What's keeping us busy

What a week we have had! We have been visiting a variety of doctors to get Micah all checked out and to begin working through some of his health concerns. The concerns are that he is a preemie who had no medical care and also that he has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He also has a constant rattle sound he makes and we need to know what that is.

What we've learned most recently is:

-His chest X-ray came back clear which is good

-His swallow study went well, meaning he can swallow and there is no obvious problem with food going the wrong way, also good news

-He also had a visit to the eye doctor. This appointment has lead us on to another referral to a specialist to check some things out.

-The most productive appointment was the physical therapist. She checked him out and tested his abilities. We left with a long list of stretches, some tubigrip and more referrals. Next time you see him he may be sporting his Tubigrip, which looks like a combination of cotton tights and leg warmers. He wears these during the day on his legs and arms. This helps his brain know where his arms and legs are. So far he has done very well with them on. He is moving more and stretching out his arms and legs more as well. He is quite tickled with his new movements.

Next week we will be visiting an ENT to address the rattle sound he makes. We will also be hearing about several other referrals and appointments. Your prayers are appreciated as we work to address Micah's needs.

A month ago today...

We met Micah for the first time. It's hard to believe all that has happened in the last month. We are still wrapping our brains around how completely different our lives are from just one month ago. We have settled into the slow pace of life with a baby. Micah is doing pretty well.

He has relaxed and mellowed a lot in the last month. We have done the same. This new season of life has been enjoyable, exhausting, and consuming.

We are blessed beyond belief and honored to be Micah's forever family.

Second week home

We have now been home for two weeks with our sweet little boy. He has been such a joy to learn about, listen to, and hang out with. He is very social, alert and has incredible hearing. He loves to do our version of his "physical therapy" as we rotate his arms and pump/run his legs. He thinks its really funny when Randy touches his feet to his forehead. My personal favorite it when we can get him belly laughing and melting into a lump by tickling him. When we catch him off guard and tickle him he has the cutest smile and laugh. Sometimes he will be standing in our lap and start to flirt. He smiles real big and shakes his head back and forth while cooing. It almost looks like he is just so proud of himself and happy to have so much personal attention. This last week he has also started to reach out for toys that are hanging above him and talking to his taggy toy. A favorite of his is anything soft. He likes to talk to the poke-a-dots on his soft changing pad and his thin striped blanket. Bath time is also another joy off his along with a lotion massage to follow.

Over the last week we have seen his hair grow and develop a cute little curl in the front. He also has little claws...I mean fingernails that need trimming every other day. He is eating pretty well and we are praying he is gaining weight. We will find out later this week how his weight is doing. He is still a little peanut. We just hope to see a little more weight on him after a week. Nights and napping have also been going pretty well. He will sleep for 4-5 hours and then want a quick snack and goes right back to bed. Pretty much a sip n' snore. It almost like he just wants to make sure food is available and we are still here. He is also taking a nap or two for up to 4 hours at a time depending on the day. If he takes two naps then they are shorter. We capitalize on his nap times by either working around the house or if the girls are home these times are filled with playing Wii.

The girls are adjusting well. They are learning what things are and where to find them when we need them. They are pretty helpful to us when we suddenly need a burp cloth or he needs his tummy patted. Usually one of them is always close by to observe and assist in whatever is happening. There are times where they don't understand why they have to wait or why I can't carry something because my hands are full of Micah but overall they are doing well.

In the next week we will be having a variety of appointments to assess his congested rattle, his eye sight along with a physical therapy assessment. Our schedule is definitely filling up and we are using our time wisely while the girls are in school.

We have also been generously blessed by family and friends who have been providing meals for us as we adjust. The perpetual aluminum pan and ziploc containers have provided wonderful meals as well as no dishes to return to people which is AWESOME! One less thing to think about and one less pile off things that don't belong to us. Whew!

Another blessing is that Randy will be able to be home with us through all of January. Woo Hoo! I am totally spoiled. When reality hits it will be another interesting adjustment. Next week I will have to practice what real life will be like especially with the three trips to school a day while fitting naps in. So far the only victim of the adjustment has been our camera. It has been "misplaced" for several days now. I'm praying it surfaces soon with the cute pictures on it. As soon as I get pictures from our Flip Video we will post those.

So here is where we are at after being home two weeks. God is good and has blessed us beyond belief.

Adjusting

We have now been home a little over a week. Here are some of the highlights:

-We have adjusted to the 11 hour difference a little more each day.

-Micah has learned that 1am, 3am or 4am are not times that we play or stay awake.

-Micah has visited friends at church and the girls school.

-We can get more than one thing done a day.

-Micah slept for 7 hours...now if we can shift that to end more towards the morning we would be all good.

-Micah had his first Dr. appointment. He weighs 10 lbs. and is 23-1/2" long.

-We are working through the variety of medical testing for Micah that goes along with being adopted.

-Micah is a fighter, when falling asleep you will hear a yell and then a snore, it is quite cute. He also has a new snore or squeek every night.

