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.

Stuff

Okay, so I'm sorry that I STILL haven't posted any pictures. I'm not doing it tonight either. Sorry.

This morning I had to wake Tristan up at 7:10 to feed him. He had been sleeping since 10:50 p.m. and I wanted him to eat. That's right, folks, the boy slept more than 8 hours. In a row. Yes, Jesus loves me.

Tristan is quite the chunky little monkey. He is officially now wearing 3-6 month clothing. The sleepers weren't a fluke. I believe he has hit the 6 week growth spurt. He's been sleeping a little bit better during the day, but still refuses to sleep in his crib for long during the day. I just love getting to know him and see his personality emerge. He is soooo close to laughing. He is smiling more and more and we enjoy making those smiles happen. I cannot wait to hear him laugh. At the other end of the spectrum, his cry has gotten louder and more piercing. He likes to start it off with a high pitched scream that makes you want to jump out of your skin. I didn't think he could get any louder, but I was wrong. In the hospital I had one nurse tell me, "He cries like a big boy." Another nurse told me he may be the loudest baby they've ever had in the nursery. Good times.

The twins are doing well. Yesterday was a day of pushing boundaries and trying to make me crazy. It was one of those days of parenting that I'll probably never forget. I did not like them. I did not want to be a mom. I wondered what the heck we had gotten ourselves into. I thought of self destructive behaviors I could possibly indulge in. Monday night is our small group night and I knew that my long day was going to be longer than normal because Chuck would only be home for dinner. Midday Chuck texted me and told me that he wanted me to go to small group and that he'd stay home with the kids. I hadn't even shared how hard my day was. Isn't God cool like that? I feel 100 times better today. I shared with the group last night where I was at. They all assured me that they don't always like their kids, either. I know they are praying for us, and boy can I feel it. One guy said that our situation was like watching the news when hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans. He watched our story unfold, knowing it was utter craziness, yet God was allowing it. The group just really rallied around me last night and let me know they are there for me.

I had fun with the boys today. We played in their room while the baby slept in the swing in the living room. I layed down in Noah's bed and told them, "Mommy domi," which means Mommy sleep. They thought that was hilarous. They proceeded to jump on me. We had some good snuggles, too. A friend and her 2 and 3 year old daughters came over this morning. It was fun to watch the kids play and so good to have a friend here to hang out with.

Slowly we are getting used to this three kid thing. I'm still not feeling confident about going out of the house with all three on my own, but we are definitely getting some routine in place here in the house. I was telling my friends last night that EVERYTHING is different from how it used to be and I don't do change well. Furniture is moved around, there's baby equipment and toys everywhere, we did some remodeling in the bathroom, the place smells funky, we are using all kinds of air freshners which make my house smell different. Then add three little people to the mix. And have I mentioned the noise? The noise was what I was looking forward to the least. Pre-kids my house was silent when I was home alone. No TV, no music. Just quiet. Yeah, those days are gone. Don't get me wrong - I love it. I really do. We waited a long time for this. It's just a whole lot of change all at once and it had me pretty freaked out for a while.

Alright, I've rambled long enough and if I ramble any longer I won't get to watch any House, M.D. tonight. Chuck and I love House. Love it.

Got Brave Today

I was not planning to go to church today, but I decided that if I could get myself and all three boys ready by 9:15 we would go.

We went.

It was good. It was nice to see so many friends. I checked Tristan into the nursery and didn't even for a minute feel guilty for handing off my 6 week old son. I used to work in the nursery and I completely trust the people in there. They reported that he was such a good baby. I'm glad he was good for them. He did have a blowout and lost his pants over it.

Noah, Samuel, and I hung out in the lobby and then went into the auditorium for the music. I really thought they'd enjoy it since they dance and clap at home. Um, no. They didn't like how dark it was and how loud it was. They clung to me and we stayed super close to the doors. I finally gave up and went back out to the lobby. After changing their diapers we went to the 2 year old class. I stayed in there with them. We got there in time to have snack - which they loved. Then they played with some home made rattles. I think there was some kind of music theme to the lesson, which we missed. We left a little early and Samuel wasn't happy to leave. He wanted to keep playing with the rattle. As we were walking out, with Samuel on the verge of a meltdown, the teacher came out and gave them each a rattle. They were thrilled. I was too because it solved the meltdown problem. By 5 p.m. I was no longer thrilled. They shook those things all. day. long. They are now hidden in the office and will only come out once I can handle the noise again.

