Pee-Pee Success!

What a great potty training week!  It surpassed my expectations!  My friend suggested I pray before we started.  I thought, oh yeh, that's a good idea!  LOL  Owen did great!  We started last Saturday.  For his 1st week he had 2 days with NO accidents (and they were both in the past few days here), 1 day with 2 accidents, and 4 days with only 1 accident.  And here's the real kicker....he wakes up in the morning, and from naps, dry most of the time!!!!!  Wow!  He's got control!  We've even gone places in the car...stores, the park.  Thank you Jesus for caring even about potty training!  Still praying for week 2 and 3 though!  

Here is Owen's Pee-Pee Chart.  We did a sticker chart and the columns started with Sat and went through to today, Friday.  He got to put a sticker on his chart and get a piece of candy.  The boys don't get much candy or junk so it was a big deal!  And everytime, he had to share some candy with Otto.  (That's what Otto had to do with Owen when he was training!)  :-)  It's cute b/c it got Otto cheering Owen on!  LOL 

Months of the Year

Otto was saying these things this morning, and I wasn't paying much attention until a pattern caught my ear.  He said, "October, November, December."  I said, "Otto, are you saying the months of the year?!"  And he got this huge proud grin on his face.  So I started him off with January and he continued (with just a little bit of help a couple times) to recite all 12 months of the year!!!!!  Wow!  I was so proud I felt choked up!  I've also realized in the past couple days that he can recite the days of the week too!  They recite them everyday at school.  I'm definitely gonna have to continue that this summer.  I'm gonna make him up an Otto calendar.  Especially so he can keep track of what's going on each day.  He has to know what the schedule is.  this summer he has speech therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy (for emotional issues), and in June he has gymnastics class twice a week.  Right now, he'll recite his week by saying "school, school, school, school, school, Saturday, church" referring to Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun.  This summer though he can't say that anymore!  (These pictures are from our visit to the Children's Hands-On Museum in Brownsville.  It was a very neat place for the kids to play and pretend!)

It's Coming!

This was our last week of school!  Both for Otto and for me with the big kids!  On Wed though I didn't have school so I put underpants on Owen all morning.  We dabbled with the potty before.  He knows about it and has peed on it, but I haven't gone full force with it yet b/c of school.  My "plan" (I say it like that b/c Owen may have another plan!!!!!) was that as soon as school got out, we were gonna go buy him some new underpants that he picked out and then go full force!  I'd love to have him potty trained by the time we go to Guatemala Aug. 27.

Anyway, on Wed morning I had underpants on him all morning until naptime and he didn't have 1 accident!!!!!!  I was so proud of him!  It got me so excited to get started.  But we'll see!  I'm praying about the issue!  LOL  It's too cute....if he stands at our toilet, he is the perfect height right now that his penis rests right on the edge and he can pee right in.  He thinks it's really cool to stand and pee like Papa!  His catch phrase is, "It's coming!"  LOL  It's so funny!

T-Rex

We are just amazed by Owen!  He is talking up a storm and his imagination is so great!  He loves to pretend a T-Rex is getting him!  When he and Papa are on the bed, he'll say that a T-Rex is coming and they have to hide under the covers.  Sometimes Aaron will pretend to be the T-Rex and Owen will run away with a squeal of laughter pretending to be afraid!  Hilarious!  

Well we've been having a hard time

 lately with him getting out of bed when we put him to bed.  So anyway, he's laying in bed calling me.  I don't answer.  He starts talking and singing.  He calls me again.  I ignore him.  All of a sudden he shouts, "mama, mama, help me, T-Rex is biting my leg!"  Trying to do anything to get me to come in there!  I laughed and said, "no Owen, go to sleep!"  So funny!  Aaron and I so often just look at each other and smile or laugh!  What a joy!

The Conversations Continue

I am so loving conversing with Otto!  I love getting to know him through how he's interpretting the world around him.  The other day we were laying in bed after nap again and had 2 amazing (to me anyway) conversations....

The 1st one.....

Otto said, "Be-" (short e sound).  I said, "what?" And he repeated himself.  I said, "bed" He said, "no."  I said, "bear?"  He said, "no."  I said, "I don't know what you're saying."  He's very good at charades or whatever it takes to help me figure it out.  He said, "coo-coo monti" (which means Cookie Monster). 

I said, "oh Ben?"  He said, "yeh!"  To remind you, if you've read about our tragedy here lately, Ben "Cookie Monster" died.  For Otto to bring him up out of the blue like that is very strange.  I'm sure he's heard us and everyone around here talking about stuff but I still think it's weird!

