Our New Normal....

Dear Friends,
     It is January fourth.  I can't believe that Phillip has been home for around 5 months!  Althought we certainly have our bumps, we're amazed at how well he is doing in such a short period of time.  Our last blog post was on August 7th.  I'll try to update you on the major events that have occurred since then.

* July 25th:   We left Spokane to travel Shepherd's Field near Beijing where we met Phillip.

*August 9th:  We flew into Spokane in the early evening.  Phillip played games on the Ipad for most of the 13 hour flight.  Although Kyle and I were a little gun shy after our last turbulent flight home from China in 2010, we were able to sleep a bit.  It was wonderful to finally bring Phillip home and to introduce him to many of the family and friends that had prayed for him for 16 months.  He loved meeting the crowd that greeted us at the airport.

*August 12:  Brit and Kyle left to return to Corban University.  Phillip was sad to see them go.  In the weeks to follow, he often said, "I only one person at home."

*August 22:  Jamie, Jeremy, Grace and Lucy, and Mom came to visit.  Phillip got to go to Silverwood Theme Park and to Riverfront Park with the girls.  He loved floating in the lazy river with Grace and Lucy.  Unfortunately, he cut his foot on the concrete and that wound still hasn't healed right.  He loved the ferris wheel and screamed like a little girl everytime we got to the top.

*Our neighbors, the Blews, invited us out to their lake cabin on Twin Lakes, Idaho, where Brit and Kyle got to spend many fun summer days while they were growing up as well.  It was so fun to see Phillip laughing and playing in the water where he has more physical freedom.  We cautiously started him in the shallow water near the beach, but he quickly progressed to playing on a paddle board farther out in the lake.  He and many friends spent hours wrestling and tipping the paddle board and getting back on the board again.  We were blessed by the teens that played with him and carried him to the water and back up to the deck over and over again.  He met Dawson Blew and some other boys from school at the lake.

*September 7th:  We went to Paula's with Phillip.  She had all of the grand-doggies and the last two of the puppies at her house.  Although we just went to let Phillip play with the dogs, we ended up accepting Bill and Paula's offer to give Rusty to Phillp.  A golden retriever , Rusty adores Phillip.  If he gets in trouble, he hides under the wheelchair.  He is a smart, loving puppy and a good buddy for Phillip!

*School started the first week of September.  Prior to the first day of class, Phillip seemed really nervous and excited at the same time.  He later told me that he feared that people would spit on him because he was new and Chinese and in a wheelchair.  Phillip is really smart.  He is reading English at the first grade level and completing fifth grade math without much assistance.

September 28th:  Karl, Phillip, and I traveled to Corban University for Parent's Weekend.  Phillip got to see the campus and the dorms and to meet many of the students that had been praying for him.  He loved hanging out with Kyle and Brit and seeing their school year home.
 
*We discovered that Phillip had two pressure sores.  Phillip spent the next two months attempting to avoid putting weight and pressure on his bottom.  Karl and I bought a futon for the classroom.  Phillip could come to school, but he had to sort of lay on the futon to do his work.  We spent the next two months checking the wounds and changing the bandages twice daily.

*Theresa Skinner of Team St. Lukes loaned Phillip a more compact wheelchair and roho cushions to help prevent further pressure sores.

*October 24th:  We took Phillip to Shriner's Hospital for evaluation.  We were pleasantly surprised by the kindness, professionalism, approachability, and compassion of all of the peole that we met there. Thankfully, the doctors felt like Phillip was in good health and that the rods in his back are not a concern at this time.  They gave the green light for Phillip to participate in physical activities when his sores healed.  They felt that the bend in his arm was due to a break that wasn't casted.  They will continue to monitor his scoliosis.  We returned several weeks later to get the specs for a new wheelchair tailored to Phillip's needs. 

*November 1:  Ironically, Phillip's buddy, Samuel, shares the same birthday.  He got to celebrate with Samuel on the first and then had a family birthday party on the following weekend. 

*December 7:  Phillip had a blast shopping in the PTF sponsored Christmas Store at our school.  He bought a ton of gifts.  After about 15, I finally cut him off because he was breaking the bank, but I loved seeing his generous heart!  It was a great day for him because he also got invited to go to Dawson's birthday party and to participate in laser tag.  He had a blast and he and I thought that we were quite the snipers, but we were ranked really low. 

*Phillip got to play wheelchair basketball several times before Christmas break.  He is so busy!  Now that the break is over, he can start attending basketball practices again.  The first time that I watched wheelchair basketball, I was surprised at how physical the game is and at the number of times that the wheelchairs got tangled up together.  It is amazing to watch the athleticism of the wheelchair athletes.

*December 15th:  Brittany and Kyle returned home to the excitement and joy of their little bro.  They were incredibly encouraging to Phillip and were deliberate about spending time with him for the three weeks that they were here.  Watching a Christmas movie or a Lord of the Rings movie became a nightly ritual during their visit.                 

*December 24th:  We traveled to Dayton to visit our peeps.  Karl, Phillip, and I stayed in a hotel which had a restroom with wheelchair access.  Brit and Kyle stayed wtih Grandma and Grandpa Smith.  Phillip is usually Mr. Social.  He loves entertaining a crowd, but he was a little overwhelmed when he met the families.  He was unusually quiet so Karl and I asked him what he was thinking and feeling.  He confessed that he needed some time away from the family.  As time progressed and he got more comfortable, he became his usual loud self again.   :)

*New Year's Eve:  We went up to the Blews to celebrate with them and a lot of other folks.  Phillip, Dawson, Josh, and Victoria went sledding between our houses.  The sled run had fast spots and Phillip showed no fear.  Karl tried carrying him back up the hill once and then Scott got out the snowmobile and brought him up each time after that.  I went down the hill with Phillip once and I wished that I could put on the brakes, but he loved every second!  We went home a little before midnight because he looked exhausted from all of his sled runs.

Thank you to all of you that have been such an encouragement, support, and inspiration to our family.  Knowing that you would be there for us and for Phillp helped give us the courage to bring Phillip home.

Joni Croft