Home ~ One month today

ONE month ago today, Matthew and Michael arrived in Lubbock, Texas into a family that unconditionally loves them, cherishes them and welcomes them with open arms.

Arriving in Lubbock, 12-24-10

Mommy holding Michael for the first time

Mommy holding Matthew for the first time

ONE month ago today, only 30 days ago, yet it seems like they have been in our family their whole lives!  We love them so much, so dearly, so completely.  Michael and Matthew are true blue Hannons through and through.

First Hannon family picture with all 10 of us

All 8 of our children

They were just meant to be a part of our family.  We were just meant to be their mommy and daddy, brothers and sisters.  God literally orchestrated this from the beginning of time and it is humbling to be a part of something so big.  We praise and thank God every single day for all 8 of our beautiful children.


Michael and Matthew continue to do well.  They are both eating and sleeping well and gaining weight.  They seem to be bonding quite well to us and we are bonding well to them.  It brings tears to my eyes to think about how far they have come in such a short time.


Michael is pulling up to stand on his own and is walking around holding on to things.  Matthew has learned to sit and sits for quite a long time now without toppling over.  They both smile and coo at all of us and hold their arms up for us to pick them up....and they cry when we put them down.   All good signs of bonding.  They cry when hungry now and cry when they wake up from naps and bedtime.  There was only silence the first week after they came home during these times. 


I'll never forget that first morning after they arrived when I woke up and looked over to their port-a-cribs to check on them and there they lie, silent and still, not moving or making a sound yet wide awake.  I do not know how long they had been awake, laying silently.  I'm told this was orphanage behavior because they learned that crying was of no use, no one would come, no one.   Now, they know that they can CRY, HOLLER, CALL OUT for me and I'll be there!  Never again will they be alone, cold or hungry....never again!

Home only one month but forever in our hearts!!!

Playing and reading books this morning, home one month!

Happy Brothers

Pictures are worth a thousand words, ENJOY!...

 

First time to go to church and an update on Michael's health

We serve a BIG God!  3 weeks and 4 days ago, Matthew and Michael lay in their cribs, hungry, cold and alone.    Yesterday they sat with our family in our Fathers house well fed, warm and surrounded by love.  Modern day miracles!  God is so incredibly good to us.  We thank Him for saving Matthew and Michael and continue to pray for those children we had to leave behind.  We pray that other Christian daddy's and mommies will choose to personally live James 1:27 and step out and be the hands and feet of Jesus! 

As many of you know, Michael has had GI issues that quickly became an emergency situation last week.  The doctors in Cincinnati and in Lubbock came up with a plan of action to help Michael and it has worked!!  He is to take medicine twice a day and stay on a liquid diet until surgery.  Michael had x-ray studies done yesterday and the results were good!  So good, that we have been given another week to stay here and continue with the medication that is helping.  We are believing for a miracle and pray Michael will not need further surgery.  God is still a God of miracles!!


If God chooses for that miracle to come through a surgeons hands, we have the best and will gladly hand Michael over to Dr. Pena in Cincinnati so he can be the hands of Jesus and work His miracle through the gift of surgery.


God has this!

Home for 3 weeks

Michael and Matthew have been home for three weeks today.  They are doing AWESOME!  We love them so much and I believe they love us as well.  Both boys have gained 2 lbs already and have literally come to life!  They are looking at us more, holding their arms up to us to be held and then crying when we put them down.  They stop crying when we pick them back up.  These are all good signs of bonding!  Praise God!!  This was one of our prayer requests that has been answered!  They are both starting to babble a lot more and both know their names and turn to look at us when we call them.  Michael is starting to say "mamama" for Momma, "dadada" for Daddy and "ba" for bath.  It is incredible what love will do!  


Here are a couple of pictures from this week just for fun...

Michael continues to have intestinal issues.  Our local doctors have recommended that we travel to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to have colorectal surgery by Dr. Alberto Pena.  Dr. Pena is literally the worlds best pediatric colorectal surgeon in the world and we are blessed to have him on our team!


