Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Chillin in the NY...
Madison is doing great. We are very excited about her progress. She looks good and for the most part is behaving well. Noemi however, isn't doing to well with her allergies. Ever since the pregnancy, she's got these allergies that just shut her down. She is a trooper though.
Tomorrow I plan on staying in to let her rest it off.
Yesterday we went to the US based motherland, Chinatown. Noemi, Madi, and I went to TOWN. We grubbed it up and had fun. No, we didn't buy any purses or watches. But I did buy Cha Shu Pows (Chinese Pork Bun for all the non-Chinese audience), Black Bean Cake, Chinese Roast Pork, sweet cherries, and some other Chinese pastries. Needless to say, my supply is almost gone. I will need to restock before we return.
Today, we went to Queens to hang out with my cousin Alfredo and his wife Amy. We had a great time. We got to see their Primerica office and their beautiful home. They took us a this great Korean BBQ restaurant. We appreciate them very much. They always take care of us when we are in town.
Here is some video taken in the morning. She really is a lot of fun.
The Hot Dog Dance!
Tomorrow I plan on staying in to let her rest it off.
Yesterday we went to the US based motherland, Chinatown. Noemi, Madi, and I went to TOWN. We grubbed it up and had fun. No, we didn't buy any purses or watches. But I did buy Cha Shu Pows (Chinese Pork Bun for all the non-Chinese audience), Black Bean Cake, Chinese Roast Pork, sweet cherries, and some other Chinese pastries. Needless to say, my supply is almost gone. I will need to restock before we return.
Today, we went to Queens to hang out with my cousin Alfredo and his wife Amy. We had a great time. We got to see their Primerica office and their beautiful home. They took us a this great Korean BBQ restaurant. We appreciate them very much. They always take care of us when we are in town.
Here is some video taken in the morning. She really is a lot of fun.
This is Madi on Cuban coffee...
The Hot Dog Dance!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Doctor said "All is GOOD!"
Went by to see the doctor in the morning to see what he thought of the operation and he said that she looks great. We spoke about scheduling her next surgery for sometime in April. She really looks great. We are very excited for her.
We took the opportunity to go to see Noemi's cousin in New Jersey today. We had a great time. On the way home in rained/snowed and Madison had her own storm. She's out now and hopefully tonight she doesn't wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30am. Looks like tomorrow is going to be a "chill" inside kind of day. I would like to go to the hood (Chinatown for me) and get some OCG (Original Chinese Grub), but we shall play it by ear. Ohhhhh I can't wait. Anyone want a fake Rolex?
We took the opportunity to go to see Noemi's cousin in New Jersey today. We had a great time. On the way home in rained/snowed and Madison had her own storm. She's out now and hopefully tonight she doesn't wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30am. Looks like tomorrow is going to be a "chill" inside kind of day. I would like to go to the hood (Chinatown for me) and get some OCG (Original Chinese Grub), but we shall play it by ear. Ohhhhh I can't wait. Anyone want a fake Rolex?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A True Success
Can you say “COLD”? For my fellow Floridians, put your head under the faucet, run cold water, and then stick your head in your freezer. That’s the “cold” I am talking about. I love Florida!!!
We woke up at 4:45am to get Madison at the hospital by 6:30am. Mission accomplished. She was the first patient to be operated on. For obvious reasons, we were a bit anxious. The surgery started at around 8:30am and was over within 2 hours. It was a complete success. I tried to ask the doctor what went down in the surgery, but the answer we got was equivalent to Dwyane Wade’s response on how did he singlehandedly won game 3 of the championship. He just “did it!”
All I got was that he did NOT have to get cartilage from her ear. He did work on her nose and lip. She looks great and the next operation will be in about 8 weeks. As exhausting this is for Noemi and me, I can’t imagine the pain that Madi’s going through. She doesn’t cry much but when she does, get out the ear muffs baby, and it isn’t because it’s cold.
We were able to meet some really nice families today that are going though similar situations with their child. Interestingly, Madi’s condition is common with girls and not boys. All the families were just great and we exchanged numbers. It is nice to share with those who are going through similar situations as you.
We didn’t have to stay overnight at the hospital. We were very pleased about that. We arrived at the apartment a little after noon. She has eaten well and she seems to be doing great considering. Cleaning her wounds is quite an event but besides that, she’s overloading on Dora, Elmo, and the Little Mermaid.
Minutes before the surgery
Daddy's good luck kiss.
WOW!!!
The True "Garcia" NoseTuesday, January 15, 2008
Back in New York...
So much has transpired since my last blog. Just like I had anticipated, everything for Madison worked out. Thanksgiving was great. We had a ball at the house. It was an all day event. Christmas was a blast. Family time was incredible and everyone got great gifts. I got to test my culinary skills on New Years by roasting my first pig. I lost (again) at the annual New Years poker game, but I won by having a great time.
That brings us pretty much to today. We have made the trek up to the coooold NY to go through round two of Madi's operation. I, unfortunately, have forgotten the cable that connects the camera to my laptop so I will have to be feeding you sub-par pictures that are taken by my phone.
I really have no idea what to expect except that the doctor told us that we would be doing the same thing we did last time. We really have no way to judge the progress of these things because the script is actually being written as it happens. Unlike my mother's knee replacement last week where the doctors literally predicted everything that happened, this is a "fly by the seat of your pants" type of operation. Anything goes. This doctor is a true genius. By the way, my mother has recovered quite well. They had her walking within 24 hours of the operation.
As for Madi, she has no idea what is happening. It is truly interesting to see how different she is when Mia is not around. Not better or worse, just different. I must say that I really love spending time with each one of my girls, individually... that also includes the biggest girl of the family. We are in the same apartment that we stayed in the second half of the last trip. Madi seemed to remember the apartment but you can't really know what goes through the mind of an "almost" 2 year old. Heck, I don't even know what goes through the mind of my "mature" wife. God seems to have a great sense of humor.
So tomorrow is the day. We are very excited because this is another step closer to having Madi complete this journey that has taken up her entire 2 years of life. God is preparing her for something truly special. She has already changed so many of our lives. Here are two videos so you can see why I have so much fun with these two.
That brings us pretty much to today. We have made the trek up to the coooold NY to go through round two of Madi's operation. I, unfortunately, have forgotten the cable that connects the camera to my laptop so I will have to be feeding you sub-par pictures that are taken by my phone.
I really have no idea what to expect except that the doctor told us that we would be doing the same thing we did last time. We really have no way to judge the progress of these things because the script is actually being written as it happens. Unlike my mother's knee replacement last week where the doctors literally predicted everything that happened, this is a "fly by the seat of your pants" type of operation. Anything goes. This doctor is a true genius. By the way, my mother has recovered quite well. They had her walking within 24 hours of the operation.
As for Madi, she has no idea what is happening. It is truly interesting to see how different she is when Mia is not around. Not better or worse, just different. I must say that I really love spending time with each one of my girls, individually... that also includes the biggest girl of the family. We are in the same apartment that we stayed in the second half of the last trip. Madi seemed to remember the apartment but you can't really know what goes through the mind of an "almost" 2 year old. Heck, I don't even know what goes through the mind of my "mature" wife. God seems to have a great sense of humor.
So tomorrow is the day. We are very excited because this is another step closer to having Madi complete this journey that has taken up her entire 2 years of life. God is preparing her for something truly special. She has already changed so many of our lives. Here are two videos so you can see why I have so much fun with these two.