While We Wait...

It's now been over seven weeks since we kissed Big Sister goodbye.  Seven weeks with no word of how she is doing and only minimal information about how our case has been proceeding in her birth country.  It's so tough to simply trust that things are moving forward without having any answers.  While time is racing and we are busy with summer in full swing, when I do pause to think for a moment, there's a sting in my heart as I miss my little girl.

So what have we been doing as relates to Sis?

Big Sister's bed is ready in Emilia's room.  Emilia and I have been talking about which bed is whose.  One morning when Craig got her, she told him, "Two beds."  I guess something is sinking in.

Big Sis' photo hangs on our fridge along with photos of Rex and Emilia from our first trips.  We look at the photos and practice naming everyone whenever we get a chance.

I bought hair chalk so the girls and I can color our hair for Halloween.

I bought Big Sis some pajamas.  I am holding off on buying too many other clothes until we know if it will still be late summer or more fall when we travel to pick her up.  No need to purchase a summer wardrobe for an ending season.

I have bought three Fischer Price Jumperoos for Big Sister's orphanage (thanks to my friends E, M and S for making this gift possible).  This is something the director specifically asked for when I approached her about a donation.  The jumperoos will soon be on their way to Sis' country in the shipping container of a charitable organization.  We will retrieve them when we get there in the fall and deliver them personally.  Now I will only have to transport the cleft bottles the orphanage director would like in our luggage.

I have been watching the video of Big Sis and her best friend singing so much that the song is basically stuck in my head full time.

We are hoping to find a family for Big Sis' best friend.  Your good thoughts for this 7 year-old little girl  with severe scoliosis and those who might adopt her would be appreciated.

We're still debating about Big Sis' new middle name.  We have two family names in mind and keep going back and forth for different reasons.

If anyone locally knows of a location with good through traffic of people that would let us hold a bake sale/ yard sale fundraiser there, please let me know.  You can also help us bring Big Sister home by contributing here.

Our first ever hug

Gratitude

Craig and I only have a few main values that we hope to instill firmly into our children before they reach adulthood.  One of them is gratitude.  And not just gratitude for objects like birthday presents or the exact pair of shoes you wanted for the season, but also gratitude for family, friends, for travel opportunities, good health, laughter, for a delicious meal and the person who prepared it, for a sunny or a rainy day, for being loved, for music and movies, for a missed turn, etc.

About a year ago, we started working on the concept of gratitude by having Emilia say thank you (which she now does independently quite often), by seeking our kids' help in giving tokens of appreciation to others, and by having them participate in the making of thank you cards.  Rex does not enjoy arts and crafts at all, so the latter is truly an effort for him.  Emilia likes arts and crafts, but her fine motor skills have a long way to go to really make it work.  Still, there are so many fun and easy ideas out there that it's not hard to find something the kids can do.

For example, Rex's thank you cards for his birthday gifts involved some paint and his thumbprints which I then finished into little caterpillars:

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Recently, Emilia, with the help of Ms. Rie, worked on a thank you card for her great-great-aunt who showered our family with some wonderful blessings.  We used a little shaving cream and food coloring for a marbeling effect, then pressed a piece of white card stock into the the colorful shaving cream, lifted it off, and let it dry:

When it was dry, I took a look at the two sheets Emilia had created, trying to spot some kind of pattern to cut out. I came up with this flower which I glued onto a blank card and voila.  By the way, did you know that shaving cream is a terrific cleaner?  After doing her part for the card, we let Emilia and her friend Cooper go wild with shaving cream on the countertop and the kids' table.  Both were spotless once we wiped away the shaving cream after the kids were finished playing.

Some day, I know at least two of my kids will be able to write their own thank you notes, but for now, I still take care of this task, only making them sign their names with hand over hand help.  More important than any thank you card, however, is our goal that all three of our children will grow up to have ever grateful hearts which will carry them through good times and bad.

Picture Of The Day

When shopping, you should only put the finest quality into your cart.  Obviously, Emilia takes this advice very seriously.

