From Russia With Love

Happy "Da" Day!

2012-01-27T23:34:00.001-05:00

One year ago today was a day that changed our lives! The Judge said "Da" and the rest was history! Yeah!!!!

Children are like a box of chocolates....

2012-01-24T22:41:00.000-05:00

Today we took Charlie for another speech evaluation, this time through the school system. It was a complete battery of tests, also testing for developmental delays as well. Turns out, my son is a genius. Yup. I knew it. Now it's just officially on paper. It always surprises me the amount of knowledge tucked away in that little brain. When a question is asked that I think is out of his league, I am always pleasantly surprised.

Thank goodness he did qualify for speech services, so now we can have FREE LOCAL help! Yippeee! We'll go twice a week for speech therapy.

Thinking back to the little boy I meet almost two years ago in an orphanage, I can honestly tell you the child today is not the same withdrawn, sad little boy. When we returned a year later, his dislike towards us had only magnified. I was talking with my mother in law tonight quite a bit about it. Now don't stop reading when I make my next proclamation. Either you'll agree 100% or you'll think I am some kind of religious nut. (Which I can assure you I am not....)There is no other explanation than a direct intervention from God. I know what you're thinking. But if you could have SEEN Charlie in the orphanage. He was so angry. Despite our best efforts, he never cracked a smile. He rocked himself back and forth. From years of anxiety, he had sucked his thumbnail clean off his finger. He would literally see us coming and hide. When we tried to hold him, he arched his back or became stiff as a board. His eyes would well up in tears. Being with us caused him physical pain. It caused my heart more pain than you could imagine.

~~We thought~~ We KNEW that the months following our return home would be an uphill battle. Not only did he not love us, he couldn't tolerate the site of us. How were we suppose to remove this child from his "home" when he wouldn't let us remove him from his work table. I knew in my head that this child wasn't suppose to love us or even like us right away, but that didn't mean my heart didn't hurt by the fact that I couldn't even pick him up without a struggle.

So, A-day. Adoption day. Charlie is dressed hastily by three workers and literally thrust out the door, into the VW bug. He cried. For about a minute. Then he cuddled up against my chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and fell into the most peaceful sleep. We drove a few more hours. When we arrived our host family's house, he woke up, looked around and smiled. He crossed the threshold of the door and never stopped smiling. He ran, he laughed, he sat in my lap. He talked about "mama" and "papa". I just starred in disbelief. It was literally as if a light switch had been turned on.

Now, I am not telling you Charlie is perfect. He's not. We have our "talks" our time outs and our temper tantrums. But, Lord have mercy, I'm telling you....THIS is a different child. There are so many things about this adoption that has made me believe in miracles. God still performs them on a regular basis in the adoption world. If you want to see the face of God, be part of adoption. Only God can change a person's heart so completely and so drastically. Only God can make a way through the wilderness (also known as middle of nowhere, Russia...) Only God can take heartache so profound and turn it into something so beautiful.

Children are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. We were prepared for the worst. With God's grace, we got the very best.

This time last year, we were in Russia. Preparing for court in 3 days. Not really sure if this would end in heartbreak or homecoming. But more on that to come....

My sad little guy...

My JOYFUL boy!

Smiley Boy

2012-01-24T21:33:00.000-05:00

So precious....Jack is smiling all the time now. (Well, except when he wakes up from sleeping apparently perishing from lack of food, or so he thinks...)
So funny! I love that cute toothless grin!

Don't Carpe Diem

2012-01-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

For all you tired Mama's out there, this is a great (and pretty darn funny) article from Glennon Melton, who blogs on "Momastery" . Follow the link and check her out. Anyway, this post is EXACTLY how I have been feeling lately!

DON'T CARPE DIEM

Every time I'm out with my kids -- this seems to happen:

An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy everysecond, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me. It bugs me. This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life - while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong.

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I've heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers -- "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" -- those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

Now. I'm not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who tell me to ENJOY MYSELF be thrown from a mountain. These are wonderful ladies. Monkees, probably. But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: "Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved every single second of parenting my two girls. Every single moment. These days go by so fast."
At that particular moment, Amma had arranged one of the new bras I was buying on top of her sweater and was sucking a lollipop that she must have found on the ground. She also had three shop-lifted clip-on neon feathers stuck in her hair. She looked exactly like a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras. I couldn't find Chase anywhere, and Tish was grabbing the pen on the credit card swiper thing WHILE the woman in front of me was trying to use it. And so I just looked at the woman, smiled and said, "Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. Especially this one. Yes. Thank you."

That's not exactly what I wanted to say, though.

There was a famous writer who, when asked if he loved writing, replied, "No. but I love having written." What I wanted to say to this sweet woman was, "Are you sure? Are you sure you don't mean you love having parented?"

I love having written. And I love having parented. My favorite part of each day is when the kids are put to sleep (to bed) and Craig and I sink into the couch to watch some quality TV, like Celebrity Wife Swap, and congratulate each other on a job well done. Or a job done, at least.

Every time I write a post like this, I get emails suggesting that I'm being negative. I have received this particular message four or five times -- G, if you can't handle the three you have, why do you want a fourth?
That one always stings, and I don't think it's quite fair. Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it's hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she's not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn't add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it's so hard means she IS doing it right...in her own way...and she happens to be honest.

Craig is a software salesman. It's a hard job in this economy. And he comes home each day and talks a little bit about how hard it is. And I don't ever feel the need to suggest that he's not doing it right, or that he's negative for noticing that it's hard, or that maybe he shouldn't even consider taking on more responsibility. And I doubt anybody comes by his office to make sure he's ENJOYING HIMSELF. I doubt his boss peeks in his office and says: "This career stuff...it goes by so fast...ARE YOU ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT IN THERE, CRAIG???? CARPE DIEM, CRAIG!"
My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's helluva hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime." And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out."
Anyway. Clearly, Carpe Diem doesn't work for me. I can't even carpe fifteen minutes in a row, so a whole diem is out of the question.

Here's what does work for me:

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time, it's one minute at a time, it's staring down the clock till bedtime time, it's ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it's four screaming minutes in time out time, it's two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there's Kairos time. Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them.

Like when I actually stop what I'm doing and really look at Tish. I notice how perfectly smooth and brownish her skin is. I notice the perfect curves of her teeny elf mouth and her asianish brown eyes, and I breathe in her soft Tishy smell. In these moments, I see that her mouth is moving but I can't hear her because all I can think is -- This is the first time I've really seen Tish all day, and myGod -- she is so beautiful. Kairos.

Like when I'm stuck in chronos time in the grocery line and I'm haggard and annoyed and angry at the slow check-out clerk. And then I look at my cart and I'm transported out of chronos. And suddenly I notice the piles and piles of healthy food I'll feed my children to grow their bodies and minds and I remember that most of the world's mamas would kill for this opportunity. This chance to stand in a grocery line with enough money to pay. And I just stare at my cart. At the abundance. The bounty. Thank you, God. Kairos.

Or when I curl up in my cozy bed with Theo asleep at my feet and Craig asleep by my side and I listen to them both breathing. And for a moment, I think- how did a girl like me get so lucky? To go to bed each night surrounded by this breath, this love, this peace, this warmth? Kairos.

These kairos moments leave as fast as they come- but I mark them. I say the word kairos in my head each time I leave chronos. And at the end of the day, I don't remember exactly what my kairos moments were, but I remember I had them. And that makes the pain of the daily parenting climb worth it.

If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success.

Carpe a couple of Kairoses a day.

Good enough for me.

Grow babies grow...

2012-01-17T21:34:00.000-05:00

Did someone put miracle grow in our water? My first baby has outgrown toddler shoes and is now in a BOYS size 11. Snifff...snifff....

And my second baby is a giant and doesn't fit in any of his "3 month" winter clothes. I had to order a new snowsuit for him because the once giant sized "home from the hospital" bear suit won't fit around his shoulders anymore. AND he rolled from his tummy to his back last week! He hasn't done it again since then, maybe it was a fluke. But still, you should see this kid's muscles!

Please help!

2012-01-12T11:00:00.001-05:00

Please take just a moment to sign the Petition to keep the Adoption Tax Credit for 2012-2013 alive. Right now there is a tax credit to help offset the HUGE cost of adoption, both domestically and internationally. Over on the right hand side of this blog is a link that will take you right to the petition.
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Here is a blurb from the website, that explains it better than I could, since I can't use big words anymore. Every signature is important and helps give hope to potential adoptive families and children that otherwise, would never find a home.

The average cost to adopt a child is any where from $25k- $35k or more. Currently, for the 2011 Tax Year Adopting families are eligible for:
• A maximum of $13,170 for 2011 returns
• Fully refundable as long as the adoption is initiated in 2011 or before, and finalized before the end of 2012 (domestic) or was finalized in 2011 (international)

But in 2012 the Tax Credit is going to change:
• A maximum of $12,170 for 2012 returns only

The 2012 Tax Credit will not be refundable for adoptions initiated after 2011, which means a large number of families may not be able to get any of the $25k- $35k back and possibly prevent people from adopting a child at all.

In 2013 it all goes away, no tax credit at all.

We are petitioning to extend the tax credit as currently stated in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, so that more money is available to families allowing them provide a financially stable home to the adopted child.

Be a Match!

2012-01-09T11:41:00.001-05:00

As we just got home from Jack's 2 month appointment, the doctors and nurses kept commenting on how healthy and beautiful Jack is. I couldn't agree more :0)
He has grown 3 inches (now 22") and now weighs 12 pounds, 13 ounces. Wow! Big boy! Before the "weigh in" I guessed 11 lb, 6 oz. and Chad guessed 14lbs. I guess we'll split the difference! Either way, we feel so thankful that Jack is progressing the way he should. On the way home, I couldn't help thinking about those little angels that aren't as healthy.
When we got home, I was getting my coupons ready for this afternoon's grocery run and was checking out my favorite site (southernsavers.com) and there was an article about becoming a bone marrow donor. You can read the article HERE.
It just hit me that THIS is what I need to do. It only took about 5 minutes to sign up. Basically, you need to be between 18 and 44 and be in good health. They send you a swab kit in the mail, test it, and put you on a registry. Then you wait for a match.
If you sign up during the month of January, American Express will donate $100 to the "Be A Match Registry" which will cover the lab costs for your test. After that- there is no cost at all if you are ever matched. You can read more FAQ HERE
Right now, there are 10,000 people waiting for a match and only 5,000 will ever get one. I can't help but think about if my role was switched and I (Or Charlie or Jack) were the 5,000 that never got a match. It just made me think that this little gift (5 days of medication and an afternoon in the hospital IF I ever am a match....) could save a little persons or big person's life. It's a small gift.
In the meantime, thank you Lord for the two beautiful, healthy boys in my life. Thank you for the selfless gift of two women, one I know and one I don't. Thank you for allowing me to be their mommy. My cup runneth over. Please allow me to give this gift of health back just a little to someone else. Amen.

Two Birds, One Stone

2012-01-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

This morning we had our first "Post-Jack" placement home study and our second "Post-Charlie" home study. Turns out sometimes the stars do align and we were able to have two studies done in one appointment. I would say that meant I only had to clean my house once, but that would be a lie since cleaning my house now consists of moving large items from the middle of the floor and making sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink. That's cleaning, right?

I never made it to Charlie's room to pick up and OF COURSE the child wants to show the social worker his Christmas tree. Thank goodness she made it out alive, especially since Charlie insists on the fully effect: Gather in the center of the room, turn out the lights, stumble his way to the tree, press the button, turn on the lights, stand back and say "ohhhhh", then turn them off and then you're on your own finding your way out.

But everytime we accomplish one of these feats and the door closes, we breath a sigh of relief. One step closer to being done with the hoops and one step closer to being the regular family we already feel like. Notice I didn't say "normal" family :0)

I know...I know

2012-01-03T21:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Jack the Stocking Stuffer!

Ok, I know. It's been a long, long, while. I never really understood why people in blog world couldn't update their blog in a timely manner. Turns out, I underestimated the fact that Jack has radar that goes off when a computer is powered on. Radar that screams "Feed Me!" "Change Me!" "Rock Me!" at the instant any on switch is turned on. Like his on switch is connected to my on switches.

Charlie meets Mr. and Mrs Mouse!

Jack by the bear..awwww

Charlie in love!

Or the fact that life with two children is A LOT more hectic than life with one. People that told me "having two isn't really that much more work, you are doing the work anyway..." LIES. Work has not only been added to, but increased ten fold. My washing machine is crying for a vacation.
And the sleep...or should I say lack of sleep. Friendly people keep saying "you need to keep him up during the day!" As if. We could set off a nuclear bomb in our living room and this child would sleep right through it. At night, if you clear your throat- well that's a different story. I look old and ugly.
So, enough of my complaining. (Just letting you know that this is HARD WORK!)
Christmas was AWESOME! Charlie just about peed his pants when he saw his giant bear. He kept saying "this for me too???" because we just put his gifts under the tree and had ours across the room. He loved every minute of it. Then we went to church and celebrated the true meaning of the season. We are still moving toys around trying to make room for his haul. Jack pretty much slept through the whole thing, but like clockwork enjoyed the glow of the Christmas tree and bonanza of gifts AFTER midnight.
We decided we really wanted to have Jack baptized on January 1st. We decided to make the trip to North Florida to have Chad's dad do the ceremony. And since we were in North Florida...it only made sense to keep on truckin' down to central Florida to have Charlie meet Mickey Mouse, since that's where our other sets of parents live. So we hitched a ride with my parents in their R.V. on the way down. That way we could stretch out, change diapers, heat bottles, etc. What use to take 9 hours.....We made it in a record 13 hours. Oi. But we made it and had the BEST time.
Wednesday- Disney. This probably deserves it's own post, but for the time being....Charlie was a trooper- We were planning on bringing Jack at least for a few hours and then my mom and dad were going to leave with him since they are season pass holders, but when we woke up it was really cold and windy. Chad's mom graciously offered to keep him at home. Charlie walked/ran through the park from 10am till 11pm and was happy the whole time. No melt downs for this boy! He really wanted to go to the "Scary House" aka- Haunted Mansion. I was really nervous about freaking him out on the ride, but he kept insisting that he "wasn't scared" so we went. He loved it. What a brave boy.
Thursday we had Christmas #2 with Chad's parents. Then we got together with all my old friends from High School, many of which I hadn't even met their kids! It was the first time any of them had met Charlie or Jack! What a special time. I am so thankful for these wonderful women in my life and their equally wonderful spouses.
Friday we introduced the boys to three of their cousins and had a great time. That night we went to Ice at Gaylord Palms Hotel. It was pretty impressive- tons of carved ice that you walk through, slide down. But it was WAY too crowded and we felt a little like cattle the whole night. And Charlie felt as if he needed to counter balance his exemplary Disney behavior with truly awful behavior. So as you can imagine, between the -9 weather, the crowds and my possessed child a good time was had by all.
Then Saturday, we saw Chad's cousins perform at Downtown Disney and then it was off to North Florida for baptism and Christmas #3 with Chad's dad and Step mom. Monday, we drove home.
It was an insane week. We had a wonderful time, but boy. What a haul.
Oh...add in our second post adoption report due January 2nd and SURPRISE! Our social worker wanting to come THIS Thursday for our second post Charlie report and first post Jack report. No pressure. It's not like we just came home from a week long excursion with more baby supplies than a baby super store scattered throughout our house....So, washing machine, suck it up cause it's going to be a hoppin' in our house over the next few days.
So, that's what we've been up to. Sorry if this post is a little scattered- I started it 4 hours ago and typed here and there, Jack and Charlie permitting. :0)
I promise I will get better at posting on a more timely manner!!! New Year resolution #1.

Christmas Cheer!

2011-12-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

I don't have time to blog, but thought I could hold you over with some beautiful pictures of my Christmas angels!

