Contact me

Laurie, Terri, Ingrid or Muriel   contact me at  raychris@emypeople.net   I'm working off my netbook and I don't have anyone's addresses to plan for the weekend!

Prayers Please

Might as well get as many people on this as possible.... the praying that is....Joe's arm/wrist is starting to feel the stretch and it hurts...sometimes I'm just not sure exactly WHAT hurts...but the skin on his arm is mostly scar tissue and is not real stretchy...and it needs to stretch.
He also is digging deep into some old feelings...well not all that old...from foster family days and he is hurting.
We are trying to help him to talk through the stuff and also explain that forgiving them and letting God take care of them...will help him be free of their baggage. I know that sounds like a sort of strange idea, but if we let them control our hearts from 'way over on the other side of the ocean....they are still hurting our son and us.
Then there is the 'normal' stuff...wishing he/they were whiter and maybe "mama Chi*nese"  did you think I was "ugly boy" when you first saw me?   Realizing that we did know what he looked like before we met him....and still thought he was handsome...even though the haircut was awful.  Wishing he was born in my belly...wondering when I'm going to get the book from the library that explains how babies are made... 'Being amazed that we will sit praying for him and the doctors during the next surgery "how many times"
FUN stuff!
The day was not all bad...but the next 3 weeks will be a stretch...pun intended!!

Many Hard Questions

Tonite I was reading my blogs with one of my nosy curious children looking over my shoulder. I was reading this
"Why you look at this kid?"
Me: "I'm just reading about this kid from _____"
Nosy child:  "You going to adopt boy from _____"
Me: " No he has a family....see it is a neat story."
Nosy child: " Does God have to tell you to adopt again?"
Me: "No, God has to tell daddy."
Daddy: " Is adoption a good thing? Would it be good for us to adopt another ...maybe girl?"
Nosy child: "Yeah it would be good, I have good family"
Me: "But that would make us busy and not as much time for each of you."
Nosy Child:" That's OK."

Daddy: "Well we at least need to wait until your surgeries are over."
Nosy child: " Oh OK"
Me:  "WAIT A MINUTE WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?"


Actually that was one of the easiest questions that we had this evening...others involved first parent questions from the 9 and 11 y.o. and a total pitched fit from the 6 y.o. after I dared to hold Joe on my lap for just a minute.  Her fit was allegedly about a gummy vitamin....but really now!

 She did tell me that she wouldn't cry if we got a baby....Ha!


 Here are the children that keep me looking so young, my 15 y.o.'s co workers asked if I was his sister!! I advised her to get her eyes checked.

Check out the fancy foot work...I wasn't fast enough to get the "leg over the ball maneuver"

Got Boys?

Here is a glimpse of the pin care process that we do twice a day...he does some of it and I supervise...It's tedious but bonding work. So far it doesn't look like any of the pins are infected and his wrist is moving, so I guess we are doing something right.

Read the essay below for your enjoyment...I didn't write it and actually don't know who did. It was sent to me anonymously and I loved it.

Got Boys?
Being a mother of all boys can be challenging, to say the least, and can sometimes make the days extra exciting and mothers extra weary till the evening hours.
But take heart mothers, speak softly, think tender thoughts, and lift those weary arms and hands for we have been entrusted with one of the highest callings! We are raising the leaders of future generations.
Are there any other mothers out there that marvel at the amazing source of knowledge that is stored in the minds of these little human beings that we call boys? I have learned things from my boys that I still can’t believe I didn’t figure out on my own.
Like…if you get stuck with the chore of bringing in the laundry off the 40ft wheel line, you really don’t have to go in for another basket. Just stand in the laundry basket you have. If you stomp on every piece that goes in, you can get a whole half-week’s worth of laundry in one basket!
And, if you are clearing off the table after a meal?  First, make sure you are in stocking feet, pile your arms with dishes (if you have a brother handy, get him to help with the stacking) get a running start at the table, slide across the floor (if it’s not too sticky), bump into the sink, and ka-thud! the dishes automatically slide off your arms into the sink. Two trips like this and you are done….unless Mom catches you mid-slide on the first trip…then you are done either way.
Oh, and did you know that if you bite off one end of a big marshmallow and throw it up at the ceiling, it will actually stay sticking!? The challenge in this? See whose marshmallow hangs on the longest. Poor Mom would have remained ignorant of this amazing fact, if she hadn’t questioned the round, slightly sticky marks on the ceiling.
As I look out the window, I spy the oddest contraption coming out of the garage. Are my eyes deceiving me? Or—no those tow back wheels on that thing once belonged on my garden way cart, and heaven only know what they used for the frame!
I see tools scattered all over the garage floor and the drawers of my husband’s expensive, lock-able tool chest are all hanging open. The thought “wow, he’s going to be upset,” runs through my mind, then I think ,“ nah, deep down he’s probably going to feel proud, he’ll check out the thing, might even take a ride on it. Then he will persuade them to disassemble it and put all the parts back to their originals again.”
At least it isn’t motorized; it can’t be that extremely dangerous. We’ll let them have a bit of fun.
This thought had barely left my mind, when our 4 year old comes in with his pants covered in grease, a black smudge beside his nose, with a small hammer clutched in his hand. In his sweet lisping voice he says, “Mom, Wyn wants to know if you know anyfing ‘bout mowtors?”
I very calmly reply, “No, honey, you tell Ryn that mom knows nothing about engines.” In my mind I am all but screaming “NO, NO not engines I know nothing about engines and I don’t want to learn about them either!” My mind has absorbed all the boy knowledge it can handle in one day!
Just when you think your sons think of nothing else but bugs, dirt, dogs, baseball, explosions, power equipment and eating, they take you for a loop and say something so unusual and profound, that it leaves tears in your eyes and a feeling of love in your heart, so intense that it is almost an actual pain.
Since we have sons that grew in my womb and some that grew in our hearts, adoption is a subject of great discussion in our home.
The other day our 9 year old (biological son) Lonny came to me and says, “Do you know that you’re actually not my mom?”
At a loss for words, not knowing how to respond, I just replied, “Oh…I’m not?”
“No” he says, “because you didn’t adopt me yet.”
With a smile I said, “Well Lonny, you’re right, we didn’t adopt you.” And teasingly I asked, “so whose child are you?”
Tears pushed at the back of my eyes, when he answered “God’s”
I told him “That’s right, all children are God’s boys and girls, He has a great plan and a future for each of you. God just gives children to parents as sons and daughters to raise and take care of for a short time.”
Satisfied he skipped away to play with his brothers.
“One of my greatest hopes is that someday a little child will walk up to me and say, ‘thank you grandma for raising such a good daddy for me’.”—a quote from a book by Rich Johnson.
    A mother from Boyland, USA          
           names and some facts have been changed for the privacy of our sons

