Rock Band and a new little bike

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The kids saved up their allowance money to buy the video game, Rock Band. They have wanted one since they played it at their cousin's house over Christmas and Heather's graduation. They were all gung-ho about it except for Liesel. The boys kept putting pressure on her, they wouldn't have enough money otherwise. Finally she said, "Mom, if I buy put my money towards Rock Band now, will I still be able to buy a van when I have my 5 kids?" I sure love the way she thinks.

I have to admit, it is a fun game, and I love that they can all play together. Even Hope gets a fake microphone and sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She really thinks she is a part of it.

Daddy also bought another something for someone who couldn't enjoy Rock Band yet. (Although she loves to push the buttons on the guitar). Look, isn't she cute? She has fallen off twice but that hasn't stopped her from wanting back on again. Good thing it's so low to the ground, huh?

The REAL prom....1989

Alright Dalene, this post is for you. The REAL prom, 1989. Gotta love those bangs. Does this picture make you want to laugh or cry? I am laughing personally. Ah, the memories. There is a saying that keeps going through my mind as I look at this photo. "You know you are a redneck when.....", well, never mind. Just a little stroll down memory lane...via TUL-sa!

My sweet Aunt Esther made our prom dresses but was nice enough to let us take the credit for making them. Thanks Aunt Esther. I still can't sew.
My prom date, Lance, was a little shy. NICE guy, but a little too fond of crawdads and "muddin'" for my taste. I wonder what became of him, or the rest of these people for that matter. That's why I like cousins so much.

Prom Night 1985

Last night some friends and I attended a fundraising dinner for MEND Crisis Pregnancy ministry.

The theme was "Prom Night 1985". I want to say it is SO much more fun going to prom with just the girls (Sorry Lance) and it's way more fun to get ready when the goal is to look goofy.

My friend Melissa knows a lady who used to make prom and bridal dresses in the 80's. She let us look through her storage shed and borrow a couple of them. How do we look? :)

It was a night of great food, entertainment and 80's music, but the best part was that a wonderful ministry was supported, and funds were raised to help ladies of all ages who find themselves in crisis pregnancies. I was so blessed to learn that 91% of women who contact this ministry for help end up choosing LIFE. Praise God for the volunteers who support MEND. Thanks Cherish for allwing me to be a part of it.

Car conversations

I love eavesdropping on car conversations. Tonight's went like this:

Liesel: "My sweet Ava, I love you so much."
Hope: "Liesel, she's not just yours, she's for all of us to share."

Yesterday's car conversation went like this:
Simeon: "Hey, guys, do you want to save up our money and all of us buy 'Rock Band'?" (a video game)
Liesel: "No, I'm saving up my money to buy a red van."
Me: "Liesel, why are you wanting to buy a van?"
Liesel: "So that I can have 5 kids someday."
Simeon: "No way am I driving a van, I'm going to drive a Lambourgini."
Jude: "I'm going to drive a Toyota...Mom, what's a Toyota?"
Hope: "When I grow up I'm going to have a pink sparkly car with kitty cats on it, and I'll have a special car seat so Ava can ride with me." (AAAWWWWW, she loves her sister!)

Please remember the CORNISH family in your prayers Thursday morning. (Remember the couple we met in Ukraine).Their newly adopted angel Emma is scheduled to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. This may not seem like such a big deal until you understand her story. Emma has a serious heart defect. If she had been born in the U.S.A. her heart would have been fixed years ago and the risks would have been minimal. Instead, she spent her first 5 years in an orphanage in Ukraine, miraculously surviving her heart condition. Since joining her foverever family in March, she has seen several doctors and received multiple opinions on this matter. At first they didn't want to attempt such a risky surgery. Thankfully, the Cornishes were able to find a doctor who saw the potential and the hope in her circumstances and was willing to give Emma a chance. That will happen in 2-3 weeks. Tomorrow they will be removing her tonsils and adenoids in hopes that better breathing and oxygenation will improve her chances of a full post operative heart recovery. Please join with me in praying for Emma tomorrow morning as doctors give her the chance to LIVE as she so deserves. If you'd like to follow their journey HERE IS THEIR BLOG. 