The Adopt Shop

2011-12-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

I am now addicted to Etsy. Late nights, early mornings are spent with Jack on my chest and computer on my lap searching through pages of beautiful, artsy things that I wish I had the time (and two free hands) to make.
But anyway, while stumbling upon "Russian Jewelry" I found this cute little shop "The Adopt Shop", owned by Kate.
She is adopting from Taiwan and the proceeds from her shop go towards getting her little angel home.
Check her out HERE
And perhaps buy something for someone who really likes this. (hint. hint.hint)

Open mouth, insert foot

2011-12-03T23:27:00.000-05:00

This is an oldie I never finished, but I thought you would love this! (This is a pre-Jack post as you might be a little confused...)
I was shopping at the grocery store alone on one of those rare occasions and I was standing in line behind someone with a lot of stuff. One of the store employees approached, an older woman, and tried to convince me to switch lines. I told her, really it's fine, my mom was in town and I had a free babysitter! I was just enjoying the silence!
At that point, she asked "an infant?" I guess because I was buying newborn diapers with some stellar coupons. I said "well, we have a three year old, but we are adopting an infant soon"
Preparing myself for "oh that's wonderful..." NOPE.
She asks "from where?" I tell her: "it's a domestic adoption".
At this point she launches into a soliloquy about how she "was so happy it wasn't one of those foreigners" and "what kind of people sell out and forget their own country" and "what did China, Russia, etc. ever do for us?" I just let her go on forever. I mean forever.
When she was done bashing every country under the sun, she said "what does your 3 year old think of all this, is he jealous of sharing?"
I smile and say "well he is the most kind and loving child, he is really doing well with the whole thing. Maybe it's the fact that he's adopted too. FROM RUSSIA." Then it was my turn. I told her a little bit about the orphanage Charlie grew up in. I told her that I was fairly certain that a three month old baby being raised in an orphanage really didn't care about politics or history or hard feelings between our countries. That all he ever wanted was a mama and papa to tuck him in at night. He didn't know about a Cold War or any other war for that matter. He just wants hugs and kisses and a backyard to play in. I told her that orphans from any country were causalities of ignorance, like hers. And unless she had personally visited an orphanage and decided little babies were responsible for the World's woes then her point of view was not valid. Then I turned and started unloading my cart.
I bet she'll think twice before opening her big fat stupid mouth.
Agrhhhh. Meet the Mama Bear.

Love Seat

2011-12-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

My Parents

Chad's Parents

My Sister, Aunt Nene!

Conversations with Charlie

2011-12-01T22:25:00.000-05:00

Well, we all knew it was coming.
Since Charlie has mastered the following questions:
"What you doing?"
"Where they going?"
and..."Who's that?"
We knew the dreaded "Why" was only short behind.

Why this new question? Explaining Christmas movies with subtle themes and complex emotions have been a real challenge. While watching the "Grinch that Stole Christmas" Charlie asked "Why" approximately 8,342 times.
"What's he doing?"
"He's stealing all the Who's Christmas decorations"
"Why?"
"Because he's bad"
"Why he bad?"
"Well, you missed this part because you were asking me what he was doing, but according to Dr. Seuss he's bad because his heart is three sizes too small."
"Oh. Why?"

And repeat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T23:11:00.001-05:00

As this day comes to a close (for the majority of the working world, NOT those with newborns) I would be remiss to let the sun set without thinking about all that we have to be thankful for.
Chad and I were talking about last Thanksgiving. We were on our way home to Florida when we got a phone call from our agency. Get your paperwork updated. We're going to try the Judge again. At this point we were emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and otherwise completely exhausted. Reluctantly, we called the doctor's office, our friend at the Sheriff's office to start the ball rolling on redoing everything once we arrived home. Ugh. Little did we know that this "try again" would actually be successful and we would be traveling in the new year.
This year, my how things have changed. I just sat and stared at not one, but two sons. One took two years to get home, the other two months. Trust me when I say that your heart knows no difference. It was surreal that both Jack and Charlie celebrated their first Thanksgiving together.
Tomorrow, we kick off the Christmas season. Shopping (most likely not) Decorating (Lord willing) and changing pace into somewhat of a frenzy (Definitely). But, just for today I am counting my blessings and thinking about what a difference a year makes! God is so good and I will never stop counting my blessings! Thank you blog friends for lifting us up in prayers and pulling us through. I am thankful for each one of you as well!

Happy Birthday Papa!

2011-11-13T22:44:00.000-05:00

Baby Bear :0)

2011-11-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

We're home!

2011-11-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

Jack is home! Healthy, happy, hungry! Thank you for your prayers and continued prayers.

Welcome to the World Baby Jack!

2011-11-10T02:05:00.000-05:00

Baby Jack was welcomed into the world today at 5:40pm weighing in at 7lb 7oz, 19 1/2 inches long. Everyone is healthy and happy. Its 2am and I am currently "sleeping" in the worlds most uncomfortable chair right by the birthmom. How many people can say that? What an honor.
Tomorrow at 6pm we can sign documents, until then I just can't rest. Maybe it's the chair, maybe it's the machines beeping, maybe it's the hourly entry of nurses and medical staff. Nope, pretty sure it's my nerves. Please say a prayer for us, we are a bundle of nerves. It's funny how 2 adoptions can have 2 entirely different sets of worries and emotions. I am feeling a little out of sorts. Well, a lot out of sorts. It's 2am. Did I mention that? Oh, and he's perfect, absolutely perfect.

Charlie's Prayer

2011-11-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

Tonight it was just Charlie and me. I was making spaghetti for dinner, getting a pot of water boiling for the noodles. Charlie came in and said "Ohhhh EGGS, Mama??" (The child LOVES a hard boiled egg, he would eat them everyday if he could and if our noses could stand the ahhem..."after effects" of the eggs) I told him, I was making spaghetti. He looked disappointed, but said "ok mama" and went back to the living room to play. So, I decided while the sauce was simmering, I could boil some eggs for tonight and for breakfast this week.
Well, Charlie was so excited to see an egg on his plate. (I'm telling you he is the easiest child in the world to please.)
We sat down, held hands. I asked him if he would like to say the prayer tonight. This is how it went:

"Thank you Jesus,
Thank you Jesus and God
Thank you for yum-yums,
Thank you for baby Jack and Eggs"

Well, that about sums it up. A crying Mama at the dinner table, eggs, and the joy a child's prayer brings. What a sweet, sweet boy and a great, great God.

Christmas Clothes!

2011-11-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

Can't wait to put the boys in these! They were a gift from my childhood pediatrician, who is still close with my mom. THANKS JILL! She has two precious boys from Russia and she and her husband have been so kind to us. We REALLY can't wait to get our boys together.
FYI: (Yes I am addicted to things with ears) post coming soon of all the things I have bought with ears- hats, blankets, onesies, towels, hoodies. Yup, if it has ears I must buy it.

14 days!

2011-11-04T18:28:00.000-04:00

Due to the fact that Jack is now weighing in at -SEVEN POUNDS, SIX OUNCES!!!- the c-section date has been moved back to Friday, November 18th. So that means we are exactly 14 days away from d-day. Oh.my.goodness.

Conversations with Charlie

2011-10-30T15:19:00.000-04:00

Charlie's new favorite phrase? "What you doing, Mama?"
Facebook ain't got nothin' on my kid. I update my status at least 300 times a day.
"What you doing, Mama?"
"I'm folding clothes, baby"
(Three second pause)
"What you do now?"
"Yup...still folding clothes"

So today, seeing where this conversation was heading, I thought I would one up him.
Charlie: "What you doing, Mama?"
Mama: "I'm driving us to church buddy"
(Three second pause)
Charlie: "What..."
Mama: (Interrupting) "Hey, What YOU doing Charlie?"
Charlie: (Taking a moment and then busting out a big smile) "I ASKING WHAT MAMA DOING"
Touche, Charlie. Touche.

We're ready for the Great Pumpkin!

2011-10-29T00:17:00.000-04:00

We've dressed up...

We've ridden the bull (facial hair intact)

We've had some fancy cupcakes

We've made good use of the Halloween stickers

We've worked on our mad scientist look

We've gone incognito in the "bone man" gear

We made some cookies....

We are ready for the Great Pumpkin!!!

Waiting...

2011-10-24T21:23:00.000-04:00

Well, the clothes are washed, the room is ready. I am starting on the 10 million thank you cards I have to write, other than that it's just waiting, waiting, waiting...
Something you would think we would be good at by this point.
We're not.
Birthmom calls or texts and I jump out of my skin. I need to think of a better name than birthmom, at least for blogging purposes. It sounds so...formal. Something we really aren't. I could abbreviate it. BM. Oh wait, that's gross. She calls me "Baby Mama" which is so funny to me, so I can't call her that. I think I'll call her gift giver. Does that sound hokey?
I wanted to check in with you, I feel like I haven't blogged in forever...I feel like this is such an important time, I should have a lot to say but I really don't have much important to say.
I am so wrapped up in baby gear- it's like my cryptonite. I am fighting the urge to have a 36 picture post of all the awesome things we received or bought. ITS.JUST.SO.CUTE.
So what am I currently fixated on? Even though Jack won't be eating solid food spring, I am in the market for a baby food maker (one that steams and chops in the same bowl) Does anyone have any experience with these? I would love a weigh in and I know if I put it on Facebook, my non-baby friends will have a hayday with the comment section. Anyway, I am up for suggestions.
Because all I doing is waiting.
And writing thank you notes.
And working full time.
And chasing around a 3 year old.
And cooking, cleaning, and wife-ing. :)
And thinking of ways to get the mylar balloons off the vaulted ceiling (other than knife throwing, which Chad vetoed.)

Feeling Thankful...

2011-10-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

Today we went for ultrasound #2 and we are thrilled to tell you that Jack is healthy and right on track. During the ultrasound, when we were zoomed in on his hand, he gave us a perfect thumbs up! His way of saying "Everything is A-OK!" Right now he weighs about 5 1/2 pounds, has moved into the "action" position, and his due date has changed from November 18th to the 21st. (Not because of size or any physical reason, its just that the 18th is booked up for scheduled c-sections)

Circle Shower
I feel as if we have been given this amazing gift. I am just feeling so thankful.

My ladies group held a shower for me on Tuesday and I got a lot of really nice things including this awesome stroller that holds an infant seat, has a regular seat, but also a bench seat in the back for Charlie to sit on stand up on. Very handy!
Then on Sunday my sister and very dear friend and co-worker hosted a church wide shower for me. It was amazing! My mom was there and I felt so humbled to be surrounded by such a group of wonderful, supportive people. We got EVERYTHING we need for this baby! Yeah!

Cute clothesline!

Now, you may wonder why it has taken me over a week to post this. Well, our house, as my sister said best, "looks like a Babies-R-Us exploded all over your house" We had stuff EVERYWHERE. I have finally dug halfway through the rubble. 6 loads of laundry later, all the clothes, linens, and tiny socks have been cleaned, folded and put away.

My mom's "clothesline" that stretched around the room!

Charlie's Angels!
As my birthday weekend approaches, I just can't help but think how thankful I am. I am thankful for all my friends and family, thankful for this new little life about to make his way into ours. I am thankful that Charlie is growing and changing and is so happy. I am thankful for my husband and how patient and kind he is. I am thankful for the family that God is building for us. Looking back, even five years ago, I never would have imagined what He had in store for 2011. What a wild ride! I am so thankful to be a part of it!

Nursery

2011-10-15T23:30:00.000-04:00

Funny. I guess when you take a room (originally and ironically a nursery when we moved into this house...) and turn it into an office/daytime dog kennel because you don't have kids. Then have a kid and turn it into an office/play room. Then, when preparing for a second child turn it back exclusively into a nursery again. This room has had more looks than Cher and Chaz Bono combined. I am really happy with the way everything turned out!

Charlie has the robot on his door and we suppose Jack needs
something to rattle and slam when he walks in and out of
his room too. That and it's a good warning when you hear
the rattle, you know you are about to be woken up from
your peaceful slumber :)

I put this together myself! Just don't look to closely
to the front. I accidentally nailed the back onto the
front. Darn you Ikea instructions.

The crib lives again!
LOVE! This Firetruck print by NoJo. I had to have it! And
it matches the consignment sale chair. Bonus.We left the
cute license plates and book shelf up, cause it's cute
and it would have left giant holes in the wall.

I made these!

Check out the tire toybox! Craigslist, how I
heart thee...

Things are looking up...

2011-10-06T16:59:00.000-04:00

Nursery is almost done. A good friend is coming over to help with the final details on Friday (pictures to follow...)
Found an attorney that will do a great job and for MUCH less (hallelujah!)
Baby showers on Tuesday with my ladies group and again next weekend (thank you church friends, for supporting us once again...) to get some last minute much needed items. Yeah!!!
And I am reminded daily that God is in control and I'm not. And it's a good thing because I am quite a pessimist with tenancies to panic. When will I ever learn???
Things are looking up. Just remind me to do the same :)

You are....

2011-10-04T23:21:00.000-04:00

You are brave

You are brilliant

You are independent

You are fearless

And I love you!

Well....

2011-09-30T23:08:00.000-04:00

Today we met with the domestic adoption attorney. Like THE adoption attorney, who happens to live in our town. He is associated with our church and we've heard glowing reviews of his practice, so after waiting a while we finally had an appointment with him today.
Let's just say, he was a really nice man. The absolute expert in his field. I felt he was a man of integrity and knows everything there is to know about the legal aspects of what we are about to embark on. But....
We grossly underestimated what this was going to cost.
It's that old familiar feeling of coming up short. Now, Mr. Attorney, being the genuinely nice man he is gave us some options. So, we are going to have to explore those options.
I wish we could just write a check and have this guy cross every "t" and dot every "i" without any worry, but maybe this isn't the path we were meant to go down, with him at least. Either that or maybe someone who was planning on giving us some funds for Russia missed their chance and wants to pull out their checkbook and sign away....right.....
I feel as if we have completely exhausted our "adoption fairies" and we need to come up with a plan b.
I am so overwhelmed and didn't realize just how exhausted we are from the constant scrimping, saving and fundraising from Charlie's adoption. I guess I was a little foolish to think this was going to be simple.
And maybe it still can be. Please pray that once again, God would make a way for us. Pray that some of these other options pan out and we are worrying over nothing.
Now, my second wish. I wish for a personal assistant that would just take care of all this for me. Because I.AM.SO.TIRED.OF.THE.ADOPTION.PROCESS.
I am fairly certain that God didn't intend this to be so hard.

Disturbing Ebay finds

2011-09-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm bored and purusing Ebay (never a good combo) and I found these three disturbing auctions when putting in the key word "baby". The good news is you have plenty of time to bid and very little competition.

"Male Baby Carrot" bidding starts at 99 cents

"Keep your baby floating in the tub with this baby head raft" (Also sold in Pink)

And the winner....Some (ahem..."person") in Wichita Falls, Texas is letting you name their baby girl. The middle name set as Merci and the last name is Tabor. Bidding is at 99 cents. I triple dog dare someone to bid and name her "Lordhave".

I know I'm bias....

2011-09-24T23:13:00.000-04:00

But is this not the cutest kid you've ever seen? We had a great time at the youth's fall retreat! It's like Charlie was born to be a youth pastor's kid- he LOVES all the attention, the busyness, the silliness, the absolute chaos that seems to follow teenagers wherever they go!
We also rode this crazy bumpy hatchback Hummer up the mountain, unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that because I was literally, holding onto him for dear life. But, oh my gosh, he had his arms in the air "like the big kids" and giggled and screamed the entire time.
We also rode the paddle boat, and for the same reasons, there aren't any pictures. :)
But we had the best time!

Hellloooo Baby Jack!

