The Lucky Ones

Family Photo Shoot at the Beach

2010-02-04T21:24:00.004-05:00

Thanks to our friend, Johnny Borter (http://www.borterwagner.com/), we finally have a really awesome family photo -- and lots of other ones of K & A. Hoping to post more later - thanks Johnny - we love you, man!

I ♥ Faces

2010-01-07T19:49:00.006-05:00

I ♥ Faces is a really neat photography blog that hosts contests of photos featuring, you guessed it -- faces! This week's contest is about incorporating their logo into a photo and you may have five photos per entry. Since I was still on vacation, I played around with some photos instead of cleaning. Here they are!

I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of this website.

Go check out the other entries -- some of them are really, really good. I just took photos I liked -- not ones that were necessarily "good" in terms of photographic standards. If I actually had spare time, I'd love to work on photography a bit. Maybe next decade....

~The Lucky Ones

And then it got cold!

2010-01-03T14:45:00.004-05:00

Here is our second day in the snow. The first day's snow disappeared overnight and about a week later, we got some freshly fallen snow to play in. Can you tell it was a whole lot colder??

Christmas In Michigan - Snow much fun!

2010-01-01T09:31:00.008-05:00

Pics from the kids' first day in the snow. The weather was actually pretty nice - 35 degrees, but sunny and without wind. They had a blast - especially Addison. He helped Grandpa shovel the driveway and did a pretty good job of it. Kate loved it outside, but refused to keep her mittens on. As you will see in the pics, though, it seems like she changed her mind once her hands landed in the snow....

We're Back!

2010-01-01T09:24:00.002-05:00

Okay, so here's the deal: I got way behind on blogging and then just felt like I couldn't catch up - this is my all-or-nothing-personality rearing its ugly and unproductive head. I realized the other day, however, that I don't have to 'catch up' - I can just start posting again. Progress!

Here are a few pics from right before Christmas. More to come!

The County Fair

2009-04-11T05:51:00.003-04:00

One-sentence summary:

Addison loved the rides and Kate ADORED the chickens and roosters.

Enough said.

I Heart Faces

2009-04-06T09:38:00.004-04:00

I look at this photo every day. It does this mama's heart good to see both of her children laughing while playing together as friends.

The best part, though - to be quite honest, is that Kate is looking into Addison's eyes (well, his one eye actually) and is not locked in her world.

She is completely absorbed in what they are doing together.

Absorbed and full of joy.

Preschool Performances, Getting Flocked, Egg Hunts and Bare Bottoms

2009-03-29T16:12:00.013-04:00

It has been a week of kidtastic activities. Kate had her Preschool Bible Study performance the other night, and embraced her inner diva:

Yesterday, we enjoyed beautiful 90 degree weather and an Easter Egg Hunt at our church. Kate was all about getting the pink egg in front of her and Addison wanted to open the eggs as he went. So easy to please (some days)! It didn't hurt that Addison scored some Twix, his very favorite candy....

We were also flocked earlier in the week, courtesy of The Boltons. This was a fundraiser for our church's children's ministry program. You can flock someone, then they have to pay to get the flock removed and passed along to someone else's house. Such fun, despite their VERY POOR TASTE in decorations.

Kate just laughs at the pathetic Cardinal logo....
And then she starts plotting....
Cardinals, really? Kate knew what she was doing when she kicked that Cardinal-cursed flamingo to the ground. That's my Cubs girl!
This final picture is my bare-bottomed boy, after he peed all over his bottoms, my shoes and my hands when we tried to do a side-of-the-road pit stop. He ended up riding home in his t-shirt and shoes, then proceeded to dance in the driveway when we got home. And thus ends our post....

Stretched but not broken

2009-03-09T09:41:00.005-04:00

Life with two is wonderful and difficult. Scott and I find we are stretched beyond our capacity right now, but little of that has to do with the kids, really. Melissa is working 50 minutes away from home, longer when taking Addison to Aunt Cindy's first. Scott is working longer hours because, in this economy, we are both just trying to keep our jobs. Scott works for a small business and Melissa won't have her tenure back until June, 2010. Needless to say, we do what we have to do right now.

Unfortunately, that means leaving the house sometimes at 6am and returning at 5:30 or 6pm. Not ideal for the kids, or us, but we'll make it through together.

Addison is blossoming and his language is exploding. He still needs work with articulation, but he's getting speech therapy for that. He is an absolute charmer who loves Thomas the Tank, sand, tricycles, boobies (Yes, boobies. I could go into more detail, but I won't.), school, "his Cindy" (he calls Aunt Cindy, "my Cindy"), and us. He's devilish and sweet, has definite selective hearing and is sure to get cranky when reprimanded. All boy with a soft heart.

Kate is learning so much this year and tries so hard to speak in sentences. We can hear through the inflection that she's saying a sentence, but it's unintelligible. We are slowly working on teaching her to use a Talking Box (it's a low-tech computer device), but I'm struggling with how to teach it to her. She currently has the flu and we're hoping she can fight it on her own, but know that the hospital might be an option. For some reason, when Kate gets sick, she gets really sick. So, we'll see. And we'll pray. And then we'll just follow what comes....

We are going to take a trip to Atlanta in June, most likely, to have Kate tested for Mitochondrial Disorder, which is highly suspected. Some of the symptoms are slow-to-heal (check), compromised immune system (check), when sick, the bloodwork is all haywire (check), autism (check). There's no cure for Mito, but knowing would help us better manage her health care, and would give us the opportunity to be in trial studies should that time arise.

Please keep our family in your prayers, especially Kate. We are blessed, but we are also feeling the stress of life right now, so we could really use your prayers right about now.

Still the Lucky Ones,

S., M., K, & A

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-05T10:05:00.000-05:00

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

So, so, sooo cute!

Puppy Love

2009-02-09T09:22:00.006-05:00

Meet Rosie.
She's small, she doesn't bark, and had only peed on our floor twice. It's all good - Kate has too.

Seriously, though, she's just perfect for our family. Thank you, Jessica, for giving your sweet girl to our family. The kids are head-over-heels in love with her and Rosie has been so gentle with them. She's adjusting very nicely and has barked maybe five times in the past week.

Below -- the kids hear that there is a puppy coming, Kate squeals with delight, and Addison finds a new buddy:

**** On a very sad note, Melissa's computer has died. It was a slow death, with one fan dying, then the next, and then the black screen of death. I was waiting for tax return money to fix the fans. Now it is going to cost a LOT more to fix. Sigh....

My Lovely Girl

2009-01-19T15:43:00.007-05:00

I know, I'm a bad blogger. Life just keeps getting in the way!

I will be posting a Christmas-wrapup, but my mind is been focused on Kate lately. She's just been facing a lot. She was on MRSA watch (but ended up with a deep tissue staph infection instead, thank God), has been experiencing a lot of sadness and isolation lately, and just seems very aware of her "differentness" lately. And it seems to bother her. And, of course, her sadness just kills us. I've been spending a lot of time to make sure she's not excluded from places and situations, which is fine, but it's been a lot of effort lately. I guess I'm facing my own issues with it all, as well. It's so difficult that she continues to be such a mystery.

Nothing drove home this point like Christmas. When people would ask what Kate wanted for Christmas, I struggled, stammered and stuttered looking for the right answer. If you were to ask me what Addison would like at any given time, I could easily whip up a list of twenty things that would make him jump up and down and say, "Oh, wow!" But Kate is a horse of a different color entirely.

Which is why the gift from godparents Aunt Cindy and Uncle Russ resulted in my single-most joyous moment of Christmas. From the moment she saw that Hippity Hop Ball, her eyes were lit up and the smile stretched across her face. For that moment, she was so present and happy and free.

Being a family of four was the best part of Christmas, but Kate's sheer happiness was the best single moment of the day. Bad photos, but great smiles.

We will be heading to Atlanta for a fresh muscle biopsy to see if Kate has mitochondrial disease in the spring (which she has all the classic symptoms of), so moments like these help us focus on what matters: our sweet girl.

More later.

Look at those eyes. Isn't she just beautiful?

