Here you can follow our updates

Here you can follow our updates of how the boys and the family are doing!!

It's also a great place for us to show off our kiddos! I hope you enjoy our little ones and much as we do!

Hmm...is that an oxymoron? LOL! Well, I just wanted to let you all know that it's been tough now keeping up with 2 website. This one and Anna Grace's. Since not much is happening on Anna Grace's adoption journey, but it is easier to post there, I will be posting there for the most part....and of course, including updates for all of our kiddos over there. I will try and post here about once a month, but please do check over there since I have already put up pictures of the boys' in the their Halloween costumes and did some bragging about Amanda.

Friday was the 3 week mark appointment with Kai's surgeon. Kai's palate is 100% intact, no fistualas, no holes. The doctor said he was truly amazed at his recovery and that his palate is so perfect. I said, "I'm not! Between your gift of being a great surgeon and God's hand guiding you, how could we expect anything less?"

So, we return in 2 weeks just because he does have a few stitches that have still not dropped out, and he can go back to a normal diet, with the exception of anything crunchy, such as potato chips, cereal without milk, etc. He could have Cheerios, though! Yeeaaahh!!!

Thank you all again for your prayers. Praise God for hearing them and for healing his palate perfectly! Indeed, a day of celebration!

To see a video of the process click here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JYCvcQ6K-o

This post is pretty much a mopey, whiney post just because it's pretty drab around here. Scott left this afternoon to complete his Cursillo weekend retreat. He hasn't been gone 3 hours yet and I'm already missing him. ::sniff:: I don't know how those Moms with traveling husband do it. But, as excited as he was (and needed to be) to spend some quiet time with our Lord, I know he was definitely going to miss his family. We all definitely need that "recharging". I'm going to try and spend some quiet time with the Lord myself this weekend. Something I really haven't been able to do since the boys have been home. For those friends that pray, please lift Scott up in prayer that he leave everything from the secular world behind and that he completely empties himself of everything so that he could be filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray that the Lord strengthen his faith and opens the eyes of his heart to His word; that he come home on fire with the Lord's Spirit burning in His heart and that he find everything he is looking for in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Honey, I know you won't read this until you get home....but I miss you oodles and oodles!! The boys and Amanda and I all send you hugs and kisses!! God bless you!

Today was supposed to be our cork-popping, champagne pouring, dancing in the streets day while we yelled from the rooftops that Kai has received the all clear and that his palate is fully intact. Well, the doctor had an emergency and Kai's last appointment has been postponed until Friday, the 20th! UGH!!!!! To my naked, totally unprofessional eye, it looks good....but please don't go by me. If I can ask you all to please pray for another 4 days, it would be soooo greatly appreciated. Otherwise, he is back to his old self. We went to the social security office today (I left AJ at home), and Kai was the "entertainment" for the two hour wait. This child's charisma and charm is just amazing. And I think I can say it proudly since it truly has NOTHING to do with me genetically. He had about 30 people singing his favorite Barney tune. You know, the one he had us do about 40 times prior to the surgery...."I love you, you love me. We're a happy family!...lalalala" Ok. I'll spare you. :) All this while he danced to the singing. I so wished I had a video camera. And if someone stopped singing or wasn't singing, he'd go (all 31" of him) and stand in front of them and dance while he "signed" the word for sing. His spirit is amazing, and the fact that his vocabulary is probably 3-4 words, yet can move mountains is even more amazing. God is so great! So, please stay tuned, I will be sure to post when we can truly "pop that cork!"

I am just ecstatic to report Kai's 2nd progress report with the cleft surgeon. We went this morning and he took a good look in Kai's mouth. He said, "Ohilda, I'm not telling you it's 98% healing perfect....it 100%! There are no fistulas and it is completely intact and healing better than I could have ever wished!" Thank you, Heavenly Father for watching over our baby and for listening to the prayers of your faithful servants. We give you all of the glory for this because we are well aware of how difficult a surgery it was due to the severity of his cleft and the many complications there could have been! We are still 7 days away from declaring complete triumph, but we are thanking you now because we know your will is being done. As Kai's parents, we will be sure that You and You alone receive all the glory for your miraculous works in our precious little boy.

Thank you all for storming the Heavens with your prayers for our baby. We love you all and we're almost there! Seven more days to go!!!!

This is another one of those "off topics" that I just feel so strongly about. Below is an excerpt from an article in USA Today. We, as a nation, as a people of God, have so much to learn. God wants us to enter the kingdom of heaven as small children, as simple believers. We all have something to learn from the Amish. The Amish people are so worthy of respect for their beliefs and their traditions. This article shows how the Grace of God can make a human being into something supernatural. Supernatural for our society, that is. The last line in this article shows what God, and God alone, can do when you live for Him. May God bless these Amish families that have gone through so much and yet, humbly and with God's grace....do His will.

"In the hours and days following last week's heartbreaking schoolhouse massacre of five Amish children in Nickel Mines, Pa., the story cut across the media landscape like a runaway brushfire.

Almost overnight, we learned the grotesque details of the vicious crime itself, heard the pitiful back story of its deranged perpetrator and were subjected to a flurry of the usual analyses - endless eddies of chatter that swirled about the tragedy without shame or abatement.

Rosie O'Donnell targeted the National Rifle Association in her blistering remarks about the killings; Hannity & Colmes used air time to bring on, then ridicule, a religious zealot who called the murders God's will; and columnists lumped the shocking slaughter into reports of other recent school shootings, as if to imply that this reprehensible act of madness was merely part of a bigger news story. A larger picture. A trend.

The Amish citizens of Nickel Mines were oblivious to it all, their religion having long ago instructed them to forgo TVs, radios and other devices of modern-day mass communication.

