Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New Name

The Deejanator recently left a comment suggesting we change the name of our blog (was Bringing Our Boys Home).

I wanted to come up with something appropriate, something that speaks to who we are and what we are about. I thought maybe it should have deep meaning, but quickly changed my mind.

So, we are now Adventures in Chaos. It is definitely chaos, but good chaos!

And Again

Tristan did it again.

I saw it this time.

Gone are the days of him staying where I put him, huh?

Tristan Rolled Over...

...and we missed it! :(

Last night I was cooking food to bring to our Bible Study group. Chuck was sitting with the boys at the dining room table and Tristan was on a blanket in the living room on his back (within eyeshot of Chuck at the table).

I came out to the living room and noticed Tristan was on his belly - and he wasn't screaming. Tristan hates hates hates tummy time. So I said to Chuck, "Oh, you're doing tummy time with Tristan and he's not hating it." To which Chuck replied, "What are you talking about?" That's when we realized that Tristan rolled over on his own. Go Tristan!

In other news, Samuel is sick. He's running a temperature of 103 and is laying on the couch as I type. That is not normal Samuel behavior at all. If either kid is going to lay down for a few minutes, it's Noah. So, we are waiting for the doctor's office to open so we can get him an appointment. Poor guy.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas

An awesome Christmas Eve service...

New pj's for everyone...

Three little boys in bed...

A tree lit up with gifts piled under it...

A giddy Grandma arriving in 14 hours...

Christmas this year will be unlike anything Chuck and I have experienced before. My heart is so full I can barely breathe. God is good.

I pray that your family has a wonderful Christmas and that it is centered around Jesus instead of stuff. Because stuff fades away, but eternity does not.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Movin' on Up

Tristan has moved up to size 3 diapers.

Where does the time go??!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Tristan

Tristan's doctor appointment went well today. He's over the 100th percentile for height at 27 inches and is in the 95th percentile for weight. He is a whopping 16 lbs 10 oz. Another 8 oz and he'll double his birth weight. He is 18 weeks old today.

My doctor doesn't suggest introducing rice cereal until 6 months old, so we will start that in mid February.

Other than screaming his head off right after his shots he is doing fine. No fussing - he's happy as can be.

Oh, and by the way, Tristan is totally getting his height and weight from his father. I weighed 16 lbs at a year and never made it past 5 ft 2 in (with shoes on...).

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Random Thoughts Before Bed

My bloglessness lately has not been because of lack of material. There are just not enough hours in the day. Or maybe there are too many. Definitely not enough sleeping hours, but I digress. Here are some things I've been meaning to blog about.
  • We are having family pictures taken tomorrow. For free. I love free. Someone left a comment on my blog a few months back about an organization called Celebrate Adoption. They work with photographers all over the country to provide free family pictures to newly adoptive families. We are doing pictures at the beach and we're really hoping the weather cooperates.
  • Tristan is so very close to rolling over. Any day now.
  • Tristan is still waking up throughout the night. I think it is due to his addiction to his pacifier. Lack of sleep has the ability to make me crazy. I hope I get a good stretch of sleep soon.
  • Noah and Samuel are enjoying calling me Juli. They do so about 50% of the time. Especially Noah. We are constantly reminding them to call me Mommy.
  • Tristan goes to the doctor tomorrow. We'll see just how chunky he is. I'm guessing he's over 16lbs now. We shall see.
  • If you would, please pray for the McDonald family. Their kids' visa appointment is tomorrow morning. They are really hoping to bring their three girls home from Haiti before Christmas. What a gift that would be!
  • There are lots of families adopting from Haiti who are stuck in various steps. Some have waited A REALLY LONG TIME. Please pray for these families as they weather another Christmas without their kids home. I know what that's like. It's hard.
  • Today the pest control guy was here to spray for bugs. After he left Noah said, "By uhh uhh Grandpa." He knew it wasn't Papa (Chuck), but he worked really hard to give the guy a name. Even funnier is that the guy was probably in his 30s. Luckily he didn't hear it.
  • Chuck has gotten in the habit of telling the boys to give him some sugar when he wants a kiss. Samuel will now only kiss me if I ask for sugar. He is seriously a hilarious kid. Noah is too, but he doesn't mean to be. Samuel likes to be funny and he is really good at it.
  • The other night I went to check on the boys before going to bed and found Noah in Samuel's bed. When they first came home they slept together, but they've been sleeping separately for probably 2 1/2 months now. It was so sweet to see, but really makes me wonder why. Did the poor guy have a bad dream?? I'm so grateful they have each other.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of for now. Off to sleep I go.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Any Recommendations??

Okay, so the clothing is purchased, the money is set aside, and now all we need to do is make an appointment for family pictures.

Who do you recommend?? What suggestions and tips would you give me to make this go smoothly? What time of day is best? Worst? What should I expect to spend?

Locals, can you tell me of great experiences you've had locally? Any good deals you know of?

Thanks!

Post of Pictures

Sleeping Baby...

Thanksgiving Day

Having Fun During the First Snow

Sleeping with thier butts up in the air!

Grandpa and the boys.

The bunnies needed a diaper change, too.

Samuel licking snow.

Samuel nurses the bunny.

Love offerings...

Noah nurses his bunny.

Couch Potato

Hanging out with friends.

Tristan moves all around on his mat - even off of it!

Daddy reading to the boys.

Silly Samuel

Huge


Tristan, who will officially be four months old on Monday, is wearing a nine month outfit today.
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It's been hanging in his closet, and I've assumed it is still too big. Chuck decided to dress him in it this morning and it fits just fine.
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If breastmilk alone has chunked him up like this, what is going to happen when we begin to add food later this month??
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If he could get them off his hands, he'd be eating his fingers and thumbs. He chows on them. Good thing they don't come off!
'
He is SUCH a cutie!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Gratitude

For the last week I've been reflecting on things I'm grateful for.

