Saturday, May 31, 2008

A Month Gone- Already!

Time continues to fly for us! I can't believe it's been a month since I last wrote. We are getting our summer off to a good start and looking forward to the next few months. We had gotten Ian a new tent for his birthday in February (right before we went to Thailand), so last week we broke it out for the first time. Ian has always enjoyed camping out, and this was Olivia's first time, so we decided to just pitch it in the backyard in case we had a disaster. However, she loved it and both kids slept through the night! (Maybe we need to sleep in a tent every night!) We also found out Olivia loves to swim! When we were in Thailand I guess she was so out of sorts, she seemed to be afraid and didn't get in the water. I'm not sure how many times she had had an opportunity to swim before we got her, but she loves it, which is great because we spend most weekends during the summer swimming. Ian loves it too and picked right up where he left off last summer!

The adjustment with Olivia continues. It is definitely a process that doesn't end quickly. She does some of the funniest things and has been so much fun, but I'm just sure she never heard the word "no" or the phrase "just a second" or "wait a minute"! She wants everything immediately on demand. She is getting a bit better but it is a slow process. She also continues to cling to me. At times she lets her daddy take care of her and do things for her but the majority of the time she wants me and no one else. We did finally leave her with a sitter last night. We knew she would cry but she did better than we expected and it was nice to have a night out. I've been with her since day one except for a couple of quick trips to the store and one night when we left her with my parents. We have now been home 12 weeks yesterday, so I definitely needed a break. Oh, I forgot- she also stayed in Bible class with her daddy one time. Sleeping is also getting better, and most nights she goes down easily and falls asleep pretty quickly. I do have to get up with her at least once though. Her speech is still limited, but she seems to understand almost everything we say to her. It's really amazing. Also, she is also quite a little helper- sweeping, unloading and loading the dishwasher, and folding clothes. She is very affectionate with Ian too. She loves to give him hugs and kisses, and the other night she got an alcohol pad and started cleaning a place on him to give his shot! It was the sweetest thing!

In regard to Ian's little hospital stay and the results of that, he is having a lot fewer stomach attacks. Since he is unable to talk, we aren't always absolutely certain whether he is having a stomach problem or something else has him upset, but we do know he has been a happier boy since we started this medication, and we haven't felt the need to take soda and Gas-X every time we leave the house. We have a check up with the gastro the 5th, so we'll see if we need to make any adjustments. Olivia also has her first appointment with the pediatrician that day. Hers is in the morning while Ian is at summer school, and his is in the afternoon. Brian will go to that one with me.

Hopefully, I can get some new pictures up soon. We just had the interview for our first post-placement report and 8-15 pictures are requested, so I hope to get new ones on here when I prepare the ones for the report.

I hope everyone has a great summer. We're off to a great start!

Leah

Thursday, May 1, 2008

You Never Know Where You'll Find Yourself!

This evening I am writing from the hospital here in Shreveport. Ian was admitted as a patient this morning at 6:00. All 7 years of Ian's life he has had stomach problems- sometimes worse than others but they could always pop up at any time. A few weeks ago I scheduled him an appointment with a gastrointerologist, which was set for this past Monday. We were at the office from 2:00 until about 5:30, and during the visit the doctor scheduled inpatient testing for today and suggested the possibility of a feeding tube. So, that is what has brought us here. We were quite concerned about the possibility of a feeding tube, and fortunately, after the scope this morning the doctor said he doesn't think it will be necessary. We are so thankful for that news. Also, he thinks we should be able to manage his stomach problems with medications and or supplements. Additional testing is scheduled for tomorrow, and I believe a treatment plan will be developed. We are SO hopeful this will solve or at least greatly reduce his stomach issue, which is primarily gastritis. It has been terribly difficult to manage over the past 7 years, so we are VERY excited to see improvement of any kind!

Olivia has been great today! She and her daddy are even off somewhere without me! Yeah! This is the first time they have been alone together for any significant length of time, so it is quite a milestone for them. I may have to go hunt them down!

I better close for now. They are coming in to do labs soon. All is going well though. We're looking forward to more peaceful days ahead!

Leah

Leah