Ian's school is moving right along. It seemed to take awhile though. Right after it started, they had a day or two out and then when hurricane Gustav came through, they were out for three days. Anyway, he seems to continue to like it, and he's always ready to jump on the bus every morning. We're now starting to think more about his surgery coming up- a week from today. We check in at Shriners (which coincidentally is just minutes from our house) at 9:00 am on Monday the 6th and he has the procedure at 7:00 am on Tuesday. I don't think I know any more about it than I did since my last post, except they say there tends to be more discomfort where the bone was removed than where they graft it and fuse the tendons. I really don't have any idea what to expect, but we're looking forward to it (well, getting it done and out of the way!) and hopefully all will go smoothly. However, Ian's not a big fan of tubes and such. When his stomach procedure was done in May, they had to resedate him, reinsert the tubes, and put splints on his arms to keep him from jerking them out. That's a little tough to watch, but we just shed a little tear or two and then quickly refocus and look ahead to the final outcome and the great results we're going to achieve. Hopefully, we'll all still be in one piece when it's all said and done! And Ian will have straight ankles! Also, Shriners seems to be a fabulous place. Of course it's kid oriented, and very cheery- great open areas to play inside and out. I'm sure Olivia will enjoy it! However, I must say it used to make me a little sad (teary eyed) when we would go for Ian's appointments- kids with so many challenges everywhere you look- but I haven't felt that way in a long time. What I do notice now is all the tough families from all over the world who are stepping up to the challenges and doing it in a positive way! It's not a "big deal"; it's just what you do. . . and do happily most of the time! We'll keep you posted, and don't forget to put all four of us, but mostly Ian, on your prayer list.
As for Olivia, her little world is also going great! She LOVES "school", and we've started going to the library for story time twice a week. She was so excited to start school. We put the calendar up on the friges to count down the days, and one morning before her first day she evidently thought she was supposed to get on the bus with Ian. The first thing I knew she had her purse and shoes on. It wasn't until we put the door down and went back in the house that she started to get upset and point at the bus- which was way down the street by now. She didn't understand why she didn't get to get on. After all, we had just been talking about it for at least a couple of weeks! Finally, her day came, and of course she wanted to wear her backpack, which is as big as she is. She marched right across the parking lot and into her classroom. She didn't shed a tear or even look back at me! I might as well have been on the moon! It seemed to be more traumatic for me than her! I was thrilled and proud she did so well, but no hug or wave- much less a kiss. As I drove home on that first day, I thought about how far she has come in just 6 months- a little over actually. It's incredible to think about how terrified she was those first few days in Thailand- either crying and looking for her shoes or shutting down completely and sleeping through the transition. But, back to her school experience, even now, once she sees the inside of her room, her attention is zeroed in on what's going on in there, not on what Mom's doing! Maybe I need to be more careful of what I wish for! Actually, it's a great to see her spread her wings! She's been a blessing for sure.
With that said, I think I better get to bed.
Leah
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