One of the things I'm so totally grateful for is just how excited people are to see the twins. They have quite the fan club. And it does my heart well to see them so loved and wanted. I'm not sure how much they get it now, but I know that one day they will realize that SO MANY people love them and are so happy that they are a part of our family. They will know how much they were prayed for. And that is such a gift.

While posting about gratitude, I can't help but post about yesterday.

My friend Debbie and her four kids came over. Not only did they come over and provide adult conversation AND kid fun, they also brought lunch for everyone and hot wheels! The boys had so much fun with their friends and I had fun with Debbie. Since she was here, I was brave enough to go outside with all three boys and I found out it's not so hard. The weather was great - 60 degrees! The twins had a great time playing in the yard. I had forgotten how many outside toys we have in our toybox out there. Tristan hung out in the Baby Bjorn and I picked up sticks in the yard with the grabber. Yesterday was so nice on so many levels. Thank you, Debbie!!

Nehemiah 8:10 says that, "...the joy of the Lord is your strength." That verse makes me think of Debbie. She has FOUR little kids. One is deaf (but hears with a cochlear implant) and was born prematurely. Another is adopted and has some challenging behavior at times. But Debbie is always happy. She is always doing for others. She is such an example to me of how the joy of the Lord is our strength. I just had to share that. I know you are reading this, Debbie, so thank you for being who you are and allowing God to work through you.

Oh, and Debbie and her husband, Pete, were a driving force in our decision to adopt. They spent many Sundays after church talking to us in the parking lot after church about adoption. It was Debbie who first mentioned that we should adopt from Haiti. It was also Debbie who encouraged us to adopt before having biological children.

Friday, December 05, 2008

For SNL Fans Only

Funny story.

So, the boys were playing with some rubber ducks and some stacking boxes.

Noah came over to me all excited and showed me his rubber duck inside of a small box. I said, "Oh look, it's your duck in a box." And the I totally busted out laughing. It reminded me of a favorite video on Saturday Night Live.

This will probably offend someone. Just a warning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwbxEfy7fg

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving and an Update

I really wanted to post on Thanksgiving, but I never got to it. So, Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all. We obviously have much to be thankful for - simply by living in the US. This year I am especially thankful for all the ways God has blessed us. Our children are home, we have a healthy baby, every single need we've had has been met and surpassed. God is good and I give thanks to Him for all these things.

Now, for an update of what's been going on around here:

    • Grandpa (my Dad) is here visiting - he's been here since Monday and is leaving tomorrow. We are having lots of fun.
    • My turkey (12 lb) cooked in less than two hours in my roaster. I have never had a turkey cook so fast. My mom bought me the roaster because I have a mini oven. I'm glad I had it - I only have one rack in my oven.
    • The poor cats have had enough. If the boys come to close they now swat at them. Good thing they don't have claws. This, of course, freaks the boys out bad.
    • Chuck is going to be away two nights this week on a work retreat. I am not looking forward to triple duty by myself. Please pray for me.
    • We had our futon in the twins' room in case they needed us close at night. We've been very blessed that they have no sleep issues (although Samuel is a very light sleeper and wakes up at the crack of dawn...). We pulled the futon out of their room yesterday and it makes their room SO much bigger.
    • The futon got moved into the baby's room since my mom is coming for Christmas and will need somewhere to sleep. In the past we've put our guests in our room and Chuck and I just sleep in the living room since we go to sleep late and get up early. That works fine for a long weekend, but not for a week at a time.
    • My mom is coming to visit! She'll be flying in on Christmas Day and returning home on New Year's Eve.
    • Chuck and my Dad fixed some screens on our screened porch that were pushed out earlier this year. Things like that make me so happy.
    • Tristan is not sleeping through the night lately. It is making me crazy. I'm a girl who needs sleep. Uninterrupted, quality sleep. I have not been getting that lately. Today I tried to nap while the baby napped. The twins chose that time to have meltdowns (which Chuck handled well). And I had a tickle in my throat, but I couldn't cough because I was sleeping on the futon in the baby's room and was afraid I'd wake him up. Ugh. I rarely have the opportunity to nap and I was really frustrated that my attempt today failed.
    • Tristan has moved into 6 month clothing. I'm sure he is 15 lbs by now. I weighed 16 lbs at a year.
    • We got to visit with some great friends on Friday. Brian, Robin, and Shannon live in Charlotte and we don't get to see them very often. It was fun hanging out. They are expecting another daughter soon.
    • Chuck and a group from our church did an awesome outreach event very early Friday morning. They gathered at 3:30 a.m. and handed out coffee, hot cocoa, and granola bars to people waiting in lines at stores. The goal was to show God's love in a practical way to people in our community. The people loved it!
    • I was disappointed with the Black Friday sales. Not that I was going out to shop - but I was really disappointed. It's kind of funny how very different life is now. In the past I've looked through the ads over coffee on Thanksgiving morning. This year I didn't even look through half of them and it didn't happen until just before I went to bed. Kids change everything!
    • We are going back to bathtime at night. We did morning baths for a while, but we've decided to go back to evening baths. We've been eating dinner at 6 and then going right into bedtime. The problem with this is that the boys are drinking a full cup of milk right before bed. We'd like to have their liquid intake stopped an hour before bedtime. That's impossible if we eat at 6 and put them to bed at 7. So, we are going to try out eating at 5:30, baths at 6:15ish and then bed. How does your family handle dinner, baths, and bedtimes?
    • I have lots of friends adopting from all over the world. A few of them have run into some snags lately. If you think to, please pray for adoptions in general and specifically for families having a hard time. The wait is heart-wrenching and when you add problems to the wait, it can seem unbearable.
    • I'm going stir crazy in the house. It is cold and wet out, plus we need to fence off the back yard, so we can't go outside. It is just about impossible for me to go out (away from the house) with all three kids on my own. I would do it if I had to, but one meltdown or diaper blowout could put us in a tailspin. We love visitors. Please come and see us! Seriously. Call me (or email!). I may not think to call and invite you, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love seeing you. I would. Adult conversation is very much appreciated!
    • I have taken almost no pictures this month because my camera has been acting up. Chuck thinks he has it fixed, but we will see. It's been eating batteries or not even recognizing them. I have rechargeable batteries, but they only last for about 5 pictures. Frustrating! I don't have money to replace the camera, plus it's not very old.
    • There aren't many foods I indulge in this time of year. I don't really have favorite holiday food, but I am a complete sucker for clementines. I love those little guys!
    • I have gotten really bad at returning emails. If you've emailed me and I haven't responded, I'm sorry. I have this habit of looking at email when I'm nursing Tristan and I can't respond. Then I forget to respond later (or I never get the time to look at it again). So, if you've emailed me and I haven't replied and you need to hear from me, please shoot me another email.

