2 weeks home

Today it has been two weeks since he has been home and he is doing great.He has a great bond with each of us that live in his family. He does not give strangers much attention but maybe a smile or a wave of his hand lol. He has settled into his new routine and is sleeping well although has to be rocked or cuddled to sleep first. That's ok it is a nice time where he actually lets me cuddle him. Or his sister Makenzy gets lovie time with him .she is usually the one that wants to lay with him or they watch the doggie movie together while he falls asleep.He loves the dogs, we have two little cockapoos and he loves tossing toys for them . He loves any dogs actually real, on TV or even just a picture we draw for him lol


He is very stubborn and Mike and I have had to hold him on our laps while he screams at us and tries to get down, we just hold him and say no! after a while he gives up and will sit with us as long as we want him to and is happy. It sounds a little mean but he really needs to learn that when we need him to sit with us he will. There are times he needs to like at church and so on we can't have him fighting us on this.He needs to know we are the boss not him lol. This was hard the 1st week because everything was so new. I think we let him slip into some bad habits that we now need to fix.He does not like to share toys so we also have had a few battles there, mostly he just sits down folds himself in 1/2 with his head on his lap and cries when he has to share but he gets over it after a while.

We have noticed if he has a designated spot he knows he has to be in he will stay, but if he knows there is another choice all bets are off and its hard a big fight. For example on Saturday we had opening ceremonies for little league and after we had 4 games. so we were at the field all day, not one time did I put him down to run. He sat in the stroller or in our arms the entire time. If he would have known that getting down to run was an option there is no way he would have stayed in the stroller as well as he did. Also he likes to have food in his hand when we are out like that ok I know I can't just feed him all day lol but what I did was cut up an apple and would give him a slice ever so often and it kept him happy. Yes he is starting to gain his little skinny legs are not skinny anymore lol. He is also getting picky about his food. not doing to great with vegetables now .Still loves all fruit though. and bread we have to watch him on the bread he would just eat it all day.

He likes to put his dishes in the sink when he's all done with his food. Some times he sits in he highchair some times at the little table. He also like to throw trash away I think he will be my best cleaner lol.

He has learned the sign for more and its so cute when he does it.(we need to learn some more signs so we can teach him.he is a fast learner.)

He can understand a lot of what we say, like I can say "sit down" and he will, or "lets change you" and he pulls at his diaper. .He still cries when I change his Diaper and clothes I still don't get that but it has gotten a little better. He hates to have his teeth brushed,but I do it anyways mean mommy!

Usually when I tell him I love him he looks at me and kisses the air at me its so sweet,I still can't get him to say momma he says something like ababo if anyone knows what this means in Russian if anything please tell me. When we went for visits with him our coordinator said it sounded like he was calling me the word for grandma, ok thanks Vahnya do I look that old lol.

He really is a joy we all love him so much even his biggest brother who I was a little worried about in the beginning because he didn't like the idea of us adopting his 16 year old words were"why do we need another kid and why would you want one with down syndrome ?" that was a year ago people told me he's a kid give him time and boy can I see his heart has changed now. I knew it would once he met Vahnya I can see how much he loves him and it make me so so happy.


I JUST LOOK AT VAHNYA SOMETIMES AND THINK WHERE HE WAS, WHERE HE WOULD BE AND WHERE HE IS NOW AND I THINK ABOUT THE OTHER CHILDREN THE FACES ON REECE'S RAINBOW AND MY HEART HURTS FOR THEM. VAHNYA IS NO MORE WORTHY THEN ANY OF THEM THEY ALL DESERVE TO BE LIVING IN A FAMILY FULL OF LOVE LIKE HIM. IT JUST HURTS TO THINK ABOUT IT.



Ok so here he is Vahnya Josiah Nine our cute little man home only two weeks but seems like always!

a week home

I just emailed the gal I met last year so she could give me the info to start going to the play group for children with down syndrome . I'm excited to be able to chat with other moms. I have found it hard to figure out the things he does between having down syndrome and the fact that he was in an orphanage and spoke Russian.To tell you the truth I don't even notice he has down syndrome and find myself all the time wondering if others can see it. Not that I don't want them to I do. but it's like I want to announce "he has down syndrome" very proudly. but I bet they can tell I think I just don't see it because I'm his mom.

He has really been a joy the last few days I think he has settled in so good. He hasn't done that head shaking thing since we have been home I guess he has realized that we will sooth him, he doesn't have to do it himself any more. He cries now any time he gets hurt and I think actually over cries I mean today he fell off the bench of the little table in my daycare room and it was really not that big a deal but he cried and cried while I just held him and rubbed his back and said its ok baby its ok.

One thing he does that I wish he didn't is he wont let me hold him he gets up for a few secants then wants down, I wish he would cuddle. Also if the older kids are around especially Makenzy or Josh he wants nothing to do with me or Mike, he will come give us a kiss but that's it. Sorta makes me sad he's so cute I just want to eat him up. I find myself just watching him letting the reality sink in that he really is here he really is ours. I have seen so many changes in him in just this first few days he has been home it amazes me.

sibling love!

Not sure there is anything better!Look at this love!

Little Constance has a family!

Little Constance has a family! my heart is overjoyed to say this. Mike said he can't even read thru their blog with out tears flowing. This means so much to us. This little girl was a treasure in the ocean she may have never been found if we hadn't been able to go into that room on that 1st trip to see vahnya. you can look back at this posts and read about it.
http://bringingjosiahhome.blogspot.com/2010/11/2nd-visit.html


and here

http://bringingjosiahhome.blogspot.com/2010/12/sweet-little-lera.html

 This just shows us once again how our loving Lord works, by the adoption of one little boy now a little girl also has found a family. Because the social director was moved to tears in the court room during our adoption of vahnya she had faith that this little girl too could find a family and asked our coordinator to list her, she didn't know that we had already made that happen months ago.

My girls started to advocate for her and others joined in to raise money to find er a family before April when she would be transferred . God has brought that Family we are all so overjoyed with happiness about this thank you Lord!!!

now that we are home

Sorry I haven't posted in a while things have just been so busy and I have decided not to go on my computer much well not as much as I was before. I found my self taking way to much time away from my family by being on the computer. just one more blog post, let me read just one more email, oh I have a post on facebook I need to read. It can just sweep you away and that's not what I want for my family so I'm afraid I will be missing alot of goings ons in the cyber space world but my family is worth it.


I need to post about Vahnya's 1st week home though.

He has done pretty great I think that we pushed it and did things too fast the day after we got home we went to Josh's baseball game. Vahnya was fighting jetlag and just the time difference and I don't think he knew what to do with all the freedom of being outside like that. He would not let us hold him or put him in the stroller. He wanted down to run! but he would not run on the grass he wanted to run on the sidewalk. Well with him falling and having stitches before I was just so worried he would fall and hit his head again. So I didn't want him on the sidewalk. This made for a long game! Finally I had the kids go sit in the car with him and he was perfect.

The next day we took him and Amelia shopping to Wal-Mart and Costco. He did great, tried to throw stuff out of the cart, but other then that was good. One lady came up to me and said "I just have to tell you your little boy is adorable" she pointed at Amelia and said," she's really cute too, but your little boy is just adorable."

It is so neat to see how people react to him.

then we stopped by our bank to show all the people that helped us so much throughout our adoption process, notaries and all. He held out his hand and they would shake it he would not let them hold him.We went to daddy's work so he could show him off to his employees. Same thing he would shake hands but no picking him up. I'm glad about that, I know some people have problems with their newly adopted child being willing to just go with anyone. He has attached to us really well and knows we are his family.

That night we went to Amanda's game and he did the same thing as Josh's game uggg! I sure hope it gets better we have lots more games the season just started.

Saturday we went to see my parents. He was good would not really let them hold him, he just wanted to play with the toys and the dog but that's ok. We went to pizza and he was great.

Sunday we went to church when we first walked in he was a little scared of all the people and loud music but he warmed up fast. We dedicated him to the Lord and all of us went up front for this and he was fine.After that he sat safe in daddy's arms until it was time to go to Sunday school. He loved Sunday school and waved and said "bye bye" to me lol I'm sure it felt familiar to him the room looks alot like his baby house rooms. They said he was the best kid there that day. After church Grandma had a special dinner planned for him roast and potatoes with pie and brownies he loved it all and even loved ice-cream.

Today was my first day having daycare kids back so it was his first day to play in our daycare room, he loved it I'm sure it also feels familiar because it too looks alot like his baby home playroom.

He had his 1st doctors appointment today, He is 50% on the down syndrome chart. He is 28 lbs and 34 inches tall. Our doctor has set us up with the down syndrome clinic at OHSU so we will take him there and get his heart,eyes and a few other things checked. He had to get his stitches out and the way the Russian doctor stitched it made it really hard for our doctor to get out, it took at least 35 min and 4 of us to do this but it got done and he's fine he will probably have a big scar but other then that he's fine.
this picture was taken before the Doctor came in.

he has learned that he has choices .choices on what he wants to eat, play with, if he wants to lay down ,when he wants to get up, so on

The first few days after we had him out of his baby home he ate what ever I put in front of him and he would lay down and stay still go to sleep and didn't even get up until I said he could.I GUESS I BROKE HIM LOL

NO he is just a normal loved kid now!

ok one last thing I just asked him "do you need your diaper changed?" and he pulled at his diaper, he is starting to understand English !

poor baby had shots today and he feels like he has a fever now and he just wants to lay on us Josh is taking his turn holding him now, He really loves Josh but all babies do.

we are home!

We are home! came home to the kids and Steve and Jacky and their kids holding a big welcome home sign at the a airport. I had to fight back the tears as the kids all fought for their turn to hold Vahnya. He did great on the flights the one from Moscow to DC was 10 hrs he slept some played some and ate some.the flight from DC to home he slept. "He is an angel baby!"that's what a lady said as she was getting off the plane.another lady said as we were waiting to get on the plane"he is perfect, his rosy lips and pink cheeks and beautiful eyes he is just perfect" I said, "yes he is thank you." Now we are Home and he is getting use to his new forever home playing with his sisters and brothers and I'm ready to sleep for about 18 hrs lol.I'll post pics tomorrow. oh I forgot to say when we got to DC and the guy stamped his passport he became a US citizen I said, "well Vahnya you are a US citizen now! isn't that great?" He smiled real big and said Da (yes) it was cute.