Notes to Self

2009-01-01T07:27:00.005-05:00

Just because the kids go to bed late does NOT mean they will sleep late. In fact, they won't. They will wake up early and be extremely crabby by 9am, if history proves to be any indicator.

Telling kids that fireworks are nothing to be afraid of *might* help them not to be afraid, but will not necessarily help them to sleep through them. At least not in Kate's case, who kept signing "hot" and then "work." It took me a while to understand that this was how she was signing fireworks. Very funny.

Putting a Winnie the Pooh movie on in the early a.m., in an attempt to grab a bit of shut eye (since I stayed awake until 2am so I could wish my hubby a Happy New Year after he got home from work), is futile. One of my children, who shall remain nameless (k@te!) does not simply watch a movie. She experiences it, as do I -- through her nails clawing into me when she's scared or her contagious laughter right into my face when something is funny.

Being tired passes, but these memories hopefully never will. And when the 9am crabbiness rolls around, I plan on bribing them with whatever keeps them relatively happy until naptime (some playtime outside, crackers for Kate, KungFu Panda for Addison). If all that fails, there is always a mimosa for mama. ;-)

Pics from Christmas and a post about our beautiful kiddos coming soon. Happy New Year to all!

The Lucky Ones

Elfed!

2008-12-21T21:00:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Card Picture Outtakes

2008-12-20T14:53:00.006-05:00

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE
Oy!

Check Out My New Nephew!

2008-12-17T05:40:00.003-05:00

Click on his picture to see Brett in action! And for more on this sweet boy, go visit his family's blog: http://bringingbretthome.blogspot.com/

We are so happy for the entire family and cannot wait to meet sweet and busy Brett!

Happy Birthday, Opa! (now with pics)

2008-12-13T09:08:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, OPA! We can't wait to see you. We spent the day trying to convince Mama that she should let us eat cake since it's your birthday today, but she said we'd have to wait until you get here. Hurry!

I miss you, Daddy -- so much. Hope your day is great! Hugs and love from your #1 daughter,

Missy

I Want to be Part of the Conspiracy

2008-11-21T20:37:00.001-05:00

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-16T01:09:00.001-05:00

Halloween Parade

2008-11-16T00:55:00.002-05:00

TRUNK OR TREAT

2008-10-19T13:32:00.003-04:00

ADDISON'S 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL

2008-10-16T08:10:00.002-04:00

New Photos

2008-10-09T14:14:00.001-04:00

4th of July Fun!

2008-07-20T05:48:00.002-04:00

I know, I know. I'm behind on the posting. After Kate got over the hand-foot-mouth virus, we had a few days of wellness, followed by her getting a cold and then me getting pneumonia. Addison never got a thing! (He's sick now, by the way, but it seems like just a cold -- and it took a week at Vacation Bible School filled with a ton of kids before he got it. Hard to complain.)

Look for a detailed post about life with Addison soon. In the meantime, here are some pics from a great 4th of July. I tried so hard to get a good photo of the two of them together in their oh-so-cute shirts from Grandma, but you can see for yourself what Addison thought of being told to sit next to his sister and smile. C'est la vie....

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Girl (Updated w/ pics)

2008-06-25T07:32:00.023-04:00

Today you are four. FOUR. I can hardly believe it! Wasn't it yesterday that you were placed in my arms, not as a newborn, but still as a baby? I fell in love with you instantly and swooned over your every smile. In my eyes, you could do no wrong.

Two and a half years later, I know better. You are full of marvelous mischief, terrible tantrums, and wicked whining. Do no wrong? Hardly!

And yet, I love you more with each passing day.

I love how, when you say your nightly prayers, you thank God for books and then sign "all done." I love you even more when I make you continue and then you thank God for "teachers and Uncle Russ." You have also regularly thank God for Eeyore, swimming, school, church, Aunt Cindy, Chloe, Abigail, didi (baby brother), grandma, grandpa, oma, opa, Signing Time, candy, and even Mama & Papa. :)

I love how you sign "cry" when someone is crying and then do your best to comfort them.

I love how, when you get something you want, you immediately put your pointer finger in the air to ask for "just one more" - every time. I love how you see the world as full of promise, a neverending abundance of joy.

I love what you bring out in people. Kate, people always remember you. They always have. You always wave hello to people and, if mama didn't stop you, would hug everyone, too. You bring out smiles in everyone, but I especially love how you can make the most serious or the saddest break out into smile that comes from deep down.

I love how much you love your classmates, especially Cole. And I love how you sign "cold" for "Cole."

I love when you snuggle with me while I'm singing to you. I love that you love my singing. I love how we sing "He's Got the Whole World (in His hands)" together, you completing the second part, like "He's got Kate and _________ (Addison) in His hands." You do such a good job at that!

I love your boundless energy at the zoo and how your laughter can induce even bird-fearing Papa to go into the aviary so you can feed your feathered friends.

I love the light in your eyes and the dimples in your butt.
I love your demand to be known, your intense stubborness which will help you throughout your life.
I love your naughtiness. Just the other day, when you and your brother were sitting on the couch, I told you to stop putting your feet on your brother, then you gave me that look. I pretended I didn't see it so that I could see what you were up to. You proceeded to nudge your brother with your foot, but just barely. I told you again to keep your feet to yourself. This time, you just touched him with your toe. I gave you the mama look and you pulled your toe away. Then, in true Kate fashion, you hovered your foot over him, smiling like the little imp that you are. I'm sure you were saying in your head, "I'm not touching you, na-na-na-na-na-na."

I love how you ask for candy for breakfast, ever-hopeful that this might be the morning that I say yes.

I love how you call the song "Thy Word" the foot song. It took me a while to figure out what you wanted when you kept pointing at your foot when I asked you what song you wanted me to sing. I love that we have enough of our own language for me to understand what you meant, as you were thinking of the first line: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet."

I love your seeming primal connection to animals. I will not be one bit surprised if your future endeavours are animal-related.

I love how quickly you learned the role of a big sister. When I give you food or medicine that you do not want, you try to pawn it off on Addison.

I love how easily you accepted Addison into your world and heart. I love the shrieks of laughter as you both dump water over each other's heads in the bath tub.

I love how a perfect birthday means Mama and Addison joining you for lunch at school and bringing McDonald's french fries for you and cupcakes for the whole class.

I love how I can get so frustrated with your challenges and you forgive me my impatience.

I love how you stop and smell the flowers. Really.

I love how you say "Mama" and that means me.

I love how, even faced with so many continued challenges, you are clearly aware of how awesome you are.

And more than anything else, I love that you seem to have always known that you are a beautiful and perfectly imperfect child of God. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." ~1 Timothy 4:12 (Of course, you already do this, my love.)

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl. You, my love, are my heart and my spirit. May this year bring you joy.

Your Lucky Mama

Sick of Sickness

2008-06-22T15:54:00.004-04:00

Kate is well. Addison is well. And now I'm sick. And miserable. And crabby.

It started a week ago with a scratchy throat, a nasty cough and a two day fever. The fever broke and I figured I was good to go. I figured this was the adult version of hand-foot-mouth virus and I just had to let it run its course. So I did. But this weekend just killed me. I'd feel good for a couple of hours and think, I must be on the mend now, so I would nix my plans for going to the urgent care clinic. After seeing streaks of blood in the back of my throat last night, along with white spots and feeling like my ears were going to explode, I was the first one at the clinic today.

A strep culture and $22.80 copay later finds me at Walgreens buying Claritin-D to dry the crud out, as it is most likely a nasty virus and not strep throat. Eight hours later and I still feel pretty yucky, but not in such intense pain. I had forgotten just how awful sore throats can be.

And of course we're hitting that point in post-adoption land where we (meaning Scott and I) have started arguing over when we should let a child "cry it out" at naptime and bedtime, and other issues. Overall, we see things pretty similarly, but not necessarily at this point in the game. This leaves us both frustrated with ourselves and each other, but this too shall pass. Fortunately, we both have the same end goal of having happy, healthy kids who do not rule the roost.

