Where will we be?

The time is short and I have 100 things to do.  If I were a better housekeeper, I would have a lot less to do.  Too late.  LOL  My nephews (J & C) requested that I post where we will be traveling on our way to Belgrade.  So, here goes.   Saturday afternoon we fly from Phoenix, AZ to Los Angeles, CA.  We make a VERY quick transfer to another gate (same airline, so hopefully our luggage makes it).  We will leave LA at 5pm Saturday and fly all night long to Frankfurt, Germany.  It will be 4:30 in the morning AZ time, but already Sunday afternoon in Germany.  We will then fly to Belgrade from Germany and arrive there about 4pm.  AZ is 9 hours behind Serbia. 

We will come home on the 17th.  (And of course, by "we" I mean Kevin, me and our newest son Max!!!)  We leave Belgrade first thing in the morning and fly to Paris, France.   I get to go to Paris!!  OK, I get to see a few gift shops in Paris, still, it's PARIS.  We leave Paris at 1 pm and even though we fly for hours and hours, we arrive in New York at 3:15 pm.  Crazy!! We then finish our trip by flying home to Phoenix.  We arrive there at 9:30pm.  Just in time for BED.  Hooray!!!  I'm exhausted just writing it.  LOL

OK, I am off to clean.  Tyler is home with croup this week.  I really hope it clears quickly since the cousins will be moving in on Friday!  I just want to give a special thanks to my sister and her husband for taking care of my 2 on top of their 3.  It will be a bit crazy and hopefully she will still be speaking to me when this is over.  Come to think of it, now I owe her so I am sure she'll stick around.  LOL  

The countdown begins!!!

9 MORE DAYS till takeoff!!!!!   I am getting ready to go.  I am a huge list person.  I made lists of things to be done in every room in my house.  I am slowing working my way through those. Tomorrow I will make a few freezer meals and finish all the gift buying.  (I have a sitter on Fridays.)  I am a bit frustrated by the travel agencies as they are taking their sweet time to find me information.  I feel like I lose $200 for every day they spend looking.  So, no matter what, the tickets will be bought TODAY.  

I have an apartment in Belgrade though.  Hooray!  The company we were going to use ended up not being so great to another family so we opted not to use them.  Our church has missionaries who travel all over the world.  So, I contacted the church in Belgrade and the Branch President offered his help to find an apartment.  So, he has been wonderful in helping us!  He found us an apartment in a perfect location for our trip.  I am so grateful to have him.  

So, that's the update so far.  I am off to run errands while the kids are at school.  Oh, the family in Belgrade right now will be home tomorrow!!!!  The adoption became official on Tuesday and they got the Visa for their son yesterday.  Did I mention this is the first adoption of a child with Down syndrome EVER from Serbia?  (Internationally or within Serbia.)  Amazing!!  I pray that we can continue educating the people there as this family has done such a wonderful job of that.  I really want the world to know that our children are not accidents.  They have a wonderful purpose in life and ALL children, regardless of ability will teach us and share things us "typical" folks take our whole lives trying to understand.  OK, off my soap box but I love my children with everything I am and I'm in awe every day that I was entrusted with them.

Drum roll please...

WE GOT IT!!! Our date is officially set for May 5th.  We meet with the Ministry Officials at 1pm that day and then finally meet my baby boy!!  So, we will leave May 3rd.  Now it is scramble time to get flights and clean the house again.  I have been smiling all day.  My computer is down so I am using my husband's.  Nice timing for losing a computer!  It's really awful to have GREAT news and not be able to tell all my internet friends!  So, now it is finally up and I can share my happy news.  The family in Serbia right now got to see Max a few days ago.  They sent me the picture above.  Every picture I have shows Max with his mouth open.  He is going to need good Speech Therapist. ;-)  Good thing we have connections. LOL  

I am just SO excited!  I am happy to be getting ready for real this time.  It is definitely easier to clean house with adrenaline pulsing through your veins.  It is also wonderful to clean without being pregnant.  I hated getting ready for my other kids while being so fat and uncomfortable. All I can say is WAH HOO!!!!  Hang in there Max, we are coming soon!

Mininvan?..Check!

