eggs and chicken today

Look at me posting two days in a row, but this will be a quick one...

Wesley ate eggs with us this morning! Then we had chicken at lunch and he had some too!! Obviously they were very small pieces of each, but he chewed them and swallowed. He is just coming so far so quickly that I couldn't ask for more!

My Aunt Donna came down to visit and Wes was so excited to get to spend some time with her. Here's a picture of him playing in the leaves with Doda and Donna. Thanks for the pictures, Donna!!!

eating more food every day

I just want to clarify that Wesley is eating more food every day, while Damon and I try to eat less. Yesterday he at 36 ounces!! This is HUGE! I remember just a few weeks ago when he would only eat about 2 ounces a feeding, now we're over 10. I've started keeping track of all his feedings in a journal, so if I feel discouraged, I can look back and see how far he's come.

Due to the fact that Wes is eating more each day, I called the nutritionist and she suggested we meet again and review his caloric intake. The way I figure it, we should be able to decrease from 5.5 cans per day (which we haven't been giving him) to probably around 2. I was thinking yesterday (only happens once a week or so) that he has to be getting at least the same amount of calories in the meals we feed him as he does from the cans of PediaSure.

So I went grocery shopping yesterday and it was a different type of shopping trip than I've ever had before because I was buying food specifically for Wes. I usually buy yogurt for myself and Damon, but I buy the Yoplait light 100 calorie cups. When I was looking for yogurt for Wes, I tried to find the yogurt with the highest amount of fat and calories. I also tried to buy other varieties that I wouldn't normally buy because I don't like them. I have to remember that just because I don't like it doesn't mean that Wes doesn't like it. I tend to be a picky eater (my Mom is laughing because I am a VERY picky eater) and I have to remember that he will probably like a wider variety of foods than I do.

When Wesley had his esophagus repair surgery in April, I told Damon that I would be so happy if we were able to have the g-tube removed next summer. Just six weeks ago I thought that goal was completely out of reach, but I am just know beginning to realize that it is entirely possible. Which leads me to...Matthew 19:26 - "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' " I really believe that after the surgery we relied too much on ourselves and trying to make Wesley eat. Obviously that just caused him to fight us even harder and we all just ended up frustrated and feeling defeated. It was so freeing to me when I finally gave up on using my own "power" and trusted that God could take care of the eating on His own. And he did it without my help :)

Wesley with Daddy before going to a "Trunk or Treat" with his grandparents at a local church.

Who else would he dress up as? That kid LOVES Elmo!!!

Wes had his first "real" food today!

While Wesley was napping, I baked a pot pie (not from scratch, of course). I then pureed it in a little Magic Bullet blender (generic, of course) and separated out a few servings. I could hardly wait for him to get up so he could eat, which is not something I normally look forward to. When he woke up, I told him that I had a surprise for him to eat. Big surprise here...he wasn't excited.

I sat him down in his chair and started feeding him. He wasn't loving it (at least I don't think he was), but he didn't fight it. He ate 4.5 ounces of it, then another 3 ounces of applesauce. So I would say that it was a good first attempt at regular food. Tomorrow we're going to puree some chicken and noodles that my mom made me since I've been sick with flu symptoms (feeling MUCH better now and it wasn't the pig flu).

Has anyone seen the movie "Gran Torino"? Damon got it from the library the other day, and it's a weird movie!! Clint Eastwood plays a strange character. We haven't finished it yet, but it has made me laugh quite a few times.

Here's an old school picture of me from a college friend of mine...look at that long hair!! I got it cut off in college and have never wanted to grow it back.

Wes at 10 ounces yesterday

Yesterday Wesley ate 10 ounces of food before lying down for his nap!! Of course I was excited, but only 90 minutes earlier he had the most awful temper tantrum at feeding therapy. We're talking the type of tantrum that we've only see about three times in the last year. He sobbed for 35 of the 50 minute therapy session, and I thought I might die of embarrassment. Good news though, I was able to talk to the therapist and get ideas on things to try. I am also happy that the crying and fit-throwing is now something we have to put up with every time we feed Wesley. The therapist said that she has families that have to deal with that EVERY time they try to feed their child. I am so thankful we don't have those issues in addition to the not eating.

We're starting to work on transitioning Wes to food that Damon and I are eating. This means we'll have to puree it or mash it up enough that he can eat it. We've been spoiled up until this point because we haven't had to pay to feed Wes because our insurance covered the cost of his PediaSure. I'll probably have to start going to the grocery more often and planning out meals a little better than I have been...

We went to a local pumpkin patch/farm, and here are a few pictures. Of course my camera died about 10 minutes after we got there, but then I could eat my caramel apple and not have to hold a camera instead!

Wes ate 6 ounces of food this morning!