So, for those of you who have stuck through this rambling post about nothing, here's a poll for you. Also, here's a hint (maybe): Melissa is Type A all the way. Seldom described as laid-back, she can usually suggest ways in which everything and anything would be better if people would just listen to HER. Scott is Type B, mostly. He's still the kid who loves baseball, and space shuttles, and those toy race cars that come with cool, twisty-tracks. Scott is fun; Melissa is determined. So there you go, there are your hints.

Which one of us is concerned that if we run to Addison every time he cries that he'll be in control of us and won't get on a schedule? ( polls)

Oh, how I love him....

2008-06-20T09:51:00.003-04:00

Water Fun!

2008-06-19T17:52:00.007-04:00

What fun! Aunt Cindy brought Abigail and Chloe over to play with Addison and Kate. Since they all have or have been continually exposed to the hand-foot-mouth virus, we figured they might as well hang out together.

Addison and Chloe were the nudists in the group. For a boy who is used to wearing layers of clothing, he's adjusting to Florida nicely. I think he is having a difficult time with the concept of bathtub vs. swimming pool. We've been in the pool a couple of times and each time he refuses to go in with his swim trunks on. He genuinely looks at me like I'm a nut (which I am, but not for that reason). Oh well, more blackmail photos for me.

Abigail and Kate were a bit more modest, with Abigail being the traditionalist in the group, actually wearing a bathing suit. (Kate had a suit on when we were in the pool, but stripped down to a diaper when we were just playing with the water buckets.) Since Abigail has learned the words "penis" and "vagina" and likes to use them loudly and regularly in public places, I was rather surprised that she held back today. ;)

Once inside, three of the kids competed for Kate's plasma car. They compromised by each forcing their way onto it, one by one. The last one was Addison, who decided to take the driver's seat. Yes, we are learning more and more about his personality every day. He's definitely going to be the one leading the pack into trouble.... (The one not on Kate's car? Kate. Go figure.)

Despite feeling miserable health-wise (I guess you can be around sick kids only so long before folding.), it was such a great morning. Watching the kids play, knowing that our families are so blessed, and being able to share this with such a good friend -- well, what could be better?

Pics from Father's Day

2008-06-19T17:40:00.003-04:00

For Father's Day, Scott got a great gift: the privilege of sleeping in until 9am. Believe me, this is a good deal in this house. :)

After he woke up, he also puttered with his dune buggy for an hour or so. Addison, who has been a total mama's boy since we came home, quickly abandoned me for daddy and his flamin' cool dune buggy.

The two guys then headed to Suntree United Methodist Church (a GREAT place to worship, make friends, and raise children) and enjoyed the Father's Day Car Show. It gave me a great opportunity to give my sweet girl some TLC.
Later in the day, Scott taught Addison the finer points of NASCAR. He was enthralled. (Gee, I can hardly wait until football season....) A big thank you to grandma for the awesome t-shirts. It's great to have Addison home so my guys can wear them!

2008-06-15T18:09:00.003-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Two sick kids + jealousy =

2008-06-15T08:02:00.007-04:00

one tired mama!

Addison: Let's hold hands.

Kate: I don't think so, dude.

Actually, we have turned a corner in the jealousy department and things are looking up. Addison and Kate have given each other hugs and have played with each other a bit in the past couple of days. They especially love taking a bath together and shrieks of laughter are par for the course.

The bigger problem is that they were both sick at the same time. Addison has a cold / ear infection, which seems to be clearing up nicely, and Kate has hand-foot-and-mouth virus. (Seriously, Kate just doesn't seem to get the run-of-the-mill colds anymore.) She is so miserable, as this virus causes ulcers in the mouth, so eating and drinking is painful. Poor, poor girl.

And, a tiny pity party --- poor, poor mama. Sick kids only want mama (at least in y house), so Monday - Friday was spent with them glued to me (which is great), and fighting each other for my lap (not so great). I'd get them calmed down and then, when Scott would come home, they'd both start crying all over again and run to me, each one clinging onto a leg. Poor Scott -- he must have felt like a leper.

Kate will probably be sick for several more days, but Addison seems to be feeling great. They are both starting to sleep through the night (praise God!) so we're all getting more rest. Nothing like being a little sleep-deprived to magnify a situation.

Other events of the week:

Beach day on Saturday (our first full day home) - pics to follow in a separate post

Church on Sunday. I volunteered to stay in the preschool class with the kids and Addison did great. He clung to me for the most part, but got down and played when some boys had some cars out. :-) And Kate did not seem to have a problem with any of it, either, which was a real blessing.

Trip to the park on Monday which started fun, but ended in a lot of whining. It was on Monday that we realized they were both under the weather.

Melissa left Addison with Scott on Wednesday night so she could meet with a book discussion group at church. Kate went to child care at church (we didn't know she had the hand-foot-mouth virus at the time, just thought it was a cold -- and someone always has a cold at child care). As the door was closing, Addison was screaming "mama," "mama," "mama." They survived.

Addison's appt. with the pediatrician:

~He weighs in at 25 pounds and is about 35 inches tall.
~All of his lab work has been perfect so far. :-)
~We got referrals to the pediatric opthalmologist, cardiologist (just to make sure his heart surgery that he already had did the trick), surgical neurologist (NOT for surgery - just to look at the back of his head, which is extremely flat, JUST LIKE Kate's), and some others.

It's going to be a busy summer.

Although it's been a tough week, it's also been full of joy. It is SO MUCH FUN to have two kids. Watching them play separately or together is fascinating and getting to know Addison is like falling in love. I'm so grateful to have the summer to enjoy his silliness (and the boy is silly, let me tell ya), the relationship he and Kate are building, and just being a family. We are tired, but we are so blessed.

The Lucky Ones

ARRIVAL TO HOME AND 1ST DAY PHOTOS

2008-06-07T14:20:00.003-04:00

ENJOY THE PHOTOS MELISSA WILL UPDATE MORE SOON.

ENJOY SCOTT..........

Almost home!

2008-06-06T06:54:00.002-04:00

We are currently in Washington D.C. and will board our last flight later this morning. Instead of arriving in Orlando at close to midnight, we opted to spend the night at a hotel last night and come home early in the afternoon.

I'm so glad we did it that way, as we all needed it. Scott and I are pretty close to being on regular time, but Addison has been up since about 2am. Fortunately, he *mostly* played quietly so we could sleep a bit more. I'm definitely feeling the flight, though. It's like I'm on a rocking boat in turbulent waters -- YUCK.

Our little guy was pretty good during the long flight -- one major meltdown and one minor one, totalling less than two hours. Not bad for a three-year-old. When we brought Kate home, she and I were sick, and if memory serves correctly, we both cried for the majority of the flight home.

Addison is now eating Chinese noodles we nabbed from the plane yesterday and watching the Disney channel. I just heard him say "Midney Muh" (Mickey Mouse) - cute, eh?

Can't wait to see our little girl and love all over her. Less than seven hours until she's in our arms. (Less than 8 hours until the first sibling argument, I predict.)

More later,

The Lucky Ones

Last Day in China

2008-06-04T11:22:00.003-04:00

It's 11:26pm, Wednesday, China time. We're packed and ready to go!

We got Addison's visa today, so we are now able to bring him to the United States. When we land at Dulles Airport on Thursday night, he will become an American citizen - a rich blessing.

In addition to our visit to the U.S. Consulate today, we also walked around Shamian Island, visiting shopkeepers, seeing the sights and sweating. It's pretty darn hot in Guangzhou, and it's the rainy season. The temperature is around 90, with about 90% humidity - not a lovely combination. Also, the shops are not air conditioned, so the heat just doesn't stop.

In one of the shops, a man invited us to a tea ceremony. Addison sat right down and drank LOTS of tea. He loved it. Only later did I think to ask if it had caffeine. D'oh! Yes, it did. Oh well, we're about to change time zones anyway.... (Actually, he just fell asleep about 20 minutes ago.)

Our trip has been absolutely wonderful. God has blessed us again with a beautiful child who will teach us much about life and love. Although the near future is probably faced with some interesting challenges as a parent to two stubborn children, we can't wait to see it all unfold.

