STATE OF ADOPTION

I am attaching a lengthy article about the state of adoption in China. It covers several different aspects of the process, including the time it is taking now to adopt from there and why. Reading the article made me reflect on our own process and journey to get a child from China. For those who don't know, we started the paperwork in 2005, had it submitted in March of 2006, and were planning on getting a healthy baby girl...we even had hear named-Erica. If we had stayed on this track, we would just now be going to get our little girl...a four year wait. However, due to the long wait, and God moving us in a different direction, we switched to the "special needs" list, and, upon doing this, within two and a half months were on our way to Guanzhou China to get our little boy. Now, I can't even imagine having anyone different, and as I've told some, being able to switch to the "special needs" list was God giving us a second chance at something we should have done in the first place. There's still a place in my heart for Erica, wherever she is, and I will leave it up to God to help me find her.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cc97dd18-a719-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.html

SEAN'S CUPCAKE

CLASSIC

A SEAN UPDATE

Our little buddy is smiling again, and cracking some 3 year old jokes. So it seems that on the outside he is getting better, yet on the inside there are still issues. His latest x-ray shows fluid around the lungs, though the doctors aren't overly concerned-yet. We can tell Sean wants to cough, but it apparently hurts to do that, so Sean holds back and then starts to cry. We go in on Monday for a follow up at which point we will see if the drugs are getting rid of the fluid, and to see if his O2 is coming up. There is still the possibility Sean will need a heart cath done to hopefully find these useless vessels and cut them.
Thanks for praying.

OLD, DEAD, AND LIVING

For those of you who are here to find out about Sean, thanks for checking in. Dawn says he's doing well and has been perky today. Finally. He and Dawn talked about going to the surgeon tomorrow to get the surgi-strips removed and Sean said he'd probably cry. Probably right. Dr. Lane also called to tell us we can reduce his oxygen to 1/4 liter...which is next to nothing in my medical opinion. I can't say enough thanks for those of you who have prayed for Sean and continue to do so.

I'm also getting back to one of the things I set out to do this month as I travel around the Midwest this month...and that is to find interesting things at cemeteries I may happen upon. I find myself in Morehead Kentucky tonight and had time to swing by a cemetery near Daniel Boone National Forest.

I've posted pictures of this train before, but had another chance to focus on different parts of it.

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE

Since I ventured down to Kentucky to take care of some accounts, it fell to Will to help mom take Sean to the cardiologist for an update. Ohhhh, I feel bad for Will since the appointment and the drive to and from Akron ended up being a 6 hour trek.
Thank you Will.

Looks like things are progressing with Sean. He does have some fluid where fluid shouldn't be, so they are bumping up one of his meds to help dissipate the fluid. His fever may be normal at this point, so they are not worried about that. His number registered 68 for O2, but again, the doctors are saying not to worry about that, it will come up.

Tommorrow, Dawn goes back to meet with the surgeons to have his surgi-strips removed. For Sean, having a band-aid removed is worse than a needle. As an aside, Will was showing a "boo-boo" on his hand to Sean, and of all the "boo-boos" Sean could use to compare, he choose a little scratch on his hand.

SATURDAY

Two things going on:
1. Sean is doing ok. There are moments his personality starts to come through, but for the most part, there are a lot of moments when he acts like he did when we first got him in China. We were told he may be like this for a time.The following video doesn't have great sound and there's no action, but it is a moving picture show:)


As a short diversion, Liz, Will and I went to the fair Tuesday night, mainly so I could see Diamond Rio (my favorite musical group). Kids didn't seem to appreciate music you can sing every word too. They say I'm getting old. No way!

THE BEAST

We get to have this little beauty in our living room running 24/7 while we're in the house. I wish you could hear it because it doesn't purr like a kitten, but rumbles like a generator. I guess that's because it is a generator for O2. I hope this only lasts a week. I don't think I can take 3 months or even a year with this thing. That's the bad news.

The good news is Sean is home-for now. I think the surgeons would like to have him at the hospital, but the cardiologists are of the mindset that maybe Sean will do better and pick up if he's at home. So far, that's not the case. I'll say it a different way; I think Sean is shell-shocked. He's just not happy, even to be home. He definitely doesn't want me around and is clinging with all his might to momma. I guess that's to be expected. Thanks for praying and if you think about it, continue to pray that his O2 goes up because this machine is worse than anything I heard at the hospital.

LATE WEDNESDAY UPDATE

We went to see Sean and Dawn this evening. Sean's O2 was hovering in the low 60's, then for a time stayed in the mid 50's. He also felt a little warm, which we hope is not the early signs of an infection. That would not be good and would just prolong his stay. He looked so worn out. The doctors said if he is still hanging in the 50's they may end up doing a Heart Cath, which adds on a day or two.

Dawn has been a real trooper, but I know she's got to be tired of that place as well. The room is smaller, the "couch/bed" is small.

