November is National Adoption Month

We couldn't let the month go by without recognizing that it is National Adoption Month.  Adoption has been such a blessing to our family.  It was just a year ago that we first realized what a gift it is.  It was late on November 1, 2012 that we received a referral from our adoption agency telling us the story of an amazing little seven month old girl living in a China orphanage waiting for a family.  We'll never forget seeing her beautiful picture for the first time and how quickly she stole our hearts.

 

The Owatonna People's Press (our local newspaper) has been writing a series titled "A Home to Share" in their weekend edition for the month of November bringing attention to adoption.  We were honored to be asked to share our family's story in their second article.  A link to the article is below.   



A Home to Share: Kleckers complete family with adoption

 

Thank you to our families and friends who have and continue to supported us through our adoption journey.  We look forward to the days when Ashlynn can read this blog and be reminded of how loved she is by so many. 

 



Our weeks following surgery

Thanks to all of you who have been asking about Ashlynn.  Let us show you how well Ashlynn is doing in the weeks following surgery . . .

First experience in the corn box during
harvest on Grandpa & Grandma Lanoue's farm

 

Carving pumpkins with our "little brother" Matthew



 

As you can see, Ashlynn is back to her energetic, determined, lovable self.  We are amazed by how quickly she has healed following surgery.  She also has quite an appetite.  She wants to feed herself whenever possible and is usually willing to try new foods.  She wants to eat all the time!  She is still learning to suck (something that was not possible with her cleft lip/palate in her first 18 months of life).  We are told this skill will come in time so for now she continues to drink from a bottle that we must squeeze for her.  She is also not saying any real words yet but we know she understands more and more of what we are saying to her.  This is great progress as she probably had not heard any English until we met her five months ago.  We will be getting some language services through the our school district to help her catch up.

 

Ashlynn has resumed physical therapy and is making great strides.  She continues to crawl everywhere and has started to pull herself up to standing and even take a few steps.  She impresses her physical therapist with her progress each week.  We are feeling confident she'll be walking before the end of the year which is really nothing short of a miracle given where she was when we brought her home in May.  And her brothers have no idea how that will change things around the house!

 

We have all enjoyed introducing Ashlynn to some great family traditions.  We spent five days on Brandi's parent's farm in October.  She loved spending time with her grandparents and cousins.  She liked playing in the corn box but was too scare to take a Ranger or combine ride.  She also wasn't sure what to think of the jack-o-lantern that Daddy carved for her.  We're sure she'll be more interested next Halloween.  And trick-or-treating was so fun.  She loved filling her candy bag at Grandpa and Grandma Kleckers and her uncles and aunts.  She really didn't know what to do with the candy but she liked playing with all the wrappers.  We suspect this will change by next Halloween too!

Day 4 - We're home!

We're home and it feels great!

Ashlynn had a pretty good last night despite the interruptions.  From the moment she woke up, she couldn't wait to get back in the wagon.  We should have been counting the number of times we went up and down those halls!  She also showed off by crawling despite the No-No's on her arms.  Late morning our plastic surgeon and the pulminary doctor clear us to go home.  We were sent home with only some pain medication and no more antibiotics or nebulizer treatments.  Ashlynn will have a post-op follow up next week.

We got home mid-afternoon while the boys were still at school.  Ashlynn seemed glad to see her familiar surroundings again but she was more frustrated than she'd been in the last day with her No-No's.  She just can't play with her toys the way she is used to.  When she sat in her highchair, she expected to get her usual favorites.  She was disappointed to only be offer apple sauce and pudding by spoon and no finger foods.  She's unhappy about losing some of her hard-earned independence.  Hopefully the next ten days will go quickly!

Ashlynn gave the boys a big smile when they got home.  It's heart warming to see the bond they have already formed.  It's great to have everyone under one roof again!  And seeing all the "sick" kids at the hospital these last few days has reminded us how truly blessed we are!!

Thanks for all the prayers sent for Ashlynn's recovery.  We are thankful to have this week behind us!

w

This is the best thing about this place!

Let's go home!

And you thought these "No-No's" would slow me down

 

It's good to be home!

Day 3

It was a good day!  What a wonderful change in Ashlynn.  She had a pretty good night of sleep last night so she was awake most of the day.  She wanted to play with toys, look a books, and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV.  She took a couple of wagon rides through the halls again.  This time she waved at all the nurses.  No real smiles yet (it probably still hurts too much) but she would nod when people talked to her.  This afternoon we wheeled her to a rootbeer float party in the hospital lobby. She ate two cups of ice cream!  We suspect the cold of the ice cream felt good on her sore mouth.

