To fill the days between now and when we meet our new son, brother, cousin, nephew, grandchild, and friend, I thought we would spend an entry each to introduce ourselves.
Ari Marley Seay
Born October 6, 2006
Born October 6, 2006
Ari is up first! Ari will be Ian’s brother, they will share a room and do just about everything together! We look forward to having double the love and fun we have now with our sweet little boy. Ari is our sweet angel here on earth, and we cannot believe how blessed we are about to be in God giving us another sweet angel baby to care for and love in Ian.
ARI - IAN
Ari had a little bit of a rough entry into the world with a double nuchal cord (meaning the cord was wrapped around his neck twice) at birth. He required some bagging and then was transferred to the special care nursery and then on to the NICU. One of the things I remember best about the first moments of Ari’s life was when they gave him to me. While I had never held a newborn, I just felt like something was wrong. His little eyes were glassy and he was still and silent. I remember saying, “something’s wrong with him. They took him from me, bagged him for air, and then the doctor said to me, “good looking out mom, good job.” I was worried about him but finally he cried. It was the lowest, most unusual little cry I have ever heard. It was cute though, and exhausted as I was, my entire concern was about him and how he was doing.
Sweet baby Ari on the Billi BedAri stayed in the NICU for 4 days getting strong enough to come home. He weighed 6.5 pounds at birth, which astounded me because I gained about 75 pounds over my rocky pregnancy. I was VERY sick and could not even hold down water for the first three months, and I was hospitalized for severe hyperemesis. I actually lost 30 pounds and then was given a magic pill to keep me from constantly vomiting, and then I was able to eat again (and I ate, and ate and ate...bad mistake, I don’t recommend it).
Ari’s first year, medically speaking, was a wild ride. A new baby, me as a new mommy, and grandma living with us to help out. Ari was pretty sick for his entire first year, having breathing problems, two bouts of being sick enough to land in the hospital, and countless ER trips.
Ari at Children's Summer 2007
At home, Ari astounded , and does to this day. He is a unique child and the absolute joy of our lives. Ari has a killer smile and an infectious giggle! We LOVE to make him laugh. Sometimes we joke at night, after Ari has gone to bed, that we want to wake him up so we can play together (purely wishful thinking, we have an unspoken rule – “you wake him, you take him!).
Baby Ari
In terms of care for Ari, because I work full time, Ari has been in daycare since he was 6 weeks old. His first caregiver was a private home daycare. Katie W. looked after our Ari for us for a good while, and she even kept him longer for me on days I was in school at night.
We loved Katie and her girls, but she was growing her family quickly and stopped doing in home care. So, we found Ms. Krissy and Gabby (her daughter). Ms. Krissy ran a Christian Vegan daycare! Say what? Yep, that’s right – the best of God and the best of the earth, all in one place. Ms. Krissy, for a pittance of $120.00 each week, fed our boy the best home cooked healthy meals, took him on fieldtrips to pick strawberries, to pet animals, and to read at the library. Most importantly though, she taught the children under her care about Jesus. Our families became friends beyond us dropping Ari off. We remain friends, and I hope we always will. Ms. Krissy loves Ari like her own son and I never had to worry about what my child was doing, seeing, hearing, and learning. We cried when it was time for Ari to move on from Ms. Krissy’s care at Under His Wings.
The children in Under His Wings Christian Family Daycare when Ari was attending
L to R: David, Gabby (Krissy's daughter), and Ari
This next part is too long to post, but I will at least post a link where you can read most of the early story about how we came to Ari’s multiple diagnosis of Autism, Hypotonia, Speech Disorder, Fine and Gross motor delays, sensory integration dysfunction, and some other stuff.....(after a while it just doesn’t really matter about the labels). Click HERE to read the whole story (scroll down to Q2 2009 and look for the name Ari Seay).
We left Ms. Krissy’s so that Ari could attend an intensive full day treatment center. I prayed for him to get in, despite a year and a half waiting list. I was told there was no way he was getting in. I prayed on my knees and asked God to do what he felt would be best for Ari. Two weeks later, in July of 2009, after I was told he was not getting into the program, he got in. Go God! The program is nationally known for preparing children with Autism to enter a regular Kindergarten class. This is our goal and we are hyper focused on it. Ari attends the Walden EDC at Emory University, and he loves school. His teachers love him lots and he has a ton of friends.
