My favorite sign

I was going to wait to blog about this until I have a video. But I cannot contain my excitement any longer. Ava learned a new sign tonight and it is my favorite sign of all.......

"Baby".

Oh, you should see her sign 'baby'. We were at the grocery store, and she usually acts really interested in the babies. So when I saw a baby tonight I took her over to admire it. I said "baby" and showed her the sign...And before I knew it, she was signing 'baby' too. The whole way home she kept signing 'baby', and kicking her legs in excitement. I confess I tipped the rear view mirror down while I drove and watched her, and I cried. I remembered that she was supposed to have her own baby to hold sometime around October 15. And I grieved for her loss and for my loss.

If anyone local wants to loan us their baby for awhile, Ava and I would be happy to babysit!

I hope to post a video soon of her saying 'baby'. Remember, she doesn't like to perform for the camera, but maybe I can talk her into it somehow for your viewing pleasure.

I had to laugh at the number of responses I got on that last blog post. Amazing how the blog lurkers will come out of the woodwork when you threaten to shut your blog down!! Actually I never intended to stop blogging. I love blogging! Someone asked what my true motives were for shutting down this blog. It's not that my husband was mad at me for spending so much time blogging and not cooking or cleaning (or packing or homeschooling). I wasn't trying to pull a publicity stunt to see how many comments I could get, (although I see that might work for those seeking to increase their comments-HA), I wasn't having a pity party.

We talk about being real in blogs. Here is me being real.

I have been trying to find a balance between being myself, sharing my heart, my family and my testimony.....and being safe, wise and protective. I am not a paranoid person. I probably should worry more, to be honest. Sometimes I wonder if I share too much. I have heard of people making their blogs private, blurring out faces, using code names for their family members. I have never had a desire to do any of those things. So in an effort to give the blog a little more secure feeling, I thought I would either go private, or switch blogs, delete the old one, and send out "invites" by email so I would at least have a name an email of who was following along. Make sense?

SO...when I got so many responses to my last post, the first thought I had was....OH MY GOSH, all those people know how much I weigh?! And my second thought was...AND they saw the contents of my car??

I have to tell you that your comments and emails I received were so touching! I was moved to realize some of the blog connections that I had never seen before, such as people meeting other people through this blog, several people had "met" us through the wonderful family we met in the Chicago airport, and are still following 7 months later! I was thrilled to hear from the librarian who has ordered books on international adoption after seeing the need, and that she has referred several adoptive families here as well. There was a nanny who reads it with the kids she cares for, and of course friends, family members and Reece's Rainbow families, lurkers who came out of nowhere. :) By the way, I love hearing from lurkers!

But it was this comment from Kristina, who said she has never commented before, that got me quite choked up and made me decide not to go private: "Lives and destinies have been changed or born because of Ava and your story, and I thank you for the chance to continue being a "silent observer" into the miracle that is Ava Urban."

If indeed lives and destinies are being changed through Ava's testimony, why would I stop that based on someone else's fear? We ask the Lord for opportunities to be His witness and His hands and feet. I look for those opportunities at the grocery store, at the soccer field, in the neighborhood, through the kids' friends. I hadn't thought that these opportunities happen in blogs too.

So thank you all for reminding me of this. I am not depressed, fishing for compliments, or over stressed. I haven't run out of time or stories (although my blog posts may become few and far between as we are getting settled in and homeschooling). I know the Lord is my protector and the protector of my family. I put my trust in Him.

We close on the house tomorrow, move on Thursday/Friday, get settled in over Labor Day weekend. The house is an absolute wreck right now, with cardboard boxes and dustbunnies everywhere (Have I mentioned how much I dislike cardboard? Particularly writing on cardboard with a sharpie marker...makes my skin crawl). My poor kids have no toys so they have been using my curtain rods for sword fights and wearing lampshades on their heads to play dress up. (Too bad I can't find the camera for all the tools on the countertops). I'm sure excited to be on 10 acres where kids can run and play outside and I don't have to worry about arrows going through windows or soccer balls breaking neighbor's fences. I'll be posting pictures soon!

