Friday nights

Relaxing and....

watching....

Bubble Guppies!

My Happy Boy

It's hard to get a picture of Liam smiling, even though he smiles quite a lot. He's very silly and moves so much, that I always end up with a picture of the the top of his head or with his eyes closed. But, last night, I got a few pictures of my darling, happy boy, all smiles for the camera!

Beautiful brown eyes

I love this little boy of mine so much. I also love the fact, that I snapped this picture before his hands went up in front of his face!

Hmmm.....

This one cracks me up. He knew Mommy was trying to take his picture!

Valentine's Day and more

The boys had a 1/2 day at school on Friday (Valentine's day) and then had Monday off for President's day. They were supposed to go back yesterday, but we got more snow, so they had another snow day. This was their 7th snow day. That brings our total snow for the winter so far, over 76 inches!

Liam, before school.

Jimmy with the Valentine that he made for me, at Friendship Ministry.

Treats for the boys for Valentine's Day.

Caleb made me a Valentine Sun Catcher at school. :)

I made these with the boys. Each of their feet have nicknames. No Lie. Elijah's are Silly toes, Caleb's are Fudgie toes, and Liam's are Rubber toes.

Elijah ready to play in the snow.

My Funny Face

Reflecting

It's been 2 years, since Liam has joined our family......

Liam came home at 7 years of age. Before that, his needs were minimally met in an orphanage and later an institution in Russia. I have adopted twice before. Both Caleb and Elijah came home at 2 1/2 years of age. This time was different. I wanted to adopt an "older" child. I simply felt the need, to venture out of my comfort zone.

Orphans have very little chance of being adopted. With over 140 million orphans in the world today, it's easy to understand. Then, you have the disabled orphan, who basically has next to no hope. And finally you have the older disabled orphan who has run out of hope. Yes, out of my comfort zone, that's where I was going.

I connected with other families who have adopted older children with Ds. I read about their trials and the challenges that they faced. I learned about the additional health issues they dealt with, from rotting teeth to severe malnutrition. I learned about attachment issues and other behaviors that an older child might have. And then,..... I traveled to meet him.


When I first met Liam, I was a little surprised by his size, (very small) but not shaken by it. I was not turned off by the horrible stench that came from his mouth. I knew that it could be a possibility. The result of years without brushing his little teeth. I was later told, that if they didn't learn to brush their teeth, the workers didn't bother to brush them. Liam wasn't interested in toys or looking at books. He made little eye contact. He wasn't potty trained. He was non-verbal.  He didn't eat whole foods. All of his food was pureed. All of these things, I knew were a possibility.  I was also not surprised when one of the institution caregivers asked me, why I wanted this one?? They had better ones than him, she said. I simply told her because I loved him. I'm sure she didn't understand that answer, but really, I had no other explanation. They all need and deserve love, not just the "better" ones.

The first few months that Liam was home with us, were not too difficult. Feeding was an issue though, because he would only eat a few select pureed foods. I soon realized that he was in no way, near ready to potty train either. But he was a good sleeper and a very easy going little guy. One thing that was disturbing, is that he would fuss when my other sons, would come near him. He would even cry if they touched him. I came to the conclusion that he was hurt by the older kids in the institution. As I have mentioned in previous posts, that on my second trip to see Liam, I saw that he had a cut on his face and a crushed finger nail. Someone had hurt him. Anyway, over a couple months, Liam learned that no one was going to hurt him here, and he didn't need to be afraid. But, he still did not play with his brothers. It would take about a year for him to take any interest in them at all.

I watched how Caleb and Elijah would try to get Liam to play with them. It made me so sad to watch as they eagerly wanted him to play and he would not respond. I also felt sad for Liam, who just didn't seem to "get it". He didn't get that we were his family. It didn't seem to matter to Liam if he was here or still in Russia. Thinking about Liam's first seven years and all that was stolen from him, made me incredibly sad. Seven years without a family, without appropriate medical care, without adequate nutrition, and without love has left it's scars on my son.

Liam today:

Liam came home at seven years old, but at  9 months old developmentally. Progress has been very slow. Liam is still not potty trained. He still refuses to eat anything solid. Sometimes, he will take a bite of a cracker. And when he does, he still spits it out immediately. Liam is still non-verbal but is using about 15 signs. Yes, only 15, but that's okay. He will learn at his pace. He isn't pointing yet. He hates to hold a writing utensil. He is just beginning to make a choice between two objects. However, he will now bring a book to me to read to him. He doesn't play with his brothers, but he will follow them into the same room just to be with them. They do make him laugh, especially when they tickle him! He has a playful personality. Liam giggles and runs when I call him to brush his teeth or comb his hair. And boy, can this kid dance with the best of them! I also love how he becomes a fish in the tub, pool, sink, wherever he can find water. And his laughter makes my heart burst.  He knows that he is safe, loved, and that he is home.

When I look at Liam, I see a beautiful and funny little guy that I can't imagine my life without. I celebrate every bit of progress he makes, no matter how small. He is mine and I am his. It's true, you can't save them all, but you can make a difference, in the life of one.

Snow days

We have had 6 this month. Tomorrow is February 1st , and we are suppose to get about 6 more inches of snow. This has actually been one of my most favorite winters so far. I love the snow. It's so pretty and brightens even the gloomiest of winter days. Our temps the last couple days, are getting back to normal for this time of year, which means the boys can actually play out in all the snow that we have. For the last few weeks, the temp has been much too cold to go outside. Here's a Valentine craft that we made during one of our extremely cold days. I think they turned out cute. 

This was on Tuesday, this week. YIKES!

And it continues

the cold and the snow, that is. The boys have had 6 snow days this month alone. Some of those days were hazardous roads and dangerously cold temp days. Today we are rising to about 15°. Heat wave! On Saturday, we have another snow storm expected to dump 4-8 inches of more snow. We have had about 32 inches of snow that fell just this month. I'm not complaining, this is what winter in Michigan is all about. I love it! If it's going to be cold, then bring on the snow!

This picture and the picture below are of our backyard. I took them only a couple hours apart. It went from a beautiful winter day, to what Jimmy called, a blizzard!

Winter Homecoming

Jimmy once again attended the Winter Homecoming at Saline Christian Academy. He loved it! They go all out with decorations, games, dancing, a photo booth, and beautiful dinner. The theme this year was Country, and we all know that's right up Jimmy's alley.

He looks so much older in this picture. Very handsome.

Chloe was so sweet. Jimmy called her, his girl. :)