Wild Angels

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIA

2011-12-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

10 years old! Wow. So, in honor of her 10th, here are 10 things about Tia:

1. Tia is our little entertainer. She loves to sing and dance and talk. And talk. And talk.

2. She is super flexible and can tie herself into a human pretzel.

3. She's a picky eater and has eaten the same things since she was a year old, pretty much. I'm so done smelling Vienna sausages. But the girl loves them!

4. She has several celebrity boyfriends. She especially loves Greyson Chance! If you don't know who he is, you tube him. He's adorable.

5. She HATES to have her hair done! But she also hates to wear her hair down. Everyday she begs for "just a ponytail".

6. Her favorite color is pink pink pink!

7. She is in 4th grade and she loves school.

8. Her nickname is Tia Maria Sophia Tortilla Shnookems Girlfriend.

9. She has an amazing memory and rarely misses a spelling word.

10. She is happy most of the time which is a huge blessing! She is just super fun and contagious.

Is this a Reality show?

2011-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

So here are a few more of the funny things my kids say/do:

Tyler recently got new glasses. As the woman fit them to his face he turned and looked in the little oval mirror that sits on the table. Then says, "Well hello Mr. Huff." We were totally laughing. I love that guy!

The other day my sitter was putting Max down for a nap. We turn the light off by the string hanging off the light on the ceiling. This way the boys can't just get up and turn the wall switch on all the time. Well, this is not a problem for me as I am 5'8" but my sitter is 5'4". She was jumping to get the string and Max says, "Tammy. CHAIR." Like, duh. HAHAHA

This is for all you Veggie Tales lovers out there: Tia was saying she didn't want to go to sleep because she was scared. Tyler said, "Don't be scared Tia. God is bigger than the boogie man." To which Tia said, "Oh, your right Tyler." I laughed but you know, it worked.

So my allergies have been horrible lately. I woke up and was sneezing and sneezing. Tia asked if I was sick and I told her I think I have allergies. She said with great concern, "Oh no. I hope you're not allergic to Roxy!" Now friends, you need to know who Roxy is to make this story funny. Roxy is Tia's IMAGINARY cat! I assured her I was NOT allergic to Roxy.

Now this one I had to wait to tell until was actually laughable to me. Others could laugh much earlier at this story than I could. So here goes:
We had an exchange student for 2 weeks during the summer from China. Sweet 14 year old girl who did not speak much English. I woke up the first morning she was here a little before 6 to get the boys. I noticed Tia's bedroom door was open and neither she or our student were in there. I got the boys and as I came into the front room I noticed the front door wide open. As the anxiety began I looked quickly around the house and didn't see them. So I went outside with a boy in each hand and call for Tia. No answer. (Anxiety mounting) Then our student comes running around the corner. Here's the conversation: (She's JR)
JR: Tia at park. She need help. I help one, I help two, I cannot help anymore. I come to get you mom.
Me: Tia's at the park now?
JR: Yes.
Me: And you are HERE?
JR: Yes.
(Anxiety changed to panic)
I run inside, wake Kevin up and tell him Tia's alone at the park, here's the boys, gotta go.
I take off running for the park. JR is running and only speaking Chinese quietly. (Probably praying I don't kick her out. Poor girl.)
So, I round the corner to the park which is about 2 blocks away, I see Tia. And my anxiety decreases. Hooray for that.

So, what is Tia doing? She is completely wedged in the baby swing. Feet dangling. PJ's on, bare feet hanging. Legs lodged in the holes up to the fold where the thigh meets the hip. You know the swings with the four holes for babies? Well, they are really for babies!!! So let's recap: Tia convinced JR to unlock the door and take her to the park-- before 6 am--while everyone is sleeping. Then she convinced her to put her into the baby swing. Now she can't get out. Her body weight apparently pushed her into the holes but because she was all the way past her thighs, there was NO getting her out. I pulled and JR held the swing but it was never gonna happen.
At this point, what are the choices? I call Kevin who does not answer his phone. So, I tell Tia and JR we will have to call the Fire Dept. JR doesn't understand so I say, "Police." She gets this terrified look and says, "For me?" Seriously, people this is her 1st day in America!!! This poor girl! I know she was just being nice and following my daughter's lead. My daughter with NO concern for safety or danger apparently NOT the best to follow.

So, I do call the Fire Dept. and Kevin eventually answers and loads the boys in the car to come see if there is anything he can do. As he is loading the boys, Tyler asks where they are going. Daddy tells him they are going to help Tia who is stuck in a swing at the park. Tyler then says, "This is Serious." (Wonder Pet fans will get that.)
I was glad Kevin came because the F.D. went around the corner to where I could hear the truck but not see them and they could not see us. Kev ran over and redirected them. I say them. Yes, all 5 of them get out of the truck. People, I am in PJ's. It is not attractive. It is barely 6am. My daughter has left the house without my knowledge and is stuck in a swing. I'm a tad humiliated!

I joke with them about it being a slow morning for them and tell them the situation. And yes, they had to take HUGE cutters of some kind and cut the swing up both sides to get her out. So if anyone in my neighborhood is reading this and wondering why one of the swings was cut and cursing the teenagers that must have done it---it was us. Sorry.

So how was Tia you ask? Does this tell you? "Thank you firefighters! Thank you so much for saving me firefighters! You're my best friends firefighters!" Social butterfly to the tee. But her legs were fine. A bit bruised but fine.
I came home and was ready to crawl into bed for 24 hours as my adrenaline crashed. But no, it was only 6:15 am the day was yet to begin...

So now let's vote? Who wants to trade lives? Liars! You just want to be a fly on my wall and watch the mass chaos that is our life. I love it but I need a therapist! Hahaha Seriously, I know that morning could have been disastrous for us and I was truly blessed to have it turn out as easily as it did.

Hope I made you laugh today and appreciate your own families. I sure do love mine!

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-23T11:45:00.001-07:00

Week 3 of school and all is well. We actually have the same aides as last year!!! That has never happened before. I love it. It saves so much time/stress when they already know about my child and his/her capabilities. They can help the new teachers get to know my child quickly too.

Short post today. Just wanted to get the pics up to show how adorable and awesome my kids are. *smile* I will post more about our fun summer another time.

Our California Adventure

2011-05-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Tia's cheer team attended the Nationals in Anaheim. It was amazing to see them perform at such a huge venue. There were 5 special needs teams and hundreds of other teams. Tia was in heaven as she cheered for other teams. Every time she walked by a group of girls she complimented their hair, outfits, makeup, something! In her element for sure. She "won" a trophy, medal and national champion jacket. It was great to see the typical cheer teams interacting with our team and really loving their performance. Thank you to Elite Gym in Scottsdale for giving us this terrific experience!

The day after Nationals, we went to California Adventure which was a blast! Tyler loved Soarin' California, Tia loved the shows, and Max loved driving the bumper car the best. A really great trip.

March already?

2011-03-16T15:52:00.001-07:00

Ty's 7th Birthday

New Year's Eve

My husband's full costume Risk game. I think if you click on it, it will be bigger.

The kiddo's Christmas pic.

Adorable pic of Max one fall morning waiting for the bus.

Tia's 9th birthday!

OK so it's been a LONG while and my family and friends are not happy with me. I know that few of you actually want to read my blog, you just want the pics of the kids and I don't blame you. However, I will take a second to catch you up.

Tia's birthday- My big 9 year old girl had a mommy made Dora cheerleader cake this year. Tia is having so much fun in Cheer this year and it has been an awesome experience. I'm sure it will continue for many years to come.

Christmas- was fabulous. Kevin gave me tickets to the opera (Turandot) and I gave him tickets to Pro Bull Riding. We have discovered over 13 years of marriage that we are ying and yang. Sometimes easy, sometimes hard but we compliment each other very well. The kids are amazing at Christmas and I can't imagine it being more fun. They love everything they get and are so thankful. (It was also Max's 4th birthday but we celebrate in May to give him his own day. He is still small and gets asked if he is 2 quite often. Oh well, we can't all be basketball player size.)

Christmas Night-The big Risk game. Kev's family has been doing this since before we met. It used to be hats required, now as you can see from above, it is FULL costume. It is only the guys in the family. (Thank goodness because I do not have any desire to play Risk.) Us girls watch a chic flic and hang out.

New Year's Eve- This year AZ legalized fireworks for a few days a year so we took advantage. The kids had so much fun doing sparklers and watching the fireworks we bought. It was really nice for us because our kids never stay up late enough to see 4th of July fireworks and we were NOT keeping them up til midnight for New Years. My sister's family came down and the kids always love hanging out with cousins!

Tyler's 7th Birthday in Feb.- Added to his collection of Toy Story characters. He had a mommy made Diego and Dora cake and pizza (which for him equals heaven). Lots of friends and relatives over for a great day! I can't believe he's 7.

Lately, we have just been busy with school/work, friends etc. We have had a pretty good winter as far as health. AZ got hit really hard in our area with lots of winter junk so we are lucky not to have anything serious. Right now it is Spring Break so I have been trying to keep the kids busy. Zoo, playground, petting farm, etc. Only one more IEP before summer--hooray. My school is the best and we have been so blessed. Hope everyone is doing well. I will try, try, try to update more often.

HELP A CHILD FIND A FAMILY

2010-11-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

How Gorgeous is Jayson?! We want him to find a family!! So....

www.NorthPoleSecretary.com
My friend has a business at Christmas time working for Santa. She sends Christ-centered letters from Santa to children and families. My kids LOVE these letters! This year she approached me about giving part of the proceeds to a child on the Angel Tree at Reece's Rainbow. (See more children on the angel tree at www.reecesrainbow.org I am so thrilled she would do this!!! Let's raise lots of money and get Jayson a family!
Here are the details:
After Nov. 14th North Pole Secretary will be raising funds for Reece's Rainbow, a non-profit agency that helps fund adoption expenses for children with Down syndrome.
35% OF ALL SALES WITH THE PROMO CODE: RR WILL GO STRAIGHT TO OUR SPONSOR CHILD.
Individual letters for your child are $8
A letter to your family is $18

The letters are very detailed and are personalized for your kiddo/family and come postmarked from the real North Pole, Alaska. All letters also recognize your child for an accomplishment this year and talk about the Savior,serving and the true meaning of Christmas.

This is such a fun memory for your kiddos. This is also a fun way to keep kids on their toes through December... parents tell me that their kids were extra good because they got an early letter and knew Santa was watching them! I have clients who order this as a tradition every year!

Last day to order is Dec. 10th.

Letters will begin to be sent out right after Thanksgiving for a Pre-Christmas delivery!

Please visit the website www.NorthPoleSecretary.com to order and pay with debit/credit through PayPal. ON THE ORDERING PAGE THERE IS A PLACE FOR A PROMO CODE. PLEASE ENTER RR SO WE CAN RAISE LOTS FOR THE ANGEL TREE FUND!!!

October Pics

2010-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Recent antics

2010-10-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

So people often say to me that I must have some good stories. Mostly this is parents who have children with Down syndrome because they have good stories of their own. Well let me tell you about a few in the last 2 weeks:
Fall Break, we head to the zoo. I purposefully do not put hats on the children because 2 of our hats are at the bottom of the zoo duck pond already. So, off we go. Max in the stroller, the other 2 walking. I brought my respite provider with us as Kevin had to work. Well, we almost made it out without an incident. Almost. My favorite animal is the otter. So on the way out I stop at the otters. I take Max out of the stroller and put him on my hip so he can see over the wall and that's when it happens. Mr. Octopus (aka Max) whips the hat off of a little girl next to us and before I even know it's happened, he has thrown the hat INTO the otter exhibit! The little girl is devastated and immediately begins crying hysterically! I had to run over to the snack shack and get them to radio for someone who could get it out. Which she did, thankfully. The girl was still crying when they left.

OK, here's another one. We had a primary program today in church which is where the children are up on the stand and sing for all the adults. Now I knew Tyler was going to have a hard time sitting for the hour in the same chair with nothing to do. (When he sits with us we bring quiet games/books etc.) So, the program goes as planned and both kids get up to the mic to say their parts. Tia added "The End. Thank you." and a few jumbled words to the end of her part but that was fine. Now comes the embarrassing part. The program is done and it is time for the congregation to sing a closing song. Only they can't. Because Tyler is now lying under the organ and won't come out! So I have to go up on the stand and get Tyler out from under the organ which is no easy feat as he weighs 75 pounds and there are chairs with children in them all around the organ. The congregation couldn't see him until I pulled him out looking half asleep and having no clue he was causing a delay. Yes, once he emerged I heard a few chuckles.

After church we set off on a hunt to find Tia who was not where she should have been. As I searched through the rooms and halls with one boy in each hand I enlisted help from friends. I began to get really nervous thinking she could have tried to walk home (we live across the street) so I looked out side all around the church. No Tia. I went back in to find her chatting it up with the Bishop and several other men in his office. Oh, that girl and her social habits! It may be the death of me. I'm going to have a tracking devise implanted in her!!! Just kidding. A mom's wishful thinking.

So, we set off home where within 10 minutes Max has emptied the entire jar of fish food all over the carpet. (He knocked it down by throwing a rubber duck over the fish tank.) Where was I, you ask? Just changing. Later in the day he climbed up on the piano bench and got my church bag. Normally this would be an OK thing to get down. Not today. Today's lesson was on music and we made shakers with rice and beans. So, he poured those all over the floor. Where was I? Making dinner. Have you guessed that Kevin has not been home today?

Max also has discovered he can turn on the bath all by himself. So, fully clothed he will get into the bathtub and turn it on. Luckily this only happened once and we got to him before he was too wet. That is so dangerous! So, we are back to locking the bathroom door. Ho hum. When will we live without gates and locked doors?

