Long time no updates SORRY!!!

Well I know it has been a long time since I updated Zack's blog. Things are going well with him, he is making huge strides forward everyday!!!

This is one of his biggest strides forward!!! We almost fell over when he grabbed the spoon and actually ate off it instead of throwing it LOL Now mind you so far this has been a one time incident, but hoping more to follow!!!

We have gotten Zack a new team of DR's as we was NOT happy with Cardinal Glennon and have a formal complaint pending right now. I totally disagree when a Dr basically tells you that it would be in our best interest NOT to put your child on GH even though he knows the child needs them BECAUSE he feels Zack will be easier to care for if he is small and he FEELS with Zack's medical conditions that a shot a day is not what he needs right now... I didn't hire this Dr to hear his PERSONAL opinion but rather his MEDICAL ones!!! The new DR we hired is awsome and at least willing to go through with testing that is neccassary for Zack's well being.

We are still having some texture issues and Zack still will not eat anything with texture, but is doing well on table food semi pureed. He is still not talking :o(
But hope that is going to be the next huge step he takes, Dr wants a hearing test done as well. As he thinks something maybe there as well. Let's all pray for the best on this test!!!

Just an update

Well this week has went really well, He is making improvements in eating, kneeling and is picking up on more things.
He has figured out how to move his little car forwards and backwards.

He is doing amazing, we are so PROUD if our lil Zack!!!

Mine and Zack's 1st FOREVER DAY

One yr ago today I flew to Guat to take custody of Zack from his fostermom, the next day I had a meeting at PGN to see if I could get his file released. God had blessed us, as I walked out with our file. Let's not talk about RENAP ughhh LOL

Zack and I spent a few months in Guat finishing up his case with the help of Mayra and Marco(Agency and Facilitator worthless and useless). During that time he and I got to bond before coming home.
I can not believe it has been one yr since that day. He has grown so much and come so far, He has such a toddler look to him now. WHERE IS MY BABY????? LOL

Zackie mommy LOVES you so much, and I would go to the end of the earth for you baby boy!!

Just an update

Well where do I start?

We took Zack to his Endo on Tues to have his GH test done, we showed up about 15 minutes early and some of the nurses in the clinic at Cardinal Glennon came out to see him and commented on how much he has grown.
Finally we get called back and Sherie started telling us what we was going to be doing. We start with the right arm first for the IV, and within minutes the vein blew. About 10 minutes later after we calmed Zack down we attempted his left arm, wouldn't ya know it...... it blew also... He is so little that his veins are very small. I remember trying to have blood drawn for his other test and his veins would collapse. So now we just wait..... they are going to try to submit this to Insurance without the test based on his Medical Diagnosis and see if it goes through.
Putting him on GH would not only help him grow BUT it has other benefits as well..... it will help with muscle growth and his developments in other areas as well.
Now on to his food..... whewwwwwwww
I have not bought baby food in almost 3 weeks, we are really trying to get him off it. We are TRYING to feed him table food and sometime he is really having NO part of this. But for the most part he is doing really well. I found some sweet potato casserole in a can and he loves it with cinn, brn sugar and butter mixed with it.
His nutritionist was here yesterday and we are talking about taking him off formula finally....I am already mixing his formula 1/2 and 1/2 with whole milk. So this should make things go smoother.
She also is switching him from poly~vi~sol to Flintstones ...YEAH!!

Zack is also doing really well with his legs braces(splints)it gives him better control over his foot and ankle movements. I think it makes him more stable. With these he can actually bear weight on his legs and feet... WOOHOO!!
It also helps keep his feet in the right position, instead of him curling his feet in and toes under.

In 4 days on the 20th it will be the 1 yr Anniversary of Zack and myself being together forever. This is when I moved to Guat to care for him and finish the case myself with the help of Mayra. I really can't believe we have been together for 1 yr!!?? Where has that time went??
Our family forever day is not till Sept. as that is when we was actually ALL 3 together forever.

