tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19689958931649582322024-02-20T23:54:50.346-08:00A Seventh SisterOur adventure of adopting Christy, a little girl who has Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, from Bulgaria. Ruth Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00297156024421986096noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-78060442706705000612014-11-01T20:15:00.000-07:002014-11-01T20:15:11.117-07:005 Months Home, Surgery This MonthChristy is doing so well on her NG-Tube! She has gained over 5 pounds in the last month or so! After reviewing everything and having a second swallow study (one at Children's hospital this time), it was agreed that Christy has to have her tonsils and adenoids removed and her G-Tube placed during the same sedation. They were able to schedule this for Nov. 13.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSV9fImbKK5EWvDPApgTOL42LjP-HGiUduotLvkznvoIjx0Wq4n5XHfS4X0qOnq2n99NP1tJbNuBy8TwCPKx_XveNroekX70ktWE16XtGZtNoMV3mFj03BQqZzBqzJ8yYwDMrDF4JwhV2D/s1600/christydinnerday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSV9fImbKK5EWvDPApgTOL42LjP-HGiUduotLvkznvoIjx0Wq4n5XHfS4X0qOnq2n99NP1tJbNuBy8TwCPKx_XveNroekX70ktWE16XtGZtNoMV3mFj03BQqZzBqzJ8yYwDMrDF4JwhV2D/s1600/christydinnerday2.jpg" height="187" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christy on May 8</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLuZeNA69ZyB-3TijbKIxsUd8QfCqfhGdUl7GNH9INT2oKbBwKUurfKD501U4-6gDOjq4ZkMNyh5ucA_LrCPtM9zMIkpNyWeDS5H7zJnacoyJgB0rva1fZ-lh2bHw0ymkhLSSnUbydHJt/s1600/christydinnermonth5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLuZeNA69ZyB-3TijbKIxsUd8QfCqfhGdUl7GNH9INT2oKbBwKUurfKD501U4-6gDOjq4ZkMNyh5ucA_LrCPtM9zMIkpNyWeDS5H7zJnacoyJgB0rva1fZ-lh2bHw0ymkhLSSnUbydHJt/s1600/christydinnermonth5.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a>Christy has been home for over 5 months now, and I tried to get a before and after, and here's what I got!<br />
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Christy is getting stronger and is able to do more and more with her right side, the side effected by her cerebral palsy. Her therapists are in awe of how much stronger she has become in such a short time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_OKWAd3jadaoc5uePcnIDxCZW4aqqZ6t4hBuojKt_gwRJU1KIwpMXhLsQYuCZyvXyqPUXf9cCV8Bly__5mwK9VWoO_-qzDuC2b5anZn9tYrAlXDInAOm8DZ_Ydj5eJdrHslxv40Ru_om/s1600/ChristyNGramdV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_OKWAd3jadaoc5uePcnIDxCZW4aqqZ6t4hBuojKt_gwRJU1KIwpMXhLsQYuCZyvXyqPUXf9cCV8Bly__5mwK9VWoO_-qzDuC2b5anZn9tYrAlXDInAOm8DZ_Ydj5eJdrHslxv40Ru_om/s1600/ChristyNGramdV.jpg" height="400" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christy met her Grandmother!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-3jfwu5G5Q79Ot1JF2FFwYfyqaGydWM9UFkBS50vaS3KK9rOUqXLHLfwcjuPVfN-kfItA9P3x67G_6JGLfwQjti6g-uGisAUaLBxwWo_PKG3CI1ct1gajXcYIUnTXwa9GxAyfNX0vCWv/s1600/C&C10-12-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-3jfwu5G5Q79Ot1JF2FFwYfyqaGydWM9UFkBS50vaS3KK9rOUqXLHLfwcjuPVfN-kfItA9P3x67G_6JGLfwQjti6g-uGisAUaLBxwWo_PKG3CI1ct1gajXcYIUnTXwa9GxAyfNX0vCWv/s1600/C&C10-12-14.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christy and Carese wearing their matching Bulgarian dresses at Grandma's house!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ny7yVl6aJgJE8R2kHi0Vjx6VytU2xkXcvcYzIhxSUMFKovlnfBd0vdl191fP1fvDvVNcx9mGbNtK9QkfXB2bwgp0UihmwmtQhCwna__kjCARLA6_6gVlAu8lATGPq41NXHjjpphRKufl/s1600/C&C10-12-14b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ny7yVl6aJgJE8R2kHi0Vjx6VytU2xkXcvcYzIhxSUMFKovlnfBd0vdl191fP1fvDvVNcx9mGbNtK9QkfXB2bwgp0UihmwmtQhCwna__kjCARLA6_6gVlAu8lATGPq41NXHjjpphRKufl/s1600/C&C10-12-14b.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naps in the car, while getting a tube feed, on the way home from Grandmother's house!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUFh4RtOAEYJTfewQveF4rZJcETVGtelqIqprFPNoSKpbl6w28jS2jxKKTkQNEX96c4jIQKwfV6T_qF0NWutcqs8Cw_Vlmc7pyxXsTmNf8a7pSPw9NYkFuXoTF3kv922AfDoAlAXM0UCV/s1600/christyrollingwithbackpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUFh4RtOAEYJTfewQveF4rZJcETVGtelqIqprFPNoSKpbl6w28jS2jxKKTkQNEX96c4jIQKwfV6T_qF0NWutcqs8Cw_Vlmc7pyxXsTmNf8a7pSPw9NYkFuXoTF3kv922AfDoAlAXM0UCV/s1600/christyrollingwithbackpack.jpg" height="371" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The feeding tube and pump in a backpack don't slow her down!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CGYtUW9PsAD6o_BY7jd84eKXUTRfyuvZAeBh49-aRMpA6uOpsdw4Cwww0lW0FidMUsSefajFa2SDxVBjT4-GVbUPs1rfwIYGzEIeUzrAQaEf-3MRo544CpTboo8u5J2wh7qSlEM0asTV/s1600/Christyraisingrightarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CGYtUW9PsAD6o_BY7jd84eKXUTRfyuvZAeBh49-aRMpA6uOpsdw4Cwww0lW0FidMUsSefajFa2SDxVBjT4-GVbUPs1rfwIYGzEIeUzrAQaEf-3MRo544CpTboo8u5J2wh7qSlEM0asTV/s1600/Christyraisingrightarm.jpg" height="258" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christy raising her RIGHT arm! Amazing!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-31580688061091741322014-10-08T12:18:00.000-07:002014-10-08T12:18:24.249-07:00Two Weeks of NG-Tube, Seemingly No Closer to G-Tube Placement<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow - two weeks of insanity, my new lifestyle with a medically complicated child. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW76KpYLmA8A67qZj0zmUa-VuhqawzynlovYIdsaBcgD5ND0LOKwllAn24unP5whUAI0JSyUeJVnNPNqnEU_Rk6cZakuv7BVDKtgqhIoLXCvPjFnF4NqX7-ztsXyw2IqnrGIW0XWFGvSE/s1600/christyngtrial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW76KpYLmA8A67qZj0zmUa-VuhqawzynlovYIdsaBcgD5ND0LOKwllAn24unP5whUAI0JSyUeJVnNPNqnEU_Rk6cZakuv7BVDKtgqhIoLXCvPjFnF4NqX7-ztsXyw2IqnrGIW0XWFGvSE/s1600/christyngtrial.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">She is asking her hand what she should think about mommy feeding her with a syringe....this was very time consuming so<br />
I requested that we go home with a pump, and that is exactly what we did!</td></tr>
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I've heard a few of my readers don't like my long posts, but I know that others like the details. So here's the Cliff Notes version:<br />
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- NG-Tube trial a success<br />
- Christy needs tonsils out at first surgery to avoid problems coming out of anesthesia due to her obstructive sleep apnea<br />
- Christy needs medical home to be Neurodevelopmental Clinic at Children's Hospital.<br />
- She will be assessed there in two weeks, as well as getting another swallow study and meeting with a nutritionist<br />
- Best case scenario is tonsils, adenoids and G-Tube surgeries all together and hopefully in early November.<br />
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Scroll down for lots of photo and all the details for you detail loving readers!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspzwyHCNK62i7KEU3oFYGgwMdC0QjoY03Tcqlpx72_lcVd0b7WcodOrBENd_j4pbenOxIXJ8XQybUIqHSWGqpYqKJLjVkVfBeT9iYu7q0CK5zeEYsaZukt_zdsJWr_ESgEdBxsdgNtbk/s1600/christyngtrial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspzwyHCNK62i7KEU3oFYGgwMdC0QjoY03Tcqlpx72_lcVd0b7WcodOrBENd_j4pbenOxIXJ8XQybUIqHSWGqpYqKJLjVkVfBeT9iYu7q0CK5zeEYsaZukt_zdsJWr_ESgEdBxsdgNtbk/s1600/christyngtrial2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Good morning! It took a long time for her to get to sleep after being rudely awakened after just falling asleep right after pulling her tube out...then having that mean mommy put it back. It took hours of mommy rocking and singing to settle her down. So glad she has a mommy now when she is so very, very sad!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYd9QC7YN4-82Vj4WMAqZ3Ff1RTNhMYBdxIpC5JzhuL2Sisuw8_Ud8m8crrBTAQoYtVR5q2bNMZ-pUFsaEEUKJDg44wy1fshBUs7bxKAbwkEY_Niu4AeEteqq-BM92C3PnERDYlpHVYI/s1600/christyngtrialhairdo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYd9QC7YN4-82Vj4WMAqZ3Ff1RTNhMYBdxIpC5JzhuL2Sisuw8_Ud8m8crrBTAQoYtVR5q2bNMZ-pUFsaEEUKJDg44wy1fshBUs7bxKAbwkEY_Niu4AeEteqq-BM92C3PnERDYlpHVYI/s1600/christyngtrialhairdo.jpg" height="586" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Mommy invented a new way to secure the NG-Tube - make it a part of the hairdo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55RH5pCMRk-CG4B40BYLAW7kCFfAzDhAk2fWA7DBL90x7YRpLTiDEBGb-Qzmgnw89jzER7x_FQxW034gphB-EQbyn59qcUVK6mYUXoAlJ9WGydLySaZNWsxCDfVJ2d_NTD09DEn7BWAQ/s1600/christyngtrialdaddy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55RH5pCMRk-CG4B40BYLAW7kCFfAzDhAk2fWA7DBL90x7YRpLTiDEBGb-Qzmgnw89jzER7x_FQxW034gphB-EQbyn59qcUVK6mYUXoAlJ9WGydLySaZNWsxCDfVJ2d_NTD09DEn7BWAQ/s1600/christyngtrialdaddy2.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Oh SOOO happy to see Daddy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbk6kZAJ4oK1oKNU9xLJTRYG7GXTwTY_ceofMOgLimlE6D2n_O4tqIytnJxv52RRUa6h7AaVQddGBdFxCiLw_YJ5pzjZ6xnv76qJoCCoN_AOPUQ7kGP4TNBsC8si-nx4n_D0zLPkq10s/s1600/christyngtrialdaddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbk6kZAJ4oK1oKNU9xLJTRYG7GXTwTY_ceofMOgLimlE6D2n_O4tqIytnJxv52RRUa6h7AaVQddGBdFxCiLw_YJ5pzjZ6xnv76qJoCCoN_AOPUQ7kGP4TNBsC8si-nx4n_D0zLPkq10s/s1600/christyngtrialdaddy.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Mommy! Look, Daddy's Here!</td></tr>
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So, back to my opening statement....Yep - that is what they refer to Christy as..."Medically Complicated"! This is much better than medically fragile - that is what Esther was until after her heart surgery at 3 months of age.<br />
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But that didn't stop us. No indeed. What did we do the day after getting out of the hospital? We took everybody (that still lives at home) to the Pumpkin Pitch in Burlington! Even Jessica's fiance came along!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyODq5JdK3Ibii4RUHZfp_sG81xlQLuQIpcb_TnlO2F8dU_jDBdvpMnWRmvzfu9E0E8xSIoYoKtmhCN1tlO8nw4NAe0tyxCZLScpolT8D7vBOWNTsqFuzulMEhjPArd2_d0kC0_uQP8c/s1600/pumpkinpitch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyODq5JdK3Ibii4RUHZfp_sG81xlQLuQIpcb_TnlO2F8dU_jDBdvpMnWRmvzfu9E0E8xSIoYoKtmhCN1tlO8nw4NAe0tyxCZLScpolT8D7vBOWNTsqFuzulMEhjPArd2_d0kC0_uQP8c/s1600/pumpkinpitch2.jpg" height="162" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sweet Jon - swept Esther off her feet and carried her out into the field to help her find candy!<br />
Jessica has got herself a winner with this guy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkONvOMcHFK6E8yW5W-jpcfMUCMQm4iq17zo482mVxyjgxO_vtJ0lQpjBEJeWtMvdB6MvREKTVm7-pjjTsXZuat1H-p4LMiR5nPEmP4jyXUfQ-CBUOmQ6xOU8Yx0_Bp2KeD7dNusiFPY/s1600/pumpkinpithch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkONvOMcHFK6E8yW5W-jpcfMUCMQm4iq17zo482mVxyjgxO_vtJ0lQpjBEJeWtMvdB6MvREKTVm7-pjjTsXZuat1H-p4LMiR5nPEmP4jyXUfQ-CBUOmQ6xOU8Yx0_Bp2KeD7dNusiFPY/s1600/pumpkinpithch.jpg" height="316" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The crew - our youngest 10 children plus Jon! We make a crowd all by ourselves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV_3Ue-MVqmIScmuaC06CARrO-W0tQgZcJUnA1XRQV-Cf5MYOZODTQNfIbDHZhfHQjq0Rv6cO_QkmsthbK6qIxxL6iQ8M8LMlR9ZrN54zDfgAmDIh7FFT8Ja4R2LzB58mGXEKgRixHVs/s1600/pumpkinpitchchristy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV_3Ue-MVqmIScmuaC06CARrO-W0tQgZcJUnA1XRQV-Cf5MYOZODTQNfIbDHZhfHQjq0Rv6cO_QkmsthbK6qIxxL6iQ8M8LMlR9ZrN54zDfgAmDIh7FFT8Ja4R2LzB58mGXEKgRixHVs/s1600/pumpkinpitchchristy2.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Christy seemed to be very happy to be out and about that day,<br />
as long as we kept her out of the wind!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW9hHK6c8HT5EpYGQeSPM3LmiIBV5v61qn2TB3xPrufVXrRTP_F_RRykFHnhu7z8XUOPg3g295yyoAs-dEVYk8c1ZmmQ2AY75t7NxmT8BJPIkoLyPGt1dIZdbKp37vnwFW1Atva-up8o/s1600/pumpkinpitchchristy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW9hHK6c8HT5EpYGQeSPM3LmiIBV5v61qn2TB3xPrufVXrRTP_F_RRykFHnhu7z8XUOPg3g295yyoAs-dEVYk8c1ZmmQ2AY75t7NxmT8BJPIkoLyPGt1dIZdbKp37vnwFW1Atva-up8o/s1600/pumpkinpitchchristy.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Oh the Joy of grass, fresh air and freedom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Apjtjc1ZTDUyvlMgqHdwcnYQl8rrIGRO8VMOeNCW2b90M3NdxbJLdVFvVRRtBmBIlUgZQKxmK3oSKE6xx-Jlaw2B-Q6YHYE3JH-FC78f7CY9KBrHWHt1cNxnZ7CdQbVu2tnafuvdmKk/s1600/pumpkinpitchesther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Apjtjc1ZTDUyvlMgqHdwcnYQl8rrIGRO8VMOeNCW2b90M3NdxbJLdVFvVRRtBmBIlUgZQKxmK3oSKE6xx-Jlaw2B-Q6YHYE3JH-FC78f7CY9KBrHWHt1cNxnZ7CdQbVu2tnafuvdmKk/s1600/pumpkinpitchesther.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Esther loved being out and about too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But back to Christy being Medically Complicated! Overall, Christy is quite healthy - she has not suffered from even a cold since we came home in spite of our family having three colds and two stomach viruses since she came home. It seems she has a great immune system in place, and that is good!<br />
<br />
By feeding her thick foods all summer, I was able to avoid causing her to aspirate and that kept her healthy. But that was at a cost of low level dehydration. Thankfully this did not compromise her health. But if we had continued this routine, it could have. So now we are giving her fluids and extra calories through her NG Tube and it is working beautifully so far!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3FeM1qF4dKuPLcLDhQAq3YckmQ1QYSjNDs0BIbXEk9y4abh03WQ682-BueK4dTe80cTPwyvTLt2xffWL0txpV4ODV3wXZ94iJ8N-bSB0AYpI3tbNwv2aM0rvweLivZHik0GqWUgzE_w/s1600/pumpkinpitchcarese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3FeM1qF4dKuPLcLDhQAq3YckmQ1QYSjNDs0BIbXEk9y4abh03WQ682-BueK4dTe80cTPwyvTLt2xffWL0txpV4ODV3wXZ94iJ8N-bSB0AYpI3tbNwv2aM0rvweLivZHik0GqWUgzE_w/s1600/pumpkinpitchcarese.jpg" height="320" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Carese enjoyed this sucker<br />
for a long time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the past 2 weeks she has gained over 2 1/2 pounds! She is sleeping a little better and the dark circles under her eyes are much lighter now. She take shorter naps too. She still suffers from reflux, but it is better than it was when I was pushing thickened liquids via mouth. She is also now running 99 - 100% on her oxygen levels, whereas when I was pushing thickened liquids via mouth, she was running between 92-95%. This proves that even with thicker than pudding level thickened liquids she was still aspirating at possibly every meal. And she was loosing weight and tiring easily.<br />
<br />
So she has passed all the requirements with the NG-Tube that show that she will benefit from having a G-Tube placed. But we can't schedule it yet.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMdMXn-S4_NPhyWYRXxLEl3ZpCPZU6p88PFkboAhuht1ynt9TbnnXH_JNJwERW5JHTldXCkh15LkBRhx3WSWpntPtUxrog3XFjmLD6zhzr6W4Nabv5U__xqzFXwcUWW1aziIwOWOi498/s1600/christynolike+EEG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMdMXn-S4_NPhyWYRXxLEl3ZpCPZU6p88PFkboAhuht1ynt9TbnnXH_JNJwERW5JHTldXCkh15LkBRhx3WSWpntPtUxrog3XFjmLD6zhzr6W4Nabv5U__xqzFXwcUWW1aziIwOWOi498/s1600/christynolike+EEG.jpg" height="284" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy No Like EEG! She almost got her<br />
NG Tube out with all her wiggling around!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At Seattle Children's they have a new protocol - a child need a medical home (a doctor/clinic) who will take the responsibility of ordering the surgery and for follow up care. Originally they had assigned her to pulmonary, but since her O2 stats improved so well in response to discontinuing her fluids by mouth, they no longer felt that that was the best place.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8xt8D4Sj_MaUzRFPJR3IiMwbRiZJ7NCkNhwlX78w3vMnVO3kD8EUcJXiAJaOgXUr8RKAduBZ1S2d2CHGkeiZ3muhC_ukZHYc2d5AgPJX2e1QrIn57nQ2ab0ZeSzX3SOZssYd-lLq5pU/s1600/buddywalk1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8xt8D4Sj_MaUzRFPJR3IiMwbRiZJ7NCkNhwlX78w3vMnVO3kD8EUcJXiAJaOgXUr8RKAduBZ1S2d2CHGkeiZ3muhC_ukZHYc2d5AgPJX2e1QrIn57nQ2ab0ZeSzX3SOZssYd-lLq5pU/s1600/buddywalk1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Everyone enjoyed the Buddy Walk again this year!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Thursday after many phone calls and no one being able to get in touch with the surgeon for answers, the nurse suggested that we come to clinic tomorrow and get to talk with him face to face. So we scheduled that and I also requested that we get an appointment for Christy in the PASS clinic. This is a pre-surgery appointment where you meet with the anesthesia staff and they evaluate your child to see if they are in good shape for surgery and to address any concerns that anyone (parent or medical staff) might have concerning having the child sedated for surgery. I am so glad we did this last Friday (didn't plan to go down there again until Thursday, but it was needed in order to confer further with a hard to get a hold of surgeon, and to prove that Christy was indeed doing so well on the NG-Tube)! The anesthesia team is very concerned about her Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and that is they only place the G-Tube in her first surgery, her tonsils/OSA may make is very hard on her in recovery, maybe even cause a crisis. So they wanted to recommend having her tonsils/adenoids (T/A) out first, or at least having both procedures done at the same time. So she said that she would talk things over with the surgeon and ENT doctor and get back with me early this week.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrU3smtW7mGEyLd81Wosmc9F9qHzH26_44AWsB9U3p80kN-uvXnwdwq1EulftLn9d1XP4F1i7ECcfjLuya5pihxe2jOrCL7BtC2v-LcJxczmNtq_E80f7B8VtAELTIxku8c3E8080QUlk/s1600/buddywalk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrU3smtW7mGEyLd81Wosmc9F9qHzH26_44AWsB9U3p80kN-uvXnwdwq1EulftLn9d1XP4F1i7ECcfjLuya5pihxe2jOrCL7BtC2v-LcJxczmNtq_E80f7B8VtAELTIxku8c3E8080QUlk/s1600/buddywalk2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Christy with her NG Hairdo and her knew Hello Kitty G-Tube enhanced back pack!!<br />
Being out and about with an NG-Tube - no problem, just have to plan ahead!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Earlier that day when I met with the surgeon, he said that he really would like to see Christy have a swallow study done at Children's and that in all likelihood, they would be switching Christy to Neurodevelopmental (ND) for her medical home, which might require them to see her in clinic before they would do that. Bummer! Another trip to Seattle.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmA26uW6Gm9lcKBQLe63brcSxMQepxymh5awdM4ms4fKfq-onT2p1dtBSoejdgCB_SGE-naVUXBlbvovDx96wG41CBXFVLMWRoGM2v0MptmFHM14rIHP4i0p68PQ0k-aDnC_Sy4JmHJI/s1600/buddywalk3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmA26uW6Gm9lcKBQLe63brcSxMQepxymh5awdM4ms4fKfq-onT2p1dtBSoejdgCB_SGE-naVUXBlbvovDx96wG41CBXFVLMWRoGM2v0MptmFHM14rIHP4i0p68PQ0k-aDnC_Sy4JmHJI/s1600/buddywalk3.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A photos is worth a thousand words....these two are becoming fast friends<br />
and Esther likes to comfort Christy when she needs it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAWgRDgLnY9qVcMTLNlz8217ZfY4FWMP6V7IpbLeEk9WghmZwow5K6shTeDjM3aStYxMSV4kvvRhTqPUWp_LiBLKlqhBQd9YKQPPH4AyL_fyAXcjZ8uVITVgLM21SUOHSAMAcpjIjArA/s1600/Christyfatandhappy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAWgRDgLnY9qVcMTLNlz8217ZfY4FWMP6V7IpbLeEk9WghmZwow5K6shTeDjM3aStYxMSV4kvvRhTqPUWp_LiBLKlqhBQd9YKQPPH4AyL_fyAXcjZ8uVITVgLM21SUOHSAMAcpjIjArA/s1600/Christyfatandhappy.jpg" height="315" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Having an NG Tube does not mean she doesn't eat!<br />
She still enjoys eating three meals a day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Monday I got a call from the ND clinic and it was even a doctor! Dr Lisa called to see what I understood as to what was going on with Christy and with Children's and why she needed to be seen there. She also agreed that a swallow study needed to be done. She also wanted us to see a nutritionist to go over her nutrition now that we've had the NG-Tube for a while. But she also said that they were scheduling into December, but that she would work to get us into the schedule in the next few weeks. Within a few hours, I got a call back that she could be seen for all three appointments in two weeks.<br />
<br />
As of a few minutes ago, she is now scheduled for her T/A 2 weeks from Monday. If they decide it's best for her to just have her T/A done first all by itself, then it's all set up. If they want to combine the T/A and G-Tube we'll cancel that and schedule both together at a later date. If she has the T/A first she will most like not have the G-Tube place until December...not my first choice that is for sure!<br />
<br />
So, here we are, doing the NG-Tube thing for an undisclosed amount of time. I'm guessing that if all goes well, she'll be getting her T/A + G-Tube surgeries at the same time and it will be sometime in November.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pV_dEER7WXyNsfR1QJ8yDyWNEEzvPtCtqcOF9k83PlXOmICtBj2N8MFMGYj0Sj8MV0HD29a6adox4cH16KnR4lbtuA32BaR8b5O3Zx11NhhXZSelxIiLCu0MaOotj73fuaRUtKMoK9s/s1600/Christysmeal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pV_dEER7WXyNsfR1QJ8yDyWNEEzvPtCtqcOF9k83PlXOmICtBj2N8MFMGYj0Sj8MV0HD29a6adox4cH16KnR4lbtuA32BaR8b5O3Zx11NhhXZSelxIiLCu0MaOotj73fuaRUtKMoK9s/s1600/Christysmeal1.jpg" height="188" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">chicken alfredo with spinach....<br />
nasty looking but she liked it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwa5_7nB0m7TTjS9EeEpTvkLNjYeKnjuYynLMKEH7vVnEEWNaDuGtL7j447DLy9OSzK04pDqNsXslhDywhxNzhmCYz4ajWHP3XaREkr6LPy1WytFzY0beJGLowqxSuCsQyGpIhegL6N14/s1600/christysmeal2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwa5_7nB0m7TTjS9EeEpTvkLNjYeKnjuYynLMKEH7vVnEEWNaDuGtL7j447DLy9OSzK04pDqNsXslhDywhxNzhmCYz4ajWHP3XaREkr6LPy1WytFzY0beJGLowqxSuCsQyGpIhegL6N14/s1600/christysmeal2.jpg" height="157" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">thickened peaches on the left,<br />
thickened chicken alfredo on right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Time will tell. At this point, we have figured out how to prevent Christy from pulling out the NG-Tube, but it was been a huge learning curve. My experience with Esther having an NG-Tube was limited to a newborn who had very little control over her limbs. Christy has lots of control over most of her limbs.<br />
<br />
