Still in hospital

We are still in the hospital, but Hannah did really well today.  She even managed to be off of 02 for about 3 hours.  She had to go back on when she fell asleep.  This is such good news.  They will allow us to go home if she only needs 02 at night!!!  We maybe out of here before the weekend. 

My other 3 kiddos at home are getting better and so is dad!!  In fact I am not coughing as much today as yesterday. 

We went over the 1st draft of our home study and sent in the corrections.  Maybe we will be ready soon for the second and final!!  I am also hoping to finally make it to the post office and mail Clare her care package.  I can't believe I have been trying to do that for about 4 weeks now. 

I wanted to remind everyone that our Thirty-one Fundraiser BLITZ ends tomorrow at 6 pm EST., so if you haven't taken the time to go look, please do so!! 

That is my quick update from the hospital and others are waiting on the computer.  Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming!!



Suzanne

Prayer

Well, when I posted yesterday morning Hannah had not awaken yet.  She got around 10 am for therapy and wasn't very happy about it.  She was grumpy and clingy.  As the day went no there wasn't much of a change, so I headed to Aaron's speech therapy.  On the way there Hannah's doctor called and asked how she was doing.  I told her how she had been better all weekend and seemed "off" today.  She told me when I got home to check her out and if there wasn't a change to bring her in to be recheck.

I get home and she is sleeping, so I left her alone.  I finally realized it was 5 pm, so I went in and woke her up.  She wasn't at all happy with me.  She was hot, red faced, grumpy and had one nasty cough.  So, we headed to the doctor's office.  We got there at 5:40, they  close at 6:00, so no one was there but us.  The front office chatted with us, the dr. came up front and tried to get Hannah to look at him, but she wouldn't.  They take us to a room and put on the 02 monitor and it read 88%!!!!!!  They give her a breathing treatment, which just really mad her mad and after the treatment they dropped to 84%.  Her dr. walks in, again, and orders 02 for her and says he will see if Children's has a bed for her.  So, guess what????  My little angel got another ambulance ride to Children's Mercy South!!!!! 

Her pneumonia they said was in her right upper lung has spread to the middle lobe also.  Not sure how long we will be here.  We need a lot of prayer.

I am going to try and work as much as I can on our adoption.  I really have somethings I need to get done quickly and need to figure out how to do them, while I am here.  Please spread the word about our 5 day Thirty-one fundraiser BLITZ.

Pray also for the three others I have at home sick.  I am hoping Daniel is able to fight this off with his asthma.  He really sounded bad when I left this evening, but he told me he didn't feel that bad.

Thank you for spreading the word and your prayers.

Suzanne

Some are better

I am glad to report that Hannah is sounding much better and we managed to stay out of the hospital!!!  This is one big answered prayer.

Another HUGE answered pray is that Lisa, David and Joshua are headed home!!!  THEY ARE FREE AT LAST!!!!

Now, we need prayer for Daniel, because his lungs sound awful!!

Dewey spent Sunday doing all his required computer education and I will do mine today and send the certificates off tomorrow.  We are slowly getting the final paperwork in. 

Thank you for the chip in donations!!


Today opens up are Thirty-one fundraising party BLITZ.   This is an attempt for us to raise as much money as we can to help with the last upfront cost of Clare's adoption.  This will help us be able to pay for the remainder of our home study, immigration fees, fingerprinting and forward our dossier to China.  It is so EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that we get through this portion quickly.  We only have until November 4th to finish this up.  We are seriously cutting it close!!  I really need to have all the paper work to immigration by August 4th!!!  If there is anyway you can help us, we will forever be grateful.  Please consider doing some early Christmas shopping.   Thank you so much!!!!!!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Clare and Suzanne

What a day.

I had great plans for today.  Mail Clare her care package, mail the last documents for my dossier(minus the home stury and immigration papers), make a payment on our home study.  I had it all planned out, where to go first, second and third.  I was even getting to go without any children.  Then, Hannah woke up.  She was slow to start and when I picked her up, I could see in her eyes something wasn't right.  I layed her on the bed to change her diaper and noticed she was really working hard to breath and retracting quite a bit.  I listened to her lungs(I'm a retired nurse), and they sounded awful!!  So, I called the doctors office and asked for an appointment.  They asked for my name and when I told them Hannah Fristoe, they said just a second and came back on the line and asked if I wanted/could be there by 11:45 or I could come after lunch.  I told them I would feel better if we came in asap.

