Slumber Party

Will any of us get any sleep? We talked Andrea into letting us keep Zack tonight. I think getting up every three hours for feedings might be fun for just one night, don't you?

All the kids love the new baby. I'm afraid he'll never lack for attention, and lots of it. Isn't he precious?

Weilong Update

Weilong is doing much better. He has resumed normal activities! He does still have headaches, and we are still praying that they cease completely. They are not as severe as before and tylenol or ibuprofen help a lot. His vomiting is very infrequent now, still gets nauseous about once a week, but laying down and taking a rest helps. His endurance and stamina are almost up to pre-surgery levels in my opinion. I struggle not to "baby" him. But he's so sweet that I just can't help myself sometimes.

He is continuing physical therapy and doing well. Another endocrine problem has crept up, but his recent blood tests were fine so we're not too concerned. His next MRI and neurosurgeon appointment is August. It's so good not to be visiting a doctors office every day.

It's hot here and the children are swimming every day. They are keeping me busy, but it's much easier than I anticipated. They are all being very good for me this summer. Not too much fighting, just an occasional disagreement. I think they're growing up on me!

The boys are forgetting their Mandarin. I took them for Chinese food recently and they had a blank look on their faces when the people there spoke Mandarin to them. One older man urged (demanded?) that I put them back into Mandarin classes and Weilong was loud in his disagreement with this gentleman's opinion. The man insisted it would be in the boys' best interest, but both boys told me that they really really did not want to go. I don't think I'll force them, after all I cannot help them with their homework and make sure they do well in class. Such a hard decision for me. I want them to be able to retain their Mandarin language skills, but I don't think I can force them. That older man told me the boys would regret it when they get college age, and I know he is right. But I can't force them to learn something if I don't know it myself.

So, we're just going to take it easy and enjoy the rest of our summer. We'll try to take the kids on a little trip when things cool down a bit. Too hot right now to think about it!

I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. I let the battery run down in my camera, so I have to get it charged up.

Zach

Hannah's New Brother

We just got home from another exiting adoption journey! Not to China, but just as emotional and exciting. This time we traveled with Hannah and her Mom and Dad to adopt Hannah's new baby brother, Zach. He's such a beautiful sweet little boy and we love him like crazy cakes already. Prepare to see many more pictures of him because he is small and will be still for pictures, unlike the other kids around here.

I feel privileged to be invited along for this trip. I loved seeing the new family being formed. Such sweet memories that will last a lifetime. So, life is so exciting around here, never a dull moment. We're blessed with all these precious little lives to invest ourselves into. It's so rewarding. Like someone has already said "This is the hardest job I'll ever love".

Through the Years

These are the girls from Yongxiu, adopted in Dec 1998. Sometimes one would miss a meeting, or another of the group would slip into the picture, but for the most part these pictures are of the Yongxiu four. My sweet Julia lived with these sweet sisters for the first two years of her life. I'm so glad she has them and their families in her life.

Snowflakes in June

We had a wonderful time this weekend with our fellow Snowflakes. These girls and their families have been like a part of our family for nearly 10 years now. We're so thankful for them.

The picture of four girls are the ones from Julia's orphanage. They spent their first two years together in Yongxiu, Jiangxi, PRC.

Hannah

Hannah loves playing in with the clothes in the dress up box. Here she is in one of the girls' old Christmas dresses. Brings back memories of Christmas past.

Happy Birthday Lisa

Weilong Swims

Temporary Post

This post will only be up until it is discovered by the person pictured. He was in a friend's wedding this past weekend and I got a picture of him.

He threatened to erase my whole blog if I used the picture, but he is so handsome and so sweet that I had to brag by showing ya'll his picture. Oh, and the same razor that got hold of Weilong also attacked him!

Sorry, son.

Summer Buzzzzz

Weilong and his oldest brother had a run-in with a mean razor. I think the razor won! They are both almost hairless. Wonder what the razor looks like?

Don't you love that smile? I'm seeing it more and more often now. Weilong's headaches are much less intense than before and less frequent. I've noticed that the more active he is, the more headaches he has. But it's good to see him so happy and normal. I try not to be overprotective. He deserves some fun after all he's been through. He has already started asking for a trip to the beach again. May I please say that a long drive in the van with 4 or 5 screaming kids does not appeal to me right now. Maybe later.....

Lisa's last year at West

Lisa is a little sad because this is her last year at West Elementary. She says she'll miss everyone. I think she's surprised at the sadness. We realized that there is always a little sadness with any big change in life. Lisa has gone to West since she first came to America, when she was in kindergarten. Those loving teachers taught her to speak English and loved her from day one. Of course she'll miss them. But she can visit any time she wants, we live practically across the street!

Weifu Turns 10

Sunday was Weifu's 10th birthday! He loves chocolate so we fixed brownies for him with hot fudge and ice cream. Believe it or not, these were the first brownies I have fixed since the boys came home. I think they liked them cause they disappeared fast.

