Neurosurgeon consult

An early birthday dinner and dessert for Mei Li!

Mei Li's MRI film

Today was a LONG and important day. We began our morning by heading down to Children's South to meet with Mei Li's neurosurgeon, Dr. Blount. He reviewed Mei Li's MRI film, his findings, the risks of surgery, the risks of "not" doing surgery and his plan. He was incredible and took great care to make sure we understood every detail. We are very thankful the Lord has placed Mei Li in Dr. Blount's very capable hands. Then, we were sent downtown to the main hospital to have her pre-op blood work done.

First, Dr. Blount found that Mei Li's lipoma is on the dorsal side of the spinal chord. This, he told us, is GOOD! It is much less risky to operate on than if it had been on the bottom where all of the nerve endings are. He explained that if it had been on the bottom, "it would be like dumping a container of glue into a pot of spaghetti and trying to get the glue out." Thankfully, the lipoma is on the dorsal side and will be more contained. However, there are still risks. The fatty tumor is not just up against the spinal chord, the fibers that bind it are wrapped around and fused to the spinal chord. So, he explained that operating on abnormal tissue that is intertwined and fused to the spinal chord and nervous system does come with its risks. But, the risks during surgery are less than 10%.

He also told us that the risks of "not" doing surgery are between 70-80% chance of Mei Li growing into an adult with paralysis and loss of bowel control. There are two schools of thought among neurosurgeons. . . "to do surgery" and "leave it alone". Neurosurgeons in the U.S. tend to be more aggressive in their approach to be pro-active and derail the inevitable. Whereas, there are fine neurosurgeons around the globe who argue to leave alone what is "not yet broken". They feel that surgery is taking too big of a risk and could cause neurological problems that were not present before the surgery. Dr. Blount told us that by choosing to "do" the surgery, we are choosing to take all of our risk up-front. If there is a neurological problem, it will happen in a matter of 2-3 hours (the time it takes to do the surgery) rather than over a long, slow period of adolescence where there is gradual decline as a result of growth. But, the risks to do nothing far exceed the risks to do something. So, we are going to do all we can to ensure Mei Li the brightest future possible.

The surgery to detach the lipoma from Mei Li's spinal chord is scheduled for January 30. It was moved up one day. She will be in the hospital between 3-4 days if all goes as planned. Then, she will come home and be "still" and "on her back" for 10 days!!! :-/ I asked if this procedure comes with a magic wand. Keeping this little one still for 10 minutes is a chore. . . 10 days???? Whew!! I'm not looking forward to that! He did tell me that she would be able to get up to go to the bathroom and get a bath. And, one of the big things we will need to be on the lookout for is the leaking of spinal fluid. If there is a leak, then we will have to go back in and get the leak stopped. Oh, yes. . . and I did ask him if this surgery might bring back the sensation in her "dead foot". He said, "No". He told us that that foot is as good as it's ever going to be. At least we know, now.

I am attaching an image of Mei Li's MRI film. It shows her spine, and if you look at the lower part of her spine, near the tailbone, you will see a small white mass pressed into the smooth spinal chord. That is the fatty tumor (lipoma). You can't see the fibers that are wrapped around the spinal chord, but they are there. And, over time, as Mei Li grows, those fibers would pull and tether the spinal chord. There is also a fatty pocket on the outside, right underneath the skin. But this fatty mass is not posing any danger to Mei Li. The one he will be operating on, that poses the risk of paralysis, is the small white mass attached to the chord.

On a very happy note, our Mei Li is celebrating her 5th birthday tomorrow! She has never celebrated a birthday before, and how wonderful that she will experience her first celebration with her new family who adores her! Sweet thing. . . I asked her what special present she hoped to receive on her birthday. She responded with, "A sucker!". I asked her what special meal she wanted her mommy to make for her. She answered with "Soup and goldfish". I'm sure in another year her answers will be very different. But, I find it beautiful that this little girl who has never celebrated a birthday in her 5 years would find such joy in a sucker, soup and goldfish! And, she gave Geoff and me a present of our own today. We were riding in the car to the hospital for her appointment, and she told us, "Mama, Wo boo yaw China (I don't want China). Wo yaw Mommy (I want Mommy). Wo yaw Daddy. Wo yaw Jeh Jeh. Wo boo yaw China. Wo yaw family." Happy birthday, baby girl! That is one birthday wish we promise you today and forever!!

