Elyssa's Visit!!

We were SO excited to hear that our friends we met in China would be travelling through Oregon this weekend. They stopped and visited for just a few hours Saturday night. They adopted little Elyssa the exact same day we got Jack. We were actually together when we were both handed our children for the very first time. There are few emotional moments in life that can bond strangers so quickly!! We will forever have a special place in our heart for Elyssa!! Now home almost a year, she is a bundle of energy with an incredible vocabulary!! She knows all her colors, the letters in her name, her numbers and shapes! ....and she's not even 3 yet!! (Having a preschool teacher for a mom does have its advantages, huh?) Dad is in the military so they are relocating to Texas in January. Keeping in touch with them to continue to watch Elyssa grow might just be enough motivation for us to schedule a vacation in San Antonio next year!!

Though neither Jack nor Elyssa seemed to recognize or remember one another, they bonded instantly and all five of the kids in our house were rolling around, wrestling and rough-housing like they'd been together their whole lives!!


I love this picture of Elyssa with our two girls. During their visit, she told her dad that she wants a sister!! (We would love to see them go back to China for another girl!!) Elyssa is making incredible progress after surgery to repair a cleft lip and palate. Her speech is amazingly understandable and her smile lights up a room.

It continues to bless us to watch the Lord's plans unfold for these small ones who were born across the planet and saved for our hearts!

Happy Halloween!

This was Jack's introduction to our crazy American tradition....trick or treating. I thought maybe we should give him a "trial run" before actually going out in the neighborhood, so on Saturday I gave Paul a piece of candy and then dressed Jack in his costume. I showed Jack how to tell Daddy, "Trick or Treat" and then Paul gave him the candy. Ummm, yeah, well, duh....the kid isn't stupid. We spent the next eight hours bouncing back and forth between pure glee and temper tantrums on the floor as he refused to get out of the costume and was following every one around the house begging "Trick or Treat"...."Trick or Treat". The problem was...if he begged long enough, someone would give him a treat (just to shut him up!!) :)

We dressed the whole crew up Sunday afternoon and went out trick or treating in the neighborhood. Fun day for all....

Football Season is Here!!

Cole is playing Pop Warner football here in Silverton and since his team colors are orange and black...Jack shows his team spirit by wearing his OSU Beavers jersey to Cole's games.

Jack is learning more and more words. Paul was picking Jack up from my mom's (she babysits him during the day) and after saying "bye bye" to grandma....Jack spontaneously added "See you tomorrow". Both Paul and my mom said it was clear as a bell!

Jack is growing well and I think he's getting heavier (or I'm getting weaker). I haven't put him on a scale recently, but maybe we're finally making progress in the weight-gain department. His gasto-intestinal system seems to be regulating itself a bit better. We're still really watching the fruit intake.

School has started for the oldest two and Emerson is now doing preschool four days a week. Jack is loving his alone time with Grandma (and frankly, I think she is loving it too!!) We are thankful every day for Grandma....we couldn't do this without her!!!

Can he REALLY be 2....already??

December 6, 2009.....exactly eight months ago he was placed in my arms...and our lives changed forever.

August 6, 2010....we celebrate his second birthday. How can my baby be two already?? His favorite words? "Mama" "Daddy" "Cole" "Lise" "Emmy" "Jack-Jack" "Spongebob" (sorry...this one happened all on its own...and there's nothing we can do to un-do it!!) "night-night" "binky" "all done" and of course..."NO".

Jack continues to grow rapidly. His language is exploding and we continue to be amazed by everything he understands in English. My brother and his family were visiting us from China this summer and when my brother asked Jack to do something in Mandarin, Jack obeyed everytime. So, he hasn't lost his mother language yet....but I know that time will come.

He plays everything the big kids play....desperate to keep up. Emerson and Jack continue to be "oil and water" as he typically wants to be exactly where she is and she wants him to be exactly somewhere else!! Ah....sibling rivalry.

