Birthday party fun

Okay so this is a little late :)

Saturday we had a first birthday party for Josiah. For this special occasion, Joel's brother Mike and his wife Melinda came down from Michigan to stay the weekend. This was special to Joel and I because Melinda had done so much to fundraise and bring awareness for the boys through this whole process, and Mike of course supported and helped her. Due to Jackson being overstimulated easily we weren't sure how it would go having them stay here, but it went great!! Jackson LOVES his Uncle Mike and Aunt Melinda! He has even asked for her since she left :) When they first got here he was eating so he pretty much ignored them and I thought, uh-oh, this isn't going to go well. But the boy just had his priorities in order! LOL  As soon as he was done eating he went right to them and never left their sides :) The next morning when they woke up and came downstairs, his face lit up and he said "ohhhh", and went right over for some loving. I thank the Lord that they were able to come and get to know these little men they for which they fought so hard to bring home.

The day of the birthday party came and of course I had not gotten anything ready. I keep thinking I'll have more time tomorrow than I do today....hmmmm I'm thinking now that I may be wrong about that ;) So we cleaned and rearranged furniture and Uncle Mike and Aunt Melinda went and got decorations and decorated for us (thank you!!). We just had a small party but it went very well! I am so thankful the Lanes were able to come. Jackson absolutely loves Ellee Lane! And thanks to Uncle Mike who got some video and pictures for us, we witnessed a sweet kiss between Ellee and Jackson that happened behind where the present unwrapping was going so I would have missed it completely. So cute!!! The boys did pretty good. Josiah didn't understand why I'd hand him a toy and then take it away and hand him another so quickly!! LOL He also didn't really appreciate his Bumbo seat, especially when I put the tray on. Jackson had to go off quietly once or twice to get away from the commotion, oh and he stuck his hand in the salsa bowl! But other than that he did great :) He had a great time playing with the other kids there while the adults were watching Josiah open his gifts. All the other kids there were girls....he's a hit with the little ladies already!

We were so blessed by all those who gave gifts to the boys. We even had some dear friends in MI send down a couple of swings for the boys and a whole tote of clothes!! We got clothes and toys that were very much needed. Oh, and diapers :) and a baby tub for Josiah! What blessings!! We cannot thank everyone enough!

The boys were done in by the end of the party. By 6pm they were both asleep, for what we thought was an hour so they could get up and eat, but they were out for the night. They slept till morning! They woke up smiling and refreshed!! So we tried church. That didn't go so well. They did great while there, but the rest of the afternoon was not so good :(

I know ya'll want to see pictures. We didn't get any on our camera so I'll have those who did get some send them to me so I can get them up on here in the next day or two.

Thank you for all your prayers!! We appreciate them very much! 

Brothers

They are not related by blood. They did not play together at the orphanage. They only shared mom twice before gotcha day. But these two little boys are truly brothers!!

As I watched on from around the corner, they lay on the floor playing. Jackson is so good about getting right down to Josiah and just talking to him and giving him toys to play with (sometimes gently, sometimes thrown with precision aim directly to the head!). Today as they lay on the floor together, face to face, Jackson said something to Josiah and Josiah started laughing! LAUGHING!! This is the kid we had to wait for weeks to even get a smile from and even now have to work at getting one. So they lay there laughing together and talking and I am just standing there smiling at how God has blessed us, when out from under the couch (his newly found hiding place) comes Jackson's comb. Oh boy, something kind of hard in Jackson's hand which happened to be kind of close to his brother's head....I just stick in here that we are really working with Jackson on his hitting and throwing because he does both, a lot, and with a fierce intensity...so I am preparing myself to go rescue my youngest from his big brother. Boy am I glad I did not say anything like "be nice" or "don't hit" or "gentle". As I watched on anxiously, Jackson took the comb and gently combed his brother's hair :)

I LOVE THAT BOY!!!!!!!!!!!

It melts this Momma's heart as I realize we've only been home, a family, for two weeks and these little guys just know in their hearts that they are brothers, family. Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing!!!!


