Finally a long update...and pictures of Aslynn

“Wisdom is a blessing only to those prepared to absorb it."

I have been so busy with Bryce that I have not been blogging in awhile. I finally told Jon I had to sit down and update a little today. So here I am, sitting on my laptop with the kids playing in the living room, Bryce crawling around the floor and Jon giving Aslynn a bath. I have a moment and I thought, OK its time to chat.

Life has been off and on good for the past 3 weeks since we brought Bryce home. He is so sweet and so gentle its amazing that he has bonded and just became such a part of this family so easily, much more than Aslynn at the beginning. BUT, Aslynn did not have the health issues that Bryce has been going through. With scabies,pox,malnourishment,hospital trips,the abuse he has been through during his time either before his mom left him at the orphanage or there (he has burn marks all over his body, the hospital had to get CPS to talk with us, and we had to prove that he was recently adopted and that there was no way we could have done them in that short of time)

He has been through a lot, I wish I knew, I wish I could talk with him and he could share with me all that he has had to go through to get to our loving home. He was in the orphanage too long, I can start off by saying that. He was dropped off last July. They give us a bday that would put him at 17 months old. BUT we had a bone density test done and they put him at 2 years old. Which this is very disappointing as once a child goes past their first year so malnourished its hard to have them recover in a good amount of time or at all. We have been working with him day in and day out. He is pretty much like a infant, small, tiny, his hands are the smallest little thing. Of course because of Rickets his head sticks out and is large, his tummy bloated, and he has water diarrhea so bad. The doctors have tried 3 different meds and I even started him on one we brought back from Africa. We have tried different formula, as he needs to be on it to gain weight. And we started him on solids, he had never had them before, so that was interesting to teach him to swallow. He is missing hair around his head from being starved for such a long time, he is 5% below for weight for a 17 month old, and 5% below for height.

He is a snuggle bug, smiles, seems so grateful that we are here for him. When he wakes up and I go to get him, he glows and beams like "wow she is still here, and she is not leaving me"

He can crawl, now can sit up by himself, and go from sitting up and back to tummy alone. We practice 2 to 3 times a day with him standing and building his legs. He does not like this at all, he wobbles but holds on to the chair and sweats and gets a work out from it. You can tell he is trying and fighting and getting stronger daily. When we first got him he could not use the lower part of his body, he was in the crib for over a year, the nannies said he got out about 1 time a day, but sharing a crib and just laying there has made his legs bowed and so oddly twisted. He can turn his feet completely backwards, its so strange.

The hospital did mental tests and he is ok and not retarded in anyway, just very behind and needs love and a family that has the patience to focus on him. Its hard, I will admit it. I did not know what I was getting into. I don't have family or friends that help or give me a break, so its a constant daily battle to work with him. In the beginning he wouldn't wake up, it would take us almost 2 hours, and he wouldn't eat, that is why we had to get him to the hospital and on IVs. Now he eats, and he wakes up, he is getting stronger daily, if he is outside in the heat it wears him out and he passes out, so he is inside pretty much from car to house.
I cant really go anywhere or run errands until Jon comes home from work because he has constant water poop that leaks and explodes everywhere. Aslynn caught it, Kenzie did, I did, Jon did, and then we all recovered but Bryce. We hope that soon it will fade away or die down a little so that we can leave the house without a big mess all over us and where ever we are at.

He is a tiny little blessing that I think God gave us to learn from. I pray that he can grow and become a normal boy that can catch up to his age and really go full force in the world.

Having 2 babies 3 months apart is more work than I thought it would be. But having 4 is not that bad. Just the diapers, and cups of milk, and feeding and fighting over toys, that's the downfall. The good point is they talk and babble to each other and you can tell they have a special bond.

Makenzie and Logan love them both and just kiss and hug on them, we have all become so attached to them both, its like they came from my tummy and nowhere else.
I am happy we did the adoptions, I would not change my mind or decision for one second as I see what I can offer and how I can make life better for these 2 babies. I know its only 2 out of millions of children out there, but its a start, and maybe someone will see what I am doing and follow along and we can help and save these children from disease,death,abandonment.

I wish I was more prepared with Bryce and all that he has wrong. All the medical reports the agency gave me were false,and when Jon brought home his actually file there were pages and pages of information,illness, etc that was not disclosed to us. We learned more than we knew and wow this kid has been to hell and back. I think God had us NOT bring him home in May because I don't think he would have lived for the plane ride. He was no malnourished when we got there, and the visa was not there, and of course the condition he was in. There is no way he would have survived the flight. Jon flying him home this time was hard and Jon kept having to check that he was still breathing. It was a rough flight but he made it and he is doing better day by day.

I had to post some pictures, I guess since I am talking about Bryce they should be of him, but I am doing by date, so these are Aslynn, my little walker, chatter,independent girl that has the funniest attitude and just owns you and the world just better move aside. Bryce is shy and appreciative that you give him love and attention, Aslynn could careless and push you away to go to the next person or a toy. 2 totally different personalities, but again Aslynn was only in the orphanage for about 4 months. Bryce over a year and he zones to his own world in high stress situations. Its sad what can happen to a child that has not gotten love, attention, touch, and fed. I see now the flip side of the 2 different children, and would not know the full effect if I did not get Bryce. We are happy with our decision, with the 4 children and we cant wait to see them all grow up to be loving,open minded, aware of the world and its surroundings and most of all know where they all came from and how they all are connected with loving arms and hearts.

God is good, and I pray the days ahead get better for Bryce (he has gotten 4 teeth just in 3 weeks) and he grows and flourishes in our environment.