Temple Trip and Home Inspection Late October

We had a terrific weekend.  Friday I drove from San Jose to Oakland Temple to meet mom and Diana and Mark for sealings.  They had family names and I had a few.  It was cool to be in the alter and look in the mirrors with the chandelier reflected time after time after time.  Reminded me of looking into eternity.  Some of the names I recognized like Brandlie (Grandma Wrights maiden name) and Bromley and (Grandpa Wrights first wife’s second husband and Atwood, on the Shaw line.  It was fun.  There were lots of names from reviewing cousins in Family Tree.  Anyway it was a great evening with Five Guys at the end.

Saturday I went to a Family history seminar put on by the family history library (they had two fairs in Manteca and Tracy.)  I really enjoyed it and found that I can do genealogy work not only cousins but also working on the end of the line which is 1600s or 1700s but using the church’s combination with Ancestry.com I was able to find a list of someone kids which was cool.  I attached it to my family tree.

Fall Festival after that.  Tony had a couple friends and their families; again the Chandlers and then Sam’s family.  It was fun.  I did the trunk or treat, and mom helped organize and did the fish pond game.  Charity and Anthony and Camberly Rose were Mary Poppins and penguin and chimney sweep.  I didn’t dress up.  I decorated the car with spiders however.  They weren’t scary enough.  Tony is going to use all the decorations for the house, mostly dollar store stuff.

Sunday was good, some of my favorite scriptures from Isaiah 53, which is the atonement.  Check it out, it is in the Messiah.  “Surely He hath born our Grief and carried our sorrows.”

That is my week.  I should mention we did the foster care home study.  The house is pretty much clean, but we have a list of about 10 things to fix before the come back.  I have to get all the wood outside put in the shed or thrown away.  Tools have to be higher, etc.  It will be some fun projects.

Fostering Babies: Gripe Water

When Sheri and I were fostering babies exposed to drugs in utero, we found gripe was our favorite friend.  Babies born in this circumstance have a higher chance of being colicky, and this stuff really helps.  You don't know what a relief it can be to have a few minutes peace, and this stuff would give a baby a few minutes peace.  We would usually dip the binky in this stuff and let it do its magic.

The Lisa Project: Child Abuse Presentation in Manteca During June

http://www.thelisaproject.org/Main.html

I noticed a mobile unit on the corner of Union and W Atherton, in the shopping center, just off the 120. It got my curiosity up, so I drove by a couple nights, and then would try to remember the web address and see what was up.  I finally found the right web address and discovered it is an exhibit about child abuse in San Joaquin County.

So having been a foster care worker, and child protection worker, and having been a foster parent, I decided to go check it out.  You are given Ipods to enjoy the sound.  Lisa is the narrator, and tells her story, as well as the stories of several other children.  I am not going to relay the details, as I think everyone will identify with one of the stories more than the others.

There is one room that presents news articles and stories on the wall.  I didn't have enough time to read them all, but they are all local stories, and includes the story of a murder of a child not yet one in Lathrop.  The docents are very nice and well informed.  They provided information on CASA Child Appointed Special Advocates.  Also provided information on how to report abuse.  The cycle of abuse is scary, and the stories present several stories of this cycle--victim to abuser.

My great-great grandfather was a victim of Child Labor.  He starting working at the age of seven in the coal mines in England.  The work of children should be play, not work.  I wouldn't say I was abused, but I know my father and his sister were.  Grandpa had difficulty maintaining his pride during the depression and years of unemployment.  He took that stress out on some of his children.  There was one incident in which my father hit my mother, but we were mostly grown then.

Abuse, child and spousal, like most things, could be presented on a continuum from no abuse to controlling to neglect to physical/sexual violence to death.  It is interesting that in this country there were laws for the protection of animals before child abuse laws.  The first child abuse cases where based on these laws to stop the abuse of animals.

That balance, between parental rights, and protection of children is something that I still see.  When and under what criteria does the state intervene, and how does this relate to parental rights?  When do you consider the "best interests of the child?"  Is foster care the answer?  Most children would rather be with their birth parents, and that often plays into their attitudes towards foster care.   Sometimes foster care may not be the right answer.

But one thing that is certain abuse of children should stop.  This starts with a report to proper authority, and then they can decide the best way to intervene, whether the allegations are unfounded, or in-home supportive services, or removal of the child.  There is more than one option.

