Carolina & Co.

Shannon posting again. Sorry about the delay; I wanted to make sure some of these pics were okay to post.

Billy, Teesa, & Carolina have had a busy few days visiting with friends, visiting the orphanage where Carolina has spent her time, and even seeing the very spot where she was found as a newborn.

From Teesa:

Here are some pics of her yesterday. She's a real flexible little one. She can do splits and all. She sucks her thumb when she's sort of regressing into an "I need something" mode but doesn't know how to tell me what she needs. She sucks her thumb and grabs onto a piece of clothing or a towel when she's hungry or sleepy.

Visiting with Bill & Teesa's friend Erica.

The very spot where she was found, wrapped up on the ground in front of those doors.

God already had a plan for her!

This girl must love tea parties! This is her adorable friend Rebekah,

also recently adopted by some friends of Billy & Teesa.

Look at Rebekah laughing - so cute!

These two have a lot to talk about don't they?

More News from Teesa:

Carolina is doing great. We are finally figuring her out and her us. She sleeps twice a day, one long nap in the morning and one short nap in the later afternoon. Her actual stomach has increased in size and she wants to eat more and more at each meal (whereas last week she would eat maybe two tablespoons of rice cereal and 1/3 baby food jar, now she eats three baby food jars and a whole bowl of rice cereal). She's talking and babbling more too and loves to walk everywhere. Still not super attached to Dad, but if Mom is out of the room she is.

Billy, Teesa, and Carolina are scheduled to fly back this Saturday, the 20th. As you're praying for them this week, remember to pray for traveling safety and for logistics to go smoothly. Also, pray for Sam. They are missing him, and he's really missing them as well.

I'll post more pics and updates as I receive them. And soon, Teesa will be back in the blogging seat. Blessings!

A Sweet Day

Looks like Carolina had a great day. (These great shots were taken by Teesa's friend who was visiting.)

Smiles from Across the Ocean

More news and pics from our friends enjoying their new baby girl in China!

These wash basins are used daily for anything from washing dishes to washing hair... and apparently babies!

Her 1st trip to Starbucks? She didn't stray far from Mama, though.

From Teesa:

Every day she's revealing a little more of what she's capable of. She said "Hi" to us today and mimmicks a lot of what we do, like blowing raspberries and clapping her hands or playing peek-a-boo. She's running around like crazy (tiny steps though), but is still very timid when it comes to getting out of her familiar surroundings, i.e. the hotel room. She's still not used to diapers either, because they don't use diapers in the orphanage.

I think Sam will love her. She's a great fit for our family. Last night when we were skyping with Sam, he got very concerned about why she was crying. Bill finally had to tell him that she was very tired and that seemed to help.

One of us is going to go to the orphanage on Tuesday to take pictures and talk with the orphanage director, and maybe take some presents too.

Sportin' her Uber-cute smile! (And some really cool shoes.)

Teesa is feeling better - keep her in your prayers that she will be completely well and have no further reactions to medication. I will post more news and pictures as I receive them. Isn't God great?!

- Shannon (for Bill & Teesa)

Videos of Carolina

*Shannon posting again for Billy & Teesa.

As promised, here are the videos of sweet Carolina.

Introducing Carolina!

*This is Teesa's friend Shannon, updating the blog for her, as it seems they cannot access blogs from where they're using a computer.

Bill and Teesa are still in China. The first meeting and adoption went well, and yesterday they took her to the doctor for her checkups. She weighs about 18.3 lbs. wearing all her clothes (and Mommy's watch.)

Here's some tid-bits straight from teesa:

She's not following any of the normal orphanage-raised child protocols, as in, she is making eye contact, she is falling asleep in our arms, she is begging to be held, she loves riding in her Baby Bjorn and she has already learned to say "more" in sign language, so she's communicating with us.

She can nod her head for yes and shake it for no. She can say "gege" (big brother) for Sam (while looking at his picture) and she reaches out to Bill and me. She dislikes other people holding her and throws her body towards mommy.

But, she is definitely developmentally delayed in a lot of ways. She only drinks from a sippy cup once a day and refuses liquids the rest. Plus she won't really eat any solid foods, except baby foods and rice. We did sneak some egg in with her rice tonight and after a while she wanted it on her own, but it's very difficult to get her to eat something new. We're going to need to try cow's milk tomorrow, because she dislikes her formula (which they told us she eats).

We're going to try to visit her orphanage in a couple days and see where she's spent her time. The orphanage director was extremely sweet and even provided us with a little picture book of the orphanage and Carolina standing and playing outside of it.

They need our prayers:

- Teesa has been sick, suffering from hives due to an allergic reaction to some antibiotics. Please pray that she will get well quickly.

- Pray that everything continues to go well, and Carolina will continue to bond with her new parents, and will begin eating and drinking as she should.

- Remember to pray for Sam who is still waiting at home for Mom and Dad to return with his new sister.

