I'm so thankful for my RR post-adoption "After the Rainbow" yahoo group! All the crazy things Micah has been doing around the house are very normal after all, and I feel more confident that our current course of action will be successful if we just hang in there! And thanks Kristen, for reminding me that all else aside- he's a four year old little boy!! :) Kinda puts things in perspective. :)
That being said, I was remembering a post that I read before we decided to adopt... I got such a kick out of this post and now, here I am, dealing with the same thing. This is from Karen who adopted two sweet little Ukrainian orphans last fall:
HOW TO OUTWIT A UKRAINIAN ORPHAN:
1.Go to Wal-mart and buy lots of gates and put them in every room in the house.
2.Go back to Wal-mart and buy even taller gates. Although Ukrainian orphans with Down Syndrome may not be as agile as their American counterparts because of institutionalized inactivity, they are still very flexible and appear to have an innate ability to flop their leg on the top of seemingly insurmountable gates and throw their body over said gate.
3.Tape the wet wipes box shut.
4.Tape the wet wipes box to the changing table. (so they don't run off to a hidden corner and remove the tape. )
5.Tape the light switch on or off, depending on desired light in room.
6.Unscrew the light bulb.
7.Move everything to the middle of the kitchen table so little Ukrainian hands can't quickly grab desired items and run.
8.Quickly realize that little Ukrainian arms can stretch further than one could ever imagine.
9.Move everything from the kitchen table to a very, very high place or a gated room.
10.Install safety cupboard latches on anything in the house that resembles a door.
11.Most definitely -put locks on all doors to the outside of the house. (in so doing unfortunately lock Daddy out of house)
12.At the dining room table - invest in booster seats that not only buckle to the chair but also buckle the little Ukrainian in place.
13.When eating at the table with one said little Ukrainian named Katie - keep a distance of at least one and a half arm lengths away from her - to prevent loss of your own meal to her mouth. (seriously - we have a large, old library table for our dining room table and she gets to use almost 1/4 of it!)
14.Definitely keep little Ukrainian buckled up after meal until absolutely everything is cleared off the table and back in the (gated) kitchen.
15.At bedtime sit outside door until little Ukrainians have fallen asleep.
16.Sit inside bedroom until previously assumed asleep Ukrainian orphans are truly asleep.
17.Sit outside room again at 3 or 4 in the morning when Ukrainian orphan decides its time to play.
18.Learn how to say, "Go to sleep" , "Be quiet", and "Stay in bed" in Russian.
19.Never, never let Ukrainian orphan have unrestricted access to the bathroom.
20.When orphan is given access to bathroom for toileting necessities, always remove toilet paper roll to a very, very high shelf.
21.Invest in house flood insurance for every time Ukrainian orphan takes a bath.
22.Increase flood insurance for times orphans are accompanied in bathtub by newly acquired little brother and sister.
23.Never, never forget a pen, pencil, marker, or anything resembling a writing instrument on table.
24.When painting windows on outside of house, always put paintbrush up high.
25.Be thankful you used latex paint after realizing your newly adopted Ukrainian orphan just painted your wife's clothesline pole, her own sweatshirt and then just wondered what American latex paint tasted like. (that's for you Lee:)
26.When mother of Ukrainian orphans is absolutely exhausted, gate TV room, put in Praise Baby or Signing Time, spread out blanket on floor, offer copious amounts of popcorn, and lay in recliner peacefully for at least 5 minutes before all 4 young children wiggle their way onto your lap.
27.Never assume that just because your backyard is fenced, an Ukrainian orphan won't find a place to wriggle under bottom board to follow the fleeing housecat named Scooter.
28.While relaxing in your backyard as all the children happily play, suddenly realize that one of your newly adopted Ukrainian orphans is standing out in the middle of the street.
29.Definitely add more boards to the bottom of the fence.
30.If you are the Daddy of an Ukrainian orphan, lay on couch or floor, pretend to fall asleep and then receive millions of tiny little kisses and hugs from newly adopted Ukrainian orphans. :)
Our house and family will never be the same...but oh how we love our Ukrainian orphans!!!
Well said! :)
Pushing my buttons...
... literally and figuratively.
Micah has been getting into EVERYTHING this week. Actually its been a gradually growing problem. Pushing buttons and turning dials. The TV, the oven, the dishwasher, my computer, my monitor, my keyboard, lightswitches, the remotes, our cell phones. And pushing buttons is really just the minor stuff.
He's also started climbing. Chairs, stools, tables, dressers, COUNTERS... AAAHHHH!!!