We were able to get Wesley to eat 6 ounces of food this morning and another 1.5 ounces of milk! YAY!! I was feeding him and he got a little tired of eating toward the end, but he kept on going. We go to feeding therapy this week, so I am excited to hear what she has to say. In my non-professional opinion, he has made great strides these last few weeks. He was only eating about 2.5 ounces of food and 1 ounce of milk, so he has more than doubled his oral intake. Wes is also working on chewing, but he won't chew foods like baby pasta meals. He is more interested in hard breadsticks, french fries, and cheetos. I can't blame him though because I would much rather eat that food too :)

We have also stepped up the potty training efforts. Except for naps and through the night, Wes is wearing his big boy "unnerwear." He had one accident as soon as we first put them on him, but he's done well since then.

The three of us at Waynesville's Sauerkraut Festival (Who knew a town could have such a festival? Personally, I do not like sauerkraut, but Damon loves it. They have sauerkraut pizza, sauerkrat cookies, sauerkraut balls, sauerkraut ice cream, sauerkraut doughnuts, sauerkraut sundaes (pork, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut), and more. I ate a corn dog (without kraut) and a funnel cake (also without kraut). And yes - you could smell the stink of sauerkraut everywhere!!)

Damon and I at the Sauerkraut Festival

We also went to a Homecoming parade, and Wes was able to see fire trucks up close. He was excited, then scared, then excited again. The sirens scared him because they kept them on the whole time.

climbing onto my soap box

Tonight I went to a program at the local library called "every child ready to read." It's a program that is supposed to teach you things to do with your child to help them get ready to read. The idea is to promote print awareness, vocabulary, etc so when it is time for your child to read they have the foundation to help them with reading. Now it's not likely that a parent would spend 90 minutes in this session if you were not at all concerned about your child's future education - am I wrong? So why is there inevitably one mother who has to talk about how much her child loves to read and how smart she is as though every other child pales in comparison to hers? This woman started talking during the time for questions and didn't ask a question at the end of her speech. Then the woman next to me just kept saying "oh how wonderful," " what a smart little girl," "you must be so proud," etc. I must admit that the woman's little girl did sound smart, but "being smart" isn't the be all and end all to life. Now I would love for Wesley to be smart and to do well in school, but more than that, I want him to be a wonderful, kind person who loves the Lord with all his heart and works to serve Him.

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I don't fault the woman for wanting to brag on her daughter because who doesn't brag on their kids occasionally? I just think that as parents we have to avoid getting too caught up in what the world says we have to be as parents and who our kids have to be to be successful. I'm saying this as much for myself as anyone because I need reminded of this often!! I sometimes worry that Wes isn't as talkative or coordinated or social or well behaved as someone else's child, but I just have to remember that God chose Damon and me to raise and teach him. He is being used to teach us about ourselves, our attitude, and our faith and trust in Jesus.

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Now I'm climbing down off my soap box and going to bed. Good night!

feeding going well

I just had to post - Wesley ate his first whole jar of food yesterday!! He had 4 ounces of food and 1 ounce of milk. I was so excited that I nearly cried!! I remember when we could not get him to eat more than 0.50 ounces...I've been taking him to feeding therapy once a week, and I think it's helping. The therapist has really been trying to get Wes to chew food, but I just didn't think it was working. He was fighting it so hard, and it was such a stress for me and Damon. One night Damon and I were talking and we decided to focus on quantity right now and deal with chewing later. Since then Wes has quit fighting us so much, so I think the chewing will come. I figure that we can puree anything. We don't go back to the therapist for two weeks, so I'm excited to tell her his progress.

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I do wish that we were able to get Wes to consistently chew, but he won't want to eat baby food forever. He is starting to be more interested in food and what we are eating. He asks to try everything that I eat, so that is great. I don't know if it's the therapy or what, but I'll take it!! I think that part of the change is because Wes has decided that he doesn't want to be fed in his stomach tube. I told him that he has to eat in his mouth or we feed him in his tube, and maybe he is getting old enough to understand it is one or the other. He wants to be a big boy, and since big boys eat with their mouth, he wants to as well.

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Other than the feeding, we aren't up to much. We have started the efforts at potty training. It's tough to focus on feeding and pottying, but we're doing it. I don't know if he's quite ready for potty training, but Wes wants to wear "unnerwear" like a big boy so we're trying it.

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I go to an orthpedic surgeon on Friday about my knee pain. I don't know what is wrong, but it locks when extended and grinds when bent. Going up and down the stairs in our house is a little rough, so I try to go up and down as little as possible. I am hoping not to need surgery, but who knows? Our friend who is a physical therapist said that I might have to have a knee scope, but I hope not.

Happy birthday to me

Today is my 31st birthday! I don't exactly feel any older, but I do have a pretty bad cold so I feel out of it. I also wanted to say that I don't know why my last post stated that it was done on August 29th, but I think it was just last week. I may have started the post and not finished it until last week. Strange...

GO BUCKEYES!!

Wesley has been home one year!

I know it's been a LONG time since my last update, but I didn't let myself update the blog until I finished the annual update to the Ukrainian government. I think I'm going to start writing shorter updates more often. The problem is that I procrastinate so long that it's a daunting task to even start. But here we go...

