New Challenge, Same Faith ;)

We got Esias' test results back regarding the seizures he had back in August.  Esias' brain was normal according to his MRI (praise God) but his EEG was abnormal.  He was then diagnosed with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy.  Basically, not dangerous, seizures happen at night during sleep and usually go away in their teens.  There can also be tingling, numbness, and twitching of the mouth, tongue, and face.  We're wondering if this has anything to do with his apparent lack of feeling in his mouth and his drooling, but the doctor thinks those two conditions are unrelated.  I think we might find out otherwise ;)  We are good!  We are very positive about his challenges.  He is doing very well and making slow but steady progress talking and eating.  We are very pleased that he has not had any notable seizures since August.  So, we march on!  We love our little dude!
The other night, his feeding tube fell out so that was exciting!  We couldn't get it back in; I suspect its been slowing growing back from the inside out because he was growing and "out"growing the size of it.  Anyway since he rarely used it anyway we just let it go.  He can drink all the calories he needs orally even if chewing is an issue.  He is soooo happy that it's out!

Grieving.

Esias is grieving.  I don't always talk about his grieving, because I know so many children who were adopted at older ages and how severe their grief can be...and I know that his grieving looks like maybe any other 3 year old just having a fit or something like that.  But as his mother,  the one who knows his heart, I know.  I can tell the difference.  This year has brought lots of changes for him, going to school, Dan and I leaving him for 10 days, therapy, etc.  Just last Friday he had tests at the U to see what his seizure was all about back in August.  Well, my sick, sad little baby was back in my arms...even though he knows we are mom and dad...even though he knows we love him, and he loves us...I could see his eyes.  They become withdrawn.  He gets more fearful of noises, strangers, new places.  The hospital was the place we spent lots of time when we he wasn't really bonded or attached to us.  He was scared and or prodded and poked most of the time while we were there.  And though we go there every week for therapy (which is usually a positve experience) when we were there last week he had sedation and an EEG which were both uncomfortable and scary for him.  So last night, he sort of lost it.  He woke up in the night (well, around midnight) and couldn't find Dan.  Dan was outside taking the trash to the curb.  So basically he freaked.  I know no idea why he didn't just find me, but for some reason he was confused and he was so scared.  He cried for over 2 hours straight with no comfort from us.  It was difficult to watch.  We finally fell asleep at 3am...I am not sure what happened to trigger it but he finally calmed down, laid down between us and fell asleep.  And when he woke up this morning, he was "fine."  But I know that despite his smile and his natural personality which just beams with joy most of the time...he experienced loss and trauma at an early age.  That kind of thing changes a person.  And I can only ask God to help us navigate through this life as his parents and help us to meet him where he is and love him through all of it.

Recent Stats on the Grimes Kids

I haven't done a post like this in a while, so it seemed like a good time to document how the kids are growing and changing.  Emphasis on GROWING!

Eden Lily Grimes
Height: VERY close to Mom!  I think she's about 4'7"
Weight: 70 ish lbs.
Favorite Food: She LOVES ham sandwiches, lasagna, salad, cucumbers, cauliflower and rice with soy sauce.  Oh yes, and she likes to make her own Ramen noodles!
Least favorite food: Anything casserole-y or too much of "one flavor" just like her father.
Favorite activity: She likes to rollerblade around after school and also she joined her school's running club recently and had logged several miles already!  She also is an avid reader, devouring 2-3 "chapter" books a week (or more) and if you can believe it, I have said to her, "Eden you need to quit reading for a while and do something else."  That's weird to say.
Least favorite activity: Going to bed.  She likes to drag it out and try to snuggle us, butter us up, etc. so she doesn't have to go to sleep!

Eden is doing great in 3rd grade.  She has a mixed class of 3rd and 4th graders, and then they separate into groups for math and reading according to their level.  I think her teacher is great.  We've been blessed again by another teacher that appreciates and accepts Eden's eccentricities and creativity and sees it as a positive thing in her class!  Phew!  It's stressful to wonder how someone (or if someone) will accept your child and see them for who they really are.  Praise God for Mrs. C.!

