Almost Spring!

I can feel it!  I am ready for it!  Spring!

The weather is warming daily.  The frogs are peeping in the pond and turtles are out sunning themselves.  I have seen a lot of geese flying North.  The daffodils are up so cheerful and the forsythia bushes are blooming as well.  I see swollen buds on trees and bushes everywhere.  The ponies are all happy that the grass is finally growing.  The ground is covered with hen bit and chick weed.  Those are the first things that start to grow here in Georgia when the weather warms.  It carpets everything.  God is so good.

I got my spring rush of energy a few weeks ago and have been busily working inside sorting and deep cleaning.  I am itching to get some things done outside but we have had so much rain, its to wet to really do any of the projects on my list. We might attack cleaning and organizing the barn one day next week as we can do that rain or shine.

All of the baby goats have gone to new homes except the little doe I am retaining.  I kept a little buckling to keep her company till she is big enough to blend into the herd.  Bottle feeding two baby goats is not to much work and the children enjoy watching them grow.

I have no lofty gardening plans this year.  I am still very busy with our three young foster children and their many intense needs.  So I don't want to get in over my head, in things that need attention from me daily, when these children need me so much right now.  I might put in a few tomato and pepper plants and call it good for the year.

The children are all doing well.

Stephen is busy with his life in a town north of us. 

He comes to visit frequently.  He has owned one cat for many years but got a new kitten recently, so we have been receiving cute photos, as it has grown, over the last few months.

Antonio was having a lot of trouble with his joints locking up and muscles being very tight.

He started getting Botox shots a few months ago and taking Baclifin.  It has helped tremendously in our ability to get his shirts and hand splints on him.  He is still tight but we can move his joints a little easier.  Here is a picture of his Gecko Franklin.  He loves that little guy.  I was giving him a warm water soak.

   
William has been going over to our local college twice a week to participate in their GED program.   He has, for the most part, been able to drive himself.  He is still struggling with his health but is doing good over all.  His new dog has been such a blessing for him.  He spends a lot of time with her and I can tell it keeps his stress levels down.

Carolyn  is about to undergo testing by our local school system.  She is a little nervous about it all.  We need to see exactly where she is at and how her psychological looks in order to get full understanding of how to help her plan for her future.  She will be 15 very soon and we need to start to think about, what is available to her, with her special needs in life, to be successful and as independent as possible. 

She has been practicing ballet in her spare time as her recital is in May and she wants to do her best.

Zeke has gone thru a huge growth spurt and his voice has gotten very deep.  I often have to think who is speaking in the next room and realize it is him in his grown mans voice.  He is spending a lot of time working on his animation and videos he makes. 

He tries to have a movie made for Tim and I to watch each Friday Night Movie Night.  The children take pictures of each other all the time and doctor them with funny things.  Here is Zeke in a mustache sent to me from William!

Zeke said for me to post it.  My very serious young man.  He only smiles if asked  to or if something strikes him as very funny.

Elizabeth has also gone thru a huge growth spurt. 

Carolyn throwing a snowball at Elizabeth throwing a snowball at Zeke, two weeks ago in the big snow!

She is taller than I am now and has gotten a bit thin.  I have had to up her calories to try to get her weight to catch up with her height.  She loves to eat so she is enjoying it.  We usually have to watch her weight the other way so she is enjoying the larger portions and treats.  She is also practicing a lot for her ballet recital.  Last year she had a broken ankle and could not participate properly, so she is working extra hard and ready to dance this year for everyone.

Reading in bed.

"B" is still having a lot of behavioral issues but I can see him maturing lately and trying harder to please us.  He has come so far but has a long way to go. 

"B" out in the snow with Yellow two weeks ago!

We recently had him tested and they feel he has a syndrome.  Most likely Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  He is very impulsive and full of energy.  I mean really full of energy.  I can not easily even take him out in public his behavior is often so bad but... He understands so much lately I am able to talk to him about it and the repercussions he will have once home (loss of privileges or time out) and can now steer him into being good sometimes, which is nice.  He is a very smart little boy and loves to learn.  We enjoy reading books together and surfing the internet to see things he is interested in learning.  He still struggles with his eating.  It takes him over and hour to eat each meal.  Chewing is very hard for him.  We took him to the dentist and he has about 10 cavities from his previous life.  He will have to be put under to have them all fixed at a local hospital.  He needs 5 crowns.  Hopefully that will help his eating improve as well once that is all fixed. On a very positive  note "B" is totally potty trained day and night now!  Praise God!

"T" is doing very well. 

One of his favorite pass times!

He is very immature for his age and has his own set of developmental issues but is a delight as most of his issues are not behavioral.  He has a lot of sensory issues and a has a few melt downs daily over those but all in all he is a lot of fun and a pretty easy child.  I was worried about his development and had him tested as well when I had "B" tested.  They feel "T" is on the autism spectrum.  I will take him to the school system to have him tested, when he is older, to get a definitive diagnosis.  But the testing we had done so far helps me tremendously in understanding what is bothering him, why and how to help him have better days.  Even though he is no where near ready to understanding potty training, we started some "mommy training" with him.  Just putting him on the potty after meals to catch his bowel moments.  I did this as he has constant very loose yeasty potty and it tears up his very fair skin in his diaper area.  We have been working with him a few weeks now and his bottom looks wonderful and he knows to push if  he has to go when he is on the potty now.  So this is wonderful considering his cognitive ability right now.

Baby "K" is looking much less like a baby now and more like a toddler. She is 10 months old.  She is far behind according to the developmental charts.  Those things are so over rated anyways.  :)  But is progressing nicely.  God really is doing an amazing miracle in her.  When she came she could not see and did not even blink to protect her eyes.  She now will  smile at me, if I smile at her, from even up to 10 feet away!  She has optic nerve hypoplasia and is considered legally blind but is using the vision she has wonderfully!  When she came she was a very floppy little baby and did not move her body  much at all.  She seemed to not know she had arms and legs and when she did move them, she acted like they were to heavy to move.  She can now roll over both ways.  She can pivot around while on her tummy, in a circle and she just learned to sit!

So she is doing really great.  I can see her trying to figure out crawling.  But she is missing part of the the nerve bundle that connects the two halves of her brain (Hypoplasia of the Corpus Callosum) so coordinating moving both halves of her body is very difficult.  She also has low tone CP so things like crawling or walking is really going to be hard for her to learn.  I can see her determination and with much prayer and us helping her practice, I can see she will crawl one day soon.  Maybe in a few months.  All in Gods timing! She is such a treasure and blessing to our home.  A very happy, sweet good girl!

God is so good and even though we have hard days at times, we feel so very blessed in life.  May the Lord God in heaven be with you in all you do.  Leading and guiding you to preform the works He has for you to do for others in life.

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Blessings,
susan