My Heart Sings

Update

2011-11-11T15:41:00.002-06:00

I noticed that I never updated on how things went in the hospital and after we got home.

Nathan was discharged from the hospital on October 26 - just a week after having surgery. Everyone said he did amazing and we agreed! On the 4th day of being home, Nathan's started throwing up and was pretty lethargic. I thought he was getting sick but since he had a follow-up appointment the next day (10/31), I knew that we would get more information then. At the appointment they took a chest x-ray and found that his right lung was completely filled with fluid. They immediately admitted him into the PICU so that they could insert a chest tube and drain the fluid. I was glad they found out what was wrong but was sad for him and nervous that this would be serious. Thankfully, this is somewhat common after having the Fontan so that was a bit comforting.

Nathan is on a blood thinner so they had to check his levels before performing the procedure and it came back as outrageously high (they want his level between 2.5 and 3.5 and it was 13). They initially thought it was a lab error so they repeated the test and found it was in fact, NOT a lab error. So, they started him on vitamin K to get it back into range. By the next afternoon (11/1) they were able to insert the tube. After doing so they got 1 liter of fluid out! Obviously, Nathan felt much better after that. The chest tube continued to drain fluid for about 4 days or so. On Sunday, they removed it and he was discharged that afternoon. We took him back for a follow-up yesterday and there is no reaccumulation of fluid!

I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be on this side of all of his surgeries. I realize Nathan's always one to pull a fast one and we could be back in the hospital at any time but there are no more planned surgeries and that feels great! I need to schedule his one year follow-up MRI of his brain so the surgeon can see how that's doing but I'm hopeful there's nothing going on there. Infectious disease said that the likelihood of it reappearing is like lightening striking twice. Now that he's had this final procedure, he is safe for those types of infections since all of his blood is being properly filtered just like a normal-functioning heart. Yay!

Thanks for all of you who prayed for Nathan and us as well. I just don't say that but I am truly thankful because I know that without your prayers, we would not have gotten through this in one piece - they really have sustained us. We are so thankful that you have played such a role in our lives. May you all be richly blessed.

It Went Well!

2011-10-19T12:13:00.002-05:00

Everything went well with surgery! He is up in the PICU now and is sleeping.

Thank you so much for praying! I'll update as needed.

Heart Surgery on Wednesday - the Fontan

2011-10-18T20:19:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the plan for Nathan's surgery on Wednesday. He will have surgery in the morning at 7:00 (Central Time) so we need to be there at 6:00. They expect the surgery to be 4-5 hours long and we will be getting an update about every hour. Afterward, he will go up to the PICU and then we will be able to see him. They expect he will be in the hospital a week. Apparently with this surgery, there is a lot more drainage so he will have his chest tube in for the duration of the week. Once the drainage subsides and they can remove the chest tube and determine that everything is going well with his heart, he will be discharged. The surgical nurse said this takes about a week but everyone is different.

I want to thank you for your prayers! We really appreciate them so much. I will post an update after surgery to let you know how it went.

A Long Year

2011-01-19T17:02:00.002-06:00

We have good news! As of Nathan's last MRI at the end of December, his brain abscess is finally GONE! He has 1.2cm of scar tissue left which is unchanged from his MRI in October. He is scheduled to get his line out tomorrow morning. He has to be sedated for it but it isn't supposed to take long. Up until this afternoon, I didn't really think he would get it out. He has a rash on his chest which his pediatrician treated as ringworm. However, we went to the dermatologist this afternoon and she believes it is either eczema or a fixed drug reaction. Neither are infectious so she wrote a note to the surgeon stating it was ok to pull his line. In addition to that I've also been sort of "trained" to wait for the other shoe to drop regarding Nathan's health. I know that sounds pessimistic but I feel like there's always something. Finally, I'm believing that this aspect is over and we'll be able to move on from this.

Tomorrow marks 11 days shy of one whole year that he's had a line in. He had his brain abscess drained February 1st of last year. Believe me when I say it definitely felt like MORE than a year. It was hard and exhausting and mentally and emotionally draining. But I'm definitely looking forward to this year. A year filled with less health issues and maybe more fun. We're looking forward to doing things we haven't been able to do. Nathan hasn't had a real bath since March! Since his line is in his lower abdomen and he can't get it wet, we've had to sponge bathe him. Looking forward to real baths! Looking forward to taking Nathan to the beach for the first time this summer! Looking forward to sleeping this year!

Thanks so much for all of you who've prayed for us!

Amazing

2010-11-06T20:09:00.002-05:00

We're HOME!! Nathan was discharged this afternoon and is sleeping contently in his own bed! I am still in a bit of shock. The surgical nurse told me on Monday that the stay would be 3-5 days but I was skeptical. At the very least I thought we would maybe make the 5-day mark. But no, our little guy did SO great that he only had to be in the hospital for 3 days.

They removed his chest tube yesterday because drainage had pretty much stopped. They gave him some "happy medicine" and out it came. They also checked on his heart via an echocardiogram yesterday and the cardiologist said it looked great! He has a follow-up appointment on the 15th.

I have to say it's quite amazing that kids can be so active after such a serious surgery. He has no activity restrictions and can do anything he feels comfortable doing. He is sore and not ready to jump on the furniture (don't worry, we don't allow that) but he's walking around. His incision is only a few inches long and no stitches! Just steri-strips and in due time they will just fall off.

They only did the first surgery and will check him in about 6 months to see if he's ready for the next one. His oxygen levels are between 75-85% and that's where they expected him to be.

Our hospital stay was actually quite easy and we got to catch up with all of the nurses. It does make everything so much easier when you know everyone. :)

A huge thank you to all of you who prayed for Nathan and all of us through this surgery. Praise God it could not have gone better! I am so amazed!

Surgery Went Well!!

2010-11-03T12:27:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Nathan's surgery went well! Everyone was very pleased. They had to patch part of his left pulmonary artery since it was smaller than the right (they mentioned that they would probably need to do this). It is still smaller but only by 8-9mm they say.

Nathan is doing well. He is sleeping but they pulled out his breathing tube right after the procedure. He is in and out of sleep. He's asked for apple juice and water but he can have neither until around 7:00 this evening when they can start him on clear liquids. Then tomorrow if all goes well he will be able to eat anything he wants.

Isabel is with us and at the playroom right now with one of the Child Life workers. I have to say that Isabel was excited to come back to the hospital (at least one of us was, right?). She has a lot of fun here and honestly, they do a great job for the kids and their siblings. She is also amazingly unphased by hospital "stuff". I think that will serve her well throughout her life.

We are also in the same room we spent 5 weeks in last Spring. I actually prayed a couple hours before the surgery was over that we would get the same room. I know it's minor compared to everything else but for several reasons I wanted the same room. I was amazed when the surgical nurse told us we would be in the same room (I don't know why... it's not like I think God can't do that). But it was definitely a reminder that God cares about the little things that matter to us, even in the midst of the big things that matter to us. I am learning that I can ask God for anything, not just the big things. For some reason it's a recent revelation to me. And with that I am starting to involve God in more of my life.

Finally, thank you for praying for Nathan and for us. God continues to bring Nathan through some difficult things. We are so happy to see him doing so well. His oxygen levels are even better than they were and we are looking forward to a smooth and speedy recovery! :)

Surgery Details

2010-11-02T20:34:00.002-05:00

Nathan's heart surgery is scheduled for 7:00 on Wednesday morning (Central Time). We have to be there at 6:00. The surgery is supposed to last 3-4 hours. He will spend the next 3-5 days in the ICU until they can take his chest tube out. Once that is out, he is able to go home! We will see how it goes. I hope to post after his surgery. Thanks so much for your prayers!!

MRI Results and Surgery Scheduled

2010-10-31T20:52:00.007-05:00

Well there is a lot going on here. First of all, Nathan had an MRI on the 22nd. We got the results this last week and his abscess has gone down to 1.2cm. We will need to continue his antibiotic and he will have another MRI toward the end of the year.

Next, Nathan is having heart surgery on Wednesday, November 3rd. They are doing one of two parts (although we are praying that things go so well they decide it would be good to do both at once). They are going to re-route the blood in the upper half of his body to go directly to the lungs and then to the heart. The next surgery would be to do the lower half of his body. Eventually, his heart will be completely one directional, only pumping oxygenated blood out to the body. It is open-heart and he will be on bypass. They say he will only be in the hospital 5 days. Given he has quite the record of finding ways of keeping himself in the hospital, we are hoping he behaves and that we can bring him home soon. :)

Tomorrow he has a pre-op appointment with his cardiologist where we will find out more details of the surgery, (time, duration, etc.). I will post those details once I get them. We appreciate you keeping Nathan in your prayers come this Wednesday!

Finally (yes FINALLY), I am posting pictures. I knew I couldn't post again without photos for fear of disappointing a fellow New Day mom (this is for you Tanya!). :)

Take care.

In Recovery

2010-09-23T13:38:00.002-05:00

Nathan is currently in recovery after his cardiac cath. He is eating snacks and drinking and we hope to head home in a couple of hours.

According to the cardiologist everything went really well, which is great news. I don't have many details on the results because he said he has to take some measurements and then next week there is a meeting where he will discuss Nathan's case amongst his colleagues. He did say that his left pulmonary artery didn't get as big as he had hoped. I was initially concerned about this but I'm letting it go. I can't do anything about it.

I'm very pleased with how well Nathan is doing now and look forward to getting him home so he can be more comfortable. :) Thanks for praying!

It's Been A While

2010-09-22T16:00:00.001-05:00

I know it's been quite a while since I last posted. We have been busy with family in and out for quite some time (which has been fun). But to be quite honest, I've also been exhausted. There are people I need to email and so many things I just can't seem to get done that this blog has really fell off my radar. I hope to pick it back up as I know people are probably wondering what's going on here!

So, here's the scoop. Nathan has a cardiac cath scheduled for 8:00AM tomorrow morning. This is in preparation for his 2nd heart surgery which we are expecting to take place in Oct. If he is doing well, the surgeon might determine that it is a good idea to do both his 2nd and 3rd surgeries together. This cath will most likely give him the information he needs to make that decision. We are praying that he can have both of them together just so he doesn't have to have another surgery in 6 months or so.

Also, in preparation for this cath Nathan had to be taken off of his oral blood thinner and on Monday we needed to start giving him shots twice a day. Thankfully, Richard has assumed that role because I couldn't bear to do it. It's awful. Nathan is doing well with it though (as much as can be expected). Richard gives him a little bit of ice cream after each one and that helps. :) Poor boy. I was afraid he'd hate us for it but he shakes it off pretty quickly and he seems fine afterward.

We are still giving Nathan his IV antibiotic every 8 hours. That is the cause of most of our exhaustion because it makes us pretty sleep-deprived. We are going to bed after 11:00PM (his medicine finishes at this time) and we have to take his medicine out of the fridge at 5:00AM (so it can come to room temperature), give it to him at 6:00 and then it's done at 7:00. We are so ready for him to come off of it. Actually, the doctor's mentioned that if the abscess hasn't shrunk anymore by his next MRI, which is Oct 22, they are going to pull his line and stop the antibiotic. They will also take it out if the abscess is gone, of course. There is the possibility that some of what they are seeing is scar tissue. I am praying it's completely gone. That would just give me more peace of mind. :)

Because of Nathan's medicine, we spent our summer at home. Richard regularly pushed the kids in our jogging stroller while we both ran. We almost always started at a park and when we were done the kids got to play. I think the kids really enjoyed both riding and playing.

Nathan is doing so well physically. He can climb up a slide and pedal his tricycle. He has more balance too. He is saying more words now but they still aren't very clear. He has also been evaluated by our local school district and they are going to set up an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for him. Our insurance doesn't really provide many benefits in terms of speech therapy so we have to go through the school district. We will get the results of their evaluation at the end of Oct. I can't wait to see how speech intervention helps him because he is REALLY motivated to talk. He talks all the time! We don't understand all of what he says but he chats away. He also likes to sing!

I am constantly amazed at how Isabel has taken Nathan under her wing. She loves him so much. We have never had any problem with her adjusting to having a little brother. We had wondered how she would adjust initially since she had been an only child for 4 years but there was no need. God opened her heart wider than we could have even imagined. Even before we left for China she was asking when we were going to get her little sister. Yesterday she brought me a newsletter we received from the agency we used for Nathan's adoption because there was a little girl's picture on it and asked me if we could go and get her. I always tell her if she wants a little sister she needs to talk to Jesus. :)

Anyway, I know this post is all over the place but I wanted to update and share with all of you. Things here aren't without their challenges but we are persevering. There are also many sweet moments amongst the hard ones.

I hope all of you had a wonderful summer. I will post an update on Nathan's cath as soon as I can. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words.

Happy To Report

2010-07-27T14:01:00.003-05:00

Last week we received the results of Nathan's MRI and I am happy to report that the extra fluid in his brain is greatly reduced! The neurosurgeon said that his body is absorbing it. This was great news because we were previously told that if it continued to get bigger, they would drain it. I was actually fully prepared for Nathan to be admitted into the hospital last week. However, God was so good to give us this gift.

As far as the abscess goes, it is still the same size. The doctor's aren't sure how much smaller it will get. It's currently 1.7cm which is just over 1/2 an inch. We were told that some of the size could be scar tissue. He doesn't have to have another MRI until October. That means he will continue to be on the IV antibiotics every 8 hours until at least then.

October will turn out to be a busy month because his cardiologists want to do his next heart surgery in October as well. We are hoping and praying that they will combine the next two surgeries into one larger surgery so that his brain will be protected from bacteria and he will be less prone to blood clotting. They have spoken about wanting to do this but it will depend on how well he is doing. We hope he is well enough that this becomes viable. He is still on his blood thinner medicine along with several others.

Besides that, he is actually doing really well. He loves riding his little tricycle and he has learned to pedal and steer! He can climb up a slide (a wonderful fact seeing as walking was an issue not too long ago). He eats most anything and often asks for food right after a meal. He loves hair cuts. He loves to go in the car (I cannot overstate this fact). He loves babies and will announce, "baby" whenever he sees one. He copies nearly everything Isabel says or does (or tries to). The two of them get along great. Isabel adores him (this is not to say that they don't have their squabbles but it's all very normal).

I'd like to mention that Nathan has been a part of our family for nearly 9 months! In many ways it seems much longer but I know his hospital stays have contributed to that. Having said that, he has been out of the hospital for three months making this the longest stretch he has been at home without a hospital stay. It fees SO good to say that (and even better to LIVE it). Our home care nurse told me yesterday that one day this will all be a distant memory. Oh to think that one day that will be true.

Thanks so much for all your prayers. We are so thankful to all of you who have stood beside us during this time. You are all blessings to us.

Late Update

2010-06-29T20:39:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to pop in let everyone know about Nathan's MRI. He had another one done on June 11. We received the results from the neurosurgeon on the 17th. The abscess went from 2.3cm to 1.7! This was very good news. I will admit I was hoping that it was a lot smaller (preferably gone) but it is going in the right direction so we're thankful. They did notice that the fluid collecting on another part of his brain has gotten larger since the last MRI. If it continues to get bigger, they will most likely drain it. He has another MRI scheduled for July 16 and we will get the results on the 20th. I am a bit discouraged that we are dealing with something new. It seems when we get past one thing, there's something new to deal with. However, I am trying not to focus on that. There is so much to be thankful for that it's definitely not productive to focus on the negative.

Nathan's had a slew of doctor's appointments this month and this is the first week the whole month where he doesn't have something to go to. It feels good! On June 2, we had to take him to the ER for a high fever. They never found anything in the cultures they did so they sent us home! It was quite the miracle as far as I'm concerned. We have been to the ER 6 times and that has never happened before. We got out of there just after 11:00pm and we ended up stopping for donuts to celebrate. :)

I do want to apologize for not updating sooner. I know people are praying and we are thankful.

I have some photo's that I hope to post soon. Until then, take care.

Recent Photos

2010-05-16T21:17:00.002-05:00

Here are some recent photos. First, notice that our little guy is sporting a new haircut! Love it! Second, notice that he came to us with some pretty good flexibility. Please excuse the pajama pants, he just got up from a nap. :)

Enjoy.

Good News!

2010-05-11T16:47:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to updated everyone on Nathan's abscess and how things are going. He had another MRI of his brain and after meeting with the neurosurgeon, we found out that his abscess has shrunk from 3.2cm to 2.3! The neurosurgeon said that it is shrinking remarkably fast! He also said that there is some fluid on another part of his brain and right now he's not sure about it. He said that it could be because the brain is moving back into place or the paranoid reason would be that it will be it's own abscess. Right now we just have to watch for vision issues as that would be an indicator that something is wrong. He has another MRI on June 11.

Nathan's walking is getting better but I still need to get him evaluated by PT and OT. I haven't done it yet because Richard's company switched insurance companies and I was waiting for the switch to take place. We also had family in from out-of-town and it was nice putting the medical stuff aside for a few days and enjoying their company.

Also, our social worker came by today to do the 6 month report that is required when you adopt from China. I can't believe Nathan has been with us for 6 months already. The meeting went well and was mostly just summarizing Nathan's medical history over the past few months along with how he's doing in general. Our social worker was amazed that he's still with us given all he's been through! We know God has brought him so far and look forward to all that he will accomplish in his life.

