poo

Literally. K feels the need to announce to the household when he needs to poop. Yay. He's only 4 so we say "ok, go" and don't make a big deal of it. I walked by the bathroom and see him standing to pee. TMI? Sorry, you shouldn't have read past the title. So I comment "you can't poop standing up, son." I didn't wait for a reply and went into the girls' room to get Brianna. She was standing in the crib waiting for me. I sniffed. "Ok, so she CAN poop standing up."

Maybe that's the up side to antibiotics? It honestly scares me to see the big bold words on the side of the container that say "WARNING: MAY CAUSE DIARRHEA." But I guess in contrast to constipation maybe it's just good 'ole normal poop? I wouldn't know, the 3 on anti's are always constipated it seems.

Are you sorry you read past the title yet??

Proud to be an American

The Winner:

 

The Out takes:

 

This is what our little photo time looked like as a running commentary.  Actually, I turned on the 'record' mode while I talked with my Mom on the phone for a minute, but in general it gives you a pretty good idea of how GREAT the pictures really did turn out ;)

 

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Messing around with layout

Well, the blog-redo just didn't happen, which is ok, but I thought I'd play around with it just a bit more since it's staying this way for a while. In doing so I tried to get it back to XTML format- just to make my life easier. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get my columns to switch back to left column, right text. But at least it's legible now, so it's staying this way for a little while. Maybe that will be my nap time project :) So... if you are having problems with the current layout please know that it's changing again in the next 24 hrs (probably) and then you can complain after that ;)

EDITED: I'm done- whatcha think??

Don't take cooking lessons from me

Step 1: open cabinet
Step 2: look for edible food
Step 3: forget dinner, make bottle
Step 4: remember dinner, look again in cabinet
Step 5: rescue baby from snotty nose and bottle attack
Step 6: go look for nebulizer
Step 7: wake up sleeping girl because it's 5pm
Step 8: make another bottle
Step 9: start water boiling
Step 10: give breathing treatment
Step 11: find pasta
Step 12: add to boiling water (along with a little more water- it boiled out)
Step 13: START TIMER (the most important step)
Step 14: add 23 distractions....
Step 27: remove pasta upon hearing timer
Step 28: strain
Step 29: microwave sauce because you forgot to heat it
Step 30: serve and eat- no need to cool, it's not hot anymore

A promise

About 9 months ago God made us a promise. He said to us "I will provide for all of your needs if you will follow me." He made that promise well before that, but 9 months ago He reminded us of this promise when He asked us to step out in faith to commit to an international adoption of a sweet little girl with Down syndrome.

Throughout those 7 months of the actual adoption process and time in country God proved faithful and provided time and time again. Sometimees it was financially, sometimes emotionally, sometimes physically, and sometimes He provided when there was no other way to make it through. He kept his side of the bargain, and we kept ours.

We've been home for almost 3 months now and I was reminded 3 different times this week that God didn't say "I will provide for you for a little while if you will follow me." He didn't say "I will provide for you and then you can do it on your own after that." He didn't say "I'll provide and then walk away and turn my back on you- good luck." No, He did indeed say "I will provide for all of your needs if you will follow me."

I have to admit here that I don't feel like I've been such a great follower some days. Some days I hollar "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN THIS WAY, GOD??" and some days I think "NOT THIS!" but mostly, I just wonder what He's up to and try not to think of what the next day holds. Seriously. Enjoy now. Know tomorrow's under control. This may seem like a good outlook- and it can be sometimes emotionally (or can be rather destructive long term...)- but I don't feel like it takes a whole lot of faith. In fact, I'd say it takes a lot less than fessing up and facing the future. I pretty much chicken out there lately. I need to work on that, I know.

But regardless, I do know what the possibilities are around the corner- both the good ones and the bad ones. And I realized that God is good regardless. Here's what I mean.

When He said "I will provide for all of your needs if you will follow me" He didn't put on the stipulation that I had to be happy about it, calm about it, or that I never was allowed to wonder, or question. No, and it's a good thing too. Because I have those days.

