Happy Halloween

We had another day together as a family, minus Isaac. I (Jason) worked in Grand Rapids today, so we were able to go to Rose's for lunch. Rose's is in East Grand Rapids and is Hannah and Tiffany's favorite place to eat lunch. It was a lot of fun, except Hannah was a little cranky. Hannah did not sleep well last night and was under the weather today. Tiffany and I figured out that she has been sick every Halloween of her life.

Although she was not feeling well, Hannah still wanted to go trick-or-treating. We dressed her up in an MSU cheerleading outfit and I took her to a few houses while Tiffany handed out candy at the house. After Hannah and I got back to the house, Hannah had a few pieces of candy and starting acting a little better. We played together as a family for about an hour and then Hannah went to bed. She fell asleep almost instantly. Hopefully she will feel better tomorrow.

As for Isaac, things are status quo. He is getting his Broviac placed tomorrow. Hopefully he does well over the weekend so there are no more delays for the surgery on Tuesday. We need Isaac to be released or transferred here. We have been doing this for over three months and its time for my family to come back home.

Jason was SUPPOSED to come to Ohio today because Isaac was SUPPOSED to have surgery tomorrow. Surprise, surprise his surgery was put off until next week. I'm sure you can guess my reaction to that phone call. I ended up talking with the Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery (a really important guy). He profusely apologized and said they wouldn't have an operating room and surgical team available until next week. Best children's hospital in the midwest and my son has to wait a week because there isn't an available operating room and the staff doesn't want to put in a few extra hours. Interesting. I told him it was still unacceptable. He told me they still wouldn't do it until next week. Stalemate.

So, Hannah and I drove home. We arrived about 15 minutes ago. I'm going to watch some Letterman with Jason for a few minutes and then we're going to sleep.

Deep sigh.

Goodnight.

Isaac's surgery is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. Once we talk with the surgeon and get more detailed information about the procedure, I'll let you know. Jason is planning on coming down late tomorrow night. If Isaac has the surgery this week and if it goes well and if he begins to recover nicely, I'll be heading home sometime this weekend or early next week. We'll see what happens.

Isaac's pic line came out last night and then his peripheral IV came out today. Since he is dependent on IV nutrients, this is bad. Because he has absolutely no veins left in the rest of his body, they put his new peripheral in his head. It's so discouraging to see my buddy buddy with this thing in his head. They are likely going to put in a surgical IV called a Broviac when he has his intestinal surgery. He received another blood transfusion this evening and will get platelets before his surgery.

Hannah and I carved her little pumpkin today...other than that, pretty normal around here. I think I'm going to turn in early tonight. Thank you for your kind comments and words of encouragement. Always excited to read them.

Love.

I felt like Hannah and I needed a break from our routine so we did a ton of fun things together all day!

We usually make breakfast at the RMDH, but today, we had breakfast at the hospital--Hannah had her favorite--pancakes and sausage. Then, we went to visit Isaac. Yep! Hannah went, too! Isaac was moved to a private room a few days ago so the social worker told me I could bring Hannah up every few days. We packed Hannah's backpack full of books and toys that she wanted to show Isaac. When we got there, we watched Isaac's nurse do his "care" and Hannah asked a lot of questions. She even wondered if the nurse was hurting him--I almost cried right there. Then we put Isaac in a bouncy chair and the three of us sat on the floor for a picnic. We read books and Hannah kissed Isaac about 100 times. It was so nice for me to see the kids together and to be with both of them at the same time. Isaac kept watching Hannah--more than he's ever watched or looked for me. It was really amazing. I loved it. We were there about 45 minutes and then said our goodbyes. I think it was good for all of us to be together.

