MOJ has released the final numbers on international adoptions receiving Minister of Justice approval in 2013. In total the MOJ gave consent for 340 adoptions of 407 children. Of these, 107 adoption cases were for 140 identified waiting children whose profiles had been listed on the MOJ website.
Here's the breakdown:
USA: 120 adoptions (81 of waiting children), comprising 35% of all IA from BG in 2013
ITALY: 79 adoptions (14 of waiting children), comprising 23% of all IA from BG in 2013
FRANCE: 46 adoptions (6 of waiting children), comprising 13% of all IA from BG in 2013
SPAIN: 37 adoptions (1 of waiting children), comprising 11% of all IA from BG in 2013
GERMANY: 22 adoptions, comprising 6% of all IA from BG in 2013
NETHERLANDS: 13 adoptions, comprising 4% of all IA from BG in 2013
SWEDEN: 6 adoptions (5 of waiting children), comprising 2% of all IA from BG in 2013
CANADA: 6 adoptions, comprising 2% of all IA from BG in 2013
CYPRUS: 3 adoptions, comprising 1% of all IA from BG in 2013
GREECE: 2 adoptions, comprising 1% of all IA from BG in 2013
IRELAND: 2 adoptions, comprising 1% of all IA from BG in 2013
NORWAY: 2 adoptions, comprising 1% of all IA from BG in 2013
SWITZERLAND: 1 adoption, comprising 0% of all IA from BG in 2013
DENMARK: 1 adoption, comprising 0% of all IA from BG in 2013
Overall, this means that international adoptions from Bulgaria in 2013 were slightly up from 2012 where consent was given for 326 adoptions of 395 children.
Almost one third of all adoptions from Bulgaria in 2013 were of identified waiting children, with the number of those adoptions to the US at around 67% and to Sweden at around 83%.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
What's New With Rex?
I know it's been too long since I have posted an update about Rex. I cannot believe that he has completed more than another semester of preschool and is doing very well. Unfortunately, at the start of school in August, we discovered that quite a few of his mastered skills had gone dormant or were lost altogether, so Rex spent some time catching himself back up. This is a phenomenon also present in neuro-typical children who usually require some weeks at the beginning of a new school year to bring themselves back up to speed academically.
That said, Rex is now solidly into new skill acquisition. He has mastered taking off his shoes and socks, pedaling and steering a bike (now the two must be combined for full-fledged riding, hopefully by spring), feeding himself different foods from a spoon, identifying a variety of clothing items, taking off and putting on his glasses, and completing inset puzzles.
Behaviorally, Rex has been doing very well. He still needs eyes on most of the time, primarily because he is curious and strong and does not fully comprehend dangers to himself and destructibility of objects. When things break or Rex gets hurt these days, it's not usually a function of anger, but a side product of his explorations. Rex still throws a mighty tantrum when being told no on something he really wants, but these tantrums are largely self-contained now. What I mean by that is that they look like any neuro-typical kid's tantrums with screaming and thrashing on the floor in hopes of eliciting attention. And they end with Rex calming himself down and moving on with life. A recent incident gave me confirmation that Rex, to a great extent, now has control over his behavior. Rex had finished his sandwich, but signed for more. I told him the sandwich was gone, but he could have a banana. This led to a thrash-fest in the kitchen. Normally, I would have ridden this out, but we were in a bit of a hurry, so I said to Rex, "Do you need to go sit on the couch with Mama or can you calm your body down on your own?" Complex sentence, I know, but he understood it because he almost instantly stopped his behavior to avoid having to sit with me. After some praise from me, he ate the banana and we were on our way. Even the janitorial staff at Rex's school has noticed the changes in him with one of them telling Craig recently, "When Rex started here he had no restraint over himself and now he seems so in control of his body and actions."
At school, Rex has mastered complying with instructions, engaging in appropriate physical interactions with peers, sitting in small groups without disruptive behavior for at least 15 minutes, and physically transitioning from one activity to another without assistance at least 50% of the time.
One thing we have found over the last several months is that about 70% of Rex's undesirable behavior is caused by constipation. The more stopped up he gets, the less cooperative, connected, calm, and obedient he is. When he has regular BMs, at least at home, his behavior is wonderful and he is happy, loving, relaxed and listens well. We are still trying to find the magic formula of supplements that will keep him regular without having a negative effect on other areas of his life - yes, unfortunately, different ingredients and substances in nutrition can benefit one area while hurting another.