We had a big family celebration for Jack's birthday (and our other two kids who have July birthdays too). We moved him from his crib to his big boy bed and that went amazingly well. The first night was a bit rocky but after that he's been completely content in the bed. PTL! He still wears the brace at night on his feet. We see continued progress and the experts are pleased as well. Physical therapy only somewhat sporadic now as we learn new exercises to continue to train his muscles to hold those feet correctly.

Thanks to all who continue to read this blog....and continue to prod us to keep posting. (Thanks Michele!) It seems like all of you would be tired of reading about our boring life...but we continue to covet your prayers for continued health and adjustment for Jack-Jack. The Lord has blessed us richly and we are so grateful.

Welcome to May!!

The picture above is from one of our last Awana nights. We had a theme / dress-up Circus Night and Cole came as the sword swallower and Jack was the world's smallest China-man. :)

I've had friends tell me lately that I haven't blogged in a while...so let's see if we can catch you up on the latest. Jack is talking all the time. He is Mr. Mimic.....be careful what you say around him...because he WILL repeat it!!! He also is becoming more and more adept at answering questions (not always with the correct answer, mind you)....here's my personal favorite!! So, I ask him, "Jack-Jack, are you Chinese?" and he shakes his head vehemently and says, "NO!" Its hilarious.....seriously...if I could upload video onto a blog (which I am sure you can....I just don't know how) you would LOVE it!!!!

We got results back from the gastro-enterologist last week. Jack's poop came up with abnormal results in two areas.....fat absorption and carbohydrate absorption. Meaning basically that his body is not taking all the fat & carbs out of his food and therefore these elements are passing directly through his system. Doc said nothing to worry about.....he'll likely grow out of it.....so I guess the soupy poopy continues.

Jack is doing super-fabulous in physical therapy. So much so that they've decreased our sessions to every three to six weeks. We basically just go in for check-ups. Jennifer (therapist) says Jack just needs to get bigger and stronger. He is walking all over the place and sometimes his feet will be perfectly straight....sometimes you get one straight foot, sometimes the other straight foot...and sometimes no straight feet. Just depends. Jennifer says his balance is outstanding and he's very flexible (both big plusses). As his bones lengthen as he grows, the tibial torsion (twisting of the shin bone) should correct itself. Braces on at night while he sleeps. Regular shoes during the day.

We're approaching our 14th wedding anniversary later this month....can't believe that. Can't remember the days before kids (hence the reason we will go away WITHOUT children to celebrate!!) Can't believe I get to spend every day with my very best friend...Paul is the best!!

Looking forward to the end of the school year (6 weeks to go!). Steve & Marlene and kids will be home from China and here with us the first half of July.....talking about a Disney vacation for our clan of 6 the end of July.....got free airline miles after flying to the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD to pick up this baby boy!!!

Take care all....we love you so very much and appreciate your continued support & prayers.
To God Be the Glory!

Mister mischief maker

For those of you who have loved us a long time...you may recall Elise's episodes at about age 2 that included attempting to drink "Shout" stain remover....and drawing on her face with white-out....and coloring in every orafice of her body with blue Sharpie???? Remember those???

Yes, well here is Jack's contribution to the Myers stupid family trick album...

This isn't whipped cream....its Desitin.

Spring Break 2010

Whew!! We made it home after spending spring break in Palm Springs with all the kids. What a fun, fun time!! Jack absolutely LOVED the swimming pool.....I'll see if I can get the pictures uploaded. We had a super suite so everyone had a place to sleep (Jack was in the pack-n-play in the closet). We ate most all our meals in the room to try and save our pennies.

Our kids are so funny....Cole and Elise are deeply bronzed and tan....Emerson is still white as a ghost.....how is that genetically possible? They all came from the same place!! We were curious to see what Asian skin does in the sun...guess what? It just gets darker. Jack doesn't "look" tan if you're just looking at him....but he has a perfect tan line from his swim diaper. Its pretty funny.

