Threads for Mia Hope

Emma is modeling one of the sweetest outfits sewn by Robin from Redthreadstitches. She has been sewing away for some time now in order to raise funds to bring her daughter, Mia Hope, home from China. She is nearing the end of that process and waiting on her LOA. Please check out her blog. www.redthreadstiches.blogspot.com

A little video of Emma having fun with the modeling. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008

Dear husband got his new coffee maker curtesy of his two sweet daughters, Aimee & Bekki

Bekki examines the gift from Nadya, two of the scented oil decanters! Nice!

Playing Apples to Apples on Christmas Eve!

This stocking is almost as big as little Emma! She was so thrilled with her stocking full of stuff! Notice the tutu I managed to add. :)

Emma's auntie VJ gave her the cutest little backpack full of animals!! She was very pleased!

Aimee's treasured gift. She savored this one since good things come in small packages!!

Twas the night before Christmas and all thru the house....the stocking they hung by the chimney with care....

Well, hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! It's hard to believe that several days have past since that distinct day and once again we are getting ready to begin a new year. I don't know what 2009 hold for us, but 2008 had a lot of twist and turns!

We celebrated Christmas Eve at home with my sister driving up from Kentucky with two of her kids, Ashleigh and Sidney who are 12 & 13. I set out a simple buffet and we relaxed and played Apples to Apples as well as chatted about life. It was good to spend a simple evening together. The girls went to the 11:00PM candlelite service at a local church. :) Christmas day was very layed back. Everyone slept in and then had a lite breakfast while the girls and I prepared brunch for all. The stocking were the first thing to be opened and enjoyed. Little Emma was so excited to open that stocking with her name on it. This is the first time she has fully enjoyed Christmas as far as the gift thing is concerned. We are working on the reason we celebrate Christmas with hopes of her fully embracing that next Christmas. :) The afternoon was relaxing as we slowly made our way through the gift opening. We had some very genereous "Secret Santa's" this winter. Thank you for making our Christmas more special. I decided not to prepare a big dinner since we were all enjoying just relaxing so we put out all our left-overs from the night before and munched on those until we were very full. Larry and the older two girls went to the movies that night to see the movie about Hitler, can't remember the name. Evidentally it was a very powerful movie. So, that was Christmas for us this 2008. No large crowds so we could keep Emma healthy for her surgery that is taking place on the 30th. Enjoy the photos!

Emma's tutu dress

Emma loves to wear her tutu-dress as she calls it. As you can see she is embellishing the tutu-dress with her precious jewels and other assorted accessories. She is such a girly girl and so much fun watching her. Her daily request is to wear a dress to which I, her mom, try to indulge her in most days, even with jeans under if if necessary to make my sweet girl happy. :) I know all too well that one day she will not want to even look at a dress so I will sit back and enjoy this time in her little life.

Photos of Emma's Big Day!!

Hello again! I thought I would show you in pictures how our day went. This first photo is the device Emma had placed in her heart. The one she has is 22mm in size. This is before it goes into the catheter, see the photo where it is attached.

This photo shows the device up close. It is made ot titanium and mesh. As you can see it has a mushroom shape on both ends. The middle is called the waist and is what is plugging the hole in Emma's heart. Over time her tissue will grow over this device and it will become part of her heart permanately. Praise God!! I am in awe of just how miraculus this surgery is!! Not long ago Emma would have had open heart surgery. Technology is amazing!

Here is Emma and her primary care nurse, Sara, preparing for the surgery. Emma had lots of questions, like how to work the T.V. :)

Getting impatient with the waiting. We were scheduled to have the surgery at 11:00AM so we arrived at the hospital at 9:00AM and the surgery did not happen until noon. She was very hungry and let us all know it!! Poor baby.

On our way to surgery. As you can see, even with the sedation given to her in the room to help her along she was still awake and ready to drive to her surgery! :)

Surgery is over and she is in recovery with her best buddies!! Doggie and Pinkie! :) She has the oxygen mask close by because we found that she would drop too low when she was sleeping.

Thursday morning and ready to role!! What a difference a day makes! Emma loved traveling the halls in her little sports car!

All cleaned up, new pj's and lunch in bed!! We were waiting to be discharged on Thursday afternoon.

Emma and her other nurse, Sara. I cannot say enough about the day nurses at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. Thank you!!!
So, that is it in pictures in a nutshell. Hope the visual helped. :)

No surgery today...

