This House

In March 2009 Mark and I moved into this house.  We had grand plans to make this a 3-4 year home, start our family and eventually either completely relocate or get our dream house on more land in this school district.  No matter what though we knew that when we eventually looked back on our life, this house would be a a big player.  Little did we know what this house would really mean.

So obviously I am feeling a little nostalgic as I pack and prepare for our last few days in our current home.  This house, the one that we thought of as temporary has turned into a home, our home.  I guess I didn't realize how much until things started clearing out.  Allowing the memories to wash over me as I pack is hard.  There are more good than bad which I guess is what most  people hope for, but so much of who I am has been shaped in this house.  

Seven years ago I never could have imagined the stories these walls would be able to tell one day.  Our dreams for a family developed in this house.  It is also the house where those dreams were crushed and reborn into new dreams that are bigger than we could ever have imagined.   These walls held tight my tears for our babies that we would never meet on this earth.  These walls also pulsated with joy the days we saw our Son's pictures for the first time.  It is the house that has welcomed my two beautiful children and the house where they learned what it means to have a Family.  These walls welcomed our babies, sheltered them after 9 surgeries and recoveries.  Oh the stories these walls could tell.

So we keep packing.  We keep moving on because God is good and he has big plans for this family.  Please keep the boys in your prayers the coming weeks.  This is very hard and confusing for them.  Please keep Mark and I in your prayers also.  That we have plenty of patience and give grace because change is hard for everyone.  

Happy Belated 1 year Family Day!!

So life is a little crazy right now.  Mark is commuting for work, we are packing, selling a house, buying a house, therapies, soccer, lots of Dr.'s appt.'s and generalized craziness with a 2 and 5 yr old so this blog post is a little late (sorry Owen).

May 11 2016 marked one year since a very small scared little boy was placed in our arms.  His fear wasn't obvious at first.  In China and even for months after being home he was just such a chill little guy.  You would assume that was just his personality.  A year later we can look back and see it was a coping mechanism.  He is still a pretty chill little guy, but not nearly as withdrawn as those first few months.  He was checking us out, getting a lay of the land and deciding if this was just another temporary placement for him.

Well a year later we have seen so much growth in Owen.  He has a ready smile, a laugh that is so stinking cute you can't help but laugh with him and a big personality.  He has definitely entered the 2's stage.  Lots of "No No No," full on floor thrashing b/c I didn't get another popsicle fits and potty training (although I refuse to admit he is potty training until we are moved but he just kind of decided).

He LOVES his big brother and does absolutely everything Konnor does.  He follows him around everywhere and is learning so much from imitating him.  He is learning his colors and animals.  Loves trucks and trains (b/c really is there anything else to play with ???).  He is starting to like play dough and some occasional coloring.  He is still doing speech and occupational therapy every week and they said he is doing great.   He has developed the cutest smile that hikes up one side of his lip while he squints with one eye on the other side.  It's adorable.

Two weeks ago he learned how to drink from a straw which is HUGE!!!!    That is a really big milestone for a cleft kid so we are ecstatic.  Now that he has some more control through the straw his fluid intake has really increased which has always been a concern.   He has also really started to expand what he will eat.  He is trying more foods and overall eating a much more balanced diet.  He is no longer seeing a Dietician b/c she was so happy with how much he has expanded his diet and he is showing great "catch up" growth.  She said he is eating a balanced diet, we just need to get more calories in him (working on it).  He has grown 4 lbs and almost 6 inches in the last year.  Most of the growth has been in the last few months so hopefully we will squeak onto the growth charts soon.

 With this milestone we have also noticed a big leap in his speech.  Yay!!  He has a lot more words now and is trying to talk more.  We see the cleft team in 2 weeks so we will get a full update on how he is doing at that time.  There is some frustration with speech as expected b/c his comprehension is so much further along than his speech, but this is not our first rodeo so we just do a lot of "show Mama/Papa what you want/need, etc...

His attachment to us is going great.  He actively seeks us out,  looks for us if we are out of sight and comes to us for comfort.  Yay!!  Anytime a child has a history of trauma attachment is always ongoing concern.  For Owen specifically he has had multiple placements prior to coming to us.  What that means is that we will continue to have to prove to him that we will be here and that our family is forever.  I suspicion when we move in 2 weeks we will see some regression as we will once again be changing his entire environment, but we are fully prepared to step up the attachment work to reassure him that we are still here for the long haul.  We have really worked on when he wakes up instead of crying he should say "Mama" or just come get me.  I think crying was automatic for him b/c he would wake up alone and scared.  Well just the last few days he has started getting out of bed and quietly coming to the top of the stairs to say "Mama" in the sweetest little voice.  Yes little guy, I am here, Mama will always be here.

Overall we couldn't have asked for Owen to have adjusted any better to our family.  He is such a smart, funny, loving little boy and just such a blessing to all of us.  We are so thankful to his birth family for choosing life and to God for then choosing us to walk him through life.  Next update will be from our new house, in our new town where we will see what adventures await the Hendricks Family.  

Precious Angel

Officer Hendricks on the case!