2011-09-22T22:35:00.000-04:00

Today we met Jack via ultrasound technology. It was quite an amazing experience. I am used to seeing the little "blob in jello" ultrasound, not the "oh my gosh you can see his hair" ultrasound. The technician was banging on his "tank" trying to get him to turn around and smile for the camera and he opened his mouth and howled at her, like "Heeeeyyyy!!!! I'm sleepin' here!!!". I thought, oh boy, he is going to give Charlie a run for his money....
When his heartbeat filled the room, it brought tears to my eyes. I never thought I would experience this feeling in my lifetime. I feel blessed. I feel stressed, as in....uhhh that looks like a baby and I need to get 10 million more things ready!!! I just keep buying things to fill up the room when I should be doing things like assembling the crib in our garage and cleaning all the odds and ends out of the closet.
But, he is HEALTHY and we are so thrilled. He is right on track, and for that we thank God.
Please continue to wrap baby Jack in your prayers. This is uncharted territory for us and for his birth mom. It's amazing how different this is than an International adoption. Different joys, different worries.
So, until then, I have A LOT of work to do, cause now I've seen with my own eyes, there's a baby in there!!!

Paperwork is evil. It must be stopped.

2011-09-19T22:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we called in a few favors, AGAIN. SLED checks from my old law firm, background checks from Kevin the Sheriff hero. Today, we sat in our doctor's waiting room and ask him if he would PLEASE sign the adoption form he had signed 15 times in the last year.
No kidding, I had an out of body experience tonight digging through the ol' adoption box in order to scan in income tax returns. I thought- what the heck am I doing? I honestly thought those things would stay in that box until well, the end of time.
Then, after the SLED checks and medical reports were scanned in, same thing. I had to shake my head to make sure I was still on this planet.
With the paperwork involved in Charlie's adoption, doing and re-doing and re-wording and re-scanning paperwork gives you a physical feeling under your skin and in the pit of your stomach. It's like a never ending battle. Just when you finished, they had all expired and you started over again. Unless you've been trapped in this vicious cycle, it's hard to explain the power these pieces of paper have over you. I always felt guilty if ANYTHING expired. Expired documents=the more time your baby sits in an orphanage. So, it's safe to say paperwork and I aren't really on speaking terms.
I had to keep telling myself....this document will not expire. These, if done correctly, will be done once and we'll be lucky if the ink is dry on November 18th. Our problem is reversed. But that doesn't mean that I hate paperwork any less.
BUT....THE REWARD COULDN'T BE GREATER! So, I'll make nice and tell the paperwork it's my friend. (but I'll still talk about it behind it's back)

Home Study Part Duex

2011-09-17T20:33:00.000-04:00

Today we had a home study. Again. Yeahhhh.....I thought you might enjoying laughing at me by reading my post from over two years ago when I was bright eyed and bushy tailed starting out on the whole adoption endeavor. I even made a little poem about it! Read "Twas the Night Before Our Home Study" HERE.

Now, for your reading pleasure I have composed a "this is our fourth home study for pete's sake" haiku. (I am even too lazy for a poem)

"Shove it in the closet

Quickly, quickly, she'll be here at 6

When will this be over?"

First Home Study

Fourth Home Study

EARTHQUAKE!

2011-09-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, August 23rd Charlie and I were enjoying a leisurely vacation nap at the beach when I was roused from my sleep by a strange shaking sensation. At first I though Charlie was kicking the bed. I looked over at him and he was sound asleep.
I closed my eyes again. The shaking got worse. I looked over at him. His eyes opened too with a look on his face, like "Why is Mama shaking the bed?" Then I thought, maybe it's the washing machine I turned on before naptime. Nope. IT WAS AN EARTHQUAKE! Not something I had ever experienced! Now this wasn't a huge one mind you, but enough to wake me from my slumber and get my attention. The funny thing was, that earthquake wasn't the last time that my world was rocked that day. God sent two earthquakes our way that day.
Later that night, a message came through from a person I hadn't spoken to over a year. A person that I always thought fondly of, a good person, a sweet person. A person pregnant with a baby that she couldn't keep. And then those words you can never imagine hearing-would you and Chad consider adopting the baby?
In case you missed our August 31st post (SOS) the next three weeks were a roller coaster of thoughts, emotions, and prayer. I had a hard time blogging because this baby consumed every waking thought in my tiny little mind. We questioned God's timing. We questioned our sanity.
After fighting for Charlie for over two years, this baby just drops into our laps. At that point, in less 12 weeks this little boy will make his grand debut. With Charlie we filled out paperwork, paperwork, paperwork and then when it expired filled it out again. Fingerprinting, fundraising, homestudies, doctor exams, chest x-rays, blood work, certificates of home ownership, tax returns, the list goes on and on. And now this. A simple question, a not so simple answer. It still seems too good to be true. It's like God knew that another adoption nightmare might just send me over the edge. He gently nudged us and said "take this baby, I'll make this one easy on you...."
So here we go. In 64 DAYS, Baby Jack will make his grand debut and take up residence in our arms. It's funny, he's already found a place in our hearts. Less fighting to get him home has not made me love him any less. It's funny how fiercely we can love someone whom we have never met, never dreamed of and didn't even know existed till the day the earth shook twice.
It's funny how little baby clothes are. It's funny how many brands of bottles are in the store (it's even funnier to see the look on my husbands face while trying to decide which bottles to register for....) It's funny the way Charlie wakes up every morning and says "Baby yet?" It's funny how God blesses our socks off when we are least expecting it. It's funny how we "plan" our lives and obviously God finds humor in that too. It's when we cross our last "t" and dot our last "i" that He shakes the earth under our feet to get our attention.
So ready or not, we will double our family size in less a year. We are buying tiny things and cleaning out closets.
Thank you so much for your Charlie prayers, now we need Jack prayers. Pray that he is healthy. Pray for his birth mom, I can't imagine what she will go through in the next two months. Pray that she will remain strong and brave. Pray that our path through this adoption will be smooth- I am scared to death considering our less than illustrious track record when it comes to smooth adoptions....Pray for my sweet husband and for big brother Charlie too. We just need some intense, solidified prays in the next two months. You had two years to pray for us last time, so this should be short and sweet, but much appreciated!

And the answer is....

2011-09-13T22:40:00.000-04:00

Meet my son, Baby Huey.

2011-09-06T14:05:00.001-04:00

In January, Charlie was in the 5th percentile for his height. Now.....drum roll please......
HE'S IN THE 75TH!
Holy moly!
Now, his weight has never been an issue, he's held steady in the 90th percentile his entire little life, but we are so thrilled about his height!
Over 5 inches in seven months ain't too shabby.
Welcome to America, land of healthy food, plenty of yard space, and sunshine! Turns out kids really do grow exactly like weeds.

What brought this discovery to light (other than my arm feels like it's breaking off when I carry him for longer that 2 minutes) was getting ready last night to go to a friend's house.

It was a little cool outside, so I decided to put him in jeans. Jeans that swallowed him up last winter, size 3T. Well, now said jeans are jean capri's. I mean, you could see the top of his socks. Then I tried on a pair of his size 9 slide on shoes. Nope. His toes were crammed into the ends of them. Next, the fruit loop shirt, size 4T. BELLY SHIRT. He looked like he was going to an 80's rock concert (minus the Bon Jovi hair).

So today, we got out the scale and the measuring tape. Yup. He is officially Baby Huey.

Techy

2011-09-03T18:57:00.000-04:00

Trying this from my new phone! Pretending to be all techy...at this rate I could type a paragraph in 25 minutes. Still haven't reached a decision...Thanks for all your advice, but can't you just tell me yes or no?

SOS

2011-08-31T15:06:00.000-04:00

I need some help friends. I have been in a major funk.
Have you ever had to make a decision that would ultimately effect the rest of your life?
My brain is like a ping pong ball. As soon as I make up my mind, it makes a lightning fast ping move in the opposite direction.
Lately it's been stuck between two pins. You know when it goes "pooooo--innnnnn, pooooo-innnnnnn" so fast you can't even see it?
Last Tuesday a friend ask us if we wanted to adopt her baby. Like, her still in the womb till November baby.
Heart says "YES!!!" Head says "NO!!!!"
Maybe it's because we fought for 2 years to get Charlie home. We don't know what to do with ourselves when something like this drops into our laps.
Last night I was ready to call her and explain 1,000 of the reasons why we can't have a baby right now.
I didn't call.
This morning I was going to call her and say "We can do this. When's your next ultrasound?"
I didn't call.
My little brain is stuck between those pins, back and forth at lightning speed.
When do opportunities like this arise? Well, for us, once in 11 1/2 years.
Are YOU CRAZY? You can't afford a baby right now. Charlie has been home 7 months. Homestudy? Paperwork? Insurance woes (we haven't gotten Charlie's even figured out yet) Doesn't Charlie deserve to have a Christmas all to himself? He's been sharing and vying for attention his whole life. Could I love another baby as much as I love him? What about the health concerns? What if she changes her mind?
Are YOU CRAZY? Your family would be complete. Charlie would have a brother. They would be a perfect 3 1/2 years apart. You could have a baby. Lots of people have babies. There is never a "perfect" time to have a baby. Babies are so cute and precious and small. I could buy those tiny socks. You know the ones that look like shoes?
I have been trying to keep this private because I know it's a decision Chad and I need to make together. What's right for Charlie and our family.
But I am failing miserably going at this alone. I am making myself sick.
Help.

Charlie meets the beach.....

2011-08-22T23:20:00.000-04:00

Conversations with Charlie

2011-08-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

Cast: Charlie and Me
Scene: We were in the car going over to a friend's house we had never been to before
Script:
Mama: Charlie, guess what Sarah and Eddie have a dog. His name is Elvis.
Charlie: Dog have eyes?
Mama: Uhhh....Yes, Elvis has eyes
Charlie: Two eyes?
Mama: Uhhhhh.....Yeah. He's got both his eyes.
Charlie: They purple?
Mama: Uhhh.....No, they are probably brown
Charlie: Oh. Not purple?
Mama: Nope. Brown....
Charlie: Huh.

So where has my child seen a purple one eyed dog?

Tight Wad Wednesday

2011-08-17T12:53:00.001-04:00

My trusty couponing helper! Charlie holds my coupons and
"matches" them up to the items after we put them in the
cart. He was proud of our haul too and jumped into the pic!

What we got:

12 rolls Scott Paper Towels
1 pack of Pull-Ups for bedtime
(5) 2 ltr. bottles of Pepsi
Always girl stuff
2 boxes Kleenex
Free CVS Bandaids
Free CVS Body wash
Free Revlon Nail Polish
Revlon Bronzer
Revlon Mascara
(2) Revlon Eyeshadows
Free Chocolate Bar (didn't make it into the photo, because I pay my helper in chocolate)

Total out of Pocket $11.59. Great day at CVS and Walgreens (AND....I'm not done yet! I got a few rainchecks for items that didn't come in and after I purchase $9 more dollars, before coupons of course, I'll get a $10 gas card. Yipppeee!!!) I like to think of it as buying two packs of paper towels as I would have in my old "non-couponing" life and getting all that other stuff for free....

Am I offending you?

2011-08-16T15:33:00.001-04:00

I just got finished reading a blog post called "The Secret is in the Sauce" (you can read it HERE too if you so desire.....) But it all boils down to getting people to 1-read your blog and 2-stick with you. I don't know if you noticed, but I've started to change the face of the blog ever-so-slightly. Of course, yes, this is a blog about adoption. Hence the title "From Russia With Love", but as many of my fellow adoption bloggers can testify, I think at some point you get a little tired of adoption, adoption, adoption. You (make that I) don't want adoption to be the only thing that defines our lives. Chad, Charlie and I are so many other things. We are Christians, we are a family, I love to cook, read, and buy things with coupons. We love football and Halloween and dressing up like Pirates. And I LOVE SHOES. Lots of shoes. Sometimes I want to go off on a tangent about just how much I love shoes, but I felt in the past I am doing you a disservice if you came here to only read about Russian adoption. I thought about stopping the blog. I thought about changing the blog. Then I thought-who cares- I'll just write about what I feel like writing and hope no one is offended and stops following me.
Because if you know me personally, I am a kind of love me or leave me kinda gal. But for some reason when I mysteriously loose a follower it makes me a little self conscious. Is it something I said? Was it something I didn't say? I know, I am taking this blog thing WAY too seriously. But it is important to me. I love blogging. I love you, all 76 of you that follow this blog and the many, many more that lurk in background and stop me on my way into church and say "oh my gosh, I can't believe you cussed out a government agent"
So, I say all that to say this. Things are changing a little bit around here. If you don't like my posts like "Tight Wad Wednesdays" or how I am addicted to Zulily please let me know.
Oh my goodness that was a HUGE tangent! (See I'm getting you use to the new From Russia With Love....) Anyway, the secret in the sauce article. In order not to offend or annoy you I should do a few housekeeping items which I won't bore you with the details of. Some of them I'm not doing either because it annoys me too (like music playing in the background....) But one of the top 5 major complaints:
WHEN SOMEONE COMMENTS, YOU SHOULD COMMENT BACK TO THEM
Ooops. I've been blogging for over two years now and I never even thought about doing that. I read EVERY one of your comments. I LOVE comments. It keeps me moving in the right direction from a writing standpoint, but more than that it lets me know there are people out there that support me, think I'm not wasting my time typing huge posts like this one, or that I am providing useful information to you. I wish more people would leave me comments. But writing back to them? Have I totally offended you if you wrote me and I never said anything about it? Yikes. I mean if you take it from the point of view that if someone calls you or emails you, of course you would write them back.
So, just some food for thought. Sorry if you commented in 2010 and are waiting for me to respond to you. I didn't know I could do that to be quite honest with you. When I comment on other blogs, I don't go back and wait for a response. Maybe that's just me. Sorry if I let you down and you think I'm all stuck up and stuff. But I am turning over a new leaf. If you would like to leave a comment, I will write you back now that I know you were all offended and stuff. Please don't leave me.

Lost Post!

2011-08-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

So I typed this post while we were in Russia and I just came across it today. I originally journaled these thoughts because it was a weird experience and I wanted to record it to Charlie someday, I think teenage Charlie will get a chuckle out of it. That and if he ever says "you never do anything for me!" At this point I would pull up this post and say "oh yeah kid....read this."

We arrived in St. Petersburg on Sunday afternoon at 3:45. Of course, we were exhausted as not have slept on the plane at all or for the last 24 hours for that matter. We had a soup broth and ravioli supper at the apartment in St. Pete around 4:30. Our host didn’t have any beverages in the house, so we only had hot tea after supper, and you can’t drink the water out of the faucet, so we were thirsty! Then our translator says we must fast for our medical exams tomorrow, including no water (what kinda fast is this?). Well by 3:00am (as I lie wide awake in bed) my mouth felt like the desert. In my head I am quite unhappy at the “no water” rule. I think this is false medical advice, as I remember thinking “isn’t my body like 70% water?” To me it was like saying “you can’t breathe oxygen until your medical exam” Ridiculous. If there was water in the house I definitely would have rebelled against this rule, but alas, bad water and the thought of eminent death if I partook of the water outweighed by desire to drink or bend the rules to prove a point.

So the next day we leave the house at 7:00am and drive to the Medical Institute of St. Petersburg, a sort of teaching hospital as I understand it. Apparently, it was built by Americans, so they told us we should feel at home. Notsomuch. It was a foreign concept- to be poked and prodded by people you don’t understand and don’t understand you. 8 different people to be exact.

So we arrive at the Institute and check our coats at the door. The funny thing about being in a different place is that the people familiar to these types of situations take for granted that you have no idea what’s going on. You just do what they do and hope you are right. Anyway, coat checking, foreign concept, but follow their lead. (We were driven by a new guy in a van there, accompanied by our facilitator, her son, (who was very sick and wanted to see the doctor), our translator, who was there, well, to translate but also hoped to be examined for her chronic nose problems and allergies. Our regular driver was there when we got there. He is always “mysteriously” showing up places, making the way smooth for us. He is a guy who “knows guys”. So here we are, an unlikely brood, two Americans (one giant sized and one for some reason people like to stop and stare at, in any case, not the most popular kids on the block these days) a tiny Russian lady, an artsy translator with a runny nose, a sick pre-teen with a Mohawk, and a driver with connections. They hand us these tiny blue plastic foot covers for our shoes. I guess checking your shoes is too much to ask.

