Happy 2nd Gotcha Day, Kiefer Thomas!

It’s so hard to believe that it’s just been two years since God sent us Kiefer Thomas Patterson.  Our lives have changed so drastically since the time Kiefer joined our family.  There’s been joy unspeakable, but also grief unimaginable.

 

None of us ever expected Kiefer to come to our family just two weeks before our princess Chrissie’s major open-heart surgery.  None of us ever would have ever guessed that Kiefer would only know his big sissie for just two weeks.  None of us thought for a second that Chrissie wouldn’t come home from the hospital after her surgery, but she would go live with Jesus instead.

 

None of us realized just how much of a special gift from God Kiefer was until Chrissie went to live with Jesus.  It was shortly after Chrissie’s passing that we began to process God’s timing of sending Kiefer to our family.  Before Chrissie’s surgery, we simply couldn’t fathom why God would choose to deliver Kiefer to our family just two weeks before Chrissie’s surgery.  It certainly wasn’t ideal timing to bring a new child into our family just two weeks before Chrissie would endure a massive undertaking to repair her heart.  That meant Mom and Dad would spend many consecutive and continuous days and nights at the hospital, away from our brand new son, Kiefer.  That’s obviously not ideal circumstances for Kiefer either…to be torn out of his culture, his language, his life, and be tossed into a family where Mom and Dad completely disappear just two weeks after going to live with them with no understanding of what was happening or why these new people left or when these new people would ever return…or even IF these new people would ever return!

 

Oh, but God knew.  He knew just how much WE needed Kiefer.  It wasn’t as much about Kiefer needing us as it was about us needing him.  When we came home from the hospital May 19, 2010, without our beloved princess (because she had gone to live with Jesus), we seriously didn’t know how life could possibly go on.  But God knew.  He knew all along.  He knew the smiling face of a precious 23-month-old Haitian boy would surely help us to praise Jesus in our storm.  God knew that having a toddler in our home would force us to get out of bed each morning, knowing we needed to take care of this sweet boy, no matter how much our hearts had shattered because of the loss of Chrissie.  God knew this little Haitian hero would be His chosen vessel to minister to our family through the deepest valley we’ve ever walked.  God knew His very special gift to our family would grow and blossom into an incredible little guy who bubbles with joy, always keeps us laughing, and is the most talented 3-year-old cowboy in all of history.  He can even rope a real cow and ride a real horse!  God knew so much more than we did.  His timing is ALWAYS perfect, even when it doesn’t appear that way.

 

We simply thought we were rescuing an orphan from the horrific aftermath of the earthquake that hit Haiti January 12, 2010, but God knew better.  You see, God used Kiefer to RESCUE us.

 

We know so little as measly humans living on earth.  God is so  much more than we can possibly begin to fathom.  His ways are so much higher.  We praise our Abba Father for trusting us enough to bless us with our little Haitian hero, Kiefer Thomas Patterson.

 

Kiefer, we love and treasure you more than words can convey.  You bring so much joy, love, life, and laughter to our family.  Thank you for being so courageous.  You’ll always be our Haitian hero.

 

Kiefer’s adoption story is told in three parts on our blog:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.  I never know which day to claim as Kiefer’s Gotcha Day because Mattie and I met him April 1, 2010, we began the journey to Texas April 2, but it wasn’t until April 3 that our entire family got to meet him.  And to add even more confusion to the dates, Kiefer was officially adopted December 29, 2010.  Today our family celebrates two years of having Kiefer in our family.  We bow at the Throne of heaven and praise Him for His good and perfect gift of Kiefer Thomas Patterson.

One Month Home

Tomorrow marks the month home anniversary for Conner and Cooper.  My how they’ve changed in just ONE month!!!  Our Jehovah Rapha is MIGHTY to heal!

 

Conner, age 6 years 7 months, came home weighing 16 pounds.  He now weighs 20.8 pounds.  I will post Conner’s measurements on April 4 (exactly a month since I first took his measurements) to show how much he’s physically grown.

 

Cooper, age 6 years 9 months, came home weighing 21 pounds.  He now weighs 30.5 pounds.  I didn’t measure Cooper when we got home because I *thought* he was much healthier than Conner and we wouldn’t see such tremendous increases in his size.  Turns out that Cooper has more health issues than Conner, but Cooper has a fabulous appetite and is gaining weight and growing rapidly, even if I don’t have precise measurements to prove it.

 

I snapped the video below of Cooper learning to chew.  Neither Conner nor Cooper learned how to chew while living in their Eastern European orphanage, mainly because they were fed very liquidy pureed foods via bottle most of their lives.  In the last year of their lives in the orphanage, both boys were spoon fed, but it was the same liquidy pureed mixture, which didn’t require chewing, just rapid gulping as the heaping serving spoon was rapidly forced into their mouths.  Conner still doesn’t want any food in his mouth, other than drinking his nutrition drinks, but Cooper is beginning to show interest in real foods.  He still has a hard time chewing, but he’s accepting bites of food into his mouth and attempting to chew them!  Praise and glory to our King!!!

