Two Years Ago Today...........

Happy famiversary to our fellow travelers.  Today, I decided to repost what I originally wrote about the day we met Sid 2 years ago.

Got up early this morning to take showers. The power went out during Pete's shower. Power in Ethiopia is hydro-electric. The reservoirs do not have enough water for power 24/7 at this time, so the power is out every other day. We dressed Michael as he slept, and woke him up to go down for breakfast.

We roamed the guest house driveway and terrace momentarily, wondering which door of which building would lead to the dining room (building B, the long stairway, FYI). I was really excited to see that they were serving pancakes for breakfast, because I thought that Micheal would like that. Sadly, he was still in that "settling in" mode, and didn't eat much.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus to head to the CHS Office. There, we climbed the stairs to the 4th floor (numbering: Ground, 1, 2, ...) for the beginning of our orientation. It was short, but seemed long as we were waiting to meet our children.

We then headed over to meet the kids. All families waited nervously for their child's name to be called. When they called Sidamo's name, we followed the Social Worker & the camera man up the stairs to his room. I am sure I started crying on the first step, and I was nervously trying to keep the provided slip on shoes from falling off my feet.

We walked into Sid's room, and one of the nannies handed him to Pete (I think I was trying to set Michael down). Pete handed Sid to me. It was a wonderful moment. Sid is such a content baby, and while obviously concerned, he did not cry or push us away. We posed for the agency photgraphers to snap some photos (we are not allowed to bring cameras to the care center), then we were able to take Sid downstairs to the common room to play. The common room was scattered with parents anxiously waiting to meet their little ones, and other families just united for the first time.

After playing, we took Sid back to his room for lunch. We got to help feed him the very first day! After feeding Sid, it was time for us to go back to the guest house for lunch. The rest of the day was filled with more orientation, then more precious time with our beautiful Sid.

Dear Fleet Farm

Dear Fleet Farm,

My sister in law recently took her Toyota Sienna into your Brooklyn Park service department to get her tires replaced.  When she brought the vehicle in, the tire pressure monitoring sensors were in working condition.  When she picked up the vehicle, one wasn't (when she picked up her vehicle, the work order indicated that it was previously damaged--she didn't notice as she was rushed out due to the fact that there was an unhappy customer getting loud in the lobby at the time).

Hmmmm.

My husband is an experienced auto tech.  He is always hesitant to place responsibility of newly found problems on the last tech who worked on the car. This, however, is the exception.  It seems that in this case, there is pretty much no other likely reason that this part would now be damaged other than that the tech in your shop broke it.  Accidents happen, we get that.

What we don't get, is that your Brooklyn Park service department continues to insist that they are not responsible.  So, the district manager has been contacted, and still Fleet Farm refuses to right the situation.  Oh, man mall, thou hath foresaken us.  First, we learn children's overalls have been back ordered for 6 months, now this.

If you are out there, please, how will you make this right for my sister in law? 

Inquiring minds want to know.................In the mean time, I doubt those reading this will be likely to bring cars to you for service.

7 Years Ago....

An amazing young lady made a very difficult decision and blessed us with a beautiful son.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Sounds of Childhood Sleep Apnea

These videos aren't all inclusive, there were some times that his breathing just sounded rapid or almost asthmatic.  This is the most obvious sleep apnea.  The episodes aren't as loud as adult sleep apnea.

In this video, the sleep apnea episode is at the beginning, and ends when he wakes up fully from the sleep apnea.

This video is a good example of how a child might posture themselves in their sleep to help alleviate the sleep apnea.

Childhood Sleep Apnea

Well, it has been some time since I got a chance to post.  This time, I would like to share a little on a topic that has touched us recently, and hopefully leave a resource for other parents whose children may be affected by sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a condition in which the person affected stops breathing during sleep.  It is estimated that 1 to 4 percent of children have sleep apnea.  There is much speculation that number may be higher, as the belief is that many children with sleep apnea are misdiagnosed with ADHD or depression.  The symptoms of sleep apnea in children do not necessarily mimic adult symptoms.  While excessive sleepiness may occur, the following is a list of ways in which sleep apnea may (children will probably not experience every item on the list) impact a child:

• snoring - loud, squeaky, raspy
• nocturnal snorting, gasping, choking (may wake self up)
• restless sleep
• heavy irregular breathing
• excessive perspiring during sleep
• severe bedwetting
• bad dreams (nightmares)
• night terrors
• sleeps with mouth open, causing a dry mouth upon awakening
• chest retraction during sleep in young children (chest pulls in)
• sleeps in strange positions
• confusion upon awakening
• morning headaches
• unrefreshing sleep
• excessive daytime sleepiness
• may develop high blood pressure
• may be overweight or underweight
• learning problems
• excessive irritability
• change in personality
• depression
• difficulty concentrating
• Developmental problems
• failure to thrive or grow
• frequent upper respiratory infections
• hyperactive behavior
• The type of sleep apnea which is most

The easiest way to recognize sleep apnea in adults is loud snoring.  Sleep apnea in children may easily go unrecognized by parents, as children sleep alone, and snoring is not necessarily an issue.  Because of the medical issues that can be caused by sleep apnea, and for the well being of the person affected, it is very important to properly diagnose and treat this condition in children and adults. 

Here is the website from which I took much of this information: 

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/childapnea.html
 
In my next post, I will include video of Sweet Pea sleeping both before having his tonsils and adenoids out and after.  I hope these will be most helpful to parents who suspect their child may have sleep apnea.  It has been only one week since his surgery, and there are huge diferences in how he sleeps, and how he sounds when he sleeps.......................

In Loving Memory....

RIP Dad. We love you.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

One year ago today....

One year ago today, we awoke to the sunrise in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

One year ago today, we heard the song of the church bells of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church calling the masses to morning prayers.

One year ago today, we bonded with eight wonderful families we had not previously met.

One year ago today, we learned to say thank you in Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia.

One year ago today, we left our cameras at a tiny guard shack when we wanted them desperately to take pictures with.

One year ago today, we donned communal crocks which were one or several sizes too big (or too small).

One year ago today, we were overcome by the fragrance of the Ethiopian spice mixture, bebere, as we walked into the Care Center that was Sidamo's home at the time.

One year ago today, we waited anxiously with the other eight families for our name to be called.

One year ago today, we climbed three flights of stares with a level of anticipation so high we trembled.

One year ago today, we saw the most loving nanny holding Sidamo in her arms.

One year ago today, we held Sidamo in our arms for the first time.

One year ago today, we welcomed Sidamo into our family forever.

One year ago today.........