Home!

Hey there everyone. Our kids are home, safe and sound! Hooray! I am going to be a bit quiet over these first couple weeks about our kids and their medical situation. Rest assured that they are getting excellent medical care! But for their safety, and because there are some scary people in the world, we are going to wait to share this information until they have been home for a little while longer. Thank you so much for understanding that we are doing this for the safety of our kids and our family first and foremost, and for helping us protect our kids.

Passed Medicals, Waiting On Passports!

All four kids have passed their medical appointments! Phew! Often kids in this country are given a vaccination for TB. Later on that will cause a false positive on the skin test commonly used to test for TB. Two of the kids needed an x-ray to confirm they did not have TB, but everyone passed! Hooray!

They won't be able to leave until passports for all four have arrived and visas have been placed in them. That is all they are waiting for.

Now the fun part. Pictures!

Amos has a new music toy that he loves. He likes to turn it on and dance to the music. This is such a huge transition for him due to how much more institutionalized he has become over the last two years. After 17 years in institutional care everything is new. Everything. So many simple things we take for granted are very stressful for him. It will get better.

Daisy is absolute sunshine. She is very happy to have a playpen to sleep in at the apartment now. One of her favorite activities at bedtime is to slowly shimmy it across the floor until she can bump it into the wall. She is adorable and tiny and loud! The orphanage tried to warn my husband that she might keep everyone up. She does! But as my husband told me the other night, "They are noisy and I am tired. And I wouldn't trade it for anything." She might be loud, but she is ours.

Lee is doing very well so far. We are monitoring him and in constant contact with his medical team. We are maintaining his diet until he can be seen immediately upon arriving home, and he is tolerating that well. He loves his papa so much, and especially his new sister Violet. She is very gentle with him, and likes to check on him and see how he is doing.

And here she is! I cannot put into words how sweet she is. It amazes me that for all she has been through, she is so kind and loving. She is an absolute gem, and I can't believe she waited for 13 years. She is so precious. 

Meanwhile we have been busy here at home! Theo had a new cast placed shortly before this pickup trip. He was not weight bearing for a month after his surgery, so it is taking a little bit of time to work back to his pre-surgery leg strength. His leg and foot placement are so much better now though. He is also very happy to be getting back so much of the independence that we have worked so hard to give him. 

Orion also just had his birthday! He had a great time getting new toys and eating chocolate cake! Special days like birthdays can be very difficult for a lot of kids. I was so impressed by how well he did and how much he was able to enjoy his day. It is a huge milestone in his maturing and healing, and I am very thankful for it. We are very proud of him and how hard he has worked to get to this point.

Now we are all eagerly waiting for all of the new brothers and sisters to come home!

Daisy Is Free!

Daisy was our fourth and final child to be picked up for this adoption. (Yep, we are still heading back for one more girl once these guys are home!) She did amazingly well with all the travel, both from her orphanage to the regional city and from there to the capitol. She is handling it all much better than we expected.

Tomorrow is the first embassy visit and the first medical appointment for all four. I have to say we couldn't have done this without our helper. He has been absolutely great! We are still hoping they will  all be ready to come home next week.

Lee And Violet Are Free!

Two more kids are free!

Getting dressed to leave!

Violet went to the passport office and then they were able to pick up Lee when they were done. They are both in the apartment with Amos, my husband, and our amazing helper.

Lee was very happy to have a bottle, although we are being cautious about what he receives until he can be seen by a doctor. It is hard to believe he is 13 to see my husband cradling him.

Violet settled in very easily. She was a bit tired from all the travel, and ready to go to bed.

Amos is still adjusting. Out of all of the kids we have adopted, we expect this transition will be most intense for him. I think it will be easier when he is home and his environment and routines are more stable.

Hopefully everyone will be ready to leave at the middle or the end of next week! The last pickup is for Daisy and will be very soon!

Amos Is Free!

Amos was picked up today. He is spending his first night out of an institution in his entire life. He is excited and happy to have a family, but this is also a very big transition for him. In addition, he is far more institutionalized than he was a few years ago. It may not be easy for any of us, but it is worth it for him to have a chance to live.

Amos getting dressed to leave

Ready to go!

Amos getting ready for bed

They have applied for a passport for Amos. Waiting on that will take the most time. Now they are heading to pick up more of the kids tomorrow!