We came back to the RMDH to get some directions and headed out for an hour car ride to an apple orchard in Berlin Heights, OH. Hannah and I had hotdogs and apple cider for lunch, we went for a hayride, fed some goats, walked through a corn maze and had a doughnut before we left. We also bought two small pumpkins that I think we'll carve today or tomorrow. It was such a beautiful day and it was nice to just have fun together. On our way to the orchard I had noticed a nature preserve so on our way back I asked Hannah if she wanted to go for another walk. She did, so we stopped. We walked a trail through the woods that took about a half hour. We kicked leaves and ran and threw rocks in the stream. It was glorious. I was so happy that she was so happy. After our walk, we got back in the car and headed to a Target I'd seen on the way. We shopped for awhile, getting Hannah all her winter gear--she wore her new boots all around the store. It was very cute. Then off to Cracker Barrel for dinner (no particular reason--just didn't want fast food). Hannah had macaroni and cheese (ugh, she hasn't had enough pasta?!) and I had a heart attack on a plate breakast for dinner. We each had an Andes mint for dessert while we rocked on the rockers outside the restaurant.

Back at the RMDH, we were told a school group had stopped by to bring us cards and presents. (A teacher contacted me a few weeks ago offering to help our family. I told her she could have a class make us cards--that we would really enjoy that.) Let me share what one sixth grader wrote:

"Dear Tiffany, I can't imagine how hard this is for you, but God does know and He cares about you and your family so much. He's sad when you're sad, He cries when you cry and He laughs when you laugh! God often lets hard things happen to us in our lives to make us stronger in Him. II Corinthians 1:3-5."

Wow. Almost every card had a different verse and words of encouragment to each member of our family--what a treasure! Thank you to Kingsway Christian School's 6th Grade Bible Class. Your love for Jesus truly shines through in our words and actions. Thank you for reminding me to be in the Word. No wonder God encourages us to come to him like the children. Their words and encouragement are truly inspiring.

Since the 6th graders sent bath gifts for Hannah, she took a bath tonight and loved it! New bath crayons, bath letters and bubble bath and she was in there for 45 minutes!

Our day was fantastic. We laughed and joked and talked and ran and walked and ate and hugged and smiled. Only two things were missing: Jason and Isaac. Soon, very soon. I pray. Very soon.

Good Night.

It was a nice fall day today in Cleveland. Unfortunately, it brought bad news. While we're still waiting for the results from the biopsy, we did learn that Isaac needs to have surgery to remove part of his small intestine. We are unsure of the specifics right now--hopefully we'll learn more within the next few days. I was hoping to get through "all this" without surgery. But, not so. Because he needs this particular surgery, he will not be able to begin eating until he's recovered from the surgery.

My friend, Holly, arrived today. We went to the hospital this evening to see Isaac--it was fun for someone to see and hold him. Little buddy. He slept the whole time.

Missing Jason. Whenever we get bad news I wish he was with me. We like to talk things out. Best/worst case scenarios...all that stuff. I think that's how we deal with everything.

I was planning on going home next weekend....we'll see. I have a bunch of appointments already made...go figure.

Gonna go. Have a great weekend.

Isaac did not get his upper GI today, but he should be getting it tomorrow. We'll also be getting the preliminary results of his biopsy. This is crucial. If he needs surgery, he will be set back several weeks. If he doesn't, he may start eating again tomorrow. I haven't thought about it much today but now that I have quiet time alone it's on my mind. No matter what, God has a plan for Isaac's life. I am here to love my son and raise him in a manner that he would love God. That's my job. Not to worry about tomorrow or 10 years from now. No matter how much I worry, it won't change anything, anyway. I trust that God knows what He's doing!

Ever use a dry erase marker on a mirror? It's so fun. I've started memorizing some verses again (I write the verse on the mirror so I see it everyday). I started with 1 Corinthians 10:13. I'm trying to choose verses that are helpful in areas I struggle with. My new one is Galatians 5:22&23 (one I should already know).

A couple came to visit us today. I think we figured they are about 4 people removed--they are parents of a girl who knows a girl who knows my best friend. Wow. They brought us some gifts that were very nice and very funny. They'd never met me yet figured out how to make me laugh--I love it! They have volunteered to watch Hannah one or two evenings a week so I can see Isaac. Here's the thing. They are EXACTLY what I've wanted. EXACTLY who God laid on my heart to wait for. A retired couple, whose grandkids live out of town (in Grand Rapids, no less) but yet want to be around kids (and who have the energy for an active toddler). Really, it's the little things that matter. I mean, this was a desire of my heart. I don't want to leave my little girl with just anyone. And God sent exactly what I wanted. Exactly. I'm so glad I didn't settle. I'm so glad I waited. I'm so glad I waited for God's timing and not my own. Thank you, Jesus, for the small blessings of life. Thank you for teaching me in the desert. I hope it carries over.