Now let me tell you that I know I should be happy. After all, Max twisted off the cap to the fish food and opened 2 ziplock bags to empty the beans and rice. This is good fine motor skills. He also does a lot of problem solving. Pushing the chair over to get what he wants up high. I recognize it but it doesn't seem to make it any less irritating.
Hope everyone is doing well. I will post pics of Halloween next week.

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Once again we have been blessed with great teachers this year! We really love our school. The kids are all doing great in typical classrooms. Tia is in 3rd, Tyler is in 1st, and Max is in Preschool. Our special ed teacher is wonderful and T & T spend an hour a day with her for math and reading. Oh math! Why is it just so hard for our kids? I am at the point I need to do some reading and find out how to make it easier for them. I've been lazy about that. I have to admit my focus has always been on daily skills and now that academics are getting more important I am a bit unprepared. On the other hand, my big kids can spell! Wow! I have been amazed at the memorization skills. Tia has 20 words a week and Ty has 10 but he gets the advanced list because the others are too easy for him. Go figure! Max is perfecting colors and shapes. It's funny because he knows Pink but not Green. (Tia is a bit dominant in our house.) Haha!

Summertime

2010-08-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

The two big kids getting big. Crazy!

Max posing at the ranch

Tyler REALLY got into painting at the ranch.

Oh my goodness, look who is EATING NOODLES!!! HUGE!

Tia being sweet with the donkey at WHR.

A little dress up fun.

Perfect paparazzi picture!!

Tia and Tyler in red, white and blue at the 4th of July parade.

Tyler's Kindergarten graduation with his teacher and principal.

Well so much for writing more often. Sorry. Summers are just so busy around here. Kevin and I went to San Diego to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary which will be on Monday. It was wonderful and weather was amazing!!! Nothing like sitting next to the ocean, reading a good book and having a cool breeze blowing. Fantastic. We rented a little beach cottage in Oceanside. It was really cute. I wanted to stay there forever and just ship my kids to us so we could all enjoy it. Max hasn't seen the ocean yet. Maybe next year we can all go.

This last weekend we took the kids to a ranch a few hours away. It's called Whispering Hope Ranch and it's a camp for children with special needs and their families. They have tons of animals. Cats, dogs, rabbits, ducks, geese, emu, a turkey, peacocks, goats, sheep, mules, horses, cows, llamas... Like I said, lots of animals. The kids had a blast and we met some great families. It always nice to meet other families and see what their children are doing. It helps motivate me to encourage my kids to be more independent and work on additional skills. One of my friends was saying her 8 year old is showering by herself. Have to say, I thought we were a few years from that. I have been teaching Tia to wash her own hair but her hair is long and she is NOT effective at rubbing the shampoo through it. So, we will work a little harder and see what happens. I think when it's your first child you are never sure what they should be doing by themselves. Max did start eating noodle while we were there though!!! SO HAPPY for that! We may progress out of pureed food someday after all. HOORAY!

School starts Monday. We picked out our school supplies today. Tyler is ready with his Buzz Lightyear backpack and Tia with her Hanna Montana backpack. Still on the hunt for good lunchboxes. We meet the teachers on Thursday. I'm trying not to stress to much. I do envy people who can enroll their kids in school and be done. No meetings, aides, arrangements, IEP's, worry about friends and teachers, etc. I know most moms worry about their kids so I try not to feel like I am too crazy for being anxious. Tia will start 3rd grade and Tyler will be in 1st grade. Same school as last year which is great. Just new teachers and possibly different aides. The kids are very well known at school so other teachers and administrators look out for them. I think my kids are the only children with Down syndrome at the school now.

Our school does not have a "skills program" which is the name for the self-contained classroom. It is at another school in our district so many of the other children with special needs attend the other school. We have been fortunate enough to have our kids in an inclusion setting that works well for us. They have one hour a day of resource or special instruction for math and reading. It has worked great so far so we hopefully this will be a successful year as well. I really just want them to have teachers who like them and challenge them and include them in the class activities. I'm not nervous for Max really. The preschool program is great. His teacher will be new this year so we will see if she has enough energy for Max. Ha ha.

So, that's our summer update I guess. I'll write more once school starts.

2 YEARS!!!!!

2010-05-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Serbia- May 2008
Remember the days he couldn't smile without his tongue out? Love it!

May 2009

May 2010

Yesterday was Max's Adoption Day a.k.a. Gotcha Day! I can't believe it was 2 years ago that we were in Serbia. It seems like last month in so many ways. It was such a highlight of my life! Beautiful country and beautiful friends there. We miss them very much!! So, above is the year by year look back. He is getting so big! My grandma was here a while back and was looking at pictures on the wall at our house. She said, "Now, who is this one of?" She couldn't believe it was a picture of Max taken at the Children's Home in Serbia. She said, "He just looks so different now. He looks like the rest of your children." We get that alot. Several of our friends have adopted children of different races and it's funny how even they start to just be part of that family's "look."

I think adoption is one of the stronger testimony builders I have had in my life. It gave me a stronger knowledge that God knows each of us and what we need in our lives. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Max was just meant to be in our family. I think of his birth parents often and think how proud they would be of him now. I wish we could share our joy with them to ease what I'm sure is still very painful to them. I hope they are happy and have been able to move forward.

Max is the world's busiest child. Kevin nicknamed him Velcro yesterday. He took both boys to the petstore and was amazed at how many things just "jumped" into Max's one free hand. He said "I was holding his hand! How could he have grabbed so much stuff!" I just laughed. Is that mean? =-) Don't you love when dad's experience a drop of what you have been dealing with forever! LOL Max is also the world's cutest child. (Yes, this is fact. I am not bias at all.) His preschool teachers are in love with him as well as everyone at every store we go to. He is getting more social now. He used to be grouchy to people he didn't know who said hi to him but he is gettting better. He is talking so much now. Preschool has really helped that. His favorite thing to eat is yogurt. He likes to color, play musical instruments and be outside. I am excited to start using the pool in a few weeks because I know he will LOVE it.

Anyway, so happy for the 2 years we have had with our awesome son and look forward to all the crazy things he will say and do in years to come!

Just some cute pics to share

2010-05-02T21:12:00.001-07:00

How cute is this guy? Yes, that is a spatula he's waving around. Maybe he's the Army cook??

Tia dancing with a friend at the Sharing Down Syndrome Easter Party. Adorable!

The highlight of our Spring is playing BASEBALL! They love it! Well, Tia more than Tyler (see quotes below.)

This pic is a little hard to see because I didn't want to disturb the moment. Here he is rocking a baby doll. The funny thing is this is a little boy doll we bought in Serbia. He later tucked him into bed. So sweet! I loved it so much because usually he is such a rough and tumble boy.

A great picture of the kids playing outside. It is getting hot fast so we are trying to enjoy every minute of nice weather.

A few recent quotes:
Tia: It sure was a fun day today.
Me: It was? What did we do that was fun? (It was only noon so I couldn't think of a thing.)
Tia: You know, went to church, ate breakfast.
My thought: I guess I set my expectation of fun too high. Breakfast? Really? Oh, to appreciate every little thing.

The other day a boy from church came to our door. Tia introduced all of us and then asked his name. He said, "Nick." To which Tia immediately replied, "Hi Nick, I'm Jonas." (Nick is the name of one of the Jonas brothers. I didn't even know she knew the names of the Jonas brothers. The important things you learn in 2nd grade.)

Tyler was giving me a hard time playing outfield in baseball.
Me: "Do you want to bat?"
Tyler: "No. I want to be on the team."
Me: "Well then let's go play."
Tyler: "No. No play. I just be on the team."
Me: "What does that mean to just be on the team?"
Tyler: "Say 2-4-6-8 and Good Game and do like this" (his hand goes into high 5 position)
My thought: Well, we can't all be Babe Ruth!

Normal?

2010-04-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was in a friend's house and saw a plaque in her living room that read, "Remember: Everyone Else Thinks We Are a Nice Normal Family". I love this. Typically, I see plaques in peoples homes reading, "Return with Honor" or "Remember Who You Are" but to me just having your teenagers live up to the perception of being in a "nice and normal family" is about all you can ask for some days. LOL I certainly know that others do not view my family as "normal." I am a bit in denial about this most days. I feel like we have a very similar life to those around us. My kids are picky eaters- who isn't, my kids have schedules of therapies and sports- again, like most just with different activities, my kids watch TV and play outside and really enjoy life- like most families. So, every now and then when I am faced with a different reality it surprises me. (You feel a story coming don't you?)

Last night, with my husband out of town, I took my babysitter and 3 children to a church picnic at a park. I have never been to this particular park so I didn't know what to expect. I did know that there was a pond which is a HUGE reason I took my sitter. Off subject, why is there a law to have a pool fence in your yard and yet the city builds all our parks with unfenced lakes?! I don't get this! OK, back to the story. So, we park and make it onto the grass just in time for Max to throw his first fit. He wanted to go his own way and not hold my hand. He's three. SOOOO three. Off we go to find a spot to play.

I am scanning the park for the playground only to be sadly disappointed. 4 swings and some rocks to climb. 150 kids and 4 swings. I knew then that we could not go near them. If my kids do manage to get on the swings, they are not getting off in 2 minutes for someone else's turn. At least not happily. And I like happily. So, we settle in the volleyball court sand. Thank you to the mom that brought sand toys and let my kids play with them!!! I had already fed the kids because I knew they wouldn't eat with so much going on. (See, I'm not a Spring Chicken.)

Anyway, as I am sitting there looking around at families eating and children running around playing I start thinking if this would be possible for me. Could I sit and talk to other women from the church and let my kids run around the pond? The enormous park? To the 4 swings which are out of sight from the armada? To the bathroom by themselves? NO. I could not. But others could. There were little kids, 2-3 year old kids running and I mean running around the pond. This would give me a heart attack. If I let my kids run wild, I can pretty much count on the fact that within 15 minutes one would be in the pond, another in the parking lot and another crying from falling off of something. So there we sat in our contained little space and when all three children had their hair full (and I mean full) of sand, we left. (This would create tantrum #2.) I am not complaining. I love my life. Like I said, sometimes I just forget that it is different than most. I believe I get many blessings through opportunities that others do not get. Perhaps I miss out on experiences that they get but that's what life is about. Learning and becoming stronger people through the different experiences we have. I wouldn't trade. I really, truly wouldn't.

Belated pics of my preschooler

2010-03-31T15:34:00.001-07:00

My first day of preschool!!!!!

The first pic makes him look so big and then you see the second picture where he is not even as tall as the door handle. SO CUTE this boy!

Ready for school. Backpack and all! Here is Max walking with his teacher on January 4th. Isn't he SO little? Yes, the boy next to him is 5 and in his class! The kids in his class LOVE him and so does his teacher. He is loving school. He has gotten sick a few times but we expected that. Nothing serious, just preschool, winter junk. I don't put him on the bus yet. He would probably love it but I would miss the 20 seconds of joy I get watching him walk to class with his friends and teacher. He is doing great and already picking up so much information. He is talking more which is always good. Sorry so short today but I wanted to get those pics up.

Happy Birthday Tyler!!!!

2010-02-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is in January before he goes into surgery for his tonsil and adenoid removal. That was the only smile we saw for a few days. It was a LONG 2 weeks.

Are you sure Tyler is the little brother?? He out weighs her by 10-15 lbs. So cute!

Tia is giving him a birthday hug while singing Happy Birthday.

This boy waited ALL day to eat cake and ice cream!!!

Happy Birthday to my Tyler today! He is 6 years old. Amazing. He changed his request for his birthday cake 3 times. First it was an alligator, then a hippopotamus and finally a race car. I was glad not to do the hippo because that may have been above my amateur abilities. He sure is a cutie and we just LOVE all 65 lbs of him. A friend of mine calls him "her hunk-a-burnin' love"! He loves to watch TV, play on the playground, and eat pizza. He is super funny and loves to laugh. He thinks the word "buns" is the funniest word on the planet. (Oh, 6 year-old boys!) He loves school and his friends (once he gets there) but tries to convince me he's too sick to go to school on a daily basis. "I can't go to school. I have a cough. I'm VERY sick." His sister is his best friend and every morning they plan a "play date after school" with each other. He is a great big brother and a good helper to mom. He is a daddy's boy 100%. He and daddy go to the pet store every Saturday to see all the animals. He loves the zoo and would watch the elephants all day. The hippo is his very favorite animal but we don't have one at our zoo. He is a stubborn and wonderful boy and adds joy to my life every single day! Happy Birthday Bubba!!

Holly Jolly Christmas

2009-12-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

The 3 cuties in the wagon from Grandma!

Tia and Max swinging on the new play set.

Tyler getting ready to slide.

The cutest house cleaner ever!!! He loves his new vacuum and can usually be found with a hat on.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Kevin built an awesome playset in the backyard that we managed to hide until Christmas morning. The kids went nuts with excitement when they saw it. It was really fun. They got great presents and and had lots of fun with cousins.

A Special Day

2009-12-23T16:29:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday was a special day for our family. Tia was baptized! We are so proud of her for choosing to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. She was on cloud 9 all day. We are so thankful for our family and friends who came out to support Tia on this amazing day. I love the month of December. For our family it is a birthday filled month with Braxton's birthday (he would have been 11 years old this year), Tia's 8th birthday, and Max's 3rd birthday on Christmas Day. Can you believe he's going to be 3 on Friday?! Stay tuned for Preschool pictures in January. Wow!

We are so blessed with family and friends and hope everyone reading has a happy and safe holiday. May you all be able to focus on the true reason for the season and reflect on the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

Halloween and other stuff

2009-11-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

All 3 kids looking in the same direction!!

It's not fair that he is SO photogenic--but I love this picture.

Our small but mighty Buddy Walk Team this year.

Daddy's birthday present. He loved it and so did the kids!

Halloween- Tia as Tinkerbell

Tyler my astronaut--every good astronaut needs a teddy bear right?!

If I had a UPS man this cute, I would order a package everyday!!!

So why don't I blog anymore? Well, mostly because life is busy but also because I now have an account on Facebook and if I have spare time for the computer I go there. I love Facebook. It is such a great way to hook up with old friends and find out how everyone is doing in a glance. But, I know I need to get much better at blogging.

School is still going well. I am stress a bit because Max will start preschool in January and I am not sure I am ready to leave him for 2 1/2 hours a day, 4 days a week. He still seems too little for school but I remember thinking that about Tia and Tyler too. The teachers are so great at their school and I know he needs more than mom to really develop his skills. The class is made up of children with special needs as well as typical kids. The class sizes are small and he will get Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy at school as well as home now. He is SUCH a busy boy. He never stops moving and learning and discovering. He will keep the teachers busy for sure. He reminds me of Tia at that age. Tia never stopped and we even had a psychologist tell us she probably had Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) when she was 3 years old. Totally NOT the case anymore. I mean, she talks a mile a minute and will perform at the drop of a hat and is full of energy BUT she also does great in school and focuses well and sits for long periods of time. Hopefully, Max will learn to sit longer eventually too. =-) Tyler is my couch potato. He likes to play board games and cards and things he can do in one place for the most part. He is a climber though. I'm convinced he would be a lot less active if it wasn't for Tia's influence.

So, we all got the Swine Flu last month. It was OK but Tia got pneumonia from it. Funny story about that: We wake up on a Sunday morning to Tia having a hard time breathing and really pale. So I tell Kevin I am taking her to the ER and we decide to say a prayer before she goes. After the prayer Kevin tells her that she will be just fine because she has a "prayer on board". So, she told every person at the ER that daddy said a prayer so she won't be bored. It was so cute. She is the most pleasant sick child. All the doctors and nurses couldn't get enough of her. She made them take her dolly's blood pressure every time they checked hers. And everytime they did any procedure she thanked them and told them she was all better now. Too cute!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday. I know we will. We have so much to be thankful for!!

School is in session

2009-09-28T13:20:00.001-07:00

School is going really well for the kids this year. It is our best year yet. Both Tia and Tyler are in regular classrooms with aides. Both of their aides are terrific this year and they both have teachers who are happy to have them in class which makes life so much nicer for them. The resource teacher is great too. Ty goes 30 minutes a day and Tia goes 1 hour a day. We found out 2nd grade homework is much more demanding than 1st grade. However, after parents complained, they reduced the load a few weeks in. Hooray.

Max and I go to the gym most mornings and he plays with the toys and other kids. He loves it. He loves his one-on-one time with mom all day too. He is talking a lot more now and has over 50 words. He understands about everything and is a great little helper. He will start preschool in January which is crazy because he still seems so tiny. His backpack will be to his knees! He will love it though. I remember thinking Tia was too little too. She started preschool in 18 month-2T clothes. Tyler has never really been "too little". LOL Anyway, that's the Huff update for now.

Kids in July

2009-07-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

Pictures of 4th of July at my sister's house!

I guess I better post this month before July runs out. I am definitely keeping busy. I am really nervous for the kids to start school soon. I don't do well until I know they are settled, with a good aide, in a good classroom. We'll see. Ty will be in Kindergarten and Tia will be 2nd grade. There was no half-day Kinder at our school so I will be pulling Tyler out at 1:30 everyday. That way he can continue his therapies at home another year without rearranging his schedule. He's going to be exhausted for a few weeks but he's not much of a napper anyway. It will be fun to have only Max home during the day. I know he will really miss T&T though. He loves to follow them around and do everything they do.

So, I decided for this post I would tell a few funny things my kids have said. I have a journal by my bed that is specifically for "Tia-isms" and I need to get one going for Tyler too.

Tia is a singer! She sings morning, noon and night. She used to sing the correct words to songs but now likes to add her own. For example the other day she was singing, "Rockin Around In Tia's Room" and "Bring Back My Dolly to Me". She told me one day that she wanted to sing the garden song. I said, "What garden song?" She said, "You know mom, 'Oh My Garden, Oh My Garden, Oh My Garden Clementine."

Tonight as Tia was going to bed:
Tia: " Good night mom, good night Movers" (Imagination Movers TV show featuring 4 guys)
Tia: in deep voice "Good night Tia, have good sleepers."
Tia: in normal voice, "OK I will."

Tyler: "What's today?"
Me: "Today is Thursday. We eat breakfast, play, Heather comes, then after lunch Denise comes."
Tyler: "Oh. Eat breakfast, play, Heather, ice cream and cake, then Denise." (totally straight faced)
Me: laughing "Ice Cream and Cake!?"
Tyler: Curls up in a ball laughing so hard!
This from my son who frequently asks for pizza for breakfast.

Oh, Max has more words this month. One of which is (drum roll please) Mama!!!!! Yeah! Finally. He has added this month, "Please", "Fish", "Down", "Frog", "Car", "Up", "Help" (which is adorable by the way--"Hep Hep") and a few more animal sounds. He already had, Shoes, Ball, Go, Daddy, Daisy (the dog's name came WAY before Mama by the way!), Hat, Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Hair, All Done, and a handful of signs. I am super excited he is communicating more. He is very pleased with himself! I will try to record some of his words but he is pretty shy about performing for the video cam. We'll see.

"Birthday" Party for Max

2009-06-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Max's fun smile! Can't you just hear him laughing when you see this picture?!

Max on the bouncy slide in the back yard.

Since Max was born on Christmas Day, it is difficult to do cake, presents, etc. on his actual birthday. So, we decided to do it around his "adoption date". It is close to Memorial Day so we had a family pool party/birthday party. He loved opening his presents and playing with his new toys.

Max LOVES balls so I made him a soccer ball cake. He didn't eat any of course but he danced when we all sang Happy Birthday. He was much more interested in getting back in the pool than hanging out to eat anything.

Rub-a-dub-dub, 3 cuties in the tub

Tia and Tyler at the award ceremony for baseball. This was Tyler's first year and Tia's 3rd. They LOVE their coaches and teammates and are always sad to have the season end.

Tyler's graduation from pre-school. He will be in a regular Kindergarten class next year!

GOTCHA Anniversary

2009-05-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 15th, 2008 was our official papers signed- Gotcha Day. Today is our Home One Year Day!!!!! How amazing to have our sweet son for a whole year now! He is just doing so wonderful.

His 2 big areas of challenge are language and eating. He has about 8 words and 8 signs but we haven't gotten much further with that in a while. I think he has been so focused on moving that he has put speech aside for a while. He walks everywhere now and loves to put his cool new orthotics on. Which of course I thought he would hate. What do I know?! He will pretty much only cooperate with his physical therapist if they are outside. He LOVES to be outside. Right now it is over 100 degrees here so we are in the pool almost every day and he is in heaven. Yes, my baby who hated the bath, now loves it and loves to swim! (Well, float.)

Max also loves to eat but only pureed food. We have been going to feeding therapy but he is still not into eating solids yet. Hopefully soon. Any ideas are welcome, by the way. He puts solid food in his mouth like he wants to like it but then immediately makes a face and spits it out. His therapist said he will just do it one day and never look back.

So who is Max at age 2 years, 5 months? Max is a handful who loves life. He is a climber and right now has a big forehead bruise to prove it. He is ALL boy! He loves balls and cars, trucks, buses and rocks. He has a laugh that is SO contagious it makes strangers in the store laugh. He is smart and loves to figure things out. He loves to take off all his clothes which is pretty funny but we hope the phase ends soon. He also likes to put stuff in drawers and other containers so you never what you are going to find where. Today I found the remote control in the clothes hamper!! I would have been looking for that for days! Lucky I came across it before it got washed! Tears come to my eyes as I think of all the blessings Max has brought to our life. What a fun little "wild angel" he is.

2009-04-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO:

2009-04-10T07:49:00.001-07:00

I know, I know I haven't blogged in forever!! Max has been sleeping in the den where the computer is and thus making the computer inaccessible when he is asleep. Well, since I usually blog when the kids are asleep I am out of luck for a while. The original plan was to have Tyler and Max share a room. The problem was that one kept waking up the other either in the middle of the night or very early in the morning. So, we moved Max for a while.

Max is walking great now. He walks a lot more than he crawls. I've been buried in paperwork to get ready for Tia and Ty's IEPs for school. An IEP is an Individual Education Plan. It determines the goals for the next school year and which classroom they will attend. So, Tia will be in a regular 2nd grade classroom next year with one hour a day in the resource room for help with math and reading. I am happy because that is what we really wanted. Tyler's IEP will be in a few weeks, I think. I hope his goes well too. They are both doing so great.

Anyway, we had a wonderful Spring Break. We went to Grandma and Grandpa's in Missouri. The kids had so much fun at the St. Louis zoo, Silver Dollar City, Branson, riding a horse, visiting an alpaca farm, meeting new friends, and so many other great things. The kids were really well behaved and did SO great even with a lot of time in the car and on the airplane. Tia and Tyler are at a good age where they play well together and can entertain each other in the car.

I will post some pictures of our trip later. I can't get it to work right now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T10:16:00.001-08:00

Max in May 2008 and now Feb 13, 2009

WATCH ME WALKING!!!! Sunday will be Max's 9 month anniversary of his adoption day!!!! Look at how far he has come. He is doing so amazing! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Busy month

2009-01-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been a while. Here's the updates in a nutshell: Tia has mono and strep and has only been to school 2 half days since before Christmas Break. She had a fever of 102+ for 9 days!!! A few nights ago her tonsils were so big she had a hard time sleeping on her back. (Got steroids for that.) Max is on breathing treatments a few times a day for a respiratory virus but is finally finishing that up I think. I really hope the mono and strep do not spread through the house. The new puppy is cute as can be but...a new puppy. He nips and pees and poops and chews etc. Tyler seems to be the only one in good health right now. He just has a chronic case of Stubborn-itis. Holy moly that boy is stubborn!

Now for the good news:
We had a wonderful Christmas. The kids had a great day and just watching them enjoy it was fantastic.
Our family was made a forever family on December 26 and it was beautiful! I will post pics later.
Tonight Max took 10 STEPS!!!! He's been stuck at 4 for a while now but tonight he did 10 followed by several 8's. He is so proud of himself. (Not unlike his mom.) It was so great! I hope to video it and put it on here.

Gifts of Christmas

2008-12-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas is quickly approaching. I am almost done shopping. This year I was able to give a fun surprise to my husband. He mentioned a few weeks ago that he really wanted a puppy. We have a 2 year old dog and of course, 3 children so I laughed at him!! I told him he should get me some newborn twins while he was at it!! Well, he searched the internet to find breeders in our area but found none for the kind of dog we have and want. (A Cavapoo- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Poodle mix.) He was ready to spend way too much money to have one shipped here. Well, I mentioned this to a friend of mine who told me her friend, just 5 miles away, had a litter of Cavapoos right now. The exact breed we are looking for!! I couldn't believe it. I called her and sure enough, she had 4 puppies left. I made an appt. at 5pm to come see them and pick one. I told my husband I needed him home at 5 to take him to see a playset someone was selling for really cheap. A few hours later he called me from work to tell me he was reading the paper and found Cavapoo puppies for sale just 5 miles from our house! He had called the breeder and set up a 7:30 appointment. Oh yes, the same breeder. It was great! I called the breeder to let her know the 7:30 appt was my DH and we had a good laugh. She had told him there were 3 puppies available because she already promised one to me. She hadn't realized it was my DH who called. So, we drove to go see the "playset" and he stressed on the way there about how he was going to move a playset and put it back together. As we pulled in to the house, I thought he might recognize the address but he didn't. We went to her backyard with her and I could see Kevin scanning the backyard for the playset. We turned a corner and there were the kennels with all the puppies. He glanced at them and continued to walk. I said, "Honey, incase you haven't noticed, there is no playset. We're here to see the puppies. This is the breeder and I am the 5 o'clock appt." He said, "NO WAY!" He was totally surprised and I let him in on the whole story. It was great!! Anyway, since I couldn't beat him I decided to join him. So, the day after Christmas we will pick up our new puppy, Gus. I don't know which made Kevin happier, getting the puppy or the relief of not having to put a huge playset together! I think it was definitely the puppy. Too fun!

On another wonderful note, Max is now official. His name has been changed and he is now readopted in the U.S. I am SO happy that is done. Now we can bless him at church and have him become part of our forever family. It is a really special thing in our church to take your children to a temple and have a ceremony to become a family unit forever and not just for life. We will do that the day after Christmas! What a special day it will be to have all my children there together. I know I will feel Braxton's love on that day. My children will all dress in white and it will be beautiful.

Halloween Pictures-- Finally!!!

2008-11-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Computer issues

2008-11-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

So, I wanted to post Buddy Walk pictures and Halloween pictures but my computer is on the fritz. I am using my husband's laptop but I can't get the latest photos. I'm not exactly computer literate! I have to tell you though that Tia's teacher was telling me last week that one of her sight words is "come", which Tia knows and usually doesn't hesitate to say in her list of words. Well, last week Tia was in a teasing mood and when they got to the word "come", Tia said, "dot com" When the teacher looked at her funny she said, "It says Sesame Street dot com" complete with a smirk on her face. So funny!!!! When I was 6, computers were non existent, now I need my 6 year old to teach me how to work it! LOL

Also, my friend Joyana Jensen is coming to town from CO for Thanksgiving. She is an awesome photographer and would love to set up some shoots while she is here. So, if you live in Mesa or Gilbert and haven't gotten your Christmas card photos done go to her website, check it out and call her to schedule an appt. http://www.treasuredphotosbyjoyana.com She does an amazing job!

Just Pictures

2008-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Max playing with his car. If you click on it you can see his tongue out making the "bbbbb" car noise.
I just LOVE this boy!! What a smile!

Tia riding Abu the camel at the zoo. Tyler wouldn't do it.

Zoo Hugs. Is there ever a bad time for hugs? Too cute.

Camping and Court

2008-10-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Tia with her Mac-N-Cheese
Click on the picture and you can see the fish Tia caught!

Here's the set up. New tent and everything.

Here are some pictures from the Daddy-Daughter Camp out our church does. Let me tell you Tia was one excited girl!!!! She thinks tents and s'mores are about the best thing ever! I don't know who's child she is because I HATE camping.

So yesterday was totally crazy. We got an appointment with the social worker for tomorrow to do the post adoption follow up. So, we thought the court date would be continued another day. Well, at 9:45am I was walking out of the lab from getting Max's blood drawn for thyroid levels (never fun) and my phone had 5 missed calls from my hubby telling me they want us at the courthouse at 10am! So, I drove there not knowing which building it was in. My husband rode his motorcycle to work so I couldn't call him to get directions. After carrying Max into 3 different places (with a broken toe), we found it. We sat there with our attorney for almost an hour. I felt bad because neither Kevin or I was dressed to be in a courtroom for an adoption. After waiting for so long the judge decided he wouldn't hear our case until all the paperwork was present. Sigh! I guess what happened was that the attorney asked for the case to be rescheduled and then called later and asked that we be allowed to do the testimony part of it and just be mailed the certificate when the paperwork was complete. The attorney from the District office told our attorney that the judge was new to adoptions but that he himself has done many and that is the way it works. Well, the judge did not do that. The worst part is that they rescheduled our hearing for December!!! Good grief. It will be ready next week and just sit there until December. After that I had to run home, feed the boys and then go to the school to get Tia for early release. Today was also the day to pick up the cookie dough for the school fund raiser. So, I got that, drove home and realized they forgot some of my order. So, I drove back to the school and completed the order. Then came home, showered and headed off to parent teacher conferences back at the school. Those went well.

Tia's teacher really likes having her in class and is surprised how well she is doing. Her writing is coming along well and she is doing great in reading. She has never missed more than one on her spelling test. Tyler's teacher says he's stubborn and funny and doesn't talk much at school. He cracks me up. He talks a lot at home so I don't know why he doesn't at school. His favorite funny word right now is "Buns". Every time he is drawing a picture and I ask what it is he says, "Buns" and laughs hysterically. It is so funny that I can't not laugh. His laugh is SO contagious. We are in trouble with that guy! Some day I will have to record it so you can see how funny he is.

Re-adoption

2008-10-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

So tomorrow was supposed to be a great day. Max's re-adoption day. He would finally be "Max" and he would have an English birth certificate with his new name. Well, as you can guess, there was a glitch. No one informed us, until today, that we need a post placement visit to show the judge tomorrow. Serbia does not require one until he has been here 6 months so we didn't even call an agency yet. Typing this two hours later: I called the agency and they can come on Saturday to do the visit. YEAH! So, it should only set us back a few weeks. I am glad because we can't bless him in our church until his birth certificate name matches his blessing name. Oh, and I broke my toe today. Nice! It is swollen and black and blue. I'm glad it is still sandal weather here for a while. My friend said my warranty must have just run out because last week I tripped in the car while re-buckling Tyler, who unbuckled his car seat as Kevin was driving. Anyway, I hurt my knee doing that and now my toe. What a dork I am!

Ear tubes

2008-09-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Max got ear tubes Monday. He had built up fluid that wasn't going away. We don't know how long it was there so we figured we better not wait much longer. It was decreasing his hearing by 40-50 decibels. They did the ABR (hearing test) while he was still under and his hearing is perfect now that the fluid is gone. Yeah!! He has seemed more mellow too. He used to be REALLY loud sometimes. Now he doesn't seem to need to yell as much. Although, I am still testing this theory as it has only been a few days. It may just be wishful thinking. :-)
I always hate having a child in surgery but he did great. I mean he was screaming when I got to the post surgery room but he calmed quickly with a bottle and mommy. He is NOT a fan of men in a doctor's office setting so I made sure it would be a woman caring for him all the way through. Before surgery, he let the girl do the vitals just fine but when the male anesthesiologist came in to just listen to his lungs, he threw a fit. Funny! Anyway, he is doing great now.
He is signing "More" now. It is SOOO cute. He signs "more" every time he wants more tickles. He says "OOOO" for "Choo Choo" and "Brrrrr" when he plays with a toy car. He is all boy! He loves balls, trucks, cars, trains and especially the school bus. He watches it everyday until it is out of sight. Yup, he's cute!

Our second interview this week

2008-09-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to our second interview.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/

Type "Down syndrome" in the search spot and then click on Sharing Down Syndrome AZ

Max was SO cute!!!

Link to story

2008-09-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for the news story that ran tonight. I think it went well. What do you think? Like I said before, at least the kids are cute!!! It shows a commercial first and then our story.

http://www.azfamily.com/video/newsat9-index.html?nvid=281421

Max the Celebrity

2008-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

So, if you haven't read the last post, read it now. I guess it is my week to be a superstar because I am now going to do a live interview on Fox 10 at 8:30am tomorrow morning. So, if you want to see me and Max---again, you can watch that too. So, tonight at 9 on Channel 3 and tomorrow at about 8:30am on channel 10. The Fox interview is about the Buddy Walk and Sharing Down Syndrome AZ. (One of the support groups in AZ). Who knew Max would have his moment of fame so soon? =-)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

2008-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night at 9pm my family will be on Channel 3 "News at Nine." They came out and interviewed me on Friday afternoon. McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin has a son with Down syndrome so DS is getting a lot of media attention right now. I think it's great. So, last Thursday the news station called and asked if I would do an interview. I said sure. They said they wanted to do it in my home and "would today or tomorrow be better?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Now if you have a house ready for a camera crew to come over, I am impressed. I do not. So, I agreed to the next day and for 24 hours cleaned every corner of my first 3 rooms they would see. Now comes the funny part: The camera man and producer showed up before the anchor so they decided to shoot video of the kids playing. The kids had the playroom messed up in no time and when the anchor came in to meet the kids she sat on the playroom floor and said, "Let's just do the interview here." Again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! LOL So, in the mess we sit and do the interview. So, for those of you who live in AZ and watch it tomorrow please don't think I didn't clean my house because I really did!!! They were here over an hour but the story will be less than 5 minutes I'm sure. I just hope I didn't say anything dumb. I think I did OK but we'll see. When I get nervous I can't express myself very well. So, tune in if you get a chance. It will probably be online after it airs so for those out of the area I will give you the link next time. Only if it's good. =-)

August update

2008-08-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Life has been so crazy this month. I don't know why I thought it would calm down with school starting but it definitely didn't. The update on Tia's school situation is good. She got a new aide who I really, really like! She is young and has a 14 y.o. sister with DS so she loves children with DS. HOORAY!! Tia seems to really like school. I went and talked to her class last week about her having Down syndrome and what that meant. It went well I think. She showed them some sign language and we talked a lot about how everyone is different but we can all be friends. Tia loved showing off and telling them about the things she loves to do. It was really cute.

Now for the update on Max. He is cruising furniture!!!! We were a bit unsure how long it would take because he seems to have very unstable ankles but he holds on and walks from one end of the couch to the other without a problem. It is so exciting to watch. Now for the not fun part. He is teething and has a cold so he is crying a lot and having a hard time sleeping. It has been a bit stressful at times but we are hanging in there.

Tyler likes school too and I really like his teacher. He pretty much only tells me about snack but I hear him singing all the songs and he is talking a lot more. He never wants to go to school because he thinks life as a couch potato is much more appealing but once the bus comes, he is ready! Too funny.

Tonight on Dateline was a look into institutions/orphanages in Serbia. It was SO heartbreaking. Max came from a Children's Home that was NOT like that. We are so glad that he had good care and that he was put up for adoption there. The other institutions do not offer children for adoption and so the overcrowding is terrible and the staffing is low and the neglect is high. My life is busy. Sometimes my life feels very stressful but I am so thankful for Max in our family and for those who helped bring him to us. Thanks.

Trying out the slide show

2008-08-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

First week of first grade

2008-08-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Tia's first day of first grade!!! How cute!! Can you guess what her favorite color is? =-)

So how was the first week of school, you ask? STRESSFUL!!! Tia's teacher and aide did not have any information on her. I had written a 3 page "All about Tia" for them and I was really glad I did. One thing they did not know is that Tia will not poop in the potty so she is still in Pull-Ups at school and needs to be changed and taken to the bathroom on a schedule to pee. The aide is less than thrilled about this and has asked for a different student assignment. So, we will see how long it takes to get a different aide. I can't blame her, I don't love it either but have no idea how to get her to "go".

There was NO aide for lunch like there was supposed to be so I played lunch aide all week and had to find a sitter for Ty and Max during lunch. Now she is going to eat with a Special Needs class so she can have some help opening things and making sure she gets to the right places and has time to eat. She eats 3 things. Pasta squares (by Gerber), mac-n-cheese, and Vienna Sausages. That is what she will eat every week, all year. YUCK!!! I really hope I can convince her to broaden her horizons a bit. Hot lunch has a lot of choices but I am worried she will ask for something she doesn't like and won't eat. She does that a lot. She will ask for pizza or PB&J and I know from years of wasting food, that she won't eat it. I'm not sure if she is just asking for what she knows other kids eat (like Tyler) or what?! Sigh.

I just wish I could enroll my kids in school and that was it. But, it is so much more work, effort and stress with a child with special needs. After 4 days, the Resource teacher offered us a Skills Class (self-contained classroom) as an option for Tia instead of the regular ed. class she is in. That was frustrating. Could they give her a chance to adjust??? I am not anti special education at all but, I know that research shows children with DS are better off in a typical class with modifications. Tia is bright, she does not have behavior issues, she tries hard and there is no reason they cannot help her succeed in a regular classroom. I don't know what the next few years will bring but for now we feel strongly that Tia is in the right place. I pray, cry, stress and read as much as I can before her IEP meetings to place her in the right setting. It is hard to have someone tell you they don't think you made the best decision. I don't tell other people that they made the wrong decisions for their children! I can't imagine telling someone, "So, I noticed your son is immature for his age" or "most kids his age can jump better than that" or whatever. If I said that to a typical parent they would hit me! I don't know why people think they can point out our children's short comings. They have Down syndrome. They are not going to be age appropriate in everything. This is why Special Education services are in place to help them. OK, so to sum up, this week was hard! =-) Sorry for ranting and raving. Hopefully, this week will go better and Tia will get a new aide.

It's almost August

2008-07-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

My 3 cuties in Utah. Yes, I was standing on the right of them. And yes, this is the best shot we got.

This is Tia with her cousin Elisabeth getting ready for "camping". They slept in the tent in the backyard and Tia was SOOOO excited!!! Daddy will have to take her camping now. (Notice I didn't say mommy. =-))

You have to click on the picture to blow it up and see the true love of ice cream this boy possesses. And how cute is he sitting in the wagon?

Fish face? Kisses? I don't know but super cute!!!

We are back from a long vacation to Utah and Idaho. I think it will be a while before Max wants to sit in his car seat for any length of time. It was a long drive. We had such a fun time at my brother Dave's house as you can see. Getting out of the AZ heat was wonderful!!! We did all get the stomach flu (except Kevin and my brother, go figure) but what could be more bonding than throwing up together?! Ha ha. No, only a few got it while we were actually there. The rest saved it for this week.

School starts here on Monday. Tia will be in first grade and it will be the first time she is going to school ALL day. I am a ball of nerves. I got sick to my stomach as I shopped for lunch box foods yesterday. I really have NO idea if she will eat anything. She is a super picky eater and only eats warmed up foods like raviolis, mac and cheese, etc. So, what to pack in a lunch box??? I don't know! She won't eat bread or meat or cheese or pretty much anything packable. I am just planning on heating stuff before she goes to school and hope she eats it 4 hours later. She is in a regular ed. classroom but will have an aide with her so she won't be able to just eat the cookies and go play. But, I am sad. I will really miss her. She will have therapy 4 days a week right after school, then do homework, eat dinner and go to bed. She is losing her playtime and that makes me sad. It also makes me worry about her behavior getting crazy. I hope it all goes well and I have worried all summer for no reason. =-)

Ty goes to preschool and has a new teacher this year. He is pretty easy going and I think he will be fine. Max may be confused to have such a quiet house for a few hours a day. I'm SURE he will enjoy his one-on-one time with mommy. He is a mama's boy. Poor guy got the stomach flu on vacation and now has a cold. He has been really cranky and I think he is teething as well. It makes the days really long this week. But, I still have to say whenever anyone asks about him I have to just say he is wonderful. Because he really is such a joy!

July fun

2008-07-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our little Serbian-American celebrating the 4th of July! How cute is that?! We didn't get to see any fireworks but we went to a parade and had tons of fun in Flagstaff at my sister's house. We went to Mormon Lake and saw team roping, buffalo, goats, chickens, cows, etc. The kids were all excited to see "real cowboys."

Now that Max weighs 21 lbs., 9 oz (9780 grams) he gets a forward facing car seat!!! Yes, that is over 4 lbs of weight gain in 6 weeks! We are officially off Pediasure and onto whole milk. Well, as soon as we can wean him off the flavorful Pediasure. We are at about a 30/70 mix right now in favor of milk.

This is Tia and Tyler playing hide-and-seek. Can you find them??? Too funny!!! If I say, "Where are Tia and Tyler, I can't find them. Tia will stay hidden but yell out, "Over here. Look over here." Kids are awesome!

Max has his first word!! He is clapping his hands now and with it says, "EEEAA" otherwise known as, "YEAH." He is such a joy. He loves balls and is really starting to love playing with Tia and Tyler. Tia is not fond of sharing her tea parties with the party wrecker but she loves him. I can't believe we have had him for almost 2 months now. In some ways it feels like he has been here forever and in other ways it feels like he just got here. He is changing everyday and picking up new skills left and right. It is so much fun to be part of showing him new things and watching him succeed and learn. He is funny and silly and fits right in. He is such a blessing to our home!

Look at Max now!!!

2008-06-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

He pulled himself up!!!! I walked into the room and there he was standing. Awesome, huh?!
Is this my child??? He wouldn't even take a bath a month ago and now he LOVES the pool! Click on the picture to see it bigger. His face is so cute!!

This is what Tyler did one morning before waking us up. He lined up all the matching containers on the counter and stacked up the soup. He could be VERY instrumental later in helping mommy organize my life. He loves to count and line stuff up. Too cute!

Life is good. Max is probably 20 lbs by now. We are on a waiting list for a feeding therapist (there are 20 people on the list!!!) so we'll see how long it takes. In the meantime, he is eating very thick foods and doing well. He has a fever today thanks to his vaccinations but it will pass. He is only taking one bottle a day now. Everything else is spoon fed. Way to go Max!!! I keep him on the bottle on purpose and will probably do that for a while. It is a good bonding activity and comforts him at bedtime. Being laid down for bed is not his favorite thing. He would much rather be held but rarely falls asleep in my arms. He will fight sleep forever and just get more and more cranky if I hold him. I don't let him cry to sleep though. So, if he cries for more than 10 seconds, I pick him up, rock him longer and try again. I wouldn't suggest this technique unless your child is adopted. :-) It makes for a long evening sometimes. But, he is getting more trust that I will be here tomorrow and he can go to sleep.

We put our papers in yesterday to change Max's name and re-adopt him in the US. This just helps build a paper trail here and give him a US birth certificate, SS # etc. I can't wait for his name to be Max officially, so doctor's offices quit calling to confirm appts for my daughter!! The attorney said it could be a few weeks until court, or several months. Strange, huh? We get the attorney FREE through my husband's work which is very nice. So, hopefully it won't take too long to get the court date. I'll keep you posted.

I love you through "Thick or Thin"

2008-06-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

We had Max's Upper GI swallow test yesterday. He was not thrilled drinking barium but he drank enough to get results (and to poop white!) Basically, he aspirates anything thinner than pudding consistency! Not great news, but... the great news is that it is NOT structural. Meaning, it is just because of his lack oral motor control. So, the therapist recommended 2-3 months of feeding therapy and then come back to check it again. I was relieved to hear that! We are not supposed to give him any liquids. I don't know how that is possible. I meet with the pediatrician tomorrow to figure it all out. We are also upping his Prevacid for reflux.

Oh, I talked to an elderly lady while waiting in the hospital for the test. She asked me what Max's "condition" was called. I told her Down syndrome. She said, "Some of the people with Down syndrome are really pretty advanced." I agreed, of course. She told me she had seen "So You Think You Can Dance" when the young man with DS was on there. She said, "He was a bright boy. He spoke well and seemed to have a good life." I was SO thrilled that the boy on that show had been given air time. He truly did what he set out to do...change people's opinions. Way to go!!

Weight check today

2008-06-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

We had a weight check today. I am SOOO excited to announce that Max is now 19 lbs, 10 oz! He has gained 36 oz in 21 days!!!!!! How amazing! He came to us at 17-6 and we were hoping for a one-ounce-a-day weight gain which we have happily exceeded! Maybe we won't have to be on Pediasure as long as we thought.

Tomorrow is the big upper GI test so, we'll see how it goes. NO surgery is the ultimate goal in my mind! I know I can't control it but I have done the g-button life and I don't want to go there again. Plus, I hate putting my kids under anesthesia. So, hopefully we can use medication for reflux without needing the fundoplication. The doctor said today that most likely if he is aspirating when he swallows, it can be fixed with a feeding specialist since he is already 17 months old and is dealing OK with it. We will see what tomorrow morning brings.

My hubby is home! No more single mom. Don't you just think it's cruel to leave me with 3 kids right off the bat! Just kidding. I mean, really, golf is important too. HA HA. Just teasing! I love you honey. But I am VERY glad you are home! Now, can you change that dirty diaper?

The many steps of bathtime

2008-06-07T09:05:00.001-07:00

Step 1: Fully dressed with NO water . Play for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Clothes off but diaper on, still NO water. Continue playtime.

Step 3: Diaper off, play a while. Then start the water. He usually freaks out as soon at it touches him, but today he did great!

Step 4: Wash body and hair while playing and singing. He whined but was still happy for the camera.

Step 5: Love on my little Max burrito!! He did amazing!!!!
WE DID IT!!!! I am SO happy he is trusting me now! I really just think he had no idea it was supposed to be fun. Now he is relaxing a little. We will continue the 5 step process for a while to help him feel more at ease. He is just so dang fun! Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. I'm so happy to have others to ask!!!

Also, Max ate 2 meals by spoon yesterday!!! He is up to eating 8-10 oz of baby food at a time. It is awesome! Next battle will be texture. I plan to wait a few weeks for that. We have an upper GI study next Tuesday to see about his aspiration and reflux. I am so curious to see what is going on. He is still really raspy after every feeding and has a nasty cough even with the meds he is on now. My hope is that it is just reflux and not a structural issue when he swallows. Reflux can be fixed with medication. I'm not sure what they will do if it is structural.

Tia and Tyler are adjusting really well. Tia still needs her space now and then but there has been a lot of change for her to deal with. She has a new respite provider, we've had lots of company, Max's crying scares her, and daddy went out of town for a few days. She is still processing everything. Tyler is very easy going and change is not as difficult for him. So, he helps Tia by being a friend to play with. They are great kids!! Right now they are pretending to be in school. Tyler is writing his abc's and Tia is giving a lecture on manners! "You have to share Tyler, OK?" "OK" Pretty funny. I am almost surprised things are going so well. I am just trying not to feel spread too thin but give everyone some one on one time. It takes a lot of energy but it is worth it!

2 weeks later

2008-05-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

We have been home for 2 weeks now. It feels so great! Max is doing really well. He is paying more attention to Tia and Tyler and seems to be settling in. He has explored about every inch of the playroom and front room. It is so fun to see him enjoying life in our family! My sister came for a little bit today and hasn't seem him in 2 weeks. She said he looks stronger and healthier already. That was nice to hear.

He has actually done 2 amazing things since he's been here. He is putting weight through his feet now and pulling up on my hands. He wouldn't put any weight on his feet before and he thinks it is the funnest game ever! AND as you can see, today he ate from a spoon!!!! He hasn't been liking the baby food in a bottle much the last few days so I decided to try it on a spoon. I started with sweet potatoes (because no baby can refuse those) and it worked. He was messy but he opened his mouth every time for the spoon. He did bite the spoon A LOT and wouldn't give it back which was funny but he did it!! So, for 2 meals today he ate some baby food. I tried stage 3 but he wasn't ready for the texture so I blended it up and he liked that better. Little by little he is getting it. He definitely still likes the bottle for his milk.

He still HATES the bath and we are trying things with no success but we will get there. He doesn't mind playing in a pan of water, or putting his feet in water but hates to be sitting in it. I even tried to get in with him in just two inches of water but he freaked out. So, next I will put him in the tub with NO water and some toys and see how he does. I am only trying something every few days so it doesn't become too stressful for him. I sure wish I knew how he handled baths in Serbia. I just feel so bad for him. Overall, he is doing great and is an absolute sweetheart!

Huff Family Update

2008-05-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are all alive! I know I haven't written an update but life has been busy this week. I haven't made it to the computer much. Max is doing really good and yes, I cut his hair. It took 3 days for him to get off Serbian time which was really hard since Kevin and I were so exhausted. He would be up at 1:30am every night ready for food and playtime. He now sleeps from 7:30pm-5am. My other kids are early risers too so although that is a bit early, we are happy to sleep through the night. I was worried Max would not want to be held very much but it is quite the contrary. He loves to be held and often cries when put down. He does play on the floor by himself but prefers if we play with him there. I think it's great. He is commando crawling everywhere and we have to put all the cords up! He definitely knows me and prefers me. We are in spoil mode right now so he knows we won't leave him. He is SO happy and sweet!!!

The hardest part has been the food. He is not really thrilled with most things we give him. He is still 100% on a bottle so we have to grind up stuff and put it in a bottle for lunch and dinner. I am sure everything has a very different flavor than he is used to. He did not like our milk much either. But, after going to the pediatrician, he is now on Pediasure which he likes, thank goodness. However, it is $10.50 for 6 bottles! Hopefully, he won't be on it for long. He weighs 17-6 and is in 6-9 month clothes but he will be on to 9-12 month clothes soon. He has terrible reflux which we are getting a good handle on but he and I still go through a few outfits a day. I tried rice cereal on a spoon today and lets just say, it's going to be a while! It took 8 tries to get one spoonful in. Pretty funny.

We got referrals for all our doctors and have appointments set for the ENT(ear doctor), the eye doctor, the GI doctor for a swallow test to check to see if he is aspirating his food (as we think he is), a hearing screening, an endocrinologist as his thyroid hormone is elevated, the cardiologist just to be 100% sure everything is OK, and the evaluation for therapy services. Is that it? LOL We have the world's best pediatrician so she is covering all the bases for us. He is on breathing treatments and reflux medicine and is doing amazingly well now. He had a pretty bad cough and rattle sound going on before.

So much for laying low for a while. This week Tia had Kindergarten graduation, Tyler had the end of the year Preschool program, we had family in town for my nephew and niece's graduation, and overall life has been busy this week. Max is overwhelmed for sure and we are trying to keep that to a minimum. He just gets super tired and won't sleep because he doesn't want to miss anything. He LOVES being outside. Tia and Tyler are great with him. Tia loves to hold him. Tyler comes in every morning, gets face to face with Max and says, "Hello brother." It is SO sweet. They are not overly interested to the point of annoyance but like him and kiss him and then go on their way. It has been so fun to see how well he fits in our family. I feel like he has been here forever. I guess because he was in our hearts for so long before we brought him home. We really love him!

We are all together!!!!

2008-05-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

WE ARE HOME!!! I am so happy to be home with my kids and be all together. Thank you SO much to my sister for everything you did. Would you believe during the 2 weeks while we were gone, between the 5 children she had to deal with the stomach flu 3 times (her included), strep throat, two kids with double ear infections, croup, Tia falling and cutting her head, and pink eye!!! 4 of the 5 kids are now on antibiotics and the Urgent Care knows my brother-in-law by name. Insane! So, needless to say they are also VERY happy we are home to take over! Sorry, Amber!!! You are awesome!

Max did OK on the plane. He was so overstimulated and wouldn't sleep. Then he would get so over tired he would scream for 5-10 minutes and finally fall asleep. He slept most of the way from NY to Phoenix which of course messed up his night's sleep. He is totally backwards and exhausted when he is awake. Kevin and I took turns taking naps today as we did not sleep on the plane more than 30 minutes in a 28 hour period. I am just glad I have some adrenaline from seeing Tia and Tyler.

They LOVE Max and are SO happy to meet him and be with us again. It was adorable to see them all loving each other. I am sure when the exhaustion wears off, we will have so much fun. Kevin is home this week. Thank goodness!!! We have 100 things this week as it is the last week of school. I hope Max can hang in there a few more days. Then we can all calm down and just enjoy each other. Max already met a few of the cousins, one aunt and uncle, and one grandma. He was a hit! How could he go wrong with that smile?! Anyway, I am off to bed. I am SO happy to be home! Thanks to everyone for your support and friendship!

Doing the Visa Dance!!!!!

2008-05-16T05:40:00.000-07:00

It all came together today!!! It was a bit stressful running here and there but we did it!!! Max is ours and has a Visa and will become an American citizen tomorrow evening when we touch down in New York City! It may not be through Ellis Island, but it works for me! We will be home in AZ at 9:45 pm tomorrow night. WOW!!! Thank you all so much for your prayers and words of encouragement.

We spent all day running around with Max and he was a trooper. He got so exhausted but wouldn't settle down to rest as there was too much to see. So we brought him back to the Children's home for a nap this afternoon. He has one more breathing treatment tonight to receive and then we will go get him for the final time. I am so happy to be with him. He and I have a very nice connection already. He does NOT like doctors however, and screamed the whole time she examined him. But, afterward he reached for me and calmed very quickly with me. I know there is much bonding to be done but that will come in time. We fed him baby food mixed with milk in a bottle. I had to poke a bigger hole in the tip as that is what he is used to. I will slowly have to wean him off some of the "not so good for oral motor" habits. :-)

So, that is our wonderful news. Next time I write I will be home in AZ! If I can add some pictures tonight I will. Kevin is at the botanical gardens and I need to go pack!!! Yeah!!!!

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!

2008-05-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

We did it!!!!! Max is officially our son today!!!! We got word at 8:30 am that the Minister signed the papers and we would be traveling to Max's birth town to finish the adoption. We drove about 2 1/2 hours south (beautiful drive by the way) and met with the Center for Social Work there. They have been the legal gaurdians for Max up until now. We were pleasantly surprised to see the Director there. We didn't meet her before. She was SO nice and wanted to be sure everything went smoothly. We shared our story and photos with her and exchanged gifts.

Then they read us the paperwork in English. We signed the adoption papers. Then we all stood up and the Director put her stamp of approval on it and officially announced us as the adoptive parents of Andrija Huff. We will change his name in the States to Max Andre Huff. We decided to keep part of his birth name. Oh, and yes, I had tears in my eyes when it was announced out loud. We have waited 10 long months for this day!!! I am SOOO happy he is ours!!!

We took the ladies from the center to lunch while the attorney took our paperwork to get a passport for Max. After lunch we went to the police station and signed for his Serbian passport. His little picture in a passport is so cute! So, all went SO much better than anyone expected. Now tomorrow we will take him to the Embassy approved doctor, get our translated paperwork from the attorney, and head to the Embassy for the Visa. OH PLEASE let them give us a Visa tomorrow!!!

Tonight Jasmina took us to a wonderful theatre to see a Folk Dancing performance. It was amazing and so nice to celebrate our day. It was (aside from adopting Max) my favorite thing we have done in Serbia. I really loved it. The costumes, singing and dancing were so great. The culture here is very strong. On any given night you can find an opera, concert, play, ect. I do wish we could have done even more. Kevin and I love that kind of thing but rarely have the time when we are home.

OK, it is midnight here and tomorrow is another big day. I am off to bed. My very, very small bed. :-)

2nd Wednesday in Serbia

2008-05-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, more cute pictures! I'm telling you this boy is CUTE! We still did not get the papers signed by the Minister today. He is now in Belgrade though, which is good. We should know early in the am if we are traveling tomorrow. Everything must go as planned or we will not be home until next week. I HATE that because Tia is counting the days until we are home and it will be sad for her if we don't make it on the day we promised. Labor is hard and painful and adoption is slow and stressful. Either way, you must sacrifice something. I guess that is what makes it that much sweeter in the end. We will let you know how tomorrow goes.

2nd Tuesday in Serbia

2008-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

I need to start by asking for a prayer request. We are not going to Max's hometown tomorrow. They could not find the Minister today to get his signature. We must have that before we complete the adoption. This means we HAVE to get the signature tomorrow, go to Leskovac on Thursday, have Max's medical exam Friday and get the US embassy to give us his Visa the same day (Friday). (Usually, this takes 24 hours.) If the embassy takes 2 days for the Visa, we are stuck here until Monday. If the signature doesn't happen tomorrow, we are stuck here until next week for sure. Belgrade is a beautiful place but I miss my kids!!! I really want to get home Saturday! The people at the US embassy were SO nice to us today when we went to get all the forms. They said they will try to have the Visa the same day but it is out of their control. Please, pray that everything will fall into place and we will come home as planned. I am sure my sister will pray extra hard. LOL

OK, now to today. We spent time with Max this morning. He was in a really silly and talkative mood. He was laughing and babbling a lot. He doesn't smile all the time and we have even seen him a bit cranky but he is much more good natured than I ever would have thought. His nickname here is "smesko" which means "smiley boy." It is well deserved! In the afternoon we went to Zemun, which I guess would be a suburb of Belgrade. It was nice and more laid back than in the city. There were a lot of children there which we haven't seen so much in the city. AND, we have seen 4 older children/adults with Down syndrome!! I always want to talk to their families with them but the language barrier has prevented me from trying. So, I am very happy to know that some people here do value our children. Very cool.

We have not had a problem finding food here. The food is good and even more importantly, the ice cream and desserts are very good too. We found an amazing dessert place here. The only thing is when we asked for milk, they brought us steamed milk. It was actually good with chocolate cake though! We do eat out a lot even though we have a kitchen. I am not much of a cook and I figure it is good to experience the culture. Right? LOL Tomorrow, I am making apple pie for the church members. They meet on Wednesday night for family night. Don't be too impressed, I'm cheating. I brought pie crust mix and canned apple filling with me from the states. I also brought "apple pie spice" and it got crushed in my luggage. So I have one suitcase full of stuff covered in cinnamon!! It smells good though. LOL Oh, the joys of traveling!

2nd Monday in Serbia

2008-05-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Today we had wonderful weather! We took Max outside to the play ground in front of the Children's home. We put him in the swing. He seemed to like it. He is not one to complain much about anything yet. (Oh yeah, except cleaning his nose and face.) Several of the older children were outside too. They are cute and some come to talk to us and give us hugs. After about an hour outside, we took Max back in. He played for a few minutes and then sacked out in my lap. I guess he is not used to watching 20 kids run around.

After we left the Children's home, we went downtown with Jasmina. She showed us several nice stores and restaurants. We ate a lot of lunch and then walked it off by going back to the castle to take pictures and see the churches there. It was really amazing. You can see the whole city and the Danube River. Funny story...Kevin was wearing shorts and they did not allow this in the church so he had to wrap a shawl around his legs. He looked like he had a skirt on. I don't know which is more disrespectful, shorts or a guy in a skirt?! Pretty funny. We took a small tour of the fortress museum and Kevin liked that the best. He really enjoys learning about the history here. He read about it a lot before we came. I read about the city as it is now and things to do here. Together we have found we are familiar with many of the sites here. The people here appreciate that we take interest in their culture and history.

It looks like we will go to Max's hometown on Wednesday. We will bring the attorney's husband to help us. He is well known in that area and can use his influence to help us if needed. Let's hope it all goes well but, we are all a bit nervous. One of the people there is not happy about international adoption and could make it difficult for us. Tomorrow we go to get forms at the US Embassy and schedule an appointment for the Visa interview. We will get Max's physical on Thursday. He is using breathing treatments right now for a respiratory infection so we will not take him from the children's home until probably Friday. We want him to get all his medications. We leave Saturday morning. I think this week will go quickly but Wednesday may feel VERY long. We will see. Lots of arguing in Serbian. :-) But if you have been here, you know that is NO big deal. Serbians are very passionate people. It has been fun.

Sunday in Serbia

2008-05-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

As I write this I can hear fireworks of celebration from the elections today. It is almost midnight here. We went downtown tonight and all was calm but there were news crews everywhere and one of the streets was closed for a party.

We went to church this morning. Our church is small here but lots of the members spoke English and everyone was wonderful to us. Of course they made us speak but it was nice to share our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They all told us how grateful they are that we would give a child from Serbia a better life. Really, it is Kevin and I who are grateful to be given the opportunity and means to do so.

After church we went to visit Max. It was there that we realized it was Mother's Day in the U.S. It was so nice to have Max with me today so I wasn't so sad to be away from Tia and Tyler. We did talk to them today via webcam which is really great. It is nice for them to be able to see us and us them. I sure miss them!! My sister got the stomach flu last night so her hubby had to take care of all 5 kids alone today. Thanks to both of you for all your sacrifices this week!!! Pretty much every one of the kids have been sick while we have been here. Not fun for her!

Well, I am exhausted so I am off to bed. Did I mention our bed is about 6 inches bigger than a twin bed? Pretty funny as we are not small people! I will be so happy to have my Cali King back! :-) Here's to hoping we don't fall out of bed!

Saturday in Serbia

2008-05-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Max
Kisses are a bit more like licks in his world. Funny.
He loves to play ball and is good at rolling it back and forth to us. He likes when I get the ball and say, "Fa la vum" which is "Thank you." He gives me big smiles.
Jasmina's choir concert in front of part of the Children's hospital.

Hello again. We only spent about 45 minutes with Max today. But, in case you are wondering, he is still cute!!! LOL Jasmina invited us to go to a concert she was performing in with her choir. It was for a benefit at a children's hospital. It was very nice and the weather is perfect today! It really is a beautiful city!! The elections are tomorrow so there is much going on in the way of entertainment in the city center. There is a rule here that you cannot campaign for 3 days before the election to give everyone a time to decide. I wish we would be so lucky in the States. LOL The other night there were about 30-40 policemen outside the US Embassy. Kevin and I thought it was because it was the last night of campaigning. Come to find out it was because of a soccer game!!! Some people riot if their team loses and so they always heighten security on nights of soccer games. Pretty funny. It is not even near the soccer stadium. My brothers will understand the passion soccer brings in other countries! (We are a BIG soccer family.)

We went to a concert last night at the castle here. We didn't get close to the stage but had a good time walking around and people watching. Young people drink a lot here and everyone smokes. It is different for us. Cafe's are everywhere and we have a harder time finding places that serve food and not just drinks. We asked Jasmina and she gave us some great suggestions. We did go to a really nice restaurant last night and the menu was in English. We will most likely go back there. It is very nice to meet someone who speaks English. I must be getting homesick! Yes, I am.

So, the rest of today we will sightsee. There will be an orchestra concert in the park with the castle tonight and we will go there for sure. We are trying to get tickets to the Opera too. We just want to experience all we can here. Tomorrow we will go to church in the morning and then to see Max in the afternoon. Until tomorrow, here are some more pictures.

Friday from Serbia

2008-05-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here is some cute video from yesterday afternoon. We went to get his pictures for the passport and visa today. The physical therapist walked there with us. It was probably Max's first trip out of the children's home. He was very serious and a bit shell shocked. No smiling for the camera. But, we are one step closer to the adoption. We should go to his hometown next Tuesday or Wednesday to sign the papers. Hopefully, it will go smoothly. We are now coming to the center of town for internet use as we can use wireless and be outside to "people watch." The young girls dress like American's in the 1980's! It is funny to see. Maybe that is the trend in the US too. What would I know??

We tried to use our washer only to find out it was broken. It filled with water but would not drain. The door to the washer is on the front so we had to open it to get the clothes out to dry. It was quite comical to watch Kevin trying to catch all the water as he opened the door. Needless to say, it is getting fixed tomorrow! Funny. Now I wish I had brought a few more clothes. Our apartment has been good though. We are a bit squished as we only have a full size bed (about 6-8 inches bigger than a twin) but at least it is not a twin. Beggars can't be choosers! :-) We are doing well. Have fun laughing along with the video!

Thursday am in Serbia

2008-05-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

View from our apartment windowView from children's home window
Our cutie cute little monkey, Max
His cute little grin, outside on the playground.

Another great day! Max is just wonderful. He is such a sweetheart and so much fun! His smile and laugh are contagious! Enjoy the pictures.

Wednesday in Serbia

2008-05-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hello! We are just loving our time with Max. We also got to see ALL the kids today!!!! Yes, I have lots of pics for all you waiting moms. I will send them to your email accounts tomorrow. Sorry, we forgot the camera cord again. Today was a bit mentally stressful. It was wonderful to play with all the children but I want to take them all home. The children's home is nice. Very clean, good care but we all know a family makes a world of difference. Jasmina is working so hard to find homes for all available children. I have a few more to add to RR. It just breaks my heart that there are so many children who need homes and we are only one couple and can't do it all. All I can say is if you are not in the process of adopting, please think about it. It is needed in every country!!

We took Max outside today and walked around the playground. He was very interested in every sound he heard. He is so curious. He seemed to be feeling better today but still gets tired easily. We played in his room today with him instead of the playroom. He is so good natured and only cries when his nose is wiped. I don't think I have EVER met a child who likes that!!! He is so ticklish and even laughed when his diaper was changed.

We have called our kids a few times using a webcam. It is so fun to see them as I miss them so much. I think all is going well though and we will hurry home. We visited the castle/fortress here last evening and have seen a few sites. It is very different here but the nature is the same. Green trees, large parks, etc. The buildings are different though. I will post some pics tomorrow of the city. Anyway, we are off to eat dinner and head to bed.

Pictures from today a.m.-Tuesday

2008-05-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Is that the longest tongue ever??Sorry, it is sideways but this is Kevin giving him tickles
Sleeping in mommy's arms. Aaawwww.......

Day 3 from Serbia

2008-05-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

The huge smile when I first picked him up!
Checking me out
patty cake, patty cake
He's not sure about daddy's beard

All of the pictures are from yesterday. We had another great day with Max! He is so sweet and LOVES to be tickled!!! He likes to tease us by crawling toward the door so we will tickle him. He is so cute!!! He even has a game he plays with Kevin. He holds his rattle up in the air towards Kevin and waits for him to shake his arm to make the rattle sound. He does it over and over. He really has a fun personality. Of course, you can tell by the promised pictures that he has a great smile (tongue out and all)!

Julie, I saw David today as I walked past his room. He is in the room next to Max's. He was sitting up in his crib and I waved to him. I will get to meet all the kids next week and take all their pictures. Jasmina and the psychologist wrote our report today to send to the Ministry. They have seen enough to recommend us. We have a very nice psychologist! Max is still pretty sick and a bit low energy but he still plays hard. He loves for me to sing to him and fell asleep in my arms which was so adorable. He is a thumb sucker and although I know that is a hard habit to break, it is so dang cute! I can't wait to get him home and even though it is beautiful here, I can't believe it is only Tuesday. Enjoy the pictures!

WE MET MAX!!!!!

2008-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

OK, first I will start by apologizing that you will all have to wait until tomorrow to see pictures. Sorry, sorry, sorry. We forgot our cable to download the pictures back at the apartment a few blocks away. We should have DSL in our apt in the next few days and we won't have to walk to the church, although that is not a problem as it is close.

Now to the important stuff. Our meeting with the ministry was very fast as they had many meetings today. We pretty much just introduced ourselves and learned a bit about Max's birth family. Then set a schedule of events for the next 2 weeks. There was a bit of a heated discussion between the attorney of the center and the others but we are not totally sure what it was all about. Probably best we don't know so that we are just ourselves.