Teesa sent me a few short videos of Carolina which I will upload to the blog soon. For now, here are more pictures - isn't she beautiful!! Praise God for answered prayer!!

Leaving On a Jet Plane

I'm on my way. I'll try to post when we get there. Please pray for me, since I have been sick this week and am really hoping to feel better by the time I land on Sunday morning EST. I don't want anyone thinking I have a major flu bug or anything.

Almost There

I leave tomorrow for Charlotte and on Saturday morning I am flying out. I have a lot to do to get ready to go.

Unfortunately, I got a sinus infection and ear infection this week. So, please pray for me to get better soon and to have the strength and energy to get everything done that I need to. I honestly feel terrible, but this morning I feel better than I did even last night.

The countdown begins...

Happy Birthday, Adam

Just wanted to wish my brother a happy birthday. I can't believe that I forgot to send a card this year, but I did. So, in lieu of a card, today my blog is dedicated to him.



We're all grown up...33 - I think that means we're in our mid-30s now. But it's been a fun ride and I'm happy to have had my womb-mate with me through my childhood.

Surgery Scheduled

Sam's surgery has been scheduled for August 18th at UNC Hospitals. We'll need to be there around 6am and the surgery will be around 7am. Pre-op is the day before at 10am.

The surgeon's office told me today that this will be an extremely painful surgery, so he will need at least 5 days to recover in the hospital. He'll be on an epidural for two of those days. Dr. Stewart is going in through his side, rather than the front, which is apparently what contributes to the pain.

We're taking one crisis at a time right now, so now that that has been scheduled, we're going to move on to getting Carolina home. Then we'll focus more on the horror of what is about to happen.

Blessings.

Good News and Bad News

Fun cooking

We had an extremely successful night at Perkinsville. Not only did we raise over $1900, but our church reached out to the community and brought in so many new faces!

I have more to say on that, but it will have to wait until later.

The bad news is that we saw Sam's cardiologist today and he has to have surgery to fix a lead (wire) going to his heart. It will be scheduled for late August.

Ups and downs are part of everyone's lives. It seems like ours are a bit more dramatic, but I swear we're not aiming for that! Please keep Sam in your prayers.

Sam was accidentally knocked down last night, which led to a fat lip, road rash above his lip and on his knees and various bruising.

Playing

Result

Update on Carolina

I got an email this morning with a surprise update on Carolina! I had written a couple days ago asking about her updated weight and height, but our translator said the door was still closed and we wouldn't be able to get any more information.

However, something must have changed, because this morning she wrote and here's the report:

Height: 28.7 inches (73cm)
Weight: 16.5 lbs (7.5kg)
Foot: 4.3 inches (11cm)

She's grown almost 3 inches taller, weighs one pound more and her foot size has increased 1 whole centimeter from late March!

I'm really encouraged by this information. It will help me pack better for her and it helps me know that she is still growing, which is obviously a great sign. I still am surprised by how large her feet are compared to her height and weight - I wonder if it's like a puppy? She's meant to be a lot larger and her feet are an indication of how big she'll grow?

We shall see!

Don't forget our spaghetti dinner tomorrow night.

Adoption Fundraiser

At Perkinsville Baptist Church across from New Market in Boone!

We'd love to see you there.

Plane Tickets - Paid For!!

We have been so blessed over our short lives. God has blessed us with friends who are extremely loyal, loving and generous. Our friends will travel anywhere to see us, whether it be in China or in Western North Carolina. Over the last year, since we've been in Western NC, we have seen over five different families from our time overseas. That doesn't even include the friends who have traveled across the States to spend time with us (too many to count).

I have to say, I am always amazed at God's blessings in my life. They really are new every morning.

Doug, Nina, Baby Sam and me

One incredible blessing we received recently was my plane ticket to China and back for the adoption. We met our friends, Doug and Nina, at a big conference in Sevierville and they happened to be our hosts for the weekend. We instantly fell in love with them. They have a huge heart for China. They have been our prayer warriors through difficult times and have helped pray Sam out of the hospital on many occasions.

We were privileged to stay with them on our way to Nashville for my grandfather's funeral. As we were leaving, Nina pulled me aside and said that they would like to become a part of Carolina's story - part of her history with our family - by buying my plane tickets.

Not only did they buy my plane tickets, but they got me First Class tickets ALL THE WAY THERE AND BACK!!

Poor Bill is on the same plane on the way home, but he's going to be in coach!

I just wanted to publicly say thank you to Doug and Nina. They are sweet angels who have blessed one of the most difficult parts of this journey in a way I cannot express.

Those of you who know me well know that I have low blood pressure and sometimes pass out during take off. Knowing that I am going to have to fly all by myself over there has made me quite nervous. Now that I know I will be taken care of in a big way AND at the front of the plane (which sometimes helps my blood pressure) has relieved an enormous amount of anxiety (that I shouldn't have been feeling, I know).

Thanks to all of you who have helped us make sweet memories for Carolina's journey home. This has been an incredible story and I can't wait to share it with her one day.

