Easter time

The girls with Joshua. They like him to be in their room at night when we read their stories. Elizabeth has asked if he can sleep with her because he's "so cute".

At our church Easter Egg Hunt. The girls had a great time, and Haiyan really liked looking for eggs. Even more, she liked eating the candy. We eventually had to take the eggs from her so she would stop shoving jelly beans in her mouth.

We're finally settling into life with three kids! I'm feeling fine now from my surgery, and Joshua is on somewhat of a schedule. The girls love him and want to help with him. I'm getting used to taking all three kids out with me during the day. I thought it took a long time to run errands with Elizabeth; that was nothing compared to now!!
We have an update on Haiyan's foot too. We had our appointment with Shriner's Hospital about 3 weeks ago. The doctors that we saw agreed with the first surgeon; that Haiyan's "foot" should be amputated and that she should have a prosthetic foot. Everyone has agreed that the foot that she has is not functional and she does not have an ankle. They said that she could have surgeries to straighten the foot and lengthen the leg, but in the end, she will still not be able to walk/run easily. The hospital called a few days later to schedule her surgery, so the date is set for May 20.
We are very sad that she has to have an amputation, but at the same time, very happy that soon she will be able to do everything that other kids do. The brace that was made for her in China allows her to walk and kind of run, but it's very noticeable and it bends her foot inward, making her walk crooked. Since we've finally been able to play outside lately, she's been tripping a lot more when she tries to keep up with Elizabeth running down the sidewalk or in the yard. That breaks my heart to watch (even though she doesn't seem to mind!), so, I'm really looking forward to getting her a new foot. The doctors said that once she has her prosthesis, she'll be able to run like other kids and play any sport she wants, even soccer!
We are so thankful that Shriner's Hospital in right by us in Chicago and that they have taken Haiyan as a patient. They are the best hospital around dealing with pediatric prosthetics and everything they do is free! They don't even accept insurance. So, this is a huge answer to prayer that we were sent to Shriner's and that we now have a plan of how to help Haiyan with her disability.

Yes, We had our Baby!

We've been a little busy lately, so we have not been able to do any updates! Joshua James Tanner finally arrived on Wednesday, March 4 around 5:45 am. I went into labor, but ended up having to have an emergency c-section because of where his umbilical cord was. It was kind of scary for a little while, but then the surgery went very quickly and Joshua was born healthy and safe. We're so happy that everything ended up okay and that I went to the hospital when I did the night before. And we were thankful that my doctor was on call that night.
Joshua weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz, 20 1/2 in long, and had lots of dark hair.
He looks much like Elizabeth did when she was born, same dark hair and round face. So, we're wondering if his hair will eventually fall out and come in red like Elizabeth's did??






We were so thankful to have family here to help us with the girls while James & I stayed in the hospital. Jared & Lesley stayed with them when we left for the hospital on Tuesday night. Then my parents arrived in the middle of the night to take over so Lesley & Jared could go to work. Haiyan did great, which was a huge answer to prayer. I was really worried about how she would do with James & I being gone. She never cried when we left for the hospital, and when she woke to my parents being there the next morning, she didn't seem bothered at all. I was so glad, because the only time she had seen them was in the airport when she first arrived here from China. So, the girls had lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa, and Haiyan followed Grandpa around a lot. They brought the girls to the hospital to see us every day and to see their new brother. They were really excited to finally meet him and be able to hold him!

James with Joshua.

Grandpa finally gets a boy!

The day after we came home from the hospital it was Haiyan's 3rd birthday. We celebrated with my family (luckily my mom and Lesley were here to help get gifts and throw the party together!) and James' parents came up too. Haiyan was happy to see them and remembered them from their trip to China. She was really excited for her cake and to sing "Happy Birthday" and to blow our her candles!

The next weekend, James' parents came back to visit, along with his sister Kathy and our nieces, Tanner and Taylor. Elizabeth was SO excited to play with her cousins from North Carolina, and we were excited for them to meet Haiyan and Joshua. We had a great time with them!