The older two swam and swam and swam and swam and swam and swam and swam.....Emerson spent all five days in the 1.5 foot kiddie pool (she is not exactly our adventurous one)....but Jack would walk right off the side of the pool into water five feet deep if you'd let him. He was putting his face in the water and dunking his head underwater...he'd come up laughing. Cole took him down the kiddie water slide probably 100 times....he absolutely loved it.










Jack got a good nap each afternoon and Paul and I traded turns watching him in the room while the others stayed at the pool swimming. His little feet are looking a bit better every day. Physical therapy exercises are helping (but I have tremendous guilt that I'm not doing the exercises as faithfully with him as I should be). We are specifically working on the knees and hips now as Jack has tibial torsion (the bones are curved) and need to straighten themselves. no casting for this repair....just lots of rubbing, stretching, manipulating, exercising. Oh goody. Our goal is to get him sitting "criss-cross-applesauce" naturally. He is just starting to do it on his own and this position moves his hips into an outward V position (exactly what he needs...and exactly opposite what his hips naturally want to do). I don't think I've posted a picture of his brace yet. This is the apparatus Jack sleeps in each night.....









Oh....and as for the gastointestinal issues? We haven't heard lab results yet.....we sent in more poop for analysis. (wow.....is that too much information or what?) Pediatric GI specialist believes Jack may have some fructose malabsorption issues....(body can't tolerate fructose....a.k.a. apple juice, grapes.....all those things he loves and we were giving him freely). So, with limited intake of fructose...I can actually tell you we have celebrated solid poop more than once this past week! Hallelujah!!!

Long time....no update?? Sorry!!

Well, my loving sister reminded me that there are folks who are wanting to keep up with Jack's progress and I have been somewhat negligent in keeping the blog updated. Sorry!!!

Dr. Bob returned safely from Africa and Jack had an appointment last week. After 8 weeks of castings, Bob says its time to move to phase two. We have special ordered orthotic shoes (unfortunately they are at least a week out on orders....) In the mean time, our "poor man" orthotic shoes are really a pair of Cole's old Nike's from when he was a baby.....except on the wrong feet. Jack doesn't seem to mind this and it keeps his little toes pointed outward. The orthotic shoes will do essentially the same thing, but they also have a bar that attaches to hold the feet steady while Jack sleeps.

Jack was walking really well in the flat-bottomed casts, but he has really not walked much at all in his bare feet or in the Nike's. I think he is favoring one of his ankles but Dr. Bob assures us he should not be in any pain. I'm wondering, if after 8 weeks in casts, the poor kiddo just needs some time to build up some muscle tone again. He's very happy and is in great spirits. He crawls or "hops" everywhere he wants to be....so again, this is not slowing him down. It was just SO great to see him walking....that its a little hard to go "backwards" again.

on top of the casts / shoes issue....we are still having significant digestive issues with the boy. We've been home three months and the boy still has diarrhea every single day. We've done stool samples (all of which came back normal) and we've completely removed ALL dairy from his diet for two weeks...no difference whatsoever. Pediatrician says the next step is the pediatric gastroenterology clinic at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland. Ugh. We have an appointment, Thursday, March 11. We covet your prayers. Jack is not bothered by any of his symptoms. He doesn't appear to be cramping or in pain. But his diapers are NASTY!!!! And they are nasty FREQUENTLY!!! I'll spare you any more information than that!!

Praises are plenty over the last few weeks.....Jack's social security number arrived literally without a glitch. I went to the social security office in Albany (Thanks Lory Roth for the heads-up!) and waited a mere 30 minutes. The entire process was less than an hour....we've heard HORROR stories from other adoptive families who have waited hour upon hour, only to be told to return another day with another form, etc, etc, etc. The Lord paved the way for us on this one...no doubt!! So, our taxes are almost complete.....praise the Lord for the federal adoption credit! It will certainly help replenish the next-to-nothing savings account. yikes!!