They collected money for the families of the deceased, including the horrified, grieving wife and children of the murderer. They also invited the family to the funerals." By Bruce Kluger

I want to give you all an update on how Kai's recuperation is going, but before I do, I have to share the cutest thing he does!! As you all know, he is wearing these "No-No's", arm restraints that don't allow his arms to bend, therefore he cannot put his fingers on anything else in his mouth. He's really been great about them, but of course, like everything else, as we approach the 21 day mark, the No-No's are getting a bit old. He asks frequently now for me to remove them. Depending on what the situation is, I do take them off for a little while, for example if we are in bed watching TV and I am right next to him, etc. Anyways, the last couple of times I have removed them. He smiles with glee at this newfound "freedom". After a while, I do say, "okay Kai, we have to put your No-No's back on". He isn't crazy about it, but somehow understands that this is part of the whole routine and comes over with his little restraints so I can put them on his arms. Here's the part that I think is soooo cute! Right before he extends his arms for me to put them on, he touches his elbows, his face, rubs his eyes, etc. It's almost like he's saying, "Ok! Let me get those last few touches in!" It makes me sad sometimes that he has to wear these, but I know that it's for his best interest. God knows we don't want him to go back to the operating table. And I could never live with myself if I knew it happened because of my negligence in giving in to not wearing them.

So, now for his update. I've been giving him the Tylenol a couple of times a day. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! He is still waking up 4-6 times a night, but that is less than the 8-10 that he was waking up a few days ago. Each day I see a little more progress and my sweet little boy is starting to reappear. THANK YOU, JESUS!!! We're still counting down the days and storming heaven with our prayers. As of today, we only have 10 more days to go. Tomorrow we will be into single digits.....wooohoooo!!!!!

Please keep those prayers coming for a complete healing. We are feeling and witnessing every prayer said!

First, let me thank you all for your prayers. They were definitely felt and very much needed. What a week it has been. Our poor little guy, Kai, has been put through the ringer and back. The surgery began promptly at 7:15 a.m. and was over just past 11 am. Amazingly, the ENT did his part in less than 10 minutes, then the urologist came out and he was done...and then finally, the cleft surgeon. The doctor told us he awoke REALLY mad! They asked him if he wanted Mama and he nodded. When they finally wheeled him out, he looked at me with such a look of confusion and pain. My heart ached for him and all I wanted to do was pick him up from that gurney. They wheeled him into ICU with my holding his hand. I had to let go for 5 seconds to get into the elevator and poor little thing kept moving his eyes following my every move to make sure I wasn't leaving him. They had forewarned us that he would have a lot of blood coming out of his nose and mouth. I expected MAJOR blood, fortunately he did well. The first two nights at the hospital, we slept together on the rocking chair, then I decided that was enough as I could hardly keep my eyes open and holding him up so I crawled in the crib with him. :) That made him happy. He slept (with frequent wakeups) more comfortable and I was able to at least stretch a bit.

We are now home. His palate appears to be healing beautifully, along with the circumcision and the tubes. The tubes in his ears have been a non-issue. He was given close to 50 stitches in his mouth for the palate closure and was given 5 stitches on his penis for the circumcision. He was in A LOT of pain. Five days later, he was still in a lot of discomfort but each day it is getting better. He developed a high fever (not infection related) and also a severe rash that has covered his whole little body, with red welts and a LOT of itching from an allergic reaction to the morphine. His little legs are covered with scratch marks (some that have bled) with the amount of itching he had.

He is now home eating only pureed foods for 3 weeks and wearing his little braces so that he does not bend his arms. Interestingly enough, he loves his "No-Nos" (the arm restraints) and refuses to take them off...so bath times have been a bit rough.

He hasn't had a fever for a few days now and the rash seems to be gone with the exception of the dry skin it left behind. We went this morning to his 1st week post-op appt. His palate is still "healing beautifully" but, as he has reminded me 1000x, until those 21 days are up, we cannot break open the champagne bottle that it is completely sealed. I asked the doctor if Kai could still have pain and also told him about his drastic change in behavior/attitude. He has become such an obstinate whiney little boy. It is sometimes very frustrating. He told me that there is a possibility that he may be a little over the edge towards being spoiled BUT that there is no doubt that although he is not in the agonizing pain he was in the hospital, that he still does have pain. He said to think about when we burn the roof of our mouths eating pizza or something hot...or when we have a canker sore....it last for days. Well, then he said to magnify that by 10,000 times and that's what his mouth feels like with 50 stitches in it that are healing. OUCH!! So, now I'm back on the guilty wagon, but am definitely not gonna go
spoiling him. I also had stopped the Tylenol since I thought after 6 days of Tylenol he really shouldn't have anymore. He said..."Ahhh...that could explain his waking up in the middle of the night 10 times!" So, he will be going back to alternating Tylenol and Motrin. Otherwise, he is done with all meds. His little wee- wee has healed perfectly and his ears have not drained in days. So for now, we anxiously continue to await the 15th of October when the 21 days are up.

The time is quickly approaching that our little Emperor will finally have his surgery. We have to be in the hospital at 6:30 am on Monday morning (the 25th). He will be having tubes put in and will have his palate closed, along with being circumcised. The surgery will last 4-5 hours and he will be in ICU the first night. If all goes well, then they will move him to a regular room.

The tubes and circumcision will be the easy part. The cleft surgeon was telling me that since his palate opening is so very wide, they may need to pull tissue from somewhere else to close it (usually from the very back of the throat area), and I had to sign a consent to do this so they wouldn't have to come running out an get signatures while he was in surgery.

The doctor's biggest fear is that the palate will "break down" completely, meaning that it fell apart and in 3-6 months, we'd have to go back and do it all over again. There is also a 15% chance of a "fistula" forming where the hard palate (the bony part behind the teeth) meets the soft palate (the back part of the mouth). If this occurs and the fistula (a small hole) is big enough that air escapes into the nasal passage, then again, we go back into the operating room. He said that fistula's sometimes have skin grow over the hole and there may not be a need to repair it. My worry is the palate breaking down. Please pray specifically that this does not occur. Our poor little guy will be going through so much that I cannot fathom doing it all over again in 3-6 months.

