And one King. I suppose I should have had him wear a kilt?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
She's So Cool!
Today Sunny had a routine eye exam. She was really good, despite being kept waiting for 25 minutes past our appointment time...which I pointed out to the nice lady when she finally called us in and asked how she is doing. (A pet peeve of mine, considering I make a point of showing up at least five minutes early for appointments.)
The doctor wanted to dilate her eyes as part of the exam, and when asked told me it would be 30 minutes of waiting before he could finish. I politely told him that I had allotted one hour for this appointment, and since 25 minutes had been taken up by us sitting and waiting, we would have to forgo the drops. Surprisingly he decided to use the fast acting drops and we were done only fifteen minutes later.
Sunny was very cooperative, and has no vision problems at all. She absolutely loved the little sunshades they gave her to protect her eyes outside. It was like Christmas all over again to see her so excited! I had to go over to my obstetrician's office afterwards for some blood work, and Sunny was quite amusing wiggling her shades up and down at the nurses, then calmly sitting and reading a magazine with them on.
She even carefully put them away when she was done using them... and done having the dog wear them.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Bugs in Our Bodies?!
I have always been a bit freaked out by the idea of the flu "bug" or stomach "bug" working its way through my body. It's just plain disgusting to think about.
Monday is when it all began, or so I thought. Dante had a messier than usual diaper, then Micah did, then Dante again. I told Jamie it looks like we have a bug. If only it had been that simple.
Around midnight Monday night we woke up to the sound of Amelia vomiting at the top of the stairs. We brought her down, cleaned her up, and she spend the next five hours heaving off and on. The poor little girl was just miserable. She asked for orange juice around 8am, which one of her brothers unwittingly gave to her; it came back up thirty minutes later. Thankfully that was it and she spent the rest of the day sleeping, taking sips of water in her lucid moments. By evening she was asking for some of the white rice we were having with dinner.
No one else fell ill, although I warned the kids someone else was bound to get sick. I figured at least Micah and Dante had only had diarrhea. Wednesday was looking pretty good, just a few of us feeling a tad queasy. Unfortunately it got much worse. I had to run Nik out for foot x-rays, and when we got back Zachary had taken to bed, and Nikita and I followed shortly after. Poor Jamie, when he got home from work at 3 he found Nik and I hugging our pots and within half an hour Micah and Sunny started. Dante was next, and by 9pm there were 7 of us emptying our stomachs, even though they already felt empty.
Nurse Amelia of course was perfectly fine by then, and would run to whomever she heard coughing to offer a pat on the back and a "you ok?". Jamie somehow took care of Dante, Sunny, and Micah while I tried now and then to stumble out of bed to help.
Jamie wisely called in to work Thursday morning, knowing the teens and I had zero energy to care for the little ones, who were all recovering and finding their energy. It finally hit poor Jamie around 9am, and he was down for the count. (At one point Nikita said it sounds like there was a donkey dying in the bathroom, in my pregnancy induced hormonal state I found this much funnier than a good wife should have.)
So here we are on Friday morning, all better but drinking Gatorade to replenish our energy and get going again. Even Jamie was able to go to work this morning. As painful as it was for all of us, I am so thankful it was simply a 24 hour stomach bug, and not a chronic condition or disease. We are a healthy family once again, and for this I praise God.
Monday is when it all began, or so I thought. Dante had a messier than usual diaper, then Micah did, then Dante again. I told Jamie it looks like we have a bug. If only it had been that simple.
Around midnight Monday night we woke up to the sound of Amelia vomiting at the top of the stairs. We brought her down, cleaned her up, and she spend the next five hours heaving off and on. The poor little girl was just miserable. She asked for orange juice around 8am, which one of her brothers unwittingly gave to her; it came back up thirty minutes later. Thankfully that was it and she spent the rest of the day sleeping, taking sips of water in her lucid moments. By evening she was asking for some of the white rice we were having with dinner.
No one else fell ill, although I warned the kids someone else was bound to get sick. I figured at least Micah and Dante had only had diarrhea. Wednesday was looking pretty good, just a few of us feeling a tad queasy. Unfortunately it got much worse. I had to run Nik out for foot x-rays, and when we got back Zachary had taken to bed, and Nikita and I followed shortly after. Poor Jamie, when he got home from work at 3 he found Nik and I hugging our pots and within half an hour Micah and Sunny started. Dante was next, and by 9pm there were 7 of us emptying our stomachs, even though they already felt empty.
Nurse Amelia of course was perfectly fine by then, and would run to whomever she heard coughing to offer a pat on the back and a "you ok?". Jamie somehow took care of Dante, Sunny, and Micah while I tried now and then to stumble out of bed to help.
