One of those days...

You know it is one of those days when you start a post on Tuesday and don't get it done till Thursday! Tuesday was a crazy day with a doctor's appointment added unexpectedly, having no heat in the house, and a lawyer from the Bucks County Court house calling many times to help us figure out this registering the adoption thing. We are attempting to register Jonathan's adoption so that he can get a US Birth Certificate. Thankfully, we had Mom-mom here to help out with life! What a blessing she is.

So now I ask that you read the following post as if it were Tuesday!
We have been having quite a few of those days lately, but I have been told by other “experts” aka adoptive moms that the adjustment phase of adding a child to your family through adoption can take months if not years! I really feel like Jonathan is doing really well. The adjustment of Ben is taking a little longer, but we are starting to see some improvements. We knew Ben would have some “issues” with no longer being the youngest, but I think those issues went deeper then we were emotionally and physically prepared to deal with. With consistent love and discipline, I believe we are making improvements.

The one place we have not met success yet is church. I have been going into Jonathan’s classroom with him for over a month now. Two weeks ago, we really felt like he was ready for me to leave him, but within 60 seconds of me leaving he started crying. I went back in and stayed with him the remainder of the time in the class. This past Sunday as soon as we went into the classroom he started crying and would not let go of my neck. We have concluded that this is going to be a longer process then we had thought it might be. To us it feels like Jonathan has been with us forever, but we don’t know what is going on in his brain. It was only 2.5 months ago that he was taken to the orphanage by his foster mom and left there. In a room with other kids. Is he remembering that moment when his life changed forever? Afraid if I leave him in a room full of children (kinda like the orphanage setting) that I won’t come back either. I wish I could get into his head and hear his thoughts. So for now we won’t be leaving him alone in his church class.

Today, we went back to our awesome pediatrician. Since we arrived home Jonathan has had breathing issues. In the beginning he was snoring horribly. We found a medicine that cleared up that cold, but within a week he was wheezing again. It is only really bad at bedtime. So back to the doctor today we went and we are going to try another inhaler to see if that helps and we are also in the next few months going to try and determine if it is just a virus he can’t get rid of or if he has asthma. We are realizing how important medical histories are and wishing we had something to go on. Thankfully, I trust our pediatrician and he is willing to help us figure this out.

Today, we received a surprise email. When we met the Director of the Orphanage in China who brought Jonathan to meet us, she gave us her email address and asked if we would email her and send pictures. Shortly after getting home, I emailed her and sent a few pictures. We heard nothing from her till today. Today she emailed us and told us the names of Jonathan’s foster mother and father. Not a whole lot more to her email except a request for an update on how Jonathan is doing. Her English is extremely limited so I am not sure what form this email relationship will take. I believe that she loves the children under her care and is curious to how they are adjusting to their new lives. We will be emailing her back and also saving this email for Jonathan and who knows if we visit China some day maybe we can attempt to find his foster mother and father.

It is now Thursday and I am attempting to post this blog before another day passes. Amanda and Tyler are doing school work, Jordan is practicing the piano, Ben is piling up toys on his little desk in the hope of keeping them away from Jonathan, and Jonathan is pushing his dump truck through the house filled with his most precious treasures. One thing is for sure- life is never dull and God is always Good!

2 weeks ago for Tyler's Birthday we took a school trip to the NJ Aquarium. These pictures are from that day. This was probably our first big outing of just me and the kids. Thankfully, I had another homeschooling mom there to help me not lose anyone. Everyone did great and Amanda and Tyler are such awesome helpers at keeping track of Ben and Jonathan.