I still need to post some pics and will hopefully be able to take some new ones soon. Once we got Nathan's bike helmet, the weather hasn't been that great. On the few days it has been, we just so happened to be at doctor's visits or other things.

Have a great day!

Walking and Talking

2010-04-27T20:59:00.002-05:00

Thankfully, we are still home. AND we are still LOVING it of course. :)

In the past week Nathan has had appointments with both his cardiologist and neurologist. His heart is doing great. The doc even said it sounded "really good." Yay. That appointment was Friday. Today we saw the neurologist. On Thursday evening we noticed that Nathan wasn't walking as well as he had been. We've since discovered that he is walking on his heels and not using his toes. I had him tip toe to see if he could use his toes and he was able to do that. His neurologist said it could be medication-related since he was put on a new one the day he was discharged. If it gets worse, he will have to be admitted so he can get an MRI done. He was scheduled for one on Monday the 3rd but the doc wanted to see if I could move it up and I was able to do so. He will have it this Friday. Hopefully, nothing new is going on. Also, we are praying that his abscess continues to shrink! I am believing that it is.

We also have to set up appointments to have him evaluated by Physical and Occupational Therapy.

Given that, Nathan is doing well. He is trying to talk a lot more now. He is stringing words together which is go great. He still needs help with pronunciation so he will probably need a speech therapist but we're enjoying his attempts to communicate. I asked the neurologist about his speech and she said it's probably a combination of his strokes and brain abscess. Tonight he even tried to say his own prayer before going to bed. It was cute.

On an unrelated note, we got Nathan a bike helmet yesterday. He will need one for when we take him and Isabel in our bike trailer. He LOVES it. He wore it most of the day and took it off to go to bed. He doesn't even know what it's for (I don't think) but is content to wear it around the house because Isabel also has one that she wears. We're hoping we can go for a ride before the week is up. I can't wait to see how he likes being in the trailer. He also likes riding a little tricycle we have. He just puts his feet on the pedals but doesn't pedal. He also doesn't steer well but just takes in the sights. Thankfully, the bike has a handle where an adult can push from behind. This works out WELL. Hopefully, I can get a few pics soon.

Well, that's it for now. I will update once we have the results of the MRI - probably on Tuesday.

Take care.

We're Home!!

2010-04-19T11:55:00.003-05:00

Nathan was discharged on Friday! We made it home around 4:00PM. Since then, we have been busy filling prescriptions and figuring out his medicine as well as getting the house in order. His home care nurse came by Friday night and went through everything with us which I was thankful for.

On Saturday Nathan pulled off part of the dressing for his central line while he was supposed to be going to sleep. He scratched off a whole the size of a quarter that just so happened to expose the insertion site! This was after 9:00PM and we had to have a nurse come out and change it. When she left, she gave us a nylon sleeve to pull up over his tummy to deter him from grabbing at it. He's also inherited a pair of socks over his hands and arms and a good wrap in a blanket when he goes to bed. We want to ensure that he doesn't do anything to land himself back in the hospital prematurely. Thankfully, the dressing was the only thing that he pulled off.

We are definitely enjoying being at home! It's so great to spend time together here, to sleep in our own bed and do all the things that we normally take for granted.

Nathan has another MRI on May 3. The following day we will have appointments with infectious disease and the neurosurgeon. We are praying that the abscess continues to shrink. If it continues to shrink at the current rate, I estimate that the abscess should be gone by July. We've decided that we are somehow going to celebrate when the abscess is gone and he is off his IV antibiotics. What a joyous day that will be! We are trusting that God will hasten his healing and that he will need no additional surgeries before his next heart surgery which will probably be sometime towards the end of the year.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers. I hope that the next couple weeks are uneventful in terms of Nathan's health and that I have GREAT news to report after his next MRI.

An End In Sight?

2010-04-15T20:24:00.002-05:00

It's possible that Nathan could be discharged tomorrow! We are being cautiously optimistic but I can't help but be excited about the prospect. Tomorrow Nathan would have been in the hospital 5 weeks. It's been a long road. I met a mom here yesterday and I was trying to explain some of the things that Nathan's gone through over the past couple months and when you try to summarize it, it sounds completely overwhelming. You just list one health issue after another and it freaks me out that he has gone through so much. He's had seizures, a brain abscess that led to emergency brain surgery, pulling out his PICC line, a stroke, heart surgery and internal bleeding (among countless other less serious issues). And, after all of that he still seems like a normal kid. We are so thankful that he has no neurological issues from his abscess or stroke. He's just doing amazingly well all things considered. I actually don't think he could be doing better given the circumstances.

I will let everyone know once we are finally home. Please know how much we appreciate every prayer said on Nathan's and our behalf. Thanks for taking the time to lift us up in prayer. We could never have done this, and kept our sanity, if not for our faith in Jesus and for the prayers of all of you that brought us peace in very stressful situations.

To God be the glory.

We're Still Here

2010-04-13T14:46:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. Not a whole lot has happened since my last post. Nathan is still in the hospital. I kept thinking we were going to be able to take him home but it looks like now we will probably be here another week. :( They are transitioning him to a blood thinner that he can take orally as opposed to the IV drip that he is on. While they do that, they need to wean him off of the drip and check his blood everyday. They don't want his blood to be too thin and risk bleeding or too thick and risk clotting. Apparently, this takes a while. Well, for Nathan it is taking a while.

Nathan no longer has the chest tube in. It didn't come out the conventional way though (which would be for a doctor to take it out). No, as is typical fashion with Nathan, nothing is typical. He ended up rolling around while sleeping and it CAME OUT! I was sleeping too (it was about 3:00AM) and the nurse apparently heard the "drainage box" (don't know the official term) bubbling when she came in. They use water pressure to drain the fluid and if the water is bubbling, there is air which means something was disconnected. Well, something was disconnected - the tube was disconnected from the chest! So, they had to pull it out the rest of the way and put a lot of pressure on the opening to stop the bleeding. Normally, they would have stopped his blood thinner before taking it out so they were concerned with potential bleeding. Everything ended up being fine, thankfully.

Nathan is doing well otherwise. He is getting out of his crib everyday now and walking and playing. His leg muscles are somewhat weak from being in bed so much so we have to hold on to him while he is walking around. It's still cumbersome because he is still attached to an IV and some other monitors but we are making it work. This is good for his lungs, especially. Friday and over the weekend he had some fluid in his lungs and since he wasn't walking much, it was just settling there (as opposed to coughing it up). So, they had people from respiratory come in and pound on his back and chest. Lets just say that Nathan didn't like that at all. I don't blame him either. They were doing it every 4 hours and I was actually really upset that they had to wake him to do this. He would just scream and scream. It doesn't actually hurt but who knows what he was thinking or what defenseless position he felt himself in. So, Richard and I were extra diligent about getting him up and moving so that they would stop it. Eventually though, Richard told them they had to do something else because he's not a typical child. He's had a rough start at life and we're not sure what his first 14 months involved before he resided at New Day (where he was WELL care for). Soon after, they stopped it and we were all very happy.

We are on day 32 of being in the hospital. It is HARD. And at many times feels like we will never leave. It's hard to not be at home together, not having home-cooked meals, not being able to clean the house, not being on a schedule, not being able to enjoy the nice weather we've had, being in one room most of the time and so much more. I know it sounds like I'm complaining but it's all the little things you take for granted that you end up longing for when you can't have them. On the flip side though, there have been many blessings that have come out of having to be in the hospital. By God's grace, we have all had our health and until you spend any length of time in the hospital, you don't really know what goes on inside the walls you so often just drive by. People are really hurting. One boy, who thankfully has been able to go home, scarcely had a visitor, even from his parents for the week or two that he was here. There's a little baby next door who is about 8 months old and has been here nearly her whole life. Parents crying in the hall in the wee hours of the morning while doctor's try to help their child behind closed doors. Richard and I are blessed to know what goes on inside hospital walls because now we know how to respond in the future when someone we know has to do this. We know that a visit from a loved one is a breath of fresh air. We know that the company who donates ice cream makes life here seem a little more normal. Little things make a huge difference.

Besides just knowing how to respond when we hear of people in the hospital, there are other blessings as well. We have met some amazing people here. Some of our nurses have made this experience a lot less difficult - even enjoyable at times. They have touched our lives and are people we won't soon forget. Nurse Sylvia we've had only once (the day Nathan had his brain abscess drained back in February) but she is one of our favorites. She comes by and checks in on us all the time and makes us laugh. She is so great with both Nathan and Isabel. Nurse Courtney is lots of fun too and has been a great source of information. She has also been a comfort when things seemed very overwhelming. She was the one who took Nathan out on the deck before his heart surgery going above and beyond to make things nicer for him. She also gave me a precious token of inspiration that someone gave her many years ago and I was surprised and deeply touched. We love Courtney and we are excited when we find out she has Nathan for the day. Isabel has even said that she was her friend. :) There is also another Nurse, Scott, who first thought of putting Nathan in the wagon. There are several more whom we adore (Eloisa, Liz and Laurie just off the top of my head) but I won't continue on and on. It makes things better (much better) to be surrounded by such great people. Oh, and one of the doctor's here printed out lyrics from a song by Phil Wickham and gave it to me one night. It is about being safe in His arms and the One who holds the world also holds your heart. She said it reminded her of Nathan. I LOVED that she did that. Another blessing.

God has blessed us for this journey as well, too many to count but here are a few:

-Richard works from home so he is able to work from the hospital too. I can't even imagine how difficult this would have been if he had to go out to work. His company has been great too about Richard working a few irregular hours.

-We can bring Isabel to the hospital all day with us. Up until one week before Nathan was admitted in January, siblings under 18 were banned due to H1*N1.

-Nearly all of the "major" things that happened to Nathan happened in the hospital (seizures, dangerously low oxygen levels (turning completely blue), internal bleeding). I cannot stress enough how blessed we were to have immediate care for Nathan as these things happened. It's a miracle that I am very thankful for.

-None of us have gotten sick while Nathan has been hospitalized. If you're sick, you can't be in the room with the patient. Thank You, God!

So, even though this is hard and I was discouraged to learn we would not be going home soon (very discouraged - just ask Richard) it isn't all bad. God is in control and I'm so thankful that He has us in a place where we are surrounded by such great people and that they are taking good care of Nathan. I'm still looking forward to going home though. :) Hopefully, soon.

Thankful

2010-04-06T22:14:00.005-05:00

If you read my previous post, you will know that I was pretty discouraged last night. After I had finished my post, one of the nurses came in and told me that they planned on keeping Nathan's breathing tube in because the abscess hadn't shrunk and they were going to see if the neurosurgeon would want to do the surgery today (again, this wasn't the official reading). From their perspective, it didn't make sense to take it out if he was going to have surgery because they would just have to put it back in. I was so sad. I just cried because I really hoped that Nathan wouldn't need this surgery again.

I went to sleep pretty late and every time I woke up I couldn't go back to sleep right away. I just begged God that the doctor's were wrong and Nathan wouldn't need this surgery. When the neurosurgeon came in this morning, he told me that the abscess went down and therefore he wasn't going to do anything!! He said Nathan should have another MRI in a month. I was in utter shock and almost started crying right then. I initially thought it couldn't have gone down that much because two separate doctors told me that the abscess hadn't shrunk. Well, it went down 7mm!!! The abscess went from 3.9cm to 3.2! I am lifting up praises to our God because I KNOW in my heart that God answered the prayers of everyone who has been praying for Nathan. I called Richard this morning and was crying because he didn't know any of this. I didn't call him last night because he was already alseep. I figured I would call him once a decision was made on whether Nathan would have surgery (the neurosurgeon gets in very early). One of the doctor's even let me see the MRI photo's. One from the last MRI and one from this MRI and I could tell that it was smaller and as one nurse put it, I don't even have a trained eye!

So, I have a different perspective today. I am in awe of the goodness our God has bestowed on Nathan and all of us actually. And so very, very thankful.

Nathan is still recovering from the chest tube insertion. He still has it in and it is draining. They are keeping him off his blood thinner until it stops. I am not sure when we might go home but we are over the biggest hurdles right now. It might be possible we could go home by the weekend. We will see. :)

Thanks so much for your prayers.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2010-04-05T22:17:00.002-05:00

Well, Nathan was doing really well after his surgery. On Thursday, they took his breathing tube out and on Friday they took his chest tube out. The chest tube was in to drain blood/fluid caused by the surgery. Nathan's oxygen levels were in the mid 70's and even in the 80's while sleeping. He had pink lips and tongue, pink nails and fingertips. It was so great seeing him like that.

We also had a great Easter where he got to go for a ride in the wagon (he LOVES the wagon). He sat on the sofa in our room for several hours and we played some games and read some books. His cardiologist was even talking about him being able to go home soon (providing that the MRI would show the abscess shrinking). We were all really excited. Even the nurses were all coming in to see how great he was doing. We even got Nathan to walk some (with help). Our nurse encouraged him to get up and stop sitting on his bum all the time. :) He protested at first and then realized he liked walking. :) It was all so special and unfortunately, not to last long.

Today, Nathan's oxygen levels went down. He also started bleeding out of the wound where the chest tube was. After a chest x-ray, they determined that he had fluid inside his chest, right around his left lung. So, they needed to put him back on the breathing tube and put the chest tube back in to drain the fluid (his oxygen levels went down because his left lung was under pressure because of the fluid). They were hoping that the fluid was blood and not lymph fluid and that actually turned out to be the case. After that procedure was done his oxygen levels went up.

The main reason for the fluid in his chest was due to the fact that he is on a blood thinner and asprin. His blood couldn't clot and help his body heal from the surgery. It is quite the balancing act to treat him to prevent clots (and thus another stroke) and still be able to heal. He is off his blood thinner right now and they are going to give him blood. He looked so pale today - no color in his lips or fingers, not even pink.

An hour after the chest tube was put in he went down for his MRI that was scheduled today. He actually just got back not too long ago. Two doctors came in and mentioned from what they could tell the abscess hasn't shrunk anymore. They are not the ones who will do the "official" reading so I'm hoping that maybe it's gone down just a little. The neurosurgeon mentioned to Richard that he wanted to see it go down by 5mm. That seems like a lot but we were praying for that. I don't know what they will say tomorrow but we've just conceded that Nathan might be here for another abscess drainage. We prayed and hoped that this wouldn't be the case and a part of me is still hoping Nathan can avoid this risky surgery.

Today was a hard day for me. I feel like as soon as Nathan starts to get better, something happens to set him back. It's hard to watch over and over again. Sorry to sound so discouraged. I will hopefully have a better perspective tomorrow.

It Went Well!

2010-03-31T11:33:00.004-05:00

I'm happy to tell you that Nathan's surgery went well! Praise God! His surgery was not an open heart surgery. Like I've mentioned, this is a 3 step process. They went through the side of his chest and put in two shunts. This will route more blood to his lungs thus increasing the oxygen his body gets. Since he was not getting a lot of blood flow through his pulmonary artery, it was smaller than it normally would have been. Now with the extra flow, they expect it to grow. Even though it was small, the surgeon said it was not too small. Yay!

I am in the room with him and there is a noticeable difference in his color. Although all the blueness he had is not completely gone, he does definitely look less blue. His toes actually look pink. He is on a breathing machine for now to see how he does and if all goes well, they will take it out tomorrow morning. Consequently, they are going to keep him sedated. The little guy has moved some and even tried to grab some of his tubing! He's a little feisty even while sedated! Our nurse said that once he realizes that he has some stamina to look out, he's going to be a madman! It is quite astonishing to realize that in his whole life he has never known what it's like to have energy. Praise God that he is getting what he needs so that he can be like other 3 year-old boys. They expect recovery to be 3-5 days.

Oh, the surgical nurse gave me what they used to make the shunt and I will post a picture of it when I charge my camera. Wow, this thing looks so simple and yet it is doing wonders. Eventually, in either the second or third surgery, they will clamp off these shunts. Right now it's just to get him better oxygen levels via better blood flow to the lungs and to grow his pulmonary artery. I think it might actually help his lung to grow too. The left one is smaller than the right since it hasn't had as much blood flowing to it.

In other news, Nathan will be having another MRI next week of his head to see how the abscess is doing. We are praying and hoping that the abscess is still shrinking so that he will not have to have another surgery to drain it. It's just so much for him and if he can avoid another brain surgery, we will be more than happy. I was so happy to see him looking better and then I remember the whole abscess thing and it makes me sad. One part getting better but there are still other issues. One day at a time I guess.

Thanks for all your prayers. We will keep you updated on how he does but so far so good and we are SO THANKFUL! God is GOOD!!!

Scroll

2010-03-31T00:16:00.002-05:00

Scroll down to see the details about tomorrow's surgery (technically today's surgery since it's just after midnight).

Some Pics

2010-03-30T22:45:00.010-05:00

Here are just a few pics, Nathan loves his wagon, I think he wants to stay in this all day.

Notice all his hardware, it looks like he has landed on an alien planet and he is exploring in his rover.

Isabel and Nathan, she somehow always gets him to smile or laugh.

