What a week it has been for The Montieth Family!!
Emma had out patient surgery on Monday. The tubes that were in her ears had become infected, causing a build up of fluid, a growth on her ear drum and a lot of pain! So the ENT flushed out her ears, removed the growth, replaced the tubes and took out her adenoids. She was a trooper before surgery! When she woke up she was disoriented and to make a long story short she was VERY UPSET. Think Linda Blair (Exorcist) with an IV in her hand....not fun! She has been happy to cuddle with her Mommy this week and today she returned to school. We are happy to have that ordeal behind us. :) Emma has been talking alot lately, she says a lot of funny things! But, that will be another post.
Today we received TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!! We knew it was coming, yet it was a complete surprise! We will learn more the next day or so about when we are leaving. We are waiting for a Counselate Appointment in Guangzhou which we will need before booking our flights and hotel room. We could be leaving next week. SERIOUSLY! I feel like I need to start doing SOMETHING to get ready....I have already made 2 "last minute lists"! We are basically ready to go. :)
STAY TUNED!!!! We will soon be an official family for FOUR!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Carousels & TA
Emma is STILL obsessed with carousels. She created this one last night and it just cracked me up. : )
We are hoping that our TA (Travel Approval) arrives SOON! Dear friends of ours are receiving theirs this Friday and our time lines are VERY close. I am crossing my fingers that ours will be following!!
We are hoping that our TA (Travel Approval) arrives SOON! Dear friends of ours are receiving theirs this Friday and our time lines are VERY close. I am crossing my fingers that ours will be following!!Emma's Big Girl Bike
Emma's Auntie Molly bought her a Big Girl Bike for Christmas this year complete with a matching helmet and pads. Emma *loves* her new bike and has been riding it around our carpeted floor in the basement for the past 6 weeks. Last week I let her ride it around the kitchen while I cooked dinner. She was FLYING and thrilled at how fast the bike could move on a hard surface. :-) We had a beautiful 69 degree day last week and I took her outside after school to ride her bike. Emma had a lot of fun! THANK YOU AUNTIE MOLLY!!! :-)
Friday, January 30, 2009
~Happy and Hopeful in Wichita Today~
This post does not have any pictures of Emma-sorry, guys! ; ) I will post some pictures of her riding her big girl bike (w/training wheels) the next time. I promise.
For those of you who have been following Emma's story, you know that we have been searching for answers to our questions. With respect to Emma's privacy I am not going to give a detailed list of what her personal challenges have been or our challenges as a family. If you know us in real life, then you KNOW what I am talking about.
Today we finally met somebody somebody with the RIGHT answer. We have "fired" two Attachment Therapists who did not get it. Dr. "P" is a psychologist and he GETS IT. After a phone consultation with Greg last week and meeting with us today, he diagnosed Emma as having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Greg and I had suspected that Emma's condition was trauma based for quite some time and we had actually even discussed PTSD. Emma's prior diagnosis of RAD just never felt "right", we had challenged both Attachment Therapists on the diagnosis. Call it parental intuition. PTSD fits Emma; when Dr. "P" said it...well, it was like a giant light bulb lit up the room. I think that I even said something like "Thank God you get it". He probably thinks that I need therapy, I was talking a mile a minute in his office!! ; )
SO, NOW we can start to help Emma heal. This is a good thing. He sees all of Emma's potential, I like that. Below is a link to PTSD, and the article is LONG. Feel free to read it if you wish. I am including a quote from the article (not my own words, the words of Dr. Bruce Perry). It really sums things up I think!
http://www.childtrauma.org/ctamaterials/ptsd_interdisc.asp
"Typical signs and symptoms of PTSD include impulsivity, distractibility and attention problems (due to hypervigilance), dysphoria, emotional numbing, social avoidance, dissociation, sleep problems, aggressive (often re-enactment) play, school failure and regressed or delayed development".
I'm sharing this information so that family and friends can better understand Emma and our family. I hope that it might also help another family in the same situation as us.
For those of you who have been following Emma's story, you know that we have been searching for answers to our questions. With respect to Emma's privacy I am not going to give a detailed list of what her personal challenges have been or our challenges as a family. If you know us in real life, then you KNOW what I am talking about.
Today we finally met somebody somebody with the RIGHT answer. We have "fired" two Attachment Therapists who did not get it. Dr. "P" is a psychologist and he GETS IT. After a phone consultation with Greg last week and meeting with us today, he diagnosed Emma as having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Greg and I had suspected that Emma's condition was trauma based for quite some time and we had actually even discussed PTSD. Emma's prior diagnosis of RAD just never felt "right", we had challenged both Attachment Therapists on the diagnosis. Call it parental intuition. PTSD fits Emma; when Dr. "P" said it...well, it was like a giant light bulb lit up the room. I think that I even said something like "Thank God you get it". He probably thinks that I need therapy, I was talking a mile a minute in his office!! ; )
SO, NOW we can start to help Emma heal. This is a good thing. He sees all of Emma's potential, I like that. Below is a link to PTSD, and the article is LONG. Feel free to read it if you wish. I am including a quote from the article (not my own words, the words of Dr. Bruce Perry). It really sums things up I think!
http://www.childtrauma.org/ctamaterials/ptsd_interdisc.asp
"Typical signs and symptoms of PTSD include impulsivity, distractibility and attention problems (due to hypervigilance), dysphoria, emotional numbing, social avoidance, dissociation, sleep problems, aggressive (often re-enactment) play, school failure and regressed or delayed development".
I'm sharing this information so that family and friends can better understand Emma and our family. I hope that it might also help another family in the same situation as us.
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Few Words About Our Chinese New Year Celebration...