I will try to get some new pics together over the next few days and post some new ones. I think I am behind LOL

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Well it's the 4th already, and it is raining and uckky here... I was really hoping for some sun today so Zack could play in the pool, as he loves water.
Last night we was giving him his bath and when it came time to get out he through a fit!!! So I put some more warm water in as it was getting a bit cool...
I have been on vacation all week with has been GREAT!! But Monday it's time to go back to work...As some of you know i have been trying to go just P/T and I have finally been able to do that. I will only be working 2-3 days a week. So this is going to give me a ton more time with Zack...YAYY!!! I did have to step down from being General Manger to do this and it is a HUGE pay cut... BUT so worth it to me.
The only bad thing is I will never know what days I am working now... acckkkk
but you have to take the bad with the good... right?? LOL

Pic as promised

Zack had such a ggod time in the pool, he loved it! I took him out of the floaty and laid him on his belly and he started splashing with his arms and kicking his feet like he was trying to swim LOL

He got so many wonderful presents, Thanks Carri, Jason, Ozzy, Lanny and Kimberly!!!

We did have a huge turn out for his party and I am so happy everything went almost well... (you know what I mean Carri LOL)

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY ZACK!!!!!

Today my sweet baby boy turned 2, where did the time go?? He has become so independent and definitely has a mind of his own. LOL

I took off work today to spend with him since I did miss his 1st birthday last yr by 1 month.

He has come so far in the last yr, he is doing things we didn't ever think he would.

We have his party tomorrow and I have been running myself crazy to make sure everything is perfect for him, Zack has gotten gifts in the mail (Thank you Ozzy, Zack is waiting till Saturday to open it) and his Great Aunt Shirl also sent him his present.

One family I met along our adoption journey is flying in for his birthday, how special is that??!! And a few others I have met along our adoption journey are also coming to celebrate with us.

Our Visual Teacher (JO) gave me a great idea for the party, I am going to blow up balloons and write something Zack has accomplished over this last yr. and tie them to his chair and to the tables ( I just hope we can still see Zack thru all the balloons)

I will post pics of his party afterwards.



I am so proud of our little guy, he really has come so far from that fragile tiny little guy I went down to foster last yr. gosh I can not believe I have been with him almost 1 yrs already...

I am going to list some of the things he is ABLE to do and ACCOMPLISHED over the last yr.

1. He is eating more big people foods

2. He is no longer on a bottle

3. He is drinking milk (still with formula added for extra calories)

4. He is sitting alone

5. He has learned how to get to sitting alone unassisted

6. He scoots all over the floor

7. He is bearing weight on his legs

8. He loves to play with his toys (if you remember he was afraid of toys)

9. He likes his teeth brushed (BIG HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT with Sensory Issues)

10. He is so loving and loves to cuddle with mom and dad (didn't like to be touched when I first got him)

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

11. HE ACTUALLY PICKED UP A GRAHAM CRACKER AND TOOK A BITE!!!



I will post more later

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I JUST WANTED WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I know I am having a great day, Zack and Steve got me a trip to the day spa....YAYY!!!!!
I know I need this BAD!! LOL
Maybe I'll walk out of there feeling like a NEW person LOL

update

Well we have been told we will have a new O/T and a new S/T also.... I hope we can get some help with his eating now...I am hoping we can get some answers as to why he can not tolerate anything with texture still and what we can do to help him.
His Visual teacher now wants us to work with pictures, as we know can can see something (still not sure what, shapes, shadows?)
As you can tell I have changed the main pic... I love that pic he looks like such a big boy.. and I know he has come sooooo far from where he was.

More later after this week....

A couple new pics.

Here are a couple new pics of Zack, it is still to cold to open our pool so we brought a pool to him..
As you can tell he loves it!!! Plus it is good therapy for him, it help to desensitize him.
The last ones is one of his new outfits mommy picked out when we all had our family day shopping at BabiesRUS.
He is sitting so well and up straight.
My baby isn't spoiled LOL ya right!!!!
enjoy the new pics!!!

Also our Agency is now asking for PP reports, and trying to say Guatemala is requiring them... what a crock of crap this is!!! To top this off she is saying they are due at 6 and 18 months, so I got out our contract once again. I have had to on several occasions copy and paste parts to remind her of things in it as she seems not to have ever read it herself. It clearly states 6 and 12 months. Either way poooo on her!!!
I contacted our HS SW as she knows our story and she says there is really no reason to complete them. It is only for our Agency SW that headed up Guat to renew her license.... which I want No part of helping this crazy ditzy woman get hers renewed. She has NO business in adoption and I have said this more than once and to her in emails. So she will NOT get one from US!!! How can she really care how these kids are now? She didn't as us families was fighting to get them HOME last yr without the Agency's help!!
Like I told our Steve let them try to sue us for breach of contract, I really don't think this is a can of worms she wants to open with me. I am so sick of these people, why can't they just leave us alone and go away...They have done enough damage to families!!

It's been awhile

I guess before I razz others for not keeping up updated, I need to do it myself LOL I will TRY to post something every weekend..... I didn't realize it had been so long. sorry........

Well Thursday we have a meeting with ALL Zack's therapist to see where we need to go from here, he has met all the goals but 1 we set for him 5 months ago. Usually they do a meeting every 6 months but all thought with some of the problems we are still having we needed to move it up a month. We have asked for a different O/T because the one we had we didn't feel was helping us to help Zack and I personally didn't understand her approach to things and we was getting NO progress in that department....of course not when we didn't understand anything she was doing. The most important thing we wanted to work on was his eating issues..... well guess what she NEVER even touched base on this.... Steve says he feels like we wasted 5 months with this O/T.... which we really did. All other areas he has done leaps and bounds and we are so PROUD of him!!!! He is home and we are still fighting for him!!! His sweet little face keeps me going to get him the help he needs.

Over the weekend he decided it was time to surprise mommy with something new....

He was whining and I kept asking him what he wanted? He would put his arms out and I would ask again what do you want?, finally he looked right at me and pointed his finger right at me... OK this was good enough for me.... I picked him up and he just laughed and giggled, then laid his head on my shoulder!!! He did this again on Monday morning before I left for work I picked him up hugged and kissed him and sat him back down and I was still kneeling over him he then actually reached out and grabbed my shirt and pulled me to give me a hug and giggle...at that point I really could have just skipped work and stayed home with him ALL day LOL

I now have Zack drinking out of a sippy cup for his juice and water, thank goodness LOL and I switched all his nipples on his bottles to sippy cup nipples (Nuby makes them)... they work GREAT by the way... it has made it so much easier for me to get him to drink from a sippy cup.... now if I can just get him to drink his formula out of a sippy cup too....BUT hey 1 step at a time!!! Right??? haha

Zack has been more expressive with Steve and I, he is now initiating hugs and pulling at us and holding up his arms when we walk by when he wants held. Zack is coming along in HIS own time.... I want to talk at the meeting about a S/T because Zack is not speaking at all but babbling all the time.... he is doing his A, E, P, S, F, M, N and TH sounds and IS saying MMMMMOM alot.... Is this a start??? Sometimes it sounds like he is babbling/talking in Spanish... even Jo the Visual Teacher said so... BUT we really don't know LOL

The Nutritionist sent me a clip of what she thinks might be wrong with Zack on why he is not moving past stage 2 foods, it is Hypersensitivity in the mouth and face. After I read the 4 pages it seemed to fit him pretty well

with what he is going thru with food, teeth brushing, his mouth and face in general, he will gag sometimes(MOST of the time) until he throws up...He will let us kiss and snuggle on his face, BUT no where near his mouth. Has anyone else had issues like this??? What did you do?? How did you help your little one?? He has started putting some of his toys in his mouth so that is a start...

