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.

Our Cheesey Boy!

Ty is full of personality that radiates JOY. The older he gets, the more it comes out. Lately, if he sees a person has a camera in hand, he has to put on a show. He demands his picture taken and has to put on a cheesey smile as I call it. These pictures were taken on a day when we were organizing Remy's room. That is another post for itself.

Thank You Design Star

On watching a recent episode of HGTV's Design Star, the winner created a room that had a wall flocked with frames she picked up from thrift stores and painted them all the same color. We thought it was a fabulous idea and did our own version of it on a wall that has been bare since we moved in 5 years ago. These frames maybe cost me $5 total and I found some great clothes for Remy and Ty to go along with it. It is SOOO much fun when you shop at thrift stores and score something big at a really great price. I found Remy a Colombia fleece for $1.50 and a London Fog coat for $3.00! They look brand new without the price tag attached. Ty got a holiday vest for $1.00 with the tags still on...Brand Spankin' New!

New Pictures of Remy

Summer Swim Fun

We enrolled Ty is swim lessons for the first time this summer. He has always been very comfortable in the water and we wanted something that would take him to the next level. I was very impressed by the park districts work with the children. The child to teacher ratio was 3 to 1 and they made it so much fun that the kiddos didn't know they were actually learning something. Ty couldn't wait to go to lessons and I cannot wait for next year. In the meantime, we continue to play at the Y pool and be little fishies.

Look at the smiles on the instructors faces!

Look at the joy on Ty's face! Priceless.

E-Mealz, You Make My Heart Sing!

I decided to sign up for E-Mealz after hearing several promotions and reading about it in our paper. I have gotten into a rut and cooked the same meals over and over while inserting a new one in hear and there. Each week I was determined to try something new and after spending several hours in recipe books and then writing a grocery list, I had enough. It was easier to go back to the basics. So E-Mealz has come to my rescue. So far I have been impressed. It only costs $1.25 a week or $5 a month and I believe I actually save money. You pick the store you would prefer to shop at and the type of meal style you would prefer to eat. We are experimenting with the low-carb at Walmart, but do our shopping at various places with the best deal. I have been impressed so far. I don't have to think what I am going to cook for dinner and it prints out a shopping list for you! I think our family is actually eating healthier, not that we didn't do so already. Plus, we are exposing Ty to a new variety of flavors. He has become somewhat pickier then he used to be, but I refuse to meal plan just for him. Try it out and see for yourself!

Summer Experiments with the Vitamix

The Vitamix has been one of the best gifts I have received! Thanks Dad! It is a blender on steroids that is so versatile and easy to clean. It is right up there with our coffee pot and microwave for almost daily use. I have made ice cream in 30 seconds or less, smoothies, salad dressings, hot soup, margaritas with the consistency of many restaurants and lots of juice. My favorites so far have been mango and pineapple ice cream, nectarine margaritas, and this refreshing cucumber/mint drink below. Those that have devoured these with me will agree.

Praise God we have a plethora of cucumbers to use for this drink. Next year we will add mint to the garden. It reminds me of a mojito without the alcohol.

Take our only zucchini from the garden believe it or not...

add some celery, carrot, potato, chicken broth and spices...PRESTO! This soup comes out hot!

...and you get a little guy enjoying all of his vegetables without even realizing it! Thank God he enjoys his veggies anyway, but this machine is perfect when our little ones are on soft/liquid diets after surgeries.