The first 5 days home after the NG-Tube placement, I had to put the NG-Tube back in 4 times. Not bad, and each time it was a little less traumatic for Christy, but I am so glad it's going so much better now.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV56i1HFtzgms3R-_iIQl244zdW8D9g4I1ErgjoitJ40ipSdCptGR8RbQr7icI70tMU3OLE2tiJliNQUMIlqv3VPDtzSsYJ6IXpanLnWDwOGtbwiMqMgAazQMU2NZk1KkzxsmuSoAaxc/s1600/christycheckingoutfood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV56i1HFtzgms3R-_iIQl244zdW8D9g4I1ErgjoitJ40ipSdCptGR8RbQr7icI70tMU3OLE2tiJliNQUMIlqv3VPDtzSsYJ6IXpanLnWDwOGtbwiMqMgAazQMU2NZk1KkzxsmuSoAaxc/s1600/christycheckingoutfood.jpg" height="190" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She now noticed by sight when I switch<br />
foods and wants to decide if she<br />
will like it or not!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvAA4e_4lNnYIspMXELgKDpYBrPnqZGXurX4OKIjMWErwsPxVWL6cH_wDuSayKJx_I-Hy32KQmkSvCqY14UxxYguDyHMDLGIZHaEuix6YpTOGJHxXrkUxgJGyu5hoirfXS18MOaE38pg/s1600/christynolike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvAA4e_4lNnYIspMXELgKDpYBrPnqZGXurX4OKIjMWErwsPxVWL6cH_wDuSayKJx_I-Hy32KQmkSvCqY14UxxYguDyHMDLGIZHaEuix6YpTOGJHxXrkUxgJGyu5hoirfXS18MOaE38pg/s1600/christynolike.jpg" height="189" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She does not like peaches<br />
and she prefers not to eat pears!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We keep an arm brace on her left arm most of the time. She does not seem to mind this and is thrilled when we take it off. This has also led to her using her right arm more and that is a good thing! She has also successfully pulled the feeding tube out with her toes, so now she wears tights of footed pajamas all the time (she pulls socks off in seconds!). We also have to keep her arm brace under a long sleeved shirt as she will pull the velcro strap off with her teeth and shake the brace off in no time! So after learning these lessons, she has not been able to pull it out since last Thursday morning. So it is getting easier.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs9VZE8u7CaxkR65zc_vmIIt9vwkKvYePTe_qHHWLcNaP86KMAEV7zpBL9M9WCVnx4lF4Nlsu2a4zu9LTkEADrBlP2K_b1yPJa-_XF6h30TmgUb5vEds9f6THdDblJPOV1XxX1ZsZ-Dk/s1600/edaleendairy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs9VZE8u7CaxkR65zc_vmIIt9vwkKvYePTe_qHHWLcNaP86KMAEV7zpBL9M9WCVnx4lF4Nlsu2a4zu9LTkEADrBlP2K_b1yPJa-_XF6h30TmgUb5vEds9f6THdDblJPOV1XxX1ZsZ-Dk/s1600/edaleendairy.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Monday I took the youngest nine children to the grand opening of an ice cream parlor<br />
and we all enjoyed some great ice cream and just going somewhere just for the fun of it!<br />
It also was great motivation for getting the Monday morning chores done!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So I have two weeks of normalcy - only appointments for therapy one day a week! I so need this. At first I was frustrated and bummed for the seeming delay for the next step, but since then I have seen that I need some time to just be home. I'm worn out and tired and stressed and all that leads to being further worn out/tired/stressed. So I'm going to make the most of this time and do a few things at home that I have been unable to do since the beginning of September - get caught up on things like laundry, getting school underway for my kids, doing therapy/preschool with Esther and just being there for my two year old who needs her mama! Of course that will all be happening between feeding Christy 3 healthy meals per day by mouth, and three tube feeds via her NG-Tube and feeding pump.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-67815252666504128892014-09-25T18:38:00.001-07:002014-09-25T18:38:30.336-07:00NG Tube Trial - Admitted to Seattle Children's Hospital<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTilwzzknHa2Ziz_Fege7oldh5032UutizkfefxTqSmogG0QpMrADbZBteXHieqizbilygPvQg4dxwsQRWCnK32ywz6ttMctkAJYL5MoCTHteo6zHp1s1dGurJDR2EgQRhff8RqsJGs4/s1600/christy9-24-14a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTilwzzknHa2Ziz_Fege7oldh5032UutizkfefxTqSmogG0QpMrADbZBteXHieqizbilygPvQg4dxwsQRWCnK32ywz6ttMctkAJYL5MoCTHteo6zHp1s1dGurJDR2EgQRhff8RqsJGs4/s1600/christy9-24-14a.jpg" height="400" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy playing, Mommy doing paperwork<br />at General Surgery Clinic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, once again, our week is nothing like we planned. Started out with just two days of appointments, but the trip to Children's Hospital in Seattle yesterday was going to be two appointments, and then they scheduled an Upper GI for this morning in order to move forward towards having a G-Tube Placed. So we were blessed with friends whom I only knew online (real life friends of my real life friend, <a href="http://littleearthlingphotography.com/" target="_blank">Renee of Little Earthling Photography</a>) who were willing to take us in spontaneously (we didn't even know we needed accomodations until after 5 pm!). <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRVjnAYw9CSTiIqwqSLcdrgcnUGSe2wwiz6RkQoBMFycCH9yWnMpETraZOChpHRRmU8jdNhkuGNb6vjw8JQDg4u-OSdmA8VUc2CtF72-aFVKc2pSDjSmQ4_4MrQ3nzJYJt8XsgCH0iW4/s1600/christy9-24-14b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRVjnAYw9CSTiIqwqSLcdrgcnUGSe2wwiz6RkQoBMFycCH9yWnMpETraZOChpHRRmU8jdNhkuGNb6vjw8JQDg4u-OSdmA8VUc2CtF72-aFVKc2pSDjSmQ4_4MrQ3nzJYJt8XsgCH0iW4/s1600/christy9-24-14b.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy hanging out with her/<br />oldest sister, Jessica!</td></tr>
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So after crashing at their place (we had a lot common - Grace is expecting her 9th, and has adopted a little boy from Ukraine a few years back who has Down Syndrome). We got up super early to try to beat the traffic and headed in. In my sleep deprived state, I headed to Bellevue Children's (had been there twice within a week's time!). But we were still early, so going to the Seattle campus still worked out fine.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtRrmZhbPnYQOzFBf0TNNTM0juORAppUBKEChKzuwzw53pZ6Y_ogNW3mGqvv0Aqmm6o0GBxY4uheprl2LF2Cp5BABKmAHL_1pzvIuxKYTgXxQ8LjdA3ULjJfvZ_NX5x7i97PBJkBYf5w/s1600/Christy9-25-14f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtRrmZhbPnYQOzFBf0TNNTM0juORAppUBKEChKzuwzw53pZ6Y_ogNW3mGqvv0Aqmm6o0GBxY4uheprl2LF2Cp5BABKmAHL_1pzvIuxKYTgXxQ8LjdA3ULjJfvZ_NX5x7i97PBJkBYf5w/s1600/Christy9-25-14f.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Catch me if you can!</td></tr>
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Her Upper GI series exrays showed that she has no physical anomalies that would prevent having a G-Tube Place, yay! After consulting with the pumonologist, we were able to get a bed and she has be admitted and received her NG Tube and we will be here 24 - 48 hours until I understand how they want me to feed her and how that works with how I think she should be fed (i.e. negotiations are in progress!).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUEGXjnHvDQ25XEDbkUPpmOspff1LJWo8geofNJExTcSbHDQJspPLclmMeHGO6-D37t033geZCHPPC9k8JJjbHRBdNPxJeSJAWPBmIGYSAslovTGV0Gay4NY-QMrfFIH_LvO2sHn1s20/s1600/Christy9-25-14e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUEGXjnHvDQ25XEDbkUPpmOspff1LJWo8geofNJExTcSbHDQJspPLclmMeHGO6-D37t033geZCHPPC9k8JJjbHRBdNPxJeSJAWPBmIGYSAslovTGV0Gay4NY-QMrfFIH_LvO2sHn1s20/s1600/Christy9-25-14e.jpg" height="175" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">My silly, goofy, lovable girly!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZuWfEXo-BqqgiV13YATgyqQmRC9K5a6oJwM-0tIkOFxCr0xHJFmhYx1UN7QpFTdmYos07R1hQwdurfx_XcomIqmTwhMkBeZ-GKwzSjFqbYcJeG11OAMgNAG58X6PBeuuVD8ogh6C2Yw/s1600/Christy9-25-14d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZuWfEXo-BqqgiV13YATgyqQmRC9K5a6oJwM-0tIkOFxCr0xHJFmhYx1UN7QpFTdmYos07R1hQwdurfx_XcomIqmTwhMkBeZ-GKwzSjFqbYcJeG11OAMgNAG58X6PBeuuVD8ogh6C2Yw/s1600/Christy9-25-14d.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She LOVES to eat!</td></tr>
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She has been a great little traveler and took most every in stride....but getting the NG-Tube placed had her more upset than I have ever seen her, and I was her tormentor. It's so hard! She was able to pull it halfway out, so now she has a hand-mitt on so she can't snag the tube with her good hand.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrFzsGH8THFmTsna9CcmjdfbbbbwlAC9hXI2fOi6rr-DtRFYjGVENV3pRKhG6UifBkKLSlIsOVxiFI_6X1YAeq2N7-7V7AneXmm9IEs3e0Y90Chfl4rfkxS8sSwjCxuihrORsv5ygAmg/s1600/Christy9-25-14a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrFzsGH8THFmTsna9CcmjdfbbbbwlAC9hXI2fOi6rr-DtRFYjGVENV3pRKhG6UifBkKLSlIsOVxiFI_6X1YAeq2N7-7V7AneXmm9IEs3e0Y90Chfl4rfkxS8sSwjCxuihrORsv5ygAmg/s1600/Christy9-25-14a.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Wow! Cool Crib!</td></tr>
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv-72MC425hxFbP8SK1GYJC6RAiqZIW-caFRYRUhHKxRlCx7JCp_R-PaCNb8Fhwvq9w-IMuWmae5grMm8y2cIsP2fchbs7VvoDSHvMnmmi9hyphenhyphenVZ65cZULqPYt3kPkRlvaQbChSPyTZCo/s1600/Christy9-25-14b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv-72MC425hxFbP8SK1GYJC6RAiqZIW-caFRYRUhHKxRlCx7JCp_R-PaCNb8Fhwvq9w-IMuWmae5grMm8y2cIsP2fchbs7VvoDSHvMnmmi9hyphenhyphenVZ65cZULqPYt3kPkRlvaQbChSPyTZCo/s1600/Christy9-25-14b.jpg" height="320" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Finally happy again after NG Tube was put in/'by<br /> her big bad mama....but she's forgiven me already!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am hoping that we will be able to be discharged tomorrow since I already have experience with the NG-Tube from Esther's first 4 1/2 months! <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7lom65JRpNyHzYcESQbgG2RWyp4Nhx4LKVosyYcREayDWworJj1-KskllZBK72_zjE_PM6l6xjfctckk0lWJ70po0H-VjhE4yFdfbTy4JS-l9opGNfuuTlImlWh3140n4O-qwjhuUdg/s1600/Christy9-25-14c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7lom65JRpNyHzYcESQbgG2RWyp4Nhx4LKVosyYcREayDWworJj1-KskllZBK72_zjE_PM6l6xjfctckk0lWJ70po0H-VjhE4yFdfbTy4JS-l9opGNfuuTlImlWh3140n4O-qwjhuUdg/s1600/Christy9-25-14c.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">How tangled can I get?<br />Very Tangled!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll update if anything changes, but I'm hoping the next blogpost will be next week and from home! I'm hoping to travel to my mother's house this weekend to introduce Christy to her grandma!<br />
<br />
Prayers appreciated for good progress and an early release and that all goes well at home in my absence!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-25908255324038454652014-09-19T08:57:00.000-07:002014-09-25T18:40:29.180-07:00Christy's 4 month update - Tonsils, Sleeping and Tubes, OH MY!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbSoPZzn00z8fdpJAtP_-Ycxrg5fF67_N7iYf8hI_f6qWEMRZrHWhyrr5F6jQIaVlM_cBhyBtiRiwHm8JZqWlXmvTN7GY_M03xRj3-m2c2g9ISIkDSlhFvdh-mqBCUFIV4_LT3peUeQs/s1600/Campout2014bChristy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbSoPZzn00z8fdpJAtP_-Ycxrg5fF67_N7iYf8hI_f6qWEMRZrHWhyrr5F6jQIaVlM_cBhyBtiRiwHm8JZqWlXmvTN7GY_M03xRj3-m2c2g9ISIkDSlhFvdh-mqBCUFIV4_LT3peUeQs/s1600/Campout2014bChristy.jpg" height="156" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Fresh Air = Sleepy Girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fKMxkyYb36EPGw2tU0Edc1D2PustVq_oQXyV_lUSPSogpH82YScmF97u7XyRmOnXRPKwOEk40vBVmD2pFttth-9wrFmuxMLYxcmGjiej45zI_ZIcXjyXqNkQwh5clEEjHfy52-Gb5Pc/s1600/Christycamping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fKMxkyYb36EPGw2tU0Edc1D2PustVq_oQXyV_lUSPSogpH82YScmF97u7XyRmOnXRPKwOEk40vBVmD2pFttth-9wrFmuxMLYxcmGjiej45zI_ZIcXjyXqNkQwh5clEEjHfy52-Gb5Pc/s1600/Christycamping.jpg" height="168" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Camping = Double Stroller Time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You may or may not have noticed that I did not do a "Three Months Home" blog post about Christy, but I did. I really wanted to do that, but I just didn't have the time, and our camera had gone missing so I couldn't post photos!<br />
<br />
So much has happened since my last update on Christy that I can't post it all here, but here are some highlights, and then I'll tell you about her/my first ever sleep study plus updates on her current challenges!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJExnMMebx3G0YIUSyy3kI_bIVR6BMTDV3Cn-GDFw3pQzpr25kh1NxcggIljuPmBncThPSSvAR0mbzarbqHfqiP-UBTiLH2qPkddyrLzP4nq040JIlfPkcswdwX-soqaek6SSRaLhHU3E/s1600/Christywakeupcall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJExnMMebx3G0YIUSyy3kI_bIVR6BMTDV3Cn-GDFw3pQzpr25kh1NxcggIljuPmBncThPSSvAR0mbzarbqHfqiP-UBTiLH2qPkddyrLzP4nq040JIlfPkcswdwX-soqaek6SSRaLhHU3E/s1600/Christywakeupcall.jpg" height="253" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">"Wake Up Gi-Gi" (Carese's name for Christy!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Right after my last "Christy Update" I took Christy in for a weight check. After her feeding evaluation in July, I realized that she was not gaining weight so on the therapists recommendation I began adding Pediasure to her diet. After two weeks of doing this I had her weight checked and she had gained 11 oz since she had come home. So that was working.<br />
<br />
Then we left on a long campout. Our church has a campout every year, but we got up early. This year we arrive on Monday, and the official campout starts on Friday. Christy did amazingly well at camp, adjusting quickly to the outdoor life.<br />
<br />
The only problem was that her crib was right next to my bed. Before the campout I was aware that she wakened about once a night and at home I would check on her when I heard her rocking her crib (literally) and usually it meant her nose was stuffy. I'd put a little coconut oil on her nose at the opening of her nostrils to help soften any crusties, and apply some essential oils for nasal congestion and calming and she'd rock herself back to sleep. I tried rocking her to sleep, but for so many years she has been calming herself to sleep, that if I try to rock her, she wakes completely up and thinks it's time to play....doesn't work at all to put her to sleep again.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_c-z3l7yYNRlQ1ygpRkvKEnJJbFh8HP7BkvamdhZjbjCPlN7qQH4e_ZS2rICVMECmMsLwv2FkUldnMSImR7b6-r9Tn7pLtpcTDOaiA-qvnqoXyhJwq_cycyYfb-QyumBZ-yRIocHKKE/s1600/christysbedatcamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_c-z3l7yYNRlQ1ygpRkvKEnJJbFh8HP7BkvamdhZjbjCPlN7qQH4e_ZS2rICVMECmMsLwv2FkUldnMSImR7b6-r9Tn7pLtpcTDOaiA-qvnqoXyhJwq_cycyYfb-QyumBZ-yRIocHKKE/s1600/christysbedatcamp.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy's bed right by mommy's<br />
Head = sleep deprived mommy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, it became apparent at camp that Christy was waking many more times than I had been aware, but she would usually comfort herself back to sleep. But every morning at 4 am sharp, she would wake completely up and start making a lot of noise, between rocking her crib (which would rock the whole trailer) and happy noises as she would see that mommy was right next to her crib. I would have to work to keep her quiet until she went back to sleep, which usually took 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Needless to say, I was not getting much sleep at camp, so much so that I had to bail and go home with the girls Saturday so I could get some sleep and not have a complete meltdown at camp!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclRUwjK6eq0y6JYfLsb3Iw7zEtfaGExNRg41fccABDnlh1sLKwrGz-XebJ0gafHhP7bV17Tct06xjDgTicFQcidugRYNWctvVHDE3nVTGxYTxjgktemjvTy7ReiqpeH0Ny8Tgof_4V8E/s1600/christy9-9c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclRUwjK6eq0y6JYfLsb3Iw7zEtfaGExNRg41fccABDnlh1sLKwrGz-XebJ0gafHhP7bV17Tct06xjDgTicFQcidugRYNWctvVHDE3nVTGxYTxjgktemjvTy7ReiqpeH0Ny8Tgof_4V8E/s1600/christy9-9c.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy doing table time, playing with blocks,<br />
as part of her daily therapy/play time at home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In August Christy and Esther both saw the ENT, Dr Englais (sp?), at Seattle Children's Hospital. We discussed her snoring and sleep problems. Esther got exrays to check on her adenoids/possible regrowth but she is all clear! Christy, however, needs her tonsils out for sure, and the doctor said he was sure she needed her adenoids removed too, but didn't want to exray her for that and just make the final decision during surgery. We also discussed having this done when she gets her dental work done (did I mention that she needs sedated dental work done due to some cavities?). She will also get an MRI done when sedated so we have a better idea of the brain damage that resulted in her having Cerebral Palsy or a stroke (we are not sure which she has since we don't know when the brain damage occurred).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzecE7OrMpoLKjGzkqYyI7AaDOxbPPb7bfUJOt0sD-zg4AUG0W4iz1EUZU7937fHuh9vBAFS7Upz3gQgk1DXttIADkKuxpp_VqMEaW9wovxo1SRU9XgZEiWJgiQG2Z3PBWxmRfboCIL8/s1600/christy9-9d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzecE7OrMpoLKjGzkqYyI7AaDOxbPPb7bfUJOt0sD-zg4AUG0W4iz1EUZU7937fHuh9vBAFS7Upz3gQgk1DXttIADkKuxpp_VqMEaW9wovxo1SRU9XgZEiWJgiQG2Z3PBWxmRfboCIL8/s1600/christy9-9d.jpg" height="255" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She does like to explore her world using her mouth!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last week of August was our first Post Adoption Report home visit. We had a social worker from our home study agency come to our home to see how Christy was doing and how well we are caring for her as well as how she is doing in our family! We got the report back and it was like a pat on the back - she spoke of our family and Christy in glowing terms. Boy that sure meant a lot to me. This report should be back from getting apostilled any day now and then I will send it to our adoption agency and they will forward it to the Bulgarian authorities. These Post Adoption Reports help countries like Bulgaria to determine if it is in the best interest of the children for them to be adopted into families in the U.S. so these reports are vital to the ongoing adoptions for other orphans!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iKxU9aXx_4XN_TQp08Gs7fQWCy0KFI_1WpCf-hwDPB4PgUo00gviEsFKwgadZdrP3Cogqw-hK9c7AaC7-CE3Jo5FIQZgDLKzcs5WFRqXmWDnk_gVhyWgLnFdIWmACbTjK0-zOgD8XBk/s1600/ChristygettingnailsclippedbyRachel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iKxU9aXx_4XN_TQp08Gs7fQWCy0KFI_1WpCf-hwDPB4PgUo00gviEsFKwgadZdrP3Cogqw-hK9c7AaC7-CE3Jo5FIQZgDLKzcs5WFRqXmWDnk_gVhyWgLnFdIWmACbTjK0-zOgD8XBk/s1600/ChristygettingnailsclippedbyRachel2.jpg" height="284" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Rachel cutting Christy's nails - Christy does not like this,<br />
but she did give me this great photo between her<br />
complaining and squirming to get away!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Just to see how the dietary changes were working, I had her in for a weight check the day before the home visit and we found that she had gained about a pound since her weight check 4 weeks before - that was great news!<br />
<br />
The first week of September was her swallow study. She did so well, cooperated so nicely, that we were able to get very good information about her swallowing...at least very accurate information. Christy has major aspiration problems. She showed laryngeal penetration (fancy term for food going down the wrong tube) on all thicknesses, even pudding. There is no term for thickness thicker than pudding, so the speech therapist referred to it as paste. This is not good, not good at all. Both the speech therapist and Christy's pediatrician are recommending that we place a G-Tube to aid in getting fluids into her, but we are/were hesitant about this.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vZBjJleuimcyexJDlscl5SOVofifuhiWYQhHxpP0u6AM7nvC3r89yqWka7YeVH7jc1BjGA_0_TdbVcMcBZfFb_jpkbFSUhQ8XtSIfVHw4o3vaRdPjEXtxBI6ZaE3QEj9Eq50i6wuay4/s1600/sleepstudywaitingroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vZBjJleuimcyexJDlscl5SOVofifuhiWYQhHxpP0u6AM7nvC3r89yqWka7YeVH7jc1BjGA_0_TdbVcMcBZfFb_jpkbFSUhQ8XtSIfVHw4o3vaRdPjEXtxBI6ZaE3QEj9Eq50i6wuay4/s1600/sleepstudywaitingroom.jpg" height="400" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">My happy girl - in the waiting room at<br />
Seattle Children's Sleep Clinic in Bellevue</td></tr>
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So, we have been working to get her the proper liquids by giving her apple juice thickened with Thick It to just past pudding thickness. We were weighing her diapers to see how well she is extracting liquid from her foods/thickened liquids for proper hydration. If I gave her 1/3 cup of thickened apple juice at each meal, she had more than sufficient output. But, she has also been struggling to gain weight, so it's a balancing act at getting enough calories into her so adding more fluids (bulk with fewer calories) meant a possible trade off...being hydrated but not gaining weight. So for two weeks I've been working at this, and it's a struggle and when my life got SUPER busy last week and this week, it was nearly impossible to ensure that she was betting proper nutrition and proper hydration, and as of yesterday the scale said that she had actually lost weight (around 1/2 pound in 2 weeks) when we started adding more fluids....and her reflux has gotten worse too.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29-3MvxYpthDBWDzeX5CyyUEnmPZcjXPLexBlxgTiG8fZnCcs8IOh8Vw901kxMpbMpq4ai_vJTeSNt9ZfNDg-Gf7kuRPPomA4BG2HYGzBX7KsGwXmBI5Hbj9o8h1ZZNI4ssGoBTf1V4o/s1600/sleepstudybigcrib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29-3MvxYpthDBWDzeX5CyyUEnmPZcjXPLexBlxgTiG8fZnCcs8IOh8Vw901kxMpbMpq4ai_vJTeSNt9ZfNDg-Gf7kuRPPomA4BG2HYGzBX7KsGwXmBI5Hbj9o8h1ZZNI4ssGoBTf1V4o/s1600/sleepstudybigcrib.jpg" height="320" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy all ready for bed - waiting to get hooked up<br />
for her sleep study. Such a big crib....made me sad<br />
to think of all those years she spent alone in a crib!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yesterday I met with a nutritionist and we had a long talk about Christy's nutritional struggles. She watched me feed her lunch while we talked about all of that. She also recommended placing a G-Tube and we talked at length about the pros and cons of a G-Tube and so much of what she said now makes even more sense, especially after seeing how hard it is to get her properly hydrated when our days are busy. Yes, the last two weeks were busier than usual, but even taking that into account, it is very time consuming to get enough nutrition into her, and she tires before we are done feeding her and she is refluxing more now due to the greater volume in her stomach at meals. The nutritionist recommends moving to 6 smaller meals - great idea, but implementing that will be even that much harder for this busy mom. With a G-Tube she can get her in between meals food/liquids via her tube, and just feel her main meals by mouth, and give her fluids at meals through the tube. It's beginning to sound like the best way to me now.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOtPPOEPsrBJghJlsTY-le2u6ku94Fos4YnPJKgF33sRhLbq1JGdKT2KuA7Z-VXdQ2xMzbnS_r4pylFl2A-aVWtZhSCC1Mgna8Uo5Zvrlw4iCuWXhZ8l0f62kB8Ouqpd04z_8uizQbEo/s1600/sleepstudyprewires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOtPPOEPsrBJghJlsTY-le2u6ku94Fos4YnPJKgF33sRhLbq1JGdKT2KuA7Z-VXdQ2xMzbnS_r4pylFl2A-aVWtZhSCC1Mgna8Uo5Zvrlw4iCuWXhZ8l0f62kB8Ouqpd04z_8uizQbEo/s1600/sleepstudyprewires.jpg" height="320" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">My beautiful Bulgarian Princess!</td></tr>
