God's Handprint

2010-09-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

"I can see that McDonalds sign over there!" That was the first thing Ryan said after walking out of the eye doctors last week with his new glasses. That was after we pulled him away from all the mirrors in the place. He was certainly diggin' his new look! I am not sure if his comment was true or just a not so subtle hint that he thought a meal at McDonalds would truly complete his day. There were no burgers in sight that night, but according to him he can see now! They are staying on quite well and we are thrilled that he does not need another band around his head nor some goggle'ish looking eye wear! They are a little cockeyed in this photo because he had been messing with them...

Puzzling!

2010-08-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

I am just not sure how this is happening...I have for all tense and purposes 3 hours to myself each day and I am utterly exhausted and have even less time than ever. I am suppose to have more time especially since everyone is on a somewhat normal schedule and children are in the same vicinity. What is happening here?!? All my big plans are just not going as planned. I hate to say how many hours have been spent in doctor's offices in the last week between two well child visits, a new patient visit to an ENT, and an excruciating visit to the eye specialist at the big "University" hospital in our area today. Then, there has been the chauffeuring Mike around as we attempt to get Herbie back on the road with his engine adjustments and wheels. There has also been the frantic sprint to complete the renovations enough so that the building and electrical inspector could come out and do a final inspection. Oh, dear! Good news is that we passed the inspection and the Certificate of Occupancy should be in the mail. Bad news is we still have lots of renovation work ahead and Ryan now needs glasses. Good news is the glasses got ordered today and it appears that he has enough "ear" to rest his glasses on and his BAHA band will secure it enough to hold the glasses in place and I have had an opportunity to have lots of waiting room "one-on-one" time with my boys.
Wish I could fast forward to Thursday and Friday as we have nothing written on the calendar except a trip to see the circus (part of Ryan's birthday gift)... Aaah...Calm mornings ahead, perhaps!?!

Marking the 2011 Calendar!!

2010-08-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

God is good! The six figure digit is no longer the figure we are looking at for Ryan's surgeries. It does not appear like we are going to have to move, get a second mortgage on the house, nor will I have to go back to work...All scenarios that have been running through my mind since we started the entire process. Yes, we will need to cut back and be even more mindful of our spending, but we can do it!!
Ryan is scheduled to have his surgeries on February 23, 2011 and June 17, 2011. For each surgery, we will need to be in So. California for 2-3 weeks. At this point, the entire family will go back for the June 17th surgery and we will use that as our summer vacation. Although we need to be there for this length of time, each surgery is outpatient and there are a few days even a week between appointments. Depending upon the doctor's recommendation, we might be able to travel up to my sister's place (San Francisco area) a be there for close to a week. A third surgery will have to be scheduled with a different doctor at a later time in 2011 to implant the BAHA screw. So exciting to have the dates in place and reserved. Ryan is excited although he doesn't seem to grasp the concept that he will still need to wear his BAHA.
That is the update and we are thanking God every chance we get for this blessing!

Drum Roll, Please....

2010-08-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Although we never got the banner flying behind the airplane with our answer, we feel called to move forward with Ryan's surgeries. So, that is what we are doing. We are going to begin walking through those doors, all the while praying that God will shut the doors if this is not how we are suppose to proceed. We are excited and a little apprehensive all at once. We have contacted the dr's. office and are awaiting an answer regarding our insurance. Once we have that information, we will begin making the decisions necessary. Thanks to all that have prayed alongside us!!

Discernment

2010-07-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had a lot on our minds lately... We have spoken to the doctors and we know what our desire for Ryan is, but we are still seeking confirmation as to God's will. Although our heart and desire is for Ryan to have the reconstructive surgery, we do not know with 100% certainty that it is God's will. So, we are seeking an answer. Is God using this dilemma to teach us something? Of course, He is! For one, He is drawing us closer to Him and closer to one another. Is he teaching me? You betcha - This isn't about a Mommy's heart or a little boy's appearance. I can clearly see all sides of the issue. Although one is much more desirable than another and much more "acceptable", is it the right path? These days I feel like I am on a teeter totter - one minute I am confident that we need to go ____ way and then several hours later I feel like maybe we need to go the complete opposite direction. Many of my "self talk" conversations go a little like this...
Yes, I want him to look like other children and for him not to endure any teasing and taunting. However, I know he will - just as Rylee and Morgan will most likely at some point in their lives for one reason or another. So, is that reason enough? Probably not. There is no reason to do the surgery for hearing purposes since that is no longer a possibility. Basically, it comes down to a "cosmetic issue". Most people don't even notice his ears when they meet him. God chose Ryan for us and us for Ryan - was it possibly for "such a time as this"? One of those purposes being that we could provide him with this opportunity that he would not have been provided with otherwise? I have such a great sense of peace regarding the surgery option and the doctor we have selected. So, is that God telling us to proceed? On the other side of the coin, God made Ryan this way. Does he want to use him as he was created to reach others or as part of his testimony?
That is just one little snippet of what is on my mind these days. Oh...I am so confused!! If you have a spare moment, please say a little prayer for us as we attempt to discern God's will. Stay tuned...

House Call

2010-07-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today, the doctor called Mike and I. Let me clarify since everyone is officially now confused, this is the doctor that will perform the outer ear surgery/reconstruction. Inner ear surgery at this point is not happening. Although, we are waiting on that doctor in VA to call us as we have questions regarding the option of opening up an ear canal for the purpose of using a conventional hearing aid. The doctor seemed like a very nice man and we are looking forward to working with him. He answered the few questions that we had and got the additional information he was needing regarding Ryan. At this point, we are looking at the first surgery happening in January/February and scheduling the second in June. A six month window between surgeries is what he recommended. We will know more and have more specifics once his assistant is able to muddle through our insurance and once we figure out all the financial aspects. We are not looking at the same expenses as we were when we were considering the combined surgery, but it is still a very large sum that is upfront and out of pocket. It is very comforting feeling a peace about the whole process and the doctor. We are so grateful for those that have walked before us. While it is still months away, we are excited for Ryan and the path ahead!!!

Atresia Repair - Option or Not An Option?!?

2010-06-22T18:22:00.001-07:00

Today, we received a phone call from Dr. #2 regarding the atresia repair surgery (inner ear reconstruction). And, the answer was the same as Dr. #1. Atresia repair surgery is not an option for Ryan. He scored a 4-4.5 in his right ear and a 5 in his left ear. Obviously a 40-50% chance of restoring hearing is not enough to justify the procedure or risk. This doctor was so nice and if anyone is looking for a good ENT in the state of Virginia, email me!! We are thankful that God has been so gentle with us along the way and that He has given us such great peace!! We will review this doctor's written report once we receive it and may ask a few questions as he did mention surgery for the purpose of wearing a traditional hearing aid. This door has closed and we will begin to walk down this next path of outer ear reconstruction. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that have gone out concerning Ryan and this particular surgery.

Check...Check...Wait

2010-06-04T11:18:00.001-07:00

Ryan had his CT scan yesterday - check. He did an awesome job lying still considering he is an active little guy. They did not sedate him and I do not believe that it was even an option for them. I don't know what we would have done if he hadn't been so cooperative. He got a little upset when I told him that we had to take his BAHA for the test. I can't say I blame him. To have to go through a strange situation around huge equipment and not have your hearing to rely on would have probably thrown me over the edge. He knows that we are doing all these tests for his ears and that the doctors are going to give him "big ears". So, I believe that is why he has been so cooperative. We have never gone into the inner ear explanation, which is probably a good thing at this point, as we knew he would not be a concept he would grasp. So, whenever we go to an appointment now he wants to know if it is regarding his eyes or ears! So, the CT scan was yesterday and I picked up and mailed the disc and audiogram to Dr. #2 today. - check Whew!! Now we wait again. We hope to have some answers late next week - Side note: I made up that time and it is probably wishful thinking! It will be a wonderful feeling at least knowing what our options are or are not so that we can begin planning. Please remember another family this week as they travel to CA to begin their surgeries for their son with bilateral microtia and atresia!!

Do You Hear It?

2010-05-27T08:50:00.001-07:00

The angels singing? Believe it or not, I actually SPOKE TO SOMEONE ON THE PHONE!!! Yes, someone answered the phone when I called today! We have the go ahead to get a new CT scan done by the 2nd May 2008 doctor mentioned in our earlier post. So, I will hopefully be able to have our pediatrician begin that process and we will get that scheduled soon. Once again, we don't think there will be much difference as both doctors use the same rating scale. But, I do know that God is God and He has moved mountains when it comes to Ryan. I know. I know. I keep saying that, but it is true and we fully believe it. We are fully prepared that Ryan won't be a candidate now that the shock has worn off, but would not be surprised if there "happened" to be a change in the results.

Speechless...

2010-05-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...

May 2008 Our ENT says that Ryan is a good candidate for surgery and even says that we might need to schedule it a month later so that he has a greater opportunity to develop language.

May 2008 A surgeon reads Ryan's CT scan and lists out everything in technical terms about what is present in Ryan's middle/inner ear structure, but requests that we send information once Ryan is closer to 5 or 6 years of age.

May 2010 (yesterday) A different surgeon tells us that Ryan scored a 3 on his right ear and a 5 on his left ear on a 10 point scale. 3 = 30% chance of restoring hearing 5 = 50% chance of restoring hearing. This surgeon does not recommend surgery for scores 0-5. His recommendation is a BAHA. Now, that is our interpretation of the results as we understand them via web information. We have yet to speak to anyone by phone and have just been communicating by email.

Based on all the previous doctor interactions, I never anticipated these results! I am puzzled and just merely shocked!! I was prepared for one ear not being a possible option, but never thought that both ears would be out of the question.

Where do we go from here? We will go back to the other surgeon that was requesting information and have another CT scan just as a second opinion. If he scores the scans differently (which does not appear very promising) then we will take it from there as far as decision making goes. If not, we will continue to look into the outer ear reconstruction and putting the post in for his BAHA. At this point, the combined surgery (outer and inner ear) is not an option for Ryan.

Although we are shocked, we are thankful that God is guiding us and closing the doors for us along the way.

Answers. Today. Hopefully!

2010-05-11T03:19:00.001-07:00

Well, I received an email this morning saying that Ryan's records are in the doctor's inbox for review. She indicated that we might hear something later this afternoon!! Hopefully, he will be able to read the scan and that we won't have to go for another one. Hopefully, we will have some answers as to whether he is a candidate for atresia repair. By knowing this information, we can begin to process the whole kaboodle, begin to map out a plan, and begin to research if there will be any insurance coverage or not. It is a step-by-step process at this point for us. Stay tuned - Hope to post some news again tonight!

Overwhelmed!

2010-05-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

That is me... Really trying not to be, but am nonetheless. After a week and a half of waiting, we spoke to the doctor's office in CA regarding Ryan's surgeries. I was half crazy (okay, maybe more than half crazy) waiting for them to return my calls last week and began questioning whether or not we should even be walking down this path. It was merely my lack of patience and anxiousness to get the ball rolling in MY time! Thankfully, God's timing is perfect and the woman called while Mike was home. She was so nice and even though our hearts are heavy over how we are going to make this happen, we know that God already knows the plan. Earlier that day, I was frustrated beyond belief and decided that I was just going to go ahead and send in the CT scan and audiogram to them. I knew the doctor would need these to review in order to assess whether or not Ryan was a candidate for aural repair (canalplasty - creating the ear canal, ear drum, etc) and figured someone would have to call me then. Yep, me trying to gain some sense of control. Well, those should arrive in CA tomorrow and the doctor will be in on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Hopefully, he will have time to review them this week and then we will know what our options are for Ryan. I know without a doubt that God is going to teach me some valuable lessons through this whole experience. Whether we are able to go through this entire journey or not he is going to teach me the lessons that He wants me to learn! Just knowing some of our "road blocks" I know that we are going to have to lean and trust Him more than we may ever have before...

Decisions Decisions

2010-04-21T14:37:00.001-07:00

We just have too much going on around here and we have had to make too many decisions lately... So, I am have decided that I am done making decisions and that is the last decision I am going to make. Okay, that lasted a grand total of 10 seconds. I have absolutely no desire to have a house built. Light fixtures - can, hanging, or ceiling mount? How many outlets on a wall? What kind of carpet? What color carpet? What sort of pile on the carpet? What paint color? Which of the 2400 shades of that color? Paper or plastic? Ooops - Earth Day is tomorrow - That really shouldn't be a question! Back to the point, one decision then leads to five other questions.

Yes, we are in the midst of renovating, but as of now we are in the midst of pursuing surgery for Ryan. As of Sunday, we made the decision to pursue Medpor surgery for Ryan's outer ear reconstruction. I made the initial phone call yesterday and have yet to receive a return phone call. We do not know much at this point except we believe that this is the best option for Ryan. If Ryan is a candidate for the inner ear reconstruction, then we will pursue a combined surgery in which two or three renowned doctors (one of which 'invented' the Medpor surgery) will assemble in one location (northern California) and perform both surgeries (inner and outer ear) in one very long surgery on one ear. We would return several months later for the second ear. Still lots of unknowns especially with regard to insurance coverage (if any), but we are moving forward and will see where this journey takes us. We know without a doubt that God brought this little boy into our lives for a reason and that He will take care of the details. He will guide us along the paths necessary to get Ryan where He wants him to achieve the purpose He has for Ryan's life!! I believe this wholeheartedly! Am I still a little scared and unsure? You betcha!!

Decisions Decisions

2010-04-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Note to Self...

2010-03-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

When attaching another contraption to your child's head, you must warn the teacher!! :o) They were a little confused at school today and were unsure what to do about the FM system that plugs into his BAHA at school. When they asked Morgan about the 2nd BAHA, he threw up his hands and said he had no idea!

