Sunday, April 24, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Tooth Fairy
Our household has had a couple of visits by the Tooth Fairy this week. I expected one visit as Monkey has had a loose tooth for the past several weeks; but I never thought that the Tooth Fairy would be visiting my three-year-old!
Last Tuesday Pudding woke up from nap crying and pointing at his mouth. For him to wake up upset is unusual but once he refused to eat/drink I knew there was something really wrong with him. He managed to eat a little bit of rice later in the evening but I could tell he was still uncomfortable and his bottom teeth were bothering him. Bright and early the next morning we made a stop at our regular dentist. Pudding is still terrified of doctors (not that I blame him after his past experiences with heart surgery/tonsillectomy) but I was hoping that Pudding would feel comfortable since Stu's Crazy Aunt Carolyn works there. No surprise, however, that he wouldn't let them anywhere near his mouth. So off to a specialized pediatric dentist we went. I was keeping my fingers crossed that this appointment would be a little easier since they are geared towards working with children. No such luck. He flipped out the second we walked and I could see the terror in his little eyes. I had to hold him down while they took x-rays and the dentist took a quick peek at his teeth. Pudding kept reaching for me to rescue him and I felt so guilty that I couldn't help. I was shocked when the dentist told me that both of his bottom middle teeth needed to come out. I decided to go ahead and have it done then and there since I couldn't imagine bringing him back and putting him through this experience again. Luckily they gave him some medicine that made him groggy and he didn't seem too upset when they took him from my arms to perform the extractions. When they brought him back to me, he was hysterical. He kept pulling at his mouth (the numbness was really bothering him) and blood was everywhere. I was holding back tears as I tried to comfort him; I was literally sick to my stomach with guilt...not that I could have changed anything but it was just another traumatic experience at a doctor's office for him. My poor baby. Thankfully he feel asleep on the way home and woke up in a great mood with no problems at all with the teeth (or lack thereof). Since then he comes up about 5 or 6 times a day and asks "Where's the teeth? Bye bye teeth!" And while he has a big gaping hole in his smile, he is still as cute as ever.
Not to be outdone by his little brother, Monkey immediately started wiggling his loose teeth every second he could. He tried eating apples and even asked for string so he could wrap it around his tooth and a doorknob. I jokingly told him I would use the pliers to pull it and he actually considered it for a minute. After countless tries and wiggles, his grandmother was able to yank it out on Saturday. He was so proud! But then came his big dilemma: He was spending the night with his grandparents and was concerned that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't know where to find him. We were quick to reassure him that the Tooth Fairy is magical and she would know exactly where he was. Chipmunk was still worried that the Tooth Fairy would get confused so he wrote the sweetest note letting the Tooth Fairy know that Monkey wasn't there and providing her with the address where he (and his tooth) was. He made sure to leave it on Monkey's pillow just to be safe. So sweet. I love it that they have each other's back and look out for their siblings. I need to keep reminding myself of that amongst all of the chaos and noise. Despite all of the yelling and fighting, they really do love each other.
Last Tuesday Pudding woke up from nap crying and pointing at his mouth. For him to wake up upset is unusual but once he refused to eat/drink I knew there was something really wrong with him. He managed to eat a little bit of rice later in the evening but I could tell he was still uncomfortable and his bottom teeth were bothering him. Bright and early the next morning we made a stop at our regular dentist. Pudding is still terrified of doctors (not that I blame him after his past experiences with heart surgery/tonsillectomy) but I was hoping that Pudding would feel comfortable since Stu's Crazy Aunt Carolyn works there. No surprise, however, that he wouldn't let them anywhere near his mouth. So off to a specialized pediatric dentist we went. I was keeping my fingers crossed that this appointment would be a little easier since they are geared towards working with children. No such luck. He flipped out the second we walked and I could see the terror in his little eyes. I had to hold him down while they took x-rays and the dentist took a quick peek at his teeth. Pudding kept reaching for me to rescue him and I felt so guilty that I couldn't help. I was shocked when the dentist told me that both of his bottom middle teeth needed to come out. I decided to go ahead and have it done then and there since I couldn't imagine bringing him back and putting him through this experience again. Luckily they gave him some medicine that made him groggy and he didn't seem too upset when they took him from my arms to perform the extractions. When they brought him back to me, he was hysterical. He kept pulling at his mouth (the numbness was really bothering him) and blood was everywhere. I was holding back tears as I tried to comfort him; I was literally sick to my stomach with guilt...not that I could have changed anything but it was just another traumatic experience at a doctor's office for him. My poor baby. Thankfully he feel asleep on the way home and woke up in a great mood with no problems at all with the teeth (or lack thereof). Since then he comes up about 5 or 6 times a day and asks "Where's the teeth? Bye bye teeth!" And while he has a big gaping hole in his smile, he is still as cute as ever.