Nina saved this bird after it flew into her window

We're Featured!!

We've been featured in a local online magazine called the High Country Mom Squad.

Go on over and check it out!

Special thanks to Sarah for helping us promote our event through her website!

What A Success!!!

Setting up

We had a very long, but successful day today. After a week of folks stopping by to donate items for our yard sale, we woke up at 5:30am this morning and headed out. We borrowed our church's trailer, three clothing wracks, a truck, two tables and one beautiful friend. Everything else was for sale...one of our friends stayed all day to help, one came and helped set up, several stopped by throughout the day to help for an hour or so at a time.

We made a grand total of....are you ready to hear this?? $475 - including two donations made outside of the yard sale and $10o donations from people just walking by.

We sold about 80% of our items, PLUS, some of our friends sold their stuff and then handed us the rest of it AND the money they made.

Talk about generosity. Talk about a community coming together. Talk about God's grace and mercy in our lives. Wow. We stand amazed at His control in this situation. AND, the rain held off with our prayers. At 2:30pm, when I was closing the trailer, it started raining.

Bill didn't want to part with his teddy bear

Sam had a little help from his friend, Trathan, removing his sock and playing

Everybody was really excited with our Fill a Bag for $1 deal

Thank you to everyone who helped make today a success. To Perkinsville Baptist Church, Athalia and Travis, Sarah, Alison, Matt, Casey and Michael (and Trathan), Brian and Trish (and Elijah), Karen, Tiffany, Wanda, Nicole and everyone else. You have each had a hand in bringing our daughter home. We are so grateful.

Teesa and Bill (and Sam)

Great Deals at the Yard Sale

Here are some of the items up for sale at our yard sale (sneak preview):

• 2 electric weed wackers (both work)
• bread machine/maker
• bedding
• plus size maternity clothes
• lots of baby clothes
• toys for all ages
• SO many shoes!!
• Christmas items - some used, some unused and still in packaging
• chairs
• much much more!!!

Don't forget to come out and support us for our adoption tomorrow starting at 8am!!!

Saturday, May 16 YARD SALE

We tried to do a big community yard sale a couple weeks ago, but apparently it ended up raining, plus we had to go out of town unexpectedly.

The yard sale has been rescheduled for this Saturday. Donations have been pouring in for us to sell to raise money for the adoption. I have two cars and an entire bedroom FULL of stuff to sell. And it's good stuff too: beautiful blankets, a toaster oven, great shoes, clothes of all sizes, plus-size maternity clothes, Christmas items (unused as well as used), toys - you name it, we probably have it for sale. The whole community has come out to support us with our adoption.

So, here is the info:

WHEN: Saturday, May 16th - 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
WHERE: Community One Bank parking lot (in front of Coyote Kitchen) in BOONE, NC
WHAT: High Country Mommies Yard Sale

All of OUR proceeds will go towards the adoption. There will be other mommies out there selling too, and they will keep their money.

Bill, Sam and I will all be out there selling. We'll have some great deals, so please come and join us!!!

In case of rain, stay tuned...

Healthy Hearts Reunion

Sam and me with matching
ladybug stickers on our faces

We had the privilege of going to Chapel Hill last Saturday for a Healthy Hearts Reunion hosted by UNC Hospital. It was such a special time of seeing other young children who have survived heart issues thanks to the hard work of cardiac surgeons and cardiologists.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Sam's cardiologist there. However, we did run into Sam's surgeon, who implanted his defibrillator over a year ago. He he knew exactly who Sam was and even remembered very specific details of the circumstances surrounding Sam's surgery. He said his most vivid memory was of coming into our hospital room the morning after the surgery and asking if everything was okay. Bill and I both said in unison, "NO!" Then he learned about Sam's defibrillator shocking him 20 times in 24 minutes.

Sam and his surgeon, reunited

He also said that Dr. Buck, Sam's cardiologist, keeps him in the loop. He said, "I hear it's likely that we'll be needing to do another surgery some time soon," which sent Bill into a tailspin. Bill had heard my report of our last cardiology visit, but he still didn't believe it was "likely" that Sam will need another operation soon. Regardless, Sam's surgeon said that he's been thinking about it a lot and would like to make the incision at Sam's side, rather than through his chest. It will make for an easier recovery and will get the job done.

So, we go for another appointment with Dr. Buck on May 28th and will learn how Sam's defibrillator is doing. If the numbers are going up, we will likely continue to wait and watch. If the numbers go down, he will "likely" need surgery. The good news about it is that Sam's surgeon has been mulling it over and thinking about it for a while. Plus, he actually seemed excited about it - as though this is a big challenge that he can't wait to tackle. We know that Sam was the smallest patient that this surgeon had ever performed surgery on at that point (by himself). We also know that Sam was the youngest patient he's ever implanted a defibrillator in. So, there you have it. I definitely want this doctor to perform this surgery, IF it has to happen, because he knows us and knows Sam's body well. I remember that he said he "mapped" 40% of Sam's heart while he was performing the last surgery. I realize we could transfer that information to another surgeon, but why should we when we have someone who's already been there and touched Sam's heart. He touched ours too.

