One MONTH!

Lillyanna at a friends holding one of their kittens

Hard to believe that I was on the otherside of the world one month ago and met our newest daughter. 

It's amazing what a month can do. 

She repeats English phrases, though no spontaneous words except for Mama and peepee. 

She walks in her full leg cast, the ortho has asked that we minimize her walking... still working on how exactly to do that since I didn't learn the phrase "Don't walk". 

We have appointments in July with the Geneticist and Shriner's. 

She's getting used to our horse of a dog. 

All is going relatively well as we are fairly easily adjusting to life with six kids.  The biggest issues are the arm and leg casts and bathtime (and that she can't go swimming) as well as trying to potty train E.  The only other hurdle is my mental state in trying to plan for next school year- A. it's hard to find the time to plan and B. there's so many other things I need to do other than plan next school year. 

I am very prayerfully trying to figure out what to put in our schedule and what to take out.  We have 12 doctor appointments for July so far and that's actually counting the seven of us getting our teeth cleaned as ONE.  So if we don't count the teeth cleanings as one then that's 18 appointments and July only has 20 business days.  So if some day I call you and say, I just can't do -----, please don't take offense.  That ----- just didn't fit into life inbetween doctor appointments, meet my goals for the school year, or I am just too wore out to go anywhere else. :)

So thankful that God is my sustainer and for that afternoon pick me up cup of coffee!

A Song for Lilly

Crazy Life

I have composed so many blog posts in my head and unfortunately that is where they have stayed.  Here are some snippets of our life.
-Wonderful friends brought dinner last Tuesday and Wednesday and TONIGHT! 
-We have battled an ant infestation in the house three times now. 
-Lilly is now walking, with a full leg cast!!! 
-We are trying a free trial of Netflix, since it is SOOO hot out. 
-We are getting an evening routine down. 
-Lilly is still waking up several times at night and the last couple we've just brought her to our bed because we are both exhausted.  After getting a cast in the ribs last night we might need to rethink that plan. 
-I am trying to wrap my mind around homeschooling SIX in the fall- it's still not going there. 
-In my head (once again) I keep trying to come up with some sort of housework schedule that keeps the house clean and me sane.  Hopefully that one will make it to paper or sticky notes SOON! 
-The first official bath after casts ended up with us having lots of water IN the cast, especially the leg.  I don't how it happened other than there may have been a hole in the plastic bag that we used to cover the cast?!?  It's finally dry and the hard part didn't soften. 
-We go back to the Ortho doc in a week. 
-There was a cancellation at the geneticist and looks like we can get in July 6th! (instead of 9/22)
-Our application is in to Shriners.
-New patient info in at a backup geneticist.
-Waiting on new patient packet from July geneticist.
-Countless phone calls for swimming pool, doctor appointments, realtor concerning old house and  the 20 acres...
-At some point in the next week I need to take our dying computer to the doctor while it's still under warranty. 
***Life is NOT slow, but GOD is GOOD!!!!***

Of Broken Bones and Such

I will post pictures as soon as I find the camera!.  (that's what life is like right now)

Only her right fibula in her leg is broken.  Because of the bone curvature when I saw the x-rays at the radiologist it looked like both because of the overlay, but only the one- in her leg.  The radiologist and orthopaedist are unsure when the one in her leg occurred.  Their thinking is not on Friday, but before (I guess I feel somewhat relived and less guilty).
Her right radius is also fractured.  That little fall because of brother...

So we are learning to live with almost 1/4 of her body in a cast, get our days and nights straight and teach her English with five other kids along for the ride!!!

I also spent a couple hours this morning sorting and categorizing the 9+bags of x-rays the orphanage gave us.  Apparently Feb. 2010 was not her last broken bone (which is what we were told)...

First 24 Hours Home

It's been eventful!  I called the pediatrician this morning to see about x-rays for Lilly's leg.  Five minutes before we needed to leave to go get the x-rays Lilly was riding a little trike in the house and a brother, who was running through the house, plowed her over.  So when we got to the imaging place, we added an order for her arm and shoulder (I thought), but then had to get a third order for her lower arm.  I got to talk to the radiologist, probably a first among many.  The pediatrician told him that she has OI, the nurse had failed to do so. (Call to CPS averted) And the scoop is that she has a healing fracture in her right leg, both lower leg bones.  (Yet she can walk!  High pain tolerance.)  I'm guessing all or part happened on that last step to the pool on Friday and a fracture in her radius on her right arm.  The brother was quite distraught and I'm hoping we don't ever have a repeat of that.  We see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully we can get into the geneticist ASAP after all this.  That would put us one step closer to Shriners.  Now to try to fall back to sleep.