Not to be outdone by his little brother, Monkey immediately started wiggling his loose teeth every second he could. He tried eating apples and even asked for string so he could wrap it around his tooth and a doorknob. I jokingly told him I would use the pliers to pull it and he actually considered it for a minute. After countless tries and wiggles, his grandmother was able to yank it out on Saturday. He was so proud! But then came his big dilemma: He was spending the night with his grandparents and was concerned that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't know where to find him. We were quick to reassure him that the Tooth Fairy is magical and she would know exactly where he was. Chipmunk was still worried that the Tooth Fairy would get confused so he wrote the sweetest note letting the Tooth Fairy know that Monkey wasn't there and providing her with the address where he (and his tooth) was. He made sure to leave it on Monkey's pillow just to be safe. So sweet. I love it that they have each other's back and look out for their siblings. I need to keep reminding myself of that amongst all of the chaos and noise. Despite all of the yelling and fighting, they really do love each other.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Sprout Update!
The week just keeps getting better. Birthday celebrations, gorgeous weather and now an update on our little Sprout!
I sent a small care package to Sprout last week through Sheri and Katherine at Gifts to China With Love. I tried not to get my hopes up that we would receive any new information on Sprout, as I know her orphanage tends to be a bit closed-mouth. But Katherine worked her magic and yesterday I had new pictures and an update in my inbox!! I was thrilled to see new pictures of our little sweetheart but I was even happier to get new information on her since the referral information is more than six months old. I'm relieved that it sounds like she is doing fantastic. According to the report she is very smart, can say some words but prefers not to talk, is not introverted but not very outgoing, prefers to help the nannies take care of the other children, and is a very good eater. her personality sounds identical to HD - I have a feeling they are either going to be best friends or are going despise each other. I suppose time will tell. Sprout is still a little peanut (probably due her thyroid issue along with orphanage living); at just a little bit over 2-years-old, she is a tiny 22 pounds. Looks like she'll have some catching up to do when she gets home. Speaking of which, while I was keeping my fingers crossed for August travel it is looking more and more like it will be September. We are still waiting for US immigration approval; while it looks like they are speeding up a little bit, it is still much slower than it was during Pudding's adoption. Of course I would be on the next plane out to get her if possible, but I know this is out of my hands. In the meantime we are taking advantage of the spring weather and hitting up the zoo and parks, taking long bike/stroller rides and beginning soccer season. Next week the Bigs and I are heading to Florida for a spring break trip. We will miss Pudding and HD (and Stu too) but I think Monkey and Chipmunk deserve a little one-on-two time with Mommy. They are so good and patient with the Littles; I can't wait to focus all of my attention on them for a change. Honestly, not changing a diaper for more than a week and not having my schedule revolve around the naptimes of toddlers sounds like a little bit of heaven.
Without further ado, here is our newest little love...she is absolutely adorable (despite the horrible haircut). I can't wait to get her in my arms!
I sent a small care package to Sprout last week through Sheri and Katherine at Gifts to China With Love. I tried not to get my hopes up that we would receive any new information on Sprout, as I know her orphanage tends to be a bit closed-mouth. But Katherine worked her magic and yesterday I had new pictures and an update in my inbox!! I was thrilled to see new pictures of our little sweetheart but I was even happier to get new information on her since the referral information is more than six months old. I'm relieved that it sounds like she is doing fantastic. According to the report she is very smart, can say some words but prefers not to talk, is not introverted but not very outgoing, prefers to help the nannies take care of the other children, and is a very good eater. her personality sounds identical to HD - I have a feeling they are either going to be best friends or are going despise each other. I suppose time will tell. Sprout is still a little peanut (probably due her thyroid issue along with orphanage living); at just a little bit over 2-years-old, she is a tiny 22 pounds. Looks like she'll have some catching up to do when she gets home. Speaking of which, while I was keeping my fingers crossed for August travel it is looking more and more like it will be September. We are still waiting for US immigration approval; while it looks like they are speeding up a little bit, it is still much slower than it was during Pudding's adoption. Of course I would be on the next plane out to get her if possible, but I know this is out of my hands. In the meantime we are taking advantage of the spring weather and hitting up the zoo and parks, taking long bike/stroller rides and beginning soccer season. Next week the Bigs and I are heading to Florida for a spring break trip. We will miss Pudding and HD (and Stu too) but I think Monkey and Chipmunk deserve a little one-on-two time with Mommy. They are so good and patient with the Littles; I can't wait to focus all of my attention on them for a change. Honestly, not changing a diaper for more than a week and not having my schedule revolve around the naptimes of toddlers sounds like a little bit of heaven.