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I was getting head of thing there...the appointment with the nutritionist was yesterday on our way home from the sleep study and her sleep study set up appointment was on Monday!<br />
<br />
On Monday we went to the Everett Children's clinic. After reviewing Christy's history, and check Christy's stats that day (wide awake and active her O2 stat was only 95%), she said they she was content to wait until after Christy had her tonsils and adenoids out to see if that corrected her sleep problems. I mentioned that the ENT had called for the sleep study to be done before the surgery so they would know what they were dealing with when she was sedated. She checked and I was right, so she quickly changed gears and started talking about scheduling the sleep study. She said that they were scheduling into November, but that she'd put her at the top of the urgent, cancellation list. She said they would call me tomorrow. I got the call an hour later and they said they were scheduling into January, but that they had a cancellation for Wednesday night....I jumped on that one!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzu3vnyzcbIFuV3siIberExgj0mpfSW5fGkTNZqRxFIY3VWmU-HNKEF5-oGPqqgX_eGvL_5Ia-EyWbFgzl4BYjC_Q1KgrFf9b0rYILocxEdq0wmRxue_JVWz1c6NHojYhZ76cUPMtG3lQ/s1600/sleepstudysign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzu3vnyzcbIFuV3siIberExgj0mpfSW5fGkTNZqRxFIY3VWmU-HNKEF5-oGPqqgX_eGvL_5Ia-EyWbFgzl4BYjC_Q1KgrFf9b0rYILocxEdq0wmRxue_JVWz1c6NHojYhZ76cUPMtG3lQ/s1600/sleepstudysign.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The cool, light up welcome sign<br />
- doubles as a nightlight!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fast Forward to yesterday! We left early for the trip to Bellevue (about 1 1/2 hour drive in perfect traffic), around 3 pm, so I could have dinner with a friend/adoptive mom before the check in time of 7 pm. We checked in after I got lots of exercise finding the clinic (left the instruction in the car and there was only one sign that I did not read completely as I thought there would be more signs on where to go). They wanted me to bring her in to discuss the results a couple of weeks after the sleep study, but was able to turn that into a phone call scheduled since we live so far away, phew! If there was anything that caused concern, they would call us in two days to discuss that - so far, no phone calls!<br />
<br />
After check in, we were shown to our room, and on the way the nurse pointed out an area where there were drinks and snacks that were available to us for free (which I was unable to take advantage of, except for a cup of coffee on the way out - but it was pretty good coffee!). Then we got down to the business of filling out forms and getting Christy ready for bed. She looked so tiny in the big crib! She does not look like a 4 year old!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwPLMF8b9J3ZfZf-jhDrfbrvILscg6dBZc5xivSZuPrreV94GuZD5sufUcROJaPdWB-MNzh_w0V67E9CZculnEckB___8DOBFrpXFAMOzUOIutjem8MlFjdmlb-CPxjSZeJu1QLaqMww/s1600/sleepstudytricks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwPLMF8b9J3ZfZf-jhDrfbrvILscg6dBZc5xivSZuPrreV94GuZD5sufUcROJaPdWB-MNzh_w0V67E9CZculnEckB___8DOBFrpXFAMOzUOIutjem8MlFjdmlb-CPxjSZeJu1QLaqMww/s1600/sleepstudytricks.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">"Watch this - I can do the magic table cloth trick!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddghdFQwbQG5LjPEdQ6kLXMHs-A0OeunNZRsc8LzG9babOTq-kX6LSOm5-LaqZOAvOmp2ID7BgChWcgzxZUtVm6XjRH8n5xtPTApA2QRhE8ZANtSXqmb_hEff89UrdKV17g-0TsOwd3A/s1600/sleepstudywiredup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddghdFQwbQG5LjPEdQ6kLXMHs-A0OeunNZRsc8LzG9babOTq-kX6LSOm5-LaqZOAvOmp2ID7BgChWcgzxZUtVm6XjRH8n5xtPTApA2QRhE8ZANtSXqmb_hEff89UrdKV17g-0TsOwd3A/s1600/sleepstudywiredup.jpg" height="320" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Yeah, not a happy Christy...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once I was done and she was ready, the wiring began! They stuck things to her head for the EEG and then wrapped her head like a war wound victim and then a kind of stocking thing over all of that. Then she put on waste bands to measure her work of breathing, monitors to her legs to check for restless leg movements and the PulseOx to her toe. Lastly they attached a nasal canula that had things attached to monitor her breathing through her nose and mouth - this did not go over well with Christy at all! After everything was attached, the gazillion wires were held together like a big pony tail down her back.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIknIYoWZjiqb4AdHOoQsGsDuJlHs-J3J-HpyAWcpCz-JgkYT2lSQuO47piElYtBLyN7byQwFyckm6qcy4AeWiiwwP8MX_ik_Aog8FNzlWOVya193B6_eLDDdnQgl1vWFlt9rBwiCF8-U/s1600/sleepstudyalmostready.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIknIYoWZjiqb4AdHOoQsGsDuJlHs-J3J-HpyAWcpCz-JgkYT2lSQuO47piElYtBLyN7byQwFyckm6qcy4AeWiiwwP8MX_ik_Aog8FNzlWOVya193B6_eLDDdnQgl1vWFlt9rBwiCF8-U/s1600/sleepstudyalmostready.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">What does the hand say about the nasal canula? NO!</td></tr>
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Overall, Christy took it all in stride. But her method or rocking herself to sleep, and moving in many different positions as she does this made things difficult. As she would get close to sleep, some electrode or another would come off. They also ended up with the PulsOx on three extremities trying to get a better reading, but 95% seemed to just be her best reading. After 1 1/2 hours, she finally fell asleep...with that "hat" pretty much off her head. Around 1 am she started into her waking/rocking herself to sleep pattern. At one point they nurses had to come in and try to put the stuff on her head back on. It lasted a little while. At some point they added two additional waist band monitors too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnksxX6rE_GwSB5KSPPyEh1VwMnt-DGKK_qick9_SP52L5cc3QNo1r-qjWkcOoBjdXpbQzOV6FZLo58I4IdlVX1HBEB9WNjwYYqZHHJSOubfImSKWOcDyMmQcKPjU3csAeAO23Vt4T0hU/s1600/sleepstudywakeupmess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnksxX6rE_GwSB5KSPPyEh1VwMnt-DGKK_qick9_SP52L5cc3QNo1r-qjWkcOoBjdXpbQzOV6FZLo58I4IdlVX1HBEB9WNjwYYqZHHJSOubfImSKWOcDyMmQcKPjU3csAeAO23Vt4T0hU/s1600/sleepstudywakeupmess.jpg" height="297" width="320" /></a>They ended up waking her up completely and making her unhappy with them twice in order to adjust things (mostly her nasal canula thing). I got some sleep, but not much. I heard Christy stop breathing many time, but usually for less than 10 seconds, so I am really curious about the results. At 6 am it was wake up time (we had no choice and it was a bit shocking!). Christy was a wired mess and looked like she had been tumbled in a dryer overnight! It took a while for the nurse to removed everything, but overall, Christy just hung out and tolerated it all beautifully.....right up until I was washing her hair in the sink (no counter).<br />
<br />
Finally we were ready. Christy still had weird substances in her hair, but I put most of it into a half ponytail and that hid the worst of the problems....what I really needed was some detangler or conditioner (the hospital provided baby shampoo).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3KEBHOMRrXCav9hyphenhyphenYbjCjNM1wsYhT9KM4C7Z_VJZJ4f7tPQIvPFVmK5o9I0BvZjvoLT4T0JJ5CIZR1KxGNjYyzyx0CbW9fuijrGAcGxH5D2J_FbXMQlOalIzB3IylZml2uDa7sv0rSs/s1600/sleepstudyalldone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3KEBHOMRrXCav9hyphenhyphenYbjCjNM1wsYhT9KM4C7Z_VJZJ4f7tPQIvPFVmK5o9I0BvZjvoLT4T0JJ5CIZR1KxGNjYyzyx0CbW9fuijrGAcGxH5D2J_FbXMQlOalIzB3IylZml2uDa7sv0rSs/s1600/sleepstudyalldone.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy ready to go home - did the best I<br />
could with her hair as I couldn't get all the<br />
gel out without traumatizing her!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We made a hasty get away, and I headed north - stopping to do the family shopping halfway home (she had taken a short nap on that portion of the journey). Christy also had a physical therapy session late in the morning. There we discussed acquiring braces/DAFOs for Christy to get her set up for weight bearing/gate training/walking practice. Then I met Daryl for lunch (had only seen him for 10 minutes since Sunday night!), and then Christy and I were off to the nutritionist appointment.<br />
<br />
So I'm editing to add that I just found out that the Sleep Clinic called yesterday. I was able to talk to a nurse about her sleep study results already. Christy does have obstructive sleep apnea. Her O2 stats were on the low side, but not of urgent concern. The study showed that she wakes often, but did experience REM sleep and deep sleep at least for little while. Thankfully, they believe that her tonsillectomy might correct this problem. So we are moving forward with scheduling her surgery. She will be having a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, dental work, MRI and G-Tube placement all at one time so she only has to go under general anesthesia once (she was intubated for 5 days following her open heart surgery, so there is concern). I still have many phone calls to make!<br />
<br />
Wow - I feel like God gave me a cushion of time with Christy without any major medical issues. That cushion is now gone. It's time to get down to business. Time to address her issues and work to make her life as pleasant as possible and enabling her to grow and develop and sleep (sleep is so important for growth and development, and so is proper nutrition and hydration)!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gsVpSTGam_OXgjloaxoq1lqZukSXG_YPfD2TpHB23WpJ_YdVoShqYMNKmEepc37_J7OyhpKmMQeKgTdBSu2bB33E4FH_LZlrCLAQffkC1-ml21QlpXIucVsceTbCWCh-ZBhsHwe5cN8/s1600/christyasleepincarseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gsVpSTGam_OXgjloaxoq1lqZukSXG_YPfD2TpHB23WpJ_YdVoShqYMNKmEepc37_J7OyhpKmMQeKgTdBSu2bB33E4FH_LZlrCLAQffkC1-ml21QlpXIucVsceTbCWCh-ZBhsHwe5cN8/s1600/christyasleepincarseat.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">All Tuckered out - taking a nap on the way home!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I am excited about what the future may hold for Christy. She has been doing so well - learning new things, actively exploring her new world and interacting with her new family. Just think how much better she will do when she is not being hampered by her health issues!<br />
<br />
I am also overwhelmed, but I've had two of the most incredibly busy weeks of my life. Next week the only thing on my calendar is Christy and Esther's therapy sessions on Tuesday. But that might change - I am making the phone call today about Christy getting a G-Tube.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-65510173235378482702014-07-12T18:49:00.000-07:002014-07-12T18:49:17.348-07:00Eight Weeks Home, Christy Update!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-KdaeSBc4sglx8CdOebSJAwpPIajDVVkOWT8gK5FhBukfXYuJOyULqTkMia79OMJpuecGPift_qtcONUurfazm1N9NhqyoSC4HH6BJIS4xYHssHgU71t4Q4otQOp6flSZ4V0Dg4Dwig/s1600/Christysleepingatpark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-KdaeSBc4sglx8CdOebSJAwpPIajDVVkOWT8gK5FhBukfXYuJOyULqTkMia79OMJpuecGPift_qtcONUurfazm1N9NhqyoSC4HH6BJIS4xYHssHgU71t4Q4otQOp6flSZ4V0Dg4Dwig/s1600/Christysleepingatpark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-KdaeSBc4sglx8CdOebSJAwpPIajDVVkOWT8gK5FhBukfXYuJOyULqTkMia79OMJpuecGPift_qtcONUurfazm1N9NhqyoSC4HH6BJIS4xYHssHgU71t4Q4otQOp6flSZ4V0Dg4Dwig/s1600/Christysleepingatpark.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Taking a nap at the park just last week!</td></tr>
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I am shocked and surprised at how different her second month home has been from her first month home. Christy's first month home was mostly spent at home, where as the past 4 weeks have been insanely busy! I am also shocked at how badly I did at taking photos of Christy (or anyone around here for that matter!). I will have to do better!</div>
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Christy had an appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist. He said that someday she'll probably need her tonsils and adenoids removed since she does snore often, but that she felt that she was on the small side and thought waiting was the better choice, but also said that we might consider getting a second opinion at Children's Hospital in Seattle. We talked it over, and due to her sinus congestion waking her more and more frequently as night, we feel that she needs to see the ENT at Children's. This referal has been made, but I have not gotten an appointment yet. After seeing the ENT her pediatrician wants her to also have a sleep study done.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOja4l5FLDlN2hGlD7SmOFlK2VWkg81CIq1YtR-qrhK44doCkJmcHRGLbBBz0BqHH9WAwvq7GpuQ76BPCGBmPUIMMybDGv01pIqIUkPsD0PiWx4IpQToUBRHKVnYkAO_mj7HJ7p3k-k4/s1600/Christybeinggoofy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOja4l5FLDlN2hGlD7SmOFlK2VWkg81CIq1YtR-qrhK44doCkJmcHRGLbBBz0BqHH9WAwvq7GpuQ76BPCGBmPUIMMybDGv01pIqIUkPsD0PiWx4IpQToUBRHKVnYkAO_mj7HJ7p3k-k4/s1600/Christybeinggoofy.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy giving one of her goofy silly looks - this was taken yesterday</td></tr>
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A couple days later Christy got to go with us to a local park to play with friends while the big people played volleybell. Christy did so very well there, but did NOT like the swing (you know the one that is like a bucket with holes). She was happy to hang out in her stroller or play on the grass. She did manage to get over into the sand, but this mean mommy took her out before she could eat any!</div>
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The next week was very busy for me (Esther had a pre-surgery appt at Seattle Children's) and our family (we had a stomach illness run through about half of the family, but just one or two people at a time). Christy had her first Physical Therapy evaluation that week too. We found out at that appointment that it would be best to wait to get braces for her legs (to limit the range of motion as her knee are double jointed) until after she has learned to crawl. As long as she is not weight bearing, she will not be damaging her knees. Once she has learned to crawl, then we will be getting her braces to wear when she is practicing/learning to walk. We have some exercises to do with her now to strengthen her legs and arms to prepare for crawling.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mfu2bCRkHAfjRg7SNyeEj_qWalgysgi7onMFMQYP21EoQuY14t6sCXHjLhVDdT3K9yGv346pperIOZWLYgabkLaQLie4yubdeuM7VjkEBDuRmU6rvhcG_Wldj6J3CS49zTWo_rmHqGc/s1600/Christyinpool1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mfu2bCRkHAfjRg7SNyeEj_qWalgysgi7onMFMQYP21EoQuY14t6sCXHjLhVDdT3K9yGv346pperIOZWLYgabkLaQLie4yubdeuM7VjkEBDuRmU6rvhcG_Wldj6J3CS49zTWo_rmHqGc/s1600/Christyinpool1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">First time in the pool....</td></tr>
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We had a busy Fourth of July weekend, with relative from out of state visiting in the area. Christy got to go the beach for the first time, but it was very windy and she didn't like it at all. She just wanted to be held. Then we went to a family reunion (Daryl's family) at another park and she did much better there, but like best to be in her stroller. </div>
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Last Tuesday we went to another park (Esther's Physical Therapist has recommended that we take her to parks frequently to help her built coordination and strength - and it's working!). Christy was tired when we arrived (it was lunch time) so she took a nap in her stroller - first time she's ever done that!. Someday I hope that she will begin to be able to explore parks, but right now it's really hard since she is limited to scooting around on her bum, and she puts everything in her mouth (a really bad combination since she has a very poor coughing ability so choking is a very real hazard for her - even here at home).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwK8rOtFle8gpcr6jLpC2olFoLYcYIDuHezi8wRYixmWrS7IeTEPECCYaBcdqH_CJTnJroORSQASipXyINhb1MRSQiNvorZ5lbDuZuiWTM_8faHxaypOnNmRvDDJpMDnbpt_8PxZrYQk/s1600/christyinpool2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwK8rOtFle8gpcr6jLpC2olFoLYcYIDuHezi8wRYixmWrS7IeTEPECCYaBcdqH_CJTnJroORSQASipXyINhb1MRSQiNvorZ5lbDuZuiWTM_8faHxaypOnNmRvDDJpMDnbpt_8PxZrYQk/s1600/christyinpool2.jpg" height="372" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She Loves It!</td></tr>
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Yesterday Christy was evaluated by our favorite speech therapists, Elaina. We were greeted with excited hugs as we haven't seen her in a long time (Esther and Dayton both have seen her in the past). Elaina confirmed that Christy does have some eating coordination issues and is also concerned with me that she is not gaining weight very well yet. She has given me some things to do with Christy during meals to increase her awareness of her mouth, work towards self feeding and learn to drink thickened water from a cup. I am also teaching her to sign "eat" and will work on saying "eat" and "water" to her when I am feeding her. Elaina really wants to see her regularly but has a long waiting list. They are going to try to get her on the schedule soon.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewZqL4psFiHiUoVATWj4JrN6BtWXpar8d9egM3HIuFks7jjZn6OvW0BPAICTShfuqTFefoQLETNGZyO1Dvg6R9NZQTPkihi-5lFdw0Q3ohe_mSxb3_tr1k4nekHxmbBePjzGyP-vFD_Y/s1600/christyinpool3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewZqL4psFiHiUoVATWj4JrN6BtWXpar8d9egM3HIuFks7jjZn6OvW0BPAICTShfuqTFefoQLETNGZyO1Dvg6R9NZQTPkihi-5lFdw0Q3ohe_mSxb3_tr1k4nekHxmbBePjzGyP-vFD_Y/s1600/christyinpool3.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">And Esther Loved having her in the pool!</td></tr>
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Yesterday Christy experienced our pool for the first time and she loved it! She loves taking a bath, but I wasn't sure if she'd like the cooler water. But we've had an unusually warm summer so the pool isn't too bad. She will definitely be following in Esther's foot steps and become a fish. Carese, on the other hand wants nothing to o with the pool!</div>
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Christy has been staying at home more recently, but that is going to change as she has lots of appointments in the next few weeks - her dental evaluation at Children's. Physical Therapy once a week, plus our annual week long camping trip! Plus we will making more appointments for her dental work and seeing the ENT. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZukbmypCtGOAoDJW_SvWwa2avwxz7A9o93ibhLsMWyIbQJJGYOKshwIO3BAW7vd-DC-JcPwyHwSIOyC4Eyn9Of0VFbcLV2d1a4Ei9H8it_lkrsI78i8zVNO9NB53Wt5MlBvLXNSGKYA/s1600/bedtimeplaywithCarese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZukbmypCtGOAoDJW_SvWwa2avwxz7A9o93ibhLsMWyIbQJJGYOKshwIO3BAW7vd-DC-JcPwyHwSIOyC4Eyn9Of0VFbcLV2d1a4Ei9H8it_lkrsI78i8zVNO9NB53Wt5MlBvLXNSGKYA/s1600/bedtimeplaywithCarese.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">My baby girls, in PJs but not ready to go to bed quite yet!</td></tr>
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Overall, Christy has been exceptionally healthy and has adjusted very well to our home and life. I have found that she enjoys shopping when she is in her stroller. Generally speaking, away from home her safe place is her stroller. At home she loves to explore and even enjoys spending time in the yard and swinging on the swing set (in HER swing of course). She gets lots of attention and enjoys play. Hearing her laugh is just THE BEST!</div>
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She also allows me to hold her hands together when I pray with her at betime - before she would resist and get mad at me! The funniest thing is that she LOVEs to get dressed and undressed. She giggles and giggles. I will have to videotape this somehow. She is getting very fast at scooting up to someone and raising her arm(s) to let them know she wants to get picked up. She will even chase you down if you are avoiding her (for fun, of course). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7C15QwvyJPgT9AyceH0LPl1040erH3NPoJ3qNkGvBB57G5V0nuISj2tb5rPqleQNlYslN_KIHhSRw91Mz7vvwgIJi4amlQl8cue1JosTkCdXMP0c6_vKN0kvcaftHMvozEC5dzLzAgA4/s1600/bedtime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7C15QwvyJPgT9AyceH0LPl1040erH3NPoJ3qNkGvBB57G5V0nuISj2tb5rPqleQNlYslN_KIHhSRw91Mz7vvwgIJi4amlQl8cue1JosTkCdXMP0c6_vKN0kvcaftHMvozEC5dzLzAgA4/s1600/bedtime.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">All tucked in and ready for bed!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VXCL3c-V_hLzROZoCkHZ6wvYRQ45KNnhhrUwFcopKeQldIunXaPX0YWUirurO2EJ2B8lEo5UQrPYulmqW31a9L14AkUvDEnXJZqt3xf73IblK2veYUPI6eUxSpzhRLgxdFs9yD6VEQs/s1600/Sidebysidewithcarese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VXCL3c-V_hLzROZoCkHZ6wvYRQ45KNnhhrUwFcopKeQldIunXaPX0YWUirurO2EJ2B8lEo5UQrPYulmqW31a9L14AkUvDEnXJZqt3xf73IblK2veYUPI6eUxSpzhRLgxdFs9yD6VEQs/s1600/Sidebysidewithcarese.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>She is a very content little girl. She rarely cries. She usually has more of an angry cry when she gets hurt or is in pain. It is a strange cry - almost animalistic. Its almost like a panic kind of cry. It is very sad to hear and really hard since we quite often do not know the cause - she just can't tell us. Even when we know the cause (like if we see her fall over and bump her head), it's hard because it's almost as if she doesn't understand how to receive comfort. But she is improving in this area somewhat, and I'm sure with time she will come to understand and receive comfort from us.</div>