Well, this past week or two I received three blessings that I had no way to expect. Five different people have fulfilled God's promise to us, some of them anonymously. Four were financial blessings. A check, 3 gift cards to Wal-Mart. The fifth was a box of diapers. "I will provide for all of your needs if you will follow me." It was a promise. It still is. Thanks Becca, Fae, Don, and Birgitt for being vessels of provision for our family and a reminder of His promise to never leave us nor forsake us.

Have you claimed God's promises for your family lately? Ask him. You might be surprised what He says.

Oh yeah, and the video of K below...

he doesn't actually DO the dances ;) He just knows how mom and dad do it and he's adorable trying! LOL One of these days we'll explain the concept and I bet he'll do great!

All in a day's work

This morning I had an appointment for Emma to go to the doctor. She started back with her lovely cold about 3 days after coming off of her antibiotics. It's been 2 weeks in settling in . We've been kindof busy and I was hoping she'd kick it on her own, but no, I called Fri to get an appt this morning to bring her in. Of course in the stretch of the weekend Micah has come down with it and Brianna too. Big time. Not just the little runny nose they got 4-5 days ago. No, COUGHS (deep and yucky), big time green boogers, and a bit of a fever just for fun. And they didn't stop there, no way. They shard with Mommy too. So... 3 sick kids and one not so well Mommy- and one well kid and a Daddy at work. Fun fun stuff.

Mom came and watched K and Bria this morning as I brought Emma in for the aforementioned appointment. I called and let them know that Micah would be coming in too because he was having enough trouble breathing over the weekend that we considered the ER and decided on breathing treatments at home. Luckily they worked, but I wanted him seen.

Only one hour later- impressive- and two kids had made it through the doctor's office. Emma has a bulging ear drum. I've already been told by the ENT that her adenoids are likely the cause of all this gunk, so we expect it to continue coming back until they're out. But the bulging eardrum, OW! Micah's ears are a little better- a little red but not too bad. His chest is what 'worries' the ped though. Me too. I don't like hearing him struggle to breathe! So he now is on nebulizer treatments every 4-6 hours. Both of them are on Omnicef (sp?) which is a stage 3 antibiotic. Fun. And because she doesn't want to see me later this week she gave me a script for Brianna too. I thought that was awful nice of her. I don't really want to see her later this week either. If the breathing treatments don't do it for Micah then she did say to come back tho. And he'll end up in the hospital. AGAIN.

So... all in a day's work:

Two copays to bring kids to the pediatrician: $60
Three prescriptions for antibiotics: $33
A refill of Zantac for spitty man: $15
Dishwasher soap (because we ran out) from Walgreens: $4
A snot-free home (I HOPE!): PRICELESS!!

In Memory...

This video is graphic in some parts, but shows the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Thank you to all who have served or are serving in the US Armed Forces.

Paper Presents and DDR

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Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pictures speak louder than words

Elizabeth is here!  She brought some Minnesota gear for each of the kids :)

  (awwwwww)

(no... they're not twins- it's a baseball team!)

And best of all she WRAPPED IT :)  (yes, paper is the best part... videos later!)

 

Kristopher wasn't sure, at first, if we were leaving again- since last time Elizabeth was here we took off for a month.  Brianna was obviously confused too.  But in the end they both love Elizabeth anyway ;)

We hung out with my parents some as well

 

And played a little DDR

(yes, a video to come of that too!)

Elizabeth will be back on Wednesday but is spending a few days with friends in Orlando.  We're glad she is here!

By the end of the day

I'd given 8 baths to kids. The four this morning- Micah, Emma, Brianna, Micah. Little man puked all over then rolled in it. EW.