2010-03-17T13:56:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Cincinnati Children's for Ryan's hearing evaluation. We had not been in 9 months - yikes! It took Ryan a few minutes to get acclimated to the whole stimuli/response process, but once he settled in he was ready to rock and roll!! He was not at all thrilled with the tight fitting earphones and let the audiologist and her assistance know they were not comfortable and that the whole procedure was taking way too long! I had no idea until I came out and looked at the clock that we had been in there for over an hour! Evidently, the audiologist has seen evidence to support that two BAHAs are making some significant differences for some of her patients. upposedly, the extra BAHA is helping some children better localize the sound and is helping them discriminate between some phonological sounds. A few weeks ago, I truly realized that although Ryan can hear my voice, he is unable to distinguish where it is coming from. He was wandering through the house trying to find me while calling my name. I was in Morgan's room hanging something up in his closet and asked Ryan what he needed. He began asking where I was - By the way, he was in his room right next to Morgan's room. So, I decided to play a little game with him and instructed him to follow my voice. Well, he was all over the house, upstairs and downstairs, trying to find me. I was completely shocked at his inability to find my location! So, when the audiologist asked me if we wanted to give it a try, I told her we open to trying it out and seeing what happens. This morning, Ryan wanted no part in wearing two BAHAs, but this afternoon opened up to the idea and actually requested it. It will be interesting to see if there will be a significant difference noticed here at home or at school. Not sure if we will proceed with a second one as we are still unsure as to the time line of the surgeries and exactly what route we are taking regarding surgery. The audiologist did feel fairly confident that even after the surgery that he will need a device for amplification as most children do even after the surgery. However, after the surgery he might be a candidate for a regular hearing aid as he would then have a middle ear and an outer ear to hook it around. Well, that is the update for now... Still more decisions to be made and lots of observing over the course of the next two weeks! So, how do you wear two BAHA's? Just like this... I hope he won't interfere with all the wireless technology out there as this little boy is wired!

Ryan's New Exercise Regimen

2010-03-04T07:30:00.001-08:00

After 7 weeks, we were finally able to get back to speech therapy. The snow days all seemed to fall on the days we were scheduled for therapy and then last week Ryan was sick. It was great to get back to work. After talking more with the therapist, we believe that it is crucial that Ryan strengthen his tongue and jaw muscles and gain more control over them. We believe that this might help him with his sounds as so many of them are very lateral and sound so sloshy. When in a conversation, it becomes even worse as the conversation progresses as his muscles might be weakening So, we will be using a crazy straw to drink from, chew gum, eating Tootsie Rolls and Starbursts, encouraging him to eat with his mouth closed more often (he is really bad at smacking his food), and then sticking a raisin or peanut butter in the bottom pockets of his gums and getting him to retrieve it with his tongue. I do not know if this lack of strength and control is due to his diagnosis or due to the fact that he was not really eating table food prior to coming home. I am hopeful that this will help him and that we might begin seeing some progress in the weeks to come!

2010-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Running in Circles

2010-01-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

There is no other word to explain it right now except frustration. Ryan's speech is coming along and he seems to be fairly intelligible the majority of the time. However, his listening skills and command of the language is a very different story. He has been tested recently and in many areas he is ahead of where he should be developmentally (by a year or two). Yet, we keep finding these gaps in his language. For example, he has a hard time using the pronouns he/she and his/her. His auditory memory skills seem to be behind as well. When reading a very simple two-three sentence "story" to him, he is not able to recall the information to answer a question. This leads to another area where he is experiencing a great deal of difficulty - questions. Just this morning while riding in the car, he was not being kind to his sister. So, once we got home I asked him "Are you ready to use kind words and come in and play or do you want to stay here until you are ready to be kind?" Well, what did he hear ... "stay here" That then led to a full on meltdown. Errr!!! A lot of times, it just doesn't connect and I have no clue what to do!! It seems like I am running in circles. We are doing so many things to foster his language and surround him with language. He has great role models, we read constantly to him, have a table with a book on tape at it, educational listening toys (TAG reading system - Leapster - etc), preschool environment, etc. In fact, he is so surrounded that he is beginning to try to read. I have not held him back from trying to do so , but have also done nothing to foster that as I know our main focus needs to be these other areas. I know those are two very different areas of language, but they are dependent upon one another. Thus, the frustration!! At this point, I need to do some online research and most importantly place it in the hands of God!!

Saving Our Pennies & Nickels & Dimes...

2009-12-21T17:24:00.001-08:00

"Save your pennies!" Those were the exact words from one of the office staff at the doctor's office in California we have been consulting with regarding Ryan's surgeries to repair the microtia (outer ear). We hadn't had any contact with them since our initial contact a year ago when we sent Ryan's medical records and pictures. Since then, we had done some very preliminary scans of our health insurance policy and felt as if we had found the loophole that addressed "congenital birth defects". Since they have recommended that Ryan be 6 years old when they begin the surgeries, it is really too soon for them to answer our "out of the pocket" costs questions as so much can change with insurance policies - And now, good ole' O**m*'s health care plan might mix it all up further. It appears that it is going to be best for us to begin the surgeries in January of 2012 due to meeting deductibles and such. There will be 5 surgeries in all just for the outer ears and all will be done in CA. Anesthesiologists, medical center, etc are "In Network" while the doctors are "Out of Network"... UGH!! I am so confused and still have no real answers except this is going to be a long road with no real answers until we are ready to dive in. So, I guess we will take their advice and start saving our pennies. We are going to have to get creative!!

What a journey...

2009-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Some then and now photos....

Ryan has been a part of our family for 2 years today. It is amazing the journey God has taken us on and we can not imagine life without our lil' fella! I know that we have said this a lot, but we can't say it enough...Ryan has brought that little spark of energy and that contagious laughter to our family! I have been involved in a bible study on Wednesday nights at our church for the last 8 weeks or so. I felt like I was being so redundant when answering the questions in the workbook as many of them brought me back somehow to a response that involved our adoption of Ryan. But, you know what... I can honestly say that God revealed Himself to me in more ways than I could have ever have imagined through the adoption of Ryan. Only one other time can I say that I have learned as much about God as I have through Ryan's adoption. That involved our journey from Texas to Kentucky. What I do need to note is that neither of these journeys were simple or expected. They were not without conflict and struggle. But, I can say that God knows us and will do whatever it takes to get us where He wants us. I am in awe of how God can take one situation or circumstance to teach us so many valuable lessons! We have seen God move mountains to bring our family together and today is another reminder of how blessed we are to have Ryan in our lives. Eleven years ago, we were unsure if we would ever have children and look at us now. God has blessed us threefold!

Hittin' the Highway

2009-11-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

Things were finally beginning to calm down around here... Yes, the word "were" is inserted in the previous sentence. As of today, Ryan and I have started hittin' the highway twice a month for additional speech therapy. He continues to make progress in his speech and we are quite pleased with how well he is doing. However, we feel like he could be making even bigger strides given proper intervention. Still being in the prime years for language development, we want to provide all the opportunities available to us to increase his skills and to prepare him for the years ahead. Thankfully, our insurance provides coverage for a number of speech therapy/aural rehabilitiation sessions. Since this is Ryan's last year before kindergarten, we believe that it is important that we be as proactive as we can be - Looking back, we probably should have done this sooner. We are thrilled because I will be involved in the therapy sessions and can carry through with what was taught by the therapist at home. Whether or not he will need this level of therapy in the years to follow, we have no idea. What we do know is thatsometimes it is tough being the parent of a child with "special needs" - These are the times when I come to realize that Ryan is a child with special needs - These moments don't hit often, by the way. We want all the services that are available to him, but have little control of what happens through the school. Yes, we can push for goals and document them in the stack of paperwork. But, knowing how, when, and if they are being taught, implemented, or practiced is a whole other issue. I have never expected the school system to be fully responsible for educating my child. I believe that it is my job as the parent to partner with the school to teach the skills necessary for my child to succeed in school. Ryan is a perfect example. Knowing his classroom learning goals that were set back in May, he and I have worked on those skills alongside the teacher and he has already mastered them and a new IEP is about to written to set new goals. Okay, it is time I get off my soap box - If you happen to see us cruising the highway, be sure to give us a honk and wave!

Round and Round and Round

2009-08-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we headed up to Cincinnati Children's for the aural rehabilitation evaluation. Ryan has been progressing so well in his speech and language and things have been going along very smoothly since he received his BAHA. I really thought everything had been mapped out as to what decisions we needed to make, felt like we knew the timeline we were looking at for surgeries, all of our therapies were in place, etc. Even though we have still yet to make any decisions, we knew and understood the options available and felt as if we were in a holding pattern until decisions were made and he met the age requirements. According to the tests administered yesterday, he is doing well and his language is on target with his "typical" developing peers. However, The therapist did recommend that he receive 6 months to a year of aural rehabilitation. Yesterday, I was also told for the second time (two different audiologists) that he would benefit from a second BAHA - making it one for both sides. I do not know if this something that the main audiologist is going to start pushing for or not. It has just been brought up twice since June. I won't even go into the problems we went through to get BAHA #1 - I will , however, be shocked if insurance will support BAHA #2. Once Ryan returns to school next week, I will begin a new "To Do" list trying to figure out who can provide the aural rehabilitation services (school, private therapist, etc) , calls to the insurance company, yada yada yada. Although he behaves and functions like any other 4 year old, I know that I have a special needs child and that all of this is part of raising a child with a special needs. Like most moms I want to do everything that I can to get his needs met when it comes to getting him the services necessary to help build a strong foundation for learning and life. Because he is doing so well and is such a sharp lil' guy, I must admit that most days I do forget that he is classified as "special needs". I think that this is probably a good thing most of the time as he is treated the same and we have high yet, achievable/reasonable expectations for him just as we do for Morgan and Rylee. Yes, we do make some adaptations when it comes to language and hearing, but all-in-all he rolls right alongside us and has absolutely no problems doing so.
So, back onto the merry-go-round we go... (Insert carousel music here)

Fabulous & Finally Four!

2009-08-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a long week waiting for the "BIG" day! Ryan has been so excited about his birthday. He absolutely loves birthdays. They can be anyone's birthday, he is one that loves cake and ice cream. It was an exhausting day, but a great one as we spent it together as a family! We started off the morning with a hike to the Pinnacles. We hiked for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Let's say that it was a tough hike on us all and it was quite humid - ugh. While hiking, Rylee was concerned about bears while Ryan was asking if he would see a walrus. I wish that we could say that we saw both, but sadly we did not! We saw lots of other neat things, however. We just took our time to observe the nature around us (what a great excuse to catch our breath and rest our aching bodies). We found a centipede, watched butterflies, found a bright green fly looking bug, and observed a tiny ant carry off a huge dry pea snack that one of the kids dropped. Mike found a nut shell and convinced the kids that it was a pig's nose. He then proceeded to tell them that the pig took it off so that he could go play with his friends just like Ryan takes his BAHA off when he is playing rough. Mike told them that they should leave it where they found it so that the pig would be able to find it. Yes, the Costanzas are gullible. So, on the way down the mountain we were on the lookout for the pig. Umm... We didn't see him either. After our hike, we headed straight to the movie theater to see "UP". From there, Ryan's dinner request was Faz*l*'s. He filled up on his fettuccine alfredo and bread sticks and then was more than ready to head home as he knew there were presents and cake waiting there for him. So, the partying continued. A little turtle cake, ice cream, and presents!! Ryan had no hesitation blowing out the candles and I am sure his wish will come true. Now for a few pictures ....

New Friends

2009-07-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

As much as technology can sometimes consume our lives and annoy us, I must say that it has been an awesome way to meet other people that we might not have met otherwise. Last night, we had a wonderful family over from our area for dinner. They adopted a child with the same condition as Ryan approximately 6 months after we adopted Ryan and Silas is a year younger than Ryan. And actually, he was on the agency's waiting child list after Ryan - Morgan and I fell in love with his precious little face. Both our families see the same doctors in Cincinnati and both boys have BAHAs. How great for Ryan to have a buddy that looks like him and wears a BAHA too. It was wonderful to fellowship with another family that is experiencing many of the same issues and dilemmas that we are. Rylee had a blast with their two daughters and is right between their two girls age wise. We had a blast and look forward to getting together again! Thanks for coming G***h family!!

Note: Not sure what happened. My pictures did not come out well at all! My settings must have moved - I really, really hate when that happens!!

Clarification

2009-06-25T11:30:00.001-07:00

I had never heard of aural rehabilitation prior to our appointment last December. I think the proper term is "habilitation" as it is teaching the child to use the hearing he/she has rather than reteaching the child to use the hearing he/she has. Aural habilitation teaches the child to maximize and use the residual hearing to it's full capacity. It focuses upon sound detection, descrimination (similarities and differences between speech sounds), auditory comprehension. That is a very brief summary and I look forward to seeing if this additional therapy will be beneficial for Ryan!

Progress Has Been Made!!

2009-06-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today was Ryan's visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for a hearing evaluation and to visit with the otolaryngologist. I dare you to say that 5 times!! The audiologist was floored as he talked up a storm and was telling her these elaborate stories. If you had asked me how he did during the testing, I would tell you that he was not responding very well as he was a bit off task. If you asked the audiologist, she would tell you he did great! I guess by changing around the tasks and the ways to respond she was able to acquire the information necessary to do a thorough evaluation. It is so amazing to think back 15 months ago when he had just gotten his BAHA and how he would not respond at all to the sound or her. His hearing is consistent with the tests in the past and they still believe that the BAHA is providing him without enough hearing to see progress in his speech and language development. So, we will continue on. We are now in a new phase and will have him evaluated for aural rehabilitation/therapy. This will be done at Cincinnati Children's hopefully before school starts and if they decide that he would benefit from therapy then we hope to get a referral for that closer to home. After our audiology screening, we went to see the otolaryngologist - dare you to say it another 5 times!! He was pleased with the progress and we discussed our options again. We have several options at this point and although no surgeries can be performed until he is 5 or older, we feel like we need to begin down that path of researching thoroughly our options (or I should say the options that will be best for Ryan), evaluating the pros and cons of each option, etc. We have no clear direction at this point and initally both Mike and I are on different pages. We will continue to do our homework and begin praying diligently for God's direction. This is such a tough decision, but we know that God will make it clear (in HIS time) what is best for Ryan! Oh, forgot to mention the purpose of the title of this post - Ryan actually let the doctor's assistant (who was wearing the dreaded white coat) look at his ears! You have no idea what a huge step this was and he was so proud of himself!! He doesn't know yet that he is going to see his pediatrician tomorrow for a "well child" visit. I pray that he does just as well. I think if I convince him that no shots are involved, he will be fine with it! Well, that was today's visit in a nutshell...

