doctor's appointment

The tube change went well on Thursday. There were no problems putting it in (not that we expected any, but you never know what will happen). The test done at the time of the tube change revealed that Wesley didn't have any esophagus from his stomach up, but this was what we expected. We don't know at this point how much he has from the top down, so it is still possible that the doctors can stretch it if he has enough there. If not though, then it is likely he'll have his stomach pulled up. As Damon said when we first heard about the procedure, it is similar to gastric bypass in an adult. Strange, huh? I guess he won't have to worry much about his weight later in life.

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I posted a picture of Wesley eating green beans, but please don't look at it if you think you might be grossed out by green stuff coming out of his neck.

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My Grandpa's surgery went well. The doctor felt that he had clear margins and they were able to do it laproscopically, so he will heal faster. We are so thankful for that! I'm not sure what the next step for him is, so please continue to pray.

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I also found out today that I have a pretty bad stress fracture in my foot, so I am bummed about getting a beautiful boot to wear for 4-6 weeks - YUCK!! I am happy though that the doctor doesn't want to put it in a cast for that amount of time. I am not sure how the fracture happened, but it was probably all the walking in Ukraine in shoes that weren't made for walking that much. I didn't have any trouble when I was in Ukraine (I thank God for that!!), but it started hurting less than a week after we arrived home. I had gotten used to it hurting, but then it started swelling so much I had trouble wearing shoes. The pain has gotten increasingly worse, so I couldn't ignore that! I am praying that I am a fast healer and I won't have to wear the boot that long. We'll see...

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I'll leave you with a few pictures...

after his bath - I would have loved to leave his hair like this, but I thought people at the hospital might not think it was as funny as I did (or they might feel sorry for the cute little boy with the crazy mother)

Mom's sunglasses and necklace are so much fun to wear!

Wesley was trying so hard to wait patiently for the doctor (our appointment was delayed almost an hour and he had not had any food since 10p the night before and it was about noon when I took this picture). He did have my necklace to play with which kept him occupied.

I know that this billboard probably refers to the fact that you can listen to the Cincinnati Bengals on WEBN, but I got a good laugh sitting at a stop light thinking that it referred to the fact that the Bengals have lost every game this season (like they haven't shown up for any games thus far). I want to say though that I am still a big Bengals fan - always have been, always will be. I just hope they win one game soon...

WARNING - do not look at the picture below if you get grossed out easily!! As you can see, anything that goes in his mouth comes right out his neck fistula. You can imagine the mess that a 2.5 ounce can of baby food makes. The good news is that he was eating a lot of green beans!

the last few days

I don't really have anything new to report. Wesley is getting a new tube put in tomorrow. Every couple of weeks, he gets a smaller tube until he can get the "button" (a g-tube that isn't really a tube sticking out of his stomach). The doctors have to change the tube every couple of weeks to allow his stomach to heal closed around the smaller tube. The actual changing of the tube seems like a fairly simple process. Wesley didn't seem to have trouble with that part, but as the hole was healing closed, it bothered him. I am not sure if the problem was that the healing felt itchy to him or the fact that the tube has a balloon at the end in his stomach. About 5 days after the last tube change, Wesley was waking up every 2-3 hours in the night. Now this might not seem like a big deal to you, the reader, but to us it was. Wesley has slept through the night, every night since we got him, so this was totally unexpected. The waking up in the night got better after a couple of days and stoppped completely a week ago. Now we get the tube changed tomorrow and we'll see if the waking up starts again. (Damon and I are praying it won't - for our sake and his. It makes for a rough day when all three of us are tired)

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When the tube is replaced tomorrow, the doctor is also going to do a test to see how much esophagus Wesley has. We were told in Ukraine that he has very little, so any more than a little would be wonderful! The more he has, the easier the surgery to repair (at least theoretically).

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We have been working with Wesley on taking food and drink by mouth. This is usually a tough issue with children who have never taken food by mouth due to feedings coming exclusively through the g-tube. We take a sippy cup with us when we go out to dinner and encourage him to drink when we take a drink. He is catching on, but it isn't something he loves to do yet. I did figure out the other night that he does like chocolate milk, so we're trying that.