Details

2010-03-30T20:07:00.002-05:00

Nathan's surgery will be at 6:30 tomorrow morning. He was supposed to go a little bit later but the first spot opened up so he was moved up. The surgery is supposed to last about 2 hours with an additional 45 minutes of prep (putting in lines, etc.). Our nurse said that it's possible that Nathan's fingers won't be blue after this surgery. I was surprised by this but would LOVE to see his fingers nice and pink. We'll see. I'll take him getting through the surgery okay and having his oxygen levels in a more stable range. :)

When I checked our blog today, I was blown away by all the wonderful comments. Thank you so much for your prayers, scripture references and support! They meant so much and brought me to tears. Thank you all! We were particularly happy to hear from you, Jimmie. We think about you and Eddie a lot too. I am going to have Richard email you. We would love to hear how Eddie's doing!

Today was a really good day for Nathan. Our nurse took him for a ride in a wagon and he got to go outside. It was actually pretty nice out and it was the first time he's gotten to go outside in a while. It was also the first time he got to go outside without a coat on since coming home in November! The past few days he's gone for rides around the unit but today was definitely special. The pediatric ICU is brand new, probably less than 6 months old and they have a deck with tables and such. I think Nathan really enjoyed it. I have a couple pictures to share of him in the wagon but my camera battery died and the charger is at home. Hopefully, I'll be able to share them soon. Also, I can't wait to show you all the equipment we have to take on these little rides. We are quite the sight!

I just have to mention that we really love the nurses Nathan has. The nurse he had yesterday and today is particularly sweet. She definitely goes above and beyond to make things better for the kids.

Okay, I will let all of you know how things go tomorrow. Thanks so much for standing by us. Your prayers truly mean the world to us.

We Have A Date

2010-03-28T23:20:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. I am exhausted. I am behind on email too so if I owe you an email, I'm sorry! I will hopefully catch up soon.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Nathan will be having his heart surgery on Wednesday! We are very excited about this. They are not going to wait until 10 days after his cold goes away as he really does need to have it soon. Giving him blood didn't help his oxygen levels that much and he gets worn out pretty quickly now-a-days. Standing up in his crib to pull his pants up will labor his breathing considerably. He will even randomly go to sleep just because his heart and lungs are working so hard. He also isn't that interested in eating much anymore (and our little guy LOVES to eat). They have him on a drip to get nutrients into him. The doctor's and nurses have decided to not do anything that will agitate him. If he gets upset, his oxygen levels go very low. It's hard for Richard and I to realize how sick he is sometimes but one of our nurses spoke with us today and we have a better idea. The type of oxygen levels Nathan has while he's awake (in the 40's and 50's) are levels that would require a breathing tube. She said they typically don't accept anything lower than 70 before putting in a tube. I think our little guy amazes the staff here. He amazes us too because every additional bit of knowledge helps us realize how God continues to sustain him.

We ask that you continue to pray for Nathan, especially on Wednesday. We don't know the time of the surgery yet but I will let you know when we do. Nathan isn't in optimal health to have heart surgery but at this point there is no option to wait. I am happy he is having surgery but as you can imagine, still a bit nervous. This surgery is also just part 1 of 3. The next one will be in 4-8 months we're told.

Thanks for praying, we are so grateful! Also, thanks for your encouraging comments. We read them all!

MRI Results

2010-03-24T22:01:00.003-05:00

I FINALLY get to be the bearer of GOOD news and share with you that Nathan's abscess has SHRUNK!! Praise God!!! We were very happy to receive this news, of course. The neurosurgeon will be back tomorrow and we will find out what his recommendation is. He is very conservative so we are hopeful that he will want to wait on surgery. If it were up to our ID doctor, Nathan would have had the surgery already. I don't know what's up with her but she really wants him to have this surgery. The MRI from March 5 indicated that Nathan's abscess had not shrunk at all from the time he was discharged from the hospital in February. The measurement was 4.6cm. When we came back to the hospital on March 12 because of the stroke they decided to do another MRI, which took place on March 13. Apparently, the abscess from that MRI measured 4.1cm. We were never told about this shrinkage. I would like to assume that they were mostly focused on the stroke and that it was an oversight. The MRI he had yesterday indicated the abscess measured 3.9cm. We are just so thankful for all your prayers. God is so good and we believe He will continue to shrink this thing. I couldn't be happier with how much it has gone down in a mere 18 days after having not budged in several weeks. At this rate it will be gone long before our ID doc's prediction of 1 year.

Nathan is still having issues with his oxygen levels. After a couple days of asking about his hemoglobin levels and questioning whether or not they've taken too much blood and getting nowhere, one mention to our cardiologist and the next thing we know, Nathan is getting blood. This was a little frustrating to us. Whenever we mentioned this, most of the docs on the floor would act like his hemoglobin was fine (and it is actually high for someone with a healthy heart). But it's not fine for Nathan and thankfully, our cardiologist gets things done. Nathan is on oxygen and for the past couple of days he could barely eat without his oxygen levels dipping low enough to need an additional oxygen mask. He is hanging out in the 50's and 60's which is definitely below his baseline. However, when he eats or gets out of bed or even exerts much energy, he is going down to the 30's. The only time he is doing normal for him is when he is sleeping!

Also, if you can believe this, Nathan has tested positive for the common cold. You wouldn't think this could be possible with all the medicine he gets. Anyway, our cardiologist said they will not do his heart surgery until 10 days after his cold is gone (I would assume this would be the case for his brain surgery but hopefully that's not an issue). I completely understand this but goodness, we just want him to get this repair. We are hoping that if they decide not to do the brain surgery that maybe he could be stabilized enough to go home and then he could come back for his heart surgery.

A couple more things, we're still worried that Nathan is being traumatized here. I think he feels like he has no control over what people do to him and maybe feels like we don't even help him. He is "passing out" for the slightest things. If strange people come into the room and start to do anything to him, he screams and then just goes to "sleep." It's hard to know if this has anything to do with his oxygen intake but he never used to do this. It started with being stuck by the needles so often and now he does it more frequently. He had an echocardiogram today and did it then. That's just an ultrasound of the heart so it doesn't hurt at all. It's just people can do whatever they want to him (from his perspective) and he has no say. Again, he doesn't know that he's sick and needs these things. Please pray for his emotional state.

It also looks like he might be getting the same type of rash around his new line that he got around his old one. Not good! We need this line in and I don't know what they will want to do if it gets really bad. Not to mention the fact that it is awfully uncomfortable to have itching and/or pain to deal with. This little boy has had so much to deal with.

Again, thanks for praying. We are so thankful for every single prayer said on our behalf. We know that there are many of you praying, even if we don't know you personally.

On my way home with Isabel last night we were listening to, "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman singing up a storm of praise for God's goodness. We have our rough spots but we never question God's love for us and for Nathan. Here are the lyrics. Maybe they will be an encouragement to you.

Matt Redman - You Never Let Go

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Chorus:

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Another Something

2010-03-22T21:35:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a few day's since I've posted an update. On Thursday, Nathan got another line put in so that they can draw blood along with administer antibiotics and such. It's is actually tunneled from the crease of his leg into his abdominal area which is where it comes out. The cardiologists did not want another line put in his arms so that they can preserve his veins and arteries for his cardiac surgery. We are so happy that he has this new line because he was understandably not tolerating getting stuck every time they needed blood. And they needed blood a lot. They needed to check it every 4 hours until his blood thinner was in the proper range. Incidentally, he needs more than double the amount of blood thinner a person of his size would need to get into the right range. I think that threw the hematologist for a loop.

While Nathan did have a couple of IV's in, the one they could use to draw blood eventually stopped giving blood so that is why he needed to be stuck so much. After a while, he started passing out when they drew blood. The neurologist thinks it might have been due to trauma but I've heard this can happen so hopefully, he's not too scarred.

They've also put Nathan back on the antibiotic that he is allergic to. It creates a rash but it's the best one for his brain infection. Right now they think they can deal with the rash because the infection is more important. Nathan has had some rough nights with itching and not being able to sleep well. He is now on many creams and antihistamines to combat the rash. They have helped but he's not without discomfort. Poor boy.

Until yesterday we felt like we were in "waiting mode" for his brain surgery (or at least the MRI which we are of course praying will shrink and he won't NEED brain surgery) while the blood thinner was working to prevent new clots. Well, two episodes took place that indicated that he might be having some additional issues. Yesterday around 5:00PM and also around 9:00PM this evening, Nathan had a very agitated episode where it appeared he was having a tantrum and then his oxygen level plummeted. This behavior change seemingly came out of nowhere. Yesterday he went down into single digits and turned gray! Today he went down very close to single digits. For those of you who aren't aware what that means, it's the level of oxygen our body gets. For those of us with a healthy heart, our levels would run in the high 90's. Nathan's baseline is in the 70's. Yeah, single digits is scary stuff! Both times they increased his oxygen and put an additional mask on him until the level came up. He had a chest x-ray after this happened yesterday and they drew blood to check some gas levels. The blood came back perfect and I haven't heard about the x-ray. If there was an issue, we would have heard about it. They believe this is a cardiac issue.

Today they wanted to do an MRI to make sure there were no additional strokes based on yesterday's episode. Nathan had to fast until 4:00PM and then they came in and told us they were going to do it tomorrow. Let's just say I was a little more than annoyed that they made a 3 year-old wait to eat only to postpone it until tomorrow. Then, right after we fed him, they called and changed their mind. Nice. So now he has to fast tomorrow. I guess this whole thing stemmed from what happened when he got his new line. Everything went smoothly until they were taking him out of the sedation and his oxygen levels went down (into the 40's). I think they wanted more people around just in case something happened and they needed them. I don't get much of it because I think you can decide before 4:00 what you need and if you can get it. That's just me. I am of course pretty far removed from that type of decision making.

So, that's where we're at right now. Richard and I are confused about why Nathan is having these oxygen issues. We think they might be taking too much blood again but once we posed that question to the doctor's on the floor, we were reassured that wasn't the case. I asked our nurse his hemoglobin level and it is lower than what our ID doctor wants so I will be asking the ID doc about it tomorrow morning. Our specialists are good but sometimes the doctors on the floor aren't AS familiar with every detail of Nathan's case (which would be difficult because there are several patients they have to know about).

Thanks so much for your prayers. I hope we get GREAT news about Nathan's MRI tomorrow. I will let you know what we find out.

Take care.

Thanks for praying for us

2010-03-20T01:49:00.003-05:00

Nathan is being pumped with medicine and he is breaking out in rashes. He is very aggravated and has his unique way of asking for help. This basically means, it is better to stay up and not even try to fall asleep, I am less frustrated if I just plan to stay up. I allowed the thought about how could we go through this for the next four weeks to dance in my head, but then I realized that this is the selfish part of me that needs to die and be replaced with a passion for the love of Jesus. I am so sadden by how selfish I am and how much I try to make my life comfortable.

So I thank everyone who are praying for us, because of your prayers it is 2 am in the morning and I am watching the second video from http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/radical/ which is titled The Gospel Demands Radical Sacrifice. So I ask for more of your prayers not for sleep at night, but to experience a passionate love for Jesus and for that love to flow and to touch other people's lives allowing them to experience this amazing relationship with Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is what brings true joy, I can say that this experience although very difficult brings a joy from deep down in my heart, a joy so special that I have a hard time comprehending it.

Also continue to pray for Nathan that he would not experience any pain or rashes. We are praying that his infection decreases in size so that they would wait on the brain surgery.

I will let you know how the rest of the videos go.

We love you all and thank you for walking with us.

Pics

2010-03-18T18:32:00.006-05:00

Here are some recent pictures of the kids.

This pic is of Nathan after his first surgery and after our first release from the hospital (the one that lasted 20 hours). I took this not long before we went back because of his fever.

These were taken on March 9, three days before his stroke. They're not the greatest but he was doing really well then. Isabel loves doing puzzles and we're hoping Nathan starts too as well. :)

This was taken with Richard's phone. Isabel jumped into Nathan's crib in the hospital. I think it was taken Monday. It looked cute at the time but Nathan does look pretty sick in this one. Or maybe he just isn't too thrilled with big sis in his bed.

So, I took a couple pictures a few minutes ago so that you can see he is a little better. Actually, these pictures look like he isn't sick at all! Richard was playing with him off to the side to get him to laugh.

A Heavy Day

2010-03-17T21:50:00.002-05:00

This morning all the major doctors who are treating Nathan had a meeting to discuss the best plan to get him better. This included his cardiologist, hematologist, neurologist/neurosurgery, infectious disease and ICU. They came up with a plan and our cardiologist sat with Richard and I and discussed what they decided. Each of these doctors have competing priorities. The hematologist is trying to make sure Nathan doesn't have any more strokes. The infections disease doctors along with neurology want to treat his brain abscess and cardiology wants to repair his heart. In an ideal world, the hematologist would want 6 months to treat Nathan with an anticoagulant. Then ID and neurology would want to treat Nathan for the abscess 6-9 months, if not a year. Then he would be ready for his heart repair. Unfortunately, things are not ideal. If Nathan does not get his heart fixed, he is at risk for strokes and infection. So, the plan is for Nathan to have his abscess drained next Thursday or Friday. This gives the hematologist about two weeks from Nathan's initial stroke to treat/thin his blood. This past Monday, they were actually thinking of doing this surgery yesterday but the hematologist wanted to wait. He said that having a stroke is like an earthquake where after the initial one, there are aftershocks. He wanted at least a week or two to treat him before any type of surgery. If things go well with the draining, they plan on doing his initial heart surgery March 31. He will need 7-10 days to recover from that.

Right before Nathan has his abscess drained, the neurosurgeon will have him go for an MRI. If the abscess has shrunk considerably, they will most likely NOT do the surgery and plan on doing his heart surgery instead (not the same day). Dear friends, this is what we are praying for. Of all the procedures Nathan needs done, they are most nervous about draining the abscess since it is in his brain. Especially since he just had a stroke he is at risk for bleeding in his brain. The first 24-48 hours after the surgery is the most crucial.

Tomorrow Nathan will have a procedure to put a port in his hip area (not sure on the exact spot) so they/we can administer his IV antibiotic and also to draw blood. We are thankful for this as Nathan has been stuck quite a few times to get blood. They need to do this frequently so that they can tell how well the anticoagulant is working. He has two IV's placed but one is for the anticoagulant drip and the other has stopped giving blood for the most part. Sometimes they can get it but it's hit or miss. They are not going to put another PICC into any of the arteries so that they preserve those for what the cardiologists want to do when it comes time to start his heart repair. We will most likely be in the ICU for 3-4 weeks, if not longer for all of these things to be done.

As you can imagine, this was a hard day. I'm still kind of processing all of this. Richard is handling this much better than me but for those of you that know both of us, you could imagine that would be the case. For those of you who don't, Richard is laid back and super optimistic. Apparently though, the doctor's think we are doing a wonderful job with the news so I guess I can put up a good front sometimes. The tongue-biting to keep from crying in front of the cardiologist really worked for me. :)

On a positive note, Nathan had a good day. Some of the issues I mentioned in a previous post about his speech and coordination have subsided. He is talking like he used to and he is nearly back to normal physically. Being in a bed for a few days has weakened his legs but he's no longer leaning over and his coordination is a lot better. His rash where the PICC line was is also doing better.

This next week is a crucial time for prayer and I would love nothing more than for Nathan to go for his MRI and in 30 minutes get rolled back into his room bypassing a risky surgery thanks to our awesome God. Our cardiologist even mentioned that if by some miracle Nathan's abscess has shrunk considerably, that she is certain the neurosurgeon would want to wait on surgery. I think she opened the door with that comment! :)

I appreciate all your prayers. I don't know how to convey how much they mean to us except to just thank you for keeping Nathan and all of us in your prayers.

I have been trying to remember to post a few updated pictures of the kids from last week before all of this started. I keep forgetting to bring my camera to the hospital. Hopefully soon. I know you'd like to see Nathan and how well he was doing last week. I haven't posted any pics since China. Also, Richard has a couple pics on his phone of Isabel and Nathan in his crib in the hospital. They're pretty cute too. Hopefully, tomorrow.

Good night.

Monday's Update

2010-03-15T21:15:00.002-05:00

A few things are going on with Nathan. First, he had to have his PICC line removed today. He developed a rash under the dressing a little over a week ago and it got really bad. Last night it was oozing and overnight they even had to change the dressing. This afternoon he starting complaining about it a lot, saying, "owie" over and over. They finally took it out which is both good and bad. Not having it there will give the skin a chance to heal but now he had to have two IV's placed.

A second thing is that we noticed he is having a bad reaction to one of the antibiotics he is on. It makes him really fidgety and his behavior is erratic. We barely noticed it at first because he was also on Benadryl which makes him sleepy. But last night he woke up all night long and this evening it was very apparent that he was not acting normal. I neglected to mention in my last post that he developed another rash over most of his torso last week that progressively got worse. While in the hospital they took him off the antibiotic that he was taking at home along with his anti-seizure medicine and it cleared up well. They don't know which of the two medicines are responsible for the rash but he needs both of them so I am not sure how they will proceed. That is the reason he is on a different antibiotic, the one causing this behavioral reaction.

Thankfully, Nathan has had no additional strokes since yesterday afternoon. He had an ultrasound of his extremities to check for the clotting source. He also had an EEG to check his brain activity. We haven't gotten the results of either of these tests yet.

