Last night I wanted to let Amelia get some rest, so I offered to try to get Elliot to sleep (Amelia asked "are you sure?!?" knowing what I would be in for).  I knew I was in for a rough ride because he will not let me hold him, but I also knew that Amelia was at the end of her rope.  So I swaddled Elliot in a tight wrap and just held him close as he angrily kicked and screamed. It was like a fisherman trying to bring in a great white shark.  He fought long and hard and then would rest for a moment, and then fight again.  I felt bad, but this was the only way I could hold him close and try to rock him.  I concluded that at some point he would eventually give up and go to sleep (like the other day).  After an hour fight, he finally fell asleep in my arms and I was able to lay him down on the couch.  As he lay there asleep, I stared into his face and prayed that he would know that we love him and that somehow he would have peace.

 

I went to bed and was able to get an hour or so of sleep an then Micah woke up crying.  He had thrown up again.  He has such an amazingly sweet personality.  He walked over to the toilet leaned over it for a few moments, threw up again and then said "all done".  I cleaned him up, gave him a little drink of water and he went right back to bed.  It is difficult to see my child in such a decimated state and know there is little I can do to make him feel better.

 

As I drifted back to sleep, I realized I had a very bad headache (I thought it was from the stress of the day).  At some point, Elliot started screaming and Amelia I took turns coming into the other suite to try to pacify him.  It wasn't until we returned into the bedroom that we realized we were smothered with the stench of an open sewer (epiphany - the source of my headache).  In addition to vomiting, Micah now had diarrhea.  Although the smell was horrific, we decided to let him sleep and change him when he woke up.  We opened the window to try to get some oxygen back into the room and hoped that no one close by lit up a cigarette.

 

After several hours of being semi-awake, Amelia and I ate breakfast separately this morning so Micah could stay up in the room and avoid seeing the bountiful breakfast buffet.  I brought a box of bread up for him to eat later in the day if he felt better.  Elliot had a 3 hour nap and we spent the majority of the day laying on the couch with Micah.  He made a couple more urgent trips to the bathroom, but he handled it very well.  My sister emailed with a suggestion that we give Micah ice chips to try to re-hydrate him.  Thankfully, he ate several of these tasteless, frozen goodies all afternoon.

 

Amelia went down to the pool at 2PM to sit in the sun with Micah and I waited for Elliot to wake up.  As I sat waiting for a “signal to go in”, I prayed for Elliot to wake up in a good mood - or at the very least, not in an angry mood.  When I heard him cry, I took a deep breath and went in to survey the situation.  He had a full diaper and continued to cry as I cleaned him up and fastened the velcro on a fresh "sumo wrestler wrap" - as I I call them on him.  Then I prayed again and picked him up.  He cried for a few moments and then to my surprise.....he stopped.  I had to confirm that I was indeed awake and not dreaming.  Little Bear was actually allowing me to hold him.  I quickly took advantage of the situation and fed him 6 ounces of liquid joy (baby formula) and then a bit of rice cereal.  We learned (through trial and error) that Elliot likes his food and drink to be warm, so I think that helped.  By the way, we also learned that the rice cereal in Guatemala is chocked full of sugar.  It is no wonder my son is a canon ball.

 

Elliot and I said goodbye to the room for a bit and went down to the pool.  It was a gorgeous afternoon and for a brief time we actually had two content boys.  I took a mental note of the peace so I could re-call it later tonight if things got bad again.  We were surrounded by several people eating "pool food" and Micah was desperately hungry, so his temperament began to decline (which is a nice way of saying he threw a temper tantrum - rolling around on the ground screaming).  Amelia took him back up to the room and I surprisingly had a nice, peaceful hour by the pool with Elliot.  I couldn't be more surprised and thankful!  He sat contently in my arms and played with a colorful little toy that Aunt Ava gave him.  He was so good that I was even able to have a brief conversation with a few other adoptive parents who were enjoying the pool.  Finally, the ice has broken!  Thank God!

 

I had a stroller with me, but I wanted to take advantage of the fact that Elliot was content in my arms.  So, I carried my 25 pound unexpected bundle of joy back up to the room to check on Amelia and Micah.  She was very surprised to see Elliot in such a great mood - AND in my arms.  I was smiling from ear to ear.  Note: I don’t expect this to now be the norm.  I would love it to be so, but the reality is that we will probably have our hands (and ears) full again tonight.  But I am very thankful for the special moment I was able to share with Elliot.

 

We are taking turns tonight eating downstairs so Micah can stay up in the room.  I think he is turning for the better, but we want him to avoid eating solids for a little longer.  Hopefully he will get good rest tonight and feel better tomorrow.

 

Amelia gave me a little heck for writing such a detailed blog about the difficult time we had yesterday.  I had to laugh.  God knew what he was doing when He brought Amelia and I together.  We compliment each other well.  She is usually an optimist and I am usually a “realist”.  In regards to my post, I told her that I want to remember how difficult it was to be here so far away from home.  I want to remember how we were pushed to the end of our own capability.  When we look back, we will know that it was not of our own doing, but it was the Joy of the Lord that was our strength.  I want our children to know that we do not just give up and walk away because things get tough.  I want our children to know that we are committed to each other as a family through thick and thin....and that they are worth us being stuck in a non-stop screaming, vomit and diarrhea filled nightmare for two weeks - helpless in a country far from home, so that we would be able to call them our sons.

 

Thank you God for the time we have here with our boys!  I cherish these moments.  Today I do not focus on the glass being half-full nor half-empty...I am simply thankful for the glass.