Three Weeks Home

Hi! Sorry everyone who is following this blog. I haven't felt good since I've been home and definitely haven't kept up on the blog like I meant to.

First, I will tell you why I have been sick. I went to the clinic last Tuesday with a lump in my throat that I thought was a swollen gland from the Strep throat that we had when we first came home that just wouldn't go away. I see a nurse practitioner and she thought it could be thyroid and called in a doctor and he also thought it was thyroid. She ordered blood tests for hemoglobin, infection and thyroid. She called me back later that day and said the first two were negative, but that my thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism). The symptoms that go along with thyroid are racing heart, shakiness, being hot, emotional lability, irritability, sadness, fatigue, but inability to sleep and weight loss. All of which I have!! I just didn't notice them because I thought it was all from the stress of the adoption. I even told Monte a few days before I was diagnosed that I thought I had post adoption depression. That is how bad I was feeling and even though I am a medical transcriptiontion and my sister has thyroid problems, I didn't even think of thyroid!! I can't believe I didn't put that together!! It doesn't make me feel better physically and with the racing heart, I still feel like I am about to spin out of control, but I am glad to have a diagnosis instead of just thinking I was going crazy!! I had an ultrasound last Wednesday and it is a goiter, which I guess is just a thyroid nodule and I see an endocrinologist tomorrow to see about treatment and whether or not I need to have it removed. I have read with goiters that they don't always need to be removed. At first it was very painful, but now it only hurts a little. I am just hoping for some treatment to feel "normal" again!!

Enough about me, you want to know about the kids anyway!! They are doing really well. They still sleep good at night. They are eating almost everything. Usually three out of four like what we make of each thing, so there isn't anything we have come across that they really don't like. Thet mostly dislike hot dishes (casseroles) and homemade soup. I can understand the hotdishes, I don't think they had much of anything like that in Ukraine. I am surprised about the soup since they ate borsch everyday. Maybe that is why, it smells too much like borsch. When we were there and they served it at the orphanage we stayed at, the kids wouldn't touch the borsch. Maybe they just didn't like it, but had to eat it everyday or maybe they were tired of it. They do like Campbell's soup, I have made chicken noodle soup and bean and bacon and they wanted more of that "borsch."

They still like playing outside a lot. At first, they did a lot of sliding on the hill, but most of the snow has gone away and it isn't very fast anymore. Then, they played a lot on the deck. Ryan found an old rusy bike in the junk pile, but he loves it!! He acts like he found a treasure. He can't ride it (and he won't let us help him), but he pushes it around the yard and on the deck. Korey also let them use his scooter, which they also ride around on on the deck. It makes a lot of noise, but they love it. We are finally making some headway with their fear of dogs. At first, we had the dogs come in when the kids go outside, but the dogs quit coming in as it got warmer out. We have an invisible fence and it is routed so that the dogs can't get on the sidewalk or the deck. That is why the kids played on the deck so much. Now, they are venturing off and will go up and pet Teddy. They are still scared of the "chordnare sabacka." (black dog) Buddy isn't black, but dark brown and he is big and a little more energetic than Teddy, but he steers clear of them most of the time anyway and chews on deer horns out in the yeard. I hope we are making headway anyway, so the kids will play outside this summer with the dogs outside. They do go up and pet Teddy, but he sometimes gives them doggy kisses and they run away again. I hope this trend continues and they will be more comfortable with dogs.

Learning English has been slow. They are only saying a few words. I think with talking Russian to each other, they don't feel the need to learn English. We do make them say please when they want things at the dinner table and they are getting better about saying please than just pointing and grunting and they also say thank you. They do say bye-bye and night-night. Ryan can count to 10. At the dinner table, they give us a thumbs up if they like it. I mean each kid has to give us a thumbs up, to Monte and I separately and we must acknowledge it or it will go on and on forever!! ;0) (Its nice that they are liking what we serve.)

Kamron came over on Saturday and got to meet his new brothers and sisters. He stayed most of the day and played with them. I am not sure that they understand that he is their brother, but they like him. Korey is down in the cities doing some training for his new job. It will sure be different in our house again when he moves. I miss him already!!

I can't think of anything more to say right now. Please let me know what topics you would like to hear about!!

Monte hurt his back and is in a lot of pain. Please pray for both of us to be feeling better so that we can play with and have patience with our kids that they deserve!! I get tired easy with my racing heart, but I am going to go out now and try to throw a ball with the kids. I think they are getting tired of the dogs and the deck. I will try not to wait so long between posts and hope to write soon, if I don't have a heart attack that is!! Again, we would appreciate your prayers for our health!!