Rex does and will always have behaviors that society at large considers strange, if not inappropriate. We, however, don't even blink an eye anymore when our son goes to bed with a (clean) frying pan instead of a teddy bear or marches off to school carrying a five pound candle. It's who he is and it actually keeps our life surprising and full of fun.
Rex continues to communicate through sign language and is learning new signs, most recently for frisbee and iPad. Under the right circumstances, he uses a few words, such as bubble, pop, and bye-bye, but he is far from reliable with his spoken language yet. However, he vocalizes spontaneously for at least five minutes every hour which is another skill he has mastered. Rex eats relatively well on his gluten and dairy-free diet, he sleeps through most nights, he loves showers and swinging and the outdoors even on cold, snowy days.
While Rex has been well-attached for a long time, it's no secret that he prefers his daddy over all other people in the world. However, in the last few months, there's been another push between Rex and me for more closeness and affection. Sometimes Rex chooses me over Craig now. When I plant a big kiss on Rex these days, he doesn't just endure it, but we see a tiny, silly smirk on his face that he tries to hide. When Rex comes home, his eyes briefly light up at the sight of me. Rex seeks eye contact with me and initiates physical contact as well, sitting snuggled by my side while watching a video or listening to music. And when Rex needs help to calm or settle, I am the person that can best assist him.
Rex is truly a great boy who works so hard each day to overcome the challenges life presents to him. He is active, adventurous, joyful, loving, and determined. It is unthinkable what would have become of him had he remained an orphan. Instead, we now have the privilege to call him our son and brother and to enjoy the happiness, beauty, and quirks as well as to weather the trials he brings to our life. We are thankful for this gift.
That said, Rex is now solidly into new skill acquisition. He has mastered taking off his shoes and socks, pedaling and steering a bike (now the two must be combined for full-fledged riding, hopefully by spring), feeding himself different foods from a spoon, identifying a variety of clothing items, taking off and putting on his glasses, and completing inset puzzles.
Behaviorally, Rex has been doing very well. He still needs eyes on most of the time, primarily because he is curious and strong and does not fully comprehend dangers to himself and destructibility of objects. When things break or Rex gets hurt these days, it's not usually a function of anger, but a side product of his explorations. Rex still throws a mighty tantrum when being told no on something he really wants, but these tantrums are largely self-contained now. What I mean by that is that they look like any neuro-typical kid's tantrums with screaming and thrashing on the floor in hopes of eliciting attention. And they end with Rex calming himself down and moving on with life. A recent incident gave me confirmation that Rex, to a great extent, now has control over his behavior. Rex had finished his sandwich, but signed for more. I told him the sandwich was gone, but he could have a banana. This led to a thrash-fest in the kitchen. Normally, I would have ridden this out, but we were in a bit of a hurry, so I said to Rex, "Do you need to go sit on the couch with Mama or can you calm your body down on your own?" Complex sentence, I know, but he understood it because he almost instantly stopped his behavior to avoid having to sit with me. After some praise from me, he ate the banana and we were on our way. Even the janitorial staff at Rex's school has noticed the changes in him with one of them telling Craig recently, "When Rex started here he had no restraint over himself and now he seems so in control of his body and actions."
At school, Rex has mastered complying with instructions, engaging in appropriate physical interactions with peers, sitting in small groups without disruptive behavior for at least 15 minutes, and physically transitioning from one activity to another without assistance at least 50% of the time.
One thing we have found over the last several months is that about 70% of Rex's undesirable behavior is caused by constipation. The more stopped up he gets, the less cooperative, connected, calm, and obedient he is. When he has regular BMs, at least at home, his behavior is wonderful and he is happy, loving, relaxed and listens well. We are still trying to find the magic formula of supplements that will keep him regular without having a negative effect on other areas of his life - yes, unfortunately, different ingredients and substances in nutrition can benefit one area while hurting another.
Rex does and will always have behaviors that society at large considers strange, if not inappropriate. We, however, don't even blink an eye anymore when our son goes to bed with a (clean) frying pan instead of a teddy bear or marches off to school carrying a five pound candle. It's who he is and it actually keeps our life surprising and full of fun.
Rex continues to communicate through sign language and is learning new signs, most recently for frisbee and iPad. Under the right circumstances, he uses a few words, such as bubble, pop, and bye-bye, but he is far from reliable with his spoken language yet. However, he vocalizes spontaneously for at least five minutes every hour which is another skill he has mastered. Rex eats relatively well on his gluten and dairy-free diet, he sleeps through most nights, he loves showers and swinging and the outdoors even on cold, snowy days.
