Merry Chrsitmas

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Preparing for The Holidays

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Friedman Family Fall 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

October 2008 3 years into our Journey

"The Pumpkin Patch at Davis Ranch, Sloughhouse, CA, October 12, 2008"


Hannah, Gabby and our Godson jackson Cromwell.

We are so very thankful that God prompted us to go and find the child He had choosen for us to call our own! She was born in China on Feb 15 2007 and He prompted in our hearts the news that she was out there October 6, 2005! He knows us by name before we were ever formed in the womb. God had great plans for her and great plans for us and we are so thankful He choose us for each other. We arrived in China Jan 2, 2008 and we had Gabby placed in our arms on Jan 6th here at home or by China's dates it was already Jan 7th. She became officially ours on Jan 8th in China and this is the date of her grandparents wedding anniversary! Gabby was so little she was almost 11 months old fitting into 6 month old clothing. She could not sit up all the way, could not crawl and ate thick formula from a bottle. She was born with bilateral cleft lip and palate and while the lip was repaired in October of 2007, she didn't have her palate fixed until home in the states in March of 2008. She is now almost 20 months old and goes to preschool. She sings songs, dances, runs, climbs, and charms all she encounters. She truly is thriving and we are all blessed to have one another. Gabby has taught us so much and she has brought us closer together in all of our relationships. We have begun to grasp the awesomeness of God's love and protection and we have witnessed miracles upon miracles. I will post more pictures later but for now I wanted to share with you all that God's love is perfect and His protection Supreme above all things!!! Thanks be to Him for all good and precious gifts which come from above! Thank you for our little angel! Blessings and happy fall. To my sons whom are in God's hands may the Spirit of The Lord come upon you and fill your heart and mind and soul with a message of love from me and the knowledge that my love for you grows deeper and purer each and everyday. I miss you dearly and trust that God is working for good in each of our lives so that in His timing we may reunite and kill the fatted calf and have the party of the century. I love you boys!

Vacation Bible School

This years theme for VBS was "God's Big Backyard" The focus was on SERVICE: Serving Family, Serving Friends, Serving Neighbors, Serving Community and Serving Jesus. I was the EMCEE of the event and God as usually placed my heart int he right place and gav e me the words and wisdom to be in front of this wonderful group of over 100 kids. Hannah was Nikki the Squrill, she did a great job! It was a puppet and she moved her puppet and spoke clearly, we were really proud of her. It is always nice to see Hannah use her gifts to serve Jesus! Gabby, well it was her first time and she wanted to be up front with MaMa. Daddy did a good job of keeping her entertained in the audience and a few times I was able to hold her and sing with the kids. She loved this and tried to do the hand motions, she also grabbed the microphone! She does everythign she sees right now so I think she is learning how to entertain and use a microphone right now! LOL We had a wonderful cast and crew for VBS and I love seeing the kids respond to Jesus in such a positive and fun way! Jesus loves all the little children of the World!!!

Sisters

Summer time is so much fun. We are enjoying watching Hannah and Gabby bond as sisters! Here's a few pictures of them July 13th, 2008 before we headed out for Sunday School and Church at St Peter's Lutheran Church.

Gabby Really Does Enjoy her pool!

Okay, it was a rough start but here is the rest of the shots from the day and she had a great time!

Gabby's New Pool

Gabby likes to go in the big pool with her daddy and Hannah but she really loves her new little pool we fill up in the front. She wasn't sure about the tempurature at first then she "warmed" up to it and had a good time! Here's a few pictures of her first go at it!

Summer Fun!

We have been so busy these days. I have started back to work and the days are longer and hotter! Gabby is now walking about 10-15 steps. She took her first step while Grandpa Chuck was talking with us on Skype. He saw her on the web cam! Gabby doesn't like to travel all that long int he car so visiting family this summer has been a little difficult. WE did go to Bass Lake for father's day and had a good time once we were there. Here's a few photo's of Father's day week end and swimming out back in our pool. Enjoy and thank you all for your prayers!

