Mother's Day...

As expected, Mother's Day was chaotic, but hey, I didn't expect it to be anything less. We got up and did the usual Sunday morning routine to make it to church late :-) During the service, all my kids were given a flower to bring to me. Being the typical cry baby, I cried when Parker first walked up to me and told me that he loved me as he handed me a little red carnation. Trying to swallow the tears, I finally decided to just give it up and let it go. I am truly one of those people that I used to laugh at...my mother's dream is finally coming true!!

Even though there are days that picking up that same toy that I just picked up an hour before gets very, very tiring, I do love being a mom. I would have never imagined having 4 children and another on the way...but I am so happy that I do. It just goes to prove that God's plan for our lives far exceed what we could have planned ourselves.

Anna, Carter, Me, Parker, Elli, Jacob

One Very, Very Proud Mom,
Marcy

Happy Mother's Day...

For 11 years now, I have been able to call myself a mother. The first year brought my first son. The years following brought many happy moments, joyful memories and a few more babies. Every year, I have tried to make sure I had a picture with my kids on Mother’s Day. Last year, I sat on my front porch swing after church to take a picture with my three beautiful blonde boys holding a picture of my daughter that waited for me in China. She held my heart even though she didn’t know it. Anna was just as much mine as the three that surrounded me. The day was filled with many tears as I so desperately wished all my children were with me.

This year, I am so blessed to have my little Anna with me on Mother’s Day. She is no longer a picture for me to hold, but in the flesh. She stands at my feet, swatting at my legs, gesturing for me to pick her up. She dances to the tunes of Backyardigans, hides under her bed with her feet sticking out as a game, brings me cereal boxes to let me know she has managed to open the pantry, kisses the mirror at the sight of herself, tries to put on her brothers’ shirts, plays in the cabinets, loves baths, climbs on her daddy, jumps on beds, mimics everything she sees us do, drags out the clothes in her drawers, comes running when she hears me yell for dinner, gets jealous when I hold Parker, thinks she runs the house, feels so cuddly in her little pajamas, hair falls right over her eyes, waddles when she runs, breaths heavy when she is asleep, makes you giggle when she does, plays kitchen in her room, feeds you food she magically gets out of the TV., understands “the look”, ignores “the look”, happy to be playing at home, loves when brothers come home from school, stands at the door when she see daddy in the backyard, squeals when grandparents come, loves to be center of attention, knows she usually gets her way, rotten as they come, and couldn’t imagine her not here.

This Mother’s Day, I will have my four with me on the front porch swing…holding another picture. A picture of another daughter that now pulls my heart. I will hold my four here just as close as I can believing that next year, she will be here with us fighting for attention, playing with her sister, messing up faster than I can clean, getting into mischief, tattling on her brothers and not wanting to sit still for next year’s picture…but believe me, there will be a picture.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Blessed mother of four & praying for blessing number five,
Marcy

I just got an e-mail from the Cohen family!! Their schedule got switched and they actually went to the orphanage today.....soooooooo, I have great news about Elli and PICTURES! I have included a excerpt from her e-mail where she describes Elli, as well as the slide show below...she is going to tower over Anna! I guess Anna will get Elli's hand me downs ;-)

Thank you so much to the Cohen Family!!!

Marcy,

Our schedule got switched around and we went to Qingyuan today! Elli is very shy, but she is a big, healthy looking girl. She was afraid to be near us except in the arms of her auntie, whom she seemed to be quite attached to. We lured her into pictures with a lollipop. She ran back to her seat, where they were doing an art project - so we know she can run! We left her room and went to the one next door and she came to peek at us and then wave goodbye and and blow kisses to us. She is precious!

Well, obviously, she is gorgeous, which we knew, but she is healthy and appears to be well taken care of, which is a huge blessing. I am glad that she is attached to a caretaker. Kids need that and it helps with the bonding process following the adoption. I called Rodney and told him about the update and how much she has changed...he will be home shortly ;-)

Apparently she loves doing art, so I now know what to include in her suitcase for the trip...lots of "artsy stuff!" Harris, you are going to have an art partner! I don't know if you noticed or not, but the auntie that is holding her has on a shirt with "Half the Sky" logo on the side. This is a great organization that does so much for the children in orphanages throughout China. They were so active in the recent winter storms ensuring that the children had heat, food, water, diapers, clothes, medicine, etc. They have a program at Elli's orphanage. They are great!

