Help Zack Fundraiser

Meet Zack.  He is 11 years old and lives in Eastern Europe.  In fact, he was born in the same country as our Emilia.  He is a bright and engaging boy, so why does he look so sad?

You see, up until June, Zack lived in an orphanage for younger children with his best friend Maria. When Maria was adopted by my friend Katherine, Zack was transferred to an older child orphanage.  These children who had been like siblings for a decade were heart-broken over their separation.  One went to be a cherished daughter of a loving mother, the other is facing an uncertain future in a tough environment.  Zack knows what a family is and he is waiting for his parents.

Katherine, Maria and I have been advocating for Zack since the middle of the summer.  We helped get his file onto Reece's Rainbow where you can learn more about him: http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=zack.  Now we are trying to get some funds into Zack's RR account so that a family who would commit to adopting him would have some financial aid in their process.  This is why today Katherine is kicking off a fundraiser for Zack.  Please visit her blog and help if you can.

More importantly, please spread the word about Zack.  Please link his profile to your blogs and Facebook pages, so that his family can find him.  When his parents bring him home, this will be their little boy, a child with a beautiful smile, with happy eyes and with a determination to make the very best of his life.

In The Eye Of The Beholder

Chromosomal anomaly, obesity, strabismus, heart defect, global developmental delay, severe mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, unspecified encephalopathy, failure to thrive, hypotonia, cleft lip and palate…

Beauty, sweetness, courage, and happiness...

Joy, love, curiosity, and resilience...

We are blessed and grateful.

Emilia - Forty-One Weeks Home

Saturday marked forty-one weeks home for Emilia.  I wish I had a whole lot to report on this little lady, but as it is she is just marching to the beat of her own drummer.  She’s happy and loving and opinionated and busy, busy, busy.

Emilia hadn’t gained much weight at her last check-up, but she must be growing nonetheless.  The 9-months onesies we bought for her last winter are now way too small and she is wearing 18-months ones with a bit of room.  I was surprised, too, that some clothing that she tried on in early spring which was much too big then is now the perfect size.  Too bad it’s the wrong season.

A few new developments include Emilia’s ability to put a loaded fork into her mouth unassisted, her willingness to walk on bone dry grass barefoot (in the spring she screamed when I put her on lush green grass with shoes on), her imitation of motor actions as long as she does not perceive them to be structured work as well as her attempts to comb her hair and to hold her own open cup to drink.  She can take off her shoes by undoing the velcro properly and then removing the shoe and she is also trying to put her shoes back on.

Emilia starts speech therapy later this month, but she proved to us at a recent birthday party that she can speak when she wishes.  First, she was playing with a helium balloon and when that got tangled up, she asked one of our friends for the “ball.”  Yep, she said ball.  I literally did a double take and asked, “Did she just say baw?”  And my friend answered, “I actually think she said ball.”  That’s what I’d heard, too, I just didn’t quite believe my ears.  Later on Emilia wanted to be picked up by the birthday boy’s grandpa and when he did not respond quickly enough, she demanded clearly, “Uh-uh-uh.”  She is such a little stinker.

Our Climbing Little Monkey

I thought I was going to give potty-training a go soon because I had Miss E’s poop times pretty well pegged down, but lately she has been changing it all up on me.  She’s also napping later in the day.  She used to sleep from about 1:00-3:00, but now it’s more like 2:00 – 4:00. Strangely, it hasn’t impacted her night time sleep which is still from about 9:00 to 7:30.

I recently read an interesting bit in a German book about different personality types or temperaments in children.  One description jumped out at me as being Emilia right on. It said that there are children who choose to hit milestones very late because they do not want to gain new skills too quickly.  They realize that new skills mean new demands and that each step toward independence represents a certain loss of childhood. These children are very sweet and easy-going if left to their own devices, but will stubbornly resist developmental progress that is not on their own terms and timing.  The good news is that these kids do meet all the milestones eventually and turn out just fine.  This is pretty much Emilia in a nutshell.  And we love her just the way she is.

Emilia watching Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

First Day Of Preschool

We survived the first day of preschool.  Rex did great and came home with a glowing report from his therapists that included things like "excellent job with 1:1 work", "attentive during story time", "engaged in music", "had so much fun with the sand", "loved the fire truck."  I am so proud of this kid!