Let Freedom Ring!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hannah Turns 11

Happy Birthday To Hannah this month. We have had fun celebrating Hannah's 11th year! So much in such a short time! We are proud of the little lady Hannah is becoming and we enjoy her laughter, humor, wit....she is a true entertainer!

Little Gabby in April 2008

Gabby sits in her Chinese bathtub given to her mama from Auntie Kimmie for Mother's Day last year. Auntie Kimmie found it at a designer expo in San Francisco! Auntie Kimmie is a professional designer and her company is Simply Detailed, LLC. the company is located on the Monterey Penninsula and she is wonderful at what she does! Her clients just love her! Auntie Kimmie is also big on serving in her community and she currently serves on the Board of Education at her Church in Monterey. Auntie Kimmie took time off from being a school teacher when Jessie was born and now 12 years later, she has found that being there for her own kiddos, serving at the Church and in the community, and working in an areas she is truly gifted has allowed her to serve others for God's glory and not her own! We are thankful for Auntie Kimmie! God bless you! (next post we will feature Auntie Heather)


Gabby loves to play the drums! She has danced to the beat from the first day she was placed in our arms. Her caregivers had reported that she loved music. Well, it shows and now she has a 7 pc band and two large Diet Pepsi Box Drums! Go, Gabba Gabba, Go!!!!!!!!!

Gabby's Bathtime and Pigtails!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

A Fatih Filled Roller Coaster!

So many of you already know of the rocky road we have been down since Gabby's surgery. This is a brief but vivid reporting for those who don't........

March 17th Surgery scheduled and done at Kaiser North in Sacramento.

-successful

-two night stay as Gabby wasn't getting fluids in on her own very well

-discharged by wonderful nurse Tiffany on Wed morning March 19th

March 23rd Easter Morning

-Gabby is able to pull herself up in her crib for the first time (with her arm restaints on even!)

-Gabby and Hannah get Easter Baskets and then go Egg hunting

-We attend Children's program and breakfast at Church and then go to the 11:15am service

-Gabby ready to leave 3/4 of the way into it so we head to Bel Air to pick up food trays

-We attend Easter Gathering at the Castro's house and enjoy good food and fellowship

March 24th Monday

-Hannah back to school and the Hastings drive her this week

March 25th Tuesday

-Mom goes back to her work out class with Lisa K

-Dad calls mom and says Gabby's nose was bleeding

-mom comes home and although the bleeding had stopped, Lisa (a nurse) looks at it, mom looks at it and has dad call the doctor's office while on the phone Gabby's nose begins to bleed. Mom says hang up we are going to emergency

-on the way we call the advice nurse she says yes head to ER right away

-Gabby bleeds again very bad in ER waiting room, nurse takes a back right away

-prayers have been requested and are going up, 11:15 pm we are discharged with no bleeding

March 26th Wed

-doctor is not in and doesn't call us back, we are suppose to follow up today per ER discharge notes, no bleeding but Gabby fussy, tired, and turning more yellow, won't eat very well, have to force fluids down her

March 27th Thurs

-mom goes to Bible Study 7-9PM

-dad puts Gabby to bed at 8pm and Hannah to bed at 9pm

-mom comes home and asks dad how everythign went.

-Hannah was tired and fell asleep just before I got home and Gabby ate and was really tired and falling asleep in her chair and went down at 8pm.

-mom checks email and gets ready for bed.

-mom gives Hannah a kiss on the forehead and says prayers for all her kids! Mom asks dad about what Gabby ate and how much but dad is tired and doesn't really answer. Gabby wakes if she hears or smells mom near by so mom goes to bed without checking on her because Dad put her down and checked on her once she was asleep.

-mom begins to pray and hears stirring around in Gabby's room, no crying, just stirring.

GOD MOMENT ARRIVES AND GOD SPEAKS TO MOM!!!!!!!

Mom thinks to herself, she's not crying and if I go in there she will wake and be up for all night! Dad has to get up early and mom is tired so I will just wait to hear for her to settle in for the night. She may have heard my voice and it caused her to stir. Just let her be.

