Manningisms

Well, Manning is notorious for his quotes. He is the six year old. We taken to actually giving his quirky quotes a name....Manningisms.

The other day he says as he is hugging his baby sissy "I love her so much, I am so glad I have a baby sister, I always wanted a black sister." I laughed so hard, I thought I would pee myself.

Then today he was hugging the baby and said as he looked at me "I think this is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life." I giggled and he said...."What? I love my sister."

You would never even know this little one was adopted (well, minus the difference in skin color) because her three brothers love her as if she was born in this family. I am so thankful that I have such loving boys with a heart for compassion and love and God.

I was talking to Manning the other day and telling him that we are now related to the Ethiopians. I explained to him that the Ethiopian people were Cambria's family and now that she is our daughter/sister, the Ethiopian people are now also part of our family forever.

He must have took this literally, because he was asking what all nationalities he was made up of (and he is a mutt). I explained he was part Italian, German, Irish, Cherokee Indian, ........and then he added "And Ethiopian."
Of course I replied...."yes, part Ethiopian :)"

My son is a poopy mouth!!!!

so the upside of the sickness happening all around us is last night I happened to look over at the six year old who was apparently taking it upon himself to take his temperature orally with the thermometer I had just used on the wee one......RECTALLY!!!! And no it hadn't been cleaned yet. My first thought was "man I hope her giardia is completely gone" and amidst the laughing siblings, I quickly took him to the bathroom and did what every knowledgeable nurse practitioner would do, I made him rinse his mouth out with Listerine. Not sure if it killed the germs on contact but at least his mouth didn't smell like BUTT anymore :)

Ethiopian adoptions and we are still sick!!!

I can't help but praise God everyday for my beautiful daughter that I know was handpicked by God especially for us. She is so much like us, it's hard to explain. After reading the recent post about new happenings in the adoption arena I especially thankful the little one came home when she did. I must be naive but I had no clue all of the wrong doings were going on. I know there is bound to be some corruption to a certain extent, but was totally shocked to read the accounts of baby finders going into the villages.

I am hiring a PI to investigate into C's past to be able to tell her about it and hopefully make contact with her birth mother. I know nothing about her past except that she was relinquished and they could not find the mother again.

Oh and back to the sickness. Well after the pneumonia, the older boys all had the flu, and now as of two days ago little miss does also. I was so worried since she just recently recovered from pneumonia but it looks like the prayers are working because she isn't nearly as bad as my youngest son was with it. What I don't understand is all the boys had flu shots. Our ped. said there were a ton of positive flu's lately in kids that had received the flu shot. And although I have been completely worn out and exhausted from caring for sick kids the past two weeks, I am grateful that we live in a country where I can call up a Dr. for advice, walk over to my medicine cabinet and pull out what we need. I think about what it would have been like for little miss if she had pneumonia or the flu in the orphanage. At 7 1/2 month's old, she was only 8 lbs, full of intestinal parasites and I'm sure had a weakened immune system. I am not sure she would have lived through this at the orphanage. So while I am sad they are sick, I am very glad she is sick in my arms where she is being loved on continuously.

Drowning in sickiness!!!!

Yes, I said sickiness :( Blah! Blah! Blah!

Man I don't think our household has been this sick ever. So Cambria has recovered pretty much, she is up to 18.4 lbs, the little chunker, in size 4 diapers, and just rolled from front to back yesterday for the first time for her MAN. Hubby had her yesterday when she did it and he just happens to be the love of her life. It's so weird, all the boys have always been gaga over me, not her she is a little diva that adores her Daddy. She must have felt sorry for me that I didn't get to see this first so she repeated the performance after I came home for work.

The Little man who is 6 has been sick since last Saturday and this child never gets sick, I mean NEVER!!!!! Took him to the dr. today and he tested positive for flu B. Wish I handled the flu this well, unless his fever is rising he is still on the go and talking our heads off.

The 13 year old is sick also. I don't know what he has, I give up trying to diagnose. Probably a mild flu also even though he had the flu shot. Our Pediatrician told us today she is having tons of positive flu cultures even in kids that had the flu shot. I pray the little one doesn't now get the flu right after her pneumonia. She is too little for Tamiflu, but I am starting it, well because i am a Mom and as everyone knows, momma's just can't get sick. I don't have time !!!!!

The Ped. clinic has also had 75 positive pertussis (whooping cough) cases in children that were vaccinated. That is scary. The bugs are getting smarter!!!!

Total cuteness!!!!!!

My sick little princess :(

The sixteen year old was sick last week, you would have thought he was dying and little miss had a snotty nose. I thought M was much sicker than her. Well on Saturday we woke up and I noticed she was having some breathing issues when I would lay her flat to change her diaper. I took her to one of my long time friend who is a physician. When we arrived at the office her pulse ox was 94% and I immediately felt panic welling up inside of me. So after the chest x-ray we were looking at the films and there was a consolidation in the right middle lobe. Yep! The little one has pneumonia. So after a breathing tx. at the office her sats came back up to 100%
So we are doing antibiotics, steroids, and xopenex breathing treatments at home. I almost cried everytime I thought about her being sick for two days. It just hit me like a ton of bricks that had she been in Africa, I don't think she would have made it. I was overwhelmed by God's perfect timing to bring this precious girl home. She was the quiet one, never cried, or fussed and in an orphanage setting that isn't qualities you want to have. Because she was so meek and mild, she was overlooked, not played with, not messed with. When we brought her home at 7 month's old she weighed only 8 pounds. She had parasites and I am sure a weakened immune system. I don't think she would have made it to toddlerhood in the orphanage.

And her orphanage wasn't even a bad one. There are just so many kids and so many babies, that if you aren't complaining, you aren't getting the attention. We noticed the very vocal spunky ones were much farther ahead developmentally and nutritionally. What's the old saying, "The squeaky wheel gets the oil?"

So even though I am so sad that she is sick, I am also so very grateful that she is sick here. Here at home, with a Mommy, Daddy, brothers, and grandparents that love her more than anything in the world. Even with Pneumonia she is doing great. She now weighs 18 lbs, is sitting up by herself, and actually yelling when she wants something. All it took was love and attention to bring out her inner divaness :)