Xin Nian Kuai Le!

The Birthday Celebrations Have Begun!

Too Rainy To Ride Outside

And are not over yet. Emma wanted to go out to eat yesterday on her birthday. Her request? Anywhere with a big bowl of Mac-N-Cheese! She cleaned her plate, got a big bowl of ice cream and came back home to open presents. She is so excited to be 4 years old. She says, "I am a big girl now!" Sam is trying to understand still being 3 (they have been the same age for quite a while now) and the fact that right after Christmas, he is not getting the presents too. He is so sweet about it but he is questioning it a bit. Now he says, "It's Emma's birthday, not my birthday. My birthday - Baseball!" So we will plan on a baseball birthday for Sam this Spring. Emma got a big girl bike for her birthday from Mommy and Daddy. She got a Barbie Bus and Barbie walkie-talkies from Mamna and Popaw. Tomorrow she has her Cupcake Birthday Party!

Happy Birthday Emma!!!

4 Years Old!!!

3 YEARS!!!!!

I cannot believe that it has been 3 years since I first got to hold this precious creature, my daughter, Emma Grace SiYue. She took fortune cookies to Preschool this morning to celebrate with her friends. This evening we ordered Chinese and spent some time together as a family. We gave her a doll that we had bought in Guangzhou. Many of you will recognize it - the Passport Doll. She was so excited and just kept hugging her new doll. She called it Emma Day and we often call it Family Day, but the name isn't as important as the meaning behind it. I spent some time today looking back at all of the photos from our 2005 trip to China. It was an amazing journey and it still is today.Holding her referral photos.

We usually like to take this picture in September but Russ had an emergency appendectomy around that time and things got so hectic that we missed taking the picture. Emma was happy to see how much she had grown. I love you so much baby girl!!

Preschool Career Dress Up Day

Emma and Sam got to choose what they want to be when they grow up. Can you guess??

My Crazy Friend Sam

You never want to cross Sam. Sometimes just being nice to her will get her all worked up. She is so talented when it comes to the art of photo shopping (Is that even a word?). But it is a double edged sword - she uses it for good and for evil. Regardless, she always keeps me laughing. Here is some of her latest handiwork.

http://samcampbell.blogspot.com/2008/10/wow-just-when-you-think-you-know.html

Now I just need to decide what my next move will be. I welcome any and all suggestions.....

Do you think they have a 12 step program for this??

It has been 4 months since my last post (thanks to those of you who keep reminding me). I have

been busy - kids, activities, keeping my sanity,..... Sam is getting Speech three times a week,

Emma is in ballet (soooo cute), Coleman has already been in 2 plays this year, numerous

Scouting activities and all the other things that constitute life with 5 kids. And then there is the

other thing. My addiction. It is true. I am addicted to Facebook. I am finally admitting it. Many

of you already know this because we have found each other over in that other world. And for

those of you who have not yet ventured out, make sure you are ready because it is so much fun

and you will be attracted to it like a moth to the flame. And once you do wander on over, feel free

to friend request me so that I can SuperPoke you! I have really enjoyed reconnecting with old

friends. I have even gotten friend requests from my aunt and uncle, but the ones I enjoy the

most are old neighborhood friends, people I knew in middle school, a random college friend...It is

so great to see where they are in their lives, etc... Well, enough about this. I know you are not

here for a Facebook testimonial. So let's get on with the show....

I will just post some pix of the kiddies because I know that is really what you want to see!

Sam cooking it up in the kitchen

Meet and Greet at our Preschool

First Day of Preschool

Will we ever catch a break??

