The World's Ugliest Rainbow Cake

Those of you who read here often know that I love to bake and experiment in the kitchen.  So after Ella made this cute play dough cake for me, I wanted to reciprocate with a rainbow cake for her.

The whole experience of making a rainbow cake was frustrating from beginning to end. I hate food coloring in the first place, so working with multiple colors was not really my thing. Plus the dough would not come out of the pans after baking and crumbled into pieces which made the icing process a real challenge.  I completed the cake, but accepted defeat.

When Ella saw my cake, she said, "Don't worry about your crazy ugly cake, Mama, it's still pretty. I'm still gonna eat it."

Surprisingly, when we did cut the cake for dessert on Saturday night, it was truly pretty inside with lovely colors.  And the flavor... well, you can't go wrong with homemade buttercream icing.

Picture Of The Day

Rex during cranio-sacral therapy.  Even though his eyes are open, he is asleep.  He was so mellow and happy after the session.

IA Bulgaria: Healthy Girls & Boys Under Three

My friend "K" and her husband have been waiting for the referral of a healthy girl up to 36 months of age from Bulgaria.  "K" has been diligent in tracking the wait times and the kinds of referrals that are being issued by MOJ.  Her placing agency has been doing the same.  "K" shared with me her findings that she recently discussed with her placing agency and she gave me permission to publish them here.  Below is "K's" research.

"I compared my tracking sheets with [our program manager's] and we matched across the board. I have been tracking all IAC session referrals since September 2012 of children under the age of 36 months (boys and girls; "healthy" and not). Here's what I have found through my own tracking (all confirmed by our program manager):

• Average wait time for girls under the age of 36 months (regardless of health or family history) has remained static at 32 months.
• Average wait time for "healthy" girls under 36 months has steadily increased each year from 42 months in 2012 to 47 months in 2014.
• The total number of referrals for children under 36 months has stayed consistent (even increased ever so slightly), however, the percentage of referrals of "healthy" children has sharply declined and is on track to further decline in 2015.

                                2013        2014        2015YTD*

Total referrals        109        119            10

# healthy                   41           33             2

% healthy                  38%       28%         20%

*2015 Year to Date through 2/19/15

Healthy children are considered any who do not have a note of "Features: Health Status" and/or "Family History" in the IAC session results. Also does not include children referred from profiles on the MOJ website (i.e. waiting children).

The above stats are consistent with what our program manager has heard from [our Bulgarian NGO]--the MOJ is referring more children categorized with having special needs. The problem with that is how the categories are understood, defined and applied. Some children are deemed "healthy", but do in fact have needs. Some children are labeled with needs that don't exist. The discrimination of Roma children continues to be a problem, and makes it hard to understand these labels."

Thank you, "K", for your efforts in compiling this information.

Braggity-Brag

May I take a minute and brag on my son?  He's been doing absolutely fantastic since the start of this calendar year, despite the move and transfer to a new school.  I am working on a longer update about Rex's progress, but right this moment I just want to say that most days now his therapy notes come home looking like this:

Nappies For Nork Diaper Drive

Nork Orphanage in Yerevan where Rex used to live is in dire need of disposable diapers and while it should be the responsibility of the Armenian government to supply those basic necessities, we all know the reality. 

Rex at his favorite perch at Nork
beneath the diaper changing table
in November 2010

Let’s do a little quick math.  In the US, you can purchase a brand-name diaper for between 15 and 30 cents each.  In Armenia, they are a bit more expensive, so for ease of calculating, let’s say it’s 25 to 50 cents, depending on the size and brand.  That means that for $1.50 to $3.00 a child at Nork can be clean and comfortable for an entire day.  For around $70 a child has diapers for an entire month.  Approximately $135 will keep every child at Nork in fresh diapers for a 24 hour period.

The Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief, SOAR, has already set up a diaper fund (http://soar-us.org/diaper_fund.html) and you can make a tax deductible donation here: http://soar-us.org/donate.html.  Please earmark your donation specifically for diapers for Nork.  If you make a contribution in any amount between now and Easter Sunday and let me know (viviane 8 at yahoo dot com), I will enter you into a drawing for a variety of items including:

*A CD of Armenian Christmas hymns

*An original photo print of an image taken in Armenia by a fellow adoptive mom and photographer

*4 Starbucks gift cards worth $25 each

*2 new scarves

Thanks for supporting the little ones at Nork!