China Shoe Boxes

Bill and I spent the Monday after my grandfather's passing (on Sunday evening) in Charlotte for the big press event Operation Christmas Child put on. Sam and I enjoyed every moment of it, from watching the plane touch down and taxi in, to the shoe boxes being placed on the plane, to the plane taxiing out and taking off.

I'm impressed by the video that Operation Christmas Child has completed.

Take a look...see if you recognize anybody.

Family

Despite the sad circumstances, we did have some real blessed time while we were in Nashville. My older brother, Seth,and his wife, Julieta, got to meet their two nephews for the first time.

It's hard to believe that they had never met Sam before, but it's true. We had fully intended on taking Sam through LA to see them on our back to China, but, well...you know that story. Crawford (above) will turn one in a week's time. He had grown so much since we last saw him. Carolina is almost exactly 6 months older than Crawford.



We got to take a few family photos while we were together too. Here is one of my immediate family.

Here is some GREAT news, that I just couldn't wait to share. Our church, Perkinsville Baptist, is going to throw a fundraising dinner for our adoption on May 27th. I will post more details about it later, but I'm so excited that they want to help! There have been so many people involved in helping to get something off the ground, but Casey and her husband Michael are the real heroes.

Bill and I will be in charge of publicizing the event. Other than that, we will just go and participate with everyone else. Things are really moving along!

Just in case someone reading is wondering about why we are doing a fundraiser for the adoption, I'll give a brief explanation. When we started the process, over five years ago, we were in a great place financially. Once we learned of Sam's heart condition and had to be hospitalized eight times last year, we quickly lost our momentum. After we decided to (wisely) stay in the States, new costs came up, like buying two cars and some furniture. Then some of the costs rose (like the orphanage fee went from $3000 to $5000 on January 1st this year). So, we are trusting in the Lord to provide all of the money we need for this adoption. In doing so, we are trying to raise all that we can with the abilities we have. There are lots of people behind-the-scenes helping us too.

More details to come...

Update

Many of you have written and are asking where I am or how I am. I obviously haven't been much in the mood for writing or communicating with anybody.

After my grandfather was taken to the hospital, the doctors quickly realized he was dying. They moved him to the room across from my grandmother's and moved her bed right next to his so they could hold hands. Her family was with him - daughters, sons, grandchildren...They all loved him so much and were able to tell him so before he passed away. They said it was so amazing, because just before he died all of his blemishes faded away. You see, he had melanoma and had many spots on his head and body. My grandmother said he was absolutely beautiful in passing.

What a great relief it is to know that God blessed him with such a peaceful death.

His funeral was also quite beautiful. But, it thundered and poured the whole time. We never made it to the graveside because of the mud and torrential downpour.

During the seven hour drive home, the grief came in waves. I imagine this will last a long time. I have never in my life lost someone so close to me. He was one of my best friends.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me and my family. We still need it.

Comfort

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me." Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:13-16

Bill on Camera

Great Loss

My grandmother had a pulmonary embolism last Thursday or Friday (I honestly can't remember) and was diagnosed with pneumonia and quickly hospitalized. Granddaddy stopped eating and drinking and was rushed to the hospital yesterday afternoon and died peacefully with my grandmother and her family beside him.

My grandmother is still in the hospital with very high blood pressure and is not doing well.

I am absolutely devastated. I know of no other way to tell everyone of our loss and to ask for prayers than to post it this horribly impersonal way.

The funeral is on Friday in Nashville.

HCM Yard Sale

**UPDATED** Some of the items have been stricken from the list.

Our local online group, High Country Mommies, is doing a big yard sale on May 2 from 8am to 1pm in front of the Coyote Kitchen by Wal Mart. I'm going to participate in it, because I've had a lot of folks tell me they will happily donate some things for me to sell. I've got a few things myself too.

All the money I raise during this sale will go towards adoption costs.

I know a lot of you have been wondering if we've heard any updates on Carolina. The truth is, we won't hear anything until we pick her up. Our agency has already contacted the orphanage and they have said they won't let us send any pictures, clothes, toys, etc or give any more information until we pick her up.

So, we are just praying for her and waiting. Six more weeks!

People have also asked what we need. Currently, she is 15.4lbs (as of 3/25/09) and 26 inches tall. Our best guess is that she will be in 6-9 month clothes for a few weeks at least. We have clothes for that size, but nothing for the next sizes up.

Here is our list:

• Socks (6-12 months)
• Shoes (Her feet are currently 11cm long, but will likely grow fast)
• Toddler bed
• A replacement mattress for our pack-n-play or a new pack-n-play ($21)
  
• Clothes (9-18 months): late Summer to Fall (tops, bottoms, pjs, socks, shoes, no onsies)
  
• 4-6 more cloth diapers (locals can check Suddenly Showing and Casey will tell you what I need)
• Wipes
  
• Disposable diapers (for the trip over)
• Sit-n-Stand stroller (follow link for an example of one)
  
• *want* Double jogger stroller
  

As you can see, we don't need too much to start with. We're excited to have a little girl on our hands. We're going to re-use a lot of Sam's stuff for her and once we get her home we'll have a better idea of sizing. For now, that's our list.

