It's a bit long (4 mins) and yes I did let him walk into a tree at the end. Opps!
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Going for a walk!
Silas has a little toy walker that he uses to help him walk. On Saturday I took it outside and got some video of him walking and RUNNING with it. We did it again today (sunday) and he did even better. I hope we can soon leave the walker behind and have him walk without it. Right now he could do it I think but he's just not quite confident enough yet.
It's a bit long (4 mins) and yes I did let him walk into a tree at the end. Opps!
It's a bit long (4 mins) and yes I did let him walk into a tree at the end. Opps!
Monday, 30 March 2015
Letter Announcement
This is the letter I sent out to family and friends announcing the next adoption. If you didn't get a copy I'm sorry you were left out! You can read it all here.
I decided it would be nice to announce it with a letter first this time around.
I decided it would be nice to announce it with a letter first this time around.
Adding an Ampersand
That's right!
I am so excited to announce that Silas is going to be a brother!
Ummm...no I'm NOT pregnant.
But I AM adopting again!
I have started the process for another little boy with special needs from Bulgaria.
We don't know who he is yet and we can hardly wait to find out!
My next post will be a copy of the letter that I sent out to as many people as I could. It explains why I'm going back so soon and what the process will be like. :)
Sunday, 1 March 2015
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Good things
Silas ate some popcorn! A sort of crunchy food! He didn't think too much of it but he chewed and swallowed two pieces.
I got about 15 seconds of solid eye contact from Silas at breakfast this morning. We're working on it!
He has learned to pucker up for kisses instead of doing it with a wide open slobbery mouth!
Well, it's a bit slobbery yet. Note the drop of drool on his chin! He was looking at the camera out of the corner of his eye too because this was about the 15th take and he was anticipating the camera shutter. I'm terrible at selfies! lol
We're getting a referral to an ENT who will hopefully give us some insight into what we need to do to help him hear better.
The Bad
Two weeks ago Silas started self harming again. He went two months without gouging at his cheeks. I really thought we were in the clear. So naïve I am.
There was something stressful that happened to him a couple weeks ago where he felt unsafe and scared and I think that that is the cause of this episode. He takes his thumb and just digs into his cheek and works at it until he draws blood. And then he cries because it hurts. But he doesn't cry while he's doing it. This afternoon I thought he was sleeping because it was quiet. I was going to have a shower but I thought I'd better check on him first. Good thing I did! He'd gotten out of his elbow restraints (more on that later) and had been plucking at his other cheek. So now both cheeks are a mess, though one is much worse than the other.
I ended up buying some of these elbow restraints http://snugglewraps.com/
But they will take two weeks to get here at least. So I made some of my own. They don't stay on very well but they're sort of working for now.
I'm also using essential oils on him to help calm him.
And various lotions on his face to help it heal.
The worst cheek was almost healed until last night when mom was here and I was at work. In the early morning he got both restraints off and he made a real mess of his cheek. He must have been at it for a while because by the time he finally cried mom said there was dried blood on his face. :(
It's just so hard to see your baby hurt himself like this. When he has the restraints on he's pretty much his happy little self but as soon as they come off his hands go right to his face.
And that brings me to The Ugly.
Not that I'd ever call him ugly, but the wound on his face certainly doesn't look pretty! This cheek was almost healed until last night.
And to make matters worse he's now developed a cold this weekend! So his cheeks hurt, his eyes are watering and his nose is running, he's all stuffed up and can't breath AND he's got these stinking things on his arms to stop him from touching his face! I feel so bad for him. :(
This too shall pass! I love him so.
Silas ate some popcorn! A sort of crunchy food! He didn't think too much of it but he chewed and swallowed two pieces.
I got about 15 seconds of solid eye contact from Silas at breakfast this morning. We're working on it!
He has learned to pucker up for kisses instead of doing it with a wide open slobbery mouth!
Well, it's a bit slobbery yet. Note the drop of drool on his chin! He was looking at the camera out of the corner of his eye too because this was about the 15th take and he was anticipating the camera shutter. I'm terrible at selfies! lol
We're getting a referral to an ENT who will hopefully give us some insight into what we need to do to help him hear better.
The Bad
Two weeks ago Silas started self harming again. He went two months without gouging at his cheeks. I really thought we were in the clear. So naïve I am.
There was something stressful that happened to him a couple weeks ago where he felt unsafe and scared and I think that that is the cause of this episode. He takes his thumb and just digs into his cheek and works at it until he draws blood. And then he cries because it hurts. But he doesn't cry while he's doing it. This afternoon I thought he was sleeping because it was quiet. I was going to have a shower but I thought I'd better check on him first. Good thing I did! He'd gotten out of his elbow restraints (more on that later) and had been plucking at his other cheek. So now both cheeks are a mess, though one is much worse than the other.
I ended up buying some of these elbow restraints http://snugglewraps.com/
But they will take two weeks to get here at least. So I made some of my own. They don't stay on very well but they're sort of working for now.
I'm also using essential oils on him to help calm him.
And various lotions on his face to help it heal.
The worst cheek was almost healed until last night when mom was here and I was at work. In the early morning he got both restraints off and he made a real mess of his cheek. He must have been at it for a while because by the time he finally cried mom said there was dried blood on his face. :(
It's just so hard to see your baby hurt himself like this. When he has the restraints on he's pretty much his happy little self but as soon as they come off his hands go right to his face.
And that brings me to The Ugly.
Not that I'd ever call him ugly, but the wound on his face certainly doesn't look pretty! This cheek was almost healed until last night.
And to make matters worse he's now developed a cold this weekend! So his cheeks hurt, his eyes are watering and his nose is running, he's all stuffed up and can't breath AND he's got these stinking things on his arms to stop him from touching his face! I feel so bad for him. :(
This too shall pass! I love him so.
Monday, 23 February 2015
1014
1014
One thousand and fourteen.
That's the number of days that Silas spent without a family.
 |
| Get down? But the view is so great! |
 |
| He climbed up the stairs, crawled across the bridge and went down the slide - all on his own! |
 |
| Hi Mommy! On February 16th, 2017 Silas will officially have been in a family longer than he'd been in an orphanage. Should we still be here on earth and not in heaven, it's going to be a day to throw a big party I think! I've got less than two years to come up with a name more succinct than the Silas-has-been-in-a-family-longer-than-he-hasn't Party! haha In other Silas news, we see the pediatrician tomorrow to try and get a referral to an ENT so we can figure out what to do about his hearing. I hope it goes well! |
Saturday, 14 February 2015
God will look after your boots.
In Canada we wear boots for about half the year. A good pair of boots is important to have. When I was shopping for boots for Silas I looked for the ones that were rated for the coldest temp I could find. (-32C) Because of his immature circulation, which may be part of down syndrome, Silas gets very cold feet very quickly. So good boots are a must. I also wanted a pair that were easy to put on but hard for him to take off. I did a few hours of research and settled on these.
This past weekend Silas and I travelled down south to the adoption agency to meet with the social worker for our second of four post placement reports that are required by Bulgaria. It's cheaper for us to go down there than for them to come to us. Plus this way we get to see family.
We were about 3 hrs down the road when Silas got tired and started fussing. We'd already stopped to eat so I knew he wasn't hungry. He just needed to settle down and go to sleep but he was having some trouble getting relaxed.
So I pulled the van over on the side of the highway in a little town with a population of about 50. When I opened the sliding door on the van one of Silas' boots fell out. (He loves to undress as much as he can when we drive. lol) I picked it up and threw it back in the van. I didn't see anything else fall out but the interior light on the van has stopped coming on automatically so there wasn't much light. I glanced around at the ground as cars went by shining their lights and didn't see anything else down there.
I got Silas settled a bit and we took off down the road again.
A couple hours later we got to my brother's house in the city. When he helped me unload the van I realized one of Silas' boots was missing! We looked all over the van and it just wasn't there. Ugh! I was pretty upset and mad at myself for being so careless.
I looked again the next morning in the daylight and I still couldn't find it. So I knew it must have fallen out in the little town when we stopped.
I thought to call the little general store in that town. The lady at the store didn't know what she could do to help. I didn't know whose house had stopped in front of to tell her where to look. But she took my number down in case someone turned it in.
And then she said those dreaded words......"Oh you know it snowed a bit last night and the plow just went past about five minutes ago." My heart sank. The chances of the boot showing up seemed to be getting slimmer and slimmer.
My sister in law was kind enough to find an old pair of my nephews boots for us to borrow. I looked at a few big stores in the city for a new pair but everyone was sold out and had the rubber boots on display already.
I tried not to think about it too much and we enjoyed our weekend. Silas had a blast playing with his cousins and I got the post placement visit done. On Sunday we went to church and Silas got to attend Sunday school for the first time!
We left for home on Sunday afternoon. I left in time so that we would still have daylight when we went through the little town. I was hanging on to a bit of hope that we would find that boot!
I prayed off and on the whole way there. As I drove further north the snow in the ditches got deeper. How much snow had the little town gotten, I wondered. How far into the ditch would the snow plow have pushed the boot?
I had a plan that I would drive up to where I thought I had stopped and get out and look. When we got to the town I drove slowly and scanned the other side of the road. Looking and hoping!
And sure enough! In the middle of someone's driveway, half buried in the snow from the plow, sat one left boot! I laughed that surprised laugh you do when something unexpectedly exciting happens. Then I pulled the van over and rescued the boot. The people who lived in that house must have been away because there were no tracks through the snow in their driveway.
Then I teared up a bit and texted my sister in law with the news. Mommy emotions snuck up on me for sure. I was so happy and thankful.
And then I thanked God again for looking after us and our missing boot. The pair is now reunited, left(behind) and right. Once again everything is alright in my world.
I'm telling you this story to remind you that God cares about you. I don't believe it was luck that found the boot. It was God answering a prayer plain and simple. It was a reminder to me to trust God with the little things as well as the big things.
Commit your way unto the Lord; trust in Him, and he will act. Psalm 37:5
They cost me $50.....which is a lot for a pair of size 5 kids boots, but they were exactly what I wanted.
This past weekend Silas and I travelled down south to the adoption agency to meet with the social worker for our second of four post placement reports that are required by Bulgaria. It's cheaper for us to go down there than for them to come to us. Plus this way we get to see family.
We were about 3 hrs down the road when Silas got tired and started fussing. We'd already stopped to eat so I knew he wasn't hungry. He just needed to settle down and go to sleep but he was having some trouble getting relaxed.
So I pulled the van over on the side of the highway in a little town with a population of about 50. When I opened the sliding door on the van one of Silas' boots fell out. (He loves to undress as much as he can when we drive. lol) I picked it up and threw it back in the van. I didn't see anything else fall out but the interior light on the van has stopped coming on automatically so there wasn't much light. I glanced around at the ground as cars went by shining their lights and didn't see anything else down there.
I got Silas settled a bit and we took off down the road again.
A couple hours later we got to my brother's house in the city. When he helped me unload the van I realized one of Silas' boots was missing! We looked all over the van and it just wasn't there. Ugh! I was pretty upset and mad at myself for being so careless.
I looked again the next morning in the daylight and I still couldn't find it. So I knew it must have fallen out in the little town when we stopped.
I thought to call the little general store in that town. The lady at the store didn't know what she could do to help. I didn't know whose house had stopped in front of to tell her where to look. But she took my number down in case someone turned it in.
And then she said those dreaded words......"Oh you know it snowed a bit last night and the plow just went past about five minutes ago." My heart sank. The chances of the boot showing up seemed to be getting slimmer and slimmer.
My sister in law was kind enough to find an old pair of my nephews boots for us to borrow. I looked at a few big stores in the city for a new pair but everyone was sold out and had the rubber boots on display already.
I tried not to think about it too much and we enjoyed our weekend. Silas had a blast playing with his cousins and I got the post placement visit done. On Sunday we went to church and Silas got to attend Sunday school for the first time!
We left for home on Sunday afternoon. I left in time so that we would still have daylight when we went through the little town. I was hanging on to a bit of hope that we would find that boot!
I prayed off and on the whole way there. As I drove further north the snow in the ditches got deeper. How much snow had the little town gotten, I wondered. How far into the ditch would the snow plow have pushed the boot?
I had a plan that I would drive up to where I thought I had stopped and get out and look. When we got to the town I drove slowly and scanned the other side of the road. Looking and hoping!
And sure enough! In the middle of someone's driveway, half buried in the snow from the plow, sat one left boot! I laughed that surprised laugh you do when something unexpectedly exciting happens. Then I pulled the van over and rescued the boot. The people who lived in that house must have been away because there were no tracks through the snow in their driveway.
Then I teared up a bit and texted my sister in law with the news. Mommy emotions snuck up on me for sure. I was so happy and thankful.
 |
| Boot in the snow (re-enactment for blogging purposes) |
And then I thanked God again for looking after us and our missing boot. The pair is now reunited, left(behind) and right. Once again everything is alright in my world.
I'm telling you this story to remind you that God cares about you. I don't believe it was luck that found the boot. It was God answering a prayer plain and simple. It was a reminder to me to trust God with the little things as well as the big things.
Commit your way unto the Lord; trust in Him, and he will act. Psalm 37:5
Friday, 13 February 2015
His Fourth Christmas
This post is about Christmas. Yes I know it's February.
Silas had three Christmases in Bulgaria. It seemed like Christmas was a pretty big deal there. When I was on trip one they were decorating the orphanage already in the first few days of December.
I have a couple pictures of Silas from past Christmases. I am soooo thankful for these pictures! It is such a blessing to have baby pictures in an adoption and they will be treasured forever.
Baby Silas at six months old!
Already staring at his hands for entertainment. :(
There was no picture from his second Christmas but this is from his third Christmas. It must have been taken during or right after trip one. I think he was wearing those same pants the day I met him.
So Christmas 2014 was Silas' fourth Christmas. I wanted to start some Christmas traditions with him. He opened up his Hungry Caterpillar pj on Christmas Eve and wore them to bed that night. Then after breakfast on Christmas morning he opened up his gifts! He wasn't quite sure what to make of it all but he seemed to be having fun.
Later that day grandma and grandpa came over for Christmas diner and we had fun playing and hanging out.
We got together with all my siblings on the 29th. It was a bit harder of a day for Silas. Too little sleep, too much noise and commotion and he got an owie on his foot. By the end of the day he had cried himself to sleep. Poor boy!
Hanging with the uncles.
Ending the day on a very sad note. :(
We spent the next few days at my brother and sister in laws hanging out with their crew. Silas really likes spending time with his cousins. He has such a great time chasing them around the house. :)
So there you have it. A pretty simple, typical Christmas with family for the first time in his life and it's all thanks to the generous people who donated, helped with fundraisers and prayed for us. Thank you for making that possible!
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