handsful

To those who read our blog, I’d like to ask that you hop over to my husband’s brother’s blog on our sidebar under “Love to Read”…

It’s called 8 Clarks.  If I knew how to make that a link, I would!

My sister in law, Dee Dee, has carcinoid tumors in her stomach and goes to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota for yearly testing to check on their status.  Tony and Dee Dee left today for testing that will last through Thursday.

Tony has a couple of posts up now, and will update during the week.  We’d appreciate prayers for her, as you feel led.  Thanks so much!

Donna

Coming soon to a theater near you.

This won’t be the sort of post with a focused topic and nice, clean ending.  I think I’ll ramble a bit.  This season of my life feels like it’s all over the place, so why not my post?  I’m glad you agree.

Randy was out of town this week from Monday afternoon through (hopefully) about an hour from now.  Yes, he comes home tonight.  Whenever he’s out of town, I always think of single moms, who rarely get a break.  Or those moms with husbands who travel A LOT, or have husbands serving overseas.  I know for sure that God must give those women a special helping of strength and patience.

We managed to get through another school week with most everything done, Abbey finished her class portion of Drivers Ed (drive time sometime in the summer), we bought some supplies for our “Steelers win another super bowl” party, and I marked a few things off of my ever-growing to-do list.  Progress is progress.

Oh, I finished “Choosing to See” by Mary Beth Chapman.  Cried, held back tears, and sat in awe at her honest account of the grieving that her family has been through.  If you’ve not read it yet, run to the bookstore and get it.

I’ve started 2 other books.  “Organized Simplicity” by Tsh Oxenreider is giving me the urge to purge everything in my house that I don’t find purposeful or absolutely love.  I told Randy he fits both categories so he’s happy.  I truly want to live more simply, and this book promises to show me how to do that.  I’m hopeful.  I also started “Radical” by David Platt.   I’m only in the 2nd chapter and it’s already mind blowing.  Thanks to my handy dandy new e-reader, I’m flipping back and forth with these two…gotta love that.

Dylan is eating much better these days, but he’s still not a great eater.  We realized tonight he LOVES pickles.  Oh, great.  Just the smell of pickles makes me wretch.  And, he’s sucking on the thing like it’s a candy.

Only my husband would spend his evening throwing fish crackers at everyone, aiming for mouths.  Ending in me being pelted by a barrage of crackers.

The littles, as I’ve come to lazily call them, showing off their new NCSU shirts.  Our wonderful friend, Donna Judd, sent these to Lainey and Dylan this week.  Our family and Donna go WAY back.  I met her at church, right before becoming pregnant with the triplets.  Soon after they were born, she told me she wanted to help me out once a week.  She came each week, usually carrying a grocery bag full of cereals and other stuff the kids loved.  Then, she told me to go nap or run errands…whatever I wanted to do.  It was absolutely magical.  She did this for THREE years.  A true blessing!

Anyway, she saw that Dylan loved his squeaky shoes from China and told me about her friends from church that have their own squeaky shoe company.  I browsed the shoes and was considering buying a pair, when Donna told me her friend wanted to send Dylan a pair free of charge.  Wow!  We chose the NCSU ones, of course :)

See the emblem on the top?  He loves them!  The website is www.squeakmeshoes.com  Go check them out!

Anyone ever try the new almond snickers?  I have one in my purse.  Think I might try it tonight.

I’m sitting here blogging when I should be putting Dylan and Lainey to bed.  He’s beside me whining right now…gotta run :)

Dylan – look closely, you can see his holding his little foot.

Yesterday, we took our first step in the journey to help Dylan WALK.  Our appointment at Shriner’s was at 9am…not too early, unless you factor in that we live more than 2 hours away from Greenville, SC.  Getting up before the sun does is just wrong!  I guess I’m spoiled.

So the big kids could focus on their school assignments, we brought both Dylan and Lainey.  I had to drive, following Randy in his company car, since he had a meeting scheduled in Columbia right after our appointment and then he was driving on to meetings in Atlanta for the next few days.

Our day was spent registering as new patients and seeing different doctors, radiologists, nurses, and others.  During our visit, we learned that the SC Shriner’s sees about 300 limb difference patients each year.  And, at no cost to the patients.  Amazing, and a blessing.

Every time we entered a new room, Dylan would shed new tears.  We’ve come to expect this when we’re in any type of “doctor” environment.  Usually, he’s fairly easily consoled when we can convince him there are no “owies” coming.

The x-ray showed that he does not have a working knee – only cartilage.  We weren’t expecting anything more, honestly.  Their plan is to amputate through the “knee” and fit him with a prosthesis.  Surgery should be sometime in the spring – maybe April.  We did learn that, with children this age, they cast the leg post-surgery for about 3-4 weeks to protect the leg as it heals.  Oh joy.  Another cast EXACTLY like the one he just got out of.

We’re waiting to hear from the surgery coordinator regarding an actual surgery date.  It’s hard to look that far ahead – Lainey has her next surgery February 23rd.  We told Shriner’s that we wanted the month of March off!