Thanks for checking in!

Weekend Fun

We had a great weekend when Bill's mother came up for a couple days. We took her over to Grandfather Mountain, since, hey, it's only a dollar, and went trout fishing afterwards. We even went to eat Thai after church on Sunday. It's always nice to have family come visit us...so we can plan some really exciting activities.

The first activity was Bill installing a new toilet downstairs. There's nothing like having someone stay with you to motivate you to put a toilet on a big stinky hole in your basement. Bill found the toilet at Lowes for $20!! It was a $150 toilet too - but the tank was cracked. He just used one of the extra tanks we have and, voila, we had a new toilet!


Grandfather Mountain was great because we got to go with Sam's best friend Trathan. The boys had a great time together...Sam wanted to show Trathan all of the animals in the habitat (plus feed the bears!) and visit the swinging bridge too.

If you look closely, you can see me and Sam in the middle of the bridge.

Several people wrote me and asked about the picture of the bear I posted in my last Grandfather post. Yes, that was a picture I took. And...


Here's another one (Bill took). Just to prove to you that we WERE that close to the bears.

Tentatively, I am planning on leaving June 6th for China. Bill will meet me over there, as he will be traveling already. We'll pick up Carolina on the 8th and do lots of paperwork, passports, visas, etc and start traveling home on June 18th. I think we can probably make it back home by late June 19th. We're just waiting for the travel documents and then I'll purchase our tickets. There is still a lot to do before we leave. Time is already flying by quickly!

Yard Sale

As the adoption comes to a head, we are thinking of ways we can raise a little money to help us out. One of our ideas is to have a business where we sell a monthly e-zine that will include a devotion, meal plans, recipes and how-to's. The e-zine is still in its production-phase, but it is coming along nicely. It's amazing how many friends I have who are helping with the process. It makes it all so much easier.

I recently saw that our local High Country Mommies group is going to have a big yard sale on May 2nd. I would love to sell some of Sam's old clothes and toys, but realize that I don't have enough to really make it worth my while.

So, my request to any of you who are reading this is, do you have any old clothes/toys that you want to donate to our cause? I can sell them at the yard sale and make some money to go towards the adoption. If you do, post a comment with your email address and I'll send you my mailing address to mail it (or if you're local, just bring it on by). I won't post your email address publicly though.

Maybe I can at least make enough money from the yard sale to pay for some of our food over there.

Grandfather Mountain

We hit Grandfather Mountain again today, for their Dollar Days. Anybody who's local can get a whole car load in for one buck per person. Normally it's $15 per person, so we are trying to go as often as possible this month.



The greatest part of our trip today was meeting up with some of our East Asia buddies. We've had a great reunion this week with three different couples (well, one couple was missing her husband). It always amazes me at how many friends from overseas we've seen since we've lived here. The woman whose husband wasn't with us this week (not pictured) and her family were matched with their little girl the same day we were. We'll be traveling to China together!


Sam and I climbed all the way to the end of the rocks across Mile High Bridge. I was surprised that he could hike it all himself (with me gripping onto his hand for dear life the whole way).

See what a heart patient can do with a little hard work, determination and a Mommy to hold his hand? I'm so proud of him!

Our Little Girl

Happy Easter!

I have been so busy trying to get things together around here that I've been (obviously) neglecting this blog. But, don't fear, I am still around and am going to keep you apart of our journey overseas.

We've had a crazy time lately at home. Our community well (five of us share it) broke on Saturday, while we were in Nashville, and was finally fixed on Monday morning. We still didn't have water until late Monday night though, because our house filter and all of the aerators in the house were filled with mud/clay. Bill finally got everything working again around midnight that night.

The "Underwood" lip - the two of them both do it
when they pout, along with my mother.

My grandfather is doing well, so thanks to everyone who has lifted him up. He is going to see the doctor today and will find out if he needs to have surgery. He has a 70% blockage in his carotid artery. But, he is doing better every day, as far as his recovery from falling. Oh, and it turned out he was taking his blood pressure medicine incorrectly too. He was cutting it into thirds so he could swallow it better, but it was time-released, so it was releasing all at once. Needless to say, there were a few reasons why he was falling so much last week.

We survived the tornadoes as well. We were at my grandfather's apartment, on the 15th floor, when an announcement came over the loudspeaker that told us to get into the stairwells or go down to the cafeteria. My grandfather refused to leave the apartment, so Bill moved his lazy boy into the tiny kitchen and we all huddled in there for protection. Granddaddy was smart though, he did say he wanted to be at the top of the pile of rubble, not at the bottom. So, no going down to the first floor. No tornadoes hit our area though, but my aunt lives in Mufreesboro and she drove right through one by accident.