Good-Bye!

We are moving in 4 days! Moving with 5 kids is HARD work! Somebody should have warned me. I wish I could put the dirty laundry, dirty dishes and cooking on hold....just for a few days at least. The kids are unpacking boxes as quickly as I can pack them. Every trip to the GoodWill with donations is ending in tears, and unfortunately we are returning with many of the items I am trying so hard to get rid of. I asked my neighbor if she wanted our patio table to cover the hole in her porch. She said, "Nice try, Charissa. My goal is to not end up with ANY of your stuff." :) It's hard to know what to let go of and what to hang on to. And how did we end up with so many stuffed animals, bottles of brake fluid, brooms, shoes, electronic gadgets and cords? 

I have been thinking about ending this blog. I think probably most people who read it were following Ava's adoption journey. Sometimes I wonder if people groan when I post a picture of my kids' feet or a dumb You Tube video. Now is your chance to bail out. We are moving blogs as well as moving houses.

I'll start a new blog in a few weeks after we get settled in. It will probably include some stories and pictures of a wanna-be farmer and wanna-be farmer's wife trying their hand at agriculture. It might be kind of interesting, who knows?

If you are interested in continuing to follow the Urbans' family adventure, please leave me a comment or send me an email at charissaurban@yahoo.com so I can send you the new blog address. If you're happy to see us go, please don't tell me! Just pretend you never read this.

We have enjoyed getting to know so many of you through blogging, I love reading your stories too, and seeing your pictures, and getting comments in my inbox is always a treat! Thanks for following. 

"If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives generously to all" -James 1:5

Our realtor came over a couple of weeks ago to look at our house and discuss what we need to do to get it ready to sell (a toilet that need to be replaced from kids slamming the lid up and down, vines that need to be pulled off the bricks, doors that need to be replaced from a dog that scratches in thunderstorms, etc. etc.). We have carpet installers, painters and floor refinishing scheduled for after we move out, and we have been working hard on the yard filling in holes that the dog has dug and laying sod that the kids have torn up. By the way, I am learning that what makes kids and dogs so expensive is not just how much they eat but how much they tear up! Gracious! I am noticing that more than ever now that we are trying to fix the place up to sell!

We have been trying to figure out a way to tactfully ask our neighbors to pull their weeds, or even offer to pull weeds for them, because the view from our dining room is a weed infested "flower bed", and we want to do everything we can to make the house look nice to sell.

All that to say, the arrow through the window turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The damage to their window is going to cost...(gulp!) $180!!! Poor Simeon didn't have enough to cover it in his account (of course we'll make up for the difference). So he had to be punished....By cleaning out and mulching their flower bed(with a little help from Dad). Voila! Weed problem solved!



We actually really love our neighbors, and I would never want to offend them. I know they don't read this blog so if by some chance you happen to know them, please don't tell them I blogged about their flower bed. They would think I was so rude!!!

Our week in pictures

I'll have to remember to duplicate this art project next time Hope wants to paint her own fingernails.
The neighbor's broken window
There's more than one way to sweep the floors
Did I mention that Ava can hold and suck her own lollipop now? And did I mention she is drinking water and any other liquid out of a STRAW without gagging or choking?! (She had her first sip of Coke today)
I'm not sure how safe it is for Jude to push Ava around in the baby doll stroller but it sure is cute. At least it's low to the ground.....right?
Hope getting Daddy all to herself after the boys' soccer practice
Hmmmm. Maybe this is why they wanted to homeschool so badly?
Is that a cockroach?????

John's first day as a soccer coach. Isn't he cute?
I wonder how much more we can cram into this Pod?
Liesel was crying one morning last week. Upon investigation, I learned she was missing her teacher from last year.....terribly. I emailed Mrs. Stone and asked if we could come up for a visit. Liesel really came out of her shell last year, and seemed to gain a lot of confidence in herself. I have Mrs. Stone to thank.
Mommy-Daughter night. When we get the chance we always go out for sushi. I love that my 8 year old craves seaweed salad. Mmmmmmm.
Her first strawberry frapuccino. Mmmm-mmmm.
Who is this stranger in my house?
Hope thinks she is "doing school" by making funny faces on her magnetic board. I give her an A+ for creativity.