No pun intended. Sam broke his arm - it is a level one growth plate wrist fracture, to be exact. Prognosis is great and he will spend the next 3 weeks in a cast. If all goes well, that is all the treatment that he will need. I have no idea how it happened - there was no catastrophic event, no big fall with lots of tears....... He told me on Monday that he had a boo boo. I kissed it and asked him if it felt better, he said yes and continued to play. This is an event that happens several times a day everyday (sometimes it happens following someone elses boo boo just because we like the attention) so it was no cause for alarm. Sam woke up Tuesday morning, very quiet and holding his arm. He said "ow" and held it up to me. It was swollen at the wrist up through the elbow. We called the advice nurse to get an appointment and she wanted to know what Sam says happened - then we have to explain that although he is 3, he is still developing the language, learning English and overcoming the fistula that has formed in his palate..... So we have no idea. She gave us a work-in appointment for the morning (code for Long Wait) so that I would not have to take all the kids to the appointment - Jack and Robbie are in VBS this week. I arrange with a neighbor to get them to VBS, and head off to the doctor. Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric orthopedist. Sam was so brave. I know he has got to be so confused about all of the things happening to him. Ironically, we had a visit with the Craniofacial team last week and they told us to take the summer off. Dr. Thomas said that with the volume of his caseload, it was not a good thing that he could recognize me and did not even need to look at Sam's chart - it meant that we had been up there way too much recently. He said to take a break and enjoy the summer and come back in September and we would make a plan for the future. Now not even a week later we are facing medical issues again. It's funny. But on the bright side, we have more time for the orthopedist now that we are no longer traveling back and forth to Sc*ttish Rite.

Cleveland Zoo

Robbie and his best buddy Kevin

Uncle Zhou!
Karla from EAC

China Reunion

Every year our agency hosts a weekend picnic and party for all of the families that have adopted with them. We made the 12 hour drive (yes, I said drive) to Ohio (Suburban + 7 people + 1200 miles = a paycheck's worth of gas!) and made the most of every minute. Friday night was the China Party at EAC with food, moonwalks, a Chinese Raffle, jugglers, balloon animals,...... Lots of fun for all of the kids. Saturday was all day at the Cleveland Zoo. Several years ago we had our Wuhan Super Group tshirts made up for all of the families in our group (with Emma in 2005) that adopted from Wuhan, Hubei. Members of our Agency named us that because we were very lively and vocal and the first of our kind to be so close. We are close to every family in that group. And when we agreed to adopt Sam, I told Karla at EAC that I just knew one of the Wuhan Super Group was adopting too and sure enough it was the Duryeas. So now our families are extra close having 2 children adopted together. It was great to get all of the girls together but it was especially sweet to see Sam and Nathan get back together because they had lived together for 2 and a half years in the orphanage. Nathan was not even recognizable! He has changed so much! He has gained atleast 15-20 pounds since we got home in August. He was almost 3 and was even smaller than Sam in China. Emma really enjoyed the girls. It was the first trip where you can see their personalities coming to life when they are around each other. Emma kept talking about her China Sisters. We also got to spend time with Zhou, our travel guide and of course our dear Chris and Karla who helped make our adoptions come to fruition. After the zoo, we went to dinner in the flats of Cleveland. On Sunday everyone met at our hotel for breakfast and then we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Really great museum if you are ever in Cleveland. We drove to Kentucky that evening and then finished driving home on Monday. It was a whirlwind but we loved every minute of it. Two families from our group are going to stop by this summer on their way to Florida and we are so excited to get to host them in our hometown.

Sam and Uncle Zhou

Emma and JackieOur dear friends, Jane, Kori and Roxy - I have a feeling we will be seeing them more in years to come (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Jane....)

Last Day of Preschool

Emma and her baby


Emma thought this day would never come, but school is finally out! Their class celebrated with a luau. It was so cute! They had a music program. Emma was slow to warm up, but finally got into the groove. Sam, meanwhile, sat glued to his carpet square, wanting to know where mommy was at every second. Emma has the sweetest, most serene and peaceful look about her face and we are all convinced that her relief over the end of school has washed over her and left her content! :o) We tease because she loves school and has the greatest time while she is there and is overflowing with stories when she gets in the car, but she never wants to go and tells us repeatedly that "I not like school!" She is such a drama queen! Sam does love school and is always excited about going, but I think he was a little overwhelmed with all of the classes being in one big room and having all of the parents there. He really always had to keep tabs on me. Emma and Sam were not sitting together (in fact they were sitting across from each other) so I kept having to move around to get the best pictures and video. In the end, we had a luau in their room and said our goodbyes. One mommy had brought her baby daughter to the party and Emma was obsessed with the baby. She was very sweet and gentle and even asked if she could go see the baby. The baby truly adored her and Emma kept saying, "The baby loves me" and she would just beam and giggle. We had a great time. Now what am I going to do with all 5 of them home for the whole summer???????