**For those wondering, yes Jackson does hit, scold, wag his finger, and throw things at his brother....as all good brothers do :) 

Adjusting to family life

We've been home just over a week now. I've got so much I'd like to post on here that this may get kind of unorganized, but I'll just blame it on lack of sleep ;)

First of all, we want to thank everyone who has done so much for us this first week home. And some right before we got home. Not only did a local church have a railing and gate put on our front porch for us, they had their youth do missions work at our house as well. They mowed, weed eated, and washed our house. They tried to pressure wash it but there just wasn't enough pressure from our spring box so they actually scrubbed it themselves!! What an amazing thing to do for people most of them have never met. Then just a couple days ago the pastor from that church and his wife stopped in to see if there was anything else we needed done! As we talked, we stated that what we could use mostly is just help with things around here, just extra hands. So two days later as I was rocking Jackson I got a knock on the door. It was the pastor saying that he had 3 teenage girls to come in and help me with some household chores if that was okay with me. Ummm, of course!!! :)  Their church was having a clothing drive and had more than enough young people show up to volunteer so he thought of us and our needs and brought them over!!! What an amazing blessing. So they helped me clean the kitchen and bathroom, they vacuumed and dusted the house, folded and took care of laundry, and played with the boys while I finally got to unpack the rest of our stuff!!! It was great!!

Our church family has also been bringing us meals every night which has also been a tremendous blessing. I never realized how much the jet lag and time change would affect me and my moods!! Throw in two little boys who don't understand what is happening or most of what you are saying to them, who are also dealing with jet lag and a time change, and wow!

So how are the boys settling in? Well, it's still a work in progress ;)  Quite honestly, I don't remember much at all of those first couple of days. And the next couple after that, well, they were hard. But we expected them to be. The boys world has been turned upside down, we are first time parents to children who have been through things we don't understand or even know about, and we are all figuring out this family thing. What I didn't really expect were some of my reactions. I'm not going to go into personal details, but I will just say that no matter how prepared you are for things to be hard, you can never know what it is like until you've been there. I will also say that I never once thought that we had made a mistake. I know this is the family God created us to be and I know that He is there with me every step of the way. I need only acknowledge Him and lean on Him.
We are just now finally settling into somewhat of a routine. And it has become clear to us that Jackson thrives on routine and doesn't do so well just now with chaos and commotion. So we have decided to limit the amount of visitors, especially children, for a while. This also means that we will be taking the advice of a dear man we met during this process, to keep his world small and to grow it gradually. Right now his world is our house (not even the whole thing), and our front porch. While he does better going out than having people in, it still disturbs him, especially if the attention is on him. What this means is, for now, pretty much staying home unless there are doctor appointments to go to. It also means no play dates for a while so please pray for me as I will, of course, be home bound with the boys. After being in Ukraine for 8 weeks it is very hard for me to not get out and see people that I have missed. We may try church next week to see how he handles that. It would be great if he could, but we are not going to rush it just for our own selfish reasons.
As far as being a big brother, though, Jackson is doing great!! Yes, he throws toys at his brother, often clocking him directly in the head (for not being able to see well, he sure has great aim from across the room!! lol), but he is truly just trying to play with him and give him toys to play with. If Josiah is crying, Jackson will bring him his favorite toy or just come talk to him. He is learning to tickle him and be gentle with him. He will even go up to him and play with him by doing things that I do to Jackson while we play, like pretending to eat his toes :) He also is not afraid to tell him no or to cut it out if he's doing something Jackson thinks he shouldn't be doing!
Jackson is also starting to use more English words. He says brother now, which sounds more like bubba but that's okay :)
We have discovered that:  Jackson loves dogs and cats....Josiah does not! Jackson likes baths...again, Josiah does not! Both boys are happy and smiley when the wake up. And parents don't get nearly enough sleep to keep up with a one year old and a three year old!! So thanks to the wonderful young ladies who helped clean my house, I was able to get a nap in this morning while the boys slept!!

I'm sure there is much more that I am missing, but it is now 9pm which is when my mind turns to mush and I can barely remember my name! LOL

I am posting this now, but soon after will be having Joel add pictures. I apologize for our lack of pictures of late, we've been a little busy ;)

 we even got Niko in one!

first time in the air...well, almost in the air!

car seat...what the heck is that?

This is a rare sleeping moment!

Poor Josiah, passed out!

Josiah with his favorite page of his favorite book!

First time ever feeding w/o a bottle

His bib lies, he does miss a thing!

