Showing posts with label sean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sean. Show all posts
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, December 25, 2010
CHRISTMAS FOR SEAN
This is Sean's 3rd Christmas with us, but the first one we believe he understands what's going on, and has really gotten into.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
BEDTIME
It's official: Sean is now out of our bedroom. While playing with some arrangements of Will's bed, we moved Sean's bed next to Will's. Sean seemed to like the idea and was excitied to be by his big brother. So, after a year and a half, Sean left the security of knowing mom was right next to him, and took a step toward becoming a bigger boy. (All this while a serious thunderstorm raged outside).
Our room never looked so big!
Our room never looked so big!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
ALL'S GOOD
I picked up Sean and Dawn today from the hospital. They held him until 5 to see if he would regain his fever. He did not. Orders now are to keep him out of Sunday school class, Wal-Mart, malls, ect. to keep from getting infected by other kids.
Friday, July 10, 2009
HEART UPDATE
Just a quick note to say we saw Sean's heart doctor today and he is recommending we proceed with the more optimal surgery for Sean; this will most likely happen in August. We meet with the surgeons next week. More on this later....
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
GOTCHA DAY
In adoption circles, "gotcha day" is the day you got your child. Not a very creative term, but it gets to the point. Well, it was one year ago today that Dawn, Liz, Will and I stepped into a non descript building and went to the 9th or 10th floor and saw two ladies walk on the other side of the room and into a private room with a kid whose head was shaved but had a pony tail. I'm thinking, must be some other families child because the picture we had of Shan An En looked nothing like that. I was wrong. He was our child and that was the first of many new things we were going to learn about "En En", or Sean.
It's certainly been a good year and we see God's hand in bringing Sean to our family. It's been a hard year too. For Dawn it's been about adjusting to having a 2-3 year old in the house again, dealing with his every want. Out of a sense of insecurity, Sean likes ritual and routine, so it is Dawn who has to lay down with him every night. He won't let me. For me, it's about overcoming selfishness...an on-going task. We were on track to get the first two kids old enough to be independent so Dawn and I could have our own time together. We did a lot of things together as a family, like go to movies and sporting events, or staying up late as a family watching TV. That's all changed. Now, it may be Will and I do something, or Liz and Dawn, sometimesSean, Will and me, but no girls, or Liz, Will and I. It's changed, but that's OK. We still do vacations together, but were back to having to pack a stroller, or ask for a child's seat at the restaurant. And we have to watch our time around 12:00 noon since that's nap time, and 10:00 pm seems late again.
Still, none of us would trade not having Sean. We are reminded often what life may have been like for Sean had no one adopted him, and it makes me sad. We count it a privilege to raise, nurture and shape Sean, hoping he someday becomes a Godly person with a future. We find new life in verses like Psalm 68:5 that say God places the lonely in families...yet wish more people would take up the offer and challenge of James 1:27...and engage themselves with alleviating the suffering of others, chief among them widows and orphans, knowing this truly pleases God.
Today is just another normal day for Sean...just as it should be.
It's certainly been a good year and we see God's hand in bringing Sean to our family. It's been a hard year too. For Dawn it's been about adjusting to having a 2-3 year old in the house again, dealing with his every want. Out of a sense of insecurity, Sean likes ritual and routine, so it is Dawn who has to lay down with him every night. He won't let me. For me, it's about overcoming selfishness...an on-going task. We were on track to get the first two kids old enough to be independent so Dawn and I could have our own time together. We did a lot of things together as a family, like go to movies and sporting events, or staying up late as a family watching TV. That's all changed. Now, it may be Will and I do something, or Liz and Dawn, sometimesSean, Will and me, but no girls, or Liz, Will and I. It's changed, but that's OK. We still do vacations together, but were back to having to pack a stroller, or ask for a child's seat at the restaurant. And we have to watch our time around 12:00 noon since that's nap time, and 10:00 pm seems late again.
Still, none of us would trade not having Sean. We are reminded often what life may have been like for Sean had no one adopted him, and it makes me sad. We count it a privilege to raise, nurture and shape Sean, hoping he someday becomes a Godly person with a future. We find new life in verses like Psalm 68:5 that say God places the lonely in families...yet wish more people would take up the offer and challenge of James 1:27...and engage themselves with alleviating the suffering of others, chief among them widows and orphans, knowing this truly pleases God.