It is going to be a long 4 days and a long 3 weeks recovery. In which, during that time he will have arm restraints and will only be allowed to eat very soft, liquefied foods.

We lift up to you our precious blessing you have entrusted us with, our beautiful son, Adrian Wen Kai. We walk in faith and are thanking and praising you now for allowing the surgery to be a complete success. We are confident that, along with all of the angels and saints, you will protect him during the surgery. We ask that your hands guide the surgeons so that their work remain intact and his palate does not break down or open in any areas. Lord, please give the doctors wisdom and guidance to master their skills, gifts they have received from you.

Lord Jesus, we ask that his recovery be an easy one. That his pain be minimal and that as his pain goes away, his speech begins to explode. May Kai be able to speak clearly, Lord. May you form his words so that they could be understood. Lord, we are anxiously awaiting to hear our little one praise your name out loud and testify to others of your unconditional love. We give you all the glory for the blessings that you have given us and for those yet to come. We know that you always walk before us, and we have no fears, Lord. He is your creation, and you knew him long before we ever expected to bring him home. We know you love him more than we ever could. We entrust him blindly into your care, Father God.

We praise you, Jesus and as always, we pray this as we do all things, in your name. Amen.

We also pray for our Blessed Mother's intercession and ask her to carry our prayers to her beloved son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored thy help or sought thy

intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee oh Virgin of Virgins my mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand sinful

and sorrowful. Oh Mother of the word Incarnate, despise not my petitions but hear and answer me. Amen.

We humbly thank you, our family and friends, from the bottom of our hearts for all for your love and support,

Hello friends!! I have finally put together a short video of the boys' baptism. It may take a little bit of time to download...so be patient. They're definitely worth waiting for. :)

Tito (24), Amanda (12), Adam (21), AJ (on Tito's lap - 5 mos.) and of course, our little Emperor, Kai (2).

Wow!!! The joy at seeing how blessed I am makes my heart swell with pride! Thank you, Jesus!

Lots has been going on in the Bombardier household. On Sunday after church we took off to Wal-Mart to buy another crib. Yes, I have a crib already, and was hoping Kai would sleep in the twin bed, but he really sleeps so much better in the crib. AJ has outgrown the bassinet and has been sleeping in my room in the playyard. So, we do need another crib. We arrived at Wal-Mart and there were several ones there. One was a matching one to Kai's (which is what I was looking for) but it was a cherry color and not natural wood...so that didn't work. Anyways, I ended up not getting a crib and we were heading home when I noticed the photo studio. I looked at Scott and said... PLEEEEEEASE?!!! Needless to say, my wonderful hubby said, "Sure" and the adventure began. We waited about 25 minutes to go in. Once inside, we started with the first pose (they take 7). Ahhh...things were good, they were cooperating, we got a pretty good shot of the "special", so we moved on to the next pose. That's went it all went awry. Oh my goodness!!! To make a long story short, Scott and my nephew were dressed with wigs on bouncing up and down and yelling "COOOOKIE!" for them to smile, while I was trying to juggle AJ with one hand so that he wouldn't fall of the table as Kai was very evidently pushing him off of him. Half-way through the photo shoot, I glance behind Scott and Anthony, and we have a huge crowd of people watching us and laughing! I just had to laugh thinking about what idiots we looked like as we were sweating bullets in this tiny room (open to the store) trying to make these two little guys laugh simultaneously. It was great fun and 2 1/2 hours later, we left having ordered EVERY pose (we only did 5 poses for close to $100. So much for the $6.88 special we went in for!

We are preparing for Kai's upcoming surgery on the 25th. He will be having 3 different procedures during his 4-5 hour surgery. We've been going to pre-op appointments at the surgeons' offices and have been attending speech therapy. I am now moving up to "PRO" mode on packing the two kids and running around town, especially doctors appointments. I laugh at myself sometimes when I think about when we got home from China, I kept telling Scott "I can't go out with two kids!" "You have to come home so I can go to the store" "You need to pick up dinner on the way home because I can't take the kids". Well, the kids now just get shuffled into the car, the diaper bag for the most part remains packed and life is good. It's all a matter of routine. As Kai's surgery approaches I will keep you posted. Please continue to keep our little guy in your prayers that the Lord and his angels protect him during surgery, but most of all, that his palate not "break down" (I will explain this in future posts) and his recuperation be an easy one.

Although we are searching for our little girl from a special needs lists, and trying to save money (yes, I was reminded by Scott about the $100. photo shoot), I could not help myself yesterday. I hit the outlet mall for their amazing Labor Day sale! It just makes me giddy to go into Carters, OshKosh, Gymboree, and The Children's Place and find matching outfits (I almost always dress them the same when we go out) for $2.99!! Needless to say, I came home with a great big smile on my face and lots of cute outfits. Too sweet my boys are!! Here are some quick pictures I took yesterday. ENJOY!!

Just taking a moment to wish my "oldest baby", Tito, a wonderful birthday. He is now 24 years old. Where has the time gone? I so vividly remember him toddling around like Kai is doing now. Tito, we love you so very much, sweetheart! May God give you an outpouring of his love and blessings not only this coming year but forever, and may you realize that He loves you unconditionally, and He will NEVER disappoint you, my child.

Here's a poem I came across and is so true to my heart. I'd gather children anyday before money, roses or any material things this world has to offer. There is no greater joy than looking into a child's eyes when they say " I LOVE YOU, MOMMY!"

I know that this update page is to give updates about the kids and their progress....but, sometimes when I feel really strongly about something, I just have to share it. So, I've decided to share a short story about how awesome our God is....(like you didn't know, huh?).