While Rex has been well-attached for a long time, it's no secret that he prefers his daddy over all other people in the world. However, in the last few months, there's been another push between Rex and me for more closeness and affection. Sometimes Rex chooses me over Craig now. When I plant a big kiss on Rex these days, he doesn't just endure it, but we see a tiny, silly smirk on his face that he tries to hide. When Rex comes home, his eyes briefly light up at the sight of me. Rex seeks eye contact with me and initiates physical contact as well, sitting snuggled by my side while watching a video or listening to music. And when Rex needs help to calm or settle, I am the person that can best assist him.
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| Napping Together |
Rex is truly a great boy who works so hard each day to overcome the challenges life presents to him. He is active, adventurous, joyful, loving, and determined. It is unthinkable what would have become of him had he remained an orphan. Instead, we now have the privilege to call him our son and brother and to enjoy the happiness, beauty, and quirks as well as to weather the trials he brings to our life. We are thankful for this gift.
Friday, February 14, 2014
News From MOJ In Bulgaria
About a week ago, MOJ released updated information regarding dossiers registered for international adoption from Bulgaria. There were two lists released: one of dossiers currently active and registered through December 31, 2012 and one of dossiers currently inactive and registered through December 31, 2012 which were given a ten day grace period to re-initiate their adoption procedure with Bulgaria to maintain their place in the wait line.
By my count, there are 887 active, registered dossiers on the first list, awaiting referral. Two of them are from 2008, two from 2009, and 151 from 2010. The remaining dossiers were registered in 2011 and 2012.
By my count, the second list contains 135 dossiers that need to re-activate their registration with MOJ if they wish to be returned into the active wait line. If not, I presume MOJ will consider their adoption cases closed.
The dossiers on the active list that have waited the longest at this point are those registered prior or during 2010. Of those 155 dossiers, 93 (roughly 60%) are asking to adopt a child 4 years old or younger and 21 (about 13%) have requested to adopt only a girl.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me at viviane 8 at yahoo dot com.
By my count, there are 887 active, registered dossiers on the first list, awaiting referral. Two of them are from 2008, two from 2009, and 151 from 2010. The remaining dossiers were registered in 2011 and 2012.
By my count, the second list contains 135 dossiers that need to re-activate their registration with MOJ if they wish to be returned into the active wait line. If not, I presume MOJ will consider their adoption cases closed.
The dossiers on the active list that have waited the longest at this point are those registered prior or during 2010. Of those 155 dossiers, 93 (roughly 60%) are asking to adopt a child 4 years old or younger and 21 (about 13%) have requested to adopt only a girl.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me at viviane 8 at yahoo dot com.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Fundraising To Bring Big Sister Home
Those of you who know me personally are aware that I am notoriously bad at asking for help for myself, so you can probably understand that the idea of fundraising for our third adoption somewhat horrifies me. However, despite my apprehensions, we have decided to put together three fundraisers associated with the adoption of Big Sister.
First, some numbers to explain the why of fundraising. This adoption will cost us somewhere between $45,000 and $50,000 with the variance depending on unpredictable factors, such as days in country and price of airline tickets. Our goal is to raise less than 25% of this amount, specifically $10,500 which is the international fee required to bring Big Sister home.
Now for the fundraisers:
1) The T-Shirt Fundraiser (in progress now till February 23)
2) The Adoption Auction (launching on March 2 and ending March 9)
3) The Orphanage Fundraiser (coming summer 2014)
If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, please visit our fundraising site here:
https://www.bonfirefunds.com/family-forever-help-us-bring-her-home-1
The design on this shirt was created by the kids and me. Rex made the blue handprint and Emilia the orange one. They did such a nice job. We have to sell a minimum of 50 shirts by February 23 for the company to print our order. If we don't reach the minimum, no one who committed to purchasing will be charged anything.
Please feel free to share our t-shirt fundraiser via your social media and stay tuned for our auction in March.
First, some numbers to explain the why of fundraising. This adoption will cost us somewhere between $45,000 and $50,000 with the variance depending on unpredictable factors, such as days in country and price of airline tickets. Our goal is to raise less than 25% of this amount, specifically $10,500 which is the international fee required to bring Big Sister home.