A virus

Ava had a virus over the past few days which resulted in a red, an apparently very sore throat. She isn't wanting to drink her bottles, it must hurt to suck? The weird thing is though, she has a sudden increased interest in eating solids (i.e. baby food) with a spoon. Go figure. So now how do I get liquids down her if she's no longer wanting her bottle but can't drink out of a sippy cup or regular cup either?

Another interesting observation. I learned that when Ava is sick, she is ULTRA sensitive! She doesn't want to cuddle and snuggle like my other kids did. She wanted to be left alone in her crib. I was so sad! Nothing I did was comforting her, that is, until I got out her favorite music toy. She didn't want to play with it, she only wanted to listen to the music. I talked to the OT about it to see what her take was. She explained that some kids are comforted by touch, and others by sound. Apparently Ava is an auditory person, something that will be helpful to know in the future.

It's neat to see that all my kids are so different. :)

If you feel led......

There is a wonderful organization called Life2Orphans whose purpose is to help orphans by providing food, medicine and equipment to orphanages in Ukraine. Obviously this project is dear to my heart. This week they will be shipping many boxes of goods overseas. I received an email from Andrea, founder of Reece's Rainbow, this morning, that Life2Orphans is in need of funds for shipment of these items. Please consider helping this organization. I have seen photos of some of the most heartbreaking conditions in third world orphanages, and Life2Orphans is making a great effort to improve those. Please take a look at Life2Orphans website by CLICKING HERE .

If you feel led to donate, it can be done HERE .
Thank you for considering being a part of this project.

A great joke told by Jude

Jude: There were ten copycats sitting on a fence. One jumped off. How many were left?
Me: Nine?
Jude: NONE, they were all copycats!

I worried for nothing

I remember many sleepless nights before we left to adopt Ava. Even while we were in Ukraine I worried about one particular child of mine: Hope. She's so young. Will it be hard to not be the baby anymore? Will she resent us bringing a stranger home? Will she understand? Will she feel left out? Will she suffer from our decision to adopt? Should we have waited until she is older?

I can honestly say that Hope has adjusted far better than I ever imagined. If anything, she is a little too fond of Ava, if you know what I mean, and I'm not sure the feelings are mutual. :) Every morning Hope comes into my room first thing and it's no longer me she wants to see! She wants to find out if Ava is awake yet and if she can play with her. She wants to "hold" Ava, and insists that she IS big enough. She wants to sit by her in the car, and feed her at mealtimes. A couple of weeks ago, I found Hope crying. I asked her why she was crying, and she said, "Mommy, I don't want Ava to go back to the orphanage. I want to keep her forever." Oh, how I loved to hear those words. (I'm not sure what she was thinking we were doing!)

So I thank the Lord for a smooth transition for our family. If anyone is reading this blog who is considering adoption but not ready to commit for fear of what it will do to their kids, I hope you this post will encourage you!

This picture cracks me up. Four-year-old Ava being held by three-year-old Hope. This is the event that Hope always refers to when she insists that she IS indeed big enough to hold Ava standing up. She always says, "Remember mommy, on our walk, when I held Ava. I didn't drop her! So please can I hold her again?"

For those who prayed.......

.....I wanted to report that the little twin in Haiti has recovered and has been reunited with her sister! Thank you for praying for her. She is a tiny little thing, only 13 pounds at 1 1/2 years old but is gaining strength, and is now patiently waiting for her family to come for her. Please pray that they can get to these little girls quickly. They have really become dear to my heart.

Father's Day

We spent Father's Day on the lake. I don't know if it was our great sense of adventure or plain ol' lack of common sense that possessed us to take 5 kid out on a boat to attempt fishing and tubing.

The driver....


The navigator.....


The entertainer....


The kids had fun jumping off this rock into the water...


John and Liesel watching.....


....these crazy people jumping off cliffs.


Does this face have "sensory overload" written all over it (Not Ava's! Mine!)


The kids loved riding on "Big Bertha"



As we rode under a bridge, this baby bird fell into our boat. Hope and Liesel wanted to be his mommy and take him home. We weren't sure what to do with it. The kids didn't like John's suggestion of putting him in the lake to see if he could swim. We drove him over to a rock and left him there hoping that his mommy would be able to find him there. :(


Ava REALLY missed her crib, but this was as good as we could do for naptime.