Sorry, that turned into a complete brain dump. I'll try to post more often so that I don't have to do these brain dumps. I should have a few pictures to post soon, too.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

"Eber?"


Tucking the boys into bed at night is a special time here at our house. We have a definite routine that we follow. Part of that routine involves telling the boys that "you are my little boy forever." Since the start Noah will repeat, "eber?" I assumed he was just repeating the last word he heard, which is common for kids his age. Because he says it with a questioning tone, Chuck assumed he was questioning if he was saying it right. He certainly didn't know what we were saying in the beginning, and I question if he understands the meaning still.

Well, in the last few weeks, as soon as I begin to tuck him in, he starts saying, "Eber?" He says it happily, sometimes giggling. But deep down, I know his little heart needs to know - even though I'm not even sure he knows what it all means. So I kiss him repeatedly and tell him, "Forever and ever and ever!"

Yes, buddy, foreber. You're my little boy foreber.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Aaaahchoo!

We have three little boys with runny noses. Yuck!

Poor Tristan is experiencing his first cold. It's so hard to listen to such a little guy cough. I especially don't like to hear it in the middle of the night. My normal sleep-through-the-night baby is definitely not sleeping through the night.

Noah and Samuel have had their share of colds. Every time I visited them in Haiti they had one. They are old pros at coughing and runny noses. In fact, Samuel gets a tissue and wipes his own nose (all over his face, of course) and then throws it away.

I'm hoping we're all feeling better by the weekend. We don't get out much and I'd hate to miss church. I guess I can be thankful that they all have it at the same time, right?

Friday, November 14, 2008

"Pou Machin"

We have a definite bedtime routine for the twins. Part of that routine is praying. Since they are three and we have a language barrier, we keep it really simple. We thank God for each member of our family and for Jesus. We started out doing it in Creole, but we (Chuck and I) pray in English now. In the past 2-3 weeks we'll start out the prayer and pause and let the boys chime in. Noah, without fail, always thanks God for himself. Repeatedly. Tonight he started us off by thanking God for himself, and then Tristan. I was thrilled that he was "getting it." Then Samuel chimed in and thanked God for Tristan and Mommy and then "pou machin." Pou means for and machin means car. Yes, he thanked God for cars. That boy loves his cars!

Chuck and I had to work SO hard not to bust out laughing.

The cool thing is that I think he understands that we thank God for the things dear to us. Cars are very dear to Samuel. He is infatuated with them.

These guys never cease to amaze me. And they keep us laughing, too!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Someone Found His Feet Today!

Can't you just hear it, "What on earth are these things??"

Question...

Okay, so I'm nearly 13 weeks out from having a c-section. My recovery was rushed since the boys came home three weeks after the baby was born. I was definitely doing stuff that I shouldn't have been doing (like picking up 30+ lb kids). But, I healed well with no problems.

In the last few weeks I've been having pain. Some pain has been at the incision site, some has been in my lower abdomen, but the majority of it has been in my hips. My hips and pelvis seem to really ache sometimes.

So, I'm just wondering if anyone who reads this who has had a c-section has had pain like I'm describing. It's not horrible pain - more annoying than anything else. I hate to make a doctor's appointment to learn that this is "normal."

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Pumping...

In the past I've shared how the boys breastfeed their Spiderman doll. Today, thanks to Auntie Christi and Uncle Jeremy and the doctor kits that they sent, the boys have taken breastfeeding to another level.

When they were checking out their new toys they both immediately took the play syringes to their bare bellies and told me, "Baby let," which translates, "baby milk." Yup, the boys are pumping breastmilk!



Below I've posted a picture of my manual pump and their syringe. Definitely a resemblance!


What is most interesting to me is that I haven't used the manual pump in weeks. The last time I used it was when we were on the road driving to MI and that was 3 weeks ago and they were sleeping!
I'm sorry if it freaks anyone out that they've seen me pump...

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Family Pictures

Lake Michigan

Traveling Tristan

Samuel needs a booster seat...

Samuel at Lake Michigan

Noah at dinner

Noah at Lake Michigan

Chuck carrying the boys

Chuck and the boys

All of us

Tummy Time!




Tummy time is not Tristan's favorite time. He makes it a few minutes and then starts to scream. But, in the last few days his neck has gotten a lot stronger and he can now lift his head up and look at toys. He wanted that cow bad!
I took these pictures today. He is growing up too fast!

Bon Fet, Noah and Samuel!!


Glued to the cars movie!

Getting ready for some cake.


