No rest for the parents of a sick child

Poor little Keith. He isn't doing well. He doesn't want to drink anything - but he has diarrhea, so we HAVE to give him fluids. Since he won't drink on his own, I have to use a medicine dropper to drop pedialite into his mouth. One. Teaspoon. At. A. Time. Can you imagine how long it takes to give him even just a cup of liquid? *sigh* Oh, and he's fighting me the whole time. But, since I've been administering pedialite to him in the way - he's been having wet diapers, so it's working. It's just unpleasant. Tomorrow we're taking him to the doctor for all kinds of things - hopefully they'll be able to help us out with Keith.

I took Kristina to church today. She did beautifully through Sacrament meeting. In Primary they sang to her and she LOVED that. Then I went home to relieve Tyler from keeping Keith (Tyler had to teach in Priesthood). Apparently during the time it took me to get home and for Tyler to arrive, Kristina began hitting and pulling her teacher's hair. *sigh* I'm grateful that her teacher and for Cindy in being patient with our over-stimulated girl on her first day in Primary.

Vasoline

So I've read all the TWILIGHT series and loved it. Then I found out about Midnight Sun and I've been reading it. It's the book TWILIGHT from Edward's perspective. If you like TWILIGHT, you should read it.

I went in for a pedicure when I got home from Ukraine. My feet were cracked and quite painful from all the walking I did in Ukraine. The lady who did my pedicure said the same thing that they all say to me: use vasoline on your feet. "Yeah, yeah," I'd say. Well this time, I thought, "Why not?" So I put some on my feet. Oh. My. Goodness. It works! It works so well that I put some on the tops of my hands - which get chapped this time of year. It's amazing! Vasoline. Who knew? (this is a rhetorical question, but I guess you could say that the pedicurist lady knew)

How did you Black Friday shopping go? I actually didn't do any Christmas shopping that day. I'm not a big fan of going shopping when I have zero money to spend. Somehow that takes all the fun out of going shopping. I did manage to buy some diapers and wipes, though. Does that count?

My sister, Heather, and her hubby and daughter will be coming out for Christmas this year. I. Cannot. Wait. It will be so fun to celebrate my favorite holiday with my sister & her family. Speaking of Christmas - what fun traditions do you have this time of year? Any special treats that you make? Decorations that you absolutely CANNOT live without putting up? Let's hear it!

Let's hope it gets better

Not only is Keith sick - he has strept throat, too. Why not? Let's just add any other sickness that's going around so we can get it all out of the way. Keith started getting a rash on his upper chest area and neck and had a fever. We called our friend, Ben, who is a doctor, to help Tyler give Keith a priesthood blessing and to look him over. After some struggles from Keith, Ben got a good look in his throat and said he has strept. Oh boy. That explains his lack of desire to swallow anything. Today has been a battle to help him get any fluids down. He has diarrhea, so he needs to drink but he won't. So I've been using a teaspoon dropper to administer pedialite to my son - one teaspoon at a time. It takes FOREVER, but it should help him stay hydrated. Poor little guy.

Kristina is doing pretty well - the chicken pox are almost completely gone. She's happy. What more could I ask for? (except for Keith to be healthy) My childhood friend, Sarah, drove in to visit me today. I've known her since the 3rd grade. She is an amazing person. Can I just dote on her a bit? She's my age (30) and hasn't had the opportunity to marry (yet). She is a social worker in her state and works with children. She has a sister who has made some choices to have two children, but is unable to care for these children. Sarah stepped forward and has been their legal guardian for over a year now. She takes complete care of these children. She is so generous and kind. Her income barely meets their needs. I wish that I could help her financially as she goes about helping these sweet little girls (ages 5 & 3). She is a great example to me of reaching out to these children so that they can have a bright future. Despite her hard times with money, she shows up at my house with a toy for all 3 of my kids plus some jam for me. What a woman.


Sarah & me

Sarah & Anna

Trying to snuggle Keith.
Pucker up, baby!

Isn't this the sweetest picture ever?!?!

Sleeping, at last...

It's that time again

So, Christmas cards or Christmas letters? Professional pictures or taken by a friend? How do you tackle the December letters that are sent to family and friends each year? Do you order the cards, special made? Scrapbook them? Print them yourself or at a store? What do you do? I want to hear your ideas.

Annaism: (speaking to Tyler) "Mama just wants to blog on herself".

