thank you, part B

Baby Chic Pink Thank You 3x5 folded card

Elegant thank you cards and notes by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

y'all get to look at my cute card so i can get a $10 credit to shutterfly!  but it is cute, if i do say so myself.  and fits perfectly into my plan to write thank you notes to those who were instrumental in bringing little SJ home.  yes, mom, i have already written thank you notes once.  but you know, i feel like people need to see and hear again just how much their gifts to us helped perform a miracle.  God is so gracious to have given us little SJ. 

editor's letters

reading the 'letters to the editor' in wheaton's alumni magazine tonight...

the place God calls you to is the place where your gladness and the world's hunger meet. Frederick Buechner

thought provoking...

burning bush

eric and i celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary the other day.  and over a scrumptious lunch we said to each other, 'you know, our life really isn't any different than we would have imagined it would be.'

true.  in lots of ways.  in most ways.  and yet as i've thought about that conversation i've realized there is something that isn't so much what i envisioned.  adoption.  yes, we had always thought about adopting a little chinese girl.  but i don't think i ever thought about adopting two.  and i never imagined being so in love with the adoption cause.  i think if you would have asked me about it i would have simply explained our desire for an adoption and it would have ended there.  not this heart-pulling desire to help the chinese orphan.  it has caught me by surprise and i am still processing what it exactly means in my life.

on several occasions lately i have been asked questions like, "if you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?" or something along those lines.  and the first thing in my mind, without any hesitation, is to go back to china to help in an orphanage.  not only would i love to do that but i want that for all my children.  i want them to see the plight of the orphan, to see where God rescued lydia and sarahjoy from.  to be able to touch and smell and taste china (however gross that may be...)  i don't care about luxury vacations or even exposing my kids to the great US of A.  what i really care about is the orphan, specifically china's orphans, and providing an opportunity for my kids to become passionate about caring for God's precious children.  and if you had talked to me 14 years ago, that is not where i would have placed my heart.

i probably would have told you i would have a great ministry with teenage girls.  and well, that's not so much happening these days.  nor do i have any desire for that to happen.  at least not for another 7 or so years when i have a small group of teenage girls under my own roof!

and to be honest, i have no idea what to do with this relatively newly discovered, unexpected passion.  yes, we have adopted two kids.  but i don't feel like it ends there.  what's next?  do we actively seek to encourage other families to adopt?  we've certainly been approached by some who are interested but no one seems to really be interested.  maybe they need a gentle push from someone who has been there, who has the fire in their belly.  do we save our pennies and seek to expose our children to china's orphans?  i would love to take them on a trip with 'show hope' or some other organization that does orphan work.  does our influence need to be focused on the next generation, and not necessarily those outside our familial boundaries?  (wouldn't that be incredible for God to give our kids a passion for adoption and we could have grandchildren who were adopted from all around the world?)

or does it involve us personally taking the dive again to bring home another orphan?   let's talk unexpected...this, my friends, is a thought that was completely unexpected 6 months ago, much less 14 years ago.   if you had asked me before traveling to get sarahjoy if we would even ponder doing it again i would have given you an adamant no.  and yet again i find myself in a swirl of emotion wondering if God is calling our family to something that is so crazy and unsettling it makes my stomach turn.

i don't know.  in reading mary beth chapman's book, 'choosing to see', she talks about their decision to adopt and how she asked God for a burning bush.  i fell asleep the other night with that as my prayer.  please, lord, send me a burning bush.  i need to know if this is from you.  i need to know where to go with my passions.  i need you to be clear.  really clear God.  


i have no idea where we are going on this journey.  i would like to know.  really would like to know.

God, burning bush.  burning.  bush.  really.  clear.  i NEED a really clear burning bush!  k?

changed

i realize an update is long overdue.  gracious.

sarahjoy is doing spendidly (love that word!)  we were at the cardiologist's and the pediatrician's office last week and both gave her superb reports of good health.  it's not an exaggeration to say that they were giddy at how well she was doing.  i have to remind myself, because things have gone so well, that when we brought this sweet thing home she was SICK.  as in REALLY sick.  like doctors freaking out sick.  i remember sitting in the heart surgeon's office and going through what was going to happen with the surgery.  eric kept saying, "and what if that doesn't work...and what if that isn't successful..."  until the doctor said, "well, then we would be looking at a double lung transplant which generally children are not candidates for so we would just need to make her as comfortable as possible."

upon which i took a deep breath and said, "okay, can we stop talking now?"

all that to say, our little girl was really sick and there realistically could be severe long term health implications for her heart not being repaired until much later.  however........................she appears to be completely healthy!

she is growing like a weed.  she has gained 3 pounds in the past month - that's just about 15% of her body weight.  she has grown in height.  and her two-year-old-ness is off the charts.  all of which are indicative of a healthy little girl.  as much as i frown upon fits and getting in to everything, it is a nice reminder that we are being a normal two year old.  in fact, i was thinking on the way home from church today that she is always wanting to walk everywhere, little miss indepedent.  which, one would argue, is pretty typical of the age.  however, in china, she didn't want to walk anywhere.  she wanted us to carry her all the time.  at that point, i chalked it up to stubborness and/or adoption related issues.  but i was thinking this afternoon that maybe a lot of that had to do with the fact that she was exhausted!  her poor little body barely had enough energy for her to breathe, much less have energy to walk.  i remember she would go a few steps and then stop.  she didn't climb on anything and she certainly couldn't be described as being 'all over the place'.  really, i think we were witnessing a miracle.  our little girl shouldn't have been alive.  but there she was, hanging on until mommy and daddy could come bring her home and get her healthy.

sarahjoy is doing great.  she is a bundle of energy, into everything.  she adores her brothers and sisters and her stuffed panda.  she eats anything in sight.  she wants to put her purple converse on and go out the door at any opportunity.  she loves to play chase (inside or out!)  she has particular amounts of fun when she finds a crayon or marker and no one is looking.  i am fully expecting to have at least one piece of furniture ruined by her and am fairly sure i can count on her giving herself a haircut at some point.  it is a different kind of challenge to have a two year old who hasn't been in my care except for a short time.  things that i most certainly would have disciplined and taken care of by this age with the others are new experiences for her.   surprisingly, i never felt that with lydia - she is my very compliant, soft-spoken, quiet little girl.  she would and still does go off and play quietly with her dolls.  she did get into some mischief but she wasn't as fiesty as the ol' sj.  sarahjoy...not so compliant, soft-spoken or quiet.  she is a maniac!  into everything, constantly.  most definitely keeps me on my toes and regularly reminds me - in case i forget - that we have a two year old in our house now.  i would be willing to bet my house on the fact that sarahjoy is going to be our firecracker and there will be some significant explosions under this roof!  a fighter, that kid.  in more ways than one.