Jack's transition home continues to amaze and astound us. There are literally days when I can't remember not having him here. He is such a part of who we are as a family. He spent the afternoon with a friend of mine (it was his first time "away" from family or extended family) and he did just super. Thanks for fabulous friends who are willing to take the risk to be the first babysitter for the China boy!! We are blessed by an amazing support system....at work, at school, at church, even the community. When you hear it takes a village to raise a child...this kid's got the cadillac village!! :)

Thanks for all of you who continue to read this and for those who keep praying. We feel you and are sustained by God's grace because of your intercession!! Our love to each and every one of you.

Inside the Cast Shop

For those of you who have been following our progress with Jack's casts...I thought you might like to see inside the cast shop at HOPE Orthopedics. These pictures came from Jennifer...the awesome assistant who has been with us each week. You'll also see pictures of Mike hard at work on Jack's casts and Misty getting him all cleaned up. This past Friday (Feb 5) was the first time Paul has been able to slip away to join me for one of Jack's appointments.



Orange casts come off.....Misty cleans Jack up....and you can see a picture of his heel. Just the little puncture wounds from the tenotomy surgery.....and the BLACK casts go on!!









We made sure to get a family picture with Mike as last Friday was his last day. Congrats Mike on your retirement! We wish you all the best!!

Happy Birthday Elise!!

I can't believe my little girl is 7 years old! Where has the time gone? Paul and I were talking about Elise's birth this morning before we got up. Easiest delivery of all time!! Gotta love the epidural. And 30 hours after delivery, my teaching colleagues from Hayesville all showed up at 7am in my hospital room for our weekly Friday morning leadership meeting! (Am I dedicated or what?!?)

While the day was centered around Elise....Jack was the life of the party. He's now walking 3-4 steps on his own and he is loving his freedom. The casts are all fiberglass now and molded flat on the bottom. He looks a little bit like Frankenstein as he's walking with clunky flat feet, but it works.

Paul came to Jack's appointment on Friday and was a little disappointed and maybe even a tad discouraged by the progress. I kept telling him how great Jack's feet look when the casts came off and I think I may have tainted Paul's expectations. When the casts came off and Jack's little toes immediately turned inward, Paul was crestfallen. I reassured him and reminded him that we have come so far and we will get those feet where we need them to be, but its going to take time.

Again, we were overwhelmed by the personal touches from our friends in the cast shop at HOPE Orthopedics. Friday was Mike's last day before he retires...we will miss him immensely. His knowledge and expertise have been invaluable. Misty was a God-send on Friday as she willingly took Emerson and played with her so Mike could work without interruption. Jennifer stayed right with me and kept Jack occupied and entertained....and took pictures! Jenn's intuition is incredible....she knew immediately when Jack was going to need his binky and she dug it out of my purse before I could even ask for it!! We have been blessed, blessed, blessed. It would be sufficient for us to just get good medical care...but the Lord has seen fit to provide us with an extra measure of encouragement and support even from our visits to the cast shop. Praise God!!

Dr. Bob returns from Africa this week. Anxious (very anxious) to get his opinion on Jack's progress. We're still kind of in the dark about the long-term treatment plan....we just go from casting to casting, so I'd love to get some perspective from Bob on exactly where we will be heading. Thanks for praying! We can feel you!!

New Casts Etc...

We had our regular visit at HOPE Orthopedics this morning for new casts for Jack. He did the best he's EVER done for one of these visits. No screaming or fits...he wasn't even really afraid of the saw when they cut the old casts off. Course....I guess he's probably getting used to it. This was the first time we went directly to the Cast Shop. Mike was AWESOME!!!! He said he used to do a ton of club foot repairs when he was in the Navy....well, his experience was evident. His demeanor with Jack was relaxed and attentive and Jack responded in kind. The new casts are the same plaster, below the knee casts we are now used to. But....these are beautiful. Mike must consider his casts something like an artist considers a canvas....the finished products on Jack's legs are smooth, symmetrical and almost attractive. :)

Jack is now thoroughly accustomed to the casts and they don't slow him down a bit. He pulls himself up on all our furniture, but he is not yet attempting to really walk on his own. The picture here shows that, even with the casts, you can still see the little toes pointing in towards one another. With the casts off, the feet look absolutely beautiful and definitely straighter....but you can tell we're not home yet!! Please continue to pray.One quick story: one of the people in the Cast Shop with Mike this morning was a great lady who connected immediately with Emerson and kept her entertained while Mike worked with Jack. We went to the Silverton basketball game tonight....and there she was!!! She's the new athletic trainer for SHS......small world, huh? Turns out she's also a dear friend from college to another friend of mine.....wow. The Lord just continues to remind us that He is working in every single, small circumstance....from start to finish.