Conjugated Chinglish and last 24 hours in China

It's been interesting trying to communicate with Lilly.  For one thing the I have to go potty phase she uses is not in any of my Chinese phrase helps, but I pick up the word "yow" and so I ask and then we run to the nearest restroom (usually public).  I have had the unique priviledge of escorting her not only to the hotel restroom, but the zoo restroom, the one in the square that's the facilities for a nearby restaurant, the one down the back stairs at a department store, ... I'm calling it, "Tour of Local Facilities" or "The Scoop on Squatty Potties". 

Well my mom will be proud of me.  The other night I reached the epitome of Chinglish.  Elizabeth had fallen asleep and I was holding Lilly.  She began motioning and pointing to Elizabeth, so I said, "She shray jowed."  Shray jow means "go to sleep".  So since Elizabeth was asleep, I therefore made it past tense by adding "-ed", right?!  LOL!!!  I'm going with it.

We have finally reached the mark of being within 24 hours of leaving the hotel and approaching the mark of being within 24 hours of when we leave mainland China.  We are all supposedly checked in online with the airline... not sure where we will be sitting, but hey it's all good!  We would greatly appreciate prayers that we NOT miss any connecting flights. 

To all the people that have checked for daily updates, I am so sorry that I have failed miserably this time.  We have been busy with Skyping the boys, eating breakfast, sometimes lunch and usually dinner, taking care of whatever paperwork has to be done that day, touring somewhere (maybe), bonding with Lilly, taking care of issues at home, getting a few things to give to Lilly as she grows and trying to enjoy this time and not just be bored out of our mind (this has been accomplished through swimming, shopping and foot massages).  I know it probably doesn't sound like very strenuous activity, but every night I fall into bed exhausted.  We've been here and done that before and so it's not new and exciting.  We have been ready to come home for a week (though we couldn't because of paperwork).  Rick commented to me today, "We don't do downtime well."  Amen to that!  First, not used to it.  Second, when problems keep springing up on the other side of the world at home, it's hard to relax.  And thirdly, it feels like we are warming up for a physical, mental and emotional marathon once we get home and get back to "real" life.  I can already tell our life at home is going to be challenging.  We jump into doctor appointments the week of our return. 

We will see if we need to see a doctor here before we leave or immediately upon our return as Lilly tripped tonight and is now favoring one leg.  THAT, is what has typified this trip, this whole adoption.  Just when you think you're wrapping things up and all is good... BAM!!!  And you're back on your knees begging God for mercy, not wanting any more opportunities to practice patience, tired of being stretched, and wanting to escape to a remote tropical island paradise or just curl up with a book, not during the hours of 10pm-2am...  (that might just be me though)  in essence-

We saw, we obeyed, we came, we adopted.  The rest is up to God.

We are sooooo excited to have our pictures taken.

BOO YOW

We have completed our first 24 hours without some sort of tantrum.  YAHOOOOO!!!!!!!!  Our first day with Lilly she screamed her little heart out when the orphanage staff left and then teared up at bed time .  No big deal, to be expected.  Since day 2, we've been having at least one tantrum or crying episode a day.  From she wants to be carried and how dare you set her down to change sides;  to she doesn't want to go to bed; or an I want THAT toy.  Other than some occasional little whining over small things today we finally have a break though! 

The pronunciation is "boo yow", it means "no, don't do it".  The pinyin is not spelled this way and don't even ask about the Chinese characters! :)  It is a life saver.  I think she may have been catered to at the orphanage and is used to getting what she wants, when she wants it, how she wants it.  Sorry, this mama doesn't work that way.  I love you, but I have five other kids to love too. 