I pointed out to the docents that most states have mandated reporting for all citizens with regards to child abuse.  California only applies mandated reporting to certain professions (mine being one.)  But even if it is not mandated, we all have an obligation to protect children.  Perhaps we can be someone's rescuer.

Pondering the Foster Care Question

This last week Sheri and I went to the San Joaquin County Social Services to look into foster care.  Sheri and I have been foster parents for the past four almost five years.  However are last foster baby went back with his parents only a week before we moved to Manteca.  And so now we are faced with the question of whether or not we want to continue on this path. 

We have had over 30 children in the time.  Mostly we have fostered babies and toddler.  A few times we have ventured out.  We foster a young woman, and her new born baby.  We have had children with pervasive development disorders, on the autistic range.  We have worked with schools, hospitals, counseling programs and testing programs. 

We have enjoyed the children as they have come into our home, but I must admit some have been a trial.  We have had very rambunctious boys.  We have had babies who have had sleeping problems, sometimes due to prenatal drug use on the part of a mother.  We have had preemies, and newborns.  We have changed our share of diapers, sometimes three children in diapers at the same time. But the most serious trials have been older children, who might have behavioral issues, or mood issues. 

Our home has been open to inspections, and reviews.  Some reviews we have not been a part of, others we have.  We have attended administrative hearings, and court hearings.  It has been quite a ride.  And so we are at the point where we must decide if continuing the ride is worthwhile. 

Parenting the children is the fun part, dealing with social services, and the flood of rules is the draw back.  We have had protective service investigations for any number of things.  (They have never been validated.)  These include accidents, a foster son biting a foster sibling and leaving a mark, and unclean house (usually after a wedding when things are bound to get cluttered.)  There were also licensing reviews, and trainings.  You are so open when you are fostering. 

We have met people at social services we enjoyed working with, and there have been those that we would rather they never have come to our house.  We have also made friendships with other foster parents, and acquaintances with birth parents. 

The greatest blessing to come from foster care has been Anthony.  We are so grateful to his birth mother who gave him live, and so grateful he is now a permanent part of our family.  We enjoy having him in our home every day. 

So at this time we look at all the paper work that is required, all the expense involved, all the time commitment to trainings, and wonder if it is worth it.  Financially, we know it is not.  However we asked the worker at the meeting if they have need for foster parents, and the answer is yes.  There are children in need.  And so we are exploring this path again, in the hopes that maybe we can do some small good.

"I am a Child of God" Soothing Babies

Tony, who came to us as a baby, and is now almost four

Doing foster care the past four plus years, and during that time mostly fostering babies and toddlers, (32 foster children and 25 under three) I am an expert at what songs are most soothing for young ones.  The best song of all is "I am a Child of God."  My daughter Natalia actually discovered this with the two-year-old twins who were with us several years back.

We took them on a long trip to Arkansas.  As such the were confined to their car seats for extended periods of time.  They could not last the entire song, when they were tired, without being asleep at the end.  When they were not asleep i would at least calm them down.

I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows to late.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will
I'll live with him once more.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God.
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but endure.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

This version adds the fourth verse.  This verse is not in the hymn book as it was added after the book was published.  Sometimes the fourth verse is needed to get a  sleeping.  This song hasn't worked as well with all of our children to get them to sleep, but it always works to calm them down.

It works better than any other song, "Rock-a-bye Baby," "Hush Thee my Babe," (a song I wrote) "Lullaby and Good Night" and "Go to Sleep" all seem to pale in comparison.  "I am a Child of God" seems to stand alone.

I ask myself, "Why is this song so effective, is it the melody or the lyrics?"  The melody draws attention, but I think the spirit of the song emanating from the message, touches little souls who have only recently left Heavenly Father's presence.  The spirit of the message, coming from the singer, emanates the little spirits, who are sometimes so close to the veil having just recently left the Spirit World.

