Slacker of a blogger

Okay so if I write about all the excuses why I didn't write, I'll just waste time. So let me catch you up!

Micah is sitting up unassisted!! yes that's right - he has been doing this for about two weeks. I still stay near and don't go too far since he somtimes will fall back and hit his head. He hasn't yet figured out how to go from sitting ot laying down yet, so when he gets too far to the floor he just continues to fall - the momentum carries him to either face plant or fall back on his head. It's so sad but still cute :) Everything he does is cute!

We are working with an early intervention specialist through the HELP ME GROW program in Delaware. Our specialist (she) comes once a month to play with Micah and evaluate his progress in gross motor and fine motor skills. She also helps to identify any areas where he may need more services (PT, OT, etc). So far we have just been monitoring his progress. He has developed from 3 months gross motor upon coming home to 6 month and some 7month gross motor skills - in 1.5 months time!! His fine motor skills were 4 months upon coming home and now they are also 6-7 months. She has helped us to work with him to promote crawling - apparantly this is very important for him to get as we don't want him to walk too soon and skip crawling - who knew!?

He babbles more and more and louder and louder! Still only vowel sounds, but I'm trying to encourage the "mama" out of him - although I hear "dada" is easier - ha! He is close to the "nana" but not the "mama" - he usually stops dead in his tracks and just stares at us when we talk consonants to him - it's funny! Soon though!

He is eating more and so much better. I'd say we hit a breakthrough around mid-month. We were struggling as he just didn't seem interested - and actually didn't quite know what to do with the food and spoon when fed. Now he actually gets excited around food and eating 2-4 oz of veggies or fruit with 1-2 oz of grains at a time. I make him his food at home. He started with sweet potatoes, bananas, and apples. Then we tried pears and squash. All went well. He has recently had peas and carrots and the latest new food - yogurt! mmm. Next up is avacodo, peaches, and green beans. For formula, he typically eats 36-42 oz/day (depending on how much solid food he had) - but we're trying to reduce it to 32 oz with more solids. We're getting there!

He sleeps well for the most part. He wakes up every 4 hours now at night and naps 2-3 times a day - usually 2 - 1-2 hour naps. So we're not complaining here :)

The boy has to be 16 pounds by now - he is sooo heavy! I am guessing 16 pounds but I don't know for sure. He is now in 6-9 month sleepers and onesies but 3-6 pants - his little legs are short - so cute! Maybe he'll be a swimmer like Michael Phelps with a long torso :)

OH and we recently had a first haircut! His hair was just out of control!
BEFORE

AFTER

Urgent Need for Formula in Ethiopia

More and more babies are coming into our adoption agency's transitional home (where our Micah stayed for 5 months while we waited to pick him up) severely malnourished, fighting for survival. At least 4 infants are there now that are on feeding tubes. We saw a baby girl that was literally skin and bones while we were there. We learned she is gaining weight now on Nutramigen and thriving! She is 3-4 months old and 6.5 pounds (this after gaining 2.5 pounds since March). She will hopefully soon be home to her forever family! Many more babies like her are coming to the transitional home that our agency operates for children who are waiting for their mommies and daddies to come take them home. Keeping them healthy and even getting them healthy enough to be referred (matched to a family) is becoming more difficult with the resources (or lack of) in Ethiopia regarding formula and nutrition.

Our Micah arrived at 3 months old, 7.9 pounds. Compared to other babies, he was "healthy" and much more plump. He didn't even make the growth charts in America but was leaps and bounds ahead of other babies in his nursery. Here is a "healthy" update Picture of him from February, weighing 10.0 pounds at 5 months old. In America you would never see a baby's ribs.


Tom Davis, author and advocate for orphans - of Children's HopeChest, is spearheading a formula drive for the babies specifically that are brought to AWAA's transition home. Specifically, he is working to get pre-digested hypoallergenic formula to Africa where nothing like it can be purchased. $30 can by and ship one can of Nutramagen (Alimentum is the Similac equivalent of this Enfamil formula). Read our AWAA family coordinator's perspective here. Micah had to take this formula for the first two weeks upon arriving home, due to damage to his GI tract from his prolonged diarrhea. Almost all the infants battle bacteria, parasites, and thus diarrhea. It is a formula that can give their GI tracts a rest so they may put more energy to fighting the foreign invaders (bacteria, parasites, etc). I speak so passionately because I saw my baby boy almost die from a simple bacteria that invaded his GI tract. Granted, he needed more than formula. He needed IV fluids and IV antibiotics, but the formula helped him absorb nutrients to gain weight and strength to fight off the bacteria in his body. If you or anyone you know want to help out orphans in Africa, or are just interested in this effort or want to pass on the info to others you know, please visit here to read a story about another baby boy named Micah Martin, whom we met in Ethiopia with his forever parents. They were on their way home to America, and we were just arriving, to pick up our Micah Richardson

Here is our Micah now, after gaining 2 pounds in the first three weeks of being home. (notice the lack of visible ribs! I praise God that we have access and the resources for superior nutrition for Micah)

Coffee for a Cause

I saw this on Facebook posted by International Justice Mission. If you are unfamiliar with this amazing organziation, click on the link to the right of my blog to learn more. Briefly, it is an organization whose goal is to fight injustices in the world, namely human trafficking (of ALL kinds). It is REAL and it is GROWING. If this is the first time you have heard about human trafficking, please visit the website and learn more. The founder also wrote a book entitled, "Good News about injustice" which I HIGHLY recommend, especially to those AWAA families who will come home from ET and never forget what you saw and wonder how you are to respond.

