Coming into this adoption we had tons of questions surrounding the little boy we were getting. They ranged from serious emotional well-being to what in the world will we feed him. Here are a few of them and how we have seen God answer them already:
WOULD HE COME TO US WHEN WE FIRST MET HIM OR WEEP AND CRY AS WE TOOK HIM?
He came to us right away! First to Lesli and then to me. He was a bit timid, but did not cry or put up a fuss.
WOULD HE CRY ALL THE TIME?
So far in 20+ hours he has cried a total of about 2 minutes. He does not seem to be afraid of us at all and he has a wonderful easy-going personality.
ONCE HE GOT USED TO US, WOULD HE BE ATTACHED TO US LIKE A THIRD LIMB?
He plays with us for 10-15 minutes, then goes off and finds one of the few toys we brought for him and plays by himself for 5-10 minutes. I bought him a ball last night; we probably played ‘catch’ for a solid 10 minutes. Hudson is going to really enjoy him!
HOW COULD WE FIX HIM FOOD THAT HE WAS USED TO SO HE WOULD EAT?
Well, we still do not know how to make rice porridge, but have learned that the boy will eat absolutely anything!!! In fact he eats it so fast that he begins to gag. If he can reach the food he will cram it in his mouth. And with his cleft issue, he seems to have grown into a professional gagger! Yep, he doesn’t get excited, just gags until it comes up. We catch it as it comes out of his mouth and then he starts putting in more food. We must be careful to give him small bites and not make it available too fast.
HOW BAD WOULD HIS CLEFT PALATE BE?
We don’t really know. He definitely has a hole in his palate somewhere because when he eats it often comes out his nose. But he does have a roof to his mouth. We cannot see the hole. His gums are a little gnarly, but he has a good number of teeth and they are not too crooked.
WOULD HE FEEL SECURE ENOUGH WITH US TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP MUCH AT NIGHT?
Oh yes! He fell asleep on me in the sling last night on the way back from dinner. That was about 8:30pm. He woke up about 7am this morning.
HOW LONG WOULD IT BE BEFORE HE WOULD COME TO US OF HIS OWN FREE WILL?
Less than 2 hours. By the time we went to lunch, he was even raising his arms up in the air and running to us with a smile on his face! It was and is some-kind-of-wonderful!!!
HOW LONG BEFORE HE WOULD SMILE AND SHOW HAPPINESS/JOY?
He smiled at me before our 45 minute meeting with the orphanage director was finished.
HOW LONG BEFORE WE WOULD GET TO HEAR HIM LAUGH?
Lesli chased him around the restaurant getting/tickling him. He was running from her and giggling as he ran in his squeaky little sandals. Yep, they squeak like a baby toy with every step…and it doesn’t bother us a bit!
HOW LONG BEFORE HE WOULD STOP HIS SELF-SOOTHING BEHAVIOR OF ROCKING AND HEADBANGING (WE HAD HEARD THAT HE DOES BOTH)?
We have not seen any of this behavior at all. In fact, I thought I heard him singing last night as I carried him in the sling.
HOW LONG BEFORE HE WOULD TRUST US?
Well he comes readily to us, but does not really go to anyone else…there is much more trust that needs to develop…but we seem to be well on our way!
We cannot believe how wonderful he is and how easy he has been so far! We came in prepared for it to be really difficult. So far it has been a dream! He is amazing! Glory to God for His graciousness! He has already answered many of your prayers and ours.
12 comments:
what a joy to be in the 'delivery room' with you! prayers were answered abundantly! he is precious & perfect! :) much love, jennifer
Praise God! He is a little trooper! Our daughter bonded to my husband first, but only after 2 days of on/off crying. Sounds like Joshua knows his "promised land" of parents has been answered and has no fear of any "giants".
I wouldn't worry about congee (rice porridge). I don't think it will satisfy his appetite like good ol' American cooking anyway.
Enjoy this magical time.
Teresa Horvet
Oh, my gosh! From the looks of that last photo he is working on his "scales"! Do we have an Olympic gymnast in the making? Hey, size wise, that's perfect! Knowing his country of origin, they have probably been teaching him beginning gymnastic moves since he could walk!
Thanks for all the details, Rusty! We sure appreciate them! It was great to Skype with you and see his precious face!
Hey, ya'll, pray for Lesli who has a sore throat and headache this morning. I'm wondering if it's not just that horrible air pollution and tobacco smoke though.
Wow! What a bonus, a kiddo that comes sleeping through the night. Now that is my kind of kid. He is so darn CUTE! I bet he is loving all the attention. I'm with your friend Teresa...I don't think he'll be missing that porridge too much once he has a french fry from McDonald's to gag down. A bet he'd love a pair of those crazy red car crocs like Hud's...they'll make quite the pair...poor Hannah will have to come my way for some girl time!
Little Cousin, Kayee should be able to teach him how to handle the big (banana) bites!!! Grandpa
Yay! - God is the GOODEST!!!
What a blessing! He is too precious. Holly has said that "Sam and Joshua will be buddies," and given his love of playing catch, they'll be fast friends. I can't wait! I'm so happy it's been so smooth. Love you guys!
What a blessing. I love the photo of Rusty and Joshua walking hand in hand. I can't wait to see the three kids together.
We are soooooo super excited for the way the Father has been so good in answering the prayers of so many!
Thank you, Jesus for our precious little cousin!!!!! He's completely adorable, and we're so thrilled to hear about and see him adjusting so readily to you guys! Mikayla, Gentry and Cade are TOTALLY PUMPED to see their new cute cousin. Mikayla can't keep saying, "Awwwwww, he's so cute!" He looks like he's about Cade's size...he and Hud and Joshua will have tons of fun together!..I foresee lots of ball-throwing! Love you guys and we're praying for your safe return! -Rusty, Susan and kids
Oh this blogspot is priceless!! I can't wait to see what God does with this life!! I am sure Hudson and Hannah are ready for you to come home.
Heather
R & L,
Thanks for sharing your questions and concerns with us on your blog. What a joy to be able to join in this journey in such a personal way. Your authenticity truly brings our hearts in with joy and many tears. Love you guys, felicia
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