The tricky thing is getting them all loaded in and out of the van. I think I have a system down now. I carried the baby in the Baby Bjorn and held the boys' hands. Our diaper bag is a backpack and I'm glad we chose that style. I feel rather empowered now that I know I can get out and about with all three of them like I did today. Not that I want to do that all the time, but at least I now know I'm not trapped in this house. While I love experiencing this age with Tristan, I'm really looking forward to when he is a little bit bigger. He just still seems so fragile to be going out and about with two big brothers in tow.

Chuck worked on the bathroom for much of the weekend and I'm looking forward to posting some pictures. Yeah, pictures that I still need to download. Sorry about that...

Okay, that's all for now. It is getting late and I still need to watch an episode of House, M.D.

Been a While

Sorry I haven't blogged in days. It's been busy around here. Part of the bloglessness has to do with my disinterest in the computer. It's amazing how getting my kids home has helped me with my internet addiction. Sure, I don't really have time to be surfing the net, but I'm also not OBSESSED with surfing the net either. It's not that I don't care what's going on in the lives of my blog friends. I just don't need to know on an hourly basis anymore :). If you've experienced this, you know what I mean. And if you don't know what I mean I'm sure you think I'm crazy and obsessive and that's true.

So, what's been happening around here? Well, I'll start with the twins. They are just getting more and more comfortable with us and this house and just life in general, it seems. This week they have come out of their shells and have whined (and whined and whined...), they have been telling us "No!" to things, they have been playing much more roughly with Chuck and each other, they are eating more foods, and they are totally understanding a lot of English. They still speak mostly Creole, but they really understand most of what we say.

We learned a few days ago that both boys have Giardia. To tell you the truth, I'm relieved to learn this. Their diapers are SO awful that it's good to know that they have a parasite and that it might be part of why they are so horrendous. We are starting them on meds tomorrow to clear it up.

Today we took the boys to the park. Last week we tried to get them to swing on some swings when we went to the lumberjack competition and they were too scared. My oh my, what a week will do! The boys had fun on the slides and on the swings. Samuel cried when it was time to leave. Speaking of Samuel, he is a total daredevil. Don't let his smaller stature fool you - that kid isn't afraid of much and he has complete trust in Chuck when Chuck throws and flips him around. I have some fun pictures to post once I get them downloaded.

Tristan continues to sleep like a champ (sorry Rockstars...). He does not sleep like a champ during the day, though. He will not sleep in his crib during daylight hours. He is either held, in his bouncy seat, or in the swing. I'm not thrilled about this, but since he's sleeping well in his crib at night I'm okay with it. I'm still not slinging him. I'm just not comfortable with it and he absolutely hates it. I do wear him in the Baby Bjorn when we go out. He's not a super big fan of that, but usually sleeps as we move around. I don't like the Baby Bjorn for around the house because his legs hang out and I'm afraid I'll hurt him with parts of him exposed like that. I'm pretty sure the kid is up to 12 lbs now. The other day I decided to put him in a 3-6 month sleeper, assuming he would swim in it. Um, no, it fits perfect. Today at the dentist office a lady asked me how old he was. When I told her he's 6 weeks old today, she said, "Wow. He's a big boy!" Then she wanted to know how big he was at birth. His gas issues have been a little bit better. By accident we think we figured out that his vitamins are the root of the problem. We forgot to give them for a few days in a row and he was much happier. Then we gave them and he was unhappy. We talked to the Dr and he told us to cut the dose in half and see if that helps. It seems to be working. I'm not sure who anonymously left the comment about the heating pad, but I want to thank you. I tried it the other day and it settled Tristan right down.

Chuck is seriously super dad. I LOVE to watch him with all three boys. He has gotten a real workout with the twins. They love to ride him and be thrown about. He knows how to calm them when they are upset and turn their tears into laughter. Am I a totally blessed woman or what? Plus, Chuck has been real good about making sure I get some time outside of the house in order to maintain sanity. I do have to make fun of him for a second, though. He is watching the Disney Channel as I type. It's not enough that it's on much of the day - he watches it on his own, too!