we are so thankful.  this morning while i was getting ready and listening to all the kids scurry around i was marveling at how completely normal it seems to have sj in our family.  she fits.  it doesn't even seem weird anymore to have such a little one.  it is our family.  and i love it.    you know, i would love to adopt a treasure trove more.  because adoption is an amazing blessing, a miracle, a God thing.  and i love being a part of that.  i love having miracles staring back at me everyday.  i love having a world perspective right under my own roof.  i love getting a stomachache when i see money being spent lavishly because i have two little treasures that are pictures of how that money could truly do something to change the world.  i love that  i do have two little treasures and they have changed me.

i am pondering what to do with that change.  it's like going on a trip to see the third world, how the 'others' live, and coming back to the comforts of home and feeling a bit, or more than a bit, uncomfortable.  and you don't quite know what to do with what you've seen.  how to process that you have a closet full of shoes and so many have a pair of shoes, or none at all.  except, my trip lives with me.  the memories don't fade and i can't forget what i saw.  i see their precious faces every morning.  and when i see them, i see thousands of other little treasures who need families.  and what do i do?  we can't keep adopting.  we don't have the resources - financial or emotional.  and quite obviously, even if God were to lay it on our hearts for another one (which he hasn't at this point, don't y'all go freaking out on me, although i'm not ruling it out)  that doesn't begin to touch the thousands of orphans i can't bring to my home.  but maybe i can do something bigger.  be a part of the adoption journey for others.  be an advocate for those sweet faces.


The Butterfly Foundation.  makiah loved butterflies.  and butterflies symbolize new life.  hope.  ......in the very beginning stages of thought.  but it's there, rumbling in the back of my head.

so, back to what this post was supposed to be about.  sarahjoy!!!  she's fabulous.  your prayers, God's mercies, and a few amazing doctors.   from all that we can tell, she is 100% healthy.  she will continue on her medication; the doctor will keep her dose steady while she grows so she will essentially be weaning herself off in the next few months.  and then after 4-6 months they will completely stop it.   all the while monitoring her heart and lung pressures.  after that, we're done!  of course, we will continue a regimen with the cardiologist to keep an eye on things but will be done with any treatment of a heart condition.

God has been very merciful to us.  he is always good, but life does not always go the way we would like for it to.  even still, God is good. so i refuse to say, "sj is healthy!  God is good!"  because truly, even if she were not healthy, God is still good.  but for now, he has bestowed his mercies on us and we have been the recipients of a great gift.  we are immensely thankful.  and we are enormously indebted to those of you who have faithfully prayed for sarahjoy and have given to her little life.  you truly have been part of a miracle.

she is all we dreamed of.

this girl loves to be outside!

super big sisters annaclaire and lydia

sj's three favorite things - the doctor, chickfila, and panda

thankful, part II

and to finish our list of 60...

• i am thankful for mrs. whaley's english classes who have prayed faithfully over the last few months
• i am thankful for a dad who has thoroughly embraced our crazy adoption adventures (after a bit of a pause...)
• i am thankful for little tiny rocking chairs for little tiny girls
• i am thankful for pajama pants
• i am thankful for a person in florida who i have never met who sent us a check
• i am thankful for a loving birthmother who placed sarahjoy in a safe place before saying goodbye forever
• i am thankful that i can walk in the room and sarahjoy instantly stops crying
• i am thankful for chili's  (english classes...why is there an apostrophe there?)
• i am thankful for a heart that kept going despite being twice its normal size and completely overworked
• i am thankful for xrays so we know what's going on in her lungs
• i am thankful for pizza gift cards
• i am thankful for people who i meet for lunch and hand me money
• i am thankful for a one pound weight gain in one week! (for sarahjoy that is, not me, although i'm running a close second...)
• i am thankful for antibiotics
• i am thankful for great friends who invite themselves over for dinner
• i am thankful for hot showers
• i am thankful for college kids who love our family and babysit for free over spring break
• i am thankful for sarahjoy's cries, even if they do last for way too long at naptime
• i am thankful for disposable diapers
• i am thankful for full nights of sleep (what are those again?)
• i am thankful for consignment stores that give me money to pad my clothing budget
• i am thankful for weekends
• i am thankful for PBS kids
• i am thankful for sweet tea
• i am thankful for PICUS and IV's and breathing monitors
• i am thankful for family reunions 
• i am thankful for a praying, God-fearing Mimi who has lived to see an enormous return on her investments in her children
• i am thankful for two little twin sisters of Makiah that fill their mom and dad's arms again
• i am thankful for josiah, annaclaire, micah, lydia and sarahjoy for being the cutest and most amazing kids any mom could ask for 
• i am thankful for eric who hands down is the best father and husband a woman could ever imagine

missing our little itsy...a new family pic is coming soon!  but dang aren't those kids the cutest!

thankful

so many things about sarahjoy's journey are reasons to be thankful and proclaim God's faithfulness.  in honor of the 60 days she has been with us here are 30 things i am thankful for (people, i cannot think of 60 good ones tonight, operating on about 4 hours of sleep!)

• i am thankful for God pricking our hearts for adoption.  
• i am thankful for God providing every penny for us to travel to china.  
• i am thankful for a brood of loving children who have embraced their new little sister like she has been here forever.  
• i am thankful for friends who have been spoiling us with delicious meals.
• i am thankful for a pediatrician who noticed the need to get us to a cardiologist.
• i am thankful for an amazing surgeon who i think would take sarahjoy home if he could.
• i am thankful for a children's hospital that is literally 20 minutes from my door.
• i am thankful for nurses and doctors who don't freak out when a child quits breathing.
• i am thankful for a mother in law who went above and beyond in caring for our kids for three weeks.
• i am thankful for a husband who has set aside getting to work early and instead has been going in a bit later in order to get the kids breakfast every morning.
• i am thankful for naps.
• i am thankful for a little girl who loves to kiss me and give me hugs, even though she's only known me for 2 months.
• i am thankful for a mom who could be beside me during the most harrowing 30 minutes of my life.
• i am thankful for a comfortable home and plenty of stuff to make life easy.
• i am thankful for the multitude of people who gave sacrificially to bring our little girl home.
• i am thankful for china who allows us to adopt their precious princesses.
• i am thankful for a church family who has prayed faithfully for sarahjoy and loves her to death when she walks in the door.
• i am thankful for health insurance.
• i am thankful for a government that allows me to heat my home if i so choose (which i do, to a nice comfy 70 degrees)
• i am thankful for warm cozy blankets to snuggle with while i'm laying on the floor of sarahjoy's room.
• i am thankful for a little girl who loves to nestle right up to me when we're in bed together (which currently is way too often, but i'll still be thankful.)
• i am thankful for the family who has lent us their car for the past few weeks while my mother in law was here.
• i am thankful for our adoption agency who provided a seamless adoption process.
• i am thankful for president obama and his new laws about adoption expenses and tax refunds.
• i am thankful for completely unexpected gifts towards sarahjoy's medical expenses.
• i am thankful for babygap gift cards so sarahjoy can at least have a couple of things to call her own.
• i am thankful for husbands who love me in spite of an ever increasing waistline thanks to a plethora of stress lately.
• i am thankful for cameron and rachel who allowed us to name our little one sarahjoy makiah so we can always remember that little blond angel.
• i am thankful for people who gave us change from their piggy bank and people who gave us $10,000 and every one in between.
• i am thankful for sarahjoy.