Our sweet boys turned three today! I don't think they really knew what a birthday was, but we showed them!
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We didn't do much until dinner time. After they had their favorite - chicken nuggets - we opened presents and had cake. Noah, in regular fashion, did not like the cake. He wouldn't eat it. Samuel loved it!
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One of our gifts to the boys was the movie, "Cars." Samuel is a fanatic about cars and Noah likes them, too. Samuel was glued to the TV once we put the movie on. We also got them a kiddie Cars sofa to share and they love it.
'
Today really made me reflect over the last three years. Exactly three years ago today I had a realization that our adopted child (yeah, we thought we were adopting one...) was still in the womb. I ended up praying for the boys as they were being born. What a gift! Two years ago I was in Haiti, lucky enough to get to spend their first birthday with them. Last year Chuck and I quietly celebrated their birthday, thinking they'd be home soon. I'm so very grateful that they are home to celebrate their 3rd birthday - and all the ones to follow! It was pure joy doing things and giving gifts that made their little faces light up.

Friday, November 07, 2008

A Request...

Dear Makers of Toys That Make Noise or Music:

As a new mom, I've been introduced to many of your fine toys. Lots of them make music or have sound effects. Actually, most of them do, it seems. I plead with you to improve these toys.

Please, please put volume controls on these toys. Especially the Little Einstein book. And the Hot Rod Grave Digger crashing cars. I'm especially dissapointed in you, Hot Rod, for not putting an on and off switch on the cars.

The makers of the Bouncing Tigger have it all figured out. They put an on and off switch in a hidden place. I hope you make millions for being so parent-friendly.

Please, Toy Makers, don't make us hide the toys from the kids anymore. We feel like bad parents when we hide them.

Sincerely,

Juli Cason

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Toddler Creole

Poo-la - birds of all sorts, including chickens, also used for the chicken we eat
Boo-la - ball, but they are now calling it a goo-la
**They add la to the end of a lot of words. La means there, but it doesn't make sense that they would say boo-la when the ball is in their hands.
Low - water
**They usually say ee-ba in front of low. We have no idea what ee-ba means. Lately they've been adding all-lay to the front of low. They say it as if asking if they can have some (when their cup is within their reach). When they say ee-ba it is more like they are asking for us to get them some.
Mon-jay - eat
Encore - more
Fee-nee - finished, or used if something is all gone; they pronounce it fee-mee
Ma-sheen - all vehicles
Ah-vee-own - airplanes and helicopters
Mimi - definitely cats, but includes other animals, too
Too-too - animals, usually bigger animals; all animals are either mimis or too-toos
Too-lay - socks (not the creole word for socks as far as I can tell)
Let - milk
Shee-tah - sit
All-lay - go
Doe-mee - sleep
Paw - don’t
Ray-tay - stay
Bone-bone - snack or treat
too-shay - touch
We - yes
Mew-zeek - music; Samuel loves his mew-zeek

They still speak a lot of Creole to each other, much of which I have no idea what they are saying. You have to keep in mind that they are two. Their language skills aren't that of a US two year old and think about how many two year olds talk. They make up their own words for things and mispronounce some words. Figuring out what these two are saying isn't easy with the language barrier and the fact that they are speaking at a two year old (or less) level. They understand everything we say to them and repeat things all the time. This morning at breakfast they seemed to catch on that all done is the same as fee-nee. They are learning new words all the time.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Random Cason Stuff

It's been a while since I've posted and my followers (umm, that would be my mom) are demanding a post.

So, what's been happening around here? Well, for starters, the twins are repeating just about everything we say and then busting out with it days later. Just this morning I heard Samuel saying, "What's up big guy?" They both also like to say, "Come on." With a hint of impatience in their voices (just like we say it when trying to get them to eat...). At the moment, Samuel is dancing wildly to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song. He especially loves the Hotdog song at the end of the episode.

Samuel still has Giardia. We are about halfway through the second round of medication. His diapers are horrible. Chuck and I have decided that Giardia has it's own unique smell. Ugh.

We saw the pediatric orthopedic surgeon for Samuel's legs on Friday. I went into that appointment expecting leg braces. However, about two weeks ago it struck me that I could pray for God to heal his legs (yeah, I'm a little slow lately...). I really think God is healing them. They aren't as bad as they were when he came home. They are still quite noticebly bowed, but they aren't what they were 8 weeks ago. And the wonderful news is that the surgeon doesn't want to do anything. He just wants to see him in another 6-8 months. God is good!

Both boys have had a cold the last few weeks. Both have had runny noses, but Samuel has had a nasty cough. Wednesday Chuck took him to the Dr. The Dr just recommended children's Mucinex. Samuel was not excited to see the Dr. Chuck said he screamed and screamed, especially through the examination. Then, as the Dr was leaving the room, Chuck told Samuel to say bye bye to the Dr. Chuck said that Samuel turned off the tears like a switch and happily yelled, "Bye bye!" Funny kid.

Tristan has found his hands. He's known about them for a few weeks, but over the last week he has discovered the joy of chewing on them. He puts his whole fist in his mouth. When he was younger he would do this when hungry, but now he does it right after feedings so I know it's not because he's hungry. Could he be teething? I don't know. He doesn't seem fussy. He just really seems to enjoy munching on his hands.

On Friday we went to the Children's Museum, which is super close to where we live. We joined because we figure we'll go a lot. The place was pretty much empty, probably because it was Halloween. I'm not sure who had more fun - Chuck or Noah and Samuel. We all had a great time, even Tristan. He cruised around in the Baby Bjorn facing out for the first time and seemed to love it.

I haven't forgotten the promised Creole post. I just need to sit down and think about it before I write it.

That's all for now.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

To Clarify...

First of all, I want to thank those of you who left comments on the "True Colors" post. I've decided not to publish any comments on that post. I should have turned off comments to begin with; I apologize.

In regard to the Yahoo group - I've learned that all families with children home outside of staff are removed from the group. That is not how the group has always worked and that is why I was so surprised to be removed. Apparently the group is now for families in process only. So, again, I'd love to hear from families once your kids come home. I've met many of you on trips or on the group and I'd love to know that your kids are finally home.

