Trip to WV, Growing Up and Painting Murals

We sure are missing Matt, but life is moving along at a fast pace. We arrived at my dad's house this afternoon, and the Bunny went digging through my old stuff.  She tried on my ball gowns.  They fit.  This is impossible.  

 Unacceptable.  Growing up too fast.  Too beautiful.  The shoes don't even fit.

 Wait a minute... she gets the dresses and I get 20 year old shoes?

Then, we had some great mural painting, thanks to Grandad.  Isn't he the coolest grandad ever, to sacrifice a wall for art?

Beautiful and talented, aren't they?

So, how's the Panda doing?

So, those big kids ate up all the space on the last post....  here's what everyone wants to hear about:

The Panda is learning very fast.  He's been cruising the furniture for a few weeks, but now he's a confident cruiser.  So confident that he learned to pull up to a stand so he could cruise all day long.  Three days later, he learned to get down from a standing postion.  This was a welcome relief, because he was pulling up in his crib at night, but couldn't get himself back down.  Being stuck on your feet when you are exhausted is not fun.  If I laid him down, he got right back up though, because he could.  Bedtime is much better now that he can get back down when he's done standing.  The Panda got himself from crawling into a squat for the first time today, also.

Finally, we are getting some expressive language.  He will say "oops" at the end of each page of Blue Hat, Green Hat (that Sandra Boynton masterpiece).  We're pretty sure he's saying "head" when he points to his head.  He LOVES books, and brings them from across the room, and demands reading time.

We aren't making much progress in the food/ eating area.  Spoons are still off-limits and baby food is unpopular.  We keep at it, though.  After our Fruit Loop success from last weekend, we were hopeful, but no repeat performances...    maybe he only does the fancy tricks for Miss Christina...

The Week When Everything Happened. Whew.

Every Tuesday I teach at our local homeschool co-op.  I love being a mom, but this is seriously the highlight of my week.  I adore my students.  Between last Tuesday and today, everything happened.  It was just that busy/ emotional/ everything.

Wednesday morning, our family headed to Norfolk to say goodbye to Matt.  He is now officially on active duty again.  We are all very proud of him and of  being a Navy family, but it would be great if this were the final deployment.

We started the trip on a happy note: a night at Great Wolf Lodge.  We checked in and hit the indoor waterpark from 2pm-9pm.  The Panda surprised us all.  He was not overstimulated and he was very relaxed and happy in the water.  He floated around the lazy river about 100 times on his back with a huge smile.  He bobbed in the wave pool.   We got out of the water with a few minutes to spare so we could buy the kids' Magiquest wands.  We spent Thursday playing Magiquest at Great Wolf Lodge, which all three big kids enjoyed very much.  It was pretty fun for the grownups and the Panda too, plenty of walking and exercise... I was glad to have my stroller.

Then we enjoyed a wonderful weekend with our dear friends in VA Beach.  They even sent us on a date- our first date without the Panda.  We visited and enjoyed good company.  The Panda was convinced to put a Fruit Loop into his mouth.  This is a huge milestone.  We aren't seeing miraculous progress with food, but these little baby steps keep my hope alive.

Sunday came, and we attended our old church in VA Beach and enjoyed a too-short chat with old friends.  Matt and I took the kids to lunch.  The goodbye time had arrived.  I tried to find a way to delay, so I said, "I'm going to go to the zoo today, either figuratively or literally.  Let's make it literally."  So we went.  Our membership was still valid, so it was free!  We had such a fun afternoon and it made the parting easier.

We got home really late Sunday night because of the unplanned zoo trip.  The kids were really good about school work on Monday and we all headed out to take the Bunny to youth group and run some errands.  We picked her up and completed some unfinished errands.  I was starting to think that my week of fun and emotion had not included grading my stack of papers for the next day as we were paying at the final store.

But God.....

that moment when God has plans that you didn't plan on.....

The Puppy did something really bad at the end of that last errand.  We went to the car and everyone buckled in.  We talked.  We sat.  I was feeling so emotionally spent from saying goodbye to Matt the day before.  God was so merciful, and gave me patience and the right words, even though I felt pretty empty inside, not particularly eager to deal with this really bad thing.

