God Bless America!

My title may or may not be fitting, but I just love looking outside seeing my kids enjoying the summer-like weather and am reminded of the awesome freedoms that we enjoy.  Please note that Cael is wearing a light sabre, a pair of flight wings, a bike helmet, a Nemo sticker from the dentist's office, and a walkie-talkie.  What can I say?  The kid knows how to accessorize!

So this week has been busy and it is only Tuesday!  I went back to work, The Ferland Academy is back in full swing, and Cael Enyi had a TON of medical appointments.  We followed up with the pediatrician who reported that he is so far a very healthy boy!  He had us see the audiologist to rule out any inner ear issue (due to the minor outer ear deformity) and his hearing is perfect.  The audiologist and I were even able to communicate how to raise his hand when he heard the beeps and he did great!  Where he did NOT do so great is at the dentist...we knew that kids from China typically had dental issues, and Cael certainly came with more than his fair share.  He has 7 cavities and is on a waiting list to get them taken care of before we leave for D.C. next month.  We will avoid eating or drinking before 0800 every morning until we see if we get the opportunity to squeeze in to have at least two visits to get all the dental work taken care of...UGH!  

Finally, on Friday we go back to orthopedics for another XRAY to see if his cast can come off.  He is still coming down the stairs every morning saying, "No, MaMa", as he points to his cast.  And he is begging to get back on his bike...YEAH!

We hope that you all are doing well.  We are so thankful for your continued prayers and God's continued provision in our lives.  We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams!! 

First Visit to Ortho

OK. So my last blog was titled "No Training Wheels", so I guess it is appropriate that the next one is "First Visit to Ortho".  That's right, Cael fractured his left thumb in a not-so-controlled crash.  Poor little guy!  He was doing so well that we started out on Wednesday morning for what we guessed would be a 4 mile run while the boys rode their bikes.  Well, the weather was beautiful and the kids were having fun...Jay and I felt great so we kept going.  Unfortunately, about 200 yards from being  home...7 miles later...it happened. Cael's confidence was up and I was running ahead and Jay was behind him.  Well, he lurched ahead and I heard Jay yelling "stop!" as I stepped up a very small curb (though not small enough).  I turned around just in time to see him hit the curb at just the right angle to come down hard...left hand on the handle bar, still.  There was a tiny scrape on his thumb, but he was crying about his right knee, which now has a BIG strawberry and another added bruise.  But by the time he was in the bath that night, his left thumb and thenar area had really begun to swell with lots of blue bruising.   So...here we are below in Orthopedics getting our first cast!  I must tell you that this was on the back side of 4 new immunizations and while I think he enjoyed the attention, he was not happy when we left and that thing was still on his hand.  The doctor wants to see him next week to get another XRAY and hopefully he won't have to wear it more than a week or two, at the most.  

As for biking: ever since this happened, he has been saying, "Enyi, No Bike".  But by last night when all the neighbor kids were out riding theirs, he was asking, "Please, Mama. Bike?  No Crash." (yes! his English is greatly improving!)  So we let him ride the scooter and he was reasonably happy with that...but we also want to get him back on "the horse" while he is still confident.  

Update on my dad: He is finally home from the hosptial and off nearly all pain medicine...just frustrated with the slow recovery.  Thanks, to all who continue to pray for the entire family.  God is good!

No training wheels!

This past week, we all headed back to Nacogdoches to visit my dad who was back in the hospital due to a massive infection and experiencing pain like I have never seen in my 20 years as an OT...but thanks to the many prayers, he is back on the road to healing.   While we were there, Jay continued to provide home school and complete a few "honey-do" projects that needed completion...my man is so good at that kind of thing and I'm so lucky to have him!
Meanwhile, the kids were pretty patient with all of the running around.  We even took the opportunity to visit my younger brother and his family on our way back home.  Cael LOVED meeting his older cousins!  He had his first adventure on a trampoline and though he was tentative, at first, within a few minutes, he was hooked...and SWEATY!  He also found out that everyone is our family likes to wrestle and tickle...again...no problem!  Notice the great shot of the boys geared up for a serious Nerf gun fight!
We went for a run Sunday afternoon, and guess who no longer needs training wheels??  That's right, after only the second time without them ...he's got it.  We thought it was cool that Campbell learned to ride a bike on a Father's Day, and Cael learned on a Mother's Day.   It was pretty funny how it happened.  He kept turning around, yelling. "boo yao!" to BaBa every time he took his hand off the balance buddy...so we decided that some tough love was in order.  The next time he did it, we told him just to get off and walk.  When the thought of getting off the bike hit him, he decided that we would pedal away from us...and that was it.  The grin on his face after that was priceless and he wanted more.  By the end of the run, we stopped in a parking lot and he was doing BIG loops all over the place.  His dismount is sort of a controlled crash, but he's getting better with each new ride.  When we returned to their house, he kept pointing to himself and saying, "Enyi...Bike!!"  Of course we all clapped and said, "Yes!  Enyi...bike all by himself!'
Needless to say, by today, Campbell, Cael and Tucker were exhausted and could not keep their eyes open for more than hour in the car on the way home...
So, while it was GREAT to see our family, it is always great to be home in your own bed and the kids are always happy to see the neighborhood kids.  I know that my dad is sure ready to be home after a week in the hospital...but there is a good chance he will be home tomorrow. PTL!
We hope that all of you  had a great Mother's Day!

