Alex!

While we were in the process of fostering Echo, and waiting to see if we'd get to keep her, we found out that her mom was pregnant. They stopped doing visits after a while, and then moved to Nevada, and we figured they'd given up on Echo and were just starting over with the new baby boy. We were worried for him, since they'd seemed pretty spacey and detached with Echo. I said at the time that I wanted to stay on good terms with them, in case they lost custody of the baby and he became available. However, it seemed unlikely, since they were in Nevada.

Later, Josh and Lindsay (Echo's parents) showed up in Charlotte and Delmer's ward here in Vernal, with their new baby. They were trying to turn their life around. The next thing we know, we're getting a call, while in the Zion gift shop, asking if we want him, and of course I said yes! He was three months old. There was a young couple who was willing to take him in until we got back.

The next day, I was driving home with the kids, when Matt called again. He said he needed to let me know some things about Alex. He told me that his head was very flat, he had a misshapen hand and no pectoral muscle on the left side, and he was listless/non-responsive. That scared me, but I will quickly add that none of that ended up being a big deal. He's wearing a helmet to reshape his head, his Poland Syndrome is mild, and he was only non-responsive because of the meth in his system.

We picked him up the next morning, and he was - and is - wonderful! He is the smiliest, happy little baby! We love squeezing him. He smiles and laughs as I put him to sleep, and I treasure that time. Of course, it's very difficult taking care of another baby, but we're managing. The older kids are a huge help.

Echo and Noah loved him from the beginning. Unfortunately, Echo couldn't really be trusted with him (and still can't). She'd start off kissing his feet and end up biting his toes.


Here are pictures from the first day:

See my hand grabbing her? That's how it went.