I gave the Puppy the bad news.  He's a sinner, and he'd done something vile.  Regardless of my numerous prompts, he had no apology.  He was determined to stay on the wrong path.

But God....

There's another road.... and the Lord brought this to my lips....

Psalm 51:4
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 


Did you know that only one sin is enough to separate us from God forever?  Suddenly, I had a crumpled Puppy.   He was sorry for his sin.


But Jesus....


2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 


The Puppy asked Jesus to take his sin and give him His righteousness.  Praise God!

We went home and got ready for bed.  The Penguin was quiet.

But God....

"Mom, I've never repented either...."


John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 


Praise the Lord for changing the hearts of these two little ones and adopting them as His own.  We've all seen the miracle of adoption this year three wonderful times.  Is there a word that is beyond thankfulness to describe how I feel?


Ezekiel 11:19
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 


My heart still needs to be made soft, to be changed by the Lord Who Heals.  How easy it would have been to chew the Puppy out and miss out on allowing the Lord to work through mercy and kindness.  Scares me a little   lot....

Now I cling to this promise for them and for me:

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


Oh, and I almost forgot!   The Panda is getting so close to walking!

New Panda Pictures- almost 2 mos. since surgery.

Four Months!

The Panda has been home for 4 months.   It feels like a long time, in a very good way.  Just like his big siblings, it feels like he's always been a part of the family.  He is such a good little fellow, but the few "no-no's" he's done so far have helped him learn some family skills, and he knows he's supposed to stop when I say "no" now.  He doesn't stick his finger into his ear at "no" anymore.  His most important family skill is handing a person a book and frowning and gesturing until he gets his story time.  The Very Persistent Panda should be a book.

The night terrors have nearly stopped, and going out isn't causing his after-nap panics like it used to.  He understands English more and more.  He can bear some weight and walk if I hold his two hands and give him a little forward momentum.  He can cruise along the coffee table a little, but he still gets tired quickly.  He's got some more muscles that need work before he will walk on his own, but I'm very confident that he WILL walk.

Our big news came yesterday- THE HOLE IN THE PANDA'S SOFT PALATE IS CLOSED!  Praise God.  I'll admit that my faith was way too small for the size of our God.  Dr. Boyajian is very pleased with the whole surgery (and so am I!), and says that he'll just need to come to his cleft team appointments every 6 months until he's ready for bone graft surgery.  He said to use silicon scar medicine on the lip scars, although he doesn't really think it makes a very big difference.

The Panda has learned to swallow undiluted baby food if we squeeze it into his mouth from a pouch- another huge praise.  I really should move on to spoon feeding, but I'm having a little trouble working up the courage to do another new, uncomfortable thing.

The Penguin learned to crochet this week, thanks to Aunt Kendra.  Have you ever seen a cartoon where someone is knitting and yards of cloth are flying out of their lap?  That is what I feel like is going on here.  We can't even get her to sleep- she is obsessed.  She can crochet, double crochet, and triple crochet, and crochet in a circle.  The Penguin also very recently learned how to make several new patterns of friendship bracelets, so there just isn't enough time for her to express her inner craftiness.

The Bunny finished reading Great Expectations last week.  That is truly an accomplishment and a rite of passage.  The Puppy got his Tiger Cub badge at the Blue and Gold dinner last week.  Very proud of these children.

We are down to two weeks before Matt's deployment.  I have no words for this one.  It could be so much worse, but it isn't great...  so here are verses that I need to hold on to, so that I can replace a complaining attitude with thankfulness.


Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.


Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Three months home and Happy Valentines' Day

I am amazed at how much change the Panda has experienced in 3 months.  He is so cheerful and eager after everything he's been through.  I think we are done with syringe feeding. He likes the bottle again, and is happy even if there is baby food in his formula.  He's learned how to swallow that new texture, and since he's mastered that, he's nearly stopped drooling, proving that he's really learned a new skill.  Yesterday was the first time I put undiluted baby food in his mouth since the surgery, and he did not have any clue what to do.  He held the applesauce on his tongue, sticking out of his mouth for many minutes.  I made chewing motions and tried everything, but he was just panicky and unhappy.  I hope that with continued exposure, he will learn to swallow thicker things.  Then maybe even chunky things!

