kicking tail

That time of year

Posted on June 29, 2018June 29, 2018 by Tammy

Time for another new leg. Little Man isn’t so little any more and continues to grow out of these prosthetic legs. In fact, this year his amazing team of docs have decided that it is time to up the game a bit. His leg needs to be higher tech in order to meet his physical needs. In other words – our active boy has outgrown the simple leg design he has used until this time.

They are now making him a sleeve made out of a thick neoprene material that will create suction on his residual limb and then lock the leg in place with a pin. It is amazing. At the first fitting, Little Man declared that it felt like he was walking on a marshmallow. He is pumped by the cool lock system and excited by the soft fit.

After his second appointment to test the new leg design, our whole family had a very special treat. Clearwater Marine Aquarium invited us to meet Winter – the dolphin who stars in the movie “A Dolphin Tale.” The timing was perfect. Little Man has been attending swimming lessons and working so hard. He was over the moon excited to meet Winter, who can swim with or without her prosthetic tail.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium went above and beyond in making our day a memorable experience. Little Man was their VIP, and he ate up the attention.

The sweet woman who gave us the tour answered all of his 100 million questions about each animal they have rescued. We got to see places where the movies had been filmed, saw the animal “hospital” and where they prepare food for the animals. We met some amazing animals – so many turtles without flippers, otters who were orphaned, eels who needed help with their symbiotic relationships, and of course Winter with no tail. Hearing each of their stories was inspiring.

But they didn’t stop there – they freely gave to our family in hopes of inspiring our new swimmer. They succeeded. Little Man’s favorite part of the day was his animal encounter with Hope. He wasn’t able to meet Winter up close because she is in intense physical therapy at this time, but he was so excited to hear how they make new prosthetic tails for Winter. Her tail is made of a neoprene sleeve similar to the leg he will have.

Clutching his new stuffed animal (a dolphin with a prosthetic tail that CMA gave to him), he said goodbye to Winter through the glass of her tank. He encouraged her to try hard in her physical therapy, and he would try hard in his swim lessons. Melt your heart sweet. He claimed it was the best day of his life. To be honest our whole family had a great day watching him feel special, celebrated, and encouraged.

Thank you so much Clearwater Marine Aquarium for taking such good care of our animals and for inspiring kiddos like Little Man.

Back at it

Posted on September 27, 2015 by Tammy

If you don’t hear from me for the next 12 years it is because I am now homeschooling 4 children and it is kicking my tail! I have now done Kindergarten several times and really thought it would be no big deal to add it to our daily school business. Well reality has hit but we haven’t hit our stride.

All joking aside, we are working hard to get into a rhythm for the semester. Hubby has two weeks of classes under his belt (they are mostly literature classes again with a fun grad class to boot) and I have enjoyed two art projects with my special students at the orphanage. Play-dough and dot markers are a great way to start the fall.

On the home front we are tackling Kindergarten along with 3rd, 6th and 8th grades. Little Man was thrilled at first to have his own shelf of books and to be a “real” student. Three days in he was asking how many days we needed to do this school thing! Reality hits. The girls and I are digging in a bit deeper this year and exploring some creative elements in art and writing that have been over looked in the past. Hoping we can keep up the fun. Soccer Dude is testing the waters with online schooling and enjoying it even though there is a learning curve. Never a dull moment when a notice is posted on the apartment complex door that we will have no electricity when we were scheduled for a Skype meeting with his teacher and he was to do an online math test. In the end, we packed all the kids up and took the excuse to explore a newly opened Starbucks in our city. The kids joked that they felt like they were going to school in the States! I guess we don’t live in the backwoods any more if we are able to order a frappuccino!

All in all – we might not have hit a stride for the fall, but we are slipping back into routine and slowly recovering from our crazy summer. Soccer Dude even let me take his picture at Starbucks. He is looking good (thank you to the plastic surgeon in Detroit!) and all of his stitches have fallen out making eating so much easier. Now, if only we could find an allergy medication to help him with the hives he’s had since the dog bite.

Many have also asked how Little Man is doing. I sometimes forget he had such a major surgery at the beginning of the summer. He is back to his old self running around so much that there already is a crack forming at the toes of his prosthetic. I wonder if there has ever been a package shipped internationally with “foot” marked as it contents. We might ask our team of doctors in Florida to give it a try before we have toes fall off again!

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers as we have transitioned into the fall. His grace has been so real to us over the last few months and we know it will continue to carry us.

