The Why Of The Windows...

... as well as the doors...

In case you didn't guess, this is why it's currently impossible to keep my glass doors and windows clean below the four feet height mark.

Sigh.

A Day In The Life

At the moment, my typical day looks like this. Times are fluid to an extent, but generally accurate:

5:30 ~ I get up, check emails and adoption websites, send responses, post updates, blog, pack Craig's lunch and prepare the kids' breakfasts.

6:30 - 8:00 ~ The kids get up, eat, play, are changed, are dressed, are cuddled.

8:00 - 9:00 ~ We play.

9:00 - 11:00 ~ Ms. Rie is here to work with Rex. In the meantime, I try to practice speech and other skills with Emilia, make any necessary phone calls for the day, send more emails, get tasks related to orphan/adoption advocacy etc. completed, do housework, and cook.

10:30 - 11:30 ~ Lunches are prepared and served for the three of us. Kids are changed and we try to calm down for nap time.

12:00 - 2:00 ~ Nap time. Rex and I sleep in the kids' room while Emilia rests in the guest room in a pack and play. I don't actually know if she always sleeps, but she definitely has some quiet time with a few cuddle toys.

2:00 - 3:00 ~ We get up and have snacks. Kids are changed and we play.

3:00 - 5:00 ~ Ms. Tara is here to work with Rex. In the meantime, Emilia and I play, read, go for walks, or visit neighbors outside. I check things online, respond to emails, and prepare dinner.

5:00 - 6:30 ~ Craig comes home, dinners are served (sometimes not at the same time depending on how hungry the kids are), kitchen is cleaned up, we talk about our day.

6:30 - 9:00 ~ Family time, including walks, playing, cuddling, talking, baths, reading stories, sometimes watching a sitcom or catching up online.

9:00 ~ Bed time for the kids.

10:00 ~ Bed time for us.

She Called Me Mama

Today was the first day that EmiliaToday Emilia called me Mama for the first time. And I don’t mean that she just articulated two random syllables, but that she used the word deliberately, conscious of who sshe meant: me. My heart skipped a beat when it happened because Mama in my family is a term of utter love and admiration.

For as far back as we know in my own Mama’s family, four generations of women have been called Mama by their children. Not Mutter or Mutti, but Mama which is so much more gentle and adoring. And these women to me have all been role models of strength, courage, and dedication. Between them, they survived two world wars, starvation and typhoid. Some became widows at young ages. They worked as cooks and servants and field hands. They were displaced by war and lost all their possessions, including their house which was burnt to the ground during battle. One suffered repeated physical abuse from her in-laws and another was denied a college education on the grounds that her voice was too quiet. They lived through half a dozen different regimes on German soil and used at least as many different currencies within ever-changing borders.

Left to right:

My Oma Margarete Lange

My Uroma Emma Krueger

My Great-Aunt Elsbeth Rex

(after all of whom our children are named)

A favorite picture of mine of my Mama

Despite it all, between the four of them, they raised ten daughters and two sons, me included, with selfless, loving guidance and devotion. Each of these children even as adults adore(d) their Mamas and reflect(ed) their upbringing in their life choices. Today my little Emilia in their choices. Today my daughter called me Mama and I will do whatever I can to prove myself worthy of the name, worthy of being added to this line of incredible women who came before me and whose examples will influence my own path of motherhood.

Meet "B"

Today I want to introduce you to a teenager who is looking for her forever parents. She is almost 14 years old and lives in one of my children’s birth countries. A family had committed to her, but then changed its mind. Could you or someone you know be her mom or dad?

B is described as a physically healthy child with no problems in neuro-psychic development. She is said to be vibrant, positive, energetic, well-intentioned, outgoing, and confident. She has a rich vocabulary and easily connects with those around her. She gladly participates in group activities, cultural events, and teamwork. B could use some help with her academic efforts and would benefit from a stable, supportive family environment where she can feel safe and protected.

B does not have much time left. If not adopted, in a few years she will age out of the orphanage. In that case, she will be alone and her future looks bleak. Sex or slave trafficking, prostitution, crime, drug use, suicide, and alcohol abuse are all on the horizon for her. She may not live to see her 20^th birthday. Please do not let this be B’s fate. Spread the word about her and help me search for her forever family. She would make a wonderful daughter for those willing to open their hearts and home to her.

B’s international fees have been reduced to just 1000 Euros! For more details, including a full medical report, contact info@hopscotchadoptions.org.

Emilia - Seventeen Weeks Home

As of yesterday, Emilia has now been home with us for seventeen weeks.

