Q&A

If there's more Q's I'll post again later in the week, but thought I'd start with the first 5...

 

I was just on Facebook and saw that you had been tagged in a photo. I can't remember whose picture it was, but you were a little bitty girl. It looked like BRIANNA was in that picture. She is you all over again. SO precious!!
I love your precious family.

Yep, that would be this one :)  It was taken in November 1985, I was almost 4 years old (front left).  Behind me is my older brother Bruce, in the center is my cousin Kevin (he posted the photo), then on the right is my younger brother, David, and my sister, Elizabeth.  Kevin was up visiting us in Massachusetts and apparently got suckered into reading us all a book :)  Brianna does look a lot like me in this picture!

 

Do you plan on adopting any more children?

Hmm... No idea! :)  Right now I've got another 6 1/2 months before this baby will arrive and we'd definitely need time after that to even consider another adoption, but I'm not one to put contingencies on God's plans, so who knows!  We thought for a time that our next child would be through adoption but God let us know loud and clear that that wouldn't be happening :)

 

I heard you are expecting again- congratulations! I know you love children and are clearly blessed with awesome parenting skills. Yet... is there a part of you that's a little worried about parenting five young children, at least three with special needs, all needy in their own way?

I think it would be crazy to not have at least some doubt at the prospect of a new child!  I felt that way with Kristopher, with Brianna, and with our adoption- especially so while visiting with Emma and Micah before coming home-- How would I cope with 3 kids that weren't walking??  But in all honesty, I feel like God has planned this out in His perfect timing and at the moment I have a good amount of peace that everything is going just as it should be.  When this baby arrives the kids will be 6 1/2, 5 1/2, 3 1/2, and 3.  Micah and Brianna will both likely be walking.  Michael will have just finished his Master's degree.  And all 4 of my kids will have started school the month prior at the SAME school... God knows what He's doing and I am along for the ride :)

 

how many kids are in diapers?
do they still do bottles?
what size does kristopher wear?
they are beautiful.

I have 3 in diapers, though Brianna generally has BMs on the toilet.  We go through a LOT of diapers in a day :)

Emma and Micah are still on bottles, though Emma's is just for milk now.  Micah is still on total bottle feeds with supplements from babyfood (but it's not enough to call real 'meals' yet.

Kristopher wears a size 5T for most things, but he's so skinny that we have to buy the pants and shorts with the elastic buttons in the waist :)   And just for kicks... Emma wears a 4t top (she has a long torso!) and 24 months/3t pants.  Brianna wears a 2t top and 18/24 months pants.  And Micah wears 24 months size tops and shorts, but 12/18 months pants because his little legs are so short :)  He has the opposite sizing issue that Kristopher does!

 

Are any of your children receiving feeding therapy so that they eat solids better?

We don't have feeding therapy available here.  We have a wonderful speech therapist that is working with Micah on eating and has been for quite some time.  He's now doing much better accepting babyfood but... it's still a lot of work to get him to eat!  She's also started working on the straw with him (as have we) but we haven't had any successes there so far :)