One thing I will mention is that I am very worried about Nathan's emotional well-being. I ask that you pray for him. He doesn't have the vocabulary to express his feelings and I can't imagine how difficult that must be. Richard and I have noticed signs of regression. I don't even know if he trusts us. From his perspective, given all he's gone through, I don't think I would blame him. In his mind all we've done as his parents is to take him to one painful experience after another. He doesn't understand that we are just trying to get him better. He doesn't know how sick he is or what this all means. For any child this is a lot to handle, but more so I think for someone who's just experienced the biggest transition of their lives - being adopted by strangers into a foreign country. We try to comfort him as much as we can but there's only so much we can do.

Finally, we learned today that it might take a year to get better from his abscess and be in a position to have heart surgery. I haven't spoken with the cardiologist yet but I am worried that is too far off. Ultimately, his heart is the reason he is having these other issues.

Thanks for praying. We are so grateful!

A Lot Going On

2010-03-14T15:17:00.002-05:00

I wanted to post an update regarding our doctor's appointments on the 8th and 9th but so much has happened that I haven't had a chance.

We had a cardiologist appointment on the 8th and they did an echocardiogram and everything looked really good. The bacteria on his aortic valve seemed to be barely noticeable as well which was good news. On the 9th we had appointments with both infectious disease and the neurosurgeon. This is when we found out the results of the MRI Nathan had on the 5th. Apparently, the abscess hasn't gotten any smaller. Both doctor's seemed really surprised with how well Nathan was doing given the results. I think they both feel like the abscess needs to be drained but the neurosurgeon especially wanted to wait since Nathan was doing so well. He was scheduled to have another MRI on the 19th with another appointment with the neurosurgeon a week later but unfortunately, Nathan is now in the hospital.

On Thursday evening, Nathan pulled out his PICC line about 4cm. He was laying in bed and we heard him scream. The end of the line was sutured to his arm and those broke. We don't think this was intentional because he doesn't like to know that his PICC line exists but we're not sure what happened. It's possible he was chewing on it and pulled his arm. We don't know. We called our home care nurse and she came out and looked at it. By the next morning, our doctor had set up a chest x-ray to determine what was going on with the PICC. We went into the hospital and they decided to change it. They changed it out with no problems and we were home by 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday. Less than two hours later, we started to realize that Nathan couldn't see us. He wasn't focusing his eyes on us so we started to test his sight but putting our hands close to his face to see if he would blink or flinch. He didn't do any of this. We called the doctor and while we were waiting for her to call us back, Nathan layed down on the sofa and his eyes started to roll back. We thought he might start having a seizure so we called for an ambulance and they took us to the hospital.

Once in the ER, Nathan regained his sight but he was understandably irritable. Overnight into Saturday he did fine and actually did well most of Saturday. He had an MRI on Saturday and that determined that the episode on Friday night was a stroke. A blood clot from somewhere in his body traveled up to his brain and blocked blood flow and consequently oxygen to that portion of his brain. Then around 7:00PM on Saturday he had another one. He was then moved into the ICU. Since then, he had three more strokes overnight and one this afternoon. They are calling them mini-strokes and apparently they are to be expected. They put him on an anticoagulation drug to thin his blood to prevent further clot formation.

Today, they checked his heart to see if that was the origin of the blood clots and they found his heart to be fine. He also had a CT scan today but we haven't gotten the results of that yet. They are going to do some ultrasound-type test to check for blood clots in his extremities. The hematologist mentioned that his PICC line could be the source of his clots and although we have no evidence to support that, I think that might actually be the issue. I hope he doesn't need to have it taken out because that is how he gets the antibiotics to treat his brain abscess. They are also planning on doing an EEG to check his brain activity.

Okay, that's a lot of information. And if you can believe it, I'm sure I am leaving something out.

As far as how Nathan is doing, he is not quite himself. He perpetually leans over somewhat and his coordination is not quite normal. The left side of his face droops a tiny bit. His speech, although it was never perfect, is a little worse. It is really hard to watch him. But I read something last night that really spoke to me. We are not here to live a comfortable life. Although I know this, I sometimes need to be reminded. Sometimes I start focusing on myself and how hard this is for me. Yeah, that's selfish because Nathan is the one who's suffering. Thankfully, God puts me back on the right path and shows me that this isn't about me but Him. It's about giving up your life to live a life that's infinitely more rewarding.

Oh, a couple cute things about Isabel. She is doing so great by the way. Amazing actually. When we got to the ER, a girl took her to the waiting room to make some necklaces and the girl asked her if her brother came to the hospital in an ambulance and Isabel told her, "No, he came from China." So cute. Then last night while Nathan was having his episode and they took him over to ICU, I was crying and Isabel was telling me that it was okay. I told her we needed to pray for Nathan because he was sick so she told me that she would pray. Here is what she said, "Dear God, please help mommy stop crying. She always cries when Nathan is sick. Please help Nathan to get better. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Amen

No News is Good News!

2010-03-01T22:16:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update everyone. There actually hasn't been much to say. Nathan has not had a fever that required us to take him back to the hospital! We are so grateful for that. It is so nice being home and having a normal routine.

Nathan is also doing a lot better walking and using his right hand/arm. When we first got home he was very unsteady on his feet. A lot of it had to do with the surgery but I think maybe not walking for nearly 3 weeks might have been a factor as well. He is walking around the house pretty well now. He still uses his left hand more than his right but he is doing better engaging his right hand.

He has an MRI on Friday and next Tuesday we will bring that CD to the neurosurgeon who will hopefully give us good news about the abscess. I will update once we get the results of that.

We continue to give Nathan an anti-seizure medicine twice a day along with his IV antibiotics three times a day. I don't know how long he will be on those but maybe we will have a better idea next week. He also has appointments scheduled with his cardiologist and a doctor from infectious disease. The infectious disease doctors are the ones who monitor the treatment of the infection and decide what type of antibiotics are administered.

Our home health care nurse is really nice. She comes out once a week to take labs and change the dressing on Nathan's PICC line. It's great being able to talk to her and ask her questions.

Thanks so much for lifting us up in prayer!

We're Home Again!!

2010-02-18T20:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday they decided to discharge us since Nathan had not had a fever in two days. I was initially really excited but the ID doctor told me she was nervous that something might happen overnight. So of course, that made me nervous. I started wondering why they were they letting us go. I ended up speaking with the pediatrician and asked her if it was risky to take Nathan home. She was very reassuring but did tell me that she, the ID doctor and the neurosurgeon agree that Nathan will probably have to have another procedure to drain the abscess. However, they want to do it when he is healthy and not suffering from fevers since it is not an emergency. And of course, it is brain surgery so they are being cautious. They want to see how things go with the antibiotics. Nathan is scheduled for another MRI of his brain on March 5th and we have an appointment with the neurosurgeon on the 9th so they will reevaluate at that time. We have been instructed to bring him into the hospital if his fever hits 101 degrees, if there is any change in his mental state or anything else abnormal happens. We will be readily admitted should any of these occur.

Nathan's antibiotic therapy has changed somewhat. He is on something different, something that covers a broader range of infection. He also needs to have this antibiotics every eight hours as opposed to every twelve. This is making for late nights and early mornings but I think Richard and I will eventually figure out a schedule where we switch off so both of us are getting good sleep. Right now it's so new we are administering it together. I told Richard it was kind of scary to play nurse! :)

In spite of all this, we are so happy to be home. It will be a little while before the house is in order but I made a little progress today. But it is nice to be at home together and sleep in our own beds! There is so much to be thankful for!

Right now we are praying that Nathan's abscess decreases in size quickly and that he doesn't need to have another procedure. I am also praying that after Nathan's next MRI the doctor's are amazed at the size of his abscess and have no medical explanation. :)

Right after Nathan was taken into surgery I opened my Bible and read this very verse in Psalm 118:8, "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." This has been a comfort to me during this process (although I have had my discouraging moments - just not too many). Right before the surgery, the doctor's told me that they weren't sure he could survive or that they could even help him. I will chose to trust in the One who has the final say on what happens to our little guy.

Thanks so much for your prayers! I will update all of you as things develop and to let you know how we're doing.

Up and Down

2010-02-16T20:55:00.003-06:00

Nathan had another MRI on his head late yesterday. This morning they told us that the abscess has not gotten smaller and the radiologist thinks that it may have actually gotten larger. It's about 4.6cm. The infectious disease (ID) doctor recommended that Nathan have another procedure to drain the abscess. However, after the ID doctor spoke with the neurosurgeon they decided to wait and monitor it since Nathan is acting fine and did not have a fever overnight (his fevers typically come at night and are higher). We think this was mostly on the part of the neurosurgeon and we are thankful that he is conservative with performing surgery. The ID doctor will probably want to drain the abscess again if Nathan's fevers are frequent and high. Incidentally, they are now assuming that his fevers have been a result of the abscess. Not too long before we went home last week, they took him off of a medication to reduce swelling in his brain and they believe it's possible that the medication could have masked the persistent infection that resulted in a fever when we went home.

After hearing the news from the ID doctor, we were certain that Nathan would probably have surgery this week but when she came back after speaking with the neurosurgeon, we had hope that maybe it wouldn't be necessary. And actually after the pediatrician came in this evening we were told if Nathan doesn't have a fever tonight that they will discharge us tomorrow! This is something to be hopeful for!

Nathan is doing well in spite of all of this. Today we gave him a bath (well, he didn't like that) and since he wasn't hooked up to any monitors we were able to carry him around the room and play. We also had him walk and he was actually able to walk a couple feet on his own. He was somewhat unsteady but not too bad. He is also using his right hand more. If you recall, his right side has been weaker ever since his surgery as a result of the abscess being on the left side of his brain. He definitely prefers to use his left hand but is engaging his right hand more and more.

Right now we are praying that the antibiotics will be able to penetrate the abscess and work to eventually eliminate it. We don't want Nathan to need another surgical procedure. It's a risk we don't want him to have to go through again if at all possible. Also, we are praying that the abscess will be eliminated quickly because the ID doctor thinks we're looking at antibiotic therapy for about 6 months (an estimate so it could be shorter or longer). That would put Nathan's heart surgery at least 8 months out. We just want our little guy to be all better.

Thank you for your prayers! We are experiencing a peace that seems so foreign in a situation like this, well, at least for me. Richard doesn't struggle with worry the way I do. :) We know that your prayers are sustaining us and we are so thankful!

Maybe next time I post, we'll be home again for good!

Slow Day

2010-02-14T21:24:00.003-06:00

Not much happened today except that Nathan is now off of his oxygen. They now believe that the reason for his low oxygen levels was due to them taking so much blood from him. His levels have gone higher now that he received some blood.

He had a fever last night and one this afternoon so they are not totally sure what is causing it. He is on one antibiotic now but it's not the one that he went home on. It's different and covers a broader range of infection. It could be possible that the abscess isn't getting the antibiotics like it should and that is the reason for the fever. We might have more answers after his MRI tomorrow.

Besides that, we had a good day. The four of us hung out here at the hospital. It's really nice to be together. Of course I'd prefer to be home but one week before Nathan's surgery, there was a ban lifted on child visitors under the age of 18. They instituted due to the H1N1 outbreak but that is no longer in effect and we are so thankful. This would be infinitely harder if we couldn't all be together.

Hopefully, we get good news about the size of the abscess tomorrow. I will let everyone know how it goes. I'm praying they don't need to drain it again and that they also find the cause of his fever.

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Chinese New Year.

Inching Forward

2010-02-13T20:57:00.003-06:00

Sorry I didn't post an update yesterday. After I left the hospital I took Isabel to her ice skating class, came home and ate dinner, gave Isabel a bath and put her to bed, did 3 loads of laundry and sorted through our large stack of mail (a lot of things pile up when you have a child in the hospital). After that, I just didn't have the energy to post.

Thursday night I was pretty discouraged with some of the information we received regarding the MRI of Nathan's head. We learned that there is evidence on his brain that he has had mini-strokes. They can't be totally sure if this is new or was there before the MRI they took right before he had surgery. With the first MRI, they were more concerned with the abscess. During this MRI, they took different pictures. However, they are leaning toward this being something new. This was hard news for me to take but thankfully, on Friday, one of our cardiologists spoke with the neuroradiologist and they think that any damage would be reversible. Praise God!

Regarding the abscess, the MRI also showed that it has shrunk but they are not sure if it got even smaller than it is now and has grown larger or if it has continued to just get smaller. They will be doing another MRI on Monday to see what's going on. The neurosurgeon said that sometimes they need to drain the abscess more than once. Hopefully, it just continues to get smaller!

The echocardiogram didn't show there being anything additionally wrong with his heart so that's great news! His heart continues to be stable.

They have still been perplexed by his oxygen levels although they might have hit on something today. They have found that his hemoglobin has continued to go down since he's been in the hospital. This is because they keep taking blood from him for lab tests. They think that if they give him blood, that his hemoglobin will go up and therefore, maybe his oxygen levels will rise as well. They gave him some blood today and will monitor how things go. We are hoping that this is the answer! If this doesn't work, they will be taking a CT scan of his lungs to see if there is anything going on there. They did take an x-ray of his lungs and that looked good but a CT scan would give them better information.

I will let everyone know how things progress. Hopefully, no more update slacking in my future. :)

Eventful Night

2010-02-11T09:45:00.003-06:00

I posted late last night and if you can believe it, it still turned out to be quite an eventful evening. A little after midnight, as I was just falling asleep, the resident physician came in and told me that they wanted to transfer Nathan to the Pediatric ICU. The things they tried to bring up his oxygen levels (to what is normal for him) didn't work and they wanted him to be better monitored in case something was evolving. It felt like that dreadful night 10 days ago. We even had the exact same nurse and NCT as we did the night we came over here and they found his abscess.

I do want to explain what I mean by his oxygen levels being low. For a person without a heart defect, oxygenated blood feeds the organs and tissues at levels close to or at 100%. Nathan usually runs in the mid 70 to low 80% range. When we were admitted into the pediatric ward, he was in the low 60's.

Sometime overnight, I woke up because Nathan was crying. The nurse was in and had drawn blood from his picc line. I looked at him and noticed that his color looked bad. I mentioned it to the nurse and that's when she showed me that his oxygen level had dipped into the 30's! I was so scared. I started praying and by God's grace it started rising. We just stood there watching the machine wondering what was going to happen. Soon after it was up and the nurse even commented that it was better than it had been all night!

Not too long after that, I went to sleep. I woke up some time later and the nurse was putting blankets on him. He had 2 regular and 2 heated blankets on him and he was shivering! I felt his forehead and he would go from burning hot to cold. Then he started making strange sounds while he was breathing and I thought maybe he might be having a seizure. I checked his legs to see if I could move them and I could (when he was seizing last week he was so stiff). I mentioned to his nurse about checking for seizure but she looked into his pupils and everything was fine! Thankfully!

His oxygen levels fluctuated a good portion of the night. Around 5:00AM he had a fever of 104 and they treated him for that. By the time he woke up this morning he was stable and I don't think the fever has returned.

Today he has had an echocardiogram again along with an MRI of his head. He is on oxygen to keep his oxygen levels at a level that is normal for him. He has increased markers for imflammation as of last night which he didn't have a few days ago. His lungs look good. The blood cultures haven't shown any bacteria yet. He is on three antibiotics now. They are treating him like they did initially for a wide range of possibilities.

Right now we're just waiting to see what the echo and MRI show. His cardiologists should be by later.

Will keep you posted.

Back Again

2010-02-10T22:40:00.003-06:00

Well, our time at home was short-lived. Twenty hours after getting home we were on our way back to the hospital. Nathan's fever went down slightly over night but this morning it was up again and so we called our doctor. He ended up calling the infectious disease doctor's who are treating him for his infection and they wanted Nathan back in the hospital. Our home care nurse said that since he is on antibiotics, his fever should be going down.

Right now the plan is to check his blood and see if there is any bacteria. They might need to change his antibiotic or potentially add one depending on what they find. One unexpected thing that happened since we've been here is his oxygen levels have been a lot lower than what is normal for him. It is perplexing the pediatrician and nurses on call tonight so they are contacting cardiology. They are also doing some diagnostic testing to try and figure it out. Right now he is on oxygen and we will see how it goes. We are expected to be here at least two days.

I will say that our 20 hours at home were great. Nathan got a great night's sleep (so did Richard and I for that matter). No interruptions! Richard and I got to sleep in the same bed together for the first time in 8 days! Oh, around 2:30 this morning I heard Nathan sneeze and then say, "bless you." Very cute. He was also joking today and laughing. Outside of his fever, you wouldn't really know that he was sick at all. We also got to eat real food for three meals as a family together. No hospital food or take out! Oh, and as a side note, the hospital food options for children is surprisingly unhealthy. There are a few options for fruits and veggies but most of the options are not good for you. So, we definitely enjoyed our time at home and are looking forward to being back there with our little guy. I will say it is comforting though to be in a place where people know what to do and Richard and I don't always have to make all the decisions. It's hard being at home wondering if something Nathan is going through is normal, if we should take him to the hospital or at least call the doctor. It takes the guess work out of it all.

Thanks again for your encouraging words and your prayers. We really do appreciate all of you, even those of you we don't know! I hope to post tomorrow that the doctor's are finding answers.

We're Home

2010-02-09T22:07:00.002-06:00

Today we finally made the trip home! Yay! However, it was not without it's challenges. As soon as they discharged us and we signed the papers, Nathan threw up. We literally had his shoes and clothes on and were about to put his coat on. He was crying the whole time we were getting him ready to go but we weren't sure why. Maybe he felt sick or maybe he was tired and his crying led to his throwing up. At any rate, we were told to wait an hour and see how he did. After the hour was up and he seemed fine, we made our way home in the snow.

