Blogable Moments



Growing finally! 1 1/2 inches in the last five months.

Fall months with two kids in school typically equals illness. We’re experiencing the first bug of the school year. Mom’s wishing for a big enough Cl*rox wipe to erase the germs in the house. While Eli laid around hacking and coughing, I juggled taking on huge project. Thankfully, I manage my own hours so such lengthy endeavors will probably only come up every few months? I work on Elance. I highly recommend it as a way to earn money, especially if you’re saving for adoption. This was how we saved a small portion.

The very LONG wait for the surgeon. Thank you Angry Birds!

I’m sleepy, so I hope this all makes sense! We took Sidney to the university hospital for her checkup last week. Our regular hand surgeon is on medical leave until this winter, so we talked to a different hand surgeon. We know Sidney is growing. This means her hands are shifting and changing. Sidney was home six months during her first syndactyly reconstruction meaning the doctor separated her fused or webbed fingers using a skin graft. Scar tissue buildup is common on the surgical site where skin grafts were used to separate the two originally fused fingers. In Sidney’s case, the scar tissue is causing her finger to be in a permanently bent position which leads to further joint damage.  

Sidney's constant protector, insisting on coming along. Every girl should be so lucky
to have this sweet boy for their brother.

Since our original surgeon is out on medical leave, and Sidney has a complex situation, the surgeon recommended waiting until after the holidays and come back early next spring. He indicated the scar release is typically more complicated than the first surgery, however there is a chance there will only be one more surgery following or none at all until she is fully grown. This seems very manageable. If our original surgeon is not off of medical leave, we will discuss surgery with the surgeon we saw last Friday. The pediatric orthopedic clinic we use is the best. It’s one of the top clinics in the nation. If you are reading this, and you want further information for a similar orthopedic issue, please email me off the blog. I am happy to help in any way possible. I know many of the patients come from areas far out of state for this specific clinic. We are blessed to live a little over an hour away.

And while some people in our lives that hear us talking about frequenting orthopedic clinics might think this must be somehow frightening, I’ve never felt that way. It’s part of loving Sidney, and there has never been a doubt that God is driving the bus. Tom and I laugh sometimes about our experiences with Sidney while waiting through the slow China process, the long month we waited to get into the orthopedic clinic to figure out what was going on, and finally monitoring her care. It’s quite simple if a person remembers God is driving the bus, and you are simply a passenger along for the ride. And thank goodness He’s in control, because I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to orchestrate all of this!

We assume she will need the scar revision early next spring. My thought is if it needs to be done let’s get the surgery, cast, and splint over with before it’s time to hit the pool again in the summer. There’s too much living that goes on in the summer to have a cast as an obstacle. Okay, I’m done with my projects for the week of Thanksgiving, and I’m looking forward to extended sessions of cleaning my house in preparation for Christmas decorating and enjoying turkey!

 

A moment from the madness...

Finally I’m catching up. Sidney is on her morning off from school, hanging out watching Puuca. I had to G**gle it to make sure it is about Chinese people. She loves it, and I’m thrilled she’s listening to anything related to China.  If you’ve watched it, much of the animation has Chinese themed buildings and backgrounds. We seem to be turning a small corner to China. One day she made reference, and I can’t remember what we were discussing, to “bad China.” We’ve been able to offset this fear with an understanding of “good China.”  Of course “good China” doesn’t involve hearing the language spoken. That’s one challenge I think will take her a long time to overcome. I’m envious of other adoptive parents that can send their kids to Chinese cultural centers for activities and classes. I think if she was exposed often enough she might be able to understand it doesn’t have to be associated with negativity.  There’s been a brief window with the owner of our local Chinese restaurant. She speaks to Sidney in English, however she teachers her one word phrases. This doesn’t seem to be as intimidating for her.

And speaking of the little miss, as quickly as Sidney reverted a couple of weeks ago, she popped back to her old self.  Adoption is metamorphosis. Part of the changes that take place as she continues to shed her rough exterior (any parent who adopts knows there isn’t a set time for emotional healing), I am reminded to everyone outside of her close friends and family, she is every bit a regular American girl. Yet as Tom and I know, there is an emotional fragility that’s hard to explain.  That being said, fragile is not the word I use to describe her feisty disposition.

I can’t remember if I posted Eli in his glasses. I’m assuming not, because he seems to resist any effort  on my part at photography. His teacher pulled me aside at the beginning of the school year, noticing he was having difficulty seeing the board.  His work was starting to suffer. I was shocked to see papers coming home with all kinds of red. I’m not bragging when I say Eli is a smart kid. This wasn’t his normal. It was my trigger that something was definitely wrong. After waiting a month we went to the eye doctor. Once he got the glasses and adjusted to them, his work was back to normal. And he’s been good  (so far!) about taking care of them. Plus, and he would not be happy mom was saying this, he looks adorable.