February Update

February in the Chlebowski household has been..........interesting!!! Hannah continued with her light case of the chicken pox. She had about 20 pox on her whole body!!! Now let us tell you-she had the vaccine for chicken pox 2 times. She had the vaccine in China but due to poor records of her vaccines and the amount of serum she received, she received the vaccines a second time!!! Santa Clause got Hannah a guitar for Christmas and she has been strumming to Taylor Swift songs in effort to survive the boredom of having chicken pox . Even though she has been playing with the guitar since Christmas, the picture looks better than it sounded, really :-). I think we may need to beg her Uncle Scott for some basic lessons, but until then, she seems to be having fun with it.

Hannah missed a week of gymnastics due to having the chiclen pox, but the next week was "watch week". This means I can go upstairs and take pictures!!! Hannah is in a bluish leotard in the bottom (3rd) row behind the girl in the green/black leotard.

A new family picture is taken!!! All the adoption families know what this means-HOMESTUDY UPDATE. Our 1 year update for Emily's adoption. WOW-where did that year go? Since our 6 month homestudy update, Emily (3 yrs old) has grown 2 inches (35inches), but appears to have not gained any weight (26.5). We had a family picture taken for the 6 month report, however, they were asking for a new and different photo. So thanks to one of our wonderful neighbors who was able to get a decent family photo the day before the homestudy appointment!!! Here is our "new" family picture.

When Hannah had the chicken pox, everyone was telling us that she had them light because she had the vaccine. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Guess what? The second week starts off and Emily REALLY broke out with the chicken pox. Vaccine, hmmmmm. She actually had to have the vaccine in China before we could take her out of the country to return home (thanks to the Hague Treaty) She had a fever for days and the spots just multiplied every day. I took several pictures of her skin. Here is one of her face when they jsut started to show up. As of today they are pretty well done and scabbed over. During the "high-itch" period she was so cute. We told her to try not to scratch herself with her nails so she moved around the house leaning on the furniture and walls.

Due to the chicken pox, her follow-up appt for her tongue surgery has been changed to February 25.

January Update

Just an update because I know some of you are watching and waiting for one.

Of course I had to put a sister-picture in here!!

EMILY is doing well after her tongue surgery. She has started eating meat and seems to be swallowing more of it, which is a huge improvement. Her communication seems to be getting better too. We are not sure if it is from the surgery or just more time listening to the English language. Her follow up appointment is Feb 8 and we are expecting a good report. She has fallen in love with Barney (the purple donosaur) and sings the song "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you-won't you say you love me to?" The problem is she can not seem to remember it all so we all end up singing it ALL day!!! After 9 months, she is really attaching herself to us. I know I said that about 4 months ago but it seems even more now. She seems happy and content in her home and those around her. At night she continues to say "My Mommy, my Daddy, my Hannah". And when we put her to bed we go through ALL our family and friends and give each one of them a blessing-then Emily will lay in bed and quietly repeat "....and God bless Mommy, and Daddy, and Hannah, and Mike, and Marie, and Dawn, and "Misser" Denny, etc........." Oh.....and the really good news-Emily is potty trained!!! It took 1 day!!! She is wearing "big girl" undies day and night without accident-even when we are out on the town!!! Here is a picture of her washing her hands after using the potty.

Hannah seems to have an unendless love for Emily as only a sister can have. There are good days and there are bad days, but at the end of the bad days, there are lots of hugs and kisses. They seem to be becoming good friends as well. They are playing more together without us to "referee". One of our dear friends are waiting to hear about a possible adoption of a child from China, which Hannah is all excited about. Now she thinks we should adopt a big sister for her. (Thanks-"dear friends") For those of you waiting for our announcement on this-we will not let you wait long, as this is not going to happen. We are very happy as a family of 4. That and I just received my 25th school reunion notice that said "please bring your grandkids". Wait until they see my 3 and 7 yr olds!!! Sorry-I digress-back to Hannah!!!!

She is flourishing in gymnastics. She almost has her back-handspring by herself and has been perfecting jump roping and doing cartwheels on the balance beam. She will try out for the team in July. We just found out that there are several on the team who are qualifying for Nationals in order to try out for the Olympics-So, this is her goal now. She has also recently entered the life of Harry Potter. (Oh boy!!!) And she has even made a wand out of restaurant straws to do her "spells". Too bad she has not figured out how to get the laundry folded with that wand!!! Hannah came down with the chicken pox this past week (and yes, she had the vaccine). She had to miss her cousins birthday party as some of the invited friends have not had them. So I kept her home with me. Now, I do not know what you do in this situation, but decided to have a blanket toga party. Of course I was on the OTHER side of the camera, but you can tell from the picture that we enjoyed some dancing in our toga outfits.

Emily's Surgery Update

The surgery is done!!! At 7:00am on January 7, we gave Emily the controversial Versed Syrup. After giving it to her and driving approximately 2 miles I noticed it had hit Emily. She was very quiet and was drooling. She was answering questions very very slowly-but was not "out". At one point she had her hand in front of her hand and was studying it as if she had never seen it before or could not figure out what it was. Once at the surgeon's office she wanted to walk but she just could not figure out how to put one foot in front of the other and would fall into our arms. After trying several times to walk unsuccessfully, she laid on the floor with a smile on her face saying "I uv ew daddy", "I uv ew, mommy". At around 8:10am, we handed Emily to the nurse for her surgery.

At around 8:30am, we were told the surgery was done and Emily was in the recovery waking up. She looked so little on the recovery bed with a wool blanket covering her. They ended up giving her an injection to "put her out", but it really did not take her long to wake up. Once she was awake, we took her to get a scoop of vanilla ice cream. She got to eat ice cream and popsicles throughout the day. She refused to stick her tongue out or move it from side to side for the first couple days, despite the surgeon telling us she HAS to do it so the scar tissue does not "close" it back up. Really, how do you make a toddler stick out her tongue when she has never been able to do so?!?! It is getting better now. She still doesn't stick her tongue out or lick her lips, although she is trying to. It is like she has not figured out which muscles it takes to do this.

I have seen a difference in the way she eats though. She is really opening her mouth for her bites of food and is actually starting to chew her food and move the food slightly in her mouth with her tongue in order to chew it up. Since the surgery, she has not had to have us "clean out" the excess food in her mouth. I seem to hear more "T"s and "L"s in her speech. She is still drooling ALOT. There is still "burned" tissue in her mouth as the new tissue grows to replace it. Her follow-up is set in 1 month.

Christmas 2009---New Year 2010

As we celebrated Christmas and as we begin a new year, we do not forget what we are thankful for.

• For starters we have a wonderful and healthy family-starting with our new addition to the family this year, Emily, who always has a smile-even through her tears. She has a smile and a hello for everyone she meets.


• Hannah has grown in so many ways and is becoming a beautiful lil' lady inside and out. She has discovered the world of Harry Potter and The Wizards of Waverly Place this year and is convinced we are keeping the secret from her that she is a real wizard.


• We have 2 wonderful "travel groups" who we do not see enough, but are greatful for. They are truley our our girls' "China families". Adoption is a stressful and frustrating experience that that brings total fulfillment in your life and it is a true blessing that we were able to share this with so many wonderful families.


• In these difficult times, we are been blessed to still have our work as many in our area have been laid off this holiday season. Kevin has transfered from GM to Nissan , and I continue to help help run the Alzheimer's unit and direct the social work department at St Joseph's.


• Kevin's brother had an emergency by-pass heart surgery November 22. The doctors say they never seen anyone survive following an 8cm aneurism-his was 10!!! Despite these extraordinary odds has returned back to work at the fire station!!!


• We just found out our niece is going to bless the family with a baby around August 19, 2010. The last word on the name is "Molly". (Now watch her have a boy.) Good thing she did not break the news before her dad had the heart surgery, huh?


• Kevin and I have been also been blessed with 3 great nephews on my side of the family this past year--Lucas, Heiden, and Calen. All these boys and all we have are baby girl clothing!!! Good thing most toys are universal.


• And I could not leave out our neighbors, who are the best friends we could have (other than you!!!). From reading the Sunday paper together in the summer to our neighborhood garage sale to Notre Dame garage parties (yeah, for the new coach-sorry Shannon & Eric!!!) to ice cream sundae parties, we could not ask for a better bunch of neighbors who have been a good support for us and the girls. And to think I did not want to live in a sub-division!!!

Life is good and God is gracious. Enjoy some pictures taken since our last post

Emily loves to talk about Santa and even told Santa "I uv ew", but when it came her time to sit on his lap..........NO WAY!!! Maybe next year!!!

Emily's Surgery

Emily was to have her tongue surgery on December 21st, 2009, however, we ran into some complications. According to the doctor she is still too little to "put under" for this surgery so he came up with a plan to use Versed Syrup along with Nitrous Oxide. This sounded like a good plan until we called EVERY pharmacy in a 50 mile radius on and they reported that they do not carry the Versed Syrup. So we had to cancel the surgery.

We did find out that Versed Syrup is a controlled substance and pharmacies are not allowed to keep it on their shelves. The doctor refused to give the medication in the office as this would make her surgery an inpatient surgery and she would have to stay in the hospital over night-which is not necessary. We did manage to talk Target Pharmacy into a special order for the Versed Syrup as long as we would agree to pick the medication up right away after they recieved it so they would not have to show it was on their shelves. So long story made short.....we have the Versed Syrup in our possession and have made another surgery date on January 7, 2010.

Originally we wanted to get this surgery done by the end of the year as we had our insurance deductibles paid in, however, insurance has decided they are not going to pay for this surgery as they say it is not medically necessay. Let's see; Emily has stopped gaining weight (at 26 lbs for a 3 yr old), she cannot chew foods such as meats and vegetables because she can not maneuver them in her mouth to chew them properly, and she continues to have difficulties with her speech. We have done alot of "arguing" with the insurance company, however, they continue to say it is not medically necessary.

So on January 7, we will have Emily drink her Versed Syrup, write a check for the surgery, be thankful for what we have been given in our lives, and proceed into the new year.

This is a good picture of what Emily will have done.

The doctor will use a laser to "cut" under her tongue so she is not longer "tongue-tied". This will allow her tongue to separate from the lower soft pallet. Then he will "scoop" out the bottom soft pallet under her tongue. All this with no stitiches-amazing!!!

Emily's 3rd birthday & Basketball for Hannah

Emily's 3 yrs old!!! Her birthday was November 13 (Friday the 13th). We went to our favorite pizza place, Starlight Pizza. For those following this blog, this is the same pizza place we ate out just before hopping a plane to China to get Emily. On November 15, our family and friends helped her celebrate her birthday. She seemed to not know what to do when she received presents from our family and friends. It could be possible that this was the first present(s) she has opened. After about the second or third present, she seemed to get the idea and was ripping the paper off them like a pro. We thank our family and friends for helping us make this a nice event for her. The only thing that could have been better was the weather!!! (It was cold and rainy). This week she has been playing with all her gifts. She seems to like them all. And we especially would like to thank Emily's Aunt Lori, Uncle Rami, and cousins-Jesse, Andi, and Haiden for the drum set. It has been very.................. musical in our house this week.

Notice the frosting missing from around Elmo?

We found it on Emily's fingers as it went into her mouth!!!!

Birthday kisses from Sissy

Hannah just finished a season of basketball

She really learned alot this season. Her school has stopped all after school sports due to funding issues. So all the sports are now being done in the school system with the help of volunteers. So about 20 1st and 2nd graders from within Hannah's school signed up for 8 Saturdays in a row of basketball. The first 30 minutes was like a practice and they learned basic skills. The next 30 minutes the girls split into 4 teams of 5 and play against each other with the high school girls team officiating and helping them play . They do not keep score so they do not know who wins or loses. The last 15 minutes was ball handling skills. Hannah really enjoyed it and cannot wait until summer basketball camp. Here are a few pictures. Watch out boys......She is not shooting like a girl!!!!

Hannah's cousin, Meghann was in the 3rd and 4th grade basketball group.

WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!

Life is happening!!!

I can not believe it has been so long since our last posting. For those of you keeping up with us, sorry!!! Life seems to have just been "happening" lately. By that I mean we seem to have fallen into a daily life routine. Work and school and of course ALL the extra-curricular activities going on lately. Between school, gymnastics for Hannah, a mommy & me class with Emily, basketball for Hannah, and extra hours at work, I am starting to understand why they invented all those agenda calendars for moms. Life is busy and at times hectic, but I would not change any part of it!!!

We have completed our 6 month review for Emily and China insisted on having a family picture. We have not scheduled time yet for a formal picture. We actually had one taken at a funeral dinner so we could email it to our social worker at our adoption agency. Not the best picture-but our first picture. Memories!!!

Emily updates-Language continues to be our biggest problem at this time. We are usually able to understand her but most others are not able to get the words she is saying which seems to frustrate her at times. She has started to act out what she is trying to say now. We were at the point we were going to call the doctor to see if we could re-evaluate her weight for the surgery then she got hit by some sort of intestinal virus and she lost about 2 1/2 pounds. This diarrhea "issue" seems to keep coming back. Remember, last time we thought maybe it was milk-but then we found no difference without the milk. If it returns, I think we will ask for a "test" as she is high risk for Giardia (from drinking contaminated water in Asia). Anyways, she is slowly gaining her weight back. Her surgery evaluation date is set for December 17. Help us pray she will be ready.

I have to tell you something cute though-tonight she was playing with her "chinese" doll and she was saying "nee ha" "nee ha" (ni hao). I asked her what she was saying. She said she was talking "chinee" (chinese). I asked her what that meant and she replied "hawoo" (Hello).

Her first Halloween proved to be somewhat exciting. She dressed up as a lady bug. She wore a sweatshirt OVER her winter coat as it was so incredibly cold. When Emily would see a scary mask, she would just stop walking and watch that person as they walked passed her. One time she was watching them so closely, she fell off the curb into a pile of leaves. And she refused to walk up to some of the houses as they were decorated in scarey items. After about 45 minutes, she had enough of the cold and the scariness.

Hannah updates-Hannah has been busy with school, gymnastics and basketball. Tonight she asked me if she can sign up for "BOXING". Hmmmmmm-don;t think so, sorry. She is growing up so fast. She has had her first friend over to spend the night and she has been calling the same friend in the evening to talk about "their day". We limit the phone conversations now as the first few lasted so long, the phone went dead. I have been catching her looking at herself in the mirror more and putting her hair in different styles. Pretty soon she will want to be taking showers every morning and wearing make-up. UGH!!!

Hannah's doctor says she most likely had the H1N1 virus last week. she missed alot of school. Her first symptom (looking back) was a very bad headache that lasted about 4 days before the fever hit. Then the fever would go down at night but go high during the day. The fever lasted 4 days like this. She is back to school now but we just got a letter stating there are 33% out with flu-like symptoms. We are now waiting for the incubation period to see if Emily will get it.

Hannah was Cleopatra for her halloween. She was so excited about this constume. She keeps calling it "Cleopatrick-Queen of Egypt"