I have a bunch of pics to post to get everyone caught up.....

Zack with his cousin Koltin (my Bro and SIL's little boy, this is Koltin's picture smile)

Zack and Daddy on Zack's 1st Easter egg hunt

Couldn't resist this cute little face!!!

This is Zack new way of using his leggs, He loves to do this then gets mad when he can't get sitting back up LOL He has been pushing more and more with his toes and feet.... I'm hoping there is more good things to come!!!

Zack ACTUALLY drinking from his sippy without a fight LOL He has been sticking with it since Saturday.....

He is enjoying tummy time, which is unusual...and actually getting his upper body off the floor.... YAY Zack!!!!!

Mom what are you doing now??? get that dang camera OUT OF MY FACE!!

This is Zack giving us his HUGE grin/smile

He is actually keeping his Nike hat on and wore it the whole time we was shopping for him Saturday. He must have known "I better keep this on if I want a bunch of goodies"

I'm SOOOOO Happy to see Mom after a long day.... this is what I get when I come home and he hears my voice and sees me!!! How can I NOT want to cry with joy coming home to this little guy!!! He is the light of my life and I feel so very bless everyday being his mommy!!

Oh yeah he is now 22lbs, 30 1/2 inches long and wearing 18 month clothes. So my baby is catching up in size... She said he was in the 25th to 50th for weight to length.

A little update on Zack

It's Sunday morning and Zack has been up for hrs already, had his juice, meds and ate breakfast already. It just amazes me how much joy and love this baby boy, our baby boy has brought to us. He has come so far in the 6 months he has been home.

All of you that followed our journey for our son knows and can see how far he has come. Well todays post is no different. Today is a mile stone for us and a HUGE one for Zack. He is not fully there yet but this is a GIANT step for him.

This is the 1st time Zack has ever put weight on both hand and tried the crawling position.

Mommy working with him to get him to put weight on his legs and feet. As you can see from his face he HATES this whole idea... but he tolerates it. Which is a good first step in the right direction!!! Please don't pay attention to how mommy looks I am not feeling all that well, I have been sick since Thursday, this dang Missouri weather!!!!!

Zack's first party and also with his Visual Teacher

Zack had his 1st party with his cousins... it was Tony's 5Th birthday. Zack wasn't sure at 1st, but he did OK!!!!!..... As you can tell he LOVES being outside swinging... We have a Little Tike's swing here for him. He could stay in that thing for hrs LOL No kidding
These 1st pics was him with his Visual Teacher having him playing with shredded paper to help with his SI problems and to try to get him to focus on the colored paper.
I can say Zack is doing well and is growing really well... His Endocrinologist called me Friday night and said Zack's Thyroid was OK!! and we talked about putting Zack on Growth Hormones but since it involves a shot everyday I think we are going to wait till after we get some of the SI and eating issues under control first. He says with Zack not being able to see well that he thinks shots will be hard for him and interfere with his SI problems. So we agreed to discuss it again in a few months. I mean Zack will at some point be on them. I know Guatemalans are very small anyway but Zack is even smaller than normal. So the Dr is going to test him to see if this is where we need to go with this. All we really want is for Zack to reach HIS full potential and do the best HE can.
We have started some signing with him and have to label everything we give to him. We also have to take him and show to him where things come from... or Jo said he will get the "dropped out of the sky "syndrome LOL
All and All we are adjusting well and coming to terms that Zack will never be typical.... But Special in his own way!!! And he is who GOD intended for him to be. We know he was placed with us for a reason... I know for me it was to teach me patients.... as before Zack mine was slim to none LOL He brings so much joy to our lives and we love him so much!!! This month he will turn 21 months old and has come so far since that day I picked him up back in July of 08'. It's hard to beleive I have been with him for 8 months already. BUT it is the happiest 8 months of my life!!!!
My little bunny

All the kiddos swinging