-Micah has the cutest giggle and belly laugh when being tickled.

-Micah thinks it's funny to touch his nose with his hand and to touch his forehead with his feet.

-We are still taking naps when possible (and we turn off our phones so don't worry about waking us up.)

-The girls are enjoying their brother. They are also very helpful.

-We are thankful for meals brought by family and friends.

-We are thankful for the Wii our family received for Christmas, it's keeping the girls occupied while we are occupied with Micah.

We have had a pretty smooth time transitioning. Really the hardest part is the exhaustion and wanting to go to bed by 7pm. Overtime it's all going to get better. We have been so blessed beyond belief. Our son is such a blessing!

Home Sweet Home

We arrived home about 6:30pm on Wednesday the 6th. We were greeted by a variety of sisters, grandparents, aunties, uncles and a cousin. Micah had just woken up in a car seat, in the dark, in a foreign land with a wet diaper and he was hungry. He was not too happy. Once we got him settled and met some of his needs he perked up a bit. He got to meet his sisters and was also met by an assortment of video cameras and camera flashes. It was so good to be home and to get to settle in to the slower life with an infant.

Fresno here we come!

I know....I know....it's been a while since we've posted anything...sorry for that. We have had quite the adjustment. The time difference is 11 hours so we have all been turned around completely.

As we worked our way through the airport in Ethiopia it was interesting to say the least. The airport is on the primitive side and the processes don't necessarily make sense. There is nothing that makes you miss home more than a primitive airport. The plane ride home was exhausting and pretty good considering. The first 4 hour flight Micah fell asleep for the second half and then slept through the airport in Dubai. Whew! We then headed to our hotel, got settled, showered, ate and had 1 hour until we had to leave for the airport again. So for an hour we tried to rest...ya right...but we tried. Micah slept most of the time at the hotel which was good for him. We then headed back to the airport to be ready for our 16 hour flight. Once we boarded, got settled, and were in the air Micah again fell asleep. We were pretty encouraged that he was sleeping soundly and did so for 4-1/2 hours. Woo Hoo! Then he woke up. He was happy and looking around very curiously. He made friends with the man sitting next to us and was having a good time. He was having such a good time he decided that he did not want to sleep anymore. We spend the remainder of the flight playing with him and then trying to get him to sleep. We were all exhausted and then as we were 4 minutes from landing HE FELL ASLEEP! Ah, FINALLY! This worked out well. We were able to make it through immigration and were waiting for our luggage before he woke up. Now there was a lot to see so whenever he got fussy all we needed to do was turn him to look at something new and he was fine. We made it through the airport within 1-1/2 hours, from airplane to waiting for the shuttle to get our van. That's pretty good considering all the terrorist activity that happened while we were gone.

We were very happy to be to our van and able to be in control of our own transportation...such a good feeling. Micah did very well in his car seat for the first time. In Ethiopia car seats are not required so he was held in all vehicles. Once the van was moving he was fine and again had much to look at. After about 45 minutes he fell asleep again and slept until we got home. We were exhausted! We had figured that we had not slept since 5am on the 5th, travelled across the world and lost 12 hours in time changes. It was a long time. We were so blessed to make it through this travel safe and sound. It felt surreal to think we travelled so far and were finally home.

Coming Home

The Coombs have just boarded the plane in Dubai.  Micah seems to be traveling well.  Keep them in your prayers tonight as they will arrive back in their home state tomorrow.  It takes, on average, two hours to enter back into the US with an orphan.  They will be tired and then still need to drive home from their entry port.  So again, your prayers for them during this time would be coveted.

-Nates5bs

Just a Bit of an Update

When the Coombs last sent me something to post, they wanted me to let you know that they have much to say, but yet are limited in that ability to communicate due to lack of time and resources. My understanding is that their internet connection is dial-up and there are often random power outages. Thus said, they will probably post more of their experience in Ethiopia once they get home. That may also be why they have not sent any pictures. I'm with you...I want to see that sweet little thing, but I am positive they will post those pics as soon as they can!

However, rest assured that they are safe and doing well. They mentioned that Micah is adorable, curious and very social. He definately knows they are his. He's making good eye contact at times. He's nuzzling in and enjoying being peaceful.

One thing you can pray for is that he seems to have some intestinal issues and has had one bad night (at least as of that writing) since they've been there. Pray for them to learn how to comfort him, that they would find a solution to his intestinal issues and that God would give them wisdom when they return home as they work with doctors to resolve it.

One more tidbit, he is still a little peanut. They are thinking that he probably weighs in at about 10lbs. and is 24" long.

The Coombs are enjoying their time with Micah and are appreciative of the gift of time they have to bond with him before bringing him home. What a treasure to be able to experience the region he is from and to learn about him and his care alongside those who have been caring for him until he could meet his forever family. The Coombs will be home soon and can't wait for you to meet their newest member of their family!

- Nates5bs