CHRISTMAS DAY

We opened gifts and had breakfast with my oldest
daughter and her family and my mom and sister.

After 3 days of rain and 3 nights of Rebekah not
sleeping well.  Everyone needed to get out of the
house. So being Christmas day everything is closed,
well almost everything. And living in a tourist town we decided to visit
some tourist spots..

Like Wells Beach where the tide was really HIGH !
We have taken the kids to the beach a lot but the tide has never
been this high.

The water is almost up to the road.

 They walked on Ogunquit Beach (to windy for becca)

We went to Perkins Cove.

We took a short walk on the Marginal way.


To see the awe or excitement in these kids faces when they
discover or see something new is just awesome. Or to hear a
new word spoken from one of them.

Soo BLESSED on this Christmas day and every day.

PARADE

YAY,  we made it to the Christmas parade !!!

         we arrived there early so we could set up our chairs

                                                                   And wait

                                                       Rebekah loved being outside

                                                              Shootin for a cure

                                    
                                      It was Gabriel's first live parade and boy was he excited !
                                      Rohana loved the costumes and floats, Hrutuja wanted the
                                      candy.  We usually take the kids to see the fourth of July
                                      and Christmas parades.  Yesterday was really heart warming
                                      to see the joy and happiness on their faces.

                                                     This was how happy he was !!!!
                                          He loves being in America and going to school.

                                        That pictures also shows how happy I am with all
                                     the blessings that God has given us.The chance to change a
                                       life for a child.       It's not all roses, sometimes we have our
                                       hard days but we get thru them.

BIRTHDAY

WOW, 13 days until Christmas.        Jesus's Birthday !!

                                                   The tree is up and see the snow outside

                                                            The stockings are hung.
                                            I do not have a picture of the Birthday cake yet.

This is not what I had planned for Christmas. I wanted to start new
Christmas tradiotions this year by going to a lot of tree lighting's and town
celebrations but because of weather and a child with Lissencephaly kinda
changes everything. Praying that we can have good weather on Sunday for
the Christmas parade.

I am having trouble getting motivated to get Christmas shopping going.
oh, ya... Christmas cards are not mailed out yet...... oiy, oiy

I am happy that I have not scheduled ANY  appointments
during Christmas vacation.... just play dates.

LAST REPORT

We just read Hrutuja's first post placement report and looking
back at pictures. She is still strong willed but also very helpful.
We are just days away from her being home with us for 2 years.

Mommy and Hrutuja in India. We walked this mall 1-2 times a day because
the little one needed to stay busy... I would love to adopt from India again.


Today we took the kids to the mall and I started thinking about this mall
in India which was more decorated than the mall that we took the children
to today.

STORM AFTER STORM

Since returning home from China we have had
storm after storm. I really have to stop taking everything
personally , like really this is every day life, RIGHT.
Our latest storm....

Like who knew that leach fields only last about 20 years and our was
put in 32 years ago.. So we had to put a new one in .....

Every day I struggle with something, doctors, Doctor appointments,
teachers calling,  Info for IEP meetings and SN labels for children,
school nurse insisting that Gabriel needs more immunizations while the
Doctors office says no (solved, I hope)..............
Every one's schedule changed and I have missed moms Bible Study, I need
my moms time !!!

Our 13 year old had a birthday !! Now 14 and knows everything !
he chose bacon pizza, salad, soda, salad and brownie sundaes

Big brother enjoying time off from work by playing board games
with his younger siblings.

Conversations with Hrutuja are interesting. We started talking about siblings
and playing and then adoption and then she says" We should adopt 2 more girls
and 2 more boys" !!      I like the way this kid thinks !!

SNOW

We woke up to snow and it was beautiful to see.
The children were all excited !! Mom and dad were
saying " all of Maine except York County, ha, ha"
So after church and lunch they suited up and went out
to play in the snow. It ws not much but they loved it !

And this little one stayed inside and stayed warm !

CONSIDER ADOPTING ?

Tina needs a family......

THIS sweety,  She really, really needs (and wants) a family.

Has been fostered by Americans within China so she's very comfortable with how we talk, smell, look:)

She's soooo precious. Very precious. With a scary sounding need, BUT she's had surgery already for the issue (it is NON cancerous) but has remaining seizures.


She's totally a TREASURE waiting to be FOUND.

Are you her Mama and Baba? 

