Selah update....DAP appointment

Selah had a much better night in the hospital although her heart rate stayed around 120 which is high.  she was able to sleep thank God as was I!!!  Last night's sleep was WONDERFUL!  I will never take sleep for granted again!

The doctor didn't make rounds until late this afternoon.  I was home, with the kids trying to figure out what to do.  I was afraid they'd send her home and I felt like there was something going on with her.  Well they got back more of her tests and she is growing a bacteria!  Thank God....I'm thankful there is a REASON for all of this.  My fear was the meds were no longer helping her.  See she takes medicine for her blood pressure and heart rate not because there is anything wrong with her heart but because her brain was damaged in the area that regulates those things.  So the worse case scenario was that the meds were not working.  So now she is on an IV antibiotic until more of the bacteria grows and they can tell exactly which antibiotic she needs.  Right now she is on a broad base antibiotic.  The doctor said her body has fought very well on its own so far.  For a child who is as compromised as she is, she has done very well.  She probably won't come home until Thursday at this point but she should be on the road to recovery by then. 

So please keep our girl in prayer....

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So a year ago today was our DAP appointment...the appointment we waited for so long....

We got up early, was picked up by our driver, and took to the even older section of town.  We got out on the old cobble streets my heels got stuck in the road.  I hung on to Jon's arm as we walked around the construction of the government building.  We walked into the most nondescript small door, into a small old hallway.  There were a few other families there waiting also.  Most I knew from our on line chatting.  We were all excited, a bit nervous..we didn't know what we'd be asked in the appointment.  Our name was called and we went up the stairs to a dingy little waiting area and into a crowded office.  We were given their files and saw their baby pictures that were passed to us and it was indicated for Jon to put them in his jacket...(talk about feeling like we were in a spy novel)  We really weren't asked any questions, just told to come back on Tuesday (the next day) to pick up the referrals (that are typed on thick paper and sewed by hand-remember this is official paperwork) 

 

the church behind the government building

 

view of Kiev it's set on 7 hills.  I love Ukraine!

 

Jon and me:)

 

statue outside building

we bought this hat for Steve

 

inside...we look chubby all bundled up LOL

downtown

 

 

 

 

 

We were so very happy to have that appointment behind us.  Now we knew the paperwork was being prepared for us and that the girls were 100% available for international adoption.  Also while we were in the appointment, a call was made to the institution to ensure they were there and alive....

We were scheduled to come back on Tuesday afternoon ( the next day) for our paperwork.  Our facilitator was planning on taking us to a WWII museum that morning, we'd get our paperwork and then jump on the train to head out to our girls!  What an exciting time....


I almost forgot to add their baby pictures.  Sarah had more....

 

Sarah as a newborn....

 

 

At the baby house where she could stand up against the wall like she does now.  When we got to her, she couldn't hold her head up and only could roll on the floor

Standing at the baby house

 

Selah when she came into the system, around 2 years old

 

 

My little girls...wish I could have had them from their birth....

Hospital and more of our story

Last night was the worst yet.  Selah couldn't keep her heart rate below 130 and her alarms went off all night long.  She had to be suctioned over & over.  I again had to give her an extra dose of her blood pressure medicine because she got crazy high...it was awful.  This morning she had an appointment to have her casts taken off at the medical center within the hospital.  I decided to get the casts off and then just take her to the ER.  As I was in the shower the nurse started yelling.  I jumped out with conditioner in my hair and didn't even dry off as I grabbed my robe.  Selah had started throwing up which can be very dangerous for a person with a trach. I called 911 and she was transported to the hospital.  Thankfully Jon was dressed and ready to go to work so he could just go with her!  I looked a SIGHT I'm sure to the EMT guys with conditioner in my hair! 

They have ran all kinds of tests and we've gotten no answers but her heart rate is high still.  She has been admitted for further testing and observation.  I'm thinking that she has a bit of a tummy virus and that's what has had her all out of whack but it's been going on since last Tuesday! 