ARC - IEP

2009-05-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

Whew! Luckily, I am somewhat familiar with all of these acronyms. Today, we had our ARC (Admissions and Release Committee) meeting to discuss Ryan's IEP (Individual Education Plan/Program). We are very blessed that Ryan has such a wonderful team of people working with him on his goals. He has made such great strides this year and we can't imagine what he will have mastered by this time next year. He will continue with speech therapy and deaf education services next year. He will also remain in the preschool program with the same teacher and quite a few of his current school friends. In late winter, the school system ordered him an FM system for his BAHA. Basically, it is a little piece that connects onto his BAHA and the teacher wears a little microphone clipped to her shirt and the receiver which is the size of a cell phone attaches to her waist. The sound is then sent directly to his BAHA. This significantly decreases the background noise within the classroom and has been very effective. The teacher is amazed that she can whisper into it and he immediately scans the room for eye contact with her. He will continue to use that as an adaptive device. Our biggest goal this coming year is to work on his speech as well as his ability to respond to questions (both yes/no and the"wh" questions). We discovered recently that he may not always understand what we are asking and that he relies heavily on our cues - the cues that we did not realize we were giving. So, we frequently have to turn off the expressions and ask questions with a "stone" face to assess his understanding of what we are asking or saying. After recognizing this, we have observed him and he is taking in everything before responding...our expressions, tone, body language. Visual phonics will also be integrated across the board to help with his speech. This past winter, his preschool teacher and I went to a workshop that was facilitated by the deaf education teacher and it is amazing how quickly he was drawn to this method. So, next year the speech therapist will be on board and we will be able to use it consistently with him when he is having difficulties with a particular sound, word, or blend. Academically, he is developing in leaps and bounds - the teacher will teach him something once and he takes off with it. Rarely does she need to go back and reteach. He is a very observant, sharp little guy! We are thankful that everyone was very open to hearing us out and taking into consideration our goals and expectations for him. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the meeting. Although it has been many years, I have always been on the other side of the table - assessing, teaching, and writing goals. It is quite different being on the other side - the one advocating for your child and the one that knows your child and his abilities better than anyone else.

Too funny!

2009-04-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

It doesn't take much for this little boy to make me laugh!

2009-03-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

I received this picture yesterday from another mom that recently adopted a little girl from Ryan's orphanage in Ch*n*. I think the staff must have taken the picture on her roll of film so that it would be passed along to us as the staff knew that we had connected. The timing of it is pretty funny based upon yesterday's post and the fact that they used our orphanage donation to create/redesign/furnish (not exactly sure what was done) the "Medical, Rehabilitation, and Psychological Consulting Room". As part of the adoption expenses for Ch**a, families are required to donate a large sum of money to the orphanages where the children are adopted. It basically helps with the expenses for raising the children during the time they were there. You typically pay the fee (in crisp, uncirculated cash), but have no idea how it was used. You have to obey and trust and just hope that it is used for it's intended purpose. After we are finished with doing what we have been called to do, it is totally out of our hands and up to the receiver to do what he/she is called to do. Hmm...seeing any parallels there? I am realizing the parallels as I write...When God calls us to do something, we must trust and obey and leave the rest up to Him! Sometimes, we will see the fruits of our obedience and often times we will not. We were so thrilled to see how our gift was used at Ryan's orphanage.

Note: The last name has been blurred for internet purposes.

Ryan's Wishes Quilt

2009-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Mom just finished Ryan's 100 Wishes Quilt and gave it to him this past weekend - We came no where close to 100 wishes this time around, but it is wonderful and so very meaningful to us all. I know it doesn't mean a whole lot to Ryan right now, but in time I know he will treasure it! A big thank you to everyone who participated in the project and for all of your wonderful prayers, sayings, and blessings! Thanks again, Mom!!

The Costanzas

2009-01-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

Move over...Jon & Kate Plus 8....The "Circus" is coming to a network near you! I am telling you...We only have 2 little ones, but boy can they come up with some doozies...Here are a few pictures of their latest game...

What are they doing you ask? Ummm... Playing doggie - Ryan is Scooter. Oh, and look at the leash..Wait! That's not a leash - That is Ryan's BAHA (hearing device)! Yes, his brand new $4,000+ BAHA that we spent months negotiating with our insurance company over. It fell off and the clip is still attached to his shirt so that it won't break if it falls off. Hmmm...Hey, why not play dog with it! OH MY GOODNESS!! Let's just say, we had a nice little "discussion" this evening!

Walkin' A Tenth of A Mile...

2008-12-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

in Ryan's shoes! Whew!! What a week it has been... After the kids got sick, I got sick. I figured it would turn into the croup that kids had, but it appeared it was just the common cold. That is until Sunday came around... Within a matter of minutes, my ear was giving me problems. I mean this was like a night and day thing - one minute I am fine and the next minute my ear is driving me crazy (really crazy)...There was no easing into it, it just happened. So, I go into the clinic and the nurse tells me that my ear is extremely red... Figuring it is an ear infection, I get my antibiotics and go home... By that night, I can not hear anything out of that ear. After five days of not hearing anything out of my ear, I return and am now on another round of stronger antibiotics. I have no idea how to describe the noise that I am hearing in that ear, except to describe it as a "white" noise...It is extremely annoying especially when I am out in public with all of the background noise - I have had a hard time assessing my voice level and thus have been whispering without knowing - Mike was beginning to think he had problems with his hearing. Thankfully, the family is being very patient with me. I have to say that although it is very frustrating and annoying, I could describe it as a gift. Although this is not exactly what Ryan is experiencing, it does give me a little insight and even more empathy for the little fella! One night, I decided to try out his BAHA on the side that I am unable to hear out of and I must say I could hear and it was crystal clear!! The sensory overload is amazing...When taking a shower, I can hear every drop pounding my head - it almost sounds like rain on a tin roof (no snide comments necessary ;o) !). When drinking water, the sound is magnified and sounds like waves swishing...The chewing will drive you up the wall!! At night, I can hear every time my heart beats - that is especially annoying as it is not exactly soothing when you are attempting to sleep. I do not know if that is what Ryan experiences and I will probably never know as he has not known anything different nor does he have the language yet to describe for me what he hears. I can now understand why he is so loud even with his BAHA on and why he is especially loud at meal time. I can now understand why he sometimes has difficulties when out in public. I knew these things, but to actually experience them firsthand gives you a whole different perspective and understanding. As I said, this is probably no where near what life is like for Ryan, but God has granted me a little insight and for that I am so thankful!!

A Year!

2008-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Wow! Today it has been a year.... I remember last year at this time sitting by the computer waiting and wondering...What would my little boy's personality be like? Was he healthy? Could he hear anything? What does he like? Would he like Mike and Morgan? So many questions running through my mind. On the other side of the world, Mike and Morgan were meeting this precious gift that God had moved mountains to unite with our family. I can remember Mike saying (via instant messaging) that he was a chunk...It was later that night while he was peeling the layers of clothing that inside was really a much thinner child. Morgan recalls Ryan's screaming and crying as the orphanage officials handed him over to Mike. He also remembers Ryan bolting for the door determined to get away. I can remember hearing him making noises and yearning to be there to hold him! A year later, this child is so much more than we could ever have imagined and still God is moving mountains in his life! He brings a balance and joy that we never would have known was missing in our lives. He is a strong little boy that takes everything in stride. He still loves cars and trucks, but loves his turtle even more! He melts the hearts of those who meet him and is quite the adventurer. He has a gentle spirit and we have great confidence that God is going to use this little boy in mighty ways! How we can't wait to see his story unfold even further...We love you little fella - We wouldn't be the same without you!!

2008-09-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Ryan is loving school. Morgan reports that all of the teachers they pass on the way to Ryan's classroom smile and wave to him. He is singing some songs now and the other day while walking circles around our kitchen table, he said "Monday, Tuesday". Guess he is getting the concept of the calendar at circle time! Last night, in an attempt to get them to follow my directions, I said out of frustration "Oneee, twooo..." and then stopped. He came back into the room and held up three fingers and said "three" as if I had forgotten what number came next. He is a funny little fella! Recently, my days have been spent washing underwear and sheets as he is going through another wetting spell. Not sure what is going on as we went through the same thing about a month ago.

Signed, Sealed, and Final!!

2008-09-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh!

2008-08-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, there are many things in life that I have waited anxiously for...The day we got married, Morgan to be born, the day we left for China to meet Rylee, Mike and Morgan's arrival home from China, and for this little, white box to show up in our mailbox. What is it, you ask? The replacement BAHA - Who knew exactly how delicate this little contraption is! While Ryan took his shirt off last weekend, the BAHA fell to the floor from his level (as it had done before). After doing so, I put it back on him and it began making horrible, amplified, crackling sounds. I tried troubleshooting the problem (changing batteries, tapping the processor/black box, etc) and could not get it back into running order. Let me just tell you.... It was the longest week waiting for the problem to be resolved! Ryan had temper tantrums because he could see his soft band and wanted his "BAHA" right then and there! He was constantly screaming, yelling "What?, What?", and was just generally out of sorts. Add on to all of this, his first week of school and not being able to understand everything going on around him. It was very trying and stressful for us all. Seeing that little, white box in the mailbox today brought a sense of peace. After opening it up and reattaching the processor to the band, I took it down to Ryan and announced "BAHA fixed!" - Oh, how I wish I had my camera handy. His face lit up and we all did the "Happy Dance!" All I can say is "Aaaaaahhh!"

Ryan's First Day

2008-08-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

Our baby is off to preschool. He is attending Morgan's school for preschool this year. Here, he will receive the services (speech therapy and deaf education support) necessary to increase his language skills. He is going Monday through Thursday for 3 hours each day. Today was his very first day. It is amazing how we continue to learn important lessons about parenting even with child #3. We spent some time debating whether or not we should drop him off in the drop-off circle or walk him into the school for the first couple of days. After much debate, we decided that for him he needs to start off with whatever will be the routine (much like Morgan). So, Mike dropped Ryan and Morgan off in the circle. Although it is imaginable to think that we just dropped him off and did not go in to check on him, I have learned that it is our responsibility as parents to do what is the right thing for our children and not what we have to do for ourselves. I am 100% confident that he was well cared for during the walk to his class as a teacher walked him directly there and that all of his needs were met during his day. So, we have to place our trust in God's hands. When I picked him up from school, he was happy to see the van in the pick-up circle. The teacher reassured him that I was there and even moved him so that he could keep his eye on our van. A sweet little "Hello! Mommy!" could be heard. It is hard to believe that he has only been with us 8 months tomorrow. He is still learning many things one being that Mommy and Daddy will not leave him and that we will be there for him! As I expected, I did not get much out of him as to what happened at school. It doesn't help that his BAHA is not working properly (making horrible, loud crackling noises) and he has not been able to wear it for 3 days. Hopefully, the drop-off process will go smoothly tomorrow!

Look At Me...I'm THREE!!!

2008-08-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Ryan's first birthday with us! He was not quite sure what to think of everything. He watched Daddy make his fire truck cake (a whole other story) two nights in a row and could not understand why he could not have any. Since he kept being told "not today" he has obsessed about the cake every day. During our early morning run to buy a cake at the grocery store this morning, he got upset because we looked at all these cakes but did not leave with one. After store number 2, he insisted on "brown cake"! No use arguing, if that is what he wanted, that was what we were getting - I am thinking he figured he better be adamant about it or he would not be getting one. So, tonight he had "brown cake" and enjoyed every moment of it! He did not question the whole ritual of opening presents and looked so surprised when he found things he recognized (GeoTrax sets). But, he looked at us like we were crazy the entire time we sang "Happy Birthday". About 3/4 of the way through our rendition of "Happy Birthday" he belts out "Whaaa you doin' ?" (see cake picture above). We kept on singing and then proceeded to explain that he needed to blow out the candles. He got one blown out on the first try and eventually he needed some help with the other two. What a joy he is and we can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with him!!

Oh...the cake saga. Mike was making Ryan a fire truck cake. The first night, he baked it, figured out the logistics/design, and also cut out the shapes needed to make it 3 dimensional. Last night, he began decorating it. He decorated both sides, stuck it in the freezer, and then called me to help put it together. Well, we don't know what happened, but it literally began falling apart as I was holding it in place for him...He was not happy to say the least. Of the 10 or 11 birthday cakes he has made for the kids, this is the first that did not make it to the table. He worked hard and gave it his best...There is always next year...

Aaah...

2008-08-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Ryan had appointments at Cincinnati Children's Hospital today. He saw both the audiologist and Dr. Choo. The audiology screening went incredibly well and they were able to teach Ryan in no time to place a ring on the toy and to drop a toy in the bucket when he heard the tones and sounds. He did great and we got even more information than the last test as they were able to use the headphones to isolate each ear. With the bone conductor on, his results were consistent with the test back in late March. He has a slight loss (with the bone conductor on) in the 2000 level. Other than that, it is within the normal range with his BAHA. Without his BAHA, he has a moderate conductive loss in his right ear and a moderate to severe loss in his left ear. Dr. Choo was great and really we do not have any decisions to make until he is between 5-6 years old. At that time, we will have decide whether or not to move forward with a canalplasty (reconstruction - construction in Ryan's case of the ear canals, ear drums, and bones). We believe the BAHA saga is taken care of with our insurance company which was a huge headache so, we believe we are finally on the way to Ryan having his very own BAHA and are now sure that the BAHA is serving him well! We are now on the 6 month cycle and will not need to take the trek up to Cincinnati as often as we have since Ryan arrived home.

Oh my goodness...I had no idea!

2008-07-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

A woman from church who has been waiting for her grandchild for a long time now came up this past Sunday to show me the referral pictures that they had received last Monday. The little girl was precious and I am so excited that another family is finally bringing home their baby girl. After looking at the photo, I had to wonder where we would be right now if God had not led us to Ryan. I was shocked to see the results of an online calculator that is watching the statistics of China's adoption referrals. Now mind you, paperwork was logged into China on November 21, 2006. Based upon this calculator, we would not be receiving a referral until April 28, 2010 and another site said October 29, 2012. This was a total shock and I am just dumbfounded - For Rylee, we waited 8-9 months. In a year's time, the wait has changed to 3 years and 5 months (in the very least, if these calculators are in any way accurate). Now, I do realize that it could turn around the other direction in that same amount of time...doubtful, but entirely possible. I am thankful that we did not have to totally endure this long wait and hope the long wait time will not deter families from considering adopting from China as there are so many in the orphanages needing a family!!

