Musings of a 4-year old!

Well, Micah has been home for 2 1/2 weeks.  He is doing well, but it has not all been a bed of roses.  I like to write the good stuff, but the reality of the hard stuff is there lurking in the background.  We have found out that Micah didn't really have much of a sleeping schedule in the orphanage...not really a surprise.  How can you get all the babies to sleep at the same time?  So, our biggest issue right now is getting Micah to go to sleep for his nap and bedtime.  Once asleep, he will stay asleep usually, but getting him to go down can be an hour long process of crying, screaming, pulling hair, thrashing around on the bed...and that's just me. :)  Just kidding.  I am exhausted though.

The girls have been so wonderful with Micah.  It seems like Hallie grew up so much just in the  10 days we were gone.  She is such a big helper to me with Micah.  I don't know what I'd do without her!  Emma is good with him, but gets side-tracked a little more easily. :)  Nathan is having to adjust the most I think.  After all, he was my only baby boy.  He has done remarkably well and loves Micah.  He likes being the big brother and having Micah sleep in his room.  He does not like, however, that Micah screams at him and tries to grab his cereal, etc.   He hasn't said alot, but I know that his little mind is processing stuff all the time.  I wanted to write it down before I forgot two of the conversations we've had during the last 2 weeks.

The first was on the way to church and just out of the blue...

"Mom, does Micah have a family?"

"Yes, Nathan, we are his family."

"No.  I mean does he have a family like him at the airport?"

"Yes, he does, but they couldn't take care of him and help him to grow big and strong."

"So they gave him to another family?"

"Yes, they gave him to us so that we could take care of him and he could be part of our family."

"Ok."

The second was after I came home from the doctors visit with Micah and he had a band-aid...

"What is that for?"

"Micah got kind of like a shot.  They took some of his blood to check it."

"Is his blood brown?"

"No, his skin is brown, but his blood is red, just like yours."

"Ok."

Wow...the musings of a 4-year old.  I didn't realize all that was going on inside his head, but I'm glad that he just takes it all in and moves on, ok with the answers I have given.  He is such a sweetie.  I'm glad that he will have 1 more year at home with me and Micah before he heads off to Kindergarten.  I'm loving watching my little boy grow up.

A perfect fit!

I took this photo last night and just had to share it. My sister bought the jammies for my kids at Christmas and had purchased one for Micah also even though he was not home yet.  They are a perfect fit, and so is he!  He looks right at home sitting there with my other 3.  A teacher friend commented to my husband that he looks like Nathan with a good tan! :)  Of course, he and Nathan are already acting like brothers do I guess...pushing each other around, stealing toys from each other, competing for mommy's attention. :)  The girls however, are competing with each other over who gets to hold and take care of Micah.  We'll see how long that lasts. :)

Colors of Compassion

In my most recent Compassion News Magazine, I read about a new line of cards that have just come out.  The ones I have seen are beautiful and have great messages of hope and encouragement.  These cards could be given to anyone who needs to be encouraged...youth, sponsored children, women friends, etc.  The added bonus is that you get to encourage someone while at the same time help Compassion help children all over the world!  I found a brief description of the cards online and I have included it below.  Happy shopping!

DaySpring is partnering with Compassion International to offer Colors of Compassion cards.  You can help make a difference in the lives of children in need around the world by purchasing these cards.  DaySpring will donate 6% of net wholesale sales of every “Colors of Compassion” card directly to Compassion International to help provide immunizations and other urgent medical care for children in need. 

When you purchase greeting cards, please consider purchasing the Colors of Compassion cards.  It’s a small way to help a child in need.

Happy Birthday, Micah!

We survived our first birthday party with Micah!  Everything went smoothly.  He was a little overwhelmed in the beginning as everyone started showing up at our house, but he did well.  We had him wearing his "Little Brother" t-shirt and Nathan wore his "Big Brother" t-shirt.  We thought this might help Nathan feel more special while we celebrated Micah. :)  

He wasn't sure what to do with the birthday cake, but did enjoy it once daddy started giving him some bites of it.  The gifts didn't really phase him...his favorite was the curly ribbon bow. :)  We did enjoy ourselves and we were happy to show Micah off to some of David's extended family and my sister, Chandra, who had never met him before.