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

My favorite candy is a Nerds Rope (Tropical Flavor) and they are very hard to find. Russ asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day and I said a Tropical Nerds Rope - he looked and looked and could not find them. He frequented gas stations and called local candy stores but to no avail. You would have to know Russ - he will not be outdone. The rare Tropical flavor will not win!! He has been looking for them ever since then - 3 months!! He finally found them on Amazon and when I came into the kitchen this morning, I found this candy greeting. He ordered 2 cases so I will be enjoying my Tropical Nerds Ropes for quite a long time to come! All 48 of them (One for almost every week of the year, but, really, do you think it will even last me a month?!)
Happy Mother's Day 2008

Tagged

I have been tagged by my dear friend Shelly.

So here are the rules...post three things about yourself...link to the person who tagged you and tag 5 other bloggers (let them know by posting a comment on their blog).

1) I am a closet control freak - all of our clothes are hung in our closet according to color, collar and sleeve length. Every one in my family has a different color set of hangers - Coleman is red, Jack is blue, Robbie is green, Emma is pink and Sam has the white tube like kiddie hangers (when his clothes get bigger he will get his own color of coated wire hangers).

2) I am a TV junkie. My favorites are The Office, My name is Earl, American Idol, the entire CBS Monday night line up and all of the crime dramas - Law and Order (all of them), The CSIs, Criminal Minds, Numbers.....We have 1 TiVo and 2 DVRs and they are always recording, pausing, being watched........

3) I just started a new blog dedicated to preserving our past, present and future Family photos. A place for me to share with you, reflect on memories, and treasure in years to come. The address is http://www.photosofemmaandtheboys.blogspot.com/ Don't forget to bookmark it!

I am going to tag:

janice http://www.momtoo3.blogspot.com/

michele http://buddalicious.blogspot.com/

lisa http://loosclan.blogspot.com/

becky http://jiangxigirls.blogspot.com/

jennifer http://www.gahardin.blogspot.com/

It's a Small World

I wrote a post last week about our day at the Taste of Marietta and a comment was left by a mom in the area. We emailed privately and found out that we had met at a mutual friend's house in the fall of 2006 - her husband remembered everything about our visit even the fact that we had just decided to adopt a Special Needs boy from China. She sent me a picture of her daughter and a little girl named Emma to see if it was our Emma - and of course it was! We met them for breakfast this morning and look forward to many more "play dates" in the future.

Emma and Sam getting ready for breakfast with their new friend

Emma and Lili - NOW

Emma and Lili - THEN

Sneaky Emma

We were finishing lunch in the kitchen when I had to walk away for a moment. Emma had already finished and was playing with her little kitchen. I walked back in to find this.......

Emma had put Sam in the corner. She was smiling and playing in her kitchen. Funniest thing was that Sam really didn't seem to mind!

Taste of Marietta

Every year we go up to our town square for The Taste of Marietta. We LOVE going! Over 60 restaurants are represented and there are lots of activites set up too. We go around from tent to tent sampling food, spinning prize wheels and visiting with our friends and neighbors. When we first arrived, we visited a few booths that offered games for the kids. They all took turns hitting a baseball, spinning a radio station wheel to win prizes and Jack played Guitar Hero for a chance to win an electric guitar. At that time he had the High Score (when we went back later, his score had been beaten by a few points)! Then the bottom fell out and we all ran for cover under a tent. The rain was too hard even for our umbrellas. As the rain lightened the big boys went to "bowl" in a mobile bowling alley. Everyone won a free round of bowling, but Jack won a 2 hour US Play bowling party for 6! We laughed because that isn't even enough for all of us! Maybe we can leave Sam and Emma at home and let Jack invite a friend. We decided it was time to sample the food - samples run anywhere from Free to about $4. We stopped off at Starbucks, Harry's Farmers Market, Taco Mac, several local restaurant tents and then we went by the Buffalo Wild Wings Cafe. While waiting in line, they too have a prize wheel that we all took a spin on. Russ, Coleman and Robbie all won a free dessert or appetizer coupon. When Jack got up to spin, Russ said that he thought with Jack's good luck today, he will win the Big Prize - a YEAR of free wings. Jack spun the wheel and it landed on Free Tshirt. They were out of free tshirts, as Russ found out when he spun and landed on that 3X before winning his coupon. Jack too got another turn and landed on.......Yes, you guessed it...... A YEAR OF FREE WINGS! Woo Hoo! I know where we will be eating for the next few months!! Atleast until we never want to see another Buffalo wing again! ;o) They made a really BIG deal about it and took his picture. Jack was so proud. Is there a lottery for tonight? We should check and let Jack pick our numbers! We rode a little Fun Train that drove around the Square and took turns on the Bouncy slides. There are so many things to do that it is hard to fit it all in. As we were walking back to the car, the boys all wanted to make sure that we are going to do it again next year. With all of the range in age between our kids, I love it when we find something that makes everyone HAPPY!

Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks

Sam still LOVES the rain
Mobile Bowling

Morning at Mimi's

Earlier this week, Emma and Sam spent the morning with Russ' mom. They love going to her house and always have so much fun. Emma loves to sit with her Mimi and put on make up. She always ends up with lavender eyeshadow and sparkly lips. Mimi was getting ready for an appointment and had her curling iron on. Emma got a new hairdo and not to be left out, Sam insisted that he get one too. They looked so cute when I picked them up - but also vaguely familiar.....

Mohs

I had my Mohs surgery today. It took several hours, but they were able to get all of the affected cells. I have such a clear peace of mind finally having this ordeal over! When my doctor was finished, she came in the room and said "Congratulations! It is gone!" What a great feeling! The Mohs procedure is precise and takes so long because they remove the lesion and surrounding skin and then freeze sections to examine the cells microscopically. If they see that there is not a clear margin around it, they will come back and take more. The stitches took the longest amount of time. Dr. Chiller was amazing - very sweet, witty and definitely qualified. She really wanted to try and keep my scarring to a minimum, but she also needed to take out all of the cells. At the end of the surgery, the site was an inch wide. She warned that the scar would be 3:1 larger than the site. Once they were finished and showed me the incision, I can say that I was truly shocked at the size of it. But at this point, I am just thankful (scar and all) to have this whole ordeal behind me. I have to be very careful about lifting, exercising, etc. for the next couple of months - any tension or exertion can cause my incision to pull and can cause a larger scar. At the beginning of all of this, the "nubbin" was a little larger than a dime, close to the size of a nickel, but as you will see below, the incision is MUCH larger. (sigh)

We got out just days before the Pope arrived.....

Seriously, I cannot imagine how crowded Washington DC is right now! We spent Spring Break in DC and got home late Sunday night. Our oldest son, Coleman, was nominated for the People To People program by a teacher at his school so he spent the week touring and studying while we spent it pure tourist style! When he was invited to participate in the program - before Sam was even home, we decided that if we had to get him there and back, we might as well go up ourselves and enjoy the week. As the trip got closer, we started to question touring DC with children ages 2, 3, 6 and 10. Things were great though. Russ' mom even went with us, so all 8 (yes, I said 8) of us stuffed ourselves and our luggage into the Suburban and DROVE to DC! We spent the first night in South Hill, Virginia and then drove into DC the next day. Coleman was not released from the program until late so we had to drive the full way back home (about 11 hours) on this past Sunday. It is a pleasant drive, though - especially when you aren't driving! Ha! Russ did a great job getting us there and back without complaint. Our hotel was right on the Metro so we bought a weekly pass and did not even get the car out until the last day. We had arranged with our congressman, Phil Gingrey, to tour the White House, the Capitol, Bureau of Engraving and Printing,..... We went to the Smithsonian museums, the Holocaust Museum, Washington Monument (this is my 3rd time to DC and my first in the Washington Monument!), and hit all of the Presidential Monuments. Although we are not Catholic, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is one of my favorite things in Washington. It is stunning and more amazing than words can ever describe! The kids behaved and loved every minute of it. The 2 little ones just went with the flow and even sat quietly in the House Chamber of the Capitol while the House of Representatives were voting! I was so impressed with them. Jack is at the perfect age to appreciate all that Washington had to offer and Robbie surprised us with his interest and knowledge - including his rote memory of the Metro stops! He even bought Washington Trivia books for souvenirs. It was truly a great trip. I even stepped outside of my comfort zone and got into it with some protesters - but that is another story for another day!