The kids have all looked at the pictures and think she is so cute. Parker is a little obsessed with the fact that she has a lollipop, what kind is it, do you think she dropped it, etc. You know sugar is a very important subject to the 3 year old. Anna, she is more concerned with the flowers in the pictures. That is her new favorite word, so while I am pointing out Elli, she is pointing out flowers!

So, so, so thrilled to find out that Elli is doing well. Updates are always bitter sweet. Happy she is being taken care of, but then the feeling of desperation to get her home deepens.

Sending love & hugs to that chubby cheeked princess, Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Up and Running...

First, I want to thank everyone that prayed for Anna. She has done so good. The third and fourth day were pretty rough for her, but she has really bounced back. Her swelling is nearly gone and the drooling/mouth drainage has stopped. We still have some yucky nose stuff, but that is fading. We are so thankful for how she came through everything and how she has really healed quite nicely. She is one determined little girl.

Anna is feeling and looking much better

Anna woke up on the first Monday (day 3) very fussy. She couldn't be satisfied. She would cry for a toy, get the toy, throw the toy and then lay back on my chest. She still wasn't really eating any "food", just drinking. On Monday, she really didn't want to drink. Thankfully, Parker spent Sunday night with my sister-in-law, Thank You Shanda, so I was able to sit for hours just holding her. She slept some, but mainly, just wanted to be held. We stayed downstairs in the living room, it was quite, cozy, and we just snuggled all day.

On Tuesday, it was pretty much more of the same, but better. She was still very fussy, but she really wanted to play with Parker. She would play for a bit, then wanted to be held. She was drinking better, but you could just tell she didn't feel good. She didn't mind me putting her down, as long as I was close by. I was still pretty nervous about her hitting her mouth on something or Parker hitting her mouth. I took the lightsabers and hid them, but you know, when you are 3 and totally obsessed with StarWars, everything is a lightsaber! I stayed very close as they played to make sure no "dueling" occurred.

After Wednesday, things started getting much better. She began eating soft food much better. I know her appetite wasn't completely back yet, because she would only eat small amounts. But, at least she was trying to eat. Her mouth still looked very "sore" to me. I could only get small glimpse inside her mouth and I wasn't about to force a look. She still had quite a bit of drainage from her nose, which resulted in lots of dried drainage in her nostril. I tried to clean it all very gently because she acted as though it was pretty sensitive. Since we obviously can't clean her mouth or brush her teeth, her breath is pretty severe!

Parker tells us on a daily basis, multiple times, that "Sissy stinks!"

Even stinky she's just gorgeous!

I had been feeding Anna some baby foods, which she ate pretty well. Towards the end of the week, I began to puree whatever it was we were eating. She started eating that much, much better. I was initially afraid to do it as it might have too much salt or spices and in her sensitive/raw mouth, it would hurt. Well, by the end of the week, it was on! She started eating like Anna....pigging out!

Anna is still in her NoNos (arm restraints). But now, she really doesn't pay them any attention. I will take them off to give her arms a break or to clean them, they get nasty pretty quick, and she will stick her arms out straight to help me put them back on...no fussing. She has managed to take them off multiple times. On Sunday, she took one off and it took me over 15 minutes to find it. She has thrown it in front of the toy box in her room and then dumped toys on it. Not until I started picking up the toys did I finally discover the restraint. When I found it she started grinning and ran out of the room....this has played out multiple times as a game.

This is for you all (grandmas and aunts) who ask, "Why doesn't she have on socks?" or "Where are her socks...her feet are cold."

I promise I put socks on her feet...it just doesn't last very long!

On Monday, we went back to Louisville for her 1 week post-op visit. The surgeon told us he was happy with how it has healed and come together. He removed the two little "knots" in the stitches on her side and told us he wanted us back next week. He said that likely we can loose the arm restraints then if she continues to heal well. Maybe then we can start regular foods too. I hope so because she chases Parker with her mouth open and hands outstretched. He had a little bowl of Fruit Loops and she was chasing him around. He stopped and told her, "No Anna, your mouth is cut". Of course, that didn't stop her, she just screamed and continued the chase. Don't worry, she isn't being tortured, I got her and gave her a snack too, it just wasn't Fruit Loops, it was baby food fruit :-)

While I am obsessing about her hitting her mouth, she is jumping off the bottom step!

Can you see the mischievousness now?!?

Carter and Jacob are on Spring Break this week, so needless to say, our house has been hopping. They are really good with Anna, but she has learned the art of "messing" quite well. Of course being the apprentice of Parker, she was destined to become a master. So the day has finally came that I hear, "Momma, get Parker and Anna out of our room!" Or the famous excuse of "I didn't do it, Anna and Parker did." They told me it would never happen, but I knew better. Anna has definitely come into her own right as a toddler. She is sassy, spoiled and as rotten as they come. You put her and Parker together, who has a long list of adjectives we could use to describe him, and you have yourself a destructive duo! There isn't a room in the house untouched by these two...definitely partners in crime. What am I gonna do with 3 toddlers?!?!

"So what can we get into next?"

A couple that is adopting from Elli's orphanage is in China now. They just received their daughter on Monday and are hopefully traveling to the orphanage for a visit on Friday. They are going to try to get us an update and pictures of Elli. Hopefully I will have them on Saturday and of course I will share. I am sure that she has really grown quite a bit since the last pictures were taken and will probably look totally different. I am anxious to hear about her and to see her growth.

Happy to have my sweet girl almost back to normal & sending love to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

My Brave Girl...

On Friday, we arrived at Jewish Hospital for Anna’s first palate surgery. She was in a great mood considering she went to sleep about 11:30 pm, woke up at 5:00 am and was sleeping in a “strange” bed. She doesn’t rest very well if she isn’t in her own bed. She was smiling at anyone who would pay her any attention and started wrapping the staff right around her finger…it’s what she does best!

While we were in surgery prep waiting for the dreaded moment, her surgeon came in for one last look before the procedure began. I would say he is 68 at the youngest, based on his curriculum vitae, which I have searched to “check him out”. He comes in, looks at Anna, and tells us that her cleft is the widest he had ever seen and that she would be a “challenge…but I am confident I can do this.” Okay, as if I wasn’t nervous enough. No one wants their child to be a “challenge”. It wasn’t long until the OR nurse came in and, thankfully, Anna was fascinated with her scrub hat. So I got my kisses and out the door they went.

We were taken to the family waiting area where we stayed for about 4 ½ hours. We began with a full waiting room and now…we were the last family waiting. Finally, the receptionist came and told us that she was out of surgery and doing well. She said that Dr. Roberts would be out shortly to speak with us. Rodney and I were totally focused on the double doors. He came out and told us it was a success. He was able to close the entire hard palate, which was what he wanted to do, but wasn’t sure there would be enough tissue to do…thankfully, there was.

Anna was in recovery and I was on pins and needles to get back there with her. The recovery nurse came to get me and told me she was starting to wake up. As she and I walked back, I could hear Anna crying. When we got to her, she was thrashing around her head and hands furious. The nurse handed her to me and she looked so pitiful. Her little face was so swollen, there was bloody drainage from her nose and mouth, a thread was coming out of her mouth, her arms in little restraints (NoNos), IV in her hand and her eyes looked scared. She was very confused and you could tell she was in pain. They had given her Stadol for her pain and it wasn’t long until she was resting in my arms.

I held the oxygen in front of her face as they slowly started weaning it back. The long thread coming from her mouth was from the stitch through her tongue. When cleft patients are coming out from under anesthesia, they have the string in place so that if they struggle with breathing, they can pull the string, thus pulling their tongue, to clear the airway. Because of the obvious work done in the mouth, intubation would be very traumatic to the stitches. Thankfully, Anna did very well, and the stitch was removed. They reclined the chair I was in and wheeled me, holding Anna to her room.

