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A few long days...

Saturday, April 14, 2007
Okay, so the last few days have been a little rough. Kate is doing well and is very happy (as you will see in these pictures below). However, she does wake up a lot in the middle of the night to make sure we are still here. Thus, we are all a little sleep deprived. Also, we found out that her lead levels are a bit high and her iron is low. So, we are keeping an eye on it and will need to re-test soon. Any prayers or advice on these fronts are greatly appreciated.

Also, this week was Spring Break for Will and Harry. Their break literally began the day Kate arrived home. Needless to say, we had not really done much with them and I was starting to feel guilty. So, I suggested to Dave that on Friday (the 13th-- which I did not know at the time) we have our first whole family outing since Kate has been home. I decided that we should go to Maymont Park. It has a petting zoo, koi pond, trails and tons of other things to see and do. Well, as we were enjoying our beautiful day at the park joy turned to terror and fear.

Will and Harry observed some kids going through a bamboo trail that was adjacent to the regular path we were on. They asked if they could go into the bamboo. Dave and I saw where we thought the trail ended so we told them to stick together and meet us at the end. We did not go through the bamboo because the stroller could not go (it was steep and rocky). I thought to myself.... Will is almost 10 and Harry is 6, they'll be fine and we are right here. I was wrong! We waited at the end of the trail and they never came out. After a few minutes, Dave said, "I better go look for them." I replied, "Oh they're probably picking up bamboo sticks. They are fine." Then a few minutes later (when there was still no sign of them) Dave said, "I'm going in!" He searched the entire bamboo trail and they were nowhere to be found.

He decided to hike up the hill and look for them and try to find a park employee. The plan was for me to stay by the trail with Kate in case they came back. By this time about 20 minutes had passed and we were really staring to worry. To make a long story short...the boys came out of the trail at a different point and when they did not see us, they went to the children's zoo where we entered the park, found the office and told the employees they were lost. The employees gave Will and Harry the grand tour, let them feed the animals and go inside the fences with them! When Dave reported them missing, the park employee directed him to them but no one told me they were found! This is a HUGE park and it took Dave a long time to get to the boys.

Meanwhile....back at the bamboo trail..I am crying , calling 911 and asking everyone I see to help me find the boys. When the 911 operator asked me how tall the boys were I didn't know! I was so panicked. Everyone was searching the park looking for them. They were gone from me for almost and hour and a half before I knew they were okay. It was the worst afternoon of my entire life!!! I cannot even tell you the images that went through my mind but I tried mostly to pray and picture our reunion. We have all lost sight of a child for a few seconds but after an hour, I began to think they were not lost but gone.

So, my great idea for a day of family fun took about 30 years off my life! We did go out for BBQ after that and Kate had her first meal out (aside from Easter brunch). What a day! I am so grateful to all of the helpful strangers who went through the bamboo searching. One Mom even hugged me when we found out they were okay and she was a complete stranger.

Speaking of days...below is a snapshot of a day at home with Kate (we have had her home over a week now).



Some friends came over to play (Devyn, Peyton, Kate and Harry).

We wrestled.

We kissed.


They brought pizza (Kate's first--just the crust).


I started getting tired.


So, it was bath time!

A week ago, I hated this. Now, I love it!


Drying off in my hooded towel.

After my baby massage, pj's and bottle, I got a shoulder ride up to bed from Dad.

10 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, I can only imagine how sick you were when they were lost! We've had that scare, not that bad but even a moment (30 long minutes) of that fear was enough to last a lifetime. Thank God they were okay!

    Kate is the cutest. So glad she's adjusting. I have zero advice in getting a child to sleep through the night, sorry! Sleep is something that happens at other people's houses.

    I'll pray about the lead!

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  2. Hi Kim - Oh my gosh - the park story is horrible! So glad all are fine! It was a good idea, just deviated a bit from your original plan!
    Kate looks great (such a cutie pie!) and you don't look sleep deprived one bit! Hoping that the sleep issues will settle down as times marches onward. I can't believe they have been home over a week! Thinking of you...Heather

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  3. I felt sick just reading the post. How scary. Kate looks great. Sleep can change everything. I wish I had words of wisdom for you. For us it just happened...

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  4. I'm so glad your outing ended in a joyful reunion! I can't imagine that type of fear for over an hour! You all are in our prayers. Hang in there!!
    Kim

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  5. OMG - what a mother's nightmare. I am so glad that the boys reaized they were lost and did the right thing. Thank the Lord everyone was okay.

    Little Kate is just about as cute as can be! I love seeing her smile and happy. What a lucky momma you are :-)

    Debbie

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  6. So glad that everyone is safe and happy. I know that Kate is going to be just fine. Will continue to pray for her! She looks so happy (and beautiful too).

    Blessings,

    Danielle

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  7. My stomach turned just reading it and I knew it was all going to be ok so you must have been a wreck. Smart boys for going straight to an employee ... you have taught them well. Love that yawn photo : )

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  8. Kim,
    I can only imagine how truly terrified and frantic you were. I am so sorry that happened, and so happy that your boys new to go get help!

    Kate just looks like she is fitting in beautifully. That picture with her on Dave's shoulders in precious!
    I still have yet to see a color that she doesn't look gorgeous in! And, those dimples are amazing!!!!

    I am sorry to hear the sleeping is not going great. I will keep prayin for sweet Kate!

    Love,
    Diana (leaving in 16 days!)

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  9. I am so glad everything worked out! That is the worst feeling to loose your kids. They were very smart to go to the front! That was a long time for you to worry. I hope you took a long hot bubble bath when you got home!

    I just wanted to let you know some info. about the lead. Two babies in our Nanfeng adoption group had high levels of lead. Lily was one of them. She was just re-tested and the levels in her blood went way down and our doctor expects her levels to be at zero in a few months. She had no side effects thank goodness. We gave her lots of iron rich food and orange juice to absorb the iron.

    Kate looks so happy and comfortable with her new family.

    Take care and don't worry too much about the lead. I am sure it will be fine!
    Lisa (Lily Lu from Nanfeng)

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  10. What a terrifying event! So glad all turned out alright!!

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Thank you for your kindness.