Now for the fundraisers:
1) The T-Shirt Fundraiser (in progress now till February 23)
2) The Adoption Auction (launching on March 2 and ending March 9)
3) The Orphanage Fundraiser (coming summer 2014)
If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, please visit our fundraising site here:
https://www.bonfirefunds.com/family-forever-help-us-bring-her-home-1
The design on this shirt was created by the kids and me. Rex made the blue handprint and Emilia the orange one. They did such a nice job. We have to sell a minimum of 50 shirts by February 23 for the company to print our order. If we don't reach the minimum, no one who committed to purchasing will be charged anything.
Please feel free to share our t-shirt fundraiser via your social media and stay tuned for our auction in March.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
One More Time - It's A Girl
As some of you already know and others might be suspecting, our family has decided to adopt another child. I cannot share much about her here at this time because her birth country has a very small IA program and between her age and medical condition, she could easily be identified which would potentially jeopardize our adoption. So, for now, all I can tell you is that we are excited to add an older child with a very rare special need to our crazy bunch. For the time being, I will call her Big Sister here on our blog.
As far as the process, this is a Hague adoption. Our home study is complete and we have received USCIS approval. Our dossier is in Big Sister's birth country awaiting approval. Once we receive it, we can travel to meet her.
Timeline
We are looking forward to welcoming this wonderful little girl into our family. If all goes well, she should be home in late autumn 2014.
As far as the process, this is a Hague adoption. Our home study is complete and we have received USCIS approval. Our dossier is in Big Sister's birth country awaiting approval. Once we receive it, we can travel to meet her.
Timeline
- April 2013: saw Big Sister on
our placing agency’s waiting child site
- September 21, 2013
(International Day of Peace): committed to Big Sis
- September 23, 2013: mailed HS
application and contracts
- October 5, 2013: mailed placing
agency application and contracts, first round of fingerprints
- October 8, 2013: accepted by
placing agency
- October 29, 2013: first HS
visit
- November 4, 2013: second HS
visit
- November 7, 2013: HS sent for
placing agency review and approved
- November 19, 2013: notarized HS
arrived in the mail
- November 21, 2013: sent I-800A
application to USCIS
- November 25, 2013: I-800A
application received
- December 9, 2013: USCIS
fingerprint notice received
- December 10, 2013: USCIS fingerprints completed
- January 21, 2014: USCIS I-797 approval
issued
- January 25, 2014: USCIS approval
arrived in the mail
- January 30, 2014: dossier mailed to
placing agency
- February 12, 2014: dossier arrived in birth country
We are looking forward to welcoming this wonderful little girl into our family. If all goes well, she should be home in late autumn 2014.
 |
| by Carrie Lynne Photography |
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Matters Of The Heart
I had planned to chronicle Emilia's surgery and recovery on our blog throughout the week, but my laptop decided to turn itself into a brick on Monday, so I only had limited computer capabilities while at the hospital. Even if belated, I still want to share this particular journey with everyone because I would like those of you who are thinking about adopting to consider heart defects as a special need to which you could be open. Don't get me wrong, there are very complicated heart defects that require multiple surgeries and the outcome may not always be good, but simple ASDs or VSDs like Emilia's can typically be repaired in one procedure, sometimes through a catheter instead of open heart, and most children's recovery is fast and complete. They can live healthy, full, and independent lives.
When we received Emilia's referral, we knew that she had a ventricular septal defect, a small hole in her heart. Once she arrived in the US, we visited one of the nation's top pediatric cardiology departments and they confirmed the defect's existence. They also noted its location very close to the aortic valve where it was creating a trivial leak. In other words, the valve could not close completely due to being sucked into the defect. For two years, this situation was monitored every six months or so until finally the trivial leak had turned into a mild leak. At that point, the cardiologists told us that they suspected that over time, this leak would increase and eventually cause permanent damage to Emilia's aortic valve and aorta if not repaired. That's why surgery was scheduled for January 27.
On Monday morning Emilia woke up as always. Instead of her chocolate almond milk, she had to have apple juice and no food. She was happy and played for a while just like on a typical morning. She did not know that in just a few hours she would be in surgery. Craig and I had been instructed to give her a bath with a special soap and brush provided to us by the hospital, so we did. Afterward, I wrote on her body with a Sharpie: her name, what the surgery was about, a reminder to the surgeon to save her mole, and we love you.
Soon after, it was time to leave for the hospital. We checked into Same Day Surgery where Emilia had another abbreviated physical, we met with the surgeon and anesthesiologists again, saw the OR nurses, and when everything was ready, she was given a drug called Versed which would make her loopy and not remember what happened next.