I jumped in the shower and then dressed Hannah and off we went.  They took us in as soon as we got there.  Tempature was okay, but her O2 sat was 93-95.  The NP came right in to see her and ordered a breathing treatment.  After the treatment and Hannah calmed down they listened to her again and did another O2 sat and there was no improvement.  She told me I needed to take her to Children's Mercy Hospital and get a chest xray.  So, off we went to Kansas.  

We got there and waited and waited and waited.  Finally someone realized we were still there and called again to see if anyone was coming out to get us.  Someone finally came and then we had to sit and wait for the doctor to read it, before we could go home.  They decided she had right upper lobe pneumonia, but that it was probably a virus, since she was only running temps at night.  Yay!!! We got to go home. 

We are home and everyone is in bed.  She is pretty sickly acting and isn't drinking well.  We will see what the night brings.  Last night I had to sit in a chair with her most of the night, so she could sleep, peacefully.  For now, she is in her bed.  Why is it everytime I think I am ready to move her crib into her room, she ends up with some type of breathing issue?????  I am sure she isn't suppose to spend her entire toddler years in my room??  I guess we will see what happens next week.

I never did make it to the post office.  Maybe tomorrow if I get up earily enough, I will be able to mail Clare's package.  I will have to get a picture of this to show you, Hannah will pick up the poster of Clare, I had for the garage sale, and kiss it!!  It is so cute.  We were telling her that was her big sister and to keep kissing her, so Aaron started doing it too.  I love my kids.

Thank you for all the prayers!!!  Please keep them coming.  I have watched my favorite and most helpful movie the last 2 nights and I am ready to FACE MY GIANTS.  If you haven't seen Facing the Giants, you need to soon.  It is an awesome movie!!

We will see what tomorrow brings.  Thank you to whomever donated to our chip in!!!!  That really helped to lift my spirits!!  God Bless You.

Suzanne

P.S.  We got an email today saying our home study was only 1/2 written. :(:(:(

 

Prayer Request

There are many other people/families that need prayer, probably worse than I do, but I am becoming very lost.  I have been trying to come up with ways to earn the $3000.00 we need to buy our home study's freedom, so it can be sent on to immigration.  My last 3 fundraisers have been FLOPS!!!!  So, here I am now, discouraged and wondering if we should even be doing this.

I know in my heart this is what the Lord wants from us, but did He mean right now??  I am beginning to wonder.  I have been praying very hard the last few days, mostly for others, whom I feel need it more then we do.  Please pray for Lisa Aspin Warner Family, they are stuck in the Ukraine with their new son Joshua, who may or may not have TB.  Let's pray it is simply pneumonia and they will soon be allowed to come home.  Please pray for her family as they deal with the unexpected loss of her older sister.  Also, for her mother, whom is caring for her young son, while she is in the Ukraine.  Pray for the orphans that are awaiting there families and for those whom have no one yet.  Pray that their families will come forward and the finances will be available for them.

I am not good at asking for help, but I am in need.  I need strength and guidance.  I need to remember where I am headed and how to get there.  I have a garage and bake sale planned, please pray that I will have a good turn out and the stuff will sell.  Anne is trying very hard to help me earn money and we are going to try a 6-day Thirty-one Fundraiser sale, pray that it will do well.  Pray that everything I listed on Craig,s list will sell.  Pray that I will remain focus on our Lord and know that He will provide for us.  Pray for Little Flower, the healing home where Clare lives.  Pray that Clare will stay healthy while she waits on us to come and get her.  Finally, pray that we are able to ransom our final copy of our home study, get through immigration, and get our dossier to China by November 4th, 2011.  That is our cut off of when we must have our dossier to China or lose Clare.

Please pray!!


Thank you,

Suzanne 

They need our HELP!!

HELP NEEDED!

I'm copying my friend Christie's blog post because she says it better than I ever could . . .

Lisa Warner is landlocked in the Ukraine. She and her husband traveled overseas to ransom a child and bring him home. Fundraising was ALWAYS a struggle for the Warner's. I am begging you now, for all you know, to share this story and donate ANY AMOUNT to their FSP.

*yes, I know their FSP looks good and hearty...looks can be deceiving. When they traveled they had less than $10,000 in their FSP (adoption costs more than double that). They have now paid for one round of travel, the adoption, and all paperwork to come home. They paid for return tickets and LOST $350 for having to cancel those flights. I personally would love to their FSP hit $15,500. Lisa has not asked for ANY OF THIS. This is on my heart alone*

Joshua, their son, is sick. The Embassy doctor will not release him for travel. She believes he has pneumonia--however, she will NOT treat him for pneumonia and neither will any other doctor they have seen because they do not believe he has pneumonia.