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Christy and Carese are nearly identical in size. Six weeks ago we found out that they were less than 1/4 in different in height and less than 3 oz different in weight. Christy really has not grown noticeable yet so they are still like twins. They wear the same size clothes (you can notice that Carese is wearing the same PJS that Christy is wearing in one other photo). For a while, all the winter clothes were put on Christy, and the summer clothes on Carese. But as the weather has warmed up, I am dressing Christy in lighter clothes so they are being dressed more similarly now as a general rule.<br />
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And now for two videos! The first one was of Esther and Chrisy playing together, really for the first time. This has been the biggest change in Christy's life in the past month. Esther no long ignores her and actually loves to play with her. At random times we will find Esther sitting down next to Christy and just giving her hugs - it is so sweet!<br />
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The second video is ground breaking stuff! Christy is slowly but surely gaining more use of her right leg/foot and arm/hand! In the last video, you will see her use her right hand/arm to shake a rattle! We did have to put the rattle in her hand, but she kept it and moved it enough to create sound, and she knew she was doing it! This is miraculous!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-72733874790045964762014-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:002014-06-20T16:00:00.304-07:00My Newest Blog/Business - Scents & Scentsibility, Young Living Oils<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYMMsglbBWnSLX1WI0yB8wMdwC_Yy1KKE8nS01AC7CnpMXS3_F87UwWi8LfZwiNDtVNjLM_VihPYSCBLPA3dh-k1CvFTdaNgSQD2r2oe31biIr4GtFLM393zqWpvtXPV2pjhjYD08Jmk/s1600/Peace&CalmingYLgraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYMMsglbBWnSLX1WI0yB8wMdwC_Yy1KKE8nS01AC7CnpMXS3_F87UwWi8LfZwiNDtVNjLM_VihPYSCBLPA3dh-k1CvFTdaNgSQD2r2oe31biIr4GtFLM393zqWpvtXPV2pjhjYD08Jmk/s1600/Peace&CalmingYLgraphic.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/peace-calming.html" target="_blank">Peace & Calming has been my favorite, and I'm on my 4th bottle!</a><br />
It helps my little settle into bed at night, and helps me to calm down<br />
when I have a busy or stressful day!</td></tr>
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I have recently begun to take my use of Young Living Essential Oils more seriously! I have been using them for 2 1/2 years now, but have pretty much kept that to myself. But that changed. I have begun experiencing so many ways that these oils have improved my health and dealt with illnesses and cleaning problems and even made some of my foods/drinks taste better!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wYNkVnImEpzmw1JpPtWn4BZDuIpqyOAEqeFSb8IAi-R98qyHhyphenhyphenTgRr3uS3FRSHsdSWSrKMVgv62Yxtdcvb1yEgMg9WLZvYdiv36hgPQrUXsvY7KjMIn5A06HsShRxBIyWaTM97VFfv8/s1600/PanawayYLgraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wYNkVnImEpzmw1JpPtWn4BZDuIpqyOAEqeFSb8IAi-R98qyHhyphenhyphenTgRr3uS3FRSHsdSWSrKMVgv62Yxtdcvb1yEgMg9WLZvYdiv36hgPQrUXsvY7KjMIn5A06HsShRxBIyWaTM97VFfv8/s1600/PanawayYLgraphic.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/young-living-panaway-essential-oil-blend.html" target="_blank">Panaway is my "go to" for all kinds of pain plus headaches too!</a></td></tr>
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I have started my new business by launching the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/commonscentsbusinessbuilders/" target="_blank">Scents & Scentsibility Facebook Group</a> (please join!) and also a blog, <a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Scents & Scentsibility, Young Living Oils</a>! With only a few weeks effort, I have already started getting people involved, helped others with using oils in their home, and best of all I have started to get commission checks!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISoLSXNzaypNLdHX7wfAN09cZfROrPSAsXvaoYlOnVB8hS_u_QBKJABTFESE2h8bYl-o6DkORjdaXBYNj4555ZdvnGaVwXDBMzF1gu4zOfEKzW4FO5FBIxUl3Thee08D4aV3cbQo8Sac/s1600/PurificationYLgraphic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISoLSXNzaypNLdHX7wfAN09cZfROrPSAsXvaoYlOnVB8hS_u_QBKJABTFESE2h8bYl-o6DkORjdaXBYNj4555ZdvnGaVwXDBMzF1gu4zOfEKzW4FO5FBIxUl3Thee08D4aV3cbQo8Sac/s1600/PurificationYLgraphic.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/young-living-purification-essential-oil.html" target="_blank">Purification is used daily in my home for insect bites,<br /> insect repellentbee stings, cuts and scrapes, infections, an air purifier and more!</a></td></tr>
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On a recent blog post, <a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-young-living-oils-arent-they-all.html" target="_blank">Why Young Living Oils, Aren't They All the Same?</a>, I wrote all about why I use Young Living Oils, comparing them to those you get at your local store, as well as why Young Living is a company you can trust and why their oils are the best and purest - they are the number one selling essential oils in the US! It is a thriving and growing company that produces the brand of essential oils that more of my friends that I can even name off the top of my head are already using (and starting their own businesses too)!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJU6crRiXnXDgurzeiPJ_dGEMermdouDLPGo7dzdu5ongX82zOdnf5sOExKixAw6qKX7fLVRna3O3Ot75Y9mgCieIqpVR-7qQ4tXRi9xPAJ3XcVpZGrfiUpzUarXFWnHPA-jq3KYsbC3c/s1600/ValorYLgraphic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJU6crRiXnXDgurzeiPJ_dGEMermdouDLPGo7dzdu5ongX82zOdnf5sOExKixAw6qKX7fLVRna3O3Ot75Y9mgCieIqpVR-7qQ4tXRi9xPAJ3XcVpZGrfiUpzUarXFWnHPA-jq3KYsbC3c/s1600/ValorYLgraphic.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/young-livings-valor-essential-oil-blend.html" target="_blank">Valor is my newest favorite! It helps me "take on the day"<br />and tackle the mounds of work I face everyday.<br />With a cup of coffee and some Valor,<br />There's nothing I can't accomplish!<br />At least I like to think that way.</a></td></tr>
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You don't have to start a business to use these - I didn't....for 2 years that is. But you just need to go to my <a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-young-living-oils-arent-they-all.html" target="_blank">blog post all about this</a> and check our my blog and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/scentsandscentsibility.young.living.oil/" target="_blank">FB group</a> and you'll see why I totally am excited about this new development!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KOHdkT1UoXc00hkOhOhjiIij2Vo2JRPqfD9B8S_fB4L9QRbmokTIySo5sY-YWdZE1Qmvy4bSW5UJ2_6ADhbfI3i9FJZ_7nhaqqyjxO3FiIQ1HO26NrRGcCmS-NHZVbw5wBgQsTy1RY4/s1600/ThievesGraphic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KOHdkT1UoXc00hkOhOhjiIij2Vo2JRPqfD9B8S_fB4L9QRbmokTIySo5sY-YWdZE1Qmvy4bSW5UJ2_6ADhbfI3i9FJZ_7nhaqqyjxO3FiIQ1HO26NrRGcCmS-NHZVbw5wBgQsTy1RY4/s1600/ThievesGraphic.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/2014/06/thieves-essential-oil-blend.html" target="_blank">I use Thieves for so many things - laundry, cleaning counters,<br />hand sanitizing, killing germs in the air, killing germs on surfaces<br />when we traveland it just plain smells wonderful!<br /> I use Thieves Hand Sanitizer andThieves Toothpaste too and love both!</a></td></tr>
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Everyday I'm learning more, and sharing what I learn, and finding ways to use the oils in our home so we can stop using over-the-counter medications and improve our health and have a healthier home!<br />
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Here's some fun graphics I posted just today - happy weekend and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/scentsandscentsibility.young.living.oil/" target="_blank">See you over there!</a><br />
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<a href="http://scentsandscentsibilityyounglivingoils.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7ZZL_ZYyqPmLX6BErV1Bhq3frcwwl8cB26jGc1IYHvXwkJ_h7DrRrxvXfzYz1B793YrDcczvpgMMUBviM1baKFTr1HUTE1r_afA2CFeNPI1HSOctIV6icqoddW0euQGJWZzzE-y8gAw/s1600/calm&relaxation.png" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-26466106226440177632014-06-19T15:42:00.000-07:002014-06-19T16:10:05.738-07:00Christy's First Month Home!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutN7gm7zTQxzajVTUQbwDwzT-hG7qXPI97dPpHy_JjzqUcIouoZ-05jnLR8aImtRwITKQJwfZHGiMEsGzpl-lZw19VMHGIbJBo2e42cKHlheHzSal4AhWGnMnZ68LecQPbmDyu-Peaug/s1600/2feetonussoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutN7gm7zTQxzajVTUQbwDwzT-hG7qXPI97dPpHy_JjzqUcIouoZ-05jnLR8aImtRwITKQJwfZHGiMEsGzpl-lZw19VMHGIbJBo2e42cKHlheHzSal4AhWGnMnZ68LecQPbmDyu-Peaug/s1600/2feetonussoil.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Two Feet on US soil - a new US citizen!</td></tr>
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Oh my, time flies! I can not believe that as of this week, Christ has been in our home for a month! Her first day in our home was May 18. She has done so very very well in adjusting to our home! She even acclimated to our time zone within days - faster than I did, that is for sure!<br />
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We have been very busy settling in, finding a new routine that works for now, and getting her the medical diagnosis that we felt were important - here's a list of appointments she's had and what we found out from them:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSy3xNxAbpEtVDsXW9gmdflJbhHfQO7aLnZrpW_Wuw-spQG1HFKT7cRhb0t-EZQBFTRRJXQSPEnnu0tvVA7ThlmlOIZStr16-5aLLs2GpWbvG1hom2xccmO6RKbmmwePZDjVk2Lbe0uE/s1600/binkykeeper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSy3xNxAbpEtVDsXW9gmdflJbhHfQO7aLnZrpW_Wuw-spQG1HFKT7cRhb0t-EZQBFTRRJXQSPEnnu0tvVA7ThlmlOIZStr16-5aLLs2GpWbvG1hom2xccmO6RKbmmwePZDjVk2Lbe0uE/s1600/binkykeeper.jpg" height="163" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Carese - the binky caretaker</td></tr>
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May 20 - Pediatrician - basically got her height weight, updated our Dr with her new medical information and got her file started and a general look/see for her doctor and her.<br />
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May 22 - University of Washington Adoption Medical Clinic (3 hour drive each way!) - Dr Davies got her weight height and looked over both Christy and her latest medical documents and got referrals in place for things like cardiology, neurology, speech and physical therapy evaluations being top priority, Ear/Nose/Throat evaluation, eye sight and hearing are all on the list too, only not critical. She also had a myriad of blood work drawn and tested as well as stool cultures done. So far everything has been great, with the one exception of a Vit D deficiency (we are giving her 1000 IU/day now).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD77DklbEX2PXM7ZgI5nTDiFUEqgg52UgJYgnqdYzmao-CQZ1iv4Fs2rJF50aCSfe2-vL4gobsWg6UOeadPIYOK36aT0VWE4dJY2vFxlWd2Le3tD7-xB-_WOi8sTZwUTFkug4SnKERlM/s1600/grass1sttime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD77DklbEX2PXM7ZgI5nTDiFUEqgg52UgJYgnqdYzmao-CQZ1iv4Fs2rJF50aCSfe2-vL4gobsWg6UOeadPIYOK36aT0VWE4dJY2vFxlWd2Le3tD7-xB-_WOi8sTZwUTFkug4SnKERlM/s1600/grass1sttime.jpg" height="175" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She wasn't too sure about grass, but she warmed up to it!</td></tr>
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May 27 - Pediatrician - checking Christy for cold symptoms, but mostly discussing the findings from Dr Davies and discussing referrals needed. She also got to watch Christy drink from a tippy cup and put in the feeding referral right away...told me to only feed her foods from a spoon until then (thickening everything to pudding consistency to be on the safe side).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jAVLVY0CyEv8D2W6bCItyExJxV24te3DbF4hmidZtqG0uqwOj84R3n7z5E11GMCp236LxL2STh9IQNEdSASFFuKWal0B1jNAEvM5M8KB3Zyf1VpJwTWgH2eH5z6wWN3aY9n9L0SgsQw/s1600/hatgirls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jAVLVY0CyEv8D2W6bCItyExJxV24te3DbF4hmidZtqG0uqwOj84R3n7z5E11GMCp236LxL2STh9IQNEdSASFFuKWal0B1jNAEvM5M8KB3Zyf1VpJwTWgH2eH5z6wWN3aY9n9L0SgsQw/s1600/hatgirls.jpg" height="149" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">It was hat day, or something! Carese wanted to do whatever<br />
Christy was doing that day!</td></tr>
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Starting the next day, a virus passed through our family - Rachel, Elizabeth and Carese with high fevers, and I got tonsillitis, the worst case that I can remember (it really took me over a week to finally have no pain)! Esther and Christy did not get sick at all which was totally weird!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW7vVkXg7qlelttDNKYD0oMw12Buay5n4zC7jMnt1X2M-KELf6996hZAtoyQTw7-YeAzANN5tGytfH5Aj4JIi2ekIpDLjlMUz8EK0nxOqnWhVjCub2nLe1fW8DijxjnIs72NwdaLrKzc/s1600/mygirly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW7vVkXg7qlelttDNKYD0oMw12Buay5n4zC7jMnt1X2M-KELf6996hZAtoyQTw7-YeAzANN5tGytfH5Aj4JIi2ekIpDLjlMUz8EK0nxOqnWhVjCub2nLe1fW8DijxjnIs72NwdaLrKzc/s1600/mygirly.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Too stinking cute!</td></tr>
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June 3 - Seattle Children's Hospital Cardiology/Echocardiogram - I finally got all the answers - Christy did no only have an ASD correction like her earlier documents had said, but a very complete open heart surgery - they repaired an ASD, a VSD and an AV Canal defect. They basically reconstructed the middle of her heart. The echo was not as clear as they would like, but she feels that the surgery was very successful that she will not need any further repair work. We are to bring her back in one year from now. That was a very good sign!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4-iXoTnmEOBiTv-TlJb5FhGwTbRDstf54AHpnaDz3OI4Q-doplPCl5wKGplspmm0arEWGLpSBXfVjgi-LWvEX-MjlwJ5NN9Cn1xHOnktLQDY2F8Hoxj5ZCS5VcWAuXmT5mdkpTQe5aM/s1600/neurologist+appt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4-iXoTnmEOBiTv-TlJb5FhGwTbRDstf54AHpnaDz3OI4Q-doplPCl5wKGplspmm0arEWGLpSBXfVjgi-LWvEX-MjlwJ5NN9Cn1xHOnktLQDY2F8Hoxj5ZCS5VcWAuXmT5mdkpTQe5aM/s1600/neurologist+appt.jpg" height="200" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Playing at her Neurology<br />
Appointment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
June 5 - Neurology - after reviewing her medical files, and observing her clinically, the pediatric neurologist has determined that Christy has brain damage. This could have happened either when she was born (traumatic, fetal distress induced emergency C-section) or during her open heart surgery. If it happened at or around the time of birth, then it is called "Cerebral Palsy" but if it happens later in life they refer to it as a "stroke." Either way, it is a stable diagnosis (that means it is not getting progressively worse) but it is permanent. At the same time she did agree that it was very promising that we were already seeing her use her right hand and arm more and more since we brought her home, and with therapy and the blessing of a home and many siblings to play with, she has great potential to gain more use of her right side and she believes that she will be able to walk someday too! So that was great news, but I did shed a few tears as in my heart I had really hoped that it was just some pinched nerve that adjustment/surgery would correct.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTxOQWBSrMQKGbKRgs3u5Bs1U5vkva4lhevbmwmy1S98rkhZV5JnnHLeW1lS2ipV0yRit1e3vLM4viL0sBRQMw06o20W1pHCYiu7KbPvMo1-oswEQdwtuRvKrcyshnrjDSWrdKhHFyfo/s1600/4inarow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTxOQWBSrMQKGbKRgs3u5Bs1U5vkva4lhevbmwmy1S98rkhZV5JnnHLeW1lS2ipV0yRit1e3vLM4viL0sBRQMw06o20W1pHCYiu7KbPvMo1-oswEQdwtuRvKrcyshnrjDSWrdKhHFyfo/s1600/4inarow.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">All 4 in matching PJs!</td></tr>
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June 8 - First time we were able to bring Christy to church! She did great and we had a wonderful time introducing her to our church family. She would not make eye contact with strangers and got a little stressed if people wanted to touch her, but she had no panic attacks and we were even able to stay after the service for the potluck!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffwAVsugl-n_VD8qvDgjIiW79cgtn2P09fQklHyZAsNg2lFk-wjlrTmk6s-kyL0zoyQ7NDHvjC3HZXD58_tbsxdNxgQw_PLDn0opPtx37Woyd3iUAZILE57YfSElWuCOvqi0m20lGXFg/s1600/chewingfoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffwAVsugl-n_VD8qvDgjIiW79cgtn2P09fQklHyZAsNg2lFk-wjlrTmk6s-kyL0zoyQ7NDHvjC3HZXD58_tbsxdNxgQw_PLDn0opPtx37Woyd3iUAZILE57YfSElWuCOvqi0m20lGXFg/s1600/chewingfoot.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Favorite toy - her own foot!</td></tr>
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Jun 10 - On the 5th, I finally got a good look at Christy's teeth and immediately made an appt to see our pediatric dentist. On this day my suspicions were confirmed. Every molar had as least two cavities (one above each root) and she needed work done right away. She has been referred to Seattle Children's for this and has a consultation scheduled for the middle of July, but she is on a cancellation list, so hopefully we can get her in sooner. So far no abscesses, but I am to keep and eye out for that and brush regularly. She does allow me to brush her teeth, but I can tell that sometimes it hurts (she winces).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQLCYdoBF_iQMtJz_JyYl4OwPRUeTJnwlK3RCnI7SY1TT9J_51U4X0mjqndigQEXhf66jyGTe__SqPmjgWPj3l5PEXXwBkoLlIQ2FCRhVBfjYpXUFxrzNLxEPwEEtSSQin3cJ43f_bqM/s1600/first+Sunday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQLCYdoBF_iQMtJz_JyYl4OwPRUeTJnwlK3RCnI7SY1TT9J_51U4X0mjqndigQEXhf66jyGTe__SqPmjgWPj3l5PEXXwBkoLlIQ2FCRhVBfjYpXUFxrzNLxEPwEEtSSQin3cJ43f_bqM/s1600/first+Sunday.jpg" height="320" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">First Sunday going to church - all in<br />
Matching dresses (all of which came<br />
from a consignment store!)</td></tr>
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That was the last appointment so far, but in the next month we have the following:<br />
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(I have two appts for a new crown as a tooth broke last summer and last weekend it broke further...)<br />
June 24 - ENT<br />
July 1 - Esther's pre-surgery consultation for her dental general anesthesia procedure<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAGo-IsHbdanADPbRUFjhTEmhqMnFzXbFRXqbgzpbDDJ4rUfZSxmmxSiGFJgl-w6s3Y728xRvtwF5dRFAO8ac9SeiTj_SQgBhU9a8yDUfioCGPgJLz-178jk45KqC7rxNcd9xZj4WoEg/s1600/mamalove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAGo-IsHbdanADPbRUFjhTEmhqMnFzXbFRXqbgzpbDDJ4rUfZSxmmxSiGFJgl-w6s3Y728xRvtwF5dRFAO8ac9SeiTj_SQgBhU9a8yDUfioCGPgJLz-178jk45KqC7rxNcd9xZj4WoEg/s1600/mamalove.jpg" height="168" width="200" /></a>July 3 - Christy - Physical Therapy Evaluation (hoping to get a referral for braces and her knees bend backwards to an alarming degree)<br />
July 11 - Christy - Feeding Therapy Evaluation<br />
July 15 - Christy - Seattle Children's Hospital - dental consultation<br />
July 17 - Esther - Seattle Children's Hospital - dental surgery<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvsI9UB3QN7OnEzFQtHUQmrJqDlFZUHsNJMREouLkG89DP323kI9o5qk6PAcuW2yvCI4aop4iKQ7QGPCB5LvGi6KjoEvyry4oe4uKJE9KxXv0o1rO8wmud8Kxk7nEFF_2k4POUSn49MA/s1600/readyforbed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvsI9UB3QN7OnEzFQtHUQmrJqDlFZUHsNJMREouLkG89DP323kI9o5qk6PAcuW2yvCI4aop4iKQ7QGPCB5LvGi6KjoEvyry4oe4uKJE9KxXv0o1rO8wmud8Kxk7nEFF_2k4POUSn49MA/s1600/readyforbed.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Good night mommy!</td></tr>
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So we have a busy month ahead. We still have some things to schedule yet, but they are not urgent (like vision).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMu1GwIOB-ajmgVR5CHDXnp0BorHModMhE1WhhVUpJkvbbYe3MKfLD7Qvqet4P-H2zL5AXUReXzMdBE-n-8YDuUsqD2L_3h1AGGYgT8KZ7A4_gKdwreFMWUF4GXUFLMiyJTtYdFi5z6M/s1600/matchingpjs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMu1GwIOB-ajmgVR5CHDXnp0BorHModMhE1WhhVUpJkvbbYe3MKfLD7Qvqet4P-H2zL5AXUReXzMdBE-n-8YDuUsqD2L_3h1AGGYgT8KZ7A4_gKdwreFMWUF4GXUFLMiyJTtYdFi5z6M/s1600/matchingpjs.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Matching PJs that were given as gifts from<br />
Two different people in two different states!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As far as Christy's integration into our family - it has gone so very much better than I even hoped! She really had no problems with our busy home, except occasionally if played with too long she would get grumpy, but would recover if she got some time by herself. She loves to scoot all around the house exploring her new environment. She continues to love reflective surfaces like our kitchen appliances. We have definitely had to do some "baby proofing" in the home, especially since she loves to put things into her mouth - she loves to chew on paper, plastic and other things....but yet she spews out things like Cheerios and Kix - go figure!<br />
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Here are some videos that I think you'll enjoy!<br />
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Christy at the UW appointment, having a great time waiting. She LOVES mirrors, can you tell?<br />
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This was just two days ago - this is her right hand/arm that has pretty much been useless. When we visited her last fall, she could only move it occasionally and it was usually to get you to stop messing with it. This is purposefully using it to experiment with the toy! This is miraculous!</div>
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This last video was taken that same day, only at bedtime. Esther has pretty much ignored Christy until very recently. We noticed that she showed jealousy for the first time just last week, and it was when she saw that Reuben was spending time with Christy and Reuben is Esther's favorite person. Then, on this evening, she was actually playing with Christy on the floor and they were laughing together. I thought it would stop when I took them to bed, but I was wrong and I was able to take this amazing, sweet video of them playing together!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-8707175385822431162014-06-11T17:45:00.000-07:002014-06-11T17:45:10.566-07:00Bringing Christy Home, AKA Overcoming Obstacles One by One!Our wake up call actually came when we were both awake already, which was surprising since our wake up call was at 3:45. We needed to meet the cab at 4:15 and we were hoping to arrive at the airport before 5 am.<br />
