A couple days with Dad home!

Jason had Thursday and Friday off from school, it was so nice to have him around!  I know that the kids like him home too!  Tovin has really started to bond with Jason, they do guy things together, you know giggle at burps, talk man talk and make messes!

Today was so beautiful outside, we went on our first of many wagon rides for the season.  When Jason pulled the wagon out of the garage it was full of cobwebs and junk from the winter months.  I hate to admit it, but it's a great place to stash stuff that doesn't really have a home in the garage.  It was good to get it out and semi cleaned! 

We didn't go far, just down the road.   It turned out to be a little windy, not too bad for Southern Minnestoa, but a little windy for Tovin.  We don't want him to catch a cold!

Addison thought it was so much fun to have another person in the wagon with her.  She felt so very "cozy-rosey" with all the blankets and Tovin. 

 

 

Tovin's face doesn't show how much fun he was having...at this point he was making sure that dad knew how many bumps he was going over.  It was fun to hear Addison and him hum as the wagon went over bumps.  He loves to mimic her noises and some of her favorite words!  

 

Dad was the hero and pulled the two for the whole ride!  I thought we could go down the hill to check out if water was flowing under the bridge, but I guess I wasn't pulling the wagon!  We went to check out the dock instead. 

 

Addison was getting sort of nervous about seeing wild animals, cause we have so many wild animals here!  She wanted me to find a stick to fight off the wild animals, and to protect Tovin if they attacked us.  I'm not sure that little stick would have scared away any animals, but with her imagination I'm sure it would have!

From the looks of it, there will be no more ice skating for the winter!  There are many puddles out on the pond already.  It will be fun to have Tovin see how the pond changes in the spring. 

This walk turned into a nature walk for Addison.  She found some fabulous feathers that she wanted for her nature shelf.  She used to collect rocks on our walks...so feathers are good! 

Computer Issue and Dr. Visits!

Update on Tovin's health...

We rode to the Cities in an ambulance on last week at 1:30 am on Wednesday morning.  They diagnosed Tovin's extended belly with being constipated, not an issue from the procedure that was done.  Great news!  They decided to keep Tovin overnight as they did a few tests on him and also had two other specialist look at him.  We were able to leave on Thursday...the problem...I didn't have a car to go home in.  My mom drove up to rescue us!

When Dr. Rios discharged Tovin he told us he wanted Tovin back on Monday to check his pressures.  At this point what's another trip to the Cities?  Mom said she was willing to drive us up and back.  Thanks mom!  At our appointment on Monday, Dr. Rios came in and said that Tovin looked so good,  he was very impressed with his coloring!  He did put Tovin on a blood pressure medicine to help lower it, and also prescribed oxygen for him at night.  Dr. Rios mentioned that the surgeon was off for the week so he wasn't able to get Tovin on the surgery schedule until next week.  He was thinking that Tovin would have surgery in 10 days.  That would mean next Wednesday, April 3rd I think.

We will be going to the Cities again Easter Monday.  Jason is able to go with because there is no school!  It will be nice to have him there, I sometimes wonder if I hear everything that the doctor tells me.  We will have an exact date for surgery at this appointment.

Computer Update:

Last Wednesday I was heartbroken after my computer was accidentally drenched with apple juice.  I was more upset with myself for never backing up everything we had on the computer.  To be honest I didn't know how, so it wasn't something that ever got done.  We had four years of pictures of Addison, our trip to get Tovin and multiple other important files.  When Tovin was discharged from the hospital on Friday, mom and I went to the Uptown Apple store.  The "genus" behind the desk opened up the back of my computer, my heart was beating so hard, and I think I was about to cry because there was apple juice still in the battery compartment.  He wanted me to be prepared that the hard drive could have been affected as well.  He carefully unscrewed the plate that held in the hard drive (he could of done this a little faster!!!) and slowly pulled it out and at this point I wanted to just yank it out!  He had a huge smile on his face and said that it was dry!  I would have cried but he then said that he needed to bring it to the back to see if all of our information was still there.  He came out in about 2 minutes and said that everything looked good, and that they would be able salvage everything! 

Now, the question was do I fix the computer or do I purchase a new one?  I asked how much it would be to fix the "apple juice" Apple product that lie before him - ha!  The "genus" said around $700.00, but he wasn't able to give an exact amount because he didn't know the extent of the spill.  I decided to bite the bullet and get a new one.