Once he does get home we are set to have oxygen delievered, though we joke Sean will be just one stop among a few in our neighborhood. And the nurses are set to visit us twice a week while he is on oxygen.

That's it. I'm tired too. Goodnight.

HOLD THAT THOUGHT

I just talked to Dawn and there is continuing concern about Sean's O2 levels-currently hovering in the 60's again-so they are, as I write, getting a chest x-ray and an Echo. Thus, he may not being coming home today. I'll let you know.

writing as of 12:00 pm on Wednesday

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE

Well, here's some good news...Sean will be coming home today. But as we are now realizing, the hard work begins. Before the surgery, it seemed like we had a little guy who was simply short of breath. Now, we have somebody who will need daily medications for rest of his life. Not that big a deal, but we'll have to adjust. Though he's home the next month will be filled with many more doctor visits, blood tests, and pharmacy visits. Lord, thank you so much for giving me health insurance, and I really mean that.
A company that supplies oxygen will meet us at home today since Sean will be on O2 for the forseeable future-until his body can take over and stabalize his O2 levels. Inconvenient, yes. But temporary.
There's more to say but I'll have to post that later since I need to go to work this morning.

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE FOR SEAN

I talked with Dawn this morning and she mentioned they took at the last cehst tube, which is a good sign. That means he's closer to getting home. They also removed one more IV tube in his wrist. Dawn overheard the surgeon telling the ICU doctor to keep things moving and set timelines for getting medications set up, IV's removed, ect....I think this is good. Sean may also be moved from ICU to a general recovery room, which is also an indicator that his time at the hospital is coming to a close. That's good too, but I'm going to miss all the nurses and doctors who took care of Sean. After a few days, they become familiar to you and start becoming like family. They were very good to us and Sean.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE

Will and I went to the hospital after church. While there Sean was still in a mellow mood , and in fact would start to cry when a nurse or doctor would come in and just look at his 'wires'-and did so when I looked at them. We came to find out he was not being given Tylenol unless we asked (didn't get that memo), so we got him juiced on a little Tylenol and that seemed to help. A resident also removed one of his smaller tubes held by two stitches which should help him feel a little better. That was done after a shot of morphine.

One doctor did come in to check on Sean who looked like his aunt Mona, and that went ok. The thicker accent threw him a bit, but I think he still found her familiar. His O2 levels are still in the mid 70's, but all the doctors seem to think this will improve over time. We pray so.

SATURDAY UPDATE ON SEAN

Actually, there isn't a whole lot to say. Sean is slowly being weened off of oxygen and other meds. Not too many smiles today, and he just lays there and watches TV-which is not usual for him. His O2 levels pretty much stayed in the 60's today so even though I just said he is being weened from oxygen, today he got a little bump. But the doctor is saying that is ok, so I'll go with that. I'm home now and Dawn is back with him. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day for Sean.

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE-SEAN IS AN OLD MAN

Here's what's new:
1. Will and I spent time with Sean while Dawn and Liz went for a walk. He is starting to talk to us which we appreciate, but we also got a few big smiles out of him...mainly when we were beating up Elmo. I'm wondering if Sean wants someone else to feel his pain?
2. We learned Sean is taking Viagra. Now Will is confused. All he sees on the commercials are older men, they never show children in those. But I digress...who knew one drug can be used for many things. As you might suspect, this keeps his blood vessels open.
3. The doctors are slowly taking him off Nitric Oxide, which is a medication he breathes through his nose. Here's what NO does:
•It acts as a vasodilator (blood vessel relaxant).
•It therefore controls blood flow to tissues.
•It regulates the binding and release of oxygen to hemoglobin.
•It thereby controls the supply of oxygen to mitochondria (cell powerhouses that generate energy).
•It kills parasitic organisms, virus-infected cells, and tumor cells (by inactivating respiratory chain enzymes in their mitochondria).
•It stimulates the production of new mitochondria

That's about it. I'll be spending most of the day tomorrow with Sean so Dawn can come home for awhile.

THURSDAY LATER EVENING UPDATE

THURSDAY EVENING UPDATE

I ventured out to an appointment today, so I'm just now getting to the hospital to Sean, though Dawn did call me this morning after the Doctors made their rounds. Here's what is new:
1. I saw Sean's O2 at 79-I guess it ventured to 80 for a brief moment, so that's progress.
2. If his O2 levels don't continue to climb, and it's time to come home, there is the possibility he will need to have 24/7 oxygen; initially the doctors say that could last from 6 months to a year. That's still not a decision to be made yet, just one thing in the new mix.
3. He will be on a blood thinner, thus we will have to watch his diet since this blood thinner and vitamin K don't get along. No food with vitamin K.
4. He is responding to us a little, but as I've mentioned to some, he has this "why did you do this to me" look as opposed to "come rescue me" look. He's never been a TV watcher, but he just lays in bed watching Elmo.
5. They did take out one of his chest tubes, and as the kids and I arrived was having his foly catheter removed (every males nightmare). Dawn just said putting it in is the nighmare. I stand corrected.
6. Sean is drinking juice/milkshake/water on his own, and he did eat one green bean, one mac and cheese noodle, and some bread. He ate a handful of M&Ms from Will. Will also got Sean to slap his toy Elmo around-progress.

