The CUTEST little boy in all of China... May UPDATE!!!!!!!!!

We requested an update through a new care package service, China Adoption Help, and in less than a week a full update was sitting in our Inbox.  Happy Happy Monday!!!  FIVE new photos along with our final update before we travel.  Do you know how much good these little emailed rays of sunshine bring?  I CAN NOT WAIT to scoop him up and love him.  Isn't he the cutest little boy in all of China?  Now I know I'm partial but this first picture melts me. 

We now have 20 photos of him since last October.  He's not smiling in ANY of them.  I know smiling is not important in the Chinese culture but there are plenty of kids from his orphanage who wear smiles in their photographs.  I've seen them first hand.  Not one smile from our Little Buddy.  I desperately want to turn that stoic little face into the biggest Cheshire grin in all the world.  Photos are powerful when they are all you have to hold on to.  Too many emotions all rolled up into one emotional Momma. I will not go there. On to the update...    

 Questions:

-What is his typical daily schedule (please include meal, nap and bed times)?

 Get up 7:30am   

 Breakfast 8:00-8:30am    

 Lunch 12pm    

 Nap 1-3pm

 Snack(mainly fruits) 3:30pm  

 then go play downstairs   

 Supper 6:30pm      

 Go to bed 9pm

-What are his sleeping habits? (Examples: how long does he sleep? bedtime routine?)

He sleeps well at night,when the foster mother reminds him for the bed time,he will go to the room by himself.

-Does he sleep in a room alone or in a room with someone else?  Does he share a bed?

 He shares a 1.2m bed with another child from the same orphanage.

-What are his favorite foods and drinks?  Least favorites? 

 He is not picky,he is a good eater.

-What kind of vegetables and fruits does he like?

 He enjoys sweet food,biscuit,apple and corn.

-Does he use his hands or a spoon to eat?

 He are not able to use the spoon yet.

-Does he use a bottle or a cup?  What kind?

 Both;any kind.

-Does he wear diapers in the day and/or night?  If not, how often does he go and how does he tell you he needs to go?

 No,the foster mother takes him to the bathroom regularly.

-Is he sensitive or frightened of anything specific?  (Examples:  animals? water?)

 Hasn’t found yet.

-Is he up to date on his immunizations?

 Yes

Xi Jian enjoys bathing so much that he will take off pants by himself once it's time for bathing. He likes playing together with another fostered child who is a little older than him. Occasionally the two may fight for toys, yet most of time the older child will let Xi Jian get his way. He could imitate to say some simple words like "mama" and "baba" which means mom and dad. However, he is not able to say phrases or sentences so far. Instead, he understands and follows adults' directions. For example, he can throw away garbage and pass clothes to foster mom.

Measurements:

Height  86cm      (33.8 in)    

Weight  11.1kg    (24 lbs 8 oz)

Head size  48.2cm        

Foot length 12.5cm   (size 5/5.5

Chest size  47cm         

No. of Teeth  17 

Thankful and blessed to be the Mommy of FOUR little blessings. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be given such a privilege. Hang on Little Buddy. You have FIVE Womble's who are determined to turn that frown upside down. You'll be under your new roof in less than two months. Ready or not here we come!!!

Mei Mei's Surgery Day 5...

6:45 am:  We are HOPING this is our last post from room #8303.  The plan for this morning is to remove all bandages, sutures and packing.  We were told this is the worst part of the whole surgery/recovery.  {sigh}  This whole thing breaks my heart for her but the hardest part is almost behind us.  Thank you Lord!  As long as this morning goes without complications, and she will keep drinking throughout the day, we may be able to go home this afternoon!!!!!!  Now I know it might not happen but I am cautiously optimistic.  I can just feel my bed calling my name.  :)  Also, Little Miss has her Kindergarten awards program in the morning and this Momma does NOT want to miss it.  I realize we've met our prayer request quota but if you have room on your list please keep praying for Mei Mei today.

