-C had successful heart surgery on March 7, 2008. The 2cm hole between his left and right atrium's (termed an "atrial septal defect" or ASD) was patched via an arterial catheter at Children's Hospital. The doctors were AMAZING and we were really well taken care of. Subsequent check-ups, however, have not revealed a huge improvement in the efficiency of his heart, so we anticipate valve replacement 10 or so years from now.
-We welcomed E.G. into our family on June 26, 2008. C's new little sister weighed 7lbs 6oz, and was 21.75" long. She takes after daddy in height so I see those awkward years of high-water pants in her future, poor girl.
-We all flew to Wisconsin Dells for Thanksgiving '08 where Tami's Grandparents met their first great-grandkids for the first time. It was truly a blessing to see 4 generations together for the holiday!
-Tami quit her job in January due to high childcare and preschool costs and has been a "homemaker" since then. It has taken some adjustment and lots of patience, but it has been the right decision with regard to lessening overall stress. Eventually there is a plan for her to return to work, but that will wait until C starts kindergarten this Fall and when E is somewhat independent with her mobility and eating skills (less money for daycare).
-C just lost his first tooth! His lower front tooth had been quite loose for some time, so one night we just pulled on it gently and out it came. C is pretty excited about growing some "big boy" teeth and is already feeling around for other loose teeth. The money from the tooth fairy doesn't hurt either! ;)
So that is our past year in a nutshell. We feel so blessed with our wonderful new family, and it has been quite a learning curve! C is an amazing big brother and really is wonderful with E. Perhaps his time in the foster home helped him hone those skills, but whatever the case we could not be more proud of him. Additionally his English is rather impressive! It is so incredible how easily it came to him and how well he has adapted. The only sad thing is the loss of his Hungarian language, but with so few people speaking it, we hope it isn't a big regret. We are already looking forward to a trip to Hungary in a few years, when E can last that long on a plane and C can really appreciate where he came from.
Hope all is well with those who still read this, I'll try to be more on top of updates in the future!