I'm currently seeking advice from my RR post-adoptive group for advice on how to handle this but if anyone has any insight that they'd like to leave on my blog, feel free. :) I KNOW what I would do with my other kids, but Micah has been doing SO well in every other area and I don't want to disturb that. But I also can't let this kid walk all over me... or my kitchen counters.
Micah has been getting into EVERYTHING this week. Actually its been a gradually growing problem. Pushing buttons and turning dials. The TV, the oven, the dishwasher, my computer, my monitor, my keyboard, lightswitches, the remotes, our cell phones. And pushing buttons is really just the minor stuff.
He's also started climbing. Chairs, stools, tables, dressers, COUNTERS... AAAHHHH!!!
I'm currently seeking advice from my RR post-adoptive group for advice on how to handle this but if anyone has any insight that they'd like to leave on my blog, feel free. :) I KNOW what I would do with my other kids, but Micah has been doing SO well in every other area and I don't want to disturb that. But I also can't let this kid walk all over me... or my kitchen counters.
Why NOT make it fun?!
Just saw this little video on my friend, Renee's blog and had to share it!! This is AWESOME and I'm kinda shocked that none of my friends did anything like this. I think MAYBE if we'd seen this, one of us would have!!
Kory, its all up to you buddy!!!
Kory, its all up to you buddy!!!
A new look!
Reeces Rainbow just had a makeover and you have to see it for yourself!!
www.reecesrainbow.org
Also, if you scroll down, some of you might recognize the little face that is the July Child of the Month. I'll give you a hint: "No way Josue" Its him!!! :)
www.reecesrainbow.org
Also, if you scroll down, some of you might recognize the little face that is the July Child of the Month. I'll give you a hint: "No way Josue" Its him!!! :)
Another Hallelujah!!
We just got home from Micah's cardiology appointment.... they did a heart echo and an EKG... and his heart is PERFECT! There is no sign of any hole or oval window or any other kind of window for that matter! ;) HALLELUJAH! He said his heart looks great and is very strong and healthy!
So now we are cleared for dental work as well... on to the dentist!
So now we are cleared for dental work as well... on to the dentist!
How to get free shorts at McDonalds in 10 easy steps
Step 1: Have (or adopt) four kids within 3 years of each other
Step 2: Get big and pregnant so you can't hold any of them on your hip anymore
Step 3: Run out of milk (this will be easy since you already have pregnant brain) and give your two year old lots of water instead
Step 4: Take them all to McDonalds playland
Step 5: Lift your two year old out of the highchair to find that a LARGE puddle has soaked through her diaper, through her skirt, and is practically dripping to the floor
Step 6: (Optional) Wonder what the HECK happened and how she could pee this much at one time
Step 7: Humble yourself and ask the nice McDonalds janitor lady to help you clean up the highchair (and floor if necessary)
Step 8: After cleaning up, let her play all over the playland in just a shirt and a boys pull-up because your pregnant brain also forgot diapers
Step 9: Watch as the other moms look on in pity
Step 10: THERE YOU HAVE IT: The McDonalds janitor lady will give you FREE shorts from the lost and found!!!
*Only while supplies last, sizes may vary*
Step 2: Get big and pregnant so you can't hold any of them on your hip anymore
Step 3: Run out of milk (this will be easy since you already have pregnant brain) and give your two year old lots of water instead
Step 4: Take them all to McDonalds playland
Step 5: Lift your two year old out of the highchair to find that a LARGE puddle has soaked through her diaper, through her skirt, and is practically dripping to the floor
Step 6: (Optional) Wonder what the HECK happened and how she could pee this much at one time
Step 7: Humble yourself and ask the nice McDonalds janitor lady to help you clean up the highchair (and floor if necessary)
Step 8: After cleaning up, let her play all over the playland in just a shirt and a boys pull-up because your pregnant brain also forgot diapers
Step 9: Watch as the other moms look on in pity
Step 10: THERE YOU HAVE IT: The McDonalds janitor lady will give you FREE shorts from the lost and found!!!
*Only while supplies last, sizes may vary*
Shower Pics
I finally got a chance during naptime today to put all of the pictures from Micah's adoption shower into a slide show! Yay! Thanks to all my sweet friends for throwing this shower and thanks to everyone who made it out to celebrate my FIRST BOY! :) It was a wonderful day that I will never forget. (And it certainly helped me get through that time before Micah and Jake came home!)
(Notice the little toy men around the food are holding Ukrainian flags! Too cute!)