Something really cool happened while we were in Ukraine. The night before we returned home with Ava, we got an email that brought tears to my eyes. A couple that we are friends with had spent the last 2 1/2 weeks following Ava's adoption journey. In the process of watching this blog, they had clicked on the Reece's Rainbow link, and had fallen in love with a little 3 yr. old orphan girl with clubbed hands and feet. Her name was Natia. The Wright family is now 7 months into their adoption process and expect to be getting a phone call any day with a travel date to bring home their soon-to-be "Hannah".

A month or two ago, an online friend, Bethany, had written this post on her blog about the steps that led her family to adoption. I was humbled that she mentioned Ava's adoption story as at least part of their inspiration to adopt a little girl with Down Syndrome internationally.

I remember blogging a year ago a cliche' phrase that "We can't change the world, but we can change this little girl's world." Little did I know at that time that she would be changing my world. And little does she know, that she has had a part in changing the world of two other little orphaned children, who will soon know the love of a family.

Both of these children live in countries that happen to be very expensive to adopt from. I know from personal experience that it is a big financial sacrifice to adopt, whether international or domestic. And I also know that it is not fun to ask anybody for financial help to do it. Being that these two little girls and these two families are special to me, I am going to ask for them.

Would you consider sponsoring one or both of these families in their adoptions? By the way, I got a voicemail from Delahne yesterday. She informed me that some friends of theirs who have been following their adoption have felt the Lord's call for adoption themselves. Now isn't that cool? And Bethany blogged yesterday about an article that was written in the Washington Post about their family's adoption journey. The word is getting out. Adoption is God's heart. It is an amazing ministry. I can't wait to watch God's plan continue to unfold for these families and these children. If you would like to help these families, you can find the links here:
The Balsis Family


Grab This Button
The Wright Family

One of those days...

It's been one of those days. My cell phone got left out in the front yard all night....and it rained. Good bye cell phone. Ava bit Simeon on the cheek and left a bruise. I caught Ava as she was getting ready to bite into the fan cord, a neighbor kid fed her a wheat thin cracker that I had to retrieve from the back of her throat. Six days into homeschooling and I'm wondering "What in the heck was I thinking??!!". I spent the afternoon dragging 5 kids around returning items to stores and looking for coaching supplies for my dear husband who volunteered to coach 6-7 year old boys. Again....what were we thinking? We didn't have enough going on between 5 kids, a move, 2 jobs and homeschooling? 

Got home, Jude pumped up his own soccer ball. Broke the ball and the air pump in the process. While I was trying to fix the air pump, Simeon ran in the house crying. He accidentally shot his arrow through the neighbor's window. He asked me to go with him to make his confession, and I did. (Thankfully he eagerly offered his allowance money to fix it, he felt so bad about it!) Finally made it to the first soccer practice. Hope had a temper tantrum in the middle of practice because it's not fair that she can't play soccer!!! I'm sure we made a great impression on our new teammates and their families. Sigh. I'm going to bed. Anyone know how to repair a waterlogged cell phone?

A favor

Update***My sister just informed me that when you get to the site, the title of the project is "Save an Orphan with Down Syndrome", not Reece's Rainbow. Thanks to all of you who are willing to help out!"***

If you have been touched by Ava's adoption story, I would like to ask you to do me a favor. Reece's Rainbow has been entered into a contest to possibly win a large grant from American Express. They need a certain number of nominations in order to be considered. Will you follow this link, click on Members Project, and nominate this project? So many lives have been saved through this ministry, imagine how this grant could help enrich the lives of so many more. It just takes a minute or two. These little cuties will thank you...... :)

Weigh-in

So I forgot to weigh yesterday but this morning I was......
exactly what I was last week. I would like to say that I have been working very diligently to lose the weight but I have hit my plateau, but in reality we ordered too many pizzas and there was too much birthday cake laying around the house over the weekend.