I had to leave everything at the store with him to update and install on the new computer.  We didn't want to stick around for another 4 hours so I said that I would just pick it up on Monday after our appointment.  Before I left the Apple store I made sure all my pictures were on the new computer!  I was so relieved!  I now know how to back-up a computer!

Today Jason and I joined the 21st Century and hooked up the internet here at the house, apparently this is a pretty big deal! ;-)  The last time we had internet we lived at the lake and it was dial-up.  We haven't had access here at the house since we moved to the pond.  We haven't really missed it, but thought it was time!  It will make blogging so much easier to do it at home not having to go into the store or school!

Birthday Photos with a 3 and 5 Year Old!

Addison and Tovin's birthdays are only one day apart.  Tovin celebrated his 3rd birthday on Saturday, and Addison celebrated her 5th birthday on Sunday.  She was so excited that her birthday was on Sunday, and was even more excited when Pastor Gene had the congregation sing to her!

Each year I try to take a nice photo of Addison on her birthday.  I decided to take a picture of the two of them together for this years birthday photos.  This is what their birthday photos ended up looking like.  

As you can see Tovin totally adores his big sister, and can't keep his hands off of her.  He loves to tickle her in her sweet spot...right under her chin.  How does he already know this?

We took a quick break to regroup, and this is the photo I was able to get.  Then...

...this is what happened, again!

Addison and Tovin bring so much joy to our lives!  Happy Birthday to our beautiful children!

Dump Truck, Red Barn and Fashion Beauty!

I would have to say Tovin and I love Fischer Price Little People toys!  They have been pure joy for Tovin!  He loves to load up his little truck and dump!  His cargo can consist of anything that fits in the back...legos, crayons, objects from other toys, Mr. Potato Head's accessories,... this list could go on and on.  It has provided many hours of fun!  Thanks Fischer Price for your little dump truck!

Tovin will say, "Momma" as loud as he can, point to his cargo that he's just picked up, smile at me, dump the truck, and then giggle with delight.  I could watch him play forever!

Tovin also enjoys his little red barn.  He has more fun opening and closing the barn's doors to hear the animal sounds.  He is very particular where he places the animals.  If I put the animals in the wrong spot (according to him) he will move them to where he wants them to be.  

Also, he loves to show his cute little tummy.  His tummy is so much better - thanks for all the prayers on that one!  We have figured out the trick to his happiness...it's called 2.5 ML of Sennoside in the morning!

Our fashion beauty....Addison...went on a father/daughter date this past weekend.  They went to the local production of "That's Entertainment".  This is what she put on for the special occasion.  I asked her a couple of times if she really wanted to wear this beautiful outfit...ummmm, she did!  I had to take a picture to show her significant other some day!  They really enjoyed the show, and she has been singing songs from the show all week.  It's crazy, she had never heard some of them before and she has a couple songs down word for word!

A package from Grandma and Grandpa Kainz

Addison and Tovin were excited to receive a big box all the way from Thief River Falls.  It was full of gifts from Grandpa and Grandma Kainz for their birthdays and also Easter.  Addison ran to the drawer and grabbed a pair of scissors, she had it open in no time.

Tovin's favorite gift was the Easter treats; he loves candy!  We are really trying hard to follow the doctor's orders of limiting the sugar consumption...we can start that tomorrow!

 

Addison's favorite gift was the fun gift of one dollar bills.  She thought that she was rich.  She was very generous with her birthday money.  She gave Tovin $3.00 for being 3 years old, and $3.00 to the church audio fund. (she saw the envelope on the church pew and put her offering money in it!)

Tovin thought is was really cool to have some paper to play with!

Thanks for sending the package; they both LOVED it!

Fried Laptop Anyone?

Jen's been wanting to order a new laptop for about a year now, after last night, her wish may come true!  

If you've been following our blog since we picked Tovin up in China, one of his ways to deal with frustration is to throw things.  Apparently at some point last night in the hospital room, while he had a full juice box sitting within his reach, he must have had one of his fits of frustration and tossed his apple juice box.  Needless to say, we may be getting a new computer!  Jen said it landed squarely on the keyboard and before she could get to it, had emptied over half of it's contents directly into the body of the computer.  

