Day two

Day two saw David continue to heal and be less agitated in general. He is still experiencing alot of pain, but is doing his best to work with it. In the afternoon, he switched from IV pain medication to oral. He doesn't really care for the taste or the syringe it comes in, but it seems to do the trick in easing the pain and helping him sleep. He had a great nap on Jason's lap (about 4 hours) in the afternoon. Mom and dad also got a little rest and refreshment. I was able to go home and take a shower, while Rebekah took some time to go for a run near our old neighborhood.

The girls and their Nana came up to the hospital to visit and bring cinnamon rolls to their folks and the nurses. It was fun to spend some time sharing a late breakfast with them, and they were thrilled to see their brother.

The hope for tomorrow is that David will take some liquids. He has had several sips of broth, and a few spoonsful of crushed popsicle, but really nothing of substance. Tonight the nurse told us that they expect him to take about 8 ounces before they will send us home. For those of you who have been reading a while, you know this is a kid who has gone on more than one hunger strike in the past. Pray that the stubbornness would wane, the pain be relieved, and that he would take the nutrition that he needs to heal and grow, and more immediately, to go home. Pray for rest for Rebekah and I, and that we would both have patience in our interactions with one another, David, and the staff here.

First night recap

All told it was a good first night. As the anesthesia wore off, David began breathing more clearly and quickly. After it really left his system, the nurses were more willing to give him enough pain medicine to control his pain. Prior to about 530am, he was awaking in an agitated state frequently. The surgeon came in this morning at about 530 and took a look at David's mouth, and said that everything looked good. After the surgeon left, David really settled in and was able to sleep soundly. At the time of this post (10am) he's still sleeping. We may or may not be able to leave today, it really depends on how we feel and how David is eating. He is still receiving IV fluids and medication, so until he is able to take what he needs by mouth, we will need to stick around. Pray that we'll have wisdom and patience for the right timing.

What a day. We woke up early so that we could be to the hospital by 6am. Even on the way here, we were uncertain as to whether the surgery would actually take place today, as the anesthesiologist had some concerns over David‘s lungs. Rebekah had taken David to get a chest x-ray last week to make sure that the pneumonia had cleared adequately. The doctor took a look at those and still wasn‘t sure, so told us last night to come in today and he would make a decision when we got here. We were thankful when the decision was made to proceed.
David went in for surgery at about 745. We had been told that he would be in there for about three hours. After about two hours, the nurse came out and assured us that all was well. The three hour mark came and went, then four. We were getting a little concerned, but at about 1230 the surgeon came out and let us know that in spite of the doubts he had, he was able to close the entire hole in David’s mouth. Again we were very thankful.
Recovery went as well as could be expected. David was groggy and cranky (to his credit, not nearly as bad as I was when I came out of surgery). He continues to show the fighter that he is each time that he wakes, which encourages us to believe that he will keep fighting through this and heal up well and quickly.
We did have a scare after we got up to the room. David holds his breath when he gets upset. He woke to find mucus and blood in his airway, enough to upset anyone, but this time he wasn’t able to clear the airway or start breathing again for several moments. He was finally able to get started again with some strong encouragement, but not before causing quite a bit of excitement for the nurses, respiratory therapist, and mom and dad. Pray for a restful evening for the little guy.
The surgeon said that we may be able to take him home as early as tomorrow. We’ll try to keep posting to keep everyone up to date.

The conclusion (for now)

So I finally realized that there are those out there who are still waiting for the conclusion to the story (knowing that there will never really be one). We made it back to the US on November 16, 2007 with David. The next couple of months were to be trying - he was a sick kiddo. We spent every night waking with him, be it bronchiolitis, pneumonia, common colds or night terrors. He had surgery to insert ear tubes, as well as a night in the hospital with IV antibiotics and parenteral nutrition. The first week of January we finally had our first full nights of sleep - a real blessing. Although he had some initial difficulty warming to Jason, particularly on our return, over the past couple of weeks David has really warmed to his father. Pray that this will continue. We received word that David has put on more than 3.5 pounds and more than an inch since he has been in the States. This puts him back on the growth charts and returns him to eligibility to have his cleft palate repaired, so the surgery will be performed January 25, 2008.

Jason's back continues to improve, though it is a slow process. Pray for patience and persistence in that.

We thank you for your continued prayers and support.

A few pictures of the days

David's old bed

David & Rebekah outside the orphanage

Precious treasure

Well, here we are in Guangzhou, the last stop before heading home. Before I go into much detail about this place I need to go back a few days.

