FOUR Months!

Where does the time go?  The boys have been home for FOUR MONTHS yesterday!  I post a lot on Facebook, but I don't blog nearly as much.  There's a couple of reasons for this.  My computer isn't great and blogging on my phone is a pain in the butt.  So, that's just laziness.  Number two, so many things about these boys seems to be private to their life and their stories and I'm never sure what I should be sharing and what I should keep in the family, because their journey is theirs, even when people want to share it.  The quandary of how much to share usually just stops me from sharing anything!

Jake is a good kid who generally wants to do the right thing.  Emotional regulation isn't the easiest for him, and he has some not great habits when he gets upset.  We're working on those.  He's growing A LOT in terms of bonding.  He was not particularly open to affection in the beginning, but he's really opening up to us, finally.  He's got a quirky personality, loves friends and sports, but does NOT love school lol, and enjoys seeing his grandparents.  Jake's favorite things are talking to his orphanage friends who have already been adopted, watching Power Rangers, and taking selfies.  This kid is the selfie king!  If I set the phone down, I'll come back to a dozen crazy pictures of Jake! Here's some of his favorite faces!


Jake's specialists have been hard to pin down and we're hoping to have more info on the nature of his brain injuries in March when we have an appointment at the Denver Children's Hospital, since getting into Nuero-sciences in New Mexico has proved to be pretty much impossible.  It's about a five hour drive, but it's worth it as UNMCH hasn't even processed his referral yet.  The earliest they could see him if they processed his referral this minute is late summer.  We're excited to see what information this helps provide for us.

Finn is doing very well medically.  He came to us in pretty rough shape, but he's bouncing back.  He's got a pretty rigid medical process to accommodate his potentially very dangerous special need.  We like to nip possible issues in the bud by offering treatment before they become an issue! 

This regimen includes blood transfusions every two weeks at this time.  In the future, the hope is that we will be able to drop back to every three weeks, or even once a month!

Here he is at his last transfusion getting a visit from daddy over lunch!  Finn came to us with some major medical PTSD, but he's slowly learning that China and America are not equal when it comes to medical care.  He also takes medication to remove the iron from his blood and organs, called chelation meds.  He takes these every night to prevent the very serious side effects that iron build up can cause.  The majority of children in China die from iron, so this is very important. 

He likes to take his Exjade, the chelation meds, in pink cups.  He loves everything pink!  If his HgB is allowed to drop too low, he really doesn't feel well. 

But we can still get a smile out of him most times. 

The boys are bonding pretty well to each other and with the other kids. 

 Just one of the girls?

 Pretend ice cream is best in winter.

 Scooters rock!

Super kids!

In case you're curious, Finn is eating a tomato straight in this super picture of he and Jake.  Because that's how super heroes roll.  

They are adorable and we just love having them here!  We can't thank the people who participated in our fundraisers and helped us to bring them home by donating or helping to spread the word.  They are loved!

Amber