A Quick Deena Update

Saturday, the day after Deena's surgery, she was pretty tired and puffy still.  She stayed awake most of the day, wanting to spend time with her siblings and dad, but you could tell she wasn't feeling amazing.

We talked about doing a blood transfusion because her levels were still on the lower side.  The doctor left it up to me to chose, so I asked to give her another day and see how she did.  He agreed so I just watched her closely.  She only needed oral pain medication; she's so tough!  Physical therapy came and evaluated her and then we ordered a temporary wheelchair with elevating leg lifts, which came in late Saturday night.  Other than Deena feeling well, it was the big "thing" she needed to be able and go home when she was ready.  I always appreciate being prepared to discharge and not having anything holding you up!  I also realized her leg wasn't going to fit in her carseat, so David ran to grab a high-back booster from our friends.   

By Sunday, Deena was a different kid.  She was more awake, talkative, and energetic.  She wanted to take a walk and go to the Playroom, did lots of crafts, her appetite was up, her swelling was down, and she was very eager to get home.  We were discharged Sunday and she was SO excited to be heading home.

Deena has been doing well since coming home.  She is taking her oral pain meds, but has minimal pain when she is on them.  She isn't waking up and asking for medicine, so I can tell she is feeling better.  She's also been more active and I've already reminded her that she just had surgery and should take it a little easy.  She does still have a temperature of about 99 degrees, so I'm keeping an eye on that (she's had a higher temp since surgery).  The doctor put her on iron to help rebuild her system, and I've doubled her Juice Plus supplements to help her heal. 

Deena is doing well in the booster seat.  I rolled a small blanket to go under her cast and that seems to keep the pressure off well.  We were able to take a small trip Tuesday to eat lunch with my brother, since we haven't seen him for a bit, and she did great with no pain.  It was good to hug him and spend time with him, and Deena enjoyed some down-time in the car to play I-pad. 

Deena's Spica-type splint will stay on for about 3 1/2 -4 weeks.  The orthopedic surgeon is going to help me undo it all in his office after that and see how she is doing and healing.  At that point, he will determine what kind of splints she will go in to, and for how long.  If she's doing well, I may be able to remove those temporarily to bathe her, and then put them back on.  For now, though, it's sponge baths and hair washing in the sink.  I can't wait to see how straight her legs are. 

I think that's about it for now!  Thanks for all of the prayers for our sweet, strong girl.  We really appreciate them!

One Week Home

Whew!  This week has seriously flown by.  I can proudly say my luggage is all put away and I am mostly caught up on laundry.  Right now that feels like a pretty big accomplishment!   

When we adopted Ramya we had so much support in the way of help with the house every-other-week and meals every-other-day.  This time David had to go back to work the day after we returned from India and we aren't very connected in Tucson yet so life picked right back up very quickly.  We did have a few dinner gift cards to use, though, so we were able to order carryout a few nights, which helped.

Deena is adjusting really well and keeps us laughing.  She hates the bird and does not want it close to her, so that can be interesting, but I think eventually she will decide the bird is fun.  She mostly wants to be held or sit on my lap.  She likes me to be constantly within view and if I walk out of view I hear, "mommmmmmyyyyyyyy where arrrrrre yooooouuu".  I know the security is really important for her right now so I try to just stay close or take her with me if I need to leave the room. 

The other 3 kiddos are enjoying having Deena home.  Madi is constantly telling her that she's her best friend.  Deena and Conner really bonded in India and love playing together.  Conner told me that he thought he wanted a brother, but he's glad we adopted Deena and that he has another sister.  He's such a sweet boy and is so gentle and loving with her.  Ramya enjoys playing with her and enjoys having her home but is struggling the most with the change.  In general, I think Ramya just really struggles with her confidence and knowing who she is in this world, but obviously any time we go through change it spirals her again.  I see this divide with Ramya between what she defaults to and what she wants to be.  She wants affection, but pushes us away, sometimes quite literally.  It's like the desire is there but there's a divide and she just can't put that guard down.  She defaults to harsh words and intentionally pushing buttons, but seems like she doesn't want to act like that and knows it's not right.  She can be so very sweet too and I'm thankful for those moments. Any time there's change she stops wanting to eat again and uses food for control, even though she will say she is hungry and she likes the food.  I know she's had a lot of hurt in the past and I pray that one day she will be able to let herself fully feel love and joy; let herself see how special she is.  It breaks my heart that she is only 9 and doesn't have that childhood innocence.  No child should ever have to grow up feeling unloved or unworthy.  It saddens me that there are so many other children out there feeling that way.  For now we have been trying to give her extra love and time and have been talking a lot about how we will always love her, and how our hearts grow bigger to love Deena too, but that it doesn't change how we feel about her.  David took her out shopping with him today and I know she enjoyed her time alone with him.

 

 

 

 

Deena still prefers me but is warming up to David as well.  She asked him to hold her a few times this week and tonight she went over and cuddled with him.  She even gave him a few kisses and told him that she loves him.  It melts my heart to see them together!

 

 

 

Today we went shopping for some new pants for Deena.  I wasn't anticipating her coming home with a cast on, so many of the pants I had do not fit correctly right now.  I had some Gymboree bucks and was able to get her some new size 4T leggings with wider bottoms that will fit over her cast.  She did pretty well at the store and enjoyed running in to Bare Minerals with me because she got to put on some pink lipstick.  She also found a pair of sunglasses at Gymboree and was very excited!

 

 

 

Of course she's mastered the art of the selfie and my phone will never be the same again.  She loves taking pictures of herself!

 







Next week we start homeschooling and I think she will do well.  She is very bright!  This week we did a few science experiments from a kit the kids got as a gift for Christmas and she is enjoying them. 

Please be praying we can get her on our insurance before her first orthopedic surgeon appointment next month.  We need to start PAM infusions with her and she may need some rodding surgeries in her near future as well.  She also handed me a piece of her tooth the other day so I need to get her to the dentist ASAP.  We have some big expenses coming up and it would be really helpful to have her on our insurance!

A big "thank you" to everyone who has been praying for us and following our journey.  It really  means so much!