Easter Morning

Since everyone wants to know about our little girl, Carolina, I'll share some information that we translated while in Nashville. She is a tiny little peanut, weighing only 15.4 lbs (7 kg) at 18 months old. She's also extremely short. She's a bit malnourished, as she has low iron, but is not anemic. She is relatively healthy otherwise. They said, as of December last year, that she is tiny but spirited. Her eyes are bright/clever and she is content in any circumstance. They also said she shows likes and dislikes of objects and people. She is determined as well, and even if a toy is far away, she will try to reach it. She was crawling as of December, 2008 as well. She could be walking by now for all we know.

We will travel to get her around June 7th. It will be an exciting time for all of us. I can't believe it's already happening.

We need to raise some support though, as this will be an expensive trip. The orphanage fee alone has been raised to $5000. If you'd like to donate to our adoption, click on the DONATE button to the left. Or, you can donate directly to us.

But, what we need most is prayer. Pray for Carolina, that she will receive nourishment in her current circumstance, and that she will adjust quickly to us and her new home. Pray also that the paperwork would go through without any hitches.

Matched!

I can't post her pictures, but we've been matched with a little girl in China. She was born October 11, 2007 - almost one year exactly younger than Sam.

Yipeee!!!

Sump Pump

We have been having one crisis after another here at our house. Some of them have made me laugh so hard I've cried and others are just plain sad.

The funniest thing that has happened occurred on Bill's birthday. We were just getting ready for his party when the toilet exploded from between the base of it and the floor. Bill spent two thirds of the party in the basement mopping up raw sewage and trying to get it to stop. By the time he came upstairs again, he was drenched in grossness and had to take a shower. We didn't eat our Chinese meal until about 8:30pm, and Bill acted like it was a surprise party, even though we had all been making tons of noise and had even interacted with him some while he was downstairs.

The next day, we called our neighbors across the street, because he has a septic pumping truck and he was the only one I could think to call who would be honest with us. He came over immediately and they finally determined that the problem was a blown-out motor in the sump pump. Bill decided to take it upon himself to take apart said motor and see if he could fix it.

This is what I found when I looked off the back deck:

We had a friend here who had just river boarded down the Watauga Gorge and was just visiting for the night. Bill called us to the edge of the deck and pulled the object that had been lodged in the motor out for us to see. It was a rubber dinosaur! Not just any rubber dinosaur, but one of those animals that starts as an egg and when you put it in water, it expands to its full size. It was much larger than when it started out! I can't tell you how hard we laughed.

I put it down the toilet! It was me!

My mother gave it to Sam when she was here last year, just after we bought the house. Sam promptly threw it in my mop bucket and I poured the mop water down the toilet. I saw it going - I tried to grab it, but it was too late. I thought maybe it was stuck in the septic somewhere. But, no. It was in the sump pump, swirling around, until a couple days ago when it got sucked into the motor.

I called my mother to tell her about it and she laughed so hard - I haven't heard her laugh that hard in years. She said she's going to bring three more home with her this summer.

Once he removed it, the pump worked great. So, there you have it. A low-cost solution to a potentially bad problem. Of course, Bill spent hours working on it and we have no toilet in the bathroom now. But, maybe that will be fixed over the course of the next few weeks.

On a more sad note, my grandfather is in the hospital today. He fell down a couple times and ended up shaking after his last fall. They have done all kinds of scans and tests but do not have an answer to why he's been falling. I just spoke with him on the phone and he sounds so much better than he did yesterday. I think they are thinking he had a mini-stroke. The brain scan from this morning will show more information.

Please pray for him. And for us, as we will need to go down to Nashville tomorrow to see them. Bill is coming with me - so we'll be spending Easter there.


I'll update you more as I know more. Here we are in 2007, just after we arrived back from China. All my current photos are on my laptop, which is dead and in Thailand.

Locks of Love

Sam has been doing pretty well this morning. His fever is slowly creeping back up, so about an hour ago we gave him some Tylenol. It's back down now. He was acting a bit lethargic yesterday and didn't eat much, but today he's back to eating a ton (odd that he's still so tiny) and has all his energy back. Thanks again for praying for him, those of you who did. We know it is only prayer that has helped him.

On another note, I got my haircut today. I got 12 inches taken off and I'm donating it to Locks of Love.

Bill took this before picture earlier in the day.

This one was right after I came home.

I feel ten pounds lighter!

Oh, and I meant to say, Happy Birthday to my love, Bill! He's 34 today. We're having a great Chinese meal tonight - I'm cooking it all from scratch. It's nothing you can get at any restaurant in town - it's all Yunnan-style. Bill is pumped about having some real Chinese food again. You should have seen the look on the butcher's face when I asked him to chop up the ribs into tiny pieces! To each his own...

99.9!!!

Whoever doesn't believe in the power of prayer needs to follow Sam's story a little more closely.