Sam sees a tiger at the Museum of Natural History

How many $$ tall are we???

Relaxing in the hotel room

I LOVE this face!!!

Waiting to go in the Washington Monument

Jack's New Career

Perspective (you might want to click on this one to see it better)

Cherry Blossoms!!!

This is Me. I am Happy.

Very Happy! I have not made much mention of my "Nubbin" lately. It has been the cause of some really bad days for me recently. My initial biopsy results showed atypical cells. My doctor had concerns that I had Lymphoma and sent me for Xrays and blood work. I also had been experiencing back pain that in combination with the other factors, had her quite worried - and she did not mind telling me all about it. She was really upfront with me about what I could be facing. I tend to be a bit of an anxious person on a normal day so this did not sit well with me at all. Well, all of my tests came back normal and after repeated doctor visits, my dermatologist decided to do another biopsy and send it off to Emory. This time I had about 6-8 stitches and was off to Disney World with my family to get my mind off of this whole ordeal. We had a wonderful trip and I will post about that soon. I had my stitches removed the day after we returned home but there were still no biopsy results. Later that week, I got a call from my doctor, saying, "Do you have a minute where we can talk about your biopsy?" The rush of panic shot through me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. Russ had not been feeling well that morning so he was still at home when I got the call. I remember from past biopsies that the nurses would always say, "You want a letter, not a call" regarding any test results. They found more atypical cells, this time specifically T Cells. She had spoken with an oncologist (my head was spinning at this point) who had ordered extensive blood work and a PET scan. A dear friend's daughter has recently had a bout of cancer so I was very familiar with what a PET scan is. The one thing I remember my doctor saying during this call was, "The good news is that it was not totally diagnostic and the bad news is that it was not totally diagnostic." At least there was some good news to hold on to. I went the next day for my blood work and they took vial after vial of blood - I even asked if I would be able to drive home without fainting! They were really sweet about it and told me that they had to call and confirm the orders on one test that they were not entirely familiar with. Then the wait came. My mind drew all sorts of conclusions based on comments, lengths of time between calls from my doctor,....You name it, my mind was working overtime to try and read between the lines. I prayed and talked to God all of the time. I realized that with my busy mom of 5 life, I had gotten away from my daily talks with Him. He is always there for me, walking beside me, and He knows what my day is going to be like before it even starts. I thanked Him for this difficult walk as I knew that He would strengthen me with each step. I felt honored that He thought I could handle this because there were days when I was convinced that I could not. The days passed and still no call from the Hospital to schedule the scan. The oncologist's office called to go over everything with me and to make an appointment to come in for the results. Northside Hospital called to schedule the scan and fortunately they had an evening appointment - I had been so worried about how I would fit several hours at the Hospital into an already bursting schedule. Sam had a follow up appointment with the Craniofacial team and Emma had an appointment with a micro hand surgeon (I will follow up with details soon) and then there are all the carpools and normal activities, our anniversary, my mother's 60th Birthday, ...you know - LIFE! It was overwhelming, but again, God was in the details and I was able to easily fit everything in. Russ took me to the PET scan while my parents watched the kids. I had already talked to my dear friend Laurie who is a doctor and she told me about all of the many possibilities that were out there under the umbrella of Lymphoma. I just had to put my big girl panties on and face this head on! For the scan, they took some blood to check my glucose levels, put in an IV and then gave me a glucose shake to drink. Then I went to the Nuclear Medicine mobile unit outside of the hospital - I had to walk across an opening at the end of a hallway ramp and it looked just like I was getting on an airplane. Joe, the dear sweet (I cannot say enough good things about him) technician who injected the meds into my IV and did my scan was so clever and quick witted and really made me feel at ease. I laid on the scan bed (maybe 8-10 inches wide at the most) and he put my hands above my head in a loop to keep them together. I was in the machine for maybe 20-30 minutes, moving back and forth. I decided to keep my eyes closed so that I was not tempted to look around. You have to stay still during the scan much like an MRI. Right as I was about to go into the machine, my bangs fell into my eyes, but it was in just enough time for Joe to push them to the side - I could not have imagined trying to be still for so long with hair poking into my eyes. When you are still and quiet you start to perseverate on things like that. I had chosen to spend my time in the scan, praying to God, thanking Him for the attributes of my children. It was a precious time for me - focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of my children (and of myself in regard to the way I interact with them) and praising God for His creation of all 5 of my kids. It is something that I need to do more often. My mind was clear off all of my obligations and lists of things to do. I was vulnerable and open and was able to turn my fear into praise. Once it was over, I was starving - no food for 4 hours before the procedure and it had been several hours since I had gotten to the hospital. I was also exhausted - I have had so much on my mind that I had not gotten a good nights sleep and I had been without caffeine all day due to the scan. I did sleep well that night, but woke up with my mind racing the next morning. I was really good at turning it over to God, but I needed to work on not taking it back! Now I had to wait a whole week for my results. My dermatology office called to check in and told me to follow up with them immediately after my oncology appointment. Well, my appointment finally came this past Thursday, April 3rd. The oncologist walked in and the first thing he said was that my scan came back "PERFECT!" and that my blood work did too!! He diagnosed the lesion as Early Stage Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma with no indication of disease outside the skin. Thank you Jesus!! He was precious, truly precious with a great sense of humor and a wonderful demeanor. He explained it all to us and even did a quick exam before he released me back into the care of my dermatologist. He said that he wanted me to have the peace of mind knowing that I was okay. He reminded me of an silver haired Dave Foley (News Radio). We stopped off at my dermatologist (her office is in the same building) to give her the good news. We also discussed my treatment options which include radiation or surgery. The radiation is a commitment of about 10 visits with the potential for side effects and the surgery will leave me with a scar front and center and can possibly take more than one attempt. We also discussed the possibility of a Mohs surgeon, which is the option we have decided upon. It is a very precise surgery that will remove the lesion, formerly known as the nubbin, taking only enough skin to have clear margins and leave me with minimal scarring. With this procedure, only one surgery is needed to get all of the affected skin. I am not looking forward to it, but it is way better than what I could have been facing!! I have not been posting about this as it was happening and only sending out email updates to my closest friends because we had decided not to say anything to the kids until we knew for sure. Both of my oldest boys (and many of their friends) check the blog often so I just wanted to be the one to share my story with them first. Thankfully it has a happy ending!

