Update on the Sicko Family + some pics

When I typed my post the other day about everyone catching what is going around I never imagined it would turn into what it did. So, here I am on Sunday morning and I think I am actually feeling better. After dealing with Ethan's vomit all night on Thursday night we woke up on Friday morning without him being able to go to his Christmas party at school and having to stay home again. About 10am I started feeling horrible. Literally horrible. I put Mia down for a nap at 10:15am and went to bed at the same time and once I was down it was more horrible to think about having to pull myself out of bed to get up and take a NyQuil rather than just lay there in misery. I was sick sick sick. I went to bed at 10:15am and slept through the rest of that day (missing our neighborhood HO HO parade-- ugg) all through the night (thank God for my awesome hubby)and into the next day until about noon. So that put me to Saturday at noon. Kevin had to go out for a few hours so I had to wake up and come downstairs to watch Mia. I hardly could stand watching her. She herself was fussy because she has been fighting this whole sick thing also so she was needy and I was not feeling up to a needy child. So I made it thorough the couple hours with Mia until Kevin came home then I went back upstairs, went back to bed heavily medicated and woke up this morning feeling pretty OK. I am on Day quill and Motrin but I do feel the best I have in 3 days so yaaa!! I still have Christmas shopping to do so I need to get out today so I am pleased I am feeling wellish. OK enough about me-- what about the other 4 in my family? Ethan seemed better but went to a friends house on Saturday and puked there but still seems fine so I think he is pretty over it. Mia still is quiet and slow. I have been medicating her but she does not seem 100%. She has not thrown up yet but she is not really eating much. I feel bad because she is so little to begin with I just don't want her to lose weight. Kevin had not seemed to get this yet. He has been so wonderful and taken on all of us and caring for our sick needs-- poor guy. Owen was the champ and had not been sick at all until last night. He started complaining about a tummy ache and sure enough after going to bed he threw up all over his bed. Kevin changed the sheets and Owen threw up on those again. He came into our bed and proceeded to make it to the bathroom and throw up a few more times throughout the night. This morning he seems OK but his stomach still hurts.

So, final score-- 4 down 1 up. Kevin has somehow, without a spleen (lost it in high school in a skiing accident), with his broken hip and other sporting activity accidents (way too many to list-- includes being hit by cars in Mammoth while mountain biking and many more) has taken care of our whole sicko family on his own. It is amazing how much work it is and I feel so bad for him and I think he is getting a bit sick of it because he has not been able to do any of the things that he wanted to get done this weekend. So honny-- THANKS YOU ROCK!! I just keep praying that this thing is gone by Monday as I want to totally and fully enjoy Christmas eve and Christmas Day. It is a day I have looked forward to for so long (having Mia here) that I want to be 100% present and not be distracted by illness. So, with that said, I will probably be off line for a few days until after Christmas but when I come back I should have a ton of great pics to post. I am so so sorry for being so absent with pictures and video over the last week. Sick sucks!! When I return I promise a ton of great pics and maybe a few great videos.

I am leaving you with our Christmas card-- thanks for everyone who helped choose the pictures to be used. I am also including the letter we sent out (very long but we had a crazy year). I am also including the collage of pictures we had to do for China for our 6 month update with our social worker we had a few weeks ago. And speaking of that, I missed posting on Mia's 7 month anniversary this past Friday because of being sick. I will prepare something after the holidays. Until then, enjoy!!

Click collage to enlarge

This was the Bock Christmas Card for 2007

Click collage to enlarge

This was the 6 month update collage required for China

Here is the text to our Christmas letter 2007 if anyone wants to read it. It is long.

The Bock Family
Christmas 2007

Friends & Family,

2007 has been an amazing year for the Bock family. It has been a mixture of heartache and happiness with a multitude of blessings. To start, February became a monumental month. Our family was camping at Dumont Dunes where Kevin was involved in an ATV accident. He and Ethan were out riding when the wind and sand began to blow and the dunes turned into a kind of optical illusion. Kevin nosed his quad into a dune and broke the ball of his right femur in half. Literally the ball was chopped in half and the leg was dislocated. He was rushed to Las Vegas where he had to have surgery immediately. They were able to save the bone and not have to replace it—thank God—and Kevin is now in the final stages of recovery expected to go back to work after the first of the year. It was a traumatic event but we can see the Lords blessing on this event as Kevin has been able to be at home with the boys before the adoption and has been able to bond with Mia by being home after the adoption. It was truly a blessing having Kevin home as much as he has been and the traumatic event has become a gift. .