Our first/last invitation

Today our good friends, Trent & Valene, invited us over for turkey leftovers and games. It was our first time being invited over since we got the kids. We spruced the kids up and they looked great. We were there about 30 minutes and all was well. I realized that Keith's forehead was a little warm. I mentioned it to Tyler and he felt his forehead. I figured that he was fine, since he is usually sweating most of the time. So I put him on the floor and went to get him some lunch. 2 minutes later he threw up all. over. the. place. Wow. We bathed him and changed his clothes (I had thankfully packed an extra set) and I rocked him to sleep. 1 hour later (while he was asleep) he threw up (again) all. over. me. Yeah. Another bath, but not another set of clothes for him. Or me. So homeward bound we went. I hope that Valene will forget the scent of vomit in her home and find it in her to invite us over again. *sigh* The crazy part? Keith gave us NO sign that he wasn't feeling well. It was completely out of the blue. Let's hope it was a 24-hour deal and that he'll be 100% fine soon.

On another note, I have been concerned about Keith & Kristina's lack of clothing. With Keith, well, I've never had a son - so I don't have boys clothes lying around. We bought him a few 3T things at the store after coming home - he has about 5 full outfits and 2 pairs of pajamas. With Kristina - I figured that I'd have lots of clothes for her size, 4T, because Anna was that size a couple of years ago. However, when I went through Anna's clothes, all I found was ONE OUTFIT. *gasp* I must have given away her clothes, thinking that when I finally had another child - we'd have the money to buy new clothes. I'm here to say that we do not have the money to buy a whole wardrobe for Kristina. In fact, after this adoption trip - Christmas is going to be on the lean side in the way of gifts. However, Tyler was cleaning out the garage today and he ran across a tub of clothes that Valerie gave me before I left for Ukraine, which I had forgotten about. I am happy to say that Keith now has 4 pairs of jeans, khaki pants, corduroy pants, several shirts and sweats and coats, shoes, and 4 more pairs of pajamas. Wow. He's totally set, except for some church clothes, and suspenders - because I think a boy needs to wear suspenders & a bowtie, too. (They're SO CUTE!) Anyhow, there were even a few shirts for Kristina. Thanks Valerie!!! I still need more clothes for Kristina - but some variety into her 5 outfit wardrobe is welcome! And these clothes should reduce the daily laundry we've been doing. At least, theoretically.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful today. We celebrated ours last week, so today felt quite strange. No baking. No cooking. No big meal. Just relaxation = very nice. I have many things to be grateful for this year. In fact, my good friend Melisa came down to visit me and to meet our new kids! After lunch, my sweet husband held down the fort while Melisa & I went off to see TWILIGHT! (our second time to see it). It was wonderful, of course! It was sad to see her go - it's hard for good friends to live far away from each other - but here are some pictures.

Melisa has lost some weight & looks AMAZING! Thanks for coming, Melisa!

With all of your leftover turkey, here are 3 recipes for you to try:

Biscuit-topped turkey pie

2 cups chopped cooked turkey
4-6 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1 can corn, drained

salt

pepper

2 2/3 cups chicken (or turkey) broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 recipe biscuit dough

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in baking dish; cover with sliced eggs and corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix broth and soup; pour over turkey. Cut dough into rounds with biscuit cutter; arrange over turkey. Bake for 30 minutes or until biscuits are cooked; serve hot. Yield: 6-10 servings.

Turkey Enchiladas

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cans cream of chicken soup

7 oz can diced green chili

1 large onion, diced

1 can olives, sliced (optional)

turkey (cooked & shredded) chicken can be substituted

shredded cheese

1 10 oz can enchilada sauce

ketchup

tortillas

Recipe can be cut in half

Combine soups, chili, onion, olives, & turkey. In greased 9x13 pan, take flour tortilla and spoon 1-2 tbsp of mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Roll up tightly, turn seam to bottom. Up to 16 per pan. Combine enchilada sauce with equal amount of water and 1/3 cup ketchup or to your taste. Pour over top of enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. COVER WITH FOIL. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated. Let sit for a few minutes before eating.

Linguine & Turkey

12 oz linguine

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

12 oz evaporated milk

1 tbsp water

1 1/3 cup chicken or turkey broth

2 cups cooked, shredded turkey

1/2 cup romano or parmesan cheese

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. In a separate saucepan melt butter over low heat until melted. Stir in flour and salt; add evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add water and chicken broth. Cook until thick. Stir together turkey, noodles and sauce and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with romano cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Here are some pictures from our relaxing day. Keith hasn't been warming up to Maggie (at all) so we had to take some pictures when he was tolerating her pretty well.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

I am thankful for my Savior. With him everything is possible. He loves me regardless of my mistakes and shortcomings and I love Him. He died for me and is constant in his love for me.