We had planned on going to the orphanage.  Even when we found out it was going to cost nearly $300 US we still planned on going to the orphanage.  But the tantrums became more, and more and finally we basically had a throw down in the middle of a sidewalk between a restaurant and the hotel. ~ I was carrying Lilly, but Daddy picked up Elizabeth, THEN he put her on his shoulders.  Well when I said, "No" to putting her(Lilly) on my shoulders (I didn't want to risk dropping her while raising her because my shoulder was already achy) and I said "no" to daddy carrying her (he had JUST put E on his shoulders), she LOST IT!  Some Chinese people apparently gathered behind me....  Kicking and screaming we entered the hotel and went up to the room... (let's just say without corporal punishment mama got the point across that we do not behave THAT way) ~ That was Saturday night.  That's when things came to a head.  That's when I questioned what HAVE WE DONE!!!!  That's when we decided we could not go visit the orphanage.  Maybe some day we can come back, but right now our focus is on the here and now and the future, not what happened the last four years and why six fractures or retrieving the album we sent.

I wanted to have the history that we do with Elizabeth.  Have the same.  Show we love both just as much.  But what we have is a little girl who doesn't know that love is sometimes best expressed in saying "no".  A little girl who doesn't know the lasting love of a mommy and daddy.  A little girl who needs to meet The Balm of Gilead.  Our bonding with her has been much more challenging than it was with Elizabeth.  She has her own personality, her own way of doing things and her own likes and dislikes.  She is a doll and usually is very amiable, but when that invisible line is crossed all bets are off.  We also already have videos and so many more pictures than we ever got with Elizabeth.  We have her life in pictures (with Chinese text) up to this point that the orphanage sent with her.  We don't have that for E's first two years.  So no matter how we want to treat them both the same the fact remains that they are different.  We have to show our love to each of them differently and meet them where they are, just as Jesus meets us where we are.  If this means we never see the picture album we sent to her again, maybe someone else can be blessed by the eight layer heart that I made.  God redeems.

China Life

It's Friday here. I can't believe it's Friday. Time is rushing past
and dragging on ALL at the same time. We are going to the zoo today and
to get the TB test read. Not worried about the TB test at all this
time, her arm looks completely normal. Or should I say as normal as a
curved arm with funky elbow can look! lol!
Yesterday we visited the pearl and jade market and got Lillyanna her set
of pearl earrings, bracelet and necklace that we will give her as gifts
in the years ahead. It's our "big" purchase. And since we had gotten
the same for Elizabeth when we came before, we felt it was important to
continue the tradition. Fortunately, Chinese fresh water pearls are
much less inexpensive than their salt water counterpart and us poormen
:) could afford it. We also toured some of old Guangzhou and a park,
places that we had not visited previously, so that was a welcome
respite. Elizabeth is starting to speak Chinese, not as much as mommy,
but when we left a little shop she blurted out "goodbye" (in Chinese)
without prompting! Elizabeth also got her finger slammed in the closet
door, by Lilly accidentally, last night and that caused a melt down
(MAJOR) for both parties concerned.-prayer request below
Wednesday was filled with paperwork, a medical exam, another picture,
and picking up a few items at the Carriefore. As of June 1, a week shy
of being truly 4.5 years old, Lilly weighs 12 kg= 24.7 lbs and is 93cm=
36.5 inches. So in other words she's skinnier than Elizabeth and
slightly taller. It's tough to get a good comparison of the two side by
side as they are NEVER standing still and usually giggling or singing
while romping in the hotel room or sitting side by side in their almost
matching strollers. Bringing the baby dolls was the best idea EVER!
Both love them or love being little mommies, not sure which, but they
are definitely a hit.
We do have a couple of prayer requests.
1. The air at our house back home is broken and my parents and the boys
are there. It has already been out over a week (it broke right before
we left) and the home warranty company and repair person are saying it's
going to be another two weeks!!!!!!!! I am contacting my parents about
a different option, but they need PRAYER and AIR.
2. Night time is rough. Thursday night was the second night she,
Lillyanna, started wailing, the third we saw signs of distress. Our
guide is not at the hotel at nights currently. GRRR. If you could
please pray as you are getting up in the mornings (because that is our
night) that she would know that she is safe and that we love her and
that it's going to be okay, we would greatly appreciate it. I speak
all these phrases to her in Chinese and English and it does little to
help. Last night offering yogurt calmed her down, the night before she
self comforted, the night before that looking out the window.

More Pictures