Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!  It isn't often you get three holidays all together: CNY, Valentines Day, and Presidents' Day.  Think of the sales!  Yeah, that's about all I do, just think about shopping.  What a poor specimen of femaleness I am.  I'm missing some gene I think!

Yesterday  I had 15 miles on the running schedule, a run I wasn't looking forward to,  but as usually happens, once I got going I was fine.  I found The Count of Monte Cristo on a playaway (little preloaded player the size of an ipod) at the library, and even though I've read it several times, I am enjoying listening to it immensely.  I even took the dog for a walk today, just so I could listen to it - voluntary exercise!  So, I got my run in yesterday, then took the boys skiing for our ward ski night.  I haven't been since the boys were just learning, so I was surprised that I could just turn them loose and just... ski!  I haven't had this much fun skiing since high school!  It had snowed all day but stopped by the time we got there, and it wasn't too cold, no wind - perfect conditions.  The boys were good sports the whole time, and we skied until the lift closed.  I haven't had such a good time with the boys for a long time.  I mean, no one argued the whole night!  I can't remember when that last happened!

Anyway, all this to say, I made the conscious decision to make an exception in my post Christmas-chocolate-frenzy self imposed ban on chocolate.  I haven't had any chocolate (with the exception of fat free hot chocolate made with skim milk - and really, does that count as real chocolate?) since the first of January.  It hasn't been as hard as I thought, going cold turkey.  I even helped the kids put 2 bags worth of mini Hersey bars on their valentines without snitching a single bite.  But today, the kids have been selflessly trying to share their candy with me, and I gave myself a day off.  To be honest, the cheap chocolate (that I gave them) wasn't all that good, and I don't think it will be hard to go back on the wagon tomorrow.  Unless Mike offers the gooooood stuff.  THAT I might miss.

What the hey?

Shocker.  This blog is still active.  I've done my best to ignore it but it wouldn't go away.  Is anybody still out there?

I originally started this blog to keep Mike's parents in the loop while they were across country, and to ease my guilt that I didn't write actual letters and send photos to them.  Once they got back to Utah my motivation ran out, and that's partly the reason I haven't written for the last... oh... seven months?  That and I've just been lazy; too lazy to write, too lazy to figure out an easy and quick way to upload photos, etc.  And now that I'm in the mood, I can't find the card reader for the camera card.   Soooo.... I'll just ramble and hope that inspiration strikes me again before the year is out.

Life is good.  The transition to parenting four kids was harder than I expected, but I think I'm getting the hang of surviving the piles of laundry, dirty dishes, clean clothes that were never put away, SHOES everywhere, and four children all talking to me at once with something VERY IMPORTANT.  I've learned some coping mechanisms, like always remembering to lock the bathroom door and keeping ear plugs handy.  The boys (now 10 and 11) are pretty good to pitch in and help, and it is SOO nice to leave the boys in charge when I have to run quick errands.  I've learned that taking all four kids to the grocery store is a baaaadddd idea and I avoid it like the plague.  Yes, feel free to laugh if you have 5 or more children and my life sounds like a breeze.  Doesn't it always seem like we moms have one more child than we can easily handle?  It's good, though.  I always appreciate the chance to be humble.  That I am.

Eva went back to Primary Children's yesterday for a check up.  Her ankle has straightened out and the bones seem to be mending as they should, but we've noticed that she still is really sensitive on the bottom of her foot and walks just on the outer edge of her foot.  We suspected some nerve damage that makes those areas sensitive, and that she still compensates by using the same muscles that she used when her foot turned in.  The orthopedist agrees and so we'll start physical therapy soon.  She is still a happy, cheerful girl who throws herself into my arms when I do something to make her happy, like cook her ramen noodles for lunch.  She acts like that is the best present she has ever been given!  She is feeling more and more like part of the family, and we can tell because she is developing the same sort of sass the other kids employ.  We are using "Respecto-wash" to help with that.  It's that nasty generic brand mouthwash that kind of burns, and since the kids don't brush their teeth all that well, we get two birds with one stone.

