Important Man's Haircut!

Okay, Lorea is obsessed with cutting his hair. The VERY first thing she purchased when we started the adoption process was a clipper set from Sally's. So, she has been waiting a long time to use them and every chance she gets those things are buzzin'. These are the result of her latest creation. Akins thinks it's great because it looks like "An Important Man's" hair. Once again, an important man is anyone in uniform so we are thinking he sees this as equivalent to a police man or military type of official. Keep in mind he lived with a police man for a couple of months so this may be where the talk of the important man comes from, but also this is a common Liberian phrase when speaking of government officials. Also, for those of you asking what's the deal with the hernia one of the shots gives you a pretty good shot of what it looks like. If you haven't figured it out already you can double click any photo to get an enlarged view.

Doctor update ...

Akins was a good boy today. He only cried when the doctor made him take his clothes off and lay down. Hell this makes me stress out and want to cry too! He is scheduled for surgery on the 19th - yes next week. It was a bit more serious than we originally thought. When he laughs, cries etc it pushes out his belly button area and it gets very large and hard. This is caused because his internal organs, intestines etc. are pushing out through the belly button ring. He is at risk of his intestines and/or other organs pushing through the belly button ring and then potentially getting caught which is called umbilical strangulation. Essentially, if this were to happen whatever pushed through would lose blood flow and would then require emergency surgery. We don't want this to happen for obvious reasons.

Additionally, the circumsicion is more necessary than we thought as the sleeve is not pulling back naturally and is at risk of closing off the tip which would not allow him to urinate and then could cause kidney failure. Recovery somewhat depends on him and his tolerance to pain, no rough housing that would raise a sweat for two weeks. No baths for two weeks - showers are
okay. I guess it is good it is starting to cool down as he is a warm blooded boy so he gets sweaty pretty easily. She said this was the largest hernia she had ever seen and that being able to put two fingers into the ring opening on a three year old is alarming, in his case she can put four!

He is also at risk of this recurring simply based on his age and the size of the hernia. She is not going to use any articfical materials and so the ultimate goal is to have his own tissue hold everything in place. I good with that as I keep getting spam mail about hernia patch recalls!

So.... we are scheduled for pre-op Monday and surgery on Friday. We have to get it done. The sooner the better. Did I say that the visit gave me an incredible headache and I want to throw up....the thought of him having to endure more than being homeless on the streets of Liberia is killing me.

The dreaded doctor appointment - tomorrow

We continue to try to convince Akins that a new belly button would be an excellent idea. We tell him his shirts will fit better, his pants will fit better, he will have more room for chicken in his belly (I really thought that would seal the deal)etc. He is still not keen on the idea. We have not told him they will be looking at another part of his body as I can't come up with really great reasons why this should be happening too. Well at least not ones I think he will understand or is old enough to hear about. Is that bad? I almost feel like I am lying to him by omission, but also think talking about it creates anxiety that is not necessary. I would like to thank everyone for their well wishes and good vibes as we take off tomorrow for yet another "lay down and let me look at you" episode of hands and legs kicking and screaming. I think I need a sedative!

Getting his feelings hurt

It seems there is no way to forever avoid getting Akins feelings hurt. Last week we had his birthday party and the kids from next door were invited. Yesterday, Akins said he wanted to ride his cycle so we go outside only to discover the little girl next door having her birthday party to which he was not invited. BUT - she turned eight and she was having a girl party that appeared it would be turning into a slumber party. Oh course, Akins wanted to go over there to play and I had to explain to him that he was not invited and then go in to further explaintion around why she only wanted girls at her party, none of which made him feel any better - he cried and I felt horrible. The good news, he IS invited to a boys party from daycare for today. Now, if I can only get him to understand that he does not get to blow out the candles or open the gifts and that he must give the gift we have wrapped to his friend, we will be in good shape. It is truly like having an infant who is learning and seeing everything for the very first time and not all of the first time experiences are wonderful. So for those of you still waiting on your kids to come home, brace up for some difficult and painful times too.

The concept of a new belly button

Well, as we approach Tuesday I have been trying to figure out how to get Akins buy in on the next doctor appointment. So, I have been asking him if he would like a belly button like Mommy's. Initially, he said yes. Then I said "okay, let's go next week and find out about it". He vehemently said "NO"! The next day when I picked him up from day care he was pushing on his belly button (hernia) saying it hurts. It doesn't, but he suddenly is aware of it being different. So, again I asked if he wanted it to be flat or small like Mommy's. By the way small is a big thing with him. He will say "I want a small drink of water" or "Turn the water on small" and he does this in a very funny voice, while holding his hands up with his fingers pinched depciting a small amount. So, I thought having a "small" belly button might do the trick. Again, at first he was agreeable but then when I said we would have to go see about it, he said no. Great - Tuesday ought to be a real good time!

Rockin' the House! - Jimmy Hendrix Lives

Since we got home from Africa there are few things on the TV that catch Akins attention. Which frankly is good, but last night we had the tube on and he saw the "Singing Bee" and got really excited. I've never watched it and actually think it is pretty silly but he loved it. The only other time I have seen him get really excited was when the girls walked out onto the stage for "Deal or No Deal" and let's face it that gets everyones attention. So, after his doctor appointment (we'll talk about that in a moment), Lorea gave him a toy guitar that we had been holding back so he did not get so many toys all at once. Well, between his new guitar and the "Singing Bee" the house began to rock and here is what happened next - a full on rock concert right in our living room.






Tonight he is asking for dancing - so I had to bust out some videos the only thing close I could come up with was my Turbo Jam exercise video and right now he is trying his Turbo Jam workout moves on for size! He's a bit frustrated at the pace but he is giving it a heck of a try!

Now for the doctor update... Well, I thought we had all results in but it seems his stool sample was well ummm lost. What!!! Okay, so we have to do that over. The Hep A, B, C had not been faxed over and so I still need confirmation that these are clear but I am sure they are. While there I re-addressed the hernia and circumcision issues and now have a referal to a surgeon for Tuesday. Great... another day of complete meltdown. The doctor is not a good time! He got two more shots so you may note in his "sexier shirtless" rock star photo that he has two band-aids one on each arm. He was so distressed before even entering the building that I am not sure we got an accurate weight but it said he gained 2 pounds. Keep in mind the first two weeks we had him were prior to doctor appointments because we got him the first night in Africa. So, really this is a measurement of about 5 weeks. He also grew 3/4 of an inch! Other than being completely stressed out, the health report was good!

Remember

I have some new photos to share and also a doctor update, but I want to save those for tomorrow because there is something more important for today and that is to remember why this blog is here and why Akins Junior is with me now. Please click on the link to Sue Richardson's blog, read and watch the video on her adoption story as it does such a great job of reminding me why it was so important that I help "Junior" make this journey in the first place. The video brings tears to my eyes as I see just how far this journey is and how many more miles need to be walked for all the others.