Jamie wisely called in to work Thursday morning, knowing the teens and I had zero energy to care for the little ones, who were all recovering and finding their energy. It finally hit poor Jamie around 9am, and he was down for the count. (At one point Nikita said it sounds like there was a donkey dying in the bathroom, in my pregnancy induced hormonal state I found this much funnier than a good wife should have.)
So here we are on Friday morning, all better but drinking Gatorade to replenish our energy and get going again. Even Jamie was able to go to work this morning. As painful as it was for all of us, I am so thankful it was simply a 24 hour stomach bug, and not a chronic condition or disease. We are a healthy family once again, and for this I praise God.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Baby Makes Eight!!
Our three teenagers are currently 13, 14, and 15. Boy did we get the comments back when they were little! Three perfect kids in a row. We told the Good Lord, "thanks, we are all set now."
In 2002 we decided that was not quite the right attitude, and ceased using birth control. The Good Lord was once again in complete control of our family size. And He told us to adopt. Amelia came home in 2003, Micah in 2005, Dante in 2006, and Sunny in 2009.
Seven years without birth control, but four more perfect kids.
And now, God in His infinite wisdom, (or is it God with His amazing sense of humor?), has blessed us with a pregnancy. We actually found out late October, I am now just over three months along and due July 3rd. Since I turned 40 in October, we wanted to make sure things were progressing smoothly before making our announcement.
So this time, the new kid won't be a goat. (See my September "kids" post) Although we do plan to introduce Gidget to her boyfriend soon and she should be due in July too.
God is good!
In 2002 we decided that was not quite the right attitude, and ceased using birth control. The Good Lord was once again in complete control of our family size. And He told us to adopt. Amelia came home in 2003, Micah in 2005, Dante in 2006, and Sunny in 2009.
Seven years without birth control, but four more perfect kids.
And now, God in His infinite wisdom, (or is it God with His amazing sense of humor?), has blessed us with a pregnancy. We actually found out late October, I am now just over three months along and due July 3rd. Since I turned 40 in October, we wanted to make sure things were progressing smoothly before making our announcement.
So this time, the new kid won't be a goat. (See my September "kids" post) Although we do plan to introduce Gidget to her boyfriend soon and she should be due in July too.
God is good!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A New Year Already?
Jamie commented to me yesterday that I had not posted in some time. It feels like the time has flown by since the last post. We celebrated the birth of Jesus, with cake and the "Happy Birthday" song Christmas Day in the morning, and with family in the afternoon and again Saturday. Monday-Wednesday I went up to New Hampshire with a friend and our 4 teen boys, and had a wonderfully relaxing time. Since then I have been doing a mini-version of Spring cleaning and getting ready to start off the rest of the school year organized and with a routine.
I have also done some reflecting on 2009, but not too much. It is funny how the big events are what stick out for me...March Dante was so miserable with his autism regression, April my Mom died, May we left the only church my husband and kids have ever known-- a necessary move for our spiritual health--, and in December my sister died.
Of course, this is balanced by our trip to Taiwan in June to bring Sunny home. My week there with Jamie and Nikita is actually a one of the biggest events of my life, since it was the first time Jamie has traveled overseas with me to bring one of our kids home.
It has also been wonderful to see Dante relearning all of the skills he lost and progressing so much. Just this morning he was eating a cookie-- not broken up and fed to him, but holding a cookie and doing his best to get some mighty big bites. His small steps forward are huge events!
And now it is a new year, a time to focus on all those little things that make each day so wonderful and remind me to thank the Lord for His blessings!
I have also done some reflecting on 2009, but not too much. It is funny how the big events are what stick out for me...March Dante was so miserable with his autism regression, April my Mom died, May we left the only church my husband and kids have ever known-- a necessary move for our spiritual health--, and in December my sister died.
Of course, this is balanced by our trip to Taiwan in June to bring Sunny home. My week there with Jamie and Nikita is actually a one of the biggest events of my life, since it was the first time Jamie has traveled overseas with me to bring one of our kids home.
It has also been wonderful to see Dante relearning all of the skills he lost and progressing so much. Just this morning he was eating a cookie-- not broken up and fed to him, but holding a cookie and doing his best to get some mighty big bites. His small steps forward are huge events!
And now it is a new year, a time to focus on all those little things that make each day so wonderful and remind me to thank the Lord for His blessings!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Green Gobs of Gunk
"Boogers", as Amelia puts it. She has a sinus infection, and a tired and cranky Amelia makes everyone a tad miserable. She is on medication now, so we will definitely be seeing some improvement soon.
Unfortunately, Micah is sporting the same symptoms as Amelia, so tomorrow I will likely be taking him off to the doctor. Dante and Sunny also have colds, but their "boogers" are not green.
