Adam is All Heart

Marfan Syndrome:

For the past three years, Adam gets a yearly check up to make sure his heart continues to be strong and healthy. Initially he was seen at Vanderbilt in their pediatric genetics clinic. The geneticist and her assistant did a very thorough exam on Adam and found that they could not rule out Marfan Syndrome. He has many skeletal markers for this syndrome. He does not have the serious complications of Marfan Syndrome--Most people with Marfans Syndrome have problems associated with the heart and blood vessels-- so he has not been diagnosed with this.

Although the gene for Marfan syndrome has been found (generally--not in Adam), there is no simple blood test or skin biopsy to make the diagnosis. Last year, the pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital told me Adam was fine but that it was a good idea to keep an eye on Adam's heart as a precaution.

You can read more about Marfan Syndrome to the right of my blog...there is a link to The National Marfan Foundation. I have a friend from High School who has Marfans. Her daughter has also been diagnosed. My friend was blessed to have been diagnosed before her life was compromised. She had heart surgery and is doing well today.

Adam is getting ready to have his test.

Adam just received an ECHO of his heart. Click on ECHO is you want to learn more about this test. We are positive he is fine. We should get the results some time this week.

To Nana and Papa's House:

After Adam's appointment, we went to my parent's house to have dinner with them and to help my sister, Jennifer, hem a dress she is wearing in a wedding next week. We had a very good time and Mom made a delicious meal. What a treat, I didn't have to cook. Thank you Mom!

Here we are working on the dress. I measured and pinned. Jen pinned and cut the fabric, and Mom ironed and stitched. A real group effort.

Christmas in February. Dad is a craftsman. He made these beautiful boxes for us. Mom's box is oak, Jen's box is ash and mine is cherry. I love and treasure everything my Dad makes. It's so special to have these handcrafted pieces in our home that we will pass on to our children. BTW--there was a little treat in each box. My box had a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream. ;-) Thank you Dad!

America's Finest

Today was a special day. Our long time friends, Rob and Isabelle and their children, celebrated their Change of Command. For you non-military folks...it's an honor to be chosen to lead a Battalion of courageous Soldiers. We have known Rob and Isabelle for over 20 years. Once upon a time we were all young college students together. Time has changed us and I would say for the better. It has been a privilege to keep company with these special people. There is no doubt that they will make a great team as they work together for the good of their unit. Ron was there to see Rob take the guidon. He would not have missed it.

This photo brings back memories for me. This is the hanger Ron's unit marched into when he arrived home from Iraq (almost 3 years ago) after being gone for over a year. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

Passing The Guidon

Passing The Guidon: An Army unit conducts a change-of-command ceremony whenever a new commander takes charge. The central rite of this ceremony is the passing of the unit guidon from the outgoing commander to the incoming commander. By taking the guidon, the new commander signals his selfless commitment to the traditions, values, and soldiers that the guidon represents.

A few words from Rob.

The handsome children...boy, all of you have really grown up!

Rob and Ron--Ron is so proud of his friend.

Beautiful Isabelle who has not changed one bit from our days in college. We are so happy for you. I know you will have challenges ahead. It's not an easy job. We will continue to pray for your sweet family as you lead the troops and their families. They are a blessed unit to have you.

Going For A Spin

Last weekend Adam took me out for a drive. He is gaining a lot of confidence behind the wheel and I'm becoming more relaxed as his passenger. You know that is saying a lot. All of you who know me know that I'm not a very good passenger at all. It's still hard to believe that Adam is old enough to be driving. My baby is growing up fast.

You did a great job today Adam...Now, could you please wash the car? ;-)

The Year Of The Ox

Celebrating The Chinese New Year

Jim, Katie and Ben H. were one of the first families we met when we moved from Tennessee to Illinois. They have been such a blessing to us. Their son, Ben, went to school with Adam his freshman year and they became best friends right away. Katie and I have become very close over the past year. Katie is also a talented musician and teaches Andrew and Christian piano lessons every Saturday. Yesterday, Katie invited us over for dinner after piano lessons. She completely surprised us when we walked in their home with festive decorations, wonderful music, and delicious Chinese cuisine in honor of Chinese New Year and especially Lucey Lu.

Katie and Jim toasting with a cup of delicious tea and an egg roll. Jim and I put away a lot of those egg rolls waiting for Ron and Adam to arrive. They were so yummy.