Happy Birthday Faith!

She is a big- little 6 year old!

Follow-up Visit

Well, we got to see what was under all the bandages....
It's not pretty...in fact I won't be posting pictures until it heals up
a bit.
There is an 1-1/2" wide strip from pinkie finger to thumb that is
covered with 'integra' (fake skin-grafting stuff) basically it is there
to keep the area from getting infected and not scarring until the
grafting happens in a few weeks.

The unveiling was a scary process...something we really could not
prepare him for....he cried...
But in a few minutes he was ready to examine it and understood the
instructions for turning the screw-type thing that will extend his hand
and wrist.
The fingers aren't visible yet, I'm wondering if that will require more
surgery...

He is helping with the pin care (all 8 of them) and he is the one that
turns the screw to move his hand 1mm twice a day.

He really is a brave boy...oh and he convinced us that swimming...even
with a bag over his hand...is a good idea.

Oh and tonite my DH took the time to explain some basics about the human
body- digestion, blood vessels, the brain.... he was clueless! Don't
they teach that in their school curriculum?

But he saw a picture of an MRI machine and suddenly had a flash back
that he was in one of them one time...for his head....but could not
remember why, thought maybe it had to do with fevers that he had...-
hmmm! Wonder what other surprises he has in store.

--

He's Baack!

That would be Joe....the boy with the half-closed eyes that wanted to
sleep all the time....is gone. The happier child that is interested in
things, is back in our house. Even with the goofy grin...you can tell he
is happier.
We took him off the codeine and replaced it with regular Tylenol and as
of now he has not had any pain meds in 5 hrs. He gives his pain a "1".
I call that amazing progress.
On Saturday we had a boy that sank into pain with much noisy crying and
moaning and I was not sure how much was drama and how much was real. We
decided to treat it all as 'real'. We had to get him to focus and
breathe through the pain when the tylenol 3 was just not working. So to
see him feeling this good today is wonderful.

I also have the title of "A Very Good Mom" he really did award me that
prize! He told me first in the hospital and again today when Little
sister was upset about something and bad-mouthing me...He actually told
her to stop it "because she is a very good mom".

Thank you son, I have been trying....

Out of Surgery

Just thought I'd let you know...after 5 hrs of surgery and having quite a bit of pain....they put him back out for a little bit and gave him a nerve block for the arm. When he woke up this time he felt much better.

We really don't know what it looks like under there, but the outside is not ll that nice looking.
I understood the Dr to say that he got a 90 degree bend to the wrist/fingers....that is instead of the complete fist curl he did have. I hope that in 8 hrs he will be able to handle the pain with other meds.
We will be staying overnight and we hope to be home on Sat.
Pray for grandma and grandpa as they keep the other children.

Still Waiting

God is working on my patience department...when they tell you it will be at least 2 hrs....we are now past  hour #3. They said they are wrapping things up.
I am very anxious to see what they decided to use. They were still confering this AM as to the best way to attach the fixtor and how much release they can do today.
Exciting and scary stuff.

Ilizarov Devices

I'm not sure if I'm excited or scared, but because I'm the mom I'll be excited and brave.
They tell me that this Ilizarov device will help Joe straighten his fingers and gain his wrist back. AND they tell me that the pain will be minimal.
I really hope they know what they are talking about.
If you are curious what this device looks like do a search for  "photos of Ilizarov device for a hand"  somehow they still LOOK like they hurt.

Anyone who remembers us in the next few days, please say a prayer, especially pray that the pain is minimal and that he still trusts us after all this is over. Because in a few short weeks we will need to do the next surgery.

My Summer Thus Far

Finish one quilt, start another...

Raise some guinea fowl to eat ticks....they better grow a bit

Set up the pool

Get some exercise and eat a piece of bread for nourishment....that would be why the bread disappears so fast around here!

Build a fire to heat the water for the swimming pool...hubby's invention...our well water is 50 degrees and it takes a long time to make it "swimmable"...this year we needed to hurry the process so that....

first day in the water

Mr Joe....the one you can see swimming under the water...can learn to swim....took him about a week!
He had never been in water above his knees before..did I mention that he is a bit determined?

 Then we have our resident pool shark...the guy swimming with his cast encased in a plastic bag

Ahh summer...how do you keep cool when it is 90 degrees in the shade....at our house we drink lots of meadow tea (anyone know what that is) and open the windows....we don't use our AC and use those old fashioned screen doors....the ones that hit you in the rear end on the way in.