Regression Roundup
Oh goodness, where to begin? I guess I should apologize for the HUGE gap in posts (again...deja vu, right?). I feel bad in the fact that you were missing real time updates in the growing process of our boys, but I also reminded myself that we went through some tough times that required a lot of grace and hibernation on our part. So here we are now, 8 months since our last post, about to embark on our next adoption, and I figured I should give you a brief update before launching into the craziness that is adoption #3.
In June, we were just getting settled into a routine and finding more intentional ways to be a family. Life was adjusting well and despite the emotions, it was becoming more natural to be parents to our boys. Then July happened...
From July to mid-November our boys went into a huge season of regression. I'm not gonna lie, we were struggling. There were too many tantrums a day to count, lots of peeing and pooping their pants again, lots of tears, lots of defiance and no sleep to be had for anyone. Looking back I was fighting for each day and working hard to find the joy and excitement in the little things. We could not have made it through without the help of Paul's parents and the few amazing friends who volunteered to watch our boys...even for an hour...so I could nap, exercise or simply leave the house for a mental break. We can't thank you enough!!!!!
Then just before Thanksgiving, everything changed. They just snapped out of it and became the happy, sweet, kind boys we knew we're under there somewhere. It was heavenly.
Since then life has become so much more "normal". We've been able to ACTUALLY get into a family routine, and set boundaries that we feel comfortable with. The boys continue to adjust to new things each week, and while there is still a lot of emotion in it all, the days aren't as intense as they once were. Praise Jesus. They are currently in pre-school 5 days a week, with Jordan only staying half days. The weeks are still littered with doctors appointments, multiple therapies and educational classes, but the progress has been exponential, so we continue on.
Sebastian has become quite the personality with more friends than he knows what to do with! He loves to be with people and knows everyone's life story as soon as he meets them. He has also become quite a car guru, and knows the make and model of almost every car on the road. It's impressive. He has excelled in school on every front and we couldn't be more proud of his hard work. He still has a lot of difficulty sleeping which makes for long nights and often long days. After trying every conservative option in the book, we are pursuing a medical perspective. You can continue to believe with us that this gets resolved...for him and for us! We are asking God to give us answers on what the next steps are for him.
Jordan continues to keep us on our toes and melt our hearts with equal measure. He has come such a long way from the scared, non-verbal little boy we once met, but he still has a lot of healing to do. He's been making such great progress in his language and school skills, and we've had many teary moments due to the amount of pride in his successes. He had 3 surgeries last year, and more doctors appointments than I can count, but he continues to heal physically and emotionally with God's help. Little by little we're seeing him become his own person, and it's been incredible to watch his personality come alive.
Paul is still at UVA and it's been such a wonderful change in our family life. He is able to take the boys to school in the mornings and is home every night at a normal time. Also, the flexibility in his schedule to help with surgery days, sick days and just days when we're all needing a little more love has been incredible. I feel extremely blessed at God's timing in that situation and our family has benefitted in such a huge way. The boys need their daddy around and he truly kicks butt at being their rock and protector. I can't imagine doing this life with anyone but him.
As for me, I'm working 20 hours a week at ACAC, as well as doing some Pilates teaching and nutritional coaching. I've really been working on my self-development this year and trying to find things that not only bring me joy, but that allow me to serve others. I've been very intentional with my time and have created new normals for myself to allow more time with God and more time with my boys. It's not always easy and most of the time I'm sleep deprived, but oh how I've been able to recognize the immense blessings in my life. God is good and faithful and we've seen this through every part of this adoption process.
Thank you for partnering with us through this journey, and we look forward to adding to the love, stories, memories, and crazy with our daughter! Check out our next post to hear more details on her adoption!
Love yous!!
In June, we were just getting settled into a routine and finding more intentional ways to be a family. Life was adjusting well and despite the emotions, it was becoming more natural to be parents to our boys. Then July happened...
From July to mid-November our boys went into a huge season of regression. I'm not gonna lie, we were struggling. There were too many tantrums a day to count, lots of peeing and pooping their pants again, lots of tears, lots of defiance and no sleep to be had for anyone. Looking back I was fighting for each day and working hard to find the joy and excitement in the little things. We could not have made it through without the help of Paul's parents and the few amazing friends who volunteered to watch our boys...even for an hour...so I could nap, exercise or simply leave the house for a mental break. We can't thank you enough!!!!!
Then just before Thanksgiving, everything changed. They just snapped out of it and became the happy, sweet, kind boys we knew we're under there somewhere. It was heavenly.
Since then life has become so much more "normal". We've been able to ACTUALLY get into a family routine, and set boundaries that we feel comfortable with. The boys continue to adjust to new things each week, and while there is still a lot of emotion in it all, the days aren't as intense as they once were. Praise Jesus. They are currently in pre-school 5 days a week, with Jordan only staying half days. The weeks are still littered with doctors appointments, multiple therapies and educational classes, but the progress has been exponential, so we continue on.
Sebastian has become quite the personality with more friends than he knows what to do with! He loves to be with people and knows everyone's life story as soon as he meets them. He has also become quite a car guru, and knows the make and model of almost every car on the road. It's impressive. He has excelled in school on every front and we couldn't be more proud of his hard work. He still has a lot of difficulty sleeping which makes for long nights and often long days. After trying every conservative option in the book, we are pursuing a medical perspective. You can continue to believe with us that this gets resolved...for him and for us! We are asking God to give us answers on what the next steps are for him.
Jordan continues to keep us on our toes and melt our hearts with equal measure. He has come such a long way from the scared, non-verbal little boy we once met, but he still has a lot of healing to do. He's been making such great progress in his language and school skills, and we've had many teary moments due to the amount of pride in his successes. He had 3 surgeries last year, and more doctors appointments than I can count, but he continues to heal physically and emotionally with God's help. Little by little we're seeing him become his own person, and it's been incredible to watch his personality come alive.
Paul is still at UVA and it's been such a wonderful change in our family life. He is able to take the boys to school in the mornings and is home every night at a normal time. Also, the flexibility in his schedule to help with surgery days, sick days and just days when we're all needing a little more love has been incredible. I feel extremely blessed at God's timing in that situation and our family has benefitted in such a huge way. The boys need their daddy around and he truly kicks butt at being their rock and protector. I can't imagine doing this life with anyone but him.
As for me, I'm working 20 hours a week at ACAC, as well as doing some Pilates teaching and nutritional coaching. I've really been working on my self-development this year and trying to find things that not only bring me joy, but that allow me to serve others. I've been very intentional with my time and have created new normals for myself to allow more time with God and more time with my boys. It's not always easy and most of the time I'm sleep deprived, but oh how I've been able to recognize the immense blessings in my life. God is good and faithful and we've seen this through every part of this adoption process.
Thank you for partnering with us through this journey, and we look forward to adding to the love, stories, memories, and crazy with our daughter! Check out our next post to hear more details on her adoption!
Love yous!!