An Update On Sam!

Sam had his surgery on Thursday. He was pretty much outta commission for that day.

On Friday he rested a lot and was quite sore.

It wasn't the colostomy take down site that was hurting him it was... the other spot!

Poor guy!

It was really good we did the surgery though because they found he has a minor hypospadias.

We probably would have never known had they not done this procedure.

It is something that can be taken care of in same day surgery at a later date.

I may be revealing too much BUT how can people learn if we keep everything hush hush?

One of the worst parts was the NG tube. It was necessary but uncomfortable for him.

He had such a great attitude throughout the whole thing. He is just not a complainer and has a high pain tolerance. I kept him busy with alternating playtimes (play doh, puzzles, books, Ipad, leapfrog, etc) and rest times.

On Saturday big sissy Kate came and took over!

Before I left Sammy tooted and pooped! It was a big moment for both of us!!

Katie stayed for 24 hours I was able to go home and see the children!

It was so nice to see them- I got tons of hugs and kisses!

It felt good to touch base at home and get reorganized!

Sam did great with Katie! Then Billy came to the hospital to see his little bro! Then Johnny and two friends stopped by!

Sam was thrilled to have so many visitors!

 Later on Saturday the NG tube came out!

Praise God!

I arrived back at the hospital at noon on Sunday!

Oh my I love my big kids! They are so kind and such wonderful brothers and sister!

The adore the little children!

Both are so blessed from their relationships!

A couple hours later the little children came with Daddy to the hospital to to visit Sam!

Everyone was so happy to see him! And he was thrilled to see them!

They made beautiful pictures for his room!

They loved his toys and wanted so badly to play with them BUT he didn't really feel like sharing!

The visit was relatively short but sweet!

Sam has his IV out now!

 He is eating regular food and after 4 days of not eating he is loving his food!

And he is pooping!

It's not controlled right now but it is still wonderful!

He is loving all of his balloons! 

And he is so happy he can bring them all home because we are not flying home, we are just driving 20 minutes down the road!

Billy stopped by again on Sunday(today)!

Want to hear some more great news?

We are going home tomorrow!

THANK YOU JESUS!

Happy Chinese New Year!

We celebrated last Sunday with our Families with Children from China Playgroup!

The children were so excited to see their friends, go to a party and wear their chinese silks!!

As we looked for the outfits we realized we had forgotten a package of 4 traditional outfits while we were in China. What a bummer! One was a gift for a friend, the other was Luke's handsome navy blue outfit, Abby's new red outfit and a beautiful violet dress for Ava (because I figured she had grown a bit since we bought her outfit in China last March).

So if anyone knows how to get a hold of Jordan in the island, please let me know!!

Maybe someone else could bring it back with them??? 
Hmmmm?? Not a bad idea?

After pics at home we headed to the party!

I didn't take pics there- we were always busy or visiting!

The children did a dragon face craft. colored new year pics, ate great food (pot luck) and then played in a huge maze!

At first Abby and Luke were a little overwhelmed but soon the were running around like the other children!!

It was so much fun and we were able to visit with wonderful families!

Until the new year party turned into a poop party for our family!

I remembered many things except, an extra diaper, an extra outfit and colostomy supplies.

Silly me, what was I thinking!

Poor dear Abby had a blowout and didn't make it to the bathroom and once she did... well... poop was every where! ;-)

Daddy did such a good job cleaning it up BUT her pink tutu was MIA(missing in action) when we left!

He had so much fun and was his active self - his bag started leaking and when that happens without extra supplies... it's time to go!

Baa Humbug!

Every time I take a pic and say "look at me" he usually turns his head! 

He is such a funny guy!

Much, much better!!

And he had a poopy diaper so...

it was eazel dreazel drazzel drone...

time for this family to go HOME!

BTW, how do you get those silks clean?

I forgot the bib, sippy cup, etc!

Your probably wondering right now?

If I forgot all that...
 what did I remember?

The children and the food!!

(Sammy update next!)

What really bothers me!

If you are around me please don't say the Lord's name in vain. In fact where ever you may be, please don't say the Lord's name unless you are praying to Him.