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I needed to take some things down to the front desk and we needed the suitcase trolley. When I got out of the elevator I found the lobby full of men in the boxer shorts...Yeah, not what I was expecting AT ALL. Approximately 20 British drunk rugby players. Talk about awkward. But I could not wait - we had a deadline! So I forged ahead and placed the items behind the desk and tried to get the one hotel staff person's attention. It wasn't happening. Here I am trying to not look at all the (basically) naked men in the room, and yet I had to take care of our needs. So I made my way up to the bar (it's open in the lobby), much to cozily between two of these Rugby players and asked if we could get the luggage cart. But he just could not get past the language barrier/noise level to understand what I wanted. I did the best I could and then felt it was time to abandon the attempt and get out of there before anything really embarrassing happened. So I turned to go towards the elevator, but to my great dismay, there were already several nearly naked rugby players in the elevator. Needless to say, I was NOT going in there!<br />
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So I headed to the stairs and went up two flights. At that point I checked out the elevator and watched to see what floor the elevator went to - of course it was the 6th floor. So I gave up completely and went up all 7 flights of stairs. Then we got everything ready to go onto the luggage cart, and still no luggage cart, so we gathered what we could and Daryl headed down to see what we could do. Everything is kind of a blur now, but eventually we got the bill paid, the luggage in the cab and avoided any further encounters with the naked rugby players, except for hearing from the hotel clerk that they had broken into fights in the hallways and upset other guests and we could still hear them outside through the upper floor windows.<br />
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So we are finally in the cab with the grumpy cabby who can only speak on word in English, "No." All settled in, Christy in her car seat and all our luggage in the back. Then the cabby tries to start the cab and the battery is dead. He tries again, same result. After a couple more tries, the cabby gets out and heads to the hotel...Daryl and I are fervently praying now as we are already leaving much later than we had hoped! Soon the poor hotel clerk is coming out, following the cabby - they are going to do a push start (the street ahead of us is slightly downhill) as, thankfully, the mini van type cab is a stick shift (unheard of in the US, but common over there!). Just as we get to the end of the block and the down hill section the cab finally started...we both breath a sigh of relief!<br />
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The next hurdle was that we were unable to determine which terminal we needed to be dropped off at. So he took us to Terminal 1. We got there and got unloaded and fixed up out luggage so the two of us could take it all with us, which was a lot - 3 large check in, 2 carry on, a car seat in a bag with a shoulder strap, three "personal bags" and Christy. Thankfully two of the check in bags and my rolling backpack had piggy back straps and that made it possible, but it was difficult to manage so we wouldn't want to have to go very far.<br />
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Once we got into the terminal, it took a while to figure out where we needed to be, but eventually we got help and determined that we actually needed to be at terminal 2! And because of our early flight, there were no shuttle buses available and we would have to hire a cab. This was a problem as I had spent the last of our Bulgarian cash...but there was an ATM and I got out 50 leva and we went back outside and hailed a cab...everything back in and off we went. Once at Terminal 2 we unloaded and paid the cab (only 5 leva...how was I going to use up the rest???). I was able to get preferential treatment due to traveling with a child - no waiting in any lines - skip to the front at check in, security and at the gate. This was really what enabled us to even make out flight as by now we were running quite late and the airport was surprisingly busy (it was a Saturday morning). We did find that the first flight would not allow us to use her car seat, but they did allow us to check it at the airplane so it would be available for the rest of the flights.<br />
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Our first flight went really well. Christy did so much better that I had dared to hope - she sat in her own seat with just the seat belt like she had been doing it all her life! She was so good and seemed to enjoy the flying experience even!<br />
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Our first layover was at Heathrow, London. It was a long layover, and good thing. We accidentally went through customs and ended up having to get our gate tickets reprinted and go through customs/security again. We just took it slow and got through everything eventually. We still had about 30 minutes to wait until the gate was announced and then 30 minutes to wait at the gate, so really it went very well. I was able to exchange the Leva to Pounds and had enough to purchase a nice lunch while we waited for the gate to be announced!<br />
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The next flight was the longest one - 7 + hours. To us this was a late afternoon evening flight so Christy took a long nap during the earlier part of the flight. When she woke up she was quite upset. I applied peace and calming oils and some peppermint (her nose was very stuffy) and then went to find a bathroom to change her diaper. It took a while to find one that had the changing table and she was fussy the whole time - I was beginning to think the rest of the trip was going to be a long one! One in the bathroom, the minute she was in a dry diaper she was back to her happy self and even making herself laugh right there in the bathroom! The rest of the flight was spent trying to entertain her in the dark - we tried a glow in the dark bracelet, but she bit a tiny hole in it...so I cleaned out her tippy cup and put it in there and that worked. I also had a spinning light up toy that helped a lot too. Soon we were preparing to land in Philly and beginning to stress about collecting all our luggage and going through customs AND immigration and then back through security and we only had just over 2 1/2 hours. Everything went as planned, with a couple of exceptions....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKN0ijeXdQMP-P9Bav1MZh7uPhhDbav2E-YNyhO9Lm4ykmqZ-PO8txEcxRDMTJgqM9i8RcHFRP91j5ONxRav30XVv5ys9c_6kDzh53SotANR-Yn1qJJkaS_fU2GI37ScQr7RbEVAs-bqI/s1600/christysleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKN0ijeXdQMP-P9Bav1MZh7uPhhDbav2E-YNyhO9Lm4ykmqZ-PO8txEcxRDMTJgqM9i8RcHFRP91j5ONxRav30XVv5ys9c_6kDzh53SotANR-Yn1qJJkaS_fU2GI37ScQr7RbEVAs-bqI/s1600/christysleeping.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>When we went to go through immigration, we were told that everyone would be served in the order that we came in. That was not what we were told - we had been told that as US citizens (and Christy was a US Citizen as soon as we got on US soil) that we would be moved to the front of the line and processed immediately. I explained this to the gum chewing agent (he seemed to have a superiority complex like someone from a movie or something) but he said no exceptions. So we sat not so patiently waiting for our turn (there were about 10 files ahead of ours). Eventually a new agent showed up and we could hear the first agent asking if what we said was correct, and yes, we were right. So only after about 20 minutes of suspense we were processed quickly and moved on to collecting our check in luggage so we could go through customs. Due to our delay, all the luggage was already off the conveyor belt. But one of ours was missing. We eventually found out that we would have to file a claim in Seattle and moved on. Customs was a breeze, really nothing at all. Security was a long line and we were not allowed to move to the front. Eventually we made it to our terminal and we actually made it in time. They had begun to make announcements, but no boarding yet. We thought about trying to grab dinner, but just didn't have time and hadn't seen any restaurants that seemed like a good choice for food, and neither of us were particularly hungry.<br />
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There was no priority boarding again for families with children/babies, and since we ended up loading later we were also not allowed to bring our carry-ons with us either. We had to do some re-arranging as all the baby toys were in one of the carry-ons. I do not recommend flying into Philly on an adoption trip, that is for sure. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9PVbPM-2LAklV970EqJXlnEGCFrHKNajLquuH3uCXe4vtxEl8iyOyhyphenhyphenpAB_WpsCVFCDFNzGrvz4QZkxC6-fU7FlMiaz7TaxPcCHG9aiAFZMxxi7S2hCILcxMN24qeFzihzYIAdclIHY/s1600/daddysleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9PVbPM-2LAklV970EqJXlnEGCFrHKNajLquuH3uCXe4vtxEl8iyOyhyphenhyphenpAB_WpsCVFCDFNzGrvz4QZkxC6-fU7FlMiaz7TaxPcCHG9aiAFZMxxi7S2hCILcxMN24qeFzihzYIAdclIHY/s1600/daddysleeping.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Our last flight was 6 hours and had to be one of the biggest rip-offs of all our flights. No in flight movies, no blanket, no pillow, no nothing! We were given 3 opportunities to have the standard drinks (pop, coffee or tea) but there was no even one snack, and you had to pay extra for the meals. By this time we were tired and a bit grumpy. The plane was a smallish one, and the noise level was bad. We were sitting right in front of the bathroom and all the sound from around us seemed to intensify off the wall behind us. For us we had now been traveling for nearly 24 hours, but those around us were not so tired and there was a lot of conversations. Daryl was able to sleep, and so was Christy, but sleep evaded me. I had only gotten about an hour's sleep on the last flight, so I was getting pretty miserable. Eventually we made it to Seattle and we even beat the sun - the longest Saturday ever - 29 hours and counting by the time we landed!<br />
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But we weren't done yet....we collected our baggage, and then went to file the claim for the missing luggage. Due to not being able to find the original first flight gate pass, it took over an hour to process the claim. Finally we were able to tell Jessica to come and pick us up. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeAB1DEJWiqdLZk7sjYYx9p7S_LhQG0tE20pZpqa0Kv8XCGKESJopcaHDyHomDlq3YUxMkqMXCxFE3nIti1CcgMqO4PPML5U0Ro1rwjEVyaoD_gdXPAHYoZYwNiwZgDoheUHiPZCtGfY/s1600/careseNdaddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeAB1DEJWiqdLZk7sjYYx9p7S_LhQG0tE20pZpqa0Kv8XCGKESJopcaHDyHomDlq3YUxMkqMXCxFE3nIti1CcgMqO4PPML5U0Ro1rwjEVyaoD_gdXPAHYoZYwNiwZgDoheUHiPZCtGfY/s1600/careseNdaddy.jpg" height="320" width="279" /></a>Christy had been a gem, and had only cried that one time on the second flight. She played contentedly with Daryl while I was doing the missing baggage claim. What a blessing. I was so wasted by now, that it would have been very, very trying if she had been fussy at this point.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvc47B01uB3dxQkTop9HA3UYsob2XvJs45bEjkp5BbLcWB7qQJuNXJNFFHlDOhKx40o1LpWjZfLxZN6OYQKtroEvcumHD0l7UK2_wAZ5BHMsGmhc-8Ez2a4eSpQ0hDuVvw3hOyqxti7E/s1600/estherNmommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvc47B01uB3dxQkTop9HA3UYsob2XvJs45bEjkp5BbLcWB7qQJuNXJNFFHlDOhKx40o1LpWjZfLxZN6OYQKtroEvcumHD0l7UK2_wAZ5BHMsGmhc-8Ez2a4eSpQ0hDuVvw3hOyqxti7E/s1600/estherNmommy.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a><br />
The only thing left was the drive home. 2 1/2 hours later, we were entering our home for the first time just 8 hours less than 2 weeks. Only problem was it was 1:30 am at home, but our bodies were still on the other time zone, which was 11:30 am - so very tired from traveling, but Christy was no even remotely ready to sleep! So Daryl went to bed and after a few hours we swapped places. <br />
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In the morning we had the wonderful privilege of introducing Christy to the family, and getting lots of loves from our little girls who missed us so very, very much. Everything, every moment was something to cherish. That day was like no other and God's blessing and grace were nearly palpable. God had brought safely back home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">"Is she my sister" "Yes she is all yours!"</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-79509819206401363102014-06-06T07:12:00.002-07:002014-06-06T07:12:40.363-07:00Five Days with Christy - Appointments and Waiting!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Monday morning was our appointment for Christy's medical exam. This was done in a Bulgarian medical clinic, and we were taken there by our driver/translator team. They also had her passport for us! We went into the clinic and the lab was downstairs. We were pleasantly surprised to see the other family there (the ones adopting the 7 yo boy). After a fairly long wait (and listening to that poor boy having his blood drawn) we were ushered in to the room. </div>
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The room looked like a small office/cubical than a lab, although there was an exam table there. After our entrepreneur presented our documents it was time for them to draw her blood. I'll be nice and just say that it took three pokes, two different people trying, and quite a mess before they got what they needed and poor Christy was very traumatized by it all. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cnwkFHTEtsTtN09PvBzbPTAX7FeeRBbP6mNcRP68xiRkc_AyMbPJVthuXYxtNpLQoX58L7-_FHWMerkgiE6ImgM_VXeQ9BOAN8wh1niffDzN-Pqz4feoGhzlv06OmT6sAPaQ_rx4u0w/s1600/chillingwithdaddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cnwkFHTEtsTtN09PvBzbPTAX7FeeRBbP6mNcRP68xiRkc_AyMbPJVthuXYxtNpLQoX58L7-_FHWMerkgiE6ImgM_VXeQ9BOAN8wh1niffDzN-Pqz4feoGhzlv06OmT6sAPaQ_rx4u0w/s1600/chillingwithdaddy.jpg" height="390" width="400" /></a>Then we headed up a few flights of stairs to the pediatrician's office. There they listened to her breathing and lungs and looked over her paperwork. I was surprised when the Dr turned to me and said, in English, that I was taking good care of her - this was said as they were trying to get all her layers unsnapped so the r could listen. I think she approved or my "bundling" Christy (this ranks as the #1 indicator of a good mom in Bulgaria), but I like to think she was referring to my care in comforting Christy during the blood draw (the Dr did the final, successful blood draw). We also found out that she weighed just over 26 pounds and was 35 inches - very similar to our 2 yo, Carese. Long and lean.</div>
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When this was completed, we were taken to a mall so I could purchase some shoes for Christy, as all the shoes we brought were way too big. I did find a pair that would stay on her feet, even though they were too big, and they were cute and well made.</div>
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Then we were taken back to the hotel, arriving around lunch time. Then we all took a nap. Then we got brave an made our way back out to Jeff's house via the subway on our own. We not only successfully navigated the subway system, but Daryl was even able to find the way to Jeff's apartment. It's not easy to find and they were surprised that we were able to do that! There we enjoyed pizza from the restaurant downstairs and while Daryl played Wii with Elise, I played Settlers of Catan with Jeff and Lisa! I surprised everyone, including myself, by winning!</div>
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Here's a video showing how Christy reacts to "coming home" after being out and about most of the day. She would just revel in being able to scoot around in her "safe zone"!<br /></div>
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Then we headed home. When we got off the subway were got to surprise a couple from England who were lost just by speaking English to them! That was a fun little encounter all by itself! Then it was time to settle in for the night. Only it took a long time to get to sleep as I was not feeling well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIoGb88H1THkv8Inpr210SxMmIX-4NbFLnPCDtJ7_IEtXuGP70fcqQePxDFvy-kGDGtMdLEUUUIcTP53Pvdn0iFR1PM8XDNIAPPQIgqNHffnB7voR7B9YoCREzxIw7NHfZlUpIQqwE6M/s1600/lastplaywithsilas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIoGb88H1THkv8Inpr210SxMmIX-4NbFLnPCDtJ7_IEtXuGP70fcqQePxDFvy-kGDGtMdLEUUUIcTP53Pvdn0iFR1PM8XDNIAPPQIgqNHffnB7voR7B9YoCREzxIw7NHfZlUpIQqwE6M/s1600/lastplaywithsilas.jpg" height="325" width="400" /></a>Tuesday we pretty much hung out all day in our room - none of us were feeling our best, and we had nothing e had to do so we just didn't do anything but eat and rest. I did make a quick run to corner grocer with Corinna's sister, Sarah. It was cloudy and windy, but refreshing. When I reached my hotel room, it was raining like the sky was falling! We had gotten back just in time. Then the lightening and thunder began. It wasn't as good a storm as I love (like in the mid west where the lightening and thunder are almost continuous), but it did have some great thunder. Just at bedtime, as we were getting into bed, there was one bolt of lightening that was a simultaneous lightening strike and a crack that had both of us jumping out of our skin! It was terrifying and so loud! But within seconds we were laughing so hard as we both we so startled by it...and the thunder shook the hotel and caused car alarms to go off in the street below!</div>
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For some reason (sarcasm intended), Christy had trouble going to sleep that night, and Daryl took over around 11 pm, and finally got her to sleep around midnight. So Wednesday we were very tired. We ended up staying in our hotel room again all day, only leaving for breakfast and dinner, both of which we ate in the hotel restaurant. </div>
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Here's a video showing Christy in "her zone" of happiness in her high chair in the hotel restaurant! She LOVES being in a high chair, can you tell?</div>
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Thursday was our embassy appointment. We got picked up early, we went to the medical clinic to pick up Christy's test results (she tested negative for TB, yay!), and then went to the embassy. We ended up getting there too early and just hung out in the car for about an hour - but I was able to feed Christy her lunch and she got a short nap. Then we went into the embassy - in order to get through security, I had to eat some of her juice and baby food to prove that it was just that! Good thing I liked what I brought for her that day! It took over an hour of waiting for our "interview" and we were just asked a couple of simple questions, and that was it! We were to leave her passport with them so they could add her VISA to is, and our attorney would bring it to us on Friday!</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBBljaXJue3wrXHTCzYlanD6YUbHkusu7_RykS9nS4N4ePv1gJMI4Ws1XXAbDM5MdL7me236nnxzsOkEP-E-pC6lrhZdG8hq0HJmTuNMLgV7dgS7YF1p6_72dZ6u2Dxzveoi-5u71kAM/s1600/playingincloset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBBljaXJue3wrXHTCzYlanD6YUbHkusu7_RykS9nS4N4ePv1gJMI4Ws1XXAbDM5MdL7me236nnxzsOkEP-E-pC6lrhZdG8hq0HJmTuNMLgV7dgS7YF1p6_72dZ6u2Dxzveoi-5u71kAM/s1600/playingincloset.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Christy loves to scoot into tight places - this is the bottom of<br />the closet - she loves playing with a ball in there after I<br />had packed for our return trip!</td></tr>
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Thursday night Corinna and I walked about a mile to Tony's Pizza to get take out pizza. While we were ordering there was a flash and a bang and we all just about jumped out of our skins! Something about the fuse box - it was like a small explosion! The lights went out too. Good thing we were ordering wood fired pizza! We chose to wait outside for out pizza as one guy was messing around in an ancient looking fuse box with a screw driver! Yikes! By now, Corinna was convinced that being near me meant that excitement was always just about to happen! Ha!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsQrDuXCewwaflnTBAXjIBKTlONNJZyWfkurqbIOFxTUofOuOgvskwgPkd7amr8pbXy8OPO1xIjFWdfn5Ljdh9GtXn9aVufetm1wS2VDodGN2KHadxJIHGOJLayuANGM89ZtfhHFaFPQ/s1600/toniNus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsQrDuXCewwaflnTBAXjIBKTlONNJZyWfkurqbIOFxTUofOuOgvskwgPkd7amr8pbXy8OPO1xIjFWdfn5Ljdh9GtXn9aVufetm1wS2VDodGN2KHadxJIHGOJLayuANGM89ZtfhHFaFPQ/s1600/toniNus.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a>Friday was packing day, and at dinner we finally got to meet our dear attorney, Toni. This wonderful woman has a big heart for the orphans of Bulgaria and the families who are adopting them. I had almost daily phone calls from her and she would be praying for us on each step of the way. When comparing notes with other adoptive families who used other agencies, Dreams Foundation and Toni far out shown the others in the care they take to keep the families in good care every step of the way. Thank you Toni, for all you do and I count it a blessing to have worked with you to bring Christy into our family!!!</div>
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Christy providentially went to sleep the earliest yet Friday night - and it was a good thing as we had to be up and out of the hotel by 4:15 am! The incredible trip home will be on my next blog post as there were so many unusual things that we encountered...mostly just getting out of Sofia!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-30220927371625572882014-05-29T14:16:00.000-07:002014-05-29T14:16:00.674-07:00Christy's First Mother's Day weekend with a Mommy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh0zIyWPqkN_gaBFtr-JdZL5HIxH1itxFDD96sPiX6TT8u5htBtfdqUCsBhYIeH2Tedp7nNL8bLKOv3XJKxEACAuIfYMEGM9LzCNK_sx35MiSZM3d44zajX9fQg82Scd9pNv6XPd2Mb8/s1600/darylandcanadians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh0zIyWPqkN_gaBFtr-JdZL5HIxH1itxFDD96sPiX6TT8u5htBtfdqUCsBhYIeH2Tedp7nNL8bLKOv3XJKxEACAuIfYMEGM9LzCNK_sx35MiSZM3d44zajX9fQg82Scd9pNv6XPd2Mb8/s1600/darylandcanadians.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></div>