On Saturday the 10th ,we headed north out of Nanjing to Lianyungang, the city where David's orphanage was. The van ride was a long 4 1/2 hours with 3 little babies in tow. We did enjoy the sights on the way up, including the Yangtse River, green rice fields, and people riding bikes carrying HUGE loads of hay. Lianyungang is right on the Yellow Sea. It is smaller than Nanjing, but still has 4.5 millon people including all of the districts. It was late when we arrived so we headed straight for bed in anticipation of seeing Lianyungang in the daylight. When we woke up we looked out the window of our hotel to see mountains right behind us. As we headed down the elevator we saw the sea sprawling before us on the other side. An amazing site.

We took a short walk on the island near our hotel. The old time fishing boats were of particular interest. Fishing is a big of the economy in this area. We then looked through more of David's information to see where he was abandoned. We found out that his spot of abandonment was about 1 hour away from Lianyungang. Jason decided to stay with David at the hotel for naps while I went with our tour guide to the place where David was found. We drove west from Lianyungang to a very rural, agricultural area. The homes were quite small and made of stone, surrounded by fields and livestock. Quite different from Lianyungang. We arrived in the city of Donghei and found the hospital and even the chair where David began his journey to us. Quite an emotional moment and very special. After quite a few pictures we headed back to Lianyungang to meet the others.

The next day we went to the orphanage. Jason and I had planned to take turns going in while the other person stayed with David outside the orphanage. Jason went in and was able to view where David spent his first 15 months of life. He slept in a crib right next to a baby girl who was adopted by a family from Parker, just 5 miles from our home. We joked that the kids were neighbors in the orphanage and now they will be neighbors in Colorado. The kids lived out their lives in three rooms - the crib room, playroom, and washroom. David's area was primarily babies and toddlers. The other part of the orphanage had kids who were middle school or high school age. It was hard to see these children who so desperately need a family. The older kids were very aware of what was going on and why we were there. All the kids were "special needs" as far as we could tell. The nannies seemed to be very invested in the lives of the children. David's nanny had the day off on the day we visited, but apparently she had been his nanny for 12 months of his life. The administrative staff seemed very kind. They were willing to answer any questions they could. They told us that when they first received him, he was very ill and frail, even near death. They also said he is obstinate and a fighter. Having observed him the past week and a half, it goes without saying that that is why he survived.

Although it was very hard, we were very glad to be able to visit the orphanage. I feel like I have a much better idea of what is going on with him by just seeing where he came from.

From the orphanage we headed directly back to Nanjing to catch a flight to Guangzhou. After a 6 hour van ride back and a 2 hour flight - through which David slept :) - we arrived in Guangzhou. We hit the pillows close to midnight, but were thrilled to be one step closer to home.

David's health gets better daily. He is trying new foods and drinking formula like crazy, both answers to prayer.

Each day also brings us one step closer to home. Now in Guangzhou, the last stop for all American families, we see why this is considered the hub of Chinese adoption. So many families, so many children. It is truly wonderful to see. We ate "western food" for lunch. The hamburger was fine, nothing like Red Robin, but the warmth of the sunshine and the people was great. While there, a woman (who was here to tour, not for adoption) asked me how old my "precious treasure" was. Of course had no idea that the meaning of his Chinese name is "precious treasure baby."

Getting Used to each other

The past two days have been free days, no appointments or paperwork, only waiting for paperwork to be finished and for the next appointments, which are next Tuesday. We received his Chinese passport today, which was the final piece of documentation we needed here in Nanjing. So we have several days to do nothing but get used to one another. David's health seems to continue to improve, as does his eating. His sleep habits should come along as he does better with eating so that he is not so hungry in the night. Tomorrow we travel to Lianyungang, David's hometown, then visit the orphanage on Monday. Of course we will not be taking him back inside the building, but we look forward to being able to see it ourselves.

Tonight we stepped back into western civilization for a few moments when we got a Papa John's pizza for dinner. Not quite like the real thing, but close enough. Right now we are hearing an eruption of fireworks and honking horns outside. We have no idea why, and it is a reminder of how little we understand of this culture. Today a man walked up to Jason, pulled the hood down from David's face, and said (in Mandarin) "That looks just like a Chinese baby!" He was dead serious. This has been an unforgettable experience.

Thank you for all your prayers as it is obvious that David's comfort and health improve daily.