She called me in a panic because we have so much information on that computer (all of Addison's pictures since the day we started our journey to her all the way through present day - and I'm pretty sure we are naive enough to think that we had no need to have a back up of that stuff on a flash drive!), and was thinking that I would know what to do.  Better luck next year computer!!!

When I asked her how much actually spilled on the keyboard and if she thought it would actually ruin the computer she said she was guessing that sizzling sounds and a little bit of smoke coming through the keyboard along with the fact it wouldn't turn back on when she tried, wasn't good.  My response was, "hmmmm, you've been wanting a new computer!"

She wanted me to do something...from 3 hours away!?!  She said, "Look it up online and tell me if there's anything we could do."  I found that the best suggestions to save your laptop if and when "you",  in our case, "your upset Chinese adopted son that doesn't understand English yet, has been in and out of the hospital 4 times in the last 8 days, been poked and prodded by over a dozen doctors and nurses, is suffering from constipation and shows a bit of frustration by throwing whatever he can get his tiny little hands on" spill liquid on your laptop's keyboard are to:

1. remove the battery as soon as possible after the incident (already way past "as soon as possible" for the possibility of saving our laptop!)

2. remove the memories - whatever that means (I'm guessing that means to manually remove the hard-drive, and good luck to me trying to explain this to Jen over the phone, being that I don't even know what one looks like and or how to remove it even if I had the computer sitting right in front of me!)

3. Place the battery-less, memories-less computer in a bag of rice and wait.  Ok, so I didn't find this suggestion on the internet, but that seems to be the solution for any type of electronic gadget that gets wet, right?

I called Jen back and told her what the internet said.  All I can say is that I'm hoping the computer shop in town call pull stuff off the hard-drive!!!

Oh, Tovin is having another ultrasound this morning on his abdomen to see if there are any other obstructions in his bowels that would be causing his constipation, and or if they can see anything else of concern needing attention.  If nothing is of concern it sounds like Tovin will be allowed to leave sometime after the ultrasound has been read.  I'm sure they will keep him on some sort of stool softener or laxative for a period of time, but other than that I hoping to see them get home with Grandma Linda yet this afternoon.

If I hear anything I'll update.  Otherwise, have a wonderful day!

Really?

Tovin and I had returned home from the Cities yesterday just in time to pick Addison up from Preschool.  It was great to be home and to see her, and I'm sure Tovin was excited that he was finally wire free!  Our afternoon and evening was uneventful, except for Addison's conferences for school at 6:45.

On our way home from conferences we noticed that Tovin's car seat was tighter than normal.  Not thinking too much about it, Jason just made it bigger for him.  I remember thinking it was almost too loose when we left the cities yesterday morning...it should have triggered some thought, but didn't.

When we got home I forgot to check the car seat or Tovin, we just started winding down for the night.  When I put Tovin's pj's on I noticed that his bellybutton was no longer an inny, but was now an "outy", and that his stomach looked like all the Buddha statues we saw in China.  When I touched his belly it was very hard and he whimpered!

We decided to call Children's to ask if this was common after the procedure that he had done on Monday.  They suggested going to the emergency room and having his blood checked and an x ray taken of his belly.

We bundled him up and brought him to the Tracy emergency room around 10:00 last night.  Tovin again did well, but was not excited to be there.  The nurses and doctor on call noticed that his belly was extended, I was wondering if it was just in my head that his belly was so big!  They took his blood and found out that his labs and stats were consistent with what they were at Children's.  He had an x ray done, and it didn't seem to show anything.  They were concerned that maybe Tovin was bleeding from his procedure earlier; this fluid wouldn't show up on the x ray. The doctor in Tracy called Children's back; they decided it would be best if Tovin was admitted to Children's ICU right away.

Jason and I were trying to decide who was going to take him to the Cities, or if we should just both go.  At this point it was well past midnight and I had turned into a pumpkin!  The nurse came back into the emergency room and said that she was going to have us start filling out transport papers.  I soon understood that Tovin was going to be transported by ambulance.  I woke up really fast after hearing that, and asked if I could just drive him.  I don't think me driving him would've been safe, but did he really need to be transported by ambulance?  When I think of an ambulance, I picture a speeding vehicle with lights flashing and a very sick patient in the back receiving CPR.   Tovin didn't seem really sick, other than his belly being Buddha sized.

I've never been in an ambulance and I'm sure Tovin hasn't either; it was a first for both of us!  The Tracy Ambulance crew was really great and took really good care of us!  They wrapped us up tight with a warm blanket, strapped us to the bed and hoisted us into the back.  Off we went, Tovin fell asleep right away and I soon followed.  Tovin woke up as we were turning into Children's Hospital.  For those of you who haven't had the experience of traveling in an ambulance...they are like riding in the back of a school bus!

The team of doctors and nurses at Children’s came into Tovin's room as soon as we arrived, and noticed his belly, felt around and listened to it.  They didn't think his belly was due to the procedure that he had done the day before; their guess was constipation...yep constipation!  Tovin's diet has completely changed from what it was in the orphanage, he loves bananas, he's been under stress, he has a girly potty chair (Addison's pink Dora chair), and he has had some pain medicine.  I totally get it!

Since Tovin is here, Dr. Rios has ordered more labs and also a consult with the hematologist (knowledge for the upcoming surgery) and also the gastroenterologists (to make sure everything is working correctly down there).  The way it seems Tovin will have had every part of his body checked out before we leave! 

When I look back on these past two days I have to giggle!  I'm so glad that it wasn't something more serious, and it will be a great story to tell him someday!  So now I'm in the Cities without a car not knowing when Tovin and I will be able to go home.  

Update:  Tovin has relieved himself!  Ha ha...

Happy Napping,

Jen and Tovin

Glorious Food and News!

I went down to be with Tovin while he woke up.  He was not in the best of moods because he had to be flat on his back.  He wanted to be up and playing with the trucks and tractors.  I was able to lay in the bed with him, hoping that it would calm him down.  The fabulous nurse gave in a tiny bit and allowed him to sit up slightly.  He was happy for about 5 minutes.  He looked at her again and batted his eye at her...she put him up a little more.  By the time we left the unit, he was sitting up.  I guess I'm not the only one that gives in to him!  He totally has won the nurses over!

When we returned to our room, I ordered a variety of food for him (he wasn't able to eat or drink anything during the night so he was hungry!), but he fell asleep before the food arrived.  I was being wise with my choices of food for him; a chicken breast, vegetables, rice, noodles, a cheese stick, ice cream and a banana.  I think that Tovin ate some of the rice and a couple bites of the chicken...

As you can see from the pictures, he wanted his Frosted Flakes, fruit roll up and GoGurt.  Dr. Rios came in and just giggled at him, and reassured me that it was okay!  I didn't tell him about the four apple juice boxes he had already consumed!  Do you see the joy on his face?  The lab tech comes in at 8:00 tonight to do labs one last time, I hope they don't take his blood sugar!  If they do I will have to confess again, I'm sure Tovin will just smile at the lab tech, and everything will be alright!  

The team, I should say herd, of doctors and nurses conduct rounds in the morning, and also late in the afternoon.  The morning round were a little overwhelming for Tovin.  I'm sure they all saw the horror on his face.  This afternoon they decided to talk outside our room.  They are being really cautious with Tovin, and understand the adoption rule.  The nurses are allowing me to do as much as I can for Tovin!  

When Dr. Rios came back in after rounds, he mentioned that he talked with the other doctors...they are going to case him this Thursday and not going to wait until the 28th!  He felt it was necessary to get this done as soon as possible.  Please pray for guidance for the team while they discuss Tovin and the other little one on Thursday!  The team has a very difficult job ahead of them, there are many decisions to be made.

I've had so much time to think today, and admire Tovin for being so very strong.  His little body has had enough for a couple of days, but you would never guess it by his silliness!  We are so lucky that Tovin has a fighting spirit and a will to go on.  There is no rhyme or reason why Tovin has survived these past three years in an orphanage with very little medical care.  It is a miracle!

Were going to go make our evening rounds!

Good Night from Room 4119!

PRAISE GOD!

Tovin is still in the procedure, but Dr. Rios just came to talk to me...He said, "Tovin's pressures and numbers look great!  They are workable, and the lungs are being protected!"  He said that he is going to present Tovin to the surgical team next Thursday (28th).  The team of surgeons will come up with a plan that works for everyone!  We have three options...I'm so thankful that we have options!  Dr. Rios would have presented Tovin this Thursday, but they already have a little one scheduled.  They take these discussions very serious, look at every option, and really go through everyone's opinion.