I am thankful for my husband. He is good to me. He loves me and takes care of me. He is a hard worker and provides for his family. I love him with all my heart.

I am thankful for my daughter, Anna. She is a great helper to me and gives the best hugs ever. She has a fun laugh and is cheerful. She is a super big sister and I love her so much.

I am thankful for my son, Keith. When he lays his head on my shoulder - all is right in the world. His smile is hard to get - but worth the work! He is a real sweetie.

Kristina is my little fireball of energy. She is constantly on the go, but loves to give hugs and kisses. She is a quick learner and imitates those around her. Her smile is hard to resist and she has a great capacity to love others.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Doctor, Doctor! Give me the news!

This afternoon we rode in our newly repaired car ($400 later...) to the on-base hospital for Keith & Kristina's physicals. The appointments were with different doctors and so Tyler took Kristina to her doctor and I took Keith to his.

Kristina's results: she is 4 & 1/2 years old & she is 2nd % in weight (she weighs 28 pounds), 1% in height. She got her immunization shots (5 shots total) her in thighs - poor little girl. She has a referral to see an opthamalogist for her strabismus (very common in orphans) and a psychologist.

Keith's results: he is also 4 & 1/2 years old & he weighs 23 pounds (tiny, people). The doctor said he is functioning at the level of a 6-9 month old child. The doctor brought in a specialist, Randy -who happens to be in our church, and he asked the other (younger) doctor to make a list. Randy listed at least 6 referrals for Keith of various areas, such as gastrointestinal, opthamalogy, hearing, dental, etc. I felt it was a miracle that Randy was brought in to help us with our kids and he showed extra interest and concern about them both.

Tyler wasn't too thrilled with Kristina's doctor and her expertise - so Randy transferred Kristina over to him and to Keith's doctor so they could work on both kids. As Randy named referral after referral, I felt overwhelmed and emotional at the thought that Keith will get the care that he needs to help him progress. It was as if Randy was our own angel helping us with our angel. God continues to bless us with miracles in this adoption journey.

We had an x-ray taken of Keith and the doctor called us back with the results - his tummy is really tight because he's backed up - more than the doctor said he's ever seen in a child. So we've been having fun (not really) with suppositories and enemas this evening. Already this little guy has purged 3 cups from his 23 pound body! (I wonder how much of his weight is his bowels?!) The doctor has labeled him as "ASAP" on all of his appointments, so Keith will see the GI doctor on monday for a "procedure" to clean him out. Poor guy. Also on monday he's due to have blood draws and his immunization shots. Hello Motrin!

Here are some pictures of our blessings:

Kristina eating macaroni & cheese for the very first time. She loved it.

Keith also eating mac'n'cheese & loving it, too. :o)

My babies!

Keith watching a Christmas video. He leans his head way back to see the t.v.

Maggie - scared and curious of the two new kids.
Anna doing homework - very important!

Keith playing with his favorite toy - thanks Valerie!

Beautiful Anna!

Kristina with her first cupcake - yeah, we thought it was important to introduce her to some healthy American snacks. ;o)

Happy girls eating lunch together. :o)

A bump in the road

So we're driving the kids to Keith's doctor's visit today and out of nowhere - our car decides to shut down. For no reason. Well, not that we could easily see. We had to cancel our appointment, find someone to come pick us up, AND find someone to pick up Anna from school. Frustration. We are now a family of 5 with a small pick-up truck for a vehicle. Not good. Not legal.

Tomorrow is our rescheduled doctor's visit. Let's hope we can get there.

My famous, beautiful, talented, tall baby sister

My sister, Heather, was featured in this article and in this article and I have to say - she's gorgeous! She's been modeling since middle school and I'm amazed at her ability to balance modeling with being the great wife and mom that she is to her family. Way to go, Heddy!

I ♥ Technology

Since Kristina has the chicken pox, I stayed home with her from church today. I don't like missing church. I enjoy being there and feeling the Spirit and learning more about my Savior, Jesus Christ. I find that the week after I go to church I am happier and more in control - versus when I don't get to go to church I struggle and lose my patience more quickly. Anyone know what I mean? Well, today I was able to have a missionary opportunity with a friend of mine through yahoo messenger. I was able to tell her how much the gospel means to me and the happiness that it brings to my life. How amazing it is that I can share my testimony with people on the computer. I know that technology can be a good thing and can help us share the gospel with others. Have any of you had similar experiences?