As we left the recovery area, she again became very upset. She cried and screamed the majority of the way to her room, where she began to thrash around again. I was so afraid she would hit her mouth on my chest, that I wasn’t really paying much attention to her hitting her hands on the chair arms. They were padded, but she was quite forceful. While I tried to control her head, she was just destroying her IV. This was one of those moments you wish you could fast forward.

If you have ever been in a hospital, you know that if you have to be moved or a new shift begins, new vitals are taken. The nursing assistant and RN came into the room to try to get vitals…thankfully, they decided to leave her alone and let her calm down. She was given more medication and fell asleep. After a few minutes…seemed like seconds, the IV nurse came in to try to get a new IV. I am pretty sure you all know what happened next…yes, another total meltdown. But, they got the IV in and she was once again resting. She was totally worn out. She had lots of drainage and I just couldn’t keep her clean…or myself for that matter. After several attempts to do my best, I decided to just roll with it. Anna didn’t care how messy we were and honestly, if I could keep Anna happy, I didn’t care either.

Anna would wake up every 30 minutes or so very upset. I would do all my bouncing, patting, humming, rocking, talking, whatever I could think of to try to console her. She would soon go back to sleep. Rodney tried several times to get her to go to him and she wouldn’t. It made me feel bad for him because I know he just wanted to snuggle with her and give her love, but she would have no part of it. Anna and I sat in a recliner and Rodney tried to stretch out on a little sofa in the corner of the room. He didn’t get much rest either because I was constantly waking him up to get me something. I couldn’t move with her on my chest so he was basically waiting on the both of us…good Daddy!

I got pretty emotional a few times thinking about how she had to have her lip surgery in China alone, without us to console her. Then I began to think about Elli and how that she has had a palate surgery in China. Although not as severe, a painful surgery nonetheless. Rodney told me I had to stop! It was very emotional for all of us. It was painful for Anna and painful for Rodney and me to watch her hurt and feeling so helpless.

A few moments of rest for Anna after a very long day

About 1:00 am, I felt a drop on my hand…Anna’s IV. I called the nurse and she came in to check. What I feared was true, the IV was infiltrated. Because her hand was in a splint to keep her from bending her wrist, I really didn’t notice until it dripped on my hand. Her little hand was soooo swollen. I know it had to hurt. It looked really bad. About 1:30, two more IV nurses came in to try to get an IV in her foot. She did much better since she was a little more alert and not as confused. She still threw a fit, don’t get me wrong, but was much easier to console. After the IV was in, her nurse brought us some juice for her to try. I didn’t think she would do it, but she did. She drank a lot considering. I got an occasional glimpse in her mouth and if it were me, I still don’t know that I would be drinking anything…it looked so painful. It just made my chest hurt and a bit nauseated to see. I felt so bad for her.

Around 2:15 am, Anna started acting like Anna. Although still looking very serious and sad, she was giving that “I’m coming back” vibe! She feed her baby doll for well over 30 minutes. When she started nodding off, I tried to take the bottle, but she would wake up and start fussing…of course she got her bottle back and fed her baby some more. Around 3:00 am, she let Rodney take her so I could take a restroom break! She was content, so I laid on the sofa for about 2 ½ hours, which was nice. She was still drinking and becoming more compliant with what we asked her to do. She let Rodney hold her while I showered. She knocked out a container of cranberry juice and apple juice. When the surgeon came in for his rounds, he told us that her drinking was the “go home” goal. After we finished her last round of antibiotics, we were free to go! Unfortunately, the IV in her foot was going bad too. So they sent us home with her antibiotics and pain medication.

Even when she felt bad, she still had to feed her baby!

Anna will make a good mommy one day

I was so worried about her ride home. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel “orally” if I had this type of surgery, but then also take into account the fact that she had about a 2 ½ inch incision on her side. This is where they had taken the bone and cartilage for the bone graft. I thought she would go nuts in her car seat for 2 – 2 ½ hours on the ride home. We got to the truck, put her in her seat, she helped us get herself buckled and as Rodney turned the key, the radio came on…she began to bob her head up and down to the beat…oh yeah, my Anna was back!

Anna's feeling better - so it's time to play with Daddy

She did beautifully on the way home. We got home, she drank some PediaSure and we took a nap. She and I passed out in our bed and Rodney crashed on the couch. Saturday night she slept in her bed really good. Sunday she was a little fussy, but definitely nothing to complain about. She again drank really well and tried some soft foods, but she just wasn’t ready.