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I have also started to feed him baby food. I won't lie - feeding by mouth is not my favorite thing to do. I know how incredibly important it is for Wes to learn how to swallow and chew, but the mess is, well, it is a mess. We had sweet potatoes the other day, and so far that seems to be his favorite. He DOES NOT like peas, but really, who can blame him?? I feed him about 1.5 ounces of baby food a day, and the feeding process takes at least 30 minutes. I am glad that even after the esophagus surgery Wesley will have the feeding tube until he can take enough food by mouth. If the feedings don't get any faster, then we will be feeding him about 15 hours a day! I am confident though that once he is able to eat a wider variety of foods that he will enjoy eating more. I am excited though that he has taken to eating fairly easily! I have to attribute that to how laid-back Wesley is.

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Wesley was at almost 21 pounds last week, so he has gained four pounds since we got him! Four pounds wouldn't be noticeable on most people, but so far he has gained 20% of his body weight and grown one inch. I am excited to see what he weighs tomorrow. You can tell that he is gaining weight as he has fat cheeks and a few fat rolls. He has also "lost" his knuckles due to the fat in his little hands. I have a lot more trouble carrying him than I did just a few weeks ago. That is due to the weight gain and the "squirminess" of a 20 month-old who wants to run around.

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Please pray for the tube change tomorrow for Wesley. Please also pray for my Grandpa as he is having surgery on Friday for stomach cancer. We are praying the doctor can remove the cancer laproscopically (the only a few small incisions) and with no other issues. I look forward to posting the good results!!

update

the dog is still taller than he is, but Wes is catching up

(Wesley has gotten 1" taller in four weeks and gained almost 4 pounds!)

trying to coax Duke out from under the bed

it is so much fun playing with a salad spinner as Mom cleaned out the pantry

wrapped up in his pig bath towel from Liz (SO ADORABLE!)

with the pumpkin from Grandma and Grandpa that weighs more than he does

we were trying to teach him "touchdown" but he would only put his hands behind his head (we're still working on it...)

ranch dressing on his mouth at dinner

playing with the curtain in the doctor's office

I LOVED this winter hat, but Damon thought it was too girly (I might have to go back and get it anyway)

brushing his own teeth!!

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We have been home almost five weeks at this point, and we are all doing well. We met with the surgeon yesterday at Cincinnati Children's that will be doing the surgery on Wesley's esophagus. We talked about the various ways the surgery can be done depending on how much esophagus Wes actually has (we will find that out next week). If he has a fair amount, then the surgeon can stretch the ends to meet and connect it there. If he doesn't have much esophagus (the most likely scenario), then Wesley's stomach can be brought up and connected to the bottom of the esophagus he does have. If that won't work, then part of his intestine can be used to form the esophagus. The doctor prefers not to use the intestine, but he can if needed.

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We were encouraged after meeting with the doctor. He said that he hopes that by the time Wesley turns three that he will be functioning like a typical three year-old child. I was happy to hear that, as I wasn't sure how long the whole reconstruction process and therapy would take. Surgery will likely be after the first of the year, which gives us a chance to get through the holidays before focusing on surgery.

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We have started attempting "mock feedings" with Wesley. Progress is slow, but it is getting better. I had to fight Wes before to brush his teeth, but now he is brushing on his own and not fighting when I brush them. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is to us!!!

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I have to go work on thank you notes. I am sending out the notes, but I want to thank everyone here that has given us a gift! We appreciate your generosity and love all the presents. Wesley is going to be the best-dressed child for the next few years!!!

Congratulations, Scott!

This post is to say congratulations to my brother Scott who completed his first triathlon today! Scott canoed 6 miles, ran 6 miles, and biked 18 miles in 3 hours 24 minutes. Wesley already told me how much he looks forward to seeing him in the triathlon next year. We also want to wish Scott's girlfriend Emily luck as she runs in a marathon next weekend!!

update - home for two weeks

It is hard to believe that we have been home for almost two weeks! Things are going well. Surprisingly the adjustment has not been difficult for us at all. He is sleeping in his own bed in his own room with no issues. The tube feedings are not as difficult as one might imagine. Soon I am going to write a blog post about how it is done and show pictures of the tube and supplies. (That is my way of getting you to check back!)