Well, Sunday we came back from lunch after having gone to church in the morning and it was one of those rainy, dark, gloomy days. Scott went off to play some computer games, Amanda was off doing her thing, and it was me with the two boys. None of which were in the best of moods, I might add. Kai, I suspected, was building up another ear infection. He was cranky, not wanting to eat, and would cry if you just looked at him. And AJ, who even at 5 months old, tends to conspire with his brother, was just as cranky. Over-tired and fighting sleep, he competed with the thunderstorm outside with his shrieks. My patience was running very low. As I sat there trying to find's Kai's mouth which was buried in his chin because he refused to open it, I was thinking to myself, "Lord? You want me to adopt ANOTHER one?" YEAH RIGHT!!! Then I went on a self-pity rampage. I could feel it slowly building up. The thoughts were coming faster and faster. "I never have time for myself. All I am is a servant around here. I spend my days feeding and cleaning with no one's help." Oh yea, how could I forget "Yeah, great Dad Scott is....playing computer games while I'm sitting here suffering with HIS kids!" Now, before I start getting all this hate email, I don't think I need to remind anyone of how much I adore my children, but I think we've all had those kind of days. Anyways, an hour later, Kai was fed and washed up. AJ was changed and I managed to put him to sleep. I went into the office and said to Scott, "I need a break! I need to get out of here! I'm going for a drive!"

We live about 5 minutes from a great outlet mall, which I've yet to go to alone since the kids have been home. Perfect! What a better way to relieve stress than to spend money. I would go shopping! I pulled up to the mall and gleefully started up the walkway. As I passed the first store, I noticed that it said "Sundays 10 - 6 pm" OH NO!!! That has to be just that one store. So, I quickly went past the 2nd store....same thing. I couldn't believe it. They close at 6? I looked at my watch, it was 5:50 p.m. I was torn between screaming and crying. I continued to walk as the store keepers were standing by the doors ushering out the last of their customers. As I passed a Starbucks, I noticed it was open till 7 pm. Oh great! I could drown in caffeine. So, I bought myself a Frappuccino and started heading back to the car. Now I was really depressed. There really is not much to do in this one-horse town. I thought about going to a movie, but it wouldn't start for an hour and I knew I wouldn't enjoy it by myself anyways. So, I sat in the car, rain-drenched, cold and depressed. I then think, "Ok, God.....you got my attention. Now what?" As I sat there listening to the rain softly hitting the windshield, I looked around the car. I noticed in the back seat a copy of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren that my mother had given me for Christmas. I've intended to read it many times, but never had the time. Hmmm...."God, I guess you want me to read it now, huh?" I grabbed the book and started reading. The author clearly notes that this is a 40 day journey, not a sit-down-and-read-until-you-fall-asleep book. You should read a chapter a day and reflect on it.....he emphasized the part about reading only a chapter a day. Well, Chapter 1 hit me like a ton of bricks. All I kept reading was IT"S NOT ABOUT ME....IT"S ABOUT GOD! IT"S ALL ABOUT HIM! Then I stopped. I sat there and let the words sink in. This is the part that the frown turned upside down.....all of those selfish, self-pity feelings started melting away. Literally. I started thinking about what AWESOME gifts he had given me. He has given me not ONE...but TWO beautiful children to love and to raise in His name, and I bitch about one crying cause he's tired and the other one not wanting to eat? And worse yet, I bitch about a husband who waits on me hand and foot and works like a dog, decides one Sunday afternoon to play computer games? I then couldn't wait to get home. I must've thanked the Lord a hundred times and continued to praise him for the blessings that he has showered upon me. It had nothing to do with me.....it was all about Him. It's His glory and He's the reason I have all of these blessings. The feelings of gloom and pity turned to feelings of honor. I literally felt so honored that He had chosen ME to raise these children. That He had enough faith in me in knowing that they would learn to love and praise and worship Him as much as we do. What an honor that is....that the King of Kings would choose me to do His work. Then, as if He weren't amazing enough, I turn on the car and start heading out of the parking lot. I always have my Christian station on the radio, so I turn on the radio and lo and behold....what do I hear? Well, playing at the moment was the song "The Heart of Worship". The chorus goes as follows: "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, 'cause it's all about you, it's all about you....Jesus." Now, if that isn't an affirmation, I don't know what is. By then, I had tears streaming down my face. My God, the Lord I love to serve, had to shut me up and remind me to "be still" so that I could remember that HE IS GOD! And God he is indeed! I came home a totally renewed woman. I kissed and hugged my children and husband and thanked the Lord for the abundant blessings and graces he has poured upon me. My day would have never turned out this way if I didn't have God in my life. I've lived my life without Christ, and now am living it with Him....there's no doubt that I wouldn't want it any other way. A life without Christ? I don't think so!!

Now, I'm back on the saddle and waiting for God to give us the okay to bring another one of his little angels home. So, "speak oh Lord, your servants are listening."

Well, I know that I spend an awful lot of time talking about Kai and his amazing ways. So, now, I thought I'd take some time to brag a bit about AJ. OH MY GOSH!!!! What a cutie he is turning into. I am sooooo in love with this child. He has an AWESOME personality and is a HUGE babbler. He can literally go on for an hour just blabbing away, whether or not anyone is paying attention to him. He truly is THE PERFECT baby....with the exception of this little issue we deal with called "Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER)". It pretty much means that he spits up ALL THE TIME!! I'm not talking a little spit, I'm talking drip-down-your-shirt, into-your-shoes kinda spit up! YUCK! Scott, Amanda and I pretty much have gotten use to it, and we carry at least 4 burp cloths and 5-6 bibs on short outings, we always carry him facing forward (in order to tilt him to aim at the floor) and definitely forewarn those admirers that want to carry him. I've asked the dr. about it, and done lots of research, including speaking to other Moms who went thru the same thing, and it seems that the answer is "it will go away by itself around 9 months of age!" So, we're more than 1/2 way there!!!! We've been told sit him up, lay him down, don't jiggle him, and so on....lots of advice, none of which work. Otherwise, AJ is an extremely happy, funny little guy. He loves his Daddy and can immediately tell by Scott's voice that he's around. He now rolls over in both directions, can grab toys or objects that are dangled in front of him and smiles whenever you make eye contact with him. We are just so truly blessed! We thank our Lord every night for our children, but special thanks always are lifted for our little miracle guy whom we never expected to be blessed with and yet here he is, giving us more joy than we could have ever imagined.

Here are some pictures, and I have attached a small video clip of AJ and his blabbing....and his little "surprise" at the end. :) Enjoy!

What an amazing birthday weekend I had! The whole family, including my Mom, step-Dad, brother with my Godchild and his wife and her family, and my sister, along with her family, whisked off to Disney World for a birthday celebration. The boys were wonderful! Not one meltdown. even in the high 90 degree weather with close to 100% humidity. I was a bit concerned about how Kai would react to the over-stimulation, but both AJ and Kai were total troopers! Kai absorbed everything and was soooo cute to see as he was dancing and clapping along to the Country Bear Jamboree! AJ was spoiled rotten by being carried from person to person and enjoyed his naps in between. I loved watching Kai's eyes light up as we stood next to Mickey. I really missed Amanda and wish she would have gone. Oh well, we'll just have to go back! :)

We headed to the park right after breakfast and were there shortly after the doors opened. We stayed in the park ALL DAY until just after 10 pm. I think it might have been 15 seconds before Kai fell asleep once he was put in his car seat. We were totally exhausted but, it was truly a magical weekend! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment! :)

at the end of this dance session with Amanda and Kai is DEFINITELY what life is all about!

Yes, indeed! God has two more little soldiers in His army now! Kai and AJ were baptized yesterday at our church, Our Lady of Light Catholic Community. It was beautiful and I was so proud of my handsome, little men. They were both dressed the same in their baptismal outfits donning little white ties and vests with crosses embroidered on each side. Kai missed two naps and was getting a bit rambunctious but he loved hamming it up as our priests poured the holy water over him and we held him high in dedication to the Lord. AJ was, yep you guessed it, asleep! He did awake as the water was poured on his head and for Daddy to hold him up, but that only lasted a short time and then back to his dreams. Although my entire family from Miami couldn't be there, I knew they were there in spirit. We came back to the house, followed by a few friends from church and had a small celebration. Being Catholic, it is such a relief to know that our babies are baptized now. They have now been initiated into Christianity and my only prayer for them is that they come to love Jesus with the same passion and unconditional love that He loves them. Here are some pictures of this very special day along with a very a beautiful card that I found on my pillow when I went to bed last night. It was written by Scott for the boys and myself. Gosh, I love that man!!!!!!

In preparation for the baptism tomorrow, both Amanda and Kai went for haircuts. Kai had not had his morning nap so I had no idea how he would respond to having a stranger snip away at his hair. After much searching, I found no where in Ft. Myers that has those cute little kiddie haircut places like the ones they have in Miami, so we went into a place called First Choice....sort of like a Super Cuts type place. First, let me just say that in almost 4 months we've had Kai, his hair really hasn't grown THAT much. It's pretty thin so I didn't know if there was much we could do with it. I love little boys with "mushroom" cuts so I figured I'd ask if that was possible with the limited hair she had to work with. The hair stylist said, "We'll try." So, I sat down on the chair and plopped Mr. Wen Kai on my lap. She grabbed the scissors and comb and the same bewildered, wide-eyed, deer-in-headlights look we first saw when he was handed to us in China emerged. Total silence. No tears....just taking in every movement made around him. I kept whispering to him "It's okay" so I think he felt some security in knowing that I wouldn't let him be hurt, although ironically, I whisper "it's okay" when they are drawing blood or giving him shots! So, maybe I totally confuse him! HA! Digressing...sorry. Back to the hair. He sat there like a champ getting his haircut with the scissors. Shortly afterwards, the clippers came out for the trimming....no problems. Same look, no response. And then it was over. He grinned as he saw everyone oooohing and aaaaahing over his new look! My little guy, if at all possible, looked cuter than ever! He is now all cheeks! I also included a couple of pictures of Amanda cutting off her long hair (like her Mom, she goes thru stages!) :)

Well, last night we went to eat Chinese food for the first time since we've been home from China. The food was "ok", what made me rather sad was the expression on Kai's face when we walked into the restaurant. Obviously, the workers were Chinese, or Asian (I know one of the waitresses is from Thailand and the one that served us last night was from Malaysia), but he IMMEDIATELY had a look of confusion on his face. My heart began to race because since he can't communicate verbally, I had no idea what his thoughts were. He smiled a little impish grin at the waitress and then when she came back and was serving water to us, he reached from his high chair and stroked her arm ever so gently. Does he miss his nanny, the orphanage, China? Is he not happy? If he had the opportunity, would he want to go back? I know my head tells me he is happy and that we provide everything he needs and wants, and then some, but is he REALLY happy? I am overcome by his loss and sadness. Although there weren't tears in his eyes, his little personality changed and it was like he was searching in his brain to see "where he had seen them before". There was definitely an unspoken look of sadness there. I have not seen him "grieve" since we left China. I'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced this with their little ones....especially younger ones that can't communicate their feelings. I wish I could tell him and have him understand that I do understand the huge loss he has faced and that we will get through it together....but for now, all I can do is continue to love him and hope that my words and actions penetrate his little heart.

Yes, I got this idea from someone else, but it made me think about how much I love my kids and some special things about them.