They contacted the CDC with the xrays and doctor's reports they have---CDC is giving the doctors a few options. Wait it out (6-8 weeks and retest) or surgically obtain sputum samples to test of TB and risk Joshua's life.


The Warner's are in a very precarious situation. Lisa's sister was found deceased in her apartment by Lisa's mother. Lisa's mother has been caring for their other young boy, Jacob, at home in Michigan.

It is very likely Lisa and Dave will allow the surgical procedure to test for TB and rule it out. This is not an easy decision, nor is it safe for Joshua. The doctor who refuses to let them leave has said she does not want to do this test because it puts Joshua in danger. The doctor is consulting with her team but will ultimately leave the decision up to Lisa and Dave.

They need funds. I would love to see $6,000 more raised for their FSP. Dave has been without income for over a month now. Dave could lose his job over all of this. I pray that does not happen; but it is a real fear and one that needs prayers.

I have nothing to offer you, nothing to entice you with. No fancy cameras. No iPad. No Kindle. Nothing except the comfort in knowing you have helped bless the Warner's in a much needed manner.

You can donate directly to their FSP here http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorwarner

You can follow Lisa's blog at BUILDING OUR VILLAGE

Please do anything you can, share, donate, PRAY.

There are literally stranded in a foreign country with little assistance at this point.

~Christie~

Spread the word!!

Please would you spread the word about our blog?  We are in need of raising some funds quickly.  We need approximately $5000.00 to finish up the up front adoption cost.  We must have our dossier in China by November 4th or we could lose Clare.  We are in the process of having another garage sale or two and trying to set up a car wash.  Any other ideas would be very appreciated!!  

Thank you for spreading the word and prayer.  Prayer is always needed!!

Thank you,

Suzanne

The Closing Date has Changed

I just wanted to let everyone know that Thirty-One has decided to debut their new catalog on July 25.  So, my fundraiser is now going to close on July 22nd.  If you want to place an order, please do so on or before 6:00 pm EST on July 22.   Thank you very much for supporting our efforts to bring Clare home.

Suzanne

Amazing Evening

Last night was a first for me.  Laura drove, Sarah and I to the airport, so we could welcome home the Cannon Family.  They have been in the Ukraine adopting a beautiful, little girl named Dariya.  They rescued her from a orphanage where she has been since she was born, simply because she has Down syndrome and her parents didn't have the resources they needed to care for her. 

See, children in other countries, with down syndrome or other birth defects, don't receive the same kind of care or acceptance as they do here in the US.  Many are abandoned, taken from parents or killed.  Those that make it to orphanages often spend hours in cribs, are malnourished, they don't get held or spoken too.  When they turn six they are sent to live out the remainder of there lives in adult mental institutions.  The majority don't survive the first year.  They die alone, not ever having had the chance to know what it feels like to be loved, to be held, to feel safe and secure, having had enough to eat, to laugh, love, and what it is like to belong to a family.  To always know someone is there for them and will love them and help them attain their goals.  You can help make a difference in a child's life.  You don't have to adopt, you can just support a family or child.  Take a few moments to visit Reece's Rainbow,  http://reecesrainbow.org/, and learn how you can help.  Trust me, it will make you feel good.

Dariya no longer has to worry about these things.  She has a wonderful family to call her own and a great big support system here in Kansas City to help her become whatever she wants.  Even though she was very tired from the 24 hours of travel you could see in her actions she was starting to feel secure with her new mommy, Rochelle.  She would hold on to her, look around and lay her head back on her shoulder.  She has the most beautiful, big blue eyes, they are filled with curiosity and wonder.  I can't wait to see her in a month or two and see the change in her.  I bet we can see it in a few weeks.  I  was so nervous yesterday, waiting for the time to come and we could head to the airport.  I believe the 30 or so of us there last night witnessed a miracle.  A miracle that is really just beginning and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

I will admit that I was a little jealous, because I really want my baby girl, Clare, home.  But I know that everything is in God's time and my time will come.  It won't be when I want it, but it will come.  If I had my way, I would already have Clare here.  I reminded myself of this as we waited for Jason, Rochelle and Dariya to arrive and just enjoyed their moment.  Many tears of joy were shed last night.  It truly was a beautiful evening.  I really look forward to doing it again.  I hope others will follow the Cannon's lead and help an orphan in need.

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!

May God continue to bless the Cannon Family!!

Welcome to your forever family, Dariya!!

Suzanne

Good News

I got an email tonight that said Clare is doing great!!! I am so excited to hear this information. I am going to send her a care package on Wednesday with clothing, hair accessories, toys, and some supplies for the Healing Home she lives in.