Before we got home, we had a couple perscriptions to fill. Then we went home and after dinner, the home care nurse came and showed us how to administer his IV medicine. At that point, we realized that Nathan also now has a fever! We need to monitor him but if it doesn't go away, we need to call his doctor. Richard says it feels like deja vu all over again. I said that we couldn't make this stuff up. Please pray that his fever subsides and that he starts to feel better. I don't want to believe that as soon as we're released from the hospital that we need to take him back. Of course, if that is what needs to be done, we will do it but we were so excited to get him home we hope he gets better and we can stay!

Thanks for all the prayers and encouraging words! Will keep you posted.

CT Scan Results

2010-02-08T21:21:00.002-06:00

Nathan had his CT scan this morning and we received the results. The swelling in the brain has subsided and he will no longer need to take the medicine that was treating that. I also apparently misunderstood what happened during his surgery. I thought they cleaned out and removed the abscess but they actually just drained it. The abscess therefore, is still there but it is smaller. He will have to be on antibiotic therapy indefinitely to treat it and have routine scans to check progress. He is down to one antibiotic and they changed his anti-seizure medicine to one that he can take orally.

He also had an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of his heart) but we do not have the results of that yet.

Nathan is doing well though. Today he was tired all day but that was a result of not sleeping well last night. He is actually starting to say new words which I was pleasantly surprised to hear. One is, "hello" and "I want some." Nathan's vocabulary is very limited and I suspect he might need speech therapy at some point. But it was so nice to hear him say new things. I wonder if the abscess has anything to do with his speech. I will have to ask. He also asked for Isabel a few times today (he calls her Bel). Very cute.

The doctor's are thinking that Nathan will probably be able to go home on Wednesday. I am so happy that we are so close to bringing him home. I look forward to him getting uninterrupted sleep and hopefully resting will speed his recovery. It will be great for him too because he's always anxious when people come into the room, especially when he's sleeping. So many reasons to get him home!

I will hopefully update the results of his echo tomorrow. I think they are looking to see if there is still any bacteria on his aortic valve. The cardiologist did say that his heart is the least of his problems right now. I guess that's good and bad. At any rate, we are praying for complete healing for our little guy and believe God is hearing us and all of those who are lifting him up!

Busy Little Guy

2010-02-07T19:07:00.004-06:00

Nathan was a busy little guy today. Richard stayed last night and when Isabel and I got here around noon, Nathan was ready to eat lunch. After lunch we gave him a sponge bath and put his own pj's on him and left the room!! He was so excited to see his own clothes and get to wear them. He kept saying, "mine" and "go." Richard carried him out of the room to see the little electronic train set they have on display. Isabel was really excited to show Nathan the trains.

We also had Nathan walk around the room with Richard holding onto him. He did such a great job! He cannot walk on his own but his legs know what to do, he's just unsteady. Afterward, he sat on the little sofa they have here and we played with bubbles. He also "helped" the nurse administer his IV medicine. He interacted well today! He colored some and had fun putting on the exam gloves we all have to wear. Both yesterday and today he was joking with us and laughing even. We haven't heard many laughs lately so it is so great to hear him having some fun. Even before coming here he was sick for some time and wasn't interested in having any fun.

The pediatrician that was here today said that she will arrange to have his CT scan and echocardiogram tomorrow and depending on how things go, we might be able to go home on Tuesday or Wednesday!! Everyone thinks Nathan is looking good and doing well. This is definitely an answer to prayer. We are praying that his CT scan especially shows no new growth of the abscess and that the antibiotics are working.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and comments on our blog. I am so thankful for everyone who took the time to pray for us. I am especially humbled by comments of people we don't even know who have taken the time to let us know that they are praying! Thank you so much!

I am hoping to post tomorrow that we have a plan to go home! Will keep you posted.

Small Improvements

2010-02-06T09:17:00.002-06:00

Yesterday they removed Nathan's central IV. Now he just has the picc line in his arm which will be there indefinitely. He is also down to one antibiotic. Along with the antibiotic he takes an anti-seizure medicine and something for swelling.

He will probably have his CT scan on Monday so the plan over the weekend is just to continue on with his medicine and see how he does.

I don't think Nathan rests well at night. Well, I know I don't rest well so I can't see how he does. At home he typically sleeps about 11 hours at night with a nap during the day. This is a typical night in the hospital. He gets his antibiotics at 9:00PM. That takes 30 minutes and then the machine beeps and the nurse comes in and removes the tube to his picc line. Then they flush it. Then he gets another med. At midnight, he gets another medicine and then they take his vitals (blood pressure and temperature). Then at 4:00AM they take his vitals again. At 6:00AM he gets another medicine. Then around 7 or 8, doctors come in and check him out. At 8:00, more vitals and then our new nurse comes in and checks him. He does nap some during the day but it's just more of the same with people coming in. I wish he could rest. He cries nearly every time someone comes in and is suspicious about what they are going to do to him (understandably so). It takes a little bit for him to fall back asleep. I know this is just part of the territory. We are thankful that he is well cared for but I also know how good it feels to get good rest at night and can't wait for him to get that.

We are not sure when we will be going home. Like I mentioned, he has a CT scan on Monday and that will be important. We are praying the antibiotics are working on his infection and that it hasn't started to grow again. I think after that, we will have a better idea as to how long we will be here.

Thanks again for all your prayers!

Another Night - More improvements

2010-02-05T11:05:00.002-06:00

It was my turn to spend the night with Nathan. He slept most of the night after dinner.

He did get up around 4:30 in the morning and we had a mini breakfast with some cereal and juice. Then around 8:30 we had a real breakfast, he cannot wait until lunch for some more food.

The doctors will be discussing the short term plan for Nathan today, we will see when he can get home. He is already asking to GO. We are all ready to be home.

He is saying some words that I am not sure what he is trying to say and this frustrates him so much. I can side step it a bit by always ending up asking him if he wants some more apple juice and then he says yes. Will definitely need a plan for sign language.

He is doing great and thanks for all the support.

Making Progress

2010-02-04T21:40:00.002-06:00

Nathan made progress today. He is now out of the Pediatric ICU and is in a regular room!!

He also got another IV put in. It's called a picc line and it goes through the arm with a tube that winds through his vein all the way to the heart. This is something that he could go home with so that he can receive his antibiotics straight into the blood without having to go through the stomach with an oral medication. Apparently, it's somewhat difficult for antibiotics to break through the blood/brain barrier so this removes an extra step in the process making it more ideal. Once we are able to go home, there will be someone who comes to the house and teaches us how to administer his medicine. They will also change his dressing once a week and are able to draw blood through this line.

It appears that there was only one type of bacteria in his brain so the doctor's are going to eliminiate two of the four antibiotics that they were giving him. They are hoping to go down to one soon but we're thankful that he won't need as much as he's been getting.

Nathan still favors the left side of his body. His right side, especially his arm, can move but he keeps it bent and close to his chest most of the time. He answers our questions with head shakes and says a few words. He wasn't very verbal before this though so doctor's can't gather much from his speech. We are praying that he regains all control of his body and that this abscess hasn't done any damage to his brain.

The neurologist plans on having another CT scan done in a week but apparently everything is going the way he expected. In this regard we are praying that the abscess is responding to the antibiotics and that it will not return. We were told that this is a possibility.

We hope that Nathan continues to improve and that it will not take too long to eliminate this infection. The doctor's say that every case is different but at the very minimum he would be on antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks (and that is if his abscess were about half the size that it was). If we add that to the fact that he has to be infection free for 6-8 weeks before heart surgery, we are looking pretty far down the road in planning that repair. So far, Nathan's heart is stable which is great. But we just want to get this little guy on the mend!

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I hope to have more good news tomorrow!

History Part 2

2010-02-03T16:25:00.002-06:00

I realized that I never went into some of the details from Monday so I will do that now in case anyone is interested. Some people got this information and some did not.

To recap, we got to the ER on Sunday around 5:00PM. Went up to the pediatric ward around 8:30 or so. First seizure around 10:30. CT scan around 1:00AM. Transfer to PICU around 2:00. Was in the lounge until 5:30 while they put in the breathing tube and such. MRI around 7:00 followed by emergency surgery. Out of surgery and back in room around 11:30AM Monday.

Some may be wondering how an infection that started in the heart reached the brain. Apparently, everyone has bacteria in their blood. In a heart with no defect, the lungs, liver and spleen filter out the bacteria and it doesn't reach the brain or other parts of the body. In people whose heart works differently, the blood from the heart can reach the whole body therefore spreading bacteria anywhere. Our cardiologist said that an infection could have shown up anywhere, in the eyes, leg etc. In Nathan's case, it was in his brain. They have no idea when it started and the only way to know this was happening in his head was for him to have a seizure. All of his illness last week was due to the infection in his brain.

I just want to praise God for the fact that Nathan did not have any seizures at home. We were told that it was a miracle because this usually happens at home. He was in a position to get immediate help! Also, it is scary enough to watch something like that and I imagine infinitely more if we were at home and not in the hospital where nurses and doctors could immediately take the necessary steps to figure out what was wrong. I am so very thankful for that.

Also, given Nathan's heart defect, they were pretty sure that he had an infection in his brain and not a tumor. Like I mentioned in the History section from my update last night, they weren't sure if it was an abscess or a mass. They treated him for infection before they were sure. It is of course another blessing that he did not have a tumor. They said if he had a healthy heart and started having seizures, it most likely would have been a tumor. Again, a heart with no defect does not send blood with bacteria throughout the body.

I think all the information we have is now blogged and we can just go forward with our updates.

Thanks again to everyone who's praying! We are so grateful!

Nathan just had a huge lunch

2010-02-03T13:12:00.004-06:00

Nathan just had a huge lunch. He usually eats more than me.

They took him out from all the cables and I was able to hold him for bit. I placed him back in bed after a short while since he did not seem comfortable but wanted to stay with me. His sores are still hurting I am sure where they took the tubes out. There was an IV in each hand, both legs and his groin area today, now they only have 1 on him.

Nathan and I are looking forward to seeing Isabel and Kelly a little later. They lifted the sibling restrictions, and they are already preparing for Isabel's visit. I think they have volunteers with a whole bunch of activities ready for her.

Only got a few hours of sleep last night hanging out with Nathan, but I enjoyed it. Kelly is the one who usually stays, but last night I was able to stay especially since I have internet access in Nathan's room so I am able to work while he sleeps. I had Matt Maher's latest CD on during the night and I really just wanted to burst out in some dancing I was so pumped with how well Nathan is doing.

Another fist pump ... Nathan allowed me to fix his diaper, the nurse changed it but it was not comfortable for him and he pointed to it to let me know it was bothering him and now he is sleeping.

Got to get some work done while he sleeps ... will keep the updates coming.

First Night without all the tubes

2010-02-03T10:43:00.002-06:00

Nathan was awesome the first night. They gradually reduced his pain killers, I think he is only on Tylenol. He only got up a few times and went right back to sleep.

This morning he loved his chicken broth, apple juice, cherry drink and some of his jello, he did not care too much for the iced tea a good sign he is taking after his dad.

Just finished the standup with his med staff, if things go well they will move him out of ICU sometime tomorrow.

I am just a bit concerned about the right side of his body not moving too much, they said this is normal since the infection was on the left side of his brain.

Update

2010-02-02T21:16:00.002-06:00

I am going to try and post updates here just so that everyone can get all the information we have. Sending texts and emailing is becoming a little complicated at times so although we will try to give individual attention, we won't always be able to.

Nathan had a CT scan this morning and it showed that his brain is moving to reclaim the area that once held the abscess. Good news! It was too early to tell the nature of the infection but they will have that information tomorrow. At that point they will know which antibiotics he needs to treat the infection. Right now he is being treated for anything he could possibly have.

The doctors also did an ultrasound of his heart and found something on his aortic valve which they suspected to be bacteria. To get better pictures, they did another type of ultrasound that puts a tube down the esophagus and they were able to determine that his aortic valve has a leak and is thicker than it used to be. They expect that was the initial site of infection. Fortunately, they had ultrasound pictures of his heart from November when we were in the ER with Nathan the first time (two days after we got home - yes this poor boy has been through a lot medically in just over 2 months). They compared the photos and found that his valve did not have a leak back in November. Either way, the antibiotics that they are giving him to treat the infection in his brain will also treat any other infection in his body, including his heart.

Nathan also made good progress today by coming off of his breathing machine! We were very happy about this as you can imagine. After completing the ultrasound that went through the esophagus (sorry, no medical terms here), they wanted to get him off the breathing machine. They actually wanted to get him off of it this morning but it's much easier to do the type of ultrasound they wanted with the tube already down his throat so they kept it in. Soon after the sedation wore off, the nurse asked him if he wanted the tube out of his throat and he actually shook his head yes!! We were so surprised. We don't know if he actually understood her but we were overjoyed that he understood that he was being asked a question and responded. We were still wondering about possible neural damage caused by the infection and this was just another step in the right direction.

So, they took the tube out and he started breathing on his own!! He cries and is uncomfortable but at this point he can have limited pain medicine because one of the risks is respiratory issues and they need to make sure he will continue to breath. He also really wants food but again, in case the tube needs to be reinserted, he cannot have a full tummy. Sometime tomorrow if everything goes well, they will start him on clear liquids. His throat is understandably sore and his vocal cords as well. His cries are very soft.

Additionally, he is shaking his head 'yes' or 'no' in response to questions which is so great!

We are so very thankful for all the people around the world that are praying for us and especially for Nathan. We are so humbled and in awe of the outpouring of love and the willingness of so many to petition God on our behalf. Yesterday morning I was all alone in the hospital trying to absorb all that was happening to our little guy. Doctors were telling me things I didn't want to hear but by the time Nathan was out of his emergency surgery, His peace came. Last night I told Richard that for most of the day I felt at peace and in a situation like that, we know that type of peace can only come from our Father in heaven and we thank all of you for praying. We are being sustained by your prayers and we hope you know that we are so grateful!!

History:
For those interested in learning the background information on how we came to be in the hospital, I will recap the last week.

On January 22, Nathan woke up in the morning agitated. Shortly after, we found out that he was sick with vomiting and diarrhea (sorry if that's tmi!). Anyway, he just had that one episode in the morning but he seemed fine throughout the day. Saturday morning we woke up to the same situation but this day went differently. He vomited multiple times and had a fever. I will mention that this just so happened to be the little guys third birthday!! Poor guy was sick on his birthday and it was his first birthday with his family. This made us very sad. He still got to open presents but he wasn't that interested in playing with his new toys. Moving on... he was understandably lethargic that day but was eating crackers and drinking fluids. By 6:00PM I took his temperature and it was very high so we decided that I would take him to the ER.

Once we got to the hospital they did a battery of tests and gave him an IV. All his tests were fine and actually within a couple of hours he seemed to be doing very well. He had energy and was playing and eating. The staff however, decided to keep him overnight for observation. The next morning we woke up again to the same situation as the past two days. Again though, he was eating well and his fever had gone down so by the afternoon we were discharged and went home. They determined that he had the stomach flu and that is just needed to run it's course.

Throughout the week his fever went up and down. By Wednesday there was no more vomiting. He still had a fever but by Friday that was also gone. He was however by Friday, very lethargic and sleeping way too much. On Saturday, he was so tired that we could barely keep him awake. Since all other symptoms were gone, we started to question whether or not his sleeping was some type of coping mechanism. We thought maybe he was "checking out" or grieving. When you add all of this with the fact that he was just recently adopted, we weren't sure what to think. By Sunday though, he vomited again and then we realized that he was still sick. Sunday (1/31) he was sleeping and we tried to get him to eat and drink but he could not keep his eyes open to even chew! Since he wasn't getting much fluid our pediatrician told us to take him to the hospital.

Once there, they did more tests and found nothing. They gave him an IV and because he was so listless, they admitted him. Not too long after being in the pediatric ward, Nathan had a seizure-like episode. I was freaking out it was so scary. He had several of these and they decided to do a CT scan. Once they got the results, they saw that he either had an abscess or a mass in his brain. They moved him to the pediatric ICU to be better monitored. As soon as we got there, everything went down hill. They checked his pupils and something was wrong. He needed to be incubated. People started flooding into the room and I was escorted out. I sat in a lounge area with people periodically brining me updates or release forms to sign.

About 3 hours later I was able to see him and I was not prepared for what I saw. His little body had tubes everywhere, too many to count and nearly all labeled so that they could keep track of what each tube was for. First the cardiologist and then later the neurosurgeon talking to me about what needed to be done and painting a grim picture. It was so emotionally draining.

Soon after, they took Nathan to get an MRI, which would tell the neurosurgeon what he needed to know before he did the surgery. He went straight to the OR after that and they drained fluid from his brain and cleaned out the abscess which we were told was the size of an orange! His head is so little, I cannot fathom that.

At any rate, the story has unfolded much better than I thought it might when I first learned of his condition - yesterday! God is SO good!

Like I mentioned, I will try to post updates here as I'm able.

Thank you again for all your support and prayers!