We posted this on here and asked our church to start their prayer chain and here we are one and a half hours later and his temp is down to 99.9F.

We sat with him, read books, stripped him down to nothing and waited. We prayed and waited. It went up to 102.9 about 45 minutes after the Tylenol and then we gave him some Motrin too. We left his room when it went down to 101.8F, the magic number for Sam. In the past, he's had VTAC at 101.8F, so we felt like it was probably okay to let him sleep. When I went in to check on him just now, his forehead was cool, but when I pulled back the covers he was sopping wet in sweat. He broke that fever!! Yipee!!

We'll keep a close eye on him overnight. I'll see how he feels in the morning to decide if we need to take him to the doctor. Who knows why this came on so suddenly? I certainly don't.

Keep praying for Sam! Thanks.



For those of you who haven't been following Sam's story, the long and short of it is that Sam's heart cannot tolerate fever. He has a history of going into an arrhythmia called VTAC, or ventricular tachycardia, where his heart beats over 250 bpm. If it is sustained for longer than 40/60 beats, his defibrillator (that he's had since he was 11 months old) will shock his heart into a normal rhythm. Click on his picture on the left to read more about his story.

Fever

Just a quick post to say Sam's got 102.5F as of ten minutes ago. Please pray for his temp to come down quickly.

Also, I didn't post this before, but now I feel the need to. At his last cardiology visit, we learned that one of his leads isn't reading properly. If his heart goes into VTAC and it's not reading properly tonight, it could potentially miss it and Sam will be in VTAC without the help of his defibrillator. Obviously, we would hope his body will come out of the VTAC by itself, but in general he needs the defibrillator to help him. Therefore, we are praying right now that the lead is reading properly and that his heart does not go into VTAC.

I'm obviously not writing down the logic of what would happen if his heart went into VTAC and didn't come out on his own without the defibrillator's help. You can come to that conclusion on your own.

Pray with us.

Cream-Filled Egg

Believe it...I really did make it myself.
What's more: it only took minutes to create.

This is just a piece of what's going to be finally published around the middle of April - a new e-zine that my partner and I are producing. I'm so excited about all that we're going to be able to share with you recipe-wise. But, there's more than that too...

Just another reason I haven't been blogging as much. All my time and effort has been put into our e-zine.

Oh, and this great big hive I've got on my body. All the small hives have come together to form the largest hive in the history of the world. It's taking all my energy to scratch it now.

March Madness

I don't really know what all this "March Madness" is about, but at our house is just means things have gone plain crazy.

We got some bad news today that the Shaohannah's Hope adoption grant we applied for was denied. Too many applicants not enough money. And two days ago, we found out that the timing belt in Bill's car is gone, so it will cost more money than his car is worth to fix it. Ahh, and the dreaded rash that sent me to the expensive ER on Sunday has come back with a fury today (it's really angry!) so I need to go back to the doctor this afternoon. Thank God for insurance.

With all the financial strains on everybody right now, obviously not just us, I just want to remind myself and you that God is with us. My favorite verses that have been our life verses since Sam was created in my womb have been:

Isaiah 43:4 -7

This is what the Lord, our Creator, says to his people:

"Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!'
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth--
Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him."

I don't know what any of our futures hold, but these words have spoken to my heart time and time again. Today, they are reminding me of the calling God put in my life to adopt a little girl from China. My descendants will come from the east, my daughters from the ends of the earth...And, most importantly of all, I shouldn't fear because He is with me.

No matter what the financial blow your family has been dealt, God will see you through this time. Somehow He will create families despite the difficulties and carry us through.

Here is my descendant from the east, my son from afar, the one who God created for His glory and whom God formed...All greased up after eating one of our favorite dishes, dry-glass potatoes. Don't mind the bad haircut. He doesn't.

Jump Rope for Heart

Our ten year-old nephew, Nicholas, is raising support for the American Heart Association by jump roping. Here's what he said about it:

Hi! I am participating in the Jump Rope for Heart event at my school. I will begin jumping rope next week and will continue until the end of the month. Will you please donate to help me with my goals and the goals of the American Heart Association?

Your donation to the American Heart Association is tax deductible. If you make an online donation, you will receive a confirmation email for your tax deduction.

I have to turn in all of my donations by Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Thank you for supporting The American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program.

I am jumping in memory of my great-grandfather, Vic McDonald. He had heart disease his entire life and recently passed away because of it and I am jumping in honor of my cousin Sam who has a heart condition. I want to try to help as many people as I can by doing my part in finding cures for heart disease.

Click here to see his website. (That's not his picture on the site.)

This is obviously a subject close to our hearts and we are thrilled that he is jumping in memory of Bill's grandfather and in honor of our little Sam. AMA does a lot of great work towards researching heart disease. While much of it is for adult heart issues, there is a small portion that goes towards congenital heart defects. If you have some money to spare, please donate to a good cause. Also, if you want to donate less than $25, post a comment (I won't publish it) with your email address so I can let you know where to send the check (made out to AHA).

Blessings.