My older two, Daniel and Abby, went on a missions trip with their youth group today and helped do some cleanup activities in Joplin, MO. It has been 7 weeks since the F-5 tornado hit and they tell me it still looks like it just happened. Daniel told me, before he went to bed, "I enjoyed seeing the people's faces as we helped them today." What a wonderful young man he is becoming. Abby to me she was a little disappointed, because they worked about 8 hours and you really couldn't tell. I was grateful that they had this opportunity to see devastation up close and to experience the joy of helping others for no other reason than they wanted to.

Hannah continues to make huge improvements in her balance and is walking 99.9% of the time. Her tubes really seem to be helping and she is starting to sign more. In fact, tonight at Sam's, every item we passed, that she had eaten before, she was signing food for. I guess she was really hungry.

Aaron is so in need of another set of ear tubes. Poor little man isn't even noticing planes go overhead again. He talks so loud, that by the end of the day, I want to scream, but can't, because I know he isn't doing it on purpose. I switched him to Hannah's doctor, so maybe something will get done. I hate for him to lose his hearing again, he has made such wonderful progress over the last year.

I have almost collected all the required documents for out dossier, which has to be in China by November 4th. Our home study is being written up and we are working on our education. All of our references have sent in their letters. Now all we need to do is come up with $2400.00 for the home study, $720.00 for immigration, $170.00 for fingerprinting and another agency payment of $1755.00.

Please keep spreading the word, be sure and check out our Thirty-one fundraiser and most importantly, Please, PLEASE, continue to pray for us.

Goodnight,

Suzanne

I am not good at all with the computer. It took me an hour to fingure this out.

Suzanne

Thirty-One Fundraisers Benefiting Adoptin Families

We have been given a great opportunity.  Anne Little is hosting a Thirty-One party for us and donating 100% of the profits to our adoption of Clare!!!


HOW TO SHOP:  go to: http://www.mythirtyone.com/AnneLittle/.  Our fundraiser is listed under the "My Events" tab on the right.  If you would prefer there is a pdf copy of the catalog at:  http://morekids4me.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/spring-catalog.pdf.

SPECIALS FOR JULY:  If a customer spends $10 on product, they are eligible to purchase the July customer special. I have attached a flyer with all the details.  Here is a direct download link for the July special: http://morekids4me.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/july-customer-special.pdf

CLOSING:  Our fundraiser will close on July 26th at 6:00pm EST.  Orders will be sent directly to you in about 3 weeks, after the close of the sale.

FRIEND FUNDRAISING PERKS: Anyone interested, can host a fundraiser for us and receive all the hostess credit and half price items. :) Our adoption receives 100% of the commission from your fundraisers. More details at http://morekids4me.blogspot.com/p/thirty-one-adoption-fundraisers.html 

TAX AND SHIPPING: Customers pay tax based on where the order is shipped.  Some states charge sales tax on shipping and some do not.




Our goal for this fundraiser is $1000.00.  That will help us get closer to Clare.  We currently need $2400.00 to finish paying for the home study, post adoption visits and immigration fees.

I am setting up a chip in button for anyone who would like to help us out with these upfront fees.  The money placed in the chip in button is not tax deductible. 

We are currently working on another garage sale and a giveaway.  That information will come soon. 

Please feel free to send this info to any of your family or friends that you think might be interested and share on your Blog, Facebook or Twitter. 

Please help us get this beautiful little girl home!!!!!

This is the earliest picture we have of Clare, it is dated 2/28/2007.


Thank you for all you support and prayers!!!

Suzanne

CONTACT INFO: If anyone has a question or would like to host a fundraiser for the Fristoes, please contact: J 

Anne Little

morekids4me@gmail.com

865-405-6979

We Survived!!

 We survived our home visit part of the home study.  Now, we just have to wait for our references to get all of their paper work turned in.  Our social worker said it would take 2-3 weeks to write up the home study.  So, now I have to sit and wait.  I do have a little more paper work to do, but not a lot.  Just enough to drive me crazy.  I also have to concentrate on coming up with more money to finish paying for the post adoption visits, I-800 processing fees, required education and finger printing.  It doesn't look like we will get our dossier to China by the end of August, so probably won't be traveling in December, like we were hoping too.  There is still time and if God wills it, we will be there!  I will remind myself of:

Roman 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I am planning about 3 more garage sales and a couple more online events to help raise money.  Feel free to spread the word for me, I really appreciate all the help I can get. 

Suzanne