Eating and such

Keith only ate pureed food in the orphanage. Since he is four you'd think he would be eating solid foods - not so! In the beginning I fed him baby food, but now I am introducing more solid foods with some success, too! Tonight he ate egg noodles and broccoli (cut into tiny pieces). He ate macaroni & cheese and peas for lunch (neither were pureed). He's definitely making progress, which is exciting! Aside from crackers, Keith will eat anything I give him - which is nice. I'm hoping to help him learn to feed himself. He drinks from a bottle and will hold the bottle all by himself (hooray!) but he doesn't do anything to help with feeding. I'm sure that will come in time. On the sign language front - Keith did his first sign today: "more". He did it twice and very deliberately! I was thrilled - I wasn't sure when/if he'd ever do sign language, so seeing him sign was really encouraging!

Kristina is doing well with her food, but she eats v.e.r.y.s.l.o.w.l.y. It takes her a LONG time to finish her meals. She isn't picky. Tonight she said her broccoli was "kusna" = tasty! I have Kristina drink from a sippy cup. She actually knows how to drink from a cup - but her behavior changes from moment to moment and I don't want for my carpet to meet her cranberry juice because she felt like throwing her cup on the floor. My patience is very low at the end of the day with Kristina. Kristina likes to imitate her sister, Anna. After dinner, we had cookies for dessert. Anna likes to break up her cookies into pieces and then dip them into milk. Kristina decided to follow suit, except she had water in her cup. So she began dipping her cookie pieces into the water. It's amazing how quickly these kids learn! Don't worry - we gave her milk instead!

2 days ago I went through Anna's old clothes - looking for 4T which is Kristina's size - I was surprised to see that I only had one 4T outfit. I guess I gave away all of Anna's clothes. I hope to hit the thrift stores soon - as I MUST have more than one 4T outfit for this active girl!

Tonight we had dinner brought to us - thanks Valene! I feel so blessed to have such kind friends here. We've been given a car seat and some kids clothes! All in all, things are going well. I won't lie - it's not easy. We struggle sometimes, but it's worth it. All of it.

Family is always welcome

I was blessed to have my wonderful in-laws come visit me in Ukraine to bring our kids home! And even better - they were able to stay with us for a few days! Here are some pictures:

Tyler reading to the kids before bed. Poor Keith wasn't too happy about it.

The happy, exhausted, sleep-deprived, content parents.

Proud papa!

The grandparents fell asleep while we were decorating.

Aunt Tisha helping to decorate the tree.

Keith, Mama, & Anna at a local restaurant.

Pa-Pa & Grammy.

Aunt Tisha, Kristina, & Papa.

Anna enjoying her dinner!

Come back soon! And here's to an open invitation for more family & friends to come visit us!

Updates on the kiddos

It's so nice to be able to post pictures whenever I want to! But first an update on how things are going here.

Kristina: she has the chicken pox REALLY bad. It's all over her body. Seriously. Anna hasn't had the chicken pox and I don't remember mine being so bad when I was young. Despite having this all over her - Kristina is such a happy girl! She is always smiling and aims to please. Today she helped me unload the dishwasher. She follows me around the house and wants to be doing whatever her mama is doing. It has taken some adjustment for me - my daughter, Anna, was quite content to do her own thing. However, I am enjoying how much she wants to be with me. And her snuggles and hugs are irresistable. She wears size 4T and LOVES music and dancing. Some pictures of Kristina since we've been home:

Keith: He has a cough right now, poor little guy. And he's pretty constipated. I've been giving him oatmeal, beans, juice, and other foods which should be helping him out - but massaging his tummy is the most effective method thus far. If only he liked the tummy massages. He loathes them and throws big-time fits during them. But they work. I hope his adjustment to the food here will be quick! When he's happy - he's really happy. But when he's sad...well, that's another story. He throws fits pretty often (something he didn't do in the orphanage) and is stubborn, but considering the fact that he can't communicate (he doesn't talk yet) and that his life has been turned upside-down, he's doing pretty good. He wears size 3T which are long enough but usually really baggy on him. He's so scrawny and his ribs stick out - poor thing! He loves string and electrical cords. Some pictures of Keith:

Anna: She enjoys having two younger siblings, but at times it's overwhelming for her. I try to praise her when she behaves well and notice her as much as possible. Since she's so self sufficient, it seems as though I'm busy changing diapers and taking care of the other kids a lot and I want for Anna to feel important to us. She wears size 8 and loves being the "big sister" and telling her siblings what to do. They don't seem to mind this. Yet. Here are some pictures of Anna:

The kids have been enjoying the Christmas decorations. Here are some group pictures of the kids: