Back to Work

Tomorrow is my first day back to work after my 3 month leave. Today was kind of a strange day. Jay-R is not happy about me going back to work and I have had to pay for it all day. He has been excessively whiny...so unlike him. The littlest thing has resulted in him being upset and whiny. We did make it to see the movie Up. Tuesdays are bargain days and free popcorn at our local cinema. It was his first trip to the movie theater. He didn't like the darkness and then he got scared at one particular scene and wanted to leave but I convinced him to stay. He watched the entire movie on my lap. He giggled along to the funny parts and when we left he said, "I like the big movie screen." After the movie was over, we enoyed a short walk to the park and then Ash came home. They played together for awhile before the meltdowns began. Shortly before Kory came home from work, Jay-R went into meltdown mode....nothing like when we first came home from the Philippines but nonetheless, a meltdown. I asked him a bunch of questions and he would not tell me what was wrong. He fell asleep at 5:20 so we let him sleep while we ate. After dinner, I took him outside in the sunlight to wake him up. There was no way I was going to let him sleep all night...he'd be up at 4 am. He sat in his chair with his dinner for the longest time just staring. Finally, I was able to get him to eat and then he kind of snapped out of his mood. He went to his teeball game and had a great time. He was able to eat a snack cake after the game with no pain...yeh! Now, he is in bed although not sleeping. He told me a few minutes ago, "I want to go to Mommy's work." During prayer time, he prayed for his day at school and Mommy back at work. We've been talking about this for the past few weeks and a lot today. We'll see how this transition goes. I'll miss being home with him but in a way, I'm looking forward to returning to work. I love my job and miss my residents and many of my co-workers. And, my job is a great outlet for creative energy. I think now is a good time for me to go back. Daycare will be good for Jay-R to help him prepare for kindergarten. We used an in-home babysitter for Ashleigh which was great for her. (Chris if you're reading this....we love you!) We both feel strongly that the daycare setting provides Jay-R with the structure he was used to at White Cross and the structure he needs to help prepare him for kindergarten.

This is another transition in yet so many our family and Jay-R has gone through these past three months...we'll get through it. I'm a little nervous about how I'm going to get everything done with the addition of 40 hours of work but at least the dental issues are behind us. As a working mother, I know the importance of keeping my own identity and taking care of myself. It's a little overwhelming thinking how am I going to work full-time, keep up the house, pay the bills, make dinner, take the kids where they need to go which now involves teeball and 4-H, get enough sleep, keep up daily devotional readings (I really need to work on this since coming home from the Philippines!), exercise, make it to a band practice sometime, and find time to work on my writing. I am going to try hard to maintain balance. I know I need to take care of myself so I can take care of my kids.

The trials will make us stronger! Tonight, Jay-R told us that he didn't want to go back to White Cross. We reassured him that he was staying with us. He told us all one by one that he loved us and that he wanted to stay with us. We love this little boy who completes our family so much!

Alright, it's to bed for me. I can't push that snooze button 20 times tomorrow morning!

Post Surgery Smiles

Our little man is such a trooper. We all arose early this morning and ventured toward the hospital 45 minutes away. Our pediatric dentist had strongly suggested we have all the work done in the hospital so it could all be done at once and Jay-R could be put under. We thought this to be a much better option than mutiple trips to the dentist. So anyway, once there, we waited about 20 minutes before going upstairs to the pre-op room. Jay-R changed into scrubs and the hospital socks with the grippies on the bottom. He looked so cute. We had thought about taking a camera but wasn't sure what to expect. Kory snapped a photo on his cell phone, though, to show Ashleigh. The hospital gave Jay-R a balloon and he played with it until it was time to go back. As they wheeled my little baby away on that hospital bed, my heart ached. He looked back at us but the nurses along with us reassured him that he was okay. He got to push the button to open the door so that was cool to him.

This was 8:45 am. Kory and I prepared ourselves for a couple of hours of waiting. After some chatting, some reading, some drinking coffee and Mountain Dew, and some people watching in a very busy waiting room, our names were called. The dentist/oral surgeon came out and told us everything went fine. Jay-R cried a little when they first took him back. They were unable to insert the tube in his nose and he experienced some nose bleeding so they inserted the tube in his throat. Poor little guy. This of course was after he was already out. They had placed a mask on his face to make him fall asleep, then inserted the IV. The dentist had to remove his two front teeth, do 13 dental restorations, and a root canal. He said it was no wonder Jay-R was in pain, the tooth that required the pediatric root canal was deep in the nerve. Jay-R has been complaining of headahces on an almost daily basis so we are thinking the head pain was a direct link to the tooth pain. Kory then called our families-I was too nervous to talk to anyone until I saw my baby. About 20 minutes later, we were allowed to go the recovery room. I wanted to cry when I saw him. He was totally groggy and looked so small and vulnerable. The nurse helped me with his tubes so I could hold him in my arms. His eyes fluttered a little when we said his name, but he would not wake up. He refused drink and popsicle which they said is common. All his vitals were stable so we chatted with the nurses for a short while before changing him back into his clothes. He started waking up and we were able to leave.

We had the surgery done at St. Vincent's and I have to say that the staff were all excellent, kind, considerate, compassionate, and very thorough in their explanations. I want to send a letter of thanks to the hospital for our very positive experience. I work in healthcare and we always appreciate kind words. Everyone was so good to him and were very interested in our adoption experiences. It was such a positive experience. Oh, and they valet park your car when you are having surgery-that was nice especially since it was raining and cold when we left.

Before we even left the parking lot, Jay-R drank some grape juice they had sent with us. He let me feed him the jello cup we had brought him. We stopped at a McDonald's and he ate some plain ice cream. He hadn't eaten since 9:30 the night before, so he was hungry. He fell asleep on the way home. Once home, he mostly watched TV but he ate a lot tonight. We were told to limit him to soft foods so he ate more jello, popsicles, peanut butter, eggs, noodles, and a cupcake that Ashleigh's friend had given him-thanks O...he loved it! He also downed 2 glasses of chocolate milk. Today, anything except for no pop or OJ (dr orders) was allowed. Tomorrow, it's back to limiting sugar. Even though our dentist told us that Jay-R is now no more likely to get cavities than the next kid, we want to be careful just like we are with Ash. His teeth are now shiny white and he has silver caps on all four back teeth. He took a little Ibuprofen for pain at 4 but tonight he just told me he didn't need medicine, "I'm okay." He prayed and thanked God that his teeth were all better.

We are so excited that he will finally get to experience life without daily pain. Anyone who has ever had a toothache knows the pain that comes from mouth pain. Imagine living day to day with 15 cavities. Our heart aches to know there are many children in the orphanages with the same dental issues as Jay-R. Anyone adopting a child from the Philippines old enough to have a decent number of teeth, please take them to the dentist soon after you return home from the Philippines!

Oh, and we couldn't resist....we're already working with him on the lyrics to the song, "All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth!" He thinks it's funny!

Jay-R's surgery

I am right now trying to convince Jay-R to go to sleep. He should be tired after a busy day of church and swimming with his cousins. It's almost 10 pm and we need to all be going to bed. We got home from Kory's parents house and had to take Ashleigh to her BFF's house for the night due to our early departure time tomorrow. Jay-R cried all the way home, "I want my Ate!" Ashleigh was exceptionally quiet all afternoon. She really wants to be at his surgery tomorrow but there is only 3 days left of school and she already missed almost 2 weeks this semester for our Philippines trip. So anyway, right now he is winding down but keeps talking. He just told me "cereal first" meaning he wants his cereal tomorrow before his surgery. He knows he can't eat when he wakes up in the morning. We explained that he was going to the hospital (he was there once for pre-op stuff), they would give him something to make him sleepy and then they would work on his teeth while he was sleepy and Mommy and Daddy would be there when he woke up. He seems okay with. There have been mornings when he wakes up and asks me to call the dentist so I know his teeth hurt. The surgery is scheduled at 7:30 am tomorrow (Monday)...if you get a chance, say a prayer for Jay-R and his Mommy and Daddy...and his sister who would rather be with him than at school. We'll give everyone a post surgery update tomorrow night.
ps-He's asleep! :)

"I love my school!"