Elly Lyn
Height: Honestly, I have no idea, all I know is that she is wearing size 7/8 clothes with ease and that she has become like a fawn who is all legs.  She has grown a lot this summer and is getting twiggier too.  She is differently shaped than Eden but equally as adorable.
Weight: 65?  Maybe less...I can't remember.  All I know is that my kids are definitely corn-fed Iowa kids!  ;)
Favorite Food: SOUR CREAM.  On anything.  Baked potatoes, tacos, soup, etc.  She loves it.  She also loves spaghetti and her bestest friend ever, APPLES.  Still eating tons of apples a week.  I love this season because apples are plentiful and delicious!  She also loves ice water!
Least Favorite Food: She's not a big meat fan.  She will eat it, but not with gusto.  Also, she doesn't like anything unfamiliar.  Unlike her sister who will eat things just to say she's eaten them.
Favorite Activity:  Elly still loves memorizing facts about animals and will perk right up when anyone starts talking about animals.  She also loves singing and music in general.  She LOVES kindergarten, especially art and music time and swinging on the swings at recess.  I drive by her school on my way to errands and sometimes see her swinging!  It's adorable.
Least Favorite Activity: Stopping playing to go to the bathroom.  Enough said.


Esias Tesfaye
Height: Again, I am terrible.  We have a mark on the wall but i have no idea what it is!  I think he's close to 4'.
Weight:  Now I do know this, since I have to keep track of it~  34lbs.  Which is great, since before this year he was at 29 lbs for a long time.  The Pediasure really helps him pack on the pounds (in a good way).
Favorite Food: Speaking of Pediasure, it is his "precious" for sure.  He is crazy about this stuff.  He will ask for some by pointing at where we keep it and then he has a special sign (that he made up) that means he "wants the whole thing" not just a measly portion of it!  It is cute.  Needless to say, he usually get the "whole thing"!
Least favorite food:  He has started to get really picky about vegetables in his food like mushrooms or peppers, etc.  It's sad.  He used to eat anything put in front of him!  But I am not sad that he has preferences, because that is a sign that he is secure with food!
Favorite Activity: Riding on the back of daddy's bike!  Talk about a big smile on his face.
Least favorite activity: Potty training.  See previous post!  We have gotten nowhere!!!

Esias vs. the Potty

Duh duh dunnnnnnnnnn.

Esias is three.  He was three on June 27th.  So you'd think he'd have some interest in the Big Boy Potty.  He has super hero undies and everything.  He even wakes up dry and tells me before he has a BM.  But, alas.  The Big Boy way to use the bathroom eludes us.  If I say, "Esias, let's try to go to the bathroom." He inevitably says, "NO!"  If I go ahead and put him on the potty, he will sit there but nothing happens.  Well, that's actually not factual.  A lot happens.  He squirms, he tries to get down, he messes with the toilet paper, he kicks his legs, he exams his "equipment" and giggles.   But nothing comes out.  Nothing.  Not even when he is already starting to go and I run him in there!!

Now, I have potty trained both my girls and one boy I babysat.  It was never this difficult.  Chocolate chips or M&Ms were always enough to persuade them to sit until something happened.  The good news is that his preschool doesn't require him to be potty trained, so we aren't working against any clock.  Still, I would love to stop buying (and changing) diapers.  This kid just continues to challenge what I thought I knew about parenting ;)  He is his own kid on his own timeline.  I think I'd have more luck teaching him how to change his own diapers than use the potty!  Hmmmm.  That's a good idea.

Back from Ethiopia

Wow, it's been a whirlwind end of summer. The end of August meant the start of school and a lot of preparation for our September trip to Ethiopia! The third for Dan and the second for me. We took of Sept. 13th, after settling Grammy in with our three kids. We landed in Addis September 14th and we were off and running for 8-9 days straight. We saw homes and families associated with the Children and Community Development Center we support, called Yezelalem Minch. It was a wonderful yet sometimes heartbreaking trip. So good though. It is easy to live in America where the majority of us are in warm homes with two cars and plenty in the pantry. For so many in Ethiopia, their lives are a struggle each day...the term "daily bread" really applies in a lot of cases. We have so much to learn from them about leaning on God for our every need.

When we got back we found our kids better off than before, full of pancakes and bacon and cocoa and Grammy-snuggles. Just as it ought to be! I am so thankful for my mom and how she is still young enough to chase after these crazy kids!

That's all for now!

Oh, Elly.

Elly Lyn. She's one of those happy-go-lucky types that you might be tempted to assume is not as smart as her dear sister, because she says things like this:

"Esias' tears are shooting out of his tear guns!"