Some Pretty Big Blessings!

Anna Grace at her Baptism!

1/15/12

My sweet girls enjoying some push-pop fun at Chuy's!

Baby girl finds a "cherry treasure!!"

The awe and wonder in Mei Li's eyes over this push pop!!

She looks like she's waiting for it to explode!

A little elbow grease always gets the job done!

Not gonna let a little push pop get the best of her!!

Baby girl loves her some hard-boiled eggs! Yum!

Getting her daily leg stretches with Daddy and Minnie Mouse :)

And, of course, Minnie must get in on the exercise too!

This has already started out to be an amazing week! Today, my Anna Grace got baptized at our church! I am so happy she made the decision to share her commitment to the Lord with the church. Her Mama B, Uncle Scott, Aunt Emmalie, cousins Ramsey and Bryant, our friend, Heather, and of course, Mom, Dad and Mei Li were all there along with the entire 10:45 service to celebrate with her! It was a wonderful moment!

To top this off, there are a few more BIG things happening this week! Thursday is our appointment with the neurosurgeon to discuss Mei Li's upcoming surgery that will take place on the 31st of this month. He will review Mei Li's MRI film and discuss his game plan with us for surgery. I will certainly update as soon as we learn news from this consult.

Friday. . . DRUM ROLL. . . is our Mei Li's 5th birthday!!!! It's wonderful to know that Mei Li will have her first birthday celebration with her family in her new homeland! I asked her if she ever had a birthday party in China. She said, "No". So, this week, we will have a small birthday celebration for our sweet girl. Mama is still working on an idea, and we'll see how it turns out. Mei Li wants to swim more than anything. She begs me all the time to take her swimming. When we were in China at the hotel, she had to miss out on swimming because of the terrible pressure ulcer on her foot. Big sis got the chance to go when Mei Li went down for her naps, but she always would awaken to find big sis gone swimming. She has never been swimming before and this is her big wish. So, I've been on the phone with a local hotel to see if we can arrange a little swimming party for her. Whatever turns out, I'll have some pics later this week of Mei Li's 5th birthday to share!!

Saturday is a benefit concert at the Trussville Civic Center that I've been asked to sing in with some other area artists. It is for a great cause and I'm honored to be a part of it! The event is to raise funds for a facility that will provide recreation and social activities for adults with disabilities. It's called Independence Place. As a mom to a little girl with disabilities, this is something close to my heart. I hope it will be a success and bring the necessary funds to get this wonderful facility off and running!! So proud of my city for providing something like this for our community!

I am praying for a little Divine intervention, however. I've noticed a bit of hoarseness over the past few months, even though I've not been performing much at all since coming home with Mei Li. I went in to the ENT on Friday to get it checked before this upcoming benefit concert. He scoped me and took some pics of my vocal chords. It showed that I have acid reflux and inflammation of my vocal chords. So, I'm on vocal rest this week, taking prednisone t0 reduce the inflammation and Prilosec twice a day to reduce the acid and lots and lots of water. I'm bummed that I have this going on and it's left me in less than stellar voice. . . but I'm so very thankful that we discovered the problem before permanent damage occurred. Hoping a week with some vocal rest and meds will help along with a little touch from above .

Another great bit of news to follow-up on my last post. Anna Grace went in to the "Alice in Wonderland" audition at Birmingham Children's Theatre a week ago. We got the call at the first of the week that she was selected for the role of ALICE!!!! She is absolutely over the moon! She has already memorized the first 10 pages of the script, and I'm enjoying watching her take this opportunity and blossom. This part came at such a critical time. Anna Grace has been such a fantastic big sis to Mei Li, but she has had to take a back seat a great deal during the last months while we've been prioritizing Mei Li's surgeries and medical visits. . . and acclimating her to her new family and home. As patient and loving as she has been, I know it gets tough sometimes. And, she has been needing something of "her own" to challenge and grow her. The call from BCT that AG was selected was a gift from God, for sure! She needed that shot in the arm, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect! So, if you find yourself in the Birmingham area in April, come out and see Anna Grace in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" at Birmingham Children's Theatre! Yay, Anna Grace!!

