MIDUK'S JOURNEY: March 2012

Thursday, March 29, 2012

GIDDYUP!

OK so Miduk has this new (annoying) habit of clicking his tongue when he likes something or when he's trying to get my attention. He clicks his tongue as if he is summoning a horse! Constantly! Except that horse is ME! If he sees a cool car, click-click.
If the car has cool tires, click-click. If he likes the song on the radio, click-click-click! It is like his stamp of approval. I am half expecting to hear him yell "Giddyup!" :)

Another new thing that he has picked up in the last several weeks is to sigh and say "ANYWAYS....." We might say something to him and if he doesn't want to respond or wants to change the subject, or is just basically bored, he will look away and say "Anyways......". I can almost feel his eyes rolling back (yes I have teenagers and I am quite familiar with the eye-rolling technique!)

How are we handling it you might ask? Well we click at him and say "anyways" and finally he says "Enough! Enough!" and starts laughing because he knows exactly what we are doing. He really does have a good sense of humor! :)

Had a wasp fly into my car this week as Miduk and I were pulling into Whataburger (he ate an entire double meat/double cheese burger plus fries!) and we BOTH were freaking out and couldn't get parked fast enough! I think he may be allergic to bee stings b/c he told me he has been stung before and showed me how his hand had swollen up. However, he is a spider's best friend. I was about to kill a spider in the house this week and Miduk came to the spider's rescue, picking it up WITH HIS BARE HANDS and carrying it outside. He is a big nature lover and always points out bird nests too.

Remember that American Express gift card that Miduk found on our walk a couple months ago? Well I gave him cash in exchange for the card ($62.62). He has been hanging onto it and not spent a single penny until recently. He bought a game for his Nintendo DS, and plans to set aside $40 to buy a new bike when he returns to his village. We've been discussing what he might want to take home to his family and his friend Donna. I think he's gonna need another suitcase!

Lots of people comment on Miduk using a crutch. Strangers who don't know why he is walking with a crutch (he uses only one crutch) will try to strike up a conversation by asking him what happened. Miduk never answers them and always looks at me to explain his situation. I think people are simply curious and just trying to be nice, but I can tell it makes him uneasy. I usually say that he is here from Indonesia for medical treatment at Scottish Rite Hospital, without giving a lot of details. This week at Blockbuster the cashier guy said "Oh man, what happened? Did your mom smack you down? How long do you have to use a crutch? Crutches are the WORST!" and on and on and on. Miduk looked at me as he always does, but this time he looked mad. I looked at the man and said "No, actually, crutches aren't the worst. Crutches are a good thing for him and he is happy to have them." Miduk walked away and I told the guy that Miduk has traveled halfway around the world to come to Dallas for medical treatment, and that his crutches sure are an improvement over the hand-carved stick he used to hop around with back home. Oh, and that was after basically lying in bed for several years. I'm sure the guy didn't realize how insensitive he was being. He was just making conversation. On the way home I was thinking, what seems like a negative thing to us (using crutches) is actually a positive thing for Miduk. It just depends on how you look at it - glass half empty, "Bummer, he HAS to use crutches" or glass half full, "Thankfully, he GETS to use crutches". All I know is that I will be careful in what I say to people and how I say it, because YOU JUST NEVER KNOW!!!

TEXAS BLUEBONNETS!

See the flowers he tucked behind his ears? :)

Sugar had spotted a butterfly and was ready to bolt

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

FUN FISHING DAY!

It was a good day for Sugar, too. She is smiling!

To say that Miduk likes to fish is an understatement. He LOVES to fish!

He loves soccer, cars, and fishing! Today was a beautiful day, and Miduk was looking for something to do, as we are finally having our hardwood floors replaced after that leak in January, and we are pretty much stuck at home this entire week. Not a problem! Now that the weather is warmer, Miduk goes back and forth down to the neighborhood pond ten times a day. He usually takes the fishing pole that Shelby gave him, but not today! Unbeknownst to me, he got a stick down at the park, found some string, don't know where he got the hook, and made his own fishing pole - then he proceeded to catch fish after fish! He came running up the path with a small perch still attached to his homemade fishing pole, so excited and yelling for me to come see his fish, WHICH HE THEN PROCEEDED TO THROW INTO MY SWIMMING POOL! Miduk was so happy and laughing, Sugar was going nuts, and I have a small fish swimming around in my pool! Too funny! He was SO proud of himself! He kept saying, "I'm catch fish! I'm eat fish!" Except that this fish was only about as big as my hand, and not only that-I don't know how to clean a fish! (Shelby was out of town). And surprise, surprise-Miduk does not know how to clean a fish either! He said his dad always cleans them. I told him he needed to get the fish out of the pool since we have a chlorinated pool and the fish would die. He tried to retrieve it with the pool net but no luck. Next thing I know he whips off his shirt, jumps into the pool, and catches it WITH HIS BARE HANDS! He told me he wanted to catch a bunch of fish, bring them all home and swim with them in the pool! hahaha that is so not happening! Eventually he went back down to the pond, fished some more, came home with a large turtle that he kept in a bucket for a while. Sugar and I followed him back down to the pond where he had met a friend Carson and was showing Carson how to make a fishing pole with a stick and string. :)

I think maybe he was reliving his fishing days in his village! My neighbor said that Miduk ought to be on "Survivor". :) When we drove past the pond tonight after dark he said "Goodnight fish, see you tomorrow!"

