Amy's Blog....: January 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013

borrowed time...

i think daily about the sweet children i know around the world in orphanage cribs. since having brooks, nightly, as i am holding him and making sure his tummy is full, his blankets are just right, the temperature is good, and he's comfortable and cozy, i see their faces, and think of all they have gone with out. man, it makes my heart so sad...it always has, but definitely makes it ache in a new way now, in a momma way. it's almost too much to take, tears fall quicker and last longer now.

so rather than feel like i am doing nothing, i will continue to pray and post again, and again about any of the kids i can.

here's the story for you....and i am pretty sure that every one who actually reads by blog already knows about this little guy, but in case some one else wanders by who doesn't..i had to share. again.

this little boy was one of the first children i held in my arms on my first TEAMWorks trip to ukraine in 2010. since then, we have watched him grow and change, and become stronger, take steps in a walker, sit contentedly in a chair, reach for toys, and make sounds. i leaned over his chair and played patty-cake with him while i was there this summer, i held his hands and talked sweetly to him. the clock has ticked towards that 5th birthday when his time in his baby orphanage would be up...i can't stand that we had to feel dread towards a little one's birthday. by the grace of God, he has been given 6 more months in his orphanage. 6 more months for his family to find him, please join me in praying that a family will commit to bringing him home. he's already on borrowed time, and I am SO thankful for God's protection over him. he's prayed for and loved by many of us here and we are thankful God answered our prayers by protecting him from a move to an institution for another 6 months.

as abby says here, it really is a gift.

Pray that God will find him a family and continue to protect this sweet little guy.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

2 weeks!

(I haven't quite made it to ordering a baby book, so I'm typing all this out so I can remember it and record it later...)

We have made it to just over the 2 week mark, and little fella is doing really great. He is such a good baby, and we are so, so, so thankful. He cries if we aren't fast enough with the bottle, or if he stays awake too long and fights sleep a bit. I have become a pretty good swaddler, and swaddle him up nice and snug at night, and he loves it and I love it because he sleeps longer. We have ranged from waking up every 3 hours to going around 4 hours a few times between bottles. Once I am upright at night, and feeding him I'm good, it's just the initial putting my feet onto the floor part that is hard. It's definitely getting easier as I am feeling better, and getting to know our little man better.

looking around in the morning....

Our first week at home, I was definitely Captain Crazy, and turned into the "fretter" and "crier" here at our house. We joked before baby B got here that Bryan would be the worrier, and I'd be the calm one. Well, I am the one who felt like we were starving him the first week, then I was worried we were feeding him too much, I was worried about his teaspoon of spit up, how he latched onto the bottle, etc... You name it, and I probably said "Oh, I hope (insert, something baby related here) is OK?!?" We started with about an ounce in his bottle, and now at week 2, he is up to 3 ounces! Bryan's line is "Amy, he's fine.." Can I blame the hormones?

smiling after eating and snuggling

I call him "Button" and bryan calls him a variety of things like "pumpkin, sugar, etc." and every now and then I call him by his actual name. :) He soaked his daddy last night for the first time, Bryan was holding him and then all the sudden his shirt was completely wet. I had JUST handed him over to Bryan, so that was great timing on my part.

He's definitely a noisy baby, and makes all these sweet little whimpers and squeaks in his sleep. He's jumpy to loud sounds and startles himself. He's sleeping in a "rock and sleeper" next to the bed, and after the first week, I've actually dimmed the night light off and slept pretty well when he has. We tried a bassinet, but he didn't do great in it, and I wasn't crazy about having him flat on his back while I was asleep, so the incline with the rock and sleeper has made me feel better. I am letting him stretch out flat some during the day, along with some tummy time, and today we started reading books together. He also, loves to get his arms loose from the blankets when he's not swaddled snuggly and throw them up by his face and head. Every time you look over, he's snuck a hand out if possible and it's the first thing he does when I un-swaddle him at night.

picture that my sweet and talented friend Blanca took of button

When we went to his 1 week doctor's appointment and he was down from 8 lb, 3 oz, to 7 lbs, 5 oz, and I was stressing out! However we went back at 2 weeks and he was in the upper 8 lbs range, so that made me feel much better, and our pediatrician's exact words were "don't worry another minute about his eating, he'll be fine..." I get it people, momma needs to chill. :)

i love his head of hair, and pet his head and forehead about a million times a day...

Bryan and I went out to eat at Mojito's Saturday night while Mamaw came over and watched him. They did great, and we enjoyed some mexican food and a few hours out in this freezing cold weather.

i love baby feet...

Bryan is in charge of supplies, making bottles, and changing him. He's better at diapers and changing his clothes than I am. Much more efficient. Bryan had never changed a diaper until he was born, so I think his new skills are very impressive! He really is the best daddy, I can't say enough good things about him. Once again, so thankful.