A video about our family

Pierce Family Adoption Registry

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Meeting Dennis and Dmitri

This morning we woke up early and drove 3 long hours to a town south of here. I do not know the name of the town and couldn’t even pronounce it when Sveta told me what it’s called. I do know that I became carsick as long as I sat in the back of Sveta’s car. Tyler & I took turns being carsick and sitting in the front seat with Sveta.

We arrived and met the orphanage director (who is also a doctor). Sveta said that she is known in the region as one of the best directors and I can see why. She was very friendly and nice and I could tell that she cared for the children. She said I deserved a gold star for taking on special needs children. J

Tyler & I took down the medical and social history of Dennis and Dmitri. That took about 45 minutes. I was amazed at how much history they had. I remember it being much less with Keith & Iryna. The social worker took us to a nice playroom and we met the boys. Until we commit to the adoption of one or both of the boys, we cannot take pictures of them. I can, however, post the referral pictures here:


Left to right: Dennis, Dmitri, & Elijah. Aren't they cute? 

Dennis was lively, all smiles, and ready to play. The caregiver for his groupa told him that he had some visitors that wanted to play with him and he was definitely excited about us. To remind you, Dennis has a heart condition. I don’t understand all of the details but I do know that his heart is enlarged; he has already had one surgery and is scheduled for another surgery next month. Nothing seemed to slow him down, except for his lips became a little blue after a lot of exertion. The caregiver had him sit down, which he really didn’t want to do. This guy has tons of energy! You would never think he had a heart problem. So cute. We really enjoyed playing with him.

I was surprised with Dmitri. We had been told that he was slightly delayed and that he has cerebral palsy. We found out that he has the same and rarer form of cerebral palsy as Keith does – the hypotonic version. How’s that for coincidence? Well, Dmitri is pretty much in the same state as Keith was when we met him. He’s severely delayed mentally and physically. He couldn’t sit up or walk and kept drooling on himself. He also did not seem to be mentally with us throughout the visit. He did like the toys we brought and chewed on them. He liked physical touch. He enjoyed it when we held him. I will be honest in saying that I did not feel much with Dmitri. It didn’t feel like a match to me, but we haven’t prayed yet to know God’s will for Dmitri and for our family.

Tomorrow we will meet Elijah and I think that once we know where he is mentally and physically that we will know whether or not we can tackle Dmitri’s needs.

We went to a quaint little cafe on the way back for lunch. I had a hamburger, hot chocolate and a piece of chocolate cake. The hamburger was supposed to be made from beef, but was light in color and looked more like pork – tasted okay. The hot chocolate was like melted milk chocolate – thick and creamy and good. The chocolate cake was a 2 layer chocolate cake with chocolate mousse in between – very good. Tyler ordered the hedgehog dessert and it was a brownie in the shape of an egg. It had chocolate mousse decorated on it to make it look like a hedgehog and I wish I had taken a picture!

We drove the 3 carsick hours back to Nizhny Novgorod. Tyler & I went to the grocery store, came home to play with the kids and relieve Sarah. Then I made some more potato soup with corn and carrots. The sister missionaries will be here in 5 minutes to eat with us. Good times.

9 comments:

Joseph and Kamber said...

They are very handsome boys.

Queen Mother said...

So, so so so so cute! Especially Elijah, oh my goodness, look at that little munchkin!! I understand your feelings about Dmitri. I want so badly to adopt and feel its such a great thing, but every time I pray about it I just don't feel right. When its not what Heavenly Father has planned for you, it just isn't..ya know?

nicole said...

OH Jill- what an amazing experience. Sounds like you're trying to follow the spirit- I'm so grateful for those promptings that lead us to make the right choices in life. I'm sure you and Tyler will make the right decision. I can't imagine having to choose. Btw, I think Dennis seriously looks like Keith! They're all adorable. So happy for you. :)

Paulette, Jvona & Rachel said...

You deserve mansions in heaven for adopting special needs kids. It sounds like you're having a good time. I admire you for all that you do!
-Paulette

Sarah C said...

I am sorry you and Tyler got sick on the drive. I am glad things went well meeting Dennis and Dmitri. Dennis sounds like a fun boy. They are both so cute. We are praying for you as you are making your choices. Love ya.

Sarah said...

Wow! Such cute little guys!! That Elijah is so handsome!!! And honestly, I like their names. =) I can't even imagine having to choose!

Anonymous said...

I know you did not feel good about Dmitri and honestly if you commit to Dennis with his heart problems you might not want to take on the problems like Dmitri has. I feel sorry for him but still this is what is best for your whole family!

Also I would HIGHLY recommend that you try and contact some Doctors in America (At a Childrens Heart Hospital) before you commit to Dennis. Be very sure you know what can happen or what life will be like having him in your family. An Enlarged Heart could mean so many things and some of them can be fatal.
Please look into this before saying YES.
Having a heart child is not an easy task a lot of times for you end up in Hospital more than home. You need to know exactly what this means for him and your WHOLE FAMILY!

Cyndi

Carina said...

Oh, Jill, they are all so adorable! I am so excited for you to figure out what the Lord has in store for your family--keep praying and He will let you know His will :) Love you!

Mary said...

Awww what sweet little faces! I can't wait to hear more about your new kiddos!

That hedgehog dessert sounds yummy!