pointing fingers

i have been avoiding writing a post.  i suppose because i feel like there is nothing dramatic going on.  no one has stopped breathing.  we aren't teetering between life and death.  we are doing the daily routines.  figuring out life.

and it is hard.  i know that a lot of you are silently saying, "i told you so!"  but i am ignoring you.  and i have many things to say to that sentiment but i need to be thinking a bit more clearly.

we knew it would be hard.  it is no surprise.  i have welcomed four children into our family and every time it is a big adjustment.  the fifth is no different.  for those people who say, "once you have three, another one is no big deal,"  well, i just don't think they have actually done it.  or they're lying.  because with every new child comes more work and more responsibility and less time and less energy.  and with every child there is more 'MOMMY!!!!  I NEED YOU!!!!' and less time to give to each call for attention.  it's a balancing act and it takes time to figure it all out.  but it's hard.

sarahjoy is a miracle, let's not forget that!  but she is also two.  and quite spoiled - given that she has had my undivided attention essentially since we first held her in china.  barring a few days of regular family life before surgery, she has been my primary focus.  and she is really not happy when she doesn't have me all to herself.  she does not like me doing anything that doesn't involve her being within 12 inches of me (including sleeping) and she certainly doesn't like me snuggling with her brothers and sisters!  she obviously doesn't speak english, and i don't know that she really speaks chinese either.  i think most of it is baby babble.  but she refuses to point or gesture and instead stands and whines.  a pointing finger would seriously be the best gift from st. patrick i could possibly imagine (if in fact ol' pat gave gifts.)  meanwhile, i get to play the game of figuring out what in the world she wants.  hungry, thirsty, a toy maybe?  does your incision hurt?  is there something else going on medically?or maybe your two year molars?  do you need something else i'm not thinking of?  or...do you just need me.  thankfully, my mother-in-law has been here and has been a LIFE SAVER.  but she leaves tuesday and i have this crazy life all to myself.  help!!!!!  how do i do a whiny two year old, four other kids, a husband, and a household?

so come tuesday, i may be a puddle on the floor.  and if you can't find me there, check the closets.  or the local chocolate shop.  i may have run away.  i'll come back, though.  cause i have to have a chat with all you i-told-you-so peeps.

almonds, cashews, pecans

on behalf of all the people who have said it before, either to our face or quietly discussing it when we're out of earshot (and there's a lot of you.)

WE ARE CRAZY!!!!!!!!!  

WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE WE THINKING!?!??!?!?!

i love that little girl, love her to bits, but she's is driving me nuts.  currently, we're going on hour 3 of trying to get her to sleep.  driving me nuts.

and that's about all i have to say today.  driving me nuts.

treasure

good news from the cardiologist today!!

sarahjoy's heart looks great.  the surgery was successful in closing the hole.  we will continue to monitor every month to keep an eye on the pressures.  which is the big question mark because her defect was not corrected until she was 2.  right now, the pressure on one side of her heart is 3 times higher than the other side.  over time, with a healthy heart, that pressure will hopefully subside as the lungs recover from being overworked the last two years.  she is on medication currently to help with this, and will continue for the forseeable future.  but all of that is no surprise to anyone and is 'normal' for her situation.  overall, things are good.

her left lung is still a bit junky.  we will have a chest x-ray next week before our surgical follow up and they will take a look at the lungs.  again, not a surprise there but they want to keep an eye on it.

i did ask about her non-silent, non-rhythmic breathing while she is sleeping.  there may be some sleep apnea going on which we can address after we get through this initial heart stuff.  i asked the doc generally about what i was hearing.  eric cut to the chase for me and said, "basically ashleigh is wanting to know if sarahjoy is going to die in the middle of the night."  nothing like being totally forthright and getting right down to my fears!  the doctor's response, "well, we don't tend to see that sort of thing happen."  not exactly what i wanted to hear but eric reminded me that a doctor is never going to say never.  true, good point.   we are going to try and get her on videotape during the night to bring to our next appointment.  and if he feels like it would be a good thing, we will do a sleep study and see what's going on.  i don't think this has anything to do with her heart issue, but i am not sure on that one.

her incision is looking fabulous.  i'll have to take some pictures and post them.  it is pretty amazing.  obviously it is major scar, but it is looking really good.  and speaking of pictures, our camera decided to quit working but as soon as i get that worked out i have got to get some pics up here of our beautiful smiley little girl!

God has chosen to give us a great blessing in bringing sarahjoy home (debt free) and allowing her to be healed by modern medicine.  why he has chosen to bestow on us tremendous favor, i don't know.  but i want to be clear.  he has done this for us.  this whole sarahjoy journey is not of our own doing.  this is a God story.  he alone could have orchestrated all of these events.  he alone could take an abandoned baby girl in the middle of rural china and place her in a loving family on the other side of the world at just the right time for successful medical intervention.  and he alone could provide every dollar that was needed.  and he alone could give her breath again.  and he alone has her life in his hands.  we are thankful and we treasure her with everything we have.  but ultimately, she is God's and her story is about Him.

she is beautiful.  her eyes light up when she sees her daddy.  and disappear when she smiles.  her grin would melt the hardest of hearts.  she is our treasure and tonight we thank God for his gift to us.  for our treasure.

six sets of hands

every once in a while life brings you an event that changes your perspective, gives you a new outlook on things you otherwise might pass over.  maybe even changes who you are.  rarely is it anticipated.  it comes.  and the days tick by.  and it may go. but life is never again the same.

i was watching as my baby lay lifeless on the bed.  moments ago she had been fine.  we were a day out from surgery and i was stroking her midnight hair as she lay peacefully recovering.  all her monitors said she was doing great.  and then in an instant there was nothing.  no movement.  the nurse began to shake her.  'breathe, sarahjoy, breathe!'  there was no response.  i watched in horror as my baby slipped away.  there was no warning, no indication anything was wrong.  her body simply stopped.  'sarahjoy!  mommy is here!  BREATHE!'  as they swarmed the bed i moved to the corner.  by this time my mouth screamed and my cheeks were flooded as i watched.  i could still see my little girl, in between the bodies of the nurses and doctors attending to her, but there was no life.  no breath.

i cried out.  'this isn't supposed to happen!  she's dying! she's gone!  we should have never done the surgery!  my baby!!!!'

i don't know how long they worked on her.  maybe 30 minutes before the medical staff began to disperse.  before my cries subsided and i began to sense that this wasn't the end.   i remember walking out of the PICU, down the hall and wondering what in the world had just happened.   i took my sweatshirt off and put on a tshirt.  i was sweating.  my body felt like i had run a marathon.  i was exhausted.

and now those minutes haunt me.  i close my eyes and there she is again.  laying there breathless.  six sets of hands working to bring my princess back to life.  i can't sleep.  i walk into her bedroom, trying not to panic, but scared that my nightmare is reality.  i check for her breathing.  i lay beside her and watch her chest go up and down.  i listen.  it all sounds good.  but it sounded good before.  and then it was bad.  really bad.  i'm scared.

those 30 minutes have changed my perspective.  they have changed me.  and not the least of those changes has been my renewed and incredibly deep sympathies for my sweet cousin rachel and her husband cameron.  who can never open their eyes and wake up from their nightmare.  they will never walk into their little makiah's room and be able to see that she is okay.  my heart breaks for you in a whole new way.

we see the cardiologist tomorrow for our first follow up visit.  maybe then i can gain some peace.