GOD SAYS, "NO, YOU MUST GET UP AND TAKE CARE OF HER."

Mom says to herself well, she must not have eaten enough and so I will get up get the food and liquids ready adn then get her and feed her and then I will rock her back to sleep. Better now while I am still awake then to have her wake me later.

GOD SAYS, "GET UP AND TAKE CARE OF GABBY!"

Mom decides to get up and this all transpired over 8 minutes.

Mom walks into Gabby's room at 10:38 pm to find Gabby awake. No crying she makes! Her eyes are wondering and not focused on me, she is looking around as if she is going to pass out. Her face is covered in blood. On either side of her head are pools of blood. Mom quickly picks up Gabby and holds her up and puts pressure on her nose that is pouring out blood. Mom calls to dad to get up now and call 911. Mom is remarkably calm and taking charge of the situation. Dad can't even speak. He hands phone to mom who is trying to hold baby Gabby and stop the bleeding, mom says put on speaker and set it down. Mom tells the dispatch the address, the problem and within 3 minutes there are 4 fire trucks and 2 ambulances lining our private road. They come in and asscess Gabby. Since the bleeding is now stopped they offer the option to go with them or drive oursleves but that she should be looked at tonight. I tell them I must go with them. Dad has to stay with Hannah and she may bleed again and after tuesday the advice nurce had said call 911 if there is bleeding while driving and go by ambulance. On the ride Gabby begins to bleed again. WE go through lots and lots of gauze! WE are taken in to room 1 in the ER there we stay for the night and most of the next day. PR Eddy and Karen visit us in the ER and pray for us. ER docs try to send us home 3 seperate times and I refuse to leave. Head and neck on coll doctor orders blood work up finally and guess what-------Seh ahs lost so much blood she needs transfusion---(Ya, think!) Now they want to send me home, I refuse and call my surgeons office. Tell him to come see us in ER and we won't leave! He talks to me on the phone and was unaware Gabby bleed again, miscommunicaiton between the ER docs and him. He says, you will be admitted for observation through Sunday. Anymore bleedding and we will go back into surgery! We get into the hospital stay one night have blood drawn again and guess what she still needs more blood. Seh didn't get enough in the ER. We stay again, no more bleeding, and now the blood is drawn and she is GOOD!!! No more bleeding it has stopped! She is feeling better and her color is looking better. WE go home on Sunday, March 30!!!

March 31st

-Gabby's no-no's(arm restaints come off)

-she wakes up with a smile!

-no bleeding and her color is looking better!

April 1

-Gabby is doing great, eats like normal, even a bit better!

-Hannah seems happier(the whole thing scared her, she hates hospitals, shots IV bags etc)

April 2

-Gabby sees her Surgeon who is now back from Hawaii

-he said she looks good and is so very sorry for the trauma we have gone through!

-he has done this for 11 years, does about 12 surgeries per month, and in his career only two patients have had post op bleeding Gabby and one other about 4 years ago. The other was in the hospital though and right after in recovery room. That patient and Gabby are the only ones to have to have a blood transfusion! Gabby had two and she is the only one to have two!!!!

-Said it was bleeding from the nose and on the nose repair he filets the septum and helps to create a floor of Gabby's nose, it is very raw and vascular and soemthing must have just been agrevated and bleed, would clot and then release again. He felt now though she should be done as it was about 6 days of no more bleeding!

April 3

-dad notices Gabby is really happy again

-Hannah raps the Bill of Rights at school

-We go to Chevy's for dinner and Gabby loves the lights and the high chair!

April 4

-Gabby and mom take Hannah to school. Gabby is doing so much better mom tells her we will go to Disneyland soon with sister!

We thank the Lord our God for prompting me to get up and take care of Gabby, for giving me the courage and strength to encounter blood, needles and smells I normally would not be able to stomach. God has great plans for Gabby and we thank Him everyday for bringing her to us!