So many good things, it's hard to keep it all straight! But, thanks for following and I'll certainly keep updating!

Mei Li's Surgery is Scheduled!

Happy New Year! We certainly are thrilled to be entering 2012 with our long-awaited Mei Li home with us. She has added so much joy and life to our family! What a blessing she is. . .

Today, we received a phone call from Dr. Blount's nurse to schedule Mei Li's surgery. We were expecting her spinal surgery to fall around the end of February, but tonight we found out we are on the books for January 31st!! We have a consult with Dr. Blount to discuss Mei Li's MRI film on the 19th. We have been told to expect her to be in the hospital for 4 days. Then, she will need to be on her back and "still" for about 7 days at home. . . For those of you who know our Mei Li. . . you are probably shaking your heads in disbelief, right now. This little one is always on the go. . . busy, busy, busy!!! Keeping her still for 3 minutes is a task. Seven days is monumental! Mama is going to need some divine intervention to help her manage this task. :-) We are thrilled to get this major surgery behind her. Every day that passes, the risk increases that she could have problems with her spinal chord tethering from the tumor. We want our Mei Li to have as bright of a future as possible. . . and we want her to be able to embrace that future as soon as possible!

It is amazing to look back and realize that Mei Li has been home for 3 months. She has been through serial casting for 5 weeks, a surgery on her Achilles tendon, casting, braces on her foot and now surgery to detach this tumor from her spine. By the time she enters February, she will have completed her major surgeries, and her foot and spine will have been corrected! Hallelujah!!! :)

I will post more details once we meet with Dr. Blount.

And, on another note, I am so proud of my Anna Grace! She has a big audition tomorrow, and has put it together in a day and a half!!! She has memorized a pretty hefty monologue and is ready to audition for the part of Alice in Alice in Wonderland! Whether she gets cast or not. . . she has done a brilliant job getting it learned and delivering it in a delightfully "Alice" way! Break a leg tomorrow, Anna Grace!!! Mom and Dad are so very proud of you!

Good night! And, thanks for following :)

Call from Dr. Blount came today

Well, after 10 days of waiting on Mei Li's MRI results, we got a phone call from Dr. Blount. Yay!! It was a relief to hear his voice on the phone this morning. This is the low-down.

After reviewing Mei Li's MRI, he says that it is exactly what he expected. She has a large lipoma on her spine and it has a substantial risk of causing tethering of her spinal chord as she grows. He says that "tethering" is nothing that is going to happen in the next hour or the next week. . but, as she "is" growing every day, we do not need to "sit" on this and let the grass grow, either. He is glad we already had the urodynamics test done on Mei Li (which we did just yesterday). He said that waiting for the urodynamics test is usually the thing that slows down the surgery process. It was "DONE" yesterday!!! So, there is nothing standing in the way of him being able to perform surgery as soon as he can get it put on his calendar.

He told me that Geoff and I will both need to come in to meet with him before he performs any surgery so he can review the film of Mei Li's MRI with us, discuss surgery, explain the risks. . . and get on the same page with a game plan. We are to hear from his nurse by the end of next week to get some dates on the calendar. He is backlogged on cases from December due to some academia he had to pursue. And, he is going out on holiday tomorrow to return next week. He is anticipating Mei Li's surgery to happen sometime around the end of February.

I asked what this surgery would look like (as far as how long Mei Li will take to recover). He said that the surgery will take several hours, she will be in the hospital for 3-4 days (unlike his colleagues who keep them in for 7-10 days). He usually tries to keep them in the hospital a shorter time and then let them recover at home where we will need to keep her "as still and on her back" as possible for about another week after she is sent home from the hospital. She will then come back into the clinic for a follow-up. The soft tissue will take 4-6 weeks to heal. . . then, normal activity!!!! Mei Li could essentially be ready for normal activity by the spring!!!!

I look forward to getting these dates on the calendar and getting Mei Li's life-changing surgery done. . . so she can start embracing her new life and claim her "new future" as opposed to what lay before her in China!!! Thank you, Lord!!!

