365 Project (2015)

Day 163

Everybody is waiting for the movie to start at the park.

365 Project (2015)

Day 158

Thank you Show Hope!

Saturday morning I opened my email to find the most wonderful gift. It was the link to our boys' files and photos from 4 months old to 39 months old. Most times you receive very little information or photos of your child prior to adoption. We have no baby photos of our girls, no medical records and no weekly observations. To receive this gift from Show Hope is absolutely amazing! It is one that we will treasure and know that the boys will too one day. A huge thank you to Show Hope and its sponsors not only for this gift but for ensuring that our boys were well taken care of until they were united with their forever family. Introducing Caleb and Jacob at 4 months old. Every time I look at this photo it brings tears to my eyes.

This and That

I have blog posts swimming around in my head but I never seem to take the time to actually write them.

We increased the boys' time at preK to MWF last week.  They are also staying through lunch.  They seem to have a great time but Jacob always cries when I drop them off.  When we pick them up Jacob isn't ready to leave school.  We are working on potty training with the boys too.  Not going so great.  I just don't know if they understand to tell us they need to go.

Grace slept over with a friend last night for the first time.  She was so excited and had a great time. Alyssa slept upstairs with Julia since Grace was gone.  She thought she was a very big girl.

Kristopher came home from Spring Break for a few days.  It was nice having him home.  Jacob always gets so excited to see him.  And yes Kristopher needs a haircut.

Zachary was in his first high school musical, Oklahoma.  He was in the pit playing his trombone.  Dallas and I went last night.  It was an excellent performance.

Preschool

Oh how I love these boys!  They definitely keep me on my toes and there is never a dull moment but I can't imagine our lives without them.

Yesterday we had an eligibility meeting with our county's preschool services.  It should have been in January but due to weather it kept being delayed.  I believe we began this process back in September. All their evaluations were completed in mid January.

We were surprised that they recommended the boys receive full time 5 day a week preschool.   I really do not want the boys going full time 5 days a week but if we do not accept it there is no guarantee we will get what they need at a later date.  So we agreed to let them go.  It probably is what they need and will benefit them in so many ways.  It is going to be a difficult transition for them.  We should get our school assignment in 3-4 weeks.  Hopefully the teacher will be willing to work with us to make the transition easier.

Marbles

Last week we got a family pass to our local children's museum, Marbles.  The kids love going there.  Lots of photo opportunities there so you will must likely be seeing lots of photos on the blog.  Here are a few of my favorites from today.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy 4th Birthday, Caleb and Jacob!

The boys turned 4 today.  They were so excited after realizing it really was their birthday not mine.

Here are a few photos from their day.

The Boys

  I love this photo of the boys.  It depicts their personality to a tee.  Jacob is so goofy at times and has many different looks.  He is giving Caleb one of his looks.  

A Week of Firsts for the Boys

The boys went to their first college basketball game this week.  Dallas and Nicholas really wanted to go so they agreed to take the boys.  Zachary decided to tag along too.  The boys have a very short attention span so I didn't think they would do very well.  Surprisingly they did good and made it through the whole game.  When they came home they were saying "Go Pirates."

Christmas Eve we took the boys to church for the first time.  It was a family service so there was not childcare.  The boys did pretty good.  So tonight we decided it was time to see how they did in the nursery.  We played it up big time and told them that they were going to school like Alyssa, Gracie, and Julia. They acted very excited. Once again they did very well.  The teacher said they had a difficult time with transitions but they were able to redirect them.  She was surprised they did so well it being their first time.  It is going to be so nice to go to be able to go to church again.

First Post of the New Year

Starting the New Year with a blog post.  Told you I was going to do better this year.  Here are a few photos from the park on the last day of December

Progress

School System Evaluation

Today the boys were evaluated again by our county school system to see if we should proceed with testing for services.  It is kind of silly.  This is the second time we have done this.  While we talked with the case manager and SLP teacher, a classroom teacher played with the boys.  I think she was a bit overwhelmed with them.  She made the comment she didn't know how we managed it every day. They aren't bad they are just very very busy and flint from one activity to another. Of course at the end of the meeting it was determined that the boys need to be tested for services.

Six Months

It has been six months that the boys have officially been Braxtons.  In some ways it feels like they have always been here and in other ways it doesn't seem long at all.  We have mostly good days now with a few hard days thrown in there.