Back to School and Catch Up

Friday we went to see a surgeon about what Cael Enyi is in for...the bottom line...all can be "fixed"...but he suggested we wait until we get to D.C. to begin the 2 stage process.  He also suggested that we see an endocronologist.  He greased the skids and we actually have our first appointment there, tomorrow.  He has already contacted the surgeon at Bethesda who will be following Cael in D.C.  She said that she would be happy to see us and to send her an email when we arrive and she would get us in.  I think we all agree with both of them that waiting is the best thing, at this point.  The boy is having so much fun riding his bike and playing with the kids in the neighborhood, we hate to spoil that right now.  On another bright side, Wilford Hall is VERY close to the only Dunkin' Donuts in town, so we made a special trip over there for some treats.  We're not sure if Cael has ever had a donut, but we KNOW that it is Campbell's FAVORITE food in the world and Cael seemed to also enjoy them!

Saturday we participated in the base-wide yard sale to rid ourselves of a few hundred pounds of goods before making the big move.  We did pretty well, and Jay gave me some of the profits to spend for my birthday.  After all, I need a new outfit to match my new pearls (my real B-day present)!  That evening, we had our friends the Laymons over for burgers and cake.  They leave this week for China to pick up their son, so keep them in your prayers as they travel.  Check out their journey via our blog site: A Journey to New Beginnings.

Sunday, we took Cael to our church for the first time...of course everyone made over him and asked Cam how he liked being a big brother.  Cael's eyes were so big during the fabulous music our church has.  We sat up close so that he could see Seth work the pipe organ and see the big drums and orchestra...it was cool and I was VERY emotional!

Today, Jay reopened the doors to the Ferland Academy...much to Cam's chagrin after nearly a month off of school...it was a bit of a rough go, but they finally got into full swing.  Cael even got into the spirit as Jay and I worked with him on writing the alphabet.  You wouldn't believe it, but he's nearly got it!  Since he can already sing the alphabet song, we capitalized on the phonics thing...both of our boys are SO smart!  Tucker, of course naps during school...but he's still smart.

We took a recess just before lunch to get everyone's blood moving....those boys LOVE their bikes!

Finally, Cael really helped me out before lunch by unloading the silverware from the dishwasher.  We had a great language lesson and he now says spoon, fork, big, and small!

That's about it for today.  Hope all are doing well!

Baking and Riding

Today we had a glimpse of being on a normal time schedule. Jay and I slept until 0630 and the boys slept until about 0730. It was wonderful! We spent the majority of the day preparing for a community garage sale on Saturday. We went room by room looking for things that we have not used in over a year and staged it in the dining room to be loaded up for the yard sale. Every move we do this, and I always think that we are really "trimming the fat" for the next move...yet we wind up on the other side of the move with still a lot of "stuff". About halfway through the afternoon, Campbell pulled out a train cake mold that we got for one of his birthdays. He asked so nicely if I would please make a cake...so I said, why not! I need to enjoy my time away from work, and what better way to enjoy it!? Baking for my boys (note Tucker eagerly waiting for someone to spill something).
After we finished preparing for the yard sale, we sat on the porch watching the boys play in the wagon. This wagon was Jay's when he was a little boy, and his Dad refinished it for Campbell several years ago. It is nice to see them both enjoying it so much!
Update on my dad: He's doing much better today! Moving around a little easier and is no longer taking any pain meds...just good ol' vitamin M (Motrin).
Tomorrow, Cael has his first appointment with the surgeon, so we are anxious to see what our medical schedule will hold in the coming weeks.
More to come!

