Last few hours of LWB Born in my Heart Auction on Ebay!

As many know, Brady was in a LWB supported orphanage and then in Foster Care also supported by LWB. They make such a difference in the lives of the children in China. Please check out their auctions!


From LWB:

We are down to the final 24 hours of the Love Without Boundaries Born
in my Heart Art Auction! Our auction ends Tuesday, April 29th.

Each amazing auction item will close at the same time of day as it
launched...beginnin g at 9:00 am Pacific Time, and continuing
throughout the day until nearly 8:00 pm Pacific Time. Hopefully the
spacing of the items will allow you to place final bids on all the
items that have captured your heart!

I see some serious bidding wars for some of our auction items, but
want you all to know that there are still some incredible bargains to
be found. There are some amazing pieces of professional art,
photography, prints, etc. that are currently listed at just a
fraction of their worth. We are just over halfway to our goal of
$40,000 to heal eight children...remember , this is all for the kids,
so please bid generously to help heal hearts and save lives!

You can reach our auction on eBay through a link on the homepage of
our website: www.lovewithoutboun daries.com or directly at our
regular eBay store location: http://stores. ebay.com/ Love-Without-
Boundaries-Store

THANK YOU and bless you, to all who have donated or bid on an auction
item this year. You are truly a hero, to some very special child who
needs your help.

Love Without Boundaries
Art Auction Committee
www.lovewithoutboun daries.com

Interesting Blog Post about the Care SN Orphans Receive in China's Orphanages

http://research-china.blogspot.com/2008/04/death-outside-dying-rooms.html

 

 

 

 

 

Brady Update

If anyone still actually reads this blog (which I highly doubt...LOL), here is the looong overdue update on Brady's surgery. As you know, Brady had his sceond surgery to repair his palate on March 10, which was a Monday. That Saturday as I was putting Brady down for his nap, I asked to see in his mouth and when he opened it I could see that the palate was splitting again. In fact the hole was already quite large. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Jeff, Brandon and Ryan were in Atlanta at the SEC championship tournament (or I should say that due to the tornado, they were in their hotel room watching the tournament on television) so I didn't want to ruin their weekend by telling them the news. On Monday we had an appointment with Brady's surgeon. As soon as he looked in Brady's mouth his face dropped. He was very disappointed that it had split. He said that there were 2 layers and that if the upper layer hadn't split, it was possible that the hole would close on it's own. That night Brady was sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen and fell and hit his face on the floor. Blood poured from his nose and mouth (this has happened a few times when he has fallen and hit his face). I was sure that if that second layer hadn't split before that it had now. We went back to the surgeon 2 weeks later and the hole was smaller. The surgeon said it was 'slamming shut'. We went back again this week and the surgeon said it was a pinhole now. This is very good news for Brady and we are thrilled that God has healed him.

Please Read and LEARN from this tragic accident

This precious angel's mother is on a group with me. His loss is devastating, but will hopefully teach others about furniture safety awareness.

Boy, 23 months, killed when dresser falls
Corey Halpin's parents said he was a 'loving' child.
By TED CZECH
Daily Record/Sunday News


Corey Halpin, who died Monday in an accident at his Dover Township home, loved wearing hats so he would always be ready if someone was going outside, his mother said.. (Submitted)The thing Gail Halpin will miss most about her young son Corey is the way he would lie next to her in bed early in the morning, kissing her and saying, "Mommy, Mommy."

Corey Halpin, just two weeks shy of his second birthday, died Monday at his home in Dover Township in what his mother called a "tragic accident."

Gail Halpin said her son was playing inside a dresser drawer in his room when the dresser fell over.

While reminiscing Tuesday about what she loved about her son, Gail Halpin also said she saw his death as a way to warn others about the dangers of unsecured furniture.

"If my dresser had been secured to the wall, he wouldn't have died," she said. "If his death can help save other little children, then that's something good."

Gail, 31, and husband Jim, 35, described Corey as "loving," always wanting to be kissed and hugged.

Corey spread that love to all of his family members, they said.

Sister Annagale, 8, would swing Corey around on her back.