Easter Activities

Easter Egg Hunt
Baskets Full of Goodies
Sam's First Easter Bunny Sighting


I am behind on posting and pictures, as usual. Part of the problem is the fact that we have about 5 different digital cameras and we do not always download them all at once. There is always one in the car, my purse, Russ has one, there is my favorite "takes the BEST pictures EVER outdoors, but don't even think about using it inside," and of course the good ole Digital SLR which takes great pictures but is a little too bulky for everyday. Here are some shots of Sam and Emma that we just downloaded....

How did we spend our 15th Anniversary???

Bet you didn't guess at a Flag Football game! Jack's first game was last Thursday night (the 20th) so we all packed up (after Jack's guitar practice) and headed to the field. It got really cold when the sun went down but our team won the game and we had a great time. In all fairness, Russ and I went to dinner at Atkins Park (YUM!) on Wednesday night to celebrate our anniversary and then went shopping at TJ Maxx. You can tell we are getting old!

Official Easter Pictures

Hopping Down The Bunny Trail.....

The Easter Bunny always leaves a trail of eggs leading the kids to their baskets from their rooms. Sam was so ready when he woke up - he grabbed his basket and started to gather his eggs. When he saw his brothers picking up their eggs, he paused and just watched them, taking it all in. He really learns by watching, and he is always so eager. He was delighted with his basket goodies. Emma's favorite treat was a crown of roses for her hair. She immediately put it on and even wore it to church. She just looked beautiful!