This afternoon we went for a HOT walk and then a dip in the pool so all the kids climbed into Mom and Dad's BIG tub and got all clean after swimming. Just in time for church. And... since Mike and I both took showers this morning then again after the pool, that would be a total of 8 baths and 4 showers in this house today. What can I say, we're just CLEAN people ;)

Tonight my sister, Elizabeth, is coming into town! She's staying with us tonight and part of tomorrow then spending the next few days with friends in Orlando. She'll head back our way on Wednesday until Fri or Sat and then head back home to Minnisota. This is my wonderful best-sis-in-the-world that gave up a month of her life to come watch K and Bria while we were in Ukraine so I'm looking forward to getting to introduce her to the two little ones she did it for :)

By 10am

I'd given 4 baths to kids. 2 were to one kid. Can you guess who/why?

Nathaniel's Hope- Make 'm Smile

Last year we attended this fun-filled event with Kristopher and Brianna and had a blast! We showed up late and only stayed a short time, but during our stay we were able to get to know another mom and her son and daughter. They asked questions about Brianna, how she goes about her day, and some other questions that they might want to ask but not normally know how to start a conversation.

Nathaniel's Hope Make 'm Smile "matches" two families up together- a VIP family and a Buddy family and sends them off to enjoy crafts, music, character meets, free gifts and a delicious lunch (provided by Chik-fil-a!). The idea is to build awareness of disabilities and to help people know that really--- people with disabilities and without are people first!

We are looking forward to this year's event which will be held on Saturday, June 7th at Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando. If you have kids and live nearby go to www.nathanielshope.org for more information and to register (it's free) online. Whether or not you have a child with disabilities it will prove to be a great day of fun for your whole family!! Let me know if you'll be there!

Friday Night Movie

How does the Jungle Book, some Cheeze Its, Wheat Thins, cheese squares, grapes, yogurt drops, pretzels, and Wheat Fig Newtons sound? Yep, sounds pretty good to me too.

Mindless stuff and summer ideas?

This is the first week without school, and although Tuesday breezed by without a blink (dr's appt day) today has been much slower-paced. We took our time this morning and everyone was up, fed, bathed, and dressed by about 9:30.

All three little ones now have snotty noses and although I was debating taking them all in, they did seem markedly better after a warm bath and breakfast. So we decided against the morning visit to the ped's office but it may still be in our near future. Emma hasn't gotten any worse but has had this runny nose since coming off of antibiotics. Micah started his on Tuesday and Brianna seems to have it bad a day then not for 3 and then today she was runny again. She also got up on the wrong side of the bed today and was a grump until nap time.

Not sure about AFTER nap yet because... she's still sleeping. She had a BM during the beginning of nap time and then got cleaned up and she and I laid down in the twin. She's now barracaded in (seriously, a pretty good barracade! plus there's a side rail on the bed) and is sleeping soundly despite me having opened her door and turning the hallway light on about 30 min ago. I guess she needed her sleep.

I've spent the afternoon picking up here and there. Our porch exploded yesterday (but it was FUN!! LOL) so I picked up the babies' stuff and K is "working on" his stuff (ie: Playing). Both E and M are playing out there. Emma's discovered that the Fisher Price train sings when you press the top :) She's enjoying it!

Tonight we have FLG (church group) at our house which means I copped out of cooking snacks by buying a bag of pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, and a jar of salsa. Some 2-liters of soda to accompany it and we'll call that "snack". If I get the gumption I'll cook something but I'm not sure that will happen today. Luckily the living room is fairly kid-free and usually ready for guests. I did remove the large pile of things that were ready to go out the door and now they're hidden discreetly behind the chairs in a HUGE bin. They have gotten smaller and smaller too as people have come over and I've sent a thing or two home with each person :) :) Now there's only a few BIG things to get rid of and a lot of little things.

Now that I've purged a lot of the little things and several of the big things that were cluttering our house I'm starting to think about special activities for the summer months when there's no break-up in many of our days. We still have therapists coming in 3 hours/week but those are the only things that break up out M-W and Th-Sun we only have church on Sat night. Last year I took K's bins and put different activities in each one. He had a puzzle, an art project, flash cards, books, his Leap Pad, etc. He was allowed to pick out one bin at a time and we'd play with that thing. This worked really well for about 8 weeks and then went down the tubes. He was too comfortable with the idea and stopped putting things away as nicely and got out multiple things at once, making a huge mess.