Let's see, what else - my creative juices are drying up.  Oh, we got a dog, who is alternately the best or the worst dog ever.  She's a german shepherd and has the potential to be a fabulous running companion, she just likes to run in front of me, as far as the leash will allow.  Which drags on me and bugs the heck out of me.  We've tried every type of harness, gentle leader, etc on the market, but what has really worked is just a little thin stick that I swish in front of her nose every now and then, or just tap her to get her attention.    She also gets really aggressive with other dogs (or sheep or cows, oddly enough), but I know she'd take on a mountain lion to protect me.  That takes care of one recurrent nightmare!  She's too big for the kids to walk, and I don't run everyday, so she isn't getting as much exercise as she needs.  So far we've taken her up to 12 miles, and she still jumps around like she's got gobs of energy to spare.  She'll be a marathon dog someday!

Going home today (we hope!)

This little girl is a trooper, but she definately has a grumpy side. She's been like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - she's either calm, cheerful, and accomodating, or just plan mad at what she has to endure. I can't blame her a bit. She's hardly complained about her leg/ankle hurting at all, but she sure is not a fan of her catheter, the epidural line, oral medicine, blood pressure cuffs, etc. She DOES enjoy the goldfish crackers they supply, and the vast array of princess movies available. We are on our third screening of Snow White as I type.

At about 1 pm the pain specialist came to remove the epidural - Eva was in a down cycle and fussed and cried about having the tape removed (from my own epidural experience I remember that it was the most excruciating part of labor and delivery), then she was upset about the removal of the catheter. For as much as she hated those two intrusions to her body, she was pretty upset after getting them off! The physical therapists came and she was still so upset and tired that we could barely get her to use the little walker (a requirement for going home today), and now at 3 pm she is a completely different child. She's hopping around like she's done this for months and is soooo happy to be unfettered. They gave us the choice of spending another night, but I'm already packed and ready to go - just waiting for the little walker and wheelchair they are renting for us.

Thank heavens this part of the ordeal is over (though it hasn't been too bad, as far as hospital stays go) but we realize we have follow-ups and lots of therapy, and the outcome is far from certain. I just hope that all this will result in a fairly normal life for this amazing girl. She may not be a prima ballerina or a gold medal runner, but as long as she can dance with joy and run after the other kids on the playground, life will be good.

Now it is 3 pm and she is a completely

Eva is out of surgery

I really am a lousy blogger. We've even had fun and interesting stuff to write about, and I still can't come up with a blog entry. I think it is the photos that keep me from writing more often - I can't find an easy way to resize the photos so that they take up less memory, and most days I don't feel like doing the 4 or 5 step process to get them from my camera to this point. But today I make an exception, because it is a day I don't want to forget (though Eva may well want to).

We arrived at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City this morning at 7. We were able to meet with her doctors before they took her back for surgery, and get the full details on what was happening today. The anesth. wanted to give her Versed before taking her back, just so she was more relaxed, and I am happy to report that we finally have one child who is not an angry drunk! Eva is so funny when she's doped up on that stuff, sweet, ("Helllloooo Mammmmmma") and sooo not like Josh and Esther, who get really mad on that stuff. I wish I could remember the term for what they did today, it was something like tibular osteotomy. Basically they broke both the bones in her left leg to straighten them out some, added a small section of bone to her shorter tibia, added a screw into the growth plate of her longer fibula, and cut notches into her achilles tendon to help stretch it out. Sounds gruesome, but the result is a big pink cast with pink toes poking out of the bottom, and her foot facing forward, as it should. Hoo and ray!

She has, for the most part, handled it like a champ. They decided, after they got in there, that she would do better with an epidural to control pain, and she hasn't complained too much about her leg, but she sure hates the catheter that goes along with the epidural. The most painful part (if I recollect my own epidural experience) will be tomorrow when they remove the needle and pull off that horrendous tape that has been holding it in place. She fussed some, but never really hollered, and was most relaxed as we started making our way through the Surgical unit's princess movie collection.