Now a $25,000 GRANT toward her adoption!!!  That's pretty much ALL her adoption fees PAID. Seriously COOL........ now for her parents to see her and claim her as theirs!!!

She's someone's daughter------ pass it along, will you? So they can find their girlie:)

There's videos, and contact info for anyone wishing to move forward for this precious child.

Also, my picture is before her surgeries to reduce the tumor on her face, the videos show the VAST improvement of her face NOW.  Her videos are here......

http://twentyless.com/tina/

Adoption savvy folks wanting to know- she's a shared list, special focus child:)

Scoop up this treasure and call her DAUGHTER..... she's just waiting to SHINE in the love of her own family.

NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

I could not say it any better than this mom did on her blog
NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

.seriouslyblessed.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-adopted-by-god/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-does-it-mean-to-be-adopted-by-god

NEUROLOGY

Last night Daddy spent 4:10 - 5:30 at parent teacher conferences.
Gabriel is doing better with his English and everything else.
Hrutuja has just taken off with her reading but needs help
with math.

Today I took Gabriel, Rohana and Rebekah to see the Neurologist.
Rohana was really nervous and was acting out, I was blown away by
her attitude..
We are going to start her on medication to help her relax at night time
because she is having spasms at night time that wake her up.

I will take Gabriel and Rohana to see a orthopedic surgeon.

RE TEST

Today Rebekah goes in for a 2nd Modified Barium Swallow Test.
And I am praying for good results. NO ASPIRATION, please.
Praying that she can have some food by mouth.
She has had her G-tube for almost a month now.
She is doing great, amazing me every week with a new thing that she does !
She loves snuggling until she gets sweaty.

Wow, I am realizing that I have gone about 40 days without good sleep.
But this is not about me but about the lives that we have changed.
I would do it again in a heart beat.

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME


UPDATE:
They did give her liquids to see if she is still aspirates with them.
and YES she does !    So still no food by mouth !
Possible follow up with Ear,Nose and Throat doc. They do not know
if her soft plate is allowing her to aspirate or if her nasal regurgitation
is the cause of the aspiration. 
Oh well, on with the daily grind after I push all doctors on my daughters behalf !!!

HALLOWEEN

We opted to not purchase costumes, dress every kid up to go out
trick or treating. Rohana does not do well with the costumes and people and
we need to be careful with Rebekah not sure how Gabriel will react ??
So we started a new tradition which is staying home and having a party instead.

 Everyone got a HAND stuffed with candy.

We had hallo-weenies, scary pizza, cheetos bag of bones, pumpkin soda.
We decorated cookies after dinner.

And the big boys discovered what black food coloring does to your mouth.

These kids are soo funny !!
Austin was excited to be able to wear a costume for work.. he was a cowboy.

My  beautiful oldest daughter (hunter) and grand daughter (dear and deer)

SMILES

This year we decided to not  have school pictures done this year.
They sit in a box for years and after issues with Rohana's picture
drama last year.  And we have to take lots of pictures for their reports.
The picture company does send home 1 picture of the child's
photo taken on picture day with proof across the face.

So here are there smiles.

                                                Gabriel

                                                     Rohana

                                                    Hrutuja

What beautiful smiles !!

HAIR

Last week I was sick and the girls hair have not been
brushed out every evening before they go to bed.
Rohana's hair has been HUGE !!

Was it in the 50's they teased hair ?
Added dippity do ? Slick back hair ?   (not dating myself)

Look at that hair. Thank goodness we have detangling spray for hair.

That was yesterday morning and Hrutuja requested to not have her hair
put up today ?! She loves playing outside and it is windy today.
Lessons we are learning.  Love these kids.

SICK

Yesterday, the visiting nurse came to check on Rebekah.
She everything looks great.
 I had to reschedule the Feeding Team evaluation until January.
And schedule another Modified Barium Swallow Test for Nov.
We now have better amounts of Pedisure to feed Rebekah..
Sometimes the feeding schedule is awful on all the
other schedules I need to keep..
She feeds for 12 hours over night. So 8am to 8 pm then
then bolas feeds at 11, 2, 5 which in between feeds you
needs to flush and prime the feeding bags & tubes. And
she get 2 medicines in the am and 2 in the pm.
Rebekah has not been sleeping to good......UUGGGG
I was feeling a little yucky yesterday and today I REALLY
have a COLD !!


With all the other stuff that is going on around here.
Does God really have this ??   Doubt has set in.

FRUSTRATED ??