I will be coming home with Tovin today, if the weather permits us to travel!  We will wait to hear from Dr. Rios, and then schedule surgery.  I am at peace waiting, I know that Tovin will be fine at home.  We will keep him happy with all of his treats that he loves!

Thanks for the prayers!

A Sea of Blue Shirts

Tovin and I came up to Children's yesterday afternoon.  It was my first solo, long trip with Tovin, I'm sure there will be more to come in the future.  It went so well for both of us.  Tovin had an amazing nap, and I had some time to myself.  We both made it to the hospital in great spirits!  

 After we registered, one of the nurses escorted us to our home away from home, (the nurses here are so accommodating, I’m so thankful for that)!  We had some time before Tovin was hooked up to an IV and all of the monitors, so I walked and he rode the halls, and said “Hi!” to all of the nurses!  I think that Tovin likes to ride the halls because of all the attention he gets from the nurses and other families that are on the floor!  They all think he is so handsome!

 I’m so impressed with how Tovin is handling all of this change.  He is constantly watching what the nurses are doing to him, and then turns his head to look at me and makes a soft whimper sound.  If he was able to speak English he would be saying, “Momma, why are they doing this to me again?”  He just snuggles his little head into my neck, closes his eyes, and puts his hand over my heart.  It breaks my heart that he has to go through all of this.  He should be running and playing like other 2 year old boys!

 We passed our time with bubbles, the doodle board, reading Good Night Gorilla, riding the halls, and of course he had a spa date with mom.  It cracks me up how much he loves the lotion and the pampering!  I swear he can tell when I’m about to be done rubbing one of his hands.  He will push his body forward, look into my eyes and grunt.  Of course I continued rubbing his hand.  He so has me figured out!  Tovin also found the lip balm they had in our welcome bag, that was a great help during the middle of the night! 

The team of blue, about 10 doctors and nurses, came into the room this morning at 8:00 to go over Tovin’s condition, and what was on Tovin’s schedule for the day.  When Tovin saw all of the doctors he looked at me with the saddest face!  He knew something was about to happen.  The doctors are very concerned about this hemoglobin level (21.6) and blood pressure 151 over 103.  The anesthesiologist mentioned that his hemoglobin level is the highest he has every seen in his 25 years of working.  For the heart condition that Tovin has the doctors want his hemoglobin level at around 12 to 14…18 at the max!   Tovin’s level is a tad bit off! 

They prepped Tovin for his procedure, and also educated me.  I have total faith in Tovin’s team of doctors, they are very thorough, and talk through every scenario that might happen, and what they would do if it did happen.  Everyone is on the same page!  

Tovin left with the doctors about an hour ago.  I just received a phone call from Wendy that all is going well, but the procedure is moving along slowly.  Wendy mentioned that I should receive another call in about an hour. 

I will post what the doctors find out later today.  Thank you for all the kind words on e-mail, text messages, facebook – sorry I don’t really check my facebook, but I do get an e-mail when you post- and Tovin’s blogspot. 

Blessings,

Jen J

The roller coaster ride begins

March 15^th – sorry this is a long post…

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster we've been on for the past three weeks or so!  However, the past two days have been especially stressful for Tovin and ourselves; and the beginning to what is surly going to be a difficult road ahead. 

Tovin had his first appointment with Dr. Rios at the Children’s Heart Clinic in the Minneapolis.  We went up on Thursday morning, meaning to leave by 7:00 for our 3 hour drive to make sure we had plenty of time before his 10:45 appointment.  However, Jason’s eyes finally opened enough to look at the clock and it read 6:52; needless to say we had to hustle to…get Addison out the door for preschool (those who know Addison, she is not the speediest girl in the world), get Tovin up, to the bathroom, dressed, Henry off to his doggy daycare (to Grandma and Grandpa’s house), and the two of us still had to semi-get ready.  We were out the door at 7:50.  We made it to the clinic at 10:35…we made great time!

The first part of Tovin’s appointment was in the EKG room.  They first weighed and measured Tovin, he is a whopping 23 pounds and is 34 inches tall.  Then they hooked him up to the EKG machine.  He was amazing, he was so still, and just took it all in.  He loves to be pampered and taken care of.  If the nurse had lotion he would have lifted up his feet for her to rub them.  The nurse was really great and reassured us that they do amazing things at this clinic.  The day really started out on a great note!