Family Learning Vacation

2008-06-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we went on a learning vacation. The Kentucky School for the Deaf in Danville, KY sponsors a Family Learning Vacation for families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. We signed up many months ago before knowing Ryan's full diagnosis. Although we did not learn a lot of "hands on" things, we were able to take away a few things...It was a great idea as they have workshops during the day and the children are provided with a variety of age appropriate activities while the parents are in the workshops. Then, at night family activities are provided. One of the best parts of the weekend was the fact that they did a sibling workshop - they separated the hearing students from their groups and talked with them about their feelings and experiences having deaf/hard of hearing siblings. Morgan was a little uncomfortable going into the room with deaf/hard of hearing and hearing children that he did not know, but seems to have enjoyed the experience. Rylee went in with Ryan with no problem and had no problems communicating and playing with the other children and workers. Mike felt like a fish out of water - both with the special education acronyms/terms, etc. and the fact that he did not always know what people were saying/signing. I felt like the clock had been reversed 18 years and that I was back in some workshop at Fresno State. Most of the families there were much like ours, hearing parents with a young child with a hearing impairment. The majority of the children had cochlear implants or wore standard hearing aids. Ryan was the only one with a BAHA (or "HA HA" as Ryan says) - some had heard of a BAHA, but had never seen one and others had never even heard of the BAHA. Although we are not sure we will return next year, it was a good learning experience!!

Twists and Turns...

2008-05-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

yet moving forward!! This whole process has been one wild ride. Although it has been a winding journey, every step of the way we have felt peace and have felt that we are making some progress (no matter how small). We made another trip to Cincinnati Children's today as the doctor wanted to meet with us face-to-face. As we suspected, he has recommended that we postpone Ryan's surgery until he is older. We are thankful for his recommendation as we were prepared to tell him that we were going to opt to wait on the surgery, if he had given us the choice. His last test results have shocked everyone involved - not sure why this surprises us after all that we have witnessed since we first saw Ryan on the agency's website... We will continue to monitor Ryan's speech and language closely to insure that he continues to progress and he will continue to wear his BAHA. Within the next 6 months, if the BAHA continues to serve him well, we will consider taking it off the soft band and having the titanium rod implanted so that he can wear it that way. We will then postpone the surgery until he is 5-6+ years old. We are so blessed to have such wonderful resources in our area and it has been an awesome experience to witness Ryan hear the sounds that we take for granted each and every day!!

Amazed

2008-05-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Once again, we stand in amazement at the progress we have seen in Ryan....This past Wednesday, we went up to Cincinnati Children's for another audiology evaluation...Oh my goodness...It was like night and day. Ryan was ON FIRE!!! I could hear the audiologist squealing on the other side of the booth...This whole process of trying to figure out the extent of his hearing loss has been quite the emotional roller coaster. We knew with 100% certainty that this was the child God had chosen for our family and were 95% prepared to parent a child that was deaf if that be the case. We have never doubted the fact that there was some hearing, but from one appointment to the next we never really knew the extent. I constantly had various questions rolling around in my brain - "Is he going to be part of the deaf community or lean more to the hearing community?", "Will he need more services than the local school district can provide or will he need a school for the deaf (there are no interpreters in our school system at this time)?" - Factors that other people may not otherwise consider right way were constantly surfacing due to my background (communicative disorders/deaf ed. degree - I am discovering that many people did not know I had that, did you?? Well, that is an entirely different post that I will save for later).... At one point, the audiologist had reason to believe there was permanent hearing loss as he was not responding in the ways typical of children with this same condition. After 5 weeks with his BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid), I can tell you that on Wednesday his audiogram came out in the normal to slight hearing loss range...Yes, with his BAHA and 5 weeks of adjustment to it, he is hearing within normal ranges!!! We are now waiting for the doctor to contact us to see if he still wants to proceed with the surgery. We are 100% fine accepting his recommendation because our ultimate goal has always been to get Ryan's hearing to the highest of his potential. Ideally, the doctor wanted to wait until he was older, but because he was not hearing certain sounds in speech and the need for early intervention, he felt that was the only option. Now that we have some awesome test results, we will have to see where it all goes from here.

One Cool Lil' Fella!

2008-03-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well, another trip to Cincinnati Children's Hospital down and finally some questions answered! As you can see from the picture, Ryan has a new "hat" as he would call it! It is the BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) with a soft band (an older child would have it attached to the actual bone behind the ear). When the audiologist put it on him, his eyes got really big and he sat so still for the longest time. It was like he was hearing sound for the first time. We went through the hearing evaluation with the BAHA on, but he did not respond as much as other children with this same condition do. Ryan does not hear the high frequency sounds and the BAHA will help him, but not enough to make a significant difference. We are trying it for a month and will then go for another evaluation. He is beginning to grasp the concept of what he is suppose to do in the audiology booth and was asking for the dog that lights up. Lots of progress made since our first trip there where he had no idea what was going on. After our hearing evaluation, we met with our doctor to review the CT scan...He went over the CT scan with us which pretty much blew us away. Basically, Ryan has no outer or middle ear structures. Where the opening of an ear canal would be, it is bone and beyond that is no ear canal, ear drum, and only 1 of the 3 bones (malleus, incus, stapes) are present. His inner ear is fine. Amazing that this little boy can hear at all. The stapes appears to be present on the right side and all 3 may be present in the left ear (still a little sketchy on this). Due to this fact, the dr. said that "my hand has been forced"...Ryan will not be able to hear the high frequency sounds unless his ear canal is opened as the BAHA will not do it and there is no way to use a regular hearing aid at this point (lack of ear to attach a hearing aid and lack of opening). So, based on this fact and the importance of his age in the development of speech, they are going to open up his right ear by making an ear canal, ear drum, and the additional bones (taking a skin graft -sp?- from his hip)...We will pursue the other ear in the future. So, Ryan will have his surgery on June 13th...The procedure will take 4 1/2 hours and will be "outpatient"/staying 23 hours in the hospital. While we were talking, I said to the doctor something about the in the ear hearing aid that he mentioned we would be able to use after the surgery and he said that there may not even be a need for a hearing aid afterwards...I was blown away...Who ever thought that no aid might ever be an option!!! How awesome!!! It has been so amazing to see God's hand in this whole process...

The Big Scheme of Things

2008-01-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a long time since my last post, but it has been crazy at our house. We are taking it day by day and getting through it all. We have had a sick child in our house for 14 days now...It all began with Morgan and was passed along to Rylee and now Ryan has it...He ran a high fever for 6 days straight. Scared me to death since we are still learning what is his "normal" and "not normal". Yesterday, we made our trek up to Cincinnati's Children Hospital for his initial visit with a pediatric otolaryngologist. Oh my gosh, the hospital was amazing...So huge (like an airport) and child friendly! We were very impressed with everyone's helpfulness and friendliness. Unfortunately, it takes trips like this sometimes to see how blessed you truly are. Seeing some of the children, we know how minor Ryan's medical issues are in the big scheme of things - Though we are going through some major transitions and still face some obstacles, they are so minor in the big scheme of things. While at the hospital, we talked with a resident briefly and he used a metal tuning fork type instrument to see how Ryan would respond. Ryan is much more apprehensive with males so, that was not a very productive little evaluation. We were then escorted to the audiology waiting room where we met another mom with her little boy that was adopted from China and had the same condition (microtia in just one ear). From there, we went to see the audiologist who gave him a screening. Our little guy responded a couple of times, but was more interested in the toys the audiologist was using to distract him than he was in being attentive to the sounds. They then tried the test with a bone conductor aid and he did about the same. There was not a significant enough difference between the test with and without the bone conductor so, she spoke to us about the BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) - which is what he will probably end up using except in the soft band form. (The aid can not be anchored to the bone until the child is a bit older.) She requested that we return in 3 weeks to retest him. They will try testing him 3 times before they will resort to the brain stem response test as they do not want to have him under anesthesia unless absolutely necessary. After the test and consult with the audiologist, we spoke with the main doctor himself who has many patients with this same condition. He gave us the big picture and the options that could possibly be available to us. Thankfully, we see eye-to-eye on everything: Establishing as much hearing as possible and as soon as possible is our main priority. Cosmetically, they can not do anything until a child is 5 years old and we have plenty of time to consider those options - if we chose to do anything. He ordered a CT scan and will use that to determine the temporal structure of both ears and that will answer more questions for us. Ryan is scheduled to return on Feb. 27th for another hearing evaluation and his CT scan. He will go to the University of Kentucky on Feb. 12th for an echo cardiogram and ultrasound of his kidneys. Due to the fact that the ears, heart, and kidney develop around the same time our pediatrician wants to be sure that everything is functioning properly .

New Hat!

2008-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official...I wear a new hat these days. Maybe I should rephrase that - I have a new wardrobe; Black and white striped shirt(No,they've not sent me to prison), black pants, whistle around my neck and a penalty flag in my back pocket. Whew! It has been crazy around here, but I believe it is slowly beginning to smooth out a little. Rylee is beginning to adjust to the changes, but is a STRONG willed 3 year old little girl...Enough said! The 3's were not easy with Morgan, nor have they been with Rylee - only 9 more months to go (I'm thinking of making a ticker counting down to her 4th birthday for the blog)...Then, I will have another 3 year old on my hands. HA! Overall, it does seem to be improving and she is quickly learning relearning the boundaries and rules of our home (Some days, I'm convinced that the introduction of Ryan into our home erased her entire memory!). Ryan is doing well. He had his initial visit at the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Kentucky. We do not have the blood work nor the other labs back yet, but overall he is a healthy little and the 15th percentile for weight. An occupational therapy assessment was done while we were there and there were some concerns about his gross motor skills. Personally, Mike and I are not concerned as we have observed the skills that he was asked to do here at home. Ryan was just not into what she was asking him to do as he wanted to be in the room playing with her toys and that paired with the language barrier, he just wasn't very cooperative. We have been referred to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital for his audiological assessment, etc. That is scheduled for January 30th. We are very anxious for that appointment! Ryan is adapting well. He is hugging and bends his forehead forward for kisses. He is picking up a few English words and is signing - night-night (sleep), I love you, potty, finish, help, thank you, eat. I am not using 100% signs with him, just a few key words here and there along with saying the word. He absolutely loves his Matchbox/Hot Wheel cars and is not uncommon to see him playing with them while wearing Rylee's tiara. He has the most expressive little face and is not afraid to tell you off in Chinese - we aren't sure what he is saying or if he is really saying anything at all - but there is no doubt that he is not happy with you! He is the funniest and sweetest little guy and it doesn't take long for him to make you laugh!!

Morgan is still Morgan... Going with the flow, initiating some of the chaos, stepping up to help without being asked, and loving every minute of being the "big brother"!

A Glimpse

2007-12-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

Here is just a glimpse of Christmas morning...We were expecting Ryan to be overwhelmed with the whole thing, but he jumped right in! If a present was left out in the open, he was right there ready to rip into it - whether it was his or not. We look like a toy shop with both girl and boy toys everywhere!! Barbie made her appearance into our home this year as well as big Tonka trucks of every kind. As always, there is lots of sports memorabilia and equipment and Little People (I think we almost have enough to make a small city)! You may wonder from the look of shock and awe on Morgan's face what is so exciting about the baseball in his hand...A certain family member bought him an authentic Cole Hamels autographed baseball (#22 of 100) from his first win in 2006. Needless to say, he is speechless!! It was a truly an awesome Christmas and although the day was great and it was so wonderful to see the joy and wonder in our children's faces, nothing could match the joy we all felt having Ryan finally home and the peace of feeling of having our family complete!!

From our House to Yours...

2007-12-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

May you have a WILD & CRAZY Christmas
or should I say...
May you have the joy of an 8 year old,
the wonder of a 2 year old,
and the attitude of a 3 year old!!!

So much for trying to take pictures this year - Have I told you it is like a 3 ring circus??? Well, here is the proof! Take your pick of pictures - They were all so telling, I couldn't decide which one to post!!

First Outing

2007-12-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we ventured out on Friday and made our annual trek to visit Santa. Okay, we still need some work in logistics - what to bring, who gets who, who takes who to the restroom, who gets what stroller, how many strollers do we need, who is pushing who, who is going to give Morgan driving lessons in the stroller department, who is going to get the meals, etc, etc, etc. Hey, we saw Santa, did a little shopping, ate lunch, and made it home with all 3 children - All during the Christmas rush. We Reagles dive right in!

Sleep is still an issue with 2 out of the 3 Muskateers...the biggest and the smallest. Rylee has taken on the night shift - she has crawled into his bed several times in an attempt to comfort Ryan.

This was the day Rylee has been talking about for months...The day she would get to take Ryan for a ride in the Gator. Luckily, yesterday was beautiful and we were able to take the crew outside to play for awhile and Rylee's long awaited day finally came!

Home Sweet Home

2007-12-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

Okay...boy, you all are restless!! Ha! Sorry for not posting sooner -

The journey has left Mike speechless (okay, he is just exhausted) so, I am taking the blog back over! Yesterday, the boys arrived into Lexington safely and thankfully 15 minutes early. I do not think I could have lasted those extra 15 minutes! Rylee was waiting anxiously for the boys with her 3 bars of 3 Muskateers and all of her pent up energy. Ryan immediately took to Rylee and began to imitate everything that she did! Before you knew it, they were skipping and wandering around the airport together. It did not take long for Ryan to warm up to me and before we left the airport I had gotten a quick hug and he even let me hold him for a minute. The ride home was pretty uneventful. Ryan had never sat in a car seat before and just took it all in... We arrived home and were greeted with a few signs and a scrumptious birthday cake - Yes, yesterday was well... let's just say a "milestone" birthday for me...Thanks, Tammy!! We got home and began unloading the car while Rylee showed her little brother "her" room (they are actually sharing a room). We had to tear them away from the toys to eat the much anticipated home cooking that was requested...Not pizza, not a juicy burger, but macaroni and cheese! All 3 kids went to sleep immediately, but the night got a little rocky at about 1:30 in the morning...Rylee was sitting up in her bed "shushing" Ryan and Ryan was in his bed crying... Finally, around 3:30 or so, we went to Plan F...Mike crawled into bed with Ryan and Rylee who had been downstairs with Mike at Plan D came upstairs and slept with me...We have never been ones to sleep with our kids, but hey you gotta do what you gotta do...We will make some changes once everyone is on Eastern Standard Time!

Today was great! Ryan and Rylee played and had their first fight (over a train)...Ryan ate everything we cooked him and I only had 2 pretzels thrown back at me :o) He is now my buddy and is constantly following me wherever I go. I was able to fill the "mommy" shoes.

Ryan is quite the character and has a great spirit about him. It is amazing to see how "perfect" he is for our family and how much joy he has brought us already! When you pull out the camera, he will smile for you and give you the "peace" sign... he sleeps with all over his covers over his head and body... he loves to watch the cars go down our street and will shrill whenever he sees one..he does not like food on his hands...And even though we can not understand a word he says, he can melt your heart with his smile!!

We can't thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers throughout this journey. We still have a long way to go, but could not have gotten this far without such wonderful family and friends!! Thank you!

The Oath

2007-12-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

So here we are at the end of our journey. Tomorrow we board a flight (OK so we board 3 different flights but who's counting at this point) to come home and we are very excited. In the background as I type this there are giggles in two different octaves coming from two different little mouths that had never met each other just 10 days ago. Now they are giggling and touching feet as if they've known each other for years. God is Good. We took "The Oath" this afternoon at the United States Consulate Office in downtown Guangzhou. Basically all this is is a formality whereby you swear that everything you have said or done, verbally or in writing, throughout this entire process has been truthful to the best of your knowledge. While it is a formality in this case, I can't help but wonder though (as I too often do) what is the lesson to be learned by this. What if each of us had an oath that we were required to take at the end of each day, swearing that all that we had said and all that we had done was truthful and honorable? If I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that I'd never pass this oath on most days, and they certainly would not trust me to influence the life of a young child, let alone multiple. But the truth is, each day we start over anew. Each day we get a clean slate, and lots of new opportunities to either support or reject that which we claim on the outside to be. I'm reminded of the lyrics of a song by Casting Crowns. It goes like this:

Lord I give my life
A living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

I hope that over the course of this journey (which began long before we stepped on an airplane) our Lifesong has been pleasing to God. My guess is that some days have been more so than others. But tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow marks the ending of a long journey, and the beginning of another. It represents an opportunity to seek and to follow where He will lead us next. As we begin this next chapter in our lives as a family of 5, my hope and my prayer is this: May the words we say, And the things we do, Make our lifesong sing, Bring a smile to You. We want to sign Your name to the end of each day Knowing that our hearts were true. Lord, Let our lifesong sing to You.

Love,
The 3 Muskateers signing off from China one last time

Christmas Eve

2007-12-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

I know, I know it's not Christmas eve. Despite the fact that we are on opposite sides of the sun, it's still not Christmas eve here either. Yet somehow it is. As I sit here wide awake and unable to sleep I am like a child on Christmas eve. Waiting with eager anticipation of what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow we will descend the staircase (albeit at an airport) like Christmas morning, having waited for this moment for so long. Just like that first Christmas morning, God has the gift of a son to present to a mother. While this child unlike that first Christmas morning is not perfect (you'll have to trust me on this one! : ) ) it is a divine appointment just the same. God has chosen to place this imperfect son into our imperfect family in His most perfect way. And THAT is what makes it special. Like that first Christmas, tomorrow is the fulfillment of that promise of a son. While I cannot speak for Mary, I can speak for the mom in Kentucky, and Ryan QuiWen (insert last name here) I tell you this: God could not have placed you with a more loving, kind, and compassionate mommy. She has been a gift to us, and she will be a gift to you. God is Good.

But I am reminded of a lesson that God continues to teach me, and that is this: Beware of allowing your tomorrow to steal your today. Many of us have fond memories of Christmas. The family, the dinner, the packages, etc. But fewer of us have significant memories of Christmas eve. Why? Because we allowed the anticipation of tomorrow to overshadow the gift of today. Today is our last day in China. We have no reason to believe that we will ever walk this way again (but we have learned to never say never to God! : ) ). We are determined to spend our last day for what it is. A single gift from God to be enjoyed and lived out. Not in anticipation of tomorrow, but simply for what it is; Today. We will head off to the zoo this morning and to our consulate appointment in the afternoon. We received the call yesterday that all of our paperwork has cleared so we are on schedule to leave tomorrow. But while our hearts are ready to leave, we are committed to being here, and moving forward with what God has planned for us today. Perhaps God led us to the other side of the world simply to teach us this lesson of taking one day at a time. Open it up and see what's inside. It's a gift from a loving Father how could it be anything less than amazing. Here's to living in the moment.

The 3 Muskateers

Monday Morning is All About Your Perspective

2007-12-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Monday morning. A typical Monday morning is just that; Monday morning. It typically has a somewhat negative connotation to it as it brings with it all those things we dread.....the beginning of a new work week, the stack of things on your desk that could "wait til next week", new deadlines and emergencies some created by you some by others, and then of course the realization that the weekend is now OFFICIALLY over. Well I for one this Monday morning am glad to see it come! This means that we have rounded the last corner and are headed down the straightaway of Survivor China Season II.

Yesterday we went to church as expected......well, sort of, but not really. We didn't realize what "church" meant. When we arrived in the lobby at 9am for 9:30 church our guide explained that he would be dropping us off at a catholic church down the street. This was interesting to me as I was surprised that there even was such a thing as I know how the Chinese feel about Christians. Apparently though the Catholic Church is OK in China as they are better able to regulate the activities of the Catholic Church than they are the more protestant denominations. ( I learned something here). At any rate, he then proceeds to tell us that the service is all in Chinese. Well, needless to say that didn't seem like it was going to be a very good experience for us so we decided to bail out on that so we returned to the Hotel and Morgan and I did our own little bible study back in the room.

The other thing we did yesterday was walked through some of the local shops. Morgan had decided he wanted to get a set of the Olympic mascots (in stuffed animal format). We had only seen them in one place so we had gone back in the morning to see how much we could get them down to (bartering is such a huge thing here.....any of you who know me know how much I HATE to buy a car, and thus everything you buy here is like buying a car!). Anyway, we walked away at one point and figured we'd return later and pay their bottom price (which we now knew since they let us walk away at that point). An hour later we returned and you guessed it, they were sold out. (Please submit all Father of the Year nominations to Ms. Darcy *e***l* as she'll be handling the balloting this year).... long story short the shopkeeper could get some more in, but we'd have to go back last night to get them. Well, we go there and started talking to the lady and next thing I know Morgan says "I think I'm going to get sick". Now let me translate that for you: That means "I've already decided to get sick and I'm just looking for a place to do so and you have approximately 2.1 seconds to respond....Go." Needless to say my response rate is substantially more than 2.1 seconds and BAM. Gets sick EVERYWHERE. I won't bore you with the details but trust me it was both a site and an experience we will remember for sometime to come. (and remember, we now even have souvenirs to commemorate the occasion.)

But today is Monday and we are grateful. It's a new day, a new week, and the countdown is 3. God is good. We need to wait in the room this morning for a call from the consulate if there is any last minute snags in our paperwork. We then have a boat ride we are going on this evening (they call it a "cruise," I'm calling it a "ride" until we get on it and get back. If there is a distribution of paddles as we enter the boat we may again rethink our participation.) Anyway, that's catching you up on where we are and where we're headed. Have a good night sleep!

The 3 Muskateers

p.s. The pic of Morgan and his souvenirs the morning after.....ah the memories they will hold! : )

Note from Darcy: I am glad Mike left out the graphic details...It was really, really bad!! All the while, Ryan was playing with breakable items on a shelf in the store...I will gladly take nominations for "Dad of Year!" Mike is quite the trooper!

Medical Exam - He Passed!

2007-12-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

We really had no concerns about his health with the obvious exception of his hearing. Because we knew about that prior to coming, that would not have been a deal breaker for us or the Chinese government. But get this, he passed the hearing exam! Now before you get too excited, please remember that the hearing exam is primitive to say the least. Here it is (I kid you not)..... the nurse/physician plays a few notes on a fisher price piano. At the same time, she secretly raises a squeaky toy with her other hand. If the child is distracted by the squeaky toy and looks over at it, he/she passes. Well Ryan passed with no problems. It doesn't mean by any stretch that his hearing is perfect, but it certainly "medically" (can I use that term for this kind of test?! they WERE dressed in medical clothes you know... : ) ) confirms what we have believed; that being that he has more hearing than we had initially thought. God is Good.

We are off to church this morning. Not exactly sure what this will entail but I suppose we'll see. Last time we were in China it was a pretty moving experience. The first church we went to on the first Sunday was only for "foreigners". There was something about being in a Christian church worshipping Jesus, in the middle of a communist/Buddhist nation that wants nothing to do with Him, that was very moving. The following Sunday we worshipped just with our travel group but had the opportunity to worship with our two Chinese guides (both of whom are Christians). Neither of them could get through the song they were singing without breaking into tears. Being a Christian in China is VERY different then being a Christian in America. May we strive to have the boldness with our faith that these individuals have with theirs.

Finally, here's an explanation of the pix below....several are at the medical exam, one is a picture of the park that we walked each afternoon in Fuzhou, and one is with our guide prior to leaving the hotel in Fuzhou (and notice the background.....yes that is a CHRISTMAS tree. Funny how a communist country has no problems putting up a CHRISTMAS tree, yet we fight about it in America and have to be politically correct and call it a "Holiday" tree. Sorry, couldn't resist the irony in this....)

Alright, we're off to start our Sunday. 4 days and counting.

Love,
The Three Muskate ers

The Reason We are Here

2007-12-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. Between getting back to our room late and a VERY unreliable internet connection we unfortunately weren't able to post last night. So my apologies to those of you who have been so faithful in following our little journey here. At any rate, yesterdays schedule was quite different from the days before. The last several days we have gone out in the morning, come back about lunchtime, napped the little one (Ryan not me) and then gone and walked around/played in the park next door. That has given Morgan and I time in the afternoon to post. Yesterday, since we had our orphanage appointment at 2 pm we hung out in the morning and were out in the afternoon. We went to the orphanage at 2 pm and fortunately or unfortunately (I suppose that it's all about your perspective) it was exactly as we had envisioned it. Room after cold sterile room of metal cribs lined up with babies laying in them. Some disfigured in some way, others seemingly healthy yet motionless and emotionless. While it was a difficult place to visit, it was important to help us reflect back to why we are here. We have had some fun and seen some sites but the real reason we are here is because God called us back one more time to one of these little ones. I have told many of you this story before, but I can't help think back to it frequently when I think of the millions of orphans in this country and many others, and our feeling of what can we do as just one person.....the story goes like this:

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one."

Needless to say it was a touching experience for us, with images that won't too soon be forgotten. We are grateful that God has called us on this journey with Ryan and pray that he will continue to use simple ordinary families like ours to make a difference, one little life at a time. Thank you to each of you who have stood beside us as we have walked each step of this journey the last 18 months or so. It has not been easy, and as many of you know, we have struggled with this calling at MANY points during this time. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray with us and encourage us as we sought to follow where God was leading. He has called each of us to do extra ordinary things, we simply need to be faithful and willing to take the next step even when it seems to make no sense at all. There have been many times throughout this process that things didn't make any sense at all, at least to us. Yet we knew God was in it. He calls us to be "starfish tossers" whether we see the purpose in it at the time or not. May we all be faithful to that calling. I never thought growing up that what I'd long for more than anything else was to be a faithful starfish tosser. But here I stand, starfish in hand. God is faithful and God is good.

Alright, on a lighter note, we weren't able to get any pix inside the orphanage but we did take a few outside. The others are of a little bubble blowing party we had with another family that is in the hotel with us this week. We fly to Guangzhou tonight so likely will not post again until sometime Friday night your time. Until then, the 3 muskateers signing off for the last time from Fuzhou. BYE!

Exclusive Panda Facts for Mrs. Bugg's Class

2007-12-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hi!
Thanks for writing me back.....Below are the answers to the questions you posted....

How much food does a panda eat in a day? They eat up to 18 kg (40lbs) of bamboo leaves and stems or 39kg (86lbs) of shoots. They usually spend 14 hours a day eating!

Did you have fun seeing the pandas? Yes because I got to see them up close and see them eat .

Do you know how long a panda's life span is? Pandas can live for about 20 years in the wild.

Did you find out the average weight? The average weight is 220 pounds or 100 kg.

Do panda bears hibernate? The panda does not hibernate because it cannot store enough fat from a bamboo diet.

Some other interesting Panda facts are:
1) There are only about 1600 Pandas living in the wild
2) Pandas are good at climbing trees. They can also swim.

Are you ready to come back home and to school? A little bit .

Peace out ya'll!

It was Wednesday so we went to “Church”…..Sort of….

2007-12-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting day. Our guide took us to the largest Buddhist Temple here in the Fujian Province (I'm sure I butchered the spelling of that huh?). It was a very interesting morning. We were actually able to go inside the temple where the praying and the incense and the sacrifice things happen. Very, very interesting. Unfortunately we were not able to take pix on the inside, but we did take some from the outside. After the temple, she took us to a “tea tasting” of sorts. Apparently Fuzhou is known for it’s teas, so we got to go sample some of the tea grown here (I may have finally learned why my mom would use the phrase “for all the tea in China”!). Anyway, it was an interesting cultural experience for us today as we sampled the culture of the province.

One of the more interesting things of the day though was that we also drove past the largest state run orphanage in the province and since Ryan’s orphanage is 4-5 hours a way and we won’t get to see it, I just asked if maybe we could see that one. Our guide made some calls and was able to get us an appointment for tomorrow at 2 pm. While it won’t be either of our kids orphanage, it will hopefully give us at least a glimpse into what they experienced prior to being placed with us. I’m not sure what to expect, or how we’ll respond, but I think it’s important to go just to try and understand just a little bit better.

Finally, as you can tell by the pictures, the boys are getting along great. The ball playing and the wrestling has officially commenced. Both seem to be taking to the idea of having a brother VERY well.
: ) God is good.

A Special Post for Mrs. Bugg's Class

2007-12-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Mrs Bugg and her class! Thanks for posting a comment on our Blog! It's great to hear from people at home....I miss you all! Here are the answers to the questions you asked:

How big is the Great wall? not sure exactly how big it is, but it sure took us a long time to climb to the top! It took us about an hour and a half to climb all the way to the top. Lots and lots and lots of steps. We were so high up we thought we might see Kentucky from there! (just kidding!)

How long is the great wall? It is 4,163 miles from East to West. It is over 2,000 years old.

How is Ryan acting around you? He is doing great. He is very tired right now as it's lunchtime on Tuesday and he's getting ready for his nap. Otherwise he and I are having a great time getting to know one another. I can't wait til he's old enough to play sports!