I find it so offensive when others say his name at inappropriate times. My body cringes and I immediately pray for them.

Our Lord is to be glorified, revered and praised. 

His name should never be used as a form of profanity, to make a point in a simple conversation or as an outlet for anger.

My second issue is when people say..."TRUST ME"

Oh my goodness, you are just human, why on earth would I put my trust in you? 

My trust is in the Lord!

I can believe you, I can hope that what you say is accurate, I can love you, I can like you, I can assume you will do the best you can do, I can think that you will follow through or that you may know what you are talking about

BUT trust you? 

No, 

My trust is in the Lord.

What do you say to people that say the Lord's name in vain?

I'm not a fast thinker but I would love to be able to say something that would gently but accurately let them know that it's not okay to say?

So Long Stoma! Surgery is DONE!

When we arrived yesterday and it was all fun and games! Our own room, a cozy bed, flat screen TV, snacks and nice nurses helping us!

Oh and did I mention play doh, movies and puzzles!

Yep, Sammy thought he was on a vacation

until...

they put that NG tube down his nose...

the mood, rightfully so, quickly changed...

If our little guy coulda found an exit, he woulda been outta here in a blink of an eye!

Thank goodness they had hospital BINGO on their station and Mista Sam won 2 games!

Yep, it was pretty fun!

We got bingo on our little cards and we called the hospital TV station up on the phone- his voice was on the TV and twice he announced to ALL the other patients watching 

that.

 he.

 had.

 BINGO!

They delivered his prize to our room!

He was thrilled and even forgot for a moment about his NG tube!

The tube came out later in the night!

At 7:00am this morning we headed to the OR!

At 7:45am Sammy and his two friends, Frankie and George (resting next to him) were waving goodbye to Mom and heading to surgery.

The colostomy closure went well (and so did the other little something we had done)!

His abdomen looks wonderful- I can't believe the stoma is gone!

The other procedure is causing him a bit of discomfort right now... if ya know what I mean!

FYI- it was not me (I'm proclaiming my innocence) that felt strongly about this but instead the men and boys of the family! 

And this picture that you see above is nothing but a very cute clock!!

How come I never see something like this in the stores??

Wouldn't that be cute in a little boys room?

It was also set at the wrong time...

Hello people! 

Daylight savings time ended quite a while ago!

So I fixed it!

And here is our patient!

The party is over- he does not like to be stuck in a bed feeling yucky and uncomfortable with wires and tubes coming out of every orifice! 

(BTW- they put another NG tube in- poor guy)

He will improve with each day and sometime mid next week we will head home!

Thank you Jesus for a successful surgery!

Praising HIM!

Thank you for your prayers!

Takedown! And Abby and Luke Update!

Once we got home with Abby and Luke the thought of flying to Cincy and having Sam's colostomy take down was over whelming.

So we made the decision to have it done here at home and it just so happened to be schedules for the exact same dates!

We will be admitted on January 25th (Wednesday) and have surgery on the 26th!

Caring for a child with a colostomy has been relatively easy.

Taking care of Sam has been a complete JOY!

A child is so much more than their diagnosis and just having Sam in our family makes it so obvious to all of us! We are so thankful we were not scared away by the name of his diagnosis - Imperforate Anus or Anal Atresia.

I don't think Sam completely understands what is going to happen this week. I have explained it to him but I think it is just too much for him to wrap his head around. He has never known not having his colostomy.

While he was in China we got an email from our agency. It said he was scheduled to have surgery in China and wondered if we wanted all of this done before getting him or if we wanted it done in America.

Although I was slightly tempted to say yes we had been advised to have it repaired at home, if possible. So we quickly emailed back STOP- we will have it done in America!!

We are thankful they listened and did not proceed with the surgery.

Not only would his repair be better done in the USA BUT I am so thankful we can be with him to comfort him and help him through the struggles that are ahead of us.

We may be in the hospital for up to one week, although we are hoping the time is shorter.

It will take time for him to be bowel continent and their are no guarantees. It may take months, it may take years but we will just deal with it as it comes. I am thankful this is happening in the winter so by the time summer rolls around we will know his situation better, hopefully have a routine and have lots of fun outside and in the pool!