12:30 pm: Packing and sutures out. They were right. It was AWFUL... but it's over now. She slept for about three hours on my chest afterward. That's what a hefty dose of Morphine will do to a little one. Bless her. Thankful that part is over. Bandages stay on until NEXT Wednesday. Oh boy. Should be interesting. Little Mei Mei is trying to drink. Discharge orders pending. Should be able to bust out in a few hours.

4 pm: HOME! PRAISE THE LORD! Roller coaster of a day. I know it will be that way for a while. We are now 60% tears and 40% smiles. Hoping to shift that soon.

7 pm: We would like to say thank you to everyone who called, visited and prayed over Mei Mei and our family this week. We are so thankful to be HOME! She will remain in bandages until the 30th so we'll be hanging at home on the road to recovery until then. She sang her favorite prayer tonight at dinner and I couldn't help but tear up. "God our Father. God our Father. Once again. Once again. We bow our heads to thank you. We bow our heads to thank you. Amen. Amen." I couldn't have summed it up any better.

Mei Mei's Surgery Day 4...

10:30 am:  Long night for Mei Mei who couldn't seem to get comfy.  She slept but was REALLY restless.  She took plenty of pain meds as scheduled so it wasn't a pain issue.  I think she is just DONE.  I can't say I blame her.  Plastic surgery came by about an hour ago and said everything looks great.  His plan is to remove the sutures and packing tomorrow morning.  As long as that goes as planned AND she drinks "a reasonable amount" over the next 24 hours we can GO HOME!!!!  I don't know what "a reasonable amount" equates to but I don't plan to find out.  :)  There will be LOTS of bribery going on in 8303 today.  Don't judge.  A Momma's gotta do what a Momma's gotta do...

10:30 pm:  Much better day today.  She perked up around lunch time with several post Happy Meal smiles.  :)  When you're four, Happy Meals make everything better, right?  Thank you Mrs. Rachel!  By this afternoon we saw big smiles and even a few belly laughs.  YAY!  Huge improvements.  The goal today has been DRINKING!  She is not a big drinker on a normal day so this has been a challenge.  We came up with a great system to "encourage" her. 

The bank on your left is making a deposit to the bank in the middle for each sip taken from the carton on the right. All grandparents have empty pockets but Mei Mei's bank is looking pretty full.  Anyone have any change they'd like to donate to the "Free Mei Mei" fund?

Mei Mei's Surgery Day 3...

9:07 am: I finally found a physician who was willing to listen last night. HALLELUJAH! We changed her to a stronger pain regimen with individual drugs instead of a combination liquid. It worked!!!! She slept from 10 pm - 7:30 am minus 45 mins when she was due for more pain meds. She feels like a new woman this morning (and so does her Mommy).

4:30 pm: We've kissed the PICU goodbye and have settled in to our new room on the floor. Mei Mei has had much better pain control today. Thank you all for your prayers.

10:30 pm: We are attempting to settle in for the night.  She is on a monitor here as well which she is not thrilled about.  I don't think she is in severe pain but seems pretty frustrated/annoyed/uncomfortable.  Who can blame her?  She's also frustrated with the arm restraints she has to wear while she sleeps.  So uncomfortable in a few ways but there's not much I can do about it.  It's hard to be 4 and have major surgery.  It's also hard to be the Mommy who can't fix it. 

The most exciting news from today...  IF we can get her to drink tomorrow (Saturday) and the Sunday morning bandage/packing removal goes well, we can blow this popstand Sunday afternoon.  YES!!!  Tomorrow I'll be pulling out all my tricks to convince my little patient to DRINK DRINK DRINK!!  She's not interested right now but I plan to change that.  ;)

Nighty-nite from 8303...

Mei Mei's Surgery Day 2...

11 am:  Rough night with pain and nausea.  Not much sleep for Mei Mei (or Mom and Dad).  Lots of meds on board but they didn't seem to help much until she calmed down between 2:30-4:30 am.  She settled out about an hour ago so hopefully this is a sign she's feeling better

1 pm:  Wishful thinking.  Rough day.  She is anxious, in pain, nauseous and frustrated. Lots of meds but none seem to help much.