But then, THEN she hits you with one of these:

"Mom did you know one side of you brain can talk to the other side of your brain with these little electrics? And the more stuff you learn, the more electrics you get!" Granted, she's talking about synapses, not "electrics" but dude, she's talking about synapses! I love her...even if she still can't say "cinnamon."

What Do I Do Now?

So, today was the kids' third day of school. And for the third day, I walked into an empty house...looked around...and didn't know what to do! Sure, I have a to-do list. But I always had that anyway, even with the kids. I don't know how to do things without my three shadows. Today I went grocery shopping, dropped off clothes at the dry cleaners, put away groceries, washed the car, cleaned Esias' room, vacuumed the rugs, answered a few emails, and went to the pharmacy. So I got quite a bit done before 11:45am (when I pick up Esias). But it just feels so doggone weird! For nine years my life has revolved around children and their needs. Even if it wasn't my own child's needs, it was the needs of one of my daycare kiddos. So now, I have all this "free" time and it just feels so weird. Will I get used to this? My sister gave me some advice today: You better get this figured out before they leave home for good! True.

Back to School, Back to School...(sung like Adam Sandler)

Today was the big day! THREE Grimes children packed their little character backpacks and trekked off to school! A preschooler, a kindergartener, and a third grader walked into a bar...oh wait, that's not what happened.

Anywhoo...all the kids went to school and Momma survived! I did some very quiet shopping. Alone. By myself. It was...weird.

Esias went on the bus at 8:01am without a hitch. I was shocked! I was anticipating clinging, crying, fit-throwing. And I thought Esias would have trouble, too.

Elly walked hand-in-hand with Eden up the street to our neighborhood school. She looked back at me once, right before she got into the line, and then she was off and had no worries.

Eden, of course, was fine. She did say the night before that she was nervous. But the nerves gave way to the excitement once morning came and the new sequined tennies were on her feet.

I came home from dropping Dan off at work and ate some chocolate covered strawberries (a gift from a very thoughtful husband who knew I'd be a wreck).

And three hours later, I picked up Esias. He looked up at me and said, "Muuuuuhm!" and came a-runnin'. Precious! Wait, before that. I did stalk him. I drove by the playgroud at recess time. He was playing so adorably. No tears whatsoever. And Esias was fine too.

Summer Hodge Podge

I have not posted pics in a while, so here's the whole summer in a nutshell!

Our first major event was Esias' third birthday! He and my older sister share a birthday so it was fun to be able to share the party again this year. He loved the car cake and all the car/dinosaur themed gifts.

Of course, Aunt Tiel brought the funky 80's shades.



A few days later, a most precious birthday occurred! Malcom Ellis Anderson (my little sister's son) arrived safe and sound, 4 weeks early.


The Anderson Family! Malcom 1 hour, and Marcus 4.5 years old!

The entire Stanton/Howard/Grimes/Anderson family! (My sisters, their husbands and kids and our mom and dad) We all crowded in the hospital room an hour after Malcom's birth and the kind nurses looked the other way on their 2 visitor policy ;) The could tell they weren't gonna get us to split up. Poor Brynn. Though she looks great.

Marcus was over the whole hospital experience by the next day ;) He took becoming a big brother in stride!

Right after the 4th of July, we had Dan's sister Angie and her girls Gianna and Layla and his little sister Trish, her hubs Chris, and their girls Hannah and Alivia come for a visit to our part of the state. Angie lives in Texas so we don't see them very much. It was a blast-- we spent a lot of time at Darin's farm with the trampoline. There were LOTS of girls. Levi and Esias were feeling a little outnumbered.

I didn't get any pictures of this, but we also got a visit from Dan's older brother, Doug and three of his children- Chloe, Bethany, and Eleazar-- all close to Eden's age. It was 100 degrees outside, so we had some fun at Darin's farm and then the Doug, the kids, and I went to the mall to goof around. I think I got some pics on my phone but not sure how to upload those...my techie brain is not as techie as it used to be. We missed you Heidi!



We spent a lot of time outside on our slip-n-slide. We did go to the pool three times and the beach once, but the backyard setup seems to provide just about as much fun and a lot less money and effort!


