We're home!

Jack's surgery went very well. He was able to have his palate corrected all the way to the gumline, which means we shouldn't need more surgery for a few years! He also had a small lip revision to get rid of scar tissue by the nose and round his nose out a bit. We can already tell that it's going to look good.

Okay, now I have to say post-op was terrible. In the PACU room we had the two best nurses ever. However, none of us could get Jack to calm down. They tried morphine and several other narcotics and nothing worked. He would sleep for 10 minutes and wake up screaming. Finally, they decided to transfer us to our private room, because we had tried everything.

The private room did not go any better. I also did not like the nurses quite as much. They were still good, but I felt like they did not listen to me very much. I could tell Jack was in a lot of pain, and all they gave him was .5 ml of tylenol, which is half the normal dose. They said this was standard on the floor. However, the kids who had their tonsils out got tylenol with codine. So basically the next 36 hours were spent with me rocking Jack until he slept, then him waking up screaming, me shooting liquids down his throat, so we could hopefully go home sometime, him screaming some more, ect.ect. As I sat there with him I was trying to hold back my tears. My poor sweet boy. I also couldn't help but think he had done this before, with no pain meds and no one to hold him. My poor baby. Overnight he would scream for 2 hours - no body checked on us, but as soon as I would get him to sleep, someone would come in to get his BP, give tylenol, or whatever, and wake him up. I totally wanted to scream. I was like "I just spent 2 hours getting him to sleep!!!" In the morning the nurses basically were saying he needed another night. When the plastics team came in I pitched my reasons for going home. I basically said he wasn't going to sleep while in the hospital, I'm already getting fluids in via syringe, and would have to force it even if we waited 3 more days, and the only pain meds he was getting was tylenol, which we could do at home. Thank God they agreed with me!

So they sent us home on Friday. As soon as we placed him in the car I knew it was the right decision. He went right to sleep. Then when we got home he took liquids with no force. We gave him a normal dose of infant tylenol, and he slept all night. He woke up at 7:30 drank over 2 glasses of Gatorade and some Pediasure and went right back to sleep. I think we are on the right track. We have a long hall ahead, but he's a trooper. I am so happy to be home and so is Jack. I'm so glad he feels like this is his safe place.

Surgery is drawing near.

Notice all the people staring at us. They act like it's a circus act:) 3 boys under 4 at dinner is pretty interesting!

Jack's ready for cheerleading!

I thought these were to wash the sand off of our feet. Here they were baby pools...Who knew???

I added a few more vacation pix.

Not much to report this week. We basically hung out at home and had a good time. It was a very wet week, so we had lots of time to play with toys and run around the house. Jack is doing amazing. He has really caught up in everything. He is running and jumping and climbing. He totally wowed his tumbling teachers as he hung from the bar and touched his legs to the bar. He is so happy and healthy. He has started to put two words togather and acts so 2! He and Cam are really acting a like! They don't look the same age, but they act it!

We had family night last night which consisted of watching wipe out, car races, running around in the dark, and Jack tring to push the other two down with his feet...don't ask it's a boy thing. I often wonder what family night would be like with girls??? I probably will never know.

This Thursday Jack will have his cleft surgery. I am glad he's getting it done, but a little sad too. He is doing so awesome I just hope it doesn't cause too many set backs. He is also having a lip and nose revision. I'm a little sad his face will be different. I love it just the way it is. I know it's better in the long run, but it's just perfect to me. We are asking for prayers for a successful surgery and a not too awful recovery. Our poor little guy will be in arm splints for 3 weeks. He will only be allowed mushy food for 6 weeks. It's a long haul. Pray for his health and our sanity.

Folly Beach & FTIA reunion picnic

Cam & Ethan manning the guns on the USS Yorktown


Cam the "gator whisperer"


We made Ethan stop at six walk-throughs of the train at the FTIA picnic - if not we'd probably be on walk-through 5,348 right now.

The best China travel group there is.

Cam, Jack, and John (from our travel group) sharing mini M&M's.