IAC Results 308 & 309

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 308 which was held on February 12, 2015:

1) Italian dossier from June 2013 referred biological sisters aged 9 years and 5 months & 6 years

2) Italian dossier from June 2013 referred a female child aged 9 years and 4 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Italian dossier from February 2014 referred biological brothers aged  6 years and 10 months & 8 years and 8 months

4) US dossier from March 2014 referred a male child aged 9 years and 4 months

5) US dossier from June 2014 referred two waiting children (#2567 & #2565) with profiles on the MOJ site

6) Italian dossier from July 2014 referred a waiting child (#2747) with a profile on the MOJ site

7) Italian dossier from July 2014 referred a male child aged 9 years and 6 months with features in health status

8) Italian dossier from September 2014 referred a female child aged 9 years and 11 months

9) US dossier from January 2015 referred a waiting child (#2684) with a profile on the MOJ site

10) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2434) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#1169) with a profile on the MOJ site

12) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2413) with a profile on the MOJ site

_____________________________________________

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 309 which was held on February 19, 2015:

1) Spanish dossier from October 2010 referred a male child aged 1 year and 5 months

2) Spanish dossier from April 2011 referred a female child aged 6 years and 3 months

3) Italian dossier from April 2011 referred a male child aged 6 years and 3 months with features in health status

4) French dossier from July 2011 referred a female child aged 4 years and 4 months with a family history

5) US dossier from August 2011 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

6) Italian dossier from January 2013 referred a male child aged 4 years and 3 months with features in health status and a family history

7) Italian dossier from April 2013 referred a male child aged 8 years and 4 months

8) US dossier from September 2013 referred a male child aged 2 years and 5 months with features in health status and a family history

9) US dossier from May 2014 referred a female child aged 2 years and 9 months with features in health status and a family history

10) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2575) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2448) with a profile on the MOJ site

12) US dossier from February 2015 referred two waiting children (#27 & #305) with profiles on the MOJ site

Picture Of The Day

Ella got into some big trouble yesterday with her daddy for disobedience.  We've talked about it and things are good now.  However, after nap this afternoon, Ella decided that she wanted to apologize one more time and she made this card for Craig.  She had no help and created this masterpiece all on her own.  The creature with the massive arms is her daddy, by the way.

News From MOJ In Bulgaria

MOJ has released a list of active dossiers as of February 2, 2015.  By my count, the list shows 908 active dossiers registered between 2008 and December 30, 2013.  Dossiers registered in 2014 or 2015 are not reflected in this list.

Of the 908 active dossiers, one was registered in 2008, none in 2009, 38 in 2010, and approximately 21% (just under 200 dossiers) in 2011.

Of the 908 active dossiers, about 25% are requesting children aged 36 months or younger.  Nearly 10% of the dossiers are asking to be matched with a girl only and 1% with a boy only.

If you would like to see the list, please use this link: Active Dossiers.

Ella's Meal Plan

Nutrition and feeding can be major issues for newly adopted children and even long after a child comes home.  We continue to face challenges with both Rex and Emilia in these areas for very different reasons.  Because of this circumstance, it's felt like a relative breeze to feed Ella. Even though she has her own preferences and dislikes, she has no dietary restrictions or food allergies and is not particularly picky.  Here are typical options for each meal now that she's in school.

Breakfast: toast with butter or Nutella, oatmeal, Belvita breakfast cookies, fresh berries, bananas, grapes, or other fruit and 6 ounces of almond milk.  I am pretty sure breakfast is her least favorite meal and she'd gladly skip it, so I have to cut her some slack to get something into her belly to fuel her brain for school.

Snack at school: Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, dried fruit, graham crackers, string cheese and crackers

Lunch: salami, hard-boiled eggs, crackers and pretzels, green lettuces and herbs, fresh fruit, grilled chicken, meatballs, turkey

Afternoon snack: see school snack or cereal with milk

Dinner: with few exceptions, she eats whatever Craig and I do from soups to fish to casseroles to salads.  She even had her first steak recently and loved it. We have also figured out some favorite restaurant selections for her.  Ella does not have to clear her plate, but she knows that it is a prerequisite for getting dessert later.

Dessert: single serve icecream, popcorn, fruit, or yogurt

Foods Ella does not like: English muffins, sweet potatoes, sliced cheese (she's come around to string cheese), and raw carrots.  In her own words they are "gusting" (disgusting) and "Mama, don't give me that again, okay?!"

