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!

7 comments:

Rachelle Feinland said...

I love the pics!!!!! All three of your children are beautiful!

Laura A said...

Praise God that Anton is doing so well! And how awesome that he's bonded so quickly with everyone in the family!

Two questions when you have a minute - where do you go to church, and what children's museum did you go to? (Looking for summertime mini-road trips for Team Anderson!)

Continuing to pray for all of you!

Love,
Laura

Anonymous said...

Wondering where the video of Anton making his animal noises is. The post is showing up on my google reader but no link to a video... and I can't find the post at all here on your site.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for an update!

- Ellen

Anonymous said...

dearest Vanessa,
you are so blessed! Anton is wonderful and seems to be happier than ever! Kenya and Judah are the cutest little things! Thank you for the update!!!
Sending love and hugs
Christiana Evripidou

Annalien said...

This is such a heart-warming post, thank you for the update. It is wonderful to hear how well you have all adjusted and bonded as a family. God bless you!

Anonymous said...

Vanessa, thank you for the update. So glad that Anton is doing well, that his stomach is better and that he has adjusted to new environment. You have a lovely family. God bless you all! –MI