News from MOJ

MOJ in Bulgaria released some statistics today.  I do not understand them all, but I think the chart lists the number of adoption procedures approved by the Minister of Justice this year through June 30, 2013 by receiving country.  Here's the break-down:

USA 53 (31%)  - of those 53 procedures, 36 were for identified waiting children with special needs
Italy 39 (23%) - of those 39 procedures, 4 were for identified waiting children with special needs
France 25 (15%) - of those 25 procedures, 3 were for identified waiting children with special needs
Spain 25 (15%)
Germany 11 (11.6)
Netherlands 7 (7.4%)
Sweden 3 (3.2%) of those 3 procedures, 2 were for identified waiting children with special needs
Canada 2 (2.1%)
Cyprus 2 (2.1%)
Greece 1 (1.1%)
Norway 1 (1.1%)
Ireland 1 (1.1%)
Switzerland 1 (1.1)

There were a total of 171 approved adoption procedures for a combined 200 children.  Of those procedures 45 were adoptions of 72 identified waiting children with special needs.  This means that 36% of all children approved for finalization of international adoption from Bulgaria in the first six months of this year were waiting children.

Exercise Epic Fail

When our family's new fall schedule went into effect at the beginning of this month, it was the first time that Craig and I had officially penciled ourselves in for exercise at least once a week.  We realized that our own health frequently falls by the wayside amid the needs of our children and household, so we thought setting aside the time to work out upfront would make a difference.

Unfortunately, I must report that the first month of this experiment has been an epic fail.  Craig made it to the YMCA to swim exactly one time in September.  I had set what I considered a low goal of walking 30 miles which is just one mile per day.  I tallied up my total distance today and it came to a whopping 6.7 miles.  What an embarrassment.  So, for October I am lowering my goal to 15 miles.  We shall see what happens.

Now for those kind readers who sometimes email me and ask how I/we "do it all" here's your proof that we don't.  Real exercise (not the chasing your kids or weeding your garden or scrubbing your toilet kind) is one thing that doesn't tend to happen for us these days.  Sigh and we'll try again in October.

IAC 256 & 257 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 256 which was held on July 23, 2013

1) Greek dossier from April 2010 referred a waiting child (#2196) with a profile on the MOJ site

2) Italian dossier from March 2012 referred a waiting child (#1949) with a profile on the MOJ site

3) US dossier from May 2013 referred a waiting child (#560) with a profile on the MOJ site

4) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1084) with a profile on the MOJ site

5) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1912) with a profile on the MOJ site

6) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1529) with a profile on the MOJ site

7) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1842) with a profile on the MOJ site

8) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1877) with a profile on the MOJ site

9) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1836) with a profile on the MOJ site

10) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1866) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1788) with a profile on the MOJ site

12) US dossier from June 2013 referred a waiting child (#1924) with a profile on the MOJ site

13) US dossier from July 2013 referred three waiting children (#699 & #1890 & #1095) with profiles on the MOJ site

14) Spanish dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#2152) with a profile on the MOJ site

15) Italian dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#1937) with a profile on the MOJ site

16) US dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#1594) with a profile on the MOJ site

17) US dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#2179) with a profile on the MOJ site

18) US dossier from July 2013 referred two waiting children (#1871 & #1872) with profiles on the MOJ site

19) US dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#2045) with a profile on the MOJ site

20) US dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#2074) with a profile on the MOJ site

21) US dossier from July 2013 referred a waiting child (#2116) with a profile on the MOJ site

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 257 which was held on August 1, 2013:

1) German dossier from March 2010 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months

2) Dutch dossier from April 2010 referred a male child aged 4 years and 1 month

3) Dutch dossier from April 2010 referred a male child aged 3 years and 8 months

4) Dutch dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 4 years and 4 months

5) Italian dossier from August 2010 referred a male child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status

6) Dutch dossier from October 2010 referred a male child aged 3 years and 3 months with features in health status

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

8) Canadian dossier from February 2011 referred a male child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status

9) Italian dossier from September 2011 referred a female child aged 4 years and 6 months with features in health status

10) US dossier from November 2011 referred a female child aged 4 years and 8 months with features in health status

11) Canadian dossier from August 2012 referred a female child aged 2 years and 7 months with features in health status

12) Italian dossier from November 2012 referred a male child aged 14 years and 11 month

13) Italian dossier from June 2013 referred two children, male and female, aged 7 years and 4 months & 9 years

He Loves It, She Loves It Not

On Saturday we went on our annual outing to Kings Island.  It's sponsored by Craig's employer and we always look forward to it.

This year both of this kids were tall enough to do some rides.  Rex was about one centimeter away from reaching the next height level which will open up another set of attractions for him, so he has something to look forward to for next year which is a good thing because the kid loves rides.  He did about six different ones, including a very tiny rollercoaster with a few hills and curves.  We had to buy the picture that was taken on that ride because it is so representative of how the day went: Rex having an absolute blast and Emilia being pretty terrified.