Our driver we'll call him "Vinny" informs us that they will accept our American medical exams we had done before we left including blood work for sexually transmitted diseases, EKG, chest x-rays and we won’t have to do them again. We are ushered by Vinny to a large office, no windows (an important part of the story for later) There is a man with a coat and tie inside, no blue shoes. He invites us to his tea party set up. We are so happy- finally drinks! As we are getting ready for tea, the doctor asks “where are your beliruben results?”Excuse me? He says I see all the other tests- HIV, Hep A,B,C, Syphilis, but no beliruben? We weren’t told about that. Our translator is confused. I am trying to explain what beliruben is, except, I don’t really know either. I know I have it and I think it has to do with my liver. He says “sorry you will need to get blood work done again and must continue to fast.” I am more upset about not being able to drink rather than getting poked with needles in a foreign country. That’s how thirsty I was.

He continues his interview, a man and two women walk in and sit next to us. Who are these people? Are they doctors? He continues to ask us questions about our fertility and if we have ever been to Africa. Apparently there is no HIPAA in Russia.

The couple next to us starts having tea and eating cookies. I don’t know who they are but I instantly dislike them for drinking in front of us.

We go to the blood room. It is stark and the nurse looks like she could totally take Chad in a fight. Hands down. After we are drained of the appropriate amount of blood, an attractive brunette walks in. We are told to walk with her, she is the neurologist. All of the conversations with all of the doctors start like this “Would you like to tell us about any health problems you have?” Kinda vague, right? By the end I wanted to say “no” and see what happened. But I refrained. We were ushered back and forth between several rooms with several doctors. All the rooms looked exactly the same except for two. The psychologist’s office had white puffy cloud wallpaper. He was done talking to me in 5 minutes. He had a heyday with Chad and his parent’s divorce when he was little. Lots of “how did that make you feel?” and all of that quacky stuff. The only weird thing he asked me was a follow up question to if I was a good girl growing up. I said yes, good grades, stayed out of trouble, all that jazz. He asked me “Why were you good?” That was like asking a tiger why it has stripes…Uhhh….because I wanted to? Our translator kept smiling at me the whole time, like at any moment she was just going to burst into laughter. But we couldn’t….this guy took himself VERY, VERY seriously.

The last stop was a room with a huge open window facing the street and neighboring apartment buildings. The only room with a window. The room where we undressed. Awesome. It was also the most crowded room to add to the awkwardness- us, our translator, and three lady doctors- cardiologist, dermatologist, and oncologist. I will spare you the details of all the touching and feeling that went on in this room. I just kept thinking- I can see people out there, I am pretty sure they can see me. When they asked “do you have any health problems?” that scene from National Lampoons Christmas runs through my head. “Yup….I got a metal plate in my head and when Katherine runs the microwave I pee my pants and forget who I am for 30 minutes” I think it was just the naked awkwardness that makes your brain think of silly things to keep you from thinking about the situation at hand.

We finally make it to the end of our exams after about 3 hours. We can finally have tea and cookies. They tell us our beliruben was just fine as were our blood sugar levels. (Of course they are BECAUSE I AM STARVING TO DEATH!) We meet with the head doctor, a pleasant plump lovely lady that is a dead ringer for Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith show. The other people walk in too. Turns out they are a Finnish couple adopting a boy and a girl from St. Petersburg. They say it was only a 40 minute flight and I kinda dislike them all over again. Despite that, they were actually really nice people. They said Torry Hansen’s actions affected them as well, slowed down their process quite a bit; it’s been almost a two year process for them as well. They will make 3 more trips before their adoptions are finalized. They hope to have their son and daughter home before March. Aunt Bea is very sweet and kind, of course…she gives us a postcard as a souvenir so that we will always remember our time here. I smile and nod, but want to say, trust me, this is an experience I will never EVER forget. We pay an absorbent amount of money, sign some papers in Russian that we have NO IDEA what they say (maybe they can make clones of us?) and they give us a paper to take to court stamped with a hundred seals, stating simply that we are perfect specimens of the human form and are in satisfactory health to raise Charlie. Good thing I didn’t say the joke about the metal plate.

Some more pirate pictures!

2011-08-13T21:16:00.002-04:00

Arrggghhhh.....Pirate Charlie

2011-08-10T22:31:00.001-04:00

Charlie was REALLY into character at our Pirate Scavenger Hunt at the Church tonight. He was so excited to dress up and run around like a maniac! He did tell me he was a "nice one" (not like that mean ol' Captain Hook) in his Disney Sing Along video. They sword fight on there and I guess that's where he learned his jousting form! More pictures to come- I am having technical difficulty and could only get the video to load! Until then- Yo Ho Ho!
P.S.- The unfortunate matey at the end of the hook is Charlie's Aunt NeNe (my sister Brittany) We had a great time!

Pop Quiz....I failed.

2011-08-09T20:15:00.000-04:00

Question 1
We had speech therapy evaluation through RITE CARE (Through the Scottish Rite/Masons) on Monday. Last Monday Chad and I went to the parent interview and yesterday was Charlie's turn. The facility and the therapist is top notch. It was so nice just to have him evaluated to see what we need to be working on and if his delay is English as second language related or something more complicated. So, I brought Charlie alone because Chad had a big event planned with the youth. For about a week we've been talking about "school" and Charlie going to school since the evaluation was in a school setting and we talk quite a bit about "big boy school" since he will be going to Pre-K in the Fall. We took him down to the Pre-K in April for a visit (which happens to be located in the same church building where Chad and I work) and Charlie had a bit of a freak out since it looks exactly like an orphanage. I didn't want another freak out during the evaluation, so we've really been talking about school A LOT. Teachers, listening, following directions, etc. May I add- to no avail.
-OK I AM SOOOO RAMBLING HERE.....BACK ON TRACK-
During the evaluation I am sitting behind two way glass with listening headphones, watching this whole thing unravel. It starts out really well. I am beaming from ear to ear. Yes, my child has been home 6 months and he is a genius. Yes a genius. He didn't cry when I "dropped him off" (to go spy on him from next door) He warmed up to the therapist right away (Thank goodness, he's not a big fan of strangers....) and he was actually responding to what she was asking him. Then Charlie got REALLY comfortable with the therapist. Like climbing all over her and trying to get to her "bucket of tricks" for correct responses. I went from watching a star pupil to watching the act with the monkeys at the zoo. I know what the problem is. She is too nice. Don't take me wrong, I am pretty nice when it comes right down to it but I also know the "sit down, straighten up and fly right" Mama voice. She apparently 1-was still getting what she needed despite my child using her like a jungle gym 2-didn't want to make his first experience unpleasant or 3-was really, really, nice and this wasn't the worst evaluation she had done.
POP QUIZ: Do I go interrupt this circus and bust into the room, putting on my mama voice and threaten to take him away from school? Would that interrupt the flow of therapy?
ANSWER: I interrupt therapy for a "potty break". I bribe him with a trip to the Zoo after we are done and threaten him in my best mommy voice.
SCORE: Fail.
We go back into the room and I return to my little post and it's pretty insane. Does he always act this way when I'm not around? I am fairly certain she isn't going to qualify us for therapy because my kid is acting like I gave him 4 Red Bulls and a bowl of sugar for breakfast that morning.
Well, sweet therapist must be a glutten for punishment. She is going to do a little research on Russian phonetics (because she is a little leery to "grade him" on a traditional English speaker scale). I can really appreciate that. So, she decided to take us onto her caseload- YEAH! and will put us on a waiting list.
She was amazed by his comprehension, but felt he was lacking in pronunciation and mimicking. She asked me if he said any words that start with a "W". Uhhh....drawing a blank. Now that I've had time to think without the pressure of the Pop Quiz, he says "Working" ALL.THE.TIME. Who is working, where do they work, etc. He also obsesses about "Woo-woos" ALL.THE.TIME. Second question: fail. I think I'll call her tomorrow. Or is it even important? This is uncharted territory.

Question 2
We are at the Library today. He is acting a little squirrely again, but we are managing. I ask him if he wants to check out a movie before we go home with just books. He refuses to answer me, so we get in line to check out our books. Que first temper tantrum. Sure, Charlie has acted out and cried in public. BUT NOTHING LIKE this. I'm talking back arching, eyeballs bulging, husky man-voice screaming, drooling, spitting, throwing punches temper tantrum. This is so out of character for him.
POP QUIZ: What the heck do I do?
ANSWER: Drag him to the car while every employee, librarian, and patron gives me the evil eye. Get to the car and try to get him into the car seat. Decide this is ridiculous and try to get out of the car and let him scream it out while I stand outside the car. Remember the child locks are on and I have to climb out through the front seat. Get out. Wait 2 minutes. Decide it's too freaking hot to wait this out. I drive home in silence while the demon that possessed my sweet boy are screaming "Maaaammaaaaa" in true Linda Blair fashion. Go home, give him a LOOONG talking to, and put him in time out while I make lunch. Is he too young to be "grounded" from the library?
SCORE: C-. I was NOT prepared for this.

Question 3
QUESTION: What happens when you forget to pay the water bill?
ANSWER: They shut your water off, while you happen to be de-boning salmonella carrying raw chicken.
SCORE: Fail.
On my own personal account of failure this week, I totally forgot to pay the water bill and they shut our water off! Without so much as a nice little warning! I mean, not to pass the blame here, but the stinking thing is due ever OTHER month. I always forget and wait until the last minute. I guess they are tired of my lack of concern for this ridiculous way of billing and decided to teach me a lesson. So noted.

On another non-quiz related tidbit of fun, someone stole Chad's debit card number after we pumped gas on Friday night and made fraudulent charges. Now our checking account is in limbo and our cards needed to be canceled. Awesome.
It's been such a fun week and it's only Tuesday. Yeaaahhhh....

You've come a long way baby!

2011-08-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

I almost missed it! We've been a family for six months!

Trying to capture a smile for the court paperwork. At this
point we were both close to tears. Our boy was one
miserable kid, with some wrecked skin. These 50 pictures
(with NO smile) breaks my heart.

We're doing much better now!

10 things nobody tells you

2011-08-06T14:18:00.001-04:00

"Helping" make Brownies

When you are expecting, whether through adoption or the biological way, people like telling you how much your life will change once you have a child. To them I say "duh" of course my life will change- early mornings, waking in the middle of the night, no more late night parties or strange food on the dinner plate. Those are the things I expected. Here are a few no one warns you about:
1-You talk about poop all the time. Did he go today? Color, consistency? I've never talked about poop so much in my life.
2-Your mindset of being able to locate things in the store pales in comparison to being able to locate a BATHROOM in the store. As you venture away from it, it's like a tiny alarm in your child's bladder activates. As soon as you are, geographically speaking, at the furthest point away from said bathroom, the alarm sounds. Emergency! You have 15 seconds to find a toilet or we'll know the true meaning of "cleanup on aisle 6"
3- Clothes that modestly covered my bosom are now dangerously low cut due to the fact someone is always hanging off of them. In all my pictures, I look like I am auditioning for the next big Vegas show. The only acceptable cut of shirt with a toddler is a turtleneck.
4- Likewise, the only acceptable color of clothing is grey, brown, or other "army colors". Black shows boogers and yogurt. White? Fa-get-a-bout-it.
5- When they "help" it takes you 10 times longer than doing it yourself with a bigger mess to clean up at the end. See attached photo.
6- They only wake up at the crack of dawn on days you don't have anywhere to go. On days you have to be somewhere in the morning, it's like waking the dead.
7-No more casually browsing for anything. You start to shop online. A lot. The UPS guy probably thinks I am a recluse.
8- People start telling you "Ohhh...you look so tired" At first, you wear it like a badge of honor. Then it starts to wear on your self esteem. After that stage it makes you mean. Response: "Ooohhh.....and you're looking old". The thing is you are tired, all the time. Not only physically, but mentally too. Having a toddler is the ultimate test of multitasking. If you don't bring your A-Game every waking moment of the day, you will find yourself with a missing child, a HUGE mess, or a complete and total meltdown (from him or me). This would make anyone tired, then you add in 5 hours of sleep and looking tired is a given.
9- You forget things. Like simple words. It's like all your good thoughts have been taken and you're left with a brain full of mush. You start using "filler" words a lot like "uuuhhhh" and "you know....." People's names. Forget about it. I saw someone I used to work with at the grocery store. It took me 30 seconds to realize where I knew this person from. I'm still trying to remember her name. P.S.- I worked with her for close to 5 years. Oi.
10- Kids have no working gauges. Meaning....it's 108 degrees outside, sweat is pouring off of both of us and he is begging to stay outside. Likewise, there is no "warm up" to hunger. Ask at 12:05 if he's hungry and the answer is "not yet" (His new favorite phrase) but at 12:10 he wants to eat....NOW! Same applies for pottying (see no. 2)

All that being said, motherhood is more wonderful than anyone even begun to tell me. It is such an amazing gift to have this little person in your life that loves and adores you. The simplest joy is listening to him laugh or the way he lavishes his affection on me with his sweet kisses and hugs. On your worst day, you look at this precious little person and your heart just melts. Then he throws some food at you and you snap out of it.

Tight Wad Wednesday

2011-08-03T22:27:00.001-04:00

So, I had a light week at the grocery store this week and got these pretties instead (for Christmas gifts....I wanted to make one for myself soooo badly!) Check out artscow.com
You can personalize three makeup bags (any size) for $8 shipped when you use code 8BUCKS43 at checkout! If you don't want to use the "canned" patterns, use the "Silverlight" editor to upload your own design- the prints are fabulous!
Here is the one I made for my sister, sorry I ruined the surprise Aunt NeNe!

My Little Firefighter

2011-07-31T22:11:00.000-04:00

Rutherfordton, NC Children's Museum, July 15, 2011
Photoshopped by Aunt NeNe :0)

Summer Blow Out Sale!

2011-07-30T15:35:00.003-04:00

FYI- If you haven't gone on vacation yet (like us....counting down the days.....)
Lulilly is having a HUGE summer blow out sale- Women's, boys, and girls bathing suits and such. Once you pay shipping once ($5.99 flat rate) then you get shipping for the rest of the day free! Start shopping HERE. Now we are BEACH ready! When you refer friends you get $15 credit, so I had $30 saved up! I scored:

Swimsuit for Me $24.99-FREE with my store credit when you refer friends :)

And for me! $9.99 (Cost $2.99! Friend credit!)

Swim Shorts $4.99

Leather sandal (Charlie) $6.99

Tight Wad Wednesday

2011-07-27T15:47:00.002-04:00

I know you don't remember (and if you do I am going to be a little scared...) but about a year ago, I started to get in on the whole coupon craze after checking out behind a lady that spent 63 cents on $132 worth of groceries. If you want a refresher and a little chuckle, you can read about my experience HERE.
So I've been at this couponing thing for about a year now, can you believe it? Time flies whether you're having fun or not :0) and I now look forward to Wednesdays (or as I like to call them, Tight Wad Wednesdays) because it's the day that the new sales start in the store.

On Tuesday nights I go to my favorite couponing site SOUTHERN SAVERS and Jenny does all the work for me. I just go through the little checklist and make a shopping list, print some coupons, and then go through my giant file cabinet of circulars and clip the coupons she tells me too! Sometimes I also visit I heart Publix and I heart Bi-Lo to make sure Jenny didn't miss anything (she rarely does!). It takes about 2 hours in all and I am ready for Tight Wad Wednesdays by 8:00am the next day (before all the crazy hard core couponers come and knock you down for the last box of Kellogg's and run your over with their cart for good measure) I usually go to Publix first on my way into the office to get their penny item (a mystery item for a penny on Wednesdays only! Fun!) and then to Bi-lo on the way home with Charlie. He calls all grocery stores the "yum-yum shop" which is too cute, he drives the grocery cart shaped like a car that has the turning radius of the Titanic and holds the coupons for me. Very good helper....

Anyway, by doing this I have cut our monthly food budget in HALF! That is so exciting to me! I know some folks do even better, but I am still buying items without coupons that are weekly must haves, like milk, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, and meat. Those are all things that seldom carry coupons. I've even taught a free class for my church and the community teaching other people these little tips and money savers. If you love watching your grocery tab get sliced at least in half every week, have 2 hours a week to spend, can buy 2 Sunday papers a week, and can keep organized- this is a great way to save some hard earned money! If you want a copy of my class handout, email me :0)

So the rundown today for Tight Wad Wednesday?
Publix: Spent $22.04 and saved $46.65
Bi-Lo: Spent $37.93 and saved $36.20

I LOVE being a tight wad! Once you get use to this way of shopping it will almost make you cry to buy things without a coupon. Chad makes fun of me a little because when he comes home I put everything on the counter and he has to play "The Price is Right" and guess how much I spent. See, isn't being a tight wad the coolest?

Important Things

2011-07-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

Please pray for a close friend of mine who is going through a Job-like situation with her family and her health. She provided me with counsel and a shoulder to cry on while we were stuck in adoption limbo for so long and now she could really use your prayers. You don't know her name, but God does. She is an amazing Christian woman that is really fighting a serious battle right now. Please lift her up.

Can you help a little?

2011-07-24T16:11:00.000-04:00

This post is from our friends, the Moreno family. They are trying to get their precious daughter home from Russia (and the same region Charlie is from). Their wait has been as long as ours was and they are about $5,000 short of being able to travel in hopefully about 22 days (we all know how *special* the hoops to jump through are over there, so that is not yet set in stone....) If we all chip in a few dollars HERE in honor of Baby Moreno's 5th birthday today, she will be thaaaat much closer to home. I think about all the ways so many people funded our way to Russia, and it still brings tears to my eyes. And not only is this helping a family and a precious orphan, but it's really kingdom work! Let's chip in! Here is their story. If you click the link HERE (just in case you missed it before.....) it will take you to their Reece's Rainbow account.

We are awaiting news of our court date. Our judge is on vacation this entire month, but our in-country facilitator is planning on asking her to give us a date as soon as she returns. We just sent additional paperwork, and we aren’t entirely sure whether they need the translated documents in their hands in order to ask for our court date. If so, it might take a little longer.
But there is a very real possibility that we could be traveling as soon as….
…drumroll please…

MID TO LATE AUGUST!!!

In case you don’t have a calendar handy, that is less than 30 days away. Now, it could be longer, but our agency feels pretty certain that it won’t be much further out.
So now the crazed and chaotic chase to prepare, assemble, copy, notarize, apostille, and FedEx paperwork has given way to the crazed and chaotic chase to finish our court speeches, assemble, copy, notarize, apostille, and translate a mound of documentation to support our ability to give J a better life here than she has in the institution, pack, and prepare our household for our absence—including arrangements for who will be staying with our children, which is still somewhat up in the air.
Oh, and we have to come up with another $4,000-$5,000 before we travel.
Yes, you read that right. Although we are very close to being fully funded, we’re not quite all the way there. Through the generosity of friends and family (thank you, Lord, for putting so many pie-loving people in my life), God has thrown us a bunch of cows. We held two really fun events, and I baked hundreds of Key Lime Pies, and our adoption fund grew.
I had plans to host one more really fabulous fundraising event, but it was impossible to schedule a date when we sat in travel limbo, knowing that we could get our travel orders “any day now” for nine months. But that was okay. We figured that as soon as we got home from our first trip, we’d schedule our event, knowing that we’d have a few months until court.
Only, what we didn’t know is that the time between your first trip and going back for court is filled with an all-consuming paper chase, leaving no time to wipe the drool from your chin, let alone plan a major fundraising event.
I did hike up my big-girl-panties (which are a couple of sizes bigger thanks to months and months of adoption-related stress eating) and pull off two good pie sales right after we came back, but that’s all I had time for.
And now that our court documents are done and sent off, I have a new project: gathering mounds of documentation to take into court with us to prove that Baby J is better off here than she is in the institution. And once it’s gathered, it has to be notarized, apostilled, and translated.
And we could be leaving in less that 30 days. Actually, I just redid the math. Mid-August is 22 days away.
During this process, I’ve tried to stay away from asking for outright donations. Don’t get me wrong: a good portion of our funds came from outright donations, and I am ever so grateful. And I don’t begrudge families who ask for outright donations. After all, they are scrimping and saving to save up the ransom for this child, and they are committing to parent that child forever. That’s a big thing. I certainly don’t mind being asked to stand with them and be a part of God’s work through them. I just decided early on that I always wanted to try to offer something of value.
Today is Baby J’s birthday. She has spent the first five years of her life as an orphan. Last year at this time, I wouldn’t have dreamed that we still wouldn’t have her home by now. And yet, another year has passed, and now she’s been transferred from the baby house to an institution for older children with “neurological defects”.
That makes me so sad.
So in honor of Baby J’s birthday, I am asking for a favor. I am asking for you to help us get her home. I think it’s the very best birthday present she could ever get.
I don’t want anyone to feel any pressure. I don’t consider anyone less of a friend if they can’t or choose not to donate. But I know that God will multiply the gifts of those who do, no matter how small or how large the donation. I trust Him to provide.
After all, I have an Ebenezer stone the size of small island nation that tells me He will….
Won’t you please help wish Baby J a happy 5th birthday by being a part of this bigness? You can make a tax deductible contribution to our adoption fund through Reece’s Rainbow. Please designate “MORENO FAMILY/BABY J” in the PayPal comments section. Click HERE to donate.
Thank you, friends. I love you all.

Conversations with Charlie

2011-07-19T22:53:00.000-04:00

Today we were playing outside and I was pushing Charlie on the swing.
Charlie: "High Mama"
Me: "Ok, I'll push you high"
Charlie: "The sky mama"
Me: "To the sky?"
Charlie: "Da, the moon"
Me: "The moon isn't out yet, what else is in the sky?"
Charlie: "Sun"
Me: "Yeah, the sun and the clouds....what else?"
Charlie: "Baby Jesus"
Me: "That's right! You know Baby Jesus grew up, he's not a baby anymore. He grew up to be a big boy"
Charlie: "Jesus, tee tees (in the) potty?"
Me: "Uhhh......I guess he did....."

Po-Po's and Egg Legs

2011-07-14T23:40:00.000-04:00

Egg-Leg Pooch

Charlie is officially speaking more words than I can keep track of.
I can truly say as well he is starting to converse more. Our conversations mostly revolve around the same topics- going bye-bye, whether or not the "woo-woo" is "night-night" or "working" (meaning the firetruck is inside the fire station by our house or out on a call ), his schedule "time to eat?" "nap?", etc., and where people are at any given time of the day as in who's working, sleeping, or at home. If I ask him what he wants to eat, he can tell me. That is a big relief, I mean who wants to eat stuff they don't feel like eating? That would be like going to a restaurant and having someone choose every meal you eat day after day. "Fish, Ewwwwww.....not again....."
He is starting to try to repeat words a lot more. When we read to him he mumbles the words along with us and says the last word of each sentence very loudly.
My favorite new word is for a pirate, we are working on a pirate themed scavenger hunt at our church so he's seen a lot of pirates lately, and he calls them "egg-legs" as in "peg-legs" Too funny. We were also eating lunch with a friend yesterday and a cop came in and sat at the table next to us. Charlie stood up and started yelling "PO-PO!!!" at the top of his lungs. Not funny. Well, it was, but I digress....
On August 1st and 8th we are having him evaluated by another speech therapist, however. We want to make sure we are doing everything within our power to make sure he is where he needs to be. I am hoping this is more for my piece of mind and he is making appropriate progress on his own. We started watching the "Little Pim" videos in Russian and when they start a new word and I ask him "What is that?" he says it in English, even though the Russian is blaring in the background...Hmmmm.....
Over the course of the last three weeks he has started saying what appears to be a new Russian word which is pronounced "Dee-Et-Ah?" and points at something. We think it's Russian for "look" or "what is that" either that or it is a badly butchered English word for "look" or "what's that". Hmmm.....
I love the way he is more in tune with his surroundings. He talks about the people walking, the cars driving down the road, people "working" and big trucks along the way. It's hard to believe the first month home I was checking my rear-view mirror constantly to see if he was asleep; he never made a peep in the car.

I think he has an amazing sense of direction. Several miles from our house coming from any direction he points and says "home over there?" and he is right 90 percent of the time. Now if we could just work on his odds of putting his shoes on the right feet.

Well that only took 15 months!

2011-07-13T20:30:00.000-04:00

Russia and the US has finally reached a bilateral treaty concerning adoptions. I personally know families that traveled around the same time as we did that are still waiting....I just can't imagine. The 10 months we waited were absolutely excruciating. I can't imagine another 5 months.....
I hope and pray that in the next few weeks, Russian adoptions are at full force again. I found a lot of articles with a lot of spin, but this Question and Answer format comes directly from the State Department, I found it to be most informative our of everything I read.
Check out the article HERE
Please continue to pray for these waiting families, children, and agencies that have been in limbo for so long. I pray that this agreement strengthens relationships for our countries and the children waiting in orphanages, not hinders the process even more.

How to go crazy in 7 days (A How to guide)

2011-07-09T23:10:00.000-04:00

Yup...pretty sure this was the guy.....

Lets see, the week of July 3rd....where to begin.
Sunday: Barbecue with friends. Fireworks exploding all night long. Dogs are literally climbing the walls already and it's not even the fourth yet. But, I think to myself, I am proud to be an American! I love the 4th of July. It's not so bad.....
Monday: Barbecue with more friends. Watch fireworks from the church parking lot. Charlie really liked the show. He is so fearless, it's one of the many things I absolutely adore about him. Late going to bed, but it really doesn't matter since our neighborhood sounds like a the battle of 1812. The fireworks are making my left eye twitch.
Tuesday-Friday: Our neighbor had a family emergency and had no one to watch her three children while she traveled out of state. So, of course, I volunteered. I know what its like not to have family within a days drive. It was the least I could do, and they were angels, truthfully. However, the logistics of having 4 children (ages 9, 7, and two 3 year olds) is another thing all together. Getting everyone into the car is like putting together a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle in the 100 degree weather. Charlie liked having his friends over, as long as the other 3 year old didn't try to get too cuddly with HIS mama. He shared everything except for me! Set off on a midnight expedition to find out who is setting off the stinkin' fireworks.
Tuesday: Receive an email from our social worker. She needs to come out to the house for our first post adoption report home visit this week or next. Uhhh......Chad left for his mission trip Saturday, so next week was out of the question. That left us with Tuesday or Friday. Either way, it was very short notice. It was either less than 24 hours or 72 hours. Needless to say, a lot of stuff is now piled in my closet. And how people clean anything with four children in the house is beyond me. We chose Friday.
P.S.- The fireworks are sending me over the edge.
Thursday: Dinner for 13? No problem. Every year I really enjoy cooking a special meal for the youth Mission leadership team. This year, the circumstances were a little different. Have you ever tried to read a recipe while children scream in the background? I wish someone was shooting off fireworks to distract me from the chaos.
Friday: As if the fireworks had not frazzled my LAST nerve, I take the all the kids to Monkey Joe's for a special treat. I witness two women get into a fight. Like clockwork, my parents arrived at 4:30pm (my dad always goes on the Mission Trip with Chad and my mom is thankfully staying with me while Chad's away). The neighbor kids were picked up at 6:00pm. I hope they didn't pick up on the "you gotta get outta this house" vibe. From 6:00-6:30 I frantically picked up toys and ran the vacuum. Social worker arrived at 6:30. During the visit Charlie was, well Charlie. Running, laughing, flirting. She fell in love with him as most folks do :) I am starting to plan my revenge against the ignoramuses launching the fireworks. They will pay. Oh yes. They will pay. Mu-hahahahah.....
Saturday: 4:45am (went to bed approximately 2 hours ago due to stupid fireworks) Chad leaves for the trip to Ohio leading 85 people. Now it's his week to run ragged. It's 10:55 and I think they have finally run out of fireworks. After I post this blog I am going to Google "States that fireworks are illegal in"
Sunday: Move to said State.

Insurance Woes....

2011-07-06T22:39:00.000-04:00

Can anyone give me some helpful hints/tips and/or any other useful information when dealing with insurance problems with respect to adoptive children? We have a reputable company that has B's and C's and a Shield in the title....but.....they are acting like some kinda fly by night operation when it comes to Charlie's health care.
First, it took an act of congress to get him added.
Then, it was the hiked up premiums due to his "speech delay" (duh...he's lived in America for less than 5 months....)
Now, it's them not wanting to pay for ANY of his routine health care (immunizations, well baby check ups....nada....)
Our bill from his first 2 visits at the pediatrician is already over $1500! Insurance has rejected all of it. HELP! Has anyone gotten any answers regarding why our adoptive children are treated differently than our birth children? Anyone filed a grievance or anything fun like that?

Friends and Family Plan

2011-07-02T15:05:00.000-04:00

Charlie at Reedy River Falls

What's the secret to keeping a big ol' smile on your face despite the sun trying to melt it off? It's simple- join the friends and family plan. It's simple. Spend your time with the people you love the most.
How does one locate such friends and family? It's simple too. They are the people that make your heart feel happy. They don't keep score or get jealous of your time. They don't make you feel guilty if your cheesecake burns up in the oven and you bring cookies from Publix. They don't keep track of all the things you forget, they just cherish your time spent together. Everyday is a celebration when you're with them.
They call you up whenever you cross their mind and say "Hey.....what are you doing tonight for dinner?" or "Hey.....we just took an impromptu vacation to North Carolina and we want to come see you!" or "Hey....would you like to come over after work and swim in our pool??" The answer to all of the following this week- WE WOULD LOVE TO!!! No fuss. No expectations. I am so thankful for these friends, not only do they fill me with gratitude, but I am even more thankful for them now that Charlie is here. He is surrounded by so many people that love him.

Enjoying Mrs. Sharon's Pool

Playing with Sam and Seth in the Pool

Charlie meets his awesome Great Aunt & Uncle
and his charming Second Cousins from PA

Wading in the Reedy River with Kelsey

So excited about this!

2011-06-27T23:16:00.003-04:00

One of Zulilly daily deals today is a language learning system call Little Pim. If you aren't aware, Zulilly is this awesome website that sells kids boutique items at Target prices....) If you aren't a member, check it out HERE
Anyway, Little Pim. In the World of "Language Learning" Russian often is the Black Sheep of the spoken word. Maybe because it's really hard? Maybe because it isn't in as high of a demand as say, Spanish or French? I don't know. But you'll be hard pressed to find anything for children teaching Russian. However, today on Zulilly, Little Pim has a 3 DVD set with a little stuffed Pim teaching Russian! So exciting! I want Charlie to retain as much Russian as possible, or at least make better correlations between his first and second language and to be quite honest with you, I am doing a horrible job at this! I hope this will be a good tool for both of us! Also, if you use the coupon code COUPMT10P you get 10% off- bringing your total to right at $30 for the set.

Happy Birthday NeNe!

2011-06-25T08:26:00.001-04:00

We love you more than Peanut Butter! We love you to the moon and back! We think you are funny and sweet and kind. We like the ways you make us laugh and aren't afraid to be silly.
Even though when you are at the house Charlie asks you every five minutes if you are going bye-bye, we never want you to leave us. You are our family.
Somedays I wish you still lived upstairs. If this career woman thing doesn't pan out, you always have a job as our au-pair. The pay isn't great, I can just offer you free meals and curbside trash service (No more driving to the dumpster!)

