Our First Week Home!!!

Well, here we are, already one week home!  I can say it has been an eventful week!  On Monday, I went to the doctor since my chest was still hurting.  They ordered an xray and a blood test to check for potential clots.  The blood test came back positive, so I had to go back for a CT scan to look for clots.  In the process of attempting to get my IV in, there may have been a few tears.  It took 4 tries to get it in, one of which blew out my vein and now I look like somebody beat me!  Once it was finally in, the CT itself was very fast and did come back negative.  While I was happy about that, it didn’t explain my pain.

Tuesday brought a new adventure.  In the morning, I took Meaza to the doctor for her first checkup.  She did so well!  Her doctor said she looked great and was one of the healthiest Ethiopian kids he has seen!  In the afternoon, I picked Nicolas up from school and when I pulled Meaza out of the car (she is a champ in the car seat, by the way!) her head felt like it was on fire.  Yup, I had officially contaminated her.  About 30 minutes later, Kevin texted me telling me he was shivering and coming home.  Oh no……..

That evening was spent administering fever reducers and fetching blankets for Kevin.  Despite the fever, Meaza was still in great spirits, talking up a storm and bouncing in her bouncer!

Wednesday was the first day that I felt like myself in almost a week!  I finally got my energy back and felt able to actually get things done.  Praise God!  Kevin stayed home from work, so while he and Meaza slept, I attacked the cleaning that had been waiting for me.  It was so good to feel like I was finally accomplishing something again!

My little sickies...... :(

Wednesday night, Nicolas had his soccer game for the week.  Kevin and Meaza’s fevers had broken, so we all headed to the field.  It was bright, so I had Meaza wear her sunglasses (so cute!).  Once we got out the field, I tried to give her a bottle only to realize that her sunglasses put her to sleep!  So precious!  She snuggled in the ergo while we cheered Nicolas’ team on.  After the game, Meaza and the boys headed home and I went to church for praise team rehearsal.  Unfortunately, when I got home, Kevin and Meaza’s fevers were back, so they both went to sleep.

In a moment of feeling better, the boys mowed the lawn together....although Nicolas mostly just danced to the music :)

Big girl!!  She sticks her tongue out when she eats all the time!

And she loves her activity mat!

Thursday, the fevers continued.  Kevin stayed home again and he and Meaza continued their medication doses to keep their fevers under control.  They stayed in bed most of the day.  Nicolas spent Thursday at Art Prize with his class, which he loved!  They did a scavenger hunt and ended up having great weather despite a gloomy forecast!  Thursday evening was the family skate night for school, so Nicolas and I had a dinner date at Wendy’s and headed to the Byron Fun Spot.  Blast from the past!!  I don’t even remember the last time I was at a roller skating rink (yeah, I guess I am old!)!  There were quite a few kids there and we had lots of fun!  Nicolas had had enough about half an hour before the open skate time ended, so we stopped at Houseman’s on the way home for one last twist before they close for the season.  Yum!!!!  On our way out, we grabbed one for Kevin and headed home.

Kevin and Meaza were snuggling on our bed.  Apparently, ice cream was just what the doctor ordered, because Kevin loved it and Meaza even had a little herself!  Despite it being very cold, she seemed to really enjoy it! :)

Napping buddy!

Friday, Kevin went to work even though he still had a little bit of a lingering fever.  Our morning was pretty quiet.  The sleep deprivation was catching up with me a little, so I also napped during Meaza’s morning nap.  In the afternoon, I picked up Nicolas from school and made dinner.  After dinner, our social worker came over for our first post-placement visit.  We had a great time chatting about Ethiopia and how Meaza and Nicolas have been doing so far.  We have been so blessed that even with fevers and aches and pains, we still had a great first week home.  It is so clear that God has graciously blessed our family!

We have one happy girl!!! :)

Looking forward to a fun weekend of family time!!

New things this week:
squash
soft service ice cream (I couldn't help it!)
pinto beans
chicken
enjoying listening to herself squeal
lots of time in her activity bouncer