Dadda's first week back to work....

.....and we survived!!!! While I am writing this I am watching Gabriel on the monitor - he really comes alive at night (now we know why his foster parents had him up until 11 or 12 - mega extra cute at night). He doesn't cry when we put him down (well, maybe a few times he did) and I don't have to stay in there with him but he moves all over the bed! He flip flops and says "gah gah gah" (or is it "guy guy guy"). So when he is practically sitting up and I see him on the monitor I just use the remote to say "no Gabriel" (or even just Gabriel) and he lays right down and doesn't move. It's actually pretty funny. Then he gets up again after remaining perfectly still and a few minutes later we do it again. I must record it because it is funny - no not mean at all - don't need to call the social worker! He is so funny!!! I am telling you, this kid is a night owl!!! He does sleep the entire night but his crazy personality comes out at about 7 pm!!!


Back to the week we survived while Dadda went to work (which I am so grateful to as I get the best job in the world - being home with these two incredible kids). Monday was really tough. So tough that when Eric came home Monday one of us had to get Anthony to religious ed and he said he would when I said no way, I'm going!!!!! I just had to get out after Gabriel cried over just about everything that day. It got better throughout the week though. I mentioned in an earlier post that I took him to story time on Tuesday where he flipped out at first (got better and he loved it). Wednesday I took Anthony and Gabriel to Come Learn with Me. It was a small group and they both had a great time. The week went really well overall. Gabriel is really starting to come around. We have a regular routine that includes taking Anthony to the bus stop in the morning. He really, really loves Anthony. He has the biggest smile on when he sees him (a huge smile when he sees Dadda too). As a matter of fact he was looking for Anthony while I was changing him and I said something to Anthony about it. Anthony asked why (the usual) and I said because he loves you. Then I said to Gabriel, "You love Anthony right?" - not expecting an answer - he said "I do"!!! We both looked at each other and said "wow"! So we called Dadda on his way to work to share it. I asked Gabriel if he loved Dadda and he said "I do". Now of course this is probably just another version of him playing ahhh chooo but we will take it!

(I just told Gabriel through the monitor to close his eyes and he put his hands over his eyes! Too cute! I tried to teach him how to close his eyes by putting my hands over my eyes and this is what we got. It reminds me of when we tried to teach Anthony how to smile and this is what we got:

SMILE!

Gotcha Day Sept 2, 2012!

Today Gabriel and I looked at the handsome boy in the mirror and we kissed the mirror. So tonight for jammie time we did the same thing but with "Mwuahhh" and sure enough he was saying "Mwuahhhh"! Yeah! And we ran to Dadda to show him and he blew Dadda a kiss with "Mwuahhh" attached to it!!! This little guy is way too cute!!! Did I mention he knows HUGS???!!!!! He loves to give us hugs!

We have our Hopkins International Adoption appointment on Tuesday with an incredible doctor! Dr. Dibs has already emailed me and answered every email of mine immediately and she even called (& answers her own phone). She is very knowledgeable and so kind. I am looking forward to meeting her. Our biggest concern is Gabriel's weight. I thought he gained 2.5 pounds but he didn't keep it on (or the scale is off which is possible) because the last time I weighed him it was only a 1.5 pound gain. I am certainly worried about this (along with the lack normal poop - TMI?). Dr. Dibs said that it's pretty common for a child to have a head that small and be small (am I suppose to feel good about that? - deep breath - he seems to be ok cognitively so far)!

Well, a good week indeed! A great week - lots of prayers and answered ones!!! Speaking of answered prayers......Walter (prayers asked for in a previous post) is doing so much better. He is still in ICU but is doing better. He still needs lots of prayers so please keep them coming!!! Another big wow in the adoption world....there was this little guy who we saw when we already received our LOA for Gabriel. He was 5 and left in a crib ALL of his life. He is missing the lower part of one leg and was basically ignored in a REALLY BAD orphanage (one that is known for tying kids arms up in cribs). His sweet face called out for a Momma and his Momma found him!!!!! This incredibly faithful family has decided to call him their own. If that news wasn't great enough his Momma was able to get him into a new home in China at Love Without Boundaries and I saw a picture of him after being there less than a week - his smile was just amazing, so alive!!!! It is amazing what a little love can do and boy is him in for a lot when he gets home to his forever family!!!!! My words for the day...God is sooooo good!!!! Take a minute to pray for the many China orphans that are so close to aging out for their 14th birthday- aging out means they are not considered adoptable anymore and their future could very well include being sent out to the streets AT 14 YEARS OLD! Think about what kind of future they have when they walk out of the orphanage gate....I can't even type what happens to them....please pray for those beautiful children who will soon age out - may God guide their forever families to them!!!

Thanks for checking in!!!

Park pictures

Let's start with some GREAT pictures first!

Our backyard first.

Love the hair!!!!

Put Anthony up in the tree and he held on tight (even drooling). Put Gabriel up there and he loved it - we have our daredevil!

Had to drag all three boys home for nap time!

Can not even begin to list the reasons why I love this shot...ok, maybe just one reason of the many - I love the way Anthony is just so confident while he walks his little brother.

Are you dying over this pictures like me?! (I am the Momma, so I am expected to I suppose, but come on, they are GREAT!)

We are having a great time. Gabriel is really adjusting well - yeah so ok yesterday he cried over just about everything and anything - and he cried a lot - but he is doing well. We had a great day today. We got up to walk Anthony to the bus stop - this poor skinny minnie was shaking it was so cold (ok, momma still learning here - forgot the blanket). Then he inhaled scrambled eggs. He had a quiet bath which means no screaming because there are bubbles in the tub or I put soap in his hair. He played until - yes, again -he was cold this time not shaking but purple lips (gotta get some fat on this boy). Dried him off, lathered him up, dressed him - no crying, no tears! So we headed to story time at the library. We walked in and he looked around then there it went - the screaming! I completely got why he screamed and cried. I think that it reminded him of the orphanage. He had to go back once a month to be measured and I'm sure there were lots of foster families with babies there. So we walked out. He continued to scream in the library (ohhh well). I took him to the play area and we sat by a bear that gives hugs (one of the many words he knows) and he laughed and smiled. Soon I was able to get him to walk around a little and then we walked right into the story time while they were dancing and playing music (perfect timing for a kid who loves both). It didn't take long for him to join in the fun! He was so good! He participated, he laughed, he played! It was great. The rest of the day went just as well. Some crying over nap time (which he never cries about - not since China) but overall a great day! Anthony and I got to do a little one on one learning about long and short and the same and different and recognizing 1-5 items without counting and writing and lots of good stuff like that (we are using Gabriel's nap time for his learning time. (By the way, although yesterday was tough with Gabriel crying and Eric returning to work - Anthony didn't have school so when he got up we read "When you give a moose a muffin" and then we made muffins just like we use to). Gabriel is beginning to learn to "wait' - where he cried yesterday immediately after asking him if he was hungry, today he made the eggs with me so he learned to wait and for dinner he walked around with his plate waiting to eat. (yes, he get's the plates and cups out for him and Anthony to eat).

He is just too precious! Anthony is such a great big brother (although today when he heard Gabriel through the monitor he said "ohh no")! So Gabriel gets real funny after dinner time. I can see how the foster family kept him up until 11 or 12 because he is extra stinking cute later in the night! He laughs and smiles and runs and dances all over the place! Ahhh, he is cute - but yes, we are getting him to bed much earlier!

Well, I had better wrap things up so I can get plenty of sleep to be ready for anything tomorrow!!! Thank you for checking in and thank you for all of your support, wishes and prayers! Please share some of that prayer time with the many orphans that continue to wait for their forever families! Blessings to you and yours!!!!

Adoption is not for the faint of heart.....

.....I type this post as I continue to pray (like I have been doing all day for the past week) for a sweet little angel Walter. Walter was adopted at the same time  from the same city as Anthony. His forever family includes his momma, dadda and three sisters (beautiful family). Walter has been fighting for his life for the past week. He has been battling uro-septis and now peritonitis on top of it. Drain tubes aren't enough at this point. He was in surgery the last update and we are desperately waiting to hear how his little body is doing. You have no idea how lucky you are until you are face to face with a child's life in danger. Another friend who also adopted at the same time from the same orphanage - although her daughter is healthy after being 15 pounds on gotcha day at 4 years old - struggles with the damage that her angels little body has endured leaving her developmentally delayed in too many ways. I feel blessed and I promised not to complain when Gabriel cries (our screaming angel).....I promise to remember just how blessed we are. Although we are not standing there besides our friends (we so wish we were) that invisible red thread they talk about is so real....it binds our hearts.....there are no words to describe it. I sit in silence while I stare blankly at this screen...I am without words....I can only keep praying....I ask you to do the same... for Walter and his forever family....for Claire and her forever family.....for all of those forever families that are not born to be faint at heart but to be strong for their forever families...

I promise more pictures soon....good ones to share....just need time for prayer right now....thank you.

Yeah for crying!!!

GOOD NEWS! Ok I know you may think I am a bad mommy for saying this picture is good news but it is....we have been so worried about Gabriel's very vague China medical report about nerve damage and the fact that every time he fell or bumped his head he never cried - it didn't even phase him when it should have (on one of the flights he head butted my front teeth really hard - easy to do considering their size - and he just touched it and it was a non issue).....well, he cried today!!!! YEAH!!!! We went to the park and Anthony dropped him on his head and he cried - yeah (you are laughing at this I know it). Then he tripped at the park and did this (insert picture) and he cried and cried!!! Every time he did fall we made a big deal about it with the chance that maybe he just never got the attention he needed and sure enough that may have been the case instead of some potential nerve issue.....one happy momma - yes, take note - happy that her little one cried!!!!

Here are some shots of a great day with my favorite boys (ok, don't tell the dogs or cat I said that)...

 I love the way he is looking at his Dadda!!!

 One, two, three...GO!!!

 Love my boys!

Smiling boys!

Video

On behalf of all of those children without families, please take a minute to watch this powerful video...thank you

(the first image of a child with cleft lip and palate wrapped up left at a front door makes me think of Anthony - he was estimated to be ONE DAY OLD when he was left somewhere wrapped up in a blue blanket)

My Facebook post: - funny only one comment and two likes - all from adoptive families!
When people ask (or respectfully wonder to themselves) why adopt and why would you adopt again so soon .....take 3 minutes out of your busy day to watch this, please...thank you to those who when they can't adopt - support or volunteer - and of course thanks to those who are called to adopt and provide wings to help these children soar! Would I do it again? I know I wouldn't or couldn't just pretend the need to love, sponsor, volunteer, adopt doesn't exist domestically or internationally. Watch the video....

Life is good!

Every single day I want to jump on this blog and just tell you how AWESOME this all is - but I am too busy ENJOYING THE AWESOMENESS!!!! Sure are there still some screams here and there (no, not me :) ) but overall it is just great. Our little one is doing sooooo much better - and better and better each day. Tonight I tried to put him down to bed. We went through the whole routine and as I put him in his bed he just laughed and laughed (I think he actually laughed at me). About an hour later, he was still laughing and giggling!!! I took him out of the room for a few minutes (fed him, 'cause remember he doesn't have an appetite) and he just kept laughing. Needless to say, Anthony took forever to fall asleep tonight also! Hmmm, something in the air maybe (or maybe that nap that they BOTH took today at the same time had something to do with it - the car is an amazing tool). Well, Gabriel (who yes, has fully transitioned to Gabriel) let me rub his back and was quickly asleep! Wow, just a week or two ago I couldn't touch his shoe never mind rub his back!!!

Anthony is doing well. He is a typical big brother where he jumps in there for attention when he gets the urge! He gets very mushy too (which this Momma can never get tired of). He is so good when Gabriel does cry as he brings a toy every time! Even out in public whenever he heard a child cry he would get upset and ask why so this is no surprise. It's been interesting to see the differences between both boys adjustments. Anthony was in an orphanage for over 3 1/2 years of his life. It was not a good orphanage and had about 800 kids in it. Apparently the first 2 1/2 years of his life he was what they called community raised and didn't have much interaction with anyone. His early reports were pretty poor and then just as we found him a new report came out that indicated great changes in him (when we questioned the big changes they said it was because they no longer community raised0. Gabriel was in a small orphanage - a pretty decent one (if that is even a word that belongs in the same sentence as the word orphanage) with lots of programs - for the first 11 months of his life (well 10 because he was "found" at about one month old) and then the next 15 months in a foster home.

Oddly enough, Anthony had (and still has) a hard time just jumping into play with someone new. He also could not just play on his own. He had to be taught how to play. Gabriel has no problem playing with another child he never saw before and he easily plays on his own. He learned how to play where Anthony had to be taught how to play. In some orphanages they toys are just for show. Gabriel has no problem with the dogs and cat (they said in one of his reports that he doesn't like small dogs or cats so I was hoping that he liked big ones and he does). Anthony cried as he clawed his fingers into me when he first saw the dogs. We did get him to give them treats the next day (even small ones out of his hands) but he can still do without them (even pets them now when we comment how Gabriel pets them). For a long time after Anthony came home he would claw onto me when the dogs came in the room. Of course there is jealousy all around the house as the dogs are jealous of the new kid in town also! Jingsy our cat runs in the other direction as Gabriel loves to pull his tail. Pulling the tail of 70 pound dogs is no bother to them.  I certainly know that no two kids are alike - I am just enjoying seeing the differences and perhaps based on their pasts!

Here are some fun pictures:

 He took it right off my plate!

 Ice cream time!!

 Loves to chase tail...wait, that didn't sound right!

 So sweet!

 My boys!

 Love!!!!

 Need to practice the make a funny face for the camera!

 Already got the younger brother to push him in a toy car!

 Needs a little extra Momma attention!

 I think he's getting the hang of this!

Already bugging the big brother!

Lots more to share but wanted to get this posted! 

