Thursday, July 18, 2013

Eye specialist

    The update  so far is that Bella doesn't have Anrindia but a condition called Coloboma. This is much better and can not end up in blindness. I praise God above for missed diagnosis.He said that the right cataract is pretty much blocking her whole eye and he will look in it after they are dilated. 

Word is the cataracts have not damaged her vision and can be removed.
Dr.H wants to remove the right eye cataract immediately. So we will be having surgery Monday morning July 22. 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Celebrating Independence Day!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY FROM THE STRICKLAND"S


 We our so excited about how our family looks now!! Full of even more love! With a son and now a daughter learning to love each other in a relationship that will last a life time. Us teaching our daughter the love from a Mom and Dad that is unconditional and ever lasting. We are a family in all that it means!







I got to take Bella short visit this morning to see Aunt Carla. Thank you Aunt Ann for letting us be a part of ya"ll family's lunch. It was so good!!  



 Bella and Noah 
 Carla, Wes, Noah and baby Parker

Bella loves the baby. 

So sweet!

We celebrate our FREEDOM today and stop to think of all the ones away from their families so we can freely make plans to be with loves ones. Our freedom has never been free but always paid for with precious lives of ones we have loved. We thank you.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

HER HEART!

Today we had Bella's first Echocardiogram!! I was nervous about her having this done and me or Jeremy being able to comfort her. Well momma's worry for nothing it seems. She did it like a pro. Mom and Dad were the newbies!






Our sweet girl's beautiful crooked chest!


 She laid perfectly still without one move at all, showing us that she has done this a time or two. We were so proud of her! It reminded us that she went through so much at such a young age without us and we are so glad to never miss one minute from here on out.


You can see her cataract very well in this eye in this picture. It looks like a half glare.

She was trying to make sweet eyes at the tech doing the test, maybe saying "okay I'm trusting you, but don't try nothing funny lady!!"



The tech JILL said that all looked well! Everything looked as it should having Ventricular Septal Defect VSD repair and they would continue to check her Pulmonary Stenosis. After Dr. King reads the test and we see him in August, he will be able to tell us more information, like what type of PS she has and if her chest plate was a per-operation defect? or from healing afterwards? The nurse seemed to think that her chest my have already been like this before her repair but that was not in her medical information.

                                                                         We are blessed to receive a great report today and the peace that comes with knowing her little broken heart is doing well!! Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts for Bella today!




We have a full month in July.... We are off to New Orleans LA on July 12th for a over night stay to take her to an international adoption Dr. at Children's Hospital for blood work. Noah comes for a summer break stay.Then off to an eye specialist Dr. in Shreveport LA on July 18th for their first look into her eyes. Peyton turns the big 8 YEARS old on the 29th and goes to Noah's for a summer break stay and we will wrap the month up with a family trip to the awesome water park in Mississippi. Can't wait to take Bella because she loves WATER. I will continue to post about what we find out and how she is doing and how the summer ends.

AUTO PILOT

I have to first say I am sorry for not continuing to blog after arriving home! It took us so many days to get back on OUR time and then Bella decided that she didn't want to sleep at night here. I thought I just may not make it but then I lived!  We got home on Thursday night and I don't really remember Friday and Saturday at all but Sunday we had to pull it together because Monday was her first apt with Dr. Philips. She really did good but we had to start getting caught up on shots. YAKS.... She did great even though they gave her two at a time in one leg. As soon as they stuck that yummy sucker in her mouth the tears were gone. We left and headed to Barksdale to have her added as Jeremy's new dependent and boy that was a full day. By the drive home the pain set in on the shots. And making it home was something like a mad car dash race. But we made it and lived. She ran fever all night and the next day so we are not looking forward to the next ones.

Weight 25 pounds

Height 35"

Getting ready for shots...... OH NO!

Lollipops makes everything better! Even big bad shots!


Dr.s are no fun but we are thankful for them.


NEXT CAME FATHER"S DAY!!! 
What a awesome day for Jeremy to celebrate his children and take Bella to church for her first Sunday. 
2013
She is doing so much better now having been home for three weeks now. She loves HOME, she loves to go don't get me wrong but she loves coming back! She thinks everything should be her way!! BOY! will her and I have issues in the future??? I do too! HA HA!! She really doesn't know how to "play" yet but she loves to dump all the toys out in her room. She is not having night terrors much at all anymore , which makes me very happy since I am her sleeping mate. She can now say Hello! Goodbye!Yellow! and I love you! Everything else is alot of "I don't know'? We are still bonding and working on communications. 


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

SHE IS HOME!


Finally in Louisiana !!! We flew into after 11 pm Thursday night June 6th after a very long delay in Houston. I would have to say the worst part of the whole trip for all of us was four planes and 22 hrs it took to get back home. BUT......SHE HOME!







Tuesday, June 4, 2013

CHINA SAFARI PARK IN GZ



We had a wonderful time at the Safari. Even though we didn't get to hold the baby white tiger!

Sweet Everly 

 Sweet Bella

To be new moms of theses wonderful little girls. LaKasha & Bella 

Kim & Everly 
 The VanWyk Family

Collin, Peyton and Logan

 Daddy and Bella on the Safari train.



 Bella and Everly .......Ponyoes


 Is it real???? hummm..... I'll never tell.....



 Girls waiting on the Elephant show.

 Bella entertaining herself.
Family of four!



 The girls were locked on the elephants the whole show.



 The Pandas were as magical as I had hoped! They didn't even seem real.









 what a big day for brother and sister. They both did so good.
 So sweet at the end of the day Bella was sound asleep and Peyton was showing is new buddy "Shawn" the swans.