***for those who have been following rachel and cameron's journey, their baby girls were born last tuesday!  abigail kaitlyn (6 lbs) and alena kaitlyn (4.13 lbs)  were healthy and went home with mom and dad on friday!  the family continues to grieve and miss makiah but is thankful for full arms once again.


 

sweetness

home is surely sweet.

we are all back as a family.  sarahjoy has now spent almost equal time with us in china, at our home, and in the hospital.  so needless to say, she is still getting adjusted.  poor kid doesn't know where she belongs.  but she does know who loves her.  and her little smile is bright and beautiful these days in my arms.  i even got a few giggles today.  

she is doing great.  i have to admit it is a bit unnerving having her home and knowing that it is my responsibility to tell if something is wrong.  last night she slept with me and i spent most of the night listening to her breathing.  when it was loud, i wondered if i should call the doctor.  when it was quiet, i worried she was gone.  i didn't get much sleep.  it's her heart for crying out loud!  talk about stressful.

we will see the pediatrician tomorrow to check on her pneumonia.  hopefully that's all that will happen.  i am still so nervous about something going wrong and us ending back in the hospital.  we see the cardiologist on monday and the surgeon the following week.  i will be thankful when we get the all clear from the three of them.  or at least i am hoping we get some sort of all clear or else i am going to need some blood pressure meds.  although, we've maxed out our insurance deductible for sarahjoy for this whole year already, so i say bring on the doctors and all their expensive tests - they're free! : )

life will get back to normal.  right?  at least our new normal.  i am anxious for that to come.  i feel so out of sorts.  with the holidays coming right before we left for china i feel like i haven't really been in a good routine since the fall.  because of us 'sequestering' sarahjoy prior to her surgery, i haven't even been to church since christmas eve i don't think.  even this introvert is ready to see some of the outside world!  trying to take one day at a time knowing that one plus one equals two and then four and then maybe a new normal.

thank you so much for your continued support.  we are incredibly blessed.

yippee yahoo!

tomorrow is going to be a fabulous day!

sarahjoy is slated to walk out the doors around lunchtime.  she is doing great, they even took her off oxygen tonight.  the only thing left is one measly IV in her hand.  she will get an xray and an echocardiogram on her heart tomorrow morning.  assuming all of those things are good, we are driving home!!!!  (and lord help me if they are not good)  she has not had a fever at all today or tonight and everything points to her moving along to complete healing.  we will go home with a bag full of drugs and innumerable follow up visits but hopefully no more PICU!

she is definitely feeling so much better.  she was a bear today - wanting to get down, arching her back, throwing fits.  you know, acting like a 2 year old cooped up in a hospital room.  they took the oxygen out of her nose around 7:00 and from then until 11:00 she did not stop babbling.  i don't know what it was about the oxygen but it must have had some affect on her talking because she had been almost silent until tonight.  and then the kid would not be quiet!  carrying on like crazy.  FINALLY, around 11:00 she fell asleep.  but she was so happy and talking away - as much as i wanted her to fall asleep it was pure joy to hear her and her cute little voice babbling on about who knows what.   i wish i knew what her little mind was thinking.

and............my sweet cousin rachel is having her babies tomorrow!!!!!!  alena and abby will enter the world around 1:00 tomorrow afternoon.  we are expecting them to be tiny but healthy.  and i am so excited i can hardly stand it.   God has certainly allowed them to bear a tremendous burden of tragedy and grief these last few months; i am praying that joy would come again when they see those little girls.  please pray for an uncomplicated delivery and healthy little girls!

come on tomorrow!!!!

@$#@% FEVER

sweet day with sarahjoy.  She has been feeling good and keeping me busy (yay for needing to entertain her!)  Thank goodness they have a nice playroom.  And she of course does not have tons of energy so a few laps around the unit and 30 minutes in the playroom and she is ready for snuggles.   We even took a nap together this afternoon.  Right now she is cuddled up with her daddy.  He is really into the basketball game on tv, she is more interested in her sock.    

Sj is doing great.  She is only connected to two things.  Oxygen – and she will remain on that until we go home.  The best medicine to lower her lung pressures (the really bad side effect that we are trying to avoid from having a VSD go uncorrected) is oxygen.  So since we are in the hospital and it is easy to do, she is hooked up.   but it is solely for medicinal purposes, she does not need it to function.  Her other connection is an IV antibiotic that she gets twice a day.  This is a super heavy hitting medicine that is hopefully attacking whatever is causing her fevers.  Other than those two things, we are totally healthy!

The big question mark remains the fever.  The last two days she has not had a fever during the day and then it starts to creep up around 7:00.  they are still working with the theory that it is pneumonia causing it but that is not 100% certain.  So there is a bit of a guessing game going on.  Which has entered into the debate about when to head home.  There is a school of thought that says we might go home on Tuesday, after the IV antibiotic is finished and continue an oral antibiotic.  There is another school of thought that says because of everything that has gone on the last two weeks, she needs to stay under careful watch (in the hospital) until she is fever free. 

To be honest, I can’t even really enter in to the conversation.  On one hand I look at my child and see that she is seemingly feeling good and the fever is easily controlled with Tylenol and I want to go home.  But there is another part of me that would be perfectly content staying in the hospital until we can say 100% that she is ready to go home.  I will ask lots of questions and talk to the doctors but ultimately it will be their decision.  And we will deal with whatever it is.  I am certainly not counting on going home, that’s for sure! 

I did a first tonight.  I left her while she was still awake…not sure if I am proud of myself or horrified.  She was so tired and would not settle down.  Some of it could have been the baby on the other side of the curtain that would not stop crying or the constant suctioning of a child on the other side of us (gross)….so about 9:00 I kissed her goodbye.  I had been there since 7:30 this morning and was exhausted.  And since we have been there so LONG - sj is now perfectly comfortable in her little cubicle.   I left her laying in her bed happily playing with her iv’s.  the kid isn’t going to know what to do when she doesn’t having something stuck in her hands and up her nose!  I called up to the nurse about an hour later and she said sarahjoy was still laying there calmly but not going to sleep.  I don’t know what’s up with that – I was hoping if I got out of the way she would crash. 