As many of you know, Emma was scheduled to have her heart surgery today. Well, typical of many kids this time of year she got sick. Yes, I tried my best to keep her healthy, but someone else picked up this tummy bug and brought it home!! So, the surgery has been post-poned until next Wednesday. Tuesday she will have all her pre-op done at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and then the surgery on Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM. Please keep her in your prayers and we will keep you up to date on the happenings. Here is a photo of her yesterday, poor sick child.

THANKSGIVING

This year we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Boston with some of our family members. This was quite a feat since we live in OHIO! Packing up 6 people and flying is no simple task! I agreed to bear the brunt of this task since my husband is in the early recouperating stages from a double hernia surgery. He could offer no physical assistance which made the process of moving all our luggage somewhat challenging!! But...I did it...we did it...and had a great time once we arrived at Larry's sister's home. We spend Monday the 24th to Sat. the 30th enjoying an extended visit with family we rearely see. The matriach, Grandma B, joined us and observed all of her adult children, 5 of them, their spouses, children and grandchildren!! We filled this house that is typically a quiet place with joy and laughter. Thank you Jeanne & Tim for allowing us to move in!! The newest family member, Emma, whom we adopted from China in the spring of 07 had a great time getting to know her beloved grandma and other family members. She will have some wonderful memories. :)Here we are cooking away in preperation of the delicious meal

Chowing down and conversation!

This photo should have come first, the table before chowing down all that food!!! I looked so nice.

Emma with one of her favorite cousins!! Ginny she enjoyed your attentions all week!!

Call the doctor...please!

Our little Emma happily playing with her favorite elephant! She loves her animals, even has conversations with them. :) Dolls stay in her room and do not ever move, much to my dismay. Is she not the sweetest little girl!!

Emma in China. Look at that little hopeful face!! Those eyes tell many stories of her past. We can only hope and pray that some of those stories will fade with time and new stories will take their place.

Well, we have spent the past 10 days visiting all sorts for doctors!! It's that time of year and we are trying to meet our deductible for our insurance in order to cover all the necessary surgeries facing us for Nov. and Dec.

The first Nov. appointment was the 7th with an ENT for Emma. She is a noisy sleeper and a mouth breather. Sure enough they want the tonsils and adenoids removed. This may aid her speech in the long run. If not, she will at the very least breath well and sleep well. :)

On the 10th of Nov. Emma had a visit with the speech path. for a full evaluation at Children's Hospital and she is doing ok. They will monitor her and review her again in the spring. Emma's speech while plentiful in vocabulary, her articulation is not quite where it needs to be. We have some exercises to do and I have to keep a check list for the speech doc. I hope I can get at least some of it done!! Then on the 11th Emma was at Children's for her heart echo and EKG. This is the long awaited visit that determined whether or not she would have surgery. While we did pray that she would have complete healing, we are not concerned and look forward to her having her little heart repaired once and for all!! This will be done on Friday, Dec. 5th at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. The plan is to do the surgery thru catherization, but we are aware that when they begin and if it does not work that way it will be open heart surgery. Big difference in her hospital stay and recovery. So please pray for this up-coming surgery. Once this is complete she will have her T&A surgery, likely right after Christmas. So, the Bergeron family is planning on a long Dec. of recovery. To add to this, Larry had a double hernia surgery last Thursday, the 13th. He is recovering nicely from the surgery although he has a terrible cough from a cold he picked up prior to the surgery. He cannot go near Emma as she needs to remain healthy to have these surgeries. :)

Here are some photos of our little shining star, Emma.

Tagged

Ok, this is my first. I am proud of myself for figuring out how to get this little clip onto my blog!!

Seven things about me...

1. I think I will never be an empty nester!! At my ripe old age, in my 50's, I still have a 3 year old running around!! Let's see, when she is 18 I will be...71!! Yikes!

2. I think I have some definate ADD symtoms. I often find myself in the middle of some task only to forget and begin another!! Maybe it's old age!!

3. I have to load my dishwaser a certain way. If one of the kids or my husband does it I usually have to unload it and begin again!! OCD Glassware in the right place etc. :) I want them to come out clean!!

4. I am a blogaholic!! Yes, I need some help! I am sure I would accomplish so much more each day if I stayed away for the blogs!! My best friends are my blog buddies!!

5. I procrastinate all the time!! Yes, I know what needs to be done, make lists of things to do and yet, I find a way not to get them done!! My husband hates this about me and I must admit that I feel the same way. Someday I will learn. Right?