It actually kind of surprised us that Emilia did not enjoy the rides more because at home she is a motion junkie.  She likes being tossed up in the hair, swinging, dangling upside down held by the ankles, hopping on laps and trampolines, etc.  She did find a favorite in these swings which the kids did three times because Rex also had fun with it.

I am excited to see how Rex and Emilia will do at Kings Island next year.  It's kind of a marker that shows us progress.  This year we had both of them meeting the minimum height requirements and we noticed that Rex was patiently waiting for the rides to start, rather than fussing and crying, while other children loaded and the safety checks were performed.  He also signed "more" and "play" at the end of rides or in-between to let us know he enjoyed himself and wanted to keep going.  Emilia exhibited some fears which is probably not a bad thing for our little girl who might still run off into the horizon if we don't keep an eye on her.

The Latest On Prompt

Prompt Therapy has changed Emilia's life.  When she started it in March, she could barely speak two words and that was after six months of traditional speech therapy at our local children's hospital.  Now Emilia uses over 70 words independently and functionally across contexts.  About half of these words should be understandable to anyone and the other half are understood by those who know her well.  She is constantly picking up new vocabulary and imitating to the best of her current ability the sounds and words she hears. Success with communicating verbally has altered Emilia's overall outlook tremendously.  She is now interested in learning new things and compliant when we work on pre-academic and motor skills.  Her feeding/chewing skills have improved as well.  She is so much more confident.

Right now, Emilia and her Prompt therapist are working on speaking short sentences like "me do more" or "me more hop" which we also encourage and practice at home, as you will see in the video.  What's amazing to me is that Emilia has begun using the tactile cues on herself when she struggles to get out the words she wants to say.  She is also using Prompt methods on Craig and me because, you know, we really need help with jaw control and rounding our lips.

Rex started Prompt Therapy just a few weeks after Emilia in early spring.  Unfortunately, for the first five months, he was paired with a therapist that was not a terrific match for him.  She was too lenient in regard to his task avoidance strategies and not able to provide him with enough sensory and gross motor input while working on his speech.  Therefore, we are excited that Emilia's very experienced Prompt therapist was able to fit Rex into her schedule this fall.  Rex adores her and does amazing work with her.  We hope to see some measurable progress in him by year's end.

If you have tried traditional speech therapy with no or low results, I urge you to look into Prompt and try to find a therapist in your area.  Even though it's a fairly new approach and not recognized by everyone in the medical establishment, our insurance covers 70% of the expense of the kids' sessions which, by the way, cost about a third of what our insurance was charged for an hour of speech therapy at our local children's hospital.  Yes, it's cheaper and it works better for our children.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am that we found this method and this particular therapist to work with our special preschoolers.  We already feel blessed by what both have done for them.

Vospov Kufteh

Last weekend our family attended the annual potluck picnic of our local Armenian community.  I decided to prepare a traditional Armenian dish to share: Vospov Kufteh or lentil balls.  I got the recipe from my friend Bev who is of Armenian descent and to whom it was passed down from her Aunt Rose.

The recipe is really not that complicated, but I still wanted to make it just right as I was serving it to Armenians.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup split red lentils

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red pepper

1 cup medium bulgur

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 medium onion chopped 

2 scallions, chopped

1/2 sweet green pepper, chopped

2 cups parsley, chopped

Boil lentils 30 minutes in the water (will look pasty).  Add salt and red pepper and additional water, if needed and boil 2 minutes longer.  Put bulgur in a large basin and pour lentils over it.  Mix, cover, and let cool one hour.

Cooled lentil bulgur mix

Brown the onion in the melted butter or margarine add add to the bulgur/lentil mixture.  When cool enough to handle, knead 5 minutes until well-blended.  Mix in the chopped vegetables and add more salt and red pepper to taste.

Veggies and herbs added to the mix

Shape into individual servings by squeezing a portion against the palm of your hand gently with your fingers.  Serve while still warm. 

The final product

I served the kufteh cold which seemed to be no problem and about 2/3 of them were eaten at the picnic. Emilia enjoyed them very much as did Craig and I.  The leftovers we brought home are long gone.

I am so happy I found a healthy, easy, yummy Armenian dish that I will be able to prepare for years to come.  If Rex stays gluten-free, I will experiment with substituting rice or quinoa for the bulgur which should be delicious, too.

Pay It Forward July & August

I know I am a bit late with this information, but still wanted to let you know the families we helped recently with our Pay It Forward money.

In July, we supported the Huizinga Family by bidding in their online adoption auction.  We won some cherry jam for $30.  You can follow the journey to their daughters here: http://www.zingermama.blogspot.com/.

And in August, we were so happy to be able to give to the Rickenbach Family who live not too far from us.  This wonderful young couple is waiting for a referral of one or two children from Bulgaria and is open to special needs.  We donated $30 to their account here: http://bothhandsfoundation.org/andrew-and-katie-rickenbach and we also hope to be able to be a part of their day of service for Mrs. Gobel.  If you want to learn more, hop on over to their blog: http://adoptingourchild.blogspot.com/.

If you know of a family in process of adopting that could benefit from a donation or has a fundraiser going on in the next two months, please let me know.