Happy Birthday Evi

Last night at your party I didn't get a turn to tell you what I like about you. So now is my chance. I hope you read this. I like you because you're a lot of fun to be around, you have a great sense of humor, you are sweet, and you make a really great playmate for my kids. I'm so glad you're my niece. I love you Evi!

I witnessed the sweetest thing yesterday. I was laying down on my bed with Ava. It was her naptime and I was trying to get some cuddles in before she went down. Well just then Jude was dropped back home from a play date that he had had with a friend. Jude came in and laid down on the bed with us and he was crying. He was crying, because he had been having so much fun with his friend and wasn't quite ready to come home yet. 

Well while I was trying to console him, Ava left my side, CRAWLED over to the opposite side of the bed where Jude was laying and crying, and she climbed on top of him and began to stroke his hair and lick him, she was just licking all over his face, his cheeks, his eyes. It was so deliberate and so purposeful, I just know she knew he was hurting and was trying to console him. Isn't that amazing? How did she learn that?

Squeaker Sneakers

I feel like I'm learning something new every day. Apparently kids with Down Syndrome (most of them anyway) have flat feet. These shoe inserts are supposed to give Ava some arch support as she is learning to bear weight on her feet. Now notice, the insert on the left is slightly bigger than the one on the right. That is because her left foot is 1/4" bigger than her right. Who knew? She also happens to have only one dimple on her right cheek, and bald patches only on the left side of her head. She even has, according to the dentist, an extra tooth (although I can't find it) to go along with her extra chromosome. How I love my assymetrical girl.


These shoes are called Wee Squeaks (or "Squeaker Sneakers" as Ava's therapist called them). Remember I blogged a few days ago about the special walking shoes I got at the children's boutique? Well they have a built-in squeaker, and they squeak when she takes a step. I am hoping this will be a motivator to get her up on her feet and walking!!!


And here is a video of her trying out her new sneakers. You'll even get to hear my sweet kids arguing in the background. More proof that they are not ALWAYS all that sweet.

Sitting to crawling

I am NOT supposed to be encouraging this, but it is so cute I had to video and post it JUST THIS ONCE. Ava has learned how to get from sitting to crawling (Watch the legs do the splits, she is supposed to go down from the side using her hands). I couldn't find the hip helpers yesterday, so this is how she does it. Shhh. Don't tell the therapists.

Use Abortion To Eliminate Problems

That is the title of the article I read yesterday. The article states that pregnant women should avoid alcohol and get prenatal care in order to avoid health issues in their children. Those who know their child will have a disability should use abortion to eliminate burdening their families and society.
"Nature already causes many such babies to be miscarried. We need only supplement this natural process to avoid the problems of autistic children, Down syndrome babies, etc. Such children may otherwise result in extreme hardship for both parent and child and even tear families apart."

I also saw this video on YouTube yesterday. How ironic. I have a feeling the families of these two individuals would disagree with the previous article.

To read the article, CLICK HERE.

Ava's first friendship

Someone asked in a comment what became of the Naum that was mentioned in my last post. Well he was adopted by and thriving in the Bedford family in Virginia and his name is now Xander. Being that the Bedfords are a military family and move around quite a bit, I am hoping that one day we will be able to reunite these two. And I do think it is beautiful, as someone mentioned, how God instills this love in these kids and that even in an institutionalized setting, they care for and comfort one another until their families can finally get to them.

Here a couple of the photos we have of them together. I never thought about it until just now, but I have always found it fascinating that Ava loves to be hugged and cuddled so much. I thought that was unusual for a child who spent so much time in an orphanage, I always attributed it to her Down Syndrome, but perhaps it was all the love and affection Naum gave her. THANK YOU Xander for taking care of our little girl's need to be loved for 4 years. I will forever be indebted to you....

By the way, Ava is the one in the red Reebok suit. Orphans don't always get dressed  gender-appropriate. :)

I love this, look at their hands......