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Wesley has started feeding therapy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We've only been twice, but the therapist has given us good suggestions to try. We are working on stage 3 foods right now, and I can assure you - it's a struggle. Wes does okay unless he realizes that the food is more than just pureed mush. He immediately spits out anything of substance, but I've been trying to get him to attack it with his teeth. So far it's not really working. The therapist though is really optimistic that Wes is going to "catch on" to eating without too much trouble. She pointed out that Wes letting us put the spoon in his mouth with food on it is really an accomplishment. She also stated that his ability drinking from a straw is a good indicator of his oral abilities - who knew?

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It's starting to get cooler here, and I normally love autumn but I'm not quite ready yet this year. I think it's that Wes loves playing outside so much, and when it gets cold, we'll have to find a way to amuse him inside. The mall near our house has a small play area, but I think that will get old fast. We are outside at least 2 hours a day, and he wears himself out! I am just really not sure what we are going to do because Wes NEEDS physical activity. Any suggestions?

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I'm trying to think what else has been going on...work has been going well for me, but I'm feeling a little burnt out. I thought that working from home part of the time (and the rest of the time in the office to get to full time) would be a dream, but it really is more difficult than you'd think. I feel that work is always hanging over my head when I'm at home, and when I'm at work I think about home. I love my job, but it's a difficult balance, so I would appreciate your prayers.

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What else? Damon and I have been working on completing our basement, so that's exciting for us. We bought a new leather sectional, and it's so fun for all five of us (Damon, Wes, the two dogs and me) to sit on it together and watch Elmo.

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Nothing else going on that I can think of, but I do promise to write updates more often.

Damon, Pawpaw (Staci's Dad), and our friend Rob put up a new swing set in our backyard. Wes playing on the new tire swing - he quickly moved to the swings, then the slide, then the stairs.

going down the slide

Wesley was messing around with Damon's recliner and somehow got grease all over his face and hands. For the life of me I cannot tell where he got it off the chair, but I can't think of anywhere else he would have gotten it. Thankfully it wasn't on the tan fabric chair anywhere!

Kids can ride the pony at Meijer for $0.01!

Wesley was so excited to go on an airplane. This picture was taken at 4:00 in the morning.

Wes took a 90 minute nap in the airport!!

Wes and Daddy in the airport on the way to Maine

What kid doesn't love a sheepskin hat??

Camden, Maine port

family picture

The view from our hotel porch. What a wonderful sight to wake up to!

a sculpture in the museum lot in Rockland, Maine (I'm not sure of the artist...)

sitting in the seaweed in a cove on the Atlantic Ocean

Wesley loved picking up anything and throwing it in the water.

crawling in the seaweed

Not sure what this look is, but we get it all the time. I think it's the look of annoyance and boredom.

Wesley got to touch the lobster before it was cooked. The lobster was alive and Wes tried to take off the rubber bands around the lobster's claws!!

Wesley's look of fascination

Wesley kissed the lobster before we ate it. He didn't eat any of it, but he told people he did. What he really said was "Wesley eat lob-stah"

family picture

the beautiful view from the state park in Camden, Maine

at Cappy's Chowder House in Camden, Maine

on the coast in Rockland, Maine

You know how I love pictures of food...my caprese salad at the Three Dogs Cafe in Rockport, Maine. If you are anywhere near this restaurant in Main - EAT THERE!!! I love a dessert, and they had over 4 cases of desserts to choose from. I didn't get a picture of the dessert because I ate it too fast :)

Wesley sitting at the Three Dogs Cafe playing with his airplane.

Wesley riding a pony at the fair. Personally these little horses broke my heart because they looked so sad, but Wesley desperately wanted to ride one.

Wesley enjoyed gnawing on an apple after his first fair experience. He loved the animals, but a set of goats scared him. He was right outside their pen when a loud goat bleated (or whatever you call the noise they make) right in his face. Wesley's eyes got HUGE, then he started crying and had trouble stopping. We couldn't go near the goats again. Maybe next year...

Wesley loves horses!

Wesley with Doda and Pawpaw

Brian and Laura's first dance as a married couple!

Wes sitting quietly during the ceremony (and I do mean quiet because he didn't make a peep the whole time!!) Doda and Pawpaw bought him a little plush Grimace from McDonald's, so he played with it during the ceremony.

We live near a great public park with water fountains for kids to play in - Wes loves it! He will even put his face in front of one until it sprays him in the face.

Wes was messing around at City BBQ and almost bit through his tongue - talk about a bloody mess!! I think he is going to have a permanent scar on his tongue because this happened about 5 weeks ago, and his tongue is still cut open.

Wesley and "Great Pawpaw"

Wes riding on Pawpaw's back in the pool

one year ago today...

One year ago today we met Wesley for the first time! In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago and in others it feels like yesterday. We haven't been able to get any feeding therapy yet, but we're working on it. I pray that this time next year I can say that he is mostly eating on his own...
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Here's a few pictures for comparison on what a difference a year can make. The one thing that strikes me is how much taller he is! Wes has grown over 8 inches and put on 17 pounds (doubling his weight), which is a lot for one year.

at the Kharkov Orphanage in Ukraine - July 30, 2008

sitting on the stairs of his forever home - July 27, 2009