Before we travel, Michael will have another round of x-ray studies this coming Monday and we'll see just how well the current medication has been working.  Holly and I will then travel with Michael to Ohio for treatment in the next week or so depending on what we find out with Michael's x-ray studies.  Jeff will stay behind to care for our other children.  We still have a couple of weeks of paid vacation left and then Jeff will have to take the Family Leave Act time off if need be.....we cannot take too much of this, mind you, as it is without pay.  We are thankful we have it if we need it though.

Our current prayer requests are that Michael will do well before, during and after surgery, recover quickly with no pain or other negative lasting affects and that we will only need to be in Cincy for a couple of weeks so Jeff will not have to take unpaid leave. 

Surgery Update

Michael's surgery today was not successful on one hand since they were not able to completely fix the stricture but very successful on the other hand since we now know exactly what we need to do in order to help Michael.  


The doctor actually found two strictures and they are both far stronger, thicker and larger than we had hoped. Now that the doctors have had a good look at Michael surgically, they are saying he needs extensive colorectal reconstructive surgery to fix this.  The team we used today could not do that type of surgery since they only specialize in intestinal issues.  We will now go see a surgeon who specializes in colorectal reconstructive surgery.  Since his lower intestine is almost completely closed off, time is of the essence so Jeff and I have to make some serious decisions by Monday.


Your prayers are so comforting!  Thank you all for covering Michael in prayer today through this.  He was such a little champ and handled everything very well.  I'll let everyone know as soon as we make our decision about where we will take Michael for this next round of treatment.

Michael is having surgery tomorrow

We went to the pediatric gastrointerologist today for a check-up for Michael and the doctor found an intestinal stricture that has almost completely closed off his lower intestine and the waste that must exit is not able to completely leave his body.  Surgery is in the morning at 8:30.  The doctor cautioned us that due to the severity of the stricture, it may take two surgeries to correct.


Please pray with us that everything can be corrected in one surgery and that Michael recovers quickly and fully. 

Christmas 2010.....in Jan 2011

Today was a very special day for our family.  It was one of those days I wish we could freeze-frame and live in the moment for a little while longer. Our oldest son Wesley was able to come over and meet his two newest little brothers for the first time.  Watching them together was sweet beyond words!  Matthew and Michael really took to Wes and let him hold and play with them.  

After all the introductions, we had a gigantic Christmas dinner...thank you, Rachel, for helping me cook all morning, and then we exchanged Christmas gifts!!  Matthew and Michael jumped right in there ripping open their wrapped gifts and playing with the paper and box's.   It was neat watching them observe Christmas for the first time!  Seeing all 8 of our children together for the first time was incredible.  What a special day!

Wesley meeting Matthew

Wesley meeting Michael

Holly, Wesley and Matthew

Mommy holding Justin and Matthew

Cutie Pie Michael waiting to open gifts

Michael opening his Christmas gifts

Our three little boys opening gifts together

Opening more gifts

  

All 5 of our sons

All 8 of our children

 

 

 Family Photo, 2011

Family Photo, 2011

1.1.11 New Beginnings

Happy New Year!  

I pray this year will be a year of new beginnings, renewal, a year of discovery and a year of obedience for each and every one of us.  

I pray you will:


PRAY!


LISTEN!


Then, RUN...

Run to the purpose for which God has placed you on this Earth. Be the Hands and Feet of our Savior starting this year.  There is so much work to do. We do not have much time to carry out His work.  Even if we have 100 years...that's not much time! Don't put off His calling for one more day.  Run to Him.


Our God is a God of new beginnings, start-overs, re-do's; a God of forgiveness.  Do not let your past control your future.  Start from right where you are today and RUN to Him!  If you have not accepted Him as your loving Savior, do it now.  Ask Him into your heart today...He will come!  He is the only way; the only truth; the only life.  Jesus Christ is the only way to Eternal Life. 

If you have fallen away from Christ, RUN back to Him!  His arms are aching and waiting for you.  Make this year the year that you rebuild your relationship with Him. He's waiting...


Happy New Year everyone!  
I am excited to see where He leads us all....