OH. . . and about Mei Li's urodynamics test, yesterday. It was not completely normal, as there were some abnormal bladder contractions early on in the test due to abnormal nerve activity. But, it didn't interfere with her ability to control her bladder, at all. Dr. Joseph was very pleased, overall, with her function. It was a traumatic test for Mei Li. It hurt and she was wide awake for it. She had to be awake in order to be able to respond to the fluid being pumped into her bladder. Thankfully, I was able to be with her and hold her hand. And, her Mama B was in the room too, and that was a comfort to Mei Li as well. And, the sweet nurse blew bubbles and Mei Li loved trying to catch them. That worked for a while, until her bladder got so full of the contrast solution that she couldn't focus on the "fun" anymore. Then, there were some pretty major tears. But, mommy was there to wipe them, and then the test was over. Bless her sweet heart. With her eyes and lips swollen from crying so hard, and as I was dressing her after the test, Mei Li told Dr. Joseph, "Bye bye and thank you." We are so thankful that is behind us. . . especially now that Dr. Blount is wanting to do surgery by the end of February.

I will keep you all posted on the details as we learn more!

Magical Christmas Moments 2011 :)

Some magical moments this Christmas. . . in pictures! Merry Christmas, everyone!! :)

Angel in candlelight

Silent Night, Holy Night. . .

Sweet girl

Christmas Eve Candlelight service with Mama B.

Candlelit angel

Snuggles with Mama B

Childhood innocence. . .

Hope. . .

Enjoying this most magical and blessed Christmas with my family

Anxiously awaiting the moment they can open their "first" present of Christmas!!

Oh my goodness!!! It's an American Girl box!!!!!! :D

Enthusiasm uncontained!!! ;-)

I absolutely LOVE this sweet face!

Cousin Ramsey. . . "OH BOY, OH BOY!!! :)

Sweet expression of "This is JUST what I wished for!!!"

My lovely Anna Grace and her first sewing machine!! This girl is going to sew some doll clothes!! :)

Bryant is excited about his dinosaur fossil toy!!

Hey!!!! She looks like ME!!!! :D

Sweet Bryant is overcome with excitement!!

Cutie-patootie on her new little scooter!! :)

AG checking out the treasure in her stocking. . .and Milo (the cat) wants to know if any of it is for him. ;)

A trike to build up Mei Li's leg muscles! AND, it has a basket to hold all of her goodies!! :)

AG got her BIG wish!!!

AG is overcome with "WOW!!!" Dooley??? Not so much ;)

A "Wah wah" for Mei Li

Check out those pretty finger nails!!! :)

Adoption. . . a beautiful reflection of God's love for us.

This is one of the most powerful Christmases we have ever had. And, the reason for that is not some crazy, awesome gift in fancy paper under a twinkly tree. It has to do with something God has opened our hearts and minds to. . . and now we understand some things that we never fully understood before. And, he has used a 4 year old little girl as His instrument to teach us.

When we began our journey to adopt Mei Li, we "were" acting in faith on that still small voice inside that was telling us to step out, act boldly on what we were being called to do and believe. But, we still didn't see the whole picture. However, over the four years of our roller coaster ride to Mei Li; and in the time that she has been with us. . . an amazing picture has emerged and shown us a truth with great clarity. That picture was painted for us just last night when our little Mei Li was in her Daddy's arms at the mailbox looking back up at our house on the hill with all of it's Christmas lights twinkling against the night. She stood back, in her Dad's arms, looked up at her home and said, "Daddy, Mei Li's home." When she was in that orphanage in China for all of her years, she had no idea the wonderful future that awaited her in America. She truly couldn't conceive of the treasures that were in store for her, the bedroom that had been prepared "just" for her, and the unconditional love that was waiting to embrace her. Mei Li did not "initiate" the adoption. We did. Her parents "chose" her and invited her in to be a daughter and an heir. It is a permanent offer. . . not temporary. . . not conditional.

