Morning sickness

A couple of people have left comments asking me how I'm feeling. Well, I'm feeling pregnant, that's for sure!! I keep telling people I'm feeling pretty good, which is true, but that's just as long as I'm eating frequently enough and what sounds good to me. The problem is, what sounds good to me is Lucky Charms, toast with lots of butter, marshmallows, cookies, Honeycomb cereal.....basically lots and lots of carbs. So I have to decide whether I want to feel yucky or gain a bunch of weight. So far gaining weight is winning. I forced myself to eat a tuna sandwich for lunch because I knew it would be healthier for me than another bowl of cereal (yes, now there are only 7 cans in the pantry), and it was surprisingly delicious. To be honest I haven't had time to think about the pregnancy much, in fact my first doctor's appointment is scheduled for 2 weeks from today. But I am approximately 9 weeks today. Just out of curiosity I googled a 9 week fetus to see what the baby looks like. In just a few short weeks two little cells have grown into something like this.......


A tiny little heart is already beating, he or she has arms, legs, fingers, toes, and even fingerprints! Even the 5th pregnancy around, I have not stopped being amazed at the wonder and majesty of our Creator, who blesses us with such gifts as these...children.
Psalm 139:13-14 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

A Plethora of Tuna

Before we left for Ukraine, probably early January, John met a homeless man downtown who was asking for money. He normally likes to give at least a little bit when he can but at the moment he had nothing to give. Instead he asked the man what his favorite food was, and promised to bring it to him the next day.

The man said he was diabetic, and what he loved more than anything in the world was tuna. So that night John went to the store and purchased tuna and a can opener with the intent of delivering them the next day.

The next day the homeless man was gone. Two months have gone by, these cans of tuna still in the back seat of John's truck....and he has never seen the guy again. So I finally brought them in from the truck yesterday.

The problem is we don't really eat tuna. So I put these away last night, trying to imagine how I am going to get rid of 8 cans of tuna. They will probably be there for awhile, but each time I open my pantry I will be reminded of what a great guy I married!! 

Anyone have any good tuna recipes?

A Sunday afternoon stroll

It was beautiful yesterday so we decided to get some much needed exercise. We've all gained some extra pounds and the only one who has an excuse is Ava.

Testing out our new double stroller....I think Hope needs some attention?

Notice Snowflake the Bunny Rabbit found a cozy spot to ride on Liesel's handlebars

This picture cracks me up. Apparently somebody "decorated" Jude's helmet with spray paint, and he wasn't too happy about it.

Simeon is the fastest biker and likes to leave us all in his dust.

I think when Ava does the splits it means, "Wheeeeee!"

In this picture, Hope was telling me no, she does not need to go potty (yeah, right!)

This is June and Bryan, our "adopted" college students. We met them two years ago when we signed up for our church's college ministry to host a college student. We got a two-for-one deal when we got a boyfriend/girlfriend couple. We have loved them since we first met them. I'll never forget, on the first night they came for dinner, we had asked each of the kids to ask them questions about their families, where they grew up, their interests, their classes, their majors, etc. One of the kids, I don't remember which (I think it was Liesel), asked, "Are you going to get married?" There was an awkward pause and I quickly changed the subject. Well now, two years later they ARE getting married....this summer. We are hoping we'll get to go (It's a long drive to Virginia with 5 kids).

Ava was absolutely mesmerized by Bryan, actually all of my kids are. It seems like every time we are with him he has kids climbing up his arms, or he is throwing somebody up over his head. It's been so neat to have them be a part of our lives, being role models for our kids. What a great couple, we are so happy we know them!

It's all fun and games until a rock falls on your head

The Rock

The Fort

The Bruise

While I was at breakfast early this morning with my friend Marcie I got a call from John who was wondering when I'd be home. He sounded a little stressed, so Marcie and I called it a morning and went home to our families. When I got home I realized why. Ava had a bruise on her forehead! Considering the child cannot sit, let alone crawl or walk, this is going to be difficult to explain. Turns out the boys made a fort for her under the little table in their room. Somehow the blanket was weighted down with a few rocks from their rock collection. Bad idea. Oh, ouch, it hurts to think about it. I guess there are some advantages to being isolated in a crib your whole life, you don't have to experience too many bumps and bruises. Ava is the most forgiving little thing though. Liesel said she cried for about a minute, then gave her a big smile. I wish I had been here to comfort her the first time she got a bruise. :(

So this is what brothers do?

