The Bartlinski Bunch

" Teresa "

" Teresa "

Teresa "Fang Fang " Bartlinski

Teresa was born on December 25, 2006 in China. She was born with a very complex heart condition. In July 2010, GOD added Teresa to our family through adoption. We have been blessed with 9 wonderful children. Gods grace has woven us together as a family. Upon bringing Teresa home from China we unfortunately learned she not only needed a heart transplant but also a lung transplant. Her doctors feel she would not survive this operation. Please help us to pray for a miracle for Teresa's heart and lungs to be healed. She is a very special little soul who has touched so many lives around the world ...
I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Blog

The Blog was originally started for our family and friends to follow our journey to China for Teresa. After coming home we decided to keep the blog as a way for everyone to keep updated on Teresa's health instead of switching to a Caring Bridge Site. I have tried to keep the blog as a way of looking at life through Teresa's eyes ( how she sees it ) . At times our life with all of our children has gotten mingled into the blog ( some more than others ). So as a way to keep everyone updated , I will share a little of what is going on with all of the kids.

Eddy and Laura just recently celebrated their one year Anniversary . They both have wonderful jobs and are very happy . They added two kittens to their lives who are very playful .
Paul and Meghan recently became engaged . They have set their wedding date for two years. Paul will finish medical school in two years and Meghan will finish PT school as well . They are loving life in the South (hopefully not too much , because I really want them to come back home when they graduate ).
Alex is back living at home and working . He will return to a local college in the fall and resume his pre- med studies . In the mean time he is working full time and volunteering at a local hospital in the orthopedic dept. The girls are so happy to have him home (me too !). He is such a big help .
Grace is really having fun playing lacrosse this year . She made the A team in her age group and is so happy . She LOVES lacrosse . Her second favorite thing is horse back riding . When she grows up she has always said she wanted to be a Veterinarian and have a whole barn full of horses. She has been riding since she was 3 years old .The one thing she does not like is having her photo taken ( as I am sure you can see from some of the photos). She has a very sweet personality but the teenage attitude sometimes gets the best of her .
Mary is enjoying Girl Scouts and Ballet this year . She has such a free personality that she goes with the flow of life ,nothing bothers her . She will have surgery on her cleft pallate this summer with a bone graft from her hip. Her nose will also be corrected . Surprisingly to me , she is looking forward to this surgery . She really wants to have a nose that looks normal she said . I think she is beautiful just the way she is .
Lucy is enjoying Girl Scouts and Ballet too. Lucy just recently made her First Holy Communion and is so proud . She loves school and is the social butterfly, friends with everyone . Lucy recently had surgery on her bladder and we will find out in a few weeks if it was a success . If not she will have a more invasive surgery to repair it . As she grows her health is becoming better with less problems from her lungs.
Emilia is doing so well after having the External Fixator removed form her leg . Her legs are now the same length. She is so happy to run and play like the other girls . She has even figured out a way to ride a bike ( her legs do not bend ). She has the most amazing personality ,she loves to help others . She has never complained about her legs or the pain . She has come so far from when we first a adopted her , she could not walk . Now she doesn't let anything stop her .
Gemma is our little Buddha Belly . She loves to eat !She also loves going to school . She has made so much progress with her speech this year . It is still difficult to understand her when she speaks in sentences but the funny thing is she uses pantomime to communicate . We have taught her a few signs but she prefers to make up her own . She is a go with the flow kinda girl , laid back and easy going . Her health has been a challenge this past year (she has Beta Thallasemia Major ) but we are confident her Doctors will have everything under control soon .
Teresa is a little princess with a very sassy personality .She loves to be in charge. She loves life and has so much fun experiencing everything . She has the most amazing personality that will leave you in awe. Having Teresa has definitely been a huge challenge on all levels but I cannot imagine our life without her . She has filled a place in my heart that I did not know I was missing . She has taught me so much that I did not know I needed to learn . She has shown me how to love unselfishly.

Ed and I have been married for almost 28 years, I married my best friend . If you had asked me then if I would have this many children , I probably would have laughed and said No way ! But I am so glad that God new exactly what I needed and was in control the whole time .

3 comments:

Chris said...

what a beautiful update on a beautiful family
thank you for sharing a bit about each of your children's lives!!
Blessings from Wis

LA said...

Hi Ann,

Thanks for sharing your family's story. We pray for you all every day.

God Bless,

Lee Ann

Aus said...

Good morning Ann -thanks for keeping the blog going - while following Teresa we managed to fall in love with your family! Like you - I married my best friend - and ended up with about 4 more kids that I expected - but love every minute of it!

Looking forward to continuing to 'know you'!

Happy Mother's Day - hugs - aus and co.