Update on life with Silas HOME!

Hello Dear Friends and Family:


You can probably imagine by my lack of writing to you that it has taken some time to adjust to becoming Mom to 2 children:) It really is not that much of a change, but I have chosen to play instead of sit at the computer most days. It is my pleasure to sit and reflect today – and fill you in on our life with Silas in our home.

Noel and I want to say a very BIG thank you to all of you – just for being interested enough to read these updates:) and for all the prayers for us as we waited and then eventually traveled to bring Silas home. He is worth every second of that waiting. The amount of time spent waiting is NOTHING compared to the amount of joy he has already brought us by just being Silas! If you have met him – you know what I mean!

We have been absolutely blessed by many friends who have brought meals to us. I did not cook at all for the first 2 weeks we were home! I do love to cook – but it was great to be able to focus on other things right when we got home. THANKS friends. We have also had very special times with family visitors and lots of friends too. It has truly been a celebration of Silas’ homecoming wherever we go for the last month. We are so thankful for the community we live in and all the support we have had surrounding this time in our lives. I know Silas feels special with all the attention….he enjoys it a little:)

I want to tell you everything about him, but that would take more than just this nap time so I will share some of the most important details.

Silas just fits with our family. I looked at him the other night running around at Lily’s soccer practice and it already seems like he has been ours forever. I attribute his ease of adjusting only to Jesus. He set Silas in our family and He has provided everything we all need during the transition.
It only took a few nights for Silas to get used to going to sleep in his big boy bed by himself. AMAZING – as he has never slept alone. For a couple weeks now – he goes in his room at bedtime, crawls up in his bed and gets his Froggy (attached to a frog that Aunt Beverly gave him for Easter:) and says night night Momma. He is so sweet!
He is saying a lot in English – all done, bye bye, up please, more please, thank you (though he prefers to say Merci). He knows many of his body parts in English and just today got several colors right! YEAH Silas!!!
He loves people, and loves to GO – anywhere where there are people. He likes to sing in Kreyol and it is too cute – and he shows off his dancing skills at home. He wants to help me with everything – I imagine he did this at the Orphanage. He laughs out loud when I start cooking and then quickly gets in the drawer where I keep paper plates and passes them out to around 20 place settings. He loves to eat! He loves to talk on the phone – play phones, my phone – he talks 90 to nothing in Kreyol and laughs very hard at himself. Of course I have no idea what he is saying:) I was using a lot of Kreyol to give him commands – like sit down, stand up, let’s eat, take a bath, etc. – but he knows everything I say in English already. I hardly speak to him in Kreyol at all now. His Kreyol is not enunciated well – it is hard for me to figure out what he is saying most of the time – similar to what it would be with a 2 year old learning to talk – not really a big deal.
We have seen our pediatrician twice. The first time was the day after we got home. We treated Silas for a minor parasite and then when we returned to see the Dr. again after 10 days he had already gained 1 lb 4 oz. I weighed him at 3dpt last week and his total weight gain is more than 2 lbs now. Noel buzzed his head last weekend while I was at a movie with Lily. They look more alike now:) Silas’ nails are growing like crazy and he already can’t wear the shoes that had plenty of room when we got him 5 weeks ago. He is not quite on the growth chart for a 2 year old in his height, but he is in the 3% for his weight as a 3 year old. He might not be very tall – we surely don’t mind – but it will be interesting to see how his height and weight both change with good nutrition and lots of love.
The most special moments at home have come with watching Silas and Lily interact…watching them go from being 2 children that don’t know each other to brother and sister. It is precious! Right now – he just woke up from a nap and she is singing to him. They are playing very well together – most of the time Lily is very patient with him – teaching him to play and share. We are so proud of Lily and the way she has become a big sister. She and Silas seem to find time at least once every evening to wrestle on the floor – he starts it and then laughs hysterically when she takes him down. Lily has always had an amazing imagination…frequently playing that she is some kind of animal. It didn’t take her long to teach that to Silas. When I came home the other evening after my spinning class she had tied a ribbon around his waist and was using it as a leash while he was crawling around barking. Very funny… Silas seems to love many things that most 3 year olds have tired of by now – like riding in the cart at Wal-Mart and he loves being in the stroller. This is a huge advantage for me! We worked in the yard all day yesterday – he and Lily weeded the whole garden together. Today he got to ride a tricycle for the first time. It is a delight to my heart to watch him explore and observe so many things for the first time. We even went on Lily’s Kindergarten field trip last week to a drive through safari and petting zoo. He was not so crazy about those aggressive goats in the petting zoo, but did really enjoy watching the monkey do her tricks. I would have to say that his favorite time of day is when Daddy gets home. When we go to 3dpt during the day he starts chanting Daddy even before we are out of the car.
Life is good, more than that God is good. So even when life is not so good (oops did I forget to mention the fits and other normal 3 year old behavior:) we can get through those times.

THANK YOU again for being part of our journey.
Oh yeah – we’re still on one – so when you think of us please keep praying for Louis and his adoption process. Our time with him was awesome and we are so excited for his homecoming –prayerfully in the next 4-6 months. We miss him so much. It was a very sad - see you later - when we left Haiti. He is a precious boy and we feel so blessed to be his family.

Hope you are all enjoying some sunny days!
Love to all – for all of us at home and in Haiti,
Lori ~ Noel, Lily, Silas, and Louis


Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
Psalm 68:4-6 NLT