Thank you for following our journey. I'll post again once we settle in. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels and for our two kiddos to adjust to this next big change in their lives.

With much love from China,

The Lucky Ones

Guangzhou, Tuesday

2008-06-04T10:31:00.004-04:00

The big event of the day was Addison's medical check-up so that he could obtain a visa to leave China and enter the United States. The medical consists of three stations: a quickie physical and review of any surgeries, an ENT that checks hearing and looks at the throat and eyes, and a height-weight check. Addison was soooo good, although clung to me for parts of it (which I didn't mind a bit!).

When we did Kate's medical, they kept us afterward and kept arguing with each other about her hearing, which we now know was more to do with her withdrawing into herself. Needless to say, we were nervous heading into this physical - but no worries. Addison didn't cry and didn't seem too upset by the whole thing. When the doctors / assistants asked him to do something, he did it. (Somehow I don't think this will always continue, but we'll see.)

Height - they didn't tell us, but he's shorter than his sister (who is 37 inches)
Weight - 11.5 kilos, so about 25 pounds

Scott also took our boy to the park today -- no motor planning issues for this little guy. I just know that with his infectious smile and readiness to "go, go, go" that Kate will get lots of fun practice with her motor skills.

Tomorrow is our last day and we're ready to head home. All we have to do tomorrow is take the oath at the U.S. Consulate and then we'll get Addison's visa. We can't wait to board the plane and head for home to be a family of four.

Love,

The Lucky Ones

FISH MARKET; BY SCOTT

2008-06-03T20:44:00.002-04:00

WOW!!!!!
The fish market was wild....
Ercan would love this place.
Live fish, snakes, eels, oysters, clams(100 of different sizes and types), and even mussels.
I just wonder how safe all of this is considering how poluted the river is.

Oh well.....

Check out the photos, leave a post and have a cold one.

Scott

ITALIAN FOOD IN CHINA; FROM SCOTT

2008-06-03T20:24:00.003-04:00

Hello All,
Check it out I talian food in China.
I was good; but no mussles marinara, only clam.
Sorry Tony.
Enjoy the photos
Later and have a colds one...
Scott

Look Familiar?

2008-06-02T23:41:00.003-04:00

Guangzhou, Tuesday

2008-06-02T22:13:00.005-04:00

Scott is currently at the U.S. Consulate fixing our vaccination affidavit. Hopefully, all will be well. Addison has done well but at one point during our long walk this morning, he seemed upset. He was saying something in Mandarin several times so I finally asked someone what he was saying: "Where's daddy? I want my daddy." Sweet. When she told him that he was coming back later, he seemed mostly okay and let me hold him.

We're now back in the hotel room where we have to stay for a couple of hours to make sure that, while our guide is meeting with the officials at the consulate, there are not any questions / issues / problems. My little guy is watching Winnie-the-Pooh, as he turned on the dvd player and started it himself.

Can I just tell you HOW CUTE OUR SON is?!! He is so funny and is becoming affectionate, too. We get lots of kisses, although few hugs. I'm absolutely smitten.

Abigail - You and Addison will love eating noodles together. He likes them as much as you do.

Chloe - You're going to love running around screaming like a banshee with this guy. I suspect the two of you are going to get in great trouble together.

David - Finally! Someone to play cars with, but beware -- we're still working on the sharing concept. All of his toys are in his backpack right now: 3 Automan action figures, 12 VW Beetle play cars, a largish diecast police vehicle (complete with sound) and one Automan book. Enter the backpack at your own risk.

Emily - You can teach Kate how to survive brothers. I think she'll like him, but you and I know it's not all a rose garden. She'll need some tips on "taming didi."

Kate - You're going to LOVE your didi, Addison. He's silly and charming just like you. I think he's going to be scared at first, but your sweetness will help him feel right at home. As a bonus, I don't think he's going to take too many of your books, although he really likes Winnie-the-Pooh, especially Tigger, so you can make him feel welcome by showing him those books.

Godparents Cindy and Russ - There is NO WAY you'll be able to resist #3 after spending a little time with this guy. You might be exhausted now, but just wait 'til you meet him. He reminds me of Chloe and Kate in terms of his charisma and smile, but the rest is all boy. He loves airplanes and cars and splashing in puddles. And Cindy, you'll like this: He likes for things to be put in their place, just so. He will admire the organization of your pantry, refrigerator and entire house.

Grandmas, Grandpas, Omas and Opas -- We are going to have to watch you like a hawk, otherwise you will spoil this child! He knows how to work a crowd, much like his older sister. Don't be surprised if we say, "step away from the grandson!" (And Harley, we're pretty sure he can say "sonofabitch")

Love from China,

The Lucky Ones

Guangzhou, Monday

2008-06-02T22:05:00.003-04:00

http://widget-61.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" height="320" width="426" style="width:426px;height:320px">http://widget-61.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" />

Today was paperwork day for the U.S. Consulate so that we can bring Addison into the United States. Although he'll be a citizen once we land, he leaves China as an immigrant; thus, the paperwork. We were a little spoiled last time with our agency in terms of paperwork. All we had to do was show up to fill out some papers and much of these were filled out for us. This time around, it was up to us to bring the proper paperwork, find out the correct fees, etc. There were some discrepencies between what I understood and what was correct, but nothing that can't be fixed. The two issues: The visa costs more than is listed in our paperwork, but our orphanage donation wasn't quite as high as we had budgeted for, so no problem.

The other glitch is that I didn't realize that one of the papers needed to be notarized BEFORE coming to China. We have to present a signed, notarized affidavit that we will immunize Addison as appropriate, but I thought we just needed to bring it with us and fill it out with the rest of the papers. Fortunately, this too can be fixed: Scott is going to the U.S. Consulate with another dad in the same situation to notarize the paper. What a guy!

Other highlights from the day:

Red Couch Photos - a tradition if you are adopting from China. Even though we are staying at the Victory Hotel (half the price, bigger rooms), we all headed over to the White Swan for our Red Couch Photo. Addison was great, until we put him on the couch with all the other kids. YIKES. When we did this with Kate, she was the only one who didn't cry. Talk about a reversal....
Dinner at The Cow and Bridge, an awesome Thai restaurant that we both love.
Scott and Addison going to the park - no motor planning issues here, thank you!
Walking around and seeing the new families and the familiar faces of the shopkeepers from last time.
Watching the different photo shoots going on. People will often come to Shamian Island (where we are staying) for photo shoots because of its beauty.
Becoming completely drenched in sweat because, in the heat and 95% humidity, my son wanted ME to hold him while we were taking our walk. :)
Hearing our son fall asleep without crying or whimpering. He's definitely starting to feel more secure.

We are enjoying our time, but can't wait to get back home. We miss our girl!

The Lucky Ones

Hello Guangzhou!

2008-06-02T10:51:00.006-04:00

We made it to Guangzhou safe and sound -- and 45 minutes early! While Scott was trying to get something at the airport shop, they announced boarding -- about 25 minutes early. I love boarding calls on Chinese Airlines: "Flight xyz is now boarding. Please board very quickly now." And let me tell you, people do. We were all boarded so they went ahead and took off.

Addison LOVED the airplane and the flight. We'll see how the longer ones go....

He was so agreeable on the plane and mimicking a lot of what we said, such as "let's go," "airplane," "bye-bye." When we praised him for saying these words / phrases, we said, "good job, baby" to which he replied, "good job, baby." Out of his mouth, it is so sweet.

http://widget-58.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" height="320" width="426" style="width:426px;height:320px">http://widget-58.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" />

It's great to be in Guangzhou again, home to the American consulate and several families adopting from China. The adoption slowdown is very evident, however, as there are maybe 20% the number of families that there were before. Not only that, but I have seen far more boys this time being adopted than girls. In our travel group (group from our agency), there are two girls and the rest are boys. And ALL the kids are OH-SO-AWESOME. I want to scoop them all up!