Even though you loose your keys EVERY time you come to my house and I worry about you constantly when you don't answer your cell phone, I want you to know- you are perfect. God made you with the kindest heart I have ever seen in another human being. He made you gentle and trusting. And I thank Him everyday for giving me not only a sister, but a best friend and an Aunt for Charlie. Happy Birthday NeNe!

Baba's to the rescue!

2011-06-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

My Momma

My bonus Mom

Tonight is the first night in four weeks we've been Baba-less in our house :0(
While I'll been icky-sicky, I have been so thankful to have two live in nannies, housekeepers, chefs, and chauffeurs taking care of business! Chad's mom for three weeks and my mom for a week. I am so spoiled! I had to cook my own dinner tonight....What's a girl to do?
So, ok- I promise I am done talking about mono. It's over. You don't have to listen to me complaining anymore. Ok- just one more time....the only thing good that came of the last 5 weeks of my life with mono, was loosing 17 pounds. The rest required around the clock Baba intervention. Which under healthy circumstances would have been awesome- doing lunch, manicures, pedicures, shopping, not being a zombie.....but I am so thankful for two wonderful, kind, Godly, strong women in my life that aren't scared of mono germs!

After driving the Baba's to SC, the Dada's needed a break!

Transformation

2011-06-16T15:11:00.001-04:00

This week we have had Bible School at our church. I must say, I was "that parent" on the first night.
I still have mono, yes, I know, it's been 4 weeks....but I am feeling 100% better than I was. My only symptoms are what I thought mono was all along- extreme fatigue. I feel like myself, UNTIL I start moving around too much. Then I break out in a sweat, get dizzy, and MUST find a seat. Anyway, I was so determined to go to Bible School with Charlie. I couldn't stand the thought of missing any more of his firsts. So, I went. I sat. I sat nervously and anxiously during opening ceremonies-Will he tell anyone if he has to use the bathroom? Is he going to cry since he doesn't know his teacher? Is he going to escape from the room? Is he going to push the other kids around? What if no one understands what he is trying to say?
It was slightly chaotic, as any event with 90 children should be. Shuffling, shifting, finding name tags, registration forms. I sat with him while the youth praise band did their thing (wonderfully, I might add....) and then I walked Charlie to his class. He says "Bye Mama!" I think I must be hearing him wrong and go into his class with him. I sit for 5-10 minutes. He is sitting on the carpet with the rest of the kids, listening to the teacher read the story. Then it's time to rotate to the craft room. Once again, he says "Bye Mama". Que tears. From Mama.

For the next three nights, I drag my hiney to Bible School (with the help of my live in nanny, house keeper, cook, and chauffeur for the last three weeks, my mother-in-law, Donna, God Bless her....) and it's the same thing. I sit with Charlie for the opening and closing concerts, but he is so excited to go to school every night, he can hardly stand the excitement. He grins from ear to ear about "Bible ool" He starts talking about "Jesus" non-stop and he insists we fold our hands to pray at meal time instead of holding hands. Then he starts creating costumes and brings out his books about Jesus. He wants to take his Bible to the grocery store with Baba. He knows after dinner we get dressed for Bible School, so he keeps saying he's done with dinner.

Easter Celebration, April

I say all that to say this. Two months ago, we had an Easter Celebration at the church. Same chaos, same crowded rooms, people moving here and there. Same loud, rockin' praise band. This was Charlie then. Quiet, timid, unsure of himself.
And this is him now. Singing, dancing, engaged in his surroundings.

Bible School, June

At some point, I got a little weepy at the transformation he has made in just a few months. While I was thanking our children's director, Ms. Jana, for all the hard work she had done (without me helping her at all because I had been so sick....) It lead to this thought. Just think about if adoption didn't exist. Charlie would have never had this opportunity. He would have never learned about the love of Christ. He wouldn't be singing or dancing. He wouldn't have the joy that he has in his heart. He wouldn't know the love of a Savior.
If that isn't motivation for every Christian to adopt or help someone else to adopt, I don't know what is.

Stomp Audition

2011-06-11T22:47:00.000-04:00

Singing with my microphone and my guitar,
Oh and of course, with a bag on my head....

Have you ever seen STOMP? Talented musicians that sing and dance and make music with common household items? Well, it's like STOMP in my house 24/7. Anything and everything is used for making music. First, there is the "costuming". Charlie prefers to begin his routines with fun clothes and a hat. Next, it's the gathering of the supplies-getting his toys that already make music and then the items that add a little flair, you know, like Happy Meal toys and kitchen utensils. Then, the show begins. Singing, dancing, banging. And he takes all of this VERY seriously. You can tell from the look on his sweet little face. He is so animated! When one song is done, he demands "Mama, CLAP". Oh boy. Then the next song begins, and the next, and the next..... He is so cute- if you're ever in town and in the mood for a concert, stop by. My boy LOVES a captive audience!

Xylophone playing my kitchen knives (of course?!?!)

Playing drums on my beanbag chair with a Happy Meal toy.

Workin' at the Carwash....

2011-06-01T19:54:00.000-04:00

Winner, winner, chicken dinner

2011-05-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

I felt like a winner because this weekend Chad and I were going to be on vacation! We were going to take Charlie to his first trip to Disney and I was so excited! I bought him a DVD I used to watch as a kid about Disney World and we watched it over and over again. Luckily, we are careful about what we tell Charlie what we are doing because if you tell him "we are going here" any more than 15 minutes before the event actually happens, he will drive you literally insane and think that you have to go right that minute.....Soooo.....We would just vaguely ask him "Would you like to ride on the boat?" "What would you say to Mickey if you met him?" Because a few weeks ago, I started to feel rough. Tired. Sick.
Turns out I have mono. Bad. Not to complain, but yes, I am going to for a minute. Bear with me. I have had a fever for 14 days. That is not natural. I have been throwing up for 7. Once again, that tests what should be allowed for one human to endure. Mono, for lack of a better adjective, sucks. So, our Disney Parade has been rained upon. Que pity party.

Enough of that, I know that nobody likes a whiner. I did, however, win a great prize from Meagan's giveaway! Yippeee Tattered & Inked for this great prize, I originally thought I would get this in red for Charlie's room with "C"s all over it, but the more I looked at his wall space, the more I realized there IS NO WALL SPACE! So, I decided that I wanted to redo the dining room instead.

Our house isn't very beige, but our dining room is one exception. To be honest with you, B.C. (Before Charlie) we didn't eat in our dining room. We ate in restaurants : ) or on our couch in front of the T.V. But now, I've been staring at 4 beige walls and it is making me nauseous. (Oh wait, thats the mono)

So currently, it has one tiny wooden sign that pretty much found it's way onto a rouge nail and a sad, sad, wreath I made during my "Martha" phase. Ugly. Boring. Stay tuned for the makeover as soon as I get my mojo back.

My new favorite!

2011-05-25T14:25:00.001-04:00

I know I keep telling you Fairly Fabulous' latest contest is my favorite giveaway to date, but I really think this is my favorite! Make sure you check out FF party giveaways and enter to win! I mean, it doesn't hurt to try right? It's free and if you win something like my new favorite thing from Sugar and Dots you could always give it away as a gift.
To someone born on October 23rd.
Named Sarah.

Breaking News!

2011-05-24T10:13:00.002-04:00

From Tesney's Blog!
GOD OF MIRACLES

WE ARE NOW THE PROUD PARENTS OF GREGORY KIRILL DAVIS. HE IS OURS. THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURNED THE JUDGE'S RULING. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, HIS NAME IS GREGORY KIRILL DAVIS AND WE WILL GO PICK HIM UP IN JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE OFFICIAL COURT DECREE IN HAND. I WILL POST THE DETAILS WHEN I KNOW THEM. RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN A FLURRY OF TEARS AND EXCITEMENT AND WE WON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW OUR NEXT FEW DAYS WILL GO UNTIL TOMORROW WHEN WE MEET AGAIN WITH OUR FACILITATOR.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT. MAY YOU SEE THAT GOD IS THE GOD OF MIRACLES AND THAT HE IS FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE THE WORK HE HAS STARTED IN YOU.

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW. PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW. PRAISE HIM ABOVE YE HEAVENLY HOSTS. PRAISE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST!

Posted by Tesney at 7:08 AM

Reminder!

2011-05-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

Please pray for the Davis family early tomorrow morning. If you are up at 5:00am EST that's when their supreme court case will go before the judge. It is expected to last for several hours, so chances are, you'll be awake to pray for them in "real time". That is so important right now. I pray that so many people are praying that God will, obviously grant them a positive outcome, but not only that it will calm their fears and make that Judge feel like the weight of the world will crash down on him if he does ANYTHING but send that precious baby home with his mama and papa. They learned today that when the judge overturns the verdict of the lower court Kirill can go home in 5 days! Awesome! No waiting period (as if the last 4 months hasn't been the worstwaiting period of their lives) and no second trip (or make that fourth trip....) Pray, pray, pray!

Even if you are not a "religious" person, and I know that not everyone who reads this blog is......send up some love for the Davis family. Pray to their God. Because they are such strong wonderful people and every child deserves a home...

Are you in it to win it?

2011-05-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

Remember to head over to Fairly Fabulous and enter for some awesome free stuff! (the button is over there on the side.....) Tonight's new giveaway is from Tattered & Inked and it is by far my favorite giveaway to date. I am running a risk by telling you about it on my blog to get an extra prize entry for myself, but it is a risk I am willing to take. That and this is a testiment to my selfless character. :) I'm humble too.

Anyway, here is the giveway.....It'll be similar to the "H" art, except, you pick the letter and the color. Cute! I want one in red for Charlie's room really a lot! If I don't win, I think this one may be in my future.

Party (like it's Fairly Fabulous!)

2011-05-21T18:27:00.000-04:00

Check out my friend Meagan's blog/etsy shop/ and her general lovely gorgeous things (kids, clothes, crafts, etc.)
In honor of her 31st birthday, she is partying like it's 1999 and giving away some more than fairly fabulous freebies! It's easy....
Click on the new Fairly Fabulous Button on my blog to visit her blog------------------>
From there check out the daily giveaways from other fabulous blog chicks
Enter up to four times by leaving up to four comments (one for following fairly fabulous, one for following the featured artists blog, one for liking them on facebook and one for following them on Twitter)
Cross your fingers and toes and pray that you win a fabulous prize! If you don't win- buy one!

Please remember the Davis Family....

2011-05-20T21:48:00.000-04:00

They are leaving tomorrow for Moscow for their Supreme Court Hearing. Here is the post from their blog, I BEG you to please keep them lifted up in prayer as they battle to bring their son, Kirill home.

Going with God

We leave in less than 24 hours. God is with us. We are going with him. We are taking peace, hope, and the understanding that HE is writing this story. We covet your prayers. We humbly ask for you to especially pray on May 24th beginning at 6:10 a.m. CST. This is the exact time we will be standing before the supreme court judge. Pray for him. Pray for our lawyer. Pray for Kirill. But above all else, pray that Christ is seen by everyone who hears Kirill's story. THANK YOU ALL! I will update here as soon as we know the supreme court ruling.

Posted by Tesney at 10:30 AM

Picking flowers for Mama

2011-05-19T14:35:00.000-04:00

LOVE this boy!!!

This is serious business!

For Mama

Beautiful boy....

Missed a few...

Abandoning Hope. Pskov: The Russian Region "Left to Die"

2011-05-19T14:32:00.000-04:00

I was checking my email last night and this article was the headline. Strange you never hear anything about Charlie's region.....And then this. I celebrate that God has given Charlie has been given a future in America, but it makes me sad for all the people and orphans still waiting....

Abandon All Hope: The Russian Region That's Been Left to Die
By SIMON SHUSTER / LOPOTOVA Simon Shuster / Lopotova – Mon May 9, 7:45 pm ET

Having tucked into his first bottle of vodka earlier than usual, Anatoly Zhbanov goes on an afternoon stroll to buy another one along the dirt road through Lopotova, a dying village on Russia's western edge, in the region of Pskov. It is mid-April, and clumps of snow are still melting at the roadside where Zhbanov, a local artist, stops to peer inside a lopsided cabin, the home of a local bootlegger. In the window stands a plastic jug filled with murky liquid, its neck sealed with a rubber glove that seems to be waving hello. "That's how you know it's ready," Zhbanov says. "The gas released from fermentation makes the glove inflate. We call that the Hitler Salute."
In the past few years, the region of Pskov has become famous in Russia for two interconnected blights: moonshine and depopulation. In 2006, a brew tainted with chemicals killed at least 15 people and poisoned hundreds, marking the first time a Russian region had to declare a state of emergency because of vodka. Last month, when the federal government released the census data collected in 2010, Pskov earned another claim to fame. It is dying out faster than any other region in Russia's heartland.

Of course the rest of the country isn't doing so well either. The population has dropped by 2.2 million people, or 1.6%, since the last census was taken in 2002. These were supposed to have been the glory years under Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia since 2000, first as president and now prime minister. And in that time, a handful of cities have indeed prospered, with Moscow becoming home to more billionaires than any other city in the world. But more than 6,000 villages have meanwhile turned into ghost towns, or as the census calls them: "population points without population." About 2,000 of those are in Pskov.

In just eight years, the region has lost 11.5% of its population, a rate of decline more often seen in times of war and famine. This might have been expected in Russia's permanently frozen north, like the region of Magadan, once home to the Gulag prison camps, where the population dropped 14.1% in that time. But Pskov lies on the border with the European Union, and the city of St. Petersburg, Putin's birthplace, is only 100 miles away.

In Soviet times, huge collective farms and machine works were based in Pskov. Village life thrived, and the main city was still famed for nobler things, like fending off the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. But traveling the region's backroads now inspires the creepy feeling that a plague has just passed through. Every few miles a cluster of huts emerges from behind a hill, and most of them turn out to be abandoned, their floorboards warped and splintered, releasing a smell of decay. The fields are overgrown, and old grain elevators tower over them like enormous ghosts - landmarks to Russia's demographic catastrophe.

So by local standards, the village of Lopotova is doing fairly well. The villagers say it still has a few hundred residents (down from about a thousand ten years ago) as well as its own grocery store, where the saleswoman spends most of the day ringing up liquor sales on an abacus. No surprise that the most popular item is vodka, the cheapest half-liter bottle going for 68 rubles, or $2.25. Far from everyone can afford it.

Behind the store, at the end of the unmarked village road, Zhbanov comes across a group of five young men in their 20s sitting on a log in front of a sheet-metal shack. They are not homeless, but they look it. In a week or so, the weather will let them pick mushrooms and berries to sell on the side of the road, the steadiest form of employment they have had since 2003, when the local farm went bankrupt. Aside from that, they can forage for scrap metal or go talk to Zhbanov, who makes enough selling his paintings in St. Petersburg to give them a handout from time to time.

One of the men, a native of Lopotova named Alik Matveev, scratches his head when asked the last time he had seen any sign of the government. "I can't really remember," he says. "There's no hospital, and our school closed in 2006. I guess that was a government building."

That was also the year Putin imposed the policy of per-capita financing for education, which meant that schools with too few students could not afford to stay open. In many sparsely populated regions, this crippled the education system, and young families fled to the cities to put their children in school. Many ended up in Moscow, boosting the city's population since 2002 by 10.9% to 11.5 million people, according to the census.

On April 20, Putin announced a plan to spend more than $50 billion through 2015 on projects to alleviate the demographic crisis. A huge portion of the money would be used to try to encourage families to have more children by offering them one-time payments. But having a baby requires that parents feel secure in their overall standard of living, from medical care to education and employments, says Galina Vyatkina, head doctor at the main prenatal hospital in Pskov. "So offering handouts can only do so much," she says. "It has to be a complex approach."

