Thanksgiving 2012

After 3 days of the nasty stomach bug (all 3 of us) we were able to enjoy today. We could stomach turkey, mashed potato's and even a bite of cookie cake. Luke enjoyed playing with his cousins on both sides even though it was hard for him to say good bye. Tomorrow we will put up our Christmas tree and try to calm down his rather excited brain. I am so thankful for so many things but I love being Luke Davidson's mommy most of all. Even if he is the hardest job I have ever had :o) Happy Thanksgiving!

And So It Begins

Last night we went to the first of 10 foster/adoption classes through Missouri Baptist Children's Home. We are very excited about this new ride we are about to take. Our main goal is to be there for children with attachment issues or other therapeutic range of issues. This I can tell you is not me, I do not have the power, strength or patients to care for these children but Christ has laid this on our hearts and has given us the spiritual tools to do it. He has put the right people and the right organization in place to make this work. We have fostered before but it was without professional training and we feel that this time around we are going to be fully prepared. We also feel after our first attempt at fostering that we know what we can and can't handle with a just turned three year old who has attachment issues himself. We are not in this to just adopt but to be there for the small victims of the world. However, if God puts a child here and wants it to stay, we will be more than happy to adopt.....but that is simply not up to us :O)

Big Boy Room!

 

Now that Luke is three I thought it was time for his jungle baby room to go to whatever fosters come our way. Luke's favorite things in life are still trains so I found it a good place to start. I found a Pottery Barn Kids train quilt,sheets and sham at a yard sale and put in some Ethiopian fun and the room came together great. He is very happy with is "train room" but let me know it was a lot of "new" my sweet boy struggles with change. He sat there one night and pointed all all the new things in the room. In turn I showed his all of the things that stayed the same...and it seemed to help him cope. I made this with some of Luke's old clothes and I am very happy with how it turned out.

Three

Yes, our sweet baby boy is three. He turned 2 last September and because of some immigration issues he turned 3 on July 14th. He had a swimming party with all of his/our closet friends and family. Luke is happy, sweet, energetic and fun and he wears me out each day. We love him more and more with each day that passes. I never understood Gods love for us until I had a Luke. Gods blessing to my three year old.

School

This is a tough subject for our family. We have been planning to home school our children since we got married some 10 years ago. However after caring for Luke the last year we have learned that for now he needs some extra help that I can't give. He will be starting preschool next month and recieveing some extra OT, PT and language. In the past few months he has come so far and I feel like I am getting my life back again. He can now calm himself on his own and his jaw strength is so much better than it was a year ago!! The boy is smart I tell you and this is going to benifit him in so many ways. I am so excited that he is going to get the extra help that he needs but I am strugging with the part where I let him go.

Two years ago today!

Happy Adoption day Luke!!! Two years ago today I teared as we left the embassy in Ethiopia with your Visa. I was overwhelmed that after looking for years and years God handed us our baby. I love you with all my heart. I love you now and I loved you then and I even loved you before we knew who you were. You struggles make me stronger and make me understand this world and and what people need even better. Mommy

If you didn't know it.

If you didn't know it the last year has been a little difficult for us. About a year ago we started to notice that Luke was really struggling. His first year home was pretty smooth, he was happy and healthy and so much fun. One day we noticed that he was not as happy, not as fun and very frustrated. It came and went but someday were worse then others.  We let it go for a while thinking it was just that he was getting close to being two. Finally I took him to his pediatrician which ended in a trip to the neurologist and a phone call to first steps. A very long story short Luke struggles with attachment and sensory issues.  He has been getting PT and OT since November and we also found the most awesome attachment counselor and we are seeing vast improvement. In February he got tubes in his ears and this improved the sensory issues by 90%! He still gets OT and PT once a week but we see a such a huge improvement. Luke is bright, he is very bright but laying in a crib was very, very hard on him. He had no one to calm him on the scary nights our change him when he was wet. I did not understand the impact that orphanage life could have on an infant. We have learned so much over the last few years and I praise God for giving us the opportunity to parent Luke. He is such a joy. I can't believe that we have known our sweet, funny little guy for two years now. It feels like yesterday and in the same breath if feels as if I have known him forever. I love you sweet Luke.....

Easter 2012

We had a wonderful day celebrating that our Lord is not dead but still alive!!!

Early Spring

We have been so blessed to have an early Spring this year! Luke enjoys playing on our deck with his trains, cars and trucks and running the back yard. It seems that he is turning into quite a big boy these days. His jumping, playing and laughing all have gotten bigger, rougher and louder. He is my sweetie and I love him more and more each day that passes. Luke has been through a lot this year and when I get the energy I will tell you about it but for now all is well.

Tubes

THEY WORKED!!! I forgot how sweet my boy was...he has been struggling for a while now. His hearing has improved and so has his speech and more important his MOOD!! He has fluid in both ears but his right ear was packed full of fluid so therefore his equilibrium was off causing him to dislike slides,steps,swings and playground equipment. Last Saturday he played his heart out at our local play ground...JOY!

Ears and OT

We took Luke to an ENT last week and it was determined that he needs tubes. He has had some ear aches but more important he has a fluid build up that won't go away on its own. He also had his hearing tested and he does have some hearing loss. They think that the tubes will correct the hearing loss and improve his speech. If you know Luke well you know he talks a lot but not many can catch onto what he is saying. Being mommy I understand him completely so why can't they :o)

Luke is also getting Occupational Therapy for some sensory issues that have been affecting him. We are told that he should do well and that they believe that this is a direct impact from orphan life....it just lingers on. Luke is a trooper and he hangs in there well. You should have seen him during his hearing test. He sat up in the big chair all by himself and glanced at me for approval often :o)

Luke melts my heart more everyday and more important his is finally melting too!