Without further ado, here is our newest little love...she is absolutely adorable (despite the horrible haircut). I can't wait to get her in my arms!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Three years ago a little baby girl was born in a land far, far away. That little girl had a head full of hair and tiny little rosebud lips. That little baby has now turned into a full-fledged toddler. She is sweet, sassy, independent, funny, opinionated, completely lovable, and always full of hugs and kisses (especially for her big brothers). She is a mother hen, constantly making sure the boys are following the rules and quick to let me know when they aren't. She is such a girly-girl - she loves to wear dresses, paint her toenails, wear bows in her hair, and is dying to get her ears pierced (which Daddy has forbid). She also loves to play in the mud with her brothers and can run circles around Monkey and Pudding with a soccer ball. She is everything I've ever dreamed of in a daughter and I can't wait to continue to watch her grow up into a beautiful young woman.
We celebrated her big day by having lunch with Daddy at Chu*ck E. Chee*se. HD had only been once when she was much younger and this was Pudding's first visit. The Littles had fun (though Pudding got WAY overstimulated!) until HD made her way into the tunnel maze. Poor girl couldn't find her way out and became hysterical; adults aren't allowed in (due to weight limits) so I had to wait until a teenager came by and went in to rescue her. I'm pretty sure HD was traumatized and will never go in another tunnel as long as she lives.
We ended the day with a small cake and ice cream. Lucky girl gets to continue the birthday celebration this weekend with our extended family. Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet little HD!!
The Birthday Girl
Game time
Pudding love
Amazed by the big cheese-eater
So much fun to open presents
Anyone think Monkey is more excited than HD?
Girl loves cake!
We celebrated her big day by having lunch with Daddy at Chu*ck E. Chee*se. HD had only been once when she was much younger and this was Pudding's first visit. The Littles had fun (though Pudding got WAY overstimulated!) until HD made her way into the tunnel maze. Poor girl couldn't find her way out and became hysterical; adults aren't allowed in (due to weight limits) so I had to wait until a teenager came by and went in to rescue her. I'm pretty sure HD was traumatized and will never go in another tunnel as long as she lives.
We ended the day with a small cake and ice cream. Lucky girl gets to continue the birthday celebration this weekend with our extended family. Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet little HD!!
The Birthday Girl
Game time
Pudding love
Amazed by the big cheese-eater
So much fun to open presents
Anyone think Monkey is more excited than HD?
Girl loves cake!
Monday, February 28, 2011
One Year
*I meant to post this Friday (the 25th) but life got in the way.
One year ago in Beijing, China, Stu and I had a quiet, timid little boy placed in our arms. That shyness lasted about ten minutes, until we pulled out the Cheerios. We quickly got our first giggle and the smiles haven't stopped since. Pudding is quite possibly the happiest child I have ever seen. People ask if I have any pictures of Pudding where he is not smiling; the truth is I probably don't. He wakes up (even at 3 a.m.) with a huge grin on his face and it stays there all day long. Even when HD takes his favorite cat, he tries to give her a mean look but dissolves into giggles within seconds. It's a good thing that he is so darn cute, because that smile often keeps me from wringing his little neck. I thought after three kids I would be prepared for almost anything. Wrong! Pudding is constantly demonstrating how inept my child-proofing efforts are; of course, I'm not sure that even Fort Knox is Pudding-proofed. He can find trouble anywhere he goes and leaves a trail of disaster in his wake. I had no idea how much joy this little boy would bring to our family...and I wouldn't change one single second of the past year. I can't wait to see the coming year brings our family.