Surgery was scheduled for noon, but with the team and Emilia ready we handed her over at the OR door at 11:45 am. It was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do. We told her many things in that moment, including that she had to come back to us because life without her would not be life at all. Once Emilia was in the OR, Craig and I had ourselves a good cry and then we moved into the Family Resource Center, a quiet, comfortable waiting area for families which we had mostly to ourselves all day. The next six hours were very difficult. We got periodic updates and had been told to expect her out of the OR at around 4:00 pm, but the surgery dragged on.
Shortly after 5:00 pm, the end was still not in sight, so Craig and my mom left to pick up Rex from school and get him settled in for the night at home. I continued my vigil until I finally saw the surgeon around 7:00. He told me the surgery was a success, but that the known leak of Emilia's tricuspid valve was larger than they had expected from the echo, so they decided to decrease this leak as well which had extended the surgery. At this time, Emilia's VSD is completely closed with no residual VSD, the leak of her aortic valve is stable at mild and may improve, and the leak of her tricuspid valve is trivial and stable. It is highly unlikely that she will need another surgery.
After speaking with the surgeon, I checked my self into cardiac ICU and waited to see Emilia which finally happened after 8:00 pm. She was sedated and not expected to wake up until the next day. Craig joined us for a few hours before returning home to Rex.
I cannot say enough about the care we received in ICU. There were two nurses assigned only to Emilia at any time and they gently met every need and gladly fulfilled every wish we had.
On Tuesday morning, Emilia's meds were reduced and she began to wake up. Her breathing tube was removed and oxygen given into her nose instead. She was very tired and uncomfortable, but doing better than the night before. She started to drink, but was not ready for food yet. I had requested the holistic team to see her, so a therapist came and worked on her energy. I believe without a doubt that their seeing her every day had a huge impact on her remarkable recovery. PT also stopped by and encouraged us to have Emilia sit up as much as possible. She received one dose of morphine on Tuesday as well as two different pain killers, staggered at every three hours. She also was given a diuretic every eight hours to help her kidneys.
Throughout Tuesday, Emilia, Craig, and I were showered with well wishes and gifts. The balloons were a big hit. Emilia requested her "nanoons" many times during her days at the hospital.
By Tuesday evening, Emilia was well enough to watch some Baby Einstein on the Kindle. She had lost many of her wires in the course of the day and was glad to have a little freedom back to her body.
But when her brother showed up for a visit that evening and there were wagon rides, she perked right up. Both kids were so happy to see each other and couldn't get enough of traveling our floor in the wagon.
By Friday morning, Emilia's lungs were clear. She had pooped and eaten a few times and her intake was greater than her output. Her energy level was high and she and I both were running on very little sleep at that point which was apparently no problem for Emilia, but definitely challenging for me.
I was thrilled when during morning rounds the doctors put in a discharge order for Emilia. She was ready to go home as soon as possible. She continues to take the diuretic twice a day and Tylenol as needed which is not very often at all. We are scheduled for our surgical follow-up next Wednesday and for the cardiology follow-up in three weeks.
It's so hard to believe that this experience is behind us. I am not going to lie, this was a hard week, but we made it through with flying colors. Heart defects can seem scary and we did not include them in our initial home study. However, after learning more, we opened up to them in our first home study update and just four months later were blessed with the referral of our brave, strong, beautiful daughter.
World, you're gonna hear her roar.
When we received Emilia's referral, we knew that she had a ventricular septal defect, a small hole in her heart. Once she arrived in the US, we visited one of the nation's top pediatric cardiology departments and they confirmed the defect's existence. They also noted its location very close to the aortic valve where it was creating a trivial leak. In other words, the valve could not close completely due to being sucked into the defect. For two years, this situation was monitored every six months or so until finally the trivial leak had turned into a mild leak. At that point, the cardiologists told us that they suspected that over time, this leak would increase and eventually cause permanent damage to Emilia's aortic valve and aorta if not repaired. That's why surgery was scheduled for January 27.
On Monday morning Emilia woke up as always. Instead of her chocolate almond milk, she had to have apple juice and no food. She was happy and played for a while just like on a typical morning. She did not know that in just a few hours she would be in surgery. Craig and I had been instructed to give her a bath with a special soap and brush provided to us by the hospital, so we did. Afterward, I wrote on her body with a Sharpie: her name, what the surgery was about, a reminder to the surgeon to save her mole, and we love you.
