Ni Hao To my friends in china that are teaching me to speak Mandarin Chinese. I can't thank you enough, it is wonderful to be able to speak to you over the Internet, about our daughters Birth country. It is time well spent learning about your country and it history and to be able to for you to practice your English and for me to practice my Mandarin.
Thanks again Glen
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Dear Sisters
Dear Sisters
Lorieann & Brandie I got a new computer awhile ago and no longer have your E-mail address. If you take my old E-mail address that you have and take the #1 out and put cebridge.net after the @ you have my new E-mail. I don't wont to get junk E-mail other wise I would put the new one on there. Hope to here form you soon.
love your brother Glen.
Lorieann & Brandie I got a new computer awhile ago and no longer have your E-mail address. If you take my old E-mail address that you have and take the #1 out and put cebridge.net after the @ you have my new E-mail. I don't wont to get junk E-mail other wise I would put the new one on there. Hope to here form you soon.
love your brother Glen.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
New hair / Flyleaf / Sic Puppys and cramped bodies
Brandon, asked us if he could dye the tips of his hair red a long time ago. We held off as long as we could but finally made a deal with him. We would pay for his hair to be dyed if he cleaned it up and dyed it back when he turns 16 so he can look good for the interviews he will be going on after his birthday. Then if it didn't affect his employment after working a couple of months he could dye it back red if he wanted to.
Brandon went to the beauty shop and had it dyed by a friend of ours about two weeks ago, but it wasn't bright red like he wanted. So I spent the next couple of days finding the right dye to make it bright red, the results are in the bottom photo. Yes, I did that to my sons head on purpose. To keep it that red all the time I must dye it every two weeks. Rubber gloves, aluminum foil wraps and all. I hope when he gets older he remembers this time when he had a beauty specialist for a dad.
We took him to a Flyleaf and Sic Puppys concert last night. He had back stage passes to meet and greet the band. Because it was such a big deal to him and we didn't want him to miss out AND the concert was being held in a REALLY bad area of town, in our opinion, AND just because we are a "little", "tiny" bit protective we launched a plan. Lori and I would drop him at the door and switch cell phones with him and then we would wait out in the parking lot (because teenage boys don't want their Mom and Dad with them inside the concert) until the concert was over. We took his phone because it has unlimited Internet and TV in it. We dropped him off at 6:30 and spent the next 5 hours (you read that right 5 hours) watching the Discovery Channel on a 2 inch cell phone screen and trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. He had a great time and by 11:30 his ever vigil parent had been passed out in the truck for over a hour. Only awaking to the sound of people coming out of the building after the concert was over and the lights from the ambulance pulling up in front of the building (nothing serious just a bumped head). I love you son and I am glad you had I good time, your hair dresser Glen
Brandon went to the beauty shop and had it dyed by a friend of ours about two weeks ago, but it wasn't bright red like he wanted. So I spent the next couple of days finding the right dye to make it bright red, the results are in the bottom photo. Yes, I did that to my sons head on purpose. To keep it that red all the time I must dye it every two weeks. Rubber gloves, aluminum foil wraps and all. I hope when he gets older he remembers this time when he had a beauty specialist for a dad.
We took him to a Flyleaf and Sic Puppys concert last night. He had back stage passes to meet and greet the band. Because it was such a big deal to him and we didn't want him to miss out AND the concert was being held in a REALLY bad area of town, in our opinion, AND just because we are a "little", "tiny" bit protective we launched a plan. Lori and I would drop him at the door and switch cell phones with him and then we would wait out in the parking lot (because teenage boys don't want their Mom and Dad with them inside the concert) until the concert was over. We took his phone because it has unlimited Internet and TV in it. We dropped him off at 6:30 and spent the next 5 hours (you read that right 5 hours) watching the Discovery Channel on a 2 inch cell phone screen and trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. He had a great time and by 11:30 his ever vigil parent had been passed out in the truck for over a hour. Only awaking to the sound of people coming out of the building after the concert was over and the lights from the ambulance pulling up in front of the building (nothing serious just a bumped head). I love you son and I am glad you had I good time, your hair dresser Glen
Thursday, April 26, 2007
One of these things is not like the others.UPDATE (sesame street reference)
Remember the photos I posted awhile back
of the overly large egg that was in with the others to see the results click on the hatched photos below, and look in the middle, funny. I don't know how this will all play out. That middle bird has got a big mouth and will get alot of the food. We will have to just wait and see.
Glen
of the overly large egg that was in with the others to see the results click on the hatched photos below, and look in the middle, funny. I don't know how this will all play out. That middle bird has got a big mouth and will get alot of the food. We will have to just wait and see.Glen
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Got in contact with makers of ADOPTED: THE NEW AMERICAN FAMILY
Please remember I have posted so many of these clips that they are going into previous posts so if you haven't seen all of them yet look there too.
I am very interested in this movie. It is the first one that I have come across that deals with issues that come up in international adoption. I have read books, gone to attachment semionares, belong to a good discussion group in which the things in this movie are discussed daily as more familys come home. From what I have seen they have interveiwed people who know what they are talking about that have delt directly with these issues.
Like food hording is a big one that comes up alot. The way your child might react on the day they are placed in your arms, (he or she) may completely shutdown almost like giving up the first day and then they start to come out of their shell a little in the days to follow as a small amount of exceptance and trust is formed, how to develop strong attachment with both parents, how some times a child can flip out after they have been home for awhile when they here a noise that is comman to us but not to them, and thats just the first few months. While not all children will have the same issues arise we need to know what might come up so that we can be there for our kids.
There will be things to come as they get older in all children when they are trying to find out who they are. Where they fit into this world. In internationally adopted children there are some diffrent issues that will come up. Not all at once but in stages, at diffirent ages, and we as adoptive parents must be on the look out for when these issues come up in our kids so that we can work through them or with them to help them find their place. If you think that you will bring your child home and just say (He or She) is an American now end of story, you need to do some research. You owe it to your child.
Glen
I contacted the makers of "Adopted: The new American Family" they E-mailed me a response. I consider E-mail private so I asked them if I could post it here, they said yes.
Here is their response:
Hi, thanks so much for contacting us at “Adopted: The New American Family.” We really appreciate your interest in our film. We are actually still filming the documentary, with the goal of releasing it sometime this Fall. Keep checking out the website for updates. Thanks so much!
Emma
www.adoptedthemovie.com this is the link to there site where you can find out more about the movie and eye on up comeing news.
I am very interested in this movie. It is the first one that I have come across that deals with issues that come up in international adoption. I have read books, gone to attachment semionares, belong to a good discussion group in which the things in this movie are discussed daily as more familys come home. From what I have seen they have interveiwed people who know what they are talking about that have delt directly with these issues.
Like food hording is a big one that comes up alot. The way your child might react on the day they are placed in your arms, (he or she) may completely shutdown almost like giving up the first day and then they start to come out of their shell a little in the days to follow as a small amount of exceptance and trust is formed, how to develop strong attachment with both parents, how some times a child can flip out after they have been home for awhile when they here a noise that is comman to us but not to them, and thats just the first few months. While not all children will have the same issues arise we need to know what might come up so that we can be there for our kids.
There will be things to come as they get older in all children when they are trying to find out who they are. Where they fit into this world. In internationally adopted children there are some diffrent issues that will come up. Not all at once but in stages, at diffirent ages, and we as adoptive parents must be on the look out for when these issues come up in our kids so that we can work through them or with them to help them find their place. If you think that you will bring your child home and just say (He or She) is an American now end of story, you need to do some research. You owe it to your child.
Glen
I contacted the makers of "Adopted: The new American Family" they E-mailed me a response. I consider E-mail private so I asked them if I could post it here, they said yes.
Here is their response:
Hi, thanks so much for contacting us at “Adopted: The New American Family.” We really appreciate your interest in our film. We are actually still filming the documentary, with the goal of releasing it sometime this Fall. Keep checking out the website for updates. Thanks so much!
Emma
www.adoptedthemovie.com this is the link to there site where you can find out more about the movie and eye on up comeing news.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Adoption: The New American Family
I have been coming across clips of this movie and I will put clips on here as they are put on youtube. Matter a fact I have put so many on here you will need to go into prevous post to view them all. If any one know where I can Buy this movie pleases let me know by posting it in my comments I would love to get a copy. Thanks for your help.
Glen
Glen
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
One of these things is not like the others. (sesame street reference)
Every spring we always have a lot of different types of birds take up residence in our backyard. So this year we added a bird house that Lori and I painted in hopes that a family would move in. I'm not quite sure if the hole is big enough for the birds to easily use, but I will leave it up for this year and then perhaps modify the hole this winter if needed. We also put boston ferns on the hooks on the front pourch and every year we have at least two nests to watch as the little eggs turn into little birds and then learn to fly and leave the nest. This year we had this little nest in our ferns within 2 days of hanging them up. The nests always create a challenge for Lori with watering and trimming but she tries to manage them without causing to much trouble for the birds. Lori checked the nest last week and found just one small pale blue egg and today there was an ODD egg that we don't think belongs with the others. The female bird has been sitting on it anyway. Could this be a form of adoption in nature? We will have to see, hopefully the big, speckeled egg hatches. There are usually 1 or 2 eggs that don't hatch out of each group.
The weather here finally turned back decent today and we were able to go for a walk to the park this afternoon. We had a freeze a few nights ago that decimated our crepe myrtles, grape vines and fig tree. Lori went out tonight and trimmed back all of the above mentioned in hopes that they will come back out. Most of the shurbs will have to be retrimmed this week too since the top layer of foliage was burnt by the frost but the underneath part is still ok. We go by the Darwin theory of gardening around here. The strongest survive.
Our friends at church that are also adopting from China were LID on Friday the 13th of this month. We are very excited for them but know that the long wait ahead will be difficult. I know that we are going to get our daughter, eventually but it is still hard to wait. I find myself feeling almost jealous of the people I see interacting with their daughters when I want so badly to have that right now. I would never think of leaving the China program. I know that our daughter will be waiting for us when the time comes but it is just frustrating. Waiting sucks! Enough said.
Physical therapy is now three days a week and is going well. I'm a little sore after each session but even that should improve with time. My two week post op appointment was last Friday and the surgeon was very pleased with my progress. Here's to a speedy and complete recovery.
My Father in law has been taking me to all of my appointments and we can not be more fortunate to have him so close and available. He has been a real God send. Now that I have been cleared to drive maybe he can get some rest.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Brea and her family / I'm still pluging along in therapy
This family needs help getting there story out to people that can and are willing to give them some finachal releaf in this most unfortunate turn of events. It is so messed up that a family that trys to do right thing by haveing medical insurance for there family. When they reach out for help from the local goverments they get there hand slapped. But if this family was liveing off the state they would have medacaid there medacations would be probly be payed for too boot If you have given donations to this family I thank you, some time in your life you will be repayed for your kindness. The link below is her site that will take you to her home page then go to childrens hospital. I still am going to phiscal therapy every day and go back to the neroseragon tomarrow for a check up I am still week in my left leg but that is to inprove in the next cupple of weeks. I hope the doctor oks me to drive during my checkup I would like to be able to get out and about.
Glen
Just look at the sprit of this child, going strong inspite of such an ordeal. Brea is a amaizing lession in the sperit of life for us all.
Brea and her loveing ever vigel mom.
Glen
Just look at the sprit of this child, going strong inspite of such an ordeal. Brea is a amaizing lession in the sperit of life for us all.
Brea and her loveing ever vigel mom.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Happy Easter!!! from the Pig, I mean Bunny.
Happy Easter! The picture is of the green ceramic pig that is the "centerpiece" of our kitchen table. He gets dressed up for holidays and has donned his bunny ears for Easter.
The adoption wait is LOOOOONG and tedious as everyone in our same position knows all to well. We were just discussing how in July of this year it will be 1 whole year since we were LID. The time seems to fly by and stand still all at the same time. Home improvement has stopped around the house as I am slowly recovering from surgery. I am now able to get around without the walker which will now be stored away for when Lori's grandmother comes for visits and needs one or in the case that one of us may need it again. I still have my brace on and will have to continue to wear it until the Doctor says I can take it off. Physical therapy starts in 3 days a week this coming Monday. The pain is gone but I still have quite a bit of weakness and numbness in my Left leg, all of which I have been informed is perfectly normal.
The back and front yard are looking great. Lori has been planting flowers, hostas and ferns, oh my. She doesn't want me posting a picture till she can get the mulching done. We put up our ferns on the front pourch last weekend and already have "tenents" moving in. I can't wait for the baby birds to hatch.
More frequent updates to come, as I have ALOT of time on my hands.
Glen
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Brea got a donor heart! I got a new spine!
Brea has been given a gift, a donor heart. She is doing well, you can check up on her at the links in the previous post.
After a very painful 2 weeks I finally got some relief on Thursday. The neurosurgeon did a spinal fusion at L4L5 and L5S1 so thats 3 vertabrae that will no longer have movement in them. I shouldn't have to go through this type of relentless maddening pain again.
When the surgeon got into my spine he found a huge piece of disc wedged into the siatic nerve at L5S1 and when he looked at L4L5 the disc had protruted clean out into the nerve area and was sitting on the nerve and the ganglia. So they took bone/disc out of the spaces in between the vertabrae at both levels. Then they screwed the fusion cages into these spaces between the vertabrae.
Then the surgeon took the pieces of bone they removed and ground it up with a chemical that makes the crushed bone cling together and packed that paste into the cages so that my bone will grow together. I am so glad he used this method because I have heard that if they take bone from your hip that the hip paon is worse than the post-op back pain.
We got to the hospital at 5:30 am and I was up walking around with physical therapy, with the assistance of a walker by 2:00 pm and was home by 8:00pm the same day. Now three days later I am moving around more and the pain from surgery isn't even half of what I was feeling before the operation. I am still having to walk with a walker because my left leg is numb from the nerves being so aggrevated (I have been assured that this is normal and that feeling will gradually return over the next few weeks to months) and weak, still i can see myself not needing a walker to get around the house by Tuesday of this next week. Soon I will be able to start physical therpy. I am already going out with Lori when ever I can to work on the weakness in my left leg. I was told by the surgeon that I will be out for 3-6 mounths and I am going to do what it take to make the 3 month back to work mark if possible. Below you can see my spine with the titanium ally cages are in place. The other big metal pieces on the x-rays are from the retractor used during surgery.
The picture of me laying on the kitchen floor was from a few days before the surgery. Lori was cooking dinner and so I laid in the floor to talk to her.
Here's to a swift recovery.
Glen
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Discogram results weren't good.
Alot has happened in the last couple of days. Lots of appointments with specialists trying to get to to the root of my problem. My neurosurgeon wanted to try somethings first, steroid injections at the site, medications for pain and inflammation, but nothing helps with the constant disabling pain. The final nail in the coffin was the discogram yesterday. It showed without a doubt that I have herniated discs at L5 S1 as shown on the MRI but my surgeon was also thinking, and so was I, that L4 L5 disc had ruptured again and was an additional source of the pain and the discogram confirmed his suspicions. It would have been devastating to have surgery at L5S1 only to have to go back in again for L4L5. The L4L5 was the area I had surgery on the first time, an L4L5 discectomy in 2004 trying not to fuse the vertebrate. I was told by the surgeon that did my first surgery that the disc could rerupture in 1 year or be fine the rest of my life, there was just no way of knowing. With my luck it was just a matter of time.
Now 2 years later I am about to go under the knife again with a new neurosurgeon and a more surious surgery with an increased recovery time ahead of me. I will have the disc at L4L5 and L5S1 shaved down and have Ray(brand name of the implants) threaded fusion devices implanted between the vertebrae, then bone from my hip will be placed inside the cages to grow together which should take away my pain. I go in for this on 3/29/2007 so it my be awhile after wards before I can sit here at the computer. I remember the last back surgery, not a fun time. I plan to make a total recovery from this surgery but I will have to be out of work for 3 months talk about boring. It is my hope that after this I will be able to carry Norah around all that I want without pain. Below are some pictures of the procedure.
Glen
Now 2 years later I am about to go under the knife again with a new neurosurgeon and a more surious surgery with an increased recovery time ahead of me. I will have the disc at L4L5 and L5S1 shaved down and have Ray(brand name of the implants) threaded fusion devices implanted between the vertebrae, then bone from my hip will be placed inside the cages to grow together which should take away my pain. I go in for this on 3/29/2007 so it my be awhile after wards before I can sit here at the computer. I remember the last back surgery, not a fun time. I plan to make a total recovery from this surgery but I will have to be out of work for 3 months talk about boring. It is my hope that after this I will be able to carry Norah around all that I want without pain. Below are some pictures of the procedure.
Glen
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Brea got a Berlin heart! I need a new spine.
Any of you following along with Brea's blog know that she has been given a chance at more time to wait for a donor heart to come available and to increase her strength. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she still has a long way to go, but she is a fighter. After she received her Berlin heart she decided she was tired of the hospital and was going home. That a girl Brea. Please keep checking in on Brea and her family. Unlike me her mom updates every day, http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/photo?ID=187377&parent_id=175411 if you can help this family you will not reget it.
I have been having to deal with the very thing that lead us to adoption from China in the first place. They think that one of the lower discs in my back has herniated again and I may require surgery again to get back to my normal routine. I should know in a couple of days, after a discogram (sounds like something from Saturday Night Fever doesn't it) what course of action needs to be taken. Although I am not looking forward to the possibility of surgery, if it will reduce the amount of pain and get me up and moving again then lets get going.
If I do have surgery and am home recoveing afterwards for 10 to 12 weeks at least this blog will get updated more frequently. Lori has asked however that I don't update when my pain meds are at their peak. I believe the term was "drunk posting".
This is Glen, signing off from the recliner.
Good night sweet Brea, keep on fighting.
Glen
I have been having to deal with the very thing that lead us to adoption from China in the first place. They think that one of the lower discs in my back has herniated again and I may require surgery again to get back to my normal routine. I should know in a couple of days, after a discogram (sounds like something from Saturday Night Fever doesn't it) what course of action needs to be taken. Although I am not looking forward to the possibility of surgery, if it will reduce the amount of pain and get me up and moving again then lets get going.
If I do have surgery and am home recoveing afterwards for 10 to 12 weeks at least this blog will get updated more frequently. Lori has asked however that I don't update when my pain meds are at their peak. I believe the term was "drunk posting".
This is Glen, signing off from the recliner.
Good night sweet Brea, keep on fighting.
Glen
Friday, March 02, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
It is a fact of life. Sad and to quick but a fact none the less.
Brandon went to his first "formal" or actually semi-formal last night. We were informed about the formal 18 hours in advance .("Oh, there's a dance that I invited a girl to tomorrow and it is a formal so I need to where my suit.") This is the same suit that he hadn't put on in 5 mounths and might have grown out of since he's 4 inches taller than he was when we bought it for him.) These are the things that our kids spring on us at 10:00 P.M. with no remorse what so ever. Lori, stayed up after working 16 hours and iorned his suit and a dress shirt for him, then the next day after work I had to clean my truck up. I didn't clean it up just for vanitys sake but I do work in a dusty environment and some of that dust tends to get on me and then into my truck and we can't very well go pick up Brandon's date and get dust on her dress.
Speaking of his date, when Brandon went to pick her up he had to go inside to talk to her Dad and Mom. Lori and I stayed out in the truck so as not to "cramp" his style. When they got into the truck his date said it is a good thing that he didn't say anything stupid because "My Dad dosen't like any of the guys that I know but you did good. Lori said, Oh honey that's his job right now.
So we went back to our house to take some pictures. Brandon's friend has braces on so I couldn't get her to smile for the camera. Old ham boy on the other hand was more that willing to participate.
They had a good time and everyone got home safe.
Allthough we are not ready to let our kids go they seem to grow up any way. It is a fact of life. The trick is to give them guidance as they grow up so that they will become productive members of society. In a few short months Brandon will turn 16. Lori and I know that after we got our licenses our parents didn't see as much of us because we were running around being 16 year olds. We had to make a little extra effort to get the photos of Brandon with his date but we will be glad that we did when it is time for him to go off on his own. Our son is turing into a man in a little over 2 years he will be able to vote and will have to register with selective service as I did. We hope he stays home for college but we don't know what the future holds. He could get a scholarship to a college hundreds of miles away and only be home for the holidays. My time for guidance with Brandon is getting shorter but he will always be my son and I will always be his Dad. We as Father and Son are about to enter into a new point in our relationship. I love you son and I am proud of the man your becoming.
Glen
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Lucky find.
I came home from work today and Lori had a suprise for me. Well not exactly for me, but I was happy to see it never the less . It is for Norah, a Fisher/price Little People doll and her name is Sonya Lee , It says on the case that she's a sweet little girl with a special ability to understand animals. She can tell how they're feeling!
I love that it is not your run of the mill blond long legged doll. In fact it is the second doll we have found just out and about that is Asian. It is also touching that my little girl will play with this doll. For now I will keep it safe for her.
I love that it is not your run of the mill blond long legged doll. In fact it is the second doll we have found just out and about that is Asian. It is also touching that my little girl will play with this doll. For now I will keep it safe for her.
In other exciting news a little girl (locally) is to come home with her Mom next month, Feb 15. What a remarkable story too. I don't know if you caught it but it was on the national news. I think Katey Curick did the story before she became the anchor of the CBS nightly news.
This little girl was brought to the U.S. by LWB (Love Without Boundries) to Arkansas childrens hospital for surgery on a hemangoma on her face. while here and while she was recovering from surgery she stayed with a family from the Our local FCC that are the adoptive parents for 3 kids from China(the couple are some of the nicest people anyone could hope to meet) . While the story of this little girl coming from China to the U.S. for surgery in and of itself is remarkable it gets better. The real story here is that the little girl stole the surgeons heart that did her operation, so much so that surgeon started putting together a dossier for adoption to make this little girl a part of her family. Months have gone buy, and the little girl had to return to China while her Mom worked on filing all the paperwork for a China adoption, that part is finally over and now it is time for for the little girl to come home. If I find out that the national news is going to do an up date I will try to post what channel and time.
Glen
Monday, January 01, 2007
New regulations for addopting from China adoption
As most of you know China will soon have new regulations for adoption set by the CCAA. They will go into effect on May 1, 2007. The new restrictions will not affect us because we are already logged into the China center for adoption affairs. Everyone logged in after that date must meet the new regulations. China announced the new changes now so that the people already paper chasing that don't meet the new regulations will have time to get logged in before they take effect. Also, I have heard information that they will do special needs kids diffrently. From what I have heard agencies will no longer have the Waiting Children lists, the CCAA will put all of the waiting childrens pictures and profiles up on their site. Probably password protected so you will need to be approved by an agency to veiw them. I can't comfirm this yet because it is not in writing. But if it is true then people will be able to see all the waiting kids and not just the ones on thier agency lists. They won't have to go with one particular agency just because the child they are drawn to is on that agencies list. The only thing I think that is both a blessing for the children and will be hard for the families to deal with is that there will be multiple families sending in hier letters of intent for the same kids and the CCAA will have to go through them and decide which family will be given the opportunity to adopt the child. So families will again be waiting with no way of knowing if they have a child. But with the new system I think that more waiting children will be placed at a faster rate. It is rumored that this may go into effect as soon as Feb. of this year.
Below are some links that I came accross that deal with the wait I thought I would share.
Glen
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