I'm sure this is not quite what Rachel, our occupational therapist, had in mind when she recommended swinging therapy, but Ava is loving swinging therapy nonetheless! And some other things that Ava loves:
-riding in the car
-wearing her glasses (seriously....I guess she can see now)
-snuggling on the couch
-rolling over (she learned to roll over at Physical therapy yesterday, and has done it many more times today..she is so proud of herself!)
-music
-throwing the spoon down from the high chair and watching everybody scramble to retrieve it for her
-the wind blowing on her face
-having brothers and sisters
-hearing her daddy's voice
-me singing to her
-Pediasure
-head massages
-her Aunt Marlita

Kisses and Runny Noses

I have Ava scheduled today for a follow up appointment with our pediatrician, and I have a list of things to talk to her about and questions to ask. One of my concerns is this runny nose that Ava has had since we brought her home. Never noticed it in Ukraine, but it seems like she has had it for weeks. I was going through all our digital photos last night trying to figure out when it started (is it a cold, sinus infection, or allergy?)

Ah-ha! After seeing this video clip, I think I know what the problem is!!! We've got to do something about this.....

This is our first attempt at wearing glasses, and Ava did great!! Maybe she was just too tired to protest, but she left them on and I was shocked! I took her to the mirror to see herself and she just grinned. I would love to know what she sees before and after. Wouldn't that be amazing to experience her world?

We also had an appointment with the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist today. Ava failed her hearing test. So she can't hear or see. How frustrated she must have been for all these years. The doctor said that her tonsils are huge and she has a lot of fluid behind her ears. He is hopeful that a tonsillectomy and ear tube placement will help her tremendously with her hearing and communication (not to mention the chronic runny nose, snoring, breathing, etc).

Something funny (or sad, depending on how you look at it) happened in the doctor's office. Hope was wanting to hold Ava (like always) before the doctor came in, and I said "no", which resulted in tears. So the doctor came in, gave the exam, and he and I both tried to ignore Hope's "temper tantrum" while he explained the anatomy of the ears and throat, and talked about surgery options.

Eventually he started feeling sorry for Hope, and turns to her and asks, "Are you sad that your mommy is giving all the attention to your new sister and you aren't getting as much time with her as you used to?" Hope shook her head. Knowing otherwise, I asked, "Hope, are you sad that Mommy won't let you hold Ava?" Again she shook her head. Then she pointed to her arm......that apparently had been stuck between the two chair armrests the whole time the doctor and I were ignoring her "temper tantrum". Boy did I feel bad.

And Krissi, if you are still reading this blog I know what this story reminds you of.....Several years ago when Simeon was a toddler, I got a phone call from my friend Krissi that she was on her way to my house, just stopping by to say hi. I ran through the house to do a quick pick-up, the whole time Simeon following me, crying to be held. When I answered the door, my crying toddler on my hip, I apologized for my cranky child (not my messy house though), and I explained that he must be tired or something. Krissi said, "Are you sure it has nothing to do with the clothespin that's on his finger?" HA HA Poor kid had a clothespin on his finger!! And that reminds me of another story involving a little boy and a mousetrap, but I'll save that for another blog.

Look!!!!

I kept thinking Ava was feeling chunkier and heavier. It wasn't until I was giving her massage tonight that I noticed the tiny little rolls of fat here and there. Can you believe it! If my scale is correct, she has gained almost 3 pounds!! These first two pictures were taken at the orphanage a little over a month ago......

And these second two were just taken tonight. We nicknamed Ava "Pon-chick", which means "Little Fat Princess" in russian (according to our Ukraine facilitator, Viktor---however he is a big tease, so I wouldn't be surprised if it actually means something entirely different). At the rate she is gaining weight, though, maybe we need to start calling her something else now? 

Ava's first hike....with her new cousins

John's brother and family from New Mexico came into town this weekend to meet Ava. James, their oldest who is attending college in Phoenix surprised everyone by flying in for the occasion as well. We have a great family! We really enjoyed our time with them, and were sad to see them go this afternoon. Saturday was beautiful so we all went for a hike. Ava loves car outings.....

She got to experience riding in the back pack carrier that all of her brothers and sisters have enjoyed at one time too. She loved it!!