Did you eat any sushi? No, but they did serve some sort of squid or octopus yesterday for breakfast....man it looked nasty! I think we may get KFC for dinner....I can't wait!

We have to go and post our pictures now from Panda World. Thanks again for writing!

Morgan

A Day At Panda World

2007-12-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday! We spent the morning at Panda World. It was a bit smaller then we had expected, but fun none-the-less. We had a great opportunity to see some panda bears, and it saved us a trip to the zoo (since that's really all Morgan wanted to see at the zoo anyway!). So for those of you who know the story behind our last trip (not going to the zoo when we had the chance, then having to drive to Atlanta to fulfill the promise....long story you'll have to ask us at some point) consider this checked off our list of things to do in China. (which really completes our list 1. Adopt child, 2. See panda bears.....so can we come home now?) : ) At any rate we saw Panda World, a butterfly place, and walked a park. It was a good outing and we're getting ready for nap time. Later this afternoon we'll probably walk to the park next door again, and then have either KFC or Chinese food for dinner. Not sure when we'll be back so for all of you first thing in the morning readers (Darcy) : ) Here is your good morning post. Bye for now!

The 3 Muskateers

Whew! The Tough Part is Over

2007-12-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well we made it, almost without incident. We completed all of the necessary paperwork and paid all of the fees necessary and now by all of the laws governing the People's Republic of China, Ming Qui Wen is now Ryan Qui Wen Reagle and officially part of our family. Whooooah! : ) We did all this this morning and then our guide took us to Wal-Mart to get some supplies, food, shoes, etc. We then had the rest of the day to just relax take a nap (one took at good nap, one dozed off a while, and one took no nap at all.....you decide which was which!) : ) This afternoon we walked next door to a nice little park. We were able to hook up with another American family and spend some time with them. OK.....so you're still wondering....what did I mean by "almost without incident" in the first line? Let me first tell you the things I did right: All children were clothed, fed and on time to meet our guide. I remembered to bring all of the orphanage fees. I remembered to bring all adoption fees and notary fees. I remembered to bring all necessary paperwork related to the power of attorney, passports etc. I remembered to bring all the necessary gifts to give the important people we would be seeing. So have you figured out what I forgot yet? If not, quit looking down on me because you obviously forgot it too! : ) Yes, I indeed forgot our camera on this most important of days. : ( But fear not, God was smiling down on us (some might say laughing at my thinking I had everything under control, yet as often is the case, my woeful inadequacies) : ) At any rate, He saw fit to provide another family that just happened to have an extra camera that they could loan us for a few hours (they are adopting too, and actually staying at the same hotel). At any rate, alls well that ends well and below are some pix from our day....please excuse the formatting....pix are of: orphanage staff, view out our window and several of Ryan/Morgan.

Monday Morning

2007-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Good Monday Morning to you (at least from our little corner of the world). I thought I'd take a couple of minutes to give you a little more detail on our day yesterday. They whisked us off to the airport at about 9 am. Once we got there unfortunately there were 3 families, 2 flights, and one guide. Someone had to draw the short straw. The guide went with the 2 families leaving out of terminal one and she found someone (still not completely clear who he was) to make sure that we got to our terminal and got checked in appropriately. Despite the fact that he spoke not one word of English and we spoke not one word of Chinese (OK, so maybe one, we know how to say "thank you") we managed to get onto our flight to Fuzhou (no clue if that's spelled right but since I figure none of you know any different we'll just pretend that I know what I'm talking about at this point OK?) : ) We landed in Fuzhou got our bags and Katherine our guide was waiting for us. Once in the car we were bombarded with questions about the necessary paperwork (don't get me wrong, she was nice, it was just very overwhelming...we thought we were checking into the hotel first and instead it was right off to the agency). It was about an hour to the site and then about a 10 minute wait after we got there. They brought Ryan in and he basically screamed bloody murder the entire time we were there (not to mention he's a pretty stout little fella and he was using EVERY muscle in his body to get away from me). At one point I let him down to walk a bit. He walked directly over to the door, unlatched it and opened it....he's a pretty sharp little guy! At any rate, the ride back to the hotel was relatively short and he really chilled out once we got to our room (he must be accustomed to 5 star Chinese Hotels) : ) We were in the room several hours last evening and he really did pretty well. He and Morgan did some pretty good bonding prior to Morgan just crashing and burning at about 6:30.....he just climbed up on the bed and was out almost instantly. Poor little guy....we can't seem to sleep much past 2 or 3 am these days which makes evening time pretty rough for both of us! Well, I guess I should run, I have lots to do this morning prior to meeting the guide to go off to the civil affairs office to pay our fees and sign all of the official paperwork. Have a good night and we will hopefully post some some more pix by the time you get up in the morning.

Love,
The 3 Muskateers working the night shift while you sleep. : )

Just the Pix

2007-12-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Consider this our 6,000 words today as we are overjoyed but exhausted. We will write more sometime tomorrow.....

I Don't Care if it Takes All Night to Get There, I'm Going to the Top!

2007-12-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

So those were Morgan's words as we drove to the Great Wall this morning, and while it about killed the adults in the group : ) we made it ALL the way to the top of the Great wall. As you can see from the pictures it is QUITE the hike to the top but he....I mean we were determined to get there!

We are doing well, a bit tired as you might imagine (both from the travel yesterday and our quite ambitious touring itinerary for today). Today we made it to the Wall, Tianaman square, the site of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. Fortunately we are back in the room early this evening so we're going to kick back and relax a little and try to get to bed before midnight tonight (as opposed to last night). We're also hoping that we can sleep in a little longer in the morning, as both of us were up at 5 am and couldn't sleep. In the pix below you'll see the countdown to the Olympics (kind of cool because we have the same pic from 2 years ago when we adopted Rylee), Morgan is still quite a lady's man with the women, a pic of the arena where the opening ceremonies will be held, and Tianaman Square. As you can likely tell from the pix, it was MIGHTY brisk out there today.

At any rate we are doing fine and ready to board our flight in the morning down to the province where Ryan is at. Doesn't seem possible that we are now less than 24 hours from getting him.

We'll write more tomorrow night and obviously send some pix. As for now, good night from Beijing.

The China Boys

P.S. Darcy, when you read this, log onto IM. We will leave the internet connected and hopefully when you log in we'll hear you. We miss you!

Safe & Sound

2007-12-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am not really sure about the "sound" part - How sound can you really be after traveling over 24 hours?? Just got a message from Mike that they arrived and are in their hotel in Beijing. It is around midnight and they have a busy, busy day tomorrow sightseeing. Hopefully, they will acclimate to the time zone quickly. Mike said that he will try to post to the blog tomorrow night (which would be tomorrow morning for us). Since I hadn't heard from them and was becoming a bit concerned, I had lots of scenarios running through my mind...Okay, now I can relax a bit more....Good night boys!!!

On the Home front: Rylee and I were cleaning up Morgan's room since I gave him a "free pass" on the morning of departure and Rylee began talking about Ryan. Well, she started in on "No Morgan's Ryan, my Ryan." I tried to convince her that we are a family and that Ryan is "Mommy's Ryan, Rylee's Ryan, Daddy's Ryan, and Morgan's Ryan". Well, let me tell you...She did not like that! I figured there would be jealousy, but never did I imagine possessiveness - Hmmmm....Should be interesting once everyone arrives home!

"And...They're Off!"

2007-12-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

This morning was a little rough, but not too bad - A few tears, but overall everyone held it together! Whew! Morgan said to Rylee this morning "Today, I'm going to China to pick up Ryan, okay?". Rylee with her confidence said "Me, too!" Let's just say that she was a bit disappointed and let me know if for the first hour and a half! After getting home this afternoon, I was telling her what we were going to do and after I told her she was going to take a nap she piped in with "And then go pick up Morgan school?" Man, is she going to miss her brother! Anyways...Here is the last picture of the Reagle family as a family of four! And, a few other miscellaneous pictures at the airport.

Here is where the boys are at this very moment: 4:32 pm

Itinerary

2007-12-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

Below you will find the itinerary for Mike and Morgan's trip:

• Thursday, Dec. 6th: Leave L. at 9:30. Fly to Detroit, Detroit to Tokyo, Tokyo to Beijing, China. 22 hours 45 minutes.
• Friday Dec. 7th: Arrive in Beijing at 9:15 pm. Check in at Beijing Huangyuan Hotel
• Saturday, Dec. 8th: Go to the Great Wall, Summer Palace and possibly a jade and pearl factory.
• Sunday, Dec. 9th: Catch a 11:50 flight to Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. Check in at Golden Resources International Hotel. At 4:30 leave for Civil Affairs Office to meet Ryan.
• Monday, Dec. 10th: Complete the paperwork. The adoption of Ryan is finalized (in China's eyes).
• Tuesday, Dec. 11th: Panda World, Research Center in Fuzhou.
• Wednesday, Dec. 12th: Visit a provincial museum.
• Thursday, Dec. 13th: Public Park
• Friday, Dec. 14th: Pick up Ryan's passport - Fly to Guanghzou at 7:20 pm. Check into the Guangdong Victory Hotel .
• Saturday, Dec. 15th: Ryan's medical exam and visa processing.
• Sunday, Dec. 16th: Go to a local church.
• Monday, Dec. 17th: Evening river cruise.
• Tuesday, Dec. 18th: Oath at US Consulate
• Wednesday, Dec. 19th: Fly home. Guangzhou to Tokyo, Tokyo to Detroit, Detroit to L. Arrive in Lexington at 4:30 pm.

Administrative/Travel Marathon

2007-11-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Whew! We are plugging along with preparations for travel. Our Power of Attorney letters arrived yesterday from Washington D.C. (after going to our local and state government) and the passports with visas arrived moments ago. Rylee and I spent about an hour and a half at Wal-Mart buying all of the over-the-counter medications we needed, the rest of the gifts for the orphanage directors and other administrative people that they will deal with in China (culturally expected). What did we buy? Jelly bellies and Ghiradelli chocolate for all - since last time we ended up giving a man a make-up bag complete with nail polish and lipstick. We didn't expect to deal with so many men - Thankfully, they do not open the gifts in front of the giver. We also got all of the prescription medications filled (antibiotics, nausea meds, cream for scabies) - "just in case" meds. as we call them. I know there will be at least one more run to Wal-Mart for food for the guys to eat - didn't know what they wanted to take this time. Tomorrow, Morgan and I will head out and buy the little guy some clothes...We had nothing until Weds. when mom hit Kohls and bought Ryan a few pair of pants and shirts as an early Christmas present. Today, we picked him up some socks and pjs. We hope to finish that tomorrow. We had put it off thinking we could take care of all of that during the after Christmas sales - there we go "thinking" again! HA!!! In the midst of all of this chaos, Mike has been out of town and Morgan has a big project due before he leaves. Busy, busy!!! That is our status 5/6 days before travel!!

Whoooo Hoooo!

2007-11-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

It is official!!!! The boys have tickets to China for December 6th and arriving back home on December 19th!!!! From Monday until today has been the looongessst wait. I am hoping to finally get a decent night's sleep! Still tons to do, but Ryan is coming home soon! Until later....

Now...For an even BIGGER surprise!!

2007-11-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Hold on to your seats!!! We got a call this afternoon from our adoption agency...One, I never imagined we would get, but we are thrilled to no end! Our travel coordinator called to tell us that our TA (Travel Approval) had arrived (this was the last little piece of red tape paperwork that we have been waiting for). I was excited to know that it had come, but had no clue what the travel coordinator was going to propose next....He said that if we chose to, we could possible travel and have Ryan home for Christmas. My mind was saying "YES! YES!", but it was really not my decision to make since I am not the one actually going...So, to make a long story short, I called Mike (who happened to be in a meeting) and sang him my rendition of "Happy Birthday" (today is his birthday) before breaking into the exciting option. He said "yes" and now we are sitting here trying to let it all soak in. If we get the consulate appointment for December 17th, Mike and Morgan would leave for China on December 6th - Yes, you read that right...10 DAYS FROM NOW!!! Holy cow!!! We won't know anything until we can confirm this appointment (hopefully, tomorrow or Wednesday - could be as late as Monday) and then we will have to be sure we can get airline tickets...But, the possibility is there!!!!! Still in a state of shock, but we are so excited!!! Say some prayers for the Reagles when you go to bed tonight...I will keep you posted!!!

What a Wonderful Surprise

2007-11-14T07:36:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!!!! I am soooo excited!!!! I can't believe we got updated information so quickly! I literally just got these...Okay...I am going to cry! If I could jump on a plane right now, I would!!! He is about 27.5 lbs and is 35.5 inches tall...About 3 lbs. lighter than Rylee and 2 inches or so shorter. Can you say, twins! Good thing, he is going to have to hold his own with Rylee around! Here is Ryan!

China Bound

2007-11-13T07:35:00.001-08:00

We have a date!!! Not as early as we wanted, but WE HAVE A DATE!! Our Mike and Morgan's tentative date of departure is JANUARY 3. Given these dates, this is the tentative schedule...

Leave for Beijing on January 3rd.
Arrive in Beijing on January 4th.
Leave Beijing on the evening of January 6th for the Fujian province and probably the city of Fuzhou.
Gotcha' Day would be on January 7.
Leave Fuzhou on January 11th for Guangzhou.
Consulate appointment in Guangzhou on the 15th - Oath Ceremony on the 16th.
Depart for home on January 17th.

Those are all approximate dates based on their usual schedule. Of course, Mike and Morgan might have to stay a day or two longer due to the Martin Luther King holiday. That is the latest and we will know more specifics as we get into December.

51 more days!

2007-11-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

The countdown is On!

2007-11-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

We have been quite busy since our post last week. Grandma Reagle came in Friday from Denver for a visit and was here through Wednesday, we have been putting together a little care package for Ryan, and we submitted our acceptance paperwork to the agency (see photo - Do they look excited, or what?!?). Our travel meeting is scheduled for Monday night. At that time, they will walk us through the pile of paperwork that we still have to complete and they will give us a "tentative" travel date. One of our biggest conflicts about adopting again was the travel. Well, due to the timing of this adoption and Rylee's age, it will be Mike and Morgan traveling to China to bring home Ryan. Morgan is excited, but also a little hesitant. Mike is now a bit reluctant as well since we found out that our travel group has only 2 other couples in it. Now, it is possible that they will combine some travel groups, but not necessarily a given. Last time, we traveled with a total of 17 families (or thereabouts) so, this will be a very different experience - But, hey, nothing about this adoption has been the same as our last adoption! Once we have a tentative travel date, I will post it! In our paperwork last week, we received a little more medical information on Ryan and our international adoption physician said that the information appears fairly positive. Now, we can't say that is actually the case until we have him actually examined and tested here, but it is possible that Ryan might be a candidate for reconstructive surgery and a BAHA (implant device). Check back again soon!