Of course our little ham, Weilong, had to get in on the birthday picture! The kids voted for only 5 candles cause they didn't want wax all over their brownies. They have now decided not to put too many candles on birthday cakes, a very big decision that will impact my baking for years to come. We can get rid of the fire extinguisher in the kitchen now!

Oh, and in case you're wondering why the kids have on their pj's a lot in my summer pictures it's because I usually take pics at the end of the day. It was still daylight, but they had finished swimming and so they just put their pajamas on. We ordered Chinese food (what else) and the birthday brownies were desert. A very nice end to a very nice birthday.

Weifu Swims

Peaches

Weilong enjoys eating his favorite fruit.

Feelin' Good

Weilong continues to improve every day. Still having headaches sometimes, but not fierce ones like before. He is also gaining weight and strength. And isn't as grouchy as last week.

Yesterday he finally got into the pool for a little bit. It has turned off pretty hot here and the water is warm now.

I also took him to the pediatrician yesterday morning. He had a little fever and sore throat and runny nose. They told me to give him tylenol and cough syrup as needed. Before the surgery I would never have taken anyone to the doctor for such a minor thing as that little cold. But I'm paranoid now and don't want him to get sick and end up back at the hospital.

Hope you all enjoy the long weekend!

NO Hydrocephalus

The best news we could have gotten is that Weilong does not have hydrocephalus. That means he does not need another shunt. And the mri showed that his syrimx has shrunk a little more. Very good news.

We spent Monday getting blood drawn and visiting the endocrinologist. Weilong had grown 3 Cm since his last visit which I believe was in March, maybe February. That makes him 45 inches tall. Soon he will be 4 whole feet tall. He weighed 40 lbs. Sometimes he weighs 41 when we weigh him at home. He has gained at least 3 lbs since he came home from the hospital. His appetite is very good.

Then we had the MRI on Tuesday morning, then a visit to the neurosurgeon. Very busy week for us. Weilong had to do lots of walking between the hospital and the medical offices building. He tired often and we had to stop and rest a couple of times, but he was able to get where he needed to go.

Weilong has had lots of good days this last week. He still wakes up with a headache, but it is less painful that before. He takes a motrin or tylenol and tries to nap on the bed until the pain subsides. One night he fell out of the bed! Thankfully he landed on his elbow instead of his head. He is a restless sleeper since the surgery, rolling over and over and moaning in his sleep. I look forward to the day when both he and I feel comfortable enough to let him sleep alone. I am suffering from sleep deprivation!

I didn't get a chance to get copies of the mri. They must have worked us into their schedule because it took us over an hour and a half to get called up for the mri which made me have to rush like mad to get to the doctors office. We were late, but no problem. They were behind and we waited another hour before getting in to see the dr.

Weilong has developed an unhealthy fear of hospitals and doctors. He could not sleep the night before the MRI. And as soon as we walked into the hospital, me dragging him, he started to gag and retch. He says the smell makes him sick. When they came for us to go for the mri, he again started gagging and said he was going to vomit. It took me about 15 minutes to get him calmed down enough to go into the room with the technician. And another 10 minutes to get him onto the table for the mri to be taken. Once there he was quiet and still for the mri. They were shocked that he did so well after all that gagging and crying. I told him that if he was not able to lay still for the mri we would have to have him sedated for it, so that was incentive enough for him to do his very best. My heart aches for him, he is really sick, he turns white and breaks out in a cold sweat. He does the same thing when we enter any doctors office. And he refuses to speak to the doctors or even acknowledge them. He turns his back on them and pretends he doesn't see them. So embarrassing.

We will go back to the neurosurgeon next month to check on the progress of Weilong's headaches. The dr said that Weilong has just been through so much that it is going to take him a long time to get back to normal. We are still supposed to take it easy. No strenuous activity, no running, bicycles, jumping, picking up heavy things. Nothing to strain his little neck, or cause csf pressure to rise. But he can go swimming which is good since it's getting so hot. The bad thing is that he's so thin that he absolutely freezes when he gets into the water so he hasn't really been swimming yet.

We have not heard the results of the blood tests yet. I am anxious to know what Weilong's sodium levels are. Also they said his thyroid hormone levels were low so they were rechecking them. They may increase the dosage of levoxyl. They did increase the genotropin dosage by 1/10 mg. The nightly shot is still a struggle, but we do it anyway. That growth is so important.

Our boy is doing much better this week. Still having morning headaches, and occasional headaches during the day, but gaining strength every day. Still grouchy, but sometime he is his normal self. He's very angry sometimes, but he surgeon said that is normal after what he's been through. He said Weilong's personality will return to normal. The anger is all because he cannot do the things he used to do, because of the pain, or because of the shots. Sometimes he is really mad about all this, but we tell him it is temporary and he is getting better each day. He says he knows it, but it still isn't fair!

I'll try again to get a picture of him later. I'd love for everyone to see how much better he looks.

Doctor visit today

We went to see the neurosurgeon today. He has ordered an MRI for next Tuesday. He is concerned because Weilong is still having headaches. I am too, but they are not as bad as they were. The doctor wants to see if Weilong has mild hydrocephalus. I don't think he does, but I do want an MRI to see what the problem is.

