Zach's 3rd Gotcha Day!!!!!

It's so hard to believe.......3 years ago we met Zach for the first time.

One year later......

 Two years later......

Three years later.......

We asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate his special day. Wouldn't you know, he chose to go swimming. He is still such a fish!

 As it turns out, he's not the only Kragel boy who loves the water.

It's so fun to look back and see how far our boys have come. Three years ago Zach was hesitant to make eye contact with us and we didn't even know if he could walk. Now he never stops singing, loves to be cuddled, and has so much joy in his heart. One month ago Mason was scared, mad, and filled with grief. Now he asks to be held and belts out belly laughs often.

To God be the glory.

Psalm 86:10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

One Month and Two Days

It's been one month and 2 days since we first met Mason.

Here are some random pieces of information we've gathered over the last month, in no particular order: 

• We're teaching Mason some basic sign language to use in combination with English words. He's starting to use some signs independently, such as "all gone", "help", "more", and "please." He appears to be comprehending English more than he expresses it, which is normal at this point. The tantrums are decreasing since he's beginning to understand the language and also since he's getting a grip on our routines.
• He has a shoe fetish. That's what he grabs first thing in the morning, even before getting his PJ's off.
• He loves to climb. Good thing he's not in a crib!
• His favorite toys are balls and vehicles.
• He's beginning to show signs of attachment to us. He has shaken his head "no" to strangers a few times this week when they offered to hold him, which means that he prefers us over a stranger! This was not the case a month ago. Another sign of attachment to us has been when Mom or Dad were holding Zachary. Mason showed some jealousy and wanted to be held as well. A few weeks ago he would have just walked away and played alone.
• We can now see a "light" in his eyes. That was not there a month ago.

 On another note, Mother's Day is coming up. I received this email from MomLifeToday. It was too good not to pass along, so I copied and pasted it into our blog. Hope that's not breaking any laws! Anyway, Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there. Enjoy the read:
1st Corinthians 13... for Moms

If I live in a house that is spotless, perfectly in order, and people are not free to LIVE because my home is more important than my family, I have not love. I have kept a house. I have not made a home.

If I spend an exorbitant amount of money on decorations, and care more about the appearance of my house than the atmosphere of my home, I have not love. My children have learned materialism, not godliness.

If I try to control my husband, responding in irritation to him and finding only fault in him...and I do not seek to build him up, I have not love. My children have learned to disrespect their father, not to honor him.

• Love is patient - seeking to assume the best of those in my home.
• Love is kind - seeking to be a blessing to those in my home.
• Love lays aside it's "rights" and serves those in my home.
• Love sees the comfort of those in my home as more important than its own.
• Love continually looks for ways to build up those in my home.
• Love is not critical, demanding or self seeking.
• Love accepts the role that God has given and sees it as a privilege, not a hindrance.
• Love studies how to fulfill that role in the most God glorifying way it can.

Before I was an adult I thought life revolved around me. Then I took on the responsibilities of marriage. Now I see that life revolves around others and God's glory!

All the expectations I had for my marriage and my life must fade away into insignificance. What should remain is the gospel! The gospel reminds me of how full of grace and mercy God has been, how full of grace and mercy I need to be...and that I need to offer up my life as a living sacrifice.

Now there abides in my home a husband and children, and I am called to point them to Jesus in all that I do. I could seek to have my own way and my own comfort, but the greatest thing of all...the most important thing....is love.

The love of God that I show them each day. A love that I am unable to show unless He loves through me!

The Brothers

Update on Mason: Last weekend we thought Mason was a bit out of it from his shots on Friday. However he also came down with a runny nose and cough that kept him from sleeping much at all. We ended up taking him to the dr and found out he had double ear infection and bronchitis. Yikes! We started an antibiotic and neb treatments (which he doesn't really love). He's feeling much, much better now! We think he's gonna end up needing ear tubes. Most kiddos with clefts need tubes for awhile because of the size of their inner ear. We'll see what Iowa City says in a few weeks.