In regard to hiding my pregnancy. Chuck and I made the decision not to share that I was pregnant for a few reasons, however we did update our homestudy stateside and have it submitted to USCIS. We decided to keep it quiet from FHG and anyone in Haiti. The reason we didn't post it on the blog is because our blog has our last name in it and anyone in Haiti who signed off on our adoption could very easily look us up on the internet, and of course, anyone from FHG could have read about it, too. Our adoption was complete in Haiti when we learned I was pregnant. All that was left was passports and visas. We were concerned, however, that someone in Haiti might abuse their power in issuing our passports. This type of thing happens in Haiti all the time. Ridiculous requests for additional information have been made by power hungy Haitian officials. We chose not to share with FHG that I was pregnat because, well, we didn't trust them. I don't like saying that publicly like this, but based on some communication I've received I feel like I need to be honest about that. We were in a position with FHG that we didn't feel like the best interest of our children or ourselves would be upheld. In addition, because our adoption decrees had been issued, we didn't think it was necessary to disclose my pregnancy to FHG. The adoption was complete, it was just a matter of getting passports and visas issued.

And finally, on the topic of not recommending FHG I have a few additional comments. How long we waited is not the driving force of my lack of recommendation. It should be taken into serious condideration, though, if you are a family looking to adopt from Haiti. Wait times are long in general right now. Ours was even longer than long, though. There are many other concerns that keep us from recommending FHG and it just doesn't seem appropriate today to list those concerns here.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Pregnancy Blog

When I was pregnant with Tristan I kept an anonymous blog. We were afraid that my pregnancy would cause problems with our adoption on the Haiti side of things.

Anyway, now that he is here and the boys have made it home, I've decided to integrate the pregnancy blog into this one.

I don't label my posts, but I did put a "Pregnancy" label on all the posts I've incorporated from the old blog. I didn't leave anything out, accept for the comments.

Happy reading if you're interested.

True Colors

Well, For His Glory Outreach has shown me some of their true colors, yet again.

I logged onto my Yahoo Groups this morning to find that I'm no longer a member of the For His Glory group. I did not remove myself as a member and was given no indication by the moderator that I would be removed.

The case could be made that I don't post on that group or that my kids are home. But, the truth is, plenty of the members have their kids home and plenty of them don't post.

Last year Chuck and I were one of the families that signed a petition asking very pointed questions. We also had some of our own personal concerns about the leadership, which we addressed directly with the Board of Directors. And then we waited another year before our kids came home - interesting, huh?

In my opinion, and this is only my opinion, I was removed from that group simply because I have questioned them in the past. I guess that it doesn't matter to them that I have a true concern for the kids in the orphanage and for the families still waiting to bring their kids home. So, if you are a family still waiting and you read this blog, please share with me when your kids come home. I pray for you and I'd love to know that those prayers have been answered.

I don't want to be vague, so I will plainly say that if you are looking for an orphanage in Haiti to adopt through, I do not recommend For His Glory Outreach, which works with Maison des Enfants de Dieu. If you are working with an agency, some agencies work with Maison as well. Our experience turned sour once we started asking questions. Now, I know some of you who are still waiting don't agree with our feelings for FHG. However, we did not have a good experience and that is the truth. I would suggest that until you walk a mile (for over two and a half years) in our shoes that you not be too quick to comment on what I've posted.

Some will say that by posting this I'm showing a lack of concern for the kids in the orphanage. That is not true. I care deeply for those kids. I visited with them 5 times. I got to know the kids. I know some of the kids still waiting for families. However, I cannot recommend FHG based on the experience we've had. Things need to change before I could make that recommendation. It would be unfair to a family new to Haitian adoption for me to say all was rosy with our adoption. It was not. It got very ugly at times. Very ugly. It's not my intention to share publicly the details, unless led by the Lord to do so.

That's all I have to say about that.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Brain Dump