P.S. About those ugly plates with the green rims: Craig and I bought them when we were in college and on a very strict budget.  Sixteen pieces at $4.00 new was a steal and we've had these dishes ever since.  Can't get rid of them as they remind us of where we started and of what really matters.

Photo Of The Day

My Armenian snuggle bugs sat on the couch together this evening and cuddled with each other for a long time.  Seeing them close like this made our hearts sing.  Love how they've laced their fingers together.

504

Today we had our ETR meeting for Ella with the school district.  She has been evaluated by all parties involved and she does not qualify for an IEP because

1) She appears to have no cognitive disability

2) She appears to have no learning disabilities

3) She does not qualify for speech therapy or PT and would qualify only for very temporary OT to assist with writing skills

4) Her progress across the board in the last nine weeks of school has been rapid and explosive, by all accounts.  Everyone who works with her has been astonished by her sheer willpower and intense motivation to learn and by the speed and ease with which she has acquired not only new academic material, but also improved her social skills, classroom functioning, play behavior, etc.

So, instead of an IEP the school is composing a 504 to make sure Ella has physical accommodations and will get some targeted math and reading support for a limited time until she has caught up.  ELL services will continue indefinitely.

So, we officially have a neuro-typical child now.   It's very strange and very delightful.  

When Fairies Explode

A few weeks ago my cousin Maria was over for a visit and we were enjoying a chat in the dining room while Ella was eating her lunch and Emilia was upstairs in Craig's and my bedroom watching a video.  She was being so good and quiet, I should have known something was brewing because suddenly, ta-da, little Miss E waltzed down the stairs, gleefully announcing herself as "pretty."  I looked up and saw her covered from head to toe in gold glitter. I instantly knew that I had left a big bag of glitter in the master bedroom where Emilia had gotten her hands on it.  You can imagine what happened from there.

Eventually Maria and I did go up to look at the damage and found Craig's and my bed and our floor and a stack of clean clothing and the throw pillows and the hallway and some other random objects covered in the most beautiful, sparkly layer of glitter.  I was kind of laughing because what else can you do at this point, but also dreading the clean-up as well as Craig's strong dislike of glitter. Seriously, if Rex has school projects with glitter on them, Craig throws them away in the classroom, he never brings them home.  Here's just a small section of the fairy explosion:

And don't judge my mismatched, no-fitted sheet... that had just gone on the bed the night before due to another child-related mess and our regular sheet was fresh out of the dryer, but not yet put on the mattress.  Yes, this is my real life.

Since our vacuum cleaner is still at the old house, Maria loaned us hers and it literally took an hour to clean up our bedroom after the kids' afternoon therapy.  And, if you have any experience with glitter, you now that there was no way we could get every last speck, no matter how hard we tried. I predict that Craig and I will spend the next few years rolling out of bed in the mornings with random glitter on our bodies.  Get used to it, people, we're just that posh.

To My Daughters On International Women's Day

Be strong, but not rude. 

Be kind, but not weak. 

Be bold, but not bully. 

Be thoughtful, but not lazy. 

Be humble, but not timid. 

Be proud, but not arrogant. 

Have humor, but without folly.

- Jim Rohn

by Erin Hull Photography

Rex Ist Sechs

*The formatting on this entry is all messed up and I don't know how to fix it.

We recently celebrated Rex's sixth birthday.  I can hardly believe how quickly my little boy is growing up.  The first time I saw his face he had just turned one and I knew instantly he was mine.

This year, we decided to gather our family and friends at a local gym for some gross motor and sensory fun in honor of the birthday boy.  After a bit of a rough start which was my fault (balloons - enough said), Rex enjoyed himself and explored the equipment and activities.

Ella showing off some mad skills

After all the fun in the gym, we enjoyed a few refreshments in the party room.  Among other treats, I had made these gluten and dairy free cupcakes which turned out quite yummy.  We had a couple of adults with gluten intolerance in the crowd and they agreed, too.

Rex also celebrated with his friends at school.  I made a gluten, dairy and nut free chocolate raspberry cake with "buttercream" icing.

Rex had a great birthday at school.

Relaxing

Thinking

And playing.

Rex, you are and will forever be 
our favorite boy in the whole wide world.

We love you beyond measure and we think you know it.

You are brave and curious, funny and affectionate.

You fight hard every day to learn and to live in a busy world.

We are immensely proud of you, son,

And marvel daily at your resilience and amazing spirit.

You are our greatest teacher

And a blessing beyond our wildest dreams.