No word from Serbia yet. I am just planning in my head, to leave May 3rd, to be there May 5th. But, we bought a minivan!!! Thanks for all the advice ladies. We bought a Honda Odyssey and I love it! It says it's "Slate Green" but it's really dark gray. Thank goodness because I'm not a fan of green. Sorry mom (her favorite color). I am so happy to have a place to put all 3 car seats. My kids think it is their new toy and climb all over it. It is taking a bit longer to get anywhere thanks to that. I hope the novelty wears off soon for them. Anyway, I love it and can't wait to fill it up! :-0

Buckle your seatbelts

Here we go again. We got another potential travel date today. We also found out that all of Max's paperwork is ready! That's huge in itself. Anyway, the date of May 5th has been submitted to the officials for approval. So, once again we may be getting Max in about 3 weeks. Hooray! Should I really get my hopes up? I can't help it. It's amazing how adrenaline accompanies a good e-mail.

There is a family there right now getting their adorable 4 year old boy. It sounds like they are having a great time with him. I love hearing the details of their trip. They are the first family to adopt a child with Down syndrome from Serbia. Awesome. The officials are a bit confused why each family wants to adopt a child with DS. They are curious about the life they will have here in America. I am bringing lots of books about Down syndrome for the facilitator/physician there. (per her request) The workers seem to really love the kids. They get physical therapy and are well cared for. I am so glad because I am not sure my heart or my stomach could handle walking through an orphanage that was not great. I already want to take them all home! By the way, for any of you who think we are coming home with more than one, we can't. Serbia only allows one child unless it is siblings. Max is an only child. We'll have to find another way to get more kids. =-)

Speaking of a growing family, we are looking at minivans. Any advice? I just want a DVD player for road trips. Right now I have a Ford Taurus. It's nice but doesn't fit 3 carseats very well. Plus, I am nervous about putting Max in the middle of my two wild ones. I already envision them feeding him french fries, sticking their oh so clean fingers in his mouth, eyes or nose, and just being "helpful" in general! I'm sure none of you have this problem--ha ha. So, it looks as though we will be upgrading soon.

Like father, like son

Isn't this cute?! I walked into the playroom to find Tyler fishing. Complete with hat. He has been asking daddy to take him fishing. I think it may be time. On second thought, he will want to swim in the lake when he actually gets there, he'll get bored waiting for the fish, and if by an off chance he catches one, I highly doubt he would touch it. OK, we'll stick to the plastic fish for now.

Emma's Hope story

I have added a picture in the upper corner entitled, "Emma's Hope". If you click on it, you will be linked to her family's blog. Emma Hope was adopted from Ukraine in March. She is 5 years old. She has a heart defect, the same one Tia had (AVSD) but it was not corrected in infancy which is the optimal time for surgery. The Cornish family, who I have had the honor to "meet" through our adoption journey brought Emma home with the hope of getting her heart defect corrected. Unfortunately, because of the heart being allowed to function incorrectly for so long, it has done possibly irreversible damage. The cardiologists are concerned she will not make it through surgery and recovery. However, the alternative is to not operate which will surely lead to a shortened life for Emma. It IS a miracle that Emma did not die in Ukraine. It IS a miracle the Cornish family brought her home as they went to adopt a different child. She has captured the hearts of SO many of us at Reece's Rainbow and we are all saddened by the options the family is facing. This family is strong. This family is faithful. They added 2 children with DS to their family. Making 1 typical child and 3 with Down syndrome. I am one of the few who can tell you how much work, patience and medical issues this entails. Please send a prayer their way this week. Read their blog and you will fall in love with their family as I have. Thank you.

New Pictures

We got new pictures today!!! I am excited to see him on hands and knees. We also got new measurements. He is SO little! He is 15 months old, 16 lbs, 26.5 inches. He is about 2-3 inches shorter than my kids at that age and 4-5 lbs less. He looks very proportional though. Not skinny at all. Anyway, I love having new pictures! I just think he is the cutest!!!! I cannot wait to love on him!!!

A little about me

Since I started this blog, I have been fortunate to "meet" new friends and hook up with old ones from my past. My mother in law recently e-mailed me a "getting to know you" questionaire. I thought I would fill it out on here so you could all get to know me a bit outside of the adoption.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:20am (It's Saturday, otherwise it would be 6:40)
2. Last concert attended? Paul Potts concert last week with my hubby. (If you don't know who he is, Google him, he is AMAZING.)
3. Last movie you saw at the theater? Horton Hears a Who (Tia loved it. Tyler only payed attention until the snacks were gone, then kept saying "The End."
4. TV show you watch weekly? American Idol and Dancing w/the Stars.  I also like medical shows like House and Discovery health stuff but my hubby doesn't so I don't watch it much.
5. 3 favorite foods? Chocolate, lobster, and prime rib
6. Foods you dislike? Beets and weird stuff like escargot. Yuck!
7. 3 hobbies? I love to scrapbook, I usually have a small sewing project going on, and lately I have enjoyed reading blogs. I also like to sing but I don't do it anywhere but home.
8. CD in your car stereo at the moment? I have a 6 disc changer, only 2 are mine and 4 are the kids. Mine are Miranda Lambert and Martina McBride right now.
9. Favorite sandwich? The after thanksgiving sandwich!! Turkey, cranberry sauce, & stuffing.
10. Favorite holiday? Definitely Christmas and the month leading up to it.
11. Favorite item of clothing? Pajama pants and a tee shirt.
12. Favorite candy bar? Definitely Reece's PB Cups
13. Favorite animal? otter
14. Do you have a pet? Yes, a Cavalier Spaniel/Poodle named Daisy and 2 fish, Ozzie and Harriet.
15. What store would you love to have a $10,000 gift cert to? Practically, I would have to say WalMart because I feel like I live there.
16. 3 Favorite movies? 13 going on 30, Just Like Heaven, and While you Were Sleeping.
17. Most interesting jobs? Lifeguard, Factory worker at Window making plant (I got cut up alot!), working at a convenience store--loved that because my best friend was my manager. My grown-up jobs were much better. Working as an RN in Labor and Delivery, Post Partum and Women's post surgery.
18. Nick name? Shoosh or Shoo Shoo Magoo (my family still all call me that)
19. What are your kids doing right now? Having a pretend picnic while watching Mickey Mouse's Picnic. Funny!
20. Favorite flower? Gerber Daisies

OK so that's me. Hope I didn't bore you to death.

Just when you thought the ride was over...

I'm sorry to take all of you on my emotional roller coaster but such is adoption. Remember yesterday when I said, we had a potential travel date of April 10th? Oh ya, me too. WELL, today we received an e-mail saying that we will NOT be traveling this month! Apparently Max's social work center still has some paperwork to do. I am just tired of going back and forth. First the hope was planted for Christmas time, then February, then the end of March or beginning of April. AAAAHHHH! She said she would let us know when to expect another travel date. I don't want to know when to expect one, I just want to get one. For real this time. I have been crying all morning. This is just a heart wrenching process. She also told me she was going to send new pictures of Max but he has a respiratory infection right now. So now all I can do is think about him laying in a crib, not feeling well and having no mommy to snuggle. My poor baby.

OK now the logical side: There is a reason for all of this. (As if having 3 children with Down syndrome is not enough to teach me patience. LOL) I may never know why we need to travel later but all I can do is leave it to the Lord. I do pray for a miracle if it is right. Thanks for all the support you have all given me. I really appreciate it. It looks like you will all be kept in suspense with me. =-)

Baby steps

We got a potential travel date yesterday! The facilitator still has to clear the date with the officials but she is trying to get it around April 10th. NEXT THURSDAY! So, I am trying not to count on that date until she tells me for sure but it is hard not to. I have a ton to do to get ready but mentally, I am beyond ready! I want to thank Meredith, who went to Ukraine earlier this year, for a fantastic detailed packing list! It has helped tremendously! Now I have to stock the fridge and freezer with meals, clean the house (not a small undertaking) and pack. Wow! I get to pack!!! I have to make myself clean first and use packing as the reward. I'm such a dork!

I can't even describe how much I will miss my kids. My sister is coming to take care of them which is such a blessing. She is going to move her whole family into my house for the almost 3 weeks we will be gone. My kids have a hard time with change so sleeping in their own beds with regular therapies and school as normal will really help. I know we are doing what is right so I know they will be blessed while we are gone. I have just never left my kids for more than a few days so it will be very difficult. I just have to focus on bringing Max home. I will let you know when the date is official, you can count on it!