Finally! (Big sigh of relief). His biopsy was done around 3:30 this afternoon. We should have preliminary results by Friday afternoon. He is scheduled for an upper GI tomorrow and if both of these come back negative, they'll probably start feeding him Saturday. This is the last big thing he needs to accomplish before he can come home. EAT! EAT! EAT! He also had an eye exam today and the doc said he looked good and would check in again next week. I'm hesitant to be hopeful that my buddy buddy has rounded the bend, but he has to at some point, right?!

Normal day for Hannah and I. Although I'm a Target fanatic, there was a grand opening of a new Walmart today and since I had nothing else to do, we went. Hannah received $5 in the mail from someone today and it was burning a whole in her purse! She decided to buy a My Little Pony. When we got to the car she asked where her $5 went...it was too cute. I explained that she traded her money for the pony. What a little sweetie. Isaac received a knitted MSU blanket today--it makes a mommy's heart proud. I was thrilled. We also received a card and pics from our dear neighbors, Grandpa Dave and Grandma Marilyn. They moved away this summer, much to my dismay. I cried when I saw who the envelope was from. Marilyn sent pics of her granddaughters, who Hannah and I adore, and also pics of Hannah at their new house (we visited them during our last trip to Grand Rapids). I miss them TERRIBLY and wish Grandma Marilyn could come to our window here as she always did back home. We love you, Dave and Marilyn!!!

All right, I'm signing off for the night. Love to all.

Happy 100 Days, Isaac!

Mama bear is very angry.

No biopsy again today. When I got the call around 5ish that it was a no go again, I told the nurse practitioner that if it didn't happen at the newly scheduled time of 10am tomorrow morning, I would request to talk to the sergeon PERSONALLY.

Here's the deal, folks, I mean business. No more waiting. I'm done with that. It's tomorrow or that guy is going to get an earful. And if you know me, you know he WILL get an earful. ROAR!!!! God is good ALL THE TIME and ALL THE TIME he is good.

Besides that, today Isaac is 100 days old! In the NICU, their 100 day mark is kind-of a big deal. He's spent his entire life in the NICU, he's alive and he's in triple digits. I was hoping for cake and ice cream during rounds today but nobody delivered. Tsk. Tsk. What the heck are we paying for, then?!

It was a wonderfully cool, rainy day in Cleveland. I love the rain. Hannah loved playing in the raindrops while we waited for the bus. We went to JoAnn Fabrics today so I could get some fleece to make myself a blanket. I have the volunteers searching downstairs for a pair of good scissors.

That's all for tonight. Love to all.

Not much to report today. I missed rounds this morning because the activity room opened late. Isaac is scheduled to get his biopsy done sometime tomorrow--we should have preliminary results back within a few days. He has his mobile on his crib--I'll try to get a pic tomorrow. I'll be interested to hear if begins to show interest in it.

Hannah and I had a normal day. I got the laundry done which was nice. I don't buy Tide (not in our budget) but they have it here. It smells so good!

Jason left around 5:15 this morning and within a few minutes a baby starting crying down the hall and it went on for like an hour. I wondered if the kid needed a bottle or something...I was about to go get it myself...

Jason's home, now, and needs me to go grocery shopping again! The poor guy doesn't have any fresh food. I usually shop for him when I go home but when it's been awhile, he has to go back to canned/frozen food. We both miss fresh meals (and the favorite ones that we're used to) and dinner time at the table--he really hates being home alone. I don't blame him. Once we have a better idea which direction Isaac is headed, we'll make plans for Hannah and I to go home again.

We received more packages and cards in the mail today. Wow! I just love it! It's so cool to see where things are coming from--so far only two of the packages/cards have been from people we know--almost everything has been from people we've never met! It really is such a blessing, you guys. Someone sent something for Hannah to unwrap herself--she loved that! She's having a great time with the stickers and other things you've sent. I wish it could be like this everyday! (I'm sure everyone does, though!) It is a true blessing to be thought of by so many people. It gives us a little break from our routine to open new things and read about your lives. I really do love it.