Corey and brother Kaden, 3, would move his bed next to Corey's crib so they could be as close together as possible while they slept.

With his father, Corey would imagine he was on a roller coaster, hopping, twisting and turning on his dad.

He loved to play peek-a-boo.

He also wanted his sandals and "Gilligan's Island"-style hat on at all times because if he thought anyone was going outside, he wanted to go, too, Gail Halpin said.

Gail Halpin said that, about 6:30 p.m. Monday, she was at her Equestrian Drive home in Dover Township and had just put Corey and Kaden to bed. But the boys stayed up playing, she said.
Gail Halpin was in another part of the house when Kaden came to her and said, "Mommy, Corey's stuck."

She went right away and found Corey in the bottom drawer of a dresser. He was not moving.

She pulled him out, carried him into her kitchen and called 911.

Gail Halpin believes Corey's weight in the bottom drawer caused the dresser to tip over and that, when it did, it closed on his neck.

She said that, as a tribute to Corey, she plans to dedicate herself to keeping other children safe. A group of her online friends plans to start a Web site where they will offer straps to anchor furniture to walls to prevent them from falling, she said.

Brady

 

So sorry for the lack of updates

I will try to update tomorrow.

Happy Easter Weekend!

I will update on Brady tomorrow:) In the meantime, please listen to this song. I can't make it through without tears.

Yeah!

Shortly before we got AnnaClaire's referral, my computer croaked taking everything with it. Last night Cameron recovered the pictures from my hard drive! Teenagers rock! I will be torturing you all with old photos the next few days ;)

a few more...





There are more, my computer is just being difficult right now...

So far, so good

I hate to get too excited since we had a short honeymoon period after the last sugery and then all heck broke broke loose but Brady is doing fantastic! After his last surgery, he would wake up in the middle of the night screaming but he slept soundly last night and didn't get up until almost 11:00 am (and neither did AnnaClaire-this time change isn't so bad!). He's asked for a few things that he can't eat and when I tell him that he can't have it, he says 'okay'. It almost makes you want to cry he is being so understanding and agreeable. He's being loving and even ran across the room to me today when I requested a hug. He doesn't seem to be in pain, which we are so thankful for.

MeeAll and Popaw came up yesterday to see Brady and give the girls their birthday gifts. I have a few pics that mom sent me from last night and I will post some later.

Thanks again for all the prayers! I am so blessed to have all of you. Why is God so good to me?

We're home!

Thank you for the prayers! We are always so touched to have so many praying for us. I truly means SO MUCH! I got Brady out of bed at about 5:30. He was in a super mood and even ran in the bedroom to tell Jeff goodbye. Jeff said he seemed so excited that he must have thought he was going to Disney World. We go to the hospital and they called us back and he did great until the hospital gown came out and then he started putting 2 and 2 together. They gave him the versed like last time but he didn't act as loopy (meaning there was no reaching up to touch things in the air that weren't there). When they came to get him for surgery he cried for me. It hurt my heart so bad that he was thinking I would just let them take him away, but it also made me feel good that he wanted to be with me. His doctor told me that the surgery went well. Brady had a lot of scar tissue but he said that it really only made the surgery more difficult and won't affect Brady in any way. He lengthened his palate while he was in there and of course closed up the hole. He expects it to hold this time. All in all, it was great news. They let me go back to recovery this time. I started to walk back there and I could hear a kid screaming like a banshee. Yup, that would be my child. He had about 5 nurses gathered around him and they couldn't control him. His arm splints weren't tied tghtly enough and he was ripping at his IV and the stitch in his tongue (His doctor puts a stitch through his tongue-ouch- and tapes it to his cheek). He reached for me when he saw me but then was peeved at me when I wouldn't let him pull at the IV either. They gave him more pain medication and he settled in and fell asleep on me. He's run hot and cold since. He was definitely holding a grudge yesterday evening and wouldn't respond to anything Jeff or I said or did. Then the nurse came in and gave him his pain meds and he immediately reached for me. He snuggled with me all night. He even peed all over me and I didn't have a change of clothes. I looked lovely walking out of the hospital with messed up hair and Brady's pee and blood all over me. TMI, I know! LOL Please keep the prayers going. He needs to know that we are here for him and that is forever.

