Road trips, birthdays and test~Oh my...

Amelia SiYuan Wells turned two years old on Tuesday. I'm sorry to say that we have not had a proper party yet since we traveled to St. Louis to see a new doctor about her feet. We were up and out of the house on Monday and arrived in St. Louis on Monday evening. St. Louis Children's Hospital is right next to Barnes Jewish Hospital and we stayed in a hotel that connected to both hospitals by a sky walk. It was beautifully convenient.

The kids (Tucker, Elise and Amelia) did pretty well during the five hour drive. I was proud of all of them. Unfortunately, I failed to change Amelia during one of our gas stops and when we I took her out of her car seat at the hotel....she was slightly damp if you know what I mean. So I had to disassemble her car seat and wash the cover. I know what you are thinking...just leave it for when you get home! Well, that's a dandy idea except for the fact that I have an olfactory nerve that can smell a stinky diaper 1/2 a block away. A "smelly" car seat just wasn't going to work for me during a five hour drive couped up in a car.

Why is it that when children arrive at a hotel room, they must jump on the beds???? What's the deal with that? I'm hauling luggage into the room and all three of them are jumping on the bed. Well, Amelia is trying desperately to get up on the bed, so I pick her up and give her a bit of a toss into bedlam. She was thrilled! I just turned my back and acted like I couldn't see them. They were beyond thrilled.

Sleeping was another story. Amelia was in the portacrib and I was stuck with Elise. Between the flailing arms and grinding teeth. I got very little sleep. I did put a pillow between us to protect myself from any bruising, but I forgot my earplugs. Something I won't do next time.

The doctor visit went o.k. He wants Amelia to have an EMG/Nerve Conduction Study to make sure that all of her muscles, nerves and tendons are working correctly. We'll have that test at home and then return to St. Louis for casting. Dr. Dobbs thinks she'll only need a couple of sets *~hoorah for that! Then she'll need to wear AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) while she is awake and where her other brace while she sleeps. So, we aren't any further than we were before. But at least she didn't have to have casts put on for her birthday. I plan on having a proper celebration for her this weekend. So watch for that.....

We attempted to go to the St. Louis arch but the wait was over 1 1/2 hours...that was not going to work with two toddlers. I'll have to plan better next time. So we just enjoyed the museum and took a few pictures in the park and headed home.

Enjoy the pics....

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

HE LIVES~Amelia's first Easter

All things new.....

New daughter with her new Baba....
New daughter with her new Mama

New Jie Jie, New Mei Mei

New sisters...

New Life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7icqR9zEY

Praise be to God for all things new~for newly formed families, for old families that are new in Christ and for new love. For the new love that Amelia shows with her hugs, kisses, smiles and snarls. What a wonderful new addition to our family. Happy first Easter one of the loves of my life~Amelia SiYuan Wells.

for more Easter pictures check out the family blog....

www.wellsfabfive.blogspot.com

Easter Egg Hunt at the Smith Farm

If you want to see pics of the Smith's Easter Egg Hunt, check out our family blog....

www.wellsfabfive.blogspot.com

Thanks Easter Bunny...buck buck!

My BFF...Jena

I have a BFF...you all know what that is 'Best Friend Forever'. My BFF is leaving for a week holiday with her family on Sanibel Island. She will be flying out in the morning with her husband and daughter, Abby. This will be Abby's first flight, she's 17 months old. Abby currently has the croup~yep, that hacking cough that sounds like a baby seal with a fever to match it. She also has a bit of an ear infection~something every parent prays their child WILL NOT have when they fly. To top it all off~my BFF, has a bronchial infection and is on antibiotics. Needless to say, she ain't feelin' the best and she's a little stressed about her "vacation". But my BFF made time to come to my house today to drop off a "travel basket" for the trip to St. Louis! Yep, she made up this awesome basket with loads of goodies in it. (Sad to say, the Twizzler's are just about history since the girls LOVE them and spotted them INSTANTLY~and Tucker "rifled" through it too). My BFF always brings me something before a big event in my life~right before I left for Philmont~I had a gift bag filled with Heath Bars (my fav) and an "I can do it" Care Bear! My BFF thinks of everything!

Thanks BFF~you are "Da Bomb". Also, my BFF's mom is "Da Bomb" too (apple doesn't fall far from the tree). They have both offered to help me with driving or keeping Empress Elise during one of the treks to St. Louie!

God puts people in our lives to help us along on the journey~that's my BFF Jena and her mom. They are my special gifts from God! Thanks for being in my life BFF and BFF's awesome mom! Thanks for being God's hands and feet and lifting up your sister! I love you both!

Black Cloud

We have given Amelia a nickname....Black Cloud! She's like a "Black Cloud" when she wakes up! What a crabby apple she can be. So we started calling her Black Cloud. Well, now she repeats it! To say it is hilarious is an understatement. It's now become a big joke. I'll call my friends and have her say it in the phone. This picture shows just how serious she can be at times.

I have no idea what the deal is with this table, but Elise did the same thing when she was little. Who knows, maybe it's a Chinese thing ;-)!

Amelia is getting better when she wakes up. I put "Baby Tad" in the bed with her and she seems to enjoy the interaction. Now I can hear Baby Tad talking instead of Amelia screaming for me to come and get her. Each day gets better......

St. Louis...HERE WE COME!!!!

After lots of praying, surfing the net, asking for advice, culling information from groups, we made the decision to go to St. Louis and see Dr. Dobbs. He is a highly recommended orthopedic doctor that deals with older children with club feet. I have gotten ZERO negative feedback about him. He sounds like an amazing doctor with incredible gifts. It's not that I believe the doctor in Cincy can't do the work, I just know the Dr. Dobbs CAN do the work. He has a proven track record of many major successes with atypical club feet.

Our appointment is on March 25th, Amelia's second birthday. Poor little thing is going to get a "lovely" birthday gift. I feel so bad for her. She is so very close to actually walking and now she probably won't walk before her birthday. We are sad that she is going to have to start all over, but we are excited for her to get her feet fixed correctly and move forward.

We went back outside today...it was a little cold, but I took a few photos just so she could see where she was at at this point in time. Amelia has such tiny, tiny feet. She doesn't have a very sound foundation to hold up that belly and that melon head of hers. It's no wonder she tips over.

Strollin' with Pooh

Ignoring Momma

I Love You!

Amelia just started telling me that she loves me...music to my ears!

Progression of Amelia's feet

I put together a slide slow of the photos that I have of Amelia's feet. I tried to put dates on the photos so you will have to roll your cursor over the photo to see the date. This is my first attempt using this slide show, so it's rather rough.

Sad to say....we've had a BIG setback

Why is mommy soooo excited about this silly bow????

What???? You want me to be "happy" about this?

So, I've been looking at Amelia's feet and I don't really like what I see. I haven't really liked what I've been seeing for some time. So, I took a bunch of photos and emailed them to Dr. Ponseti last week. Dr. P is the doctor that pioneered the casting process for club feet. He's in Iowa City, Iowa~about eight hours away. I waited very patiently for a response and I got one on Sunday. He stated that Amelia's feet are not fully corrected and he believes that she needs three to four more sets of casts and possible another heel-cord release. So, we're looking at 6-7 more weeks of casts! I was devastated! I got this email after we had spent the better part of this beautiful Sunday, outside with the girls. Amelia had her Pooh push-toy and she walked and walked and walked up and down the side walk. It was so very sweet. She was DETERMINED to go where she wanted to go. I attempted to redirect her a couple of times and she promptly moved Pooh right back where she wanted to go. All the while I was thinking about how nice the summer would be, walking to the pool and getting to swim this year. But it doesn't appear that is going to happen.

What does "folliclely challenged" mean?

O.K, how's this for a smile????

I know, I'm just too cute!

So after I finished crying and feeling sorry for myself and Amelia, I started to realize how blessed we are that she is so very healthy! I know of a few adoptive families who have little girls with life threatening illnesses. We don't have that! We are so very, very blessed with good health. Now the decision part comes in...do I stay in Cincy and have the recasting completed or do I drive to St. Louis to a doctor that is highly recommended for treating clubfoot children? St. Louis is a 5.5 hour drive. We would probably have to do that six weeks in a row, once a week or so. My heart is saying go to St. Louis...I know I won't be disappointed. But I'm afraid I will be frustrated if I stay here.

Please pray for our discernment as we move forward with Amelia's treatment!