I've been humbled to know how many people have prayed for Sean and us. Thank you.

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE

I just got back from the hospital and Sean is still ok. I talked with Dr. Lane and he explained the reason for the low oxygen level this way:

Right now, due to the way Sean's body developed, he has microscopic blood vessels that have formed in his heart and around his lungs...they are meaningless to the function of his body other than blood flows to them which could be used elsewhere. Normally, when the blood flows through the liver it picks up a chemical that keeps those vessels from forming. The wrong kind of blood (Oxygenated blood vs. un-oxygenated blood) flows through Sean's liver so it never picks up that chemical. Now that Sean has had his operation, the right kind of blood will flow through his liver picking up that chemical. However, this is a process that takes months/years to re-correct itself, so, Sean's O2 levels will take awhile to get back up. Today I saw him at a high of 77-he has been in the low 70s and 60s. Last night during a crying spell he dipped into the 30's. Ask any nurse and they'll tell you that's not good.
Dr. Lane said it's normal after a Fontan operation that the childs oxygen levels begin to go up immediately, and that was reason for some concern amongst the surgeons and himself. He said again Sean is a pretty complicated case.

As an aside, these doctors must never sleep. The surgeon that was there at the hospital by 8:00 am yesterday was there at 11:30 pm that night. These people are super heroes.

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE

I heard from Dawn this morning. The one thing concerning the doctors right now is that Sean's oxygen levels have not come up. This was the main reason for doing the surgery. Our primary cardiologist is not concerned long term, but is wondering why they haven't come up yet. So they put Sean on some oxygen which apparently helped him stop sounding so raspy, and his O2 levels did come up. One of the surgeons was still there last night (11:00 pm), so he and our cardiologist performed an echocardiogram and had several xrays done. This morning they are discussing with their group as to whether they should have a heart cath done. I hope to know more soon.

WHERE TO START

It's been a long day and I'm tired, and I tend to ramble on when that is the case, so I'll keep it short.

1. Sean is fine.
2. He had a procedure done called a Fontan, in which they close of an artery and use a "conduit" to drain blood into his lungs, I believe, instead of it getting pumped through a different chamber. (At this point you are to Google 'Fontan' if you want to find out how the procedure is done correctly-the doctor laid so much medicalese on us today I can't keep it straight).
3. The good news is, this procedure will be the only one he has to have, whereas the other procedure would have been much more complicated and would require him to have several open heart surgeries over his lifetime, the next one being in about 4 years. The bad news is, this procedure carries with it some risks that involve slower recovery time from any respiratory illnesses.
4. Dawn and I were able to be with Sean and he looks wiped out.
5. The recovery process is now a question. Depending on the doctor you talked to, the recovery will be at least a week-minimum. The worst case scenario is 6 weeks if his body chooses not to heal. I think it may end up being 1-2 weeks. We just don't know. I think we were being optimistic thinking he'd be home in a week.
6. When we walked into ICU, there were 10 women milling around his bed-all doctors and nurses mind you.
7. Surgery lasted about 6-7 hours.
8. Finally, for now, I find myself unable to adequately say thank you to the men and women who put years of schooling and studying and long hours of practice into their craft in order to make life better for our little guy. It's amazing what doctors and nurses can do these days, and I am thankful to God and count it a privilege that He is allowing Dawn, Liz, Will and I to be a part of Sean's life both physically and spiritually. I'm saddened that there are many kids tonight who don't have a mom and dad and will spend the night alone in an orphanage. I pray God will raise up more people to invest themselves in kids through adoption.
9. I also cannot say thank you enough for praying for Sean today, and if you think of him in the next few weeks, will continue to pray for his recovery.

THE DAY IS UPON US

Need to go to bed soon. The day of Sean's surgery has arrived. We need to get up at 5:00 am so we can leave at 6:00 am and be at the hospital by 7:00. Surgery starts around 9:00 am. I should have my laptop with me, so if the hospital has internet access, I'll post as I have the chance. Thank you to everyone who has been praying and will be. Sean doesn't understand it today, but someday he will, and Dawn and I know, and hope to look at this time as a memorial to God at work in his life.

ST JOSEPH, MI. CEMETERY

These are the ones I think are the saddest. Why did he die so young?



When you look at the dates, I wonder if these guys died in Europe?

I'm starting to see these as I go around to different cemeteries.

As I was driving around Riverview Cemetery, I happened upon this sign. So I got out and walked in the direction of the sign and found the memorial at the backside of the cemetery. I've posted a link to a website that gives the history of this plane crash.

http://www.northwestflight2501.org/

FORT WAYNE CEMETERY

Yesterday took me to this cemetery on the west side of Fort Wayne, In., close to one of my stores.