Hannah is almost asleep and I'm itching to work on some Three Voices stuff. I'd like to get this organization up and running. BTW, if anyone has any questions about adoption, or about anything for that matter, please don't hesitate to email me: evanstm@msualum.com I love to make time to answer your questions. Again, another break in the routine and an opportunity to help others--is there anything better?!

Much love.

It was a pretty uneventful Sunday for our family. We visited Isaac this morning and had lunch at Qdoba. We came back for a short afternoon nap and then some outside playtime. Dinner was soup and bread and then off to Target/Walmart to find a mobile for Isaac (a suggestion from his nurse). We arrived back to our room a short while ago and are waiting for Hannah to go to sleep so we can watch a little TV and relax together before Jason leaves at 5am for Michigan.

A very good friend of mine who is also the wife of our pastor will be visiting this coming weekend. I am thrilled she is able to come here. (Thanks, J, for lending me your wife for a few days). I've been thinking of coming home the following week--we just have to figure out what days they'll be.

Isaac is scheduled for his biopsy on Tuesday. If everything goes as it SHOULD, he will be eating by the end of the week.

Jesus, I lift up our son to you. I pray you would heal him from all illness and prepare him to come home with us soon. In everything, I pray for your will to be done. Amen.

What a day! Jason took Hannah this morning around 9:30 and I headed to the hospital. It was going to be a short visit so I could have some time alone but Isaac decided to scare us all nearly to death. His nurse was suctioning him when all of a sudden he decided to stop breathing and drop his heart rate to 54. Um, ok, this is nearly chest compression time, buddy buddy. So, I stayed for awhile after that--to make sure he was going to be all right. After he had settled down and was breathing again, I headed to the mall. Nice mom, huh? Near death and then head to the mall. Coping mechanism. Still need time to myself, too. Anyway, got a few unimportant things--small candles for this winter, should I ever return home...hand soap--a little treat for our home-away-from-home...candies for Jason...and of course, a stop off at Target just for a little look-see. I ended up getting a flu shot while I was there--I figured it would be near impossible to get into my doc next time I'm home, so, now I just have to get Hannah's and we'll be all set!

I returned to the RMDH around 3ish to quickly load up the car with our friends from Ecuador and we all headed to the Ringling Brothers Circus--free tickets from RMDH donors. My friends had never seen a circus like this and they were thrilled! Hannah loved it, too! We all had a great time and hit up McDonald's on the way back for dinner (no food here tonight).

About the MSU game, well, Jason's happy that it was a close game. Hopefully next week against Iowa brings in another win.

Nighty night.

Isaac had eye surgery again today. My poor little buddy buddy. He's up on his oxygen while he recovers. He has to have eye drops every few hours and he just hates it. He'll be sound asleep and the nurses have to pry his eyes open and put in his drops. I think he's going to have an alien complex for the rest of his life--like he was abducted by aliens and poked and prodded and injected all over his body. Any time they do something to him and I'm there, I try not to talk so he doesn't think it's me doing it. Seriously. Momma's little buddy buddy. My poor baby.

Jason, Hannah and I went to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens this afternoon. Because we have a membership to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, we got in here for free. We had a nice time. Then we went out to dinner with some friends who have twins in the NICU. The RMDH gave us gift certificates so we had a fun time together and it was free! Hannah fell asleep rather quickly tonight and we looked at property for sale on Ebay. Nothing serious--just for fun.

Tomorrow is MSU vs. OSU. Since OSU is ranked #1, it would be great to beat them. We'll see what happens. The three of us will be proudly wearing our GREEN and WHITE.

Oh, yeah, about Jason's car. It was the mass airflow meter. Like I know what that means. It was about $300 and he was on his way. Not cheap but not super expensive. Hopefully his next trip down won't cost us any money!

About my Papa. He's home and doing well. He's having some other issues that will hopefully be resolved soon. They have company this weekend that they'll really enjoy.

Have a great evening!

Our routine always gets a little off when Daddy joins us--blogging seems to get more difficult to do!