The new earmarks are also unlikely to change the government's broader policy of urbanization, which is driven by the fact that basic services are much easier for the state to provide when the population is massed in huge apartment blocks. Most villages have thus been left to fend for themselves until they either disperse or die out, says Lev Shlosberg, a political activist in Pskov. "It is a semi-official death sentence for rural communities." (See more on Putin's billionaire boys judo club.)

The regional governor, Andrei Turchak, concedes that many more villages will have to disappear. There are more than 4,000 of them across the region with a population of less than 10 people, he says. "That usually means just one or two old folks living in the backwoods ... We cannot provide for everyone."

But Turchak's connections have brought Pskov at least some relief since he was appointed by the Kremlin in 2009. A baby-faced ex-wrestling champion, Turchak, 35, is the son of one of Putin's old friends from St. Petersburg and shares the Prime Minister's passion for judo. Both of them are black belts, and in the clan politics of Russia, these ties can help a lot.

Already Turchak has gotten the Kremlin to promise a new state university for Pskov, as well as the region's first cardiovascular hospital, which is a godsend for a place where 67% of the men die of heart disease years before retirement. But the trick will be finding people to work there. With no place to train doctors, the hospital will have to bring in some 400 specialists from other regions, and it has been hard enough, Turchak says, to find farmhands willing to work in Pskov, let alone heart surgeons.

"People know that working a tractor means getting up at 5:30 in the morning, washing yourself, getting dressed, staying sober the whole time, and working a full day at the wheel," Turchak says. "The mentality here is such that people ask themselves, 'Why would I humiliate myself like that?'"

That doesn't seem far from the truth in Lopotova. Around sundown, one of Matveev's friends passes by, drunk and stumbling, having finished a day driving a combine a few towns over. "There goes one of our working stiffs," Matveev calls out to him, and the rest of the young men burst out laughing before they settle back onto their log.

Sober again, Zhbanov shakes their hands and starts the walk back to his cottage, which doubles as his studio. He turns on the lights, takes a long drink of vodka, and begins to dig through his paintings. At 67, he has already outlived the average man in Pskov by nearly a decade, which he has spent recording images of life in Lopotova. In one of his works, a bleary-eyed woman sips vodka and smokes beside a baby in a cradle. In another, Putin floats over a village hell-scape wearing his judo suit. And in several of Zhbanov's paintings, a jug of moonshine hovers in the background, giving the Hitler Salute.

I just googled....

2011-05-16T16:47:00.001-04:00

"My dog just pooped out a diaper will they die?"

The fun continues.....

EDIT- (Forgot to mention it happened to be all over the bedroom floor and now my house smells like a toliet and I don't know which dog it was, so both are under observation. Apparently, this happens all the time. Oi. )

How have we been? And I need your advice!

2011-05-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

We are good. We have bad moments, but never bad days. Regular stuff. Three year old stuff. I have come across several three year olds in my illustrious career with children (from preschool teacher to children's ministry worker and a few things in between) and from what I can tell, my kid is pretty much on track.
I knew I would be second guessing myself with the way I parent, but luckily I have a great network of moms that I can talk to. From what I can tell I am normal (relatively speaking) and Charlie is doing just fine.
Would I like him to be able to sit through the entire church service? Of course.
Would I like him to stop peeing in the car seat? Definitely.
Could I live without having all of my shirts stretched out of shape because he thinks I am an awesome human-shaped jungle gym? Darn Tootin.
Would I like for him to stop putting random things in the toilet? Yes.
But overall, I feel really blessed to have such a joyful, active, healthy little guy in my life. We are celebrating the small victories-
He is sleeping through the night 90% of the time now. Turns out we weren't keeping his room dark enough for his liking. Here we were putting brighter lamps in, leaving hall lights on and he just wanted a cave-like room.
He still likes 98% of the food we put in front of him. The only thing he isn't crazy about is carrots and a few kinds of fruit. Other than that- the kid still puts a hurtin' on some Chinese and Thai food! Go figure. Of course his favorites are the kid usual- french fries, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and pizza.
Potty training- This week has been our first full fledged "in underwear all day" all the time. I'm sure we drive him crazy with the "do you need to go te-te?" a hundred times a day. He's doing really well with it though. Before he goes, the negotiations start. How many M&M's for #1s and #2s. This may be TMI for you, but yesterday he tried to convince me that because the "business" was exceptionally, shall we say "large" that he should get three M&Ms. Hilarious.
I need your advice on this one: Speech. We've been home for 2 1/2 months. His English I think is going pretty well. I don't know if he's completely on track or how much I should worry. Our friend is the speech therapist for our district and she said he is doing great. She said if he's 7 and still having some of these issues, then we should be concerned. It's just baffling to me what he can say and what he can't. Like today we were watching Sports Center and he proclaims "Basketball" as clear as a bell. But you ask him what a cow says and he looks at you like you have three heads. (Then on the 80th time we ask, he'll squeak out a "oooooo" leaving off the "M")
Please comment: AP's was your child diagnosed with a speech delay in their first language? And if so at what point did you see a big difference in their second language and/or decide to seek speech therapy? If you went ahead with speech therapy, did you see a big difference immediately? If your child is shy around new people (like Charlie is to a point, unless he REALLY likes you....) was the therapy beneficial? I ask that because I can't see Charlie opening up and speaking to someone he's not crazy about at this point.
I guess I don't really know what I am asking, I just need your advice on this topic. I know at this point he understands practically everything we say to him, it's incredible! But I just don't know how much he should be saying.
Right now our strategy has been constant talking and conversation, reading an obscene amount of books and using flash cards.
Words he says on a regular basis:
Hello (both as a greeting and his word for the telephone)
Bye-Bye
Yes, Yup, Yeah
No, Uh-uh
Oh No!
Done
Gone
1, 2, 3 (will say the rest up to 10 if he repeats after you....)
"Too" as in if someone has the same thing
Just about every part of his body (head, hair, eyes, mouth, teeth, elbows, knees)
He calls dogs "ruff-ruffs" and cats "nene" because his aunt nene has a cat!
More
Juice
Yum-yums
Alex & Annie (our dogs)
Rory ("Orrie" my sisters dog)
Several friends names- Joe-Joe, Dale, Dave, Joyce, Nene, Jana, Emma, Sam, Seth, Blair, etc.
Clean
Dirty
Big!
Loud!
Semi
Stuck (Used for multiple purposes, as in I'm stuck or I'm frustrated)
Inside
Outside
Choo-choo
Movers (his favorite show on TV)
Drive
Keys
Mail (sometimes says "ail")
Books
Read
Zoo
Monkey
Lion
Bear
Bunny
Bird
Day
Night-night
Sky
Sun
Moon
Stars
Robot
Ball
Shoes (Still calls them their Russian name sometimes too- Ooboofs)
Shirt
Pants
Shorts
Socks
Funny
Brush
Work
Church
Chicken
Meat
Up (Ketchup)
Banana
Colors- Blue, Green, Red (ed) Yellow
Baby
Wet (et)
Dry
Trash
Cheese! (for the food and the camera)
Florida (lorida- where his Babas and Dadas live)
Go!
Move!
Stop!
Will say "please" and "thank you" but only if there is chocolate involved.
Luv oooh. (I love you)
And his Russian words that he holds onto-Ca-ca, Ribah (fish) Mama, Papa, Baba, Dada, and "Stas"
I'm sure there are a few more, but that's all I can think of right now. Now that I type them, it seems like a lot! If I need to just chill, please tell me that too!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:47:00.000-04:00

To all the new Mama's
Old Mama's
Almost Mama's
Wishing to be Mama's
Waiting to be Mama's
Mama's that are in our hearts because they are in Heaven.....
Happy Mother's Day!

Fun on the Farm!

2011-05-01T22:22:00.000-04:00

Today we had our end of the year party for our discipleship party at Jenn's farm. It was so much fun- the girls had a great time riding horses, going on a hayride and having a cookout. Charlie was so excited about the horses. He kept saying he wanted to pet them, but really it was a ploy to try to climb into the saddle. He watched all the girls have their turn, then FINALLY it was his turn! He climbed up with Caroline (our experienced rider!) and the smile didn't leave his face the entire ride. Caroline said the whole time they rode he giggled. So precious! This was a great first to witness.

The Bunny

2011-04-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

After weeks of singing, dancing, and talking about the Bunny, he finally arrived on Sunday! Charlie woke up a cranky mess on Sunday afternoon and didn't want to get out of bed. I told him that he better get up because someone special left him something! THE BUNNY! He just about lost his mind, high stepping to the living room to see his baskets (yes, our bunny leaves multiple baskets thanks to the baba and dada bunnies.....) Then it was onto the egg hunt, which he did much better at this time around since he knew candy was at stake :0)
The day before in preparation for the bunny we colored Easter eggs and made the traditional bunny cake. On Sunday morning we got up early and heard Papa preach and had a great time worshipping at our church. We kept the "bunny" under wraps until after nap time! Kudos to parents that bunnies comes BEFORE church. That really wasn't a possibility for us because of our Sunday schedules, luckily I think we have a few more years of "waiting" for the bunny until the afternoon!

Making the Bunny

All done!

Coloring eggs (redneck style)

Checking out what the Bunny left with Mama Bunny!

Looking for eggs!

Sunday morning before church. Waiting for the Bunny. This picture cracks me up. All business!

Happy Easter!

A boy and his guitar...

2011-04-21T22:15:00.000-04:00

My new favorite picture of lil man! This was right after I told him he could take the guitar home!

He insisted that the "lala" have it's own seat and safely secured while driving.

Stuffed animal? Who needs em?

Time for a tune up

Did I mention I'm available for private concerts?

Love at first site! We found this guitar at Cracker Barrel and he was enjoying playing it so much I had to get it. When I told him it was time to go, he returned the guitar to the shelf. I said "No! You get to take it home with you!" His eyes lit up like Christmas morning... it was so precious. Now we take it with us wherever we go! He even puts it to bed at night....so cute!
I may be biased, but I think my son is a musical genius. Maybe it's because I have no musical talent what-so-ever, but I swear yesterday he was playing Mary had a little lamb on his xylophone!

Zoo Growth Chart

2011-04-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

February Zoo Trip

We have a great zoo about 30 minutes from the house. When Chad and I went in October before Charlie came home, we knew one of the things we wanted to do once he arrived was buy a family annual pass. It's a great place- the zoo is interesting, but not too big. Just perfect for a half day of fun. The best part- it's shady! And the playground is awesome! Anyway, every time we go I take a picture of Charlie in the jeep. I think it's a nice way of watching him grow, which apparently he has been doing a lot of lately. His 2T shorts don't button anymore and he's grown about an inch since we arrived home! I think with all the sunshine he's been getting- he's growing like a weed!

March Zoo Trip

April Zoo Trip

Done!

2011-04-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

Yipppeee! It's finally done! This playground has reminded me of an old fashioned "barn building". Everyone and their brother has had a hand in putting this thing up! Thank you Langford family for gifting us with two tons (yes, I really mean two tons, for once I am not being sarcastic....) of mulch! Now, would anyone like to come over and work on the flowerbeds?

Weekend Fun!

2011-04-16T21:59:00.000-04:00

Mulching the playground with Parker

Then I put on a rock show

I visited the confirmation retreat at Asbury Hills

Saw a roadside ostrich at a gas station! It was weird!

Then crashed and burned on the way home!

The fun continues!

2011-04-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

I remember the weeks following our wedding eleven years ago(!). After planning "the big day" for over a year, I was really sad there was no more cake tasting, favor making, seat charting.... I wondered "what will I do to pass the time now?"
Well, with adoption, the so-called "honeymoon" appears to be never over.
In the last few weeks I have been working feverishly on the "next steps" in paperwork. Yup. More paperwork.
USCIS Citizenship certificates, Social Security card applications, US Passports, and GULP....Re-adoption.
I don't even want to think about post-adoption reporting. Our first PAR is due in June! It'll be here next time I blink for sure.
We received Charlie's citizenship certificate in the mail from USCIS in a very timely manner. (Maybe I'm not on the "black list") So that was the proverbial "tip of the iceberg" to get the rest of our tasks completed.
Social Security application. I filled out the forms, copied our documents and drug the boy to the SSI office right after lunch on Thursday last week. I was greeted at the door by a not so friendly security guard and 100 other people waiting for whatever you wait for if you don't have a baby at the Social Security Office. I grabbed and number and a seat. I figured if Charlie can make it through a 20 hour plane flight, he can sit in the SS Office for an hour. Luckily, I had some random things in my purse to keep him busy. Like safety scissors I use for couponing. So I taught him how to cut paper (government issued paper to be exact) Finally it was our turn!
After the officer called over her supervisor, and then her supervisor's supervisor to figure out how to key in our adoption information, we were on our way. 45 minutes in a sterile waiting room=no problem for my boy. He is such a people watcher, and TRUST me, there was a lot of people watching to be done there! Next week he should get his SSN!
Now it's on to the next steps in our planner.....
Call me crazy, but I think I can file the post-adoption legal papers on my own without an attorney. Working at a law firm for the last 5 years does have it's perks I suppose, Summons/Petitions/and Civil Action Cover Sheets don't scare me! I think I can do it without paying an attorney to do it, acting as my own attorney.....we'll see after I really start digging into. If it's too much for me to handle, maybe I can call in a favor at the firm....
So, it seems like the fun never ends in adoption land! At least until 2014 when our last PAR is sent in! Ah....but then we will move on to renouncing citizenship when he turns 18....Charlie is a duel citizen of the US and Russia and if he ever travels back to his motherland after his 18th birthday he could be drafted into the Russian military upon his entry into the country!
So, no. I don't think it will ever end. Ah....the things they don't tell you....

Me and my dogs....

2011-04-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

"Sharing" with Alex

Great Danes make the BEST pillows!

The name game....

2011-04-05T23:18:00.000-04:00

My friend Emma! Another favorite person to talk about....

Charlie is starting to say a lot more folk's names lately and it is so cute to me! He gets so excited to see his friends and shouts their names over and over again....
Downfall- if he sees someone who looks remotely like them or has a similar characteristic from a distance he launches into a in depth conversation about that person until the look-alike acknowledges their uncanny resemblance. (Ex: Anytime he sees a Suburban he insists its "Jana" He also talks about Jana at bedtime because "Jammies" and "Jana" sound alike!) He also screamed "Joe-Joe" at a tall man in Target until the guy stopped what he was doing waved to him. I just smile and shrug and say "you look like someone he knows....hehe" It's so great to see him responding socially to people that we love too!
A few other favorite names to shout, say, converse about:
Nene (Aunt Brittany)
Anna (our dog Annie)
Anna too (our dog Alex, since he can't say "Alex" he just says "too")
We read a book about the Nativity and he says "Ba-bee Jesus". So cute!!!

Tonight he finally said his own "non-Russian" name in the smallest sweetest voice...."Shar...lie" So precious. I want to shout with joy with every new word that comes from his lips!

Police Car Needed.....

2011-04-02T23:09:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr./Mrs. Police Officer:
I need to borrow your squad car for a few minutes for photo op purposes only.
You must not mind if we stand on your hood since you don't have handy running boards in which to stand on.
You can come to my house (please turn sirens off so that our neighbors don't say bad things about my mom and dad....)
Or I can meet you at a public parking lot as I did for the Fire truck, Electric Company's truck, or the Ambulance. You just park it, go in for a bite to eat and I'll hop on and shout "cheese" until my mom takes my picture.
Thanks!

Love, Charlie

P.S.- You can call me on my cell phone

Done!

2011-04-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

The 2nd shift work crew!

The maiden slide voyage

Praise report!