We will talk to some more doctors tomorrow.  Thankfully many of them were home with their families for the weekend.  Those guys work a ridiculous amount of hours – I feel like I need to send all of their wives a big bouquet.   Maybe sj will not run a fever tonight – I left her with a low grade one but maybe, just maybe, it will go away.   We could really use prayers for a clear, wise decision on when to go home. 

We have been so overwhelmed with the generosity and care shown to us.  it is amazing to me to watch people’s love in action.   meals being delivered, phone calls, checks in the mail, gift cards given to us, visitors to the hospital.  I want to make sure that you know how much that means to us.   it is those acts of kindness that assure us that we are loved and cared for and we are not alone in this journey.   I know that they take time and energy and money and it is oftentimes inconvenient.  But please know that your kindness means so much to us.  it is in times like these that actions truly speak louder than words.  

Keep praying for our little princess.  Hopefully some day soon I can announce that we’re outta here!  And possibly even show my face somewhere other than a medical establishment!

(to mrs. whaley's class......this really stresses me out.  do you guys read this blog and find all of my grammatical errors?  you know i think about that when i am writing.  wondering if i have a comma or an apostrophe in the wrong place.  i know mrs. whaley has talked about my writing with you guys.  but here is my best talent....acing the AP english test when i never read the books.  i am so good at making things up in essays.  maybe this summer at our sarahjoy party i can teach you my skills...until then, treasure your time with mrs. whaley.  she is an AMAZING person.  and when this sj drama is over, i am going to write about her.  trust me, you have no idea what a gift you have in your teacher.  AND...a special thank you to the person(s) who sent sj the little bible.  i am blessed beyond words and have stored it away in her little box filled with things for when she gets older.  i promise when i tell her story, she will know about mrs. whaley's english class.  truly, thank you.  )

getting some good snuggles with daddy (and look how long my hair is getting!)

day 11...

quick update...

okay day today.  sarahjoy spiked a fever in the middle of the night which is not good.  however, she did not have a fever during the day and then about 7:00 tonight it was slightly elevated so that is possibly a step in the right direction.  she was fairly cranky most of the day - i think she was probably in some discomfort and after finally figuring that out we gave her  ibuprofen after which she was perky.  i suppose the girl has a right to be in some pain after having her chest cracked open 10 days ago.  i also think she is really tired of being there which shows up in some two year old fits every now and then.  sometimes it's hard to discern what's a fit and what's true pain/sickness.

at this point the fever is the big question mark.  no one knows exactly what is causing it.  they are continuing to do blood cultures and nothing is showing anything.  they have tested her urine and no infection is there.  there is no sign of infection at her wound site.  their best guess is pneumonia but for reasons i don't fully understand they are unable to say an absolute yes or no to the pneumonia theory.  bottom line, there continues to be junk in her lungs that needs to clear up.  and everyone's best guess is that is what is causing the fever.  she is on heavy duty IV antibiotics so we are hoping we see some improvement in the next few days.

please continue to pray.  we really want to see our china princess come home soon.

long

i am exhausted.

today is the first day i felt like i cannot do this anymore.  i cannot take another week of this.


ironically, today was also sj's best day ever.  but she has been so bad that even though she had her best day ever, there is still a long way to go.  and i suppose that hit me like a ton of bricks today.  she is so much better. but she still needs to be way better than today to go home.

her xray was improved this morning.  not great.  but improved.  her fever was not as bad today as it has been.  i begged them to give her tylenol because she is such a different kid when she has a fever - completely lethargic and blah.  which they did this morning.  but then they came back and said they would not do that again because they want to see how high the fever goes.  which was thoroughly discouraging.  on one hand they tell me she needs to be up and walking and eating to get better.  but they won't give her tylenol and so she is not interested in any of the above!  i thought about getting in their face and wagging my finger and giving them a piece of this mama bear mind, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE PROGRESSING IF YOU WON'T GIVE HER STUPID TYLENOL?????  but i refrained.  i did get a little testy with eric regarding the tylenol because he has so much power over the doctors and their decisions.  okay, he doesn't.  but i needed to get mad at someone!  (i think this is why they say kids' illnesses are really stressful on marriages...)

so we are taking steps forward.  even if sometimes it feels like the doctors are working against me!

today also was a realization for me of how long term this thing is.  i wish i could say we have done the heart surgery and we are done.  put the jammie pants in the wash and say goodbye to the hospital.  but there is so much else.  and if i am honest, i let myself go to the place today where i thought i cannot do this.  this is not what we signed up for.  this was supposed to be a 'minor' special need.  not only are there innumerable follow up visits over the next 12-18 months but there is also a real risk to her heart and lungs if she should even get a cold in the next year while recovering.  bottom line, her heart and lungs need to stay away from any additional stress.  so i am looking at trying to keep her well for the next year which is so completely overwhelming i cannot even think about what that looks like.

and, the biggest reality of today.  because of sarahjoy's enlarged heart over the last two years (it was TWICE the size of a normal heart) her breastbone has grown in a domed shape in order to accommodate it.  i was hoping that it would just go away with the surgery but we were told by the doctors today that it won't.  in all likelihood what will happen, although her heart will eventually go back to a regular size, is the breastbone will continue to grow abnormally and cause a somewhat disfigured looking chest.  once sj hits the tween years when her body starts developing and breast tissue comes into the picture it may be disguised some.  and as the muscles enlarge and pull on the breast bone the body may flatten it out a bit.  however, there is a very good likelihood that she will have to have another chest opening surgery where they insert a metal rod to reshape the breast bone.  when that surgery happens, i don't really know.  the good news is that there is a world-renowned clinic here at this hospital that operates on that deformity, known as 'pectus.'  the bad news is that truly our little girl will not be completely normal looking.  does she care when she is two?  no.  but her mama cares.  and she will care.  in fact, i really care.  i can't lie.  it really bothers me (insert major tears here.)  people can tell me all they want about how wonderful we are and that sj is a miracle and all that true stuff.  but this mama doesn't like it any more than any other mama that her little girl is going to have to deal with something that makes her look different.  at this point i don't even care about the surgery.  i just care about my little girl's heart and how she is going to have to deal with being different.  and how bad is it going to look and will people constantly ask about it and what will it do to her self-esteem............

i am exhausted.  i am physically and emotionally wiped.  

maybe?

i am scared to hope, but maybe today we turned a corner.

sarahjoy was doing great this morning.  during the night they took all of her monitors off except her oxygen so she is almost wire free.  when i got there she was up walking around, playing and looked wonderful.  she did throw up which we still don't know what that is related to - i.e. food, medicine, vests of torture or all of the above.  but overall she was looking much better than she has been.  her xray from this morning wasn't super; it looked about the same as yesterday - i am choosing to take that as a good sign that at least we aren't getting worse!

around lunch her fever went up again and she was miserable.  they have now ordered tylenol to be administered more often which i think will help us to stay ahead of the fever.  it seems that once it comes on (with a vengeance) it takes awhile for her body to get rid of it.  and she is completely mopey and miserable when she is feverish, which she was for the whole afternoon.

however............this evening her fever subsided and she was amazing!  she ate dinner like a champ (and kept it down) and she was acting like an ornery two year old.  which although it was wearing me out (ornery two year olds and hospital rooms are not a good combination), i was glad to see! when it came time to put her to sleep i cradled her and assumed she would lay down like every other night.  but oh no, she wanted to play.  so i let her get down off the bed and she played on the little mat for awhile.  it was a bit surreal for me to be watching her refuse to be held and not want to go to sleep!  eventually she settled down and i rocked her to dream land.  but for a few hours tonight i could actually picture us taking her home.

the two things that need to happen are a) her xray to clear up (and thus her fever to disappear) and b) her to eat and keep it down.  i will be really curious to see what her xray shows tomorrow because it sure seems like she has progressed a whole bunch.  and maybe, just maybe, she will eat more tomorrow.  the word today was hopefully we could be home at the beginning of next week.  i am putting absolutely no stock in that guess, i even told the doctor to quit saying things like that.  but we'll see.....of course, that's what they said last thursday too.  : )

and for the record, she was a royal pain in the butt when it came to medicine taking today.  hoping for a better day tomorrow on that front also!

keep praying.

feeling pretty good

medicine time!

"i am so OVER this hospital thing!"

nine

not one day did i ever imagine us being in this scenario.  i guess i thought that if things were going to go south, it would be during the surgery, not in recovery.  but we are here - going on day 9 in the PICU.

sarahjoy is ever so slowly getting better. so far, we have not taken any super big steps backwards which is good news.  we have taken a few steps in the wrong direction but overall we are moving forward, at a snail's pace but nevertheless, moving forward.  she is up and about much more these last couple of days.  about 3 times a day we get her up to walk around the unit (complete with IV pole, wires coming from everywhere, oxygen tank, and the army of people in takes to hold/watch all of that stuff) and then she will sit up and play for a bit.  she is still wobbly on her legs (who wouldn't be when there is 75 pounds of stuff you are attached to) but getting much better. she is so tiny.  whenever we walk the entire staff turns and looks and cheers her on.  it's pretty cute.  unfortunately, there are not a lot of kids in the PICU that they get to see walk around and actually get better so she is a bit of a favorite.  plus she is so daggone cute.  : )

we are still dealing with the lung issue.  anytime there is heart surgery, the lungs are the thing that take the beating.  add to that the reality that her lungs have been working overtime the last 2 years plus she had bronchitis 2 weeks before surgery.  so those poor lungs, they are feeling abused.  there is still a lot of junk down in there that is preventing them from fully expanding.  and this afternoon, little princess spiked a super high fever which is a telltale sign of pneumonia.  so they have put her on antibiotics for pneumonia and she is getting a bunch of chest therapy (which consists of a vest that's wrapped around her torso and shakes her like crazy so the mucus vibrates loose.)   the fact that she is up and about is a huge step in the right direction.  laying in the bed is the worst thing for lung issues.

her oxygen has been reduced.  we are not quite off of it but we are getting there.  one specific prayer request...she has several meds that have to be taken orally throughout the day.  and she HATES it.  she is normally a great medicine taker but she is over being stuck and poked and prodded so she puts up a major fight every time.  the nurses try every trick in the book but sj is so stubborn.  my best guess is that it is one area in which she can exert some control so she is going to take advantage, like any good two year old would.   so please pray that she would take them easily.  it is exhausting working for an hour trying to get her to unclench her teeth and take them only to have her store them in her cheek for a LONG time and spit them out.  that kid.  i am seriously going to have my hands full if she is this stubborn when she is sick.

speaking of being over it, sj is hilarious.  every time a nurse walks in the room (which is a lot since there is one nurse to every patient and the kid has something going on every hour at least) sj gives them the evil eye.  and then she closes her eyes and just stays really still hoping they will go away.  she'll open them, see the nurse, and then quickly close them again.  she does not like any of those people with stethoscopes around their neck.  and she cries every time they put a finger on her, whether it hurts or not.  she is so tired of being here.  and it is getting very weary having to watch her be so sad.

a lot of people ask how i am doing.  i suppose the answer is, okay.  i am getting good sleep at night - most of the time i stay at the hospital in a sleep room that they have for PICU parents.  but it is exhausting.  i don't know how these families do it that have sick kids for lengthy periods of time.  sj is pretty 'demanding' in that i am constantly entertaining or cuddling or consoling or duct taping her so she'll take her medicine doing something with her.  and the emotional toll of one hour thinking we are making progress and the next hour going backwards is wearing.  i just want her to be better.  and i want someone to tell me how long this is going to take, how long we are going to be in PICU, what it's going to look like when we go home, how long before she is a healthy little two year old running around.  but those aren't questions that anyone can answer.  it is literally a different answer at any given time of the day.  this morning when she was walking around it would have been a very different answer than this afternoon when she spiked a crazy fever and was completely listless.  it is just a waiting, and praying, game.

as much as i get frustrated at our situation, i can't help but be thankful.  there is a little boy next to us who just had surgery for a brain tumor today.  there is a baby boy who will be heading to heaven any day now.  yesterday you could hear his family wailing.  there is a teenage girl who was hit by a car last week and is laying in bed with a million machines hooked up to her.  and those are just the stories i know.  there is so much pain and tragedy going on all around us.  i have to block it out when i walk to the bathroom. i just can't go there right now.  but i am pretty sure my mind will wander to those beds and to the PICU unit for the rest of my life.  you can't help but be changed.

thank you so much for your continued prayers. we need them, constantly.  i will continue to update as best i can.  but know that we are immensely grateful for every prayer that goes to Jesus on our behalf.

sj and the vest of terror.  i am not even going to comment on what i look like.  

"seriously, mom?  you told me my new life was going to be great.  not exactly living up to my expectations."

my valentine

grrrr, i am so annoyed.  i just checked facebook and only half of my updates have posted from my phone and NONE of the pictures have posted.  i am so sorry - i thought i was at least updating you via facebook.

happy valentine's day to me!  i am home for the night...our little sweetheart had a good day and she was sleeping soundly by 7:00 so i decided to run home for a night in my own bed.  but i have to say, i am so frustrated that i have not been able to update frequently because there is so much going on.  i have got to figure something out.

here's the rundown...

sarahjoy is doing good.  not great, but good.  and that simply means that she is stable and we are seeing small improvements each day.  she is still in ICU, she is still on oxygen, she is still a sick little girl.  but we are moving in the right direction.

i feel like our goal is slowly shifting from keeping her alive to getting her home.  hasn't shifted completely, but we are tipping the scales towards home.  today she was more alert than she has been.  we got her up twice to get out of bed.  she took about 10ish steps and then promptly sat down in the floor.  and there was no way she was budging.  we picked her up and carried her to the beautiful playroom they have for her to be able to sit up for awhile.  the first time she wasn't interested in anything.  looked around for about 10 minutes before we brought her back to the room.  the second time she did actually play with a couple of toys.  watching her play reminds you of how frail she is.  she slowly moves her little arm and shakes when she is trying to do something.  she won't move her other arm because it is full of IV's.  and she doesn't move except for her arm - the rest of her body is completely still.  she hasn't really given us a smile yet and her eyes are still very sad.  but i can tell that she is more comfortable and one day soon i am going to get a smile!