"It is finished" John 19:30 (Daddy was wrong on this)

Wow, I have been comparing adoption to a Christian's adoption into God's family for quite awhile....why did I think it would get easy any time soon?  :)

As we awoke Friday morning, 2am....we wiped the 3 hours worth of sleep from our eyes, took a quick shower and finished packing for the 3am pick up from the apartment.  The boys were snatched up while they were sleeping and we were off to the airport with Niko (that man is just amazing, such a friend we have made...way more than just a driver...as he says "a universal soldier").  Once there Niko got us a luggage cart and wheeled it in for us bypassing the long lines and going right up to the ticket agent at the counter, he then said something to him in  Ukrainian and came back to tell us we were next in line.  I was actually a bit embarrassed, I hate line cutters and it felt like the other 300+ people on that flight were staring at us feeling like I would have.  But, we got our tickets and after a long good bye with Niko we headed for security.  Security was  a breeze, the agents were nice the kids were great and I was really wanting that first cup of coffee.  Then, as we were not expecting, the first of the problems started.

The lines for passport control were packed for Ukrainian citizens, but the line for foriegners was pretty small.  We stood there for a bit and realized the windows were not even open.....we waited another bit...then a bit more.  I went back to security and was told to wait for someone...the other agents didn't speak foreign languages.  So, we waited and another person in line went to ask (it had been close to an hour already).  They came back and informed us we all need to get into the Ukrainian Citizens line.  Well, it got interesting trying to explain the adoption and the two kids with the Ukrainian passports and visas but the packet of papers we handed to him seem to do the trick (just a note for those going after me, don't....I repeat don't reach under the glass to try to organize things after you think the passport control guy is done with them...i could tell by the look, he was ready to take me to the back for a beating), speaking of beatings, some guy a couple lines over set the mood by going off on a passport control guy and was taken away by security...that was nice!  After all was said and done, we got to the gate just in time to board....not taking the extra minute needed to change Josiah's diaper which later started Rachel's pee-on story!

Once seated, the boys were doing great and Jackson pretty much just passed out.  The landing provided the only "excitement" as I look over at Rachel and she is mouthing..."He pee'd on me"...I couldn't hear or understand what she meant or was trying to say so I really wasn't that supportive to her needs (oops on that one) then the whole trying to change a baby when trying to run to the next gate with a wet baby and wife thing...but we found the joy of "baby rooms" in the airport....a place to change a diaper and for parents to cry, wondering what have they done".  We had about an hour from getting to our gate to boarding, so Jackson and I went for a small walk and got a couple bottles of water.  We then boarded, Rachel with the baby at the bulkhead (she got a bassenette...bonus) and Jackson and I a few rows back and to the side of her.  Takeoff went well, but then the chaos began.  I quickly found out that I have little patience for squirmy little boys who can't communicate what they need or want...and for some reason this little Jackson had a lot of energy he needed to get out.  He actually did very good and the total time of acting like a 3 year old (something I have to remind myself of....often) was only  about an hour of the 8.5 hour flight.  Rachel and I kept trading off as Jackson could stretch his little legs out when cuddling with momma and I could hold Josiah without fear of the guys in front of me be hit with whatever Jackson could use as a drum stick on their heads.  The last 30 minutes was the roughest.  I was told Jackson needed to be buckled in for the descent and landing but he was throwing a fit....all out tantrum but he was muffling his own crying.  This brave little fella was trying not cry and disrupt everyone but, as we later found out, his poor little tummy hurt and the seat belt was making it worse.  As we were landing the kid a half a row back and two seats over blew chunks!  Over and over and over....louder than I have ever heard, and.....wow, the smell!  I was already a bit queezy from something I ate or just the whole process, and that almost did me in....but then I smelled something else!  Jackson's stomach couldn't cope and he blew out his diaper!  If you have read my posts, you know I had yet to be able to change a messy diaper....but this was far beyond rookie diaper changing abilities but momma came to the rescue and did it right in the plane's restroom as everyone exited.  It was BAD!  Momma also encountered another pee through with Josiah so all their extra clothing was pretty much shot!

DC gave the most enjoyable immigration process I have seen, and the lines were almost non existent.  Then to the TSA....no problems there either and with very few going through, Rachel got to share a bit of the adoption story with 3 or 4 agents as they double checked my carry-on.  We were done, we only had to take no less than 6 elevators one train and two potty breaks before arriving at what we thought was our gate.  We actually had a few hours so after getting Jackson's boarding pass, at the correct gate, we decided on a couple bacon double cheeseburgers from 5 Guys and some fries to share with Jackson...blanket out, picnic style right in the terminal!  Our very first family picnic, and it was in Washington DC, on a nasty carpeted floor of an airline terminal...but it's not what you have it's what you make of it and who you are with!  What an enjoyable time as a family.  The little two hour flight from DC to Nashville was great, the boys interacted with several people before we took off.  Josiah was fast asleep before we taxied out and after a bit of fussing during take off, Jackson was soon off to lala land too.  There was only one "freak out" moment for Jackson, so I just unbuckled him and he was fine in daddy's arms (this was at the same time Rachel was trying to get me to  look out the window at the cumulonimbus storm clouds...the Same Rachel who hates the thought of flying/scared to death of airplanes Rachel...wow!)

