Well, it's about time.......

that I updated our blog!!! SO sorry for not giving an update for the past several weeks. I've been consumed with planning and executing the first weeks of home schooling that I just didn't take time to update our blog (as pitiful as it is - ha). Yea, yea, I know - excuses, excuses.....:)
Anyway, we are all doing well and Jaydon is (of course) exceeding ALL of our expectations! We went back to Shriners this past Wednesday (8/24) for Jaydon to 'try out' his new leg. His leg was in the 'raw' stages of being constructed but will be completed soon and mailed to us in about 7-10 days or so.
He was so excited, as you can imagine, about seeing his 'leg' for the first time. When Phil (the ortho guy) handed him his leg Jaydon whispered, 'wow'. It was precious. He held it, squeezed it, turned it around and checked it out thoroughly. He was one proud little boy!!! He was especially proud of the 5 toes on his new foot - how sweet. We really do take so much for granted don't we?
After the initial 'wow' we headed out to the hallway to give the new leg a go. Needless to say it was not easy for Jaydon. He is used to just hopping up and walking/running wherever he needs/wants to go. His short little leg doesn't slow him down in the least! He is the toughest cookie I know!!!
It will take some time for him to get used to his new prosthetic but that is okay of course. Our plan is to have him walk with it 2-3 hours a day until he gets used to it. The idea is for him to not see it as a burden but a blessing :)
Well, that's all for tonight. I will post pics of the wonderful event soon.
Thanks for ALL of your support and for caring about our family.
Much love and many blessings to you and yours,
Jill

My Other Two Heroes.......

........ are big brothers John and Ben. They have been INCREDIBLE during our whole adoption process. I hug their neck every chance I get and tell them how proud I am of them and of how they've handled this past year.

I consider them my heroes because they have relentlessly exhibited such great character, love, compassion, patience, and understanding in the past year.

They :
         : first of all faithfully prayed for us to find the child God had chosen to join our family.
          (It took a few years but God's timing was and is absolutely perfect!)

         : endured A LOT of doctor appts and shots to prepare for our trip to China (a few tears too)

         : then endured a very loooooong trip to China (7 different flights) - it was rough at times

         : never complained while in China about the water conditions, food, lack of sleep, etc..
.
         : were over the top with excitement and unconditional love when they first met Zhi Da :)

         : graciously, willingly and understandingly shared mom and dad to take care of their new brother

         : have been compassionate and empathetic to all that Jaydon has gone through in 3 short years

         : help out whenever asked and will do anything to make Jaydon feel loved

         : play with Jaydon, read to Jaydon, sleep with Jaydon, love on Jaydon

         : give mom a minute to cry alone when she needs it :)

         : tell Jaydon how special he is and how much he is loved

         : continue to be very patient, understanding and compassionate

         : are very protective of Jaydon and would do anything for him

         : frequently tell Jaydon how wonderful his leg looks and how PROUD they are of him

I just love my boys. They make me a better person. They make me smile. They are my heart!

Recovery

Whew! What a relief for Jaydon to finally be cast free after 9 1/2 weeks! My back is happy too.
His recovery is going very well. He had a few bouts of pain/crying yesterday but today he hasn't cried about pain at all. He is one tuff little cookie as I've stated before and not much can hold him back.
He obviously isn't putting any pressure or weight on his leg yet, but it won't be long I can assure you :)

We are so excited for him that he will finally get to take a tub bath tomorrow and splash and play in the water as long as he wants. I must admit I'm quite happy about giving him a good ol' head to toe scrubbing too!

Right now he wears compressions socks on his leg to keep down any swelling. We will return to Shriners in two weeks (Aug 1) to let the doctor evaluate his leg and determine if it's ready to be molded for his prosthesis. We hope he'll be up and running on his new leg by the first of September.
Talk about a celebration!

Thank you again for your support and concern for our sweet little Jaydon!
Much love.
Jill for all

Done!

Dr. Westbury just came in and surgery is over. "Bye bye cast" as Jaydon would say!
Everything went well, bones are healed, incisions look good. PTL! PTL!
Thank you so much for your prayers! Will keep you posted on his recovery.
Much love and many blessings.

Surgery #2

So glad to be back at the wonderful Shriners Hospital. They take such wonderful care of Jaydon! It's 9:55 a.m. & they just took him into surgery to remove the cast and take the rods out. It should only take about half an hour. He was so brave and unafraid when they took him back :).

2 Timothy 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control.

'Look fear in the face. You gain strength and courage by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing that you think you cannot do.' Eleanor Roosevelt

This kiddo is something else and God is already using him in so many ways! He has tackled this whole thing with such strength and courage. He is truly our hero!!!

Thank you for taking time to read our blog and for all of your support. God is so good ALL the time!

Countdown #2 :)

Cast #2 is coming off next Wednesday, July 20th at ~ 8:00 a.m. Yahoo!! This kiddo is raring to go let me tell you. Oh the energy he has to release when he's completely mobile again! He's been 'confined' in one way or another since May and def. has ants in his pants :). Can't wait to see that sweet youngin' running around the house again.
Next Wed. we will return to Shriners at 7:00 a.m. and Jaydon will have surgery at 8:00 a.m. to have the rods removed from his leg. He will have to be put to sleep to have this done and there will be some pain involved. The surgery will only last ~20 minutes. When he wakes up he will be cast free. We should be dismissed from the hospital the same day as long as his pain is manageable.
Thank you again for all of your prayers and encouragement for our family. We are so very grateful.
We will post again next Wed. after Jaydon's surgery.

A Little Down But Not Out

Today was a day of ups and downs but we know, without a doubt, that God is in control and His plans and timing are perfect. He knows what is best for Jaydon (and for all of us) and we have great comfort and peace in His promises. 
Thankfully, Jaydon got his double casts off today and we are oh so grateful! He can now swing in the swing, ride in the jogging stroller, sleep more comfortably, wear undies and shorts, sit at the dinner table, and have mom and dad kiss all over his healthy leg. Blessings abound!
Unfort., his left leg has not healed enough to be cast free just yet. So, the nurses took the double casts off and gave him a shiny, new, red one for his 'boo boo' leg. How wonderful it was to see his healthy leg again though! Bob and I kissed it, rubbed it, massaged it - that was the least we could do for him. This tough kiddo has been through so much more in 3 short years of life than most of us will go through in our lifetime. It is truly the little things in life that matter most, no doubt. We are so honored that God chose us to take care of him, love him, nurture him, teach him about Himself and His love.
Thank you so much for praying for us during this time. Today was very rough on Jaydon as he was dealing with great fear and a huge disappointment to have another cast. It was obviously not easy on us either but we choose to see the blessings in this unexpected chapter of our lives. 
We thank God for getting us this far. May He be glorified if there be anything good in us.
Many blessings to all of you!
The Hinton Family

Phase 2 (Yahoo!)

We are back in Greenville, SC this morning getting ready to head to Shriners to get Jaydon's casts off. He has talked about this day for weeks. He is obviously very excited about being mobile again but he's a little apprehensive at the same time - I can't blame him one bit. The unknown is always a little scary - esp. for a 3 year old. He's still his happy, smiley, silly, energetic self this morning though. :) Love that kiddo to pieces.
His appt. today is at 9:00 a.m.. We're unsure of the time of his surgery but it should be close to 9:30. We will update as our time permits.
Thank you for praying for Jaydon and for our family during these past months. All of your incredible support has gotten us this far. God has blessed us beyond measure in so many ways!
May we live worthy lives that bring Him honor.
Because of Him,
Jill and family

'When Love Takes You In, Everything Changes'

Here is a photo of precious little Zhi Da before finding his forever family.

And here is Zhi Da (Jaydon) after finding his forever family!

However, don't be fooled, WE are smiling even bigger and have changed even more because of this little guy. He has blessed us beyond measure and truly reminded us of what life is all about. No doubt, he adopted us!

Single Digits

6 days to go until the casts are gone - we have one excited little boy on our hands!!
Not sure if he's more excited about the casts coming off or about the huge celebration we have planned for him! We'll fill you in as the time gets closer.

Many blessings to all of you.

Baba / Papa / Dad

Back in October of 2010, Zhi Da (a.k.a. Jaydon) finally got to meet his wonderful earthly father - Bobby Ray Hinton, Jr.. What an overwhelmingly happy day for both of them!! It was so beautiful to witness - a son finding his father and a father finding his son! Only God could have orchestrated such a beautiful reunion. I will never forget watching Jaydon being so comfortable with his 'baba' on the very first day they met. Jaydon knew exactly who Bob was and he was so happy to finally see him! Of course, the feeling was mutual. Bob was beside himself with JOY - his 3rd son was finally in his arms.

I can not think of a better man, father, to lead this little one to his heavenly Father and come to love Him.

Happy Father's Day to you Bob! You are absolutely the best father in the world and I appreciate you and all you do for our family! How blessed you are to have 3 incredible sons to love and nurture - John, Ben, Jaydon.... and how blessed they are to call you 'dad'!

To my 'Papa' - I love you. Love, Jaydon

"Somebody's Praying"

Tomorrow we will be down to only 2 more weeks in casts - yea! Jaydon is still handling his situation very well. We are so proud of him and his courage & bravery. I can't wait to see his sweet little legs again, kiss his precious toes and hold him like a baby! He'll be begging me to put him down.