Lessons from my Children: Fostering; Bonding is Real

From our first foster child, and through all 33 of them, I have learned that bonding is a real process, and it doesn't matter the length of time the child is with you, you still think about them after they have moved on.With our first foster child, a six year old girl, I realized that bonding is a very real experience.  I feel the job of a foster parent is to form an attachment with the foster child, and in so doing, the child is better able to have attachments with other adults they may live with in the future.  Whether that is their birth parent, a relative, or a future foster or adoptive parent.  I will admit, I have not bonded well with every foster child, but with those I have bonded, I have had a much better experience.  I found a couple definitions of bonding: 

Science Daily

Human bonding

The term human bond, or more generally human bonding, refers to the process or formation of a close personal relationship, as between a mother and child, especially through frequent or constant association.

When pairs have favorable bonds, the nature of this bonding is usually attributed to "good" interpersonal chemistry.

The word bond derives from the 12th century Middle English word band, meaning something that binds, ties, or restrains.

Its application to interpersonal human relationships has been used intermittently ever since.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/h/human_bonding.htm

Wikipedia

Human bonding is the process of development of a close, interpersonal relationship. It most commonly takes place between family members or friends, but can also develop among groups such as sporting teams and whenever people spend time together. Bonding is a mutual, interactive process, and is not the same as simple liking.

Bonding typically refers to the process of attachment that develops between romantic partners, close friends, or parents and children. This bond is characterized by emotions such as affection and trust. Any two people that spend time together may form a bond.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_bonding

          The articles I have looked at, talk mostly about mothers bonding with children.  There is less said about fathers in the process.  However bonding is just as real for men as for women.  The articles talk a lot about breast feeding as an avenue to bonding.  With foster or adoptive children this has not been a possibility. 

          Each child has come to us differently, and with their own unique situation and circumstances.  We have had children removed at birth due to substance misuse, we have had a child whose mother was developmentally delayed, and we have had children who were the survivors of a great tragedy, through no fault of their parents or their own, but as a result were going through a period where their parents could not care for them. 

          We have picked up children from the shelter, from hospitals, or have had social services bring them to our home.  We have had children with us for less than a day, for less than a week, for a few months, or for over a year. 

          We have also had children from varying ethnic backgrounds.  This includes White, Latino, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, Samoan, and probably more.  Also from many economic classes.

          In each circumstance there has been the chance to bond.  So without divulging names, let me talk about a few of our foster children.  From the start we had a pretty little girl.  She would toss and turn at night, and Charity, who roomed with her at the time, would get up and adjust her covers.  She was sweet.  It was during the winter, and the bush in front of our house looked bare.  She drew pictures of leaves, and taped them to the bush so it would look better. 

          We were then blessed with Tony, our “preemie,” who from the moment we held him, we loved him.  He was small, and so dependent on us, you couldn’t help but love the little guy.

          We parented one-year-old twins, and they were a handful, but they were so cute and snuggly you couldn’t help but love them.  Natalia discovered that they liked “I am a Child of God” and so we would sing them to sleep.  There older brother had the longest eye lashes.

          Then there was a six-month-old who had been sleeping in the car with his mother, and consequently his head seemed misshapen.  He is my “achooie, chooie” boy.  He would sneeze and I would do the “achooie, chooie” against his forehead and then he would laugh.  He was fun.

          We have had babies that were the most beautiful things you have ever seen.  I really mean beautiful.  There was a baby with dark Samoan skin, another with the deepest blue eyes. 

          Then we had a three-year-old girl going on 17.  She was so sophisticated and clever.  It was during gymnastics season and she went to the finals meet with us, and enjoyed being on the mats with Charity after the meet. 

          We had our two-year old terror, who was so mischievous you just had to love him.  He loved his father, which was OK because we worked with the courts to get him back with his father.  He was also looking at escaping, and actually did on one occasion when my daughter was getting married.  That was fun.

          We had a little go that came to us behind developmentally.  We worked with him and he actually caught up.  He was our joy.  It has been fun to watch him develop over the years.  He too is with his father now. 

          We parented a single mother and her baby.  She was only 15, and her situation was chaotic.  I would supervise visits between she, the baby and the baby’s father at the mall.  I didn’t enjoy that because it was just too busy.

          We had the most beautiful little girl, who was in our house with three boys.  She had to struggle to hold her own with them, but she did.  When Natalia was married, she had a diaper blow out.  Now that was an experience, but we survived it, and those things happen.  It is part of the territory. 

          We have had sibling groups, and sometimes that is harder, as they seem to argue more, and bother each other more.

