Great Report!

The post-op visit with Dr. Bryant went GREAT! Mary had just a bit of clotting around the tubes which was typical - more ear drops to clear it up but she has truly turned the corner as you can see!!!! We had the audiologist create some custom ear plugs for Mary in the bath as well as when she goes swimming - of course, Mary helped make them and she loves them!

The Valentines photos are sweet although you can tell Mary is still a little tuckered but today, this morning as I took her to school she really seems to be coming along as she always has, with the exception that she truly hears better! The Dr. stated that the additional fluid that came out of her ear probably contributed to an additional 30 decibel DECREASE in her hearing before so hey - we can tell its made a big difference and Mary can too!

March 2nd is the Cochlear Implant consult for her left ear so we'll see where we go from there. In the meantime, Mary is feeling better, hearing better, we're increasing our speech and signing efforts and loving that she sleeps better! Enjoy the pictures!!!!

Mary perking up with her Valentine Box

Mary REALLY perking up with Chrisopher!!!!

'Lil Momo hanging tough, eating Valentine snacks!

Mary in the kitchen with GeeGee making Sweetheart Sugar Cookies - workin' hard!!!

What a great BAKER!!!!

Dada's home!!!!!

All flirty before school this morning!!! YEA!!!!!

She's Rockin' Along!

I would just love to offer you a glimpse of the most delightful, sweet and endearing photos I took the morning of Mary’s surgery but as fate would have it – my electronically inclined, ever curious little genius of a girl deleted the card file in my camera.

Yep, nothing……nada…..I mean, EVERY picture, every highlight of my life with Mary and Robert and family that I captured on this camera since last November is gone forever!!! The good news is that before Mary’s surgery, I DID download them to our computer. The bummer news is that Mary deleted them AND pictures I took of our brief hospital stay the day after her surgery. No “Mary’s Surgery” pictures!!! I mean, hey – I didn’t even get a chance to download what few pics I had at the hospital and she gets her hot little hands on the camera and with one touch of her finger….gone.
So now that I’ve grieved my photogenic loss, onto the update!!!!
     The morning of the surgery, we get our sleepy head up and dressed in her favorite Disney Princess pajamas that her Aunt Nancy got her. We drove in the dark to the hospital and by that time, Mary was just excited and chatting up a storm, oohing and aahing at the tall buildings, we were all shivering and holding hands in the dark together as we entered what felt like a tomb of a hospital. Kind of eerie getting there that early with hardly anyone around.

    We register and get comfortable in our little room where Mary readily took her “kiddy sedative”….none for Mama or Dada! So we’re taking pictures (that we don’t have anymore) Mary is getting really comfortable and ‘they’ come in, put the bed rails up and advise us to kiss her and tell her “goodbye”. I about fell out – no they didn’t just use the “G” word?!?!?!??! We kiss her and her lower lip starts to quiver bad and she starts crying – loudly! I tell her “we’ll see you later” but she doesn’t hear that, she kicks the covers off, sits straight up in bed and starts to holler and the nurses book out of the room with our baby girl wailing all the way down the hall! I start to cry only because she’s scared and I try to imagine what she’ll think of everything, how she'll think of us, seeing how she woke up happy and excited and is wheeled off by strangers only to wake up feeling like crap! Its not like we could explain what was about to happen to a 4 year old with normal hearing – Mary is just now learning language and how to communicate so we did the best we could…which as a new parent, I’m realizing that our 'very best' sometimes doesn’t feel like it’s enough, especially regarding this event in Mary’s life. So we pray for God’s grace and mercy – LOTS OF IT!

    Waiting, reading and texting our loved ones regarding Mary’s status, time passed with ease and before we knew it, Dr. Bryant comes in with a smile on his face to let us know how it all went down. He informs us that it was “textbook” surgery which meant, that it went fairly perfect! PRAISE THE LORD! He stated that there was hardly any bleeding, that her adenoids were HUGE so the removal of them opened up her airway quite a bit! When the tubes were inserted in her ears, a significant amount of fluid came out, especially out of her right ear which is her strong ear! We could tell Dr. Bryant was glad to give us this good news. So our little Momo had to wait in recovery just a little longer and then she’d be coming back to us! We thanked Dr. Bryant profusely (– he’s really had Mary’s best interest all along, we are so grateful for his sense of urgency and compassion on our daughter) and as the conversation closes and the Dr. leaves, I thank God out loud, kiss Robert on the lips and we are both beside ourselves – we just cannot wait ‘til Mary gets back!