Guilty!

2007-11-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, this morning I was accused of speaking "Adoptionese" in my post last night! The acronyms LOA stand for Letter of Acceptance. This letter is sent from China telling us that they accept us to adopt the child we have requested to adopt (through a letter called an LOI which stands for Letter of Intent). From my understanding, we have to sign this letter and return it to China telling them "Yes" we still want to adopt this child. I am still not 100% sure if additional/updated information accompanies this letter or not. I should have all the documents by tomorrow. There you have it, a quick course in "Adoptionese"...

The Big 75!

2007-11-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....Wonder what that means??? Can you guess???

Today was the day....WE GOT THE CALL!!! Our LOA is here!!!! I don't have a lot of details as I received the call at the most inconvenient time - in the middle of Morgan getting his allergy and flu shots - My phone should have been turned off to begin with. Morgan is standing there and we were talking to our favorite nurse (Morgan has been getting these for probably close to 5 years now so, we know her pretty well) when all of a sudden the circus music begins - My cell phone is set to this music that sounds like a circus...Anyways, I went to turn it off when the nurse told me to go ahead and answer it as it did not bother her...Low and behold, it was THE CALL!!! Morgan was utterly tickled and she had to call him back for his flu shot because he was so excited that he forgot he was getting another shot. I have to go back and figure out some more things regarding the protocol from here, but I won't have time until I have two little guys asleep. I must admit that it was one of those days with Rylee (the whining, crying, etc) that I wanted to pull my hair out and our schedule was absolutely crazy...And God chose this day to tell us that we are absolutely crazy that His timing is perfect and reassured us that we are doing what He has called us to do! I will keep you posted as I find the time to process everything, await the "official" paperwork, and do a little research.

8:04 Information Update: I finally got everyone bathed and settled and had a chance to look up our original documentation from the agency. It states " once your LOA arrives it is typically another 6-8 weeks to travel." We may have the best gift under our Christmas tree this year...He will probably be in total culture shock (especially with Christmas stuff adorning the house and a huge tree stuck in the middle of the family room), but he will be surrounded with lots of love!!

It's OFFICIAL!

2007-10-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Okay...I am certifiably insane now...The wait is driving me bonkers...At any given time, one place or another in our house looks like an F5 tornado has hit... Mike is beginning to see the pattern and just runs and ducks for cover! He says I am "nesting" - I prefer to say that I am just completely out of my mind! The most recent place that Tornado Darcy hit was the scrapbook room...For some insane reason I decided that I needed to "organize" my scrapbook papers...Now mind you, my papers were already organized and sitting very nicely on my shelf and I could almost put my finger on any given pattern or color if someone needed it. But, I got this itch to "organize" them. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID... My paper supply is nearly 17 inches thick. Yes, you read that right. Well, I couldn't do on paper holder at a time, I had to start dumping them all out and shuffling them around the room. Have you ever had a project that once you started in, you didn't know where to begin? I literally sat there for a long time (won't go into how long) trying to figure out how to sort these papers. Mike told me he would just throw them back into the holders, but I was so determined that I was going to "organize" these silly papers that I shooed him away...Well, it took 2 days to do it, but it is done! They look nice and I feel like I accomplished something, but don't ask me where any pattern or certain paper is because I could not tell you!!

Yes, I know I need to "be still" and wait upon God's perfect timing, but isn't it just like human nature to try and take control of those menial/trivial matters that in the big scheme of things mean absolutely nothing just so that we feel like we have some control. God is 100% in control of this adoption and he is showing us that every step of the way, but can I just sit back and accept that...No, I have to be doing...Well, this next week my goal is going to be to not destroy anything, organize any thing, rearrange anything, I am going to sit back and "be still"!! This is going to be tough!!!

Day 45

2007-10-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

We have been waiting now for 45 days for China to respond to our request to adopt Ryan...Thankfully, we had baseball, school, and painting/room rearranging to keep our minds occupied. Now that things have slowed down around here significantly, the wait is becoming more and more difficult! You are literally in a holding pattern at this stage of the game - There is virtually no communication with anyone involved in the adoption (China, social worker at the homestudy agency, or the international adoption agency). The phone rings and you jump hoping that it is "THE CALL!" Lately, I have been walking around in a bit of a cloud and begun thinking "Does this little boy really exist?" - "Is he really going to become part of our family?" Of course, I know it is crazy, but the experience seems so surreal. It is amazing that God would have us walk down this path that although we are adopting from the same country, the adoption process is so radically different! With Rylee, China chose the child for us. They sent us her pictures and medical records. We were the ones that was required to submit a formal acceptance. After this was sent, we pretty much began the process of preparing to travel. With this adoption, however, we chose the child. We now have to wait for China to send us a formal acceptance. After we receive that, we will travel. Isn't that just like God to keep us on our toes and to add that little "spice" to our life just when we have become confident in our own abilities and understanding. It is funny to go back two years 2 years ago and to see that although things are radically different today, they are still somewhat the same...Waiting for our family to become complete.

Such A Time As This!

2007-09-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

To know the precise moment when this story began is impossible to comprehend. I can tell you that God began planting seeds in my life when I was 11 years old. I did not realize this, however, until I was 39. At the age of 11, I made my “What I am going to be when I grow up” decision. With a fascination with Helen Keller, it was then that I decided that I was going to teach the deaf. I achieved that goal in December of 1990 when I graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in Communicative Disorders: Deaf Education. I did work at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside for a short time, but never fully utilized my degree.

Lesson learned: God begins preparing us long before we ever realize.

In October of 2005, we traveled to China to adopt Rylee. We soaked up the experience, yet counted down the days until we would return home. There were several times when we said, “We’re glad we came, but we are glad we don’t have to do this again” as it was a long, emotional, and difficult trip for us.

Lesson learned: Never say “never” when God is in control of your life!

In March of 2006, while putting away all of the baby things in our storage room, Mike stopped me dead in my tracks by saying the words that would forever change the course of our family – “I think we need to talk”. After several attempts to beat around the bush, he finally said, “I think we need to pray about adopting again. I’m not in agreement with this, I’m not interested in this and I am completely content where we are, but I believe that we are supposed to pray about this, as crazy as it sounds.” My response was not exactly positive. I told him that I would be happy to pray about it, but I knew what the answer was going to be – “No”. I could even list out all the reasons why the answer would be “No!” So we embarked on this “journey of prayer” more out of obligation and obedience than out of openness- They say that confession is good for the soul! Several weeks later, out of frustration from trying to figure out what God wanted us to do, I did something that I do not encourage – I randomly opened up the Bible and randomly pointed to a verse…Oh, yes I did! God knew where I was at and spoke to me clearer than I could ever have imagined… Here is the verse:

“Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?”

2 Corinthians 2: 14-15

How could we argue with that? One-by-one God changed each of our hearts and by June 2006 we were working on another stack of paperwork. Our paperwork was sent in a week after Rylee’s first anniversary with us. Our dossier was logged in November 21, 2006.

Lesson learned: God will meet you where you are at. If, your heart is in the right place!

In April of 2007, Mike was asked to come and speak at chapel at Howard Payne University about our faith journey since leaving Howard Payne. We all headed out to see old friends and revisit our old home. Mike spoke to the students from the book of Esther. While there, a seed was planted in the hearts of another family and soon after they began the adoption journey to China.

Lesson learned: God often uses us most when we haven’t a clue what He is up to.

In late June of 2007, after waiting many months and watching the “Special Delivery” listings on our agencies website, a little boy caught my eye. I believe that this particular list had been up since May. I had poured over this same list several times before, but I had not seen this little boy until that moment - Isn’t God’s timing always amazingly perfect? This little 18-month-old boy, listed as Stephen on the “Special Delivery” list, had been on the list awhile and yet no one had inquired about him. He had been diagnosed with bilateral microtia/atresia. We were drawn to him, but not quite sure that this was a match for our family. A week later, Debra and her family came for a visit. Knowing that Debra’s friend had adopted a little boy with an ear condition six months prior, I showed her the picture of Stephen. She proceeded to tell me that this was the same condition that her friend’s son had and she shared how he was thriving in his new home. A condition that we had never heard of and the timing of her visit perked our interest and we began doing some preliminary research on the condition and contacted her friend.

Lesson learned: God places people in your lives that have walked ahead of you to pave the way.

A few days after Debra left, we watched the movie, “One Night With the King” which was based upon the story of Esther. What stood out to us was “if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" This directly related back to what Mike spoke about at Howard Payne back in April. In other words, If we don’t take the opportunities God gives us, He will find someone else. Thus, leaving us as the ones that have missed the blessing. Who’s to say that God has not placed us here for that one particular moment? God got our attention!

Lesson learned: I NEVER want God to have to ask someone else to do the work He has called me to do.

A few days later while I was looking at Stephen, Morgan walked into the room. I figured that since we were inquiring about this little boy that I should talk to him about Stephen. So, I showed him the picture and talked a little about his condition. Morgan asked a few questions about the condition and then proceeded to ask me what his birthday was. I told him August. I don’t believe that I will ever forget the look on his face when I told him August. Morgan’s eyes widened bigger than I have ever seen and huge tears immediately began streaming down his sweet little face. I had no idea what was wrong until he was able to tell me that he had a dream about having a baby who’s birthday was in August. I was shocked and had no idea what to think. By no means was this the confirmation that we needed to pursue this boy full force, but it definitely got our attention. Morgan's dream peaked Mike’s interest and so he began to research the age of Samuel when he received his calling.

Lesson learned: God often speaks important messages through children because they’re more willing to listen.

On July 8, 2007, our pastor preached from Acts 1 and his message was titled “Taking the Next Step”. In his message he talked about the calling of Matthias as the 12^th disciple. He talked about how this was the completion of the group and made how the group was made “whole” again. He also talked about the fact that in life there are lots of times when we make a big decision to do something, but oftentimes it is the next decision that is the defining moment for us. We knew that the decision to follow God back to China was a big decision but was this the defining moment? While leaving church that same morning, Morgan and Mike walked out together. Mike saw Morgan’s Sunday school papers - one of which was folded up and had what appeared to be a cell phone on it. Mike asked Morgan what it was. Morgan said it was his Sunday school lesson. Mike preceded to ask, “What did you study?” Morgan said, “We studied the calling of Samuel”. Stopping dead in his tracks, Mike looked down and said to Morgan “You think God can speak through little boys?” Morgan got a tear in his eye and said “Yeah.” The conversation ended with Mike saying “Me, too!”

Lesson learned: Listening with your heart is oftentimes more helpful than listening with your ears.

The answer became abundantly clear that we were being called to adopt this little boy and that we were within God’s will! So, we submitted the necessary paperwork to begin the process of adopting him. In the midst of submitting our paperwork, we requested additional information from China. We requested an ABR (auditory brain response test) and agreed to pay the additional fees to have this test conducted. China agreed and drove a significant distance to meet this request. After receiving the results, we submitted all of the medical records to our international adoption pediatrician for review. We believed with all our hearts that God was leading us to adopt this little boy. So, we began praying that if this not be His will that He would clearly close this door in a way that we could be certain. On Saturday, July 14th we received the call from our pediatrician. She indicated that she had significant concerns for the health of the child. He was born on the normal bell curve for Chinese boys, but had since then slipped off and was very tiny for his age. She indicated that this had to mean 1 of 2 things: He was either severely malnourished or there was something seriously wrong internally. If he was receiving the appropriate nutrition and calories, then something was wrong internally whereby his body was not absorbing them. Either way, she had significant concerns as we had two other young children to care for. That night, based upon what we believed was an answer to our prayers; we elected to terminate the process. We felt as though God had answered our prayers - Not in the way that we wanted, but the answer was clear. Tearfully, we posted a note on our blog (July 14, 2007 entry) to family and friends who had prayed with us through this process telling them it was over.

Lesson learned: God always reserves the right to have the last say. It’s not over til GOD says it’s over.

Several days later, Mike was cleaning off his desk at work. While doing so, he came across the health records that had been reviewed the previous week. Since the process was over he decided to shred them. After shredding approximately ½ of them, he looked down at one of the pages just prior to shredding the remaining pages. His eyes were drawn to the date on one of the documents - God was revealing to him that there was a mistake in the dates. After frantically rereading the remaining pages, it became clear that there was a misprint in the documents. Two of the 13 pages had a February 16, 2007 date on them. All of the remaining pages had a February 16, 2006 date. Frantically he attempted to call me. Once he was finally able to get me on the phone, he said “I know this sounds crazy and I hate to do this to you, but I need you to pull out the medical paperwork again. I believe with all my heart there’s a mistake in it”. After pulling out the information from our computer’s recycle bin, I had to agree with Mike that there were errors. Of course, it all happened a few minutes before 5:00 and my rush to contact our social worker was put to a halt as no one was answering the phones. So, we were forced to wait until the next morning to investigate our theory. The next day, our social worker looked over the documents and was just as puzzled. She assured us that she would have the staff that translated the documents look over everything again. Since there is a 12-hour delay and the offices in China are closed, we were forced to wait even longer.

Lesson learned: Miracles ONLY happen when we completely let go of ourselves and allow God to do whatever HE sees fit.

After several emails back and forth to China, they determined that there was an error in the translation of the dates. There was a mistake in the paperwork and God knew it the entire time. He carefully walked us through this in His time; in order to demonstrate to us the miracle he had in-store all along. Scripture tells us that God’s love reaches beyond what we can imagine. We have seen this. How the God of this universe can love a little boy in an orphanage in China this much is beyond all that we can imagine. But we know that He does. This is the picture of love that He gives us. How can we fail to do the same? So, literally days before his file was to be returned to China, we scurried to finalize the paperwork necessary to make a request to the Chinese government that he become a part of our family!

God doesn’t stop the process there. He goes above and beyond by reassuring us that Stephen is meant to be a part of our family. The weekend of July 22^nd, our pastor shared a message entitled “Extending the Miracle”. In less than 8-weeks, God revealed to us this little boy and took us on this awesome, miraculous journey. Because of this experience we will never be the same!!