IAC 281 & 282 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 281 which was held on May 7, 2014:

1) Spanish dossier from July 2010 referred a male child aged 3 years and 2 months with features in health status

2) French dossier from August 2010 referred a female child aged 2 years and 4 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Italian dossier from September 2010 referred a male child aged 6 years and 9 months with features in health status

4) Italian dossier from December 2010 referred male child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status

5) Italian dossier from June 2012 referred a female child aged 8 years and 7 months

6) Italian dossier from April 2013 referred sisters aged 7 years and 3 months & 8 years and 7 months with features in health status

7) Italian dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#2390) with a profile on the MOJ site

8) French dossier from October 2013 referred a male child aged 7 years with features in health status and a family history

9) US dossier from November 2013 referred two waiting children (#2276 & #2277) with profiles on the MOJ site

10) US dossier from March 2014 referred two waiting children (#1718 & #2351) with profiles on the MOJ site

11) French dossier from March 2014 referred a female child aged 8 years and 1 month with a family history

12) US dossier from March 2014 referred three waiting children (#1992 & #1999 & #2001) with profiles on the MOJ site

13) US dossier from March 2014 referred three brothers aged 2 years and 4 months & 5 years and 9 months & 3 years and 5 months with features in health status and a family history

14)  US dossier from April 2014 referred four waiting children (#2248 & #2249 & #2308 & #2309) with profiles on the MOJ site

15) US dossier from April 2014 referred two waiting children (#1597 & #1891) with profiles on the MOJ site
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The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 282 which was held on May 14, 2014:

1) Spanish dossier from December 2009 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months

2) Dutch dossier from February 2010 referred sisters aged 3 years and 6 months and 5 years and 4 months

3) US dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 2 years and 10 months

4) Dutch dossier from July 2010 referred a female child aged 4 years and 5 months with features in health status

5) German dossier from August 2010 referred a female child aged 5 years and 11 months

6) French dossier from February 2011 referred a male child aged 4 years and 3 months with features in health status

7) Canadian dossier from April 2011 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months with features in health status

8) Portuguese dossier from January 2012 referred a male child aged 1 year and 2 months with features in health status and a family history

9) Italian dossier from March 2012 referred a brother and sister aged 8 years and 2 months and 5 years and 2 months with a family history

10) Italian dossier from June 2012 referred a male child aged 8 years and 2 months with features in health status

11) US dossier from March 2014 referred a waiting child (#2187) with a profile on the MOJ site

12) Italian dossier from April 2014 referred a waiting child (#2423) with a profile on the MOJ site

13) US dossier from April 2014 referred a waiting child (#2207) with a profile on the MOJ site

14) Swedish dossier from May 2014 referred a waiting child (#2161) with a profile on the MOJ site

15) US dossier from May 2014 referred three waiting children (#1959 & #1960 & #1973) with profiles on the MOJ site

Father's Day 2014

Thanks to our cousins Bryan and Maria for a fun-filled, poolside afternoon and a terrific Sunday dinner.

And Happy Father's Day to my husband Craig whose love and dedication as a dad is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.  I love you.

Swamped

If you're wondering why this blog has been quiet lately, it's because I am extremely busy this month.  Here's the rub:

1) The Bulgarian reunion is coming up in less than two weeks.  Due to a personal conflict, my co-organizer cannot attend this year, so I will be running this weekend-long event for just under 100 people on my own this time around.  Right now, I am knee-deep into planning and taking care of such tasks as renting chairs and tables, getting t-shirts designed and printed, making shopping lists, putting together supplies and instructions for the kids' activities, stuffing welcome bags, etc.

2) Medical, therapy, and/or academic appointments come to a total of 16 this month.  Whew.

3) Craig's mom is in town for ten days.

4) I have been invited to a baby shower for someone very special and must find a gift.

5) Ms. Rie has been on vacation.

6) Rex had a week with no school.

7) Father's Day.

8) It's also strawberry season in our region and since we love homemade strawberry jam, we don't want to miss our opportunity to pick the berries.

9) Daily life doesn't stop just because other stuff is going on, so I still need to cook dinners, do laundry, pay bills, return calls and emails, process medical claims, weed my garden, etc.

10) Can I just say that I'm tired? (And so is Craig.)

Plane - Wedding - Spain

I thought about titling this post 72 Hours In An Alternate Universe, but I figured it might be too confusing.  Therefore, let me explain.

My little sister got married last weekend on an island in Spain.  She and her husband live in Austria, so it was a destination wedding for them and their 35 guests.  Not only that, it was an all expense paid three-day weekend for everyone invited, airfare included, so our family was able to attend.  Had it not been for my sister and her husband's generosity, we could not have afforded to go on this trip, given that we are in the middle of a costly adoption journey.