I layed in bed last night trying to decide which I like better: the feeling of my clothes fitting nicely, feeling thinner and fitter? Or the feeling of being able to enjoy a bowl of ice cream or a piece of cake anytime I feel like it without feeling guilty? I think I am leaning towards the ice cream. :)

I may surprise myself yet though.

Ava's visit to the pediatrician

We just returned from a 6 month/adoption/growth and development/well-child/immunization visit from the pediatrician. Has it really been 6 months since we came back from Ukraine??!! I can hardly believe it. I am happy to report these developments:

-Weight 6 months ago: 18.5 pounds, weight today: 28.6, that's a 10 pound gain, putting her in the 25 percentile as compared to other 4 1/2 yr olds with Down Syndrome (she was in the 5 percentile before)
-Length 6 months ago: 24 1/2", length today 28 1/4", that is a growth of almost 4 inches, putting her on the chart finally, in the 5 percentile as compared to other 4 1/2 yr. olds with Down Syndrome :)...short little thing.
-6 months ago she was strictly bottle fed and wouldn't tolerate anything else in her mouth, would gag if you tried....Today she is drinking out of a sippy cup (and even a straw once or twice!), eating crackers, bananas, and about anything else with a spoon as long as you mash it up a little bit
-6 months ago: Couldn't sit, roll over, grasp an object, or smile socially... Today she crawled around, held and looked at books, gave the doctor big grins, and even waved bye-bye when we walked out.
-6 months ago she wouldn't have known what to do with a princess sticker....today she enjoyed sticking it on her belly and on her face
-6 months ago, I got to eat her sucker in the car after we left, today she held and licked her own sucker in the car after we left!
..........I also spoke to the doctor about the conflicting hearing test results. Thankfully she is going to investigate for me to find out why there was such a discrepancy in what I was told both visits, and whether we need to pursue hearing aides or further testing.

My heart melted

Remember when your kid first said, "mama", that rush of maternal love and emotions that floods through you? Well I experienced that with Ava this morning as I approached her crib this morning as she first woke up. Normally she just greets me with a grin (and a poopy diaper). This morning she greeted me by signing "mama", thumb to her chin (plus the grin and the poopy diaper). Oh, how I love that sweet girl!

Birthday boy

We were determined to celebrate big even in the midst of the chaos of packing and getting the house ready to sell. Here is Jude pretending to blow out the candles. I always video the singing and the candle blowing, and then I make the kids pretend to blow again for a still shot so we don't have to light the candles again. Anyone else do that?
Here he's licking the icing off the robot cake decoration. I love that he had icing all over his face and either didn't know or didn't care.
We took the kids, their cousin Evi, our neighbor Anna, and best friend Michael to the pool. Ava was having her own fun with Aunt Marlita. There's Jude coming off the "big" slide.
As we were drying off and ready to head home, we discovered that Evi had never had one of Uncle John's famous towel swings. I think she liked it.
Then Anna wanted a turn.
And Michael.
I'm glad Jude wasn't too cool to get a Daddy-towel-swing at a public swimming pool.
It was a great day. I sure do love that boy!

Happy Birthday to My Sweet 7 Year Old Boy

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New shoes and my personal hair dresser

Well thanks everyone for all the great advice on the shoes. I did go to Trippets (Thanks Christina), a shoe store for kids, figuring that any of the options listed should be available there. The sales lady was shocked that I have 5 kids and have never stepped foot in there before. What can I say? I'm cheap! So here is the final selection....Extra Wide New Balances, with the soles removed. Size 6.
I also wanted to be sure to post a photo of Ava standing in them, or at least attempting to stand. These things really make a big difference. 10 year old Simeon was assigned to snap the photo, Hope was assigned to get her to smile for the picture, and my job was to steady her in a standing position.
As you can see however, Hope assumed the role of my personal hairdresser, while I was trying to maneuver a squirmy toddler who really did not feel like standing for the silly picture, let alone smile and wave. Oh well. You'll get the idea what a big girl she looks like STANDING, even if she'll need quite a bit of support for now. At least her feet are straight.