As you may remember, two weeks ago Emilia got sick and had a very rough week. She was sleeping a lot and eating/drinking very little which resulted in a four pound weight loss. When Emilia was on the verge of hospitalization for dehydration, we took drastic measures at home to get her re-hydrated. We spent hours spooning liquids into her mouth under much protest from her, but it worked. After she took the initial 22 ounces, she started being interested in eating and drinking again and would even sit in her high chair for meals rather than having to be held like an infant. The last few days she’s met her daily caloric and fluid needs, but it will take a long time to bring her back up to 20 pounds. I think we need to buy a better scale for our home to monitor her weight between doctor’s visits.

Here she is watching her big brother.

She most certainly thinks he's totally awesome.

The upside of Emilia’s illness was that it helped us make a leap forward in attachment. My holding her and comforting her so much and sleeping with her at night must have assured her that I really am here to stay even through the tough times. Since Emilia has been feeling better, a number of people have noted a greater closeness between us and I feel it, too.

She's a master at taking off her shoes and socks.

One of her nicknames is one-sock-wonder.

Developmentally we have not made much progress due to the illness. Emilia continues to say hi and dada and to babble other sounds. She’s added the t- sound and the g-sound to her repertoire. She also for the first time voluntarily touched play dough and manipulated it some and she can work a few switches on this toy. Emilia played in the sand this weekend, but being on the grass was not her favorite. She’s doing a bit better now with attending to things like books or other focused tasks. Oh and she has a new tooth.

I am so glad that Emilia is feeling good again and back to her sweet, demanding, loving personality. Life was not the same without her laughter and hugs in it.

Spring Time On The Lane

Today we enjoyed a beautiful spring day in our neighborhood. The pictures tell it all, I think.

Rex making his first attempts at sliding.

Emilia loving the swing.

Harbingers of spring.

Since we're not likely to see a stork around here,

Emilia and I hung our martenitsi

into the blooming tree in front of our house today.

Rex - Thirty-One Weeks Home

Today marks thirty-one weeks home and thirty-three weeks out of the orphanage for Rex. The first of these last two weeks our family was sick though I will say that Rex held up the best. He has an amazing immune system and no nonsense approach to his priorities which are playing and romping about. Little did he care that the rest of us were in dire need of some quiet and relaxation.

Developmentally, Rex is taking a little break or at least so it seems, though there is always new stuff that he learns. He got a jack-in-the-box for his birthday and can now (ever so gently and sweetly) turn the handle all by himself until the bear pops out. He also got three spinning tops and he’s working very hard to learn to use them without assistance. He’s got the concept down, but needs to refine the motorics. Lastly, he has figured out how to turn the key throttle on one of his ride-on toys. It takes quite a good pincer grasp and pressure to do that, so I was happy when one morning I heard the vehicle starting and realized it was Rex doing it. All of these things might seem very minor to outsiders, but I know that eight months ago my baby boy could not even push a button, so it is all huge to me.

Now that he is three, Rex has been introduced to organic peanut butter and he loves it. It seems like I can hide things like mashed banana and applesauce in peanut butter on sandwiches and he eats it no questions asked. A spoonful of peanut butter also helps the oatmeal go down and, boy, does he ever go crazy over peanut butter stirred into ice-cream. He got that from his Mama. Rex enjoyed his first ever chicken wings with Craig this week and ate three bowls of homemade pumpkin and roasted tomato soup. I guess he missed my cooking while everyone was sick. It’s been slim pickings around here.

Starting this week, Rex will receive 21 hours of therapy per week through the end of June. The most expensive hours are fully funded through the special needs scholarship. He is doing 10 hours of what I call play and life skills therapy with Ms. Rie, an hour of OT with Ms. Kristen, 6 hours of ABA with Ms. Tara, and 4 hours of educational intervention with Ms. Katie. Talk about an overscheduled kid! Of course, therapy isn’t so bad when it includes playing in the warm spring rain and loving it, face to the sky and arms outstretched toward the heavens, laughing out loud. Oh how far my baby boy has come with sensory integration.

Over the last several days Rex has been extra joyful and loving. I don’t know if it’s the beautiful spring weather we are having or if he is reaching a new level of attachment, but he has been so sweet to me. He’s been cuddly even outside of naptime (he cuddles with his daddy all the time, but with me mostly at nap), he has been making incredible eye contact, he is watching my face when I speak, he comes up to my legs and leans on them, waiting for his head to be patted… It’s been quite wonderful and I am soaking up every minute of it while it lasts.