Asa is Getting Evaluated

After a few months of struggling with Asa's behavior, I finally contacted First Steps to get Asa re-evaluated. This time for his crazy behavior! We had waited because when we described his behavior to most people they just said, "He is just being one!" Kenneth and I knew better, but we wanted to see if we could suck it up and manage. In the last few weeks, we have reached the point where we could not handle it. I called First Steps at the beginning of last week, and already on Friday the intake coordinator came by our house. Within about five to ten minutes of watching Asa she suggested that he might have some sensory issues. I have been thinking the same thing for about a month, but I wanted her to come to her own conclusions. Asa has already pre-qualified for a lengthy evaluation based on his communication and fine motor skills, and now for his behavior. We are praying that we can have him evaluated the week after Thanksgiving. If he does qualify for services, we can begin some occupational therapy right away. I am praising God that prayers have worked thus far, and there is some hope for sanity! I am sure that Asa will be thrilled to get any help he can with whatever is going on in his little body and mind.

Aiden's Surgery

Aiden had his surgery yesterday. He was not feeling good at all when he came home, but this morning he seems to be doing much better. He is walking around very tenderly and is not talking much but he is at least keeping medications down. We continue to pray for a speedy recovery, with as few days on the couch as possible. We are already on our 6th showing of the movie, "Cars" and there was a little "Toy Story" mixed in with that. I am so thankful that my parents are keeping Noah and Asa so that we can just focus on Aiden and Nathan as Aiden is recovering.

Aiden also just started preschool at the Early Learning Village last week. He has only been two days but he seems to really like it. He is already wanting to know when he can ride the school bus. He continues to do well at the Mother's Day Out program at the church and we have seem big improvements in his behavior as a result. I am thankful that Aiden is starting to pick up on things much faster and he is starting to talk so much more. His behavior and his language have both improvement dramatically! Praise God for the work that He has done in Aiden just in the 5 months that he has been home with us.

Our Newest Blessing

It has been way too long since I have updated the blog, but we have been a little busy. Baby Nathan decided to make his debut on October 1, exactly 20 days before he was due. What a pleasant suprise! The boys have been wonderful with him. Noah and Aiden are always arguing over who gets to hold the baby. Aiden wants to know where the baby is all the time and Noah wants to make sure that I am taking care of him properly. It is so nice to see them love their little brothers so much. I am going to have to remind them of this some day, I am sure.

Aiden has made so much progress! He is talking so much more now and we feel like a lot of this has to do with Noah. Noah is always encouraging him to talk and say new things. Aiden is also eager to carry on conversations with Noah so he is trying harder. They have really become best friends which is a blessing for us--except when they team up against us to get into trouble. :/ Aiden's behavoir has also improved dramatically. He hardly throws temper tantrums anymore, and when he does it is NOTHING like what we experienced when he first came home. Now he simply puts himself in "time out" and whimpers softly until he realizes that we are not going to pay attention to that behavior. His defiant personality is getting under control.

Aiden's liver numbers are still in question. We go to the doctor on Monday for another round of blood work. We will see the specialist at UK in mid-November. Aiden will also have his circumcision, tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in on November 12. Bad day for him, but we will be so thankful when it is over. Hopefully he will get better sleep and be able to breathe easier.

Asa is still making huge strides physically. The kid can climb stairs in seconds. He can also destroy a room in half that time. We are struggling with his constant need to be touching, banging, kicking, moving, destroying... Today he sat in my lap for about 4 minutes without trying to jump out which is the first time he has done that since we brought him home. He has also started throwing some serious tantrums when he is told "no" or if he is not the center of attention. It must be hard having 3 brothers that all need time too. We tell him all the time that it is a good thing he is so cute!

Although it is challenging to have 4 children ages 3 and under, we feel blessed. God never gives us more than we can handle, and He constantly shows us His provision and hope. Today Kenneth and I were commenting that we can't imagine life without Aiden and Asa. How boring it would be!!!

UPDATE on Aiden

It has now been almost two weeks since we learned of the high enzyme numbers for Aiden's liver. We went to get him an ultrasound on 9-3 which came back normal. The good news is that it does not look diseased and his other organs look good too. The bad news is that we still do not know what is going on. We back to our pediatrician on 9-8 for more blood work. We were hoping that the numbers had at least stabilized or started to decline. His ALT number stabilized but his AST did not. His AST number actually went up 11 points. We are now waiting to see a specialist at UK hospital, and that appointment is not until mid November. For the time being we have to go back to the pediatrician for more blood work on 9-22. If his numbers have not stabilized or gone down we are going to have to see a specialist in Cincinnati.

In other news, we had to take him to an ENT on 9-9. We learned that he will need both his tonsils and adenoids removed. He will also need tubes put in his ears. This surgery is scheduled for 11-12. Right now he has a mild ear infection in one ear and a very bad infection in the other. Poor kid.