Saturday was a relaxing day at the hotel. We had begun to get in the habit of eating breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then having snacks for lunch (instant oatmeal, fruit leather and maybe some chocolate), and then eating dinner either in the hotel restaurant or going out somewhere (or doing room service if we were really lazy/tired!). We were also falling into a routine of Daryl taking a late morning nap while I watched Christy, and I took an afternoon nap and it was really working well. This day, however, Christy had gone into hyper exploration mode and was testing the sounds that different things made when she would kicks them - walls, doors, furniture...the louder the noise the better - but it made it difficult for our naps!<br />
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We had made plans to go to Jeff Shepherd's home to have a home made meal with his family, and we would be joined by two other adoptive families! We left the hotel with Corinna W, her sister and her newly adopted son, Silas and walked to the meet up point. Jeff was to meet us at the subway station to introduce us to traveling in the amazing underground system that is in Sofia. There was a little mix up (my fault completely) but it made for a unexpected blessing! While Jeff was waiting for us outside the subway entrance and we were waiting for him down in the subway walkway, he spied some familiar faces! There was a third adoptive family, the Hrbecks from Texas) who had just arrived that day for their first trip, and had been taking a walk! So we all joined up and walked together for a few blocks and got to know them. This also had the benefit of giving us new people to eat meals with and go shopping with for a couple of days! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs40aA6q6YXRviyQ8ua3DIWbGCZ8PBD_fTFeK05fqm_cTkUZeR4jMYRsoh5fbYlZZpbOAuFE8HEVDh0bymOMedTImuXzivO6pm_POEQDwsc4JboDPQ7g4aJqyqnNUD01del1XFjRwgE0/s1600/subwaywithJeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs40aA6q6YXRviyQ8ua3DIWbGCZ8PBD_fTFeK05fqm_cTkUZeR4jMYRsoh5fbYlZZpbOAuFE8HEVDh0bymOMedTImuXzivO6pm_POEQDwsc4JboDPQ7g4aJqyqnNUD01del1XFjRwgE0/s1600/subwaywithJeff.jpg" height="262" width="320" /></a>Jeff is in this second photo talking with Corinna and her family, with the subway wizzing by just a few feet from them. We then met up with the other family, Heather B, her mom and her newly adopted son, and took a few minutes to tour the Cathedral in the center of Sofia (no photos allowed), and then headed down to take the subway. It was about a 15 minute ride, and Christy loved it after a few minutes.<br />
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Daryl had taken to carrying her whenever we went out, using the Ergo. This was the best way and it kept her feeling secure. Daryl got lots of looks from both women and men as I never did see another man using a carrier to carry a child or infant there! I told him it made him a "chick magnet"! We also found it funny as in the subway there were movie posters for some movie that showed a man using a similar carrier to carry a child!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8L7I13ee6xxx2usmbayYiBidY2ZoXEH_aUJFb6IsdK1uuMbB-6wLwjTzNpSomQmFjSzNay3eekW5cvkPEMbiVasoW669MXKigGZIBaNFHSRnysM8ZH-xDJ6xScgpKQn7hNBHrAwLwLpk/s1600/funatjeffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8L7I13ee6xxx2usmbayYiBidY2ZoXEH_aUJFb6IsdK1uuMbB-6wLwjTzNpSomQmFjSzNay3eekW5cvkPEMbiVasoW669MXKigGZIBaNFHSRnysM8ZH-xDJ6xScgpKQn7hNBHrAwLwLpk/s1600/funatjeffs.jpg" height="258" width="320" /></a>We got off the subway and walked a few blocks to his apartment. There we met his amazing wife, Lisa, and his son and daughter (who they adopted from Bulgaria 3 years before). They both work at the <span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">American English Academy</span> in Sofia teaching. They are "working missionaries." There we were welcomed into a most enjoyable home setting, and served an amazing dinner of Bulgarian style foods. It was so fun to let our children mingle, to talk Star Trek stuff with Jeff's daughter, and watch Christy explore their home. Christy's favorite room was the kitchen, especially the near mirror finish on the oven door! I also found out that week that Jeff and Lisa are Settlers of Catan players, a game that our family discovered recently. They invited us back for a game night Monday night - that was definitely something for me to look forward too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY3FU-7PZe4x_hEBhKxtG5c8aBsq76pRdCeGSXsSBZjU8NBj3-eeE-VVU_Nt5ymwjFV4VPjoG90VkSfCsAkVG03rCst44xDKdvMAj6fqRaACKlFyGOnxizEP6oF9tJIhy2p3KZ2aJLjM/s1600/BherrbeckNicecream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY3FU-7PZe4x_hEBhKxtG5c8aBsq76pRdCeGSXsSBZjU8NBj3-eeE-VVU_Nt5ymwjFV4VPjoG90VkSfCsAkVG03rCst44xDKdvMAj6fqRaACKlFyGOnxizEP6oF9tJIhy2p3KZ2aJLjM/s1600/BherrbeckNicecream.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>All too soon it was time to head back to the hotel. Jeff accompanied us to ensure that we got where we needed to go (until we were on familiar territory). He was a great host and it was fun to get lots of trivia about the city from him. He also invited us all to attend church with him, but I was feeling a little off, so we declined. The other two families accepted his offer though. He also introduced us to the amazing Ice Cream in one of the small shops in The Market! YUM!!<br />
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Once back at the hotel, we settled in and prepared for bed. Christy was worn out and went to sleep quickly, and so did Daryl. But the heat had gotten to me, and I was quite miserable. After a couple of hours, I was able to sleep though, and I felt fine again in the morning<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBpgEZPdPxSaGA4mtdSymDvT0kwVm1butwx8q8lFCc8fIdqT0sh9i1_Y07j5wFxftWLuH_ets1zCzSwkCF0GcrdtKtBa_jqbY1i3CS8zjvFriC6cP78_bcBTM1pjJ0kTLjR42xmpKYZI/s1600/insidemarket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBpgEZPdPxSaGA4mtdSymDvT0kwVm1butwx8q8lFCc8fIdqT0sh9i1_Y07j5wFxftWLuH_ets1zCzSwkCF0GcrdtKtBa_jqbY1i3CS8zjvFriC6cP78_bcBTM1pjJ0kTLjR42xmpKYZI/s1600/insidemarket.jpg" height="302" width="320" /></a>Sunday was Mother's Day in the US (but not in Bulgaria - they celebrate something similar in March). We had a quiet morning in the hotel room, and in the afternoon I went shopping with the two other moms in our hotel room. We had a great time (both children were napping at the hotel with -Christy with her daddy, Silas with his Auntie). We walked to The Market and did some souvenier shopping and had some Ice Cream again! We were acting like kids and had a blast! Were were all getting along so well and brought out the fun in each other in spite of jetlag! Three new friends from three polar opposite parts of North America tearing up the town on the other side of the planet - only God could orchestrate such a blessing for us three that day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD-tkEpHLg64kl-Bfwgq_Dfl0EXtGNWgteKC-Da75xRHPC5ksV4NLlByBihnrv5cvxAyytVHNlYqsdQuS4UOnzLlBvrbwrBgakMPYEs-urmtWiK1NAvPNCtQFtK3J22SGaQoKSlvPbOs/s1600/soaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD-tkEpHLg64kl-Bfwgq_Dfl0EXtGNWgteKC-Da75xRHPC5ksV4NLlByBihnrv5cvxAyytVHNlYqsdQuS4UOnzLlBvrbwrBgakMPYEs-urmtWiK1NAvPNCtQFtK3J22SGaQoKSlvPbOs/s1600/soaps.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>I enjoyed finding some very unexpected things in the little artisan shops there - hand made soaps, inexpensive organic Rose Water - something Bulgaria is known for! We are going to finally get to make Turkish Delight this year while we watch Narnia at Christmas time! I also found matching dresses for Christy and Carese and some fund things to bring home for the other children. Only some of the shop keepers spoke English, so it was a challenge at times to make transactions, but we did make it through eventually! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-AHdXe6OjWaCWOf3FM7F0Ka8LXAfv3rQCLlarZXR_y_C-dUGqUSSqNkI1aVoH7KMUZ4hZotT3wrrcd0Swa46dgS1MYh7sDUQDjSCpfNK1KIH-EZyotuYywpebPQBQUjUS85nxBtuk4M/s1600/sundaymorningCnM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-AHdXe6OjWaCWOf3FM7F0Ka8LXAfv3rQCLlarZXR_y_C-dUGqUSSqNkI1aVoH7KMUZ4hZotT3wrrcd0Swa46dgS1MYh7sDUQDjSCpfNK1KIH-EZyotuYywpebPQBQUjUS85nxBtuk4M/s1600/sundaymorningCnM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>I did have some great times with Christy on Mother's Day too - I dressed us up to match even! She had several of her amazing "I am SO happy" moods and I even got one video taped! By this day we were beginning to notice that she was able to have more control and flexibility with her right hand/arm, but we weren't quite sure...time would show us that we were right!<br />
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Our day ended with the amazing night of giggles from Christy's crib. I know I posted it in my last blog post, but I was a little mixed up - that was actually Mother's Day evening...such an amazing gift to be given on Mother's Day! Starting with fun with Christy, then fun with friends, skyping with the children and ending with a hour long giggle fest in the dark. Even though Mother's Day was spent away from the majority of my family, I was blessed.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-19110964889792562902014-05-24T11:34:00.000-07:002014-05-24T11:34:06.210-07:00Christy's first full days with a Mommy and a Daddy!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3fj8ZRmwB5XM9GRKQv3VcikTl1M7wFSeGbNvn_G7l5qP_7N3OqiNkPkRHCjR3LBh5J2S6MMcqnvYXWCtgpLwJC-BxTTlmh3aY3vY16DoW5BL2ckP0hRsNncquc3BqvfFNiGQTOzNoqs/s1600/MomNChristy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3fj8ZRmwB5XM9GRKQv3VcikTl1M7wFSeGbNvn_G7l5qP_7N3OqiNkPkRHCjR3LBh5J2S6MMcqnvYXWCtgpLwJC-BxTTlmh3aY3vY16DoW5BL2ckP0hRsNncquc3BqvfFNiGQTOzNoqs/s1600/MomNChristy.jpg" height="618" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy in the sweater I made for her!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Daddy's Girls for Sure!</td></tr>
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The day we brought Christy to Sofia (also known as "Gotcha Day") was Wednesday, May 7. Thursday was the day to have Christy's passport application submitted and her photo taken. We slept well, and Christy slept through the night - what a wonderful surprise! In the morning we got dressed and fed Christy in our hotel room, and then went down for the hotel continental breakfast - good as always! We were staying at The Budapest and they have an excellent restaurant and lots of selection for breakfast and it even varies from day to day which makes it especially nice when you are staying there for 10 days straight!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Poor baby!</td></tr>
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After breakfast we prepared to meet with our team to go to the passport office. It wasn't far, but it was faster to go by car. We basically walked right in, as our attorney's mother was already there doing the paperwork. We were only there for the photo. Christy does not like to sit in an open chair, so "set her on the stool" was not an option. Eventually after much stress and much crying by Christy we got a somewhat decent photo of her with her looking over my shoulder....crying and looking very mad/sad. Then we were whisked back out to the street and driven to our hotel. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">They are making a new round about<br />
So there were walls up for construction<br />
Making photo-ops minimal</td></tr>
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We had made arrangements to meet another family who was in Sofia for their "gotcha trip". We made the arrangements to meet about halfway between our hotels, in the center of the city, to eat at Happy Bar and Grill. We ended up walking about a mile to the restaurant, but did not find them there. Christy was beginning to melt down at this point. It was really hot, and she was unhappy. We figured out later that the noise of traffic was something she does not tolerate. So while trying to talk our friends to our location (tough when neither of you know the city, and the area you are in is a HUGE circle around a cathedral). Eventually they found us and we went in to eat. We were so stressed out by this time,, and Christy was just barely settled down, that I totally forgot to take any photos of our trip out, except for this shot of Daryl and Christy at the Lion's Gate Bridge.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TYNoBX8R2_iCRxSPOy0PQfhQztmiJHohWbK2CoBauDDGbzmMTc-O5mjTyAEY3BAe3pSb4XTBC3prREI2Z4515Fk_r_wjyqvcI0LvOA049_VCjFHNmJKZheFc0JrxDEcZN5hp7BiuJ38/s1600/christyNsilas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TYNoBX8R2_iCRxSPOy0PQfhQztmiJHohWbK2CoBauDDGbzmMTc-O5mjTyAEY3BAe3pSb4XTBC3prREI2Z4515Fk_r_wjyqvcI0LvOA049_VCjFHNmJKZheFc0JrxDEcZN5hp7BiuJ38/s1600/christyNsilas.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLbdwsMWPcT6db1NOHaJSxT9-QqKEvMcWmAF8ak-P2-i3kJ2hqKLoZHEUN6Lf6wiZ3ILAlsSrxMxvcRMIOpkO91CnTTICeMinfRWHgcjW7lDU7ndrQXI2A7-PG-UZulf1ifNvue6OJIA/s1600/christydinnerday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLbdwsMWPcT6db1NOHaJSxT9-QqKEvMcWmAF8ak-P2-i3kJ2hqKLoZHEUN6Lf6wiZ3ILAlsSrxMxvcRMIOpkO91CnTTICeMinfRWHgcjW7lDU7ndrQXI2A7-PG-UZulf1ifNvue6OJIA/s1600/christydinnerday2.jpg" height="300" width="320" /></a>We then headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap. Then we were able to meet another mom who was on their "gotcha trip" too. We had it easy and met them for dinner at the hotel. Christy and Silas didn't pay much attention to each other at dinner, but later when they were playing on the floor in our hotel room, she laughed whenever he made noise or touched her. It was so cute! We did find out at dinner that she does NOT like an umbrella stroller. She basically doesn't like any seat that is open. She loves her car seat and a highchair, but open seats cause her to go into full panic in seconds. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFiGS4NgtDABEi819uvJS9UwZzzLrery0DtlYXr6V7MRJ2G6isxDFPudnQF5cwqyXiY6qeDaEdA6rb87B65L1s8xVHwBuaRvKN7N2s_XESWYP8jwfNDvVz_njmfsh0VVAlvv3lUxsu74/s1600/chrristydoesnotlikestroller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFiGS4NgtDABEi819uvJS9UwZzzLrery0DtlYXr6V7MRJ2G6isxDFPudnQF5cwqyXiY6qeDaEdA6rb87B65L1s8xVHwBuaRvKN7N2s_XESWYP8jwfNDvVz_njmfsh0VVAlvv3lUxsu74/s1600/chrristydoesnotlikestroller.jpg" height="640" width="568" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">When she becomes insecure, the leg goes up behind the head (or her arm) and out pops that bottom lip.<br />
It's a cross between fear and anger. We now read her very well, this particular episode, we were still learning.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVhSGgMxCeA_nx4-Pn_2HrwLHow3-F67vEads56V21YUWwAsT_A1D_G3r_2ZFgnexjMEdUAlPEkK83KvqHDBV4Bk6SwVdBfoERAfcu2oVT6qGDSw7eelwiueLz8Wx84F_OKTi_pMeqic/s1600/yavor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVhSGgMxCeA_nx4-Pn_2HrwLHow3-F67vEads56V21YUWwAsT_A1D_G3r_2ZFgnexjMEdUAlPEkK83KvqHDBV4Bk6SwVdBfoERAfcu2oVT6qGDSw7eelwiueLz8Wx84F_OKTi_pMeqic/s1600/yavor.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a>Thursday night was another good night's sleep. I can not express how thankful we were that she slept so well at night - we were both still suffering from jet lag in a big way. We did not have anything planned for Friday, so we pretty much just hung out in our hotel room. We had plans to meet with Yavor, our interpreter from our first trip. He drove us to Leo's Pizza - a true Italian restaurant. I ordered the wood fired pizza, and Daryl ordered a pasta dish. The food was excellent, and so was the company. All too soon it was time to go back to the hotel. We said "goodbye" to Yavor and thanked him for making our first trip so memorable. Then it was time to tuck Christy in bed and go to sleep ourselves.<br />
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As we were lying there in the dark Friday night (she just would not go to sleep when I rocked her, so I placed her in the crib, hoping she'd settle down and sleep), she started giggling! Let me tell you that sleep is impossible when someone in the room is giggling! Especially Christy's giggles - they are adorable cute! So, like a good mom, I got up and videotaped her giggles in the dark - it was just too cute to ignore. She eventually quieted down and went to sleep, but she giggled on and off for over an hour!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-37760474569137763412014-05-22T07:06:00.000-07:002014-05-22T07:06:01.674-07:00Road Trip to Christy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2dPDF1RAxZlP9QEcHPJraG_p5EQczmLpsEM6BKCFfNjtJF2y1Ll490st2uXQM25ascZgisHbjleixs1g0HS7JjRgc8yEvG6Z3d9JE4JxSXKlx2zZEBkbcOGCEkiRrYOyzMiRbd7Jv1c/s1600/beginning+the+trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2dPDF1RAxZlP9QEcHPJraG_p5EQczmLpsEM6BKCFfNjtJF2y1Ll490st2uXQM25ascZgisHbjleixs1g0HS7JjRgc8yEvG6Z3d9JE4JxSXKlx2zZEBkbcOGCEkiRrYOyzMiRbd7Jv1c/s1600/beginning+the+trip.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>We left home early Sunday morning to head to SeaTac. Just to be safe, we left very early. It worked great - we were 3 hours early. But I'm OK with that. We settled in for the long wait, got some lunch and all went just great. We even got our third check in luggage checked for free when we explained that we were flying for an international adoption of a child with special needs!<br />
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Our first leg was flying into Chicago. The flight was fine, our layover in Chicago was just enough time to get where we needed to go and get a small break between flights. We also grabbed dinner as the first flight only served beverages.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwK5_zY64rNydipBn936PsG8UJP8Yv9W464fTUd0gOGvP9VTgDFW_IIxwqGMIpKim0am95LH1JyPaaM6ynZaE3PpsCxAmLN8_baOPMvh5rm5AAoA0GRd1gE_oSdFfGR_cgQR0NFh-Kig/s1600/chicago1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwK5_zY64rNydipBn936PsG8UJP8Yv9W464fTUd0gOGvP9VTgDFW_IIxwqGMIpKim0am95LH1JyPaaM6ynZaE3PpsCxAmLN8_baOPMvh5rm5AAoA0GRd1gE_oSdFfGR_cgQR0NFh-Kig/s1600/chicago1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Cool light and music show in Chicago!</td></tr>
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The second flight, the LONG one (8+ hours) was a rough one. We were sitting up against the wall for first class and it did not give me enough room for my feet. We were basically looking at a wall the whole time. The last 2 hours or so were hard - turbulence and motion sickness. By the time we got off the flight we were both in really bad shape. Thankfully we had a 4+ hours layover so I had great hopes of being able to recover before the next flight. Yes, and no. It was a lot of time, but although Daryl was doing so much better, when it came time to board, I was still in bad shape. We had tried ginger pills, dramamine and drank lots of water, but nothing could calm down our stomachs. Then I remembered that we had <a href="http://www.youngliving.com/signup/?sponsorid=1305013&enrollerid=1305013" target="_blank">Di-Gize (the Young Living Oil blend for intestinal issues)</a>. This was the ONLY thing that gave us any relief. So when the boarding began, I was mostly better stomach wise, but I just could not face another flight yet. At this point we had been on the road for 19 hours with little sleep and that did not help in the least. As we approached the door of the plane, I just could not go in. So I waited outside the door praying like mad and applying Peace and Calming and Stress Away and Di-Gize oil blends. I was on the verge of tears, had tingles going up and down my spine and was having trouble breathing properly - yep, a full on panic attack. With God's help I was finally able to board the plane (yes, I was the last person to board). I asked the stewardess if she could make a bag of ice for me to put on my neck and explained about how and why I felt so miserable. She was very compassionate and got me set up with the ice bag to place on my neck (a recommendation from a friend on Facebook).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kgRYeALnWvPogM3BTK8x3MZTpIjEsP6cGxtd5QTbC1f1SJpbdFvzEiG3GuWlgKrNHmkvP98lS5P_VkAEuzY_oh8dMwRFOz1ZnhxNI4TOV_yZaMtf9aLIA98tJ2fBhkcAq47Nm7f5SZ8/s1600/chicago2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kgRYeALnWvPogM3BTK8x3MZTpIjEsP6cGxtd5QTbC1f1SJpbdFvzEiG3GuWlgKrNHmkvP98lS5P_VkAEuzY_oh8dMwRFOz1ZnhxNI4TOV_yZaMtf9aLIA98tJ2fBhkcAq47Nm7f5SZ8/s1600/chicago2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The last flight was beautiful. I was still feeling miserable, but the flight did not add to my discomfort. Gradually I was able to calm down and even get a little sleep with the use of my noise cancelling head phone, eye covers and neck roll. By the time we landed in Sofia, I was feeling almost normal. God is so good!<br />
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We picked up our luggage after going to immigration, and then met our driver (a hotel staff person) who then brought us to our hotel. We checked in, went straight down for dinner as the restaurant was going close very soon, ate out dinner and then headed to our room to settle in and prepare for bed (it was around 10 pm there).<br />
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We both slept relatively well, and were able to be ready on time for our trip to Ruse. The Budapest Hotel held our large pieces of luggage and we took only what we'd need for the one night in Ruse and what we'd need for Christy on the drive back for Sofia.<br />
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We met our new driver, Marty (our attorney's brother), and his cousin, Dani (she was our interpreter), and got everything in the van and headed out. The drive there was typical for Bulgaria - insane drivers passing when it was too close, too many slow moving vehicles, horse or mule drawn carts, rough roads and all. We just sat back and took everything as it came. We did eat a late lunch on the way, and before dinner time we made it to the hotel.<br />
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We all settled in for about a hour, and then met to walk around and go for dinner. We ate at the Happy Bar and Grill and it was as good as I remembered it! Then we settled in for the night and got some sleep. Not much, but some.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUTHBpzs_HQZK3xay0fklhg-Pdgq0u346yhs9d-MuTeUA7VxSuTj6CKdubBTpN9WSd-aPGts0Q0p-11-JOly-dWXvooJvX2pyI-GAbtV_ZJntymzxKKgCBlteYthX-TMgi9Z-drmNgiU/s1600/Katerina+&+Christy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUTHBpzs_HQZK3xay0fklhg-Pdgq0u346yhs9d-MuTeUA7VxSuTj6CKdubBTpN9WSd-aPGts0Q0p-11-JOly-dWXvooJvX2pyI-GAbtV_ZJntymzxKKgCBlteYthX-TMgi9Z-drmNgiU/s1600/Katerina+&+Christy2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_dCaPRrDnq2y8JmXFr3BST2xkVhgjZ5aHOaclzy2IybA90flEp2KA7wE4RKTcJpiD_bxtg5N4eOiX0c7DcPiWNkIo-H8tzroloZQ_3NhtjOJhHqWjD4E6r5WW1ScijbsrAcrS7yXtwU/s1600/Katerina+&+Christy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_dCaPRrDnq2y8JmXFr3BST2xkVhgjZ5aHOaclzy2IybA90flEp2KA7wE4RKTcJpiD_bxtg5N4eOiX0c7DcPiWNkIo-H8tzroloZQ_3NhtjOJhHqWjD4E6r5WW1ScijbsrAcrS7yXtwU/s1600/Katerina+&+Christy1.jpg" height="157" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy's first mama - the one who<br />taught her to love and prepared<br />her for her real mommy!</td></tr>
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We met our team for breakfast and then headed out for Christy's group home. In no time, after passing through the now familiar streets, we were pulling up to 'The Pink House'! We walked into the home and were escorted into a back office where we saw Christy in her high chair! She immediately got excited and was doing her happy thing! It seemed as thought she recognized us! There was a young girl, whom we later found out is called Katerina, next to her that I recognized from our first trip. There was papers to sign, and lots of talk between Dani and the director, some of which was passed on to us. I found that Katerina girl spoke English and was able to talk with her about Christy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQvWvRA4kLJ_g8AHDpyO81DsCWGU8V96HZnGjxIgnoblDVQhs6RFtKR0o3PQ5ZSCibEmKRxDTePKQ7Xmift-qmdn5Rt8L0Eg87dtxrDJs8I_fnOoQxmT5W6hWdCqDvK9EaaD3pHMjbb0/s1600/Christy+and+Director.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQvWvRA4kLJ_g8AHDpyO81DsCWGU8V96HZnGjxIgnoblDVQhs6RFtKR0o3PQ5ZSCibEmKRxDTePKQ7Xmift-qmdn5Rt8L0Eg87dtxrDJs8I_fnOoQxmT5W6hWdCqDvK9EaaD3pHMjbb0/s1600/Christy+and+Director.jpg" height="200" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The Director - an amazing woman<br />with a big heart for special<br />children in her care!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ7Bw_0JjKciO4V994uo-IvsTLWJ9a4p-CvGCir-xNM40REWFOxLqVIYA00X4VaBdzex26jlQXebJpr3OP5na23-1gY4mqOz8wKa1wpHjVeJQfEeYRFTNcv5gS3ioqf0zTQHIsEVqQdk/s1600/Going+Away+Party+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ7Bw_0JjKciO4V994uo-IvsTLWJ9a4p-CvGCir-xNM40REWFOxLqVIYA00X4VaBdzex26jlQXebJpr3OP5na23-1gY4mqOz8wKa1wpHjVeJQfEeYRFTNcv5gS3ioqf0zTQHIsEVqQdk/s1600/Going+Away+Party+2.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a> Watching her interact with Christy I could tell that she loved Christy and that Christy loved her. While there we were given a backpack of things for Christy - clothes, diapers, wipes, a cup, a spoon, a water bottle, a comb and other items so lovingly packed for her. This was such a surprise! We were also given the toy and books that we had left for her, as well as a new photo album with photos of Christy while she was living there. Best of all there was a little file that I will call"The Story of Christy" - it was photos along with her story told as though Christy was telling it herself! I'll try to include this in another post later!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvjGE8Lkoj_YDUC4JitjhP3RDtqDIx9PfLUwfCyyLnCG_Klp8_hFCu4GnoRIq6BZ68-d5Ub_7dSdxDT0i9K-iGSZ2lDd6LvhBw1wlltE4s8jJbCLa2x4Bj_feBF6XNo9mCvpBjgsm5bY/s1600/Christy+and+therapists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvjGE8Lkoj_YDUC4JitjhP3RDtqDIx9PfLUwfCyyLnCG_Klp8_hFCu4GnoRIq6BZ68-d5Ub_7dSdxDT0i9K-iGSZ2lDd6LvhBw1wlltE4s8jJbCLa2x4Bj_feBF6XNo9mCvpBjgsm5bY/s1600/Christy+and+therapists.jpg" height="200" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy's Therapist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT93dqpK_X_Pve3GB0KM0uvTpdSUnM73ZJ79ltG4jEGA64A62BJV5ZtMRrs1vkPaWSXiFgiR7rV88uK5aqERa55ffjBCXXmLjRIU8XDyalsdxaV6zLu4NzQZlI_bkoRXPmvlHNt5-C-9M/s1600/Going+Away+Party1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT93dqpK_X_Pve3GB0KM0uvTpdSUnM73ZJ79ltG4jEGA64A62BJV5ZtMRrs1vkPaWSXiFgiR7rV88uK5aqERa55ffjBCXXmLjRIU8XDyalsdxaV6zLu4NzQZlI_bkoRXPmvlHNt5-C-9M/s1600/Going+Away+Party1.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a>Then we were taken upstairs (we had never gone upstairs!), and taken into a large room where we found two tables set with food and drinks and all the workers from the group home - even those who work other shifts! It was a going away party for Christy! I was given a small bouquet of flowers.They each wanted to say goodbye to Christy and she got passed around. She did not like this and was complaining a lot. There were many familiar faces there. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREIHBwIDBp4cFUw8kaRTPzXXse9G3ClHrJw0BPXOuF387bh2eTfMCNMVOQpKtoV0fkCJylhdLqwmQcQk_ZavYREvUpv7zOY6N_Ov71cUaoayTJTdGIRlZM7ZGXroAwxbfKiWeoSkZUuk/s1600/Going+Away+Party+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREIHBwIDBp4cFUw8kaRTPzXXse9G3ClHrJw0BPXOuF387bh2eTfMCNMVOQpKtoV0fkCJylhdLqwmQcQk_ZavYREvUpv7zOY6N_Ov71cUaoayTJTdGIRlZM7ZGXroAwxbfKiWeoSkZUuk/s1600/Going+Away+Party+4.jpg" height="180" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsCg2iIxIUtmTtpQdTKe1kqWSCVqQwc8DE16WAS52p5v7GX9bym5mOvLLDOQ30F5wafz6ZkH7e8hhv14drPy_SdJpCS4StAAYTLxwnIIdP3wHeuFPdS4IEghyphenhyphensRnppb21rXaZ7FekVTM/s1600/Going+away+party+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsCg2iIxIUtmTtpQdTKe1kqWSCVqQwc8DE16WAS52p5v7GX9bym5mOvLLDOQ30F5wafz6ZkH7e8hhv14drPy_SdJpCS4StAAYTLxwnIIdP3wHeuFPdS4IEghyphenhyphensRnppb21rXaZ7FekVTM/s1600/Going+away+party+3.jpg" height="170" width="200" /></a>Eventually it was time to go, but before we left, I was able to leave my email address with the Katerina. As we walked out all the workers followed us, and Katerina was never far from my side, and from photos I saw later I now know that she was holding Christy's hand - it was so very, very sweet! I almost felt guilty for taking Christy away from these special people who had taken such good care of our daughter....almost. But I knew this was God's plan for Christy and they would go on to love another child in her place that so desperately needed it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM2azSNAHWs6pTud0HT8MLx-y2FyI5fslWJDv6hUR6Pi6Bs2RVaXdD24oKTfds93YW6BKhvgiJCNkkB3USG12q9yIvTvxIUhToTrwpzd6RY5AxroZ7LKJ6a24hWihRfWj4uwEZWmVKPo/s1600/Christy+happy+in+carseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM2azSNAHWs6pTud0HT8MLx-y2FyI5fslWJDv6hUR6Pi6Bs2RVaXdD24oKTfds93YW6BKhvgiJCNkkB3USG12q9yIvTvxIUhToTrwpzd6RY5AxroZ7LKJ6a24hWihRfWj4uwEZWmVKPo/s1600/Christy+happy+in+carseat.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>As we left the home, one woman spread water on the steps and we were asked to walk through it. Then on to the car, and settling her into her car seat. She finally calmed down once in her car seat. All the workers and the director gathered around the car and waved goodbye. As we drove away, they also spread water on the road for our car to drive over.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa1F_KvHDEPPz42QHb0bfbWZqo0uJtIQig7E9AGOR-pWi2vhdDBA5q_Eq7rEmeidHhUepgVjH95WC15bujldcxbXTtLidZG2ziL3KUJk4wBvPsuDvO06oG3EmjUFWb3zXMVXVlUvYeKk/s1600/Daddy+and+Christy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa1F_KvHDEPPz42QHb0bfbWZqo0uJtIQig7E9AGOR-pWi2vhdDBA5q_Eq7rEmeidHhUepgVjH95WC15bujldcxbXTtLidZG2ziL3KUJk4wBvPsuDvO06oG3EmjUFWb3zXMVXVlUvYeKk/s1600/Daddy+and+Christy1.jpg" height="187" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu8QLcTJRhm900xogP5fy8Uyeko5-eG0LGguauzD1FcWKUBQCBPcxwbhe871Fumw_yhIYWk21uPmut_NEIII6fe1FkH756dkGSoq-6yTNcMR8jwO0iktbxd9MGQxBazEKOqcpCmtmdBE/s1600/Christy+and+mommy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu8QLcTJRhm900xogP5fy8Uyeko5-eG0LGguauzD1FcWKUBQCBPcxwbhe871Fumw_yhIYWk21uPmut_NEIII6fe1FkH756dkGSoq-6yTNcMR8jwO0iktbxd9MGQxBazEKOqcpCmtmdBE/s1600/Christy+and+mommy2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Our drive to Sofia was smooth sailing. Christy ate the baby food I had brought with no complaints, she traveled amazingly well. We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner and she did well then too. She even took a nap in the car too. With Christy to car for, the trip went so much faster than any other one! We arrived at the hotel around dinner time, so we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. Christy did great again and then we headed up to our room to settle in for the night. We now had a suite that had lots of room, and her bed was already there, as well as a fan. They also provided us with an electric kettle (great for making instant oatmeal for her breakfasts and our lunches), and a drying wrack for when I washed clothes by hand!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVgBofQwSJNn1ccjqeZ9NP-B2s6F0JYrtenpcjY5BsP2ztZJyt2J46C09KTOkjjvp731hUhPDvzDLGsy8cB8M7gbmkEcVYMJ9sZKpQIZDZDEauD0pZEPz-gfoMQKHlhf3roLATOkqHEY/s1600/Christy+and+her+backpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVgBofQwSJNn1ccjqeZ9NP-B2s6F0JYrtenpcjY5BsP2ztZJyt2J46C09KTOkjjvp731hUhPDvzDLGsy8cB8M7gbmkEcVYMJ9sZKpQIZDZDEauD0pZEPz-gfoMQKHlhf3roLATOkqHEY/s1600/Christy+and+her+backpack.jpg" height="515" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Christy and her lovingly packed Hello Kitty backpack!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOynnL6IV3KB1sXFsU-qNXY9OADH-31bBGdIn3WwQG3Rkvs7FzGqiBZeQOphJpNG9IsVtDoyxFsIp356ERF_RfLV8Uqwv563oXvsyjV8J7dH2BdMrvKLvjnoyUnFbI4eBrmutvV6JQss/s1600/Christyasleepinmyarms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOynnL6IV3KB1sXFsU-qNXY9OADH-31bBGdIn3WwQG3Rkvs7FzGqiBZeQOphJpNG9IsVtDoyxFsIp356ERF_RfLV8Uqwv563oXvsyjV8J7dH2BdMrvKLvjnoyUnFbI4eBrmutvV6JQss/s1600/Christyasleepinmyarms.jpg" height="320" width="268" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZcAAuRcJcs7omIYfcoEKNFrBfq58QUrlh6bR8E_mo_xSZT1kwguD0_XPuxXzfLgr-9xA4yDIwT-_xFVycwBsE2Q7VmmUwBB89qq0F7v8vjiugppX7Scck3LGbKFV-DZIjfQ1Yfe56Ss/s1600/Christy+afterbath+and+haircut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZcAAuRcJcs7omIYfcoEKNFrBfq58QUrlh6bR8E_mo_xSZT1kwguD0_XPuxXzfLgr-9xA4yDIwT-_xFVycwBsE2Q7VmmUwBB89qq0F7v8vjiugppX7Scck3LGbKFV-DZIjfQ1Yfe56Ss/s1600/Christy+afterbath+and+haircut.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a>Christy ate well, then I gave her a bath and cut her bangs - they hung down below her eyes! She love the bath though, and for that I was thankful. Some orphans have never had a bath and are terrified of it when they are adopted.<br />
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I prepared her for bed, wrapped her up in a blanket and gave her bottle of formula which she took quite well (her suck/swallow is messed up, but I thickened the formula and it went better than expected). Then I rocked her for a while and she fell asleep in my arms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQksiRythrnJvB-ZLBdx_PRFIymM-9Utf44DXShu18brRo0fj2dmDoXzQQYeexp5pD-O7QqUDQi4-nxr7VxjzPYM-I1tgWcJ4r5DWyP9BCAqertQ0Lic9mvcQ78aORr__TfzcaA0YxFY/s1600/Christy+asleep+night+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQksiRythrnJvB-ZLBdx_PRFIymM-9Utf44DXShu18brRo0fj2dmDoXzQQYeexp5pD-O7QqUDQi4-nxr7VxjzPYM-I1tgWcJ4r5DWyP9BCAqertQ0Lic9mvcQ78aORr__TfzcaA0YxFY/s1600/Christy+asleep+night+1.jpg" height="283" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were so blessed. Everything about our day went amazingly well. Christy was ours forever and she was such a good little girl! We all went to sleep and slept as good as can be expected. Christy slept through the night like an angel!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-88175703529159160942014-05-21T07:17:00.002-07:002014-05-21T07:17:18.331-07:00Christy is Home!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCf4ULEhSeuiRIC3BSOtsH7oDkxwa1qdjIRETkHsfFSWiYhPINacl-JsomrqJaBMsjLwn6095UOb7OJ3jSc3At7np2dDiA9A4BYuFZOvENPSltMhb1q0hcE4KNk41vN2jw__5c8vXiME/s1600/Ready+for+Passport+appointment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCf4ULEhSeuiRIC3BSOtsH7oDkxwa1qdjIRETkHsfFSWiYhPINacl-JsomrqJaBMsjLwn6095UOb7OJ3jSc3At7np2dDiA9A4BYuFZOvENPSltMhb1q0hcE4KNk41vN2jw__5c8vXiME/s1600/Ready+for+Passport+appointment.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a>I have been waiting to start blogging about our trip to bring Christy home until she was home as I was trying to protect my family - it's not a good idea to let the world know that your children (even adult children) are home without their parents.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFon-K8ECdIcNr2YIoR3OgR0vWcEZrSyFn3ucfMPt0pY5MJiv344YmWNa8XxvhWEgT9HgkM5oTfjJ4gn76FFku4pB00SsRSJM4kuL_2eYMXIQ5YJS-UOh0hQ1m_E9-7BFBi0lTmepI4k/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFon-K8ECdIcNr2YIoR3OgR0vWcEZrSyFn3ucfMPt0pY5MJiv344YmWNa8XxvhWEgT9HgkM5oTfjJ4gn76FFku4pB00SsRSJM4kuL_2eYMXIQ5YJS-UOh0hQ1m_E9-7BFBi0lTmepI4k/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She is totally a Daddy's Girl!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZGsrZfhAOSytd4wKaOOTh43rbJFs9tS-rBNbQ41NCFvWpzSlnhqqo4l5vLeGtRdMVwSFo-a3hlB84-b43ZxxPBUcp2q4roFe7W2BnFrsYP0kgZg_am9mKVZNycPUsWPimVMksqf3dg/s1600/Happy+in+her+high+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZGsrZfhAOSytd4wKaOOTh43rbJFs9tS-rBNbQ41NCFvWpzSlnhqqo4l5vLeGtRdMVwSFo-a3hlB84-b43ZxxPBUcp2q4roFe7W2BnFrsYP0kgZg_am9mKVZNycPUsWPimVMksqf3dg/s1600/Happy+in+her+high+chair.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">She is such a beauty!!!</td></tr>
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To sum it all up, our gotcha trip was amazing. Everything went quite smoothly. We had some excitement (like lightening hitting very close to the hotel, and small explosion from a fuse box in the restaurant and 20 rugby players in their underwear in the hotel lobby as we left) and a few minor difficulties, but God carried us through and over all I feel so very, very spoiled by my Father. Christy has been a little miracle. She has adjusted to everything very quickly and we are watching her adjust to being loved on by her family and relaxing and gaining more use of her right side even!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1Nl4zJ-iIrByQgqJHopl63MszdSi4k1n3iP78ZjuUYTpZz8jotxgU6RvSMZ_uWnojX3szYU3ONNa42zgnbyuxIvXo227vD7ix8wysZD2RyzUOy8jU7ZrO5c4wLCrZrG2zvEqIA1mlHY/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1Nl4zJ-iIrByQgqJHopl63MszdSi4k1n3iP78ZjuUYTpZz8jotxgU6RvSMZ_uWnojX3szYU3ONNa42zgnbyuxIvXo227vD7ix8wysZD2RyzUOy8jU7ZrO5c4wLCrZrG2zvEqIA1mlHY/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Christy sure has a great personality! This is her "I don't like this" look. <br />She never liked the stroller - we'll be working on that!</td></tr>
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Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to go back and blog about each day and what happened and the difficulties we overcame and the blessings we had showered upon us. I have TONS of photos and videos to share with you.<br />
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For now, I've put a few of my favorite from our trip here to whet your appetite for more!<br />
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I will be posting the details of the trip both here and on my adoption blog, A Seventh Sister.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-78310703434253406172014-05-01T14:22:00.000-07:002014-05-01T14:27:31.012-07:00Just Because He Can.....That is a phrase that has stuck with me from the movie "Facing The Giants." The man was overwhelmed by God's goodness in his life after going through some really despairing times. And He not only met this man's needs, but He threw in some things that go above and beyond this man's expectations....and the man says "Just Because He Can"...that God has done something not because it was needed, but the overflowing cup kind of blessing because He can!<br />
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Well today God did something "just because He can." We were "fully funded" through some amazing events way back in April. An amazing matching grant from strangers (now friends and our sister and brother in Christ!), and outpouring of generosity from people locally and around the world to help us reach the goal for that matching grant.<br />
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But then there were legal changes, and a missed flight that pushed our expected budget so that we were looking at a shortfall of possibly as much as $3,000, especially if we had to get our flights quickly. Well, we did not have to get our flights quickly and we were able to book flights out 7 weeks from purchase time so we got really good deals on the flights. Plus I found I could book our hotel stay through Hotel.com and saved money there even thought we booked a bigger room - plus we will get 15% off all our meals there! So were were just a little short on paying for the flights and the rooms, but someone had promised to be back up funds for our remaining expenses, so that got covered.<br />
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As our trip loomed near, Daryl has been squirreling away a little money every week from his overtime - this is usually his "project money" but usually ends up going to car repairs. But just this week he decided that we'd use that to cover our expenses for the trip. There was "probably" enough...it would be tight and would not cover anything unforeseen, but it was definitely a good start. <br />
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I knew we had some bills that were unmet, and not sure if we had enough money. We didn't really want to even ask for the funds even though we knew we could get what we needed just for the asking. So I asked God. I wrote in my prayer journal earlier this week. "God please provide what we need to cover these expenses, and I realize I'm asking for something miraculous"....<br />
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Then today God moved on our behalf and we were given more than enough money to cover our expenses - enough to cover the prescriptions we had to get for Christy that will not be covered by our insurance (they were written in my name and we don't have time to change it now), and the cost of our extra bag on the way there and so much more! We had many expenses preparing for this trip, like a new suitcase, clothes/shoes/accessories for Christy plus some unexpected medical bills at home that have built up but we were going to deal with it when we got home - not now...now we don't have to. <br />
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God tells us in the Bible not to worry about anything, not what we will eat or what we will drink or what we will wear. He is our provider. He doesn't necessarily provide ahead of time or more than we need, but He does provide. And sometimes He provides so generously. He has erased all my fears and worries in one fell swoop - He Is Faithful. <br />
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When God Calls, God Equips. His Calling Is His Equipping. Period. We just have to follow His call and step out in faith. He takes care of the details and stretches us in the process drawing us closer to Him and teaching us so much about His love and care for us as our LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP0Ibqt8SsFu_wxgqR-k5_ihYi1ZWw-dSgBxJWqX9A2NNLLzxbu61Fxcwl9xa63uSPamRY3YXbH7_mXyzWx9jIR-m7t32Lix414FSiXWWVokmIFVy62OJuzxO_sxX6oBhDOe82-LlG47X/s1600/socksoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP0Ibqt8SsFu_wxgqR-k5_ihYi1ZWw-dSgBxJWqX9A2NNLLzxbu61Fxcwl9xa63uSPamRY3YXbH7_mXyzWx9jIR-m7t32Lix414FSiXWWVokmIFVy62OJuzxO_sxX6oBhDOe82-LlG47X/s1600/socksoff.jpg" height="130" width="200" /></a>And no, I'm telling where this came from. I would not have expected this. There is no other explanation other than God working in mysterious ways. Just stand next to me, amazed at what God can do. And yeah, <a href="http://aseventhsister.blogspot.com/2013/03/i-am-barefoot.html" target="_blank">I'm barefoot again, socked blasted clean away....again.</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-29091576204176730372014-04-16T20:41:00.002-07:002014-04-16T21:13:49.598-07:0015 months ago today.....Daryl gave me permission to look at more children who were up for adoption from Bulgaria on Reece's Rainbow. I had already sent him links to several children, but so far none of them had stood out to us.<br />
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15 months ago today, early in the morning I saw that there were a couple of new little girls listed, and one of them had short dark hair was in an outfit that was blue and white - she really looked like a little boy! Well, I just had to see what she'd look like in a more feminine color. So I used PhotoShop and changed the blue to lavender and added a little flower to her hair:<br />
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There, now she looked like a little girl! Then I sent the photo to Daryl, and told him that I had edited the photo...he replied that I could begin to look seriously into adopting Priscilla. I was surprised, and he said I could ask him later what had convinced him that this was the little girl we should pursue. I found out a few weeks later, when we were almost ready send in the paperwork and money to be committed to her and put her file on hold for us, that Daryl had decided she was the one because I had Photo-Shopped her! God does use mysterious ways indeed!</div>
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Soon after we made inquiries into the possibilities of adopting "Priscilla" we were sent some updated photos and some videos, which only confirmed that we wanted to adopt this sweet little girl who so needed a home and proper love and care.</div>
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15 months is a long time to wait. I'm sure that there has never been a human mother who has been pregnant for 15 months....and I thought 9 months was along time to wait to meet my newest child each time God has blessed us!</div>
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It is especially a long time to wait as we have held her in our arms, fed her meals, held her tight and made her laugh....it has been nearly 6 months since I last held her, last watched her eyes light up in surprise and delight.</div>
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When we started this process were saw that the average time of adopting from Bulgaria was around 12 - 14 months, but that it could be quicker. Here we are 4 weeks overdue and over 2 weeks to go. </div>
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You'd think that as the day draws near that we will fly away to have her in our arms forever, it would get easier, but it doesn't. You'd think with my busy life the days would go by quickly, but they don't. sure some days go be fast, but every morning and every evening I have this feeling of emptiness. In some ways I think it is getting harder. But God is giving me grace, and every time I start to feel bummed, something comes my way and makes the moments easier to bear.</div>