Shortly after returning from Las Vegas in February for Kevin’s surgery our neighborhood friends were in a tragic car accident. The mother, father and 18 year old son were all killed when another driver ran a red estimated traveling 80 miles per hour. Their 9 year old son had been at a movie with us at the time of the accident and their 14 year old daughter was at home alone. It has been a tragic event that still requires prayer. The family was a wonderful Christian family and we thank God that they are home with Him but Jordan and Paiten are still struggling with their lives being forever changed. The kids are living with their aunt Paulette who has moved to Southern California with her daughter to take in Jordan and Paiten. They lived in the family home until about a month ago and just bought a home in Hesperia. We miss the kids but we will continue to be a part of their lives.

As 2007 and the tragic events progressed we had another hit on March 5. After 19 months of waiting, we were to receive our referral (find out who Mia was) for our daughter in China. Everyone who had our date received their referral but we were skipped. It was horrible and we had no explanation why. After much research by our agency, they found out that our file was lost and that we would receive our referral the following month. We were very upset by this but now can see the Lords leading in this whole event. On April 5 we got the phone call that our Mia has been chosen and that our agency had her picture and information. She was one of the youngest babies ever referred being only 5 months in April. She was adorable and we felt so blessed to have our little Mia’s information.

On May 15 Kevin and I left China to pick up our little girl. Mia was placed in our arms on May 21, 2007—a day we will never forget!! Our time in China with Mia was phenomenal. Mia bonded with us immediately and it was as if she had always been ours. We really are so blessed that Mia was so young when we received her (only 6 months) as it made the bonding so easy. God chose the perfect baby for our family as she is a perfect fit. You can read about our whole trip to China and see the first time Mia was placed in our arms on video as well as much much more on our family blog http://www.tomiawithlove.blogspot.com/. It is our online scrapbook so you can keep up on what we as a family are up to by visiting out blog frequently.

Mia has been home over 6 months now and she is just amazing. The boys are so in love with her and play beautifully with her. Mia is 13 months now and is walking—I mean running all over the place. She is such a charmer and has sweet disposition. She is really starting to say a number of words and is starting to understand what we say. She is just amazing and a wonderful gift from God.

Ethan is doing great. He is now a 4th grader and doing very well in school. He is still the most social kid I have ever seen. He is still involved in Boy Scouts and is excited about the impending snowboarding season. He is also an avid quad rider and desperately wants a dirt bike as he loves to ride his friend Carson’s dirt bike. We are planning on putting both boys in ice hockey in the spring so our lives will be very busy.

Owen is just his usual happy self. He is now a 2nd grader and is working hard. He is still a clone of his dad as he could literally work along side of Kevin all day long. Owen is an avid builder and if he has wood and screws, he will create something. He used molding and screws to create a “domino table” just yesterday. He is so talented in this area. He is also looking forward to snowboarding and hockey and is an amazing little dirt bike/ quad rider. He is a natural on a bike.

I mentioned Kevin has been off since February but will be going back to his motorcycle position with Claremont PD after the first of the year. The doctor has been very conservative on releasing him because of being a motor officer but he feels confidant that after the first of the year he should be ready. I am still working my 2 days a week as a school psychologist with Upland Unified School District. Luckily we have not needed a babysitter for Mia as Kevin has been home but we have to face the fact that Mia will need to have a babysitter 1 day a week while Kevin and I are at work. This has been a hard realization and while we know Mia has bonded well with us, it is hard leaving her because she is so attached to Kevin and I and she does not like to go to others when we are not there. Whatever the case, we need prayer and direction with this area as it is coming quickly.

Other than that, the rest of 2007 has been relatively calm. We had a crazy beginning of 2007 but after getting home from China, the rest has been pretty calm.

I want to thank you all for your support of our family. I am constantly amazed at how much support and love we have from our family, friends and cyber friends. Your support and prayers got us through some of the most challenging events we have ever had to face in our lives. You were there to support us with your prayers in the tough times and to celebrate with us during the happy times. 2007 has been the most eventful year of our lives and we would not have been able to get through it without all of your love and support!

Merry Christmas to all as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Love,

The Bock Family
Visit our family bog at www.tomiawithlove.blogspot.com