We spent last week at Folley Beach S.C., and then finished the week off in Indiana with a picnic for our adoption agency. It was a fun filled, but very tiring week.

Highlights of the vacation:

1. Ethan and Cam trying to share a bed in our hotel room. Quotes we heard: "I need some covers", "Where's my goggy?", "Stop tickling me", Giggling, giggling, giggling...not sleeping ect. ect. Needless to say Cam ended up in our bed.

2. The beach..All 3 boys loved it.

3. The ocean, or as Jack says "OOOO n". All three boys actually got in.

4. Crab hunting. Oh my this was a sight. The boys so loved it and wanted to do it every night. Cam was like a wild man running after crabs and grabbing them with his hands. He's either going to be a vet or an exterminator. It's a close call.

5. Starfish recovery. My boys thought that by finding the starfish and chucking them back into the ocean they were surely saving their lives.

6. Riding on the boat. We got to travel a swampy area by boat while seeing alligators and other critters.

7. Touring the USS Yorktown boat.

8. Boogie bording with Uncle Scotty. Ethan had a blast!

Thanks mom and dad for bringing us on vacation, because you know we're swimming in the money right now... Ah, but we're rich in love...right???

FTIA reunion:

After coming home Friday night we hopped in the car and traveled to Indiana to see some of the families we traveled with. We were tired, but it was great to see everyone. I cannot believe how great all the kids are doing. It was so nice to see them all running, playing, talking. It is such a blessing to have met all of them. Can't wait to meet again!

Just another week!

What blue cupcake??

This was our parade float. A wagon tied to a cozy coupe car. (very official)

Decorating for the College Hill 4th of July parade.

Cam giving Jack a hug, Jack not so much feeling it.

Look, look all 3 kids in one picture!!! It's a miracle.

This was a rather slow relaxing week. It was nice after the crazy one the week before. We mostly just hung out at home and played outside. The 4th was very wet, so we went to our traditional College Hill Parade. We have never missed one. We go rain or shine. However, after that we stayed inside. We actually ordered Chinese. Yah, that's right on the fourth of July we had Chinese food. I know strange, but we felt like it, and the Chinese place sure wasn't busy!

A couple of good Cam quotes:

Wanting gold fish crackers he asked for: "Fish Golds"

On Jack's birthday we got this little music toy that kind of is like a DJ set. "It has Hoop there it is", and other songs. Well, it sort of sounds like poop. So Cam was singing poop there it is, then if you hit a button it says "hoop, hoop, hoop" to which Cam responded "that's a lot of poop". I was laughing too hard to even try to correct him.

Cam is certainly my most volitile child. The mood swinger, can throw tantrums ect. However, he is also the funniest. He makes me laugh every day.

I probably will not blog next week because we will be in SC for vacation. We can't wait. Well, except for the 11 hour drive...ugh. On the way back from the vacation we will be stopping at the FTIA picnic. We can't wait to see the people we traveled with to get Jack!

Turnin' 2 & Joining the Church

Ethan doing his own thing on the alter

Jack being thrown by grandma.

All the kids playing with the very cool bubble train given by Nonna.

Jack eating fruit

Jack wearing the number 2 shirt for his second birthday. By the way that was not done on purpose. Eric realized it after the fact and was like that was a cute idea. I was like yeah...I had no idea.


Sorry for the delay in blogging. Our internet was down then we made a trip to Youngstown to visit grandma and papa.

We've had a busy two weeks.

1. Jack had tubes put in his ears...Yay! He's doing wonderful. Except now he has 4 teeth coming in. By the time that's over he'll be ready for cleft surgery.

2. After tubes Jack learned how to say grandma (andma), come here, slide (ide), flower (ower), okay so you have to understand Jack, but he's getting the idea.

3. Highlights from grandma's:

• children's museum
• Wagon Trails: Very cool tractor ride with lots of animals that you can feed. Jack was a bit concerned about all the animals being so close especially the water buffelo.
• Dinner out
• Riding papa's tractor
• Playing with the lionel trains: Jack loved being the tunnel. Everytime the train went through he said "ooo" His wow.
• Playing in the pond
• Watching the thunderstorm on the porch, with flashlights.

