Cozy Cubby

Micah found a new favorite place to curl up. He loves squeezing himself into small cozy cubbies:

Cure for Cabin Fever

Time to get out of the house for some reason other than therapy or doctor appointments . . . Let's go out for ice cream!

 

Time for an update!

It's definitely time for an update, isn't it?  The boys have officially been home for over a year now, and what a year it has been!  Oh, how much has changed for them from this day on the train in Ukraine, the day their lives changed forever:  

They hardly look like the same little boys, do they?

 My computer has died again, so I apologize for the long absence, but we are all doing great here. Micah is much better, now that he is four months post-op. I would say that he has now regained about 90% of his pre-op mobility. His head control is great again, he can sit unassisted for several minutes before he tires and lays down to rest, he is scooting around the house on his bottom quite a bit again, and I am seeing more and more climbing up and down from couches and chairs, although I still don't see him doing it for fun like he did before. But when there is a good reason, he can and will slide down off the couch or climb up onto a bed. The one thing I am really not seeing is weight-bearing while in a standing position, and it is not clear to me whether this is an issue of can't or won't. But we keep trying. Sounds like we may have a lead on a gait-trainer that might work for him. I can't even express how exciting it is every time I get another piece of equipment to make life better for my kids! 

 Thank you for the prayers for Micah! We are so relieved to see some of his spunk coming back. It turns out that a lot of his crankiness and wanting to lay curled up doing nothing were most likely the results of some major constipation. This was revealed by his hip x-rays, and now that we are dealing with that, we are seeing a lot more activity and a lot more of that sweet dimple!

Now if I could just figure out a way to get Micah one of these:

This is the ZipZac.  It is seriously awesome!  

Gideon is doing great, and he is just as happy and sweet and eager-to-please as ever. I get notes home from school detailing how well he is doing, how he deals with transitions calmly, how he is doing seat-work and obeying . . . So, so happy to see my dear boy thriving! I'm also seeing him able to make choices lately. Real choices, not just staring anxiously at my face while pointing blankly at whichever choice was nearer. He used to really seem stressed when asked to choose, like he suspected it was a test and he might fail. 
 Now he picks from two shirt choices each morning, looking back and forth and really seeming to deliberate what he wants, instead of worrying about what I want, and he rummages through his sock bin thoughtfully, selecting the very ones he wants. I offer him a couple of choices whenever I am able, and he is getting better and better at knowing what he wants. He still has moments, of course, but then, don't we all?  

Blessing is also happy to be free of casts and braces after her hip surgery, and she recovered beautifully, both physically and emotionally. She is ready to start weight-bearing again now, too. It was a very long winter, with back-to-back surgeries, and we are all so happy to have all of that behind us!

Now if we can just get Blessing's adoption finalized, we will truly be able to move forward. Until we have permanency there will definitely be some tension. We all love our dear Blessing so much, and the kids (and Derek and I) find it to be a very long wait for the promise of permanency. We are told it should, hopefully, be happening soon.

Found

Guess who has been adopted?!

Remember Tina?  Sweet lovey from the same orphanage as my boys?  Praise The Lord!  She has been adopted!!  Oh, what joy to know she is out of that crib.  I've been lifting this dear one up in prayer for over a year.  Thank you, Jesus!