Thursday, May 17, 2012

Happy 2 months home sweet boy and a post about our travels home :)

I have no idea how two months have already gone by since we brought Anton home. It is blowing me away that he has been home that long and that he is doing so well.

I never talked about the plane ride home and since it was 2 months ago I think it's about time I did :)

Our host family woke up super early to be able to help us get out the door, Rob helped bring all of our luggage down in the wee hours of the morning in his jammies. It was freezing outside but I thought it was so sweet he helped us with everything. I was soooo nervous about flying with Anton. I was worried that we would have trouble taking all of our heavy bags into the airport, I was worried that they would try to search Anton since he was bandaged, I was worried that he would scream the whole time we were on the plane and I didn't know how I was going to feed him without being completely stressed out because he cried the whole time I fed him, every time I fed him.

We got to the airport and we were greeted by Alyona and a friend of hers. Alyona is one of the volunteers who helped get Anton to the better hospital, helped raise money to keep him there, helped raise money for his bandages and she checked on him all the time to make sure he had everything he needed. It meant a lot to me that she was there to see us off. They helped Sandy and I get all of our bags in and helped us move stuff around in our luggage because some of it was too heavy. They took us all the way back until they could go no further. There is a point in the airport where they check your tickets and your passport and there were TONS of people in line waiting to have their passport verified. I was getting very nervous because we were already running late and I knew there was no way we could make it to our gate in time if we had to wait in those crazy lines. Well Alyona spoke to the lady who checks the airline tickets (before you get in the crazy long line to have your passport checked) and I'm not sure what she told her but the lady walked us right up to the front of the line to have our passports checked :) It was amazing and I was so thankful all the staff at the airport had been so helpful up to this point.

I am so bummed out because I can't find the pictures of Alyona, Anton, and I at the airport but once I find them I will add them to this post.



We got through that part with no problems. Sandy was a rock star carrying all of our carry on bags and not missing a beat. Then it was time to put them through the x-ray and go through the x-ray thing ourselves and this is where it got hard. There were tons of people and I was holding Anton while Sandy was throwing everything on the belt to go through the x-ray machine while telling people, "Please wait, we have more bag." We had a ton of bags honestly I don't know how we got through with all the bags we had plus we had a stroller. This part stressed me out the most but it was fine and Sandy got all of our bags through without any problems. Then I walked up to the scanner thing, not the x-ray one but the one that takes a 3D image and they lady was telling me to do something with Anton but I could not figure out what she wanted me to do. I kept saying I don't know what you are telling me and she kept saying it in Russian. Then I figured out she wanted me to stand him up but I kept saying he doesn't stand then she kept telling me to stand him up in Russian so I just stood behind him and held him up. She then smiled and let us go through. That part was kinda funny.

We got to our gate and it was time for Anton to eat but we should have been boarding any minute. I thought it would be better to feed him while waiting instead of on the plane but we were in front of everyone and I knew they would be staring at me while I fed my baby with him laying down in his stroller screaming at the top of his lungs cause it hurt to eat and he chokes the whole time I fed him. I knew I had to get over it cause he needed to eat so I fed him while random people watched and made crazy faces. Thankfully the plane was boarding a little late so he got to eat his whole meal. Once he was done Sandy and I noticed a lot of people pre-boarding on the other side of us with small children so we walked up to the front and the lady at the desk completely ignored us while she talked on her phone. Thankful someone else who worked there saw us and said something to that woman and she took us back to pre-board. This was a huge answer to prayer because I didn't want people bumping into Anton and we had a TON of bags to get on the plane. We were able to get all seated and set up a comfy place for Anton  before anyone else got on the plane.




Anton was amazing, he fell asleep before we took off and slept through the whole take off. I was shocked because up until this point he only slept in his stroller and it had to be completely quiet or he would wake up. Trust me on this one I was in the room with him sleeping at the hospital once and I moved which made a tiny noise and he woke up screaming. So for him to fall asleep sitting up on an airplane and sleep through the crazy loud noises of the plane taking off was a miracle.


I wish I could have recorded Anton the whole time we were on the plane to show you guys how well he did because looking back, I can hardly it. When he was awake he just played and was happy and when he was tired he just fell asleep. He took three naps on the plane and slept great all three of those times.

For about the last five hours Anton just wanted me to hold him which was amazing. He fell asleep on me for the first time which was the best feeling EVER. Once he woke up he did not want me to put him down so I just held him and we watched movies together and played together. This was such a neat time to bond with him! At one point I was so tired but he didn't want me put him down so I propped up my knees sat him on my lap and slept while he just sat there quietly.


The only times Anton cried on the plane was when I had to feed him or if I had to change his diaper. He cried at the top of his lungs every single time I did those things and it took about 15 minutes to feed him so this was very stressful for me but other than that he didn't really cry on the plane.

Anton fell asleep right before we landed and slept through the landing. I woke him up to change his diaper and clothes and he was not happy about that but once I was done he stopped crying. People waiting to get off the plane started talking to us and were so sweet and had a lot of questions about Anton's skin and the adoption. I was happy to answer their questions. The girls that sat behind us on the way home kept telling me how cute he was and how well he did on the plane. They were so sweet at one point Anton was asleep in his seat and it was time to eat so the flight attendant told me I had to raise Anton's seat since they were going to serve food. I started to panic and then I just turned around and told the girls something like, "Hey, he is asleep and if I move the seat he will wake up screaming, do you care if I leave the seat back?" They said they didn't mind at all and the flight attendant didn't say anything else about it. It was little moment like this the whole trip where I knew people were praying for us and I knew God had worked out every detail of our trip. The whole trip was just amazing and I know without a doubt God was working through the whole thing!

We waited until everyone got off the plane before we tried to get off so we wouldn't be rushed. Getting off the plane I held Anton and Sandy got all of our bags. I wish I could write a novel to tell you all how much Sandy helped me. She was amazing on the whole trip. She played with Anton and kept him entertained, watched him while I went to the bathroom, got our bags on and off the plane, and helped me with anything and everything I needed. Sandy is a rock star and I love her so much. I could not have done it without her.

We were walking toward immigration and there is a side for US citizens and then a different place for everyone else. A lady that worked at Houston airport saw us with our millions of bags and sweet Anton and rushed over to help us. She took us to the front of the line and even got the immigration guy to process Sandy on the American side. It was great. Then she took me to a room where Anton and I had to wait so they could process his paperwork and she told them to rush it for us too! It was awesome. It took a little while to get through all of this and she came back at one point to see what was taking them so long and told them to hurry again, ha! I was talking to Anton and explaining to him why we were there and that we would get to see Daddy soon then one of the officers said, "Does he know English?" I said "No." I couldn't figure out why he asked that then I realized I was talking to him just like I would Kenya or Judah and I thought to myself, "How else will he learn unless I talk to him?" Anyway that part was kinda funny.

The lady that took us to the front of the line and helped speed up our paperwork also went with us to help get all of our bags!!! She was so helpful and I can't say enough nice things about her.

It was at this point a police dog walked through and was sniffing the bags and I realized that was the first real dog Anton has ever seen. Think about that... He is 2 and he had never seen a real dog before...

We had to go through one more check point then the moment came that I had waited 14 hours for (well really 13 months). The doors opened and I saw Jason waiting in front of everyone for us. I couldn't help but be overcome by emotion. I had brought our SON home and there was HIS Daddy. Jason rushed over and Anton got so excited he kept pointing at Jason and saying "tom" which means "there" in Russian and he kept saying "Papa, Papa, Papa." He totally remember Jason and he was so excited to see him.





After we landed we had a 4 hour drive home and I was kinda nervous about this because almost every time we were in the car in Russia Anton would cry and cry and he even threw up several times because he was crying so hard. But again God blessed us and Anton was completely happy (except when I had to feed him once) the whole way home. We stopped right after we left the airport and got some Texas burgers (Sandy's request) and I had steak fingers and onion rings YUM. We just drove through because I was so ready to be home but the food was great. I was wiped out since I hadn't slept much on the plane so after I ate I crashed out and so did Anton in fact I think Sandy did too. Anton slept pretty much the whole way home!!!


I was sooooo excited to pull up in our drive way and I couldn't wait for Kenya and Judah to get to meet their brother but that will have to wait for another post cause this one is already way too long.

I hope you all enjoyed the details of our plane ride and drive home. God was so so faithful to us and I still can't believe how well Anton did on the way home!

(sorry some of the pictures aren't turned the right way I can't figure out how to fix it but I know my sweet hubby will fix it for me tomorrow) :) 

Monday, May 14, 2012

Movie Monday

Anton is talking so much and he is picking up on words just by listening to everyone around him. We were at Chili's the other day and one of the servers said "awesome" then Anton said it and it is now his new favorite word. I can't even count all the words he knows and he now knows around 10 signs. He is so smart and he amazes us with all the new things he is learning.

Here is a video a friend took at church with her cell phone.
Enjoy :)





Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mothers Day Mama Olga

I wanted to take time to honor Anton's first Mama, the first woman in his life that he loved and felt safe with, the first woman in his life who loved him as her own son, the first women in his life who put her life on hold to take care of and love him, today I want to honor Anton's first Mama, Olga.

When we first found out about Anton he was 13 months old and as far as we knew he was still in the first hospital being swaddled all day long with no one to love on him or hold him. I could barely stand the thought of it. I paced the house all day long trying to find ways to bring him home faster and I was worried sick about him. Then we got the amazing news that Anton had already been transferred to a better hospital and he had a nanny that took care of him 24/7. I was overjoyed at this news and I was finally able to relax and work on adoption paperwork knowing that our baby was in good hands.

