Still waiting.......

Hello all,

Well, we haven't heard anything yet about the bloodwork. I am going to call on Thursday though if we still have not gotten any news. We have found out that the test they are running tests like 80 or 90 most common strains if CF (there are over 1500 strains). This catches approx. 90% of CF in caucasions. Well ,since Gee is hispanic, it will only catch CF 57% of the time. So, not real conclusive, but I will definetly feel better if it is negative.

You know I go back and forth so much with this. Sometimes I just know he does not have it, others times I worry enough about it I get scared for him. Right now I am feeling pretty confident he is ok. He just seems to be doing so well. According to our scales, he has gained some weight (like 6 or 7 oz.) and he just seems to be pretty happy (for the most part). His hasn't had a fever in a few weeks (since he had bronchitis) and his poo hasn't been too terribly outragous. We even gave him some milk the other day and I never noticed any ill effects. So, maybe is just totally ok?

I wanted to put in this blog that we still keep in contact with Gee's foster family. Their oldest son (he is a super smart kid) speaks fluent English and we e-mail him and he passes it on to the family. They are such good people. Gee's foster sister sent him/me a hand colored card a few weeks ago that was sooooo precious. We are getting a box of pictures and goodies together to send to them right now. I wanted to share with you all the e-mail I got just today from the foster brother:

Cole Family,

Hello, how are you all? We really appreciate that we are available to keep in touch!
My mom says: "I think we all yearn for a child who will become a good, kind and candid man, and who will fulfill my heart with pride. Just like the tree that prepares itself for many seasons for giving life to a perfect fruit, every parents see their children as a beautiful dream come true. Although Gideon is far from here, he is always in my mind and every beat of my heart and I will be by his side because I pray every single day for him".

Take care!God bless you!


How beautiful is that? I cried when I first read it. I want so badly to go back to Guatemala to see them again. I want them to see how beautiful and smart Gee is!!!

I don't have much to update on Miss Anna. Right now the poor girl is fighting a cold that seems to have settled in her eyes. She's been goopey for a while, but it now seems to be getting better. Anna is saying more and more words. It seems she went for a while without adding any new vocabulary, but now, she is really taking off. I am so proud of and amazed by her. He and Gideon both really!

Anna still want to be just like Madeline. She is always asking to go potty and for a "chockie (an m & m)." We let her sit on the potty, but I don't think she quite gets it yet. Although Ryan said this even she spread her legs (with a diapie on of course) and said "go potty" and she pooped (was that TMI?). Soooo, maybe just maybe she gets it after all?

Right now we are working on switching Anna and Madeline to Leah's bigger bedroom and Leah to their smaller one. We are painting and I am making the girls quilts for their new big girl beds. Yes, they are both moving to toddler beds very soon. Oiy. That will be stressful. But, I am sure they will do great! I hope they will at least.

Well, here are some recent pics of the kiddos:

Our very cold Easter egg hunt with my side of the family:

Annie and her lovely morning "doo." She loved her Easter basket, as did all the kids.

The whole family Easter Day.

Oh my goodness I love this picture of Gee. He looks like Oliver asking for more porraige (that totally dates me right?). He is actually saying "I don't know," which is his new favorite phrase. We asked him where the Easter eggs were at and he gave us this look and said "I don't know."

PawPaw and 3 of his little ones.

Logan playing ring around the rosie with the kids.

Two of my beauties!

These get ups lastest for maybe 30 seconds. They beg me to put them on and then the rip them right off. I had to redress Madeline just to get a picture.

The kiddos at Dave and Buster's eating some ever so healthy french fries. Hey, it was a party (Logie's birthday), you don't have to be healthy at a party, right?

Boy, do they love their Ketsup! (does Annie look way big here, or am I just in denial?)

That's all folks!

