A New Year

I continue to be amazed at what a year can do when it comes to the little ones. A year ago, this guy despised the snow. A year ago, this little guy WOULD NOT dress in his bulky, winter wear. Don't know if it is rebellion from his time in China dressed in multiple layers, but my little guy likes as little on as possible...even in winter. He is a t-shirt and undies kind of guy.

But this winter brought on a new dimension. He couldn't wait to get out and enjoy all the snow. It was still a struggle getting him dressed and explaining why he couldn't go out in his Crocs and jammies, but we did it!

These shoes have so many stories behind them. I spent a fortune on them back in college, but they have been well worth it. Who knows how many miles they have walked dogs in the snow, mountains they have climbed, rivers they have crossed, canyons they have visited, but they continue to treat me well.

Love to Ya...

... each and every day!

Our Rockstar

These pictures are from this past Thanksgiving, but they are the perfect sample of what we encounter each day.

Ty ADORES music, especially drums and the guitar. He found his cousins guitar and we were serenaded on a daily basis. This guitar became his prized possession and we had to hide it at times to give us all a break.

Ty gets so passionate when he sings and he is LOUD. I love the expression in these photos and thought it was genius of him to turn a lamp into a microphone. Only our Ty.

Problem Solved

One of my biggest pet peeves are people (especially those I share a house with) who get a new glass each time they need a drink in a period of a day. Thanks to my mom, she purchased "Inchbugs" for the kids. They were so handy and helpful, the adults needed their own too. Mine doesn't get used an awful lot because I have the strange habit of using the same coffee cup, water bottle and wine glass over and over. I have my favorites and my household and guests know not to touch or use. I am a happy camper now that my family knows to have an Inchbug on every cup, except Remy's bottle.

Not Afraid to Admit...

... we have been the owners of a 2004 Toyota Sienna since Oct. 30, 2010. We found a 2004 with low miles and the price was right, especially since it was at the end of the month. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles (less to break down as my dad would say) of power doors or DVD player or navigation system, but it is perfect for our family.

This van has been a life saver to load up 2 young kids in car seats. I buckle them in and crawl across to the drivers seat. We have changed clothes, hauled a Christmas tree and had plenty of space for luggage on car trips. It is a dream and a life saver. I adore the anti-lock breaks in the snow and ice and it has served us well. I just might have a mini van until I am no longer allowed to drive.

Remembering Fall...

... and life before 2.

It is cold and icy outside, not real comfortable or conducive to hanging out with my little man on a Saturday morning with coffee by my side and his conversations. So we look back on a gloomy Saturday morning, full of laughter, quaint ramblings by Ty and the fun of playing in the leaves.


The daddy was sleeping in that Saturday after a late morning (went to bed at 5:00 am) of working in his basement office. My little guy was up early and ready to take on the day. So we headed outside to the deck with my coffee and his blankets to snuggle in. I love 3 1/2 because we can have conversations and tell stories. And the humor of my little guy...he can turn it on and off in a heartbeat. The above picture displays the sweetness and the extreme silliness of this kid.

...of and the joy of leaves. The innocence of raking leaves...he doesn't even realize that it is work and we are helping Daddy out. The dad was impressed when he woke up.

I love having 2 little ones. I love even more the opportunity to snuggle up with each of them individually and share life. Ty has learned that he can have that one on one time with Mom and Dad after Remy has gone to bed and he does not let us forget. He acts so grown since he gets to be with the "big kids."

The Tale of Two Nurses

Note: This is not Remy's rear. This is an example from Google Images.

During our recent visit to the hospital ER for Remy, we gave the opportunity for 2 nurses to be educated.

Nurse #1 as he was holding Remy in the fetal position while doctor is performing the spinal tap: "Please tell me about those bruises and how they happened?"
Me: "Those are not bruises, they are Mongolian spots, common among Asian children. If only you knew the background checks I had to go through to bring this child home."
Nurse #1: "Interesting."

This was the same nurse that told me they were going to do the spinal tap to test for meningitis and if she had it, she would die. Not a lot of tact or empathy. Just strait forward, which is how I usually like it, but not in this situation.