          Not all of our placements have been totally successful.  We had difficulty bonded with a young man who introduced himself to us by stealing Miranda’s Ipod.  We knew he had taken it, but it wasn’t until a couple months later that we finally discovered he had given it to a girl at school.  Miranda got it back.  It is harder to bond in that kind of a situation.

          Bonding takes longer with some children.  This could be due to autism or other developmental delay.  However even though the process is slower, it still happens.

          This fostering experience has not been just me.  It has been fun to see other members of the family bond with the children who have crossed our threshold.  Sometimes the bonding is very good, at sometimes, when our birth children have busy scheduled, it takes longer.  We have tried to have the kids involved in the older kids’ sports and activities.  That has lead to some good experiences, and some not so good.  We no longer go to the same concert at the high school.  They usually have two because of the auditorium capacity, so we take turns attending.  Also we have left events, because sometimes little people just can’t handle the length of the event.   Sometimes we are chasing out in the hall, or wherever, and only paying half attention.  Those things happen, and are part of the bonding process.  

          I hope I have been able to have a positive impact on the children who have come into our home.  Sometimes, you wonder ehen you never see them again.

         

Lessons From My Children: Anthony; Have a Good Time.

    
Anthony's story of how he became a part of our family is remarkable.  He was born six weeks early, and shortly after his being born, Social Services informed us that he would be coming to our home.  We had recently been licensed as foster parents, and he was our second foster child.  We were a little bit wary, having had no experience with parenting a preemie.  Sheri visited him in the hospital a couple times, and visited with the nurses before bringing him home. He was born four pounds seven ounces, and when he came to our home at two weeks weighed about five pounds. He was the love of our life from his first coming home.  Man those preemie diapers are small.

His only medical problem after that has been his kidneys retaining too much water.  But that has pretty much resolved itself as he has gotten older.  They were also worried about the strength of his legs.  But with climbing up stairs, and jumping on trampoline, his legs are as strong as anyone's his age.  He now enjoys climbing trees, the wall the shelf etc.  He's Spider Man you know.

My proudest moment with Tony, when he was small, was taking him to my older son's Marine graduation. I had him in a carrier, and people so much wanted to see the beautiful baby.  He was still small, but such a beautiful boy.  I didn't tell anyone he was our foster baby; just our baby.

But, unfortunately, our happiness with Tony was short lived.  Social Services found a relative placement for him, with cousins, and after he was with us only two months he moved on.  I went to the exchange, which took place at the shelter.  He weighed eight pounds when he left us.  We really didn't think we would ever see Tony again. 

But who knows how things work.  About ten months later, after his first birthday, Social Services called us to inform us he was available for placement. We jumped at the opportunity.  Our baby boy was coming back home.

We were close to Tony from the first moment he came to our home, both times.  We have loved him.  He was very easy to love. After a child has been in your home six months you can petition for de facto parent status.  This we did as soon as we could.  And so we were then more involved in the court process.  Social Services has a general philosophy of placing with relatives, no matter the circumstance; so much so that even after his mother's parental rights were terminated, they found a relative placement for him.

When Tony became available for adoption we wanted him to stay with us, forever.  We did not feel it would be good for him to move to another home.  Social Services, having found a family, and after his being with us for almost a year altogether, developed a plan to move him, to family members he didn't really even know.  We felt Tony was already home, and that a further loss (he had bonded to us) would not be good for him.  He had already gone through three removals--loses in essence, and didn't need another one.  They went so far as to take our little baby by car, over an hour away for a visit.  We understood he cried all the way there.  Poor little Tony.

Tony developed a funny habit during this time.  He started seeking out Sheri's blouses when for whatever reason he couldn't have Sheri.  It was cute, but an indication to us that he was overwhelmed with things in his life he couldn't control, and found some comfort with Sheri's smell.  He preferred dirty ones from the hamper, but would take a clean one from the closet if he couldn't get to the hamper.

And so a court contest ensued.  We petitioned the court to not move him, and discontinue visits, which had started with the new family.  Visits were continued, but on a pared down basis.  The court decided to have hearings with regards to determining the placement.
This process seemed to drag on forever.

Generally the court sides with social services.  However there was a precedent of another case being decided in favor of a foster family.  County Counsel was representing social services, recommending movement to the relative home.   The County Attorney's office, which represented Tony, was fighting for him to stay with us.  We finally got our own attorney as well.