Prayers Please!

This has been a very eventful week! Jeff and I celebrated our anniversary on the 4th. Our 19th! I have been married to him over half my life (where's my medal? LOL). Hard to believe. The girls are now officially 5 and 3. Even harder to believe! Seriously, how do you get them to just stay little? And now, in just a few hours I will take little man to the hospital where they will once again attempt to repair that WIIIIDE cleft palate. I am asking for prayers for Brady. Prayers that his surgery will be a success, that he will heal quickly, that his surgery doesn't upset our bonding. We have come so far since his last surgery. I really do not want to see that come undone. I pray that when he wakes from surgery he reaches to me for comfort instead of looks at me like I am the cause of his pain. We appreciate any and all prayers! I will update when I can:)

Almost Pretty

Jeff's in New York, the oldest two are at a party, Ryan's downstairs on the new Xbox Live and the littles are giving me a make over. I am covered head to toe in glitter, body spray, lotion, eye shadow, lip stick and who knows what else. Brady is right in the thick of it all. He painted my toe nails (I should say he painted my toes-it's more accurate) and then proceeded to work on his own. Allie sighed and said, 'Brady doesn't know he's a boy.' LOL She might be right. During the application of my make up she told me many times 'Mommy hold on, you are almost pretty.'

Anna's Birthday Party!

Brady picked out all his clothes head to toe with no help from us. He also had a Tennessee ball cap but I didn't get a picture of him with it on.



Anna (left) and Brady (right) at Shantou

the best I could get...

The kids had a blast at Fun Expedition for Miss Anna's birthday party. Anna was at Shantou with Brady and we were in China the same time as her (totally awesome and wonderful) parents. Bonnie (Anna's mom) knew what a struggle I was having in China. They left to come home a few days before we did and she actually called me in China from her house to check on me and give me a pep talk before our flight home (which I was dreading). We are so blessed to know Anna's family and feel that Anna and Brady are so blessed to get to grow up with an orphanage mate so close. We have a picture of Brady and Anna at Shantou together and want to get an updated one but haven't been that lucky yet:)

You can file this under Things I never thought would happen in my lifetime'

WOOO HOOOO!


Tennessee Tops AP Men's Basketball Poll
2008-02-25 13:22:42
By JIM O'CONNELL AP Basketball Writer



Tennessee surged to the top of The Associated Press college basketball poll for the first time Monday on the strength of its victory over Memphis in a Nos. 1-vs.-2 matchup.

The football team at Tennessee has been ranked No. 1 during four seasons, including two national titles. The women's basketball program has been a regular atop that poll since 1977, winning seven national championships under coach Pat Summitt.

Now it's the men's turn.

The Volunteers (25-2) were a runaway choice, receiving 69 first-place votes and 1,797 points from the 72-member national media panel after a 66-62 victory at Memphis. Tennessee is the 53rd school to hold the No. 1 ranking since the poll began for the 1948-49 season.

"The response has been overwhelming here," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said Monday. "The game Saturday, there'll always be a lot of talk of where were you when they beat Memphis to become No. 1? It was that kind of event so it will have some staying power, but for us there will be little staying power because we have to go play at Vanderbilt on Tuesday where they have won 17 straight games.

"The fact that men's basketball was able to get to this point just brings us in line with the other sports here, men's and women's, like softball and track and field. This is the expectation at Tennessee and that you can point to those different sports is why Tennessee is one of the finest athletic programs in the country and this only adds to that."

Memphis (26-1), which lost for the first time this season when Tennessee ended its 47-game home winning streak, had been ranked No. 1 for the past five weeks, the last three as a unanimous choice. The Tigers were No. 2 and received 1,682 points.

North Carolina (26-2), which was No. 1 in the preseason poll and for the first 10 weeks of the regular season, stayed third after wins over North Carolina State and Wake Forest. The Tar Heels received two first-place votes, while UCLA (24-3), which jumped from sixth to fourth after wins over Oregon State and Oregon last week, was No. 1 on one ballot.