What's Happening These Days?

Its been a while since I've posted. We've been busy, I guess. Jack's baby dedication last Sunday at church was so special. We had some dear friends join us and that made it all the more special. The day after the dedication, Dr. Bob and Sally, along with Pastor Stan, Mindy and Blue all headed to Africa for the next month. Pray for traveling mercies and a clear ministry for them during their time abroad.

One of the local papers, Our Town, did a really nice article this week on Jack and our family. They did a nice job including our faith in the story...but we wanted to emphasize that we're just "regular people" and they did that pretty well, too. I shared Jack's story with the Sparks (grades K-2) at Awana on Wednesday night and it was a super reminder to me about how the Lord has walked right next to us this entire journey. I focused my talk to the kids on the power of prayer and the specific things that we prayed for that the Lord provided for us....but also the things that the LORD chose to give to us that we never even considered asking for!!!

I will share with the ladies at the church on Saturday, Jan 30th. The focus there will be similar but with a twist to include God's sovereignty and mercy. Perfect fit for a little boy whose life started with tragedy....and the Lord turned it to good.

First post-placement home visit tomorrow with our social worker. Looking forward to visiting with her again. Another round of casts on Friday this week.....I'll try to post an update then.

Casts? Round Three!!

Post-operative appointment at HOPE Orthopedics this morning. The technician cut off Jack's casts (he was VERY concerned about the saw) and I was SHOCKED at how straight and normal his feet looked. I think I physically gasped out loud!! Instead of twisted and contorted, they just hung there....beautiful and straight!!

The tenotomy was a massive success. ('course I'm no expert). But Dr. Bob agreed that everything is going just as planned. He was very pleased with what he saw. The heel is down and the feet are flexing just like yours and mine. The toes still turn inward.....so the third round of casts are now back on!! Before the plaster went back on, I inspected the wound from the surgery....you can barely even see it! I'm not even sure how Dr. Bob got in to access the achilles tendon with holes this small....

Two weeks in these casts.....then a new set for another two weeks. Bob and his wife, Pastor Stan and Mindy leave for Africa (for a month) on Monday the 11th. (I know they would appreciate your prayers). Bob is leaving us in the capable hands of his associates at HOPE. But....before he goes, we have asked Dr. Bob to pray for Jackson at his baby dedication service on Sunday morning. What a special blessing for us to share that monumental event with him! He has been (and will continue to be) such an important part of Jack's life.

Week Two at Home

We've been home two-plus weeks and now the big kids are back at school. I've enjoyed my time as a stay-at-home mom even though, I admit, I've been at school and the district office every day at least once. No worries...Jack has been there with me and people are becoming accustomed to me getting things accomplished at work with an extra 20 pounds on my left hip. :)

Jack continues to act as if the surgery on his achilles tendon was no big deal. We never did medicate more than just regular Tylenol post-surgery. He's doing just amazingly well. He's met all my teachers at school and all the other principals at our admin meeting and was introduced to Cole's classroom during Cole's 45 minute presentation about China (yikes!) Elise has asked to bring Jack to school for show-n-tell on Thursday.

Thursday is also our post-op appointment and we'll get further direction regarding continued casts and treatment then.

Sunday is a great day as we will be dedicating Jack at church. What a tremendous opportunity to offer this baby back to the God who has protected and provided for him each and every day of his young life. May the Lord continue to richly bless Jackson as he grows and our prayer would be that Jack would establish a relationship with his Lord early in life.