Frozen Tundra!

I knew before we even got back to the states that there would be snow on the ground and it would be freezing. I’m not sure why, but it always feels so much colder when we are visiting our parents than when we are in Tianjin - even if it is the exact same temperature. I’m assuming that it has to do with how dry Tianjin is (no snow yet - yippee!!) and it also helps that I always have a warm car waiting for me! To prepare for the cold and snow, I thought I was smart this year by ordering boots and snow pants for the kids prior to arriving at my parent’s house. (My way of saving luggage space!!)

There was definitely snow, but I didn’t take into account the fact that it was too cold to go out and play in it!! By the end of day two, Ellie and I had went and purchased Uggs that go up to our knee in an attempt to stay warm!! The weather did finally warm up a little during our second week in the frozen tundra. I actually made the kids go outside and play because they had spent all of their time in the house! At first they put up a big fuss, but eventually I got them all out and they had a ball!! They were sledding down a mini hill and ended up having a snowball fight - with a bit of crying from each one at different times!! They came in to a nice mug of hot chocolate waiting for them!!

One Big Blessing!

On the first Friday we were in the states I had arranged an appointment with our ENT to have Coop’s hearing rechecked. He has been doing amazing in school with the few interventions they have in place (front and middle seating, buddy help, and a very clear teacher!), however I was still worried about kindy placement, especially if we are back in the US. Right now he is in a class of 13 students with a head teacher and a full time teacher’s assistant. I know when we come back, his class size will be much larger and I needed to know if we would have to request anything special for him at his new school.

He once again did not pass the OAE, which is a computerized test that measures if he can hear certain pitches. He has difficulty with the high pitch sounds. This is most likely the result of the antibiotics he was on in the NICU. However, he passed with “flying colors” his auditory play test!!!! The ENT was very happy with his results and does not think anything needs to be done at the moment for his schooling. No paperwork - yeah!! He just said that we will watch him and if there are ever concerns, we have a place to start!

I am so thankful for Coop! He doesn’t like to be treated differently and I do think he will have a little difficulty transitioning back into life in the states. By the time we come back, Coop will have spent more of his life in China than in the US! Maybe he will make lots of friends really fast if he wears these scary teeth!!

Thank You United Lady!!

Today (last Friday!) hopefully marked the last time that we will be hauling 11 checked bags and about 12 carry-on items through an airport!! I am always so proud of my packing abilities, but they failed today! My final bag weighed in at a whopping 67 pounds when it was supposed to be 50. I’m not sure if it was the three packs of frozen hot dogs that I put in at the last minute, but it was definitely overweight. Instead of telling Danny of my mistake (we now had 4 70 pound bags instead of 3), I decided to test my luck with the mass confusion we create when we enter the airport.

The United lady gave us one look and I think she almost closed her aisle, but thanks to all of our miles we were in a priority line, so she had to accept her fate!! We began by placing some lighter bags on (by lighter I mean they weighed about 47 pounds) first to show that we were following baggage requirements. We put the 70 pounders in between hoping that confusion would stop her from realizing we were over the weight limit more than we should have been! In the end, we had 5 bags over the 50 pound limit and I’m not sure if it was confusion, or just that this woman was really kind, but she did not charge us!!! Thank you so much United lady - you made my day and saved my track record of being a great packer!!!

Technology Hiatus!

Many apologies for taking a break from lovely technology!! I did not intend to not blog for nearly 4 weeks, but life got in the way!! I am now sitting on the plane for what could possibly be our last trip back to China. (Obviously this was written last week - I need a bit of motivation to get these posted!!)

We enjoyed our break away from Tianjin, but now we are ready to go back and enjoy our dear friends and life the way we know it until we get the “call”!!

We spent some wonderful time with family while we were away! Unfortunately, the majority of that time was spent in the NICU waiting room as we waited on developments on my sweet niece Kylee! I wouldn’t have it any other way - as I said last month, we’re family and family sticks together. Had I been in China and received a call from my brother that his daughter was going to be undergoing open heart surgery, I would have been on the first flight back!

Kylee was our little Christmas miracle! She defied even the surgeons with her strong will to stay stable for 11 days until surgery, and then go home one short week after surgery! She is amazing and I really can’t wait to get back to the US and snuggle her like an auntie should!!

My sister-in-law has kept a wonderful journal that made me laugh some days and cry others. It will be a treasured keepsake for Kylee as she gets older! If you are interested in reading it, just follow the link below!!

Kylee's CaringBridge