There was some history made near the bottom of the rankings as well Monday with Kent State (23-5) moving into the Top 25 for the first time. The Golden Flashes were No. 23 after their 65-57 victory at Saint Mary's, Calif., on Saturday night.

Texas moved up two spots to fifth. Kansas, which lost at Oklahoma State on Saturday, and Duke, which snapped a two-game losing streak with a win over St. John's on Saturday, both dropped two spots to sixth and seventh, respectively. Stanford, Xavier and Wisconsin rounded out the top 10.

Georgetown moved up one place to 11th and was followed by Indiana, Louisville, Butler, Connecticut, Purdue, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Michigan State and Drake. The last five ranked teams were Marquette, Washington State, Kent State, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.

Gonzaga (21-6) was the week's other newcomer. The Bulldogs, who were 14th in the preseason poll, returned after a nine-week absence. They have won 12 of their last 15, with the losses coming to Tennessee, Memphis and Saint Mary's.

Kent State entered the poll having won nine of 10, the loss coming at Toledo. Two of the Golden Flashes' losses this season were to North Carolina and Xavier.

Texas A&M (20-7) dropped out from 23rd, its first time out of the poll this season. The Aggies, ranked as high as No. 9 this season, have lost three straight — Oklahoma State, Texas and Nebraska, the first and last at home.

Kansas State (18-8) was ranked for eight weeks this season, including the last four in a row. The Wildcats fell out from 24th, having lost three of four, including losses to Nebraska and Baylor last week

tiny little mama brag:)

Little Miss Allie started Gymnastics about a year ago. She was what they call a tiny comet. She missed the entire summer while we adjusted to life with B-dog (Brady) and started back last fall. A few times they mentioned moving her up to comets but the tiny comets and comets do the same thing (sometimes even together in the same class), only the comets class lasts about 10 minutes longer and is more expensive. Um, no thanks. When we were in there on Monday I was watching her and realizing that she was able to do some things the other kids can't. After class her teacher came over and said to me 'she needs to move up' and I thought 'here we go again with the comets...' but then she said they wanted to move her past comets. She's bypassing comets and super comets and going to level 1, whatever that means. She's excited so I am really happy for her. When we signed her up after class I saw that the other kids in the class were born in 2000 and 2001-Allie was born in 2003. Man, I hope she can handle this!

I get by with a little help from my....sister!

 

Brady was too little to climb in the play structure so Allie gave him a little boost. Check out that smile! He was NOT a happy camper when she wasn't there at his beck and call though. He stood at the bottom yelling 'Allie....ALLLLIEEEE!'...and then crying. Goober.

Valentine Playdate

We celebrated Valentine's Day at Chuck E Cheese with some of our OCA friends. Brady LOVED Chuck E Cheese. Everyone around here is finally feeling better after being sick most of last week. I had all the little one's at the doctor's. That's a load of fun, let me tell you. Allie has serious doctor issues. I am sure we are talked about every time we leave;) FYI, according to the doctor's scales Allie is 36 pounds, AnnaClaire is 28 and Brady is 30. He feels like 40 though-solid as a rock. He's doing FANTASTICALLY. We are thrilled with the progress he is making. Hope we don't take a huge step back with his upcoming surgery. Last time we did, but he has made so much progress that I am hopeful it won't be nearly as bad as last time. He continues to amaze me with how clearly he can say things WHEN HE WANTS TO. Most of the time he's hard to understand but I know he can talk more clearly because I have heard it. After surgery, his speech should get even better. I have to say that his special need has been a lot easier than we anticipated. If you are someone who has considered a cleft affected child and thought it would be too much, I am telling you that Brady is pretty much a worst case scenario with an EXTREMELY wide cleft and it has been mostly a non-issue day to day. There are some cutie pies left on Children's House's current list that are in need of a mom and dad...:) If you are interested in checking them out, you can email me at loosclan@gmail.com and I will send you the link to view them.