Where have I been??

Wow guys! Sorry about the lack of updating. It seems that by the time I have the time to update, I am too exhausted to type it all out! I do think about it, and have a million posts all written in my mind, they just never seem to make to the computer.

So, updates. We have been in a whirlwind of medical appointments. MRI's, EEG, eye doctors, dentists, pediatrician, therapists, we have seen quite a lot of medical professionals in the last three months, and with out getting all into the details, we still really do not know what is going on with our boy. His MRI was 100% normal, which is good, but puzzling. He seems to be making progress with therapy, but there are still issues that we are trying to figure how how to treat in order for him to have success in these areas. Hopefully more to come on that later. Genetic testing is still out, but we should get those results after Christmas.

This boy is so sweet and agreeable. We have very very few problems, if any. He is just happy and content. His English is really coming along, although I am sure he will need some speech therapy one day. I have been trying to prioritize his therapies and treatments, because honestly, there is not enough time in the day to do it all at once.

We had a ton of fun celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving! Over Thanksgiving, we went to the mountains, to our families favorite mountain get away. We visited Grandfather Mountain, did some shopping, and watched a parade. We swam at the pool too, and the little kids really had fun with that. Of course Lincoln had a super time, and really enjoyed the festivities, but he is SUPER excited about Christmas. He loves the trees and lights.....just wait till he gets the gifts!!!

So all is well around here, just busy, but I am loving every second of it! At some point I really need to switch to a family blog, but I will try to keep this one up and running for awhile.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

Fall favorites

On the farm.

He enjoyed watching his sister ride, but he made sure he kept a safe distance away from the animals. He was just a bit unsure. Lilly loved it though. I took the chance to snap some cute pictures of my boy on the farm. We are still doing well. Link started PT this week, and we will be working with the therapist once a week now. She thinks she can help him improve his core strength. Overall she thinks that he is doing really well. We also got all his blood work back and it was perfect!
He's just the sweetest boy, and I am so lucky to be his mommy!

Week 3, STAPLES?

Seriously. What is going on here? Third week home. Fifth doctors visit?
First week, well check.
Second week fever, then to the ER with breathing issues, then back to the doc for a recheck.
This week, staples.
FOUR staples.
He was running through the house.....he tripped and hit his head on the toy box. It bled a lot. It wasn't pretty. So off we went.
Fourth child, first one with stitches/staples.
And it's only Tuesday?
At least he is still all smiles!

Rain and doctors go away!

We have still been battling sickness around here. Lilly had strep, and Lincoln was trying to get over his virus still. Plus it pretty much has rained all week. So this week has been pretty blah.
Link lost a tooth though, which he thought was pretty cool.




Last night we went to Landon's football game. He LOVED that! Gee Gee is his favorite person around here, besides mommy of course. : )







Today Lilly was supposed to have gymnastics today. It was going to be her first lesson. I really played it up. BUT I couldn't find the gym. One reason was that it was raining so hard I could hardly see. The other reason is that map quest took me some crazy route. So, after we were already late and I was still lost, I figured we might as well give-up. We will try again next week. Lilly was really looking forward to it, so I made it up to her by going to chuck e cheese. About my least favorite place, but we were the only ones there for most of the time, so at least there weren't too many wild kids around......just my two! Link had so much fun! So did Lilly.


















Hoping the rain and sickness is gone!

Catching up...

Well the past two weeks have flown by. I will try to update all that is going on without writing a small book.
We took Link to the pediatrician. Nothing huge to report. He weighs about 41 pounds. He is so much smaller than we thought. Poor boys clothes fall off of him, so it will be MUCH smaller sizes for fall and winter clothes shopping. He does eat well, so I am hoping he will gain quickly. We are all scheduled for blood work, and working on his neurological exam appointment to be set up soon. His pediatrician does think he has CP, although she thinks it is mild. She says his prognosis should be great, which is good news.
We also celebrated his birthday, which is bitter sweet to me, because it is estimated. I really wish we knew the exact date, or even if it is remotely close, but there is nothing that I can do about that, so we celebrate that date anyway.....after all it's the date that lead him to us, so it is special. We did not have a big celebration, but we did have cake and a few toys. I am not sure if he fully understood that it was his birthday. We had fun though, and he sure enjoyed his presents.

