7. How, as a toddler, you were known by everyone for giving the "world's best kisses!"

6. Watching how you cut your spaghetti with a knife and fork until it is in small pieces (just like your Mom!!)

10. How you use to hold your little arms up and say "MA-MA" over and over and over until I picked you up.

2. What a beautiful baby you were and are turning into an even more beautiful young lady

6. How you do what you're told (most of the time) without giving me too much slack

1. When you tilt your little head and "get into position" when I pull out the camera

2. Those "chinese eyes" that you give me as you peek out of the corner of your eye to see if I'm watching

3. Your adorable little dance that looks like you're marching as your arms flail like their pulling weeds

8. Watching you run down the hallway when you hear the garage door....you know that means Baba is home!

1. when I am walking by and glance at you while you're in the swing and you break out into a huge toothless grin

2. when I am feeding you and you snuggle close to my chest and wrap your little hand around my fingers

Miracles DO happen!!!

I MUST share an amazing miracle that occurred to us on Friday. Every time I think that God can't amaze me anymore, he blows me away with His love. It's a bit long, but I really hope you read it because I am still in awe at what happened. Here's our story:

Prior to coming home with Kai, we had contacted our insurance company to make sure that they would cover any necessary medical treatment he would need to repair his still open cleft palate. They said yes....no problem. We arrived home with Kai on April 14, Good Friday. On Monday, April 17, I called one of the very few cleft teams in Florida who happens to work out of Ft. Myers, so that I can have them evaluate Kai for his palate surgery. This evaluation is state funded. It is a group of doctors including a pediatric surgeon who specializes in craniofacial surgery, a dentist, an orthodontist, a pediatrician, and an ear, nose and throat specialist. When I called, I was told the soonest appt. would be July 10, almost 3 months wait. I was disappointed because I wanted Kai to be seen right away, but I had read so much about this team that it was worth the wait.

On July 10, we took Kai in for his evaluation at the local children's hospital. The lead surgeon was amazing. Scott and I were taken back my his knowledge, bedside manner, experience and genuine sincerity. We thought he was great and agreed to see him in his office the following week, July 21, to schedule Kai's surgery.

The day before our appointment, I receive a phone call from the surgeon's office. The girl confirmed the appt. and I said we would absolutely be there. A few minutes later, I receive another phone call, this time from the office manager. She asks for me and then proceeds to confirm that I will be attending again. I say yes, that someone had already called me and then she continues on to tell me that unfortunately she has some bad news and she wanted to make sure I was aware before proceeding with the appt. So, I waited for the other shoe to drop. She then tells me that the doctor is not under our insurance plan and not even the office visits are covered. The first office visit, depending on tests, ranges about $400. I bit my lip so that I wouldn't cry on the phone and reiterated with her what she had just told me. She said, "Yes, I'm sorry. Your son's surgery will be an out of pocket expense." I asked how much....she said "thousands". At that point, I didn't even bother to ask HOW MANY thousands. I felt deflated. I told her I'd call her back.

I sat on the bed after hanging up the phone and just tried to absorb it all. I couldn't believe that we waited 3 months to get in to see this team to only find out now that he was not covered by our insurance. He is the ONLY doctor here that specializes in pediatric cleft palate surgery. I call the insurance company and the lady says to me. "Oh yes, we do cover that surgery, but it must be done by an oral surgeon on your list of providers." I said, "Yes, but an oral surgeon is someone who pulls wisdom teeth and does dentistry work. Granted, they can do this type of surgery but they don't specialize in it." I then went on to tell her that the success of this surgery would determine if my son could ever speak properly or not. She then apologized and said that there was nothing that could be done. That they did not have any contracts with pediatric craniofacial surgeons. I hung up and took a few deep breaths wondering what were we going to do. How could we raise who knows how many thousands of dollars for this baby's surgery, or should we just go ahead and use one of the oral surgeons the insurance company covered. I decided that I'd call the drs. office back and cancel the appt. until I could speak to Scott in depth about it and pray...pray hard for an answer on what to do!

When I called the drs. office, the girl insisted that I keep my appt. I told her that we really couldn't afford to spend $400 on a visit for a dr. that we may not even use. She said she would speak to the dr. about trying to negotiate something with the insurance company and that she would also speak to him about discounting the office visit the next day so that I could keep the appt. She would call me back.

As it usually happens, by that time it was 3 pm. Five o'clock rolled around and no phone call. That night, while putting Kai to bed, I prayed harder than usual. I asked God that whatever His will was, let it be done. The next morning, after Kai has his morning snack, I laid him down next to me for his nap. While he slept, I again prayed and did a rosary. I asked the Blessed Mother to intercede for us at the appt. Kai woke up an hour later. I dressed him and we were off to the doctor's office.

I arrive at the office and ask for Mary, that's the girl who was going to contact the insurance company. I was told Mary was not in that she had called in sick. I felt a pit in my stomach. I then asked if she had made any arrangements for that visit, the girl responded with "I don't see any notes in the file". Then she walked out of the room. As I sat there looking at my adorable little guy eat his cheerios without a care in the world, I was thinking about the $400 I would be shelling out in a little bit. Tears started welling up. I bit my lip and hugged Kai. A few minutes later, the doctor comes into the room. He was as cheerful as the first time we met him. He played with Kai for a couple of minutes asking him for high fives, etc. Then he turned to me and said, "How's he doing, Mom?" I said..."Great!" He turns and pulls out a pencil and a pad out of a drawer, then proceeds to draw a diagram of Kai's upper jaw and teeth. I sat there a bit confused watching. He then starts talking about what the procedure will entail. After about 30 seconds, I interrupt him and said, "Dr., I don't think you are aware. We have a bit of a problem. Mary is not here today. Your office does not take our insurance and she was going to speak to you about trying to work something out with the insurance company." He looked up from his pad and pencil as if he took in what I was saying and then continued explaining the surgical procedure. By that point, I was a getting pretty anxious at the thought that not only was sitting there costing us $400, but that I was about to schedule a surgery that was going to costs us thousands that we didn't have. So, I interrupted him once again, this time I was seeing him rather blurry through the tears that were once again building up. I said, "Dr. You don't understand....we REALLY need to know how much the surgery is going to cost before we proceed with discussing any procedure." He then stopped his drawing again and looked up....this time with total compassion in his face and he said to me, "the surgery is not going to cost you anything. If I can get $400. out of the insurance company then that will be my payment, if I get nothing....then it is my pleasure to donate the surgery to Kai. You will not receive a bill from my office." I almost fell out of my chair. I didn't know if I should hug him or shake his hand. I just sat there bawling. I thanked him over and over and he looked at me and said, "I have 3 adopted daughters myself. I do this for the children, not for the money. I travel to So. America 3 times a years doing cleft surgeries on children in orphanages in Ecuador and Bolivia. That is why I just joined the cleft team 1 month ago, because my schedule up to now has been so busy that I was not able to be a part of it." I just sat there dumbfounded.