Today Dante finally had his appointment with the eye specialist! He does have some strabismus, but not enough to surgically correct. He is also nearsighted--which I have long suspected-- with a range of 2-3 feet before it gets fuzzy on him. Dante was showing a lot of sensory issues regarding his face/head being touched, so the doctor would like his therapists at school to work on those with him for a few months, then go back in the Spring for eyeglasses. This will definitely be interesting! (Right now Dante will not even wear a hood for long, and says "NO WAY!!" to knit hats.) He screamed at the eye drops, not too surprising, but it put him in a bad mood, making the rest of his exam difficult.
I am just thankful he had this appointment and I was given some accurate information about his eyesight. It took a big chunk of my day to get it done, and now I only have two days left to get ready for Christmas. I am not usually this last minute!!
Unfortunately, Micah is sporting the same symptoms as Amelia, so tomorrow I will likely be taking him off to the doctor. Dante and Sunny also have colds, but their "boogers" are not green.
Today Dante finally had his appointment with the eye specialist! He does have some strabismus, but not enough to surgically correct. He is also nearsighted--which I have long suspected-- with a range of 2-3 feet before it gets fuzzy on him. Dante was showing a lot of sensory issues regarding his face/head being touched, so the doctor would like his therapists at school to work on those with him for a few months, then go back in the Spring for eyeglasses. This will definitely be interesting! (Right now Dante will not even wear a hood for long, and says "NO WAY!!" to knit hats.) He screamed at the eye drops, not too surprising, but it put him in a bad mood, making the rest of his exam difficult.
I am just thankful he had this appointment and I was given some accurate information about his eyesight. It took a big chunk of my day to get it done, and now I only have two days left to get ready for Christmas. I am not usually this last minute!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Life Changes in the Blink of an Eye
Last Tuesday was my last post, and my life has been altered since then. Tuesday night I received a phone call that my 37yo sister, Tracy, had died in Indianapolis. To say it was unexpected is an understatement, but once again questioning God's time is not something we mortals should be doing.
Tracy and I were not close, despite only being three years apart. She had spina bifida and hydrocephalus, so while Jim (my brother) and I were out exploring the woods growing up, Tracy was inside. Not that she didn't get out, we still did family camping trips every year. Dad even made her a bike that had three wheels and she pedaled with her hands. Special Olympics was a part of our lives every year, and most families we were friendly with also had a disabled child because that was the world my parents were a part of. It was because of Tracy's disability that we were in that world, which gave me the experiences I have had and led Jamie and I to adopting our special children.
Tracy and I did keep in pretty good contact while she lived within a few hours, but when she moved to Indianapolis eight years ago we were down to occasional emails and phone calls. I really had very little idea what her day to day life was like, and with a family my size a trip to Indiana was never possible. We did offer a few times to pay for her bus ticket to come visit us, but she was busy in her life there.
So my daughter Nikita, brother Jim, and I flew off to Indiana on Wednesday to see to details. I am very glad I went, because we met a lot of Tracy's friends, and spent hours with them on Thursday and Friday getting to know them, and sharing stories about our lives with Tracy. We also had to take care of details with the funeral home and visited her doctor to try to learn what happened, but all in all it was a good trip. I lost three days of Christmas prep time, but learned more about my sister than I had ever known before.
In the last 25 months my father, mother, and sister have passed away unexpectedly. If there is someone you often think you should call or write to more often, do it now. One day you will not be able to.
In her last months, Tracy was going through a lot of medical problems, and once again the Lord in His mercy has taken a family member home. God is good, all the time.
Tracy and I were not close, despite only being three years apart. She had spina bifida and hydrocephalus, so while Jim (my brother) and I were out exploring the woods growing up, Tracy was inside. Not that she didn't get out, we still did family camping trips every year. Dad even made her a bike that had three wheels and she pedaled with her hands. Special Olympics was a part of our lives every year, and most families we were friendly with also had a disabled child because that was the world my parents were a part of. It was because of Tracy's disability that we were in that world, which gave me the experiences I have had and led Jamie and I to adopting our special children.
Tracy and I did keep in pretty good contact while she lived within a few hours, but when she moved to Indianapolis eight years ago we were down to occasional emails and phone calls. I really had very little idea what her day to day life was like, and with a family my size a trip to Indiana was never possible. We did offer a few times to pay for her bus ticket to come visit us, but she was busy in her life there.
So my daughter Nikita, brother Jim, and I flew off to Indiana on Wednesday to see to details. I am very glad I went, because we met a lot of Tracy's friends, and spent hours with them on Thursday and Friday getting to know them, and sharing stories about our lives with Tracy. We also had to take care of details with the funeral home and visited her doctor to try to learn what happened, but all in all it was a good trip. I lost three days of Christmas prep time, but learned more about my sister than I had ever known before.
In the last 25 months my father, mother, and sister have passed away unexpectedly. If there is someone you often think you should call or write to more often, do it now. One day you will not be able to.
In her last months, Tracy was going through a lot of medical problems, and once again the Lord in His mercy has taken a family member home. God is good, all the time.
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