A Dream Come True

Emilia has loved the ballet since the very first time she saw a live performance when she was a preschooler.  Since that day, she has dreamed of taking dance classes, but many doors were closed to her or eventually slammed shut.  Still, she kept dancing at home, watching ballets online and on local stages, and hoping for her chance.

This summer it finally came in the form of an offer for an assessment from the Cincinnati Ballet.

The assessment was followed by an invitation to study dance with qualified one on one support for the 2021/22 school year at the Cincinnati Ballet.  And today, after years of hoping and dreaming, our girl attended her first class.

I won't pretend that watching her in the studio this morning didn't rain tears and snot into my mask in an ugly cry that caught me utterly off guard and unprepared for its intensity.  There she was finally where she had wanted to be for so long.

And so the story of our little dancer has entered a new chapter which I think we will thoroughly enjoy.

It's Open Season

 Soup season, that is.  For our season opener this fall, we had homemade broccoli cheese soup. Delish.

Bulgaria MOJ Referrals for International Adoption

Bulgaria's Ministry of Justice recently released additional data on referrals made to prospective international adopters in 2021.

Based on the below 49 traditional referrals (as opposed to waiting child adoption), 7 referrals were made for children under 60 months of age considered fully healthy by the MOJ.  The average referral wait time for those matches was 7.7 years from dossier registration (range 76 to 107 months).

Referrals of children under 60 months of age with medical and/or developmental diagnoses (which could be anything from Down Syndrome, to limb differences, to congenital anomalies of the vital organs, to epilepsy, to a speech disorder) were issued after an average wait time of 4.5 years (range 3 to 107 months).

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 519 which was held on April 8, 2021.

1) Norwegian dossier from December 2012 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months

2) Italian dossier from April 2017 referred a sisters aged 7 years and 1 months & 9 years and 2 months with a family history

3) US dossier from March 2019 referred a male child aged 3 years and 1 month with features in health status and a family history

4) US dossier from December 2020 referred a female child aged 13 years and 11 months

5) US dossier from March 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

6) US dossier from April 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

7) US dossier from April 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

8) US dossier from April 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 520 which was held on April 15, 2021.

1) Italian dossier from February 2014 referred a male child aged 7 years with features in health status and a family history

2) Spanish dossier from April 2014 referred a female child aged 8 years and 5 months

3) US dossier from February 2016 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

4) Spanish dossier from July 2016 referred female child aged 1 year and 9 months with features in health status

5) Canadian dossier from May 2017 referred a female child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

6) Italian dossier from August 2019 referred sisters aged 6 years and 11 months & 8 years and 2 months with features in health status and a family history

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 521 which was held on April 27, 2021.

1) Spanish dossier from September 2013 referred a male child aged 2 years and 3 months

2) Spanish dossier from June 2014 referred a female child aged 7 years and 4 months

3) Italian dossier from December 2014 referred a male child aged 12 years and 5 months

4) Italian dossier from January 2020 referred a brother and sister aged 6 years and 11 years and 2 months

5) Italian dossier from March 2020 referred a female child aged 10 years and 5 months

6) US dossier from September 2020 referred a female child aged 7 years and 6 months with features in health status

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 522 which was held on June 03, 2021.

1) Dutch dossier from June 2012 referred a female child aged 5 years and 2 months

2) Spanish dossier from February 2014 referred a female child aged 4 years and 11 months

3) Spanish dossier from July 2015 referred a female child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status

4) Belgian dossier from October 2016 referred a male child aged 9 years and 6 months

5) French dossier from March 2019 referred a male child aged 3 years and 2 months with features in health status

6) US dossier from May 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 523 which was held on June 11, 2021.

1)  US dossier from March 2017  referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

2) Italian dossier from September 2017 referred a female child aged 5 years and 10 months with features in health status

3) US dossier from June 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

4) US dossier from June 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

 The following referrals were issued in IAC session 524 which was held on June 18, 2021.

1) US dossier from December 2016 referred a female child aged 2 years and 1 month with features in health status and a family history

2) US dossier from September 2018 referred a female child aged 2 years with features in health status and a family history

3) French dossier from May 2019 referred a male child aged 4 years and 8 months with features in health status and a family history

4) Italian dossier from December 2019 referred siblings aged 7 years and 8 months, 9 years and 1 month & 11 years and 11 months

5) Greek dossier from November 2020 referred sisters aged 10 years and 1 months and 11 years and 7 months

6) US dossier from June 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

7) US dossier from June 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 525 which was held on June 24, 2021.

1) Spanish dossier from September 2013 referred a female child aged 2 years and 8 months

2) Spanish dossier from May 2014 referred  twin sisters aged 2 years and 5 months with features in health status

3) German dossier from July 2014 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status

4) US dossier from November 2017 referred a male child aged 3 years and 7 months with features in health status

5) US dossier from August 2018 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status

 The following referrals were issued in IAC session 526 which was held on July 07, 2021.

1) Spanish dossier from November 2013 referred a male child aged 2 years with features in health status and a family history

2) US dossier from March 2018 referred a male child aged 1 year and 3 months with features in health status

3) Italian dossier from July 2019 referred brothers aged 5 years & 7 years and 2 months with a family history

4) US dossier from March 2020 referred a male child aged 1 year and 8 months with features in health status

5) Italian dossier from September 2020 referred a female child aged 11 years and 3 months

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 527 which was held on July 13, 2021.