"Wow, I had no idea there was so much to see outside of crib #13 in Orphanage #13, Artemovsk Ukraine!!!"

Can you tell what Heather's shirt says? Several people wanted to know who "Nia" was.

Hope, Heather, Liesel Jeremy

James, 20.....handsome AND single, ladies!!!

I don't think Jude was necessarily trying to do a "Moses" impersonation, but I think he's doing a pretty great job of it anyway, don't you?

Sensory integration-Swinging therapy

The occupational therapist gave us some exercises to do at home with Ava to help her with sensory integration. Basically what this means (in my own words) is, to take the information she receives with her senses and learn how to do something useful and productive with that information. Because of her Down Sydrome, and also because she has received little stimulation in her lifetime, this will be a big task for her. Lucky for her and for us, she loves the exercises! (Swinging being one of them)

Random pictures

Remember Kelly? Kelly is a missionary/humanitarian aide from the U.S. who works with orphanages in Ukraine. When people ask me how we found out about Ava, I always tell the story about the email we got from Kelly to the special needs adoption yahoo group that I am a part of. Kelly told about a little 3 1/2yr. old girl in Ukraine who needed a family so desperately before she would be moved to the mental institution. I'll never forget crying that whole day, praying and praying so fervently that the Lord would bring that little girl a family before it was too late....... Little did I know that OUR family would be the answer to that little girl's prayers, when John asked me later if I loved that little girl as much as he did.

So Kelly recently informed us that the director of Ava's orphanage has been looking at our blog regularly, and although she can't see the videos or understand the words, she is loving looking at the pictures of little Ava in a family!! So I wanted to post some of these random photos for Inna's enjoyment. Kelly should be returning home soon with her newly adopted sons, 7 yr. old Ian and 8 yr. old Erik.

Ava has no shortage of toys....and also no interest in them....A little piano that makes music and makes the monkeys sing and dance? BORING!!!!

I snapped this photo right before she fell over sideways, but she IS getting better!

The girls love to dress Ava up like a princess. She doesn't look too thrilled about it.

These girls look like they're up to no good! 

Praying for Meredith

Remember Mike and Meredith? We met up with them in Kiev on the day of our SDA appointment and again on our way back home. Well here is Meredith with their two newly adopted children, Micah and Emma. Both children have Down Syndrome. I know some of you have followed her blog but for those of you who haven't kept up with them, I wanted to ask for your prayers for their family. Meredith is still in Ukraine. Tomorrow will be the last day of their 10 day waiting period. Mike returned home a week and a half ago, but Meredith has been in Ukraine away from her children since January 18!!! Please pray that they will be able to get passports and Visas for their children quickly so she can bring her sweet children home and their family can be reunited!! I know it's been a long and difficult process for their family, and they would appreciate your prayers for the last of the process and their return flight home. 

The princess and the dragon

Regarding our incident last night, thank you all for your sharing your experiences with tooth injuries. I had no idea how common these things are and how resilient teeth can be. Anyway, it's so nice to know that my kids aren't the only ones who are clumsy risk-takers. Here are Sebastian and Hope, they play so nicely (sometimes). He adamantly denies pushing her off the bunk bed, and I believe him, because he tells the truth.

Several weeks ago, these two were "making cotton candy" in the bathroom. They filled the sink with water, colored pink with bubble gum flavored toothpaste, placed an entire roll of unraveled toilet paper in the sink, then took toothbrushes and swirled the "cotton candy" around and around until it looked like pink fluff on a toothbrush stick. Mmmmmm. That was the night the Dads were watching football babysitting while the Moms were out for coffee.

The joys of bunk beds

Hope fell off the top bunk tonight. The only one who witnessed it was her 3 yr. old cousin Sebastian, so the details are pretty hazy. We found her laying on the floor, holding her face, crying unconsolably. It took us awhile to console her enough for her to tell us it was her teeth that were hurting, and not her face or her head. Sure enough, she has knocked loose one of her top front teeth. Not having any idea what we are supposed to do in a situation like that, we called the on-call nurse, who, of course recommended we bring her in to the urgent care clinic. I'm sorry, but why can they never just tell you what signs to observe for, or what you can do at home until you can get an appointment the next day? Why do they always want you to go to the after-hours urgent care clinic? And why do these things always seem to happen after office hours? Call me a bad mom, but I was not about to bring a cranky 3 yr. old, past her bedtime, wait 2 1/2 hrs in the urgent care waiting area, only to be told to schedule an appointment with the dentist tomorrow. I mean, really, what are they going to do in the urgent care clinic?

