BECOMING BROTHERS

We don't know when it happens during the night, 

but this is what we find most mornings 

when we get the boys up.  

NO MORE HIDING!

During our adoption process, there were 3 families who were over in Lithuania adopting their children. These families took the time to visit with Ben and give us pictures and updates about him.  This was very precious to us because when someone you love but never met is so far away and you are waiting so long to meet him, any little morsel about him is greatly appreciated!  All these updates just kept making us fall more in love with him.


Well, we can finally share these treasures- we don't have to keep them hidden anymore.  Some of these pictures are directly from the orphanage, some are from the families mentioned above, and some are from Silva when she would have visit Ben during our adoption process.  

Enjoy a walk thru Ben's 1st six years!

I know this one was in a prior post, but this is Ben at 3 weeks old, when he came to the orphanage.

August 2011, 1 year old.  

This was Ben's orphanage ID card photo.

April 2012, almost 2

November 2012, almost 2 1/2.  

This was the first photo we saw of Ben on 

Reece's Rainbow.  Little did we know...

February 2013, 2 1/2 years old

August 2013, 3 years old.

This was Ben's orphanage ID photo.

December 2014, 4 1/2 years old.

June 2015,  5 years old.  

An adopting mom takes time to snuggle with Ben.  She comments on how sweet and very bright he is.

August 2015, 5 years old.

This is Ben's orphanage ID photo.

January 2016, 5 1/2 yrs old.  

Another adoptive family takes time to visit with Ben.  This is the grandma playing with him.  What you don't see is just to Ben's other side is the caregiver at the orphanage that was Ben's special mama.  

She cared for him since he was 3 weeks old.  Ben really bonded with her over the years.  We are very grateful for the love and care this woman gave our Ben.  She always prayed a family 

would come for her special boy.  

March 2016, 5 1/2 years old.  

Another adoptive family takes time to visit with Ben as well as Silva, the in country adoption worker.  This family also comments on how bright Ben is.

April 2016, almost 6.  

Our son's claim to fame!  This is the president of Lithuania speaking at the orphanage.  At the time we saw this photo, we wondered how did Ben get so close to the president?  Now knowing his personality, I can definitely figure out how he got so close to the president- he just marched up to her because that is what he wanted to do- Ben is a very determined little fellow-hee, hee.  The other neat thing about this photo is the reason the president is at the orphanage.  She is trying to make people more aware of the orphan situation in Lithuania.  One thing that is starting to happen is offering help and support to families with kiddos with Down syndrome in order to help them parent their children rather 

than have them end up in orphanages.

 

April 2016, almost 6 years old.  

One of the last photos we got from Silva before our trip over to bring Ben home.  

WHAT WE WOULD HAVE MISSED

I just read something written by a mom who adopted a child with Down syndrome- she wrote about what she would have missed if they hadn't adopted their little boy.

That really struck me.  What if we had said no?  Look what we would have missed...

HAPPY HEARTS

Today Ben had his cardiologist appointment in follow up to his heart surgery he had in September 2012.

Ben’s surgery at 18 moths: VSD, ventricular septal defect. 

Everything looked great!  Praise the Lord!

What really touch me though was that during the set up of the EKG, Ben got very scared and upset.  And he called out, "Mama".  He looked to me for help and comfort.  I was so privileged to be able to be there for him when he has been through so much without a mama.  But today when he needed a mama, he finally had one at his side.  

That made this mom's heart very happy!

On a side note,  "One healthy boy"- that is the phrase we have heard at each appointment we have taken Ben to: pediatrician, ENT, eye, and today cardiologist. The cardiologist was very impressed with the quality of Ben's heart repair that was done at the Vilnius Children's Hospital. 

Praise the Lord for Ben's good health! I tell you, this child was a hidden treasure in that Lithuanian orphanage!

OUR NEW NORMAL

Sometimes the phrase "new normal" is associated with something difficult.  I have been reading a lot lately about our country's new normal since 9-11.  

However, sometimes, a new normal is about a good change like having another child.  

With the addition of Benjamin Kostas to our family, this is our new normal.  So here our some of our first official photos as a family of 7.  

Photos by Jamie Brill Photography.

THE BEST ENGLISH EVER!

Ben is doing an amazing job at picking up English.  

Last night at bedtime, he hugged me and said, "You my mama."

Doesn't get any better than that!

OFF TO SCHOOL

Stephen, Lydia, Jonah and Ben had their first day of school on Thursday, 9-1(Abigail's first day of classes at college is tomorrow).

Jonah and Ben are in 5K, in 2 different classrooms.  We thought they might need a break from each other!  

Jonah will be at school from 8:30-1:30 instead of the full day which ends at 3:30.  We hope as the year goes on, he can stay all day.  For now, we are getting him use to eating lunch at school and having outdoor recess every day.

Ben is starting at 1 hour a day.  This is to help him get use to the school experience gradually instead of just throwing him in for 6 hours a day.  However, the biggest reason for limiting his time at school right now is to make sure he is bonding to me and not a teacher.  I want to make sure our relationship is solid and firm before we introduce him to another "caretaker".  

Lydia is in 8th grade, and Stephen is a junior.  The biggest deal with these two is thinking about where they will be next year:  Lydia will be in high school and Stephen will be graduating high school.  How did this happen????

Here are 1st (and I confess 2nd day because I am not organized at 7 a.m. in the morning) day pictures:

Why is Ben the only one who 

looks happy about school?