right now we have a few things that need to happen.  she is still on oxygen.  it was turned lower today and we will see what happens.  when we have done this before that is when we go to crisis mode.  and i can really go without another code blue baby not breathing episode.  i think that took about 10 years off my life.  they will try to slowly lower it over the next several days.  this is a very specific prayer request....that she does not have to go home with oxygen.  there is a good possibility right now that she will.  but i am really not excited about having a two year old with an oxygen tank.

another specific is that she needs to be able to eat and drink.  today was a start.  she did keep some diluted apple juice down which we are giving her via a syringe.  and late afternoon she ate a little cup of applesauce and some cheerios.  we are moving in the right direction but we need to make sustained progress.  the poor little thing is so skinny.  she was skinny before all this and now she has had nothing to eat for almost a week.  we are going to seriously need to work on her bird legs before bathing suit season.

she also needs to be weaned off of an IV heart medication (milronen for you medical people.)  she cannot go home on this particular medication.  she will certainly go home on plenty of things, but this can't be one of them.  they have attempted to wean her previously but her left ventricle was not pumping properly so they put her back on it.

she also needs to have a clear xray.  right now both of her lungs are pretty junky.  they are much better than they were (her lungs are not fully collapsing, which is a great plus) but there is still a lot of stuff there that needs to disappear.  having her up for a bit today will help.  and having her feeling good enough to simply sit up will help too.  which i think we may have reached the point today where she can sit without support.  she did sit in my lap unsupported and watch almost all of toy story which is huge progress.  xrays are done every morning (and more often if needed) so we should get a report tomorrow when we go in.

and last but not least, she needs to be up and moving around.  we need to be able to get out of bed, walk to the playroom and be much more like a normal two year old.  right now if you came to see her you would see that she is one sick little puppy.  in fact, i forget to warn people when they come visit and it is pretty much instant tears when you walk in.  i forget how alarming it is because i have been staring at it for a week.  as much progress as she has made, we are nowhere close to being a normal little girl!

our little princess is in God's hands.  and i am hopeful that his plan is for her to be a healthy little girl with a big huge story.  we are praying.

i am simply sick about having all of you so out of the loop.  you all have been praying so faithfully and i feel horrible that i have not kept you up to date.  please forgive me and know that it is not because i have forgotten you.  i am so thankful for your prayers.  we need them desperately.  our little princess still has some chapters to go in her miracle story!

here are a few pictures.  progress is being made! 

sJ post surgery.  she had so many tubes coming out of her but she actually looked better than we imagined 

seeing my baby on a ventilator was not fun.  i was so thankful that she was off of that so soon.

fixing her hair.  : )  the nurses were very concerned that she look beautiful.  i mean if you are going to be laying for the whole world to see, you better have your hair looking good.  by the time we are out and about her hair might be down to her waist!

a little perkier.  no more ventilator and no more chest tube!

 

my miracle valentine

sitting up and playing...major progress!

one day at a time

Let me first say that I am so thankful for the prayers on sarahjoy’s behalf.  This is one of those times that I really need someone else doing that work for me.  thank you.  And please keep going.

This surgery stuff is not for the faint of heart (aren’t I hilarious?)  essentially sarahjoy is stable, but there is lots of stuff that is stable because of things that are being regulated courtesy of modern medicine.  

Her body is having to work really hard to breathe which is the essence of the challenges right now.  She has been on oxygen since surgery, they had weaned her down to a very minimal amount, but then today she went back to really struggling and so her oxygen is back up.  she continues to sleep 95% of the time but is much more peaceful than the first couple of days.  and she is actually sleeping as opposed to simply being sedated.   She has been awake for a few minutes today and she did drink some apple juice and ate some jello and thoroughly enjoyed it.   And by ‘enjoy’ I mean that she barely opened her mouth and let me put it in as opposed to being completely out of it or clenching her teeth.  Of course, she then threw it up so now we have another challenge…

When she has been mildly alert for a few minutes I have noticed that she has the same look in her eyes and on her face that she had at home when she was really scared.  She wouldn’t cry, she would just get this look in her eyes, get flush in the face and her lip would quiver.  It was as if she wasn’t allowing herself to cry, trying to be strong even though she was scared out of her mind.   Which I am sure is a conditioned behavior based on the love and care (or lack there of) she has received over the past 2+ years.  Not having told any of my thoughts to the doctor, he stated in rounds this morning that he felt like though she was in pain, instead of crying and letting us know she was being stoic - taking very shallow breaths trying to ‘splint’ herself against the pain and forcing her heart rate up and her respirations to increase (not good).   He ordered pain medication whether she is acting like she is in pain or not to try and relax her and allow her breathe deeply and regularly.  I know she is so scared. 

There is no telling what reversals have taken place in the emotional process of transitioning to a new family.   And I really believe some of that is playing into this whole healing thing as does the doctor.   I tried to hold her today but her vitals were not tolerating it so she is back in bed.  They have since changed some things so hopefully I can try again and she will tolerate it. 

I think she’s going to be okay, eventually.  But no one is saying that we are going home any time soon.  Whether that is days or weeks, I have no idea.  She has already shown us that one hour she can be doing great and seem to be really improving and the next hour her numbers are not good.   Which, of course, is why we are in the ICU.  She needs constant, vigilant care.  And I am so thankful for where we are. 

Thank you for your prayers.  They are sustaining us.  Truly.  

one month

Whew.  Yesterday marked one month since we first held sarahjoy in our arms.  And what a month we have had.

Let me first explain that there is no internet access at the hospital so that is why things on the blog have been quiet.  I finally realized I could type something up and eric could send it when he goes home at night.  I know, I am a little slow.   I am going to blame it on the drugs.  Not that I have had any.  But sarahjoy has had enough for a Chinese army so I am claiming those.  I can text in Facebook updates so if you are on Facebook, you can always look there.

There is so much that has gone on.  And I know that most of you don’t want to know every last detail so here is the simple version…

the surgery went well.  The hole in her heart was fixed (it was approximately 14 mm which is quite substantial given the size of her heart) and she should be a healthy little two year old within the next few months.  Her heart was twice the size as it should have been, which makes me even more thankful that God gave her to us at just the right time.  She is our little miracle.    We are navigating the road of recovery in the PICU and will remain there for the next week or two. 

