PART TWO: THE FAMILY GROWS ... AND GROWS!!
Chapter Eight:
i. Tears (And Screams) In The Night!
Bill and I were running on fumes. And prayer.
We were so exhausted it was all we could do to keep from falling over.
Between coping with Anh's frequent "night terrors" (which were, thankfully, starting to wane, but he still had them on occasion), having to administer medication to Johnathon, Ronee', Bapsi, Richard (who also needed suctioning: he had a tracheostomy), and Jae Mee, and worrying about the little ones rolling out of bed, it was a wonder that Bill or I got any sleep at all.
We tried our best to soothe frightened little ones and reassure them that they were safe. We quickly learned basic Spanish, Vietnamese, Japanese, and even Farsi (the language spoken in most of Iran). It was difficult, but thank God the children managed to understand our mangled attempts!
This was in addition to changing sheets or diapers if Enriquesa, Tri Tich Anh, Johnathon, Jae Mee, or Andre' had accidents in the night; then we would add nighttime laundry detail to our ever growing list of chores that never seemed to end.
Yet we wouldn't have traded it for all the money in the world. We loved our kids fiercely: we would do anything for them, even go as far as jumping over the moon or doing an Irish jig (that is, if we could!).
II. Daytime Dilemmas And Other Dramatic Events Take Hold!
No matter how hard we tried, fights often broke out between the "Old Veterans" and the "New Kids On The Block". Stephanie was especially bad about this as was Johnathon. Johnny was extremely possessive of his belongings (even if a child looked at them he would howl in fits of rage or would try to bite or hit anyone who was closest to him).
As for Stephanie, she had an attitude from Hades. Nothing could escape her criticism or cynicism: she thought she knew everything, even though she was barely into adolescence. It drove both Bill and myself crazy.
Thank God we really didn't have to worry so much about bills back then! And thank God we had excellent insurance for all the kids (plus the adoption stipend checks we got from the government served as an added bonus: we weren't paying so much out of our pockets). The groceries and the gas, however, were a different matter altogether. Our pocketbooks whimpered mightily as we forfeited money in order to pay for our food and gas, but it was a necessary evil.
Add to this, never-ending trips to the Emergency Room, doctor (and dental) appointments, or therapy sessions, as well as sporting events/games, voice or music lessons, and traveling to and from work (me only; Bill stayed home, where he collected a disability check every month).
The bills and other money matters were a neverending nightmare!
III. The Adoption Bug Attacks! (AGAIN!)
You would think that with nearly 20 children, we would be through with adopting.
Not so fast. God managed to put a bug into our ear. We could hear Him whispering: "There are more children in need. There are more children in need. Please take them in. They need a home and a family to call their own". We could both hear his voice as plain as day.
We then started looking on the computer, in adoption magazines, and in newspapers, at the "Wednesday's Child" section, which featured a child who was in need of a home/family. Once again, the pangs of parenthood struck like an arrow to the heart.
We had to be crazy to be wanting to adopt more children, but it was all part of God's plan. He knew we had lost rhree children. He wanted us to have these kids, so if a child was to come into our lives, we had to act on it and take them in ... no questions asked.
We were only obeying God's orders. And we were not to argue with Him: there was no point in even trying to argue with God: he would always win. Always!