That was one of the first things Jay-R said when I picked him up from school today. That was music to my ears. Tuesday and today he did "trial" runs and stayed at school until 2:30 meaning he has experienced naptime twice. He has adamantly told me for weeks, "no sleep at school." The teachers at school reassured me that he did not need to sleep, only to be quiet on his cot. I brought books and the picture album he had at White Cross along with a family picture including him added to it. He fell asleep both today and Tuesday at school. He told me that he slept and that he cried. I wasn't surprised he cried. I'm sure he felt disoriented when he woke up and he never really wakes up pleasantly from short naps even at home unless we are in the car going somewhere he is excited about. His teacher said he did really well. This really reassured me. Jay-R has his oral surgery on Monday and then I return to work full-time on Wednesday. I left his school today with a really good feeling and a sense of calmness and peace. I've been praying about this transition of me returning to my full-time job. Occasionally, I have to work 12 hour days at work but we will cross that bridge when it comes. For now, I am enjoying my last few days with him as a stay-at-home mommy and I promise to upload those camping pics soon!

On another note, I attended our daughter's year end awards program at school. She earned many different awards and a trophy for 200 Accelerated reading points. She also received the Presidential Scholar award but she's not convinced that President Obama signed all those awards. We are very proud of her and her desire to help Jay-R be prepared for kindergarten as well.

"Boom! Boom!"

Jay-R has experienced his first American thunderstorm tonight. I was sitting in his bedroom on my computer while he was lying in his bed...our nightly routine. All of a sudden, a huge clap of thunder exploded followed by lightening. Jay-R sat up in his bed and whispered, "I'm not sleepy anymore." I went to him and he clung to me tight! He was scared and on the verge of tears. So, he is sleeping with his Ate Ashleigh tonight who has graduated from being afraid of thunderstorms. Big sis will keep him safe tonight and he knows tomorrow it's back to his bed unless (he tells me), there's another "boom, boom!"

On another note, Jay-R had his first teeball game. We made it before the rain. It was cute watching the boys run the bases...from first to pitcher's mound....too cute! In teeball, everyone bats, everyone runs, no one sits the bench, and no one is out. Everyone is a winner and there are treats after the game. Life doesn't get better than that!

Picture Post

On Mother's Day, we enjoyed a nature walk at a local metropark. We are a family that likes to be active and outdoors. The picture of our daughter is her as a Junior Historian at the local museum. Isn't she cute? I love the braids...last year her hair wasn't long enough for braids. We had a great Memorial Day weekend and hope everyone else did, too. We enjoyed our first camping trip of the season and Jay-R's first camping trip in his life. Camping stories and pictures coming soon....

Here we go again...

Post placement visit number two is completed....two more to go. The two visits have went fine. Our social worker asks a lot of questions about Jay-R's adjustment and as we answer, she observes Jay-R as he runs through the room with his sister on the way upstairs to play together. From watching him, it's easy to tell, he is adusting rather well!

When we were on our first leg of this adoption journey and compiling our dossier, our international agency closed their office in our state forcing us to find another social worker to handle the things that needed done locally and not long distance. (Our international agency is two states away). That was hard. Anyone going through the adoption process knows and understands how important it is that you have a good rapport with your social worker. I joke that my social worker knows more about me than my own mother! You have to share personal details of your life. So, anyway, we found another social worker and we like her, too. Only, we found out at our post placement meeting that she is changing job positions with another agency so....here we go again! If possible, we may be able to transfer things to another agency and continue to use our current social worker. I need to research if there are any costs in transferring a competed homestudy. We do not need any additional, unexpected costs!