Anyway, here is something cool - a note from IJM:

Friends -- We are very excited to share wonderful news here at the beginning of May. All month, drinking great coffee can literally change lives.

During the month of May, Storyville Coffee is dedicating 100% of its revenue to IJM — up to $1,000,000 — to stop slavery, human trafficking, and other forms of violent oppression.

Simply:
1. go to www.storyville.com
2. purchase fine coffee
3. receive fresh roasted coffee beans in the mail
4. brew and enjoy.

Or, consider a gift of gourmet coffee for Mother's Day or to celebrate springtime graduations.

Spread the word with friends and family and enjoy coffee for a good cause all month!

With gratitude,
International Justice Mission

Adoption Language

Sitting in the doc's office the other day, I received questions/comments from others waiting. This is common. Many say "oh how cute! how old is he?" - i really don't like the age questions as Micah is 7 1/2 months old but is quite small. I'll admit I tell strangers is 5-6 months and they still gasp! Sometimes I qualify the statement and say "he was adopted from Ethiopia - we just brought him home". I think now I might just let the strangers believe that I don't feed him enough :) It's easier. Consider this conversation even that I had:

Stranger: How old is he? He's soo cute!?

Me: About 6 months.

Stranger: Wow! He's small.

Me: thinking (golly I hadn't noticed) - "yeah, we adopted him from Ethiopia"

Stranger: "OH, so he's not really yours"

Me: Yes he's ours, we adopted him. He's my son.

I don't think this stranger meant anything rude by her comments - I really don't think she knew what she was saying. She was not educated on adoption language. In other words, she is ignorant of the sensitivity in words needed around adoptive parents, but MOST importantly, their children. I hope Micah never hears a stranger say these words when he is older and can understand what others are saying. How horrible for a child to hear someone say to his mother "oh so he's not really yours"

Micah, you are MY son, you are MINE! You are my "own", "real" and "natural" child. I am your "real" and "natural" parent. I chose you and I would choose you again and again. You will always be my son and will always be a Richardson in our forever family!

So for all you bloggies who read this blog, below is adoption language 101. I encourage you, if you are friends/family of ours, and will be a part of Micah's life, to do a google search of "positive adoption language" if you are unfamiliar with adoption language or catch yourself saying "I might adopt after I have my own children"

Natural Child: Any child who is not artificial.

Real Parent: Any parent who is not imaginary.

Your Own Child: Any child who is not someone else's child.

Adopted Child: A natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.Rita Laws, PhD

Doc update and other things

I started a post a few days ago but got interrupted by a little man, oh about 13 pounds, 25 inches tall. Yes, he went to the doctor on Wednesday of last week and weighed 13.1 pounds! He's growing for sure - he's definitely eating enough too! On Friday he got his annoying PICC line out. Micah wasn't happy with the procedure to take it out (he proceeded to scream off and on all night long - making sure I knew how he felt about what had happened) but later at bathtime, things were more fun - all arms allowed this time :)

In other news, we started the cloth diapers yesterday and had a hoot with them! He looks so cute! Now I think all the way to wide 3-6 month Old Navy pants/jeans might not just fall right off him :)


And now, more pictures of random cuteness

It takes a village!

Micah is doing very well these days! He has 4 more days of antibiotics left and we are counting them down! Bath time will be much more fun without a saran-wrapped arm held up in the air by Daddy. For now he splashes with three limbs :)

As for giving antibiotics every night, it takes three people for a successful administration and happy baby. I give the medicine which consists of four syringes of fluids (1 salines, antiobiotics, another saline, and heparin). Daddy (Roscoe) holds his cute little arms down ever so gently (the boy hates to be restrained). Grandma Linda provides the most important part - and that is keeping Micah entertained and happy for the roughly 5 minutes it takes to complete the task. So far, only one meltdown and that was last night - the poor guy was just too tired to be held down and since he likes to sleep on his side, he kept wanting to roll over. Daddy wouldn't let him and boy did that make him angry! But overall, he does very well with the whole thing! We're grateful he's still a biddy. I can't imagine trying to do this with a toddler. Whew!

More pics - Maybe I'll write something soon :)

Micah and Daddy doing taxes!


swinging..weeee


sleepy time