When Craig arrived at the school to pick up Rex, he was sound asleep in the cuddle swing.  I guess he'd had an exciting day.  Rex had one big tantrum at re-entry at home, but since then it's been a quiet night with calm children.  The day really couldn't have gone any better.  Here it is in pictures.

I wanted Rex to have no problems at lunch, so I packed his favorites: a nutella sandwich, pirate's booty, sweet potato tortilla chips, vanilla yogurt, and a cookie.  I also added half a banana and some carrots, but knew he probably wouldn't eat them.  I will continue to offer those healthy choices and maybe someday he'll surprise me.

The breakfast of champions: homemade banana pancakes with peanut butter and nutella.  The nutella wasn't actually in the plans, but what can you do when your son goes into the pantry, gets the jar, hands it to you and signs spoon?  You pretty much have to give in, right?  Also, yes, this is my "perky" pre-7:00 am look after a semi-sleepless night of worrying about Rex at preschool.

Strapped into the car seat and ready to go with his bedding and lunch box.

While Rex was at school, I got to spend quality time with this pretty little lady who cannot stand still for even one photo.

We had some fun with wet sand on the deck.  I feel pretty confident now that Emilia will love her birthday trip to the beach.

Got a pile of laundry done.

Made my first attempt at dairy free, egg-free graham crackers.  They're not pretty, but they do taste good.

Got started on some gifts in a jar for an upcoming adoption fundraiser.

Roasted vegetables.

And turned them into a delicious soup for dinner.

First day of preschool - it's on the books.

Preschool Jitters?

Nope, I guess that's just me.  Rex is cool as a cucumber.

Ready, Set, Preschool

The time has come: my little boy is going to preschool.  Tomorrow is his first day and I think we are all set here with our preparations.

We asked Craig's mom to sew a blanket and pillow case for Rex that look like the Armenian flag. I wanted him to have something at school that represents his heritage.  They turned out beautifully and even have Rex's name embroidered on them.  Thanks so much, Grandma.

I spent an obscene amount of time trying to pick a lunch box.  Seriously, I spent many days over several weeks. For a while I got all caught up in the elaborate world of Japanese Bento boxes.  I had no idea they had their own little universe of styles and accessories and such.  Wow.  But in the end, I knew this was the right lunch box for us when I saw it: a Goodbyn Original.  I bought two because you know some nights I might be lazy and not feel like washing it.  These Goodbyns are deep and I love that I can put other containers or whole pieces of fruit into them and they still close.  The different compartments allow me to keep food well separated, too.  Once the Goodbyns arrived, Rex practiced eating his lunches out of them at home.  Here's one of Rex's lunches I packed him for camp.

It wasn't difficult to settle on an L.L. Bean backpack.  Seems like people swear by their durability.  We got the junior size with a monogram of sorts.

My last terrific find came at the suggestion of a fellow adoptive momma.  I knew that I had to put Rex's name into his clothing and wondered what the easiest, quickest way to do so would be.  Enter the clothing stamp.  In just a few seconds I have any piece of Rex's (or Emilia's) wardrobe permanently inked with their names.

Everything is ready for preschool except this mama's heart.  I miss Rex already.

Hoping Against The Odds

One year ago today I picked up the phone and after the customary pleasantries heard this simple sentence, “We found something.”  Just three little words, sixteen letters, that transformed my life.  In that surreal moment I began to morph from the mother of a child with correctable special needs into the mother of a child with permanent special needs.   Once my new reality set in, my perspective changed completely and I started hoping for things in a different way. 

I hope someday Rex tells me he hates reading because it would mean he’s learned to read.

I hope someday Rex comes home with a speeding ticket because it would mean he has learned to drive.

I hope someday I can think Rex’s girlfriend all wrong for him because it would mean he is in love.

I hope someday I can worry about how to pay the college tuition because it would mean Rex got accepted.

I hope someday Rex asks for help with the rent because it would mean he has moved out.

I hope someday Rex and I have a pointless discussion because it would mean he has learned to speak.

I hope someday to stop frequently for bathroom breaks because it would mean Rex is potty-trained.

I hope someday Rex will break his curfew because it would mean he’s out with his friends, having fun.

I hope someday to wish I could visit my grandkids more often because it would mean Rex is a dad.

I hope someday to see a stunned look of disbelief on the faces of so many doctors and specialists because it would mean Rex has blown their expectations out of the water.

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune - without the words,

And never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson