Days of Firsts

Michael and Matthew have been home for 6 days.  Everything is going really well and they seem to be adjusting better than we could have ever expected!   They both continue to eat and sleep well and LOVE to play with all their siblings and mommy and daddy. 

They have had many 'Firsts' these past 6 days.  Here are some of their 'Firsts' that I captured in pictures:

First birthday celebration.  Matthew celebrating Rachel's 11th Birthday

Michael and Justin waiting to celebrate Rachel's 11th Birthday

Matthew's First Christmas...not sure where Michael's picture went.  I'll find it and post it later.

Michael's First Ride in a car during the day.  He LOVES riding in the car.  Michael is in an infant car seat because of his small size.

Matthew's first ride in a car during the day.  He LOVES riding in the car, too!  Matthew is in an infant car seat because of his small size.

First Dental visit ~ Thank you Dr. Mahaney!  Visit went very well.  A little crying but that actually helped Dr. Mahaney take a good look at their teeth since their mouths were WIDE open.

First trip to Target.  They seemed to love walking around the store and seeing all the people and sights.

Ladies passing by INSISTED they take this 'family' picture of the "Triplets" on their first outing.

Michael's First teeth brushing...ever! He did NOT like it one bit!

Matthew's First teeth brushing....ever!  He tolerated it.

First Doctor's visit ~ Thank you Dr. Gray.  The visit went great!  No tears and just a little apprehension with the exam.

WONDERFUL staff at Dr. Gray's office!  It warmed our hearts to see all the staff loving on our boys and celebrating their arrival!

Home at last

Home at last...in pictures.  Enjoy!

Awesome sign Rachel and Kayla!

Anxiously waiting

 

Greeting Jeff and Michael

 First Kiss to Michael!

 First Kiss to Matthew!

Matthew all tuckered out

Justin's first touch to Matthew

Holding Michael for the first time

First nuzzle

Holding Matthew for the first time

Holding Matthew for the first time

 First family photo!

(Minus Wes)

HOME!

 Gotcha Day pic from Tuesday, 12-21-10!

The boys are HOME!  We had a tear filled and joyous time at the airport.  What a precious moment it was to finally meet our boys, kiss and hold them!!!   A dear friend joined us and she took some fabulous pictures of our first meeting....thank you, Bethann!!!  As soon as I receive the pictures, I will post a few on the blog.


We traveled the 20 minute drive home with ease.  Matthew and Michael both did very well in their car seats.  Neither had ever sat or been buckled into car seats.  When we got home, we fed all the little boys, Justin, Michael and Matthew,  and put them to bed for some much needed rest!  Both Matthew and Michael slept all night long until 9:00am this morning.  Justin slept a little longer.

Michael sleeping his first night home!

Matthew sleeping his first night home

Both boys are eating very well.  I'm making them a mixture of Alimentum, mommy's milk, electrolytes plus I am adding oatmeal to Michael's bottle since he is used to a thicker consistency.  We are feeding them 6 oz every 3 hours during the day and so far they are eating everything we have offered!  Praising God for that!  They are both extremely malnourished and dehydrated.  Please pray for their health and that they will continue to take in fluids well.

 Mommy feeding Michael

Our three little boys seem to love each other!  They are playing very well together and even sharing toys this Christmas morning.

What a wonderful Christmas we are having today!!!  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas as well!!

Off to pick up Jeff and the kids....

In 30 minutes I will leave to pickup Jeff and all the kids!!  I have not heard from Jeff since 3:15 this morning so I'm believing and praying all is well and they will arrive in Lubbock on time!


Thank you to all who have prayed with our family during this adoption.   Your prayers were certainly heard and felt!

**URGENT** Pray for Michael

It's 3:17am our time and Jeff just called me.  He and the kids are seated on the plane to Chicago getting ready to take off.  Michael is crying.  Nonstop.  Jeff does not no what is wrong.  Jeff has given him pain reliever, Benadryl and gas medicine.   Please pray for Michael, that whatever is causing him to cry will stop and that he will be comforted by Jeff.  Pray that the plane will take off despite Michael's crying so they can get to the States.

Up, up and away......ALMOST HOME!

Jeff, Holly, Jason, Matthew and Michael are in the air flying to Frankfurt Germany right now!  They will have a three hour layover and then on to Chicago, USA!!!!


They will have a 2 1/2 hour layover in Chicago and then fly to Dallas where they will make a mad dash to another airport, catch another flight and one hour later, arrive in Lubbock!!!! 


20 hours and they will be home!

Praising God, Michael ate!

Just talked to Jeff.  He said Michael ate about 5 oz of the potato slurry that he made!  Thank you, God!  

They will leave Kiev in 10 hours and head home arriving in Lubbock at 8:35 pm Thursday, Christmas Eve!!!

Both boys are coughing rattly coughs so Jeff put them both on antibiotics.  They will be fine as they are in the best of hands; Jeff's and Gods!  

Jeff discovered that Matthew has at least one rotted tooth.  It's down to the nub and bleeding.  Michael has almost no teeth and we suspect they have already rotted and fallen out.  It's been a challenge to assess his remaining teeth, but we suspect they are rotten as well.  Incredibly sad what these precious babies have suffered.  Tooth pain would explain why Michael does not want to eat.  Jeff is giving them Ibuprofen for the tooth pain. Rest assured, we will be taking them to a pediatric dentist as soon as they are home!