Surgery Day

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Tammy

We literally rolled in on our last wheel, but we are now in Florida getting Little Man all fixed up. We can’t sing the praises of Shriners Hospital in Tampa loud or long enough. They really are bending over backwards to help us care for our guy.

On pre-op day they discovered that even more was going on than we had anticipated. Rather than one bone spur needing to be removed he would need further amputation and reconstruction of his limb to remove old scar tissue. This is much more invasive than we had planned for, but since we were in good hands we felt confident with the direction things were going. Unfortunately, this means a longer recovery time, but we will take that one day at a time.

Yesterday was surgery. He wasn’t feeling very brave, but when they rolled a wii into his room as they prepped him for surgery everything else seemed less important. Mario Kart saves the day. Unbelievable that he could be woozy from pain meds and able to win a race.

Surgery went as planned with no surprises.

We spent the night in the hospital (and may be here another one) due to his history of infection. They are giving him iv antibiotics and pain medication. He is having a very hard time with pain because some of the meds that usually work just aren’t working in his body. Truly, this is one of the hardest things I have done as a mom. Hate seeing my baby in this much pain. He wanted to know if my leg was hurting because I was crying along with him. Sweet boy. No mom’s leg isn’t hurting…just my heart.

Would appreciate you praying for him that the pain would ease, that he would stay infection free, and that he heals beautifully. I am ready to be eating this boy’s dust again!

Double the classes: Double the fun

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Tammy

My Chinese is still a bit rocky, but I totally understood the argument that was taking place in the halls of the orphanage on Tuesday – my first full day at the orphanage.

“She can teach art to blind kids. My class wants art too!”

I wanted to burst out laughing at the sweet Chinese teacher who was going to bat for her kids to have art. She and I have become good friends over the year (I taught a different class with her last semester) and now that she has moved classrooms she was advocating for me to move with her.

Only the Father could grant me so much favor and allow doors to open for me to love on the kids at the orphanage. Teaching the three classes last semester was one of the greatest joys of my life….so I am stepping out in faith knowing 8 classes this semester will be even better. But, I must admit (blind kids or not) I am feeling in over my head. One of my new classes is a group of foster kids and their moms as well as community parents and their special needs children. The special education director introduced me to the class with a smile saying, “Tammy speaks awful Chinese but she is great with our kids.” That is a note of confidence to start a class with. I was sweating as I looked into the eyes of the adults in the room. It is one thing to mix up my words with a group of kids….adults make me nervous! I soon forgot my older audience as we started playing with playdough!

The game has changed. I now have an official printout of my class schedule just like the other teachers. I have been invited into the break/office space the other teachers share and I am getting to know ALL of the kids at the Children’s Home. At this rate, I joked with my husband that I will know every special needs child in our city of 2 million people!

You know what I am learning through all of this…again. I really love kids with disabilities! They are the best and I am so thankful that G.d is stretching me to love more fully and deeply. But I can’t do this alone. Double the classes means I need double the creativity and double the energy. I already see how G.d is providing for me to do this work through a supportive husband who is taking over the homeschooling on Tuesdays. I also am more thankful than ever for the supplies that were brought to us this spring/summer and all of the supplies and gifts given to us while we were in the States. The older kids loved making paperbag puppets with googley eyes this week!

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days I could use some extra pr@yers as I strive to love the kids well and ultimately show them a deeper more eternal love.

I can’t forget

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Tammy

Sitting here in my pj pants sipping strong coffee reflecting on the week. Oh, what a week. The first week of the semester always is a bit overwhelming, I must admit it and should be prepared for it. But I can safely say this week was more intense than most. Yes, Hubby had his first week of teaching with all the new student and textbook craziness. We did start homeschooling and jumped into figuring out Chinese classes for the girls at the international school and I was at the orphanage setting up what my art classes will be. All of that but more.

Trying to decide what to share and what should be left between me and my coffee.

But if I don’t share their stories…..

I had a few key meetings this week at the orphanage to plan our involvement for the semester. So many opportunities have been mentioned and we really needed clarity and wisdom over what we should do. Unfortunately, the need is just greater than OUR time and resources. But, we happen to know the ONE who has no limits. That was my comfort and peace as I was given a unique invitation to tour a facility outside our city with a special education director.

Let me back up a bit.

Children who grow up in the orphanage have two paths their lives might go down….1. to be adopted and set in a family 2. to grow up in the system and at age 18 they are released to be on their own — or sent to an adult institution.

(Can I just say again….please adopt!)