Ashlynn's pain is decreasing slowly.  We were able to eliminate one of her pain medications today; however, she is still on two others and we can tell by her mood when it's getting to be time for the next dose.  She seems to have accepted her "No-Nos" (arm restraints).  She's gotten pretty creative with them already.  And she still hates any unfamiliar face in the room.  She cries whenever a nurse walks in.  Some of them have tried so hard to get her to warm up to them but Ashlynn's just won't give them a break.  After what's she's been through this week, who can blame her for not being quick to trust?!

Our plastic surgeon believes we'll be ready to go home tomorrow.  It'll be so nice to all be home together again.  Derek and Mason have been such good sports about the crazy routine this week.  A weekend home together will be good medicine for all of us.

Visiting with Grandma Lanoue, Aunt Kim, Brok, Hallee,
 and Great-Grandpa Leonard over Skype

Day 2

Ashlynn continues to improve as the day little by little.  She took a lot of naps, finally getting some much needed sleep!  She seemed more at ease and comfortable than she was last night.  During one of her naps this afternoon, we caught her with her mouth closed and breathing through her nose.  This is something most of us take for granted but for Ashlynn, it's a first.  She's never been able to fully close her mouth or breath only through her nose.  It's just another thing her body is having to re-learn.

The Pediatric Pulmonary doctor saw Ashlynn again this morning and felt there was less congestion in her lungs.  He reduced the frequency of the nebulizer treatments (one less reason to wake Ashlynn during the night) and believes she should not have to use a nebulizer after going home.  Ashlynn's plastic surgeon also visited this morning.  She was pleased with the fluid Ashlynn was willing to take in from the bottle and encouraged us to keep offering her pureed food by spoon.  After a few failed attempts today, Troy was able to get her to eat nearly a whole jar of baby food tonight.

Ashlynn also got to see the outside of her hospital room today.  We were able to give her a wagon ride through the halls of our floor.  She must have enjoying it because she wasn't happy when the ride had to come to an end.  She also got her first visitors today.  Derek and Mason along with Grandpa and Grandma Klecker drove up to see us this afternoon.  Ashlynn's concerned big brothers were glad to see their sister, even if she is still not quite herself.  Thanks to John and Jan for your visit and for bring the boys to see us.

We are hoping for a good night's sleep for everyone and more progress in Ashlynn's recovery tomorrow.

Our tough girl

Our tough girl has been through a lot in the last 24 hours.  We are hoping the worst is behind us.  Last night when Ashlynn was running a high fever, our plastic surgeon had a chest x-ray and called in a Pediatric Pulmonary doctor to review it.  He saw the potential start of some fluid on the lungs but nothing too concerning.  As a precautionary measure, he ordered some IV antibiotics and nebulizer treatments.
It was a long night as Ashlynn just couldn't rest comfortably.  It has taken some trial and error (and really helpful nurse) to get the right combination and timing of pain meds.  She is wearing "No-Nos" (that's really what they are called) to keep her from putting her fingers in her mouth.  The lack of mobility is really frustrating for her.  She also needs oxygen as she is having to re-train her body to inhale and exhale.  When her lip and palate were open, there was little resistance to move air.  Now that her cleft has been closed, her diaphragm has to work hard to move the air.  There was a seemingly endless stream of nurses coming in and out of Ashlynn's room.  She is unhappy with every unfamiiar face.  This all meant a sleepless night.
Ashlynn has been able to sleep a bit better this morning.  She was happy to see her Dad when he returned this morning after going home last night to be with Derek and Mason.  We're hoping some more sleep will help her be willing to try some pureed food today.  She has been good about drinking clear liquids from a bottle with a special nipple.  Eating from a spoon is another important milestone before we are able to go home.
Thanks again for all the support of our family!

The first hours of recovery

Ashlynn came through surgery very well.  Her plastic surgeon was happy with how well the palate and lip came together.  We were able to join her soon after surgery in recovery.  She looked better than we expected.  She has been sleeping most of the afternoon.  The nurses are working hard to keep her pain until control.  She lets us know when it's time for the next round of pain meds but overall she's tolerating it all pretty well.  She has been running a fever that's a bit higher than we'd like so they've done a chest x-ray to check for any fluid on the lungs.  We are now waiting to hear if anything more is needed.  While it's a little concerning and certainly only adds to Ashlynn's discomfort, we are hopeful they'll get it figured out soon.

Thanks for all the prayers that have been sent out way today.  Please continue to pray that Ashlynn's fever subsides and she is able to sleep comfortably.