We have certainly had our share of stitches, febrile seizures, bruises and bumps, I've even had a couple of kids get stuck between the railing slats or behind a bunkbed, but tonight was our very first dental injury. Anybody know what we're supposed to do? She is now sound asleep, coherent when we wake her (although very grumpy). Will it have to be pulled? Should I have put ice on it? Will I need to take her to a dentist tomorrow? What will they do anyway?

Daddy's girl

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Well, since everyone seems to enjoy videos of Ava, I decided to post my favorite. Ava seems to enjoy being a part of our family. Today I heard Hope talking to her, saying, "You're not an orphan anymore. You have a family now." So precious. Just today when the kids got off the school bus and walked in the door, Ava started laughing and looking around for them. But truth be known, she does have a favorite. Her favorite is without a doubt....Daddy. You should see her little neck twist and turn to look for him when he comes home from work and she hears his voice. Saturday night we had family movie night, and while the rest of us watched MacGyver (remember that old show?), Ava sat on her daddy's lap and stared at his face, her little hand stroking and stroking his stubbly chin. It is so precious to think, that this little girl, who just over a month ago had most likely never been held by a man, now has a daddy who adores her as much as she adores him.

Sitting....Sort of?

I realize I'm going a little video crazy here, but I couldn't help myself. Ava really seems to WANT to do things. She seems to be enjoying being given the opportunity to try. I just can't imagine that anyone had ever tried to "sit her up" before now, and she certainly can't get in that position on her own. We found out that she CAN roll over, but she only does it while she sleeps. Very strange. The PTs suggested that her brain possibly needs to be trained to voluntarily move the muscles she wants to move, and in her sleep it comes more naturally because she doesn't have to think about it.

Her eye appointment went well, although she was not cooperative in the least bit. She will need to wear glasses for awhile to correct her strabismus (also the same as lazy eye, I think). Both eyes are affected, the left more than the right. Individually she has good vision in each eye, but she doesn't know how to focus using them together. Sounds frustrating to me! I'm sure I will have great fun trying to keep glasses on this little girl who wants nothing near her face, but I'm hoping the glasses will open a whole new world to her. It will be interesting to see. Can't wait....

More "therapy" with Hope

Out of all my kids I was the most worried about Hope and how she would take to having a new sibling suddenly appear in our home. Hope is 3, and the baby of the family. We have a very unique birth order. Ava is 7 months older than Hope chronologically, but developmentally she is about three years younger. We didn't know how to explain this concept to Hope, but we had to recently after celebrating Ava's birthday, with FOUR candles on the cake. Hope does understand now that Ava is older than her, but she continues to introduce her to everybody as her "baby" sister. I really braced myself for some real challenges from Hope with this whole adoption thing, but I have been so pleasantly surprised. She thinks the world of her new sister! She wakes up first thing every morning, asking "Can I hold Ava?" Every meal she wants to sit by Ava, and during nap time, Hope wants to "check on Ava" several times. I can see that Hope was not meant to stay the baby in the family forever. It has been so wonderful to see her in a role she never got to play before....a role of a nurturer, a helper....a big sister. I have seen some real neat changes in her, and I am so proud of her.

What a great brother

Look what I walked in the room to see today! Simeon is trying to teach Ava how to sit up. He is doing a great job. She was able to sit up for a little bit today without help before she toppled over. I got a cute video of that too. I'll post it later.

A few of my favorite things....

I'm sure you can imagine how my heart pitter-pattered to see Hope walk out of her room wearing her baby monkey in her wrap (i.e. my scarf) yesterday. Shortly afterwards Liesel walked out too, carrying multiple "babies" in her wrap (my other scarf). I think I'll ask her to teach me how to do this, it may come in handy when the new baby comes (I still can't believe I am saying "when the baby comes", the Lord must really have a sense of humor).

Speaking of the new baby....Thanks to Christine, a fellow adoptive mom, for sharing a wonderful online refresher course for infant care. Since it's been awhile since I've had a newborn, some of these reminders might be helpful. Even if you don't need a newborn refresher course, you will want to take a look at these, I promise.