Anyway, I said, "what about him?"  He said, "where is he?"  Now, I'm telling you, this was SO odd for Otto to be asking about Ben in the first place and then to be asking about his whereabouts was very strange!!!!  I said, "he's up in heaven with Jesus."  He said, "why?"  I said, "b/c Jesus said 'come on Ben it's time to come be with me!' And Ben said 'OK!'"  Otto said, "oh"  And that was that.  I decided since that went so well, I'd add that Andrea was with Jesus now too.  He remembered when she came over and played in the puddles with them b/c he said something about that time implying "is that who you're talking about?"  I said, "yes, Andrea, she played in the puddles with you."  He said, "oh" And the conversation was over!  I laid there in disbelief that I just had a conversation about death with him.

The 2nd one...

A few moments later from that last conversation, still while we're laying there on the bed, Otto is observing the photos of he and Owen on the shelves on the wall.  He points out "Otto baby, Owen baby"  Then he asks, "what mama doing me baby"  (which means what were you doing when I was a baby?)  I said, "I was praying for you."  He said, "where?"  I said, "at home"  He said, "oh."  

Then he asked, "what mama doing OE baby?"  (which

 means what were you doing when Owen was a baby?)  I said, "I was taking care of him."  Then it came.....the 1st real question trying to understand adoption.  I was dying!!!!!  He said, "why mama no care me baby?"  (which means why mama didn't take care of me when I was a baby?)  I very matter of factly said, "B/c Yohana was taking care of you when you were a baby."  He said, "oh."  And that was that. (Yohana was his foster mom in Guatemala.  And he knows that from his Lifebook. We talk about it when we look through his book.)  Thankfully he was satisfied with that and that was the end of the conversation b/c I was dying inside!  I couldn't believe we just had that conversation!!!!  Lord, give me the wisdom to know exactly WHAT to say and HOW MUCH to say whenever the questions arise.

What a glorious afternoon of laying on the bed talking with my son waiting for other one to wake up.  I was blown away by the connections he's making and what's going on in that little noggin of his!

Let me introduce...

Otto has been doing so great! These latest medicines (there’s 2 of them) have not shown any side effects and have revealed to me a child I have not seen in a while and in some respects....EVER!!!!! Remember, this was our 4th try of medicine. We went to see a child psychiatrist and she prescribed these 2 new ones. I prayed and said, “God, if you don’t want Otto to be on meds then please let side effects flare up and I’ll be done, no more tries! But if it’s ok for him to be on meds then please let these ones work and give us some relief! Let us have our boy back!”
I can not even begin to describe how great things have been! He’s been more calm which is a huge plus! But he’s also seemed more mature. With the calmness, he also has become quite the conversationalist! He and I have been having some great conversations! It has been so amazing! He has such a great memory! He reminded me recently of something I did with him when I rocked him in Guatemala. I feel like I’m getting to know my son in a whole new way! God has given me a precious gift and I’m so thankful!
And we had our 1st spiritual conversation which threw me for a total loop! Otto loves to pray and does so on his own often but he has never asked me a question about God. We were laying on my bed looking out the window and it was windy. I said, “It’s windy outside today.” He said, “Why is it windy?” Rather than explain the logistics behind what causes wind (which I wouldn’t have been able to do anyway! LOL), I said, “Because God decided it was gonna be windy today.” Then came the beautiful words, the first spiritual question from my little boy, he said, “Where’s God?” At first I was so thrown for a loop I was speechless! I thought to myself, “Where IS God?! How am I going to explain this?!” So I told him that God is everywhere, He’s always with us, He’s in our hearts, He’s everywhere! He started pointing around the room asking, “Is He there?” I’d say, “yep!” He’d point to a new place and ask again and I’d respond the same way again! He lifted the blanket and asked, “Is He under there?” I said, “yep.” It was to die for. The next day it was raining so I said, “I guess God decided it was gonna rain today. Everything needed a drink!” Otto said, “I can’t see God.” Oh boy, I thought, how do I explain this one? I told him we can’t really see Him with our eyes but He’s there, He’s always with us. I pray for wisdom to answer my son’s questions. I feel like I’m entering a new stage here with Otto and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
Even though the meds are helping a ton we still have our issues but they just seem so much easier to deal with! He goes to play therapy once a week for anxiety and ADHD. This week we’ll find out the results of his genetics testing to see if the mental retardation is due to a genetic disorder or not.

Looking Up.

Last Sunday, Aaron left for Aldama, Mexico with a group from Tenessee. They were gone for 6 days and came home last night. It is so nice to have him home! The boys missed him terribly! In fact, one evening I put Owen on the phone and he began to do that hyperventilating kind of cry. It was so pitiful and to die for cute! He would say, “I....love....you....Papa!” Everything was very staccato and between every word was hyperventilating/cry. I think it made Aaron feel pretty good and missed! After that, if I even mentioned “Papa” he would start in with the cry and I’d have to console him! 

With everything that’s been going on with Otto and trying different meds, me and the boys just barely survived the week. Only by the grace of God. In fact, Aaron asked if he could not go on this trip but they really needed him to go. I’m glad he did, from his stories, sounds like nearly everyone they ran into were divine appointments. He has some crazy stories about demons. Mexico has a lot of demonic presence and witch doctors. And even though this week was hard, it was a growth experience for me. Lots (I mean LOTS) of testing! And the funny thing? I can say now that it’s funny but at the time, it wasn’t....I have 2 friends with kids my kids’ ages and we planned to hang out a lot and even have Otto go over to play for a little break here and there. BUT...both of those households were sick with a nasty flu that’s had a lot of our staff sick! So I couldn’t hang out with them or send one of the kids over to play for like a little break. There was no reprieve! Only God! I could only rely on Him. (Plus, I called my mother-in-law at least twice a day!)
One reason this week was so difficult is because Otto’s 3rd medication we were trying ended up making him very sad. He was whiney or crying soooo much! The thing about the side effects of these medicines is that they gradually start showing up. So you don’t really notice it at first. Also every side effect he’s had has been a emulation of a issue he already has. So at first you really don’t notice b/c it’s something he’s always done anyway (anxiety, tics, whining/crying). By the time I’ve really noticed, they are so bad and I’m so at my wit’s end already! You know how when you’re in the middle of a situation it’s hard to see with clear, unbiased eyes what’s really going on? I called the dr on Wed and told him about the crying and he said it’s a side effect and to stop the medicine immediately. Then he also said that he’d like to refer us to a child psychiatrist b/c Otto’s is a complex situation. He said, “That’s ALL they do and it’s only part of what I do, so I’d feel more comfortable sending you there.” I feel really good about this decision and we go this next Thurs. I am very interested to hear what this dr has to say! So Otto is medicine free for now (no side effects!). AND AARON’S HOME! Life is good! Things are looking up!
This past week, Otto and I went to see a Christian counselor to begin play therapy for ADHD and anxiety. She was so wonderful! She was great with Otto and very encouraging to me! I needed that so bad too! She said she was a little surprised at his mental retardation label after observing him for almost the whole 1.5 hour session. She said he’s got to be just very borderline. I said, “I hope so!” She works a lot with ADHD kids and also abused and neglected kids, lots of kids in foster care. Otto played while we talked (this was our initial visit where she asks lots of questions, hears our story and our needs, and devises a plan of attack) and of course he acted up during this time and I had to discipline him. So she got to see all sides of him and how he and I interact. She was surprised how well he responds to me and listens (of course I didn’t think he was listening well! LOL!). She said she could tell how consistent we must be with him. At one point he picked up a toy and threw back his arm like he was getting ready to throw it at me and by his own will stopped and put his arm down. She said that she was shocked at that. That he had an impulse out of frustration to throw the toy at me but stopped, showed self-control, and did the right thing. She said that she sees ADHD kids with normal intellectual function (in other words, not mentally retarded), just bad parenting she called it, who can’t exhibit that impulse control. I was like, really? That made me feel so good not only about his potential but also b/c it was a “mama compliment”! I usually feel like I’m doing a poor job with Otto so it was sooooo good to hear her say the positives she saw. She said other wonderful things my ears and heart needed to hear but I won’t bore you and risk sounding like I’m puffing myself up. My only point was to share how God used her to encourage me and show me love especially during a rough week.
Some scripture that helped me feel stronger this week....2 Corinthians 12: 9,10, But he [Jesus] said to me [Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore [Paul talking], I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong!
I read that this week and thought, “Wow, Christ must be pretty powerful this week b/c I’m pretty weak!” LOL But it did make me feel better and little more empowered. :-)
Thanks to God for getting us through the week and showing once again how faithful and loving He is.
(I hear some guys are going back down to Aldama on Tuesday to do some work, please Lord let Aaron not have to go! LOL)