Nurse #2 as he was preparing to draw blood and I was changing a diaper on a very wiggly girl: "Are those Mongolian spots?"
Me: "Yes they are. As you can see, she is covered in them on her little back side."
Nurse #2: "Wow! We talked about these in nursing school, but I have never seen them in person."
Me: "The other nurse questioned me about potential child abuse."
Nurse #2: "He graduated from nursing school over 20 years ago. "

Happy New Year!

Our beautiful and handsome "Made in China" kiddos. The label takes on a new meaning in our family!

Introducing... Tyra!

Total Cuteness Returns

Christmas in the Hospital

As I said in the previous post, this Christmas was one that I will never forget, but I don't want to repeat. Little Remy started having a fever Thursday night. I gave her some meds before bed and she slept through the night. She had a low grade fever throughout Christmas Eve, but I didn't give her any medication since she was eating, sleeping, drinking and playing like nothing was wrong with her. Then on Christmas Day, the fevers spiked and she was fine while on meds, but as soon as they wore off, the fever was back again. This went on 3 times in a row so I called our doctor. She suggested we go to the ER. Once at the ER, we were admitted fairly quickly. Remy had a temp of 102.6 and a her oxygen level was slightly low so they gave her some oxygen. After a blood draw, her white blood count was alarmingly high...a major infection. They took urine and it came out fine so they preceded to a spinal tap. We wouldn't know the results of that right away, but were told we would be admitted to the hospital. This was not what we had planned for Christmas Day, but needed to do whatever it took for our baby.

Luckily the spinal tap came back normal, but the doctors still couldn't figure out where the infection was. They ordered a bone scan to rule out leukemia and another other nasty stuff. This was getting to be scary for me, but luckily it came back clean! Praise God for all of this.

The doctors and nurses were amazed that Remy acted normal throughout her stay despite her high white blood count. She drank, ate, slept and played like a healthy kid any other day. Doctors still do not know where/why the infection, but said this is very normal. They said they were not surprised since we flew overseas and planes are full of infections. They also thought that this infection had been in her body for a while and the antibiotics that she was on in China subdued the infection, but did not totally kill it. She needed stronger stuff. As you can see in the pictures, our little Remy was full of smiles and sweetness. This experience gave us lots of Mommy and Me time.

A Christmas to Remember...

... and not repeat. Christmas Eve started out with a beautiful snowfall of 5 inches starting in the afternoon. Remy had a low grade fever throughout the day so we thought it was best not to go to church, plus the weather did not help. It was a relaxing evening getting prepared for the big day. Ty was super excited and Remy had no idea what the excitement. We set out popcorn (we have tons of it at home as gifts from various people) and milk for Santa, along with carrots for the reindeer. We ended the evening with reading "The Night Before Christmas" and "Corduroy's Christ mas" in anticipation for Christmas Day. We opened presents first thing in the morning while our monkey bread was cooking in the oven. We finished it off with fresh fruit and lots of bacon. Mimosas have always been a part of Christmas morning for the adults, but we were so busy with the kiddos that we didn't partake. I needed an IV of coffee to get me through the morning. Remy had woken up at 1:00 in the morning with a high fever so I gave her meds, then again at 7:00 am. and then again at 2:00. This reminded me of our time in China so I called my doctor. She recommended we go to the ER....

Our cuties getting ready for Santa. Ty gets so hot that he had to cool down and take off his shirt. What would the Chinese think of this?!?

Our greatest gifts.

All the Christmas blessings from those we love.

Ty likes his picture taken these days and even suggested he pose.

We're Off and Running...

...with full speed ahead. It has been one of those homecomings that you only have to laugh through or it could break you down. We arrived in Chicago last Thursday and decided to spend the night one last time with my mom and to help with jet lag. It has made all the difference in the world for me and Remy, but the boys have been hit with the jet lag bug. Ty wants to take long naps that we have to wake him up from, and then he will wake up at 3 am ready to go. Troy on the other hand wants to sleep all the time. It doesn't help that he has fever, strep throat and an ear infection. Remy went to the Dr. on Monday for a follow-up for the pneumonia she had while in China. She is now on Singulair and has 4 breathing treatments a day to help with her wheezing and coughing. During one of Ty's 3 am wake-up parties, he somehow hurt his left arm while playing in his bed. After an early morning trip to Urgent Care, he had nursemaids elbow and popped it back in place. That was a new one for me. And me, praise God the good Lord has kept me well (besides a runny nose) and given me the energy to take care of my family on little sleep. Praise God for our friends who gave us some frozen meals to get through the early days of adjusting as a family of 4 dealing with all sorts of shenanigans. All I want for Christmas is a healthy family and jet lag to be over with!