This year we're working on a few more 'school related' skills like writing and reading. He's really good with numbers already but needs to learn the names for the higher numbers. So we'll work a little on these things with some books I've picked up. Any other ideas for summer fun that we can do INDOORS? We have plenty to do outside including a pool, playground, and water toys, but it's just TOO HOT and the sun is too bright to go outside for more than a few minutes at a time for a majority of the day. Then in the afternoon there's those predictable thunder storms! (I wish we'd had some more today because right now everything's on fire instead)

Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman founded a ministry called Shaohannah's Hope, which provides financial aid to families that are adopting.  He also has several adopted children himself.  On Tuesday as we headed out the door for a day of doctor's appointments I received a package in the mail containing this sweet stuffed bunny!  It is made by Gund in partnership with several organizations but it is to celebrate Shaohannahs' Hope.  I won it in a contest done by Mommy Life right before Mother's Day.  I was expecting a tiny little doll and was surprised to find this big bunny!  Emma likes how soft it is.  She doesn't generally hold on to things but this one is HERS.

I post this today with a heavy heart though.  Today Steven Curtis Chapman and family need your prayers.  Yesterday one of his daughters, 5 yr old Maria, was struck by a car in her driveway and killed.  The car was driven by one of her teenage brothers.  Any loss of a child is tragic, but this is especially so.  Please keep this family covered in prayer as they face the loss of a child, and especially the brother that was driving- he needs comfort more than anyone.  You can read the news release here.

Some encouraging news and a prayer request

I shared on yesterday's post that Emma should be having a T&A (tonsils and adenoids removed) as long as the cardiologist approves it. I debated sharing this because I don't want to say "this is the answer" because it might very well not be. But then I thought... why not share anyway? And just take this as it is-- a possibility for God to use to make things better :)

Research shows that enlarged (remember, Emma's were HUGE) tonsils can cause elevated PH (pulmonary hypertension). Emma also is experiencing brief periods of sleep apnea during the night. These, too, can cause elevated PH. When Emma was first diagnosed with PH I received an e-mail from someone whose child had PH and was considered inoperable. He had a simple tonsillectomy that made the PH lower enough to have surgery. I've not held on to this as a viable reason to have a T&A, but when the ENT said that her tonsils were huge... well, my antennae went up!

I won't count on this to lower her PH much. It may not affect it at all. I am well aware that her PH is from YEARS of damage due to the heart functioning the way that it is. It's not a problem that's going to go away. But maybe... just maybe... this will help to lower the PH enough to make surgery less of a risk for our little sweetheart. Maybe this is the break she needs. Maybe.

So, my prayer warriors, if you would, please say a prayer that the cardiologist will approve the T&A surgery, and that it will, in fact, improve Emma's PH. And while you're praying, please say a prayer that a Dr. Johnson (new name, haven't mentioned him here before- retired cardiac surgeon and family of a reader- THANK YOU BETH) will be able to give us some more insight as well. We've forwarded Emma's medical records and cath to him and are hoping for his opinion in the next few weeks. We know we've been surrounded with a blanket of prayer and the covering is felt. Please keep them coming!

Did you know

that you can click the pictures and see them bigger? Just in case you actually want to SEE that pretty afghan :) I'll have to un-bury it and take a better picture soon LOL

Wow, things have been busy!

I miss writing! LOL  I've been posting quick blurbs because time has been short and life has been busy.  Things are good tho, which is always helpful :)

After Emma's 1am stint the other day I was reminded by a friend of the miracle of melatonin.  If you're not familiar with it, it's the natural substance your brain creates to tell your body that you're tired.  Well, as you can imagine, it works wonderfully for getting a little girl that WON'T go to sleep to have her body say "you should be tired now" and off she goes.  It's not a drug that actually knocks a kid out like using Benadryl and a few other 'things' that people also suggested to me... no, this is a healthy and natural way to induce sleep.  I bought some capsuls a while back for Mike and I to take to Ukraine and have for ourselves and eventually the kids too.  Although it doesn't work well on ME (go figure, I'm a freak of nature), it does aparently work for the kids :)  This is a relief.  If anyone has night owls, this might be something to keep on hand just for those days where the kids "can't" fall asleep and need a little help getting started.  Also, it does not KEEP a kid asleep, so it has no drowsy effects after.  Yes, God's gift to man (or should I say Mom?).