All the pieces of the puzzle God was forming suddenly fell into place. The 3 month wait for the appt.? Had I gotten any appt. earlier than that, I would have seen an older surgeon, one who just retired from the team, and from what I've heard not very compassionate. God had EVERY intention for us to see THIS doctor, but he wasn't ready to see us yet. God knew we were going to encounter the financial issue. And he found a doctor who's heart was close to orphans and who does charity work around the world. I know I've said it 1,000 times but His plans are always so perfect and yet we don't learn to step back and just let Him have control. Again, we give God the glory for showing us yet ANOTHER miracle in our lives. We are so very blessed!

In His Name,

Ohilda

Today was the day we have been waiting for to finish "AJ's journey". At 3:00 p.m. today, we stood before a circuit court judge at the Collier County Courthouse and were officially declared the legal parents of our beautiful son, Arthur Joseph! He must've known because this was one occasion he remained awake for the entire thing! We arrived at the courthouse and met our attorney out front. Shortly afterwards, we met up with AJ's Tia Ily, Uncle Herbie, Abuela Titi, and Abuelo Rafael...along with Amanda, of course, Kai and Adam, who is spending 3 weeks with us this summer!

We anxiously awaited to be called into courtroom 4A. We were advised that the attorney would ask us a few questions and then the judge would ask us some questions. After about 20 minutes of waiting, we went inside....all of us. Scott and I approached the bench with AJ and our attorney. The attorney first directed his questions to Scott and then asked me the same questions. Very basic questions. You all know me, I cry at the drop of a hat, so when he asked if we would love and care for this child and give him the same rights and heirs as if he were our own biological child, I almost broke down.

The judge then asked who were the people we had brought with us. I introduced the family members that were present. She asked Amanda what she thought about having 2 little brothers back-to-back and Amanda looked at her and said..."A lot of work!" Aaahhh....glad she sees it. :)

Then she pronounced us as the legal parents of Arthur Joseph Bombardier. At that point, I couldn't stop the tears. He was ours forever! We took pictures and we were off to lunch to celebrate! The entire process took less than 10 minutes, but it was an awesome feeling knowing that Mr. AJ was now legally ours, although in our hearts he has always been our son. We adore this little bundle. He is such a beautiful, happy baby and is getting so darn cute! I catch him looking at me sometimes as I walk by and I just have to go and pick him up and smother him with kisses! Thank you, Lord for our miracle baby!

Oh my!! Someone is impersonating AJ!!! This is what happened. We all know that AJ was born a huge New England Patriot's fan, just like his Daddy. But someone out there (i.e., Tia Ily maybe??) is a desperate Dolphin fan who wants to convert all those winners over to the dark side. You know how it goes...misery loves company. Well, today, we received an email with these horrible pictures of AJ dressed in a Jason Tyler, # 99, Dolphin's uniform! UGH!!!!!!! Along with the pictures was a letter written by THE IMPOSTER and signed AJ. The letter read as follows:

I regret to have to inform you that I've come out of the closet, I AM A TRUE MIAMI DOLPHIN FAN and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Please note that this has no impact on my love for both of you. I love you deeply and I hope this does not change our relationship.

We knew that couldn't be our son, so we asked him. This is what he said happened.

It all started innocently, my aunt was going to watch me overnight, so I asked her, " Hey! Did you see the new offensive line for the Patriots this season??? They're MASSIVE! "

Well, it all turned dark from there. My aunt said, " You WILL be a Dolphins fan!!! YOU WILL BE A DOLPHINS FAN!!! " I said, " NEVER!! NEVER!! THE DOLPHINS NEVER MAKE IT PAST THE FIRST PLAYOFF GAME!!! I'M FOR A WINNING TEAM! THE PATRIOTS!!! GO PATS!! " She said, " We'll just see... ( intro dark low organ music ).

We went to Mel's and I ordered the Patriots special, Apple pie. When Anthony took me for a quick walk, I should have known what she'd do. She's dangerous, really dangerous. Dolphin fans will do ANYTHING to make someone else a Dolphins follower. If they could only fill a stadium every home game like the Patriots have for 10 years straight, huh?? It was then that I think she put something in my pie, because after I ate, we headed to the Mall, and that's all I remember. All I remember as I was fading into darkness was my aunt saying, " Oh man, Scott is gonna DIE! Just DIE!! Grab that Taylor jersey, Igor... I mean, Anthony. " I fought a good fight, but the drug took effect, and it all went black.

Daddy, the next thing I know, I woke up with a headache and a wet diaper full of Dolphin, I mean, poop. I don't remember much before that. When these pictures showed up on the Internet, I knew I was a victim of my evil aunt's fanatical submission. ( Daddy taught me that word, when the Patriots were playing the Dolphins last year, and he said The Patriots defense was crushing the Dolphins offence into submission ). I love you Daddy!

Mommy, I was used and abused, and I'd like to say that when that first seasonal game kicks in, I'm rooting for the STEELERS, like Uncle Tommy!!! I'd also would like to say that if my aunt ever puts me in a Dolphins jersey again, that I will vomit on it repeatedly, since I'm now saving all my throw up for her. The Dolphins can't beat the Jets, they are poopie stinky. But since my Mommy and Daddy have taught me to be a good Christian and I love my Auntie so much, I will try and lead her to the light and make sure she stays on her medication so that she never does this to any other little, innocent babies again!