After numerous postponings, we finally made it to court.  The deciding testimony was that of Tony's pediatric MD, who was an expert on loss and separation, and told the judge that moving Tony would be detrimental, making him more susceptible to separation issues and ADHD.  What a great day when the judge ruled in our favor and decided Tony would stay with us.

Tony's adoption was finalized April 15 2009.  He was two years, two months at that time.   When he was adopted, Tony slept.  We celebrated at BJs.

Another big day for Tony was his sealing day at the temple.  We went out to celebrate before, because of people's schedule.  Sheri went to the car to change his butt, and left her purse as we were leaving soon.  Someone broke the window and took off with the purse, in that little time.  What a stunner, as the purse contained the documents we needed for the temple, as well as the recommends for most of our party.  Tony's older siblings were going to the temple as well.

With calls to our neighbor, who was able to fax the documents, and the Bishop being there to verify temple worthiness for everyone, we got the sealing done.  Tony wasn't happy until after.  He had to ride in a car with a broken window, and couldn't sleep like he normally did in the car.

It is a joy to have Tony as our son.  Tony reminds us every day that it is important to have a good time.  I took him to the library and he got to play on the computer, and climb on the seats, and look at books and after he said, "We had a good time."  I have taken him to the park and he swung like a “monkey” on the bar, and he pretended to be Spider Man in the swing and shot his pretend webs, and kicked me in the belly as I pretended to be the monster.  We would go by the creek and he threw stones into the water and I picked black berries. 

We have a good time.  He loves to bounce in bouncy hoses, he loves to play with his toys, and he loves McDonald's for the new toys.  Tony has the most winning smile.  His face is so expressive.  He has a good time, and in doing so has reminded us all that it is OK to have fun. 

After we moved to Manteca, Tony and I took the task of visiting all the parks so as to decide which we liked the most.  At that time we were looking for the best Spider Man net.  Now Tony prefers the monkey bars.  He loves to swing, and he has incredible upper body strength for his age and can do many tricks.  I can't remember exactly what the psychiatrist on MASH said, something like "Pull down your pants and slide on the ice."  That is our Tony.

Tony has a different lesson to teach.  This one is service.   He will bring candy and cookies to you.  He loved handing out candy for Halloween.  He will also do little things for you, without being asked, when he sees there is a need. 

Along with his service is his great faith.  He says the most outstanding prayers.  He has many things to tell Heavenly Father.  He is thankful for opportunities to play with his friends, for little things people do for him, for school, and for his momma.

Tony, like all our babies, is a miracle.  He is a miracle and we love him.

Grandma and Baby

Grandma and us all

Grandma and Caleb

My mother is now in her 80s.  We went there to visit this summer for baby blessings.  (My brother had four grand babies  being blessed all on the same Sunday)  Sheri and I and our two babies went.  Tony our adopted baby is three and our foster baby was nine months.
Our foster baby is really sharp, and when we went to Grandma's he was standing, but not yet walking.  He was in the stage where he would stand and think about walking, but always drop back down and crawl.  He could stand up on his own however.  He was already in the stage of dumping books but he discovered a new hobby at grandma's, emptying drawers.
We had never had this issue with him at home.  (We do now though; he's terrible)  But grandma had some drawers in her kitchen that were easy for him to get to and open.  He enjoyed himself dumping out this and that, and then Sheri and I would come behind him and pick up.  However my mom was really frustrated with him.
One morning we caught my mom reorganizing her drawers, putting everything up higher.  There was nothing in the drawers that he was going to hurt, place mats and towels and such things.  He couldn't reach the top drawer.  We convinced her to let it ride, that he wasn't hurting anything in the long run.
While we were at Grandma's our little guy started walking.  Grandma had a coffee table in the middle of the floor, and he would hold unto this until he was brave enough to take a few steps.  By the time we came home he was taking five or six steps.  The little guy was walking and he wasn't even ten months old yet.
(Sheri tells me not to use his name, or post a picture in a blog for his confidentiality.)

Lessons from my Children: Charity; How to Love Unconditionally

Charity

I have started each story of the kids with a story of their birth. However after the excitement surrounding the other kids, Charity's birth was pretty normal and undramatic. The only bummer about her as a baby was that the camera we had at the time went on the blink, and so we lost the pictures of her blessing day. All the same we loved her like all the other babies that came in our door.