Pudding enjoying his "Family Day" celebration
Pudding with his very tired, happy Mama
Our Happy Boy
Monday, February 21, 2011
Reactions and Details
As we have started to share our good news with friends and family, I have been amazed at what a warm welcome our announcement has received. Not that we were expecting people to be rude; but in all honestly, we received a lot of less-than-enthusiastic responses after we announced we started the journey for Pudding. I wrongly assumed that our news about #5 would be met with a similar response. Of course we have received the standard "Are you guys crazy??" question, but most people have been genuinely happy for us and can't wait to meet Sprout. Most family members haven't even seemed too surprised by our news. I've only received two negative responses which, ironically enough, were preceded by "You are such a good mother with an amazing family, but...". If they believe I'm such a good mother then why would they think that Stu or I would make a decision that would be bad for our family? Instead of getting defensive, I've just smiled and said our entire family was very excited about our newest addition and we were doing what feels right to us. The older I get the more I realize that I need to focus on what makes me (and my family) happy and not worry about what others may think. Living in a small town makes that a little difficult at times, but I'm working on it.
Many of you had questions about our little Sprout that I didn't include in the last post.
Sprout turned two-years-old the week of Christmas; Stu is none-too-happy about another Christmas birthday (mine is the week before) but I'm so happy I'll have somebody else with whom to celebrate our "birthday month"! This means she is nine months younger than HotDog and sixteen months younger than Pudding. Yikes! I can't even imagine how busy I'll be with three young toddlers. Amazingly, due to their birthdays they could all be in different grades (though it looks more and more likely that we will be holding Pudding back a year which will put him in the same grade as HD).
Also, our little Sprout is waiting for us in Shanghai. I am SO excited about getting to travel to Shanghai. Stu and I both agreed after Pudding's adoption trip that we would love to visit China again and Shanghai would be our first stop. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we would be traveling there to pick up our daughter! With Pudding being from Beijing and Sprout waiting for us in Shanghai, I'm a little disappointed that we don't get to see the rural areas of China; we will just have to save that part of sight-seeing when we make a heritage tour when the children are older.
Many of you have asked about Sprout's health. Just like Pudding, we found her on a waiting child list. After talking to our pediatrician, we were open to a wide variety of special needs but thought we would probably pursue another child with heart disease/defect (like Pudding). However, Sprout's special need is one we never even considered; she has an underdeveloped thyroid. That's it. When we found Sprout's file, I was sure that there was something else in her medicals because her special need seemed so minor. But a thyroid defect seems to be her only medical issue. She will be on thyroid medication for the rest of her life and she will have to get a monthly blood draw to check her hormone levels. But it is completely manageable and she should be able to live a long, healthy life.
I'm hoping to send another care package to our cutie soon and am keeping my fingers crossed we will receive and updated picture of her. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a baby picture of our little Sprout.
Many of you had questions about our little Sprout that I didn't include in the last post.
Sprout turned two-years-old the week of Christmas; Stu is none-too-happy about another Christmas birthday (mine is the week before) but I'm so happy I'll have somebody else with whom to celebrate our "birthday month"! This means she is nine months younger than HotDog and sixteen months younger than Pudding. Yikes! I can't even imagine how busy I'll be with three young toddlers. Amazingly, due to their birthdays they could all be in different grades (though it looks more and more likely that we will be holding Pudding back a year which will put him in the same grade as HD).
Also, our little Sprout is waiting for us in Shanghai. I am SO excited about getting to travel to Shanghai. Stu and I both agreed after Pudding's adoption trip that we would love to visit China again and Shanghai would be our first stop. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we would be traveling there to pick up our daughter! With Pudding being from Beijing and Sprout waiting for us in Shanghai, I'm a little disappointed that we don't get to see the rural areas of China; we will just have to save that part of sight-seeing when we make a heritage tour when the children are older.
Many of you have asked about Sprout's health. Just like Pudding, we found her on a waiting child list. After talking to our pediatrician, we were open to a wide variety of special needs but thought we would probably pursue another child with heart disease/defect (like Pudding). However, Sprout's special need is one we never even considered; she has an underdeveloped thyroid. That's it. When we found Sprout's file, I was sure that there was something else in her medicals because her special need seemed so minor. But a thyroid defect seems to be her only medical issue. She will be on thyroid medication for the rest of her life and she will have to get a monthly blood draw to check her hormone levels. But it is completely manageable and she should be able to live a long, healthy life.
I'm hoping to send another care package to our cutie soon and am keeping my fingers crossed we will receive and updated picture of her. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a baby picture of our little Sprout.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Here We Grow Again!