Thanks mom and dad for a great week. The kids had a ball!

4. Jack's 2nd birthday:

We had a birthday party in the backyard. Full of grilled foods, family, friends and fun. Jack loved the ice cream cake. He had no idea what was going on, but after opening one or two gifts he got the idea. He kept saying OOO. Later in the evening the kids watched a movie we projected up on the garage. We let them stay up late. Mine had a ball catching lightening bugs. Ethan called them butterflies and Cam called them bees. Our little neighbor kept explaining that they were lightening bugs. At one point she stood on a chair and said those are not bees, butterflies, beetles, or flies...They are lightening bugs. To which Cam said Yah...I'm catching bees. Fun was had by all.

5. Jack's Baptism: On Sunday Jack was baptised into our church. He did very well and didn't cry even when he got water poured on his head. In fact he wanted to play in it. I brought Ethan up with us. He's usually very quiet and shy. He was dancing on the alter. Then when they lit the candle he said "yah" nice and loud. Cam from the front pew said, "I want the candle"...Sigh. Thank God our priest likes children.

Summer Fun!

Really was this the same kid that screamed his head off for baths? Now I can't get him out.

Ethan soaked and in Heaven from a hose fight.

Jack having some water table fun

HOSE FIGHT! What's summer without these?


That is one big worm.

This week was a fun filled week. Have I ever mentioned how much I love summer! Here's a short list of our week activities:

1. Played in the water tables full of bubbles.

2. Went on a worm hunt.

3. Got in a hose fight with the neighbors

4. Jack's first tumbling class (he was a pro...of course)

5. Baked Banana bread.

6. Drank Kool -Aid

7. Got Ice Cream (pink, yellow, and fattening) those were our requests. I dared Eric to order them that way. We ended up with strawberry, butterscotch, and peanut butter.

8. Family Night at our pool. Jack loves the water...my other two not so much. At least they like tether-ball.

9. A visit from my out of town cousin and family.

10. Cleaning the fish tank (this was quite an activity with 3 little helpers). They really, really loved netting the fish. It was a bit of a challenge to get them to put them back into the water!

No sleep for us!

Jack's first Red's game!

Ethan getting buff. (notice his shirt says" I get my muscles from my daddy) By the way we are getting rid of this weight set. Know anybody that wants it?

Ethan and Cam helping daddy fix his baby.

Ethan and Jack "helping wash the car" Notice they are wet and no where near the car!

We had a fun filled week filled with everything, but sleep. Jack's ears are bugging him so much that when the Motrin exceeds its 6 hours he is up. He's up for a while. Poor Eric had a rough week of Jack being up, then having to get up for work. I at least could sleep in a bit. On Saturday we woke him at 8:30, only let him nap an hour and a half, then didn't put hime to bed until 10:30 (yes we were that desperate!). He finally slept through the night, but guess what? Cam got up! Cam never wakes up. Let's just say there were some four letter words that came out that night! God sure has a sense of humor! Anyway, we see the ENT tomorrow. Let's hope he can help us out.

Exciting things:

1. We had our pictures taken. Ethan was less than cooperative. Okay, that's an understatement. I kind of wanted to strangle him. Luckily we had company. I did have a nice stiff drink after. Amazingly we did get some great pictures. I will post them when I can.

2. We went to the Farmer's Market. Again Ethan was not cooperative, but I did get some good vegetables.

3. Found out Ethan probably had a virus when he broke out in a viral rash. Ahh, explanation for uncoopertiveness (is this a word?)

4. Went to dinner and actually had a really good time. Yes, that's right we made it out with 3 kids under 4! I think it's slightly amazing!

5. Three boys "helped" daddy with the car wash.

6. We went to the Red's Game as a family...Well, we made it through 6 innings. Not too bad. It only took a couple snow cones and a bag of popcorn.

7. The boys helped me make my zucchini bread, and we ate out with the neighbors. Always a great time.