First I want to say Hi to anyone still out there following along. It has been a crazy 2 months and 1 week since Jeremiah was placed in our arms!
It feels like soo long ago that first night in the hotel room in Tainan when I looked down at my TWO SONS in my arms! I was soo thrilled to have finally met my sweet Jeremiah and in shock and awe at all God had done to get us there. In a bit of disbelief still that God had really allowed me the honor of adopting TWO children! I did not even know the full extent that night of why things happened the way they did or why the money came in just the nick of time but now I know it was so we would be there to get Jeremiah at just the time his body was needing it. It amazes me still how incredibly blessed we are that Jeremiah's sepsis and all did not peak ON the airplane. I can't imagine what it would have been like as frightening as it was to go through IN a hospital, but in the air over the ocean hours from a landing. GOD IS GOOD! I have battled so many times in my mind what I could have done different to protect Jeremiah more but through all of this and what all the docs are saying and the levels of things in his blood this illness had been underlying for a long while and was going to come evenutally even without the stress of a trip and a new family. It was and is at times so hard to think that I hurt my child by adopting them. I remember going to get Noah and he grieved so bad and so loud and cried and cried and I sat in the same hotel that first night and cried and said to Bobby we are hurting him and he said but its for his good. Jeremiah did not grieve in the way Noah did because he is different but I believe he did and is greiving the loss of life as he knew it in Taiwan. I feel awful when I think of his life since we got him because it has been so much sickness and pain and doctors and nurses and therapist and such trying to save his life and all. I hate that he has gone through all this and I wonder what he thinks. He is beginning to show recognition of me in ways and that so blesses my heart. I so worried he would associate me with nothing but pain but prayerfully not. I look at him constantly and I think how incredibly blessed I am that God had mercy and allowed jeremiah to live through Massive Sepsis , double pneumonia and double plueral effusions and all that went with that. That he spared his life as a newborn when he went through all he did then. God has a plan for this child's life and I get the honor of watching that plan unfold. I cannot give God enough thanks and praise for allowing my baby to live when so many others die when going through even less sometimes. I had no clue the day we picked him up how HARD this was going to be. I ache for him in so many ways and the things he can't do, cant see, etc. I want to give him the world and right now my focus is getting into his world. I feel like I need to learn more and do more and that I am battling to do that. You would not believe how hard it has been to find support in the way of other families with Children with severe cp, or with blindess let alone both. I found a specail program not far from us for blind children but because of his severe cerebral palsy he wont be able to be involved. and finding a parental support group locally for any of his issues has been impossible it seems. Bu I am so blessed by and awesome Children's hospital , an amazing home health nurse and the best Physical Therapist on the planet. Our PT has even taken time a couple times to ask how I AM doing with all this. I am like I love this baby more than I could have even fathomed possible and I feel useless to help him. BUT I WILL LEARN! I will fight and research and travel and do all I have to for him. I am not really sure why I am writing this post but you know me, lol I am alot of times rambing on for no reason.
Please be praying for my sweet Panda Boy Noah as you pray for Jeremiah! Noah is special needs, just not the same type as Jeremiah. He has really been having a rough time with his temper and his sensory issues. He adores Jeremiah beyond anything I have seen in a child that age which is amazing. He is ANGRY at me because previous to Jeremiah being in intensive care I never left Noah because he would freak. He did freak when I had to leave him to be with Jeremiah in PICU and it was the most heartwrenching thing I have ever been through :( It tore me literally in two and I thought how do I give them both what they need :( I have always wanted tons and tons and tons of kids and I still do but this threw me for a loop of how do I give Noah me and be with Jeremiah in a situation where they have taken it out of our hands. Noah could come in for small short visits but not stay in the room like he did no peds floor. The problem too is that noone else seems to be able to handle him when he flips out and all and at times I dont do so well myself but for whatever reason most of the time his worst ones are if he wants me. At the beginning I literally could not cook or anything. It is odd to me know that I have Jeremiah who is very laid back and a large portion of the time doesnt care if I am around and then Noah who I can't breathe without him needing to be on me. I have to really make time for one on one with Jeremiah and Noah does not like it. After the hospital he is very angry with me and it has changed alot of things in that his other issues are kicked up more and he alot of times doesnt want me now and will scream for Celeste. it breaks my heart. At the hospital when it happend I cried my eyes out and kept thinking I have lost my first son to be with my 2nd son who might not even live. Thank God he did live and Noah survived and I know in the long run all will be ok. when he is really tired he still wants me so that is good. He does not mind me like he use too and that will take some work. Part of that is in effort to try and keep him happy Daddy, Sister, friends, etc did ANYTHING they could to make up for mamma being in back with jeremiah so much and he got away with alot, got lots of chips and candy and soda and folks bringing him gifts and all kinds of things. Which is very sweet and I am thrilled he was so tended to and all but now that real life is back he is not so thrilled with not being able to have so much and all.