All of our kids have a special need (beyond the most important need of a family), from non-functioning eye (Addison) to deafness to cleft palate. None of us are doing anything special by bringing home a child with identified special needs, but -- speaking for myself -- I love showing people that kids with special needs are every bit worth the effort, time, money, labor than any other kiddo is. I don't have the right words at this time to explain myself clearly, but I know this: Seeing beyond what seems typical is extremely liberating. Scott and I spent so much time worrying about Kate being "different" that sometimes we missed her gifts, her talents, her beauty. And we still worry about Kate, but it's different. We worry about her happiness and well-being, but not about whether she's like everyone else. This path that Kate started us on, which also led to Addison, has been a far richer experience than anything "typical" might have ever been. We are so very, very blessed.

Some more details about Addison:

The boy is smart! We do something, he does it. His motor skills are SUPERB, his depth perception is fair. However, once he tries something a few times, he's got it.
He loves, loves, loves his daddy. He'll look at our pictures and point to Scott and say, "Baba!" ("Daddy" in Chinese). We're not there yet with me. We will get there, though.
His bladder is better than ours -- the boy can "hold it" for hours on end, but when you put him on the pot, he'll go (#1 or #2 - sorry if this is TMI).
He can use chopsticks and forks.
He now loves Tigger, cars, Automan (a MAJOR Chinese cartoon character), and his backpack.
When he doesn't get the answer he wants from Scott, he'll come to me. When I don't give him the answer he wants, he tries to put his back pack on and will say in Chinese, "I want to go home." Nice try, dude. Guilt trips don't work....
He likes peanut butter, but not the crackers. He'll suck the peanut butter off the crackers and dip it back into the peanut butter. Eeeeewwwww.
He hates for his hands to be dirty, or his mouth. He doesn't like to be barefoot. I am confident we will change this, despite his daddy's need for something on his feet at all times.
If he's sitting on the floor eating and drops food, he'll scoot back. He can start a meal in one spot and end about ten feet further, especially if eating something like rice which is easier to spill....
He is S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N. He's mostly compliant, but if you run into certain issues, he WILL. NOT. BEND. Don't ask him to try on new shoes, or brush his teeth with toothpaste, or say "sorry" to the boy he's just hit. That's okay though, his mother is even more stubborn. Bring it on, boy!

An interesting story about today: In Guangzhou, most of the shopkeepers speak at least some English. So do *many* of the restaurant workers, so we figured we'd venture into a Cantonese restaurant. Once we sat down, we noticed there were no other adoptive families there, only Chinese people. We began to ask the waitress about the food - no English. She brought us a menu, which included things like sea worms, intestines and lots of other yummy meats. We eventually pointed to some items and hoped for the best.

The dinner was a "hot pot" style -- a big bowl at the table over a fire in which our different selections are cooked. We had chicken, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, and pickled bean curd (which Melissa loves). It was okay, but needed more spice. Had we been able to read the menu, we could have done better. And the chicken? Feet and all. Yum.

More later,

The Lucky Ones
Falling in Love with our new son

Last Day in Guiyang :(

2008-06-02T10:20:00.002-04:00

Our last day in Guiyang was bittersweet. We were mostly excited to head to Guangzhou because that meant we were that much closer to the adoption being finalized and that much closer to seeing Kate again. However, Guiyang holds a special place in our hearts. Birthplace of our son, it has become part of who we are. Its people, beauty, hardships and blessings -- all have touched us. We look forward to the day we can bring our children back to China so they can see their other country -- their origins and the beginning of their beautiful stories that have just begun to unfold.

While we were running errands in the morning, Addison's foster mother came to the hotel to see him. Although we are sad for her grief and pain, we are also relieved that we weren't at the hotel at the time. I would have had a very difficult time keeping her from Addison, who was starting to turn a corner in terms of considering us as more than just temporary roommates. We pray that his foster family finds comfort and somehow can know that our hearts are united with theirs in our goal for Addison to be a happy, healthy, gracious child of God. If you pray, please ask for their peace, comfort, and eventual joy.

On a happier note, we spent the afternoon touring a "Training School" in Guiyang. The school is not for students to attend full-time; rather, they attend from one to three days per week for several hours working on an area of performing arts (singing, dancing, playing an instrument) or learning English. It is a beautiful school and we were very fortunate to see it as China does not typically allow anyone to tour any of the schools.

Even better, I was given the great privilege of teaching the English class for about 20 minutes or so. It was very rewarding -- the students were excited, glad to participate, and just so much fun! We exchanged email addresses and I hope to hear from them!

By the way -- if you're reading this Mr. T, they offered me a full-time job at the school so if my contract doesn't get renewed, I have a fall-back plan.... ;-)

Next post from Guangzhou -- the last stop for all families adopting from China.

With love from Guiyang, my new favorite city in China....

Melissa
Lucky Mama to Kate AND Addison

THE SIGHTS AROUND GUIYANG; BY SCOTT

2008-06-02T02:44:00.002-04:00

My walk around the streets by our Guiyang Sheriton Hotel. While walking I sometimes felt a semi rock , everyone looked at me, the girls all smiled at me (Guiyang girls are really pretty), the kids wanted me to take photos of them. In this area there wasn't any English, so with my lack of Mandarin, it was interesting. With this said I was able to buy Addison a pair of sandles thay fit (did I mention I was alone). Granted, it take 5 chinese ladies and 1 chinese boy (none spoke English) but I did manage to buy the sandals, in my opinion very successfully.

Everwhere you looked there was a busines of sorts, in alleys on the street, and even in real store fronts. Here is a list of the type of businesses I saw; fruit & veggie stands, car repair shops, denist, barber, meat, items of all kinds, and resturants (so called) everywhere.

THE FOOD SMELLED SO GOOD.......

I saw dim sum being made right out in the open.
Some of these small resturants had more people working in them then we have in our GT kitchen(ATTENTION ERCAN AND TIM).
Check out the photos.

enjoy, leave a post and have a cold one.

Scott

BEER TALK WITH SCOTT

2008-06-01T19:33:00.003-04:00

Hello;

Todays beer reviews are of very special style beer or maybe a malt liquor drinks.

There are two a lycee beer and a pineapple beer.

Let's start with the Pineapple beer. Well to me personally it tasted like sh** but to a pineapple lover they would drink this up. It is, from my vast understanding of Chinese symbols atleast 6% acholhol, all Chinese beer is higher in acholhol. Sort of sweet but not. I think it would sell great in Florida.

Alright Lychee beer. It looks like sqiurt, clear and bubbly. Sweet like a Chinese Zima or as Melissa said a dessert beer.

This is a very refreshing beer and would be great on a sunny day at the beach for a refershment.

More later, leave a comment and have a cold one.

Scott

FOR DANIEL FROM SCOTT

2008-06-01T18:52:00.003-04:00

Hello;

Hey Daniel I got your prayer beeds a real buddist temple (wow costly. but cool no photo already packed).

Here is a photo of Adians Chinese outfit, in silk of course. It probully is too big but we went that way not a lot size choices better too big I guess.

Later leave a comment and have a cold one.

Scott

BEER TALK WITH SCOTT; WALMART BEER

2008-06-01T18:28:00.003-04:00

Hello Again;

Today we will here about crazy beer. It is GV brand or Walmart beer.

Here in China beer is basicly concidered a soft drink. So Walmart has there own beer.

It costs only 1.5 RMB per 12oz can (which is .14 cents US). Hey it was a nice beer both the reguler gold label and the light blue label. Easlily compared to Natural beer in the USA.

More to come leave me a post and have a cold one.

Scott

MORE WALMART PHOTOS FROM SCOTT

2008-06-01T18:21:00.002-04:00

MORE PHOTOS OF WALMART

2008-06-01T18:11:00.003-04:00

WALMART GUIYANG; A POST FROM SCOTT

2008-06-01T10:44:00.003-04:00

HELLO ALL A POST FROM SCOTT ABOUT FOOD OF SORTS.

This is a post about Walmart gone crazy. The fish counter was at least 40 feet long. Full of fresh, fresh fish, eels, stingrays, mostly all whole and open to touch and feel. Whole pork and beef with butchers at work and cutting to order.

More fish then GT sells in a week was in my sight and selling all self serve, check out the lady holding the eel.