1) Spanish dossier from August 2012 referred a male child aged 2 years and 1 month

2) Spanish dossier from March 2014 referred a female child aged 6 years and 5 months

3) Italian dossier from August 2014 referred a male child aged 8 years and 5 months

4) German dossier from September 2015 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status

5) Italian dossier from February 2016 referred a male child aged 3 years and 8 months with features in health status and a family history

6) US dossier from April 2019 referred a female child aged 7 years and 5 months with features in health status and a family history

7) US dossier from April 2021 referred a female child aged 1 year and 9 months with features in health status

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 528 which was held on July 22, 2021.

1) Spanish dossier from September 2013 referred a female child aged 3 years and 5 months

2) Spanish dossier from October 2013 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months

3) Spanish dossier from October 2014 referred sisters aged 2 years and 1 month & 3 years and 2 months with features in health status

4) Canadian dossier from June 2018 referred sisters aged 8 years and 8 months & 7 years and 2 months with a family history

5) US dossier from November 2020 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

6) US dossier from March 2021 referred a female child aged 12 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

7) US dossier from July 2021 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ site

2021 Birthdays

I didn't post about the kids' birthdays this year when they actually happened, but still wanted to collect some of the memories here for them.

Middle child turned 12.  We were unvaccinated.  We celebrated at home, just the five of us, with some of his favorite foods and toys.  Family and friends sent well wishes via videos which he loves to watch months later still.

Homemade chocolate cake with Oreo cookie buttercream

His favorite gift

Our eldest turned 13 - wait, what - we have a teen?!  We had a luau pool party with family and friends.

Homemade vanilla cake with peach curd and vanilla buttercream

Birthday morning

Pizza and no bake sweet pies were served

 

These girls have been besties for almost 5 years

Our youngest turned 12.  She asked for a brown party.  Brown has been her favorite color since she was a toddler, but I had to throw in some pink.  We had a birthday brunch with family and friends and a lot of brown foods.

Homemade vanilla pound cake served with fresh berries
and homemade whipped cream

Happy birthday, beloved children!  You are growing up wonderfully and the older you get, the more we can see the features of your first parents in your sweet faces and some of the values we've been teaching you in your choices.  We couldn't be prouder to witness and support your unique journeys as you mature into your best selves.  We love you for always. - Daddy and Mama

When Current Events Meet Our Curriculum

Back in June when I was planning our seventh grade curriculum for our oldest learner, I created a reading list to be used over the next 12 months.  One of the books on the list is Inside Out and Back Again, the story of a young Vietnamese refugee escaping the effects of the Vietnam War.  We began reading this free verse poetry novel in July and could not have predicted how much of the plot we would see mirrored in the situation in Afghanistan.  It opened a door to many discussions with our child and she was stunned by the recent images from abroad.  She looked at me and said, "What are we gonna do about it?"

That question sat with me for a short while until I decided to Google Afghan refugees in our city.  Sure enough, I found out that a family of eight was slated to arrive any day.  I contacted the local resettlement agency and asked how we could help. In the end, we decided to provide six baskets of mixed goods, one for each child.  Each basket included a complete bed in a bag, a variety of art supplies, some toys and books, toiletries and towels.  Our nearby cousins contributed a few of these things and our kids created welcome notes.  As I was choosing the items, I remembered how our children had walked out of their respective orphanages with nearly nothing tangible that had constituted their life to that point.  A rattle, a pair of underwear, a jacket with a broken zipper.  So I felt that giving each newly arrived child refugee something they could call their own might provide a tiny comfort in the overwhelming effort to start life in a new country.

After multiple email exchanges with the resettlement agency, they offered a tour of their facility - a field trip opportunity for our home schoolers - and we gladly accepted.  On our tour we met many different employees, several of whom had arrived here as refugees themselves, and between our family and the staff we were an impressively global group born in about a dozen different countries.  We learned that a total of 21 Afghan refugees, three families, were expected in our city for the time being.

If you'd like to help those resettling in your neck of the woods, start here.

Beach Vacation 2021

Just before the start of the school year, we were able to get away to enjoy some time at the beach.  We met up with friends and had ourselves a week of swimming, eating, watching movies, talking, golfing, and general good cheer.  Vacationing with our kids isn't always easy and we're thankful for our brave and true friends who leaned into this adventure with us.

Our home away from home...

A mere 39 steps to the white sand of a small and not at all crowded public beach...

And varying and beautiful vistas all around us...

Fun times...

Two of us even hiked the 5K to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox and back...

And at the end of each day a row of drying towels and swim suits to prove it was a good one...

Home School 21/22

We're already at the start of our second week of home school for the 21/22 school year.  We have six teachers/therapists coming into our home during the week to support our children's academic progress for a combined 43 hours.  From the looks of it so far, we're expecting another great year.

Sadly, our "Miss Honey" is no longer on Emilia's team as she has taken a new position to train school administrators and educators to become as awesome as she is herself.  This news was a big loss for us, but we know a dream come true for Miss Honey.  While Emilia misses her very much, she's quickly adapting to her new intervention specialist who's allowing her to learn in the way she does best.