On May 13 the boys whole world changed.  People say they are so lucky to be here.  That isn't true at all.  Our boys have experienced more loss in 3 years than we will probably experience in our whole lives.  My heart aches for all that they have lost.  To have accomplished all they have in the last 6 months is beyond amazing.  They are my little "rock stars."

That being said the boys still don't like change or new situations.  In most cases Jacob is more uptight than Caleb.  We have come to accept it is going to take the boys a long time to fully trust us. We don't know what they went through those first 3 years.  We, also, don't know if their anxiety is caused from the partial absence/complete absence of the corpus callosum.  It has improved greatly but they still can get very agitated rather quickly.  If you want to witness it yourself just put a blanket on them.

Today the boys had their first eye appointment.  Surprisingly they both did great.  A sign that the trust is building.  Fortunately both of their eyes look great at this point.  We had to get this appointment done in order to proceed with our county's early intervention services.

No matter how hard some days can be with two 3 years and a 4 year old there is no doubt in our minds that these boys were meant to be in our family.   We are so thankful that God chose us to be their parents.  Even when the road is difficult we know we are not alone.  God is with us every step of the way.

Welcome to My New Blog and Jacob's Surgery

Hi! Welcome to my new blog.  Zachary is still working on the design but I wanted to start posting here.   I really wanted to make it more of a family blog but also have each child's blog here too. 

Today Jacob had dental surgery under general anesthesia.  Half of his teeth needed work. When all was said and done he had three crowns and 7 fillings.  He did great!  Once home he was a little whiny and clingy but didn't seem to be in any pain.  

Lots of appointments coming up for both boys.  I am really going to try and post more now that this will be a family blog.

Wednesday, September 25

I am so behind on posts.  The boys saw the same neurologist Nicholas sees for seizures.  Love him!

He looked at the MRIs before meeting the boys.  He was amazed when he met them and saw them in action. From their MRIs he didn't expect them to be walking, talking, etc.  He thought they were doing great especially since only being home 4 months at the time.  He said the must had been worked with at the orphanage and had some type of therapy.  Thank you Show Hope!  We left with referrals to OT, PT, ST, and a developmental  pediatrician. 

Looks like our mornings will be busy once I make all these appointments.  Been putting it off a little because of so many other appointments.

Below is a photo of my three 3 year olds on the last day of me having three 3 year olds.  

                                          

Tuesday, September 24

Last Tuesday Alyssa and the boys were screened by Project Enlightment. This organization is linked with our county school system and determines whether a child needs more testing.

Alyssa tested right on target for her age. We thought she would but our pediatrician wanted us to test her.

The boys both tested about the same and will be referred for more testing. They should qualify in every area. One of the testers had the same thoughts as us...the boys are developmentally young 2 year olds. They have made so much progress but need more help to reach their full potential.

Posting from my phone. Here are a few cute photos I took a couple of weeks ago.

ENT

All at ENT well today. It appears both boys' hearing is fine. Don't know how they came to that conclusion the boys weren't very cooperative.

Four Months

Four months ago we were still in China biding our time until we could come home. It was our last day in Zhengzhou.

After 4 months I finally feel like life is getting back to normal. The house is still a mess and I am still struggling with planning meals but I can see the light. We still have some rough days but they are far less often.

The boys will now go to sleep by themselves at night. This makes life so much easier. Still love listening to their Chinese CD or a kids' praise CD while falling asleep. They go to bed at 8:00 and wake up between 6:30 and 7:00.

We have many appointments in the next few weeks for the boys. First up is a trip to the ENT. It is common with their special need to have hearing issues. We don't think they do but don't want to miss anything. We do know their tonsils are huge. Next week they will be evaluated by the county school system. They will determine if they qualify for any services. Also next week is a visit to a neurologist. Excited about this because it is the doctor Nicholas sees for seizures. He has no idea we were adopting. We love him and know he will be a great source of information. In a couple weeks they have a dentist appointment. Dreading this one. Fairly certain they need major dental work. Still need to make eye appointments.

A few tidbits about the boys:

Caleb:
1) Can count to 4.
2) Tries to sing the ABCs.
3) Weighs 36.4 lbs.
4) Smiles a lot.

Jacob:
1) Can count to 10.
2) Sings his ABCs.
3) Weighs 34.4 lbs.
4) Starting to say lots of phrases... What you doing? , What's that? , Alyssa's school, and more.

 This photo was sent to us from Show Hope.  It was taken right before the boys left the orphanage to    come meet us on May 13, 2013.

                  These two photos were taken this week.  Look at those high waters.