Today is just another normal day for Sean...just as it should be.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
HEART CATH
I just got back from Akron Childrens Hospital. Sean is doing well after having a heart cath, and is coming out of the "sleepy gas" ( I can't spell anesthesia), better than when he had his teeth done.
While Dawn and I waited, the staff at the heart center gave us a bag of goodies which included a nice book on how the heart works, diagrams, problems, symptoms, and surgeries performed to fix the various defects that happen. It's been a long time since I was in biology, so it was good to use the two hour wait we had to freshen up on what goes on with the heart. Glad I did. When the procedure was over, Dawn and I went back to a room where the doctor explained what he saw and what his early prognosis is. He also showed us video of the procedure, which was fascinating.
The doctor must still meet with a panel of heart doctors and surgeons, but if what Dr. Lane saw today holds, Sean may have a procedure called a 'Fontan', to repair his heart. To hard to explain here how that works, other than to say, it's a re-tubing of his heart valves/arteries. As far as the time frame goes, still not sure, but it sounds like sooner rather than later.
I had to come home early today because the construction company came to make a few adjustments to the house, and our appliances are being delivered today. I am waiting to hear from Dawn whether she and Sean can come home today or not. While Dr. Lane had his instruments in Sean's heart, he clipped a 'coil' that was sending blood, via a vein, into his lungs, and that is not supposed to be happening. (Got to see the before and after video of that). After clipping this vein, it coils up does nothing, along with keeping blood out.
One last thing, while waiting in the recovery room, other kids are being brought in from their various surgeries and being hooked up to monitors. The other kids' monitors read blood oxygen levels of 100. Sean is still hovering in the 71-78 level. I'm repeatedly told as an adult with that reading , we'd have real problems on our hands.
While Dawn and I waited, the staff at the heart center gave us a bag of goodies which included a nice book on how the heart works, diagrams, problems, symptoms, and surgeries performed to fix the various defects that happen. It's been a long time since I was in biology, so it was good to use the two hour wait we had to freshen up on what goes on with the heart. Glad I did. When the procedure was over, Dawn and I went back to a room where the doctor explained what he saw and what his early prognosis is. He also showed us video of the procedure, which was fascinating.
The doctor must still meet with a panel of heart doctors and surgeons, but if what Dr. Lane saw today holds, Sean may have a procedure called a 'Fontan', to repair his heart. To hard to explain here how that works, other than to say, it's a re-tubing of his heart valves/arteries. As far as the time frame goes, still not sure, but it sounds like sooner rather than later.
I had to come home early today because the construction company came to make a few adjustments to the house, and our appliances are being delivered today. I am waiting to hear from Dawn whether she and Sean can come home today or not. While Dr. Lane had his instruments in Sean's heart, he clipped a 'coil' that was sending blood, via a vein, into his lungs, and that is not supposed to be happening. (Got to see the before and after video of that). After clipping this vein, it coils up does nothing, along with keeping blood out.
One last thing, while waiting in the recovery room, other kids are being brought in from their various surgeries and being hooked up to monitors. The other kids' monitors read blood oxygen levels of 100. Sean is still hovering in the 71-78 level. I'm repeatedly told as an adult with that reading , we'd have real problems on our hands.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
THE FACES OF A BIRTHDAY BOY
Today our little guy turned 3. In just one more month we will have had Sean one year. Our social worker came for the last time yesterday, and she asked me how I was adjusting. Part of my answer was, I cannot imagine not having Sean in our lives. Though it's been an adjustment, an on-going one at that, we are certainly blessed to have him. Today is filled with balloons, presents, extended family, cake and ice cream. There are still times I wonder what life would be like today for Sean if no one had chosen to adopt him. Would the workers even celebrate his life with a special party? Maybe. Maybe not.
Today in Shantou China, it is 79 degrees with 100% humidity and fog, and the orphanage Sean is from is a non-descript building in the middle of a city with a population of 1,333,973, and a country of 1.3 billion people-7,000 miles from America. Yet, these are numbers that did not prevent God from bringing us Sean, and for that we will always be grateful.
(click on picture for full-size)
Today in Shantou China, it is 79 degrees with 100% humidity and fog, and the orphanage Sean is from is a non-descript building in the middle of a city with a population of 1,333,973, and a country of 1.3 billion people-7,000 miles from America. Yet, these are numbers that did not prevent God from bringing us Sean, and for that we will always be grateful.
(click on picture for full-size)
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