. We walked around the square and got to see all kinds of other neat things.
Houseful of Houghs 