Picture Of The Day

Ella's class is doing a Dr. Seuss week and each child created an "All About Me" book.  Ella's teacher wrote her answers for her and Ella still has some coloring to do, but this is my favorite page in the entire book.  I have no doubt that this is exactly the answer Ella gave and I love it.

This page is also great, 100% Ella.

International Adoptions From Bulgaria in 2014

My friend Katie translated this info and passed it on.

In 2014, MOJ in Sofia gave consent for a total of 392 adoptions of 472 children.  Of those, 128 adoptions were of 173 waiting children with profiles on the MOJ website. 

Here is the breakdown for 2014:  

USA  - 40% of all IA from BG in 2014; 155 adoptions (107 of waiting children)

ITALY - 20% of all IA from BG in 2014;  88 adoptions (12 of waiting children) 

FRANCE - 10% of all IA from BG in 2014; 38 adoptions ( 4 of waiting children)

SPAIN - 7% of all IA from BG in 2014;  29 adoptions

NETHERLANDS - 6% of all IA from BG in 2014;  24 adoptions

GERMANY - 6% of all IA from BG in 2014;  23 adoptions

CANADA - 2% of all IA from BG in 2014; 8 adoptions (1 of waiting child/children)

SWEDEN - 2% of all IA from BG in 2014; 7 adoptions (2 of waiting children)

GREECE - 1% of all IA from BG in 2014; 5 adoptions (1 of waiting child/children)

IRELAND -1% of all IA from BG in 2014; 5 adoptions

LUXEMBOURG - 1% of all IA from BG in 2014; 2 adoptions (1 of waiting child/children)

GREAT BRITAIN - 1% of all IA from BG in 2014; 2 adoptions

DENMARK - 1% of all IA from BG in 2014; 2 adoptions

AUSTRIA -  0% of all IA from BG; 1 adoption

CYPRUS - 0% of all IA from BG; 1 adoption

NORWAY - 0% of all IA from BG; 1 adoption

PORTUGAL - 0% of all IA from BG; 1 adoption

Once again, the total number of international adoptions from Bulgaria has increased from last year's count.  It is interesting to note that about 37% of all children adopted were waiting children with identified special needs.  In addition, we do not know how many of the children referred through the main procedure also had special needs, but I would venture to say that more than 50% of all children placed from Bulgaria in 2014 had some sort of special need.

Also, adoptions of Bulgarian children to the United States were comprised of 70% identified waiting children and only 30% main procedure referrals.

Six Hours

With our current schedule, I have six hours a week, three on Mondays and three on Tuesdays, where I am home alone.  I always have a huge to do list for this undisturbed, productive time.

Here's my list for this week:

*Schedule eval Emilia
*Clean kitchen, kitchen floors, and hall floors
*Laundry (four loads were washed, dried, folded and put away)
*Assemble tax paperwork
*Make and freeze lentil burgers for Emilia's bedtime snack
*Make individual quinoa-oatmeal packs for Emilia's bedtime snack
*Cook dinner
*Clean three bathrooms - no floors (At the old house, it took me 90 minutes just to do the master bath from top to bottom.  At the new house, all three bathrooms without the floors took 30 minutes - which goes to show you how tiny our bathrooms are now.)
*Sort through toys to donate
*Appointment with drywall repair guy
*File insurance claims
*Run dishwasher (it took three loads in two days to get the job done)
*Answer emails
*Return phone calls

I did well this week and completed everything but the tax paperwork and the toy sorting.  Moving that over to next week's list now.

Sardinas, Anyone?

My mom sent us a package that was supposed to be full of gluten and dairy-free treats for Rex that we can't get here in the US.  Today, the package arrived and along with some of what I expected, I also found this assortment of goods.  

I am pretty sure our package was opened and inspected and then its contents was mixed up with a box from Spain undergoing the same procedures.  Somewhere in the US, a recipient is missing cocoa, tea and sardines and scratching his/her head about some homeopathics and gluten-free spreads.

Meanwhile, I am doing a little wondering here myself.  Does anyone know what might be in the tins, the San Lorenzo package (jam?) and what the mystery dough could be?  And what's the right thing to do here?  Just enjoy the surprising bounty or should I inform the postal service?  I doubt they'd be able to trace anything back, but I am open to suggestions.

Sunday Selfie

We love snuggling with the wee Martinis on Sunday mornings.  They trickled into our bed one by one over the course of an hour.

And if you're wondering why my lamp doesn't have a shade, let's just say lampshades are one of Rex's favorite "toys."