My husband and I always knew that adoption would be a part of our story. We both had a heart for it and were excited to grow our family in this way! Our adoption story was nothing short of a wild ride! We waited two years for our son and had multiple failed adoptions along the way. There were so many “little” details that paved the way to get us to our son Solomon!
We got a call in early June about a baby boy with down syndrome in Florida. We were contacted directly by our agency because they were looking for a family who was open to a child with special needs. We said that we were and would love for the Birth Mom to get our profile book to decide if she would like us to parent her son. She ended up choosing another family that was closer to Florida, and so we moved on. We were growing weary as we continued to wait for the right child for our family. We were not specifically looking for a child with special needs, we were just open to whatever the Lord had for our family.
A month later we got a call from our worker out of the blue. She said, “remember that baby boy in Florida?” Well, the other family backed out and you were her next choice. Basically, she asked us right then and there if we could come within the week! We packed up our things for an undetermined amount of time to stay, and drove to Miami Florida to get our son! We spent two weeks in Florida bonding with our son and waiting to be released to leave the state. We enjoyed time together as a new family and learning everything about our new son!
When we got back to SC we hit the ground running with getting him set up with Doctors, Tefra, “baby net” and therapies. We see multiple specialists throughout the year to ensure Solomon stays in good health. He goes to a special ed preschool program every morning and then has four therapies a week in the afternoons.
Solomon didn’t walk until he was 3 and didn’t eat solid food until 2 1/2, however, PT, OT, and Speech therapies have helped him make strides in these areas. Sleep has always been an issue for Solomon, while he doesn’t cry a lot during the night, he just doesn’t rest well. He has had severe sleep apnea which made it difficult for him to get any sleep at night. After having his tonsils and adenoids removed, that did improve, but now his apnea has gotten worse so he is on a CPAP machine nightly.
Solomon currently received a hearing aid for significant hearing loss in his left year. He currently only has about two to three words and five to six signs. The communication barrier between us has been the hardest part of his disability for me, as I long to hear him tell me he loves me and communicate his wants and his needs.
Solomon does have extra needs because of his extra chromosome, but he also brings an abundance of joy and love to our family. He reminds us daily to find joy in simple things, to slow down and take life in, and to always remember to smile. We love him so much and can’t imagine our lives without him in! His sister, Wylie loves him so much, and basically wants to be right next to him whenever possible. She is already a little nurturer and already knows to look out for her brother, and helps with him in many ways. We are so thankful they get to grow up together.
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