Katie and I

Adam and Ben

Ron and his goofy side

Jim, dressed for the occasion. Katie sews too!

Katie sent us home with these special things--

Thank you Katie, Jim and Ben for such a wonderful time! Next year we will celebrate with Lucey :-)

(Andrew and Christian were there too--I feel bad that I didn't get them in a photo. They were busy playing Guitar Hero 3 of course.)

Max Goes To School

I took Max to school today for Adam's Oral Communications Class. Adam gave a presentation about Max and wanted him to be a part of his speech. Max was shivering but did very well. He did not make a sound. Poor thing; was a bit shy around all those High School kids. I think Adam was a bit nervous too because I was in the audience ;-). Max is very special to all of us but he was specifically prayed for by Adam. Adam explained to his class that he came to know the Lord personally because the Lord answered his prayer very specifically. Adam was in third grade and he attended a Christian school. Every morning a prayer notebook was passed around the class and the students would take turns praying for one another's requests. Adam knew that I was very against having a dog but he continued to pray for a buddy. Max was a rescued dog. We found out about him though our carpool. One day I decided to meet Max even though I really didn't want to. I fell in love immediately. You would too if you met him. He is a very loving, snuggly dog. Praise the Lord that God works in many ways to bring His loved ones close to Him. I'm proud of Adam for sharing so boldly his faith to his fellow classmates.

Hills and Spills

Ron took 5 boys and their gear to the park for some amazing sledding yesterday...they had a great time. I heard the place was packed with people and an ambulance was called to take a Dad away who was really hurt. From the sounds of things, it's amazing not more people were hurt. It's probably a good thing I was not there.

"Our Andrew" and Travis waiting to go.......

Christian

Adam (in the red), Nathan and "Big Andrew"

Christian watching "Our Andrew" and Travis slide down.

Andrew and Travis--again.

Adam on the sled that his Papa made for him for Christmas when he was 5 years old. It's an oak sled that is beautifully crafted. It is always the envy of everyone sledding. He got a lot of compliments yesterday....it's heavy and it's fast! Adam was good to share with everyone.

(If you want to hear the video, just scroll all the way down to my music play list and turn off the sound.)

Lucey's Visa and Random Photos

The National Visa Center was very understanding and helpful in getting Lucey's Visa processed and into the system after the huge debacle. That word just seemed so fitting. I looked it up and this is the official definition...very fitting!

n. de·ba·cle (dĭ-bä'kəl, -bāk'əl, děb'ə-kəl)

A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat.
A total, often ludicrous failure.

Ron talked to NVC yesterday. We are in the system! Lucey's paper work has been electronically sent to China and the hard copy is in the mail. Now we need the Travel Approval.

RANDOM PHOTOS--LIFE GOES ON:

Jan. 28th---another snow day. We got up this morning to about 5 inches of snow on the ground. My guys are off to sled. I won't see them for awhile. I'm getting the hot cocoa ready. yum.

Monday, Jan. 26th. The snow is staring to fall. We had no idea that we were going to get as much as we did. This is my baby....the youngest by a minute. Christian, "You are really growing up, you are getting so tall. I'm so proud of you! I love you so much!"

Andrew and Christian had their friend, Travis, for a sleep over this month. Travis loves books as much as Andrew and Christian. We let them sleep in the living room this time. Can you believe that they all snuggled in to read. I love this kind of sleep over! BTW--it was all their idea.

A few weeks ago my best friend from high school, Renee, came for lunch bringing her two kiddos. They are precious. I wish I had taken more photos. This is Ian, he is two. He reached out for Christian to hold him. I just love watching my boys with little ones. It gives me a glimpse of how they will be with their Little Lucey Lu. BTW--my friend Renee, and I, had such a great time together. She is such a good Mom! She has an almost 13 year old daughter, a 4 year old daughter and Ian who is 2. It has been a gift to live this close to my loved ones for the past 20 months. We move in 4 months. It will be hard to say good-bye.

Earlier this month we took care of Megan. Isn't she cute. She belongs to my very good friend, Jeanne. I've known Jeanne since my sophomore year in high school. We have kept a long distance friendship for 26 years. When we were young girls, before email, we were very good about writing to each other. Jeanne and her family have moved close to us, just about 45 min. away. It's been so great being able to see her a little more often. We had such a great time with Megan. The boys took turns playing with her. They played hide-n-seek. Megan plopped onto Christian's lap--it was s cute. Christian is the kid magnet. He has such a heart for little ones. Well, he has a big heart period!