Baby Stellan

You've probably seen these posts all over the internet, but I'd like to post it here too.

There's a baby boy named Stellan who needs our prayers. He's in tachycardia and has been for almost 24 hours. He comes in and out of it with irregular rhythms and blood pressure fluctuations. Please visit their blog to get more details. http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Let's pray for him. His story reminds me some of Sam's story.

Whirlind

Well, we've had a whirlwind of a weekend. Bill got back yesterday after being gone just over two weeks in India and Indonesia.

Sam and I drove down to Charlotte to meet him, because, well, we couldn't stand to be apart a moment longer. We went to Ikea and then to Bill's favorite restaurant (Chili's) to celebrate his homecoming and our reunion.

Last week I was diagnosed with a sinus infection, which I think I mentioned here. I was given some antibiotics to take and finished them up about three or four days ago. Yesterday morning I noticed I was scratching myself in my sleep and when I woke up and checked my torso out, I had red splotches all over. The itching and rash grew steadily worse until I finally called the doctor on-call. He said to take some Claritan at 2pm and Zyrtac at bedtime and that it was probably an allergic reaction to the antibiotics.

I kept Bill up all night long with my scratching. I feel terrible about it, especially because he's jet lagging and he didn't need someone scratching themselves incessantly keeping him awake - he needed a nice restful sleep.

The rash and itching was progressively getting worse today and I checked back with the on-call doc who said to take some Benadryl. I took two and all it did was make me drowsy. So I was sleepy AND scratching myself all over.

In the end, the doctor told me to go to the ER. So, we spent about an hour there (surprisingly little time and we saw the doc within minutes of arriving). I am officially allergic to Cephalosporins and they prescribed an epi pen in case something happens in the next few days. All from one little antibiotic, I'm now on Prednisone, Zantac, Zyrtec, another type of antihistamine.

At least it's not Sam who's keeping us hopping. Hey, I want attention too, you know!

Outtake

It took a lot of effort to get that one story just right...

Sam and the Three Little Pigs

The latest news around our house is how the Big Bad Wolf blew the Three Little Pigs houses down. I had to get Sam going a bit in this video, because he was so enthralled with looking at himself, but I think it's a good representation of how he tells the story in general.

Oh, and pay no attention to the haggard lady in the background. She's just really tired these days. (Actually, I just finished a good run, hence the crazy wind-blown hair. I have no excuse for the circles under my eyes though.)

St. Patrick's Day

We watched this yesterday in the car ride home from Gastonia. I loved listening to it, but watching it is fun too. Great story. It's from Veggie Tales.

OUCH!!

We just got back from our trip to see the pediatric urologist. Poor Sam. The doctor was asking a few questions about Brugada Syndrome, but wasn't interested enough in my opinion. I guess it's because he had other things in mind for Sam instead of performing surgery.

He pulled apart the opening with his fingers and no anesthetic or instruments. Man can that kid cry. Apparently, his meatal stenosis wasn't bad enough to warrant surgery, thank God. But, it did warrant a pretty rough visit. So, I have instructions on how to care for him over the next few days and the doctor threw in a few more instructions for good measure. One of which was to not allow Sam to go more than two hours between urinating. So, we'll make sure to take him really often.

Thanks for everyone's prayers! This was an option I didn't even foresee and I really am happy with it. We don't have to go back for any follow-up visits and everything else looks great.

Cardiology and Urology Appointments

Many of you have noticed that I've been MIA for a little over a week. I have had such a full schedule that I haven't had time for blogging during the day and I've been so exhausted at night that I'm just curling up in a ball and falling asleep.

I've been feeling pretty bad. The doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection last week, but even after antibiotics, I'm just achy and exhausted every day. This afternoon I fell asleep in a rocking chair with Sam playing happily at my feet. I just don't know what's wrong with me!

On a similar note, Sam has already had his cardiologist visit and has a urology visit tomorrow in Gastonia. The cardiologist said Sam is very healthy and has had no events since our last interrogation (3 months ago). This was very good news. We have another appointment in three months.

Tomorrow, at his urology appointment, we will learn exactly how they plan to deal with his meatal stenosis. Dr. Buck, Sam's cardiologist, gave me some tips and good advice to share with this new member of our doctoring family.

So, please keep us in mind as we journey away from home. I'll probably make my own appointment for later this week too. Gotta figure out why I'm so exhausted all the time! And, no, I'm not pregnant, for those of you who are wondering.

Lost

I had all these great photos of Sam in the foot-deep snow we had a couple days ago. But, we lost all of them due to a new piece of hardware corrupting all the files. I'm so bummed.

I have no idea how to get my photos onto the computer now, because Bill re-installed Windows and we realized only too late that our software for uploading the photos is in our storage unit - in CHINA.

In other news, Sam has a cardiology appointment next Thursday in Greensboro and then a pediatric urology appointment on the 16th in Gastonia. The one in Gastonia will be a consultation and then they'll let us know what the plan is.

No news on the adoption front yet either.