 

Conner is learning to communicate his desires by using body language instead of oral language.  We’ve been working on sign language and encouraging communication, but both boys remain non-verbal.  However, they are learning to communicate their needs/wants using gestures and sounds, which is a huge step toward verbal communication!  The video below shows Conner trying to communicate to Mattie that he wanted her to toss him in the air.  So precious.  (Please note that the video also shows Conner reprimanding himself.  He slaps his own hand when he knows he’s done something wrong.  He most likely does this because he was hit in the orphanage.)

 

Join us in praising our mighty Father for the work He is doing to restore life and health to both Conner and Cooper!

Introducing…

Cooper Immanuel Patterson

Cooper Immanuel is named after his very special late Nana, Betty Immel.  When my mom unexpectedly passed away Dec. 23, 2011, we knew we wanted to name Cooper after her.  “Immanuel” is the closest we could get to “Immel”, plus it means, “God with us”.

-and-

Conner Christian Patterson

Conner Christian is named after his beloved late sister, Chrissie (Christyn).  “Christian” is the masculine form of “Christyn”, meaning one who holds Christ in his/her heart.

On March 30, 2012, we officially adopted Cooper and Conner  in the state of Texas (in addition to their adoption in Ukraine). The boys will now have Texas birth certificates.  Yeehaw!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNER CHRISTIAN:

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COOPER IMMANUEL

Whew, can we call it quits now?  I’m exhausted!

Psalm 127:3

Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

Tricycling and Worshipping. Priceless.

Selah had her sedated brain MRI and skull CT scans yesterday, but we won’t find out the results until April 5, when we meet with the neurosurgeon and craniofacial surgeon.  The results will determine whether or not Selah will need the second phase or her skull reconstruction.  We’re praying God will (or already has) miraculously healed Selah’s skull so beautifully to where she won’t even need phase 2 of her skull reconstruction.  Jehovah Rapha is able!!!

 

Selah never does well with restraints, nor with anesthesia.  Together, the two make for a VERY unhappy, stressed little girl, for hours…until we get to the car, away from hospital staff, where Selah knows she’s safe.  I love that she knows she’s safe with us, I just wish she didn’t have to endure yucky hospital visits and sedations at all. 

 

Once we got home from our 6.5 hour hospital excursion, Selah was ready to PLAY.  She ran to meet Kiefer and hop on his tricycle so he could push her around.  I love these kiddos so much.  My heart swells with delight to see the sibling relationships God is knitting within our family.  Here’s a video of Kiefer pushing Selah on his tricycle (Conner and Cooper are also sitting outside watching the action):

 

Today we are readopting Conner and Cooper so that they will have Texas birth certificates, and so I will be listed as their mom on their birth certificates.  Because Matt adopted as a married individual in Ukraine (since we filed our dossier that way so I wouldn’t have to travel to Ukraine since Selah was supposed to have phase 2 of her skull reconstruction last fall, at the same time we were supposed to be traveling), I was not able to officially adopt the boys in Ukraine, only Matt could.  Because only Matt adopted the boys (even though I ended up traveling), I need to readopt the boys in the US.  And, because only one parent legally adopted the boys in Ukraine, Conner and Cooper didn’t enter the US as American citizens, like they would have if we had both adopted them in Ukraine.  In order to become American citizens, I need to readopt them, then apply for US citizenship.  (BTW, if you adopt internationally, I highly recommend readoption in the US.  This will allow you to easily obtain your child’s birth certificate in the future, as you would be able to get it from whatever state you readopt in.)

 

Before I close, I wanted to share the video below of Cooper worshipping at church last Sunday.  He LOVES the music, and we all just melt when he voluntarily starts clapping to the beat and/or flapping his arms up and down with excitement.  I haven’t been able to fully capture this on video, but the short clip below shows Cooper flapping his arms with excitement at the same time the worship leader sings, “We are FREE”!!!  Priceless.

 

Casts are on!

Cooper has both of his casts on now, using the Ponseti method of repair for his bilateral club feet. I was surprised to discover the casting position requires bent knees for Cooper for at least six weeks. He will get a new cast every Wednesday, with hopes that his feet will begin moving into a less clubbed position over a six week period.

If the casts work, after six weeks of castings, Cooper will have surgery to clip his heel cord, then be in casts for three more weeks.

If that works and Cooper's feet are no longer clubbed after this nine week procedure, he will be fitted for shoes with bars/braces between them that he will wear every night for three years.

Would you please keep praying for my friend's custody trial for her foster son? I was able to testify yesterday (Tuesday) because the judge and attorneys agreed to my being called out of order since I couldn't come back in the near future due to my schedule. He trial will resume tomorrow (Thursday), but Selah (our 17-month-old) has a sedated brain MRI tomorrow, so I won't be present at the trial. Just keep praying for birth mom's rights to be terminated and for my friend to be filled with His wisdom and His peace that passes all understanding.

Thank you so much!

Castings today

Cooper is in the process of getting his first casts today as he begins the Ponseti method of repair for his bilateral club feet.

Continue praying!

Thank you all for praying for my friend's custody battle with her foster son. I am not allowed to discuss the case, because the judge invoked The Rule, but it is public record that the case will resume Tuesday March 27 at 11:30AM.

If you're in the Houston area and would like to show your support of justice, adoption, fostering, and love, please send me a message and I'll give you the address of where to go and where to sit in court to support my awesome friend.

Keep praying for birth mom's rights to be terminated, as that is in the best interest of the child.

Thank you!

Sent from Lorraine's iPhone