Mamna's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Sam would not pick up the eggs that were open - he skipped them all until we showed him how to snap them back together

Finders of the Golden Egg

Every year my mom has all of the grandchildren to her house for a big egg hunt. This year things have been a little different because my mom's 60th birthday falls over Easter weekend. I planned a party for her on Saturday with friends and family so she had thought that she might just skip the hunt this year. The kids were so upset when they found out! It is great to see that the 10 and 12 year olds still regard this as one of their favorite family traditions. She had treats for every one and they grilled out hotdogs. The greatest prize is to find one of the golden eggs. Robbie was so ready for the eggs this year - he ran out screaming, smiling, his golden hair lifting with each bounce. It just made me smile. The kids always enjoy the time with their cousins - they are best friends. Sam was so thrilled - this was his first egg hunt and he kept up with all the others. It is a joy to see him finally getting to experience all of these little family traditions.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Today was all about GREEN! We had so much fun - we spent over an hour at the dinner table. We did not have any activities or obligations this afternoon after Cub Scouts so we were able to have an evening all together. Emma helped me turn the apple sauce green, and she was so proud of herself. We had an all green dinner and we also made Lime Freezes (lime sherbert and 7-Up) like my grandmother made me when I was little. We really enjoyed slowing down and just being together. And Sam finally learned his first color - GREEN, of course!

MMmmmmm.....

Just wanted to wish you Happy National Pancake Day! We, of course, celebrated with a trip to our local IHOP. A free shortstack for each guest along with a suggestion that you consider donating to the Children's Miracle Network. We have a few locations to choose from and we had to pick Coleman up from school at 8 p.m. (he had been there since I dropped him off at 7:45 a.m. - middle school has a lot to offer, and it is a lot of fun, but somedays are way too long) so we narrowed it down to 2. The one closest to the school is really small and has a funny smell. It is not in the best part of town, but tends to not generally be crowded (probably for the reasons I just mentioned). Then there is the bigger location that is newer and in the mall area, so generally pretty busy. We decide to go with a possible wait at the busier location over taking our life and our health into our own hands. The place is packed as it would be on free pancake night - but with college students. We were not thinking about the local University and all of the starving students there for free pancakes. It was pretty funny - they all ordered the free pancakes and a water. I remember those days all too well!

There is a funny story about the way this all started. In trying to find a variety of soft foods for Sam, I decided we would have pancakes for dinner last Tuesday night. The kids came home from school and were so excited because someone in Coleman's class had told them it was National Pancake Day. I thought it was really coincidental that I was already planning on making pancakes. That was also Nubbin Day so we decided that instead of making pancakes, we would go out and get some. We show up to IHOP (really not somewhere we regularly go, contrary to the past week) and I jokingly remarked that the parking lot was really empty for Nat'l Pancake Day. I really thought that it was just one of those random holidays that you only know about if you have a free Hallmark pocket calendar. We get to the table and see the sign about free pancakes and think "Bonus! Everybody is stupid but us - we are here at IHOP on Nat'l Pancake Day and we get free pancakes.......But wait, Robbie what is it that you are reading? The 12th? No, it can't be." But yes it was - we were a week early for this National Holiday. So then and there we swore to brave the crowds and celebrate for the 2nd week in a row. Honestly, you would think we have all the time in the world, the way we galavant around from IHOP to IHOP. We ate our shortstack, donated to a good cause, and I hope you will join us next year!

My Nubbin

(1995) Chandler Bing from the Friends TV show. In The One With Phoebe's Husband, he refers to his third nipple as his "nubbin", but eventually has it removed via an operation he calls a "nubbinectomy" (the word implying surgical removal of a nubbin). When asked by another character (Ross) if it could "do" anything, he replied that it could "open the delivery entrance to the magical land of Narnia." Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernumerary_nipple

The welt/bump/lump that we affectionately call "My nubbin" appears to be looking better. Not so much smaller, but less angry. I think that the antibiotic the dermatologist gave me is working and that is a good sign. We still have no test results back, but after a week on the meds, I do notice a difference. Although not technically a "nubbin," I wonder if a nubbinectomy would do the trick!? One more week and we should know something - thanks for your concern!