6. All my life I have had a fear of heights!! As a child I can remember falling down the stairs because I just could not manage that first step down the staircase!! For years I would not even go near stairs. When I was on my honeymoon we went to the new Disney World and I tried to venture up the Swiss Family Tree house only to get stuck on the stairway at the 3rd level which blocked the stairway and everyone was yelling for me to move. I was terrified!! Never did that one again!! Today when we are in a mall or building I stay far away from the windows. Odd thing is, I love flying!!

7. I have a deep yearning to live in another country for a bit. I love traveling and meeting other folks. I have been putting this bug into the ear of my husband for a few years now with no success. I am not content to stay in my little box in my little town as life passes by. We only have one chance in this world as we know it now.

OK, not too interesting, but that's where my brain is tonight.

Another month gone...how?

Well, here I am again, another month gone by! I just don't know how that happens!! We have so enjoyed this fall weather, my favorite time of year! The days are warm and the nights are cool, great for sleeping. :) I love sitting by the window and watching the leaves fall from the trees with all their many colors. It's such a peacful time of year. The cold weather has made an appearance so we have tasted what is to come soon. I really could skip the winters all together!

Life at home has been busy with all the comings and goings of the girls. It seems we rarely have dinner as a family these days although we really do try! I guess that goes with having older children out seeking their paths in life as we continue at home raising our second family. Never a dull moment!!

We just booked tickets to Boston for Thanksgiving. We will spend a week with the family and with my husbands mom who has been unwell for the past weeks. She is nearly 85 and has been such a blessing in my life. Thank you mom!! We have other family arriving from Tampa, Fl. and hopefully our girls from Ct. I miss my little grandkids like crazy! We seem to have these famly reunions here and there with no planning so the logistics of who is camping out where is somewhat of a challenge. Jeanne and Tim, get ready for your visitors!!

Our Saturdays are full of Kids Against Hunger at the Berean Christian Bookstore Headquarters. It was a full house of volunteers today and both Larry and Aimee are exhausted after the days work. We are amazed at what God has done in such a short time with this ministry. Many mouthes will be fed as the result of so many caring people who have put their time and money out to help. Thank you to all who have blessed this ministry, we could not do this without you. If you haven't checked out the web site you should, it's on my blog side bar, and you can read Larry's blog from the home page too!

Emma continues to be such a bright star in our lives! She is so happy and full of life. :) We cannot imagine life without her and all the chattering that comes with her. LOL!! She has a busy week ahead with a speech evaluation at Children's Hospital on Monday morning and a heart echo on Tuesday morning bright and early!! She will then prepare for surgeries for her heart and then having both her tonsils and adenoids removed once cleared by the cardiologist. So we welcome your prayers for these things.

Larry will also have surgery this week for a hernia. This will take place on Thursday late AM and we are praying for a speedy recovery since he needs to work in order for us to get a paycheck. :)

I do have some photos of Emma on Halloween, but can't post them yet as they need to be put on my computer.

Off to check out some other blogs.

Homecoming Dance 2008

Here are some photos of Bekki and Seth doing a photo shoot before the dance. Don't they look awesome!! Thank you Bill Simmon's for taking pictures. :)
Emma trying to steal the show as usual. Do you notice a color theme?
Emma begging for Seth's attention!
The four-some heading out for a night of fun!

Haiti Trip 2008

Trip to Haiti.............this is the food that we package thru Kids Against Hunger.
Children sitting in a church eating their daily meal of the rice mix. Typically they do not get a meal. Have you heard of Mud Cookies? I will post a photo later. It is yellow dirt from the countryside mixed with water and oil and shaped into cookie shapes and dried. They pay 5 cents for one cookie! My husband, Larry, brought some home and they are like eating plaster.
Typical home, before the hurricanes. Most were destroyed.
This is the woman who lived in the previous house. She is proud to have a home.
Look at that smile!! Priceless!!

The island is very mountaineous and has a lot of beauty outside the cities. The white that you see is mud washing down the mountains.
Childlren waiting for a meal. They are so precious! Brother and sister

more faces
Woman cooking the rice mixture.

Still here and enjoying the end of summer days

Enjoying herself on the playground.

Well, it has been longer than I planned since my last blog. I am truly sorry about so much time passing. The summer has been full. Most weekends we have been very busy with our new ministry, Kids Against Hunger. The kids seem to enjoy working at the packaging of the food that will feed a hungry child once shipped. Our focus has been on Haiti for this shipment and with good reason!! They have suffered thru two terrible hurricanes this season which have left them with no power on the island! Larry and Aimee are there right now and things there are very bleak. I look forward to hearing more and seeing the photos that Aimee has taken. She is a very talented photographer.