Julie

Columbus Children's today

Well, we finally got Gideon's bloodowork done. Than took blood for his cystic fibrosis test and for milk/soy allergies. He did amazingly! He fussed when the lap tech put the band around his arm, but didn't cry or fuss when they put the needle in his arm or for the whole minute or so it took to get the blood. I was so proud of my little guy! We should know something in a couple weeks. Please pray for him if you think of it. My gut still says he just has some sort of allergy/intolerance. But CF is very scary and I am obviously a little worried. His weight today at the hospital was 22.6 lbs. I think that is up a couple oz. from 2 months ago.

The kiddos have been home long enough now that we have to have their 6 month post placements done. This is just a follow up that our home study agency does per a government/adoption country requirement. Pretty much a social worker will come to our house and make sure things are going well. We also need to take both kids back to Cincinatti Children's hospital to have their 6 month follow ups there. Oh, and I need to add re-adopt the kids to the list. Ohio recognizes Anna and Gideon as our legal children, but we need to legally change their names and get them US birth certificates and social security cards. They are legally Ana Maria Cole and Jose Alexander Cole right now and we'd like to get those first names fixed. Gesh, we need to get on the ball!

Julie

We are heading back to Children's next week.

So we have been getting a little frustrated with Gee's lack of progress when it comes to some sort of diagnosis (or eventually a lack thereof). We pretty much went to Columbus Children's to look for an answer regarding Gee's allergies (if he indeed has them). During our initial appointment with the specialist there I think our doctor became concerned that there was something worse than allergies wrong with Gee. So, we are testing for those things. I think we should test for any potential problems, but it seems that his potential allergies have been totally forgotten and our calls to the nurse were not being returned.

So I called back up to Cincinnati to talk to our adoption doctor (or at least our sweet nurse up there) and told her of our lack of progress. She suggested we call back up there and be more forceful. So I called up there and finally got a call back. Our doctor there ordered bloodwork that tests for cystic fybrosis and blookwork that tests for milk and soy allergies. So next week we are heading back to Columbus for Gee to give more blood (poor guy). Plus our Dr. wants him weighed again.

Overall I feel Gideon was doing better until he got sick last week. His stools were a little better and he had even put on a few ounces. But after he was sick we weighed him again and he had lost almost a whole pound. He did not need that! Now his stools are all wonky again. I guess another reason I feel he has some sort of allergy is because of his stools. Like, he ate very little for 4 days and his stools were fine (and infrequent) and now that he is eating normally again, they can get wacky. Like he will be "normal" for a couple days and then "bam" he will poo all day long.

Ugh, it will just be nice to have a finality to all this. Could you continue to pray for him? We are obviously praying very hard that there is nothing seriously wrong with him, but I am just ready to figure out what the problem is.

Also remember Anna if you will. She went to bed with a fever (and tylenol) and has just been cranky all day.......

Julie

Anna sit and talk with me......

We have been potty training Madeline and we have her potty chair sitting on the other side of the baby gate in the living room. I noticed the other day that while Madeline was sitting on her potty, Anna was on the other side of the gate in her chair just chatting with Madeline. It was cute. Well a couple days ago I sat Madeline on her potty and she says "Anna sit right there (pointing at her chair on the other side of the gate) and talk to me." I just smiled and asked Anna if she wanted to sit and talk to Madeline. She said yes and plopped down on her chair and they "chatted." It was so cute. I was cute that Maddie asked for her and cute that Annie hopped right to it.

I think what touches me the most about all this is how close Madeline and Anna are getting. If Maddie gets up from her nap first she always asks where Anna is at. I feel like I am seeing the beginning of a really sweet relationship!

Julie

Fun in the Snow!!!

So Madeline pretty much ate snow the entire time, it was a hoot!


Gesh, look how old (and beautiful) my big 10 yr old looks!

Poor Gee, that snow suit kept him warm, but it was very fluffy! He liked the snow, but grew tired of it (or at least not being able to walk) after 20 or 30 minutes.

Annie enjoyed the snow a little more than Gee, but she too only lasted about 1/2 hour. She looks so stink'in cute!!

Me with Madeline and Gee.

Daddy taking the 3 little ones for a ride!



Also, there's no new news on Gideon, but I will update when I know something. I will say though that the poor boy is sick right now (and miserable) with asthmatic broncitis.

Julie