Rebekah did cry the whole time in the Doctors office
on Friday. She has lost 1+ pounds since being home
from the hospital. So we will have a visiting nurse come
in bi weekly to check her weight.Primary doctor said
"to call GI doc to see if we can keep the "Feeding Team
Appointment" (long story and Rebekah is caught in the middle)
I did call the GI doc and they will call me back on Monday.

I still do not have any of my questions answered !

Homestudy Agency said that we can pay them yearly instead
of $4200 all at once. As it turns out the State of Maine requires
that 3 Post Placement Reports be done in the first 6 months of
being home but China requires PPR 1M, 6M,12M so we have
pay for 4 visits ($300 each child) so $600 x 4.........UGGG
Feeling a little frustrated because our 3 month home was
September 28..??   Why were we not told this ??
Here goes more on the Credit Card.
And they expect us to drop everything and do a visit ASAP !!

Monday, I talked to the GI nurse. Rebekah will have to do another
Modified Barium Swallow Study (i need to schedule) and that I will
not be able to keep the Feeding Team Appointment  on Thursday
which was scheduled 2 months ago....
I need to know if my daughter is getting enough nutrition !!!!
I was told to call and make the appointment for the MBSS,
maybe I can fit it all in before Thursday ???
Again, someone else dropped the ball and expects me to rearrange
my days/hours/minutes to fit it in !!!
I was happy to point out that the GI office failed to get us another
Appointment 30 after the first and an appointment with a ENS
doc...  And they are very sorry that happened!!
They also realized that the feedings that  were assigned at the hospital
did not make sense.

This is my daughter and she matters to me !! 

Her shirt reads: Everyone is thankful for me !

RE CHECK

Wednesday, a nurse with the surgical team checked
Rebekah's G-tube. Which seems to be doing ok, just
need some tagadurm to put between skin and tube.
Then they explain to me what to do if and when it falls out !!?
Sounds like I will be at Maine Medical Centers emergency
room a lot.
Rebekah  started crying as soon as I put her down on the exam table.
That is totally not like her, she is usually happy all the time.

A question I have that no one has answered yet:
Her primary care doctor needs to talk to the GI doctor
and together they will be in charge of her feedings.
Is what the surgical nurse said.

Will she always eat by G-tube ? 
Can she have anything by mouth??

Maybe those questions will be answered today at our visit with
her primary care doctor.?  Will she cry at the office ?

Since her PDA closure, I have noticed a lot of things she
does differently. Feeling THANKFUL that we were chosen to be
her family. It can be exhausting at times but well worth it !!

 

GOING HOME

I am so excited to be going home today  !!

She looks like she is happy to be going home also.

FEELING SOOO BLESSED !!

OPERATION

Surgery went well.
She usually has a fever and low oxygen after.
Once up stairs she was really fussy.
Rebekah is not usually fussy so they gave her
Motrin and Tylenol through out the night.
We both slept all night !!!
Today we started feeding her thru her G-tube.
We both are doing great and want to go home.

Rebekah has been home for 3 months and I was wondering about attachment
during the hospital stay. There are a lot of people in and out of her room all day
and night. On the second night nurses came in to get vitals and woke her up and
they could not comfort her...she was letting them know that she was not happy
and did not stop until she heard my voice...no question about attachment !!

I love that people here are curious about adoption.
One person said" she wants to but she is single"
There are some countries that allow singles to adopt.
Like China, India .
I actually had the chance to explain about
Home study agency and placing agency and even
Told her who to contact here in Portland, Maine to get started.
  ADOPTION ROCKS !!!

G-TUBE

All the doctors have agreed that it would be safer for
Rebekah to feed thru a G-tube.  So today is the day.
Please keep praying for Rebekah

MY FIRST

Friday was my first ambulance ride with Rebekah.
I took her to the doctors because she was congested
and having a hard time breathing. When the Doctor said
"she needs to go to the hospital" I was thinking that and
then when she said "She will be going by ambulance, rescue
is on their way." This momma started to cry..

Thought about this happening but never made a plan.
I found myself making phone calls in the ambulance so
the other children will be taken are of.

Things I do not like:
Not finding baby's vein the first time and
also having to do a heal stick on her.
Cell phone not working in the Emergency holding area.
Sleeping but not getting any sleep at the hospital.
Doctors / persons who have dropped the ball with my baby.
IV comes out during the night and nurse did not notice.
I am sure I can keep going................

The diagnosis is Pneumonia, UTI , Checking her kidneys today.

