Tomorrow's the BIG day! (Go Matthew, Go Matthew!)

Yep, that's the sound of momma gearing herself up to take her son downtown again! Children's Hospital here we come. Early in the morning too. OH BOY! The Metro should be just PEACHY! *if you know DC in the morning with all the commuters, you know that was a JOKE!* :o)


Matthew's medicine for the Giardia is almost gone. Hopefully, please Lord, it's gone and will NEVER be in his system ever again! One thing I can definitely say is that the US of A has pretty good water. Matthew is so funny. He's taken this medicine before and he didn't mind taking it, but this time around? OH BOY does he NOT like the taste!!!! It's grape flavored too, but he doesn't care! He will fight ya tooth and nail NOT to put it in his mouth. But, you know mommy and daddy won't put up with that. Trust me, he gets it! ;o)

We have confirmation with all the docs we will see tomorrow for Matthew. Got that last Friday. I'm really hoping they help us with Matthew's speech and the fistula he has in his mouth. Matthew can speak english mind you, but it's so distorted. (lots of air intake from the fistula) I know, I'm a momma who wants to fix her child. So what's wrong with that?!?! Trust me, Matthew says I love you (and even ah ni for Wa Ai Ni *chinese for I love you*) but it's just alot of vowel sounds. We'll get there.

Pray for us, for tomorrow. I'm hoping for alot. (I'd love for Matthew to get a hearing test and for the speech pathologist to hear him try to speak! Things like that.....) We need to get the kids' eyes checked too. Goodness......lots to do.

I wanted to say THANK YOU to all the BTDT parents of cleft kids who have helped us along the way! You are so encouraging and helpful. Thank you so much. All your experiences and "coaching" is totally worth the effort! We'll probably still ask ya some things, but I know you'll be there for us! Thanks......

Ok, until you hear from us again.....we'll fill ya in from the appointment. Remember, it's an ALL DAY LONG appointment at Children's Hospital!

Matt's momma

Here we go again!

Just took Matthew to the doctor for more shots today and ended up coming home with another prescription! Yep, you got it. Giardia is still there. Why won't those little boogers GO AWAY!??!?!?! Stronger med...hopefully grape flavored for Matthew's sake.

Other than that, 2 more shots. Pretty much a clean bill of health and now we wait for next Tuesday! Children's Hospital, here we come! It's the Craniofacial team visit. I pray they give Matthew speech! He needs it. We are trying to help him, but I can honestly say, this is beyond us. He just can't get the vowels and sounds right. I know it's the fistula. You can hear it. Extra air passing in ALL of his words.

Keep us in your prayers. Next Tuesday will be an ALL DAY event going to about 8 different doctors, all in one swoop! Should be interesting. Also pray that this "Giardia" will GO AWAY forever!!! God knows no one should have to drink bad water......like Matthew had to.

Matt's Mom

Awwwww...........

This morning when I went to go into my van to drive off to work at 5:15am, some bunny took it upon themselves to put the first thing that Matthew has done in daycare on my seat. It was a flower who had lots of scribble of different colors all over it. It also had my Matthew's name on the middle of it. (Thank you some BUNNY) ;o)


I think that has made my day, today!!! After a rough start to the first work week after China, I'm already ready for another vacation! Literally! I miss my boy! It was fun to be home with him and do things with him and play and dance around until we were dizzy and literally fell down. LOL.........ah the good ole days already. (sad)

I hope I find much more of those little flowers or anything that my kids do on the front seat of my van! That was a real treat.

Mommy

Made it through...........

Yesterday we both made it through just fine. Matthew only had one meltdown and had to be held for awhile, but mommy had none and was fine the whole day. I tell ya though, when I got home, Matthew and Rebecca had the front door open wide for me to come in. (Letting all the heat out of the house and the huge winds in the the house!) Other than that............I got BIG HUGS from Matthew and a BIG KISS from him too. *he missed his momma*

Daddy is enjoying both of our youngsters in the car now! hehehehe....*s* One who is the "drama queen" and one who just likes to have fun. Hmmmm, I'd love to be a fly in the car to see how all of them "have fun" to and from daycare!!!! LOL

Will let you know more later.........

One Month Home! One Month Home!

It's exactly one month since we got off a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGG 30 hour flight that originated from Guangzhou, China and ended in Baltimore's, BWI airport. It boggles the mind that it's been a month already. I tell ya, my boy is growing up. He's losing that "baby" face I fell in love with that March day! Actually mommy and daddy fell in love with the pictures we were given from the adoption agency, but when we honestly got to truly meet Matthew in March 2007, he looked NOTHING like his photos! It took a little bit to get use to him looking at us and he was so much different than the year old pictures we had of him. Now? OH wow are we smitten with him!!! Him with us too.

Today we will celebrate his one month stay with us with a big cake mommy will bake after church. We will have one of his favorite things to eat for dinner too. (which is pretty much anything, as long as it is FOOD!) Even though the rain is falling, my heart is low because of going back to "work"........I'm going to savor every single moment today, if our daughter will let me! Yesterday with Rebecca was one of those days that you just want to throw in the towel and say uncle!!!! (as if we did, NOT) She was just as ornery and nasty as could be!!! Why? I have no idea, but she lost out on alot of priviledges! It's one of those things where she and Matthew went to play in her room, which they do with no problem (and don't make a mess), and when dinner was nearing to be ready, I went to call them, opened her door and just about had a heart attack right then and there!!! Markers were out (how she got them? Have no clue!!!), toys everywhere, shoes all over the place, sheets on the bed on the floor, papers everywhere, cards everywhere, bingo pieces spread everywhere.....I tell ya, anyone who knows me, knew I had to count to 2 before saying anything. (was lucky it was 2)

Trust me, the both of them cleaned up and when Matthew was done, he did as he was told and got his hands washed up for dinner. Rebecca? She was awful slow in picking up (mommy saw that) and told her to finish cleaning up. She didn't like it that Matthew was done and she wasn't........boy, the fireworks flew then!! Needless to say, daddy intervened and Rebecca did as she was told, but MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!! If we are doing this at age 3, Lord help us at age 13! (That's why it was one of those days!)

Matthew's been home for a solid month! Matthew's been home for a month! HOORAY! Our boy is such a darling! Who the heck needs to go back to work with a son like him!?!?! Playing on the playground all day is MY idea of fun! I know it's his also! Next time we go to the playground, I will take photos! LOTS of parents do that. Either photos or video. hehehe, might have to get someone to take photos of me on there too! :O)

Celebrate with us that Matthew has been home for one month! YEAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

OH, mommy is having the mommy BLUES! - Last Day with my boy!

I knew this day would come, I did, but all I have to say is I'm not ready! Maybe Matthew is ready to go to school (daycare), but not me. I found myself actually tearing up today as I put him into daycare (just for 2 hours, for his second day). The 2 year old teachers are so nice, and there are about 10 kids in his class, which is a good group, I should know, I've spent two days with them, but my gosh, hearing my boy crying for me was just as heart wrenching as you can get. I tell ya, the bond Matthew and Mommy has is just sooooooo "there" and we are just stuck like glue together! Boy, Monday will be so hard!!

We'll get into daycare later, but for the moment, I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED by the Calvert County Health Department/ CDC and our pediatrician that Matthew has been approved to go to daycare! YEAH!!!!!!!! We can go and do things. BOY did we hit the playground HARD yesterday!!! Mommy, Rebecca and Matthew FLEW through all the playground equipment and then some near where we live. The playground is large enough to allow parents the opportunity to go all over the playground also. I tell ya, it's HUGE!!! VERY long, two maybe three stories, but there are bars everywhere so the kids CANNOT fall. That and the ground is made of some squishy stuff. There were 8 slides, rock climbing walls, monkey bars, see saws, a go round thing that the kids got totally sick of and watching them walk away from it was HILARIOUS! (like little drunken sailors!!!), and a HUGE spider web to climb up and down, cars & motorcycles to go up and down and back and forth on........I think I had just as much fun as they did! LOL

Oh daycare......yes, Matthew has gone for his second day. Yesterday was HORRIBLE for mommy! He cried for a whole 20 minutes and I knew I should not intervene, and I didn't, but wow......he was doing his "sign" for I don't want to do this. (waving his hands back and forth really fast) Crocodile tears everywhere......but after 20 minutes, he started to get into what the kids were doing. Clouds. Blowing through a straw to make shaving cream float across water! (comparison to clouds) He was fascinated with that. I just sat outside his classroom and "peeked" in from time to time without him seeing me. The teachers had to constantly hold him, but he was ok. He then went and made "cloud" pictures. He had a FIT again.....this time I intervened because he was kicking and getting out of his chair and being very disruptive. He was fine. (He stayed about an hour.)