I'm doing well. Yesterday I had my 6 week check up and I'm cleared for all activities. That makes Chuck very happy, if you know what I'm saying. The doctor who delivered Tristan examined me and she shared a very sobering story. In case you didn't know, Tristan was deliverd via c-section because his heart rate kept decelarting. Upon his delivery we learned that he had a knot in his umbilical cord. You can read more in the birth story if you want, but beware that it is probably the longest post I've ever writen. Anyway, my doctor told me that recently there was another baby that had a knot in it's umbilical cord. Unlike Tristan's decelerating heartrate that would go back up, this baby's heart stopped. The knot became tight and cut off the blood supply to the baby. They weren't able to get the baby out before it was brain dead. I knew that Tristan had been in danger, but hearing that story makes it so clear to me that God was protecting him. I can't imagine the pain of losing a baby like that. My heart goes out to that family. When I was 28 weeks pregnant I came VERY close to switching to a local midwifery center. I'm pretty sure that if I had switched, we would have lost Tristan. The midwifery center would not have monitored the baby like my doctor did. I'm also really glad that I got the epidural because getting the epidural made them watch the baby more closely. And, believe it or not, I'm glad I was induced because being induced made them watch the baby non-stop from the beginning and they were able to see how often his heartrate decelerated throughout my labor. It had been my hope to have as little medical intervention as possible with my labor and delivery, but God knew what Tristan needed. As I looked at my scar tonight I was thankful for it. I'm so thankful that I had a doctor who made the tough call for a c-section even though she knew how much I didn't want one. God is so good.

I'd type more about our week, but Tristan is hungry. No promises on when the pictures will be posted, but I promise that they are worth the wait!

Tristan Rocks

So, last night Mr. Tristan slept for just shy of 8 hours. He is only 5 1/2 weeks old! I guess he takes after his mommy in the sleeping department. That means I slept for 7 1/2 hours. I'm feeling great!

Tristan takes after his daddy in the eating department. The boy can put away some breastmilk! Last Tuesday he was up to 11 lbs already. When Chuck told one of our friends how much he weighs, she laughed and said that her son wasn't that size until he was 4 months old.

Noah and Samuel rock in the sleep department, too. Bedtime has become quite easy and they go right to sleep. They go to bed at 7 p.m. and don't usually wake up until sometime between 6 and 7. Naptime is not quite so good - they only sleep for an hour or so and they don't go to sleep right away. We had to pull toys out of their room so they wouldn't play through naptime. If they don't sleep at naptime, it makes for a whiney rest of the day.

In other news, I got out of the house last night ALONE. Chuck is super dad and let me go to our small group while he stayed home with all three kids. And when I left they were all awake. He managed bed time for the twins and fed the baby. He rocks, too!

I'm beginning to feel less freaked out about having three kids. I get most freaked out when I think about future times - like when Chuck is back to working at the office rather than from home. The truth is that I don't really need him here, I just feel better having him here in case I need him. I've realized I just need to stay in the moment or I will get totally overwhelmed. In order to do this, I have to pray a lot. Most of the time I feel very incompetent for the task God has given me, but I'm learning that I don't get to do this in my own strength because I just don't have that much strength. As I trust in and turn to God more, I feel more peace and serenity in this madness. I can be really hard on myself and wonder what my problem is since lots of people have 3 kids. But I have to remind myself that most people don't end up with two toddlers and a newborn in a matter of weeks. I'm learning to have a little grace with myself and I'm trying not to expect too much from myself in this transitional time.

Okay, gotta go, a poopy diaper is calling my name...

Getting Out

We've had a busy couple of days around here.

Yesterday morning we took the boys in for their bloodwork and Samuel's x-rays. The x-rays were the only part that went well. The bloodwork was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. I only heard the screams. Chuck was the one who held them as they were poked repeatedly. We have a really awesome children's hospital, CHKD, in our area. This was a CHKD affiliated office. We were completely dissapointed with the way the bloodwork was done. Sure, we've only been parents for 36 days now, but we just can't believe that it took sticking both of our sons twice and fishing around for the vein to get blood. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just doesn't seem right.

The boys were given free kid's meal coupons to Red Robin. We got brave and decided to go. We expected meltdowns. We expected problems with eating. We got none of that. The boys were great. You'd never know they'd just been tortured at the doctor's office. They stayed seated the whole time and ate all their lunch. They also each tried eating their crayons, but we put a stop to that. To top it all off, our server was great. She was excited to wait on our family and was a former nanny of twins. God sure was with us at Red Robin!

After that we ran a few errands - the kind where I jump out of the van and come right back. We bought some clippers from Sally's and we'll be cutting the boys' hair sometime soon. For now we are going to keep it short while we all adjust, but we are looking forward to eventually locking the boys' hair.

Today we went out again. We went to a park in Virginia Beach to see a lumberjack competition. We didn't see much of the competition, but we did have some fun with the boys. Both of them were too scared to try the swings, but they did try some other playground equipment. I got a few pictures and I'll eventually do a picture post (DJ!). Afterward we went to a BBQ and stayed for a short while before coming home. The boys were napless today, which became pretty evident at about 5:30. They were falling asleep as we were putting their lotion on tonight. Hopefully they will sleep long and hard. Samuel likes to get up in the wee hours of the morning, though we make him go back to sleep.

I'm thinking of attempting to go to church in the morning. We will see how the morning goes. If the timing is right, I will try. I just don't know how moms do outing with three little people.

Thanks again for all the encouraging comments and great advice. Tristan has been doing a lot better, but got fussy at our 7 p.m. feeding. It's time again to feed him, so I'm hoping he does better this time around and that he sleeps well.

That's all for now!

Still Here

Just a quick note to say we are doing alright. Tomorrow we are taking the boys in for some labwork. Please say a prayer that they make it through ok. Samuel will also have a few x-rays done to rule out rickets. The amazing Terri will be watching Tristan - thank you, Terri!!

I was able to get out of the house for a few hours tonight without ANY kids. It was great. I, of course, spent some of that time at Babies R Us buying stuff for the kids, but it was nice to be a among grown people for a while.

We got a new (well, actually it's used) minivan today. It is the nicest vehicle I've ever had. Carting the kiddos around will be much easier now.

Thank you, everyone, for the helpful and encouraging comments. We got the gripe water and it seems to help some. Any tips for the mad screaming that is happening while I'm nursing the little guy? He cries HARD and eventually stops eating altogether. He also does this when bottle fed breastmilk. If this keeps up I will be taking him for weight checks often to make sure he is eating enough. As of Tuesday he is up to 11 lbs. He was 8 lbs 9 oz at birth and came home at 7 lbs 15 oz. Tomorrow he will be 5 weeks old. Where does the time go?

Noah is officially completely okay with Chuck. Chuck has bathed the boys the last three nights, put lotion on, changed diapers and clothing - all with no problems. Those boys sure do LOVE their daddy. Chuck is working from home and whenever he comes out of the office they run for him. It is so sweet.

The boys have a Tigger toy that jumps and sings when you press it's hand. They love it. We used to. We are seriously thinking of removing the batteries for a day so we can have a break from it. I love my kids but I don't love all their toys!

That's all I can think of to share for now. I'm hoping to get Tristan into his crib now so I can go to sleep.

Harder

Well, things just got harder around here.

Up until 4 days ago, Tristan was the perfect baby. He has been fussy ever since. It's obvious he's having issues with gas. He's also really fussy while nursing and has screamed more in the last few days than he has in his whole life. He won't nap in his crib, either. Yesterday I took him to the Dr and the Dr thinks he might have a little reflux (he just started spitting up, too). Some of his fussiness may have to do with a few things I've eaten recently (I pray that's what it is). Honestly, I can't have a fussy baby AND newly adopted nearly 3 year old twins. If you could, please say a pray that this passes. It has been miserable.

In other news, the boys are now eating string cheese. This is great since they are barely touching their milk. And just today they began eating Goldfish crackers. They are chowing on some right now as I type. Tristan is sleeping in his bouncy seat.

I promised Chuck I would share this funny story. So, on Monday night there was this awful smell as I was sitting on the couch. I assumed it was Chuck. Showers have been few and far between lately and we had both gone 2 days by then without showering. Chuck actually sprayed himself down with Febreeze because whatever the smell was, it was making me sick. The next day I finally got to shower and when I pulled off my socks I learned that the wretched smell was my OWN feet. How sick is that??

Tomorrow we will probably buy a slightly used Dodge Caravan. We were trying to do life with no car payment, but that has equated to breaking down a lot and lots of repair bills. We've prayed about it and have decided to buy a good minivan. We wish we could buy a Toyota Sienna, but we just can't afford one. So, it's the Dodge Caravan. Chuck will probably pick it up tomorrow. This means we are getting rid of our beloved Al the Altima. We've had him since 2001 and we will miss him. He's been a good car and we've replaced so many parts on him that we know he will last a while. Unfortunately he can't transport our entire family from place to place.

Okay, baby is up and hungry. Time for me to go.

Random Monday Thoughts

Well, it's 7 p.m. and I have two little boys in bed. The littlest boy and his daddy went to Bible study together, so it's just me and the twins for a little while. Once they are sleeping, what on earth will I do with myself??

I have a kitchen and dining room to clean up and I plan to call a friend whom I've wanted to talk to for a while. Chuck and I watch House, MD and last night I fell asleep before the end of an episode so I may finish that as well. I should probably sleep, but I can't help but do things that I want to do. My life all day long is serving the little people, so I can't help but stay up and do some things I enjoy. Okay, I don't enjoy cleaning, but I do enjoy it once everything is clean.

My mom and sister went home today. I'm totally sad to see them go. They were a big help. My mom did laundry pretty much non stop while she was here and Christi cooked for us and made some spaghetti sauce for the boys. We have to puree in the ground beef to get them to eat meat, so she did a bunch of that for us. And of course they helped out tremendously with the baby. Seriously, people, how do you make dinner, feed your bigger kids, bathe them, and put them to sleep with an infant to deal with as well? I'm at a loss on how to make it all happen smoothly. There is usually crying going on by at least one little person. I run into the same thing at breakfast and lunch times, too. Is slinging the baby my only option? I'm not sure why, but I just can't seem to get comfortable slinging him. Either he is unhappy in the sling or I'm so afraid he'll fall out or I'll bump him or spill something on him. Any advice would be so appreciated! I know a big part of this is me just getting comfortable with being a mom. I just don't know what the crap I'm doing so much of the time.

For lunch today the boys at macaroni and cheese. I know this isn't the healthiest of choices, but it is a new food and that's a big deal. They also stole a banana right in front of me and tried to eat it with the peel still on it. Samuel usually won't eat bananas, but I guess he likes the stolen variety. Seriously, though, they stole it off the counter right in front of me and I didn't realize it until they were biting into the peel and my sister said, "What does Noah have in his mouth?"

Tristan continues to wake up about 20 minutes after I put him down. The only time he doesn't do this is at night, thank God. He sleeps like a champ at night and I am SO SO thankful for that. I think the little guy is struggling with digestive issues. He'll be just fine and then he'll get all fussy and I'll here his stomach make noises and then he'll mess up his diaper and then he's fine. He also passes a lot of gas. It is so noisy that Chuck and I can't believe those noises are coming from the baby. We put in a call to the doctor late this afternoon and hopefully we'll hear back first thing in the morning.

There's not too much else to share. I think Chuck is going back to work this week, at least part time, and I'm terrified, but I know he needs to get back to work. He was off for a full two weeks and has lots to do. Pray for me.

My entire life feels completely in disarray right now. It has been completely turned upside down. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to finally be a mommy. It's just all so overwhelming at times. I'm trying not to miss out on all the cool stuff each day. I'm also trying not to do too much too soon. There is so much I want to do with and for my kids. I just have to trust in God's perfect timing. Okay, I've officially started to ramble. Time to end. Good night.

Update on the Boys

Things are going pretty good with the boys. Each day brings more trust, more smiles, and more experiences.

Noah is getting more and more comfortable with Chuck. Chuck has been able to change his diaper a number of times now and plays with him a lot. I was able to disappear for 45 minutes and get a much needed shower yesterday and no tears were shed. Noah still reaches for me at meal time and bath time if Chuck tries to help him. Samuel LOVES his daddy. I think he prefers Chuck to me, but he is completely comfortable with me caring for him.

Playtime is getting more active and crazy. The boys just seem to be more and more comfortable in this environment. They run circles through the kitchen, dining room, and living room if given the opportunity to do so. They know that their bedroom is theirs and they willingly go there for naptime and bedtime. Today they spent naptime in separate beds. They are in bed now separately, too. We are completely comfortable with them sharing a bed, but unfortunately one of them usually ends up on the floor. We have the beds pushed up against each other so they can still reach out and touch each other if they want.

Meal time continues to be a struggle. Samuel is a much better eater, which is strange because he is the smaller of the two. He is more willing to try new things and eats more foods than Noah. Noah is VERY picky. In general, he won't try something new. We are eating a lot of spaghetti, rice and beans, and bread. We were able to add peanut butter to the bread a few days ago. Both boys will drink some milk, but not the amount the doctor says they should be driniking. Our doctor recommended that they take Poly-Vi-Sol vitamin drops. Luckily they do like the way that tastes. They enjoy taking medicine. Both of them like liquid Tylenol. Weird.

We went to the doctor on Friday and it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We have a great pediatrician and the boys did really well. Samuel was examined first, with Noah watching intently. He did great. Noah was then examined and cried a little, but did really well considering how scared he is of new things. The doctor was happy with their overall health. They are in the 25th percentile for height and weight. What wasn't fun was the shots. We know the boys were immunized in Haiti, but we have no record of what they received. So, we are starting over. The boys screamed, of course, but I think they did really well. The nurse was super fast. They were both tested for TB and today we checked their arms and there are no bumps - YAY! There is still a lot of labwork to be done and stool samples to get and turn in. Samuel is being x-rayed because his legs are quite bowed. The doctor doesn't believe that it's Rickets, but he wants to make sure. He seems to think that good nutrition is going to help straighten out his legs. The only prescription we received was for eye drops. Noah has a yucky eye infection and so we will treat both boys with some eye drops. I asked about a spot on each of the boys' heads and the doctor says it's not a fungus. I'm not sure I believe that, so I'll wait a little while to see if it clears up.

Today I took the boys to church since my mom and sister were here to help with the baby. Since Chuck works at the church on Sunday mornings, I don't have his help. It will be a while before I attempt taking all three to church. Things are fine if they are all happy, but if anyone has a meltdown I will be in trouble if I'm on my own. Today went well until just as we were leaving. Samuel had a meltdown. I'm not sure what he wanted, but he was not happy that he didn't have it. I really think he was just tired because he fell asleep in the van on the way home. At church I just kept them in the double stoller and gave them cheerios to eat. We got there about 20 minutes after service started and just hung out in the lobby. We have no intention of putting them into children's ministry anytime soon unless I attend with them. They call almost all women Mama and a lot of men Papa. Most bonding and attachment material suggests not leaving them in the care of anyone else for at least 6 months, so we will follow that and see how they are doing at 6 months home.

Overall, things are going really well while we are here at home. We run into problems when we go out in public, it seems. We have lots of physical touch going on, lots of eye contact, and lots of the boys running into our arms for comfort when scared or upset. My favorite time is when we are getting them ready for bed. We put their lotion on and stare into their eyes and tell them how much we love them. It is in these tender moments that my heart overflows with love and gratitude and I'm overcome by the fact that they really are finally home. Last night as I was holding Noah and kissing him and telling him how much I love him he reached up and began caressing my face. It was so, so sweet. Samuel has done the same to Chuck.

Of course, having a newborn puts an added spin on everything. Meal times, bathtime, and getting ready for bed are all very tricky times. Having my mom and sister here this weekend to take care of the baby has been such a blessing. Lots of people have offered their help and Chuck and I are talking about possibly having friends come over to help with the baby between 6 and 7:30 p.m. It's an odd time of day, but it is really when we need the most help. I have thought about doing baths in the morning, and I might do that in the future, but for now we feel that it's really important to have Chuck be a part of bath time.

I'll end this post on a completely off topic and random note - today I got my wedding band back on (it is tight) and I'm wearing shorts from last summer. Yeah, I'm sporting a mad squishy muffin top, but I am totally wearing pre-pregnancy clothes 30 days after having a baby - woohoo!!

Smiles

Tristan is definitely smiling now. Not the gas smiles that newborns have. These are real, in response to us, full face and eyes smiles. It is so cool.

Aunt Christi took some pictures and I'll post a few when she sends them to me.

Van Update

I wanted to post and thank you for the prayers the other day. Our van repair was not very expensive at all, thank God!

Specific Prayers, Please

Hey, if you read this blog and you're praying for us, could you please pray for a few specific things?

Tristan has been doing horrible with napping the last few days. He is fighting sleep hard during the daytime which makes it hard to really focus on the twins.

The twins have had three major freakouts while eating. I'm really not sure what's happening. They seem to see something that terrifies them, but there is nothing there. Nothing.

With how long it took to bring the boys home, I have no doubt that we were under spiritual attack with the adoption. We are starting to think that it has not ended.

So, please pray against spiritual attack on us. We really believe that with how hard we had to fight to get these boys home that God really has great plans for them.

Thanks!

Tristan

Chillin' in the swing.

Deep baby thoughts.

Hmmmm.

What??

Chuck calls this his "power fist."

Daddy is so proud he is displaying the Shaka.

Tough Grandpa

Learning our flight into Haiti was cancelled last Tuesday was very hard news. Even harder was learning that American Airlines couldn't get us rebooked until Friday. We weren't sure what we would do at first and slowly a plan came together. Terri decided she'd return to Norfolk that evening so she could get a few days of work in and then she'd return Thursday evening.
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My Dad lives in central Florida, so we decided that we'd rent a car and drive up to stay with him a few days. On our way we would stop and see the Rockstar Family. Then we'd drive back to Miami on Thursday and stay the night so we could fly into Haiti first thing Friday morning.
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Seeing the Rockstars was awesome. They are an incredible family. We had fun seeing their big family in action. I thought it would be mad chaos, but it wasn't. They have wonderfully behaved kids who are so helpful.
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We made it to my Dad's house really late on Tuesday. He, of course, was thrilled to have us - especially Tristan. I think it is so very special that he got to meet Tristan at such a young age. They hung out a lot. For the most part I had him feed the baby while we were there. It was really cool to see them hanging out together.
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We are really committed to helping Tristan learn how to fall asleep on his own. With three little kids I just can't rock him to sleep each night, nor do I want to get into a routine of doing so that lasts for years. My Dad agreed with us. He told us we'd just have to let him cry it out or we'd be setting ourselves up for hard times. One night we were sitting around the dinner table and he was explaining how we just needed to let him cry. Then, about two minutes later he said, "I'll be right back." Yup, tough Grandpa couldn't let the baby cry. Tough Granpa also hated that we swaddle Tristan for sleep. Tristan's worst enemy is his own hands. He hits himself in the face and wakes himself up. He just sleeps better swaddled.
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Here are some pictures of Grandpa and grandson.

For the Locals

Hey local readers! If you have any spare plastic grocery bags, we'd love to take them off your hands. They are necessary for the diaper situation here and we just don't shop enough to keep up with the poop. Thanks!

Pictures

Noah riding the rocking horse.

Samuel rode first. They were terrified of the horses when they first got home.

In bed together at naptime. They won't sleep separate.

Playing with a ball. They prefer to kick it, especially Samuel.

Naptime on Tuesday on the couch.

Ex-haust-ed on Sunday.

Chuck and Samuel Sunday morning.

Tristan in the pack n play at the hotel in Miami.

Watching cartoons on Daddy's iPod.

Walking through the airport in Miami. They waved to EVERYONE.

Samuel eating chicken strips with a fork.

Noah eating chicken strips with a fork. We were amazed at how well they handled the forks.

Daddy and Samuel on the airplane.

Mommy and Noah on the airplane.

Walking out to the airplane in Haiti.

Waiting in the boarding area in Haiti.

Mommy and Daddy in the airport in Norfolk - FINALLY on our way to get our boys!