Our next stop was in the cardiac imaging room, where they do Electrocardiographs   The cardio sonogram specialist told us that this typically takes about 20 minutes, a little bit longer if the heart isn't easy to take pictures of.  Tovin sat on my lap, and Jason was in charge of entertaining Tovin with bubbles, licorice, books and just being silly.  It didn't take long and Tovin fell asleep, that’s how entertaining Jason was.  The twenty minutes came and went, and after another 20 minutes or so the specialist said that he needed get a co-worker for a fresh pair of eyes, no big deal right?  The co-worker came in and they were discussing Tovin’s heart with words that you typically don’t hear everyday – we didn't have a clue what they were talking about, but it didn't sound read good.  We knew Tovin had heart issues, but none of what they said was sounding familiar.  After some discussion they called in Dr. Rios for his opinion.

"I'm fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14 

Dr Rios took a couple minutes studying a few of the images that had been taken and the first words out of his mouth were actually easy to understand because they weren't full of technically jargon, they weren't real reassuring, but they were easy to understand.  He first comment was, “Oh my!”  What we got from the conversation was that Tovin’s heart is on the wrong side of his body, his top two chambers are correctly made and beautiful (score Tovin!), but along with his bottom two chambers they are also rotated 180 degrees; and they couldn't find his pulmonary artery (PA).  They were totally perplexed by Tovin’s imperfect, but beautifully created heart.  They decided to have an X-Ray done to see if they could find the PA.  So to the X-Ray room we went.

The X-Ray was very quick and easy, we just had to take Tovin’s shirt off again and set him in the plastic mold they have for little kids.  He did perfect – would've only been more perfect if lotion was involved!  They were able to get a great picture, but still they couldn't find the PA.  By this time we came to fully understand that a PA is a necessary part of the heart, and were somewhat concerned! 

We were asked to go back to the patient room to discuss the results.  Dr. Rios is a very positive and encouraging doctor, and we knew that he wasn't going to distort the truth.  He said that he was very disappointed with the findings, and that he didn't know by the Echo-cardiogram readings if Tovin’s heart condition was correctable.  He said that it was very serious, and that Tovin has a very complicated heart condition.  He decided that he wanted us to go down to the lab to have blood tests done to find out his hemoglobin numbers (high numbers are bad), and to come back tomorrow for a Cardio CT scan.  He said that he could admit Tovin to the ICU for the night or we could go home (my Grandma Doris’ house which is only about two miles from the hospital) with him since he has lived with this condition for almost three years already, and he should be fine.

We walked to the lab in shock, heartbroken and confused.  Tovin did amazing once more… didn't even flinch.  I about died as I hate needles and he was sitting on my lap.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "...plans to give you hope and a future." 

Jeremiah 29:11

We decided to go to Grandma’s for the night; I’m not sure we were ready to face the fact that the hospital will be our home away from home soon enough.  We needed to return some stuff at the Mall of America so we headed there for the afternoon.  While at the mall we received a phone call about the procedure for tomorrow.  While on the phone, I kept having missed calls ring in my ear.  I finally hung up with the scheduler, when I received a call from Dr. Rios telling us that he wanted to admit Tovin to the hospital yet that night, and that we needed to be there ASAP.  His hemoglobin numbers were extremely high, and they were concerned for his health.  We quickly got back to the hospital; the nurses got us to our room for the night, and immediately started him on an IV, and gave him oxygen.  We sat for a couple minutes digesting what had happened throughout the day and what it all meant, but Tovin seemed to be un-phased and not too upset about being poked and everything else he had been through during the day so we were quickly up and walking the halls pushing a stroller with our little guy hooked to an IV cart.  They are set up with everything a family could possible need.  There are wagons, kid sized cars, and strollers, whatever one might need to walk the halls.  Tovin loves to be on the move, so we basically walked a marathon with him last night.  Once he was satisfied with his ability to walk the halls with his eyes closed, we went back to the room.  When transferring him to the bed he reached out for me, so of course I crawled in with him.  He quickly put his tiny arm around me and went to sleep.  It was probably the most peaceful he has slept since we've been home.

We all got up early for his CT scan.  They had to sedate him for this procedure, which they did in the room.  He handled the sedation very well, and then they transported him to the CT scanner, which is at Abbott Northwest Hospital.  About an hour later they came to get us, Tovin was in the recovery room and was starting to wake up.  Tovin was so funny when he was waking up.  He would look at us and yell, “momma!” and then give the nurse the stink eye.  He wanted nothing to do with her, and wanted to get out of the room!