If you're trying to count- there were FIVE babies there and THREE pregnant women (including me)!
(Notice the little toy men around the food are holding Ukrainian flags! Too cute!)
If you're trying to count- there were FIVE babies there and THREE pregnant women (including me)!
84 days and counting
So according to the lilypie ticker on my sidebar, I only have 84 days left until this squirmy little baby joins our family.
I can't believe its going so fast. I can't believe I'm already in my third trimester. I can't believe how active she is. I can't believe how small this house is getting. :)
Everything is going really well with this pregnancy. I truly do love being pregnant once the misery of morning sickness is over. :) But I'm savoring every bit of it knowing that this will VERY likely be our last baby (at least biologically). My body might be only 26 but its TIRED, lol! I had my good ol' glucose testing last week and got the call today that I do not have gestational diabetes. Check. :) So that's good. And everything is looking good. I'm having a little restless leg syndrome action going on, which isn't a big deal and a normal pregnancy thing, just kind of annoying. But I have been having more Braxton Hicks than I'm comfortable with. So I've been trying to stay off of my feet a little more during the day and drink lots of water, yada yada yada. It's kind of helping... I guess. And if you just clicked on that link to read about Braxton Hicks- YES I've had days where I'm having more than 4 in an hour. But I feel confident enough that its definitely not preterm labor and that when it comes I'll know the difference. Its just annoying too.
AND its a little hard to stay off of your feet with a 2 1/2 year old who is every BIT of two years old and throws hourly tantrums, a 4 year old little girl who refuses to wipe her little bottom OR flush the toilet OR close the bathroom door so the other kids don't PLAY in her urine, and a 4 year old little boy who likes to throw wooden blocks at our flat screen TV and turn the dials on our gas oven. Ashley seems to be my only saving grace around here... getting me diapers and wipes when I need them, helping lead the little kids out of rooms they shouldn't be in, and even pouring drinks and clearing the table at mealtimes. But she's starting school in 4 weeks!!! But thanks to some sturdy baby gates, some sticker incentive charts and a little extra cuddle time for Abby, I'm doing my best to stay off my feet when I can. :)
And like I always say- this is the easy part. Its when the baby is outside of my body that things will start to get really interesting. :)
I can't believe its going so fast. I can't believe I'm already in my third trimester. I can't believe how active she is. I can't believe how small this house is getting. :)
Everything is going really well with this pregnancy. I truly do love being pregnant once the misery of morning sickness is over. :) But I'm savoring every bit of it knowing that this will VERY likely be our last baby (at least biologically). My body might be only 26 but its TIRED, lol! I had my good ol' glucose testing last week and got the call today that I do not have gestational diabetes. Check. :) So that's good. And everything is looking good. I'm having a little restless leg syndrome action going on, which isn't a big deal and a normal pregnancy thing, just kind of annoying. But I have been having more Braxton Hicks than I'm comfortable with. So I've been trying to stay off of my feet a little more during the day and drink lots of water, yada yada yada. It's kind of helping... I guess. And if you just clicked on that link to read about Braxton Hicks- YES I've had days where I'm having more than 4 in an hour. But I feel confident enough that its definitely not preterm labor and that when it comes I'll know the difference. Its just annoying too.
AND its a little hard to stay off of your feet with a 2 1/2 year old who is every BIT of two years old and throws hourly tantrums, a 4 year old little girl who refuses to wipe her little bottom OR flush the toilet OR close the bathroom door so the other kids don't PLAY in her urine, and a 4 year old little boy who likes to throw wooden blocks at our flat screen TV and turn the dials on our gas oven. Ashley seems to be my only saving grace around here... getting me diapers and wipes when I need them, helping lead the little kids out of rooms they shouldn't be in, and even pouring drinks and clearing the table at mealtimes. But she's starting school in 4 weeks!!! But thanks to some sturdy baby gates, some sticker incentive charts and a little extra cuddle time for Abby, I'm doing my best to stay off my feet when I can. :)
And like I always say- this is the easy part. Its when the baby is outside of my body that things will start to get really interesting. :)
Doctors, Dentists, Cardiologists and Sunday school teachers
Lets see, where do I begin? :)
After Micah's good in-depth check up with the Pediatrician, it was on to the Dentist. (The ped. visit was great, by the way. He does have eczema and that's what the rashes are, so no worries there. Everything else looked good. Now we are piecing together what immunizations he didn't have in Ukraine.) The dentist visit was not, however, so good. :( He did great sitting there and letting them clean his teeth... he cried a little but still kept his mouth open and didn't fight it. :) Sweet boy. They said that a lot of his teeth in the back have been decayed down to the nerve. They gave me a long list of different dental work that needs to be done and set up an "urgent" appointment for the first four things on the list: two nerve treatments and two metal caps.
