Red Thread To China 2007

The hospital cancelled the surgery. I am very frustrated right now. He is already getting so much better since he has been on the antibiotics and will be totally over it by the weekend. But I guess that they know what is best for Levi. I just can't beleive we were so close and then to get knocked back a month or two is very upsetting. We had everything planned out and everyones vacations taken and everything, now all that has to change. We were hoping that Levi would be walking by his 3rd birthday, but now it looks like he will be in a cast on his birthday, that's if we can keep him well enough to have the surgery.

Well Jerry called the hospital again today and the nurse said that all the anesthesiologists were in surgery and she hadn't spoken to them yet. Levi is getting better and will be over this by the 10th, but she still feels that they will postpone the surgery until March. I am so disapointed because this just gives me a longer period of time to worry about the surgery, I had talked myself into feeling that it was gonna be ok, but the longer I have to wait the worse it's gonna get. He has been so well since coming home until now. The weather here has been not so good. It has been sleeting on and off all day. I might just have to stay home from work tomorrow if it keeps it up. Lets everyone keep our fingers crossed that they go ahead and do the surgery on the 10th.

We are also coming along with our dossier for our Ethiopian princess. We have gathered several documents already and are waiting for our social worker to get the homestudy back to us. We still hope to have the dossier in by late March or early April. I am much more calm this time around maybe because I know what goes on and what has to happen. I will try to post some on her blog as we finish up her room.

The hospital may postpone Levi's surgery. He had what we thought was just a slight cold. He only ran a fever for one day and has had this cough for a few days. He otherwise feels good, running around playing and such. But since surgery is only 2 weeks away we decided to take him to the doctor. She thought his chest had a little rattle in it so they sent him for an x-ray. Well it turns out that he has a touch of pneumonia, can you believe that!!! So I had to call the hospital right away to let them know and the nurse said that they would probably postpone his surgery for 4 to 6 weeks. He is on antibiotics now and he was already sounding better before we took him tot he doctor. So now I am waiting for a call back from the nurse after she talks to the anesthesiologist. The doctor seems to think that he will be much better by Wednesday so I am not sure why they can't proceed with the surgery. All we can do is wait and hope that if he is better by the 10th, they will go ahead as scheduled. I understand the reason for waiting, but I can't help but be upset because he will have to wait that much longer to have the ability to walk. And how are we going to keep him healthy enough until surgery while he is in daycare, that's almost impossible these days. I hope that everyone keeps Levi in thier thoughts and prayers that everything goes ok and he gets to keep his surgery date.

Well yesterday I finally sent in the formal application to our agency. We decided to go with Hope Adoption Agency out of Missouri. We had a couple that we were considering that were willing to work with us so soon after briinging Levi home. After alot of discussion Hope won out. We are pleased with the decision. One step closer to our daughter!!! We already have many of the documents needed for our dossier and will only really have to wait on the USCIS clearance to be approved which is taking about 6 to 8 weeks. I hope we land on the shorter end of the wait. Not as much has to be gathered for Ethiopia as when we were doing the China adoption. I can't wait to get everything together to be sent to Ethiopia. I am getting very excited about our little girl. We still don't know if we are going to keep her name Mylie or not, the other name we have is Jaiden Emmory, but I don't think that Jerry really likes Emmory much. I would have to make more of the letters for her name on the wall if we do decide to change it. I just have always attatched Mylie to our Chinese daughter and now that she will not be chinese I think she needs a name that we picked out just for her. Oh what a full house we will have when she comes home.

Only 2 weeks until Levi's surgery. I am getting very nervous and anxious about it. I can't stand to see my babies in pain, that goes for the older ones too. But I know that after he heals and the surgery is a thing of the past he will be able to do so much more. I can't wait to see him take his first steps, hopefully before his first birthday. We love him so much and only want what is best for him.