I'm very sad and wish she didn't have to go through all of this.  It is extremely hard for us to know something is wrong and not know how to help her.  Her sweet day nurse went with her and has been with her all day.  Thank God for her.  She can answer things as well as I can and she is a good fighter too:) 

PLEASE pray for her!


More reflections on our trip.....

Today a year ago was Sunday and we were determined to go to church.  Let me tell you it was quite the job to get there!  We had gotten in to Kiev around 4pm their time on Saturday and hadn't slept for a day and a half.  So to get us up and going and to find a taxi driver who could find the church....wow...it was something else!  We were as far away as we could have been in the city too of course!  We attended the International Christian Assembly, pastored by an Assembly of God pastor (our background)  He had a special speaker who taught on Creationism and it was one of the most interesting teachings I'd heard.  The speaker was very learned, with a PhD.  Our oldest son sat on the edge of his seat listening.  It was well worth the time and expense to go! 

Sam and Steve at church

Steve on our balcony with a tiny bit of snow falling

Then we took another taxi back (quite an experience) and stopped at a McDonald's!  We got back and our facilitator came over to meet us.  We were already friends on the Internet and he had walked us through the heart ache of losing the one little boy we'd hoped to adopt and he led us to Selah...so we had a bond already.  It was wonderful to meet him face to face and connect with his sweet spirit.  George formerly worked in the Ministry of Propaganda under the former Soviet Russia...now he helped families connect with their new children:)   We met many former communists and even a few former KGB folks...it was very interesting. 

That night Steve and I walked around in the COLD, trying to find something we'd like to eat.  he & I are extremely picky.  We got some pizza but it tasted sweet...yuck!  but it was neat to walk around in the old section of town.  I tend not to be afraid to go places, even at night..

We did laundry after figuring out the washer but NO dryers anywheres in Ukraine! 
We were so excited the next morning we were to be at the DAP at 10 am to have our interviews and get our referrals on the girls...Up until the point you have the interview and the referral is in your hand there is NO way to "hold" a child.  Some folks have very little info about their children and don't even know their status or where the child is located up till that point.  We had more info than most.  But we were still nervous.  I was actually afraid someone would have an earlier appointment and get the girls referrals for themselves.  Thankfully our facilitator checked on them on Friday so we knew all was well.  I just had a few more hours to wait.....


Well I can say that a year ago today I'd never would have dreamed where we'd be at now....  I worried more about Sarah since she was so obviously small and weak.  Selah was "the strong one"  Now it all seems reversed.

Please please pray for our little girl.  I'm relieved that she is in a good hospital and I believe they will get to the bottom of this.  I am beyond exhausted as we haven't really gotten more than 2 hours of sleep at a time since Thursday night.  I can not believe I am still on my feet.  Since I was home, I cleaned the house from top to bottom, mopped, vacuumed, cleaned her room completely washed everything....that's what I do when someone is sick.  I at least have a clean house and I am so looking forward to sleeping tonight!   BTW, Steve and Shad really helped out too!!!

Easter 2013

After a rough night, somehow the day turned out good.

Here is our big surprise for our church .....

 

 

 

The chairs we ordered almost three years ago....came in Saturday night at 6 pm.  the company went bankrupt right after we ordered AND paid for the chairs.  I was SICK about it and fought as hard as I could sending letters to the judge etc....   Well they reorganized and we finally got the chairs...  I was so happy that they got delivered in time for Easter.   I really had doubts that we'd ever see them so I am so thankful that everything worked out!  Now our big remodeling things are done for the church.  My next goal is the yard!  A few years ago the company that did our new sidewalk brought in bad sand that had weeds in it and it has taken over the property.  We are going to work at resoddening the yard one part at a time.  I actually think it's supposed to be done in winter and it will be a big job but we've handled worse:)

 

Here's my crew on the front row

 

This is where Selah sits during church.  She likes the bean bag chair

 