Amusement Park

2009-11-20T08:33:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, we went again as a group to the amusement park we had
been to earlier in the week. This time it was open and not nearly as
cold. The sun was shining too. Nathan woke up crabby so he wasn't that
interested in the rides although we did put him on a few. Isabel got
to ride the carousel which she was thrilled about! The kids rode a
train and Nathan went with Richard on the bumper cars. After we were
done with the rides, the kids played in a park for a while. Well,
Isabel played with the other two boys in our group and Nathan just
hung out with Richard. He didn't want to go on anything.

At lunch-time we went to a pedestrian street not too far from our
hotel. We took a taxi from the park and met our group. Isabel loves
taking taxi's. I think it's because they come in so many different
colors. Some are yellow, blue, green, etc. Isabel likes riding the
yellow ones. The pedestrian street is quite large and you could easily
get lost, especially since there are more than one of the same
restaurants all within sight. After lunch we walked back to our hotel
and put Nathan down for a nap. When he woke up, we noticed that he was
hot and after taking his temperature, realized he had a slight fever.
He would just lie around and a couple times just fell asleep right
where he was. He was also very clingy to his lollipop. I don't think I
mentioned how much of a hit the bag of lollipops we brought have been.
Nathan's fallen asleep several times with one in his hand (unopened).
He likes having one to carry around even if he can't eat it (we don't
allow the kids to have too many, maybe one or two a day and they are
very small). The ones I brought are a brand called, Yummy E@rth, which
I bought at Whole Foods. They are so good. Richard and I have also
enjoyed them. I totally recommend bringing something like that if you
have yet to travel. They worked to calm the kids when we had to wait
in lines. It was a nice distraction for them and even a comfort for
Nathan even if it was closed. The times that he's slept with them, he
will sometimes wake up, look for the lollipop if it had fell out of
his hand and once he found it, go back to sleep. Very cute.

On Friday morning, Nathan still had a slight fever but after having
emailed our doctor in the states and got the go ahead to give him
Tylenol, he's doing much better. His personality is back for the most
part (still a little crabby) and he's more interactive than he had
been the day before. Hopefully, he will be all better for our flight
which is on Saturday morning.

It's Friday afternoon now and we haven't done much today except for
some shopping and eating. :) Richard and Isabel are currently at the
park while Nathan is napping. This evening we are having dinner with a
dad who is here alone adopting his son.

Well, this is my last post from China. We are leaving in the morning.
Thank you to all of you who've followed along, prayed for us and left
encouraging comments and emails. We appreciate you all!! I hope to
post when we get home. Nathan has an evaluation with a cardiologist
the day before Thanksgiving so we will see how that goes.

The Subway To A Tomb

2009-11-20T08:27:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday morning we met Elsie and the other family in our group
and headed for The King's Tomb Museum. Elsie took us on the subway to
get to the museum which we really enjoyed. The subway is relatively
new, about 10 years old, and is very nice and clean. Not quite like
the subway back home but ours is definitely a lot older. There are
televisions everywhere, even on the train. An older lady gave up her
seat so Isabel and Nathan could sit down. I initially declined because
I felt like she should be sitting but she was persistent. After taking
two trains, we had to walk about a block to the museum. The museum was
quite crowded and we later found out that we went on a day that it was
free.

The museum shows ancient funeral objects and other things and you can
actually enter the tomb which was built underground in the side of a
small mountain. It was an interesting museum but one that the kids
couldn't really appreciate. I did get a picture of a replica of the
stone musical instruments that we saw being played at the Pavilion in
Nanchang.

After the museum we went to a Chinese restaurant nearby. It was nice
to have Elsie with us because she did all the ordering and it made the
experience pretty stress-free. The restaurant had two rooms and right
before you enter the second one, which is where our table was located,
there were all types of fish tanks filled with all sorts of things.
All you have to do is chose what you want and it will be on your plate
shortly. Most of the tanks had eels in them, hundreds and hundreds of
eels. In case you were wondering, I had noodles and vegetables.
However, Elsie did order shrimp-on-a-stick which Isabel really
enjoyed. Poor Richard had to peel it for her, in other words, remove
the head and legs and shell. On the way out, you could see the tank
where they came from and the lucky critters that hadn't yet met their
fate. :)

When we were done eating, we took a cab back to the hotel and it was
time for Nathan to nap. Dinner was low-key and in our room. Later in
the evening, Elsie gave us Nathan's US visa so we are officially just
waiting for our flight home! Yay!

Here Comes The Sun

2009-11-18T02:18:00.001-06:00

Tuesday we saw the sun for the first time in ages! Let's just say that
I love the sun. It was still quite cold but the sun made all the
difference. In the morning, Elsie took our paperwork to the US
Consulate and we had to stay in our room so she could call us and tell
us if everything went well or if there was a problem. Thankfully,
there were no issues with our paperwork! She also told us that our
Oath Ceremony had been moved up. It was supposed to be on Wednesday
but it would be Tuesday afternoon.

After our phone call we went to the park since the sun was out (I
might mention the sun a lot, just warning you). :) There weren't many
families there but we did meet one family from North Dakota. They are
adopting their second boy which will make three boys for them ages 2,
4 and 6. They had all their boys with them too which was neat to see.
We played at the park awhile and then had lunch with this family.
After lunch it was up to the room for a short nap for Nathan before
our appointment at the US Consulate. Oh, at the park there was this
elderly woman running laps around the park (there's a small running
track) and I thought it was so cool that I snagged a couple pictures
of her. Then there was this guy who was doing gymnastics on a high bar
and I got a couple pictures of him too. :) The older generation here
is so active. I hope I am as active when I am their age!

Around 2:30PM we met Elsie and the other family in our group and
headed to the US Consulate which is about 30 minutes or so away. Oh,
and it was sunny! :) When we got there, we went into a large room with
about 20 adopting families. One-by-one we were called up to a window
and we had to sign some papers. Afterward, a lady came out and talked
to us as a group and then we all had to stand up, raise our hand and
take the Immigrant Oath on behalf of our children since their first
port of entry into the United States will immediately make them a US
citizen. This was quite an emotional time actually. I got teary-eyed
and one family in front of us was warned by the lady to not start
crying because then she would start! And, just like that our whole
adoption is complete! We just need to get Nathan's US visa so he can
enter the US. Wow, what a long road our journey has been.

After the US Consulate, Elsie took us to a very large park and one
section had some rides for kids. There was no one there but Elsie
found a lady who had someone activate a few rides for us. First, there
was the bumper cars and then there was a roller coaster and finally a
"hunting" ride. Nathan was two small for these rides but Isabel and
Richard went on the bumper cars along with the two boys and the dad of
the other family we're with. She didn't ride the roller coaster but
she and Richard went on the hunting ride where you move around a
little park and shoot at some fake animals. It was cold so we didn't
want to stay long but it was also quite strange to be the only ones at
the park and the only ones on the rides. Afterward we went back to our
hotel. It was kind of late so we ordered pizza and then ate in our
room. Just a few more days and we'll be on our way home as a family of
4!

Oh, I think Nathan is starting to call me mommy. It's interesting
because he follows what Isabel does quite often and I think that is
why he's picking it up. He pronounces it like, "Ah Mee." He won't say
it if you ask him to and oftentimes if you ask him to say mommy or
daddy, he will shake his head no. We actually get a kick out of it
because he looks funny doing it. Richard wants to video-tape him doing
that. Maybe one day he will get a kick out of it too.

More Rain and Bonding

2009-11-17T07:16:00.001-06:00

On Monday morning we met Elsie and the other family in our group and
went to the medical office to have the children's TB tests checked.
Thankfully, all was well with both boys. If there was an issue, the
medical staff would take an x-ray of the chest to determine whether or
not they had TB. We were so thankful that we were in and out of the
medical office. We are done with the medical exams, yay!

It rained most of the day on Monday and it was very windy and cold.
After the medical office we decided to pick up our laundry and then
grab lunch. The place that did our laundry also has a store so we
wandered around and grabbed a few things. We got a puzzle for the kids
which is a map of China. It is made of wood and they have all the
province names in both Chinese and English. We also got a light-weight
ball which was great for being in a hotel room and out of the rain
most of the day.

After Nathan's nap, the rain had stopped so we decided to go to the
park. It was too wet though so we made our way to a nearby bakery and
got a couple things (Richard loves baked goods!). Then it was back to
the hotel for the evening. I forgot to mention that a couple days ago,
while Richard and Isabel were out, Nathan did really well by himself
with me. He didn't cry when Richard left which is progress and we
spent the time playing a game of peek-a-boo. I would put Nathan's hood
over his face and ask where he was and then he would pull it off and
I'd pretend I couldn't see him until finally I "found" him. He loved
it! I remember in one of our training sessions for our adoption that
oftentimes you need to play with adopted kids like they were babies
all over again to promote the bonding that they lacked with a parent
in their infancy. Hopefully, our game will help. Even since our game
he will take his hood and try to pull it over his face so that we can
play some more. Very cute. :)

Richard was kind enough to get us food for dinner so we ate in our
room and then it was time to get the kids to bed. We decided to start
rocking Nathan to sleep some days ago since we believe that it will
help with bonding and also to give him a chance to experience what it
means to have parents. He's had to soothe himself to sleep for so long
and possibly never had anyone rock him to sleep. Sometimes it seems
like he doesn't really know what to do while we're rocking him. This
is mostly at night though because it takes him minutes to fall asleep
for his naps. I find it quite astonishing actually. Hopefully, the
rocking will help him identify us as his parents. At his foster home,
there were a lot of foreigners that would come in and volunteer and he
loved the foreigners. When we're out now and if he is walking, he will
go up to people and want to be picked up. We are trying to prevent
this as we know he is "parent shopping" and he doesn't understand that
we are the people who will be taking care of him from now on and that
we are his parents. I know that this is normal given his past but this
is not healthy. He would walk off with anyone and never look back and
that would not be the case for a child who was attached to their
parents or caregivers.

Tomorrow I will post about our US Consulate appointment. Sorry for
not posting pictures, more to come tomorrow.

Splash

2009-11-16T07:25:00.001-06:00

I think the rain and cold is following us. Sometime Saturday night it
rained and we awoke to a wet and chillier day on Sunday. After
breakfast we decided to take a walk. We saw many people out by the
Pearl River jumping rope, exercising and playing a game similar to
hacky sack. We decided to see if the park was still wet so we made our
way over there. Most of the kids equipment was too wet to play on but
the park also has some equipment for adults to use for exercising so
the kids had fun playing on them. Nathan soon found a very large
puddle to play in but we tried to steer him away from it so that he
wouldn't get too wet. I started blocking his route to the puddle and
it became a game for him to try and get around me to play in the
water. We were having fun until he did get around me, tripped and fell
right into the water! My reflexes weren't fast enough to keep him up.
So, we headed back to our hotel and got him into some dry clothes.
Richard and Isabel went to grab lunch and then dropped off some of
Isabel and Nathan's clothes to get washed. I've never missed my
washing machine so much. :)

After Nathan's nap we stayed in the hotel until dinner where we went
to a place called Lucy's. They serve American-style food and we found
out that Nathan likes pizza and pesto. He's definitely fitting into
the family! Lucy's has pictures of American celebrities up all over
the place and gingham table cloths so it definitely reminds you of
something you would see back home. At this point, we are ready to be
home and not living out of a hotel. I think Isabel is feeling it too.
I am very happy though that she is with us and she has done a great
job with all the changes. I am very proud of her.

Isabel and Nathan are getting along as if they've been siblings
forever. They copy each other and antagonize each other. They can't
verbally communicate but one wouldn't know it! It is cute to see them
hug! It's also cute (although we don't like it) to see them get into
things together. They whine when the other one is touching them or
they push each other because one was "there first." It's interesting
to me to see Isabel like this because I never have. She's been an only
child and it's hard to know how things will be. Well, apparently
they're like every other sibling in the world! :)

Sorry I'm a little late posting lately. I've been pretty exhausted and
am usually falling asleep with the kids.

Medical Appointments and a Treat

2009-11-14T08:15:00.001-06:00

The kids woke up early on Saturday given how late they went to bed the
night before. We really needed them to though because after breakfast
we were meeting Elsie so that we could take Nathan to have his medical
exam. There is also another family from our agency here in Guangzhou
and so we will be going to all of our appointments with them. They are
a really nice family and are adopting their second son from China.
Their first son is also traveling with them and it's been great
getting to know them.

At the medical office Nathan's vaccination record was reviewed and
then the doctors determine whether or not he will need any additional
shots. All children are tested for TB and unfortunately our little guy
also needed to have two shots. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. I felt
so bad for him and all the kids really. The other family in our group
mentioned that their state won't even accept vaccinations from here
and their son will need to have them all over again. Oh, I hope that
isn't the case for Nathan. We will see when we get home. After the
shots the kids are examined and that is basically it. We will need to
go back on Monday for the doctor to check the TB test. So far I think
it looks fine which is good.

Afterward we walked back to our hotel and then made our lunch stop at
Subway. Then it was up to our hotel room for Nathan's nap. He took a
long nap and then when he woke up, after playing a game of "everyone
jump on daddy," we went out for my much anticipated treat. While going
out for Nathan's medical exam, we (I) noticed a Starbucks just around
the corner and so we went and got a snack. Then we took the kids to a
park we noticed while out earlier as well. There were lots of kids
there including the other family in our group so it was nice. It is
just nice to be around others who are going through the same
experience. It's really encouraging for me. We spent a while there and
talked to other adopting families and the kids ran around and had a
great time playing.

We had dinner at a Thai restaurant and then went back to our hotel.
Both kids were tired but Isabel especially so after baths, we put some
music on and had the kids go to sleep. Tomorrow is a free day for us
so I hope the kids sleep well and wake up rested.

The picture of Richard and I with Nathan in front of Starbucks was
taken by Isabel. I let her use our SLR to take it and she had never
used it before so she was so excited. Then later at the park, Nathan
wanted to take pictures too because he saw that Isabel got to. He does
a great job communicating without speaking English, especially for
being 2 years old. He is a great little brother because he already
wants to do everything his big sister is doing. Isabel is a great big
sister because she doesn't mind showing him what to do. :)

Well, it's time for bed for me. Good night.

Moving On

2009-11-14T07:36:00.001-06:00

Most of Friday was spent hanging out at the hotel packing and getting
ready to go to Guangzhou. We were originally supposed to be on a
flight around 5:00PM but that flight was delayed until 9:00PM.
Thankfully, Mary was able to get us on a flight at 7:00PM. The weather
was very cold but the rain had finally stopped. I am not sure the
cause of the delays but there were a lot of them. There was mention
that Beijing was having bad weather and that caused flights into
Nanchang to be delayed. At any rate, we were able to get out at a
decent time. Many of the families staying at our hotel were on our
original flight and once we arrived in Guangzhou, found out they would
not be getting in until midnight. I can't imagine how hard that must
have been with all those kids.

Our flight here was barely over an hour. The kids did so well
especially being as tired as they were. We also had to leave the hotel
at a time that would prevent us from eating a normal dinner. We
figured we could grab something at the airport but there was only one
restaurant and it was very expensive. I hate to admit it but we
sustained ourselves on snacks!

We met our new guide at the airport and her name is Elsie. She is
fully of energy and very nice. It's funny though because Isabel asked
Richard if this was our, "new person." When we were in Nanchang she
kept asking for Cindy, who was our guide in Beijing, and now we're on
our third guide. I don't think she understands why we keep having
different people showing us around. :)

When we pulled up to our hotel I can't tell you how excited I was to
see a Subway right next door. We are staying at the Victory. We opted
to stay here because I had read the rooms were rather large and when
we got here, they were a welcome sight compared to the rooms we had
been staying at. The kids ended up falling asleep in the car on the
way to the hotel so you can imagine how much energy they had when we
got here. Once they woke up they were full of life. Getting them back
to sleep at 11:00PM was um, challenging. :)

The weather is warmer here but I can't say it's warm. Apparently, last
week it was hot but we are still wearing sweaters. It's nothing
compared to Nanchang and even the weather I expect to get when we get
home so I'm not complaining. I just wish I had packed more warmer
clothes and none of the summer clothes - I doubt we'll need them.

Last Day In Nanchang

2009-11-14T07:07:00.001-06:00

Thursday was our last complete day in Nanchang. In the morning Mary
took us to the Tengwang Pavilion which was within walking distance of
our hotel. It was very cold and raining again which was a pity because
the gardens of the Pavilion were so pretty and on a nice day it would
have been nice to walk around. Instead, we went into the pavilion
which is 6 stories high. On the top floor there is a small theater and
we watched a performance of singing, dancing and music playing. It was
quite nice. One of the instruments consisted of many hanging stones
which when hit would produce notes. It was quite extraordinary
actually. Mary said that it was about 3000 years old and that even now
to reproduce the instrument, it would take several years to get the
thickness of the stones just right to produce the correct note. The
pavilion was built sometime in the 600's and has been destroyed 28
times through wars and natural disasters. The last rebuilding was
completed in 1989.

After the performance we toured the rest of the pavilion. On this
particular day, we gave Isabel one of our camera's so she was ready
when her fans came calling. She turned the tables on them and not
everyone was excited to have their picture taken. Most though were
good sports about it. :)

We would have loved to have gotten some pictures of the outside of the
pavilion but the weather just didn't cooperate. It was hard to even
keep an umbrella open let alone stand outside and take pictures.