She perked up quite a bit this evening when Mike and I loaded her into a wheelchair and went down to the cafeteria for some ice cream. I went out for a short run before Mike left, and found myself trapped behind the University Hospital with no way to get through back to Primary's. Finally a security guard took pity on me and opened a door for me - hospitals are the modern version of the labyrinth, I swear!

I got a quick shower (with very feeble water pressure) before Mike left for home (he has to work Thursday & Friday) and Eva and I were settling down for the night when she started itching like crazy. She's been doing this off and on throughout the day, so finally I asked for some Benadryl, and made the colossal mistake of giving her the medicine myself, forcing it into her cheeks when she balked. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Never be the bad guy when there is a perfectly good nurse ready and willing to take the fall! Eva was pretty upset with me that I forced some medicine on her, so it took her another half hour to settle down, but now she is asleep, and I'm going to try to sleep a little as well.

Being here is a sobering experience. Just when you think life is hard for your poor child, you see someone else's child who is suffering far worse, and you wonder how that family survives it all. Twice today we heard LifeFlight come and go, and I wondered about those little children, and their families. There is a lot of hope here at this hospital, as some families come knowing their child will get better (like ours), but there are other families who are devastated by what brings them here. Makes me not want to whine about anything. Don't worry, that will only last me a day or so, and then I'll be back to my normal whining self!

Other posts to follow, hopefully, as I try to stave off boredom during the millionth screening of the Little Mermaid, will include Yellowstone, our trip to the SLC temple to have Eva sealed to us, and the Wasatch Back Relay. Maybe I can even post a few pictures...

Happy Gotcha Day

Two years have gone by since that day when a scared little girl wrapped in a pink blanket was placed on my lap.  We weren't ready with the camera or recorder, so those first few moments live only in my memory, but I will never forget the instant intense love I felt for this tiny creature who would screw up her face to cry every time I looked at her.  I just held her close and whispered, "Bie ku, bie pa," (don't cry, don't be afraid).  I was willing to move heaven and earth for this little girl, and heaven help the poor soul who tried to take her away from me.

Last night we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant to celebrate, and Esther's fortune cookie had a slip of paper that summed her up perfectly: You will bring sunshine into someone's life.  My dear girl, you are Sunshine Incarnate!  Yes, you have cloudy days on occasion, and the arrival of a sister has brought a few stormy moments, but you still shine, shine, shine, and bring such joy to those around you!  I'm soooo lucky to be your mom!

I know, I'm a terrible blogger

Well, it has been over 2 months since I've shown my face here in blogger land, and I have serious doubts as to whether there are any terribly bored souls who even bother to check back here.  I really don't have any excuse, except that I'm lazy and unorganized and I'd rather curl up on a couch with a good book than try to put coherent sentences together about the crazy happenings at our house.  We're still here, and things are going surprisingly well, considering just over 2 years ago I had two children, and today I count 5.  Sigh.  I cannot keep up with laundry, dishes, feeding so many people, and the astonishing amount of crumbs that keep appearing under my kitchen table, even though I just vacuumed 15 minutes ago!!! 

Today (it being Mother's Day and all) I've thought lots about this incredibly frustrating, exhausting, wearying, tiring, draining (yes, I know they all mean basically the same thing, but I'm going for emphasis here) job of being a mom, and all I can say is:  I love it.  I'm so glad to be a mom, and I wouldn't change jobs with anyone, anywhere, ever.  That isn't to say I'm singing a cheerful tune all day long (would it kill these kids to pick up their socks!?!) but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Thank you Josh, Caleb, Eva, Esther, and my loaner child Jason, for making me a MOM.  