Okay, so I haven't posted much lately and there's been a lot on my mind. Unfortunately I haven't even whipped out the camera in over a week, so I don't have any pictures to post. We did have some pictures of our family taken last weekend when we were at Lake Michigan. I'm waiting for those pictures to be sent to me so that I can share them here. They are the first family pictures we've had taken other than all the pictures taken at the airport. Speaking of which, if you have any pictures of us from that night, please share them with us. We don't have any pictures from our homecoming. Here's a bullet list of what's been happening.
  • Our trip to and from MI went really well. These kids travel well. They also sleep well in other environments. I wondered if they'd be afraid to sleep in new places, but they were A-OK.
  • I'm taking an infant massage class and I'm loving it. Tristan is loving it, too. Plus, the lady who taught our childbirth classes teaches this class and I love her. We go on Tuesday nights.
  • Chuck has been really great about letting me get out in the evenings. Last night I got to hang out with my friend Nicole. It was soooo good.
  • Thank you to everyone who left comments on my diapers and wipes post. I joined BJ's last night and purchased some Luv's for the twins. I'm trying a number of different diapers out on Tristan. He has had two blowouts in the Pampers, so I'm not sure I'll be sticking with them.
  • I'm getting more and more comfortable with three kids. I'm not freaked out anymore when I'm home alone with all three. Sometimes one of them has to sit in a dirty diaper longer than I like or they have to wait for a snack. Much of the time my house is not clean. Not clean at all. But we are getting by and feeling better about it. I was seriously freaked out for a while there. I think a big part of that was just the need to get used to our new way of life around here. We are shifting into a new normal. I do miss the older, simpler days of getting up when I wanted to and going where I want when I want, but I wouldn't trade this for the world.
  • Yesterday Tristan had his 2 month check up (yeah, at 10 weeks). He was 13 lbs 14 oz and 25 inches long. He is a big boy. He got two shots and screamed louder than he ever has before and turned redder than ever before, but he calmed down soon after. I've been reading a ton about immunizations. It is really popular to not immunize, it seems. I believe there are definite risks associated with immunizations and if Tristan had health issues or was a small fry, we probably would have done things differently, but we've decided that the risk of catching some of those diseases is greater than the risk of the immunizations themselves. I'm not posting this for a debate or even a discussion - just sharing our decision on it.
  • Chuck has been sick for quite a while now. He has a chest cold that just won't go away. He went to the Dr and she didn't treat the cold, but gave him 2 of inhalers and a nasal spray and wants to see him again in a month about his chronic cough. She thinks he has asthma, even though he's been tested repeatedly. Two days ago Chuck's eyes started to itch. This morning he looked like a total stoner when he woke up. I made him go to Patient First and he has bacterial pink eye. Yeah, don't go shaking his hand! The Dr told him that his cold is pushing itself out through his eyes. Sick! When you add together the eye infection, the cold that won't go away, his constant back issues (Chuck had a lower lumbar fusion done in 2005 and has chronic pain because of it), and the plantar fasciitis that he developed during our trip to pick up the boys, it seems pretty obvious that he's under some kind of attack.
  • About a year and a half ago my Dr was concerned I might be on the verge of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Normal blood sugar tests on me always come back normal, but my A1C level was at the high end of normal. She decided to put me on a Type 2 Diabetes medication. I did that for 6 months and modified my diet for most of that time so that I was following the Diabetic Diet. When I saw the Dr in December my A1C level had come down significantly. By then I was pregnant so she turned me over to my OBGYN for care. They suggested I still take the medication, but I wasn't comfortable doing so pregnant. I was tested twice for gestational diabetes, but thankfully never developed it. Now that I'm not pregnant anymore, but still overweight, I've decided to go back to following that diet. I have not gone back on the medication, and hope that by dieting and (hopefully!) losing weight I will not need medication. By dieting I mean following the Diabetic Diet. Because I'm breastfeeding I will still consume more calories since I need to.
  • This adjustment into mommyhood hasn't been easy for me. I find myself sometimes wishing I only had a baby to take care of or that I wish I only had the twins to take care of. Either of those two scenarios would be so much easier than what we have going on here. Don't be mistaken - I want all my kids and I want them all now. Just some wishful thinking when the going gets rough around here. I just feel very tied to the house with all three of them. Going out with Chuck is a lot of work. Trying to get out on my own with all three just seems impossible. I'd love to take the boys to the park during the day, but how do I play with the boys, keep them safe, and carry the baby around? I never thought I'd want or need a triple stroller, but I'm starting to change my mind on that. I'll definitely be watching Craig's List. I have a double side by side stroller that holds Tristan's car seat and we definitely use that a bunch. I'm just now starting to see the benefit of having them all in one stroller together with no one walking.
  • I busted out the Sit and Spin's on Thursday. The boys LOVE THEM. So does Chuck. He spun so fast that he nearly puked.
  • In the mornings Chuck gets up with the twins, gets their breakfast for them, and bathes them every other day. (Yeah, I am a totally blessed woman. I am married to THE MAN!) He also usually gets them dressed. I really enjoy seeing what he dresses them in. The boys have definitely been stylin' these past few days.
  • I will have to do a post on some of the funny things the boys say in Creole. It truly is a post all in itself, but I will tell you now that ALL animals are either a Mimi or at Tutu. All winged creatures are Poo-la's. Poul is chicken. I'm not sure why they add the la. More on this in a post another day.
  • Tristan used to hate his car seat. We took the head bumper thing out and he is much happier. He is totally good with his head now. No more bobble-head baby around here.
  • Tristan and I went to a baby shower today for a little girl. I was having some serious girl-baby envy. It is no secret that we were hoping Tristan would be a girl. We had twin boys on the way. I'm so happy that Tristan is a boy, though. Seeing all those cute pink things today made me really want a baby girl. But, I don't ever want to be pregnant again. Such a dilemma!

That's pretty much all I can think of that's been happening around here. I'll try to get the Creole post up in the next few days.

Friday, October 24, 2008

10 Weeks

Today Tristan is 10 weeks old! I can't believe how the time has flown. He is such a joy. His little baby smile just melts my heart. And my heart breaks when I see him in pain from his reflux. I just thank God for choosing me to be his mommy.

10 weeks old has special sentiment for me because we committed to adopt the twins when they were just 10 weeks old. As I look at Tristan, I can't believe that the boys were that small when we first began their adoption. In fact, they were probably smaller since Tristan is a chunk.

10 weeks has also put a good distance between me and my horrible c-section experience. God has healed my body and continues to mend my heart. I'm not sure I'll really ever get over being in so much pain that I couldn't be excited about seeing Tristan for the first time. That still breaks my heart to think about it. Only a handful of people saw me in those first few hours and days after giving birth and they know how wrecked I was over the whole thing. In fact, our childbirth class teacher was in the hospital and saw me the day after Tristan was born. As I told her of my experience I broke down crying. I'm now taking an infant massage class with her and she has mentioned a few times what a hard time I had early on and has asked with genuine concern how I'm doing now. I rarely let my feelings show like that, so you know I was in bad shape if I was letting it all hang out like that.

The truth is that time does heal. Yes, I remember the pain, but it's not so glaring anymore. The same is true of the adoption. We had a long, harrowing, painful wait. But now that the boys are home, that pain is distant. It's still there and I pray I never forget so that I can stand alongside other adopting friends, but it is definitely a distant pain.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Diapers and Wipes

Okay, everyone, I need your feedback.