Here We Come Remy!

We hope to update this blog while we are in China. Blogger has been blocked, but I purchased a VPN to access this site. There have been some issues the last couple of days with those who are in China now, so I have set up another travel site, just in case. You can visit www.babyroenfanz.shutterfly.com as our back-up. We will also try to post to FaceBook. Now off to packing, errands and more packing!

Our Little Monkey...

... Getting his costume off ASAP. He was a hot monkey.

... Posing with his church buddies after the service.

... Running through the halls at church gathering his candy. A non-traditional form of trick-or-treating.

... Parading through the halls with his pre-school class.

... Posing for mom and dad at the trunk-or-treat at the airport. He was a happy little monkey.

Like Father, Like Son

More Remy Pictures

We got these pictures of Remy via email today from our adoption agency, CCAI. She is absolutely precious! Look at that lip repair! We continue to be amazed! We also found out Remy weights close to 17 pounds, is 27 1/4 inches tall and has 4 teeth. Hopefully the clothes I bought her will still fit. According to size charts that I looked at, she is in the 9-12 month range of clothes. I think we will be OK, but not for long.

The Little Drummer Boy

We got this message from our "surrogate mom", Mama Pat. This could be Ty. Looks like him in ways and I have always said our guy is a drummer. He turns everything into a drumstick. Wish I could figure out how to put the video on this post.

Could this be Ty's future? This kid is good! About three quarters of the way through, watch the facial expressions on his face when he spots his mom & dad...Talented little guy! click here: Little Drummer Boy

New Clothes for Remy

I can already tell, I am going to need to control myself shopping for girl items. There is a lot of fun stuff for boys and I enjoy buying for Ty, but there are SO MANY more choices for girls. I have done a good job so far and told myself I am only going to buy her clothes for our trip, just as I did for Ty. Kohl's was having a sale, I had a coupon and you got Kohl's cash back for future purchases. Let me say, I got these clothes REALLY cheap. They are all mix and match which is perfect for our trip.

We love monkey's in this house, so the purple polka-dot PJ's are appropriate. The sleeper on the left was bought in 2006 when we started the adoption journey for #1. I found it at some boutique downtown Chicago for pennies. It has little frogs on the feet and a matching hat. Hope she can still wear it.

We purchased the hat at a local art/music fair and the "bow board" at another arts and crafts fair in Lincoln. The lady gave us the bows for free since we are adopting an orphan from China. We also found out we payed way to much for the hat or the Lincoln lady is undercharging. She was selling the same thing for less then half of what we paid. After doing some investigating online, all of this stuff is so easy and cheap to make with the right supplies. It will be interesting to see if Remy is the girley type and even allow all the hats and bows.

The Kiddos New Rooms

There was a lot of room switch-a-roo in our house back in early August. With the help of Amy's mom who was still around, Troy's office became the guest bedroom, the old guest bedroom became Remy's room and Ty's convertible bed and dresser were moved to Remy's room. All of this and furniture building was done in a day! That left Ty needing new goods. While up in Chicago for a cleft team appointment, we went to IKEA and bought him a new dresser, bed/mattress, and curtains. We were not ready to paint Remy's room, so we decided to leave it the light sky blue that it is. It goes really well with what we already have and is relaxing. These pictures don't do the true colors of the rooms justice. Ty's room is apple green, and is so versatile.

The red IKEA dresser. Audrey and Amy had to convince Troy the color was going to work.

Yes, we broke the rules. Our child is 3 and sleeps in a bunk bed. It is not that high and he is surrounded on all sides. We can put a mattress of the bottom later on, but now it is a play area/storage for all his blankets and "babies".

Banner for Remy's room. Just like Ty's.

Found this stand at Hobby Lobby on clearance. Thought the colors went very well with the room.

Dresser and butterflies on wall. Found these butterflies at Dollar Tree for $1.

Banner and crib. Still looking for a crib skirt. Looks like I am going to go online to find something since you cannot find them individually in the stores.

Remy's room is still a work in progress. There are pictures to be hung and spaces to fill. We are going to wait until she is home to finish. Like we did for Ty, we are going to buy some Chinese folk art (really cheap) to add in her room.