I continue to be thankful that God brought Aiden to us and we can, Lord willing, begin to get him the medical care he needs. Thank you to all who have been praying for Aiden and our family.

What I Do Know

On Monday we took Aiden to the doctor for a follow-up. I almost cancelled the appointment because we already have another appointment scheduled for November and I am getting so tired of doctor appointments between the 5 of us. I e-mailed our doctor to just check what the appointment was for. He said that we could wait until November but then we would have to come back again anyways to finish up vaccinations. I decided to keep the appointment because going now with 3 children, as opposed to going with 4 children in a few more months, just makes sense. Am I glad that God had his hand even in that...

In June they did some blood work on Aiden. He tested positive for HEP-A and his liver function numbers came back a little higher than normal at 79. The doctor was concerned but thought this might be due to the HEP-A, which would be leaving his system. When we re-tested his blood on Monday we discovered that the HEP-A is gone, but the liver numbers were in the 300's. 70 is the high end of normal. This is not good.

We do not know what is going on with Aiden's liver. The doctor is very concerned but said that we do not need to panic just yet. We go in tomorrow to get an ultrasound of his liver, and then back to the office on Wednesday to get more blood work. The doctor thinks that because he is so young, and if we get ahead of whatever is going on, there should be no long term affects. We just don't know....

Here is what I do know...
-This is no suprise to God, even if it is a suprise to us.
-God is in total control, no matter what happens.
-This is for our good and God's glory, although we might not see it right now.
-Jesus is the great physician, and we can totally trust Him.
-God could have brought Aiden to our family to spare his life. What would have happened with no medical care, or very little medical care, in Ethiopia?
-God knows exactly what is going on with Aiden and He loves him.
-God is our provider, and He will provide for His children.
-In a way, I am praising God because it has shown Kenneth and I that our hearts hurt for Aiden the same way it would if Noah were in this situation. What a comforting reassurance that we are bonding and feel that he is truly, truly ours.

Please be in prayer for Aiden.

First Steps and Anniversary Weekend

This weekend is our 6 year wedding anniversary! I can honestly say that I am so thankful that I am married to Kenneth and there is no one else I would rather journey through life with! I cannot imagine doing this whole parenting and adoption thing with anyone else!

For our anniversary all we wanted was some rest! Our parents are having the kids over for a sleep-over this weekend so that we can rest in our own bed and not have to wake up with the kids in the morning. The boys are a huge blessing, but are so exhausting too. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to sleeping!!!! What a blessing that all of our boys have great relationships with both sets of grandparents and that the grandparents are willing to give us the gift of rest!

Asa took his first steps on Tuesday! The kid is already everywhere and into everything so I am very excited that he is starting to take his first steps. Maybe by the time Nathan arrives Asa will be a confident walker! It would certainly be nice to not have to carry two babies around everywhere we go.

Aiden has made some progress with his language. He is starting to put two words together more and more. We have a long way to go, but we are getting somewhere!

Noah continues to be an awesome big brother. He is so loving with Asa and so encouraging with Aiden. Although Noah and Aiden have their fair share of fights they are getting along so much better now and we are having to break up less and less bickering and shoving matches.

It feels like things are starting to calm down around our house. I am having less and less days where I feel like I should be locked in a mental facility. Every day gets a little better and a little easier (in general). I am just so thankful for God's grace and his forgiveness when I react in frustration, tiredness and stress. I pray that He would just give me the strength and patience to be the example of Christ that my children need to see in their mother.

Could this be???

Okay, so I don't want to get ahead of myself....but Asa has slept through the night this whole week! 5 nights in a row! Kenneth and I are thrilled beyond belief that this might be the start of a permanent thing for Asa. Although I am still getting up multiple times throughout the night, being in my third trimester of pregnancy, it really helps that I am not having to tend to a crying 10 month old. Praise God! I am still really tired all the time but at least I haven't felt like I would fall over at any moment. Now it feels like my tiredness is more pregnancy related rather than getting up at all hours with other children.

Things at our house are still wild, but we are settling in. Asa seems as though he feels very secure in our family and that he doesn't even remember his life before us. He has become really attached to me in particular. He gets a huge smile when I walk into the room.

Aiden is well attached to Kenneth, but his relationship with me isn't as great as I would have hoped. I know that it will come with time but it is hard. I told Kenneth the other night that it is hard to keep giving and giving and giving and sacrificing when you feel rejected in return. His reply, "Isn't that just like the gospel?" True. Christ keeps giving and giving and giving and sacrificing and so often we reject him in our disobedience and ungrateful attitude. Again, this adoption has taught me so much about the gospel and what it means to be a follower of Christ. I am thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to learn in such a concrete way.