I suppose you may be wondering how Eva is fitting in.  I am amazed to think that 2 months ago we were just meeting her.  There was definitely a big Eva-sized hole in this family, and she has fit it perfectly.  She is an amazing soul, and I'm so proud and thankful that she is as resilient a creature as she is.  She was prepared for a new family, prepared to love, to try again, to forgive, to find her niche.  She has, from the beginning, LOVED having a mom and dad, and sometimes I feel a little smothered.  She lately learned, "Look at me!" and will say it about a thousand times a day.  I am ashamed to admit that it happens so often that I have trouble mustering up enthusiasm when she shows me how she can slurp up a noodle, and really, I've seen her do the same thing with the last 30 noodles.  She seems almost desperate for approval, and I feel guilty when I roll my eyes when she calls for my attention, again, after a brief 10 second break.  Still, I have to remind myself the enormous upheaval she has endured, and how much worse she could behave, and still be considered normal.  She has been very forgiving of Esther, who can't quite decide if having a sister is the best or worst thing to happen to her.  They have had some, shall we say, territorial issues, and they watch each other like hawks to make sure neither has the advantage.  That wears me out more than I can say!  I have to keep a careful tally of who had the pink bib last, and who used the ABC spoon, and who got to sit on my right side in the hammock last (yes, they even fuss over which side of me they think is better), and on and on and on.  Still, they get along better than Josh and Caleb did at this age (or any age) and the confrontations seem to be vocal rather than physical.  I forget that Esther is only 3, and has suddenly had to share what used to be exclusively hers (like me during the day).  A good friend reminded me that it would be like Mike bringing home another wife, and telling me to share all my stuff, be nice, treat her like I love her, etc.  Thanks for putting it into perspective, Anne!  Eva has started to whine when she's tired and wants something, but I don't put up with that!  And she's quick to figure it out.

Eva's language is coming along nicely.  She used to rattle off in Chinese if she wanted to express something, but now is making a real effort to put it into English.  I suspect she is using more English words than we recognize, but we learned that she is tongue-tied (the membrane connecting the bottom of her tongue to the inside of her mouth is connected farther along the tongue than normal, and she can't make some sounds) so we've got surgery scheduled in a few weeks to take care of that and her one tooth that has serious decay.  It is actually two baby teeth fused together, but where the teeth meet there is no enamel, so there is decay all along that line, front and back.  I've seen her trying to brush the dark stuff off that tooth, so I think she's not only aware, but a little self conscious about it.  Her foot surgery isn't until the end of June, and that can't come fast enough for me.  I don't look forward to spending a few days in the hospital, and all the pain and discomfort that Eva will endure, but I can't wait until she can walk, run, and skip with two feet squarely on the ground.  She is developing some serious callouses on the side of her foot, and I try to keep them and her scars moisturized (ever tried Bag Balm?  It is used by dairy farmers to treat cracked cow teats, and it smells rather unpleasant, but boy that stuff works).

Ah, I wanted to add pictures, but I'm starting to misspell a lot of words and doze a little.  Time for bed!  I'll try to post again before two months have gone by, but no promises, folks!

Travel blog/itinerary

I know there is a way to use this blogger from China, but it takes some back-door sneaking in, and I just don't have any confidence in trying to sneak around the internet.  So, I'll stick with the tried and true and post our travels on the site we used last time around.  If y'all are interested, check us out at www.journeytome.com and click on Adoption Journals.  User id: housley, password: daughter.

We leave for my parents' house tomorrow, Monday, theoretically by 3pm, but if I know us (and I do) we'll be lucky to leave by 6pm.  I really, REALLY want to get a decent night's sleep before we begin a very long travel day.  I know, wishful thinking.

Here's the basic outline:  Tuesday: fly to San Francisco, then on to Beijing, arriving Wednesday afternoon (China time).  Eat quick dinner, collapse into exhausted slumber.

Thursday/Friday: touring in Beijing, hiking Great wall, take overnight train to Xi'an.

Saturday/Sunday: tour Xi'an, including the terra cotta warriors, and church in Xi'an (yes, they have an LDS branch there!)  Fly to Wuhan.

Monday-Friday: meet HengAi on Monday morning, do adoption and passport paperwork, tour Wuhan.

Friday: (the 13th!  The boys think we're doomed) fly to Guangzhou.

Saturday-Tuesday: finish up adoption paperwork, tour, and try to blow the last of our spending money.  Tuesday evening, take a train to Hong Kong.

Wednesday: maybe Hong Kong Disney.  We'll have to see how we are all faring at that point.

Thursday: Fly home!  We might make it back in time for cub scout pack meeting.  :)

All of this is subject to change, of course.  I'm feeling a little exhausted by it all already!