Jovia is getting more and more independent all the time. She wants to do what the other kids do. She wants to clean up her toys, wash dishes, help put away groceries, play games on the iphone (she’s good!) and put her clothes in the dirty laundry. She (and we) are figuring out ways for her to be as independent as possible. I can’t wait for her to get the wheelchair! We got insurance approval a few weeks ago. Hopefully they will begin building it soon! I’m really hopeful she’ll have it before the summer.
February 18, 2012
7 years old…
This amazing little (big!) guy is 7 years old today!!
Happy birthday to a very special boy!
February 9, 2012
The effects of institutionalization on children.
I recently came across this video. It is long but I found the information so interesting (also hearbreaking) and I think it is a good video for anyone interested in the effects of institutionalization on children.
February 4, 2012
Sick Days…
Its been an exhausting week!
Benja had a seizure on Sunday and stopped breathing for a short time while home alone with Keith. Scary. He called 911 when he noticed Benja wasn’t breathing but canceled the ambulance when he started breathing again and seemed to come out of the seizure. I had just taken all the other kids to a bowling practice (they are joining a kids bowling league) when I got the phone call and had to run out and leave five kids at the bowling alley with their coach and his wife. My mom met me at the house and after a quick assessment we decided I’d take him straight up to the children’s hospital two hours away. He had started to spike a fever and it was 103 by time we left. I packed quickly, got some Motrin in him and we took off. Benja was either asleep or crying the whole way to the hospital and I was pretty concerned about him. Got him into the ER and he woke up happy and smiling. The ER is never fast and it was after bedtime by time we got seen. At 10pm they decided that due to his complex medical needs we should do a CT scan of his brain. Off we went to CT. Thankfully (and oddly) Benja decided he really liked the CT and while he fussed briefly whey they strapped him down, he was all smiles and big eyes while the actual scan was happening. After the nurse heard we had a 2 hour drive home, she asked them to speed things up and they quickly found a neurologist to look at the CT. We’re told they didn’t see anything unexpected and they were going to send us home on the condition we’d have an EEG done ASAP. So at midnight we headed out for the drive home. Benja stayed awake almost the whole drive home and then slept fitfully the rest of the night. Over the next couple of days Ben’s fevers have stayed up (waking up every morning with a 103-104 fever) and he’s started coughing and throwing up. We went back to the doctor a couple of days ago who changed one of his meds which he thinks was irritating his belly and said just to watch him. On top of all that he has two teeth coming in and his poor little gums have been so swollen. Thankfully he seemed better last night. He’s still sleeping this morning but so far no vomit, so we’ll see what the day brings! :)
Jovia started with a fever, cough and runny nose a couple of days ago but the fever has tapered off. Mayer’s been congested and coughing for a few days, hoping that doesn’t get any worse and goes away soon. Momma isn’t sleeping well with these sick babies and we’re all hoping this passes quickly. Sick days aren’t fun for anyone!
January 31, 2012
I should have known…
Sometimes, even though you cleaned it two days before, your child’s room might look like this:
Then when you ask a 6 year old and a 4 year old to clean it up,
you may be pleasantly surprised when you walk in and see this:
Don’t be fooled.
You might just walk around the corner to see this in the closet. I should have known…
January 26, 2012
Two Years Ago Today
Two years ago today we met Mayer for the first time.
I can’t believe how he’s grown and changed in the last two years!
Here are a couple of blasts from the past. :)
One of the youngest pictures we have of Mayer.
Our referral picture.
The only updated pictures we got of him while we waited for a court date.
Meeting Mayer for the first time.
The first picture we sent out after we got approval from court.
The visa celebration photo.
Our big boy, two years later.
January 25, 2012
This morning…
<—- This little boy skipped preschool this morning, is still in his pajamas and is currently eating cheerios out of the box.
It’s been that kind of morning.
Benja freaked us out last night by pulling out his g-tube with the balloon still inflated. For those that don’t know what that means, there is a small balloon filled with water at the end of the tube inside his stomach. It holds the tube in his stomach and prevents it from coming out. Or is supposed to. But didn’t last night. Benja was freaking out. Ouch. We got it replaced but there is quite a bit of blood around it this morning and the stoma looks pretty yucky. Plus he woke up with a 102 fever and is acting very crabby. So now I’m busy googling g-tube websites to try to figure out if this happened to other people (it has) and if I need to take him to the doctor (I am).
Ms Jovia decided to cry and fuss randomly every couple of house last night. Every time I’d go check on her she was still asleep, just fussing and irritated. I’d tell her to go to sleep, roll her over and she’d go back to sleep. I woke her up once and she gave me a big smile and asked for a bottle. So I don’t know. She’s been crabby this morning too but is now happily sitting in her highchair knocking cheerios onto the floor one by one.
Never a dull moment around here!
January 19, 2012
Why?
This is how conversations with Jovia have been going lately:
Jovia: ”where daddy?”
Me: “daddy’s at work.”
Jovia: ”why?”
Me: ”so he can make money.”
Jovia: ”why?”
Me: ”so we can buy things.”
Jovia: ”why?”
Me: ”Jovie, you are driving me bonkers asking why all the time!”
Jovia: “yup, why?”
I wonder what the 2′s will be like? :)