I will never forget the first picture I saw of Olga with Anton, she was pushing him around in his stroller and had the biggest smile on her faced. It brought so much joy to my heart to know she was there with him.

Then I found his Help Anton page on FB and I would check it all the time to see if they posted any updates. It was so neat to be in the adoption process while getting updates on Anton. 

The more updates we got the more amazed we were at the level of care he was receiving. Olga became Anton's Mama and it was very clear that she loved him as her own child. Anton began to grow and learn more and more everyday with the loving care he was receiving from Olga. 

On our first trip to Russia we got to see first hand just how much Olga loves him. She was very protective of him and made sure we weren't going to hurt him by picking him up the wrong way. She was very hospitable as well always offering us tea and chocolates.

Olga taught us everything she could about Anton so that once we brought him home we would know what he was use to. She taught us how to feed him, get him to sleep, how to do his dressing change, what she put on his face if he had boo boos, how to comfort him and so much more. She taught us everything she could and we were so thankful for that. 

Here are a few pictures of Olga and her boy :)













Olga spent a year and a half of her life caring for Anton and she will always be his first Mama. 

Olga,
We love you so much and we could never fully express with our words just how much you mean to our family. You will ALWAYS be Anton's first Mama and we are so thankful for the way you cared for Anton. Anton is one blessed baby and he has adjusted so well at home because of the amazing care you gave him. We miss you so much and we will always tell Anton about his first Mama. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY Olga I hope you have an amazing day filled with lots of love!!!

Love you sooo much,
The Delgados

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Update on Anton

I haven't really posted an update on Anton in a while so I wanted to let y'all know how he is doing.

Anton has adjusted so well, he has shocked us all with how well he is doing. He has bonded to Jason and I and looks to us to comfort him when he is upset. He LOVES Kenya and Judah and really enjoys playing with them.

He is the happiest kid EVER! He is never fussy (at home anyway) and just goes with the flow (for the most part).

Right after we brought Anton home I was running around but I needed to change his diaper so I stopped at a friends house really quick so I could change his diaper and he cried the whole time we were there. Then the first time we went to church he cried almost the whole time. I was worried that we would never be able to leave the house with him again but as of a few days ago I think he has overcome this fear. At church on Sunday he didn't cry at all and when people would talk to him he would just stare at them instead of shaking his head and telling them, "No". He even put on the charm and showed off his animal noises a few times. Then after church we went to a friends house and he was happy the entire time. I think he was scared at first because he was in the hospital and we had so many doctors appointments right after he got here he just never know if people were going to mess with him but I think he now knows he is safe at church.

I also think we got the issue with his stomach figured out. Anton is eating a lot of high calorie formula through his g-tube and at first he ate around the clock then we moved his feeds to three times a day and he ate each of those feeds over two hours and then ate the rest of his food through the night. Then we moved it to three times a day and  he ate those feeds over one hour and the rest through the night. Lately, we moved his feeds to three times a day at thirty minutes each feed and he ate the rest through the night.  I think what is happening is he is just getting too much too fast so we are slowing down his feeds during the day to see if that helps. He is handling his feeds well and hasn't thrown up or shown any signs of discomfort but we want to make sure we are feeding him at a rate that is right for him.

My camera has been broken for about a week so I haven't really taken many new pictures. We have done a lot in the month Anton has been home and it has been so exciting to get to see him experience new things. The highlight for me was going to eat at Chili's yesterday with Jason and all three kids. They all did great (well, besides normal kid behavior) and we had a great time. For the next day kids eat free at Chili's and the cool thing is you can get up to two kids meals free with the purchase of an adult entree. Just print THIS coupon and enjoy.

Anton's first time at church.

Everyone was so excited to meet him.


LOVE my sweet family and our amazing church. 
God has blessed us so much and I am very thankful for our church family.

Anton and I met another Reece's Rainbow family at our local children's museum and we had a blast hanging out and letting the kids play. Julia's daughter was singing to Anton in Russian, it was so cute! 

Karina and Anton had a blast digging for dino bones.

Anton's first time playing in the sand :) 

We had such a great time together!

We also took the kids to a magic show. Kenya and Judah LOVED it and Anton fell asleep. Jason was there too and was taking the picture. This was our first time out as a family of five (besides church.) :) 

After we brought Anton home it took about a month to really get in the groove of things. Some of that time was really hard but it is getting easier day by day. It seems like he has always been here and I can't  imagine our lives without him. 

I am going to start working on a post about his hands since that is the question I get asked the most so hopefully in the next few days I will be able to finish it. 

I hope y'all have a great week!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

In case you were wondering...

In case you were wondering what we were doing at this exact moment of our lives I thought I would show you :)

Judah and Anton are riding their cars...




Kenya is playing a dolphin game on the x-box...

Jason and I are enjoying hanging out :)

and that's what we are doing right now :)