Isaac was off yesterday. His physical therapist came and tried to give him a massage and he just didn't want to have anything to do with it. Jason and I went up last night after dinner and Isaac de-sated the entire time we held him. After talking with his nurse last night, it sounds like he needs another eye surgery. I was surprised by this as I was under the impression his eyes were doing well. I was a little frustrated by this evening revelation and couldn't sleep. I think I wasn't notified of this yesterday because they don't need my consent--they need the adoption agency's consent. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but in Ohio the adoption agency has legal custody of the child until finalization. Because of this, the agency makes all his medical decisions. As the mom of a child in the hospital, this is absolutely maddening. Then throw in that he's also on our insurance and it's absolutely ridiculous. It's very frustrating when lawmakers pass laws in an effort to patch problems without looking forward to the ramifications of their actions. Three Voices, our non-profit, is going to tackle this issue in Ohio.

Yesterday we received some fantastic surprises! We got clothes for Isaac, cards, books and stickers for Hannah. What a true joy to receive the things you're sending us. I love to read about your lives. I love that you're sharing with me about who you are. I love seeing your family pictures. I was so excited to see I had mail yesterday, Maybe we'll have something today, too.

All right, well, Jason is dressing Hannah and he's already had a shower. Now it's my turn. I'll do my best to blog tonight...but it seems when Jason is here, I get it done in the morning. We'll just have to see!

Love.

Isaac is the same. His eye doctor stopped in today to see how he was doing. I was already gone but he told the nurse Isaac's eyes looked good. He said it's too soon to know what kind of vision or lack thereof he will have.

Our flowers look beautiful in our room. Hannah wanted to smell them first thing this morning.

Jason is supposed to come down tomorrow but his car started doing some strange things and the check engine light came on (this is our good car). So, we'll see if he can get it in to the mechanic tomorrow just in case it's a big issue and he shouldn't drive it here. God is good all the time. And all the time, He is good.

I appreciate all the kind words of encouragement you've been sending our way. If I miss personally responding, I apologize. If a comment is made directly to the blog, I can't respond because blogger doesn't allow it. So! Thank you all, every single person, because you are really what's keeping me sane and that in turn keeps my family sane. I asked Jason what he needed and besides meals, he said whatever I needed to make me happy. What a great guy, huh? He's got a lot going on and work is never-ending. Hannah and I are very excited to see him (if he can still come).

I'm posting some pics of our newest home-away-from-home. And, of course, my sleeping (older) baby.

I bought a word-search book today so I think I'm going to go do some mindless thinking. I don't think that really makes sense, does it?!

Good Night.

Since Isaac's blood transfusion, he looks SO MUCH better. All of his tests so far have come back negative, so they're still not sure what he has. He'll be on antibiotics for at least 7 days (until next Monday) and then we'll see where we are. He's been much more fussy, more often. I think it's because he's hungry. If I didn't eat for over a month, I'd be fussy, too! I keep joking with the nurses in his room that I'm going to sneak him a Snickers or something.

Hannah and I had a good day together--lots of laughing and talking and playing. There are two ladies, "Grandma" Carol and "Grandma" Betty in the activity room on Tuesdays that just adore Hannah. It's so nice to leave her with people who really care about her. She played "soccer" with two boys this evening and was sliding in the grass and running right with them. I definitely see an athlete brewing!! She also painted with her best friend, Mateo. Maribelle and I cannot keep the two of them apart. As soon as they wake up, they're asking for one another. They run and shout and chase and hug. It's absolutely adorable. And if Hannah cries because she wants something, he gets it for her. And if he's crying, she hugs him. I mean, it's unfathomable how much they understand how people relate to one another--and they don't talk to each other, really, because of the language barrier. We joke that they'll get married someday and Hannah will move to Ecuador. Who knows?!

Thank you so much for the extra outpouring of love and support. It really does lift my spirit. You have no idea how much it means to see new messages in my inbox or go to the front desk to see someone has sent flowers!! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you've done for us. Really.

BTW, the address at the RMDH is in the sidebar on the right side of the page under "How to Support Our Family." I'm not comfortable posting our home address online, so if you'd like to send something to Jason, please send it here (I promise I won't open it!).

I've got a few things to finish up before I go to bed so I need to get going.

Thank you all. Very much.