And here is Xander now....As you can see he is happy to be loved!

Another date to remember

Have you ever noticed that the older you get, the more kids you have, etc., there are more special occasions to celebrate and remember? For example we always celebrate our anniversary AND the day we met. The kids' birthdays are special, but I always feel sentimental on their due dates too. After having a miscarriage, April 8 will always be a day that we remember with sadness. Heck, we even celebrate the dog's birthday. With adoption, there are different moments to remember, the day we met her, the day she became ours. Her "birth" date is not so special to us, we weren't even there.

Well June 11 will always be special to me, and here is why.....A year ago today is the first day we saw this face:

And the day we received an email from Kelly, who had just returned from a humanitarian aide mission in Ukraine, saying this:

While I was there this time, I was able to visit Naum and also
another little girl from his orphanage who also has DS. She is an
angel, with blond hair and big blue eyes and very fair skin. At
first she was not too responsive - she mostly lays still in her crib
during her days, but once I picked her up and started to kiss,
tickle and stroke her little head, she smiled such a sweet smile and
really responded, reaching out for more and more. She loved the
attention and tenderness..... She really needs more stimulation and in a family

she would just blossom. She blossomed in one minute in my arms. What a 

sweet child.

The most amazing thing was the relationship she has with Naum, who
has taken on the role of her brother with no one showing him to do
so. The special needs kids also go outside each day with all the
children, though the mostly stay in the shade in their big giant
playpen together. This little girl lays in the playpen along with
some other children who are not mobile, and Naum lays right next to
her. While he could easily do the same for any other child, it is
ONLY this girl he lays by, strokes her cheek, holds and strokes her
hands and kisses them. He kisses her face. He 'talks' to her and
obviously feels that this little girl is HIS! Again, although he is
social with many other children, he does this only with her - she is
very special to him obviously.

If any of you are thinking of adoption of a DS child, please please
please consider her. When her Naum leaves, I don't know what will
happen to her - she loves his tenderness. She will soon age out and
have to be moved to the institution in that area. When I asked (with
my usual American optimism) if the conditions in that institution
are improving, as they are in the baby orphanage, the staff
replied, "We don't know. All the kids we've sent there have died.
Maybe the older ones steal food from the younger and weaker ones, we
don't know. Or maybe it is because they were sick children when we
sent them, but we kept each of them for four years none of them died
here. Only there." It was enough to make me want to be sick, hearing
this. May GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU who are adopting or considering
adopting one of these children. You are giving them the one thing no
one else will - a chance to live, to be loved. This little girl has
such potential, she is so beautiful. We just pray that God will send
her a family before it is too late.

Now can't you see why we loved her so much?

Determination

I have wanted to blog about this for quite a while, and I haven't because I wanted to understand it first, and quite frankly, I still don't. Human growth and development. This subject that I found extremely boring my sophomore year of college has become an obsession to me. I wish I understood it better. What I don't understand is......HOW....does a child lay in a crib for 4 years and not "accidentally" roll over one time, or at some point think to herself, "If I reached up and grabbed that bar, maybe I could pull myself up." To just lay there for four years and still be like a little tiny infant, I don't understand. And then suddenly, a man and a lady come and pick you up, give you a ride in a taxi cab, then take you on a long airplane ride to a house with a bunch of kids who hold you a bunch, kiss you a bunch, roll on the floor with you, cuddle you, feed you whenever you want to eat, and do a bunch of silly things to make you smile. And then suddenly you figure out how to roll over, and after a while you find the strength to sit up, and eventually you see that there are these things called toys that are fun to play with and you start pushing buttons to see them light up and the music play. And you find that it's even fun to pick that toy up and put it in your mouth! Then you realize that if that toy is far away you can put yourself on your belly and move your arms and legs and they take you to wherever you want to go, and that is called "crawling". Then it dawns on you that if you are in a swing, and you move your arms up and down, somebody will swing you, or if you tap your lips, somebody will feed you. I don't understand how these things have "magically" happened, just in the 4 months we have been home.