We have been spending this time getting to know each other, which has involved many smiles, and many tears. Ah, brothers and sisters!









The weather has been so nice, we have spent a ton of time outside. Link finally learned to ride the power wheels. I thought I may have a heart attack and a few mental breakdowns, but luckily he learned with no injury and loves riding his new wheels.






Then he got sick. Really sick. But he is starting to feel better now. Unfortunately now Lilly has it. Okay virus, you can leave now. We have more fun to be had.
Thanks for all of the prayers! He continues to do amazing!

Home Sweet Home!

What a great feeling to be back HOME! The flights were much better on the way back. The kids did really good. It takes its toll on you still though, and we have been quite tired. Yesterday I laid down for a quick nap and woke up 6 hours later!!!
So today I MUST stay awake!
Lincoln is doing great. We have had no problems at all....well besides the seatbelt on the way home. He isn't too fond of that. Otherwise things are better than I ever imagined that they could be. He is sweet, and easy as he can be.
Now Lilly has had some adjustments to make, and when things are good, they are good, but when they are bad they are horrid. It seems all of the sudden Lilly wants everything her brother touches. And just a few minutes ago she "accidentally" hit him. Sigh, we have some work to do there. I suppose that is normal though.
So thats about all I have for now. Just settling in and letting Link explore, and have fun. He has a doctors appointment next week, so hopefully he will do okay with that.
Much LOVE, thank you all for all of your prayers, and sweet words...they have encouraged us so much.

Hong kong.

We made it to Hong Kong! We opted to take a van, instead of the train. It was more money, but worth it to be able to relax. We still had to go through the border, and immigration, but that was not painful at all.
After we checked in we decided to make the most of the day with a quick trip to Disney. It was fun! Much smaller than home, but just right for our two. Link probably thought we were crazy, but he really enjoyed it. Lilly loved it, and was so happy to go to Mickey Mouse's house. We saw the parade, and my only disappointment was that Mulan was MIA.
Hong Kong is very pretty. I love the way the mountains meet the sea, and I wish I had a good picture of it.
HOME tomorrow. I am beyond excited! It's only a day away!
Off to do some last minute packing!!!

Last day in guangzhou

Ah, the last day in Guangzhou. Bitter sweet, but mostly sweet. I am so ready to be back at home, in my bed, with my whole family under one roof.

Last night we went to the Chinese place near Jordan's to eat again. Five flights of stairs, and you know it has to be worth it for me to climb all those steps. The food is so good, and we have met amazing friends here that make it even better.







This morning after breakfast we went swimming at the hotel pool. Link and Lilly loved it, but I must say that my Mom may have had a heart attack had she seen it. The pool was fine, but it was on the top of the building on the roof. Nine floors up I think. And there was only a small railing around the edge. Mom I know you are cringing just thinking about it. Don't worry I took pictures. The view though from so far up was unbelievable. I am always amazed at just how many buildings there are here. As far as the eye can see, and so much traffic.













After that we took the red couch pictures. I was so happy to do that again, because the white swan is closing soon, and I was scared I would not get the pictures like I had for Lilly. I must say I have some awfully cute kiddos. The little girl in pink is Hope. Is she not the cutest thing?














After the pictures session, we went to eat at Lucy's one last time. The food is not good..but it's one of those things that you feel like you should do.









My statue on the island. Looks just like me don't you think?



Tonight, it's five flights up again to eat at the Chinese place. I will be craving this food forever. So I am trying to get my fill. Then back to pack up. Hong Kong tomorrow. Inching closer to home. Love you all.