A whirlwind!

Angela has not been doing so well since her surgery. A variety of problems, most of them related to chronic hypotension (low blood pressure) that we can't seem to find a cause for. We've had an ambulance at school for her twice, and lots of "Hmm, do we bring her in or not?" I did bring her in a couple weeks ago because she was just generally off and very lethargic. Thankfully they were quickly able to find the problem. Though it wasn't fun to remedy, it only took a couple of hours and we returned home by midnight that night. We're hoping to get all this stuff sorted out so we can get our bubbly girl back. She is still really enjoying her current program and really misses it the days she can't go. 

On the 22nd I took a much needed vacation with a group of moms who are also adoptive parents, some to kids who are very difficult to parent like a couple of our kids. We talked about parenting a bit, vented some about our kids as all parents will done on occasion, but mostly just enjoyed the break! There was sleeping in, naps and some time in the sun to replenish the Vitamin D stores! 

Abel had surgery on his knees/ankles in September. He had a recheck right before my trip and is doing well. We'll repeat xrays in a couple of months to see if the hardware is ready to come out, and whether or not he's ready for the soft-tissue repair. We know for sure, without this surgery he was destined for vary serious knee, hip and ankle problems in the very near future. 

Audrey has an upcoming recheck of her hardware. She is growing very slowly so it is taking a bit longer. At her check up we'll determine if the hardware is ready to come out and whether or not she's ready for the soft tissue repair. She is able to completely dislocate her knees, ankles, hips, shoulders, elbows and wrists. We don't think we'll be doing anything to fix her upper extremities but the lower extremities have to be addressed or she will lose mobility. Other than the joint problems, Audrey is extremely healthy, which we are thankful for. Behaviorally she has certainly come out of her shell in the last few months! She is a very busy (and noisy) young lady with a lot to say. We can't wait until we cab understand all that she wants to tell us. 

Asher, he just keeps plugging along. He rarely gets even a sniffle. He is loving school this year and really taking off with his academics. His understanding of English has finally clicked too. His sign vocabulary has grown exponentially which is fun to see! He will turn 11 on 10/31 and he is very excited for his birthday!

Axel is just finishing up his first soccer season on the adaptive high school league. He doesn't really understand the game yet. but he is trying hard to participate. He plays on the JV where all the players are really just learning to understand the game. His reading is taking off, as is his understanding of math. His favorite thing to do is find a magazine, cereal box, or really anything with print and copy the words and sentences into a notebook. We have LOTS of papers around here that he has autographed.

Amos continues to progress in our family. He has learned so much in the 6 months he's been here. He came to us refusing to walk much and unable to really do anything for himself. Now he feeds himself, dresses himself, uses the bathroom, gets his shoes/jacket/backpack on, gets himself into the van and his car seat straps on. All things he should be able to do, but didn't when he came. Every day we increase our expectations to the next step so that he can become more independent. 

As for me, I have just one surgery left. On Nov. 6th I will have my tissue expanders removed and my implants placed. That is the very last step in my reconstruction process and I am eager to have it behind me!