Please pray for Sam!

For a successful surgery, that it is all done correctly, no complications, that he heals well and that he is able to adjust to his new situation!

Thank you!

And now onto these two darlings!


This morning Luke had his CT scan.
It went well and the rumor is that his blockage isn't as bad as they thought it was. We should get the official report on Friday.
Hoping the rumor is true!
His heart did great throughout the whole procedure!!
Thank you Jesus!!

Abby had her MRI today. She also did very well! 
When she saw the interpreter and everyone looking at her she started to cry but then we took out the Ipad and she forgot all about her concerns.
They said her heart looked great! Which means her iron overload has not affected her heart muscle BUT her liver is another story...
It's huge and it lit up like a Christmas Tree when they did the MRI of the heart. (I think they took a peek at her liver while doing the heart.)
She will have a liver MRI in a couple weeks.
Once again this is rumor and we will get the official report on Friday.

We left sooner than planned which is always nice!!


We are home now and preparing for tomorrow!
Thank you Jesus!!

Please Pray for Abby and Luke!

On Tuesday(1/24), Luke has a CAT scan and Abby has an MRI of her heart.

We hope that you will pray with us for good test results!

We pray that Luke does not have a blockage and if he does it can be fixed through a minor procedure.

We pray that the extra iron in Abby has not damaged her heart.

Thank you!

God Bless You!

Praising HIM!

For everyday that our life gets a little closer to its new normal!

For the sounds of children playing... even when I have to say shhhhhhh!

Talk in you indoor voice!

For tea parties and pretend cookie baking!

For children sitting on counters!

For little girls and little boys dressed alike...

For abundant blessings from God!

For sunny days and snow covered ground!

I could go on... and on...

and on... and on...

so much to be thankful for...

Thank you, God

Thank you, God

Thank you, God

The Other Side of the Coin!

So Wednesday was Abby's Birthday!
Which made it a very happy day for Abby but not necessarily for everyone in the family!


You see when someone has a birthday... their is always someone else that doesn't have a birthday...

From day one they had been treated the same!

Every time she got something... he got it too!

So tell me why? this day was different?

It was all so unfair!

Well, except when he was successful blowing his party horn!

But that thrill soon wore off and once again he was left with a lousy paper party horn and she had gifts and balloons!?!

He put up with the gift opening but he finally could take no more after 

 he asked to use her new birthday markers and she said "NO".

And since it was her birthday the parents didn't make her share...

And she said it with a smile on her face?

Big sis Kate agrees... life is so UNFAIR...

We tried to explain that Katie, Sarah, Mom and Dad couldn't use them either...

But that didn't help a bit...

It's hard to see Superman down and out...

No amount of reasoning was gonna help...

No no no no, he said, when we tried to comfort him...

On top of all of that, his very loving BUT irritating Momma was taking pictures of him...

I'm sorry honey!

I couldn't help it!

You where just too cute!

Katie did tell me that he will get over the fact that it is Abby's birthday and not his BUT I may be scarring him for life with the photo shoot!

I'm sorry but isn't he just too precious!

He refuses to look at me!

Or anyone else for that matter!

So we reached into our bag of tricks and pulled out Penny!

She's usually good for a smile or two!

But he waived her off, too.

No thank you!

He thought-

I refuse to smile, be happy or play with a cute little puppy on such a day as today!

Then he began to rethink the situation...
Hmmmm?
Well, she is kinda cute and fluffy?

And then after little tickle from his sissy Sarah!

He couldn't be sad any longer...

Just as this was happening we announced it was birthday cake time!

Once again Superman was his chipper self and he happily joined in the festivities!

With a belly full of Chinese food and Chocolate cake and ice cream

AND the birthday just about over

Superman cuddled in with Daddy!

And all was well in his little world...

Until the next birthday, which in this family happens a lot!

You see there is a problem...

Luke's birthday is November 18th.

We just missed having him home for his birthday and now he will have to suffer through everyone else's special and (gag) glorious birthday...

Awww, sweetie, we are so sorry!

 Mommy will try not to have a photo shoot of you every time!

Just don't be so darn cute, okay!