Chuck and I were given a ton of diapers and wipes, and we've finally gone through them all. Well, we didn't go through all the baby's diapers, but I had to return his because they leaked. They were Walgreen's brand. I had heard good things about Walgreen's diapers, but Tristan just blows out the sides of them almost every single diaper.

I'm wondering what your favorite diapers and wipes are and why. I also want to know where you buy them and where you get the best deals. I used to belong to BJ's and Sam's Club and I'm wondering if I should join again and buy my diapers there.

Here's what I know about what works and doesn't work and what I like and don't like. Luv's work for the twins. Where's the best place to buy them? At night I use Huggies Overnights and they work great. Again, where can I buy these cheapest? Target diapers also work for them, but I'm wondering if I can get Luv's cheaper elsewhere. It's my goal to get the boys potty trained soon, but with the language barrier that may take some time. I'm sure I'll be using the Overnights for a while.

For the baby I LOVE Pampers. I don't love how much they cost, even with coupons. When he was first born I used Huggies and I think those worked well for him, too. I just haven't bought them in size 2 yet (yes, he's in a size 2 already...). I haven't tried any other diapers on him.

In wipes I've been using Huggies Natural Care Unscented. I've been buying these at the commissary (military grocery store) and Walmart. I usually have a coupon. I like Pampers wipes, too, but find the Huggies cheaper. I don't like Target wipes because they leave behind lint. I also tried the Chub's brand at Babies R Us and I don't like how they smell.

So please, if you have kids in diapers, let me know what you like and don't like and how to get the best deal. I would love to go out on my own and price diapers and wipes, but it's not going to happen anytime soon.

Thanks!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Square Peg in a Round Hole

Last winter my friend Jen and I decided to put together the race car beds for the boys. We figured it would be super easy and quick.

We were wrong.

We fought and fought with those beds. They came with the. lamest. directions. ever. On one of them we had to drill a hole to make it fit together right. We broke out in a sweat putting those beds together and it was winter!

Putting those beds together reminds me of the last 6 weeks. Yes, believe it or not, the twins have been home for six weeks now. My oh my how life has changed in those six weeks. Actually, it changed the moment we took them into the airport in Hait.

The hardest part for me has been losing my freedom and independence. I'm an on-the-go kind of gal. I'm not anymore. There are three little people who need me most of the time. I love being needed by them. I love them. I just struggle with the loss of independence. And it's triple fold. There was no easing into parenthood for Chuck and me. Wham... it happened.

Never has the idea of "dying to self" been more on my mind. I'm a selfish person. I am. I know we all are to some extent, but I am really selfish. When I think of dying to self I think of Linda. I've known Linda for over 8 years now and in that time I've watched her consistently serve her family. It's just what she does, whether she wants to or not. And she does it joyfully. That's how I want to be. I want to learn to die to self in such a way that I'm able to joyfully serve my family. I'm not there yet.

This whole dying to self and instant threefold parenthood has made me feel like a square peg trying hard to fit into a round hole. It has not come natural. It is not an easy fit, but I am being more and more molded. God is definitely at work in me and has done so much in my heart over the last six weeks. These weeks have been hard. Balancing a newborn with the homecoming of the twins has not been easy, but God is showing me more and more how to do it. I've learned to ask for help and accept help. God is good in all of this; whether it comes easy or hard.

On a side note, our family is in Holland, MI this weekend. It is freezing here. Freezing! We are having a good time, though. All three boys have been great in the van. If you think to, please pray for Chuck. He's been sick for six weeks now and is not getting any better. He is feeling pretty rough today. Thanks.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

5 Pounds!

Well, Noah and Samuel aren't the only people in this house who've gained 5 lbs.

No, it wasn't me or Chuck. We are both actually losing weight keeping up with these little people.

That leaves Tristan. He has gained 5 lbs since birth. At 8 1/2 weeks he is 13 lbs 9 oz. Wow!!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Week in Review

Wow. It's been a week since I blogged. Sorry about that! A lot has happened this week.
  • Sunday we went to church again. Tristan did great in the nursery. Chuck kept the boys during worship and communion so I could go into service. That was great! Then I took the boys to the two year old class and hung out with them. They did really well playing with playdough and joining in the classroom activities.
  • Monday we took the kids to our Bible Study group. One of us has been staying home with the kids, but we decided to try taking the kids and it went well. I stayed in the childcare room and the boys had a lot of fun. They cried when it was time to leave. Noah discovered his love for baby dolls and purses while there. That freaked Chuck out a little. Ever since he has been treating his Spiderman like a baby. Chuck saw him nursing it this morning. He holds it and burps it and kisses it, too.
  • Samuel has some serious machin (mah-sheen) love. Machin means car (or truck or bus...). He sees machins everywhere. Even if they are some miniscule part of the background, that is what he zeroes in on. I'm so so glad we did the Car's theme in their room. When he realized he sleeps in a machin he was beside himself with joy. He was kissing his cars one evening this week. He does not even kiss us. He accepts kisses, but I guess he only gives them out to machins for now.
  • Wednesday our friend Erwin came over to watch Tristan during bedtime for the twins. He has been coming over on Wednesdays and we love having him here and Tristan loves him, too. Plus he usually brings us food, and that's a blessing! We watched some House, MD that night, which we love to do.
  • Thursday our friend Suzy came over for dinner and to watch Tristan during bedtime. She brought a chocolate pie, which the boys wouldn't eat. Samuel ate the graham cracker crust because he thought it was bread. They are just not into new things. Even if they like it, they usually take a few tries before they will really eat it. We've been making them try things. No, we don't force food down their throats if that's what you're thinking. We just firmly tell them to try it and they usually do.
  • On Thursday and Friday Chuck took the boys to a nearby municipal airport to watch the planes. When they were watching helicopters take off and land Chuck taught the boys to tell the helicopters to "chita" (shee-tah) as they were landing. Chita means sit down. The boys thought that was hilarious. Chuck says they have quite the fan club at the airport.
  • Thursday night we finished up season four of House after the twins were sleeping. Have I mentioned we love some House?
  • Yesterday the boys went back to the doctor for some more immunizations. Samuel was referred to a pediatric orthopaedic doctor for his legs. The doctor says he has Blount's Disease. We are doing another stool sample to see if their Giardia is gone. We are wondering if maybe Samuel still has it, so we are glad the doctor is retesting. Noah may have ringworm on his head, so we were given a prescription for that, too, as well as a particular shampoo to use on both the boys. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that they have each gained 5 POUNDS in four weeks. Those two can eat!
  • Last night our friend Dominique came over to hang out. We were running late getting the twins to bed so she watched Tristan for us while we put them to bed. Then she and I hung out.
  • Thursday night Tristan slept for NINE hours. He is now a moving sleeper. We lay him down at one end of the crib and he wakes up at the other. He can be quite the grump and has a mean furrow in his eyebrows when he is unhappy about something, but the boy wakes up happy and cooing in the morning. In fact, when he wakes up I don't always know it right away because he doesn't cry. This morning he officially laughed! I was tickling him and he definitely laughed.
  • We are planning a trip to Michigan soon. If you saw my lists for what we need to bring, you'd be amazed. I tend to overpack and with kids I know I will definitely bring more than what I need. Just pray it all fits in the van. We are borrowing a rooftop carrier, so that should help.
  • We are planning to buy a swingset from Walmart soon. If you've bought one of the wooden swingsets from there, please let me know if you like it. Or, if you want to recommend a different one, please leave me a comment. We are looking to spend around $300.
  • We are getting low on plastic bags, so if you have any you want to get rid of, please let us take them from you.
  • Okay, that's all for now. Happy Saturday!

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Tristan, 7 Weeks


I went to Babies R Us to pick up a gift card this morning and got suckered into having pictures of Tristan taken. I got a free 5X7 out of the deal, though. I didn't end up buying any since the cheapest package was $80. If I'm going to spend $80 all three of the kids are going to be photographed.

Anyway, isn't he cute??!!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

4 Weeks Already

Four weeks ago I spent my last night as a mommy in waiting for my long awaited sons. Yes, I had Tristan with me, but there was still an emptiness in my heart that could only be filled once Noah and Samuel were in my arms.

I can't believe it's been four weeks. The first couple of weeks are just a blur in my mind. I'm glad we took pictures and I'm glad I blogged. I spent most of that time terrified. I'm still scared, but I'm not living in fear every moment like I was in the beginning. In some ways it's like they've always been here. In other ways I'm still very much aware of the freedom that I no longer have. It's been said that you forget the pain of the wait once your kids are home. I still remember it. I'm just so busy now that I don't have much time to think about it.

It is amazing to me how resilient these two are. I'm so thankful they have each other. They have grown (physically, too!) by leaps and bounds in this short amount of time. They are beginning to put English words together. They totally understand most of what we say to them in English. Today Noah wanted to stand up and he said, "Stand up." I'm amazed by the ways they are adjusting to our family. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be ripped from everything they knew, but you'd never know it now.

I know that so many of you who read have prayed for us. Thank you. Thank you so much. Your prayers have kept us afloat. God is good and He has given us way more than we could handle in our own strength. We have learned to lean on Him more and ask for help. People have helped us tremendously. Yesterday was the first time I've cooked a real meal since I had the baby. That is amazing. We've had friends come over in the evenings so we can focus on the twins at bedtime. It is humbling to ask for that kind of help. My pride says, "Juli, come on. You can handle this. All kinds of people handle three kids. Why can't you? Just suck it up." And the good news is that I've still asked for help. At my small group on Monday night I broke down and cried and it was a safe place to do that. We are so blessed to be loved and supported like we are.

Chuck is feeling under the weather, so if you could, please say a prayer for his health. He really wants me to have a night off tomorrow (Friday) night. There's a group of friends that get together on Friday nights that I haven't seen in a long time. If he's well enough, I will get to go and see them. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, it's late, and morning comes quite early for me now. I've been up since 5:30 and it's likely that tomorrow will start early, too, since Tristan fell asleep while eating and I couldn't get him to finish. Thanks for checking in on us.

Pa Kriye

Pa Kriye (paw kree-aye) is something we say to the boys. It means, "Don't cry." We use it most when they are whining, but we sometimes say it if they've hurt themselves and we're trying to settle them down.

Poor Chuck has taken more hits to his manhood since the boys have been home than all of his life. They have seriously hurt him a few times. Just now it happened again. Samuel stepped on him. Chuck moaned in pain and Samuel said to him, "Pa Kriye."

Not sure if Samuel was approaching it from the "you got hurt and I'm trying to comfort you" angle or the "don't whine" angle. Either way it was hilarious.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Pictures, Finally

Tristan, 4 weeks old.
Playing with Daddy. Daddy's pretending to be asleep.

Abut 60 lbs of love in Daddy's arms.

Grandma and Tristan.

The picture doesn't do this justice. I was changing Noah's diaper. I was right there. And still he managed to get ahold of the baby powder and sprinke his face with it. How did this happen??

First time at church.

They looked so cute in these hoodies.

Samuel's first ride at the park.

Noah's first ride at the park.

Playing with Daddy.

Tristan, 5 weeks old.

Look how big he is getting!
Love those feet!

Right after a bath.

Riding Daddy.

They love these hats.

Samuel and Daddy. Second time at the park.

Noah riding with Daddy.

Samuel loved the swings and had no fear.

Noah wasn't so sure about the swings and needed Daddy close.

Great Grandma Cason made the quilts on their beds.

Sleeping beauty.

Definitely boys - they loved playing in this box.

Tristan trying out the bumbo seat.