We left around lunchtime so Mary took us to a new place which was
quite good. Although our usual restaurant is good, going to the same
place to eat so often gets a little tiring. Also, eating in
restaurants so often has lent itself to overeating. I usually like
something simple and small for lunch and meals here have been such a
production for us that I think I need to do some extra workouts once I
get back home! Guangzhou might have been the perfect place to bring
those running shoes. :)

Our afternoon was pretty low-key. Unfortunately, the weather strapped
us to our hotel room more often than we would have liked.

Morning at the Museum

2009-11-12T01:20:00.001-06:00

We woke up to rain again on Wednesday. I was a bit disappointed
because we were supposed to meet Mary and go to a park but it was too
cold and rainy so she took us to a local museum instead. It was,
however, nice to learn more about Nathan's province. For instance,
Jiangxi has the largest fresh water lake in China. They also cultivate
rice here and harvest it in July and October. They are also known for
their porcelain. Mary says that there is a saying that if you do not
have porcelain in your home than it is not a home and that everyone
has porcelain. Some of it for everyday use and some for decorations
and special occasions.

For lunch we went to our usual stop and then back up to the hotel. The
weather has really turned here and the kids are now bundled up in
winter coats, sweaters and mittens. It is very, very windy here and on
our way home from lunch, the wind broke one of our umbrellas! I am
definitely looking forward to our flight to Guangzhou on Friday which
will lead us to warmer temps. :)

Richard ended up going out and getting us food for dinner. I had the
kids and we put on the Discovery channel which had some documentary on
music. In the meantime, I was trying to organize our suitcases. At one
point I was sitting on the floor folding clothes and Nathan (who isn't
that interested in television) decided to try and put one of Isabel's
hair clips in my hair. He played with my hair for quite a while. While
he was doing this I asked him to say, "mommy" which he did and then
asked him to say "mama" and he said that as well. Up until that point,
he would never say it even though we know he can. And, even now he
won't say it again so I think it was a nice moment for him.

A couple of things - whenever Nathan sees me combing mine or Isabel's
hair, he will want his combed as well. It's funny though because he
definitely doesn't need it. Then he apparently notices that I put hair
clips in Isabel's hair and he wants to do the same for him. At first I
didn't want to put them in because they are for girls but as long as
we don't go out, then it's probably fine.

Soon Richard came back with food so we ate and did the normal
nighttime routine. Nathan went to bed early since he didn't take a
proper nap. Oh, before bed we tried to get some pictures of the kids
in their pajamas because they looked so cute. :) I will include a
couple for you to see.

Tomorrow I will post about our last day in Nanchang before heading to
Guangzhou. We will be there for a week and then it is back home. Yay!

Night Time and only Richard is awake !!

2009-11-11T07:49:00.000-06:00

So it is 8:00 pm here and everyone is sleeping except me. Kelly cannot
screen this post, so she will definitely be surprised tomorrow and I
will be in a lot of trouble. Turn a blind eye to all the grammar
errors, Kelly is not around to fix them.

I decided to take the time to try to get some video organized, I am
surprised to see we had so much footage of meeting Nathan. I have some
footage of us hanging out with him and some of his classmates. When we
get back I will be creating some DVDs. I am only going to send some
video footage to a select few :), I think we should keep some of this
experience private since it is also Nathan's story to tell. But I am
really excited to have captured some of the other kids. I was sitting
right next to Evan while holding Nathan, I think Evan's family will
really enjoy the video footage. We began praying for Evan when we
found out that Nathan and Evan were rooming together. I remember the
night we were praying before bedtime and Isabel prayed a prayer that I
will never forget. She simply said "God help me find Forest a Mom and
Dad" and I realized then that God also hears the prayers of Children.
A few weeks later we found out that Forest now called Evan was matched
with a family.

We thank God for answering our prayers that Nathan would know that we
are his family. Nathan has so many people praying for him and we
really appreciate all of your prayers. I want to mention some of the
kids who consistently prayed for us Amber, Alex, Xavier, Dominic,
Elizabeth and Phillip. I want you to know that prayer works.

Our family has been transformed by this experience, I have tasted what
it means to live your life for Christ and I do not want to go back.
Giving up control over your life is sometimes scary and out of our
comfort zone, but it is so worth it. It took me a long time to really
give up control over my life. I have been praying for the past few
months that God will use my life and that I would not continue to try
to live this life my way. I wanted him to know that I am finally ready
to give him the controls and I will follow. Now I am sitting in a
hotel room in China reflecting on my past and what lies ahead. This
life is too short to continue to do it my way, I have made enough
mistakes to know that my way is really boring. I want to catch a wave,
a wave that God is putting in motion and ride it as long as he will
allow me to, then my life will be filled with his adventures. Looking
at Kelly, Isabel and Nathan who are sleeping right now, I know for
sure that I am having the biggest adventure of my life.

I am also excited to see what God is doing in other people's lives and
the adventures that they are embarking on. Just to mention a few :
Daniel my brother in law just got back home after spending almost 2.5
months in a hospital after a motorcycle accident. Daniel and Stacey
are definitely in their own God centered adventure. Also my wife's
good friend Debbie will be getting married on Friday to an awesome guy
who loves the Lord, you just cannot beat the combination of 2 great
people who love each other and share a passion for Jesus. I know Kelly
would really want to be at the wedding, I will try to convince Debbie
and Tom to have a post wedding party (convinced ?).

So I just want to encourage anyone who is reading this to ask Jesus to
orchestrate your next adventure. You will know that your on an
adventure when you have huge God moments in your life.

Well I am off to catch some ZZZZZs before the 2 pirates of the
Caribbean awake from their slumber to do battle. Yikes it is 10 pm the
latest I have gone to bed, this shipmate will be in trouble.

Another Free Day

2009-11-11T00:33:00.001-06:00

Tuesday was another free day. We woke up to rain and the temperature
had dropped considerably. When we first arrived in Nanchang it was
warm enough for shorts but now we needed long pants and jackets. I was
surprised by how much the temperature changed although I don't think I
should have been because it is similar to what we experience back
home, warm one day, cold the next. After breakfast we went to our room
to wait for our laundry to be picked up. Our guide was nice enough to
arrange for someone to pick up our laundry. Nathan is quite the messy
eater so he is always needing clean clothes. I will be doing laundry a
lot when we get home. But for now, someone else was doing it and I
can't say I minded. :)

After the laundry was picked up we decided to take a walk to W@l-mart.
Richard figured it was about a mile or so away and we felt that would
be doable. By now the rain had stopped so we figured it would be
something to occupy our morning. Soon after venturing out though,
Isabel wasn't that interested in walking and carrying her a mile one
way and a mile back would be more than I could handle so we just went
to the local market and picked up more fruit. The picture of Richard
and the kids with three bags of three different kinds of oranges only
cost us about $1. We were excited that we had some good food for snack
time. As you can imagine, Nathan has been on a very predictable
routine. It's definitely necessary when running a home full of kids,
not to mention the fact that kids do well with routine. So, he has two
snacks a day at specific times and we are trying to stick to it as
best we can while living a not-so-routine existence right now. He does
really well with naps too, just falls asleep within minutes of putting
him down. Bedtime has been a bit more of a challenge but not too bad.
He is also sleeping through the night.

Nathan ended up taking a pretty long nap. We let Isabel watch a movie
with headphones on and then Richard and I ended up falling asleep as
well (accidentally for me). When we woke up, Nathan had slept 2.5
hours and we felt he needed to get up if he was going to go to bed at
a decent time so we woke him. Afterward, we just hung out at the
hotel. I didn't have the desire to go out again and really, Nathan
needs to be bundled up pretty well because his body doesn't regulate
his temperature like ours would and so I felt we should just stay in.
We played some but because Nathan's nap was so long, it was soon time
to figure out dinner. Richard decided (or maybe I suggested) that he
go and grab some take-out. He decided to take Isabel with him since he
can carry her on his shoulders. We also think it's good for Isabel to
have some "daddy time" because Nathan prefers Richard and gets a lot
of time with him being carried and such. Isabel is not used to this
and although she has been doing great, we want her to feel like she
gets Richard's attention too. So they have been having their together
time most every day.

Once Richard and Isabel were going to leave, we learned that Nathan
was not happy with the situation. He cried when Richard left and
wanted nothing to do with me. I tried playing with his train but he
wasn't interested. Then I took out a mini container of Pl@y-doh that I
had brought with us. He didn't seem interested in that either. He
found an Aqu@-Doodle that our friends the Nelson's gave him and that
seemed to divert his attention (thanks Nelson family!). I had put the
Pl@y-doh in his backpack and he ended up taking it out and we played
with that for quite a while. Just as we were putting it away, Richard
and Isabel returned with food. We sat on the floor and Nathan scooted
over to sit next to Richard (of course). :)

After dinner, it was time to take a bath. We washed Nathan up and he
had lots of fun trying to get Richard wet. Then Isabel got in the tub
so she could play (she WANTED to take a bath too which is not common).
The two of them nearly soaked poor Richard. After baths Nathan seems
to want us to put music on so we did and we had lots of fun dancing
around the room. Isabel would tell Nathan, "this is how you dance" and
she would have at it! I think he really enjoyed it. He even tried to
dance a little. Mostly we carry him and dance with him but he started
trying to move to the music which was fun to see. He didn't do it much
though so we will have to work on that!

After our little dancing party Richard and Nathan sat and played and I
read to Isabel. Then we had another story that we read as a family
before bedtime. We have noticed that although Nathan loves to be
picked up, he didn't really give hugs (at least with us) so we've been
trying to teach him what hugs are. So last night we all gave each
other hugs and for the first time, he gave Isabel a hug. In the past
she would ask him and he wouldn't want to or she would try and "force"
him but this time it was mutual. It was fun to see. I think that
Isabel has adjusted so well with this transition, almost better than
Richard and I have and certainly better than I could have hoped for. I
am so thankful that God prepared her heart for this!

Putting Nathan to bed last night was a bit challenging because he kept
wanting to play. Finally though he went to sleep. I have to say it was
a good day, our first complete day as a family of four!

Oh, I wanted to offer a congratulations to my dear friend Debbie who
will be getting married this Friday and whose wedding I will sadly
miss! Debbie, we wish you and Tom a lifetime of happiness together. We
are so happy that you found each other!!

Take care.

Adoption Day

2009-11-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

At breakfast on Monday we realized that we were not the only adopting
family in the hotel. There was a group of families who had just
received their babies the night before so it was nice to see others
who are going through the same experience. After breakfast we met Mary
who would take us to do the paperwork for the adoption. First, we went
to the Jiangxi Center for Adoption Services. Once we arrived Richard
and I had our picture taken with Nathan and then we went into a large
room and filled out some forms. Not long afterward, the other families
from the hotel arrived and there were kids all over the place! A few
of the families also brought older siblings so the older kids enjoyed
playing together while the babies took it all in and the parents did
their paperwork. Next, we went into a room for an interview. I was so
nervous about this but it was really simple. It almost felt too simple
but I guess the large amount of paperwork we needed to do beforehand
is the hard part. After the interview we signed some papers and put
our red thumbprints over our signatures and Nathan needed to put his
footprint on one of them. We then received a nice little red book that
meant that we've officially adopted Nathan! Shortly after that we left
to go to the notary place where we signed a couple more documents and
then it was back to the hotel. Just like that our family grew by one!
We were back at the hotel within two hours of leaving which I thought
was quite remarkable.

For lunch, Mary showed us a restaurant in back of our hotel where we
could eat. She even showed us what on the menu was good (yay, there
are pictures on the menu) and even wrote down a couple things so that
we could show the waiters when we were ordering. It was great. We ate
lunch and seriously, I think we spent about $5 for all of us! We've
eaten there a couple more times and no meal has cost us more than $10
and that's on the high end! For comparison, the first meal we ate here
was at the hotel and it cost us over $30 and it wasn't nearly as good
as this place! The hotel restaurant is now reserved for our breakfast
which is included with the room. :)

After lunch we came back to our room so Nathan could nap. In the
meantime Richard took Isabel to the local market to get some snacks.
They came back with some mandarin oranges and drinks. Richard always
prepares the fruit for our family which is very nice because I don't
particularly care to do it. Actually, it would never occur to me to
buy fruit while traveling but it's tasted so good and makes me feel
better that we're eating somewhat healthy. Oh, the restaurant I
mentioned always gives us watermelon after our meals and since it too
has been really good, Richard wants to figure out how to buy a knife
or borrow one from the hotel so that he can cut up watermelon in our
room!

Nathan ended up taking a short nap so he was somewhat crabby when he
woke up. After playing in the room a while, we decided to get out and
do something to calm him down. He seems to really enjoy taking in the
sights. We wandered around and then ended up stopping for dinner
before heading back up to our room. I had grand visions of putting the
kids to bed and Richard and I watching a movie on his laptop before
going to sleep but I fell asleep with the kids. I haven't watched
television since we've been in China. The one in our room is unplugged
because the kids were having way too much fun turning it on and off.
:)

I'll leave you some of the pictures we took.

The Tale Of Two Crackers

2009-11-09T01:06:00.001-06:00

Richard here ..

Keeping this short .. you will know my entries by the length of them.
I will keep them short and to the point (hopefully there is one).

So Nathan loved these crackers that we got, I gave him a few and then
told him no more. Isabel was taking a nap during the cracker scenario.
When Isabel got up she wanted to have some, she then shared 2 more
crackers with him. I pretended not to notice, but he was excited and I
think he has a new found joy for his bigger sister.

It has been fun playing with both kids in the hotel room, tossing them
on the bed and throwing them up in the air. It is interesting to see
Nathan start to get that both he and Isabel take turns playing.

He is really smart, learning new words already. I am also learning
what makes him tick a bit.

To Nanchang

2009-11-09T00:48:00.001-06:00

On Sunday, we woke up really early and met Cindy at 6:00AM to head to
the airport for our flight to Nathan's province, Jiangxi. Nanchang is
the capital and this is where we will complete the adoption. Isabel
woke up well but Nathan was a little crabby since this is way earlier
than he is used to getting up. The flight was uneventful except that
Nathan fell asleep right before we landed. He didn't seem phased by
the airplane or all that interested in looking out the window. He did
like playing with his seatbelt and figured out how to unlatch it! He
was none too pleased that we held the latch closed so that it would
remain on. :)

After retrieving our luggage we met Mary who would be our guide while
in the province. She is very sweet and has been assisting adopting
families for 15 years. We are in good hands! We arrived at the hotel
around noon and after getting settled needed to find lunch. The
restaurant in the hotel was our best bet because Nathan was pretty
exhausted and needed to go down for a nap. On our way to the
restaurant, we saw a lovely bride getting ready for either her wedding
ceremony or reception. She had on the prettiest gown and I wished that
I had taken her picture.

While Nathan was napping our little superstar was reading a book and
also fell asleep. I was amazed since I can't remember the last time
Isabel took a nap. She slept less than an hour because Nathan decided
to wake her up. :)

After nap-time the kids played in the room and I think for the first
time really played together. They chased each other in and out of the
curtains and squealed with delight the whole time. It was so cute and
wonderful to see. Isabel loves Nathan and mothers him a bit. She looks
out for him if he wanders too far away or might grab something he
shouldn't. She also mentioned that she loved having a little brother!
I think he will need some time to get used to having a sister though.
Of course as one might expect, they do fight like siblings already. :)

Nathan also likes to get into everything so we will have our hands
full when we get home. Isabel never got into much so this is something
different for us.

When it was time to eat dinner, we decided to try and find something
outside the hotel as the hotel restaurant is a bit pricey. We wandered
around and found a pedestrian street with lots of activity. There were
so many stores but not too many restaurants. It was quite the site
really. We passed a couple dental offices where the exam room is
completely visible to pedestrians. Literally behind a glass window you
can see people getting their dental work done. Also, we passed a
wedding photography place where a couple women dressed as brides sat
outside for advertising purposes. It was all quite interesting. After
we ate, it had become dark so on our way back down the pedestrian
street back to our hotel the signs were lit in flashing neon. I have
never been to Times Square but I told Richard I imagine it's something
similar.

Once we got back to the hotel it was baths and getting ready for bed.
Not a very eventful day but a sweet day none-the-less. We kept telling
Nathan that this is where he was born. Of course he doesn't understand
us but it's something to ponder, at least for me. It's been a long
time since he was here and longer still since he'll be back.

Thanks again for all the comments. It's hard to get to them since we
are in Nanchang but my computer programmer husband is always figuring
something out. Yay! Also, more importantly, thanks for the prayers!!
The transition has gone so smoothly and we are so blessed! Isabel is
also doing great and we are so amazed to see this side of her. We will
be here until Friday and then it is on to Guangzhou. Tomorrow I will
post about the completion of the adoption.

Low-Key Day

2009-11-08T01:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a free day for us. We initially thought we might try to
do some more sightseeing but decided against it to relax and regain
our energy because on Sunday we were catching an early flight to the
province that Nathan was born in. So, after breakfast we hung out in
our room for a while. We played, colored and then Isabel watched a
movie on Richard's laptop. Nathan started watching it but apparently
isn't that interested in TV (he was destined to be in this family). :)
We also used Skype and introduced Nathan to some family members. He
got to see two of his aunts, his uncle, a cousin and one of his
grandmas. It was great to be able to do that. We were also able to use
Richard's phone to call my mom for free (another reason Richard is
loving his phone). I am a little weary that we'll get a bill for it
but Richard's pretty confident that we won't (yay). Anyway, I got to
update her and my niece and one of my nephews on what's been going on
the past couple days. My niece and two of my nephews are learning
Chinese in school so they were trying to teach me some words. Very
cute.