Our challenge now is to somehow communicate to Dylan what’s coming…he loves his little leg.  And, it makes me very sad to think of him losing it.  Thankfully, we have friends here with a daughter that went through the exact same thing.  We plan on taking our cues from them on preparing Dylan, not to mention tons of prayer.

Today marks 2 months since Dylan joined our family!  What have we learned so far about our little man? 

We learned that he’s willing to risk bodily injury by copying his little sister.  Hence, the broken leg.  But, that’s all behind him now since he’s cast free and happy as can be!  I’m not sure who enjoyed his first bath in almost a month more – him or me! 

Dylan’s favorite things to do these days are draw with the dry erase board, blow bubbles, and match colors.  He loves to find things with matching colors! 

He loves to show us his belly and yell BELLY!  We praise him when he eats well, telling him he’s got a full tummy.  He grins.  He’s not gained any weight lately, still holding at 27 pounds.  The pants in the above shot?  18 month size.  And, they were roomy.  He’s 3 1/2 – the boy needs some pudge!  I’m adding vanilla instant breakfast powder to his milk.

Holding food in his mouth has all but disappeared, but he’ll sometimes still refuse to eat a bite of something.  We can usually encourage him to try.  And, he eats much more on his own now.  Last night, he was chowing on chips and salsa :) 

You’ve heard of a “sweet” and “salty” tooth, right?  He’s got both.  In spades.  Not sure if he’s like that because he didn’t have many treats in China, or because maybe he had too many?  Probably the latter, thinking of how many birthday cakes came through that orphanage! 

He loves his siblings.  Insists on hugs and kisses from each one before he goes to bed.  Lainey loves him tons, as long as he’s not taking her stuff.  She’s learning to deal with it and we’re being as patient as possible…usually. 

What else?  He learned he can roll his tongue and shows us constantly.  He’s calling Randy either “baba” or “dally” – trying to say daddy, we think.  He calls Lainey “Lammy”, which we think is too cute.  Water is “woggy” and he’s learning to say “up please mama” instead of whining for me to pick him up.  He rushes to find the duck in the Usborn*e books we read at night.  Everytime, he says “anudda one!”  He loves for us to spin him around and around when we hold him.  Daddy is better at this, mama gets dizzy!   He holds his little hands together and (usually) closes his eyes when we pray.

In these 2 months, we’ve learned that life is much more fun with him here!

No, I’m not talking about that old sweater in the back of my closet I no longer wear.  Dylan got his CAST off today!  Okay, I tried to make a joke. 

Seriously, though.  Marley…

and Lainey accompanied me and Dylan to his appointment today.  I assumed they’d x-ray his leg before deciding to remove the cast…just in case.  I was thrilled to hear that they had no doubts.  It was completely healed and it was coming off!  

Marley was kind enough to take pictures of the whole process, since I was up on the table with Dylan resting against me. 

Don’t worry, Dylan isn’t foaming at the mouth.  Barclay, the child life specialist, was blowing bubbles to distract him.  The cast cutter was very loud (think dental drill) and we weren’t sure whether or not it would scare him.  It didn’t.  He wasn’t exactly happy the whole time, but he was calm – I think he went to his happy place, wherever that is.  She said it’s more the norm for kids to scream through the whole process.  She was impressed with our little man’s courage.  By the way, Barclay was there during the casting process, too.  If I ever need a scary hospital procedure done, I want her there with me, too. 

The nurse went completely down the leg side of the cast.  Then down the inside of the leg, and then down the waist section on the right.  Once all was cut, it was time for the…

spreaders!  She cracked the cast open along each cut line. 

And, then cut through all the cotton and inner plastic lining. 

Lifting him up, they slid out the bottom part and then lifted off the top part.  Voila, leg!  It didn’t look nearly as awful as I was told it would.  The skin was very dry, especially his “knee” area.  Dylan uses that area of his little leg to walk, so it gets used like a foot and has a thick callous on it.  His other knee looks the same, though not as bad.  They took him to x-ray and it showed lots of bone growth around the break – they were satisfied and will see him again in 2 months for another x-ray. 

He was a happy boy to say goodbye to the cast and everyone involved!  Well, actually we brought the cast home.  They tore out all the (yucky) insides and taped the cast back together.  Maybe it’ll make a nice mobile for his room?  Heh.  And, no I didn’t make him wear the hat, he insisted! 

I’ll try and post pics of the lovely bubble bath that I dumped him in when we arrived home!  He doesn’t seem to be in pain at all, but he is favoring the leg a bit (they said it was normal, his leg has been in that same position for a while and his hip could be sore).  He’s already scooting around the house a bit.  :)  I’m so glad to have this journey over with!  Now, next Monday, we travel to SC for his Shriner’s appt. to discuss his leg and eventual surgery and prosthesis.  The boy can’t catch a break from doctor’s offices!

I was able to take Marley to her horse riding lesson the other day and actually STAY to watch.  That, unfortunately, rarely happens.  It’s a busy, and sometimes overwhelming, season for me – but that might be another post.  Anyway, I got some great shots of Marley and her God-given love…

Marley’s first task is to go get Jack from the pasture and bring him into the barn. 

The dirty work.  Horses are high maintenance!

Stool, please. 

I think Jack loves her, too.