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This week I was able to forward our court decree so that we can add Christy to our medical insurance. Today I made her very first medical appointment! She will be going down to Seattle to be seen by the specialists at the UW Adoption Medical Clinic. They work with the UW specialists and Seattle Children's Hospital to help international orphans get the testing the medical help they need as soon as they come home.</div>
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Today I remembered that I had purchased fabric to make her a raggedy blanket and a wrap for carrying her, so now I am looking forward to getting those done this week and next! I also re-worked my packing list so make things more organized and easy to find! Every day I do something to further prepare - like tonight - another meal is going in the freezer for the kids to use when we are away. Step by step, resting on God's perfect timing!</div>
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Oh Christy, your mama is coming. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-33296270254782762902014-04-10T12:02:00.000-07:002014-04-17T23:06:54.124-07:00When Christy Comes HomeSince I have not completed our adoption and have not really been super close to a family who has adopted (you know, close enough to see what the parents deal with daily as far as attachment issues goes), I really have no idea what we have in store for us when Christy comes home.<br />
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We plan to work carefully to develop healthy attachment for her, which will start with our time in Bulgaria when it is just her and us. Once we get home, we plan to take things slowly - only Daryl and I will feed her and take care of her basic needs. I plan to hold her a lot and make good use of slings/carriers.<br />
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I have read a couple of books and many articles/blog posts about attachment, but I know there is so much more to learn! Children with Down Syndrome have a different psycho/emotional makeup, so attachment disorders can look different than those of a typically developing child, but again, every child is different. <br />
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When we visited Christy in October, she seemed to enjoy being with us, cuddling and playing. For this to be real bonding would be ignorant...she just loved the attention and was happy to get it from any source. We don't even expect her to remember us when we come to pick her up (but we did leave some books with our family members photos in them, so she might remember us, but we can not expect that).<br />
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From what I've seen in other families who have adopted children with Down Syndrome (and no, I do not know of any families in real life, but I interact with lots of families through Facebook and follow several blogs), these children struggle with appropriate affection - they are just as content to get hugs and kisses from complete strangers as they are getting them from their adoptive parents/siblings. This can be a very long term problem.<br />
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So we are going to be working very hard in the first 6 months (and beyond) to create healthy bonding with Christy. I plan to treat her as I would a newborn - and that is what I have read over and over again - no matter how old the adopted child, you need to start as though they are a newborn. Think about how you cared for a newborn and do the same thing...you keep them near you/in your arms most of the time, you feed them yourself with close physical proximity (if not still in your arms), you snuggle with them and kiss them and show them love constantly. And you limit other people's interaction with your baby. You stay at home and concentrate on getting to know this new life. I have even read that it is a good idea to go back to bottle feeding, wrapping/swaddling and such. I plan to try this too (I've packed several types of bottles to try as she has swallowing issues and has problems with aspiration too). Christy was never swaddled, never held while given a bottle, never rocked to sleep, never held during the long nights. But she needs that, even though she is 3 1/2 years old! Developmentally she is about 8 - 9 months, so in many ways she is still a baby, and that will make this easier (as in it would be weird/difficult to bottle feed/swaddle a 10 year old, but many families have found this to be helpful even with older children).<br />
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This means that we won't be allowing anyone outside out immediate family to hold her or show her physical affection until we see that she is learning to bond with us, and then it will be a purposeful expansion of her "close enough for affection" relationships. From here I see it progressing from just Daryl and I, so adding our children, and then to others who regularly see her. I know this makes if hard for close family who have prayed for us to bring her home and have loved her already. But if you do not regularly see her, then it will be a long time before we will allow Christy to interact with you in a friendly/affectionate way. We do not want to be mean or to offend anyone, but we need to do this for Christy's sake and for her safety, or she will go through life allowing anyone who shows her attention/affection to do just that, and reciprocating this behavior, and I'm sure you can see where that leads.<br />
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Also, just for your information, not all children who are adopted deal with attachment issues, but most do. When you are talking exclusively about children with Down Syndrome and attachment disorders, the percentage of those children with attachment issues is far lower, but it does happen. Children with DS have a different makeup, especially in the phsycological and sociological realm. This can lessen the impact of living without a family during their early years. <br />
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I hosted a poll on the Reece's Rainbow Facebook group (there's a lot of families there who have already adopted children with DS so it's a great place to get this kind of information!<br />
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Here's what I polled about:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 17.563634872436523px;">If you have adopted a child with Down Syndrome have you had to deal with attachment disorder?"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 17.563634872436523px;">The options were:</span><br />
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<span class="fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">My child has RAD for sure</span></div>
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<span class="fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">Our child has not bonded well with us at all</span></div>
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What you can't see here is that there were 10 who picked the first choice! For some reason I can't get those poll answers to show up! I guess you'll just have to take my word on it! So children with DS can have attachment issues, but the majority are either minor or non-existent! Plus, children who have DS and were never abandoned and have remained with their birth parents can have issues with indiscriminate affection - these children are just so much more affectionate most of the time - I have had hugs from complete strangers who have DS and were never adopted. Their parents apologize, but I don't mind at all. I think these kids/adults just have a better perception when it comes to others need for reassurance and affection! There was a lot of discussion with that poll, and there seemed to be some agreement that their children from orphanages had fewer attachment problems than those who came out of a foster system - I found this very interesting!<br />
<br />
One amazing woman I have met through the adoption groups is Amanda U. She has adopted 20 children - 12 from foster care here in the US, and now 8 from Bulgaria, making a total of 21 children. She is doing an amazing job with these children and they are blossoming in her care! She had this to say:<br />
<br />
"<span data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:2" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 13.963635444641113px;"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 13.963635444641113px;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">I adopted 6 children with Down Syndrome. 5 were from Bulgaria and 1 from US foster care. They were varying ages. NONE of them have RAD. There is some orphanage stuff with some of the kids at first, but that is called "smart enough to survive". . . </span></span><span data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".3l.1:3:1:$comment786587158020777_786605798018913:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">if they didn't learn to get the attention of adults then they wouldn't have survived. Every one of them showed preference to us as their parents very quickly. Every one of them have attached. Every one of them knew that we were their "safe" people very quickly. Children with Down Syndrome are often outgoing and extra friendly. . . I think people tend to blame that on "attachment" when their children are adopted. My children are firmly attached. Anita is our only one that can be somewhat manipulative, but I think that is her personality and how orphanage life affected her. I think when kids come home, then you "cocoon". You work to get past any learned orphanage behaviors and try to remember what caused the behaviors. Try to put yourself in their shoes and think how you would act if you had lived through the same things they have. . . . Most of the time you realize you wouldn't do nearly as well as they do. Our little ones with DS are VERY resilient and such amazing kids"</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
Pray for us, pray for her, that this bonding process will to quickly and that she will develop healthy. appropriate bonding. Pray for her health. Pray for my preparations for the trip so I will have packed all the right things/be able to find what we need in country. Pray for my other children as this bonding process will be hard on them - they will all want to shower attention on her from the second they meet her!<br />
<br />
For further reading on this subject, please check out the following, especially if you are part of my life and will be a part of Christy's life (or a part of the life of any adoptive family!).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://copperlightwood.com/2014/04/upside-down-part-one.html" target="_blank">Upside Down, Attachment From an Adoptive Mother</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-32960176010874919192014-04-04T06:48:00.003-07:002014-04-04T06:49:42.946-07:00Next Month!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTITL_vBdETVySC2RRPRIAsajBD-66nLmvcOnHkGSVgRdYqUKN98HaPLd8AxgQJn7V5Hbts9XH8vdmik5gG68WRThPj1vsqHhQL_73-txKcKbUKkpY9vwjLLshGm12CyNQanhEqkgrRcX/s1600/BG+Trip+212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTITL_vBdETVySC2RRPRIAsajBD-66nLmvcOnHkGSVgRdYqUKN98HaPLd8AxgQJn7V5Hbts9XH8vdmik5gG68WRThPj1vsqHhQL_73-txKcKbUKkpY9vwjLLshGm12CyNQanhEqkgrRcX/s1600/BG+Trip+212.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>I can now say that we will be bringing Christy home next month!<br />
<br />
Our adoption timeline will be 15 1/2 months from commitment to having her in our arms. Longer than some Bulgarian adoptions, but shorter than others.<br />
<br />
I hope to work on repacking in these next two weeks as I was packing for late March (cold/moderately nice weather) but now I need to prepare for May weather - could be even in the 80s!<br />
<br />
I am also shopping for some cute hair bands/hair clips as in the really warm weather she will probably not want to wear a hat! And I just realized that I will now need to pack sunscreen!<br />
<br />
Counting down the days until she is in my arms again, and I won't mind her licking my one bit! I thought it was so cute how she would taste test us!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-27582865583874180972014-03-26T22:11:00.003-07:002014-03-26T22:11:35.979-07:00I Just Got So Excited!I was thinking about after gotcha day, and the timing of it all, and I realized that Christy will be in my arms on Mother's Day!<br />
<br />
I know that doesn't sound all that exciting....I have so many other children to call blessings on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDud16zURFwMcQyDCeEgfHKRfa_5_qEXHhOqOc572xM6YnezPwmi2KBud7obBBSMIW9DRsVB9noP0rnFF6ya9E0ZiCkhpLcwKDMoQ7hh1fCSF7vj6NQr7FzBGIVf0mUyVfn4n6g3HQkzk/s1600/Day+3+Butterfly+Kisses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDud16zURFwMcQyDCeEgfHKRfa_5_qEXHhOqOc572xM6YnezPwmi2KBud7obBBSMIW9DRsVB9noP0rnFF6ya9E0ZiCkhpLcwKDMoQ7hh1fCSF7vj6NQr7FzBGIVf0mUyVfn4n6g3HQkzk/s1600/Day+3+Butterfly+Kisses.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
But for Christy, it will the first Mother's Day that she has a mommy! That she is cared for by a mommy. That she is snuggled and kissed by a forever mommy! Isn't that just amazing! <br />
<br />
So soon, sweetie, and you'll be in my arms forever!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-78886851360065261692014-03-13T04:43:00.000-07:002014-03-13T04:43:52.623-07:00We have our travel dates!We will be going to bring Christy home in the first part of May.<br />
<br />
We will be gone for over two weeks once you count in travel time.<br />
<br />
Pray for us as we continue to prepare for our trip! I am working on putting together some gifts for Christy's care providers, and I am considering getting some ladies together to make some rag quilts for the children in her group home - email me if you are interested in helping with the quilts (purchasing flannel/donating money for flannel or sewing a quilt and shipping it to me if you aren't local, or even cutting the squares if you are local!).<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3GlqfLdJoWCyyZJjV-nA9u0razeUSWj6zjYkeedx91kljVorFtw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3GlqfLdJoWCyyZJjV-nA9u0razeUSWj6zjYkeedx91kljVorFtw" /></a></div>
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I have booked our flights and we are pleased with the layovers and such. I was also able to book our rooms for our time in Sofia. Our agency will have to book the hotel near Christy's group home as hotel.com did not have any rooms available at the hotels they work with there. Something about a holiday that day.<br />
<br />
So I won't be posting much of anything for a while since we are basically now waiting to go, but have over 7 weeks of waiting!<br />
<br />
I am working on a blanket for Christy, and have made a hat and a sweater, so when I complete that I might post photos - they are turning out so cute!<br />
<br />
Blessings to all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-62038759522544294242014-03-07T08:27:00.002-08:002014-03-07T08:27:36.666-08:00A Quote that Helped me Today!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Cda9cFPE93-EI49PVlrktl3bxWsQTRiyD1P8T2H9muc9nDBiccT9Z_1lnWD7QHajH7z2YEGXn5jswXC28FBNMoq8k117UpCaB1YnZgAyKj4XEYqtrel4TytfZRjZV7lsFCIh0z1x2hYz/s1600/Power+of+God+Quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Cda9cFPE93-EI49PVlrktl3bxWsQTRiyD1P8T2H9muc9nDBiccT9Z_1lnWD7QHajH7z2YEGXn5jswXC28FBNMoq8k117UpCaB1YnZgAyKj4XEYqtrel4TytfZRjZV7lsFCIh0z1x2hYz/s1600/Power+of+God+Quote.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-45569631877376033942014-03-06T08:40:00.001-08:002014-03-06T10:01:10.270-08:00What are we waiting for?So, she is all ours, what are we waiting for?<br />
<br />
I ask myself this every day even though I have the answer! I even thought - let's just fly over there, grab her and stay until the birth certificate is done, regardless of the cost/time!<br />
<br />
Her is exactly what we are waiting for:<br />
<br />
"Once the adoption is granted in court, there is a 7 day wait period before the<br />
adoption is finalized. After the 7 days, it takes 3-5 days to obtain the signed<br />
court decree from the judge.<br />
<br />
Once the court decree is obtained, the new birth certificate is applied for.<br />
This takes up to 5 business days. At the same time, the court decree is being<br />
translated. "<br />
<br />
Once the birth certificate is obtained and checked for errors, and no errors found/errors corrected, then our adoption agency in Bulgaria will give us travel dates based on when their drivers/interpreters are available.<br />
<br />
This could be as soon as 2 weeks from now, or as long as 4 - 5 weeks from now.<br />
<br />
The waiting is terrible - I can not think about anything else. I am packing, packing, packing. <br />
<br />
Yesterday I went shopping for medical and food/feeding supplies and toys from our local consignment store (to entertain Christy both for our long stay in a hotel, as well as the LONG flights home), and I have some thing from Amazon coming in today and tomorrow to round out my supplies. I ended up purchasing a new large suitcase from Marshall's yesterday as I know we will need at least 2 large suitcases. I might even need a third check in suitcase, but I won't know that until everything is here. I could reduce the clothing we are taking, but I'm already packing only 6 outfits for Daryl and I and that means hand washing as we will be in Bulgaria for 13 days.<br />
<br />
This "adoption brain" is so much like the "baby brain" I have experienced in the later stages of pregnancy - I can't think about much of anything else, and I just want to get this over with!<br />
<br />
Pray for wisdom as I pack to know what I can do without and what I really need to pack.<br />
<br />
Pray for speedy processing of our court decree and birthcertificate.<br />
<br />
Pray for perfect timing on our gotcha trip.<br />
<br />
Pray that we can have the same driver, Yavor, on this trip too!<br />
<br />
So close, and yet so far!<br />
<div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-19520802832941611742014-02-28T09:05:00.000-08:002014-02-28T09:09:48.724-08:00She is officially a Seventh Sister now!In a courtroom in Bulgaria at 10:55 am their time, Preslava was pronounced to be our child! <br />
<br />
She is now legally Christiana Preslava Einfeld<br />
<br />
She is an orphan no more!<br />
<br />
For the first time in her life, Priscilla has a family, parents, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles and cousins!!! She doesn't know it yet, but her life will changes forever soon!<br />
<br />
We started the process 13 months ago, officially committed to her on Jan 28. We hope to be taking her our of her group home by the end of March, or the first part of April! Pray for speedy processing in getting her birth certificate, as that is what is needed before we can get travel dates!<br />
<br />
We will be going to bring her home in the next month or so - I'll keep you posted on the progress of course!<br />
<br />
Here's the announcement and her new name!<br />
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-45083411059792927692014-02-24T14:53:00.000-08:002014-02-25T08:49:59.676-08:00An Adoptive Mother's Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsz-8s489x7KcCa7I1y-PQu92c12IRKM3MwCI3962658IsW49U5TB_08ZAUGlFNV1VPXAu96h7WhNgbzo_SFRdeXoXdR4MtdNg97Q45mTogBWVXUa2MHNxfB8K0DaYCwxNJ9ZgT9vNg1C/s1600/An+Adoptive+Mothers+Heart+poem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsz-8s489x7KcCa7I1y-PQu92c12IRKM3MwCI3962658IsW49U5TB_08ZAUGlFNV1VPXAu96h7WhNgbzo_SFRdeXoXdR4MtdNg97Q45mTogBWVXUa2MHNxfB8K0DaYCwxNJ9ZgT9vNg1C/s1600/An+Adoptive+Mothers+Heart+poem.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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I dreamed of her again last night. Not my first dream of gotcha day. When I see photos of her in my arms, my arms ache and my heart hurts. I had no idea how quickly I would be knit to her and how strong that bond would be. Even though my arms are full of blessings from my Lord, and my life is so busy that I question how I can possibly care for or love one more, I long for the day that I bring her through our door and into my home - for our home to become her home for ever. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-51571900149432691372014-02-21T09:14:00.000-08:002014-02-21T09:14:55.403-08:00We Have a Court Date!!!!!!!From slow as molasses and no news from afar, we are now on the fast track!<br />
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If all goes well, Christy will be declared ours forever on February 28! Just one week from today!<br />
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The judge has requested additional documents from our adoption agency over there, and they must be provided before the court date, so PLEASE PRAY THAT THE AGENCY CAN GET THIS DONE IN TIME! The is not much time to "get 'er done" but with Go, all things are possible!<br />
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Did you know that our US based adoption agency is a non-profit filled with believers? Our contact with them is wonderful too and prays for the families she works with (she has also adopted children from Christy's country!). Also, our adoption lawyer in Christy's country is also a believer! I just found out yesterday that of all the adoptions that were completed in Christy's country, our agency was involve in over half of them! They are committed to getting children out of the orphanages/group homes/foster care and into loving, lifetime families of their own! Isn't that wonderful!<br />
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Oh - and I know you are asking.....if we are granted our petition to adopt Christy next week, we could be flying out to bring her home before the end of March! It is usually 4 - 5 weeks from court date to travel!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968995893164958232.post-75228624856655821392014-02-20T06:23:00.000-08:002014-02-20T06:23:03.545-08:00Our Dossiers has made it to Court!!!!!!Hurray! Praise God! Our dossier is right now with a judge! We have no idea yet which judge (like I really care), and it will be reviewed, and if needed, the judge might ask for further documentation from our adoption agency (pray that this will not be the case!), and once the judge feels that all documents are in proper order, then we will be assigned a court date! The court date can be up to a month later, but is usually sooner than that, but I will notify everyone as soon as I know!<br />
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Travel to bring her home will happen around 6 weeks after the courtdate if the adoption is approved in court the first time around (it rarely doesn't).<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886358825163341179noreply@blogger.com0