Saturday, September 5, 2009
Our newest addition...
www.caringbridge/visit/owenriley1
Thursday, July 9, 2009
So...want an update?
Rumor has it a few of you still check back to this blog so I dusted off some cobwebs and am finally back to update and hopefully get reconnected with a few fellow adoptees. First, a Brady update:
He had received speech and OT services through the school district but only is in need of occassional speech services now - he is talking up a storm!
Brady's rash is nearly gone (you may recall he had a rash all over his body when we came home).
We are no longer considering him lactose intolerant...he loves cheese and tolerates it well
He is in love with the outdoors - so much that we are putting up a fence as he also likes to run and sometimes a bit too far.
We have some of course challenges also - Brady still wakes up with nightmares and struggles in larger settings which often overstimulate him. We have tried him in small group activities like swimming lessons and gymnastics but he appears not quite ready for those yet. Overall he is doing very well and we cannot imagine our lives without him.
At the moment both Brady and his sister are extremely excited about our largest family change...a new baby! We are expecting our third little one in September!
I am due in late September although the doctors feel it may be earlier (I am measuring well ahead of schedule...1o weeks ahead). We are thrilled and cannot wait to welcome our third child! This is partially the reason for the delayed post (after so many pregnancy complications the first time around we wanted to wait). So please forgive the lack of posts and I will do my best to be better at it. Hope all is well with all of you!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
One Year Ago Today...
Our Little Man...
Our little man...we met him yesterday for the first time - it is still so surreal for us. So...a brief overview of our very exciting day: We were brought to the orphanage around 11am. Walking up was a little eye-opening. The orphanage is set amongst many very run-down apartments with a couple old, run down slides and graffitti on the walls. Walking into the orphanage is this immidiate feeling that everyone there is working so hard for these kids, every doctor and caregiver took as much time with us as we wanted. When we arrived we spent about one hour talking with the doctor, reviewing his social and medical history. A few concerns were discussed and then we were brought to a play room. I don't think I will ever forget the moment that occurred next. I was talking to one of our social workers when I saw her jaw drop. I turned around and in came walking this very cute, very small little boy...our little man. He is just adorable!! Ryan and I both gasped. It was a great moment. He is much smaller than we expected - he looks similar to many of the 9 month old children we know - both in weight and height. This was initially a concern however he appears to be doing well in so many other ways. We played for about 2 hours in a few different rooms. We also spent 30 minutes watching him have a session with a speech pathologist! He was able to complete all the tasks she asked of him, picking up blocks and stacking them, etc. During our play time there were a few times when he would put his arms out and run at me, giving me a hug!! Talk about pulling at your heart strings. He sat on both my lap and Ryan's (although he had never been around a man before). We gave him a blue teddy bear and a soft picture book with pictures of our family - he held onto those for dear life. We got to bring him into his crib for naptime and we then left for a couple hours and returned in the evening. He was just as cute and cuddly when we returned. As it neared bedtime he snuggled in my lap with his teddy bear for about 15 minutes. It was such a great day!!So this morning (9am here) we are getting ready to go to the Ministry of Education to register some paperwork and name him!!!! We will be going back to the orphanage and then will be leaving for Moscow around 6pm tonight for another long 14 hour train ride. I think this ride will be so much more difficult because we are leaving him behind although we are also looking forward to seeing our daughter - and other familiar faces! Once we get to Moscow we have to do our 8 Doctor Medical (yep - that's right - we each have to meet with 8 doctors who speak Russian...looking forward to that!) We then will spend tomorrow night in Moscow (where I will post again) before heading home.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
I've Been Tagged...
1. Although deathly afraid of heights I went sky diving with my oldest friend (Jody) in Tulsa - and loved it (and yes I have the video for proof).
2. I was in a horrible car accident in my old car-a Ford Festiva (yes those tiny little things) - in the cars behind me were a nurse, therapist and two off-duty police officers - how lucky is that? I have since had back surgery due to the accident.
3. I LOVE garlic - it is in just about everything I make and have been to the Garlic Capital of the World in CA.
4. When giving birth to our sweet lady she turned her little butt around in my birth canal (after going through labor and dialated all the way to 10) - a very rare but I'm told nearly fatal event.
5. The first time I met my husband was when I interiewed him for a job!
6. If it were not emotionally and finnancially draining I would love to head back to Russia for another child.
thanks for the tag Rachel - I know so many people have been tagged now so if you'd like to share six random things, consider yourself tagged :)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
I know, I know....