Before I go......A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our Both Hands Project - a few days ago we heard the final tally of $3782. We just got the list of contributors and are working on the THANK YOUS!!!!!!! We haven't forgotten about you and all the others who contributed before I went to China - we are so thankful and will send out those official cards soon!!!! 

Thanks for checking in and keep those prayers for those little ones who still need forever families! 

As promised - visit to orphanage, foster family & finding place

Gabriel was very attached to his foster mom. We knew that he couldn't be around when I met her. We got real lucky as it was about a 20 minute ride to the orphanage. I put him in the seat between Donna and I in hopes that he would fall asleep. As he began to doze off I leaned him against Donna. Soon enough he was out cold!

Poor Donna couldn't move the entire time I was in the orphanage and meeting the foster parents.

The entrance to the orphanage

 (which doesn't match the picture in the book they gave us - maybe not the main entrance)

The orphanage has about 500 kids but 400 are out in foster families! I believe they said that it has the largest foster population in the country. They say the other 100 that remain in the orphanage are high needs - and as they said in wheelchairs, cp, and downs syndrome (really?). The foster home is partly for the elderly as well. They are people who have no one to care for them and basically they told us that they go there for the remainder of their lives. 

He slept the entire time! So we went into the lobby of one building at the orphanage and waited for the foster parents. The front was all glass and as soon as the foster mom saw me she smiled and pointed to me. She recognized me from the pictures I sent (which was nice considering the ones we sent Anthony never got to him). It was very sweet. I said hello and through our guide asked if I could hug her. It was already too emotional! The foster dad stood shyly towards the side. Through the escort I was able to talk to her. I told her that he was doing well and that he sure has a set of lungs. Everyone laughed even the orphanage director as she new his crying screams from the monthly check ups. There was a lot of small talk. We asked if he had any issues with his gums as they were bleeding when I got him and then all night. The foster mom looked shocked and then upset. I told her he was ok now (when they brought him on Gotcha day they gave me three different medicines as they said he had a cold - yeah that wen over well as you can imagine! Tried them once and said not worth it - he seemed fine. Funny that they said he has a sore throat - ahhh, he's two did he tell you that & ahhh, he's a screamer!) Anyway, back to the foster family. I got to ask some questions and when it came to that time I panicked - not being able to think of any (unlike with Anthony I had them all written down and they couldn't answer anything) I looked at Bonnie (the other family traveling with us) and she said how about what he likes. She answered dancing and playing with toys. I mentioned the tricycle he had in the videos. I also asked how she comforts him when he is screaming. She said she holds him. I asked if they would like me to send pictures to the agency who would send them to the foster family. They were happy about that and said that maybe if we come back to China that we could visit with them. I told them yes and that I was sorry that my husband couldn't be here as he was at home with our first son. There was a lot of small talk. I had already gotten a ton of information about him from the escort who new him well as she provided all of the updates and she is often at the orphanage. I think three times I asked if I could hug her! I did everything I could to hold back the tears. This was the woman who took care of my son since June of 2012. He wasn't in an orphanage thanks to them! I didn't want to leave but I knew if was time - so one more hug and it was cute as I blew a kiss goodbye and the foster day blew one back. It was so emotional. 

Prior to the visit I did learn a lot about the foster family. They have one son - 23 years old - which was Gabriel's foster brother. They are in their mid 60's. The foster moms are usually low educated and aren't skilled to do anything else. They make very little - 200 yen per month which is less than $30 a month. I don't recall if that includes food and clothing - I think they said 200 plus food and clothing - not sure. It now makes sense that they kept feeding him formula as I believe the orphanage supplied it. They said he also ate rice noodles and congee (which he didn't eat while we were at the hotel). We also were told that they always had the TV on so Gabriel would play in front of the TV. The guide - and I agree- that they were not the best match for Gabriel. They are very shy and only answer questions when asked. They don't offer casual conversation which is probably why Gabriel only knows about 3 words. They were encouraged to bring him outside to play with the other children (which we did get pictures of -oddly laminated and we think photoshopped to appear in front of a fall scene). 

After that emotional encounter we walked around the grounds for a few minutes. They have a beautiful park in the middle. 

 Playground equipment for the older kids. 

This is the home for the orphans (feeling pretty institutionalized). The babies are kept on the third floor. We weren't allowed to go in. Those who work at the orphanage live in a building on the grounds. 

Next stop - his finding place (as if I could handle any more emotional baggage at this point). He was found on August 12, 2011 in the toilets of a transportation hub. He was estimated to be one month old when they found him - hence his given birthday of July 12th. The toilets are now closed because there were too many babies being left there (scary). There are many ways to get in and out easily at this hub. Many come from the country side and other cities through here. 

The toilets (now closed) where our little guy was found. No note or anything with him (unlike Anthony where he had formula and a blue blanket which we didn't get to have). 

And he's still out! Mission accomplished!