Garage sale, not so much!

We had our MAT fundraiser garage sale on Saturday. It was not a huge sucess like Sarah and I hoped. But that's ok, I think it was good to get information out to the community. We handed out cards with our website and logo on it. I hope that some of our customers look online and learn more about MAT. We made about $216. And we got rid of stuff. We donated the rest of the stuff to a local charity.

Thank you to all that have donated for our plane tickets to Sacramento. With the garage sale we have just enough to cover them! Isn't that amazing how that works?

I met two of the kids that MAT is helping last night, Alfrelina and Shnider. They are both so cute! It is such a blessing to see more and more children getting help in the US.

We leave on Thursday morning for Sacramento. Keep Alex in your prayers!

little news....

I have posted nothing but photos because that is all I have to post. We have not heard any news about Elijah's file. There have been some COTP kids that have been signed out of IBESR recently though...so I am getting more hopeful! We are going on month seven in IBESR, praying that we will have good news soon.

We have been busy with Jean Alex, I went to Sacramento last week for surgery number one. Then we leave again on May 1st. Keep up to date on my other blog...www.hewillcarryyou.blogspot.com

Sarah and I took Kelly, our dear friend out to dinner last night. She and her family are moving across the state, and we will miss her a bunch. The good news is she will be living near my in-laws, so when we go for a visit, we can go visit her too!

We are planning a garage sale this weekend! This time it's not at my house!

Please continue to pray for Elijah's adoption, and for Jean Alex!

Close ups

Bath time

Photos of Jean Alex in the sink a few weeks ago. He loved it!

Photos from a friend

Things I like to do in the hospital

Hi everyone,
I was in the hospital for five days last week, and had a lot of fun. How do you have fun in the hospital? What kind of question is that? There were a lot of things to do at Sutter.

They had some fun people that came and played with me, they also brought me toys.

They had a big box above my crib with moving pictures called a television. I was not too sure about this thing, but I liked to stare at in, until Kika moved the curtain in front of it so I couldn't watch it anymore.

Kika liked to read books to me. I really liked to listen to them and look at the pictures.



This is what happened when we had to stop reading and get poked at by a nurse.


I also went on a few walks around the hallway. I loved when everyone said how cute I was.

I made some friends and we shared a room. It was fun to have other babies to talk to.

I had a lot of nice people who gave me great care and love while I was there. I also met a man and woman from Haiti. They came to see me and spoke to me in my language a bit! They wil be back to see me in May. That is when I will come back to the hospital again. I hope I have just as much fun!

Love you all,
Alex

We are home, for now

Jean Alex and I got home last night from Sacramento. Alex is doing well, and he was a great traveler. He was able to have a seat of his own on the plane with his car seat! We made friends with a wonderful woman who made the flight go quickly.

He was discharged from the hospital on Saturday afternoon, and we stayed at the Sharing Place for the night before we left for the airport. He is looking good, his encephalocele is getting smaller and less full, but it definately has brain tissue in it. The doctor will cut that part of the brain off and close up the hole with a piece of bone. This will happen on May 2. So we will be traveling again soon!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers!
Here are some photos...
Before surgery

Kicking and playing before shunt surgery

After shunt surgery

Alex update Wed.

Guest Blogger: Sarah

Kim and Alex made it to Sac. safely. The leak has stopped. The first surgery is scheduled for after 5pm tonight, for a VP shunt. In a couple weeks they will have to go back and do the reconstructive surgery and close up the encephalocele. Kim and Alex both have a cold, as well as Kim's children at home, so please keep them all in your prayers.
Visit the MAT blog to see the newspaper report from the SACBEE paper about Kim and Alex. They might be able to come home in the next couple days.
The hospital and doctor/staff has been wonderful to Kim and Alex and have provided Kim with a place to stay right at the hospital. Yeah!!

I will update later once I hear back from Kim on how Alex does in surgery.
Thanks in advance for your prayers!
Blessings,
Sarah

Oh no...

Here we go! Tonight while I was changing Alex's diaper and getting him ready for a bottle, I noticed what I thought was a tear near his nose, under his "bump". I wiped it off, casually, and noticed that it came back in the same exact spot. I was a bit alarmed, and was thinking that it wasn't good, but called Jeremiah in to look and wiped it again with some gauze. Some more clear fluid came back in the same spot. I called Sarah, and we talked about what it could be, most likely spinal fluid. "Oh no, I am not ready to leave for Sacramento right now", is what I was thinking! We packed up the kids and drove over to Sarah's house, about a ten minute trip, and had the encephalocele expert have a peek. Sure enough, in her opinion it was seeping and Alex should go to the doctor. Any bacteria that could get in there could cause serious infection or meningitis. I called the doctors' assistants in Sacramento and the airline about changing my flight. Alex and I are leaving in the middle of the night to drive to the airport with Jeremiah and our youngest child. He and she are dropping us off at the airport around 5:30 am, and Alex and I will be flying to Sacramento at 7! I am almost completely packed, and meanwhile the leak near his bump has stopped seeping. He is asleep and acting fine. The doctor said he needs to be seen, but it's not an emergency so we should be ok. The assistant is even picking me up at the airport, and they are trying to work out my stay at the house on campus at the hospital.

Prayer requests:
Of course pray for Alex, for his health and surgery, if that is what they decide to do (hopefully since we will be down there!)

Pray for my kids and husband at home, and my friend who will be helping watch them while hubby is working 12 hour shifts beginning Friday.

Pray that I will be able to find free lodging, even if I can stay in the room with Alex overnight!

Pray that we won't have to be gone very long, but that everything that needs to be accomplished will be!

Pray that I will be a good advocate for Alex, and that the right decisions will be made for his care.

Pray that I will feel better, as I am in the beginning stages of a cold.

Well that's all for now. I will try to keep you informed!

"I sleep all night!"

This is what my friend Sarah's two year old Haitian beauty says to me every time I see her or talk to her on the phone. (They made a BIG deal over it the first time she actually did and she says this whether it's true or not!) But Alex could say that he did indeed sleep all night, if he could talk! He had a few nights where he was waking up a few times, and then a few nights where he was waking up at 5, but there have been a few nights where he woke up around 7 or 8! I really get excited about these sleep filled nights, so hopefully, like Angeline, Alex will get excited and strive to "sleep all night!" every night.

We went to town today to run errands and go to the library. I am still not used to the stares or strange looks people give me and Alex. Some people have asked a few questions but haven't been rude. When I tell people his story they are very supportive and positive though.

Photos from COTP

Rioting

I just read this online last night and I am disturbed.

Rioting has begun in Les Cayes and has begun moving to Port-au-Prince. They have seen a couple of 'parades' of UN Tanks, Haitian Police etc. move towards the National Palace which is only a couple of blocks from the office in PAP. They (Haitian Authorities) are getting ready for possible full out strike and are moving into position to protect the Palace.
People are protesting and rioting over the increase in the cost of food in an already poor country. Food costs are raising so high that families, often trying to survive on $2 a day, cannot afford to feed their families.

Photos of Cap Hatien

Here are some pictures from when we went to town to run errands.

Surgery Dates!

I talked to the doctor's assistant today and we have a date for surgery! I was a bit surprised at how soon it is, but I know it will work out just fine. We are going to be going to Sacramento on April 28th and surgery is on May 2nd. I also learned that there is a house (kind of like the Ronald McDonald house) that I can stay in on the campus of the hospital. I think I am going to be going alone with Alex, and my mom might be coming for the weekend to keep me company. I can't wait to see what Alex looks like after surgery, I am sure he will be SO adorable!

Random pictures of our trip

Do I look tired?

Well Child Checkup

Today Alex had his first well child exam at a local doctor's office. Dr. Thompson is generously donating services for Alex while he is here in the states for regular doctor's visits and immunizations. We talked for a bit about Alex's history (which I don't have a lot of information about) and he looked him over. Alex is average height and weight and is very healthy, except for his encephelocele! He got 3 pokes in the legs for his first set of shots today and he barely cried. What a good baby! Thank you Dr. Thompson!

Happy Birthday Elijah

You are two today! We are glad we got to celebrate with you while we were visiting. We love you!

We are switching to cloth

diapers that is. At least we are trying it! I have three children and have tried cloth (old school) when my 11 year old was a newborn. I didn't last long. A few years ago I was a seamstress for a cloth diaper company called Snap-EZ. I was able to work from home and make a little extra spending money. I learned that cloth diapers come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors now! I also learned about the benefits of using cloth. The biggest one for me is the money I will save. So today, Alex and I went over to Snap-EZ headquarters, my friend Ruth's house, and she graciously donated some pocket diapers for me to use for Alex. I wanted to give her home biz a little plug on the blog, and thank her for her generosity!

More cute photos!

Some photos of Florida

Foot update

Jeremiah went to the walk in clinic today. The doctor looked at it and prescribed some more antibiotic cream. He is done with the oral antibiotics and said it looks ok. He said it looks like MRSA, but I think if it was, it wouldn't have gotten better from antibiotics. And I doubt MRSA is very prominent in Haiti! If it needs, he will have to come in and get it lanced. YUM! It kinda looks like a really sore blister now. He is not having much pain and can walk well on it! Thanks for your prayers and thoughts.

Alex is doing really well. He is a great baby, and really does sleep well most of the night. He gets up around 5 am, but I can live with that for now! He is happy and smiley most of the time and our kids love him so far! I am going to try to contact the hospital in Sacramento so we can set up some appointments.

Chicken Pox Blues