Prayer request:


1. For clear sky's and airport runways free of ice an snow on each leg of the trip so they can get home
2. For Michael to continue to eat/drink
3. For rest for everyone on the plane
4. For no tooth pain for the boys
5. For healing for both boys coughs, Jason and Holly as well, they are also coughing

Prayer request for Michael

As of right now, Michael refuses to eat or drink.  It has been 23 hours since he last took a bottle.  Jeff has tried different bottles, different nipples, formula, juice, water and electrolytes.  They have tried letting Holly feed him thinking he might take food from a female better....no!   Jeff is now squirting small amounts of liquids into Michael's mouth through a little medicine dropper several times an hour.  He's still refusing it and it all runs out.


Jeff is going to the store right now and will buy some oatmeal and potatoes to make a potato slurry similar to what Michael had in the orphanage.  Please pray Michael will take this!

Michael may be 4 but he has never been offered solid food.  That is why Jeff is concentrating on feeding him from a bottle.  That is all he knows.  He has also never been offered milk products.  Offering Michael milk products, not knowing if he is allergic, could be dangerous.  Our youngest birth son is allergic to milk products and it landed him in the ER once so Jeff will reserve this option as a last resort.


Matthew on the other hand is taking his bottle like a champ!  Praise God!!!

Random Pictures of Ukraine

While I am waiting for new pictures of the boys to come in, I thought it would be fun to put up some random pictures that Jeff and the kids have taken in Kiev, Ukraine.  You can click on each picture to enlarge it.

There is such poverty here, the orphanages struggle to get food, supplies and medicines, yet the public buildings, at least in Kiev, are very lavish. 

 

Down in the region our boys are from, the public buildings were not nearly as lavish and private homes are virtually non-existent.  Everyone seems to live in huge apartment complexes.  These pictures are from in region:

~ GOTCHA ~

Gotcha Day!

Today at 7:30pm Ukraine time, Matthew and Michael left the orphanage for the very LAST TIME!    

Orphans no more!

Michael Scott Hannon and Matthew Scott Hannon are FREE!

Jeff, Holly and Jason spent the entire day running around with our facilitator, Luda, doing paperwork, filling out documents, gathering official papers and driving through fog so thick it was blinding.  In the end, they went to the orphanage to pick up the boys at 7:00pm where the nanny's lovingly dressed our boys for the last time and then they were out the door in less than 30 minutes.  No time for pictures.  No time for anything.  It was a scoop and run Gotcha Day!

They had tickets for the 8:00pm train and the driver got them to the train station in the nick of time!  The boys were already tired, rubbing their little eyes and ready for a good nights sleep.  Jeff said they both have colds with a cough.  Thank goodness Jeff is the king of medicine.  He literally took medicine for just about any symptom...they are in good hands!  I can't wait to hear more about their Gotcha Day adventure! 

Once they arrive in Kiev tomorrow morning, the whole crew will go directly to the US Embassy to start the Visa appointments to come home.  Jeff will call me as soon as they get settled into their apartment after the Visa appointment.

Prayer requests:

1. That all can rest on the train

2. That the Visa Appt. goes smoothly, without hitch

3. That Matthew and Michael will accept food from Jeff, Holly and Jason to stay fed and hydrated

4. That Michael and Matthew's illnesses go away quickly

5. That Matthew and Michael are not scared and feel the love of their daddy and are comforted

6. That the weather on all legs of the return trip home clears and they get home safely

TWO HOURS...until Jeff gets our boys!

I just talked to Jeff and they were on the last of the paper chase....passports!  He, Holly and Jason will then be driven the two hours back to the orphanage and.....PICK UP OUR BOYS!  This is Gotcha Day!!!


Praise our Father!  Glory to God!  

This is James 14:18 in the flesh!
"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you".  

I pray you, too, will submit and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the ways asked of you.  Not everyone is called to adopt, but everyone has a calling.  Listen.  Go.  Be obedient.  Grow and stretch in Christ. Be the hands and feet of our Savior in the ways that He calls you.


Two hours....

Counting down the days until we get our boys.....ONE DAY!

In ONE day, we will have our boys!  24 hours!  One more sunset! One more sunrise!  ONE more day!


Jeff and the kids were able to take most of today to rest and tour some of Kiev.  They then boarded the overnight train for a 12 hour trip to the city our boys are in at about 6:20 local time and they were off.  It has been snowing and is bitterly cold so the scenery literally looks like a winter wonder land, beautiful!!  When I last talked with them, the train had just pulled out of the train station and they were traveling through Kiev going over a very large and beautiful river. It was already dark there but the lights from the city were reflecting off of the snow and they could clearly see the river and surrounding landscape.  It sounded so pretty!


They are traveling second class on the train so everyone can be in the same car all together.  Each train car in second class has 4 beds, two on each wall with a little walk-way down the middle.  First class cars only have two beds so must be a bit more roomy.  When they get to The City, they will begin a whirlwind of paper chasing going from place to place, from one birth city to another and then over to the orphanage to pick up the boys right before heading back to the train station to catch the return train back up to Kiev.


They will spend two days in Kiev, Dec. 22 and 23rd, doing US Embassy stuff ( medicals/visas/paperwork) and then fly HOME on Dec. 24!!!  If all goes as planned, and we are believing and praying it will, they will arrive in Lubbock at 8:35pm on Christmas Eve!!!!!  

I am fixing to meet my boys for the very first time on Friday!!  They will meet their mommy for the very first time as well!!  This feels exactly the same as when I was anticipating the birth of our birth children.  The excitement, the wonder, the anticipation of holding my children in my arms for the very first time after having waited 9 long months for this day.....yes, 9 months!  I will be able to look into my boys eyes, kiss their sweet little cheeks, drink in their sweetness and hold them in my arms on Friday.....yes, it really has been 9 months since we first joined Reece's Rainbow!


ONE MORE DAY!