The appointment was supposed to be for tomorrow. But they said to go back to the pediatrician today to be sure that he is healthy enough to be cleared for sedation. So I went this morning and the Dr said no, since he has been diagnosed with an oval window (a small hole in the heart) and has not yet seen the cardiologist here, that they didn't feel good about releasing him for sedation tomorrow. Which I totally understand and I'm glad they're being so cautious. (We have no reason to believe that the hole would cause any problems, but nonetheless... its just the fact that an American Dr hasn't seen it yet.)
SO... somehow we got him in with a cardiologist for Thursday afternoon, and then the dental work has been rescheduled for August 5th.
On a side note, I'm still trying to get him in to the Down syndrome clinic in Nashville and haven't been able to reach them. Really wish they were doing the cardiology work instead, but oh well. Not much I can do about it- it needs to be done quickly.
Meanwhile, he's been a happy little camper! Its like he's been around here forever! And I'm happy to report that Abby is doing much better the last few days. She REALLY likes how everyone around them reacts when she gives him big hugs, so that helps. :) It IS absolutely adorable when the two of them hug each other!
AND Micah had his first time in Sunday school yesterday! He went into the 4 yr old class with Emily and did GREAT. I had no intentions of dropping him off in class for a LONG time... until he got a little more settled, but he's been doing so well and he always seems SO curious when the girls go into their classes. So I thought I would give it a try and they said he did great! When I first put him in the room, he followed Emily right in, walked over to a corner with toys, sat down to play and never looked back! So I talked with the teacher for a minute and then realized my friend Jenny was "coordinating" First Chapel for that service, so I felt really good about leaving him in there. She said that she kept peeking in on him... and he didn't really listen for the teaching time (which I wouldn't figure he would- not understanding what they're saying!) but he wasn't distracting either. Then at snack time he sat there with the other kids and the table and ate his little snack! That was probably the most "normal" part for a kid who's used to eating with 15 other kids in an orphanage!
Anyway, I'll try to update on the Cardio visit. Please pray it goes well so we can move along with the dental work. I know his little mouth must hurt so much every time he eats, but he sure never complains!
After Micah's good in-depth check up with the Pediatrician, it was on to the Dentist. (The ped. visit was great, by the way. He does have eczema and that's what the rashes are, so no worries there. Everything else looked good. Now we are piecing together what immunizations he didn't have in Ukraine.) The dentist visit was not, however, so good. :( He did great sitting there and letting them clean his teeth... he cried a little but still kept his mouth open and didn't fight it. :) Sweet boy. They said that a lot of his teeth in the back have been decayed down to the nerve. They gave me a long list of different dental work that needs to be done and set up an "urgent" appointment for the first four things on the list: two nerve treatments and two metal caps.
The appointment was supposed to be for tomorrow. But they said to go back to the pediatrician today to be sure that he is healthy enough to be cleared for sedation. So I went this morning and the Dr said no, since he has been diagnosed with an oval window (a small hole in the heart) and has not yet seen the cardiologist here, that they didn't feel good about releasing him for sedation tomorrow. Which I totally understand and I'm glad they're being so cautious. (We have no reason to believe that the hole would cause any problems, but nonetheless... its just the fact that an American Dr hasn't seen it yet.)
SO... somehow we got him in with a cardiologist for Thursday afternoon, and then the dental work has been rescheduled for August 5th.
On a side note, I'm still trying to get him in to the Down syndrome clinic in Nashville and haven't been able to reach them. Really wish they were doing the cardiology work instead, but oh well. Not much I can do about it- it needs to be done quickly.
Meanwhile, he's been a happy little camper! Its like he's been around here forever! And I'm happy to report that Abby is doing much better the last few days. She REALLY likes how everyone around them reacts when she gives him big hugs, so that helps. :) It IS absolutely adorable when the two of them hug each other!