We will be returning to Shriners hospital on June 27 for the casts to come off and the pins to be taken out of his heel. He will then have a compression sock put on his leg/foot for 2 weeks. We will keep you updated as the time gets closer.

Again our family just wants to THANK YOU for praying for us and esp. for Jaydon during this time of recovery.

I heard a Ricky Skaggs song recently that reminded me of those of you that have been praying for us.
We can't thank you enough. God bless each and every one of you!

"Somebody's Prayin'"

Somebody's prayin, I can feel it
Somebody's prayin' for me
Mighty hands are guiding me
To protect me from what I can't see
Lord I believe, Lord I believe
That somebody's prayin', for me.

Angels are watchin', I can feel it
Angels are watchin' over me
There's many miles ahead 'til I get home
Still I'm safely kept before your thrown
'Cause Lord I believe, Lord I believe
Your angels are watchin' over me.

Well, I've walked through barren wilderness
When my pillow was a stone
And I've been through the darkest caverns
Where no light had ever shown.
Still I went on 'cause there was someone
Who was down on their knees
And Lord. I thank you for those people
Prayin' all this time for me.

Somebody's prayin', I can feel it
Somebody's prayin' for me
Mighty hands are guiding me
To protect me from what I can't see
Lord I believe, Lord I believe
Somebody's prayin' for me...

Half Way!

Ps. 92 : 1-2 It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High.
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night.

Three weeks down and three weeks to go in the casts. God has blessed beyond measure!

Being half way is def. cause for a celebration. Granny Nunn gave all 3 boys some kind of 'water blaster' this past weekend and we just had to give them a go. We wrapped Jaydon and his wheel chair in a waterproof tablecloth and the water blasting began. He thought it was so funny that he could blast everyone but no one could blast him. Talk about deep down, gut wrenching laughter!!

We are truly grateful to be on the downhill slope now. I obviously have the easy job here but we know easier days are coming soon for our tough, little Zhi Da !

Honor

This is Ben's fabulous drawing of the Great Wall in honor of Jaydon.

Ben takes an art class once a week and this was his last project for this past school year. In his class, he chooses whatever he wants to draw/paint for the next several weeks. How sweet that he picked to draw something to honor Jaydon.

This drawing reminds me of our visit to China which seems soooooo long ago yet just like yesterday......sweet memories.

We've started a savings account for Jaydon in hopes that we can take him back to visit his homeland one day. Can't wait to see him climbing the Great Wall with his new leg/foot!

Giving God all the praise for each and every blessing,

Jill

Over The Hump

Our hearts are so very grateful that Jaydon seems to now be 'over the hump' with his pain and recovery. Last week was a week of ups and downs but of course that was to be expected considering his extensive surgery. He has had several really good days in a row now and we can now stretch his pain medicine out to twice a day - PTL! This kid is truly amazing, let me tell you. I love his guts, his stamina, his perseverance, his zeal, his zest for life.......... His smile melts me down to a puddle and boy is it good to see that smile so often now!

We now have 2 weeks of recovery under our belt - yea! Jaydon and I spend our summer days playing with play doh, cars, puzzles, legos, reading books, listening to music, videos, etc.. He just recently discovered light sabers so we've had a couple of 'fights' today. You should hear him giggle and laugh when I pretend that he knocks me out. John and Ben play with him a lot too in the mornings and then they go play/swim with friends in the afternoons. Bob comes in and takes the evening shift so I can get out sometimes and take a walk or get some groceries. We seem to have a decent schedule down for now. :)

SO many of you have blessed us during this time and we are forever grateful - thank you! Our family has been so blessed with your prayers, cards, emails, calls, visits and meals. John and Ben have also had so many play dates to help them have a fun and active summer. Jaydon has been surprised with visits, balloons, candy, legos, toys and even a homemade strawberry milkshake:). A very special friend of mine even took his shorts and put buttons in the crotch so he can wear clothes again. These wonderful blessings really do help him get through each day and we thank all of you (you know who you are!!).

We also appreciate your continued prayers for our sweet little fella. Your prayers for his continued healing and for his emotional state are greatly welcomed and appreciated. Overall he is handling his situation very well (much better than I'm sure that I would) but there are obviously some difficult and frustrating moments that we have to help him push through. Our prayer is that God will grant us the wisdom we need to take care of him and encourage hm on a daily basis. We are just so blessed, humbled and honored that God chose us to be the parents of 3 wonderful sons!

Hope all of you are well and enjoying your summer so far!

Much love and every blessing to you and yours.

Watch Out World

I'm in the driver's seat now.

