Adoption Story --- Part 11

In case you missed anything:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

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LDS Family Services doesn’t allow you to apply for another adoption until after your child’s first birthday. We went to the agency and picked up the paper work to reapply in December 2003. We were approved again in March 2004. Then they wait began. This was a transitional time at our Agency, they kept changing around our caseworkers, thankfully they were more than willing to work around the fact that we did not want the same caseworker that we had for Micayla’s adoption.

We received several phone calls from the agency about babies. The babies they were calling us about were special needs. My, my did we hear some sad stories. We heard about micro-preemies, homelessness, cerebral palsy, and addiction. While we were very grateful to the caseworkers for keeping us on their minds we just didn’t feel that a special needs adoption was what we were supposed to do. We weren’t trying to be picky or anything it just didn’t feel right.

This wait wasn’t quite as hard as the first, although I still lost it when my baby sister announced in 2004 that she was pregnant and then my other sister announced that she was pregnant while Staci was in the hospital giving birth. At least we had Micayla and if no other babies were meant to be with us that was something we were alright with. In May 2005 Micayla had heart surgery and that occupied my time.

About the time of her surgery Micayla started doing some interesting things. She would look at the ceiling and laugh or wave. We would ask her what she was looking at and she always said “A baby.” Did she know something that we didn’t?

On Friday July 1^st at about 5 pm our caseworker called us and told us that there were some policy changes that they needed to talk to us about. She was pretty insistent that we come in on Tuesday. Matt was in paramedic school and he had Tuesday afternoon off so we set the appointment.

It really didn’t dawn on us right away how strange it was that they call us the Friday before the July 4^th weekend to set an appointment for July 5^th. By the time the 4^th came we kind of talked about, almost jokingly, that maybe they had a baby for us.

Tuesday came with the promise to our families that we would call them as soon as we found out what was going on.

On the way to the appointment we kids of decided that we were tired of the rollercoaster and that if they told us something “stupid” we were just going to give up and have them pull our file.

The beginning of the appointment was pretty dumb. The case worker just asked us some questions related to our file. Then she talked to us about a couple of policy changes that were in the works, nothing seemed so important that we needed to come in right away.

At one point during the conversation our caseworker asked if we had any questions. I asked, “So where’s our baby?” Her response was, “We have to get through this part before we get to the good stuff.”

To be continued.........................

Welcome Saucy Chefs

Yeah I am featured for Monday's Secrets In the Sauce Recipe blog!!!
Welcome Saucy Bloggers.
You will find a list of my posted recipes on the right hand side of the blog.
I post recipes frequently so come back any time.

Take a look around and enjoy!

Adoption Story --- Part 10

In case you missed anything:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

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This time Micayla only had the breathing tube for 3 days.

We resolved ourselves to spending Christmas in the NICU. Matt and I were talking about this just recently – although it was hard it was probably the best Christmas ever. We missed out on a lot of the bustle and focused ourselves more on the meaning of Christmas and the precious gift that Heavenly Father had entrusted us with. Santa visited the NICU on the 23^rd and he held a weak little girl. She had now dropped more than a pound below her birth weight.

Christmas morning we went to Matt’s parent’s house for our traditional Christmas breakfast. We then went to the hospital. Matt’s parents and grandma came to the hospital for lunch. On Christmas the hospital provided complementary Chicken Cordon Bleu or Prime Rib for the families and their guests. That night we left and went to my parent’s house for dinner and then my parents went to see Micayla Christmas night.

The next week of recovery was hard. Part of the recovery included nothing in Micayla’s stomach for 10 days. She received all nourishment through her PIC line. She was getting a little stronger but she was so hungry. I was learning how to bathe her, clean her ostomy site and change her bag.

On January 3^rd another problem was found in her intestines. This would require another surgery. The surgeons decided it could wait a couple more weeks and they were hopeful that they could repair her ostomy at the same time. But she would not be allowed to leave the hospital until after the next surgery. Also on the 3^rd I was surprised when I got to the hospital to see her for the 1^st time without any oxygen. She ended up going off and on it for the next couple of weeks.

We had another scare while waiting for the next surgery. Micayla's PIC line became infected and it had to be removed. She spiked a high fever and had to have a spinal tap. She had to go on high doses of antibiotic.

Her next surgery was on January 21^st. Less than 24 hours later she was off the breathing tube. In this surgery they were able to repair her ostomy and they had to remove another smaller portion of her intestines.

Our next battle was just getting her to eat and keep it down. This was a lesson in being an advocate for your child. In order to bring her home she had to eat all of her food by mouth and not through the feeding tube in her nose. We had to get mad at the nurses for not waking her up or taking the time to feed her. We also had to go through more tests and medications and they decided that she had reflux.

On February 7^th I decided to take matters into my own hands to prove to the doctors that she could eat. I asked them if I they could move us into a room and let me stay with her for 24 hours to take care of her by myself. They agreed. That night we did her car seat check – she had to sit in her car seat for 30 minutes and not have any oxygen problems.

Then they moved us into a room just off the NICU. I slept (yeah right) on the couch and fed her and took care of her through the night. Everything went great and in the morning the nurse sent me home to get some sleep and the doctor told me to come back at 3PM to take her home.

It was a great day!!

Micayla was 2 ½ months old. She weighed 7 pounds 4 oz. She was tiny and she still is.

The last week of March we went to the adoption agency to meet with Susan. We had decided that since she didn’t really get to hold her and tell her goodbye nor place her in ours arms we wanted her to be able to have that opportunity. It was a great experience for us all.

In June 2003 we were able to finalize her adoption and take her to the temple to be sealed to us. These were beautiful experiences etched in our minds forever.

Micayla’s health has been great. She did have to have another open heart surgery in May 2005. Amazingly enough she was home from the hospital in just 2 days.

We are blessed to still be in contact with Susan. We exchange letters and pictures with her through LDS Family Services each year on Micayla’s birthday. We are so grateful for Susan and the wonderful gift that she delivered to us.

While Caleb’s adoption was not nearly as dramatic it was still a great story.

To be continued......................

How I got my Wii.......

Yesterday I bought a Wii. At first when they came out I was sure that I would NEVER get one. I didn't want one. Then after a few months of hearing about them I started to change my mind. I think they are a little better than other gaming systems in that with the Wii you actually get up and moving. Alright so I decided that I wanted one....but they are $250.... I put it on my someday list....

Through a post I found on Pinching Your Pennies I found out how I "might" be able to get one from almost free. I went to www.yourfreewii.net and I CAREFULLY followed the instructions to the T. I did the required offers on 3/28/08 (then it was 2 - now it is 3) I paid a total of $14.95 for the offers that I did. I canceled them as soon as I could. I waited my time. Made a follow-up phone call to them (on day 51 to have them change my status to approved), sent in my fraud information - ID, W-9, and Notarized Affidavit. And then YESTERDAY - yes about 3 months after I did the offers -- I got a check for $250. Off to GameStop I went and I bought my Wii.

It was a bit of a gamble -- but in the end it paid off!

Have you joined?

There is another GREAT contest this week at The Secret Is In the Sauce!!! Have you joined this group of great women (some men)? Heather and Tiffany ROCK! They are just a couple of bloggers like you and me that want to share our stories, triumphs and sorrows!!! Go be a "Comment Junkie" like me --- tell them I sent you!!!!

No "Frugal Tip Friday" this week!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!! Remember to properly extinguish all used fireworks - do not put them in the trash until they have soaked in water"

God Bless America!!!

Adoption Story --- Part 9

In case you missed anything:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Sorry for the delay - this is very emotional for me.
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The infant unit was supposed to be so freeing after spending time in the NICU and PICU – but it was terrifying to me. First of all the roommate that we had had just been realized from isolation because she ahs whooping cough – yes that is right, although they tried to convince me that she was not longer contagious. Another worry of mine was that in both previous units we had a nurse right by the bed at all times! In the infant unit the nurses were not there very often. Because of the surgery and being intubated Micayla had no voice – so when she cried there was no sound – I was afraid to leave her side.

On the morning of the 18^th they took out her feeding tube. Every time we fed her she would throw up. This was not just cute little baby spit up it was projectile baby formula across the room. After she would throw up she was always in distress. At first they said that she was just throwing up because eating was new to her – that seemed rational enough. But it wasn’t getting any better. They took her for x-rays and couldn’t see anything wrong.

By the time evening came – I was exhausted and I went out to the trailer to sleep for a few hours. When I came back inside in the morning (19^th) they told me that she had had a bad night. She had pulled out her PIC line IV – these are pretty big strong IV’s that last a long time so that they don’t have to keep poking them. They really aren’t that easy to remove – have you met my daughter? They decided that they needed to put another one in – this time it was done surgically and stitched in so she couldn’t take it out. She also had a fever that day and she was still throwing up. After more tests and x-rays they decided that she had something wrong in her intestines that they needed to keep an eye on. They stopped feeding her with a bottle and put the tube back in.

Late that afternoon Matt came in and my dad also came in. Things started going down hill really fast. Micayla was clearly in distress. Her breathing was such that with every breath her chest was retracting. Her oxygen levels were dropping. Her color was really bad!! The cardio thoracic nurse practitioner was there, doctors and nurses things were CRAZY! The general surgery resident came in and told us that they thought her colon had perforated and that she was septic. She needed emergency surgery. Several times we heard from different people in the room “We are going to lose her.” I have never been so scared in my life!! The good Mormon girl in me knew that she needed a priesthood blessing. The nurse practitioner said that she could have a blessing but that it had to be quick and that they couldn’t get in the way. My dad and Matt snuck their hands in and Matt gave her what I imagine to be a beautiful blessing – I was crying so hard and in the arms of the social worker. I know that the Lord hears our prayers! Almost immediately after Matt said “Amen” the spirit in the room changed. Micayla calmed down her breathing improved and even the doctors and nurses calmed down. She was rushed to surgery.

Matt parents came and my mom was on her way home from her office in St. George. My dad had called her when things we found out she needed surgery – she drove from St. George to Salt Lake in 3 hours. We waited for what seemed like forever in the waiting room. I don’t really know how long that surgery took – at least 2 hours.

Once again Primary Children’s saved her life.

Dr. Downey came in and told us that she was heading back to the NICU and that he had removed almost a 1/3 of her intestine. Now the remaining intestines had to rest. He gave her an ileostomy which is basically a colostomy - they brought part of her intestine (about 1 inch) outside of her body. He said that in a few months they would be able to go and reattach everything. I really had no idea what he was talking about – but I soon learned that the ileostomy is where her poop would now come out. There was a plastic bag attached to her that would catch the poop.

We waited about an hour before they would let us see her in the NICU. It was very late. We kissed her goodnight and then Matt took me home – not the trailer – home. Other than leaving to go to a few Christmas Parties I really hadn't left the hospital since December 9th.

To be continued......................................................

Adoption Story --- Part 8

In case you missed anything:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
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Monday morning we had to be at the hospital by 7:00 am. We were told that they would take her to surgery whether we were there or not. We barely made it. It was one of those terrible Utah Inversion Fogs!! We could barely see 2 car lengths ahead of us.

We got to the NICU just as they were getting ready to take her for the walk to the O.R. We accompanied her as far as they would allow us to go. When they took her I fell apart. I could not and still cannot fathom how they can do open heart surgery on a heart the size of a walnut.

We went to the waiting room where we were assured that they would keep us posted. The surgical nurse practitioner came out several times to update us. At about 1:30 Dr. Hawkins came through the door. He sat down by us and told us that everything went great. He handed me a small square of fabric with a hold cut out of the middle. The missing piece is now a patch in her heart. He told us that they needed about an hour to get her stabilized in her new home – the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care).

After many phone calls and lunch we went to see sweet Micayla. She was full of more wires and tubes than before. We counted 15 IV drug pumps. She was swollen. It was hard to see her that swollen. It seemed like she had 10 doctors and nurses that day, everyone looking out for her best interest. That night we learned that she does not have a thymus. This is the gland that produces T-cells which are the cells that help fight off illness - this is why we have to work extra hard to keep her away from sick people.

Through that day and the next several it was watch and wait. I spent between 12-18 hours a day right next to Micayla. We had friends and family come to visit. The day after her surgery was Utah Jazz day. John Stockton and his son came and talked to me and took a picture with Micayla. Since it was the holiday season Micayla was blessed to receive many gifts, blankets and afghans from people that we didn’t even know.

On December 15^th , the night before my birthday, I got a great gift. I got to hold Micayla for the first time since the night before surgery. I was so excited! She was breathing on her own, with just the oxygen tube in her nose. The gift that Matt and I wanted for Christmas was to be able to get Micayla well and out of the hospital before Christmas.

On December 17^th she was moved out of the ICU and into the “Infant Unit” this was supposed to be the stop before we were able to take her home. She pretty much just needed to eat. We were prepared that she might be going home with oxygen and medications.

To be continued.........

Sweet Shredded Pork

This is a super quick recipe!!! It tastes almost like the Cafe Rio type sweet pork. You can serve it on buns, tortillas or over rice.

Put a pork roast in your crock pot. Dump a couple cups of salsa, 1 can of coke (not diet) and 1 cup of brown sugar. Cook on low 8-10 hours -- shred with forks in crockpot just before serving!!

This is a favorite at our house!! I do this about once a week!!!

Crazy Coupon Freak, Part 4

This is a quick post - since I have a sickie at my house right now. My tip today really doesn' have coupons in it--- but ---- When you go to the grocery store don't forget to stop by the "Reduced for quick sale" meats. They are perfectly fine to buy. They are close to the sell by date so you need to either take it home and cook it or freeze it. Yesterday I bought a 15 lb pork roast for $9.00. I had the butcher cut it into 3 roasts. Yummy!!! Stay tuned for a great shredded pork recipe.....