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Happy Camper
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Happy Birthday Little Man!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Happy Birthday Ryan & First Boat Ride
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Still Scratchin Our Heads
Friday, May 9, 2008
Update...
A few weeks ago we took Brady in to meet with his pediatrician as he was (and still is) to be frank - pooping...a lot - literally 6-10 times a day - really, every time after he eats. We ran a lot more tests and then had one of those doctor and patient moments you see on tv (where the doctor says he needs to tell you something and sits behind a desk). Initially it appeared that Brady had Cystic Fibrosis - very scarey since we had not of course been treating this. We went to Fargo to have some testing done for a couple days and then had some other bloodwork tested at the Mayo clinic in addittion to our clinic here. We were talked to by doctors and specialists about what this may mean - including discussions about how long we should expect him to live! This was clearly very difficult for us - we relived a time in our lives when we were told our daugthter may not make it only days after her birth. It was a very emotional month and I am very happy to say we now have the test results and they are negative. Unfortunately however we still have no answers about why Brady is LOOSING weight! This has been troubling to our pediatrican and of course to us as he is now only 19 pounds at almost two - almost 2 pounds lighter since we brought him home! He is eating, we cook him seperate meals that are full of fat and protein but have had no luck. We were back into the clinic a couple of days ago and they are doing another round of tests (some of them for the third time). Our poor little man doesn't even flinch anymore when they bring that needle out.
So - that is our Brady update (medically anyway). He is otherwise well -a very happy little guy full of energy. I promise to update the blog more often. Until recently I could hardly talk about this without breaking down and sobbing. I knew once we posted this we opened ourselves up to questions and I have struggled to make it though a workday so did not feel I could quite handle that.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Happy Easter!!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
More Updates and Prayer Request...
Brady is continuing to do well. He has not gained any weight yet which is still a concern but as he is so incredibly busy I feel he is just burning it right off (what I wouldn't do for that problem). We cook him seperate meals, put him back on formula, etc. but nothing seems to be working. He has however grown two inches since coming home. I promise to post more pictures and an update soon.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Update...
Brady continues to be adjusting well. He and Allison appear to be loving being brother and sister very much. We certainly have many of the moments of any parent of two toddlers and take the good with the ummm...not so good.
Good things: Ryan is enjoying his new job, the kids get along SO well and love each other (they give hugs and kisses every night), Brady has been sleeping better and his rash is GONE (Thank You Prescription Hydrocortizone!), Allie and I are going to Disney on Ice (Finding Nemo) this weekend (can't wait), we now know that our kids will have two new cousins within the next year (we each have a brother with a pregnant wife...yeah!!), we have many pre-adoptive friends going to bring their children home or meet them for the first time (Congrats Patti & Matt, Norm & Carire, Carrie & Micheal, Troy & Rachel).
There are certainly "other" things going on in our lives. When we started this blog to track our adoption journey we intended on keeping it fairly positive. For now I am going to stick to that with a promise to post an update with other changes and things soon.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Politics
http://glassbooth.org/
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Happy Days!
A common question we hear now is, "would you do it again?" Yes - we love our new son, of course. Will we do this again? Doubtful. While we would love t0 think that someday we would go back and bring home another beautiful child, the finnacial and emotional drain is more than we could bare.
So...while on this blog you will never again read about the excitement of our journey with two children under 3 accross the world, that is not why we started this. The reason for titling this post "Happy Days" is because I swore that when we got Brady home I would not take our children and our time together for granted. I LOVE being a mom but somedays it is honestly not on my top list things to do to play dolls or roll matchbox cars accross the floor repeatedly. Amongst the large midst of junk emails I opened today, I found one that brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of that overwhelming feeling I had throughout the adoption process: a reminder to love and hold these children of ours. The email below was said to be written by a police officer whose daughter is dying of brain cancer.
*Just for this morning, I am going to step over the
laundry, and pick you up and take you to the
park to play.
*Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in
the sink, and let you teach me how to put that
puzzle of yours together.
*Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the
telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with
you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
*Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not
even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine
for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one
if he comes by.
*Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about
what you are going to be when you grow up, or
second guess every decision I have made where
you are concerned.
*Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me
bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying
to fix them.
*Just for this afternoon, I will take us to
McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so
you can have both toys.
*Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms
and tell you a story about how you were born
and how much I love you.
*Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the
tub and not get angry.
*Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late
while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
*Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you
for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.
*Just for this evening when I run my finger
through your hair as you pray, I will simply be
grateful that GOD has given me the greatest gift
ever given.
*I will think about the mothers and fathers who
are searching for their missing children, the
mothers and fathers who are visiting their
children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and
mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms
watching their children suffer senselessly, and
screaming inside that they can't handle it
anymore.
*And when I kiss you good night I will hold you
a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will
thank GOD for you, and ask Him for nothing,
except one more day.............
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sleepdeprivation and other updates!
So - the stats are he gained a whole 5 ounces...better than nothin, right?!? The Dr. wants us to continue feeding him Pediasure and seperate, more fatty meals as he's still not close to being on the charts. Both he and the dermatologist feel his rashes are from an extreme case of eczema. I've been questioning it because it's SO bad - he still wakes up scratching like crazy and breaks out after eating. His body looks like it's covered in chicken pox. So...off today to fill more prescriptions. Brady is continuing to wake numerous times throughout the night - typically 9 - 12 times a night - once or twice an hour. It has made for some long days.
We had Brady's first professional pics taken last weekend - they turned out very cute and both kids did really well - will post them when I have them back. I also completed a photobook through shutterfly called "Bringing Home Brady: From Russia with Love" (if interested you can see it at
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AaNG7hy2cMXEw Just copy and paste this click on "View Photo Book" and then "Slideshow").
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Brrrr...
A side reason for posting this is I know a few of our readers are waiting to go over anytime - better pack the long undies!! We keep thinking of the large homeless population we wittnessed in our region and pray somehow they (and others) find warmth.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Scratchin Our Heads...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Happy Birthday Princess!
We are finally starting to feel like we are settling in, Brady seems happy here and to be adjusting well. His sleeping is starting to improve (only waking up 2-3 times instead of 8-9 each night) although one of us still has to sleep in his room at night. He had another pediatrician appt. last week which we were happy to discover that all blood tests proved negative for HIV, hepatitis A, B, C, syphylis, etc. (we had most of these tests in Russia but it was nice to get confirmation in the states). Unfortunately not one ounce was gained despite the fact that he has gone back on formula, pediasure and whole milk. He has actually lost a pound since leaving the orphanage so this is a concern of ours and our pediatrician. They are looking into parasites that may be keeping him from gaining weight.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
More Exciting News!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Back to work...
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy, Happy New Year!!
We are so ready for 2008...bring it on! Looking back at 2007, we are ready for a new year. For us 2007 really helped us to grow and create a stronger family but we are ready for a fresh start to a new year. 2007 included of course the long road to our adoption, Ryan's lay off and job search, my completion of graduate coursework, Ryan's law enforcement training away from home, the death of my grandmother and of course two trips to Russia. It was also the year we brought home our son, Allie caught her first fish, the sell of our old home and our first summer in our new home. We are looking forward to 2008 - with resolutions to spend more time with family and friends (gone are the days I have resolved to lose 10 pounds or stay organized...Russia put things in a different perspective). Happy New Year to all of you and thanks for all of your comments and support in 2007!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
There's no place like home...
Enjoying the snow at home
Playing the piano Christmas morning
We arrived home two nights ago after being gone 36 days. Entering the driveway - which was like a winter wonderland was the best feeling. We are loving being home despite the fact that we are all fighting a nasty virus. Our friends Brian and Betsy filled our freezer with food and our neighbor had shoveled our long driveway so we could get in. (SO APPRECIATED!!) Brady is adjusting well - he loves the fish I painted on his wall and is having a blast playing with everything. It was so fun introducing him to his new home. We are working on unpacking, opening mail and I have been fighting a fever and cold. Brady had his first appointment with his pediatrician yesterday. Overall things went well - we will be going back every two weeks for a while as he is concerned about his weight (19 pounds at 18 months) and his allergies. The poor guy had four shots and a ton of bloodwork so he was pretty sore last night. We are trying to hang around the house for a while as both kids appear pretty tired of any type of plane, train or automobile.
We had a wonderful Christmas with our families. Brady warmed up quickly and spent most of his Christmas with huge eyes...I can only imagine the thoughts going through his head - going from an orphanage to enjoying a large dinner with strangers speaking a new language who bring you more toys then you've ever seen. Can you imagine?