Thursday, January 26, 2012

Day 11, A Lesson in Trust

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Matt purchased some Muesli cereal mix at the grocery store, along with some milk, to try for breakfast.  The container of milk has a cat on it.  Leche de gato? Smile   Me, I’m sticking with Snickers. Smile

 

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We started the morning with 20 minutes of video time, with hopes that Conner wouldn’t vomit.  He didn’t.  Woohoo!  Today was the first day that the really nice caregiver has been back since our very first visit, so she’s been gone for 10 days.  I’m not sure why, but I was SOOOOOOOO happy to see her back today.  She loves the children and does what is best for them, and I’m so grateful that God has placed this special caregivers in our boys’ lives.  She even had one of the blind boys out of his crib, allowing him to walk around the room and play with toys on the floor.  Kudos to this God-sent woman.  We are so very grateful for her.

 

Today was the first day that both Conner and Cooper haven’t had a lot of gas, belches, burps, etc.  I wonder if it’s associated with the sweet caregiver?  Perhaps she feeds them more slowly than the other caregivers do?  I’m not sure, but there was a definite difference, and now that I am thinking back, the very first day we met the boys, they didn’t have a lot of gas or reflux.  In fact, I recall another American mom asking us on our second visit if we’d noticed a lot of reflux with our boys, and at that point we hadn’t, but perhaps that’s simply because the sweet caregiver feeds them slower.  Hmmm, interesting to consider.

 

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Cooper has really gotten to be a handful.  He can be so very sweet and loving and kind and gentle, and he can have loads of fun with tons of giggles and laughter and joy.   But when he decides to hit, Cooper SMACKS us HARD, without warning for the most part.  It’s usually sporadic and unpredictable, but many times it’s while we’re playing with him.  Other times he’ll crawl up behind me when I’m playing with Conner and whack me.  (That I could understand if he’s jealous and doesn’t know how to express it.)

 

We’ve been diligently working with Cooper on trying to teach him not to hit, and there are many times he does very well.  Then there are times that he just blindsides us and starts to laugh just before he knocks us upside the head.  He never hits Conner.  Just the two of us.  I’m trying to figure it out.  Any thoughts on this?

 

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Conner is a sweetie, always.  He never hits.  He’s a snuggler.  And he LOVES to laugh.  He loves to horseplay and roughhouse, and he even giggles when he watches us play with Cooper.  It’s such a delight to see him blossom before our very eyes.

 

This video (directly below) documents how much trust Conner has developed over the past 11 days.  It’s quite miraculous.  I laid him, face up, across a bouncy ball (hippety-hop), and he got so relaxed he almost fell asleep.  The first time I ever tried to set him on a ball, he FREAKED out, terrified.  Now he LOVES to lay on the ball on his tummy and be rolled back and forth, cracking up the whole time.  This was his first time to be in this position on the ball.  I didn’t think he’d like it.  I really thought he’d be scared.  I was shocked to see how much he trusted me and how relaxed his body got as I moved him in various ways on the ball.  I was thinking it would be a good physical therapy position to stretch his spine (since he never gets to move about freely), but never did I think he would act as if I’d just given him a one hour massage!  Wow!

 

Conner’s level of trust got me to thinking about really, I mean really, trusting our Father.  If Conner can trust me so fully in only 11 days of relationship, how much more should we trust our heavenly Father?  The One who cares about us so much that He knows the number of hairs on our heads.  The One who promises to meet our needs more than those of the sparrow, whose needs are met daily.  The One who has never forsaken us.  The One who has never broken a promise.  Why is it that we sometimes lack trust in our Father?  I pray this video of Conner will remind me to ALWAYS trust my Father, even when the view seems upside down and out of focus, full of bumps and twists and turns.  He always knows best, and in His hands, I am always safe, loved beyond measure, chosen and treasured, forever and always, no matter what.  Thank you, Conner, for choosing to trust, and thank you, Jesus, for being the One to teach us that it’s safe to trust when we put our trust in You, for you are faithful and will never let us down.

 

OK, back to our visits, which seem so short now.  The boys expect us.  They reach for us.  Conner has begun expressing his excitement vocally upon our arrival to his room each day.  Cooper automatically crawls to Matt and puts his hands in the air to be picked up.  Conner is usually in the playpen, and he stands up and reaches for me the minute Sasha announces our arrival. Smile  (BTW, Sasha appeared to be ill today.  He was crying, first time I’ve seen him cry or be upset in any way.  I still went over to him and held his little hand, which made him smile.  He seemed to be feeling better for the evening visit.)  We play in the playroom, basically doing the same types of things day in and day out, still rejoicing that the boys get to have freedom and love twice a day, but longing for the day we’ll be able to have them in our home where they can experience freedom and love forever.

 

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Matt must carry Cooper on his shoulders when travel between the boys’ room and the playroom.  When he tries to carry him in any other way, Cooper slaps Matt and makes all kinds of horrible noises that make it look like we’re hurting him. Sad smile

 

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This is the boys’ room.  There are toys on the floor when the sweet caregiver is present.  (Never are there toys with any of the other caregivers.)  That’s Sasha sitting at the little table.  He’s looking back over his shoulder at us, smiling.  Love that boy!

 

Click HERE to watch the videos from today, or I’ve posted them below, whichever works for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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