Comforting Ashlynn after surgery with
her lamb from Grandpa & Grandma Klecker
and her blanket from Grandpa & Grandma Lanoue

Surgery is underway

We just kissed Ashlynn as they rolled her into surgery.  They had given her a sedative to help her relax (she's not a fan of anyone in blue scrubs) so she didn't cry much.  Troy was able to walk into the operating room and be by her side while she fell asleep.  We sure have fallen in love with that sweet little girl!  It wasn't easy to let her go even though we know she is in good hands.  Hopefully we're through the hardest part of the day.

When the plastic surgeon met with us earlier this morning, she was impressed with how "plump" Ashlynn looked since seeing her in July.  The surgeon was very optomistic about the success of today's procedure as she was happy with how much Ashlynn's upper lip had moved with wearing the band all these months.  The surgeon plans to first close the palate which is the most complicated and time consuming.  Then comes the lip repair.  We're told the total procedure will be at least 4 hours.

Thanks for Grandpa and Grandma Klecker for arriving at our house so very early this morning to be with the boys and get them off to school.  And thanks for all the phone calls, text messages, and emails.  We are blessed with wonderful family and friends!

18 months old

It's hard to believe tomorrow, September 23, will mark four months since our arrival home from China and the first night our new family of five spent together.  What an amazing four months it has been!  Ashlynn is thriving.  We see more and more of her personality each day as she gets comfortable with our routine.  She's developing a great bond with her big brothers and us.  She melts our hearts when we tell her we love her and she throws us a kiss. 

She has hit many milestones in such a short amount of time.  Derek and Mason enjoyed marking her half birthday yesterday, September 21.  Ashlynn is now 18 months old.  She is crawling everywhere!  She continues to impress her physical therapist as she masters each new technique.  Ashlynn really wants to be walking but she's just not quite strong enough.  We know it won't be long.  We feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing transformation. 

It's a big week.  Ashlynn's lip and palate repair are scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis.  It's a four hour surgery and likely 3 - 4 days in the hospital.  It won't be an easy week for any of us, especially Ashlynn, but we hope she won't remember it and we know she will someday be glad we did it.  Please pray for her plastic surgeon and the medical staff to help Ashlynn through surgery and for us to help her through her first days of recovery.  We are planning to post updates on surgery day and the days that follow.  We so appreciate all the support we have received during this journey!

Here's a few of our favorite pictures of our sweet girl taken at the end of June (15 months old).

 

And here's few snap shots from the last few weeks.

First Day of School

Baptism, birthdays, and more doctor appointments

On July 14 Ashlynn was baptized at our church in Owatonna with our family around us.  Raising our children in our faith is important to us so this was special day.  We are honored that Uncle Pat and Aunt Krystal became Ashlynn’s godparents.  Ashlynn did very well during the brief ceremony.  She likes having her hair done and to look at her pretty self in the mirror so wearing her baptism dress we brought in China was fun for her.  She wasn’t sure what to think when Father Cronin poured the holy water over her head but she didn’t fuss too long.  Her big brothers watched over the whole process very closely.

The Kleckers

The Lanoues

After Baptism, our families joined us to our house for lunch and to celebrate the boys’ July birthdays.  It was a wonderful day!  We are grateful that so many members of our families were able to spend the day with us.  We are blessed with such a strong support system!
In the afternoon, Derek and Mason hosted the first Klecker Brothers backyard baseball game.  The birthday boys were the captain of their teams and each carefully picked their uncles, aunts, and cousins to be on their teams.  Derek and Mason are still debating whose team actually won the game!

Ashlynn and the birthday boys

Derek turned 8 on July 21.  He spent the day in one of his favorite places doing one of his favorite things . . . at Target Field watching the Twins.  Unfortunately the Twins didn’t win but Derek still had a good day.  Ashlynn tolerated the game about as well as any one-year-old.  The warm sun and the lack of a good nap made for a few long innings but she liked walking around the concourse with Mom waving at anyone who would smile at her.   Since it was Kids Day, the boys got to run the bases after the game.  Troy even took Ashlynn around the bases, setting her down to touch her foot on each base.  Her proud Daddy may have enjoyed this as much as Ashlynn!