Guy, Anita & Ziggy, Jon singing "The Old Rugged Cross"

 

 

After the Egg Hunt

 

Easter 2013

 

 

 

Sarah

 

This afternoon Shad enjoyed his "new" refurnished bike a friend gave him.  It's his "grown up" bile and he loves it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

the guys were going to go bike riding but then my husband's van had a flat....but they got to bond over that LOL

 

 

I sat outside with Selah in the swing for over an hour.  She seemed so happy and relaxed but seconds after this picture was taken she threw up on me!  We think (hope) she had a bit of motion sickness!  She got a bath and so did I!

 

She was given several new outfits today (thanks BJ!) and she is modeling one in this picture.

 

Since the nurse has left her alarm has gone off several times already.  Her oxygen levels are a bit down (the machine is set at 92 %)  Her heart rate is still a bit too high 110-120  Please pray that she has a good night and that nothing is going on with her. she had a slight temp around 8 am but nothing since except some sneezing and throwing up once.  No gross mucus or anything.   I am so tired, I only got about 3 hours of sleep last night.  Tomorrow she has an appointment for her casts to come off!!!!!!!!!   I want her well for that appointment! 

 

So hopefully tomorrow will be the end of the casts!!!!!

 

 

Ps....Easter is more nostalgic for me than Christmas...I was thinking of my family that are passed away.  Many folks I grew around are all gone now.  I can remember singing some of the same hymns we sang this morning, many years ago with my new dress and usually a hat on.  Wouldn't it be nice to go back in time for just a few minutes to see all our loved ones?  Today gives me that HOPE that one day I will see them all again and we'll sing around the throne together.....

HE is Risen!

This morning I've been up for hours with Selah.  She kept having high heart rates and so I checked her Blood Pressure and it was extremely high.  She didn't "storm" but I had to give her meds  I've never had to give before to get it down.  It came down to normal within 30 minutes but her heart rate has still been all over the place even tho she is sleeping.   Every now and then it will shoot up to the 140's and set off the alarm.  She is pretty much staying in the 120's now but that is high.  My heart rate is in the 120's when I'm speed walking so I know how that feels. 

So with nothing to do but sit, I've been reading FB, amazed that anyone else is up!  LOL  I mean who is up on a Sunday morning at 4:30 am?  Not me!  I can say neither me or my husband have ever been guilty of going to a Sunrise Easter service LOL.   Anyhow, I regress, the posts are all so positive, I mean it is Easter Sunday morning....  my posts are not so positive.  I'm sad and disheartened that we are dealing with this again and unfortunately I understand it shows that her brain is not healing, it can't regulate the blood pressure/heart rate system without help. 

BUT He is still risen.....that is what I hold to....even as her alarm goes off once again....

We have an older gentleman and his wife who attend our church.  They were children in Germany during WWII.  Anita's mom had a child with Downs that they successfully hid from the Nazis.  (he lived to be in his 60's)  Then Ziggy and Anita fled East Germany after they were married.  they have many interesting stories.  But one thing Ziggy always says "Where could I go but to Him?  "There is no one else in heaven or earth..."   That is so true, there is no one else to go to....no one else who can bear our burdens.  I have lots of friends but really who can I go to in a time like this?  No one but Jesus.  It's lonely and yet it is not....

So this Easter Sunday morning, I'm still clinging to the Risen One...

Please pray for Selah....hopefully we will have some good pictures later with the children. 

Leaving on a Jet plane....

One year ago today we left for Ukraine......we had many concerns about the travel itself, the accommodations, taking the kids with us, how the girls would react, how we'd handle being at a MENTAL INSTITUTION  daily for weeks,  we left having NO idea when we'd return home,  we left Shad with a close friend, as he had a scholarship for the private Christian school that only allowed him to miss a total of 18 days of school and we knew he'd miss more than that.  We also thought it might be too hard on Steve to watch both boys as we'd be gone for a few hours a day to the orphanage or at court.   We had some real fears of the unknown. 