I guess I advocated for the name, Charity, because I have always sought after this Christ like love, although I have come up short on many occasions. But Charity, for her part her name says it all. She has always been a great example of Christ like love:

And Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and evieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; (Moroni 8:45)

This is a very good description of Charity. I have seen her demonstrate these principles on numerous occasions in her life. When Charity was three months shy of two years old, we moved from Utah to California. I drove the Budget rental truck, while my wife drove the car. I enjoyed the trip, because Charity for much of the trip insisted on riding with me in the truck. I think she had a sense that I was lonely in the truck, and she could provide me with company in this manner. I enjoyed her enthusiasm for the newness of the truck, even if she had to be in her car seat.

A demonstration of her personality was our first visit to a Major League Baseball game shortly after moving to California. We went to an A’s game. We were sitting high up behind the backstop. There were not many with us that high. We had brought spray bottles with us to give us a squirt of water every once in a while to ward off the heat. Charity took one of those spray bottles, and a napkin and proceeded to wash the seats. She washed a couple of rows worth. I don’t know if she watched the game, in fact I don’t remember the score, but I do remember Charity cleaning the seats. She was so cute.

Charity, throughout her schooling has always had a tender heart, and reached out to classmates who may have needed encouragement. Her best friend went through a scary situation with a brain tumor, which required surgery. Charity was available for her friend and did things to include her and help her feel better.

More recently, when we were doing foster care, Charity’s ability to love was manifested. Our first foster child, Rena, slept in the same room as Charity. She was younger and would often have nightmares at night. In those nightmares she would often moan, and kick off her covers. Charity would wake up at all hours of the night, and lovingly put the covers back on her. She and Rena became fast friends, and even though she was only at our house a few weeks, Charity made her stay with us as enjoyable as could be. Charity was in the high school yearbook talking about her experience with foster care and was quoted as saying, "Because they were so easy to love, by the time they left, it was like saying good-bye to one of my own siblings. All these kids wanted and needed was someone in their life that cared about them like my family cared for me, so when they came into our home it was so easy to build a relationship with them."

Charity has always been the best helper around the house. This was more manifest as we were fostering. It was impossible to keep up with everthing. Charity, sensing this, often took it upon herself to do the dishes--not just the basic job, but scrubbing the pots and wiping the counters. She wouldn’t quit until everything is done.

Charity's first real job was at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I enjoyed picking her up, and pulling up a few minutes before she was done at the counter. I could watch her through the window and see her interaction with customers. She always had a smile on her face, and a helping attitude. She developed friends among the regular customers at the store. She has also manifested this caring attitude in other jobs. She is currently a lifeguard.

Charity's enthusiasm for life has been based on one of service and love:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. (Moroni 7: 46-47)

Charity’s example has set a high watermark for me and her siblings. If we can follow her example, we will be more Christ like.

Anthony

We have finally gotten word that court for finalizing Anthony's adoption is April 15. It is a date we have been waiting for for more than 9 months and it is finally here. Sometimes it felt as if we would never have a date, but we do.
Anthony is a miracle baby. His birth mother was only 17 when he was born. He was born 7 weeks early, and only weighed 4 pounds 7 ounces. If he had been born several years ago, he would not have survived. It is only in the past 10 years that the medical profession have developed the technology to keep such tiny babies alive.
What is even more a miracle is that he does not have any permanent effects of his early birth. He had some kidney blockage, but with age that has gone away. He is still small for his age, but he was born almost two months early. He has some weakness in his legs, but he seems to be overcoming this with exercise. He is very strong in his upper body.
Anthony is such a cute boy. He has dark curly hair. He has brown eyes. He has soft lips. He is fun as his whole face shows emotion. He has a contagious laugh. He loves to tease his mom and I and then laughs and laughs. He will put a blanket over your face when you're watching t.v. and then laugh. He will jump just out of Sheri's reach when she is trying to put him into his car seat. He is a fun tease.
He likes dinosaurs. He took some to church this week. Sheri had assumed they would be quiet toys. However Tony provided the sound effects for them. He RAWRed so loud with them that it was almost embarrassing. Almost, but truthfully I thought it was cute. Tony is a good boy.