In the time that I have been sitting here typing, Ava has gone from sitting beside me playing with her toy, to crawling three rooms over where she heard her brothers and sisters laughing. I guess she wanted to see what the excitement was. Before I knew Ava I took all these things for granted. I don't remember being so excited when my other kids first pushed their legs through their pantlegs while dressing them, or REACHED their arms out and flung themselves into another person's arms, like Ava did last night to her Daddy.

I remember doing the initial evaluation for school services a few months ago. The checklist of questions that I was asked was overwhelming to me:
-Does she respond to her name? (No)
-Does she seem to understand the meaning of the word 'no'? (Well, she can't do anything to say 'no' TO)
-Does she put objects in her mouth? (No)
-Does she seem aware of what is going on around her? (Not really)
-What does she do when you put an object in front of her? (Nothing)
-Can she roll over? (No)
-Can she sit up? (No)
-If you put a blanket over an object will she look for it? (No).....And she's FOUR years old???!!!

It was very difficult to even evaluate her, because she really wasn't doing ANYTHING to evaluate. She was so much like a newborn baby. I remember feeling so awkward and discouraged during that initial meeting because I realized all the milestones that we had yet to accomplish. I think I went home and cried that day.

Well last night as I watched Ava play, I remembered being asked about her pulling a string to get an object (of course the answer had been 'no' at the time), and I watched her bending over again and again in her little chair to PICK up the object, and it dawned on me, This girl has determination!!! Look at how she works to get this puppy. I really think she is something special, don't you?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Rainy Day Fun

This was such a fun craft for a rainy day! Paper dolls. We took 5x7 photos of ourselves in our swimsuits, cut and laminated them (the great thing about this craft is you can cut yourself as skinny as you want to be!) Then we cut outfits out of scrapbooking paper and stuck them on with magnets. As you can see, we now have new decorations for our refrigerator too. (I made a wise decision NOT to post myself in a bathing suit).

I realize Ava looks like a giant here, and it probably looks like she was standing too. We could really freak some people out at the orphanage with that photo. I'll let you use your imagination how we used some trick photography to make that work....

As we were cutting and sticking I said, "Girls, WE ARE SO CREATIVE!" To which Liesel responded, "Mom, actually it wasn't even your idea, you got it out of that book." HA Don't you love it when your kids put you right in your place...The book, in case you are wondering, is What To Do After You Turn Off The TV. I found it at my favorite bookstore.....The GoodWill. Is it sad that the "shopping bag" Liesel made for herself says Walmart on it?



And Simeon bought himself a couple of model airplanes, with his own money, to put together with his brother. However.........

Mr. Party Pooper felt like being a couch potato instead.

Nothing says "I love you, Mom" like a vase full of freshly picked weeds flowers....

Shopping spree

I thought about these "outfits"....




......as I took Ava on a shopping spree today. You see, a few months ago we received a gift certificate to an upscale children's boutique in town. A lady had read Ava's story in the newspaper and was touched. Her daughter happens to own a very nice children's boutique, and she and a couple of employees pitched in and bought a gift certificate for us to buy Ava some new clothes with. I was overwhelmed.

So today was the day. I wore a skirt and high heels, pushed a stroller and hummed "Pretty Woman". (Monica, does that bring back memories of our Name Brand Clothing days?) Of course I went straight to the sale rack, and found some very cute buys. Here she is modeling one of the outfits. I even got some headbands to match. And some walking shoes. Stay tuned for the post about the walking shoes.....I can't wait to see her walking in them!!

Life through a 3 year-old's eyes

When I went to download the two, just TWO photos I had taken, there were 37 on my camera instead. Someone got ahold of my camera. Thank goodness for digital cameras, or I might have been real mad.

Here are just a few of the photos that came out.

A drawing of 2 roses (drawn for Mommy of course)


Simeon wrestling with Ava


A sideways view of my living room


Simeon's legs


I think I know who the culprit is....

Confession

I have a confession to make. I snapped this photo today at the pool with the intent of using it at my daughter's wedding reception party someday. This is Ashton. He is 4. He is cute, charming, funny, caring, sensitive, comes from a great family. He and my daughter are the best of friends. His parents are our close friends, an added benefit as far as I'm concerned.

So I'm secretly planning an arranged marriage. Is that so wrong?