2011-04-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

The Judge said "DA!!!" to the Hooks! Evan has a forever family! She will be the FIRST child with down syndrome to be adopted in Pskov. What a BIG deal! I pray that this opens the floodgates for more children with special needs, especially for Kirill and Baby J.
This is the power of prayer people!
That a Judge that just two weeks ago couldn't comprehend why anyone would want a child with special needs and rejected a case based solely on that backwards thought is now processing adoptions, not only for "Americans" but special needs children too. I know that the Davis' ruling will be overturned. I love it when God not only breaks down barriers, but smashes them and rights a wrong in the same swift motion. Go God! This is the same Judge that refused our case for close to a year without an official agreement being signed and then one day out of the blue scheduled our case. Could there be any other explanation? I really don't think so. God moves everywhere- in Russia and in the hearts of men (and Judges).

Cool news too- the Davis/Hook/Moreno's family agency, Reece's Rainbow is now partnering with our agency, CWA. Reece's Rainbow is a special agency that finds families for special needs children. They have hundreds of children waiting on their website and a lot of the children that need homes have matching grants to help with the cost of adoption! Also, if you follow Reece's Rainbow on Twitter, aka @ReecesRainbow, Patricia Heaton (Raymond, The Middle) will donate $1 to the agency for every person that follows along!
Yeah Reece's Rainbow and Yeah Patricia Heaton!
Also- My friend Steph is officially a Mommy today! Her Judge said "Da!" as well. Today is a day for celebrating in the adoption community. Whooo-Hoo!!!

Pskov family updates....

2011-03-31T15:11:00.000-04:00

The Moreno are home from Russia after meeting Baby J, now they are waiting for a court date. Did I mention their plane caught on fire on the way home? Is satan working overtime in Pskov or what?!!?......
The Davis family's appeal has been filed with the Supreme court. HOWEVER, the Judge could simply overturn her ruling at this point and the case would be over. (Meaning they could bring home Kirill!) So lets pray for that route! Regardless, lets keep praying this little guy home. You can follow them on facebook- "Saving Kirill" and get the latest.

The Hook family had court today- after a looong line of questioning, a messed up document, a lunch break, and some crazy questions the Judge has called a recess until tomorrow. (So that the document could be corrected and presented again tomorrow) Surely, she has it in her heart to grant baby Evan's adoption, right? Why else would she be making them redo documents at this point? I take that as a very good sign. Regardless, please say a special prayer for them tonight before bed -OR- if you are up late tonight into tomorrow- 3am-? please pray for them in "real time" while court resumes. Pray that Evan would be on her way to where she belongs- with her family!!!

One more thing- I have a dear friend, Steph, that is in another region of Russia having court tomorrow too. Her journey has been especially strenuous and insane (even worse than what we went through) due to the ramifications of the adoption freeze. Pray that things go smoothly and she can bring her son home too!

When all our babies are home we can do one big Yippeeee dance! (And have a nice reunion celebration!)

There goes the neighborhood....

2011-03-29T14:15:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, new construction began in our backyard- the giant sky fort- a gift from my parents. Wow- this sucker is big. Needless to say after two full days of work, we are still under construction! It hasn't helped that we've had maybe 2 sunny days in the last week and a half! Charlie's job? We bought him a shovel and he was the official poop scooper (the playground is located in the former Great Dane bathroom area). He wanted to have his hands on every part of the assembly- all 57 steps (yikes) we are currently at step 48. And when I say we, I mean Chad. The slide still needs to be assembled (it says it takes 6-8 hours!) as well as the swings. But in the meantime, it makes an excellent fort! I just love these pictures of "the guys" (and Donna, Chad's mom) working.

My dad and Charlie with his "equipment"

The frame goes up

Helping Dada

Putting together the rock wall and ladder

Dada Rick's shadow

Can I help some more? Pleeeaseeee....

Spring Cleaning :)

2011-03-27T23:16:00.015-04:00

Step 1: Sweep throughly

Step 2: Mop with the sudsiest soap you can find

Step 3: Run the vac, using your best form and technique

Step 4: Clean the glass

Step 5: Pack it up after a hard day's work

I promise you, I don't MAKE Charlie clean, he really likes it I swear. Since his favorite "toy" was the vacuum cleaner attachments, my friend Michele got him his very own vac for his birthday! And I got him the cleaning cart.....so when I clean, he can clean with me. (Note to self: DO NOT use dish soap in the mop bucket. I didn't want him cleaning with chemicals, so I used some Mrs. Meyers dish soap....needless to say, this required more clean up after the cleaning....next time: WATER) I guess I was going for authentic over practical. But anyway, the clean house lasted about, uhhh....45 minutes. Now I am back to tripping over toys, scraping who knows what off the glass, and looking at the carpet in disgust. Well, it was good while it lasted!

ABC's of Charlie

2011-03-26T21:35:00.001-04:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Save Kirill!

2011-03-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

Our friends, the Davis' are asking folks to read their story and contact anyone that can help. Of course, we all have been praying, but if you know ANYONE that can help, even if it is a long shot, PLEASE make every effort to bring more people into Kirill's Army! CNN, People Magazine, and Drudge report has been contacted and we are waiting to hear something. Please feel free to re-post too! (In her story, by the way- we are the Christmas Miracle!)

Thursday, March 24, 2011Kirill's Story

Please feel free to share the following on your blogs. It is a summary of our adoption journey so far. Please help us spread the word. We are hoping somehow someone will be able to help us.

Two years ago Greg and I began praying for God to do whatever he wanted with our lives. We handed him a “blank check” so to speak, and told him to cash it. He opened our eyes to children with disabilities wasting away across the ocean in Eastern Europe. We joined God and started our adoption journey.

Our family is more than equipped to handle a child with special needs. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education. I am a member of the Board of Directors of Best Buddies of Alabama. I have volunteered for RISE and Eagles’ Wings. All of these organizations serve individuals with special needs. My husband I have close friends and family who have special needs and we are a big part of each other’s lives. Our wedding party included some of these special people. Our involvement with individuals with special needs led us to adopt a child with special needs; specifically, we chose Down Syndrome.

As we prayed over the faces of thousands of orphaned children with Down Syndrome, we ultimately chose a little boy named Sergey from Russia. Eight months later, as we neared the finish line of our adoption, one of Sergey’s family members in Russia stepped forward to adopt him. We were heartbroken for our loss, but God showed us that we were following him, and his ways are perfect. We knew we still wanted to adopt, so the way we saw it, two children would find homes because of our journey…Sergey went to his family and now we would choose another child to come into our family. We took great comfort in knowing that God could see this when we first committed to Sergey! We were honored to be a part of his plan.

Shortly after losing Sergey, we received a new referral with a grainy photo of a four-year-old blond-haired boy wearing pink glasses named Kirill. We were instantly in love with him. We had to re-file a lot of our paperwork because of the change in referrals and regions of Russia, but we were fast and we thought we were looking at three more months at the most until we would have Kirill home.

That was well over a year ago.

Since then so many things have happened. A tragic story of an adoptive mother sending her child back to his country alone on a plane with a note pinned to his shirt rocked our world…he was from Russia. Adoptions in Russia came to a screeching halt. Kirill’s region stopped processing adoptions for eight long months. The judge refused to accept any Amercian adoption cases until an official treaty was signed between the United States and Russia.

Even though we wouldn’t be able to finalize the adoption in court until the treaty was signed, we were allowed to go visit Kirill and sign our official petition to adopt him in August 2010. We fell more deeply in love with him. This was our son.

During that time, we found out that Kirill is the first child from his region EVER to be adopted with Down Syndrome. A birth mother keeping her child with Down Syndrome is unheard of in this area of the world. Adoptions of children with Down Syndrome just don’t happen there, these children are literally hidden away from society in orphanages and mental institutions. As our process continued, it became apparent that Kirill would be a pioneer. If our adoption was approved, it would pave the way for other children with special needs to be adopted from this region.

Then, a miracle happened around Christmas and the judge in this region suddenly changed her mind and began processing American adoptions again. We were elated. Could this be the light at the end of a very long tunnel? I was somewhat nervous about Kirill being the first child adopted with Down Syndrome from his region, but our agency was very confident that if we got a court date, our adoption would be approved. In seventeen years, they had never had a case rejected IF the family was issued a court date. We were told not to worry, so I didn’t. After meeting the judge’s requests for several supporting court documents, we were finally granted a court date-March 17, 2011. St. Patrick’s Day…I was thrilled. This would be our new favorite holiday! Our son was coming home!

Our other son, Clayton, who had just turned three when we started this adoption process, has prayed fervently for his brother. He is now almost five. When we told him Kirill was coming home, oh my…we had an excited big brother on our hands! At one point he even went to his room, dumped out his toy cars and divided them into two stacks…one for him and one for Kirill.

Last week, as we sat in the courtroom and suffered through five agonizing hours of difficult questioning, we were not prepared for anything but an approval of our case. Two doctors, two social workers, and the Minister of Children’s Services all made very strong statements on our behalf. They fought for us. Hard.

But when the ruling was read, the judge said, “Your application to adopt is rejected.” The basis given was that Kirill was “not socially adaptable” due to his “medical condition” and he was better off in an institution than in a home with a family. As the judge read her ruling, she stated several times that we were a good family, that we met all the criteria to adopt a child, but that she would not approve our adoption because Kirill has Down Syndrome. She told us that we could adopt another child, because legally our application had no problems according to Russian adoption law. She said she would approve our adoption for a “typical” child, but not this child. Why? The only reason? Because he has Down Syndrome. Even though we were approved by our home study and by the USCIS to adopt a child with special needs. It makes no sense whatsoever. Denying a child a family because he has Down Syndrome is a violation of human rights at its most basic level!

It was like a terrible dream. We were so unprepared for this outcome. As we left the courthouse in a mental fog, the doctors and social workers that had testified came to us and said, “If you appeal, we will fight for you. Appeal. Fight this decision.” Of course we were going to appeal…I could no more walk away from our biological son, Clayton, at this point. Kirill is just as much my son.

So here we are, asking God to move the mountain that is standing between Kirill and us as we appeal to the Supreme Court in Moscow. There are also three other families who are in various stages of adopting children with Down Syndrome from Kirill’s region; one of the families has a court hearing set for next week.

We are hoping that someone will hear our outcry and help us bring our son and these other waiting children home. His adoption will set the precedent for many other children in his region. There are 98 children in his orphanage with special needs alone. It is one of many orphanages in this region that houses children with special needs. This is about more than just one child, the lives of hundreds of children with special need are at stake. Please help us.

A lot of things....

2011-03-23T22:14:00.001-04:00

A lot of things have happened this week, wonderful, lovely, things....Charlie's 3rd birthday, His dedication at our church on his birthday, visits from grandparents, new words, new sentences (gasp!) the gorgeous weather, It's been a REALLY great week....
But....a few things are keeping the glowing posts and the pictures and the celebration.....
My mind has been constantly drifting to the Davis', the Hooks, the Morenos....
I have had a serious case of writers block. So for now, no words...just prayers for them. It doesn't feel right celebrating until we can ALL celebrate together. Please continue to pray for the Davis family as they wait, wait, wait for a verdict that will restore their joy and their broken hearts.... The Hooks as they travel on Saturday and have hit some bumps in the road- paperwork mess that they REALLY don't need right now, as their court date is on the 31st. Celebrating with the Morenos as they have FINALLY met their daughter and now turn their thoughts to court as well.
Please continue to remember them.

Update....

2011-03-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

The Davis family are almost home. They are of course heartbroken, but their faith is strong. We have learned that they are appealing their case through the Russian supreme court. This means within 10 days, they should know if the decision of the lower court in Pskov will be overturned. Now we know a little better about specific prayer needs for them and other families walking on egg shells right now. If WHEN this case is overturned, it will set a new precedent for children with special needs. That they need a family just like EVERY child. PLEASE be in prayer for the Davis family, the Hook family, and the Moreno family as they wait...wait....wait.... these next two weeks are going to be very difficult for them. Pray that God grants them peace, strength, and courage.
Please pray for the assembly of the court that will hear this appeal. Pray that their hearts are in tune with these children's best interest.
PRAY for the attorney that their agency, Reece's Rainbow, has hired. Pray that God grants them wisdom, a tender heart, and a passion to put this case above anything else on their work load.
Pray for the Reece's Rainbow agency and workers in Russia and State side. That this matter would be their #1 priority. That their connection is strong to the judicial system in Russia and the right doors will be opened.
Pray for these precious children and all children waiting for their mama's and papa's. They don't understand ignorance or red tape or due process. They just want love. Period.
I am begging you to bathe this whole process in prayer, it's the best and only thing we can do right now. Maybe when you wash your hands, remember them. Maybe when you tuck your kids in at night, pause to remember these babies that have no one to tuck them in....Find a way to remember them.

Prayer Request

2011-03-17T11:24:00.000-04:00

Our fight is not over yet.....
Our friends, the Davis' are in Pskov right now, their court date was this morning.
We just received word that the Judge (same Judge as ours) has REJECTED THEIR CASE!
After a 4-5 hour grilling and 8 months of waiting after they met their precious boy, she rejected their case.
I am just stunned.
The reason? Their son has down syndrome.
I know, that isn't a reason at all. She apparently thinks that living in a mental institution is better than a loving, wonderful home that has access to the best medical care, eduction, and love.
Our next friends, the Hooks, will have court on March 31st. Their precious daughter was Charlie's best buddy in their orphanage and she has down syndrome too. The Moreno family is right on their heels waiting for their down syndrome daughter. Please pray for them too. I can't imagine the fear that has gripped them this morning.
I am just so upset about this news. Please stay tuned, I will give you an update on what their agencies are advising at this point.
All I know is that Satan is attacking Pskov right now. He is attacking what the Bible says is "God's Pure and Faultless" religion, protecting orphans in their distress.
I thought I was done fighting, now that Charlie is home.
But it looks like the fight has just begun. Something has got to change to protect these babies. Please be in prayer for the Davis family, the Hook family and the Moreno Family. Be ready prayer warriors.....

From Russia With Love

Happy "Da" Day!

Children are like a box of chocolates....

Smiley Boy

Don't Carpe Diem

Grow babies grow...

Please help!

Why This Is Important

Be a Match!

Two Birds, One Stone

I know...I know

Christmas Cheer!

The Adopt Shop

Open mouth, insert foot

Love Seat

Conversations with Charlie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Baby Bear :0)

We're home!

Welcome to the World Baby Jack!

Charlie's Prayer

Christmas Clothes!

14 days!

Conversations with Charlie

We're ready for the Great Pumpkin!

Waiting...

Feeling Thankful...

Nursery

Things are looking up...

You are....

Well....

Disturbing Ebay finds

I know I'm bias....

Hellloooo Baby Jack!

Paperwork is evil. It must be stopped.

Home Study Part Duex

EARTHQUAKE!

And the answer is....

Meet my son, Baby Huey.

Techy

SOS

Charlie meets the beach.....

Conversations with Charlie

Tight Wad Wednesday

Am I offending you?

Lost Post!

Some more pirate pictures!

Arrggghhhh.....Pirate Charlie

Pop Quiz....I failed.

You've come a long way baby!

10 things nobody tells you

Tight Wad Wednesday

My Little Firefighter

Summer Blow Out Sale!

Tight Wad Wednesday

Important Things

Can you help a little?

MID TO LATE AUGUST!!!

Conversations with Charlie

Po-Po's and Egg Legs

Well that only took 15 months!

How to go crazy in 7 days (A How to guide)

Insurance Woes....

Friends and Family Plan

So excited about this!

Happy Birthday NeNe!

Baba's to the rescue!

Transformation

Stomp Audition

Workin' at the Carwash....

Winner, winner, chicken dinner

My new favorite!

Breaking News!

Reminder!

Are you in it to win it?

Party (like it's Fairly Fabulous!)

Please remember the Davis Family....

Picking flowers for Mama

Abandoning Hope. Pskov: The Russian Region "Left to Die"