Enjoy the photos and leave a post to let me know you are out there. Any comment is great.

Thanks Scott

BEER TALK WITH SCOTT

2008-06-01T09:23:00.004-04:00

BEER TALK WITH SCOTT: CHNA
“TODAY’S BEERS ARE FROM BEIGIE AND QUAUANG
Today, you will read about three beers, even though I have tried four different ones at this time. The one I am not going to talk about is tsgsaug – you can buy that at Publix, so it is not making the cut for this post.
The other three are local Chinese beers. Local beers are royal in presentation. Most come in 600 mL bottles, wrapped with foil around the top. Each brand is unique in design, as you can see in the photos.
The first is from Beijing: Beijing brewing company. A little darker, but it is still a lager in style. It has a very rich taste, but not too dark. It is malty with a dirty. blonde head. I would buy this again but it was hard to find. I heard this is from a small brewery, but was unable to get any more information.
The second beer is called MaoTai. MaoTai is the producer of the most famous and the national wine of China, which is a type of rice wine. It is local to Guiyang, but still very expensive. The rice wine liquor runs about 900 RMB (yuan), which is about $130 US, for a small bottle. Needless to say, we haven’t sampled this. But the beer is cheap!
2. MAOTAI BEER Once again it comes in a 600ml or 22 oz. foil wrapped pop topped bottle, no screw tops here in china. This a golden beer (pi ju) with a light clean slighty sweet beer with a light malt finish. The head is light in color to go with the bright color of the beer. This is a top quqlity beer with a very refreshing taste and a great local beer. It would sell great in the USA. The cost of the beer was 7RMB or $1.00 US dollar.
3. LIQ BEER this will be the first of a few fromthis brewer from Qailin the provence which wee be spending the next week. This I a light lager beer, it is in a clear bottle and seems like a light beer(but of coarse I read the label.
It is clean and light in color with a crisp sweet start taste with a very light malt finish. This is one of my top Chinese beers, it goes great with any meal on a hot southern Chinese southern day. The cost is 3RMB or .50 cents.

That is me wearing my GT colors having a cold one at the Great Wall, what a climb.

POST A COMMENT I WANT TO HERE FROM YOU, MORE TO COME SOON. PLEASE POST AND PUT YOUR NAME IN THE POST.
THANKS SCOTT and have cold one…….

Guiyang, Day Four -- Hanguoshu Waterfall

2008-05-30T09:33:00.004-04:00

Today we took a long drive to see Hanguoshu Waterfall and the bonsai park surrounding it. It was a nice chance to relax in the car, take in the scenery and learn about the many minority cultures in Guizhou. We were able to video many of our guide's "lessons" about Guizhou, to save for Addison and to enjoy ourselves.

Our guide, Richard, has such a heart for children and for China. It is clear that he has a mission to make China better for people, especially for children. He is not blind to the problems his country faces, and we discussed these at great length, but he's also very proud of the rich heritage in this country.

Addison continues to do well, although bedtime is a bit of an issue. It seems his biggest fears come out at this time, but he's falling asleep without his pacifier (woo hoo!) and only waking once in the night, briefly. He will also periodically put on his backpack and request help to put on his shoes so he can go home. He'll ask about 8-10 times per day to go home and I tell him, "I am mama. This is papa. We love you." He's not amused by this, but quite honestly, I wouldn't be either. I'm actually quite pleased that he hasn't been an instant cuddle-bug because something just doesn't ring true to that, you know? It makes sense that he's hesitant, although he does seem to like us. He just doesn't trust us yet. No worries, we've got a long time to develop that because we are his forever family.

Things we have learned about Addison in the past few days:
1. He doesn't like to be barefoot.
2. He doesn't like his hands wet or dirty.
(No worries, I can handle sensory issues. We've already started working on them!)
3. He loves "Automan" - some cartoon character that he apparently watched all the time.
4. He loves cars, splashing his feet square in the middle of a puddle, and gymnastics.
5. He likes peanut butter, but not crackers. He sucks the peanut butter off the cracker and then gives the soggy cracker to me. Thanks, buddy!
6. When he's about to do something he thinks he shouldn't, he turns to look at one of us and then gives us THE CUTEST SMILE, then proceeds with his plan of action.
7. He loves to mimic and repeat, although his articulation is very poor. I'm sure speech therapy will be in our future, but I'm not worried about this as his possible issues are nothing like Kate's major speech issues.
8. He snores when he sleeps.
9. He has an infectious laugh.
10. He gets stressed out when around a lot of children and starts acting out (pinching ears, hitting, etc.). I'm not sure where this comes from, but I think once he starts feeling safe and trusting us, this will improve.

THE STREETS OF GUIYANG

More later. Tomorrow we're visiting a Chinese Training School, which focuses on performing arts and learning English. Should be fun!

Lots of love from Beautiful Guiyang,

The Lucky Ones

Guiyang, Day Three - Monkeying Around

2008-05-28T19:15:00.005-04:00

Oh, what a fun day! We went to Qianling Park and saw so many monkeys - which freaked Scott out a bit. If you had a banana in your hand, a monkey would come up and take it from you. If you were around several monkeys, they would fight for that one banana. I will say that it was a bit intimidating in sections, but so fun nevertheless. The monkeys also enjoyed nuts, any fruits, candy, and -- as you can see in the slideshow -- bottled water.

There were also people dancing to American music from about 15 years ago (think Chinese line dancing), as well as ballroom dancing. We asked our awesome guide, Richard, if this was a special day. He said, "Special day? No, no. Everyday there is dancing, exercise, badminton, walking, filling up water jugs with spring water." He also told us how people would buy animals from pet stores (fish, turtles) and bring them up to the temple area of the park and release them - an act of kindness to increase their karma. As always, the people were so genuinely delightful.

We've gotten many stares and some questions, but all positive. They ask about Addison's eye and are happy to hear he's going to America for help for it. Many have complimented him on his flat head (in the back, exactly like his sister), as it is a sign of high intelligence in China. You know, in China, everything is a "sign" of something.

Addison is doing so well! He clearly misses his foster family and still says at various times that he wants to go home, but doesn't seem to hold it against us. He looks at the photo album of his foster family and then seems to withdraw into himself a little more. He comes back out again, though, and is extremely playful. He ADORES Scott and follows him around like a shadow. He's taken to me just fine, too, but I'm not the rock star that Scott is. Noooo; instead, I'm the one whose hand he'll grab at breakfast to spit out whatever food he decided he doesn't like. On the upside, he prefers Scott to take him to the bathroom. Fine with me. He can poop with the best of them, let me tell ya! We haven't heard the morning toots, Caroline, but he can belch like Wisconsin beer drinker. :-)

We miss Kate so much, but are happy to know she's doing well. I'm also glad that she's given Aunt Cindy and Uncle Russ some dirty looks -- I would be afraid that clone took her place otherwise. LOL

Kate,

You were especially on our minds today as we saw the monkeys. Kate, you would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that park, except I'm afraid that you would run right towards those screeching monkeys not thinking about your safety. You're kind of like mama that way. Papa and our guide both kept saying, "that's close enough." But the monkeys were mostly nice and you could actually feed them with your hands. You and your brother are going to get along great, but don't try to take his backpack. His backpack to him is like your books are to you. He doesn't go ANYWHERE without it. I think if you agree to leave his backpack alone (and his Automan toy), he'll probably be fine with leaving your books alone. Something you both like is candy. He LOVES candy, although we haven't been giving him much. I think we'll have a cake when we get back, okay? We'll celebrate didi's belated birthday and let him blow out a candle and then, in a few weeks, we'll have another cake for you. Two cakes is better than one, right? Would you like to have cake with your brother?

We love you so much and miss you. At night when we say our prayers, we send you kisses from across the world. We hope you are feeling them and smiling. Give big love to everyone, and hug Aunt Cindy first. Papa and I miss you and love you. Ask Aunt Cindy to read "Crazy Cakes" to you for me and make sure she kisses your hand when you get to the right page. I can't wait to hold you and sing songs with you. Blow me a kiss and know that I'm blowing one to you.