And my friends, that is the truth! The real AJ Bombardier is the cutie wearing the RED, WHITE & BLUE winning colors!

Here is a picture and a small video clip of our budding new artist! Our first attempt at water colors. His favorite part....the water dipping, of course. :)

I thought I'd share this because it is something that probably only my husband would do! :) Scott is a HUGE fan of Papa Gino's Pizza up in New England. I have a few friends that live in Mass. and they all compare it to a Pizza Hut / Dominoes type pizza, obviously nothing out of this world. But what can you expect from a man who thinks the world's best corned beef hash is made by Libby's? YUCK! Anyways, he had a long time friend of his, Tony, from CT send him a large Papa Gino's pizza via UPS Next Day Air. Yes....he did! He had written to the company a few months ago and asked if they could send him one....got no response. Hmmm....wonder why. Well, his friend explained to them that this pizza was being "shipped", so they pre-cooked the crust and then just put the sauce (which was mostly absorbed by the crust upon arrival) and the mozzarella cheese on top without baking it. I awoke to a phone call from Scott telling me lunch was being delivered. Shortly afterwards, UPS brings a box. I called Scott and told him he had a package arrive. I had no clue at that point that it was a pizza being sent from Massachusetts! He asked me to open it and put it in the fridge until he got home for lunch! I was quite taken back to see this triangular piece of dough with some sauce and cheese scattered over it. Actually it was quite funny! Thanks for the laugh Tony!

Scott came home, baked it and ate almost the entire thing. He was as happy as a clam! Yes...he accomplished his goal! He had a Papa Gino's pizza delivered 1200 miles!!! I wonder if there's a Guinness Book of World Records entry for the longest pizza delivery!

Well, here we are. Two months after my last post and so much has happened. Since then we have celebrated much, been through VERY SCARY moments, and have come to some life altering decisions. So here goes....the update.

First was Mother's Day. What a blessing it was to have our two little guys home. Our older kids couldn't come up to Ft. Myers, so the five of us decided that we'd have a quiet day at the Naples Zoo. AJ slept through most of it, Amanda and Scott had bonding time with Kai tagging along in awe of all the animals. I pretty much kept stopping to pinch myself that our boys were home and that our family was complete (or so we thought!). It was truly a wonderful day and one I will forever remember.

Then, on May 16, our world came crashing down. At 8:30 am, I received a phone call from Kai's pediatrician saying all of his bloodwork had come back and it was all fine....with the exception of the HIV test. I almost dropped the phone. She said his tests had come back indeterminate and that that he may be HIV positive, we would have to retest. Well, after hysterically crying, calling Scott, who came rushing home, and begging family and friends for prayers, we took him in that same day for re-testing. They told us it would be at least 1 week before we had an answer. I don't think I have ever prayed harder my entire life. We begged and bargained with Jesus to please cure our baby of this horrible disease if in fact he did have it. On Sunday night, I had a dream that our priests told us we would be hearing negative results before 5 pm on Monday. Sure enough, on Monday at 4:30 p.m., the pediatrician called back to say that the two confirmation tests that were given were indeed NEGATIVE!!!! Thank you, Lord! Again, another miracle created in your name! Our little guy is healthy and a complete spitfire!

The Thursday after we got the news, May 25, Amanda was confirmed. She looked absolutely beautiful and it just filled my heart with pride seeing her walking up to Bishop Nevins as a new "soldier of God". I can only pray that the Lord continue to lead her path and always allow her to see others through His eyes. She is a wonderful blessing in our lives. I included below some pictures of her awards assembly at school! Wow, we are so proud of her. She received a medal for having perfect honors the entire school year and was 1 of 3 children in the ENTIRE school to have a PERFECT score on her FCATs!!!!!

May 27, was Memorial Day weekend. We had a big bash celebrating both Kai and Scott's birthdays. We had friends and family come from all over to celebrate in the huge Cuban pig roast. Again, AJ slept through most of it, and it was wonderful having all of the kids together, including our beautiful granddaughter Jade. There was so much to be thankful for after going through a week of hell waiting for Kai's tests results.

Next, came Father's Day! Amanda woke up bright and early with the boys and made Scott a wonderful breakfast. He was King for the day! (As if he weren't King everyday! HA!) Then he opened presents and sat at the table with Amanda and Kai doing their own special hobby together, making rockets and flying them. We all headed over to the park and they flew their rockets....later that evening we went to dinner. Again, I had to stop and breath at the sight of my beautiful family. Scott said it was the best Father's Day he's ever had! You can see the video I made for him on the homepage of our site or by clicking here.

This weekend was so fun!! Well, except for the fact that the washing machine decided to pour out water all over the laundry room floor and we had to end up going to buy a new one....ugh!! But, there could be worse things happening!

Anyways, my sister came over early and she, Amanda, Kai, my nephew, and myself took off to the beach!! AJ stayed home and supervised Daddy while he cleaned the pool and the patio. Notice the spiked hair on Kai...my sister's doing!

The beach was awesome!! Very warm. We arrived at about 2 pm. It was a bit late, but the sun was brightly shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. At first, Kai was not to thrilled about the sand, but did show interest! Yaayy!! Step 1 was accomplished. I made a big deal about it and we all clapped. Little by little we worked our way to the water. He held on for dear life at first, but then again, in his usual manner, went with the "flow"...literally. He smiled as I raised him with each coming wave. On this particular day he thought my sister's was God's gift. He watched her every move and laughed and giggled with her silly antics. She, of course, relished the attention from her newest nephew. Amanda sat on the sand and bonded with Kai. He loved the water and splashing around! I could tell it's going to be a beach/pool filled summer!