So Happy Our Boys Are Home…

Many of you have asked about how Conner got his black eye that is in a few of our photos.  I had written a post about it, but hid the post because our adoption hadn’t been finalized and I didn’t want it to jeopardize our case in any way.  Click HERE to read that post and draw your own conclusion about how Conner got his black eye.  I’m just glad he’s home and in our care now.  Praise God for protecting and delivering this sweet bundle of love.

 

Speaking of bundles of love, I took the photo below of our boys’ feet while they were sleeping together at the hospital.  I just LOVE those precious tootsies!!!

 

 

Conner and Cooper are doing well.  Both boys are meeting their nutritional intake requirements (32 ounces of nutrition drink for Conner and 40 ounces for Cooper), and we’re figuring out what each boy needs in order to not be overstimulated.

 

Conner enjoys sitting in this Little Tikes car on our porch.  He doesn’t push the car around, but he enjoys opening and closing the car door all by himself.   Conner CRAVES much more down time than Cooper, and he basically falls apart if he gets overstimulated.  He cries the most pitiful cry I’ve ever heard and seen, a cry that won’t stop until Conner gets into a quiet, safe place.  So, so, so sad, but I’m grateful he cries because many orphans completely lose their voice when no one responds to their cries day in and day out.

 

Thursday was blood draw day for both boys.  We took them to our “local” (30 minutes from home) lab.  Mattie was my helper, and the boys adore her.  She was tickling them and “getting them” (you know that I’m gonna get you game that we all play with babies?), and both Conner and Cooper just laughed and laughed.

 

Until it was time to get blood drawn.  Cooper went first, not by his choosing, but because he bleeds easier, so I figured we should get his out of the way.  Sure enough, one stick, some tears and fussing, and about 2 minutes later, Cooper was all done.  I held Cooper in my lap for his blood draw, then Mattie took him and held him outside the little room we were in while Conner got his blood drawn.

 

Conner is HARD to get blood from, for many reasons.  Oh how he cried and cried and cried.  I think he cries just as much (or more) because he’s so angry about being restrained than the actual pain of the needle sticking him.  He HATES to be restrained.  He doesn’t like anything touching him, unless it’s on his terms.  He pushes away blankets, toys, food, drink, people…anything at all, unless he decides for himself that he wants something.  I’ve found that holding Conner in my lap with him facing outward, away from me, helps him feel safe, but when people are coming at him with needles and tourniquets, he totally freaks.

 

Needless to say, after two pokes accompanied by MANY scream and tears, complete with sweat, the lab tech hoped she had gathered enough blood to complete Conner’s blood tests.  We won’t know until Friday afternoon if it was enough because the blood had to be sent out for testing.

 

After the blood draws, Conner had an extremely difficult time regulating himself.  He throws fits that are directed at injuring himself.  He bangs his head, hits his head, picks the skin off his thumb until it bleeds, and stims crazily.  Poor guy.  I know God will redeem this precious boy, restoring him to a healthy place in God’s perfect timing.

 

I just feel SOOOOOOO grateful to parent these boys.  So grateful for all the ways God is opening eyes to the plight of the orphan.  It seems like every person who sees Conner falls in love with him and wants to know how to help orphans like him, the neglected, malnourished, near-death orphans who have no voice of their own.  I praise God for the opportunities He’s opening through Conner, for the testimony He’s building through our precious sons.  God loves His children dearly.  He has not forgotten them.  He will not leave us as orphans, He will come to us (John 14:18).  Praise Him for His unfailing love and faithfulness.  Sooooooo happy our boys are HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!