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...)

Update on Michael (Jan 17, 2008)

We received new pictures of Michael this week (see below), and we (Steve and I) go to visit him next Thursday through Monday. We are so excited to meet him for the first time and look forward to holding and playing with our youngest son.

We were told today by our agency that there is a slight delay in our adoption due to one piece of paperwork that has not yet been filled out or filed. This piece of paperwork can take up to 8 weeks to process, depending on the person doing it. That being said, we are scheduled to enter "Family Court" tomorrow, which is where they dissect us for the first time and also dissect the birth mother to make sure she really wants to give Michael up for adoption. The paperwork that is missing is critical to completing the Family Court process.

Second, we were given very bad news regarding Michael's health today:

"On another note, they say during the routine exam by the pediatrician he was concerned that Emanuel's fontanel was bigger then it should be at his age and his head is flat on one side. They will take him to a specialist on Friday for an exam and let us know the results ASAP."

This means that the"soft spot" on his head is bigger than they would like it to be. There are a variety of reasons as to why this might happen, and we are hoping they are able to figure it out at his doctor's appointment tomorrow. We are frustrated that we were not told before today, but are still very glad we can go and see him next week for ourselves.

Needless to say, Steve and I are worried and frustrated. Please take a look at his pictures below, and then pray...



Please pray that his health report will come back quickly, so that Steve and I can decide about getting him to Benjamin's Guatemalan doctor (who was trained in the US and is very good) when we visit next week.

Please also pray that the soft spot will be something minor, and will not cause any permanent brain damage for him. It could go either way. We ask that you pray for strength for us as we prepare for whatever the doctors determine is wrong and seek out treatment.

Above all, please know this (as we have already been asked): We ARE still adopting Michael, regardless of his health condition. He is our son, just as if I had given birth to him biologically. We will do what it takes to care for him regardless of the outcome. So please pray for our strength and our ability to handle whatever God's best is for us in this situation.

We love our youngest son and pray that you do, too. Please pray for him and for our family.

Thanks-

Julie, Steve, Benjamin, and Michael Pitts