        Eventually, Mary is rolled back into our room looking very pitiful and scared. Robert and I bend over her bed to tell her how much we love her and she sees us and starts crying. I can tell she’s still scared and wonder if she feels betrayed. I think she did. At any rate, Mary had a couple of bouts of nausea and vomiting so the additional recovery time back in the room took quite a bit longer but she finally got where she could hold the liquids down and swallow without any problem although we could tell she was in pain when she did.

      We got back home and I got Mary settled in while Robert filled her prescriptions. She still had some nausea and she indicated at one time that she felt like she was going to throw up by pointing to her mouth and the emesis basin we brought home. She never did throw up again and for the first 48 hours back home, we kept her pain meds steady. Even that very night, the pain meds allowed her appetite to come back and she wolfed down some scrambled eggs!
     So now – we’re almost one week out and Mary is back at school this morning! Her breath is still pretty foul from the surgery but her spirits are high, she only needs some Children’s Motrin once or twice a day, she’s active and just…….MARY!!!! We can tell already what a huge difference her surgery has made. She sleeps soundly and awakes more rested. Hardly ANY snoring – as a matter of fact, the only ‘soft’ snoring we’ve heard is due to the swelling she still has. More significantly, we can tell a huge difference in her hearing with the fluid out of her ears! She really seems to understand us better and her speech even sounds more articulate!!! We’re fired up!
    We still have to monitor her for any possible bleeding as her wounds heal and scab -  her follow up appointment is coming up Monday.
    We anticipate she’ll be plowing through life, full steam ahead with more power in about another week and a half! Next month – we have the consult for the cochlear implant for her left ear so we can’t imagine the gains we’ll see Mary experience in the next few months, not to mention by the end of this year! Mary Katherine Businda is truly, one tough little girl on every level. It’s a given that she’s had to be with the start in life that she’s had. And as Robert and I continue to love on her and help her get to where she needs to be, we are mindful of the responsibility to Mary regarding her spiritual path and how her journey of healing (ALL aspects of it) plays into that. God continues to reveal to us more boldly and outwardly that he IS who he says he is and that his word is unfailing. We are constantly in awe of his work in Mary’s life, in our own life and always humbled that he chose us to be her parents and chose Mary to be our daughter. It is in these moments of clarity in our relationship with God that all other distractions and worldly realities become a lesser burden with little significance. Keeping that clarity – that’s the challenge we have before us and one that’s highly desired!.

Dada, Mary & Mama playing in the snow this past week!

Our little Momo, two days post-op!

"HAPPY DAY" !!!!

First of all, yesterday January 12 was Mary’s 4th birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!!! Wow….she IS growing up FAST!

       Well, Mary’s surgery has been pushed back to February 4th because the anesthesiologist is not comfortable with doing Mary’s surgery in an out-patient facility due to her heart history. We all agree that even though her heart is totally rockin’, it would be wise to have the surgery done in an OR – in the rare case there was a complication, our ‘lil Momo would be exactly where she needs to be and we wouldn’t have an additional worry about any transport or anything. Rock on, “Sleep Doctor” and thank you, God for all of the wise health care providers you have placed in Mary’s path!!

   Mary’s hearing impaired educator also gave a very remarkable report on Mary’s birthday, stating how ‘extra cute’ Mary was in talking and imitating many 2-4 word utterances. That’s HUGE encouragement to us in regards to how far Mary’s language skills have come along. There is still a very strong sense of urgency within this news as she is at such a critical language period, that Deanna (Mary’s hearing impaired educator) stresses that we need to get as much language stimulation and development as we can “before she passes this stage”!!!! Deanna also informed us that even with a cochlear implant, it will be a year or more before she can use it fully to its capacity so the sign language will remain a helpful tool throughout her life. In the meantime, she requires FOCUSED, natural language stimulation to help her reach her potential.