Another three months since my last post, but I have a good reason this time. We have been keeping a big secret and I didn't want to spill the beans before we were ready. Well, now we are ready and I can shout it from the rooftop...we are adding another little one to our family!! I'm sure this may surprise some of you, but no one is more surprised than us.
After Thanksgiving, I began to feel a little tug that our family might not be complete. I couldn't let go of the idea of HotDog having a sister. She adores her brothers and has a lot of fun with them, but a sister relationship is so different. I threw the idea out to Stu, thinking he would immediately dismiss it. Imagine my surprise when, a few days later, he came home and said we should do it! I couldn't believe it. I've been a member of several groups that advocate for waiting/special needs children in China since Pudding's adoption so I immediately started to search. I inquired about one little girl who looked like she would be a perfect fit for our family. Unfortunately I was told she was on hold for another family. I continued to search and looked at a few other files but I couldn't get the first little girl out of my mind. I couldn't believe it when I saw her mentioned again on an advocacy blog. I contacted the agency coordinator (she was on an agency's individual list) who said the other family had declined and she sent us her file. I immediately sent the file to our pediatrician for review but knew in my heart we had found our girl. After getting thumbs-up from our pediatrician the next day, we sent in our LOI and received PA the very next day. Since then we've been busy updating our homestudy and meeting with our social worker. We are thrilled that we can take advantage of China's new rule, allowing us to reuse our old dossier since our last adoption was less than a year ago. It is saving us a little bit of money and a whole lot of hassle. We are now waiting (im)patiently for our I800 approval so we can send all of our paperwork to China and let the real wait for our little sweetie begin. Assuming the rest of our process proceeds smoothly, we are hoping to pick up her up in late summer (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for August).
While I know this sounds like a spontaneous and random decision, this is not something we decided without a lot of soul-searching. We discussed (a lot) whether we had the time and energy for another child, while at the same time making sure that it wouldn't have a negative impact on our four children at home. There were (and still are) moments of pure panic where I think to myself, "What in the world are we doing??!!?" Honestly, at this point our household operates in contained-chaos mode and we usually have extra children in and out of our house. Our house may be loud and messy, but it's fun and full of love.
I'll post another entry soon with updates on the Bigs and the Littles as well as a look back on Pudding's first-year with our family (can you believe it has almost been a year?!?!). But right now, I'd like to introduce you to our newest little girl...affectionately dubbed "Sprout" by her big brothers.
After Thanksgiving, I began to feel a little tug that our family might not be complete. I couldn't let go of the idea of HotDog having a sister. She adores her brothers and has a lot of fun with them, but a sister relationship is so different. I threw the idea out to Stu, thinking he would immediately dismiss it. Imagine my surprise when, a few days later, he came home and said we should do it! I couldn't believe it. I've been a member of several groups that advocate for waiting/special needs children in China since Pudding's adoption so I immediately started to search. I inquired about one little girl who looked like she would be a perfect fit for our family. Unfortunately I was told she was on hold for another family. I continued to search and looked at a few other files but I couldn't get the first little girl out of my mind. I couldn't believe it when I saw her mentioned again on an advocacy blog. I contacted the agency coordinator (she was on an agency's individual list) who said the other family had declined and she sent us her file. I immediately sent the file to our pediatrician for review but knew in my heart we had found our girl. After getting thumbs-up from our pediatrician the next day, we sent in our LOI and received PA the very next day. Since then we've been busy updating our homestudy and meeting with our social worker. We are thrilled that we can take advantage of China's new rule, allowing us to reuse our old dossier since our last adoption was less than a year ago. It is saving us a little bit of money and a whole lot of hassle. We are now waiting (im)patiently for our I800 approval so we can send all of our paperwork to China and let the real wait for our little sweetie begin. Assuming the rest of our process proceeds smoothly, we are hoping to pick up her up in late summer (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for August).
While I know this sounds like a spontaneous and random decision, this is not something we decided without a lot of soul-searching. We discussed (a lot) whether we had the time and energy for another child, while at the same time making sure that it wouldn't have a negative impact on our four children at home. There were (and still are) moments of pure panic where I think to myself, "What in the world are we doing??!!?" Honestly, at this point our household operates in contained-chaos mode and we usually have extra children in and out of our house. Our house may be loud and messy, but it's fun and full of love.
I'll post another entry soon with updates on the Bigs and the Littles as well as a look back on Pudding's first-year with our family (can you believe it has almost been a year?!?!). But right now, I'd like to introduce you to our newest little girl...affectionately dubbed "Sprout" by her big brothers.
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