I'm also concerned because Weilong has forgotten some words and other things. I believe that the brain tonsils that were removed have something to do with memory and balance. But it is my understanding that the brain will adjust and other parts will take over those functions. I don't want to cause any undue alarm, Weilong does not have any serious impairment. He just cannot remember the words for some things. But when we tell him the word he is able to remember it. This is frustrating for him, and a bit scary for me. He also has forgotten a few things that happened. This is unusual because he has the best memory of anyone I have ever met.

But he is still able to do math, and reads just as well as he did before. And he still tries to get one over on me all the time! He will have a great career as a negotiator some day. I don't know how much money he has gotten out of me in the last few weeks. All I have left in my purse is a few coins! And he informed me today that when he has children he will not give them money like I do him! The little stinker. He has bargained with me over everything. His latest ploy is that he will not scream and cry when I give him a shot if I will pay him 50 cents. I admit that I gladly hand over the money to him. I cannot stand to hear him cry over those shots. I don't know how much longer I will allow him to do me this way, it isn't right I know. But he has been through so much, and those shots do sting. I figure it is worth 50 cents to have him quietly grit his teeth and hold out his bony little arm for that shot.

Weilong slept in my bed the last two nights and that does cause headache for him. I want him to sleep in a recliner, but he says it is hard for him to sleep there. Tonight I will let him fall asleep in my bed then move him to the recliner.

He was very grouchy with the doctor, refusing to look at him or talk with him. He only said one thing "Can I go swimming yet?" He was very happy when the doctor said yes. Then he promptly ignored the doctor again.

Weilong was happy to get back home again. Since the surgery he does not want to go anywhere. He just wants to be at home. I think he feels safe here, plus he is still a bit weak and tires very easily. But he is gaining strength every day and plays normally with his brother and sisters so I'm greatly encouraged. It just takes time for his little body to heal after all he's been through.

I'm having a hard time because I cannot get out to do errands and things. I am used to doing those things during the day while the kids are all in school. After school I am so busy with the kids and supper that I usually don't go anywhere. But today I am going to make a run to Walmart after I pick the other kids up from school and Gary gets home. It will be my first trip to Walmart in at least two months.

Shot Time

Weilong will do anything to get out of that nightly growth hormone shot. Here's his latest ploy!

Ups and Downs

It has been a week of ups and downs for Weilong. I called the neurosurgeons office last Thurs or Friday and talked with the nurse. I expressed my concern about Weilong's terrible morning headaches. She said the fact that they are worse in the morning is "significant" whatever that means. She urged me to write down things like this and discuss them with the doctor when we go in on Thursday. I asked her for something to help Weilong with his tummy aches. She told me to give him antacids. She said if things got worse or I became concerned to take him to the emergency room. The same speech I've heard many times over the last couple of weeks.

Friday and Saturday Weilong had headaches almost all day long and just laid on the sofa. I was so distressed that I went off by myself and cried a couple of times. He kept saying he was tired, and his tummy hurts. We talked with him about trying to limit the amount of pain meds he takes because we think that may be why his tummy hurts. And I gave him zantac which seemed to help. But he was just plain uncomfortable and in a very sad mood. He has been unable to sleep more than 4 or 5 hours each night because his head starts hurting and wakes him. So, on Sat I made him take a nap. Headache followed, but at least he was more rested.

Saturday evening Weilong got a big surprise. His big brother (the very best brother in the whole world) bought him a Wii and hooked it up. Weilong could not resist going out into the converted garage and playing with it. He was more rested because of the nap and he had a wonderful time.

We talked him into sleeping in a recliner Sat night. We dragged it into the master bedroom so that I could get up with him if needed. He is afraid to go to sleep because that's when the headaches become bad. So, I gave him half a tylenol pm about 2:30 and tucked him into the chair.

He slept til 10:30 Sunday morning! And his headache was very slight when he woke up! It worked. We missed church because I didn't want to wake him up by running my shower and getting clothes from my room. He was mad about that because he had really wanted to go on Mother's day.

He felt so much better on Sunday. We limited the amount of time he laid down. And he only had one bad headache that lasted about 45 minutes on Sunday.

Last night he slept in the recliner again. The first part of the night we had it reclined too far back and he woke up with a headache after about 4 hours. So, I gave him ibuprofen and raised the chair to about a 45 degree angle. He went back to sleep and woke up with only a slight headache a few hours later.

He has played like normal all day today, again only having one episode of headache that didn't last very long after taking tylenol.


I don't know why his head hurts when he lays down, but for now he will continue to sleep in the recliner. I'm so thankful that we seem to have found a way to give him relief from those terrible headaches. It has been awful hearing him cry and bang his head with his tiny fist.

Weilong wants to go to school for a couple of hours tomorrow and I may let him. He's still weak, but gaining strength every day. And now he consistently weighs 39.5 lbs. I think he'll be 40 by next week.