Of course, on Sunday morning, Micah threw up and had diarrhea and slept till about noon.  I thought he might have a virus, but he has been fine ever since.  Maybe his little stomach just couldn't handle the birthday cake and all the excitement.  Whatever the case, we are excited that our little boy got to celebrate his 1st birthday at home!

Officially home for 1 week...Happy First Birthday!

Micah has been officially "home" for 1 week, and what a week it has been.  He has been such a little trooper.  He must be exhausted.  One day this week I was printing off some papers in another room and when I walked back in the kitchen, I found Micah fast asleep on the dining room floor, sucking his little fingers (he sucks on the 3rd and 4th fingers to go to sleep!)  How tired do you have to be to fall asleep on tile? :)

Besides meeting all the new relatives, and getting used to crawling all over the house, we also had our first doctors visits.  First we did the well checks.  He is just 15 lbs at a year old, but he looks great the doc said.  His developmental stuff seems to be on track too.  He is crawling all over, and he pulls to stand.  He wants to walk so badly and it's the cutest thing ever.  He walks sideways.  Even if you are holding his fingers and trying to walk forward, he takes side steps.  The only thing we can figure is that he has never walked forward.  He is just used to walking sideways along the length and width of the crib he was in.  :)  He also copies everything we do...especially the shapes and sounds we do with our mouth and tongue.  He can do whatever we do.  And, speaking of mouth, this little kiddo loves food.  He gets so excited when he sees his bottle or food of some sort.  He starts waving his hands and saying, "Ni, ni, ni!"  I don't know if that is a Bengali word for food or if he is just making it up, but he says the same thing every time.  Our second visit was to the children's hospital to do all the lab work to make sure that he is healthy on the inside.  We are still waiting to hear back.

We also had our first post-placement visit this week with Amy, our social worker who did our home study.  Everything went well and she loved Micah!  Of course my kiddos were excited to share what they thought about having a new little brother too.  Hallie likes having a little brother with brown skin, Emma likes having someone else to play with, and Nathan is not too sure that he likes this little boy who hits him and tries to steal his cereal. :)

To top off the week, today Micah turns 1!  It seems kind of anti-climactic since we will be doing his little birthday party on Saturday night, but I am just so glad that we get to celebrate with him at home.  We are going to have a small party here at the house with David's family and two of my sisters coming over.  Emma was a bit worried about deciding the "theme" since we don't know what Micah likes, but I think a balloon and cake with a big "1" on it will be enjoyed just as much!  I'll try to post pics on Sunday of the birthday boy!

All the new stuff!

Well, we've had Micah just over 1 week now and he has experienced a lot of firsts.  He has had his first bath, his first plane ride, his first spaghetti and Rice Krispies (not at the same time).  He has taken all of them in stride and keeps going.  I must admit that I find this little boy of ours adorable! :)  He definitely has a temper, just like Anju, the orphanage director, said, but who can resist that amazing little grin that just lights up his face?!  Can't wait for his first birthday coming up this week!

Family of 6!

This is our first family photo as a family of 6!  My friend Ruth took it at the airport when we finally arrived home!  

Micah is amazing us with how well and how quickly he has adjusted to all the sudden changes in his little life.  It is as if he has always been here.  He seemed to attach to David and me both from the first day.  He has also joined in with our other kids like he was meant to be.  

The ironic thing is, it's made me a little nervous. :)  After reading the required 300 page book on adoption disorders, I think I am over analyzing everything...looking for signs that something might be wrong.  He is very social and doesn't seem too afraid of anyone.  I start to think, "Is he attaching to us?  Does he not care and will just go to anyone?"  I think that is called Ambivalent Attachment Disorder.  My husband thinks I'm crazy. :)  Well, the thought lasts for just a minute and then I remember that this is exactly what so many people were praying for...that Micah would not be afraid, that he would bond with us immediately, and that it would be as if he was always a part of our family.  So, I am chalking this one up to another answered prayer and moving on to another day!