SanMing SWI

2007-08-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to someone from our original dossier group that is also adopting a special needs child, I found these pictures of Ryan's orphanage. It appears that it was recently remodeled and appears to a small orphanage...Ahh- The power of the internet...Looks a bit like a castle to me...The scenic views are from the orphanage looking out...

I seriously thought I was going to burst!

2007-08-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, I can finally share....And, I had better now before I burst!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Yes, you read that right!! Disregard the message we posted on July 14th. It is truly an amazing story from the very start until now...We shut the door on the adoption on July 13th -5 days later Mike was shredding the medical records that were sitting on his desk at work when he looked down and the dates just jumped out at him. The more he looked, the more puzzled he became. He called me and when the line was busy so, he sent an email for me to get offline and call him right away. I had to dig out the records from the trash on our computer and didn't know what to think. So, I immediately called our family coordinator from the agency and she of course had gone home for the day. So, we spent the night pondering the entire thing. The next morning, I called the family coordinator. She looked at the paperwork and tried to figure it all out herself. Well, come to find out after contacting the workers in China...The paperwork had been mistranslated...Two of the dates on the medical records were listed as 2007 while everything else said 2006. Needless to say, it should have been 2006. Thus, changing his medical records that we thought were for a 18 mo. old to that of a 6 mo. old. That is why his size was so off!!! So, since discovering the errors we have been waiting for the orphanage to send a current height, weight, head circumference, etc. Well, we found out this week that he is healthy and about the size of Rylee.

Oh my goodness...This has been a wild roller coaster of a ride. But, as always we just put our hands up in the air and scream "Whee!". I submitted the paperwork today so, it is nearly official. We just have to wait for the Chinese government to accept our request to adopt him.

A boy, you ask? Yes. 99% of the time families are referred little girls, but boys that are considered "special needs" are frequently available to be adopted. This happens for several reasons: lack of medical care, fear of the child not being able to provide for them once they become elderly, lack of education on some medical conditions. We saw little Ming Qiu Wen (Ming = orphanage name, Qiu = autumn, Wen = not sure...for Rylee it meant educated) on the special needs list and were drawn to him. Then, all the pieces started falling into place that confirmed to us that we needed to pursue adopting this little boy.

A little about Ming Qiu Wen...We plan to name him Ryan QiuWen Reagle. Why Ryan? Well, I love Irish and Welsh names and names that are gender neutral. I could also justify the name to Mike because the RY is from Rylee and the AN from Morgan. Ryan turned 2 years old on August 14th, thus the heart cake that Morgan decorated. He is currently in the SanMing Social Welfare Institute (orphanage) in the Fujian province. He has a hearing impairment and possibly is deaf in one ear. We will not know exactly the degree of his hearing impairment until we have him tested after arriving home. His condition is called bilaterial microtia/atresia. His outer ears were not fully formed and his ear canals are covered. We believe he has some hearing and that a bone conductor hearing aid will be able to assist him. Reconstructive surgery will probably be in his future. A lot of unknowns right now, but we know with 100% certainty that this is the child God intended for us! Scary, yes...A lot of work ahead of us, yes...But, we are faithful and can not wait to meet this special little boy!!!

I know, I know...He sure is going to look funny sleeping under his hot pink and green quilt...His sister's "hand me downs" sure are going to look funny on him...He doesn't quite look like an Abbie!!

We still have a lot of work ahead of us (moving children around, educating ourselves, preparing the kids, etc) and decisions to be made (who will travel)...please keep little Ryan and our family in your prayers.

Oh, pictures...You want to see pictures????

Here's to...A Little Boy On the Other Side of the World That Is Turning 2!

2007-08-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Adoption Journey

2007-07-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

As some of you know the last week and a half has been a whirlwind journey of God revealing Himself abundantly clearly to us that we were to pursue the adoption of a special needs boy in China. We were past the point of “God are you really calling us to do this” and moved to the point of “God we believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are in this. We are ready to move forward with this but pray that if this not be your will that you will clearly close the door”. Tonight that door closed. We spoke with our international pediatrician, who in consultation with a geneticist, told us that she is very concerned about the health of this little boy. In a nutshell, he was born small, but not abnormally. In two years though, he apparently has not grown much bigger than what would be a SMALL one year old. She told us that in her medical opinion, she is very concerned that there is something going on inside him that could be extremely serious.

Sometimes the answers we receive are not the ones that we hope for. But answers and guidance are what we pray for, and when we do so with all our heart, God is faithful to provide. We are abundantly grateful for His faithfulness to give us CLEAR direction even though it may hurt at the time.

Let me close here with two thoughts. Just this afternoon, prior to knowing all this was to happen, I read part of a book by Max Lucado. In there he states the following: “We can use any tragedy as a stumbling block or a stepping stone…I hope this will not cause my family to be bitter. I hope I can be an example that God is wanting us to trust in the good times and the bad. For if we don’t trust when times are tough, we don’t trust at all.”

And finally, over the last month or so I’ve been stuck on a new song by Mercy Me. Haven’t’ been sure why. Perhaps now I know. Part of the lyrics go like this….

I can count a million time
People asking me how
I Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was change
Long before these rainy day
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these time
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that bring
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

Each time I hear this song, I pray that it be true in our lives. Unfortunately though, we’re never really sure if it’s true until life brings us pain. But tonight with tears in our eyes, but joy in our hearts we clearly say “if that’s what it takes to praise you, Jesus bring the rain.”

Thanks to each of you who have prayed with us through this. Please continue to pray for this little boy in China.

-Mike, Guest Contributor in Darcy's little blogging world

July Adoption Update

2007-07-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

By now, you are probably beginning to see a pattern. Referrals seem to be arriving around the first week of the month. Here is the latest from our agency...

"Lots of news from China! The CCAA has finished the review of the dossiers with log-in dates up to May 31, 2006. We were blessed with 8 referrals for baby girls from Guangxi Province on Friday, July 6, 2007. The 8 girls' ages ranged from 6 to 17 months. The families who received these referrals were LID 11-10-2005. The CCAA has issued referrals to the families whose dossiers were logged in before November 14, 2005. "

In short. The CCAA (Center of Chinese Adoption Affairs) has reviewed the paperwork for families that were logged into their office through May 31, 2006. So, they still have 5 months of paperwork to review. With this months referrals, families are no longer waiting 19 mo., but rather the wait has moved up to 20 months. Each month seems to be adding another month to the wait. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers with regard to the adoption of Baby (Insert our last name here) #3.

June Adoption Update

2007-06-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the email we received from our agency:

"Today, June 6, we were blessed with 8 referrals for baby girls from ChongQing Province. The 8 girls' ages ranged from 7 to 9 months. The families who received these referrals were LID 11-4-2005. We have reason to believe that China sent referrals for families nation-wide with LIDs up to 11-7-2005. This information has not been confirmed yet."

Okay, this is good news, right?!? This month they processed 6-7 days of referrals. Whew! We are moving on up...The agency says that these families waited 18 months. I believe it was more like 19 months, however. Hey, on the bright side ... Based on the current wait time, we are a third of the way there.

May Referral Update

2007-05-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

Below you will find the update we received from our agency today. Based upon my information from the "rumor" sites on the internet, China sent out referrals through November 1st of 2005. So, they are speeding up the process - they increased the number of days this time by one extra day... Isn't that great? Yes, that is sarcasm you detect :o) Here is the message we received:

"Today, May 1, 2007, we received a big blessing of 10 baby girls' referrals from China. The girls' ages ranged from 7-15 months. They are all from Congqing Province. These 10 families were all LID 10-28-2005. We thank God for each little girl and pray for each family whose lives were changed today."

April Adoption Update

2007-04-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well, here is the newest update....I am really beginning to think that my joke about signing adoption papers at the same time I am signing my membership papers for AARP is going to come true!! Here is the message we received today:

"Last night, the early morning for China, the CCAA posted the news that families with LIDs up to 10-26-2005 received referrals this month. A Helping Hand did not have any families logged in between 10-24-2005 and 10-27-2005. We know and understand that this news can be frustrating as you wait for your referral and struggle with the growing wait. Please know that you have our empathy."

OH MY GOODNESS! (As Morgan would say, "Whatz up with that, dude?" ) In an entire 4 week span, China only sent out referrals for 3 days. They were sending them out a month at a time....At this rate, I hate to estimate when we will be going. It is very frustrating, but at the same time in our hearts we know without a shadow of a doubt that God knew this was going to be our journey when he sent us down this path.

Adoption - March Agency Update

2007-03-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the update we received today....

"We celebrate with three families today who had waited for almost 17 months for their child's referral. All three adorable girls are nearly seven months old and they are all from the Samoan Children's Welfare Institute in Hunan province. The CCAA issued referrals for families who were loggedin between Oct. 14th, 2005 and October 24th, 2005. We will be sending out a more detailed update later this month. Congratulations to those three families!"

That was the update...My thoughts...17 MONTHS?? Holy cow! Based upon that update, we have 14 months to go still... UGH!!!

Update

2007-03-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

A quick update: Ryan had his second hearing test and the CT scan at Cincinnati's Children's Hospital on Wednesday...Although he responded better this time, the audiologist was not satisfied with the results so, we go back again in 3 weeks - They wanted to wait another month, but we are anxious to get this moving along as we feel that every week that he has to go without any aid with his hearing is another week that he is losing language. On Friday we received a phone call from the hospital about the CT scan. Unfortunately, all the nurse could say was what the dr. had written in his notes (which did not answer our immediate questions). Basically, all we discovered is that his CT scan showed results that were consistent with other children with this same condition (whatever that means) and that he would be a candidate for reconstructive surgery if we/he chose to go that route. Our immediate questions involve knowing what actual structures he does have and whether or not each is working. Mike will be making a call to the doctor this week to get some of those answers. Ryan began receiving services this week...He has a speech therapist and a deaf education teacher from our district coming once a week. We are using both speech and sign with him and it has been so amazing to watch him grow! He is picking up new words every day!! We are finally beginning to understand one another! YIPPEEE!!!

February Adoption Update

2007-02-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Well, there has not been too much news on the adoption home front. But, I figured I would update you all when we receive some word on referrals from our agency.

This is the message we received today:

We were delighted to receive referrals for 13 beautiful girls, from the Anhui and Sichuan and Provinces, on February 2, 2007. The CCAA issued referrals for families with log-in dates through October 13, 2005 indicating a current waiting time of 15.5 months.

The China Center of Adoption Affairs has the following posted on their site:

"The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before March 22, 2006. The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before October 13, 2005."

All that is to say...they still have to review the documents 8 months ahead of us and it is going to be a while.

Breaking News....

2006-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Ha! Bet that headline caught your attention... Sorry for not posting lately. Kinda' doing the hustling and bustling holiday thing...Shopping, wrapping, running to the post office, starting the Christmas letter, crumpling up the newsletter and starting again, etc., etc., etc... Hopefully, I will have some time this weekend to post a few things.

Well, here is the breaking news...
We finally have our LID (log in date). Our paperwork was logged in, in China, on November 21st. Yeah!!!! So, the countdown of 14 months began on this date. Mind you, this is only the countdown toward the referral (information and picture of our lil' (insert name - still keeping it a secret - here) and not the date for travel. Also, the 14 months can either speed up, slow down, or remain the same. It is all in the hands of the China Affairs office and God.

Til next time...Sleep tight!

It's A Bird...It's A Plane...

2006-10-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

NO... It's our paperwork headed to China! YIPPEEE!!! WOOO HOOO!!! YEAH!!!! It was officially sent to China today. As soon as we receive our Log In Date (LID), which is the date the China officials receive the paperwork, our clock will start ticking toward the current wait of 14 months. If the wait remains the same, this special little girl hasn't even been born yet.

2006-10-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

(Insert our last name here) ...HERE! Yes, we are here!!!! It has been a bit crazy around our home. We are really looking forward to October as things are beginning to slow down a bit. This post is to update everyone on Baby (Insert our last name here) #3. Yes, although you have not heard much about it since we made the commitment to adopt again, we are still in the process of completing the paperwork. Our dossier (aka paperwork for China) is nearly complete and all we are really waiting for is one little piece of paper called our I171-H that is issued from US Citizenship and Immigration. Once we receive that we will go to our county office and the state level for their notarization/authentication. From there, we send it to Washington D.C, back to our adoption agency, and finally to China. Once in China, the agency office in China will translate the information and submit it to the China Center for Adoption Affairs. Once they log it in, our clock starts ticking....The last referrals ran 14 months. UGH! Anyway, our home study is complete and we are almost done paperchasing - There will be lots of celebration on the day that it is out of our hands!

In addition to this paperwork, I have been having to write monthly reports for Rylee and submitting pictures each month. Her final post-placement visit is scheduled for tomorrow so, I will soon be free of adoption paperwork - For awhile that is...YEAH!!!!

We have already come up with a name, but we want to keep you in suspense a bit longer --- I have already tried to change the name, but the boys are holding me accountable. Here are a few of our considerations...

a) Bailey (For Champ Bailey, a football player for some NFL team - Morgan knows)
b) Addison Grace
c) Grace
d) Madison
e) Madilyn
f) Abigail/Abbey
g) Taylor

We know that God has very special plans for this little girl as He turned three hearts around 180 degrees. We are so excited to meet her and to see His plan unfold for her life!

Check in again soon as I have more to post....

2006-03-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have no idea how to title this entry. So, take your pick or feel free to insert your own in in the comments section:

Deja Vu
2+1 = 3 and NO MORE
CRAZY
Are ALL those your kids your grandchildren?
Paperwork Junkie

All kidding aside, we are thrilled to announce that we have decided to adopt AGAIN! Yes, you read that right. It's okay if you go back and reread that sentence - you may even need to get yourself a glass of water and sit down. Now, this was not in our plans whatsoever (who knew that was one word), but we really feel like we are being called to adopt another daughter from China. This is truly a big step out in faith for us and will be difficult in many different ways. Just as we did not want to leave Texas, God had something even better than we could imagine waiting here in Kentucky for us so, we have to place our trust in Him! We are excited (and a bit apprehensive) and Morgan is thrilled. We can't begin the paperwork until mid May as we can not even submit the paperwork to China until Rylee has been with us for 1 year. And, the paperwork all has to be started over - they will not reuse any document that was submitted in our first dossier. Okay...I know you are still in shock so, I won't overwhelm you any further. That's the latest news from the Reagle Zoo!