Ari's first classroom at Walden, Early PreSchool
Ari’s teachers love him so much that even after they leave Walden, they stay on to work with him. Leigh Ann was Ari’s teacher for a long time and now she works with us, picking up Ari from school one or two Friday nights a month, taking him to dinner and the mall for a train ride or a carousel ride, and getting him to bed for us. Craig and I call the time Ari is with Leigh Ann, “date night,” but since God showed us Ian, it’s really been Ian night for the last 7 months, and we spend the time locked in our home office doing adoption paperwork and fund raising stuff.
Leigh Ann has been God sent for us, and we are looking forward for her working with Ian too ans she is too! She is so patient and gentle. She recently spent her vacation with her fiancé going on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Last Sunday, she volunteered her time for 4 hours to supervise the children of the other Atlanta area Reece’s Rainbow families when we hosted a fellowship and play date gathering.
Ari and Leigh Ann
During the week, we have our “Ari” routine. Daddy is the morning guy, and from what I hear, half sleep morning Ari hugs are unequalled! Mommy is the nighttime gal, and bath time with Ari is a blast! We splash and play and drive his cars underwater, listening for the different sounds the wheels make on the bottom of the tub. He hates to have his nails cut and teeth brushing is a challenge. Every night we enjoy story time. Mommy is building Ari an elephant shaped bookcase for the boys’ new safari fun themed room.
On the weekends, it is all about family time. Ari has a cousin that lives here in the metro Atlanta area. He was adopted as an infant, at just 2 weeks old . Josh and Ari call one another brothers, and they spend a good deal of time together. Joshua’s parents and us have an agreement that when each boy is invited to another child’s birthday party, we bring the other along for the ride and usually that means spending the night too.
Ari and Josh
During vacation times, we are all blessed with being able to spend quality time with Ari. He is truly the life of our days and he keeps us all young, busy, and giggling over his jokes. Ari is blessed to still have his maternal great-grandparents around, and they don’t live too far either, just a 6 hour drive from Atlanta to the Tampa, Florida area. Most of our holidays are spent in Florida.
Ari in 2008 and his Great-Grandmother LaVern at my childhood home in Racine, Wisconsin
During the summer, when mommy is off from work, we travel to my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. This is where all of Ari’s extended family resides, and we all look forward to seeing each other over the 4th of July. Mommy gets up at about 4 am and drives to downtown Racine, near the shores of Lake Michigan, to save our parade lawn seats. Ari loves the parade, and the lazy days of summer when we explore Wisconsin and get reconnected with family.
Just so you can feel my pain! Me, after sleeping outside all night in downtown Racine to save our seats for the 4th of July parade!
Ari and his Great-Grandma at a family gathering in Racine, summer 2009
Ari getting some Auntie love!
L to R: Auntie Linda, Ari, and Aunt Cyndi
Our entire family in Wisconsin outside of my childhood home
Mommy and Ari at Brown's Lake in Wisconsin, getting ready for Water Skiing with Cousin Ricky
Ari has lots of personality! He is curious as all get out, and talks from the time we wakes up till the time his head hits the pillow (and sometimes even after that as he has been known to talk in his sleep:) The fact that Ari is a non stop talker is something we relish and prayed for. Ari didn't talk much for a long time, and that was our first hint that something might be going on with him. He cooed and made a few noises but he did not have more than 10 words by the time he, developmentally speaking, should have had about 50. We LOVE to hear Ari talk and we think Ian and Ari, because Ian is not speaking yet and Ari is talking non-stop - and Ian, who appears to be ahead of Ari in motor planning and motor skills, will be a perfect match in terms of the boys modeling and learning from each other.
He LOVES to laugh and smile!
Ari’s favorite things include: trains, swimming, cars, the mall (where the train is), being outside, eating, and recently, telling stories about two characters he and Joshie made up a few weeks ago: Mint Berry and Toe Monkey, and the adventures thereof! We take the gift of being given a child as a serious calling, and we put 100 percent of what we have into giving Ari the most opportunities he can have to learn and grow. We will do the same for Ian when he comes home. We are loving it that age 4, Ari will already have traveled to another country on a mission from God!
Ari enjoys swimming with Daddy at a friends pool summer 2010
A Day out with Thomas at the Florida Railroad Museum
One example of our utter devotion to our little man is the dining room in our house. We no longer have one. The dining room has been given to Ari for a most exciting and important reason – THE train table. THE train table and the massive set of Geo Trax trains, track, airport, bridges, stations, etc...was built, by Craig and I, by hand. We built it for Ari’s 4th birthday and the grandparents purchased this 250 piece GEO TRAX train set. The train set is AWESOME on so many levels.
For a child with major communication issues, we are always thinking about how we can intensely work on language and cognitive connections through play (See Greenspan's Floortime Model for children with Autism to learn more about therapeutic play). The Geo Trax set allows us to have fun and work on SO many skills at the same time, without making it seem like work or therapy. The train set is also perfect for encouraging parallel play with other children and those social interactions that are so hard for Ari. He loves other kids, it is just that they do not understand his speech and he does not understand their requests to play. We had so much fun making this train table, that we have since made another one and sold it! This table is 6 by 6, just so you can picture the size, it is massive. Playing under the table is fun too, and we often crawl around underneath making little Geo Trax towns.
and...when he's not playing planes, trains, and automobiles, he's outside riddin' his hog!
The Harley, courtesy of grandpa Will
Ari has a personal website that has been up since a few days before he was born and you are welcome to visit it for lots more pictures of our wonderful, funny, smart, cute, loving, adorable, sweet faced boy! Click HERE to go to Ari’s website.
In terms of becoming a brother, Ari knows who Ian is. He will say his name each time we show him Ian’s photograph. He also knows the name of Ian’s country and that we have to take a plane to get there. He will blurt out the most endearing phrases at any given time, to remind us that he too, is waiting for Ian: “Ian’s coming? Ian play with me? Ari and Ian sleep in the room together? Ian come home now.” We recently sold Ari’s racecar bed, and bought two new, matching beds for Ari and Ian. We put up Ari’s bed and it was as if the race care bed was never there. Ari didn't miss a beat and he has long since forgotten about the Race Car bed. In fact, he was looking around for Ian because he was with us when we bought the two beds!
He is so sweet and kind, Ari will make a perfect little brother for Ian (technically Ian is 5 months older than Ari). I know they will take care of each other and have a bound that is unbreakable.
We have no doubt that Ian and Ari will be the best of pals and brothers. We look around our lives now and the feeling that someone is missing from it, and the feeling, after working 8 months to bring Ian home, is profound.
2009 - Authentic Clown
2010 - A Pirate (costume courtesy of Ari's Aunt in Moscow, Russia!)
2010 - A Garden Gnome, In the Wild!
2009 - Ari was SO afraid of Santa, it took us an HOUR to get him to take this one picture!
Ari’s first year, medically speaking, was a wild ride. A new baby, me as a new mommy, and grandma living with us to help out. Ari was pretty sick for his entire first year, having breathing problems, two bouts of being sick enough to land in the hospital, and countless ER trips.
Ari at Children's Summer 2007At home, Ari astounded , and does to this day. He is a unique child and the absolute joy of our lives. Ari has a killer smile and an infectious giggle! We LOVE to make him laugh. Sometimes we joke at night, after Ari has gone to bed, that we want to wake him up so we can play together (purely wishful thinking, we have an unspoken rule – “you wake him, you take him!).
Baby AriIn terms of care for Ari, because I work full time, Ari has been in daycare since he was 6 weeks old. His first caregiver was a private home daycare. Katie W. looked after our Ari for us for a good while, and she even kept him longer for me on days I was in school at night.
We loved Katie and her girls, but she was growing her family quickly and stopped doing in home care. So, we found Ms. Krissy and Gabby (her daughter). Ms. Krissy ran a Christian Vegan daycare! Say what? Yep, that’s right – the best of God and the best of the earth, all in one place. Ms. Krissy, for a pittance of $120.00 each week, fed our boy the best home cooked healthy meals, took him on fieldtrips to pick strawberries, to pet animals, and to read at the library. Most importantly though, she taught the children under her care about Jesus. Our families became friends beyond us dropping Ari off. We remain friends, and I hope we always will. Ms. Krissy loves Ari like her own son and I never had to worry about what my child was doing, seeing, hearing, and learning. We cried when it was time for Ari to move on from Ms. Krissy’s care at Under His Wings.