Three of my older students turned 18 and were sent to the adult facility this summer. Saying goodbye to them was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. When I was told they were moving to the adult institution I literally thought I was going to throw up. I have heard stories and my heart couldn’t handle the thought of those horrors being a part of the future for my friends. In that moment I clearly heard the voice of THE FATHER speak to me. “They are not yours. They are mine.”

This week, I was able to visit my three students in their new home….a facility for people with no place in society. As I walked up to the compound that has bars on the windows, my heart hurt for the kids — kids who not only never have known the love of a family, but now are living like prisoners.

A non-profit organization, CA, has built a special unit at the facility for the teens coming from our orphanage. The rooms are nicer with a private bathroom, there is a main living room and dinning area where the residents are able to eat together. But life still is hard. Our kids are used to classes, art and music, games to play, books to read, a caring staff and an area outside to walk. Now at the new facility, they have none of these things. Without these, the days living within the barren walls of the unit must seem endless.

Twice a week two social workers from CA are now going out there to teach the residence life skill classes. During our visit I got to see one of the classes. It is a start.

I was thankful to see my former students, their new home and reassure them that they have not been forgotten. But in a way I kinda do wish I could forget. I didn’t even know this place existed a few days ago. Now I have seen it and know the dear ones locked behind its walls. One resident followed us around and with tears begged for attention. That place, those people, they are burned in my mind.

CA has asked me to teach art classes at this facility once a week. I am at a loss….feeling my heart moved and yet not knowing how to make it all work. This facility is a 2 hour one way bus ride from where we live and is to far for a taxi driver to want to take me there. On top of the issue of transportation, there is no help. At the orphanage the nannies/teachers help me with the classes. I provide the projects and they help with paintbrushes, scissors, tape….whatever I need help with. At this facility there are no nannies or teachers to help. I can not do this alone.

So that is what I am talking to Gd about over my coffee this morning. Since I can’t forget they are out there needing help….I need a Chinese drivers license, a car, and a helper….and maybe a few more hours in my days. That might just about cover it. Okay, I also could use a good dose of Gdly courage.

This is a Gd sized job so we are waiting to see how He comes through. For now, we are buying books, paper, markers, DVDs and other items to send to the residence to use. It is a start.

Not really sure where to go from here or how to close this post. I guess if you will indulge me let me say it one more time…please adopt. Anyone who is able – adopt. If you can’t add a child to your family then donate toward the adoption of a child. If you can’t donate then tell the stories of children who need families and spread the word.

Dear Gd may you find families for these kids before they ever need to be move to adult institutions.

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Tammy

The last two weeks we have been in the full swing of things….and it is kicking our tails. We just can’t seem to catch the rhythm of everything. Hubby and I are both teaching, homeschooling, open houses with English students and just day to day living here (which takes more work.) When I type it out it doesn’t seem so much, but we are feeling it at the moment.

Yesterday, after scrambling to get all the homeschooling done in time to pick up the paper I needed for art class at the orphanage, I forgot to make bread and hang up the laundry. Crazy how forgetting one day of wash (when you don’t have a dryer) can really get you behind. Breakfast with no bread wasn’t pretty either, I might add. This isn’t even mentioning that I totally had to wing art class because I had forgotten that my class was changed to Monday from Tuesday. Sigh. At least I had bought the paint paper!

It’s times like these that I switch into Super Woman mode. I pretend to have it all together even when I know that life is kicking my tail. Maybe if I would run from the kitchen to the laundry I would be able to squeeze in the spelling test I need to give Roo. When it doesn’t work – when my hurried steps don’t get me anywhere faster….then I want to throw up my hands and say I just can’t do it all. {DUH!}

So I have been thinking a lot over the past week – how do I hit a rhythm. Where do I dig when I need an extra something something to do what I am called to do. That’s when I read a simple sentence that made me pause. A coincidence that this verse was the next in my daily reading. Totally not.

“He must become greater; I must become less.” Jn 3:30

I stopped dead in my tracks as the words sunk deeply into my soul.

John the bapt!st was asked how he felt about JC bapt!zing and everyone now following him. I can almost picture him not missing a beat and explaining that “a man can only receive what is given him from heaven.” He explains that his JOY is complete because he has seen JC come and JC is to be greater and himself become less.

I know it doesn’t totally apply to our crazy semester – but then again it does.

How, did John have that attitude about his min and life. I so want that!

In my busy season would that my heart say, ” GREAT. BRING IT ON. I only have what has been given me from heaven and may HE become greater.”

Yup, this semester is kicking our tails – may it be that He is greater as I walk through it.