One night after Dan got off of work, and against my better fiscal judgement, we took off driving out of town to find a little fun. We ended up in a town nearby, at a tiny Mexican restaurant, eating fajitas and messing around with our camera in the really awesome lighting. We have fun, the five of us.


Eden snapped this one ;)



A cute little building outside of the restaurant caught our eye.

I spent a few evenings away from home and left Dan with the kids. It was nice. I got a total of three pedicures this summer...that's more than I had had in my lifetime before June. Sheesh. I am hooked now...

This happens when Daddy in charge.


Cousin cuteness.

This past weekend we met up with my parents and took the kids to the Blank Park zoo on Friday night and the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. Fun times! Perfect weather, too.

We had a great summer! I love having my kids all under one roof all day, but I can tell they are bored in general with running errands with me! I am sad that school starts Thursday! I will miss my three amigos!

So behind!

I have hardly blogged all summer! Excuse me for being at the pool, watching movies, fixing countless meals and doing laundry! Ok, sorry. Got defensive for a minute there.

Anywoo...summer is going fast. The end of June brought Esias (and my sister Tiel)'s birthdays and then right on the heels of that my new nephew Malcom was born! So we had quite an eventful few weeks there. Esias is now a full-fledged three year old and lovin' it. He can hold up two figures and say "three" (that third finger likes to stay down and be ornery!). He's starting to make more and more word-like sounds and try to engage other people with words instead of being so silent in public. He's had weekly swallow therapy for a month and a half now and that is going well. In all other ways, he's a normal, happy, ornery, active three-year old boy!

So in the matter of my new nephew...have I mentioned I love him? Oh my heart. He is presh.us.

Eden spent a few days concentrating hard on a writing contest sponsored by our local TV station. She's already planned what to do with the $1500 grand prize WHEN she wins ;) The contest was writing an essay on what you want to be when you grow up. She would like to be a reporter/newswriter and I think her essay could be a serious contender (though I am tempering my pride in her work with some realism for her sake). She is a very creative writer and I would say quite good with words, especially for her age. By the way, she would buy a plane ticket to either Africa or China and an American Girl Doll with her money if she wins.

Elly is still working on getting her two bottom baby teeth out. The permanent teeth are completely grown in and yet she is so afraid of losing her baby teeth. We have an appt. schedule with a pediatric dentist (she has the right to use gas) and Elly knows that if she won't wiggle those babies out by that day, she's getting up pulled. I really despise the teeth-losing phase of life.

Dan and I are deep in the middle of fundraising for our upcoming Ethiopia trip. I am so thrilled to be able to go back again. So want to throw my hands around the necks of Birtukan and Nesibu and give them a big squeeze. And if time allows, we will go back to the place where Esias spent his 10 months of his life, Gelegela Orphanage.

Right now (meaning today and for the next 12 days) we are hosting two students from WuHan China. It has been (already) a great experience. The kids LOVE our students, 20 year old Ruen Xiao Ying and 19 year old Fu Hong. The are both girls and so sweet and kind. They unloaded all kinds of gifts on us last night. Such sweethearts. They are sleeping in the basement, hopefully the kids will give them privacy. The kids have had a hard time realizing that it's not like when Grammy and Papa sleep over; you can't just go jumping on Chinese college students at 7am to wake them up ;)

So, busy busy busy as usual. But all good! We are so blessed. For serious.

VBS Week

This past week we had Vacation Bible School at church. It was a fun, exhausting week! It was the first time all the kids went and I volunteered in the craft area. Esias did not want to go into his classroom (the nursery) so he stayed in the craft room with me, playing Angry Birds most of the time. So I'm not Mother of the Year. ;)

Some of the highlights--

--Being told by Elly's teacher that she said "symbiotic relationship" during a discussion
--Being told by Elly's teacher that she said, "buh-blinging" in reference to the Prodigal Son
--Hearing Eden's sweet voice tell me that she accepted Jesus as her Savior on Friday of VBS!

Sweet, sweet week of fellowship with other women and the kids!

More Edenisms.

Yesterday was an eventful day around here, starting of course with the discovery of our poor deceased feline. Then we went on to go to church and out for Mexican food afterwards (it was Father's Day, afterall, so we had to celebrate a little). On the way out of church, we had to part ways with dear Marcus who historically is not a fan of saying goodbye to the girls and Esias. He was crying in his car when we pulled away. Eden said the following:

"Mom, I wish we could just take Marcus home with us so Aunt Brynnie could just relax." (she is 9 mos. preggo)

I said, "Well, honey, it is Father's Day so he needs to be with his daddy."
Eden replied, "Yeah and the tragic death of our cat doesn't make our house very welcoming."