Dropping off Shad really upset me, then I had to drive to the airport.  I usually HATE to drive into the airport but I felt like my whole life was going to be totally out of my control for the next months or so so I wanted to be the one in control of the car.  It's so out of my character to want to drive through traffic, we just laugh about it now.  We flew out of Tampa to Charlotte NC and from there straight to Munich Germany.  We were  so packed.  Our facilitator (who became a great friend) suggested some gifts for the director of the institution.  He thought he'd like a Map of the US.  So I carried a big map through three airports and two train stations LOL   We also took suitcases of clothes and other things to leave for the institution and a wheelchair.  Coming home was easier :)

 

In Tampa, notice Sam would NOT wear shoes back then!  Somehow he FINALLY started wearing them in Ukraine and has ever since

TIA

 

 

See the map? 

 

I HATE to fly, but once I'm on the plane, I'm fine.  We had a smooth trip until we were over Ireland and those little elves shook up the plane.  The food was AWFUL- we flew on the German airline and they served German food...'Nuff said'....  We had a few hours layover in Munich and the guys were wanting to sleep...  My mantra was "STAY AWAKE or you will have jet lag"!  We also experienced the economy of Germany...$16 for a small bowl of awful soup! 

 

Munich Germany

 

STAY AWAKE!!

Jon was o tired, I told him to keep walking Sam to stay awake, he was not thrilled. 

Then we flew to Kiev, Oh happy day!  One thing I loved on the flight to Kiev, as soon as we taxied off, EVERYONE in the plane did the sign of the cross.  Steve and I looked at each other and did the same!  We thought they might know something we didn't know LOL 

We got to the airport around 4pm on Saturday  and met up with a few other families.  We waited for our drivers to take us to our various apartments.  In Ukraine no one I knew stayed in hotels, they stayed in apartments.  We were lucky and stayed in a ministry's apartment (supported CBN) for the first few days.  It was in the OLD section of town and OLD really means OLD in Ukraine, the buildings there were hundreds of years old and some of the streets were 1,000 years old. 

 

from our balcony the first night and yes that is a little snow

 

Across the street from us

 

 

Steve and Sam on their sofa bed

 

 

 

Today we worked at the church and boy do we have a surprise for Grace Church tomorrow:)  We also ran and got all the things for the egg hunt after service.  While we were in Walmart, we saw some friends:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love Duck Dynasty:)

 

 

Selah had a good day today but last night was rough.  She had to be suctioned or changed about every hour.  Jon and I were exhausted this morning.  She is not sick, she seems to be able to make herself sound like she needs to be suctioned at times.  It is odd but in a way we are glad because she makes the gurgle noise and yet her oxygen rate is normal.  Usually when she does it she wants to be changed.  Almost without fail!  So in a way she does communicate with us. 

 

she looked so cute today.  She has on a skort, one of my favorite things to wear:) 

 

And here is our other princess...Sarah STANDING!

 

 

 

Love the dress, found it at a Salvation Army store on Half price day for .99 cents

 

Sarah clapping

 

She pushed away from the wall a little bit and scared me.  She can stand up by herself as long as she has something to hold onto or to lean against. 

 

Please say a prayer for Selah tomorrow, I can't help but pray that God will give new life to our little girl on Easter Sunday....

 

So tonight is bittersweet when I think back to where we were last year (over the Atlantic Ocean)  on our way to get our girls.  Who would have ever dreamed all that laid before us?  But the God who sustained us throughout that trip has sustained us throughout this whole year!  I'll be writing daily about our trip from this point forward with lots of pictures that I couldn't put on my blog last year.  I had issues loading and I was afraid of something going wrong in court if I did anything wrong or said a word wrong on my blog.  I wasn't sure of the privacy laws, everyone told us different things but now I can tell the stories and share the pictures.  I hope you will enjoy it.