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We feel like we've had Wesley forever. Crazy to think that we just met him a little over two months ago!! He has changed so much since we picked him up at the orphanage five weeks ago. He is talking/babbling A LOT more (almost constantly now), talking (and trying to run) all over the place, exploring, testing our patience, just generally being a typically 19 month-old! We used to be able to set him down on the floor to go to another room and he would be in the same place when you came back - those days are LONG gone!! We absolutely love being parents!! We should have done this a long time ago!!!

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We've been going to the various doctors appointments at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org). We meet with the surgeon on October 15th, so we should know more then. We are hoping that the doctors can stretch Wesley's tube enough to be able to get the two ends to meet.

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Wesley has gained over 2 pounds since we have been in the US. Now that might not seem like a significant amount, but when you think about the fact that he now only weighs 20 pounds it is 10% of his body weight! If you look at the older pictures, you can tell that his cheeks are just a little bit fatter.

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Please continue to pray for Wesley's health - the feedings, the doctors, the nurses, the upcoming surgery (or surgeries), continued weight gain. Please pray for us as we get back into working and for my mother as she will be watching him when we are gone. Damon and I will be making decisions soon regarding my work schedule and what is best for our family, so please pray for us. We want to do God's will for our family - even if it means tough times financially.

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To anyone who is reading this and thinking about adoption - if you are being called by God to do it, then by all means - DO IT! I was the one who pushed Damon into considering adoption and I wondered many times whether we were doing the right thing, but now I have no doubt that we were meant to be Wesley's parents. If you are worried about funding, trust God to provide. He has provided for us in ways that we could never have imagined. It was not always an easy process, but I shutter to think that we might have missed out on an amazing adventure. If you are thinking about adoption, please feel free to email us with any questions stacianddamon@gmail.com

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I'll leave you with pictures of our last few weeks...

all my boys!
waiting at the doctor's office

Wesley rubbing his head on Duke's head (I think it is his way of showing the dog affection since Duke will not let Wes hug him)

Wesley fell asleep after being fed and Duke joined him for a little nap

playing in the bathroom

trying on hats at Babies R' Us

Go Bengals!!

riding in the car seat (so much fun)

Wes was thinking about touching the soda can - can't you see it in his eyes? (I had to move it about 5 seconds later)

my 30th birthday dinner

Wesley and his daddy Wesley with his very proud Grandparents

getting ready for Christmas!!

one week home

It's hard to believe that we've been home one week! In some ways it feels like we've been home forever and in others it feels like we just arrived in the US. We have all adjusted well so far (we haven't gone back to work yet). I am planning on working a few days this week since Damon will be home. My mom is going to watch Wesley while we are at work, so I think we're going to have her watch him for a little bit this week to get him used to us leaving.

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My girlfriends Amy and Jessica threw a shower for Wesley, and he received so many wonderful gifts!! Thank you so much to everyone who came to celebrate Wesley's adoption!! I've only given him a few of the toys and he loves them. (I cannot lie - he also really likes the boxes that the items came in)

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We go to the gastrointestinal doctor tomorrow, so we should know more soon. I am anxious to hear what they have to say about the tube and the surgery. We are looking forward to having an American doctor change his tube and advise us on feeding. I'll update when we know something.

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I'll leave you with a few pictures from our week.

filling the bathtub (in case water was turned off after wind storm) - not sure why he was so excited since he dislikes getting into the tub...

playing in the family room

baby shower cakes (wonderful cheesecake and a diaper cake)playing in the fountains at the Greene (a local shopping center) - Wesley absolutely LOVED getting wet! I thought he would hate it since he dislikes the bath so much, but we had to drag him out to go home!

since Mom forgot to bring extra clothes, he had to ride home in just his diaper

4 days until the season premiere of "The Office"

5 days until I (Staci) turn 30 years old!!