    I had registered for school this month to continue my undergraduate degree but it’s a no-brainer that Mary’s educational needs far outweighs Mama’s desires so school for me is on the back burner with no regrets. Robert & I give thanks to God that He has provided for us enough that I will be scaling back my hours at work in order to do our part as parents and help her along this process. Who knows – it may turn out that once her tubes are in, tonsils & adenoids out and the CI is in that I might just have a certification in sign language!!! Win-win situation, especially for Mary as we notice that Mary signs more when her hearing aids are out and I’m so glad I’ve kept up with it because it’s been a great form of communication on that level! I’m also very certain it will come in handy as Mary recovers from her surgery in February!

                   This month is almost halfway over, things change so fast and we are excited to see God’s hand move so quickly and efficiently - not only in Mary’s life but ours! Enjoy the birthday pictures. All day long Mary kept saying, “Happy Day” and man, it sure was!!!!

And.....OUT they go!

Well, it's official. The ENT looked into Mary's ears and saw the fluid that has not resolved in 3 months! Her tonsils have started to give her really bad breath and she's been pulling out the hearing aids so - enough is enough!

January 20th, the PE tubes go in, tonsils and adenoids come out! Please pray that Mary (in spite of the pain she will be in) will stay hydrated and drink her fluids, that she will not have any bleeding episodes and that - she will have a speedy recovery!!!!

Will re-schedule the cochlear implant consult for February......hmmmm.....I have a feeling spring break in March might involve another procedure!!!! Hitting the ground of the New Year running like crazy already - here we go!

Milestones 2009

This year was just simply HUGE on every level for Robert, Mary and I; individually and collectively, we’ve experienced such growth & have come through some challenges that have strengthened us spiritually and emotionally. It truly has been a great year and now – it’s pretty much gone and SO much has happened that it has been a big blur.
I felt that I would just list some of the biggest highlights and milestones for Mary because as you know – whatever successes she experiences, Mom & Dad do, too!

*Mary began her early intervention class in the school system!
*Mary experienced her first Valentine’s party at school AND got to receive Valentine love from Mama & Dada.
*Mary’s speech and language development has continued to SOAR with the assistance of her hearing impaired educator, speech therapist, her summer at Bill Wilkerson at Vanderbilt and with careful monitoring of her audiologists, ENT and pediatrician. She has successfully and literally expanded her vocabulary in lightening speed thanks to her ‘team’! Still has a ways to go but since January 13th 2009 to present – it has been remarkable - especially since her only words were “bye-bye” and “no” when she first came home with us from China.
*Oh – and to date, Mary STILL has fluid in her ears. We are predicting PE tubes, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in January. That will be confirmed on Monday, January 4, 2009……stay tuned.
*Mary experienced her first Easter!
*Mary got in the tubes and rocked out on the lake!
*Mary had such a successful report from her cardiologist’s visit in June that she doesn’t have to see him again until next FALL!!!!
*Mary has been selected as “Student of the Month” for April, “Terrific Helper” and was also chosen as “Cool Calendar Helper” for this semester at school! She truly is a good student in that she’s very eager and self-motivated to learn!
*Mary now recognizes who her family members are and has developed an especially close bond with her Grandpa, GeeGee & PopPop and big brother Brian and big sister (Jei Jei), Jennifer! Mary LOVES her family and ….well, the family LOVES Mary!
Mary continues to enjoy Sunday School and automatically puts her hand together at the table and prays! We don’t know what she says all the time, but we give thanks to God that HE knows and that He honors her little heart!
*The bond built between Robert & I (and continues to grow!) has been such a foundation for Mary that she KNOWS who her parents are! We feel that she has successfully bonded to us as we have to her and by this time next year, it will be surreal that Mary has been home with us just a bit longer – than she ever lived in China. We are so proud of her!
*As her parents, we continue to process the moments where we ‘missed it’ and make changes for the better but more importantly – we also have learned to give ourselves a break, throw down big-time for all of the successes and give glory to God for helping us become good stewards of this gift He gave us!