It amazes me that I have handled all of this as well as I did. I remember sitting on a bench in the picu room watching Jeremiah's numbers go down down down and doctors, nurses, repiratory therapist, etc. scramble to try and keep him alive and I just cried and prayed to God to PLEASE spare him and give him a chance at life with a family. I sooo want to do right by that chance God gave Jeremiah and I want to be the best mamma I can for Noah and somehow I have to get my act together and give them both exactly what they need medically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, educationally, and in every area.
Thanks for letting me share and I hope I did not bore yall and I hope anyone still reads my blog! lol I do have a blessing of an older lap top that was given to me so if I can find the time will be able to post again more regulary! THANK You to my sweet blog reader whose hubby had access to this new to me laptop :)
Pray for me if you have a minute, for my emotions, for my walk with God, for me to be the wife and mother I need to be and for me to learn all I need to in order to help my boys with their special needs. Also please pray for a sweet new adopted in my heart daughter of mine! I have know her most of her life but not seen her in several years and through some events she is estranged from family but close by to us and in my heart I just feel like God has given her to me to be an adoptive mommy of a sort to a newly married young woman she is. She is a dear friend of my amazing daughter and we have been blessed to have her back in our life on a more regular basis :) Pray too for my baby girl Celeste! She got hired at the blood bank she wanted to work at and will begin her first job as a working Phlebotomist on the 23rd! :) I am so proud of her. I know my time with her back home with us is limited and I am treasuring every moment! I am praying she will be able to save money, get a car and save money she needs to go back to Christ for the Nations and finish her training there she had to leave because of no funds or sponsorship. My heart aches for her to have the desires of her heart and to sit and watch God continue to use her in the lives of His people!
Night all, I send you my friend Kisses in the wind! :)
4 comments:
In tears reading this post... your husband is right as he said with your first precious boy- sometimes things we do may hurt our children as far as feelings or emotions but we are always doing what is best for them to care for them. They don't know what they need but we as parents do and God gives us that authority- blessing to protect and care for them. Gods timing is ALWAYS perfect as you said. Can't imagine what could have happened to your precious Jeremiah had you all not come for him and had you not been back where there was a hospital. Praying for your family!
Glad to see you back with a good, long post...therapeutic, isn't it? :) I've been following your journey to Jeremiah and am so in awe of how God worked just at the right time to get you to him. God is so good, and He does have a special plan for all of you. Praying that things settle down and you can find the support you need for all of you! Many blessings!
Oh, Tami, that sensory stuff can be so hard. My little guy also has/had a hard time seperating (much better now, going on age 7). In retropsect, I wonder whether we meet many of their sensory needs automatically, whether they need a human jungle gym to climb on, or a squeeze massage, or someone to safely have a meltdown with, that our mere presence helps with their regulation. So in addition to missing Mommy, they kind of panic when we are not there, because they have all this sensory stuff happening that they just don't know what to do with.
Poor, Noah, I know he is not happy with you right now, and that is hard, but I do believe that, in the long term, it will be good for him to know that no matter what, you always come back.
For Jeremiah, too, knowing that you are there always, no matter what, that you will make sure he is taken care of, that he is part of a family, no matter how hard the circumstances is such a great gift. He does not appriate it now, but it is a start.
Doeasn't help a mother's heart when she sees her babies hurting, but it can be something to hang on to.
Praying the Lord will send the support you need and for God's continued blessings on your family.
Tami,
You are such a brave, strong woman with such fierce love for your kids. I wish I could have half the admirable qualities you possess.
Reading this post makes me stand in awe of God and all he has carried Jeremiah through. I know you're worried about how Noah has fared through all the hosptial visits and separation from you, but I do wonder if it isn't for his best in the long run, that though the transition to learning increased independence from is tough for all invovled, it just might yield good results in the end.
I, too, am looking forward to seeing how Jeremiah's story unfolds. What an unbelievable start so far!
- Judy
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