Last night our littlest girl turned BIG!  She slept all night in the toddler bed!!  We tried a few nights previous and she had a very hard time going to sleep (hadn't been reminded about melatonin yet!) and then kept falling out.  Of course it's not a far fall and there's a pillow on the floor next to it, but I ended up putting her back in the crib to wait a few days.  Well, Daddy did bedtime yesterday and she went to sleep really nicely!  I did hear her twice during the night and got up to put her back in bed (she was asleep on the floor), but I hope she will get used to the bed and not end up out of it too much soon.  For now we're keeping the crib up too, especially for nap times since that's a harder time of day to get the transition. 

Here's when Brianna first saw her toddler bed (I set it up while she was asleep, so the bed-head hair is all natural :) )

 

The girls' room is not a big room- it's average size, about 11'x11'.  It now has 2 cribs, a toddler bed, a twin bed, two dressers (one's in the closet), and a dollhouse.  WoW!  LOL  No, there's not much walking space :)  A few pic's?  Of course :)  This is what the room looks like.  Complete with a messy twin bed (but check out the beautiful pink afghan that's on there- Grandmommy Pocock made that for Emma, isn't it pretty??).

 

Here's some video (finally- One True Media's working again!) of Micah sitting up :)

He's doing so much better already!  He goes up and down all day long and is sitting without using his hands for short periods too!

 

 

Here's Micah practicing his other new trick... holding his own bottle!  (and savoring it lol)

 

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

 

 

That's all the back tracking... but today we had a few fun visitors too!  My friend Kerry came over with her 4 little ones and the 8 kids... yes, EIGHT LOL  had fun!  Her youngest is the same age as Micah (20 mos).  In fact they're only 3 days apart :).  Then she has a son a little younger than Kristopher and another son a little older.  She also has a sweet daughter that's 6.  Kerry has a heart of gold and I really enjoyed getting to know her and her kids better today!  We first met at the pediatrician's office when Bria was just a few months old and have run into each other through mutual friends a few times since.  This was the first time we actually had some time to spend together and really get to know each other better.  What a fun lady she is :)

 

And, if you're local to North Brevard, her husband is running for County Commissioner for District 1.  I hope she doesn't mind me posting this! LOL  Their family are all very dedicated Christians and also have firm family values.  I'd love to have someone like Roger Shealy as the north district representative!

Dr. Update

This morning's ENT results:

Micah-
failed hearing test
fluid behind ear drum
needs tubes
will do an ABR (hearing test) while sedated after getting tubes

Emma-
failed hearing test
fluid behind ear drum
needs tubes
will do an ABR (hearing test) while sedated after getting tubes
enlarged tonsils (HUGE was the word)
needs T&A (tonsils and adenoids removed)
needs cardiac approval for any surgery
cardiology appointment: June 12th

Then the orthopedic doctor in the afternoon...
First he said 'no biggie, let me see the x-ray slides that were done, and I'll see her back in a while for the follow up, but take precautions until them (no tumbling, etc)'. Then I told him how she likes to put weight on the top of her head by arching her back CONSTANTLY and he said.. oh. Well, then, how about a sedated MRI of the neck and I'll see her back in 3 months- again, take precautions. Hmm... a little different. So 'take precautions' just means don't let her continue to put weight on the top of her head. As if we could stop her.

That sums up my day. Mom and Chris watched K and Bria, so a huge THANK YOU to them. I was gone for a total of 8 hours and came home with results including 2 surgeries, a sedated MRI, and a cardio followup. Fun day :)