Trip to Guatemala...

Michael thinks heavily while he sleeps...


SHHHH....I was speaking....

Look how long my hair is!!!

Ya gotta love a face like this...

Already a Colts fan...

Update on Michael...



Michael is a little character. The first night (Thurs), he didn't sleep ALL NIGHT LONG. At 6am, he fell asleep, and only slept for 3 hours, as we had to be at the Dr by 10am. (on top of this, Steve got food borne illness from airplane food) The rest of the day, we spent taking turns napping and trying to function with a clearly unhappy baby. He didn't cry the entire day, but he did cry a lot. We had to learn the difference between his cries for being wet/dirty and/or being hungry.

The Dr's appt went relatively well, although we still have a few concerns. We are not sure he can hear very well, so we may have him tested for that. His head is severely malformed due to his skull not closing properly, and he favors one side when he sleeps. I believe the FM lets him either lie on his back the entire time, or she carries him. I tried having him on his tummy a few times, and he REALLY hates it. So...in order for his head to get stronger (his neck muscles are not strong on one side, either), I am going to have the FM do some things differently. The dr believes his head will be fully healed by the time Michael is 6-8 months old. We are still considering having him see a specialist to determine this, but in the meantime, we have his C scans to bring home for our pediatrician to see and give us an evaluation.

Saturday was much better...he (Michael) was much happier and even smiled at us several times! We are both still EXHAUSTED...and I can't imagine if we had brought Benjamin! (Many have brought their older siblings...oh my goodness) Of course, he did not want to go to sleep last night...and actually only slept every two hours or so.



Today, he is really sick...running a fever...won't eat...all he does is sleep and cry today. Right now, Steve's holding him sleeping. We decided that we would give him back to the foster family today so he can be back in a familiar environment and get well.



Overall, it's been a good trip, just one with almost no sleep and one baby who has been thoroughly confused the entire time we've been with him. We are hopeful that the next time we see him, he will not be so nervous with us--especially since that will likely be when we bring him home.



It's going to be so hard to leave him and give him back to them tonight, but we are thankful that God has blessed us with a very good foster family. Both of us have cried today...oh, and Michael, too.



Thank you for your prayers--please continue to pray...more pictures when we return.



Julie and Steve




(More pictures below...)