It's been a bit tricky finding activities that both Mason and Zach can do together. Being 2 1/2, Mason's attention is pretty short. He also remains curious about how everything works, so he's off to something new when Zach just gets started explaining his brilliant idea! However we found a few things that both boys can do together:

Mason's starting to trust us all a bit more each day. He doesn't hide his toys behind his back anymore, so he must know that Zach's not gonna take everything away from him. He still doesn't really like it if Zach tries to touch him to help him or keep him away from harm, but that will eventually come....right?! He's still a pretty picky eater. I guess every family has to have one picky eater, right? Some of Mason's favorite toys are balls and most any car or truck. He's got quite an arm on him!

On another note, Zach's decided what he's gonna do when he grows up. He's gonna work as a doctor on Wed, Thurs and Saturdays. On his days off he 's gonna pump balloons for kids at the doctor and also drive the ice cream truck. Anyone that wants to donate to his college fund, feel free to email us;)

Progress!

Good news: since the last post, Mason has gone to bed (both during nap & bed) for 3 days straight with NO crying.  This is answered prayer! We ended up taking the crib completely out of his room. We are curious if he had a bad experience with a crib when in the hospital for his lip or palate repair. Also we have had Mason watch Zach go to bed, so he knows that he's not the only one going to sleep. Who knows what helped. All we know is that we prayed and so many of you have been praying for this guy to have peace in his heart at bedtime. He surely has experienced that.

We went to the pediatrician today. Mason was such a trooper! He did not cry during the blood draw or the TB test. He cried just a little with the shots. He must have a high pain tolerance like Zach. The doctor does not think he has rickets. She said he's probably just very broad chested. Great news! She took some blood work to check on his nutrition levels as well.

Zach's been wearing many hats the last few days---Excited Brother, Jealous Brother and even Boss Hog! All in all he loves having a little brother around.

Zach still loves showing Mason how to do everything....

It doesn't take Mason long to figure things out! He's quite a climber!

Another note of progress: we were able to walk around our circle in the neighborhood without Mason trying to get into anyone's car! He did go up to most all of the vehicles and touch the wheels, but no attempts to get in. This is also a huge improvement just from a few days ago!

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers. We feel God's hand upon us as we are all adjusting, bonding, and attaching to Mason.

Back to Iowa

We arrived home Friday evening, April 20th. It was great to see Zachary again. I think he grew a foot while we were gone!

Zach had all kinds of questions about Mason on the drive home. He was so excited to get home to play with him. He just shook his head and smiled when Mason would babble and point to something out the window as we drove home. "I don't know what he's talking about" said Zach.

Zach's been great at sharing and taking turns. He loves to see Mason laugh. He also loves it that Mason watches his every move. Any of you that know Zach know that Zach loves an audience. Right now Mason is intrigued with everything that Zach does.
Mason has been getting better with his eating since he's been home. Again I think this is due to Zach. He's eaten lasagna, tater-tot casserole and even grapes! This is huge progress since he basically only ate things that were white/off white in color in China!
We decided it was time for Aunt Marcia to try to get a handle on Mason's hair! She shaped it up and it looks wonderful! What a great Aunt!

After the haircut we threw both boys in the tub. Bath time has been a hit around here. Zach absolutely loves that he has a brother to bathe with. And Mason even likes Zach pouring water on his head. Let's hope he likes the pool as much this summer!

 All in all, we are trying to find a new normal in the Kragel home. Things get a bit easier each day. Mason's bedtime is still a big struggle for him--he screams at the top of his lungs til he falls asleep. We're pretty sure it's a cry of rage--that he's mad and grieving all of his losses--all of his "normal" have been stripped away. When the toys are gone and he's forced to be still, he remembers that this place and these people are not his normal. At least not yet. Please continue to pray for him to bond and attach to us securely so he will see us as his normal.