Diving down to try and catch the fish. Sugar would really like a piece of the action

Teach Carson how to fish Indonesian-style

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

D-DAY

D meaning DENTIST! Let's just say it was most definitely not our best day. Today was the day Miduk was scheduled to have four of his eight cavities filled. I was trying my best to be optimistic as we drove to the dentist, knowing what he was in for (and glad that he wasn't in the know!) He actually tolerated it better than I expected. The numbing and the shots in the mouth made him squirm, but he loved that "laughing gas". He kept lifting his arms in the air and letting them flop back down and saying "HEAVY!" Probably the worst part was having that block in his mouth for so long, to keep his jaw open. That was what he complained about most of all, enough in fact that the dentist removed it and put a smaller one in. Thank goodness he had Kasey's Ipod with him, as that really helped! He clenched and unclenched his fists and flexed his feet every time she drilled, so I stood next to the chair and squeezed his hand the entire time. Pretty soon he was bothered by the mask on his nose that delivered the laughing gas, so that was removed too. When we were finished he wanted to look at his face in the mirror because it was numb and he kept saying "my face so big!" :)

All in all, he did great for someone who has never ever had a cavity filled before! Dr. McClellan and her assistants are so very good with Miduk, they speak calmly and quietly and they are so reassuring. Next week we go back to have the other four cavities filled (if he doesn't back out on me, ha!). On the way home I asked him, which was worse? The knee surgery or the fillings? And he said the fillings!!!!!!!!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

MEDICAL UPDATE

Miduk had an appointment at Scottish Rite with Dr. Birch last Thursday. Everything went well, and Dr. Birch was pleased with Miduk's progress and his recovery. Miduk had some x-rays taken, which Dr. Birch showed to us on his laptop computer. It showed the titanium plates which will prevent any growth from the growth plates, as well as 4 screws holding it in place. Miduk was kind of amazed just looking at it, and Dr. Birch assured Miduk that he didn't need the screws back. :)

So we've got the green light to continue on as planned with Miduk's return to Singapore on Friday May 4th. We will see Dr. Birch again on May 1 for a final checkup and to say goodbye. Miduk has no restrictions whatsoever, so we are planning to do just as we've done since he has been here, and that is, have fun, do more fishing, and swimming in the pool now that it's getting warm enough!

VISIT FROM AUNT SUE, BEN AND JAKE

CUTEST NEPHEWS EVER!

(and Jake is still wearing his Shriners hat from the circus, too cute!)

My sister Susan and my nephews Ben and Jake came to visit for a few days during their spring break. We took them to the park (super windy day!) to let them run off some steam...

Down time playing video games

I know it's not Easter yet, but, we always dye eggs and have an egg hunt every year. Obviously Miduk has never dyed eggs before but he seemed to enjoy it. He did ask if we had some black dye, haha! Mostly he just enjoyed eating them afterwards. At room temperature. He does not like anything cold from the fridge, like boiled eggs, watermelon, etc. It's funny because we're all interested in the chocolate eggs and jelly beans, but Miduk doesn't really care for sweets. He would pick a boiled egg any day over jelly beans!

My nephew Jake colored this Easter Egg and said it was for Sugar. :)

Mad dash for Easter Eggs

Ben and Miduk trying hard to find that last egg!

Hard to believe, isn't it? Time out for a video game on the Nintendo while we're at the coolest park ever! :)

SOCCER SURPRISE!

Miduk was invited to the Flower Mound High School Varsity Soccer game on Tuesday night. He was pretty excited because this time he got to sit on the bench with the players, thanks to Ben!

Little did he know that the announcer was going to announce him as an honorary Flower Mound High School Jaguar soccer player! He was escorted onto the field by the team managers. :)

He even took off his hat and put his hand over his heart during the national anthem!

Coming off the field, he was all smiles!

Here's the Jaguar bench

Miduk on the bench with the players

Our neighbor Ben Hammonds

The next day Ben had his "signing" at the high school. Ben is committed to play soccer for University of Mary Hardin-Baylor next fall.

CONGRATULATIONS, BEN!!!

A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

This is a video of Miduk walking out on the field before the soccer game. The announcer announced each player's name, then announced a special honorary Jaguar all the way from Indonesia. You can imagine his surprise! He was thrilled to be sitting on the bench with the players, but had no idea they were going to call his name over the loudspeaker. :) I was trying to hold the video camera in one hand and snap photos with the other camera, so let me just apologize for the quality of both. Not to mention I had tears in my eyes....
This was a big night for Miduk, and he talked about it for days. Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to my very thoughtful friends, Brian and Pamela and Ben Hammonds for making this happen!