Creature of Habit

My little Sam is such a creature of habit. To explain, he had to wear arm splints in the hospital to keep him from touching his mouth. We were instructed to keep them on him at home unless he was being watched. Well, he is always being watched because he is such a busy little bugger and gets into everything, so he just wore them at nap and nighttime. Now when he gets in bed, he automatically holds his arms out. Enough time has passed and his stitches are out so he really doesn't need them anymore, but still every time, he stretches out those little arms for his splints. Try and explain to him that he doesn't need them anymore! He gets very concerned and will insist that you put them on. Every day after nap, he gets up to go potty, wash his hands and get in the car for carpool. If he weren't so little he could do it all himself. And don't try to skip a step or change the order. He often uses a potty chair instead of the ring in the big potty (he is not big as a minute ~ almost 3 years old and wearing 12-18 month clothes). After he goes, I take the "pot" out, dump the contents, add some soap and water and rinse it out. After observing, he will go potty, jump up and try to pull out the "pot" and try to do it himself. I am all for independence, but this crosses a line for me. Again, it is that independent and habitual behavior. When he gets to the car, he expects a snack. For a while, we had those big industrial Sam's club size snack boxes in the garage. I would pull a snack out of the box to give him in the car. Since his surgery, he is only allowed to have soft and pureed foods, which is quite a challenge for a little guy with food issues and who expects things to happen the same way every time. We are very schedule oriented as much as possible (with 5 kids it is pure survival) so it only feeds his need for habitual behavior. This only adds to his frustration. I have now bought and baked softer snacks, which are kept inside. He would become very upset that the snack was not coming from the usual box. And he holds a grudge. He will cry for 30+ minutes over this and all the while refuse to eat the new snack, even though it is something that he loves. I don't push the issue. I find that if I just walk away and (figure out how to) deal with the tantrum, he will eventually calm down and accept the new way of doing things. Sometimes it takes a few days. There are some things that we can not give in to like the soft vs. crunchy food. Sam cried for days over not being able to eat goldfish after the surgery. That is what most of his tantrums have been over. The doctor says only soft and pureed food, and we are not veering from that. The long term is more important than giving in, creating a new habit and dealing with the effects. The kids have been great by not asking for or eating snack in front of Sam, and Emma is no worse for the wear eating lots of yogurt, pudding, applesauce and muffins. Sam has had little to no control over all of these huge changes in his life and he is exerting what little power he has left - and then to lose the foods that make life so wonderful and that were in great supply since coming home from China. It is sad and it tears at your heart, but then I think of the surgery and what opportunities will come his way as a result. Thanks to the tubes, he can now hear. Thanks to the palate repair, muscle pad build up and frenulectomy, he will have a chance to speak as clearly as you or I. Thanks to the stint, his surgical site has been protected from trauma and his pain has been lessened. Thanks to the plastic surgeon his scar has been cleaned up and lengthened to accomodate his growth and his nose is symmetrical. It is amazing how "in perspective" things can get after a few good nights sleep (for mom). And speaking of sleep, the poor little things still gurgles and rattles and snorts and snuffs (We read Moo, Baa, LaLaLa by Sandra Boynton ~ the rhinocerous snorts and snuffs so Emma says that Sam is our rhinocerous), so Jack has moved out of their room and now sleeps on an air mattress in Coleman and Robbie's room. The doctor said that this will pass as soon as the swelling goes down. Sam is such an amazing kid - resilliant as many kids are. His spirit is amazing. I am lucky to be his mommy!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gung Hay Fat Choy ! Happy New Year! This year we celebrated the Year of the Rat with our dear friends Carrie, Celia and Sonya (yes, Robbie's Sonya). They came over for dinner. Carrie stopped by Penang and brought us the most amazing food - I felt like we were in China (but with no squatty potties), the food was so authentic. We had ordered a few things from a local Chinese restaurant that were clearly westernized so it was really cool to eat things that we would not normally try here in the U.S. She even ordered us fish served in all it's glory just like in China - no waste. It was looking at me, teeth bared. I should have taken a picture. Carrie speaks fluent Chinese, something that you would not expect from this fair skinned, blonde haired, blue eyed Midwestern girl. She spoke to Sam in Chinese and told him a few commands which he followed! I was so happy to know that he still remembered. Carrie and another friend of ours, Francis, who is from Taiwan, have talked with me about starting a Chinese play group. I am hoping we can get this going soon. I want my older boys involved too. We had a great time and just enjoyed being together. We exchanged red envelopes and the kids played. It was very low key which is where we are at right now. Maybe next year we can go to a big celebration, but for now we kept it simple. Go and check out the cake that my friend Michele and fellow Chongyang mom had for their New Year celebration - it is amazing!