Then we went to the orphanage, which by the way, some prefer it to be called a "children's home" or something a bit less institutional sounding. It was not a problem, just a discussion between the others of what they should call it. Anyway, we went there and as we waited for the Center officials to arrive, I got to meet Max!!!! We went in to check if he was still sleeping and he was sitting up in his crib (yes, on his own!). My heart melted when I laid eyes on him. He is the most beautiful little guy!!! I asked if I could hold him and they said yes (even though I think we were officially supposed to wait). So of course I scooped him up and he gave me the best smile!!! Oh, I just love him! We do have great pictures, you will see his sweet smile.

We only had a minute to love on him and then we had to leave and go meet with the Center people. They were nice and just asked about us and how Max's life would be in our family. We told them our story and how we came to find Max and fall in love with him. Jasmina told them we got to see him while they were on their way and they asked what we thought of him. Of course, I gushed that he was so wonderful and I was ready to go back and give him more hugs. They were all very sweet and also surprised that Tia, my 6 year old is reading. We tried to explain all the advantages of early intervention services.

They followed us to the playroom and we got to play with Max for about an hour. He is even cuter than the pictures I have seen! Really, he is SO cute!!! The woman from the Center and the psychologist only stayed about 15 minutes and then we got to have him alone. I even got to feed him a bottle. (Which he gulped down in a few minutes and wanted more.) Jasmina came in a few minutes later and said the ladies were satisfied. I guess we passed the test. So, we go back 2 times a day for about 2 hours each. He is sick right now so he is tired. His breathing sounds like a purring cat and his nose is goopy. Ask me if I care. He is so wonderful!!!! I hope he gets better before we leave so he is comfortable on the plane. Oh, and he is commando crawling!!! He is so dang cute!

Sorry, this is so long. I told Jasmina I will be in big trouble if I don't take lots of pictures of the other kids who have families from Reece's Rainbow waiting. She said, yes I will get to see them all and take pictures. So, hold tight ladies. Also, there is a 5 month old here we will meet (DS) who is now ready for adoption. We asked Jasmina to put her in our backpack! Shelley, I think you met her right? Anyway, this has been such an awesome day!!!! I will for sure post pics tomorrow. Sorry!

Greetings from Serbia!!!

2008-05-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

We are here! All of our luggage made it too---hooray!!! You should have seen us trying to shove 4 suitcases and 2 carry-ons into a YUGO. It was a bit tight. Pretty funny. Belgrade is much bigger than I thought it would be. It is a beautiful time to be here. It is very green. There was a downpour for about 10 minutes but then it stopped. Unfortunately, it happened when we were out walking two streets away from the apartment so we got a bit wet. :-) The buildings in our part of town are old and have a lot of history and nice architecture. There are several bombed buildings still standing. The US Embassy now has cement blocks where the windows used to be. (Since it was attacked and set on fire a few months ago during a demonstration.) Guess you just can't be too careful, huh?

Our apartment is nice. Nothing fancy but it is perfect for us. We are not very high maintenance. LOL The man helping us from the church (the Branch President) is wonderful. He has really set everything up for us. Right now we are at the church using the internet until they get ours installed this week. He even stocked our apt with some food so we would have something to eat when we arrived.

The flight was exhausting and I am really looking forward to sleeping tonight laying down! Tomorrow is the big day!!!! We will meet with the Ministry and then meet Max for the first time!!! I cannot wait, as you might have guessed. So, check tomorrow and I will try to post pictures of the big moment. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

What??? Only 2 more days???

2008-05-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

I just got my plane tickets from the Fed Ex man!!!!! I now have a plane ticket with my son's name on it. Granted, it is not the name Max, but his current name with our last name. I totally got goosebumps reading it!!! I cannot believe I will be meeting him on Monday!!! I am SO happy to add him to our family! I am so in love with him!

So, how's getting ready going??? Actually, I am doing OK with it. I have WAY more stuff than I thought I would. I may have gone a bit overboard on the gifts. I learned from the best---thanks mom! I have half of my house clean, now for the other half. Did I mention how much I dislike cleaning? I just want to play with my kids as much as I can before I leave. Tia is very excited to get Max home. We have been talking about him since Christmas time. She keeps telling me all the things she wants to do with him. Read him stories, sing him songs, play with toys, feed him milk... The list goes on and on. Tyler hasn't talked about him too much. When someone asked him (for the millionth time), "Who is that picture of?" Tyler, knowing full well it was Max, replied, "STEVE!" It was pretty funny. He likes to answer easy questions with wrong answers for attention. I'm not sure how well that will go over at testing time at school! LOL He is a true comedian. I am going to miss them so much for two whole weeks!!!!

Oh, and all of you waiting for your little ones in Serbia, I will have my camera handy at ALL times to take pictures of them and send them home. I know that is what we thrive on until the day comes!! OK, back to cleaning. Sigh!!!

Where will we be?

2008-04-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-04-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-04-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-14T14:42:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-04-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

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!

The light is getting brighter

2008-03-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

No exact date yet but we heard from the facilitator today. She said, "Be ready to come to Serbia soon." I told her we do not need much notice. Just a few days to book a flight and get a place to stay there. She received permission to complete all five of the pending adoptions in the next two months!! Amazing!! So, we are hoping we overlap with the other families so we can meet them. So far we are only "internet friends." All 5 families are adopting from www.reecesrainbow.com. These will be the first adoptions of children with Down syndrome from Serbia. VERY EXCITING!!! Please pray that all families will be financially ready to go soon. It is difficult to think you have 6 months to get all the money and then find out you need it in a month. Anyway, now I have to not go crazy thinking about it over the weekend. I may even start packing!!! =-)

Survival of Spring Break

2008-03-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring Break is about over. After 1 movie, countless trips to the park, several works of art via sidewalk chalk, inning after inning of backyard t-ball, 1 trip to the zoo, 100 playroom picnics with plastic food, and way too much Elmo and Mickey Mouse (for mom), we are ready for Monday and SCHOOL!!! (OK, I am ready for Monday and school.) We had a great time, don't get me wrong. But the energy level of the kids is much higher than mine! How is that fair? I don't know.

I really thought I would hear our travel date by now. But, I am confident we will be traveling in April. I just hate the weekends because I know I won't get any news. Yes, my current life revolves around going to Serbia. You know, it is hard to plan anything not knowing when we will be gone. I can't volunteer to be class mom or for church activities too far in advance. I did buy concert tickets at Christmas time for my husband and I to see Paul Potts next week. I was thinking, we will be back from Serbia in plenty of time to go to this. Funny. But we get to go which is cool. For those of you who don't know Paul Potts, he was the winner of "Britain's Got Talent." He was just an average guy who worked in a cell phone store and came on the show and sang opera. He is phenomenal!!

Happy Easter to everyone! Easter is always special for me. I found out on Easter in 1998, that I was pregnant with our first child, Braxton. I feel so grateful at this time of year for our Savior, Jesus Christ and his atonement and resurrection. I know that it is only through Him that I can be with my son again not only in spirit but with flesh and bones. I will get to HUG my son again. That is a day that can't come soon enough. May you all have a wonderful Easter with family and friends!

Is that a light?

2008-03-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

We got great news today from the facilitator! She said it looks like we will be traveling the end of this month or beginning of next month. YEAH!!! There's a light at the end of the tunnel. I am SO happy! She asked when it would be convenient for us to travel and of course I said we would go as soon as she could arrange it! Thanks to all of the prayers offered on our behalf. Keep them coming so we can bring our boy home soon!!

Glasses for everyone!

2008-03-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

My little Tyler got glasses today! He is 4 years old now. He looks so much more grown up with them. Tia, my 6 year old got glasses in November. We have known since birth that our kids had no shot at perfect eyesight as both my hubby and I had glasses by 3rd grade. Oh well. He is not crazy about keeping them on so we will introduce them little by little. As long as he doesn't break them, I'll be happy.

Update...more waiting

2008-02-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

It's been a week now. I am so grateful to be receiving e-mail from the American family in Serbia. They have given us a true perspective of what it is like there. They are safe and ready to come home on Saturday if all goes as planned. We told the facilitator we would keep all our paperwork there and go when they are ready for us. It is such a small program that it looks like they have to bring one family at a time. Especially now that they are being extra cautious about our safety. So, we will wait and hope the center hurries!

Sad, Sad News

2008-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

What a devastating day. Here is the latest in Serbia. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1715206,00.html
A huge group of protesters met in Belgrade today (about half a million of them) and a group broke off and set the U.S. Embassy on fire!!!! Needless to say, this is not what we wanted to hear. This may completely change everything. Regardless of how the adoption program is working, it is not safe to travel there at this time. We don't know if they will close the adoptions for a while or not. Right now, our plan is to keep all our paperwork there and just wait it out. I feel so strongly that Max is our son. I am so heartbroken. I have been crying all day. I do not want to think about him staying in the orphanage another minute, let alone another 6 months or years or whatever! I can already tell I won't be sleeping much tonight. I am just so incredibly sad. I hope when we do finally get him, this will seem like the blink of an eye. Oh, how I love him and want him to come home.

Things are looking up

2008-02-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who thought and prayed for our situation lately. We heard from the American family in Serbia today. They said things seemed much calmer today. The US Embassy was not open but they felt safe enough to tour the city today which is wonderful. They spoke to the chief of the Ministry and the Minister, who assured them "that there will not be any problems with (the) adoption from them. They are not going to let the political situation between the U.S. and Serbia affect (the) adoption negatively." Hooray!!! Let's hope that continues to be the attitude there.

Turmoil in Serbia

2008-02-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

Well, it's only been a few hours since I last posted but political situations happen fast. I have been reading about Kosovo and all the protests and American hatred going on. Very scary. I am very, very worried about our adoption right now. For those of you who don't know, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia yesterday. Serbia is refusing to recognize it as it was not done according to International Law. The US on the other hand, has recognized Kosovo as a separate state now. (France, Britain, and a few others have too.) Because the US flag has been used in many protests, the US is becoming more and more hated there. In Belgrade, which is where the orphanage and also the US Embassy is, there have been many protests. Some even stoned the US Embassy last night. Our little Max was born in a town just outside of Kosovo and we must travel there to complete our paperwork. That is if we are even allowed to continue the adoption at this time. Please, please pray for us and that this situation will not affect the adoption program for very long, if at all. We do not want to risk going to an unsafe country nor do we want to wait a year to get Max. Please pray that God's will be done and that we will have peace in whatever the outcome is. Thank you.

Max is really there

2008-02-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

There is a family in Serbia right now adopting siblings. I "met" the mom through the internet. She has been e-mailing everyday to update everyone on her journey. It has been very helpful to know what to expect. I think I will need to learn a little Serbian before we go. Yesterday, we got the best e-mail from her. She was able to see Max!!! Of course she said he is so cute. =-) She said he is well cared for. She asked the facilitator if we would be traveling soon. She was told that the lawyer, the Ministry officials (government), and the facilitator are all putting pressure on the social work center to HURRY UP. So, hopefully soon.

Kosovo declared their independence yesterday from Serbia. Serbia is NOT happy about it. I really hope that will not interfere with anything. The family who is there said it is all over the news but so far is not causing problems within Belgrade. Hopefully, no military action will be taken.

My mother-in-law is in town this week from MO. She is wonderful. We had most of my husband's family here on Saturday night to see her. My niece has a 3 month old baby that Kevin and I fought over. Good thing we are getting a little one soon because we are both ready! It was fun to take family pics. There are 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren on his side. On my side, there are 17 grandchildren and 2 on the way. That is crazy for me because I grew up with ONE cousin. Yup. One! I am excited for my kids to have so many cousins. Go to the bottom of the page to see the pictures.

She's got the Blues

2008-02-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

In trying to get my life organized, I was in the office one night while my children played in the playroom. I must admit, I wasn't paying much attention to what they were doing. My husband was out for the evening. Tia, my 6 year old, came into the office and said, "Uh-Oh." I turned to see she her hands covered in blue paint!! I replied, "Oh Wow. Let's see what happened." If I react in a big way, she will do it again tomorrow to see mommy go crazy again. So, I have learned to stay calm. NOT always easy. =-) She had climbed up on a toy, reached the poster paints and opened the blue one. I have to say I was a bit impressed as I didn't know she could twist the top off so easily. Anyhow, she had finger painted the cabinets, the shopping cart she used to stand on, and the table. It wouldn't have been too bad except she spilled a few good blobs on the carpet. It took me almost an hour to get it even close to out. I put her in the tub and started to clean up when I thought, " I really should take a picture of this." The funniest part is that Tyler, my 3 year old, never even saw it. He was reading a book in the corner of the room and never looked up. I know the mess would have had NO boundries, had he joined in. Isn't life fun!? Needless to say, the remaining poster paint went into a childproofed cabinet!

GRRRRR

2008-02-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it's still going to be a while. I wrote the facilitator of the orphanage last Thursday to ask how things were going. She wrote today to say Max's center, where all the paperwork is done, is VERY slow. They only have one last thing to do but have not done it. She said he is already cleared for international adoption so there is no reason he should be there anymore. I couldn't agree more! =-) The mommy tiger in me wants to fly to Serbia and camp out in the center until the paperwork is complete! I guess I don't need to be checking my e-mail 5 times a day anymore. It is nice to know something though.

Trying not to think about it, is pretty much impossible. The other night I said to my husband, "I just thought of something." He said, "Let me guess, it's about adoption." I had to laugh, he was right. Please keep Max's center in your thoughts and prayers that they will understand the urgency of getting him home to a forever family. Thanks!

Shopping is good

2008-01-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

So, to keep myself busy while waiting for a travel date, I am doing lots of organizing. First was the garage, then the kitchen, then the den. Now I am going to start the boy's room. I am excited to go through all the clothes and get stuff ready for Max. I love baby clothes.