AND Micah had his first time in Sunday school yesterday! He went into the 4 yr old class with Emily and did GREAT. I had no intentions of dropping him off in class for a LONG time... until he got a little more settled, but he's been doing so well and he always seems SO curious when the girls go into their classes. So I thought I would give it a try and they said he did great! When I first put him in the room, he followed Emily right in, walked over to a corner with toys, sat down to play and never looked back! So I talked with the teacher for a minute and then realized my friend Jenny was "coordinating" First Chapel for that service, so I felt really good about leaving him in there. She said that she kept peeking in on him... and he didn't really listen for the teaching time (which I wouldn't figure he would- not understanding what they're saying!) but he wasn't distracting either. Then at snack time he sat there with the other kids and the table and ate his little snack! That was probably the most "normal" part for a kid who's used to eating with 15 other kids in an orphanage!
Anyway, I'll try to update on the Cardio visit. Please pray it goes well so we can move along with the dental work. I know his little mouth must hurt so much every time he eats, but he sure never complains!
Orphans Deserve Better Campaign
The head of our orphan ministry at church, Greg, brought this to my attention via email...
its concerning the movie coming out "Orphan". I encourage you to look around this site a little, but if nothing else I URGE you to sign the petition asking Warner Brothers to counter act their poor portrayal of orphans by "giving back" a portion of their proceeds to orphan care.
Click here to sign the petition- it literally only takes a couple of seconds. And how great if we could get a ton of names on this petition! I also encourage you to pass along this email to friends and family who's lives have been touched by the command of James 1:27.
Thanks!!!
Micah's Drs visit
Micah had his first American doctors visit yesterday. All of our kids go to Dr. Myers at Harpeth Pediatrics and we LOVE her, but she was on vacation this week so we saw Dr. Collins. We used to see him when Ashley was younger but switched because as she and Emily got bigger, they were a little leary of men, but I forgot how much I love him! So I think I'm going to stick with him for Micah and Dr. Myers for the girls. The nurse said there are actually a few families who do this.
Anyway that wasn't my point. :)
Yesterday wasn't a "full comprehensive physical", they were too booked for an appointment like that this week, but was just a quick visit for him to check out his possible cold and his mouth issues. I didn't want either of those things to go any longer with out being checked out.
He does not have a cold but just a little drainage, so no biggy there. Good to know. As far his mouth goes... he definitely has a really bad case of gingivitis. REALLY bad according to the doctor. But he also has "geographic tongue". He said it is a hereditary condition and though it looks pretty rough, it doesn't usually hurt at all. Which is good to know, it looks like it would hurt really bad to me.
So being the modern mom that I am, I came home, laid the little ones down, and googled it. :) There isn't much info at all out there about geographic tongue. According to some people who have it, it doesn't hurt and never bothers them. Some say they really have to be careful to stay away from anything acidic, overly "seasoned", or even sweet. Hm. Kind of explains why doesn't even like pancakes. Poor kid. It also said there there is very little research done on this condition, but it seems to be found most often in people with lower immunities and people with eczema. (Which we haven't diagnosed yet, but he does have some skin issues too.) Some sites said that some people with this also have Diabetes type 1. But not always. Anyway, I was happy to find what info I could. I'm glad to know it isn't anything major and that it isn't hurting him really bad. And to know that we should keep his diet kinda bland and introduce things slowly.
So thats was all for that visit. Really looking forward to his full appointment next week. And NOT looking forward to the dentist visit. Poor baby.
Anyway that wasn't my point. :)
Yesterday wasn't a "full comprehensive physical", they were too booked for an appointment like that this week, but was just a quick visit for him to check out his possible cold and his mouth issues. I didn't want either of those things to go any longer with out being checked out.
He does not have a cold but just a little drainage, so no biggy there. Good to know. As far his mouth goes... he definitely has a really bad case of gingivitis. REALLY bad according to the doctor. But he also has "geographic tongue". He said it is a hereditary condition and though it looks pretty rough, it doesn't usually hurt at all. Which is good to know, it looks like it would hurt really bad to me.
So being the modern mom that I am, I came home, laid the little ones down, and googled it. :) There isn't much info at all out there about geographic tongue. According to some people who have it, it doesn't hurt and never bothers them. Some say they really have to be careful to stay away from anything acidic, overly "seasoned", or even sweet. Hm. Kind of explains why doesn't even like pancakes. Poor kid. It also said there there is very little research done on this condition, but it seems to be found most often in people with lower immunities and people with eczema. (Which we haven't diagnosed yet, but he does have some skin issues too.) Some sites said that some people with this also have Diabetes type 1. But not always. Anyway, I was happy to find what info I could. I'm glad to know it isn't anything major and that it isn't hurting him really bad. And to know that we should keep his diet kinda bland and introduce things slowly.
So thats was all for that visit. Really looking forward to his full appointment next week. And NOT looking forward to the dentist visit. Poor baby.
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