His precious face says it all doesn't it? As you can tell, Jaydon was so excited to ride in his new wheel chair. It only took one time showing him how to make it go forward and backward. He had quite a fun time crashing into me (mom) while cooking lunch today - little rascal.

So far so good on his recovery. As expected, he has very good moments and very tough moments. He courageously tackles those tough moments though with an incredibly positive attitude (esp. for a 3 year old). He is one tough little cookie and his determination is highly admirable. He is without a doubt our modern day hero. His zeal and love for life is incredibly contagious. Several times a day (and with the biggest smile on his face) he says, "Zhi Da (his Chinese name) walk one day" which is what we tell him over and over throughout the day. That day is coming soon. As of tomorrow, we have one week behind us and we are so very grateful.

Thank you again for caring about Jaydon (Zhi Da) & our family and for taking time to read our blog. We appreciate every single thought and prayer. Our prayer is that our family's journey will be an encouragement and a blessing to you in some way.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..... to give you a future and a hope.

Much love and every blessing to each of you.

Our little hero.....

is so happy to be home!

Whew! It is so good to have our little fella back at home so he can rest and heal in his own bed. He was so excited to sit down to his favorite breakfast of sausage/eggs, toast and a fruit smoothie. Unfort. though after the 3rd bite he threw up all in his plate - poor fella. We knew it was just a matter of time that all the meds would upset his tummy. Hopefully we can try some more solids in just a little while.

The ride home went well overall. Jaydon slept the first 2 hours but then he had about 45 minutes of pain spasms. He had a really good nights sleep (we all did) for which we are so grateful. He is now sitting up in our bed watching Toy Story 3 and grinning from ear to ear.

Upon arriving home, we were greeted with a wonderful meal of salad, enchiladas and delicious bread (thank you Higdon family)! We have been so blessed with such wonderful food this past week.

Well, that's all for now. We will update Jaydon's recovery every couple of days. Thank you all for your messages, emails, comments, calls, and mostly your prayers. We so appreciate you walking through this season of life with our family.

Homeward bound!

Yep! Can't believe it but we should be home late this evening - yahoo!
Shriners is letting us borrow a special car seat so Jaydon will have a comfy ride home.
Jaydon is still having quite a bit of pain but it is more tolerable now as long as the pain elixir is given on time.
He is having a little bout of pain right now but hopefully the meds will kick in soon.
Our prayer is that he can sleep most or all the way home.
Thanks again for all your prayers!
Jill for all

2 amazing brothers and 2 wonderful grannies

Just want to update how John and Ben have been doing this week. One word - fabulous!
They are just so patient and supportive of Jaydon and what he's going through. It has been difficult for them to watch him in pain so they usually go play somewhere when the pain gets too bad. Haven't heard one word of complaint about anything out of either of them. It does help though that they can play ping pong, pool, Wii, and watch a movie or two.........They have both become quite the pool sharks this week. Or so they think - ha.

My mom has been here all week as well helping us with whatever is needed. I've mostly needed her for emotional support. What a blessing to each one of us to have her here! I've used her shoulder quite a bit this week. Bob's mother would be here doing the same thing if she could. They are both incredible grannies!

Oh, and I can't forgot to thank Karen and Jeff for sending down the most incredible basket of goodies you've ever seen! I'm esp. loving those chocolates! Thanks guys.

Getting Relief

Ps. 9:1 I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works.


Thank you so very much for your prayers for Jaydon today. God has truly blessed him and allowed his pain to ease and become more tolerable. He has also gotten some much needed sleep and rest b/c he's had a break from the intense pain. To God be the glory! The nurses are incredible and have a good system down now to prevent spikes in his pain levels. Thankfully he is now being weaned off of the morphine and just on an oral pain elixir.

Most of his pain is a result of all of the bone work they had to do. He had to have 3 different bones cut/moved and then 'stitched' back together with pins and rods. These will come out in 6 weeks when we return to Shriners.

There are several kids here with similar situations to Jaydons and some of them even worse. I know they would also appreciate any prayers said on their behalf.

Bob and I are starting to come back to life now after getting some fresh air, a wonderful lunch and a nice warm shower. There is a golf tournament here this week and some of the wives had a catered lunch sent over to the RM House. It was the perfect meal for our weary bodies : fresh salad, broccoli salad, pasta salad and baked chicken. The sweet southern tea didn't hurt either. We are just so grateful for this ministry.

As I close, I would like to share a verse with you that I just 'happened' to stumble across while Jaydon was resting.

Matthew 6:31-32 Therefore take no thought saying,"What shall we eat or what shall we drink or where shall we be clothed?.....for the heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
We are totally humbled how God has taken care of us (and others here) by meeting our every single need (and then some!). Oh praise the name of the Lord!

God bless you all and thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers,
The Hinton Family