This is Us
I thought that I would introduce my family since many people have questions about our sweet little blended family. I know I know, Eli looks a lot like me but, in fact, I did not bear this child. I did, however, bear the two children that look nothing like me. :)
Parker and Tanner are mine from a previous marriage. Parker is 14 and Tanner is 11. Eli was adopted by Craig when Eli was 22 months old. Craig was a single guy at the time. I know right, who does that?! Craig does! He is the most selfless person I know. That is why we all love him so much. And this is what makes this story so great! God's perfect timing in bringing our sweet family together.
He calls me "mom." Sometimes "Mother" depending on if I have done something silly or not. It didn't take Eli long to start calling me that. I was "Kerry" for awhile. He welcomed all of us with open arms. I mean this kid is amazing. He didn't put up a fuss one. I attribute that to Craig's awesome parenting. It was Craig and Eli for about 11 years before we came along. To this day, I have never heard the words "that's mine" out of Eli's mouth...not even when I accidentally broke his Xbox. That's when he called me "Mother." It was more like "mooootherrrrr, why didn't you wait until I got home?" Oops my bad! And he didn't even get mad. He shares everything willingly. Even his papa (that is what he calls Craig).
So now Eli has a mom and two brothers. Craig has a wife and two stepsons. I have the sweetest blended family and we are walking this journey together. We are not perfect by any means. We are a bunch of ragamuffins. But we all have been chosen for such a time as this. From the day Craig chose Eli from the orphanage in Guatemala 16 years ago, God knew that we would all be together today. Brings tears to my eyes. I think that is why Eli and I get along so well...I too felt like an orphan, five years ago when Craig chose me. How sweet of God to use Craig's affection for Eli and I to bring our family together. I am telling you, Craig is one AH-MAZING fella!
There are a few things about being adopted that make getting a kidney for Eli a little difficult. Usually a blood relative would volunteer to be the donor since the likelihood of being a good match is greater. Since we don't know much about his birth mom and birth dad, it makes it harder. Craig and I both are not a match which bums me out. But we are trusting that there is a match out there. For now, Eli will continue dialysis Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until we find a kidney.
He takes it like a champ! He has settled into a routine of meds and dialysis. His diet is not as restrictive now that he is on dialysis so he is a happy boy. It's the little things in life right?! Looking for the bright side of things through the journey. One thing has become apparent to me as I watch Eli walk through this...I WANT TO BE LIKE ELI! So much to learn from this kid. We are trying to get him to start writing about his experience. Who knows, maybe you will see something from him soon.
