All I want for Christmas is a family for "Bo!"

To my friends and family,

There is a young boy, "Bo", living in the same home as Jordy lived and he is the last of children in his age group waiting for a family there.  It breaks my heart.  He needs a family of his own.  He wants a family of his own.  The director of his home said that he mentioned to his friend, "Sun", that he wanted her family to take him home.  He knows he's missing out on something and he shouldn't be!

So for Christmas, I want to find him his forever family.  I have a great deal of information about him and know that he has been in an incredible home.  Please share his picture with your friends and family.  His family is out there somewhere.

DOB:  12/31/2008  (He's been waiting too long folks!  This year marks another Christmas without his forever family.)

He is considered special needs but honestly, this isn't as intimidating as it sounds.  He is a very sweet and nurturing boy and while he's had a rough beginning, he has unlimited potential for a normal life in the US.

The Ornament That Saved Christmas

This is a simple story of God's amazing power.

Jordy has become such a part of our family that it's hard to believe that he was ever anywhere else.  He always belonged here.  When we made the leap of faith last year to begin the adoption process, we did so like any other parent expecting a child.  We anticipated, began preparing his bedroom, and even started including him in some family traditions like our yearly Hallmark ornament purchase.  Every year after Christmas is over, our children get to pick one ornament from Hallmark to call their own because they are 50% off.  Knowing Jordy was joining our family, we decided to pick one out for him for his first Christmas home.  We packed it away and gave it no thought for the whole following year.

In the meantime, we spent the last year filling out countless forms, making countless calls, working our way through the adoption process, and then finally travelling to China to finally bring Jordy home.  Since he's been home he has acclimated to American culture with no reservations.  One thing Jordy has enjoyed is having his own bed, his own clothes and ultimately, his own toys.  I had purposely saved Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jesse and Bullseye from the chopping block during our spring toy clean out and I left these on Jordy's bed for when he came home.  After having surgery, Jordy really took to the Toy Story movies. Up until Jordy's surgery, he didn't really pay too much attention to the toys but after the surgery, Jordy really clung to Buzz. He loves Buzz.  He's learned the phrase "Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!"  

We are back at Christmas again and it's the time of year to throw up the Christmas tree.  This year's tree proved to be my nemesis.  We bought a 9' pre-lit tree years ago and over the years it's began to lose some lights here and there.  Last year, two whole strands went out after the tree was up and I was unsuccessful at finding a fix.  This year, I decided to leave the tree down and work on finding the bad bulbs one tree piece at a time.  After an hour of work, I had brought two tree pieces back to life out of four.  There were more than five strands out this year.  While working on piece three, it became apparent there was no fix!  With five children pestering and two hours gone, I finally made the decision to remove the pre-lit strands from the tree. This is no small task!!!  About two hours later, I was ready to head to Wal-mart to purchase the new lights. I began the process of putting lights back on the tree only to find that my second strand of brand new lights had 10 lights in the middle completely out not because of defective bulbs but because of defective wiring.  By this time, I'm beyond upset.  Kids are still anxious, and I'm steaming because I really just wanted to buy a new tree to begin with but was nixed.  Back to Wal-mart I go.  I buy extra strands this time and it's a good thing because the same thing happened again. It's getting close to 7pm and I started this whole project at 9am.  I'm not behaving very nicely because I keep thinking to myself, "putting out the Christmas stuff is supposed to be fun!"  All I really want to do is cry. I'm exhausted from being on my feet.  Once the lights were finally on the tree, I looked at Dustin and said please help the kids decorate because I just want to sit and watch.  And watch I did.  I snapped pictures and just watched as my four children (Melina was asleep) and Dustin decorated the tree.  I unpacked ornaments and began handing them out.  

And then I stopped.  One box in particular brought me to tears.  I called Dustin over because I couldn't believe the box I held in my hand.  Nearly one year ago, we had purchased Jordy's very first ornament without knowing anything about him.  Heck I couldn't even recall which one we bought but each Hallmark box is marked with a child's name.  When I pulled out the box labeled with Jordy's name, I turned it over and immediately began to smile and cry.  God's little reminder that one year ago, he had a plan for our family!  That plan has come full circle and now in our home is this incredible soul that for the first time gets to decorate his own family tree.  For the first time, he gets to hear the story of Christ's birth . . . the true reward during this holiday season.  That one ornament melted away all the frustration of the day and brought pure joy.  Jordy's first ornament on the family tree is his very own Buzz Lightyear!

I don't believe in chance.  I believe in God's amazing grace and I'm thankful that even in my broken and imperfect state, he can still find ways of reminding me how important and powerful he really is!!!

Scroll down for photos.

Surgery Part 2

Phew, just having the time to sit down seems to be my challenge these days!  I meant to finish my surgery post a few days ago but alas here I am now.

Jordy came out of his surgery amazing.  I would be ballistic confined in the cast but not him.  Was he in pain?  Yes.  Did he whine?  Yes.  But within the first day, he was already acting his self again.  He even asked for a ride outside.  Mind you, we are in the windy city and it snowed on our way Tuesday.  It was cold but in Jordy's own words, "I like cold!"  Well all right then.  Who am I to deny him a chance to be outside when he's the one that just went through the biggest surgery of his life?!  The tricky part was figuring out how to keep him warm but we quickly figured out how to get him bundled and out we went.

The first ride out was enough to tucker him out.

We were told on Thursday that we could go home on Friday.  However, Jordy needed to pee on his own with out the catheter in.  This was quite an ordeal.  They took it out on Thursday early in the day but he wouldn't go.  They ended up doing a quick cath to drain his bladder.  So NOT cool!!!!!!!!  It traumatized him even more.  On Friday morning, he was still refusing to pee on his own.  It took me over an hour to convince him to do so and when he tried the first time he screamed in pain.  NOT cool!!!  However, I finally coaxed him to do it so that we could go home.  Thankfully, he finally decided to and . . . it didn't hurt him. He was so happy and was ready to come home.  So, home we came.  It took us about 3.5 hours.  We arrived around 2:30pm and when we got home I right away told him we need to go potty.  He would not.  At 7pm, I called our doctor in Chicago because Jordy was still refusing to go even after 4.5 hours of trying to talk him into it.  It was the hardest experience I've ever gone through.  The doctor informed us that he had two hours to do it on his own before we would have to head to the ER and have it done by cath . . . again.  We convinced Jordy to drink 24 oz of fluid and after a great deal of work, he finally let loose at 8:30pm. Thankfully, he has gone without issue since then.  On Sunday, Jordy completed his final necessary Body Motion.  So quite literally, all systems are a go!  And, we've figured out how to do all of these with cast on and without using diapers.  The nurses at the hospital doubted me.  Ha!  They don't know me very well.

Because I knew Jordy would have a rough time sleeping, I decided to sleep with him until he was off of his pain medicine and until I knew he could keep his self comfortable through the night.  The first few nights, he woke up several times needing help turning over or needing medicine.  By the third night, he settled down and Monday post surgery, he stopped taking his medicine.  I stuck with him for a few more nights but last night I finally returned to my own bed.  Jordy did great and Gerik came to get me in the morning when he had to go potty.  As for me, it was the best night of sleep I've had in a long time! :)

Jordy has done amazing.  He has figured out how to get around with the cast on and is back to his ornery self again.  I was shocked how quickly he gave up on the pain medicine and believe me, we offered.  We practically forced him to take Ibuprofen on Monday evening just because he was a bit whinny and we felt like he needed it even though he said no.

Thank you to all our friends and family that have prayed for us.  This really hasn't been as tough as it could have been.  We've figured out how to transport Jordy, how to prop him up so he can feed himself, how to bathe, and potty.  So, we are good.  God is good!

Surgery Part 1

Whew!  We are home and while I intended to post on the blog while in Chicago, Shriner's did not have wifi. I could have left Jordy to use one of their laptops but I elected not to do so.

We left Tuesday bound for Chicago to spend some time chilling before checking in for surgery Wednesday morning.  On our way, we stopped at the Albanese Candy Factory in Hobart.  While looking at the candy and taking the "tour" was fun, the true highlight for Jordy was playing in the snow outside of the store.  He actually calls it snowman and in spite of my effort to show him the difference between snow and snowmen, it hasn't quite clicked yet.  The important thing is he loves snow aka snowman.  Cold doesn't bother him. We then drove to the hotel.  Our local Shriner's were kind enough to put us up in the Hampton Inn which has an indoor pool.  We then headed to Giordano's for some pizza pie and then settled back in at the hotel for some swim time and then an antibacterial bath before hitting the bed.

On the way, we drove through some white fluffy stuff.

By the time we actually hit Chicago, it looked clear and sunny.

Our pit stop in Hobart playing in the "snowman."

One last swim before being casted for several months.

Jordy picked his bed for the night and settled right in to watch cartoons.

What to do while waiting for pizza?  Make faces and take pictures!

Waking up Wednesday morning was quite easy as I wasn't able to fall asleep to begin with and Jordy was up at 6am, our time, on his own.  I think in some ways, he was in anticipation of the surgery but he also heard me up.  We headed out at a decent time as eating wasn't an option for Jordy so mamma decided to wait until surgery began.  We checked in for surgery and Jordy was in the best of spirits.  He was being his silly self and all the nurses and staff fell in love with him quickly.  Jordy was able to pick his cast color from blue, neon green, neon pink, or purple.  He chose purple.  It suits him well, too.

More faces while waiting in pre-op!

Surgery started at around 9:30am EST.  I was to report back to the surgical waiting area at designated times every two hours to hear reports on how the surgery was progressing but was encouraged to walk around, eat, and find other areas to rest and wait.  They showed me to Jordy's inpatient room and encouraged me to use his room during the surgery as I wanted.  I did head to breakfast as soon as Jordy went into surgery. My mom and several others asked me if I was nervous or stressed.  Truthfully, no.  While I did not want to put Jordy through the pain and suffering of surgery, having surgery is the only way Jordy will ever have the chance of walking.  We are not going to deny him that chance.  We know God is in control and with trusting in God comes peace.  My choices were: sit and worry myself sick or choose to leave Jordy in the hands of God and the doctors which I did.  First report was at 11am EST and the nurse indicated that the doctor would only be repairing one hip instead of both because it was more difficult than he originally hoped.  The second call came at 1pm EST and the nurse said that the femur was a challenge and the doctor was just beginning to work on the hip joint.  At 3pm EST, the nurse said the doctor was close to finishing and would be suturing soon and doing the spica cast.  At about 4:30pm EST, the doctor came out and called me back to look at some x-rays.  He said it was a tough job but the warmth and hope in his voice gave me such peace.  The x-rays were an incredible sight to see.  I wish I could show you the before and after pictures but you are just going to have to vision it from my description.