So, last Thursday we boarded our first plane in an 18 hour trip that would take us to paradise, also known as Castillo Hotel Son Vida in Palma de Mallorca.  This has been by far the fanciest resort we have ever stayed and I imagine always will be.  The views from every angle of this resort were stunning:

Here's a photo of our room before we let the kids have at it:

Our private patio

We arrived in Palma on Friday around lunch and were greeted by my mom and cousin in the lobby.  Emilia immediately remembered her Oma and got so excited.  After checking in, we joined my extended family on the terrace for a light lunch.  Aside from my mom, we had not seen my relatives in six years and it was a great reunion.  We were so happy to introduce them to the kids in person finally.  Since it had been a long journey, we decided to hop into the pool for a little while to give Rex and Emilia some relaxing sensory input.  The kiddie pool was perfect for them and they had so much fun there.  You can hardly tell Craig among some of the kids that were in our wedding group:

Then we took a two our nap and re-joined the other guests.  We kept being introduced to more friends of the couple and the family of my new brother-in-law who all welcomed us warmly.  It was great that, throughout the entire weekend, no matter where you decided to be - pools, terrace, outdoor restaurant, tennis courts - you were always bound to find a friendly face and strike up a conversation.

 A disheveled Emilia with her new cousin
who looks a lot like Big Sis

Emilia with her new cousin (blue shirt) and a friend
on the way to the pool

Craig stayed home with the kids on Friday night, but I joined the group for tapas at this restaurant:

Sister Selfie

Apparently this is a happening place right now and impossible to get a table... though we had two.  I laughed a lot that evening with my sister and my cousin. Cuz and I were not willing to let any desserts go to waste at the end of the night, so we sacrificed and each tasted every dessert as well as polished off our favorite three selections per person.  Yeah, I was in a sugar coma after that culinary excess.

Saturday morning started with an incredible breakfast buffet that we ate on the terrace surrounded by family.  The atmosphere was so relaxing and wonderful, we lingered for a few hours.

I love this breakfast photo:
All living women in my family are in it - four generations

Toward lunch, we took the kids back to the pool and then for a nap.  I spent some time with my sister who was getting ready to be the bride.  My sister had asked Craig and her other brother-in-law to walk her down the aisle as they were the two closest male relatives present at the wedding.  The only other two living male relatives are her elderly and ailing father-in-law and our uncle who just battled cancer, both of whom could not be there.  The official wedding ceremony started at 6:00 pm on the terrace with this view:

My beautiful sis
(The flowers are from the garden of our childhood home.)

After the ceremony
with my new brother-in-law

Enjoying the view with my great-aunt

After the ceremony which had just about everyone in tears, there were cocktails and appetizers served on the terrace.  This was Rex's only tough hour on the entire trip, so Craig retreated into a quiet corner with him until it was time to move into the garden for dinner which was delectable:

The magnificent couple

We watched the sun set as we were enjoying our dinner.

Kids listening to music on Craig's phone while waiting to dance

Rexplorer has discovered and claimed his island

After a very leisurely meal together, everyone moved indoors for dancing.  My mom offered to take our finally tired, party animal kids to bed toward midnight and we accepted.  It's been years since Craig and I had some time without Rex and Emilia at an event like this.  One of my favorite memories from the evening will be dancing to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun with my dad's 82-year-old aunt who was sipping lemon vodka and having the time of her life:

Craig and Emilia dancing

Craig and I finally got to bed at 3:00 am, but the party was still going, so my mom went back and joined the others for some fun.  I'll just say that the older generations who attended this wedding showed no signs of wear which gives me lots of hope for getting on in age.

Sunday morning began with another wonderful breakfast outdoors and then we all relaxed around the pools.  We had several lazy hours of talking and eating and recalling the previous night's events.  I so enjoyed this un-hurried time with my family.

The family that naps together...

By late afternoon, it was time for all the guests to leave.  Only our little family was staying another night to start the trip back to the US very early the next morning.  It was strange, but when the last wedding guests had left at 6:00 pm, I felt very lonely there at the hotel.  Maybe my sister knew this would be the case because she surprised me with a coupon for a one hour massage at the spa which she had scheduled for me for Sunday evening.  What a heavenly gift!

After my massage, I joined Craig, Rex and Emilia in our room.  We had dinner, packed up our things, and went to bed.  The journey home started with a wake-up call at 4:45 the next morning and we were finally back under our own roof at 7:00 pm.  When Emilia walked in the door, she clapped her hands, squealed and said, "Hi home."

Sleeping babes on the last flight

I am tremendously grateful to my sister and brother-in-law for making it possible for us to join this weekend of family, fun, love, and laughter.  The memories from our nearly 72 hours in Spain will be treasured forever.