Yesterday I went to Kohl's and they had lots of stuff on Clearance so I bought lots of cute little outfits. I am not completely sure what size he will be but I have a weight for him so I went off that. I figure I will bring the "iffy" stuff to Serbia and leave it at the orphanage if it doesn't fit. See, shopping makes things better. =-) I am actually not a big spender. I'm more the penny pincher type but I love to buy for my kids.

A sweet friend of mine is lending me a front pack snuggli, a swing and a bassinet. I gave everything away about 5 months before we decided to adopt. Of course. So, eventually I will need to get another high chair and a few things like that. Oh darn, more baby shopping. lol

I also wanted to publicly thank a certain person for a $500 donation to our adoption. It was quite a surprise to find out that it was from someone we don't know. I hope he reads this and knows how truly grateful we are. You are an amazing selfless person and we thank you for your support in our journey! Thanks to everyone who has helped us!

Missing Braxton

2008-01-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

I feel like all my entries have been depressing lately but I guess it is just that time of year for me. Today was the anniversary of Braxton's death. 8 years ago today was the worst day of my entire life. Instead of focusing on that, I thought I would share some of the things Braxton brought into my life. Braxton gave me the opportunity to love like I never knew was even possible (as most firstborns do). He gave me the opportunity to give service and receive service from others. He showed me that unconditional love has NO bounds. He showed me that you can smile through life's trials (and OH what a smile!). He showed me during his therapy sessions that determination is essential for success. He taught me that Heavenly Father has a plan. He taught me to cherish family and friends. He got me absolutely addicted to children with Down syndrome. =-) He taught me that I am capable of doing more than I would have ever dreamed I could do. I'm still not sure how I dealt with all the stress of the hospital stays and surgeries. He taught me that 30 minutes of Barney can provide time to shower. lol He taught me that there is nothing in the world better than hugs and kisses from your kids. He showed me that I married a wonderful man who fell as in love with Braxton on day one, as I did. He truly showed me a world that I never knew was so much fun. I don't know how many of you have read, "Welcome to Holland". (printed below) I have to say I disagree with this. I have never looked back and wished for Italy. I love "Holland"! To me, it is the most beautiful place in the whole world and you could never convince me otherwise. I am so grateful to Braxton for letting us be his family and giving us 13 months to love and adore him. I can't wait to see him again someday! He is and will always be a tremendous strength to our family.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Can you say, "NO NEWS"?

2008-01-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. This is because we STILL have NO travel date!!! We do know that the international adoption attorney is back at work finally. I thought Max was from the large city in Serbia but he is actually from a smaller town. This makes the process a bit longer as things have to be mailed back and forth. It also adds a day onto our trip because we have to travel to his town of birth to sign paperwork. That will take a full day round trip. I am glad we will be able to see more of Serbia though. I have heard how beautiful it is. We may only be able to see snow. Lots of it.

I am getting things organized and trying to keep myself busy but it is still hard not to be frustrated. Lots of families from Reece's Rainbow are leaving for Ukraine soon. It has been great to read their packing lists and lists of things to do. My fear is that they will all still be in Ukraine when we go to Serbia and I won't have anyone to ask for travel advice. =-) I am buying little toys for our kids to put in a "treasure box." Then, while we are gone, they can each choose a toy a day to give them something to look forward to. I'm still trying to figure out what to bring for gifts. I am bringing a bunch of one-piece outfits for the orphanage but I'm not sure what to bring the caretakers. I want to thank them but not go overboard.

Anyway, I really hope my next entry will be to announce our travel date but the facilitator just keeps saying, "You must have patience and believe in me." Which I think is cute. I am eager to meet her face to face. I know she wants us to travel soon too. So keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks!

My Family

2007-12-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

This is our Christmas card photo. It was a bit windy that day but it turned out great. Can you believe that was taken in December? Welcome to AZ. We have to drive 2 hours north to play in the snow but I don't mind a bit. No shoveling driveways or getting my car out of a snowdrift. What's the flip side? Well, summers of 110+ Oh well, that's what pools are for. =-)

Update

2007-12-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

We got new pictures of Max! I just cannot believe how cute he is!! I am sad missing out on time with him. Hurry Serbia Hurry! Our documents have been sent to the Orphanage Ministry Officials to get Max ready for the adoption and approve us. The international adoption attorney is still out on paternity leave and won't be back until January now. But, at least they sent everything to the orphanage without waiting for him. So, what now? Who knows? One month, two, three? We are ready whenever.

Today is my daughter's 6th birthday. (With Max, we will have 3 December birthdays!) She is so excited and is telling everyone, "Happy Birthday!" She is such a ball of energy and has never met a stranger. I know she is going to light up when they sing to her at school today. Happy Birthday Tia Bug!

Bittersweet day

2007-12-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today is my oldest son's birthday. (Wild Angel #1) He would be 9 today. It is hard to believe I would have a nine year old! He passed away when he was 13 months old from pneumonia. He is the one who opened doors into a life we never knew we could have. He is the one who required the most care and yet always had a smile. It was a great smile--you know, the kind that just lights up a room. Every year I buy Christmas flowers to put on his grave on his birthday. It never gets easier. I am always fighting tears in the check out lane wishing the flowers were for anything but a grave. This morning I went to the cemetery while my kids were at school. I started for the cemetery feeling good about the day. My sister called on my way there and we began to talk about how much we missed him and what he would be like now. That was all it took for my waterworks to start. I am happy knowing he will never have another surgery (he had 15) and knowing he is with my dad and others we love. But, oh how I miss him! I don't really know how I survived except to say the sun kept coming up everyday and I had no choice but to function. I was given a lot of strength through the first few months thanks to everyone's prayers. He brought so much joy and love into our home. He is an amazing person and I can't wait to see him again. Happy Birthday Braxton! We love and miss you!!

Isn't he a doll?!

2007-12-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

I am finally able to put Max's picture on our blog! Now you can see how adorable he is. He will fit right into our family. He is ll months now. I am sad he is growing up without us but I know I will still be privileged to his first steps and many more firsts. That is something I will treasure. I am just happy to share him with you.

Not yet

2007-11-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

We got an e-mail a few days ago from the orphanage facilitator/physician. Apparently, the attorney in charge of International Adoption is out for "a few weeks" for paternity leave. GREAT. So, even though our paperwork is translated, it is stuck on his desk until he returns. Once he gives the OK, it is passed on to the Orphanage Ministry Officials. And we continue to wait. SO, I guess we are not going to Serbia anytime too soon. Bummer. The only positive is that it is nice to plan Christmas knowing we will be here. It will make life a bit harder financially next year because we won't get our money back in April now. Oh well. I will just plan my "due date" for the end of January and go from there.

Max was sick with the flu last week which is always worrisome. But he is doing good now. A few days ago, he had his psychological evaluation to determine his development levels. They wanted to have new, updated info to give the officials when our paperwork gets to them. The physician said, "he was so good. He needs a forever family ASAP so he can start Early Intervention." She is such a wonderful woman.

I am glad he is not (and NEVER will be) in a institution there. My heart was broken as I looked at the recent articles and photos of Serbian Institutions. I am glad God can see the big picture, because it is an awful life here on earth for some children. I told one of my friends that I just want to adopt 50 children and open my own home here to give them better care. The truth is that the change needs to start with community awareness there. If the only choice being presented to women there is abortion or orphanage, they do not have the supports in place to help parents raise their children at home and in public schools. Perhaps, I should bring 50 parents and physicians here to see how much love our children bring and how amazing they are. I bet showing them my 5 year old who can read, would blow their minds!!! Oh, how I am blessed. My children are truly the reason I breathe everyday. All 3 of them have taught me SO much in such a short time. I look forward to my future with them (Max included)!

Translation begins

2007-11-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

After 2 full weeks our paperwork finally made it to Serbia. It is being translated into Serbian right now. The Social Worker for Max is starting his paperwork today to get him "cleared for adoption." It could take a month, 2 months or even 3. We'll see. We got new pictures of him and I can't believe how much he has changed from 7 months (the last pics we had) to 10 months! It really makes me wish I was there seeing the changes. His hair has grown in and he looks so much older. I can't wait until he's ours so we can post pictures of him. He is really tiny but in his pictures he looks very proportionate, not skinny. At 10 months old, he is only 12 lbs, 12 oz. We can fix that. My 3 year old is an eater and he will show him how! lol

The facilitator/physician at the orphanage asked us to bring books on Down syndrome. She said the orphanage is getting more and more children with DS. She wants to learn more about it and teach her fellow physicians. I think this is a great teaching opportunity. I hope it helps some of the doctors realize having a child with DS is not gloom and doom. (As they typically tell parents.) We have so many friends who were told about their child's diagnosis in very unpleasant and out-dated ways. Maybe, over time, things will change in Serbia and more therapies and opportunities will become available for our kids. I would love to see the number of children with disabilities coming into the orphanage decrease in the future. And NOT because of abortion but because more moms and dads have the supports in place to raise their children at home. I don't know how to convey my appreciation for the life I am blessed with. My children are amazing, wild and crazy sometimes, but amazing. =-) I would never change them!

Bye-Bye Dossier

2007-10-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day! I finally got to mail my dossier (paperwork with every detail of your life) to Serbia for translation and approval. Now we wait. And wait. I am very optimistic though. I feel so strongly about this process that I can't help but think it will move quickly. It has only been 3 months since we decided to adopt. So, even 6 more months would be a normal pregnancy. Heck, at this point I would still be throwing up everyday!! =-) So, our goal is to be holding him on Christmas morning with our 2 other angels there and I'm quite sure our first angel, Braxton will be there too!

I am going to enjoy my waiting time too. It is always fun to get the nursery ready and get all the clothes washed and ready. We are reading up on Serbia and what sights to see while we are there. I want to make a nice scrapbook of our journey so Max has that forever. Our 5 year old is getting excited too. She knows "baby Max" is coming around Christmas time. I still haven't figured out how I will get the strength to leave them for 2 weeks. We'll save that worry for later!

Thanks to everyone for all your support! Saturday is our big Buddy Walk! I am so excited. We have such fun every year meeting new families and catching up with past friends! It will be a great day.

CIS Approval !!!!!!

2007-10-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

We got our approval letter from USCIS (Immigration)!!!! Hooray! We've been in the Bahamas and Orlando for the last 2 weeks. It was SO fun! The kids loved the beach and Sea World and Disney! And now we come home to such great news. We will have our Dossier together and ready to be sent to Serbia by Tuesday. Hopefully the wait will not be TOO long now. I am definitely optimistic about getting Max before Christmas!

Adoption Certified

2007-10-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

We got our AZ Court adoption certification today!!! Our paperwork is on the way to USCIS! Things are moving along. I am ecstatic!!!!

News about Max

2007-09-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

We got Max's medical records yesterday. I was SO excited to see how much information we received and even more excited to hear how he is doing and how much he is loved there. He has NO health problems (pretty rare for kiddos with DS). He is cooing and loves to be held and to eat! Yeah!! He has good head control and has been receiving Physical Therapy for 3 months now. I was so surprised and happy to hear that. Sometimes I think of him laying in his crib, not exercising his muscles and not getting enough attention. Now, I feel so much better knowing he is eating well, socializing, playing with toys, and getting therapy.

I was sad reading about his birth parents. They are a young couple, newly married. The pregnancy was their first. It was planned and she received good care during her pregnancy. After giving birth, she was told her son had Down syndrome and she and the family decided to leave him at the hospital. It breaks my heart. I know it breaks hers. I just wish she lived in a place where children with disabilities are not shunned and put away. I hope to be able to let her know that Max is going to be taken care of and loved. My heart truly goes out to her. I pray that she will feel comfort in knowing he will have everything he needs. I only wish she could have kept him to feel his love and see how beautiful he is. But, I know he is meant to be with us now. It was good to know more about Max and his life. I am READY to bring this little guy home. (I think I've said that before.) Patience has been a trial of my life =-)

Learning about BONDING

2007-09-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

We went to an adoption class last weekend through our home study agency. It was specific to International Adoption. It was very informative and I thought I would share a few things we learned to help anyone else who is adopting. The most important thing for me to learn was about bonding with our new little one. The teacher explained that children living in orphanages see so many faces/caregivers in a given week, they do not associate one person as the one to meet their needs. Therefore, she recommended having you and your spouse be the ONLY two people to hold, feed, change, dress, bathe and put the child to bed for the first 3-6 months. No sitters yet. She said if you have family coming, let them help you with the housework, the other children, and preparing meals but that they should not care for the new child. Another adult may hold the child if they are going to be part of the child's DAILY life and parenting team.

It was suggested to hold and carry the new child as MUCH as possible. Skin to skin is best, especially when feeding a bottle. For the rare times he is not being held, have him in the same room with you. Sleep next to him for the first 2 weeks or so. (Bed sharing is not recommended due to accidental deaths.) Your face should be the last face he sees as he falls asleep as well as the first when he wakes up. She said if others comment that you are "spoiling" your child, then you know you are on the right track!! You have to make up for lost time and help him experience cause and effect. When he cries, pick him up, EVERY time. Be ecstatic when in a few months your child cries when you are out of sight. You will know he is bonding to you when he doesn't want to go to anyone else and shies away from others. Don't push him to be "friendly to everyone" for a while. (There is plenty of time to love others after he feels safe with you.)

Other suggestions included lots of singing, baby massages, rocking with him, eye-contact, and of course one-on-one play time. Be careful not to overstimulate your new child. For a few weeks think quiet, calm, gentle cocoon. We learned a lot of good information about parenting skills and travel too. It really was a great class. I hope some of the info helped others too. So, if you see me from January to June with a little cutie attached to me you can know that we are bonding. It is more involved than I originally thought but I can't wait to get to know and love on Max. Time just can't go fast enough.