4:30 pm:  FINALLY went to sleep for the first time since she woke up this morning at 4:30 am.  Thank you Lord!  Slept until 6:15!!

7:30 pm:  Spending another night in the PICU.  Please pray we can get her pain under control so she can rest comfortably tonight. 

Mei Mei's Surgery Day 1...

1:00 pm:  Mei Mei went back to the OR at 12:30 pm (one hour early). Bravest girl I've ever known...

2:30 pm:  We talked to the OR.  We are over half way there and she is stable as a rock.

2:55 pm:  They called us back to an OR consultation room shortly after the half way update.  I will admit both of us had a slight moment of panic.  You know the kind where you stare at each other with big googley eyes but don't know what to say?  In walks Dr. K with a smile on his face and we both let out a sigh of relief.  She did GREAT!  No surprises.  He  finished in 2.5 hrs instead of the estimated 4-5.  WOOHOO!  Thank you Lord! 

3:45 pm:  We are in the recovery room with Mei Mei and four of her best friends. They all have nose, ear and rib bandages just like their brave Mommy. She is slowly waking up.

5:30 pm:  We are in the PICU.  Please pray the pain and nausea meds help her to stay calm so she can rest comfortably

10 pm (last update for tonight): she is settled in the PICU. I think we are ahead of pain and nausea now. She is trying to rest. Thank you all for your emails, texts, calls and prayers.  Will update tomorrow.

Dear Mei Mei...

No matter what changes today we want you to know how much we love you.  We love you exactly the way God created you on the day you were born.  We love you as we did the day we held you for the first time.  We love the beautiful reflection we see in the mirror every day.  We love you as much now as we will in 12 hours from now.  We love you all the way to China and back again.  And yes, "that a LOT", as you always say. 

I can't help but think of the day we met you.  How brave you were.  How sad and broken your heart was on that day.  No, you didn't ask for the circumstances that were handed to you but somehow you found your way.  Today I'm going to be like you.  Today I will be brave. Today, no matter how sad or broken hearted I may feel, I will be strong. Today I will take the circumstances given to me, to us, and I will find a way to be grateful for each of them. 

When we came to the hospital for your pre-op appointment you said something I hope I never forget. You said, "Me scared Mommy...but...me don't hatah be. You and Daddy be wit me and so will God. I be OK". I know the Lord used you to speak directly to me.  I heard Him loud and clear.

Mei Mei, you are without a doubt one of the bravest little girls I've ever known.  I am honored to be the one to hold, love, pray for and encourage you on this journey.  I promise I will be by your side every step of the way.

All my love,
Mommy

Happy Anniversary to US!

Today happens to be our 13th wedding anniversary.  Would you like to know our anniversary gift?  We were cabled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou!!!!!!  Our DS-230 paperwork will be dropped off tomorrow, May 9, and ready for pick up on the 23rd.  Only one more step before Travel Approval (TA)!!!  Everything is out of our hands  so now we wait.  Haha.  As if we've done anything else since October.  :)  Happy Happy Anniversary to US! 

Change in Plans...

Remember when I said we may need to delay travel for Little Buddy in order to make sure Mei Mei has enough time to recover from her surgery?  Remember when I said we were praying for a cancellation ASAP?  Well...

There is a sweet family in our community who we have known for several years.  They have six beautiful children (four of which were born in China).  Their youngest son, J, is cleft affected so he and our Mei Mei share the same Pediatric Plastic Surgeon.  J has been scheduled for surgery on May 16 with Dr. K for several months.  Can you guess what procedure?  That's right.  The exact same procedure Mei Mei is scheduled on June 20.  L and her husband C knew of our timing situation between surgery for one child and travel for the other.  With one simple unexpected email they offered up the May 16th surgery date to our Mei Mei.  Could there be a greater gift to our family right now?  I don't think so. 

It has a roller coaster of a day--yes.  no.  yes.  no--but somehow God worked it all out.  She is now scheduled for May 16 at 1:30 pm.  Their son J is now scheduled for later in the summer when it works better for their family.  Thank you Lord for your unexpected gifts.