We were waiting for Dr. Rios to come with the news, praying for the best, but preparing for the worst.  This wait seemed like an eternity.  We went through so many scenarios if the news was not what we hoped for.  We knew that no matter what the diagnosis, Tovin is our son and we would go on loving him for however long he was meant to be with us.  Dr. Rios came in the room with a huge smile on his face and said, “Yes, we have everything we need to fix his heart!”  I don’t think that I heard anything after that.  He did say that his heart condition is very rare, and the surgery will be very complicated.  They had found Tovin's PA; they didn't see it on the scans before because it is not attached to the heart like it should be and it has such a low blood supply it wasn't showing up.  It is far from the diagnosis of Tetralogy of Fallot, like we thought.  I asked him to slowly tell us what was wrong with Tovin’s heart.

We are totally trusting you.  "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

He started the list…here we go…

            - His heart on the right (the incorrect) side of his body…that’s minor!

            - L-Transposition of the Great Vessels (basically his heart is flipped 180 degrees)

            - Pulmonary Atresia (lack of the pulmonary valve)

            - Ventricular Septal Defect-VSD (one or more holes in the wall that separate the left and right  

             ventricles of the heart – this is very common!)

            - Non-confluent (not attached) Pulmonary Arteries, being fed by lateral ductus.

            - Right Aortic Arch- this is a rare anatomical variant in which the Aortic Arch is on the right side

             rather than the left.  This is very uncommon, about 0.01% of all heart defects.

All of these words are foreign to us, but I know that they will soon become part of our medical vocabulary.  Jason and I went into this special needs adoption blindly.  We saw Tovin’s beautiful face and knew that he was to be in our family.  We knew that he had a CHD, and that it was diagnosed as TOF.  There was a question mark behind the TOF – I guess we should have checked into the question mark.  All of the doctors we had look at his scans in the states said that it looked minor and that it looked correctable.  We went with it!

I’m so glad that we didn't know the whole extent of Tovin’s heart condition.  If we did we might have never met him.  This condition would scare anyone away.  I hate to admit it, but it defiantly would have scared us away.  Sometimes it is better to go into a special needs adoption blindly, to just trust God and know that he will guide you through anything that might pop up.  Tovin is amazing, and I can’t wait to share his spunk with everyone.  We have a long road ahead of us, but we are up to it. 

We start the next leg of this long, curvy, and hilly emotional roller coaster this Sunday night…Tovin will be admitted to have an IV for fluids and a shot of oxygen.  They are going to catheterize his heart on Monday morning to test the pressures in his heart at each valve; this will give the doctors more information to help with the next step.  Most likely Tovin will have his first of three, possibly more, open-heart surgeries next week – yep next week!  During the first surgery they plan on fixing the separation of the Pulmonary Artery. 

We are totally breaking the number one adoption rule by jumping into these medical procedures of not introducing him to strangers too soon.  However, we truly believe that he has bonded to us and knows that we are his parents, and at this point his heart is the most important thing.  We are very concerned about his health so if the doctors would have said that we could have waited until summer we would have defiantly waited.

These next weeks, months, whatever it ends up being, we will need many prayers.  I will be in the Cities basically full time with Tovin.  Jason will be at home taking care of Addison and working.  Someone needs to work to pay for all the Frosted Flakes, GoGurt Yogurt, Ritz Crackers, Oscar Meyer Baloney, Gatorade, and Super Long Licorice Nibs that Tovin eats.  Not necessarily the healthiest diet, but we’re doing whatever it take to keep him happy!

"May God grant you always...a sunbeam to warm you...a moonbeam to charm you...a sheltering angel so nothing can harm you...laughter to cheer you...faithful friends near you...and whenever you pray, heaven to hear you." An Irish Blessings Quote

As I’m sitting here typing about our two days, Tovin has taken off his socks and lifted his feet up to me, pointed to the tub of lotion and grunted….I totally know what that means, “Mom, get off the computer and rub my feet.”  Jason came to the rescue, and while dad is rubbing his feet he is rubbing lotion on his face.  Really, this boy loves to be pampered.  Everyday around here is like a spa, and I’ll pamper him every chance I get.  With everything he’s going to experience in the next year or two of his live, he so deserves it.