The children in Under His Wings Christian Family Daycare when Ari was attendingL to R: David, Gabby (Krissy's daughter), and Ari
This next part is too long to post, but I will at least post a link where you can read most of the early story about how we came to Ari’s multiple diagnosis of Autism, Hypotonia, Speech Disorder, Fine and Gross motor delays, sensory integration dysfunction, and some other stuff.....(after a while it just doesn’t really matter about the labels). Click HERE to read the whole story (scroll down to Q2 2009 and look for the name Ari Seay).
We left Ms. Krissy’s so that Ari could attend an intensive full day treatment center. I prayed for him to get in, despite a year and a half waiting list. I was told there was no way he was getting in. I prayed on my knees and asked God to do what he felt would be best for Ari. Two weeks later, in July of 2009, after I was told he was not getting into the program, he got in. Go God! The program is nationally known for preparing children with Autism to enter a regular Kindergarten class. This is our goal and we are hyper focused on it. Ari attends the Walden EDC at Emory University, and he loves school. His teachers love him lots and he has a ton of friends.
Ari's first classroom at Walden, Early PreSchool
Ari’s teachers love him so much that even after they leave Walden, they stay on to work with him. Leigh Ann was Ari’s teacher for a long time and now she works with us, picking up Ari from school one or two Friday nights a month, taking him to dinner and the mall for a train ride or a carousel ride, and getting him to bed for us. Craig and I call the time Ari is with Leigh Ann, “date night,” but since God showed us Ian, it’s really been Ian night for the last 7 months, and we spend the time locked in our home office doing adoption paperwork and fund raising stuff.
Leigh Ann has been God sent for us, and we are looking forward for her working with Ian too ans she is too! She is so patient and gentle. She recently spent her vacation with her fiancé going on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Last Sunday, she volunteered her time for 4 hours to supervise the children of the other Atlanta area Reece’s Rainbow families when we hosted a fellowship and play date gathering.
Ari and Leigh AnnOn the weekends, it is all about family time. Ari has a cousin that lives here in the metro Atlanta area. He was adopted as an infant, at just 2 weeks old . Josh and Ari call one another brothers, and they spend a good deal of time together. Joshua’s parents and us have an agreement that when each boy is invited to another child’s birthday party, we bring the other along for the ride and usually that means spending the night too.
Ari and Josh
Ari and Mommy at the 2008 Atlanta Urban Dare
(like the Amazing Race, only just one day!)
(like the Amazing Race, only just one day!)
During vacation times, we are all blessed with being able to spend quality time with Ari. He is truly the life of our days and he keeps us all young, busy, and giggling over his jokes. Ari is blessed to still have his maternal great-grandparents around, and they don’t live too far either, just a 6 hour drive from Atlanta to the Tampa, Florida area. Most of our holidays are spent in Florida.
Ari in 2008 and his Great-Grandmother LaVern at my childhood home in Racine, Wisconsin
My grandmother, me, and my mother Christine, and Ari
(Craig is behind the camera!)
This was at the first showing of my photography in downtown Atlanta at the Peachtree Street Starbucks. The framed piece you see behind me later sold and 100 percent of the profits went to the Atlanta Food Bank.
Ari and his Grandmother Christine, 2010
Ari splashing in the ocean in Florida
Ari's Great Grandparents Dale and LaVern
(Craig is behind the camera!)
This was at the first showing of my photography in downtown Atlanta at the Peachtree Street Starbucks. The framed piece you see behind me later sold and 100 percent of the profits went to the Atlanta Food Bank.
Ari and his Grandmother Christine, 2010
Ari splashing in the ocean in Florida
Ari's Great Grandparents Dale and LaVernDuring the summer, when mommy is off from work, we travel to my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. This is where all of Ari’s extended family resides, and we all look forward to seeing each other over the 4th of July. Mommy gets up at about 4 am and drives to downtown Racine, near the shores of Lake Michigan, to save our parade lawn seats. Ari loves the parade, and the lazy days of summer when we explore Wisconsin and get reconnected with family.
Just so you can feel my pain! Me, after sleeping outside all night in downtown Racine to save our seats for the 4th of July parade!