******

As for the ins and outs of the last few days, it has not been easy.  I have to constantly remind myself that this is a long road.  It is full of potential complications, and it is a road that is traveled very differently by different kids.  There are lots and lots of variables and many questions just can’t be answered; only time will tell.   Just to give you an idea, when she came out of surgery she had a chest tube that went six inches into her torso to drain fluid.  She had an iv in her neck.  She had a catheter.  in her left hand she had a regular iv and an arterial line (going in to the artery as opposed to a vein.)  in her right hand she had another iv along with a blood pressure cuff on her arm and an oxygen sensor on her finger.  And on her chest she had 5 patches with wire that read her heart rhythms.   That’s a whole lot of stuff that is being monitored and a whole lot of stuff that can cause problems.

Essentially they have continued to keep her sedated because she becomes very agitated when she is even mildly aware of her surroundings.  The goal is to give her time to heal and then be able to take out some of the stuff that is poked in her and get her more comfortable.   So she has not been truly awake at all.  occasionally she has opened her eyes and when the sedative is wearing off she begins to moan.  But other than that, she is asleep.  Which one would think would make for a calm situation.  However, there is a reason why sarahjoy is now known as ‘gator’ to the medical staff.  She is crazy.  She thrashes her arms and legs and tries to flip onto her stomach and get up on her knees.  And she is not slow about it.  In less than a second she goes from perfectly calm to all of a sudden thrashing around doing her alligator roll.  So we have spent hours and hours having to hold her down.   There are restraints that could be used, but given her unknown history no one wants to use those.

And if she ever picks up a recreational drug habit, we are in trouble.  she can tolerate them like nobody’s business.  Every time a new nurse or doctor hears what they have given her they jump out of their skin.  She is on so much medication to try and keep her sedated; her little body just does not respond to normal doses.   So it has been quite the talk of the PICU as to what to do with the Chinese gator.  When the cardiologist came in this morning he had heard about her antics.  He was completely floored how much sedation she was needing and as we were talking about that by her bedside she went in to alligator mode and flipped herself over as he sat there wide-eyed and remarked, “I had heard about her but WOW!  I have never seen anything like that before!  That is unbelieveable.”

I knew sarahjoy was going to make her mark in the world. 

Yesterday was a rough day.  Not only was she extremely agitated but because of that a lot of her numbers were not great.  She was having to really struggle to breathe, her heart rate was higher than they would like and she simply did not look or sound great.   And then she gave me the scare of my life.

We had just wrestled with her to give her some more medication and all of a sudden she became completely motionless.  Her chest stopped going up and down and she was not responding to anything.  The nurse began shaking her leg saying, ‘come on sarahjoy, come on.  Breathe baby, breathe!’  and after a few seconds of nothing all of sudden I was in a movie.  she rushed to the other side of the bed, grabbed the green bag and started manually inflating sarahjoy’s lungs.   The nurse yelled for respiratory and the doctor to come and within seconds there were 6 people around the bed, sarahjoy was flat and motionless and everyone was doing something to her.  I sat in the corner of the room and stared.  I could not believe what was happening.   For what seemed like an eternity she was still not responding.  I was absolutely positive I was watching a horrible ending to my love story.   

But I wasn’t.  God has another ending that hopefully is a long, long way away. 

Thanks for all of your prayers.  I realize I am ending this a bit abruptly but eric is going home to sleep (and post) so I got to finish up! 

I’ll post more tomorrow. 

ready

i woke up in the middle of the night and thought, oh my gosh!  we don't even have a picture of all of us together.  not even one of all five kids!  my mind was racing as i pondered the what if's and should the most awfulest of things happen.  i wouldn't even have a picture of all of my kids together.  and no family picture.   

all day today i kept looking at sarahjoy and thinking, sweet baby you have no idea what tomorrow holds.  it is a reality that is so hard for me to hold as her mother.  to know that my little girl is getting ready to experience a tremendous amount of pain and i can't even warn her.  i feel helpless.  and sick to my stomach.  

we are to be at the hospital at 5:30am.  (big, loud boo.  don't they know i need my beauty sleep?)  surgery is scheduled for 7:30am.  there is an ever so slight possibility that it will be shifted due to an emergency but we will not know that until the morning.  we're banking on tomorrow.  the surgery will last about 8 hours.  but i believe it will be a bit longer than that before we get to actually see her.  and actually, for the record, i have this thought that they are going to find something else and it is going to be longer and more complicated.  i hope that i am wrong.  

tonight about the only thing i want to do is crawl up in my bed, with my cuddly blanket that Mrs. Whaley the Diva introduced me to (english class, there will be more on this subject in a later post...), and be by myself.  i want to know that people are praying and thinking of us, but i don't really want to talk to anyone.   which is a fantastic idea except for the fact that i have a husband.  and we are supposed to do things together.  and adversity is supposed to make marriages stronger.  but tonight, i don't want to be together.  i don't want anyone touching me or talking to me.  i just want to be with me.  

i don't know what tomorrow will hold.  i hope and pray that it will hold those long awaited words from the doctor detailing success and accomplishment.  but there is no guarantee.  people keep saying to me, "it's going to be alright. she will do great."  and there is a part of me that appreciates the positivity.  i certainly don't need everyone reminding me of all the things that are possibilities.  but no one truly knows the end.  just ask makiah's mom.  she'll tell you all about endings.    

none of us knows what tomorrow holds.  we would like to think that we do.  but we don't.  sarahjoy ran around today as excited and happy as ever.  her true spirit coming out as she has gotten more and more comfortable in her new environment (she is seriously fiesty and full of energy!  sort of like Diva Whaley.)  she had smiles and laughter for everyone.  her childish innocence in full bloom.  she has no idea.  neither do you or i.  we run around making plans and creating itineraries.  we think months and years in advance and dream of things yet to come.  but we don't know.  God knows.  and only God.  

we bathed her and washed her hair.  for the first time since we brought her home she endured a bath without screaming.  i lotioned her up so she would have that clean baby smell and carefully put her fuzzy jammies on.  i wanted her to be as beautiful as she could be for the night before her big day. we took pictures and some video.  no one said anything but we both knew why.  just in case.  we then played and waited the required hour before we scrubbed her with some sort of medicinal antibacterial wipes.  it took all the lotion off, and now she smells like a hospital, but she is still beautiful.  she is ready for tomorrow.  

the question that keeps pounding in my head is whether you and i are ready for tomorrow?  i'm not talking about sarahjoy's surgery.  i am talking about life's unknowns.  the question marks of tomorrow.  the reality that none us knows what the next sunrise will bring.  you and i are running around with childish innocence in abundance not having a clue about what the next day will bring.  are you ready?  are you prepared for your world to be rocked?  for pain and discomfort to overtake you?  for the unexpected tragedy?  where is your faith and what will you do with it?  

God and i have a funny arrangement.  he tells me he's going to do crazy things.  i watch them happen.  adopting a chubby little chinese 2 year old girl with sticky up ponytails?  that's my lydia.  adopting another little girl?  that's my sarahjoy.  watching $32,000 come in to send us to china debt free?  check my bank account.  doing something special with sarahjoy's story?  that's yet to come.  but maybe there is someone reading this blog who needs to figure out if they are ready for tomorrow.  

sarahjoy's ready.