I leave the hospital around 5 am to go home so daddy can go to work and
get the little ones on the bus and in my trying to get things done yesterday
(because my mind is really on Rebekah at the hospital without mom)
I typed this post but forgot to post it. .

Day 5 (today)
Test on kidneys yesterday came back normal !!
There are a lot of students during the day. I was introduced to a
student Doctor and the real doctor said "he'll be here for the next three weeks"
She realized why I lost my smile and said "you'll be out of here before him".
I really needed to hear that!!!

At first, it was really annoying that it got around so fast that we had a
large family and that we have adopted 4 children in 4 years !!
By the second day, I realized I am talking about adoption to a lot of adults!
One of the RN told me about a program thru a church that families take in
children of parents who need help before DHHS gets involved.
The family taking in the children pay for everything.
I was excited to hear her talk about it because
I read it on someone elses blog. Big churches down south have this program.

Bottom line is that these children need help no matter what country they 
are in, NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT COSTS !!

GUESSING

 This was a post I never finished a while ago.

Maybe, I am just not good at fund raising or don't go to a big enough church ?
Have a big enough financial support group ??  I am trying to guess why we are still
sitting on $30,456 in debt for this adoption.  
All grant apps have came back with "SORRY"
Maybe they thought 2 at once should not happen ??     Out of birth order ??
What, your 3rd adoption ??  I HOPE YOU ARE NOT MAKING A MISTAKE !!
 
$11,866
$  6640
$  8350
-------------
$26,856  This amount is on credit cards @ 0 % interest till 4/15
$   3600   Amount left to pay for post placement reports
_________
$30,456

Back when I received Rebekah's diagnosis everything was overwhelming me.
All the co-pays for the neurologist, cardiologist, GI doctor, reg. Doctor, etc.
Yesterday, when I received the email from our Homestudy Agency saying
that our post placement fees MUST be paid in full before our Social Worker
can visit us for our next report due in December 2014.
I thought wow, $3600... nope, not going to worry, God has this !

THE FAIR

WE took the day off from everything to make our
yearly trip to Fryeburg fair.

The view on the way there.

Baby girl dressed toasty warm. She loved being outside and took a nice nap.

Gabriel was sooo excited to see the animals !! ( new glasses)

Cows, sheep, lamas, horses, goats,.. oh my!!

 The boys got a kick out of this Attitude Adjuster.

Here is grand baby and oldest daughter and niece in the back ground.

Some of us taking a break.
What a awesome day!!
 Rohana DID NOT HAVE A MELT DOWN !!!
 Now back to reality :((

GAINED

Baby has not been sleeping well, She keeps waking up during the night
crying.  She does not usually cry , so I know something is up.
I was wondering if has another ear infection so I took her to the Doctors.
Results; No fever, no ear infection but she does has fluid in one ear and
they will not give her anything until it becomes infected.............!@#?
Anyways, NO  sleep for this mom until her ear gets better..
The good news I did receive at the doctors office was that Rebekah gained
11 oz. since her operation (13 days) !!  I had her weigh her 3 times.

Friday, we went to the GI doctor who said "what ever I am doing it is working
so keep doing it"  Rebekah will not  be getting a G tube right now.

Maybe, I am just expecting the worse ......... GOD IS GOOD !!!

TIME FLYS

WOW,  no post for 10 days ??

Now to catch up.
Rebekah is doing well but sounds congested.
We now have an 18 year old in the house now. !!

Cheesecake and a thanksgiving dinner was the birthday boys birthday choice.
All was very yummy !!
I also had a birthday 3 days later.   oooohh   50th !!
What does 50 feel like ??    I still juggle 2  Infant car seats at a time.

Because our grand daughter Brooke visits every Wednesday.  Yes I see the plug not
covered far left but neither one of these girls crawl yet and one of them may never. !


Rebekah new help me mold and hold chair.

Gabriel has new glasses that I let him pick out himself and he now has
orthodics in his shoes now to help his ankle.  Maybe eye patching and AFO
down the road for him,  Sorry no pictures ???
At his IEP meeting this morning all the teachers said he is a wonderful boy,
He is eager to learn and his happiness is contagious. His class (3rd grade)
mates have embraced him.   Last week in the lunch room they were having
Chinese / American food which came with fortune cookie so the kids were
asking Gabriel what the Chinese caricature was. they all think it is awesome
that he is from a different country.

BLESSED IN SO MANY WAYS !!