The Panda understands a lot of what I say to him.  He is standing while holding on to furniture, and stepping if I hold both of his hands to give him a little forward momentum and a little balance.  He is having more clingy, needy times, which tells me that he's getting used to family and dependence.  He LOVES board books and can't get enough now.  He has his favorites, and insists on turning all the pages.  We are working on pointing to certain pictures in a book, or certain body parts, but he isn't quite getting it yet.  I think he knows "head", but nothing else.

The big kids had tae-kwon-do this morning and then 2 parties! The Panda had physical therapy and then the 2 parties, but he took it in stride.  He didn't get a nap, and was around tons of people and activity, but he didn't seem to have as much trouble with so much stimulation as he used to.

Matt comes home from his overseas trip tomorrow- his 3rd halfway-around-the world trip in 3 mos.  Jetlag?  I don't think he even has a preferred time zone anymore...  We can't wait to see him!  Today is the 18th anniversary of our first date.  18 seems like a really big number.  Anyone who knows him, please ask him about my dress for our first date.  His USNA sponsor actually dragged him out of the room after he saw my dress.  I've tried to decrease the amount of sequins in my wardrobe over the last 18 years...    :)  God truly blessed me with such a great man.  The honesty that got him in trouble over the dress is one of my very favorite things about him.  I like knowing where I stand.  I wonder if there's a picture of that dress somewhere...

Ok, so here's a verse that combines TWO of my favorite things about my husband....

Proverbs 24:26
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

Three weeks after surgery- getting back to "normal"

Yesterday we celebrated 3 weeks since surgery.  The Panda looks great.  We are done with the arm braces, and he hasn't gone back to sucking his fingers.  We started the bottle a little bit at the 2.5 week mark.  His lip is a little swollen, and oozing sometimes.  It took me a few days, but I think that it swells when he uses bottles, so I'm going to go back to the syringe for most feedings to see if it helps.  Also, he has a spot on his head that I noticed right after surgery.  I kinda thought maybe someone bumped his little head when he was unconscious... I'm clumsy, so I didn't say anything.  It isn't like I've never turned a corner with a sleeping child and bumped their poor little head....  :(
But it is still there.  So it occurred to me that maybe they screwed some kind of sensor into his head...  I'm wondering if it's infected or just healing slowly?

Feeding is still a struggle.  The Panda clearly has oral aversions.  Here's where we are:
He likes a bottle if it contains Pediasure.
He's ok with syringe feeding if it is formula.
He has learned in the last 2 days to swallow formula mixed with stage 2 baby food from the syringe, but he cries, kicks, and flails.
Putting a Gerber puff in his mouth = scream fest
Spoons are great mirrors, but do NOT belong in the mouth.
I've made my first attempts at brushing his teeth again with a finger brush.  This was met with serious resistance.

Night terrors are improving, getting less frequent and shorter, but they are still with us.

The Panda is starting to pick up English, I think.  He is following some directions some of the time, which is not outside of the normal, 2year old range.  Sadly, he thinks "NO" means, "please stick your finger in your ear up to the second knuckle".  I guess that the only time I said a panicked "NO" was when he did that.  I'm afraid he's going to get the ear tube out...

The Puppy gave us a great moment last night.  He fell asleep at the end of a movie, so we woke him up to use the bathroom and go to bed.  He used the bathroom and flushed while he was half asleep.  Then, he took off his shirt and tried to flush it, clearly still half asleep.  Matt heard a strange noise and walked in on the Puppy washing his hands while the toilet and shirt were whirling away.  He called me, and I laughed until I couldn't breathe, tears running down the face.  The Puppy does not remember any of this.  He went to bed.  Matt was opened-mouth horrified at the shirt, the laughter, the whole show.  I had such a hard time deciding if I should take a picture, but I didn't....


Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”