Post-op

Jordy's original diagnosis is left hip dysplasia and dislocation with arthrogryposis.  The doctor's did an open hip reduction with femoral osteotomy, acetabuloplasty, and adductor tenotomy.  I'm sure you all understand exactly what the doctors did and no further explanation is necessary at this point.  To be honest, they asked me to sign a paper prior to surgery indicating that I understood that these procedures were going to be done on Jordy and I looked at them and said I would sign but I didn't and couldn't truly understand.  Okay, maybe I had a clue but a complete understanding?  Not even close.  I signed because while I don't understand the technical terms, I know that we all understand the ultimate goal for Jordy is walking.

What I do understand is that Jordy's hip socket was deformed and so was the femoral head which is the top of the femur bone that is supposed to slip into the hip socket.  From birth, Jordy's left hip has been dislocated.  For four years, he has maneuvered around with a completely dislocated hip joint.  As a result, the femoral head has developed incorrectly because it has never had to work properly and has thus taken on different characteristics.  The doctor indicated that the top of the bone was rough and jagged as opposed to smooth and rounded.  Also, it has been noted that it is likely that Jordy has a leg length difference so it was decided to cut a piece of his femur out in order to reshape the hip socket.  In this way, they could correct two issues at once.  Where they cut the bone out, there is now a plate and screws.  The doctor did not put the bone back together.  Rather, he left space between for the bone to grow back together.  Last, I understand they also had to cut tendon around the hip joint.

So, as I looked at the x-ray what I could visibly see was a plate and screws with a space between them. Then at the hip joint the piece of bone removed was divided into two separate pieces and was used to help repair the hip socket.  You could clearly see these on the x-ray.  The bone will hopefully graft naturally to the existing bone and no artificial parts will hopefully ever be needed.  Jordy will remain in the spica cast for no less than seven weeks.  He will then be re-casted in a different cast for a bit longer.  This will put us at the beginning of next year before he will be without a cast of any kind.

Fall is officially settling in

Time to break out the sweatshirts, and jeans and time to put away the shorts and razors.  Ha!  Just kidding . . . sort of.  I love this time of year because it's cozy time.  Time for warm blankets, thick socks, hot chocolate, and comfort foods.  I so enjoy the way God paints the fall canvas every year in such brilliant color.

We've had fun these last few weeks, beginning on October 19, when we headed to Indy to reunite with other adoptive families whose children lived with Jordy in China in his foster home.  What a blessing to bring our children together in America where they can continue to grow their friendships and share their common stories even in their new families.

Five families and seven orphans NO MORE!

These particular cuties all lived in Angel House.

Halloween is always a fun one in our family because who doesn't enjoy putting a costume on?  Well, we do, and having children gives us a valid excuse to do just that.  Jordy was elated about being the Flash.  So much so, that we had a hard time peeling him out of his costume and it's already developing holes.

Natalie Lewis was really thrilled when I broke out the camera at her house.  You are very welcome Natalie.  You officially made it into our family album this year. ;)

Can't forget Ron Putman who is a huge kid at heart and makes sure to always take Halloween off of work to pass out candy.

Where to go trick or treating when it rains?  Walmart!

A well timed Andria Smith makes it into the Petrosky family album passing out candy to our Petrosky bunch at the Parkview Whitley ER.

Time to compare candy.

We finished out this weekend by celebrating birthdays for our girls Caydra & Natalie.  They requested a costume party and insisted that everyone put on a costume.  It was super fun and ever so energetic.

Thank goodness we have a big bed.  Enough for our five and a guest.

Miss Emily works her magic again making these beauties.

Grandpa even came in costume!  Love it.

Can't imagine why our house was so loud.

Caydra told Karoline and Emily they wouldn't be allowed in the door without costumes.  In costume, they came!

Pulled out some minute to win it games to entertain the little guests.

Finished our night off with needed time with good friends, getting hairs cut and laughing, lots of laughing.

She was warned that I would use this picture.

Melina talked his ear off all night. :)

BFF for life.

Look at those same two hotties on the left here in 1990 maybe?

It's a miracle that we got a decent family picture in September.  MIRACLE.  This is usually what we get!  It's so much fun to catch up with friends.  Missed Faith but glad that Cookie made it.

My next post will probably be from Shriner's in Chicago.  November 13 is the big day.  Keep praying for our little man and for wisdom and grace for the doctors and staff performing his surgery.

As we step into Thanksgiving and Christmas season, we pray that you take time to make your own memories and live in those moments.