Tovin is amazing and God is Great.  I’m so glad that we named you Tovin…because God is Great, and that’s what your name means!  We love you!  Mom, Dad, and Addison.

Keep the prayers coming,

The Kainz Family.  Jason, Jen, Addison, and Tovin. 

Tuesday, March 12

On our flight home from Hong Kong to Chicago last Friday we were privilege to an experience something only Dr. Emmett Brown thought was possible before he developed the Flux Capacitor in 1985; we traveled back in time.  Yes, that is correct, I said we traveled back in time.  The only difference was that we didn’t use a fancy Flux Capacitor or a DMC 12 DeLorean, there was just a nice tailwind pushing us along.  So Jen, Addison, Tovin, and myself along with a little over 380 other people on that same flight that left Hong Kong at 11:10am Friday morning March 8^th arrived in Chicago at 11:02am Friday morning March 8^th.  If that isn’t the definition of time travel I don’t know what is! 

By the time we finally made it home we had spent over 26 hours in transit, and were happy to be home safe and sound.  Considering all the issues that could have taken place with Tovin’s health being at the center of our concerns, everything went better than expected and was fairly uneventful.  Everything, that is, except the take-off from Hong Kong and then again from Chicago.  Neither one was too tense, but Tovin pretty much passed out; we weren’t sure if was from the lack of oxygen or from his exhaustion.  We just had to calm ourselves as we kept on eye on his continued steady breathing which was never in question. 

We’ve been home for four days already and we’ve had many joys and successes during these days.  We have also had some tough nights of Addison and Tovin trying to get over jet lag.  The other night Tovin finally fell asleep at 2:20am only to have Addison, who was in our room as well sleeping on the floor (I won’t tell you where she was sleeping, but it was on Henry’s bed!), roll over and say, “Daddy, I’m ready to get up cause I’m no longer sleeping.  Can we go play Barbie’s?”

During the bonding process of mom and son I’ve had a few opportunities to play Barbie’s with Addison, so the other night wasn’t my only recent exposure!  We’ve also played Mario Cart on the Wii, started teaching her how to juggle, worked on her spitting (don’t worry grandma’s, it’s so she can start brushing her teeth with big kid tooth paste), and played “Addison” billiards: where I put the pool ball in front of her pool cue in line with a pocket.  Then she says, “all I have to do is concentrate, take my time, …aim…, then hit the ball.”  It goes in almost every time.  What can I say, she’s a natural!

Just so you know, I’ve started the bonding process with Tovin as well.  However, as with some of the many processes involved with adoption, the bonding of one parent as the “mom” is the most important bond that can be made (in the adoption culture the parent that will spend the most amount of time with the child in the first six months after adoption is considered the “mom” whether that is the mom or the dad).  In this case that would be Jen with my going back to work next week and with her being able to stay at home with Tovin until next September. 

We’re adjusting as a family unit quite well.  Tovin seems to be learning new things everyday.  He still isn’t saying too many words, but more are starting to form as he figures out what the English word is for something he knows in Mandarin.  He doesn’t say what he thinks it should be, but you can just tell that he’s thinking, “now wait, that’s not what it’s called; why are you calling it that and not what I know it is.”  At times this transition has been frustrating for him but he seems to be responding better than most of us would in his situation.  Jen and I are thinking that this may be causing him to experience what seem to be short-lived periods of grief.  On more than one occasion he has just started moaning and quietly crying like he did in the first couple of hours on gotcha day, but with no apparent reason; this is our best and only explanation.  Even though we knew that this process was something we’d have to go through together, it doesn’t make it any easier to watch him go through these tough times.

We will be updating the blog every now and then to let everyone know how Tovin does in his upcoming doctors appointments.  His first is in two days, this Thursday, with Dr. Rios at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis with the specialized cardiovascular program.  We don’t fully know what will come from this first visit, other than they will be evaluating Tovin’s heart to make their own diagnosis, beyond Addison’s diagnosis of “blue blooditis”.  In visiting with Dr. Rios before we left to get Tovin, he said that he would most likely perform a cardiac catherterization. During this procedure, the Dr. inserts a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin, then guides it up to the inside of the heart.  They inject a dye and then take x-rays to see the structure of the heart.  The catheter also measures blood pressures at each value and oxygen levels of the blood coming into and leaving the heart. 

Thanks for following along with us,

The Kainz Family J