Yesterday- Jan. 27th, I tried to home school even though it was a snow day for the kids in the neighborhood. The boys love their guns and they kept coming to the table and were such a distraction. Ron came along and confiscated this collection of weapons. Boys! Before you think I'm a mean Mommy... we only did a few subjects.

Max has a new perch...he can see out the window as he watches the boys playing in the snow and he can monitor the door.

FYI--you can click on the individual photos to enlarge them....it will help you to see my beautiful family better and you can zoom in on the wrinkles Ron and I are accumulating. :-)

A Mother's Intuition...

n 1: instinctive knowing (without the use of rational processes) 2: an impression that something might be the case; "he had an intuition that something had gone wrong"


Just over a week ago I was feeling that something was just not right. I was bugging Ron about my feelings that something in our adoption is not where it should be. The process is so complicated involving many documents, agencies, and people between the US and China. It was hard to say specifically what was not setting well with me so I just simply said, "Something is not right." Ron was not sure what to do with that statement. He is military and things are either black or white with him. I continued to pray over these feelings. God is so good to send me an angel who obediently acted on her concerns and called me to do the same. This is another Mama who is adopting their second from China. She has been a real blessing to me. She and her family have been on their knees for our family praying for Lucey. She prayed our LOA would be signed on Christmas Day and it was! What a Christmas gift. Anyway, she called to tell me it would be a good idea for us to call and check on Lucey's visa. She gave me the phone number and the numbers to push in order for the automated line so I wouldn't have to wait as long as she did listening to the instructions. Talk about completely sweet! As for my friend, they are just a few days behind us in the process and she found out that they were logged into the system and their sweet baby girl's visa was sent to Guangzhou. So I called! I expected to hear the same. The guy on the other end says, "You are not in the system." "What?" "Are you sure....try my social security number, here's my husband's number....my friend is in the system so should we!" and so on......" No, no record!" Okay----we have something black and white to deal with and this kicks Ron into high gear! He thrives on the phone. He loves to make "business" type phone calls and he loves the phrase, "Can I talk to your supervisor?" He is relentless and he gets to the bottom of things-- in a very nice way too! Remember, I told you he is a very calm person. After a few days we learned that our document was stamped with the year 2008 instead of 2009. It looks like the National Visa Center sent it back to the National Benefit Center to be corrected. My guess...it never left the mail room. THANK YOU sweet Michelle for calling and telling me to call about Lucey Lu's visa. We would have never thought to do that on our own. I knew something was wrong! God is so good to put angels in our lives to help us through the difficult times. I'm blessed with many earthly angels.

On a side note...
I am feeling the pain and frustration of being "overdue." I was almost 3 weeks early with Adam and I was 5 weeks early with Andrew and Christian. I did the calculations...We accepted Lucey's Lu's referral on the 1st of April, 2008. An average pregnancy is calculated to be 280 days. So if this is true, we are 19 days overdue. I have had friends who have been well overdue and I remember how completely frustrated they were. How uncomfortable they were. How miserable they felt. I can relate in a way. I have been nesting....we are just about packed and waiting! We are more than ready for Lucey Lu! Please pray that we receive that travel invitation soon!!!!

A Touch Of Spring--

It's been cold, a bit dreary--well, it's January. I was in need of a touch of Spring. I really needed some fresh flowers and a bright, floral runner for the table. Yes, that's just what I needed. I spend a good portion of my day with the boys sitting at this table. The boys were so happy to see the flowers. Yes, 10 year old boys happy about flowers. They are so sweet. They know what perks up their Mommy. I think it perked them up too. I hope you are having a Spring like day too!

Inauguration Day--

Today's Lesson

Today we studied the Oath of Office. The boys read it several times and we talked about what the words mean. We took 11 of those words and looked them up in the Thesaurus and found synonyms. We looked up the words: solemnly, swear, faithfully, execute, protect, defend and constitution to name some of them. We found words in the Thesaurus like: affirm, devoted, preserve, guard etc.... I love these words....they are strong words. President Barack Obama spoke these words today. We will be praying for him, for his leadership and for his people as they make decisions concerning our country as they remember the Constitution of this Great Country.