We past few weeks I have been researching agencies to start our second adoption for our daughter. We are NOT going back to China as we originally planned. We are going to bring her home from Ethiopia if everything goes well. We are starting to get all of our paperwork together and have our first homestudy visit on Monday. It was cancelled from a couple weeks ago. We are very excited and please to have found an agency that is willing to work with us so soon after bringing home Levi. We plan to have all the paperwork done and in Ethiopia by at least April if we receive our USCIS approval in a timely manner. After the paperwork is in country we will probably have a little bit of a wait, but maybe God willing we will have her home by early next year. Another bit of news is that she might possibly be under 1 yr old, which is great for us. I will probably have to travel without Jerry since he will be in Iraq at that time and not sure he will be allowed to leave. So I will be taking one of my older children with me. Probably Charla because Marcus will be in school. But if Marcus wants to go then we will try to work that out too. What an experience to tell your friends!!! And we may be changing her name too, we originally picked out Mylie Jaide, but that was for our Chinese daughter. But I think maybe she needs a different one picked out just for her. Well I better get my day going.

PS. I have started a new blog just for her adoption, the address is www.ethiopiaorbust09.blogspot.com

This is the MOST awesome hospital I have ever been in! Everything is geared to children and the staff is so great. First Levi has what is called fibular hemimelia. Just means his fibula is not fully developed. They said it was a very common condition. The doctor explained exactly what they were going to do for him and then the nurse explained what would happen at each visit. He will be having what is called a Symes amputation. We will go to the hospital the day before surgery to be admitted. The surgery will take approx. 1-2 hours. What they are going to do is remove the foot and fuse the fibula and tibia together to form a post to attach the prothesis. After that he will be in a cast for about a month. Then if the swelling is down they will take that off and fit him for his prosthesis. And about 2 weeks after that they will have us come back for the final fittings and teach him how to walk with his new foot. And that is basically it. He will need to be fitted every year for a new foot as he grows. I am scared but I know my little boy is in good hands and will be fine. And this is what is best for our son to acomplish all his dreams. Doesn't make it any easier though. Please pray for our little boy as we go through this very tough time of adjustment.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get the date the surgery will be preformed.

Well today marks the 3 month anniversary that we have had Levi and his first full day of daycare. I hate to leave him to go to work, but he has done so well. Jerry said this morning he dropped him off and Levi just kinda looked at him when he walked out. I of course called later on and asked them how he was doing. They said he was doing absolutely awesome, playing, watching TV, and learning some colors. When I went in to pick him up he came around the corner and smiled the biggest smile ever and said there's momma. It really makes me feel so much better to know that he isn't just sitting there crying all day for momma or daddy.

We have our first appointment with Texas Scottish Rite Hospital tomorrow, everyone wish us luck. I am so nervous, but know that I shouldn't be. Everyone I have talked to has given them rave reviews. It will be a relief to know that his treatment plan will be in place, and will know what will happen.

Marcus turned 17 today. I remember the day he was born just like it was yesterday. After 3 days of labor I finally gave up any chance of having him naturally and told the doctor lets just get this over with. So in to the operating room we went and at 12 minutes after midnight on a Wednesday morning Marcus Wade Miller came into the world. He was so cute and had a head full of black hair. I can remember asking in my drugged condition who's baby is that? The nurse well he's yours of course!!! I said wow my other 2 didn't have any hair when they were born. He was such an easy baby, hardly ever any trouble, and boy was he spoiled!! He got whatever he wanted even from his brother and sister. He has grown into such a wonderful young man and makes me proud to call him my son.

Yesterday was Levi's re-adoption day. We had to get up at 5am to be ready to leave by 6am so that we could get to Dallas by 8am. We ended up getting there a little early, we were lucky there was not too much traffic. We met our attorney at the Juvenile Justice Center and not too long after that we were before the judge with our right hands raised taking the oath that we were indeed Levi's parents. I was the one who had to answer all the questions that the attorney asked, and boy was I nervous! I always get tongue tied when I get nervous so I messed up our zipcode......yes you read that right our ZIPCODE!!! How dumb do you think I felt? What an idiot. Levi did so well the whole time and we were out in no time! Now we have a document that recognizes the foreign adoption and after we send in the paperwork we will receive a Texas birth certificate..... woohoo!!! I will post a picture tommorrow of our family in fornt of the judge.