Pumpkin Kitty Grimes 1998-2011

Pumpkin died this week after a few months of looking not so good. She was 13 years old, a decent age for a cat. She was my first baby, I got her after moving to Omaha on my own at 20 years old. She lived in an apartment with my cousin Sara and I. She was a crazy, crazy kitten who terrorized our toes at night. She would scratch me all night and bite my bright and early to get fed. She calmed down though and went to live with my parents in our old house when I moved back to IC and lived in an apartment. After Dan and I bought this house in 2002, we brought her back to live with us and she'd been here ever since. She was a good kitty. After the kids were born we spent less time adoring her of course, but she always came to snuggle us, visit us in the bathroom (!) and sleep at the foot of our bed at night. I woke up in the night to use the bathroom and when she didn't nearly trip me, I realized again that she is really gone. I am very sad, I loved her lots. Pets are really fun to have except for this part ;(

Distract-a-mundo

Elly is easily distracted. This is nothing new to anyone who has spent time with her. Getting dressed is particularly difficult for her because of all the fun things in her room that catch her eye and the mundane-ness of the task. This morning, she ate her breakfast and I told both the girls to go get dressed. A few minutes later, Eden walked by the door of my room (where I was) dressed. Several minutes later, Elly walked by toward the bathroom STILL IN HER PJs. I said, "Elly, you are not dressed! What do you need?" She looked at me and simply answered, "Lip gloss."

Lots to Catch up on!

Wow, the summer is off and running and I have become a blog slacker! June is already half over, how can that be?

Here's what's been up with the Grimey Kids.

-Esias' TWO YEAR Famiversary was June 9th! We first met him on June 9, 2009 and then united him with the girls on the 12th (I think) so there are lots of fun dates to celebrate (referral day, birthday, etc) but I like to remember the day we met. His birthday is for him and the "gotcha" day is for me and Dan :) What a surreal moment it was to walk into that dark, closed up room and see this tiny infant who appeared to be about 3 months old (and in reality was 11.5 months) and was SICK. Scary sick. But we were so hopeful and just so so glad to be there and have him in our arms. And now, two years later, some things are not what I expected them to be but I would not change a single minute, a single challenge. Esias is an ornery, active, loving, sweet, messy beautiful child who has every part of me wrapped around his little finger. I love you Esias!!! So blessed to be your mommy. The anniversary of his arrival at our house also means writing his post placement report. It gets sent to Grand Rapids (to our agency) and also to Ethiopia where the identifying information is removed and the report is there for viewing by any relatives and also so the government there can make sure the children are receiving good care and continue the program. I struggled writing it, it is hard to express just how amazing Esias is doing and how much he has overcome. But in my page and a half, I think I conveyed it. The fun part is that we have to include pictures of all of us and I think his smile says it all.

-Eden finished out the last month of school with her typical fervor, bringing home LOADS and LOADS of papers and drawings and journals for me to see...and she is now enjoying her down time and leading Elly in all sorts of shenanigans here at home. It is nice to have all three of them home together. She's been in the tree alot, her favorite spot to get away since the sibs can't get up there yet ;)

-Elly is showing me just how very READY she is for school this fall. Her vocabulary is amazing and she told me today while we were very low on gas and searching for a gas station, "Mom, you are going really fast." I said, "I know, I am trying to get to the gas station before we run out of gas." She replied, "Well, Mom, the faster you go the more you use up your gas. Except if we are going downhill." So funny. Then she told me she wants to be an engineer on Sundays and a veterinarian on Tuesdays.

-Esias started private feeding therapy today and it was great! He is working with a PhD at the U who thought his case was interesting enough to take him on, apparently! I am so glad. I am trying not to be regretful that we didn't do this long ago, but I know that this is all God's timing and it has taken me this long to really accept E-man's slow progress with feeding and realize he has a disability. And this is a good time to have a commitment like this, we can all get there easily and it is not as hectic as the school year. Now if we can just win the lottery (you know the one where you don't have to buy a ticket) we will be able to afford it! Ha!

Well, that's it for now. I need to get some more pics uploaded. Someday soon!