And for your viewing pleasure, I included a photo of my latest hair-do. Hope said, "Mommy, you look BEEEAUTIFUL!" And I am wearing a pipe cleaner bracelet for an added touch.

These little foot supports are called Jump Start Bunnies. Anyone seen these before? Along with the low muscle tone, Ava has no arch support in her feet, thus part of the reason she has such difficulty bearing weight. These little supports should help her be able to start bearing weight and gaining strength in her legs. The problem I'm having is finding a pair of shoes wide enough to fit over them but not so big that she has to wear a shoe 4 sizes too big. Make sense? Has anyone used these before and how did you solve that problem? I took 5 kids shoe shopping for Ava yesterday, tried on several pairs of shoes on a squirmy "toddler" who wanted to crawl around and pull shoes off shelves and put them in her mouth. She even pulled a bar off the shelf and hit herself on the head. Pretty amazing how much she has changed though. I had to smile when her PT mentioned the other day how tired she gets from treating Ava, as she is so strong and squirmy. I wouldn't have expected to hear that report a few months ago!!!

This is not a lie. My kids were all up at 6 a.m. this morning sitting at the kitchen table doing schoolwork that they were never asked to do. When they realized that everyone else was starting on Wednesday, they begged me to start homeschooling too. (Well, two of them begged anyway, I'll let you try to guess which one didn't). The problem is, I have packed most of our homeschooling books and supplies in boxes on the POD with the intent that we wouldn't start until after we had successfully moved and settled in to our new house. But how can a mother resist her children begging to do school work? So we started yesterday, and did....OK.....considering my lack of preparation, books and supplies.


Ava found this glue stick and pencil on the floor. She is ready for school too!

Communication in Ancient Times

While running some errands today, the kids were making insignificant phone calls to friends and to Daddy. I took the opportunity to educate them (being the homeschooling mom I am) about the fact that cell phones were not always around. In fact, I told them, I never even had a cell phone until after I graduated from college. "So what do you think we did when I was a little girl when we were away from home and needed to call someone?", I asked. (I was hoping for the opportunity to teach the concept of planning ahead or using a phone booth in an emergency).

Liesel: "The Pony Express?"
Jude: "2 tin cans and a string?"

Boy do I feel old!

Adopting an Older Child

This article was sent to my adoption group this morning. I thought it was definitely worth reading if you have considered adopting an older child or a child with special challenges, but are scared......I LOVED this article, and I really hope you will read it.

Wednesday weigh-in

This week's weigh-in:
Start weight 154.8
Today's weight 148.2
I've lost 6.6 pounds in 3 weeks. I've got about 8 more pounds to go. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.......

A challenge and a dare

Through a combination of Christine's challenge to "keep it real" through blogging, and a dare from Amy to reveal the contents of our cars, I decided to post this confession and story.

Confession: My Suburban stays pretty much in a constant state of disaster. Occasionally, yes, the kids and I will make an event of cleaning it out, vacuuming, using windex on the windows, but usually by the next day it is trashed again. So I pretty much just don't look in the back seat until there is an odor.

Story: A few months ago, John got home from work, then disappeared for a little bit. When he came back in, he announced that he had something that he wanted us all to see, then led us towards the kitchen.

I was sure he had found a turtle on his way home from work, or maybe there was a really neat story on the news that he wanted to show us on the computer, I wasn't sure. But he told us all to cover our eyes until he revealed the big surprise.

When we all opened our eyes, this is what we saw on the kitchen island.....

He had unloaded the contents of the car and put them on display for us. I think he was mad, but I laughed so hard, pretty soon he was laughing too. For some reason the kids didn't "get" the joke. How is that for keeping it real?