A Much Better Day

First of all thanks to everyone that posted comments offering support and guidance. We really appreciate it. And thank you Meredith for calling today. That was a real pick me up. It was so nice to hear someone from back home. And it really helped to know that we aren't the first family to face these issues, and that it does get better.

Mandy, Dasha did make the little squint when she went outside and the sun got in her eyes. And she's been making more vocal sounds. She cried today when they took her away. And I could hear her in her crib this morning saying "AHH". she's getting very vocal and I think it's so great! She sounds like a much younger baby though. Today she blew raspberries and even said la, la, la. JP seems to like her too. He was rubbing her hand today. And then she will reach out for him and rub his hands. They are sweet together. I just hope that we don't cause her harm by spending time with her and then not being around for three months. I'm concerned about that.

John Paul did a lot better today. When we got there this morning he came out smiling at us. They told us to take him back at 11:00. So they cut our visiting time short one hour. The caretaker said that it was because they get up earlier in the summer. I guess it's just a different shift and different rules. They both got mad when the care taker took them away. So we went back at 4:00 and stayed until 6:00. When John Paul came out he was smiling again and the care taker told me that he had just had his nap. He was a dream today! Maybe he was just tired and cranky the day before. And maybe the food and juice just sent him into meltdown mode. I did not offer him either today. I gave Dasha some juice both in the morning and afternoon. She will really put back some juice! This afternoon JP watched her drink her juice and seemed very interested. When she was done with it I sat it down on the bench and he picked up the sippy cup. I just watched him out of the corner of my eye. He looked it over and then started to whine. Maybe he wanted juice? I don't know, but I wasn't going to try it with a sippy cup and I didn't have a bottle with me. As of now I know that he is fed his liquids with a bottle. So tomorrow I am going to pack him some juice in a bottle and just see what he does. I'll probably try in the afternoon after he wakes up from his nap and will more than likely be thirsty. Also it's been hot outside so if he is hot and thirsty and has a bottle rather than a sippy cup then maybe he will want some. And the food mystery appears to be solved. The doctor told us that he eats table food and that they mash it a little, but he eats table food. Well, the caretaker said today that all he eats is OATMEAL and PORRIDGE. That's not really my idea of table food and I don't see either of those items needing to be mashed. So once our facilitator gets here on Monday we are going to ask to watch him eat. We have not been able to do that yet. I need to know his eating habits. The caretaker said today that he eats slow and that children with Down Syndrome do not like to drink much liquid. The liquid is a new one on me. Chloe certainly liked her Pediasure and juices! And Dasha sure did enoy her 4 ounces of juice this morning and 8 ounces this afternoon. And the other day when they gave JP a bottle of juice he drank it like he was never going to get another drop! I'm just ready to get him out of here and get him home. This environment is just not good for him at all. And it makes me sick to think that I have to leave Dasha here until she is available in October. She is doing so well just to have to leave her here. It's not fair to her. The laws here do not benefit the children that really need to be adopted, like children with Down Syndrome.

So any way, we had a great day with both children. John Paul was more like he was the first two days that we met with him. He wanted us to hold his hand and pick him up. He just did really well. When I left the internet cafe last night I was really discouraged from the events earlier in the day. On the way back to our flat we went underground to cross the street and while we were down there I saw a carboard box on the ground. It said "miracle" and nothing else. I was really surprised to see it because there is not that much English anywhere down here. Almost everything is in Russian. But there it was, "miracle". It was meant for me to see that as a reminder that it is a miracle that John Paul is even still in the baby orphanage. It's a miracle that we got our travel date so quickly. And it is a miracle at how God has had His hand on John Paul all along. And if God has done all of these things then I know that He will get us through the difficult times that lie ahead while we are waiting on JP to adjust and learn to trust us. It all just caught me off guard because he didn't display any of these signs when I met him in April. It was a bit of a shock to me. But I guess I didn't spend enough time with him for all of this to come through. Well, we know it's there now and we'll deal with it, one day at a time.