Michael W. Smith - All In The Serve

How I met my Youngest Son

On kids birthdays, most mom's tell the story of labor and how the cute little baby pop's into the world.  When you foster or adopt you have stories of how you first met you child.  And this is the story of how I first met my youngest son Isaiah.
We had just finished fostering our first baby Nathan.  He was a premie and was 4.5 lbs when we brought him home.  That was in April after he spent 3 + weeks in the NICU.  He was very tiny.  In June arrangements were made that he was to be moved to an aunts house.  I sent him off told the end part of June, just pushing 10lbs.  He was tiny, but sweet.  I was thankful he was with family and that I got to sleep again:)  But two weeks later I received a phone call.  A family of nine had been removed temporary from their mom.  They needed a home for a 3 month old baby (2 days younger that the premie I just handed off)  and maybe the three year old.  I was ironing iron ons to t-shirts for VBS (the things you don't forget).  So I said yes.  That was on a Thursday.   They did tell me that the baby had a rash on his neck, and I said that should be ok.  Isaiah at the time was already in emergency foster care.
I got ahold of the foster mom and we talked for a bit.  Isaiah was already 16 lbs.  I just handed off a premie at 10lbs.  So I knew that I had to close up all the baby stuff I had out and start over.  She said that Isaiah was spitting up a lot, full bath towels worth, so Isaiah Dr. made an apt for him to see the Ear, Nose and Throat Dr.    So we made plans that I would come to that meeting and Isaiah would come home with me.  So on the following Tuesday I got a sitter for Robby and headed over to the Dr. Office.  I had no idea what to expect.  I had a diaper bag packed and the car seat ready to go.  I walked in wondering if it was going to be hard to identify which ones they were.  Nope not at all!  There was a thin sweet lady, holding this pudgy adorable little baby.

Who at the time looked more hispanic to me than bi-racial.
I went up and introduced my self.  I tickled Isaiah's little belly and got a little smile.  Then I held him for the first time.  I didn't know at that time that he was going to be with me forever.  I knew that at that time it was temporary was his mom got things together to get her kids back.
After his foster mom and I talked we realized the social worker wasn't there yet.  She called everybody, and could get a hold of none.  Soon it was time to go back to the apt.  So us two foster mom's headed back with this sweet little baby.  Before we knew it we got a knock on the door.  A nurse told us that Isaiah Mom was here for his apt.  Were we to let her in.  "Of course" I said, after we talked for a minutes.  So here was Isaiah, with his emergency foster mom, his new foster mom and his biological mom.    Poor Dr. didn't know who to talk to!!
Why we were there in the first place.  Isaiah had GERD/LPR.  So after a few test, he had medicine to take to help control the acid in his stomach.   When he got home I limited his feeding to 3-4 ounces, and taught him how to use a pacifier.  He also had to sleep reclined up at night to help.
So after the apt. I gathered up Isaiah, said goodbyes to his mom's, and headed home, with this screaming baby the whole way home.  (Oh how he hated car seats!)  At home Robby and Dan met him.  And so our journey with this little 3 month old 16lb guy continues now as he turned 4.