We continue on to 2010 with a sincere and renewed spirit to model to Mary that God and His word is consistent, is the very best for us and is everything to us! Without Him – our world would be total darkness but when darkness comes, we are still able to find the joy in His everlasting light!

May His strength, abundance of love and mercy be in your hearts throughout the rest of this year and next!!!!!

Movin' on & into the Holidays!

So much has happened since our little get-away in October! Regarding our little MoMo, she had that follow up audiology appointment to establish a baseline for her hearing, right? Well, that didn’t fare well because mid-way through the testing, Mary was losing interest and just not participating like she usually does; Jeanne & Sarah, her audiologists were able to get Mary checked out rather quickly in the office by a doctor on site who noticed FLUID in her ears!!! So – her next appointment is in a week and we hope she’s able to complete it and establish her baseline although she’s experienced a couple of severe nose bleeds and still has a cough…..here’s hoping anyway and praying she doesn’t have any kind of pneumonia. As we anticipate a success with the next appointment, we go into January with a consult at Vanderbilt for Cochlear Implant for her left ear! The thought is that if her left ear is able to process high pitch noises, it will aid her speech tremendously and we’ve been very - VERY fortunate to learn about this technology as well as speak patients who have HAD a cochlear implant. The personal success stories are encouraging and highly motivating to say the least!!

At this point, we’re fired up but it took some processing initially….you know, you always worry about the self-esteem, safety, etc…..we have both agreed that her self-image and self-esteem will fall mostly on how she thinks WE perceive her and hey – hands down we think - she’s the most beautiful, sweet & spicy little piece of heaven in our world and of course, she will always be Dada’s little princess! We hope and pray that as we continue to be totally reliant and dependant on God, that Mary will come into the knowledge of how HE perceives her which, as I understand in His word – is deeper and more passionate that we could ever imagine in this life!
In the meantime, we have committed to embracing the Holidays with everything we’ve got! Thanksgiving was wonderful and we are full throttle, hardcore, ready for Christmas!!!!! It’s a very cool, warm feeling that at least part of the exhaustion……is having fun and playing hard when you can!!! Rock on!

Mary & Dada playing with the camera - OR - Mary's close up!

This is the picture that MARY took of Dada - she excels with her fine motor skills, no doubt!

I took this picture from inside the house, watching 'lil MoMo supervise Dada - now THAT'S the way you mow a lawn!!!

Mary & her GeeGee making Snowmen.....another "first" for Mary!

Ta-Da!!!!!!!......finished product!!

Fall already!

Robert and I cannot believe October is already here! Summer was a blur and while Mary is enjoying another semester at school – we’re wondering where this extra 15 to 20 pounds of added weight came from!!!!!! SO – we are (yes, BOTH Robert & I) trying to get rid of it, stay connected as a family, get the house straight before colder weather and the holidays overtake us……it never stops, does it?!
At any rate, we did get to take some time off! We took Mary to Dollywood and then went to Chattanooga for a couple of days to hang with family. As you’ll be able to see by the pictures, Mary thrives as an active family member –as if she’s always been with us! And its clear to me now that her spirit was with us, alive and strong inside of our hearts before we ever embarked to China. She is remarkable and God is so good to place her where she is loved, respected and treasured!
As our excitement continues to grow for the upcoming holidays, Robert and I are mentally preparing ourselves for Mary’s follow up audiogram which will be in November. It appears that when she was tested at the end of August, her right ear was 5 decibels less than last year. Her right ear is her strong ear! That was very disappointing news – we always knew her hearing would never get better but that the possibility existed that it could get worse; we’re wondering if her initial audiogram last year was a reliable baseline since it was performed before she got her hearing aids. SO – now we will compare the audiogram from August to her new one in November and move on from there.
In the meantime, we wait, pray that God prepares our hearts with praise and thanksgiving regardless of the outcome and continue to trust completely in His perfect will for Mary and us as a family. God is so good and we thank Him for such a joyful experience with our little “Momo”!!! Mary goofin' around with Dada

Mary showin' off her FIRST cowboy boots that Jen bought for her!

NEXT - the video!

Mary & Dada "bowin' up"!!!!

Mary being silly on the Dollywood train!!!

Momma luvvvvvin' on Mary!