Ari and his Great-Grandma at a family gathering in Racine, summer 2009
Ari getting some Auntie love!L to R: Auntie Linda, Ari, and Aunt Cyndi
Our entire family in Wisconsin outside of my childhood home
Mommy and Ari at Brown's Lake in Wisconsin, getting ready for Water Skiing with Cousin Ricky
He LOVES to laugh and smile!Ari’s favorite things include: trains, swimming, cars, the mall (where the train is), being outside, eating, and recently, telling stories about two characters he and Joshie made up a few weeks ago: Mint Berry and Toe Monkey, and the adventures thereof! We take the gift of being given a child as a serious calling, and we put 100 percent of what we have into giving Ari the most opportunities he can have to learn and grow. We will do the same for Ian when he comes home. We are loving it that age 4, Ari will already have traveled to another country on a mission from God!
Ari enjoys swimming with Daddy at a friends pool summer 2010
A Day out with Thomas at the Florida Railroad Museum
For a child with major communication issues, we are always thinking about how we can intensely work on language and cognitive connections through play (See Greenspan's Floortime Model for children with Autism to learn more about therapeutic play). The Geo Trax set allows us to have fun and work on SO many skills at the same time, without making it seem like work or therapy. The train set is also perfect for encouraging parallel play with other children and those social interactions that are so hard for Ari. He loves other kids, it is just that they do not understand his speech and he does not understand their requests to play. We had so much fun making this train table, that we have since made another one and sold it! This table is 6 by 6, just so you can picture the size, it is massive. Playing under the table is fun too, and we often crawl around underneath making little Geo Trax towns.
and...when he's not playing planes, trains, and automobiles, he's outside riddin' his hog!
The Harley, courtesy of grandpa WillAri has a personal website that has been up since a few days before he was born and you are welcome to visit it for lots more pictures of our wonderful, funny, smart, cute, loving, adorable, sweet faced boy! Click HERE to go to Ari’s website.
In terms of becoming a brother, Ari knows who Ian is. He will say his name each time we show him Ian’s photograph. He also knows the name of Ian’s country and that we have to take a plane to get there. He will blurt out the most endearing phrases at any given time, to remind us that he too, is waiting for Ian: “Ian’s coming? Ian play with me? Ari and Ian sleep in the room together? Ian come home now.” We recently sold Ari’s racecar bed, and bought two new, matching beds for Ari and Ian. We put up Ari’s bed and it was as if the race care bed was never there. Ari didn't miss a beat and he has long since forgotten about the Race Car bed. In fact, he was looking around for Ian because he was with us when we bought the two beds!
He is so sweet and kind, Ari will make a perfect little brother for Ian (technically Ian is 5 months older than Ari). I know they will take care of each other and have a bound that is unbreakable.
We have no doubt that Ian and Ari will be the best of pals and brothers. We look around our lives now and the feeling that someone is missing from it, and the feeling, after working 8 months to bring Ian home, is profound.
I will leave you with some of my most favorite photographs and moments.
We are part Irish so, the annual St. Patrick’s Day photo is a family tradition!
2008 - A sleepy Leprechaun
2009 - A Dapper Leprechaun
We are part Irish so, the annual St. Patrick’s Day photo is a family tradition!
2008 - A sleepy Leprechaun
2009 - A Dapper Leprechaun
2009 - A Hip Leprechaun
The Halloween costumes:
2007 - Baby Tiger
2008 - Chicken Little!
2009 - Authentic Clown
2010 - A Pirate (costume courtesy of Ari's Aunt in Moscow, Russia!)
2010 - A Garden Gnome, In the Wild!The Santa pictures:
2009 - Ari was SO afraid of Santa, it took us an HOUR to get him to take this one picture!
2010 - We got smart and had Santa come to our house!
Ari was blown away and now he loves Santa!
Ari was blown away and now he loves Santa!
The birthday photographs:
2010 - 4 years old and feisty!
2010 - 4 years old and feisty!
Stay tuned for the next family biography where we meet daddy Craig,
up close and personal.
up close and personal.
beautiful!!!!!!!!!!thanks for sharing! cant wait to see ian in that mix!
ReplyDeleteThis is great!!! I really enjoyed reading it! I can't wait to hear about all the fun you will have with Ian!!
ReplyDelete