Today? He stayed 2 hours and even had lunch with the kids in his class. They told me he whined after I left him there but then he went to play with the rest of the kids and had fun. He got scared once when they did some sort of music time with the kids. Apparently it might have been loud and sounds Matthew wasn't aware of, or have heard before. (reminds me of the drums at our church for the first time.....OH MY GOSH did he turn pale white and literally grab me (mommy) like there was no tomorrow!!!) The teacher, Miss Mary, said that he went and hid underneath the project tables and wouldn't come out. (They had to get him.) *** I keep thinking, if I were there, I could have explained it to him......he would have been just fine.*** I tell ya, don't call me on Monday!!!! Mommy will be in post-pardum mode until I can get to my little boy! Rebecca actually saw me today and her teacher RUSHED her to her "reading" class. LOL, that was funny! (yesterday Rebecca heard my voice and went OUT of her classroom to find me, which is a NO-NO.....and began crying, having a fit because I was with Matthew and not her! UGH!!!!) Rebecca was cool today! Mommy and her had a "talk" yesterday about it too.

ALL medications are finished! All tests are into the labs! OH YEAH.....speaking of labs......Roy's came back NEGATIVE! (Which is GOOD!) Mine came back, but was sent on to the Maryland State Laboratory in Baltimore! LUCKY ME! NOT! NOT! NOT! (Apparently some sort of E. Coli something or nother was found! In other words, I ATE SOMEHING BAD FROM CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!! DOUBLE, TRIPLE, QUADRUPLE UGH!!!! Do I have symptoms? NOPE! The pediatrician told me about it, so until they identify it, I won't be called by the CDC or Health Department! **whoopee** I know, I should be grateful, but if you had to get a call almost EVERY SINGLE DAY because of your child having a disease that is blah, blah, blah........you'd have the same attitude also!!! Trust me, you would!!!! Rebecca's labs haven't come back yet. Matthew's second lab went out yesterday. PLEASE PRAY he is parasite free, bacteria free, viral free, EVERYTHING free!!!!! I've been told by MANY adoptive mom's to possibly expect "worms" outta him in anywhere from a month to 6 months later! OH GOD PLEASE NO! I'd go nuts if that happened!!!!! I can handle alot, but worms?! OH NO! I'm praying on that one!!!

Other than that, we are doing alot around the house, spring cleaning, washing windows and curtains, lining my cabinets, just making the house better!!! For what you say? Hmmmmm.....isn't that the major question you'd like an answer to! ;o)

OK, upcoming things next? April 23rd, appointment for more vaccinations! May 1st, meeting all day with the Craniofacial team at Children's Hospital! (MAJOR DEAL)

Happy Easter Everyone!!!!! (God Påske)

Well, the Iversen's got a much deserved "getaway" this weekend and it's with friends who are FULLY aware of what Matthew has and have taken every precaution to make sure no one gets sick! (Trust me, we needed this.........especially mommy.) Today the kids are running around like chickens in a hen house with a fox in it! *redneck analogy, but it works* They have been so full of energy since Friday morning, it's been kinda interesting to see.


Matthew is doing great! He is on his second medicine for the shigella. (First med was for the giardia.) We hope everything will be gone by the time I need to go back to work because I really would like to save my leave for his surgeries coming up for his lip/cleft palate (fistula repair). He is talking more and more and yesterday while shopping in BIG LOTS on the Eastern Shore, I just started saying la la, da da, na na, ba ba..........well, little Matthew just started saying them also. AND SAID DA DA!!!!!!! Plain as day without the extra air intake that usually happens! SHOCKED ME! But after that, when I tried to get him to say it again, he couldn't do it without all the extra air. *DARN*


Rebecca is getting better with her little brother. The jealousy factor is still present, but it's fading. We have set up a NEW system with her because old standards of discipling her weren't working anymore. She has a BIG GIRL chart and earns hearts and flowers on it. For every 5 hearts, she gets one flower, for every 5 flowers, she gets a special outing with Daddy! (since she's a daddy's girl) It's working, so far!!

We went to Easter church yesterday and it was AWESOME! The guest worship leader was JEFF JOHNSON from American Idol, 4. He and his team were OUTTA THIS WORLD! ORBC is a wonderful church! (www.orbc.net) Oak Ridge Baptist Church. Yes, a Baptist church! Trust me, it ain't no Baptist church like YOU'VE been to! THEY DANCE! THEY HOLLER! THEY SING songs (not just hymns)............and the pastor? Well, he's VERY casual, VERY down-to-earth, and has a VERY cool wife!!! Check out their website if you get a chance!!!

Well, we wanted to say, HE HAS RISEN! RISEN INDEED! Happy Easter! Hopefully your day is filled with friends, family and lots of good food!