On Sunday night, she had a hard time falling asleep. She finally went down about 11:30 pm, but was awake at 2:30 am. I gave her more pain medication, put her in bed with Rodney and I, but she tossed and turned the remainder of the night. Today has definitely been her worse day at home. She has been really “clingy” and fussy. However, she did eat a whole Jell-o pudding cup and ½ a container of stage 2 baby food. Quite a step of progress I think. The swelling has really gone down today and her face is looking more “normal”. Her lips are still quite swollen, but not as bad as before.

Anna has proven over and over to be one brave little girl. She began her life facing many obstacles, but it hasn’t stopped her from being a loving, playful and determined. We are so thankful for God’s mercy shown to Anna over the last few days. Although she was in pain and scared, I have no doubt that God was with her and comforted her. She has exceeded my expectations yet again, doing far better than I imagined. We appreciate every prayer that went up for our daughter; we know that God answered our prayers. We ask that you continue to pray for her recovery.

We will go back to Louisville on Monday for her post-op visit. We will find out then, what the next definite step will be. We continue to pray for wisdom for all those involved with her treatment planning as well as for us to make the right decisions.

We are very blessed to have such a strong, brave, beautiful little girl.

Very thankful,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Surgery Success...

I just wanted to update the blog and let you all know that Anna did wonderful in her surgery on Friday. The surgeon was able to accomplish what he wanted and she, once again, has proved to be such a fighter. She has done far better than I expected.

Because she began drinking late Friday night and even more so this morning, they allowed us to come home. We got home around 1:30 pm. She is resting now with her daddy on the couch watching the Louisville vs. North Carolina game - Go Cards! ;-) I will post more hopefully tomorrow. We are all really tired as last night was pretty long for all of us.

Thank you all for your prayers,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Tomorrow is a Big Day...

The day of Anna's first palate surgery is almost here. I cannot begin to explain the mix of emotions that I have right now. Anyone who has had a child to have to endure a surgery I am sure can understand. I am very excited to begin the process, but then the other part of me wants to say, "never mind...she is just fine they way she is."

I obviously dread the surgery, the pain, the healing process, but there is also a feeling of loss. I know it may sound strange to some, but I will miss her little crooked smile. The first time Anna smiled at us with her little teeth all out of line...it just melted my heart. The precious little grin that we all fell so madly in love with will soon be changing. I have taken many pictures of her because I never want to forget that smile. I want Anna to know that we are beginning this process to help her with speech and eating...not because she wasn't perfectly created.

What some may view as a curse, has brought our family a great blessing. Due to her "special need" a series of events occurred that caused her to need a family. I am so thankful that God allowed us to be that family for her. I am thankful that He has provided the means for the surgery to be done. Although I have a mix of emotions...I am thankful. I know that God started all of this and I know it will all work out as it should....it is God's plan. I know I may wear it out, but I know God's timing is perfect and His plans are complete. He will finish this good work.

Please pray for Anna as she begins this process. Please pray for everyone that has any contact with her and with her care. Also, please pray for Rodney and I that we make all the right decisions and the boys as they will be at home and do worry about her. Her surgery is early tomorrow morning. We are leaving tonight in order to try to make sure Anna gets a good night's rest. Tomorrow is a big day. The surgery will consist of an alveolar bone graft. They will be taking a bone from her rib, grafting it into the "gap" of her gum line and then working as much of the hard palate behind the gum line as they can. She will have a sore mouth and a sore side. They were unable to schedule an ENT, so she will not have the tubes done tomorrow. She will be on a liquid diet, which will be so hard for her now...she LOVES to eat! Something we tried so hard to get her to do (eat solids), we are now taking away. That may be harder for her than anything else.

I hope there is Internet access in the hospital where I can give updates. If not, I will post when we return home....probably on Sunday.

I am so fortunate that I not only got to fall in love with a perfect little girl's smile once, but I will be able to fall in love with another tiny smile that I am certain will be just as stunning ;-)

Praying for a successful surgery & God’s perfect will,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei