My A-Team

I've been avoiding this topic -- never knowing for certain what to say and what to omit...

I'll break this into sections because there's tons with a capital BUNCHES to tell. That way you can skip what you don't want to read and get on to the gratuitous cuteness at the end of the post.

Legal: We don't know much on the legal front. The boys' permanency with us looks promising (I'd give it a 95% if I had to give a percentage) but this is CPS so things could change on a dime. It's happened before so it won't really surprise me. Our next court date is November 9th (happy 26th birthday to my sister, Kristen, that day!), and truthfully there's no way of knowing what will happen. It's a status hearing so it could be a whole lotta nothin' - the judge just checks on babies, mom, etc. Or the judge could say he's waited long enough and could set a date for termination -- I doubt this will happen. Or CPS could pull something out of their hat and try to take the kids -- I also doubt this will happen. In all likelihood it will be a very uneventful afternoon downtown. We know it typically takes 12-15 months to be finalized (assuming that's what is going to happen) so we aren't really in a rush.

Health: This is the part of the update that is the longest. I'm comfortable sharing this only because I would share it about my bio-kids. Hopefully all my readers are genuinely concerned and not just following the spectacle. We've recently learned that both of the boys have some health issues that are concerning.

Andre: After watching him suffer with reflux for a month or so, we became worried that he was in too much pain and was consequently not eating. Our pedi referred us to a GI clinic. Fortunately they were able to get his reflux under control; unfortunately they also suspect he has a genetic syndrome that is causing his slow weight gain. We were referred to a genetics clinic and last week we did a chromosomal micro-array test to look for what exactly could be the issue. The doctor suspects that he is missing a portion of a chromosome. We won't know which one or what that means for him until we get the tests back sometime mid to late October. We do know this could have profound effects on him for the rest of his life.

Andrew: While at a visit to our pedi for his brother's reflux, the doctor noticed that Andrew had an eye that just wasn't cooperating like it should so she referred us to a pediatric ophthalmologist. The first doctor we saw said that Andrew had "at least 3 acute issues" and declared that he wasn't comfortable treating him. So he referred us on to another specialist. The second doctor noticed some serious issues (A doesn't track objects and he doesn't respond to changes in light and dark). We do know that his eyes are formed appropriately so the issue is somewhere else...which means we are doing more tests. As of right now he is labeled "visually impaired" but we don't know the extent of his blindness or if it's correctable. We did some tests Thursday on his retina; hopefully these tests will offer some answers in the next week or so.

Everyone always asks if we are still going to keep them and the answer is yes. We are trying not to get too caught up in thinking about what life will be like with two special-needs kiddos but are focusing instead on daily living, holding firm to the knowledge that God called us to this and equipped us for such a time as this.

Social: The boys are doing great here. They know our voices and, in Andre's case, our faces. They do love to be around the rest of the kids. We are bonding and though it's been a slow process, it's been good. The rest of the kids are doing well with them. Grace has some issues being displaced as the baby. Sometimes when I tell her I need to put her down to get a baby she says, "NO! ME!" and clings to my hip with all her might. But these times are rare and to be honest, a bit endearing so I don't mind much. We are adjusting to being a family of 7 -- slowly. I still haven't figured out when to go the grocery store. I miss the routine I had before so I'm desperately trying to find it again. The big boys are GREAT -- always willing and ready to bring me a diaper or find some more wipes or hold a bottle. There are always growing pains -- that's true in all cases -- whether it's a baby popping in new teeth or a big-kid getting a bit bigger or a family stretching to make room for more.

Names

We will be changing the boys' names once they are legally ours to do so. The boys are named after the two archangels named in the Bible. Ironically we chose the names before their personalities had really developed and we are realizing their names fit their personalities nicely. Andrew will be Michael -- the warrior angel. Andrew is our physical baby and approaches life with his muscles. Andre will be Gabriel -- the messenger. Andre is our more vocal baby, cooing and wanting to participate in our conversations.

Gratuitous Cuteness

My friend Jenny Wright took these beautiful pictures of the boys when they were about 7 weeks old. Andre (the curly-headed one) hasn't grown much since this picture -- only about 2 more pounds. Andrew on the other hand is so much bigger and chunkier now -- right at 11 lbs. Enjoy my beauties!

The A-Team (Andrew is on the left, Andre is on the right)

Gabriel Andre

Michael Andrew

My boys

L-O-V-E those cheeks

beauty

sweet babies