For lunch we ventured out to KFC and then to the local market for some
water. After lunch Nathan took a nap and Richard and Isabel took a
walk while I posted an update to our blog. Nathan takes two hour naps
which is so foreign to me. Isabel was never a good napper so this
interesting. When Nathan woke up we played with some sticker books and
then the kids put on their hats and we had a photo shoot. It was hard
getting any good ones of the both of them at the same time but it was
fun. Nathan doesn't like having his picture taken and will sometimes
say no and walk away. :) I thought that Aunt Tonia would LOVE seeing
the kids in their hats so I'm including them. The last one is the
reaction anyone would get if the Cubs won the World Series ever!

After our photo shoot we put on some music and then we danced around
the room. Isabel likes to dance but I think Nathan needs to get used
to it some. Then the kids watched Richard's computer as he has some
software that has the pictures that move to music. I think they
enjoyed it. Then we started going through some of the pictures we took
while we were here and Nathan became fixated on the picture of us with
his two nannies (I posted that on the day we met him). He kept
pointing and saying, "mama" and some other words in Chinese and both
Richard and I thought it was so sad. He loves those women and even
though he now has a forever family, he misses them and you could see
it on his face. Hopefully, we can bring him back here one day so he
can visit with the women who loved on him so much!

I forgot to mention that Nathan is attached to his water bottle. We
brought one for each of the kids with us so that we could bring water
with us wherever we went with them. He loves it and likes smacking the
top closed when he's done. He also really likes his baseball cap. Oh,
and whenever he sees any of his clothes that were brought here from
the foster home, he wants to wear them. He also doesn't want to wear
the very cute shoes I brought him. He wants to wear his old ones. I
think this is normal but I love the shoes I brought for him and wish
he liked them too. :)

In the evening after I was done packing most of our stuff, we went for
a walk to find dinner. We saw a place on a map from our hotel that
looked like pizza we might get in the states. It was a buffet and oh
how I wish I could have seen it before we settled in to eat. The pizza
wasn't anything like what we get back home and the pizza was also not
the main focus of the buffet even though it's called a pizza buffet. I
don't even know what most of the food was as there were no English
words to describe it. Lets just say that I went a little hungry after
that meal. :)

Well, I am all caught up with my posting. We are in Nathan's province
right now and I will hopefully post about our journey here tomorrow.

Hope all is well with our family and friends and thanks so much for
following along.

Sightseeing And A Superstar

2009-11-08T00:32:00.000-06:00

On Friday we woke up, ate breakfast, and met our guide at 8:30AM. Our
first stop on our sightseeing tour was Tiananmen Square which is just
outside the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is huge as it can hold
about 500,000 people! There are also 56 pillars lining one side which
represent the 56 nationalities within China. It was cold and foggy
while we were there but we warmed up quickly carrying around two kids!
:) Isabel doesn't usually want to be carried around much but I think
since Nathan can't walk much without getting out of breath and is
carried a lot, Isabel wanted to be as well. We walked across the
square and there were large crowds everywhere. It soon became apparent
that we were in the company of celebrity! Everywhere we went, Isabel
captured lots of attention. People came up to her and stood by her to
have their picture taken with her. Some of them hugged and kissed her.
They were so excited and spoke with such enthusiasm but of course we
had no idea what they were saying. Our guide Cindy said that Chinese
people like to have their picture taken with people they think are
cute. And just like a superstar, ours soon became comfortable in her
role, posing with her fans and saying things like, "these people like
me" and "that guy there is taking my picture." It was funny.

After walking across the square we entered the Forbidden City. There
is so much ancient history associated with these landmarks and Cindy
did an excellent job explaining many of them to us. We brought a
carrier with us so that it would be easier to carry Nathan and since
Nathan generally prefers Richard over me, he got the honor of carting
him on our tour. Thankfully, Isabel started walking or else I would
have wished that we brought two carriers. Cindy said that I have a
good husband and I suspect it might not be too common here in China
for the men to carry the kids, especially in a carrier. Right before
you exit the city, you walk through the Imperial Garden. This was my
favorite. There are trees there that are over 500 years old. It was so
nice. I would have loved to spend more time there just wandering
around. There are 4 structures representing each of the four seasons
and a mountain made by hand out of these rocks with holes in them.
Apparently when it rains, the water streams out of the holes and it
looks somewhat like a waterfall. There are stairs in the mountain too
where the emperor would go inside and get up to the building on the
top and look out over the whole garden and city. Tourists aren't
allowed in there. And actually, tourists pretty much go through the
city from the North to the South and the other portions are blocked
off. It is so large that people would get lost!

After we walked through the city, we met our driver and he drove us to
lunch. It was nice having Cindy there to help us order and interact
with the staff. It can be quite stressful to not know how to order and
such. Well, stressful for me because Richard just goes with the flow
of everything. Our lunch was really good and afterward we headed to
the Great Wall. On our way we passed the Olympic Village and we got to
see the Bird's Nest which was fun for me. Cindy said that the locals
initially complained about the cost of the village for just one event
but since the Olympics they have made back more than they spent just
on tourism at the village and events like concerts. Wow!

The part of the Great Wall we went to was at a higher elevation so the
weather was warmer. I wish it hadn't been so foggy but it was still an
amazing thing to see. We got to climb some of it as well. The part we
went to was very steep and I was wondering if it was a good idea
because we had the kids with us but it ended up being great (just
worried about someone tripping and falling a LONG way down). Isabel
climbed the whole time and Richard did a great job with Nathan. Isabel
kept warning Richard of big steps (some of them were nearly half her
height) and saying things like, "I've never seen so many steps before
in my whole life." I think the Chinese people were amazed that she was
doing all this climbing by herself because they kept giving her the
thumps up and smiling and sometimes giving words of encouragement. Or
maybe they were just more of her fans. :) Cindy mentioned that some
people see how far they can go and climb for days. I told her I would
love to do that but not with little kids. Maybe we can go back when
they're older. It is definitely great exercise. I'm glad too that we
are here when it's not so hot or it wouldn't have been as enjoyable.

After we left the wall we went back to our hotel, scrounged up some
dinner and played with the kids. We were surprised to see that Nathan
has a pretty good attention span. We brought a book for him that comes
with some animal magnets that you stick to the book pages and he sat
on my lap and played with that for quite a while. Next it was baths
and some reading and then time to go to bed. Nathan wasn't as tired
because he wasn't nearly as active as Isabel but they both went to bed
well. I am so surprised with how well Nathan is doing. I was
anticipating much more grieving and "acting out" but he is really
good. He has a moment every now and then which is to be expected but
he's done great and I am so thankful for that.

Thank you to all who've left comments and emailed us your kinds words.
We love reading them and are so appreciative that you've taken the
time to support us. Thank you to all who've been praying for us! We
are doing well here and I know it is because of all those prayers!
Thanks!

Oh, we don't actually have access to our blog, Richard set it up so we
can email our posts. He was able to do that through his blackberry
which apparently can't be blocked. I think he wants to write a post
about how much he loves his blackberry. Stay tuned. :)

Meeting Nathan

2009-11-07T00:53:00.000-06:00

The day after our arrival in China we got up early, had breakfast at
the hotel and were ready to meet our guide, Cindy, at 8:30. She was
going to take us to New Day Foster Home where Nathan has spent over a
year and a half of his short life. Right before we left for China we
were informed that we would not only be able to meet him but would
also take him with us if we were interested! Of course we were
interested!! So, needless-to-say, I was a bit nervous as we got into
the car and were off to meet our son! Our adoption journey took over a
year so this has been a much anticipated moment to say the least!

On our way to the foster home, our driver kept having to stop and ask
directions. Cindy mentioned that China is constantly changing and if
you haven't been somewhere in a month that it can be unfamiliar the
next time. I was fine with stops and just took it all in. I remember
turning the corner and saw a sign directing people to the foster home
and became so nervous. I didn't know what to expect and wondered how
things would go that day. Finally, we arrived and we got out of the
car. Karen, the director of the home, greeted us along with others.
They were so welcoming and nice. We entered the building where the
kids were having preschool and walked down a corridor when a little
boy came out and started looking at us. Then out of nowhere Nathan
runs out and gives Richard a hug and then gives me a hug! It was so
sweet and that moment seemed very surreal. It is quite overwhelming!
Then he went back to Richard and wanted Richard to pick him up. We
went into the preschool class where they were starting to sing songs
and we all sat down and took part while Nathan sat on Richard's lap.
All the kids are so cute and almost all of the preschoolers have been
matched with a family! After the singing there was coloring and
playing with rice like a sandbox which the kids loved!

When that was over, all the kids got to go outside and play until it
was time for lunch. Richard and Isabel went out with Nathan and the
other children and Karen took me upstairs to see the babies. Most of
them were taking naps but I got to meet little Judah who was playing
in a walker. Judah has a heart issue and sadly there is no operation
that can help him. I knew this before we arrived so we've been praying
for this little boy. We are hoping that God will perform a miracle
there as one is truly needed. Then Karen took me into another room
where 3 babies had just arrived. She asked if I wanted to give one of
the babies their English name. They all have a Chinese name that their
home orphanage gives them but the foster home has an English name for
all the kids as well. What an honor! Karen pointed out the little girl
whom I could name. She is so precious! The name I chose was Eliana. I
love that name and if we ever have another daughter, will use it for
her (Isabel's middle name is Liana which is a short form of Eliana).
The best part is the meaning which is, "My God has answered me." It is
a special gift to those children to be at New Day - in a place where
they are so well cared for until they are adopted and most
importantly, a place where people pray for them! I pray that God is
answering little Eliana. She is a heart baby and is 14 months old and
I can't wait to see what God has in store for her.

After meeting the babies, I went outside to play with Nathan. He was
having a fun time on the swings with Richard. If you know Richard, you
know that he loves playing almost as much as kids do so I don't think
any child cannot have fun with him! After playtime was over, we had
lunch which I really enjoyed. It was very good! Also, Nathan sat next
to me and I got to give him his food. This is where we found out that
Nathan likes spicy food. There was this cabbage dish that was a little
spicy and he ate it right up! After lunch we had some more playtime
with the kids until it was time for their nap. At this point we were
able to meet with Nathan's nannies, a nurse and some others who went
over his routine and answered any questions we had. This is such a
gift to adopting parents who then don't have to figure out everything
on their own.

After our meeting, it was time to go. I imagine it is sad to see the
kids leave the foster home but of course happy that they have a family
of their own. Nathan was completely calm leaving. I think he wanted to
ride in the car but he just waved good-bye and blew kisses at his old
life and got into the car to start his new life with a forever family.

Since Nathan missed his nap he fell asleep pretty quickly after
getting in the car. He didn't sleep long though and after waking up
kept pointing at all the buses and cars. He really liked all the new
sights. After getting back to the hotel we played a little and then
went to find some dinner. Dinnertime is when the jet-lag hits us so we
start to get tired around 5 or 6. We didn't know where to eat and then
Richard saw this woman standing out in front of a restaurant and
spontaneously asked her if she spoke English. She said a little and
that was enough for him to determine that this is where we'll eat. At
first, the waitress gives us this menu and it is all in Chinese. I'm
thinking we need to leave but then the first lady comes with a menu
with pictures! Yay! This place serves hot pots which is a hot pot of
soup that they cook on the table and have all these ingredients you
can add to it. It was hard to order but when it came, we were thinking
maybe we made a mistake however after tasting it, we loved it! It was
so good. Isabel and Nathan liked it too but they were both tired.

After dinner we came home and bathed the kids. Nathan wasn't too
thrilled with taking a shower but he is so much faster to bathe than
Isabel because her hair is long and needs to be washed and
conditioned. Then we read and this calmed his considerably. He fell
asleep quickly and so did Isabel. He woke up about 30 minutes later
crying and realizing that this wasn't what he was used to and he
didn't like it. It didn't last long because Richard's blackberry went
off with a message from his sister and Nathan was fascinated with the
beeping. After that Richard let him watch a video on his phone from
when the three of us went to the beach over the summer and I rocked
him while he watched. Soon he was asleep and slept through the night!

Sorry this is SO long but I want to document our trip with detail,
especially for Nathan who will want to be able to read about joining
his family. Tomorrow shouldn't be nearly as long!

Getting To China

2009-11-06T23:51:00.001-06:00

Our trip here took about 24 hours from the time we left our house
until we reached our hotel in Beijing. We left Chicago on a 1:00AM
flight. Isabel hadn't slept at all before our flight took off but she
was so good. The flight was as good as an overnight flight can get.
They served us dinner at 2:30AM! We were surprised but felt like we
should eat because we weren't sure when we would get to eat again.
However, around 8:00AM they served us a snack and then later we
received breakfast. The meals were large too and everyone on the
flight was really nice and accommodating! Isabel slept about 5 hours
on the plane and Richard and I did what we could to get some rest. We
were definitely tired after the first leg of our journey which took us
to Seoul, Korea.

We reached Seoul a little after 5:00AM local time which is about 15
hours ahead of the Central Time Zone we are used to. We had a 4 hour
layover in Seoul. The airport is really nice and new. We walked around
a bit and grabbed some snacks and as soon as we sat down, Isabel fell
right asleep. Richard was suffering from a head cold and
unfortunately, the medicine we were using was making him drowsy. We
got on the next flight which would be to Beijing. It was a huge plane
and had lots of room and we were wishing we had been on that plane
when we boarded in Chicago. This flight was only a couple hours but
they served us a huge lunch. Richard and I were saying that we would
never get that on a short flight in the US! The flight attendants also
come around with tea and coffee. It was so nice.

While on the plane we needed to fill out a health inspection report
and I was really nervous about it because Richard had a cold and I was
getting over one. I did not want to be put in isolation and although
we didn't have a fever, I still couldn't help being anxious. When we
landed and were walking through the airport, I ended up wiping my nose
with a tissue and I think I may have been monitored because not 15
seconds later, someone pointed at me to come into a screened-off area.
I think they tried to make it seem random so the poor guy walking next
to me was summoned as well. They took our temps and then let us go.
Then when we got through the area where our health reports were
reviewed both Richard and I needed to put masks on and have our temps
taken again and we were interviewed about our illnesses. Everyone was
very nice and once it was confirmed that we did not have a fever, we
were let go. I was SO happy! We were so thankful for our journey to
China being smooth and Isabel doing so well without much sleep.

After exiting the airport, we met our guide who would take us to our
hotel. Her name is Cindy and she is so sweet. Our hotel is about 30
minutes from the airport and by the time we reached it, we had been
traveling for 24 hours. We got to our room and then needed to see
about dinner. We went to a local store to get some water and snacks
for the room and then ate pizza. We made ourselves stay up until
5:00PM and then crashed. We ended up sleeping nearly 12 hours! Richard
and I did wake up a couple times in the middle of the night but for
the most part it was a much needed rest. Stay tuned for tomorrow where
we finally meet Nathan!

Updates Coming Soon

2009-11-05T05:52:00.001-06:00

Hi All

We will catch up with some entries coming in the next few days.

Today we visited Nathan at his foster home and tagged along with him
to his pre-school class. We played outside for a bit and then had
lunch. He has a huge appetite and he loves spicy food, I think he eats
more than me. We had a 1.5 hr drive there and on the way back Nathan
fell asleep and he was just very interested in the cars and buildings
that we passed. Isabel was trying a lot to get Nathan's attention by
tickling him and playing with him. They blew bubbles in the bathroom
when we got back to the hotel, they really play well together so far.

Isabel has been fantastic through all of this, she has been a real
inspiration for me. She assumed the big sister role immediately and
has been so enthusiastic during the day. It is amazing she has
adjusted to the time change. She relishes all the attention she has
been getting when we walk down the street, she waves at everyone. It
is interesting to see the people smile at Isabel.

We had dinner tonight at a restaurant and I was amazed that Nathan
already has his own personality, I guess I never though about his
personality before. He lets you know when he does not
like something or if your taking too long to cut up his food.

Kelly will be giving many more details if this works.

We are logged in!! (LID)

2009-05-28T13:05:00.000-05:00

We have been informed that our paperwork was officially logged in with China on May 8! We are now waiting for our letter of approval (LOA) to adopt Nathan. It feels so good to know that our paperwork is in China and we can now start the countdown to our approval (20 days and counting).

We also received a new picture of Nathan in our update from May. It's so nice to see his big smile as we anticipate going to get him soon! We cannot wait!!

Great News

2009-01-14T22:19:00.000-06:00

We heard from our agency that China has granted us an extension on our paperwork. This is WONDERFUL news!!! We now have until April 1st to complete our dossier (this is the term used for the packet of paperwork that is sent in for an adoption). Actually, it's nearly finished but we're still waiting on another fingerprinting appointment. The extension will help with the part that immigration plays. It is currently taking several months for them to fingerprint applicants and issue the necessary forms. I cannot wait to get over this hurdle. It will mean we're that much closer to getting our little boy.

How Sweet He Is...

2008-11-30T20:17:00.000-06:00

Today we received an update on our son Nathan. I am always excited to receive updates because we usually get a photo! It is so encouraging during a process that is lengthy and unpredictable. This little boy has captured our hearts and we cannot wait to go get him!!