Soon after, it was time to leave for the hospital. We checked into Same Day Surgery where Emilia had another abbreviated physical, we met with the surgeon and anesthesiologists again, saw the OR nurses, and when everything was ready, she was given a drug called Versed which would make her loopy and not remember what happened next.
Surgery was scheduled for noon, but with the team and Emilia ready we handed her over at the OR door at 11:45 am. It was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do. We told her many things in that moment, including that she had to come back to us because life without her would not be life at all. Once Emilia was in the OR, Craig and I had ourselves a good cry and then we moved into the Family Resource Center, a quiet, comfortable waiting area for families which we had mostly to ourselves all day. The next six hours were very difficult. We got periodic updates and had been told to expect her out of the OR at around 4:00 pm, but the surgery dragged on.
Shortly after 5:00 pm, the end was still not in sight, so Craig and my mom left to pick up Rex from school and get him settled in for the night at home. I continued my vigil until I finally saw the surgeon around 7:00. He told me the surgery was a success, but that the known leak of Emilia's tricuspid valve was larger than they had expected from the echo, so they decided to decrease this leak as well which had extended the surgery. At this time, Emilia's VSD is completely closed with no residual VSD, the leak of her aortic valve is stable at mild and may improve, and the leak of her tricuspid valve is trivial and stable. It is highly unlikely that she will need another surgery.
After speaking with the surgeon, I checked my self into cardiac ICU and waited to see Emilia which finally happened after 8:00 pm. She was sedated and not expected to wake up until the next day. Craig joined us for a few hours before returning home to Rex.
I cannot say enough about the care we received in ICU. There were two nurses assigned only to Emilia at any time and they gently met every need and gladly fulfilled every wish we had.
On Tuesday morning, Emilia's meds were reduced and she began to wake up. Her breathing tube was removed and oxygen given into her nose instead. She was very tired and uncomfortable, but doing better than the night before. She started to drink, but was not ready for food yet. I had requested the holistic team to see her, so a therapist came and worked on her energy. I believe without a doubt that their seeing her every day had a huge impact on her remarkable recovery. PT also stopped by and encouraged us to have Emilia sit up as much as possible. She received one dose of morphine on Tuesday as well as two different pain killers, staggered at every three hours. She also was given a diuretic every eight hours to help her kidneys.
Throughout Tuesday, Emilia, Craig, and I were showered with well wishes and gifts. The balloons were a big hit. Emilia requested her "nanoons" many times during her days at the hospital.
By Tuesday evening, Emilia was well enough to watch some Baby Einstein on the Kindle. She had lost many of her wires in the course of the day and was glad to have a little freedom back to her body.
On Wednesday morning, one of Emilia's chest tubes was removed and she was released onto a regular cardiology floor. She was cleared to start walking there which she was happy to do for a little bit at a time. Her oxygen had been slowly decreased from two liters an hour to 1/16 of a liter an hour and she was taking only Tylenol for pain. She was pretty sleepy that day and didn't want to eat and drink much.
On Thursday morning, Emilia's second chest tube was removed and all that was left on her body were the EKG and the oxygen monitor. She was no longer receiving any oxygen and was staying properly saturated on her own. The EKG was portable, so she was given a little backpack to carry it while walking around. We spent much of Thursday day (and later night) roaming the halls with a toy shopping cart. Per my request, the music therapist visited and made Emilia's morning and seeing Rex again that evening also was fun for her.
Child Life had brought some loaner toys, including this keyboard which quickly became a favorite.
By Friday morning, Emilia's lungs were clear. She had pooped and eaten a few times and her intake was greater than her output. Her energy level was high and she and I both were running on very little sleep at that point which was apparently no problem for Emilia, but definitely challenging for me.
I was thrilled when during morning rounds the doctors put in a discharge order for Emilia. She was ready to go home as soon as possible. She continues to take the diuretic twice a day and Tylenol as needed which is not very often at all. We are scheduled for our surgical follow-up next Wednesday and for the cardiology follow-up in three weeks.
It's so hard to believe that this experience is behind us. I am not going to lie, this was a hard week, but we made it through with flying colors. Heart defects can seem scary and we did not include them in our initial home study. However, after learning more, we opened up to them in our first home study update and just four months later were blessed with the referral of our brave, strong, beautiful daughter.
World, you're gonna hear her roar.
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