I think our kids enjoyed this long summer and were ready for some directed activities! I know that N was for sure!!! She told me herself!! N is a child who loves to have something to do, now I don't mean just hanging with a friend, she likes to have a specific thing to do. She is a reader and often I have to pry the books out of her hands and force her to rest her eyes! N loves to wrtie on the computer and would sit in front of a television for hours is allowed. She is loving her 6th grade class with all the different teachers and lockers this year. I have a good feeling that she will continue to enjoy this change. I think B is antsy to school to just be over completely!! She is just not a lover of disciplined learning although she is an excellent student!! This year she has two classes she attends 2x a week and works on her math at home. Not too bad for someone who really doesn't like school. She has signed on to the PEP choir and drama group and that should give her some fun things to do. B is also very involved in her friends which is normal for a girl of 17. She also has a "boyfriend" that is a great friend to her. S is a nice youngman with some amazing talents! I will post a painting he did of B from a photograph!! Amazing!! Anyway, they have enjoyed each others company for over 2 years now and will hopefully continue to do so. A is going into her junior year at UC with a major in International Affairs. Perhaps she will be a candidate for VP one day!! LOL!! A continues to love traveling and is Haiti with her day now. She is working at a coffee shop as is Bekki, so we don't lack for good coffee!!! Well, that is the family catch-up minus Emma. She is a story unto her own.

Emma is now 3 1/2 and is so amazing!! Looking back 18 months ago when she joined our family, she was a completely different child. She was actually at baby at 24 months and now is a little child. She is funny and full of energy. She loves to laugh and does so often! Her favorite thing is her stuffed dog she named Woof. He is with her constantly and is looking a little worn! I've purchased a replacement she has named Boo after her favorite guy S's dog. They don't look alike, but are similar so hopefully one day when Woof says his last woof Boo can step in. E also tells us she will not be going to school because she doesn't like it. She has never been to school . Yes, E will go to school for a bit to give mommy a little down time soon. :) E is also feeling her wild oats and will talk-back to me frequently! I've had some pretty grown-up conversations with my 3 year old lately!!

Well, Larry and I have enjoyed another summer here with our beautiful backyard pool. It has been a blessing to our family and we hold losely to it. The fall is fast approaching and we are ready for the change.

Dance Party in China 07

Here is a video of the kids dancing with our guides and the head of USAA, Norman. Enjoy!!

A couple of photos of ME!

Hi, a friend commented that there were no photos of me on the blog! Well, right, but if you go back a year or so you will find a few from our trip to China. I really haven't changed much so here are a couple. :) I will try to keep that in my mind when photos are being taken. :)

Emma and her mom celebrating! This was our last night and the USAA team planned a big party in a resturant from us. They treated us like VIP's. Emma enjoyed dressing up and dancing with her little friends to some crazy music. I will have to post some of those.


Mom with an unhappy Emma. She wanted to run in the hotel lobby and mom said NO!! Look how tiny my girl was! She wore a 12-18 mos. size and had little feet and a little hair etc. Look at her little hand on me.

Keeping Cool

Here are a few photos of the kids and their da keeping cool. While they dunk in the pool I find the AC in the house much more enjoyable. :)

Little Emma enjoying her snack after swiming. She loves the pool and has made great progress this summer.
This is a really hard lifestyle! Me and my da are enjoying some conversation and floating around in some really big water!!
Nadya and her dolphin ride. She is a fish too and has finally learned to dive! I will get that up on video soon! It is entertaining.
A budding artist!!

Remembering....

A dear friend of mine is in China now with her family completeing the long journey to their little daughter, Ahna who is 13 months old. As they have been in the throes of this journey it has brought back the very sweet memories of our own journey to bring Emma-leah home. We have been home for 15 months and our little one is now 3 1/2 years old, how dare she grow up!! The memories are inscribed on my mind with hopes of sharing those memories with our daughter when she is at an age to listen and hopefully embrace her beginnings. That may not be as easy as it sounds, but with much prayer we will tell her of her meek beginnings and of a country so full of history and color and smell. Here are a few photos I have not posted. They are the very heart and soul of China.


Mom and baby in a sweet basket backpack.
A grandmother and her grandson walk hand and hand, not unlike the families today in America.
A shop keeper on the street selling her wares and food. The people were so gracious.
Two little girls heading to school.
one of many shrines on the roadside.