The following post contains pictures of us celebrating Chinese New Year this past Saturday. We went to a wonderful party that was hosted by our local Chinese Cultural Center. Emma had a lot of fun and loved the Dragon Dance, she repeatedly asked if she could go on stage...I have no doubt that she would have joined in if we let her! :) Below is an over view of Chinese New Year that I found online. If you are interested it explains the holiday in simple terms. Or, if you choose you may go to the next post to see pictures of Emma! :)
CHINESE NEW YEAR
INFORMATION COURTESY OF: http://www.nickjr.com/parenting/parenting_features/chinese-new-year/about/chinese-ny-info.jhtml
Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is a very important time of the year in most of Asia. It is a time of renewal, and the traditions and festivities associated with the New Year are a way to celebrate a fresh, new beginning.The Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. In 2009, the New Year falls on January 26.
Preparations & Celebrations
The traditional Chinese New Year's greeting is "Gung ho fat choy!" which means, "may prosperity be with you!" Each day of the 15-day celebration has a significant meaning, and there are specific foods to be eaten and prayers to be said on each day. Many of the preparations Chinese families make for the New Year are done to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Thoroughly cleaning the house before the New Year Getting a haircut and new clothes to begin the year fresh and clean Decorating house doors with red scrolls and banners for good luck Placing live, blooming plants around the house to symbolize renewal Handing out small red envelopes filled with money, called lai see hong bao, for good luck.
Traditional FoodsThis is a time of family reunions and gatherings and most Chinese families spend New Year's Eve together enjoying huge feasts where many traditional foods are prepared and eaten. Typical foods include: Oranges & tangerines (for good luck) Red dates (for prosperity) Melon seeds (for many babies) Nian gao (a special dish baked for the New Year--the higher it is, the better year it will be) The Tray of Togetherness (a candy tray filled with lichee nut, kumquat, and lotus seed candies, which symbolize good fortune)
The Signs of the Chinese ZodiacThe Chinese observe a 12-year cycle in which each year is named after a particular animal. According to legend, before his death the Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on the New Year. Twelve animals showed up, and as a reward, he named a year after each of them. It is said that people born in a specific animal's year will have characteristics similar to that animal. Find out more about signs of the Chinese Zodiac.
The Lantern Festival. The arrival of the full moon signals the end of the celebrations, which means it's time for the Lantern Festival. Elaborate lanterns are decorated and hung in temples and homes. On the full moon, the lanterns are carried to a moonlit parade where the dragon dance is performed and fireworks are lit to chase away evil spirits and bad luck. Make paper lanterns for your own festival.
CHINESE NEW YEAR
INFORMATION COURTESY OF: http://www.nickjr.com/parenting/parenting_features/chinese-new-year/about/chinese-ny-info.jhtml
Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is a very important time of the year in most of Asia. It is a time of renewal, and the traditions and festivities associated with the New Year are a way to celebrate a fresh, new beginning.The Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. In 2009, the New Year falls on January 26.
Preparations & Celebrations
The traditional Chinese New Year's greeting is "Gung ho fat choy!" which means, "may prosperity be with you!" Each day of the 15-day celebration has a significant meaning, and there are specific foods to be eaten and prayers to be said on each day. Many of the preparations Chinese families make for the New Year are done to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Thoroughly cleaning the house before the New Year Getting a haircut and new clothes to begin the year fresh and clean Decorating house doors with red scrolls and banners for good luck Placing live, blooming plants around the house to symbolize renewal Handing out small red envelopes filled with money, called lai see hong bao, for good luck.
Traditional FoodsThis is a time of family reunions and gatherings and most Chinese families spend New Year's Eve together enjoying huge feasts where many traditional foods are prepared and eaten. Typical foods include: Oranges & tangerines (for good luck) Red dates (for prosperity) Melon seeds (for many babies) Nian gao (a special dish baked for the New Year--the higher it is, the better year it will be) The Tray of Togetherness (a candy tray filled with lichee nut, kumquat, and lotus seed candies, which symbolize good fortune)
The Signs of the Chinese ZodiacThe Chinese observe a 12-year cycle in which each year is named after a particular animal. According to legend, before his death the Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on the New Year. Twelve animals showed up, and as a reward, he named a year after each of them. It is said that people born in a specific animal's year will have characteristics similar to that animal. Find out more about signs of the Chinese Zodiac.
The Lantern Festival. The arrival of the full moon signals the end of the celebrations, which means it's time for the Lantern Festival. Elaborate lanterns are decorated and hung in temples and homes. On the full moon, the lanterns are carried to a moonlit parade where the dragon dance is performed and fireworks are lit to chase away evil spirits and bad luck. Make paper lanterns for your own festival.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Changing Daddy's Diaper
Emma's VERY BEST friend right now is her Daddy! She loves to play with him and she thinks that everything that he does is just so funny. Greg is very good about playing with her and as you will see by the pictures below he will go along with just about anything. :)
Emma's favorite book right now is "My Mei Mei". (Mei Mei means "little sister" in Chinese). We bought it for her to help explain Sophie's adoption into our family. It is an adorable story with the cutest pictures! Last night she decided that it was time to reenact a page from the book and it involved Greg wearing a Pull Up! :P Poor Greg, Emma REALLY does need Sophie to come home so that she can change her little sister's diapers instead.
Emma's favorite book right now is "My Mei Mei". (Mei Mei means "little sister" in Chinese). We bought it for her to help explain Sophie's adoption into our family. It is an adorable story with the cutest pictures! Last night she decided that it was time to reenact a page from the book and it involved Greg wearing a Pull Up! :P Poor Greg, Emma REALLY does need Sophie to come home so that she can change her little sister's diapers instead.
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