Good Food, Good Medicine, Good Fun

We have been out of the blog-o-sphere the last couple of days in an effort to reunite with some of our family and reorient ourselves to the timezone of the good ol' USA!
We went to my folks to visit my Dad since his surgery...he has had a bit of a rough go...please continue to pray for him as he experiences the difficulty of "just resting"...it's NOT his thing, but the only real medicine that works, right now. Mom has been a real trooper and has endless energy. I'm not sure how she does it.
While we were there, Mom made a good old fashioned Sunday Dinner of roast, rice and gravy, corn, green beans, salad, yeast rolls, and a Texas sheet cake. It was heaven and Cael Enyi ate EVERY BITE! He LOVES gravy! (and we already knew he loved chocolate cake and ice cream) On the second day, we picked up fried chicken, fried okra, and french fries (not a thing healthy on the menu!) Also loves cream gravy to dip his fried chicken in...remember he IS from SOUTHERN China! The other big news is that for the last day or so, he has begun to call himself Cael Enyi and will actually respond when we say Cael. Progress. When we returned home early yesterday morning, we immediately got him registered in the military medical system and he had his first doctor's appointment with the pediatrician to address the rash/virus on his face. Again...GOD BLESS AMERICA and the wonderful physicians in the US Military. He is now on an antibiotic for the green crud coming from his nose and she gave him a different topical cream for his face as well as a second oral medication for the viral rash. We'll see how he does, but it was so great to have actual hands and eyes looking at him and taking real action.
We also found out that he is in the 5-10th percentile for weight (gained 2 pounds since joining our family!) and is not even on the chart for height.
As a result of all that great eating, today we hit the running trails as a family unit. Jay took the training wheels off of Cael's bike and added the "bike buddy", which is an extended handle that allows you can run upright along side the child (with Cam, he was riding without training wheels in 3 days). Several times throughout the 4-mile run, he was riding on his own...until he realized Jay had let go and he yelled "boo-yao" over and over (meaning I don't like it!). It won't be long!
This evening, we sat out on the porch enjoying the absolutely gorgeous spring weather! While we were out there, the kids made racing numbers for their bikes and scooters (training wheels back on for safety and fun when not running with us). Then Jay took them for a ride on one scooter, while Tucker tried to get me to throw the ball (it's so great having the whole family together!). I was participating in what I hope will be my last War College chat session (gotta love technology of doing school on the front porch while taking pictures of the boys).
So...All is well here...we are trying to get back into a routine, but still feel like we are dragging during the day. The kids actually slept all night last night, so I think they are close to being back on schedule.
Sure hope to see you all, soon!

A Day of "Firsts"

Today was a day of "firsts" for Cael Enyi.  This was the first day that he called himself "Cael Enyi", so we are starting to mix it up, a bit, with his name...we will gradually drop the Enyi (if and when he is OK with it).  Today was also the first day that he "rode a bike".  As it turns out, the bike that we had saved for him is still WAY too big...so off we went to the PX for the military special.....with a new helmet to boot.  Of course, I did not actually have my camera out there to get a shop of him on his new bike...but here he is on the old one.
Today was his first visit to the military commissary....or any grocery store as we know it.  The people in Enyi's village went to the market every one or two days to get just what they needed for immediate needs, as space and refrigeration are sparse and expensive!  His eyes were HUGE as we wheeled through the aisles in the "car-cart"...note that Cam barely fits, but they insisted on riding together.  Both of their eyes were getting very heavy so we rushed through as quickly as possible to get them back outside playing  We were really hoping to keep everyone awake until at least 7:00 pm.  (BTW: We went to bed at 0230 and the kids were in at 0430 asking if it was time to get up...so we are all going on very little sleep, today!)
Meanwhile, back in the neighborhood, everyone was out on their bikes and Cael Enyi was anxious to show off his new wheels and helmet.  It turns out that he (like his older brother) has a way with the ladies.  While he was completely capable of riding himself, the neighbor girls all wanted to push him.  He also performs his little song and dance numbers on command, now, so he is getting very smooth!
His new best friend is Maeve, our neighbor's daughter.  She is little smaller than Enyi, but they getting along great!  Another neighbor girl made a special snack for all the kids.  So he had his first Oreo topped with peanut butter and marshmallow cream...the evidence on his and Maeve's face tells the rest of the story.
Finally, this was the first night since we picked him up that I did not have to ask them to go to bed...and he and Cam were both asleep before we could even get them tucked in!
Tomorrow we are heading to my folks to pick up Tucker (the dog) and introduce him to the newest addition.  We are also anxious for Geese and Pop to meet Enyi!  For those of you continuing to pray for my Dad...he is having a rough go.  His recovery is going much slower due to the complications of the leukemia...and my Dad refuses to listen to his medical professionals! (mostly, my Mom!)...I am SOOO glad that I did not inherit that gene :-)
Again, thanks to all for your comments.  While we could not always read them in China (due to social networking blocks) we have had a good time catching up on the comments (and emails) from friends and family.