The Lord has shown Geoff and me through our journey that "adoption" on this earth mirrors God's adoption of us as His children through the gift of His Son, Jesus. And, I can't think of a better time to share this truth that has been made clear to us than on Christmas Eve. . . Our heavenly Father authored "adoption" when He sent the gift of His only Son to us on Christmas over 2 thousand years ago. As a result, we are invited to be heirs in His heavenly kingdom. . . a permanent home on high.

I am also reminded, often, of the verse in the Bible where Jesus says, (Whatever you do for the least of these, you do to me.) And, that is paraphrased. Every time I look into Mei Li's sweet little face, I remember Jesus saying that. And, I realize that I may be looking right into the face of Jesus.

So, as we prepare for all of the celebration of Christmas morn, I remember the "gift" of Jesus who is the foundation of it all. And, I think of the love and hope that gift brought the world. And, I will enjoy both of my precious gifts of Anna Grace and Mei Li as they experience the wonder of Christmas. But, as I look into the beautiful brown eyes of my sweet daughter, Mei Li, I will remember that I, too, am adopted. . . by my heavenly Father. And, having learned from His demonstration of love for me, Geoff and I share the same gift given to us with her. And, the result? Our hearts feel as if they might burst with love and joy over the incredible "gift" Mei Li is to our family this Christmas, and from now onward.

Merry Christmas, friends!

2 Magical Moments with our Mei Li. . . just in time for Christmas

Today, we had two magical moments with our Mei Li. I'll start by sharing the funny one. Tonight, Anna Grace wanted to help wrap some of Mei Li's presents. So, I went downstairs with her to help. I told Mei Li she needed to stay with Daddy upstairs, and that I would be right back. She had a bit of a meltdown that Mommy was leaving, so I explained that we were wrapping some of her Christmas presents. I told her that she couldn't see because they were surprises for her. That worked!! She was happy and I headed downstairs. After AG and I finished wrapping her gifts, AG brought them up and placed them under the tree. Before we knew it, Mei Li was under the tree and grabbed the biggest of her presents. In one swift rip, she had half of the wrap off. We all screamed, "Noooooooooooooo!!!!!" And, Mei Li looked up confused. We told her that the presents were to be opened on Christmas, not today. She grinned really big and said, "Mama, I see it!!! I see it!! I see it!!!!" And, I said, "Baby, you can't have the present tonight. You will get to open it on Christmas". She grunted in frustration and repeated, "I see it!! I see it!!" I picked her up and asked her, "Mei Li, what did you see?" She said, "Toe-fah" (which means hair in Mandarin) "I see it!!! Toe-fah!!! Looooong toe-fah!!! Pretty!!!!!" Then, I asked her, "What do you think it is?" And, she stated, matter-of-a-factly, "Wah wah" (which means doll in Mandarin). And, she hmphed in frustration that she couldn't open it. Then, she said, "Mama, presents. . . Mei Li... happy".

OH BOY. . . I am giddy with excitement. Mommy can't wait until Christmas morning, this year!!!

The second magical moment went like this. . . Daddy was heading down to the mailbox this evening to check the mail. Mei Li ran to the door exclaiming that she wanted to go with Daddy. He went and grabbed her jacket and carried her down the hill to the mailbox. As they got to the curb, Mei Li looked up at the house and said, "Daddy, Mei Li da home" (that means Mei Li's home). Geoff said, "Yes, Mei Li, this is your home." Then, she said, "Faygeelah!!! Hen dah, hen dah faygeelah!!!" (which means airplane. Very big, very big airplane). And, Geoff said, "Yes, Mei Li, you rode on a big airplane from China to come to your home in America. Then, Geoff asked her, "Mei Li, do you miss China?" Mei Li quickly and firmly responded, "No! Mei Li boo yaw China. Wo yaw home." ( Mei Li doesn't want China. I want home.)

Mei Li warms our hearts every day and fills us with such incredible joy. Geoff and I aren't exchanging gifts this year. We would rather make sure the girls have a special Christmas. And, we both agree. We already have our Christmas present. A little angel on Earth, named Mei Li, is our most precious Christmas gift, this year. . . and for every Christmas from now on. Geoff and I are incredibly thankful for our two most precious Christmas gifts. . . our Anna Grace and Mei Li.

Wishing you all a beautiful Christmas!