Monday, July 22 marked the end of Brandi’s 10 week maternity leave from work.  What a wonderful adventure these 10 weeks have been.  It’s hard to believe our two week stay in China and our first eight weeks home as a family of 5 is already behind us.  The first days on our new routine has gone well.  Getting all five of us out the door in the morning takes a bit of organization and some luck but we’re figuring it out.  Ashlynn seems to be adjusting to daycare.  She really enjoys being around all of her new friends.  We are glad the boys will be with her all day for several weeks before they go back to school.
Ashlynn’s doctor appointments continue.  Ashlynn saw ENT which confirmed that her ears are clearing up and there is no concern with her hearing at this time.  She saw our family doctor yesterday and got her first set of vaccinations.  Ashlynn received vaccinations in China but she has a few shots to get her caught up to US guidelines.  She isn't a fan of anyone in a white coat or blue scrubs and this clinic visit didn't help any! 
We saw the plastic surgeon today.  She was pleased with how well Ashlynn lip has been coming together.  She believes Ashlynn will be ready for surgery in September.  Ashlynn also started physical therapy today to help get her gross motor skills caught up.  We are pleased with how much strength she has already gained.  She’s still not crawling but she is finding creative ways to roll, turn, and scoot herself on the floor to get to what she wants (which is usually one of her brothers’ toys).  We are confident she will learn to crawl and walk before long.  And then watch out Derek and Mason!

Thank you to everyone who continues to read our blog and follow our journey.  Please leave us a comment and let us know who is on this journey with us.

Meeting the newest member of the Klecker family, Miss Hayden Renee

Our new normal

Life is returning to "normal", whatever that is.  We are adjusting to our home filled with the energy of three children.  Our days seem to go by so quickly with all our summer activities.  It's hard to believe we've been home from China for almost seven weeks now.  We are so proud of how well all three of our kids have adjusted to this big change in our family. 

Ashlynn's surgery was over two weeks ago already.  The two days following surgery were a little rough.  She developed a fever and was just not herself.  The doctors were unsure if the fever was related to her lip adhesion or infection in her ears but a few days of antibiotics did the trick.  By the end of the week, we had a smiley little girl back! 

Ashlynn was feeling so much better that we took in a Twins game at Target Field together on June 29.  It was our first game of the season and Ashlynn's first game ever.  Her big brother Derek, our devoted Twins fan and lover of anything baseball, was so excited.  He tells everyone that Ashlynn is lucky because she got to see her first home run at Target Field and the major league debut of starting pitcher Kyle Gibson--details she'll likely never appreciate as much as Derek! :)  Ashlynn did pretty well at the game.  Ashlynn, Mason, and Brandi spent a few innings walking around in search of Mason's favorite ballpark treat, mini-donuts, and taking Mason's picture next to every thing he found interesting.  It was a great day at the ballpark!  We're sure Ashlynn will find herself at many more games in the years to come.



July 2 was Mason's 5th birthday.  We celebrated at Chuck E Cheese with Uncle Pat, Aunt Krystal, and Gavin. 

It was a tough day for Ashlynn.  During lunch, Ashlynn's stitches on one side of her lip let go.  It had not healed as well as the other side and was open again.  There was very little bleeding and it didn't seem to cause her much pain.  This was a risk the surgeon had told us about on the day of surgery but since it was over a week post surgery we thought we were beyond that possibility.  We had our first follow-up appointment with the plastic surgeon that afternoon.  She too was surprised this happened so many days after surgery but was very reassuring that it was nothing we did or didn't do.  Ashlynn now has to wear a band across her upper lip that is anchored by adhesive to each check.  This is doing the job the stitches would have done.  It's pulling the tissue of the lip and palate together and pulling down the middle part of the upper lip.  We were so disappointed that Ashlynn went through surgery and all the discomfort afterwards to only have to wear this band but we know it will all be worth it in the long-term.  The band doesn't seem to bother Ashlynn.  She only gets upset when we have to change it every few days.

Ashlynn made her first trip to the Brandi's parent's farm over the 4th of July.  Ashlynn did great sleeping away from home and loved seeing her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  On Saturday, we celebrated the wedding of Brandi's goddaughter, Michele, and her new husband Scott.  It was a fun day and a great chance for Ashlynn to meet many members of her extended family.  Ashlynn loved the music at the wedding dance.  She like to bounce to the music and wave her arms.  We have a dancer on our hands!

 



11 Lanoue Grandchildren

We saw the plastic surgeon again on Tuesday.  She was very pleased with the changes in Ashlynn's lip.  We will see her again at the end of the month when we'll starting planning for Ashlynn's second surgery which will most likely be in September.  In the doctor's office, Ashlynn weight 18 pounds!  She's gained 2 1/2 pounds since we were in China.  

So we continue to find our new "normal".  Ashlynn tags along for the boys' swimming lessons and baseball games.  She loves being outside so she doesn't seem to mind.  This weekend is Ashlynn's baptism and the boys' birthday party with our families.  Another great weekend to look forward to!