Exiting the plane, Rachel took the munchkin and I kept Jackson waiting with me for the "carry-on" baggage that couldn't fit on the "Metro with wings".  We freshened up a bit, changed shirts and went to meet a couple close friends!  We didn't know if we should have people meet us there or not, the whole bonding issue and drastic change of life for the boys, but we decided on a few people and we were very pleased.  Just enough to know people remember us, and enough hands for the kiddos and to help with luggage/chocolate bar transportation (although...I don't think they realized the chocolate thing :)  )  Hugs all around, locked and loaded in a minivan, we headed home on the 1 1/2 hour drive...only interrupted by Rachel needing to stop for munchies and having her first Non-Ukrainian purchase, yes...it was funny and She didn't understand the cashier.  Rachel said that she was just preparing to tell the cashier that she didn't need to purchase a bag, Thankfully Heather was there to "translate" for her!  Home we were, an hour or so and we were all out cold and actually slept for about 8 hours....wow I miss that now!  :)  sleep that is!

Oh, back to the "It is finished" thing.  See, Jesus wasn't talking about all of His work...just His work down here in human form.  We are finished paying the initial price for these little guys, but there is still much to do....this is where the hard stuff starts to happen.  This too was the point where God's hard work started.  The tough love, leading us in ways that only our Father can know is best for us...seeing us struggle through hard transitions when he knows the finished product he is working us towards.  We rebel and fuss against some of the pain in our lives, the places where God places us and trials we go through....but He knows what is best and isn't afraid to make the hard decisions we need to be more like Christ.  So Christians, REJOICE in your pain and hard times!  God knows what is best for you and He will, lovingly, guide us through those changes....What an amazing Lord we serve

HOME!!!!!!

We are home!!! We made it home around 8pm and were all asleep by 9:30!! The boys slept all night :) We all got up around 5 or so, had something to eat and then it was back to sleep for the boys. Mom and dad stayed up for a bit enjoying the quiet, but momma didn't last too long before she was back to sleep too!! 

The boys did great considering we just uprooted them from the only home/schedule they've ever known. We got them up at 3am (Ukraine time) to head to the airport for our first flight. LOVE Niko!!!! That man is wonderful and I don't know what we would've done without him. He not only got us to the airport, but got us checked in and on our way! The first flight was only a couple hours and we were all seated together. Joel and I took turns holding Josiah and Jackson slept in his seat the whole time. Josiah did great! Even kept looking out the window! Never had any problems with his ears during take-off or landing either. He did happen to pee completely through his diaper as we were landing. You know, when you have your belts on and can't get up and move. Yeah, mom got to sit there soaked in pee along with him just waiting to be able clean everybody up. So before the next flight I got both boys in fresh diapers and a clean outfit for Josiah. This was the long flight and unfortunately we were not sitting together :( I was with Josiah a couple rows up and one row over from Joel and Jackson. By the time we were in the air mom and Josiah were again drenched in his pee, Jackson was a mess, and Joel and I were ready to be done with that flight. And we had another 8 hours to go!!! So yes, the second flight was hard on all of us. It not really something I would like to experience again. But again, I say the boys did great. That may sound contradicting to you, but put yourself in their shoes. I would have been more than fussy! So, yes it was a hard, horrible day of travel. But not because they threw fits or screamed or anything like that. Just because it is hard to travel for 24+ hours straight, be off your sleep/eat schedule, sit still for that long (especially a 3 year old and a 1 year old! not to mention mom and dad!), or be held for that long when you are not used to being held much. So I say it again, the traveling was hard, but the boys did great considering. The last flight was more of the same for Jackson, but Josiah had finally had enough and slept the entire hour and a half. Joel and I did better on the last flight because we had about 2 and a half hours to just relax while in DC waiting for our last flight. So we spread out a blanket on the floor for Josiah, got Jackson out of the stroller and let him play for a bit, got something to eat and had a family picnic right there on the floor in the airport :) 

We were very blessed to be met at the airport by my best friend and the Lane family. I got a much needed hug from my best friend (after she hugged the boys of course!) and got to meet the wonderful Lane family! I got some much needed hugs from them as well :) I will work on getting pictures from them both and getting them posted on here. 

Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging comments! They are very much appreciated, and needed!! I know they will get us through the next few days which are going to be rough due to the fact that we all have jet lag!!

GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!

Praise the Lord!! Gotcha day has finally arrived! As I am typing this our two sons are here, sleeping in this room. Even as I look at them I am still in disbelief. Months of paperwork, frustrations, tears, fundraising, hurtful things being said/typed to and about us, staring at pictures wondering if the day will ever come that we get to hear what the laugh sounds like that goes with the smile...all gone in the blink of an eye as I sit here and watch my sons sleep.  I still cannot believe that God has blessed me so. Me, worthless, doubting, sinning me. I know I will not be a perfect mother, I will make mistakes, some big and some little, but God has granted me the blessing of being their mother. I have no special powers or abilities, all I need to raise these special boys I get from God. I thank you all for your prayers that started at the beginning of this process many months ago.

I especially thank you for the prayers for Jackson. He did fabulous in the car today...he slept the whole time!!!! And thank you to Rob Sader for the gift of the car seat to Niko. Jackson got to use that car seat today and it was such a blessing. Please continue to pray for him as we have more car rides tomorrow and then of course the 3 flights home.

After we got the boys from the orphanage we found out that the passports wouldn't be ready for a few hours so wonderful Niko drove us back to the apartment and just hung out somewhere near by. When the time came, he only took Joel and let me stay back with the boys. It was super hot out today so we are very thankful for his thoughtfulness :)  The boys and I did pretty good while Joel was gone. Jackson is even learning to be gentle and nice with his brother!!! He even "tickled" him at one point tonight! So cute!! And he has started bringing Josiah his favorite toys when he is playing on the floor. As far as Josiah, well, he is pretty quiet and calm. As the nanny told us (via Niko) "he likes food and dreams"! LOL The kid likes to eat and sleep :) He actually just plays by himself on the floor a lot quite nicely. Good thing right now because his brother is requiring a 24/7 watch!!

Jackson not only loves music, he loves to dance!!! Several times he indicated he wanted to listen to music and would immediately start dancing. He danced by himself, with daddy, and even with momma! So even though I've said the word "no" more times today than ever before in my lifetime, we really had a great afternoon.

By the end of the day, though, poor Josiah was done :(  Being off schedule for feedings and naps, plus everything being new and different, really threw the little guy off. Then I had to throw in a bath and some lotion! whoa!! Not something I look forward to repeating. Joel got to give Jackson his bath and guess what? Yep, the kid LOVED it!!! He was just a laughing and splashing away! LOL  I think I picked the wrong son to bathe.....

Some of the highlights of the day: Jackson's first nosebleed (which made both momma and daddy cry, but he is okay), watching Jackson bite into a grape (apparently a sour one), and watching Joel almost puke on Jackson as he changed a poopy diaper (I was laughing so hard I was crying! while I was trying to feed Josiah his bottle :) we ended up trading)

Quick update

We did not get the passports today. We find out in the morning when we should get them and what our new schedule will be. But one thing hasn't changed....GOTCHA DAY!!!  Yep, this is the last night our boys will be spending in the orphanage! Tomorrow morning, no matter what else is going on, we bust out our boys!! So excited!! How are we celebrating you ask, why, filling out paperwork of course!! LOL!!

Please pray for us and for our little guys the next few days. They love having a mom and dad to love on them and play with them, but it is still going to be traumatic for them to leave the only home they've ever known. And I am not sure how Jackson is going to feel getting back in the car again after last time :(  So please pray for calmness for him and a peace that can only be given by God. Please pray that medicals go well and that no problems are found or x-rays to be taken. If we get the passports in the morning there is still a chance we could do medicals tomorrow, otherwise it will be Wednesday morning. Pray that all goes smoothly with the paperwork for their visas, which we should get in the afternoon on the day the medicals are done. Pray for Joel and I as we step into the parenting role 24/7, which is new to us.

Please PRAISE GOD with us that these two boys will be orphans no more!!!! Praise Him for leading us here to our sons, and for the lessons we've learned along the way, and for bringing us closer to Him through this process. PRAISE HIM!!