I love you!

Mama

Guiyang, Day Two - The Orphanage

2008-05-28T09:18:00.006-04:00

The most important part of today's agenda was visiting the Guiyang Children's Welfare Institute. Although Addison spent very little time here (9 days, we have found out), he came here regularly for medical check-ups or other required paperwork.

Visiting an orphanage is a leveling experience. This is the second one I've visited and both have been good facilities and programs filled with loving caretakers, but both are still orphanages. They are both filled with children who do not know what it means to have a family of their own.

Our first stop in the orphanage was to see the facilities of a new program between Guiyang Children's Welfare Institute (CWI) and the charity, Love Without Boundaries. What they have done is create something in-between foster care and orphanage care. There are / will be eight on-site foster families, comprised of a married couple and four special needs children. Two - three of the children sleep in one room (see pic of bunk beds), and the other(s) sleeps in a room next to the foster family. There are glass partitions halfway up the walls, so everyone is in one big room, in a way. There's also a tiny kitchen and sitting area, and a shower / bathroom. When the foster families go to work, the children either go to school or to the orphanage for the day.

I was able to meet many children. I sang to a baby who was in a room alone, bundled in blankets. The baby had a large red mark and swelling on her face covering her right eye to the point where she couldn't use that eye. She seemed happy when I came in and talked to her, then cried when I started to leave. I held her hand and sang three songs while she smiled before the orphanage director said we had to move along. Our next stop was a special needs room.

The special needs room had 14 lovely children playing. I was able to hug and talk to each child. Each child absolutely loved the attention. There were two nannies in the room. The children had a variety of special needs, although it seemed that all had cognitive developmental delays and some had additional issues. They were charming children who hugged me, gave me high-fives or, for those whose physical impairments prohibited them from doing such things, I got long pieces of eye contact and as much of a smile as they could manage. These kids really blessed my day with their beauty.

Our final stop was to the playroom which seemed to have a couple of kids with some special needs, although most just had the great need of a family. To say we were descended upon by the children is almost an understatement, they were so happy to see someone new. They spoke to me in Mandarin, said "hello" in English and spoke the universal language of smiles and hugs.

Several of the children clung to me, but one captured and broke my heart. She must have been about 6 or 7 years old. She took my face in her hands and just looked at me with sad eyes. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and nuzzled her head in. She sat on my lap and just wanted to stay with me. I wanted the exact same thing.

Day Two in Guiyang

2008-05-27T19:01:00.002-04:00

Addison!
Addison is doing so well. We are getting lots of smiles, hand-holding and playfulness. He has an excellent appetite and enjoys a wide variety of foods, from tofu to tomatoes to noodles to fruit. We were also able to visit his "finding spot," the Guiyang Hospital, which tells us his birth mother (parents?) probably cared very much for his well-being, as they left him somewhere known for care and nurturing.

The Streets of Guiyang - Photos from our afternoon walk

Guiyang is a paradox. Although extremely poor, there is a graciousness and joy in the people that is contagious. Although fairly dirty, there is a pride in maintaining its beauty. People are out, sweeping the streets and wiping down their cars. There are many babies strapped to their mothers here, people working very hard carrying items in baskets (like a taxi service for your shopping items), others are doing construction or cooking in somewhat questionable storefront restaurants. There are many minority cultures here, of which we suspect Addison is a member. Our guide has spent a lot of time talking to us about the minority cultures, especially the Miao (or, the Hamong as they call themselves). Guiyang seems to take great pride in its diversity and we have not once felt out of place, although we are the only white people we have seen. We are a curiousity and are stared at, but with smiles and genuine interest. They have examined Addison by crouching down and looking at his eyes, seemingly debating whether he had another eye or not, touching the flatness of the back of his head, stroking his face and blessing him. Although no one really speaks English, our 2+ hour adventure (without a guide) was no problem at all. Guiyang is heartfelt in its motto that the "Han majority and all the minorities welcome all guests from every direction."

Our Dinner
Scott ate Spicy Steamed Frog Legs with yellow chilis, Whole Shrimp (shells and all) with dried red chilis, Barbecued Meat Combo of Duck, Chicken, Beef and Bacon-wrapped Chinese sausage.
Melissa ate Steamed Local Blue Crab, Mushroom Stem Salad, Sushi, Sashimi including salmon and octopus.
Addison ate Grilled Salmon (cooked and the sashimi), Veggies galore, rice, sauteed Chinese mushrooms, and chocolate-dipped watermelon bites (which he LOVED).
We did not eat at any of the storefront restaurants, as our adventurousness does not include food poisoning.... Our dinner was at the hotel. :-)

First Full Day with Our Son

2008-05-26T18:04:00.003-04:00

What a great day! For a little boy facing so many changes, there were only a few meltdowns. Periodically, JunJun (aka, Addison) would put on his backpack and say over and over in Mandarin, "I want to go home." Heartbreaking. On the plus side, though, by the end of the day, he began to let me comfort him by rubbing the back of his head and back. It didn't make him stop crying, but he was much calmer. I think he's doing fantastic.

We spent the day doing paperwork, as you can see in some of the photos. We went to the notary and the police station, which was very interesting. I asked if we could take a photo of the police man who was doing Addison's paperwork and got a big N-O.

We spent the afternoon at Super Walmart (yes, I said Walmart) getting a few necessities and then we hung out around the hotel while our guide took care of more paperwork. We were all a bit tired, so this was just fine. (By the way, a Walmart in China is not exactly the same as a Walmart in America. For example, last I checked, ours doesn't have a "spicy stand" with fresh food such as chicken feet, pigs feet, tofu and curd, etc. Much of it looked a bit, well... icky, but it smelled great. Also, you don't see large packages of anything like you see at home, but this makes sense as many apartments are about 400 - 500 square feet and might have a husband, wife, child and grandparents.)

Addison loves bathtime, although he was very unsure at first -- not wanting to even sit down all the way. When I poured water over his head to rinse the shampoo (which his foster mother said he didn't mine), I was convinced he had not completely experienced this before. He did not care for it at first, but by the end of bath time was dumping water over his head himself. :)

We heard his first two English words today: "Tigger" and "Car" All boy!

Other great news: He hasn't had the pacifier in 24 hours and we replaced the violent Kung Fu show with Winnie the Pooh. We didn't show him any tv in the morning and he did not have a meltdown. In the afternoon, we watched Winnie the Pooh together and he laughed (see pic of him with an open mouth of french fries - he was laughing hard) and laughed. Ironically, he laughs at he parts that upset Kate - when things crash, spill, when characters fall from a tree, etc. Should be interesting to see them together.

What Addison loves:
1. Cars - we bought him some little plastic cars at Walmart and he was thrilled for hours. He even took his cars to bed with him.
2. Sweets - foster mother gave him chewy, hard chocolate candies on a regular basis and his teeth show it. I think yesterday was the first time he's experienced a toothbrush -- I only got one swipe, but we'll get there.
3. Climbing
4. His backpack - this seems to be his comfort item right now.
5. Forks - we gave him on for the first time and he LOVES using it and is quite proficient. He uses it for EVERYTHING.
6. French fries, rice, watermelon.
7. His new papa - in the pic of him laying on Scott's chest, he initiate that. So very, very sweet.

Interesting details about our boy:
1. He's got some funky feet. Anyone ever seen something like this? I wonder if it will be something that requires surgery....
2. His head is flat in the back like Kate's -- it must be a Southern China thing.

Thank you SO MUCH for your comments, emails and prayers. We were pretty nervous about this new adventure and felt / feel your love from across the globe.

Thank you Cindy and Russ for taking care of our baby girl -- the pictures and stories made our day. Scott and I think you need to start being a little mean to her or she's not going to want to come home!

To see pics and stories of Kate, go to http://www.home.earthlink.net/~kateathome.
And many, many thanks to our parents who helped make this possible. You've got a grandson you are going to adore -- although get ready to say "No, please don't climb on that" or "We don't hit when we don't get our way." His winning smile is worth it all, though.

Scroll down later for a post about our first day in China. I'll be adding it. I've included a few pics especially for Viera High School - included a jade hawk that I think is out of our budget and a "squatty potty" that I've told my students about. They're not as bad as they look.

And for those of you anxiously awaiting some pearls of wisdom from Scott, be sure to stay tuned for "The Beer Post." We'll also be adding photos and stories about Guiyang - a place we love for its character and quirkiness, not to mention the makeshift barber shop and open storefront dentistry.

With love from Guiyang,

The Lucky Ones

Without Further Ado...

2008-05-26T00:48:00.005-04:00

Meet our Little Emperor

We will be adding to this post, but internet is slow and we just now got access to it. Check back for the entire post.

For now, just know that all is well. Our boy is stubborn, sly, funny, potty-trained, well-loved and very, very spoiled. We were told by his foster family that we must show him tv "in the morning and in the night or he will cry loudly." Also, they said that "he can share for a little while, but then will hit to get his toys back." The family also told me that he would not nap. I have him in his crib now, so we'll see what happens. One thing is sure - We have a bit of "taming" to do in the next two weeks.

He is very, very sweet though -- and all boy. As soon as we gave him a car, he was delighted. He likes to run around, play with cars, watch kung fu shows, and play rough. He's tender, though, too. I've gotten several kisses and a few hugs. Very sweet!

Here's how we met Addison ShenJun:

Our flight was late getting into Guiyang. When we met our guide, Richard, we were sweaty and tired, not to mention nervous and excited. He said, "Your little boy and the foster family and the orphanage worker are in the hotel lobby waiting." We then drove 30 minutes to the hotel. I saw the foster mother first, and she and I hugged and cried. There's so much more to tell here, but we're wiped out.

Most importantly, our boy is with us and he came from a very loving home. He was adored by this family and we have their address so we can keep in touch with them. They are a Christian family -- a point they emphatically wanted me to know -- and were glad to hear that we are active in a church and that people were praying for him at the very moment we were meeting and talking.

It was a difficult and beautiful night. We are blessed by two wonderful children.

More later,

The Lucky Ones

Beijing

2008-05-25T04:00:00.003-04:00

May 23rd and 24th – Pre-Addison

We made it to Beijing safe and sound – and with minimal jet lag. Melissa stayed up the night before the trip and was able to sleep for several hours on the plane. Scott, as usual, didn’t sleep much – and didn’t need to.

After arriving we checked into the hotel and then headed out to the Forbidden City and Tiannemen Square. Our original plan was to see the Temple of Heaven, but we were pressed for time by the time we got through immigration and baggage claim at the airport.

Our guide, Jenny, met us at the airport and explained different parts of Tianneman Square. She explained why it was such an important place for the Chinese –
Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum is there and people wait in line to see his body and leave him flowers.

There is a monument honoring the people from 1848 – 1949 who helped make China great. The monument was commissioned by the Chairman following Mao, whose name I can’t remember, but who helped protect as many works by the artists, writers and thinkers during the Cultural Revolution as he could. The Chinese revere him for all he did to protect their heritage.

Jenny was surprised at how many Americans wanted to see Tiannemen Square and wondered why it was important to them. When I told her that many are interested because of the students that were massacred there in 1989, she was surprised. She said that was a very dark time for China, very sad, and got a wistful look on her face. Jenny is around my age, so many of the people who died would be the same.

We had a nice conversation about children being adopted and she expressed her hope that more children would find families. She has a two-year-old boy whose name (or nickname?) is LaiLai (no idea if I’m spelling that correctly) – it means “happy.” When I told Jenny of the families I know who have adopted several children from China, she was astonished and said that “one child is exhausting.” Then she also said, “very good people they are – they bless China.” Very sweet.

After coming back to the hotel, Scott decided to go find some “to go” food from a local restaurant. Jet lag was hitting me at that point – I felt like I was still on the plane, or on a very rocky boat, blech – he came back an hour later with beer and soda – and a very interesting tale on his inability to express “to go” to the Chinese. It sounds like he was quite the sight, as several girls were surrounding him trying to help him but then turning to each other and laughing, hands in front of their mouths trying not to appear rude. I’m not sure if he ever ate. I had an Ambien for dinner and slipped into dreamland.

We’re headed to the breakfast bar this morning and then to the Great Wall. We’ll definitely get our exercise.

14 hours until Addison! Woo Hoo – the fears and worries have disappeared (for now). I just can’t wait to see our precious boy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4:00 pm
We are sitting in Beijing International Airport – a lovely place that spares no expense on architecture – it uses the money it doesn’t use on air conditioning to pay for its loveliness. It’s HOT in here!

Scott and I visited the Great Wall, but didn’t make it to the top. Between the ninety degree weather and the steps that ranged from 12 inches tall to 30 inches tall, well – we made it to where we had a good view and decided it was good enough. We were brought to shame by some of the other climbers: a woman in heels, an elderly woman who was at least 80 and a father carrying his little girl. The sign at the bottom says something along the lines of “If you climb to the top, you are a true hero.” Of course you can also buy a carved metal plate that says you made it to the top, so I think we get credit for ‘fessing up. There’s something a bit heroic about telling the truth, I think. :)

We then went to a government-run store, “The Friendship Store,” and was able to see how Cloissoine is made. I’ve never been a fan of Cloissoine, but watching the women work made me truly appreciate the painstaking effort to detail it takes. As we then walked around the store, four salespeople followed us and kept telling us about each item. We were the only ones in the store, so it was a bit uncomfortable.

Notice the picture of the jade hawk -- hand-carved, all jade. When I even stopped to admire it, they salespeople assured me that they could ship it to the states. And only ~$10,000 US. Maybe next time….

We were then treated to a tourist’s lunch – a very American-style Chinese meal: Sweet-n-Sour Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, white rice, hot and sour soup. We’re looking forward to Guiyang and eating more local cuisine.

GREEN TURTLE COWORKERS:
Note that Scott is wearing his GT shirt with pride. Not enough pride to wear it to the top of the Great Wall, but pride nonetheless. When our guide found out that Scott is a chef and Melissa is a teacher, she thought this very fortunate for he will be well-educated, well-fed and well-loved.

Five more hours until we get Addison. It’s so exciting, but doesn’t seem real yet. When he’s screaming his head off in the hotel room asking for his mother (which, to him, is his foster mother), I’m sure it’ll sink in. Poor guy has a tough transition ahead of him, but we’ll all see it through together.

We spoke to Cindy and Russ today and found out that Kate is doing quite well in their care. She even had a haircut, which she desperately needed! When Cindy picked her up from school on Friday, she introduced all the kids to her – my girl is coming along with her socialization! The speech is still mostly unintelligible, but it’s getting better. What makes me so happy is that she wants to tell us things and that she continues to try despite the difficulty. Thank you to the Boltons for taking care of our sweet girl!

Consider a boy

2008-05-23T00:47:00.003-04:00

We go to China
For a child
A daughter, people assume

We are deeply disturbed at the vastness of girls
Abandoned
Lost
Alone

We love each of these girls
Even as we are grateful to adopt just one
And we are proud to teach them about
Girl power

We want to right the balance
We want our girls to know they are not a second choice
We want to raise them to be powerful

And many of us believe
That boys in China are Little Emperors
Adored
Indulged
Loved beyond belief

Many are.

And yet
Should you have the great privilege of visiting an orphanage
You will see boys
And not just a few

Many, many boys
Who perhaps were a second child
But, in all sad reality,
Were probably abandoned because of some special need

Cleft lip, cleft palate
Heart disease
Club feet or vision problems
Issues that, in the states,
Are treatable or at least manageable
Issues that, in the states,
Would not define them or their lives

And they wait.
They wait for a home
A family
A chance.

Maybe you weren't thinking of
A boy
Maybe you weren't thinking
Special needs

Maybe you were envisioning
Your fairy tale
And you should never apologize
For that

We all have our fairy tale
We all have our vision
We all have our dreams

But so do these children
Be they girls, abdicated to a less than status
By the power of culture and tradition
Or
Be they boys, left to live in an orphanage
Left without the same opportunities
As their parented peers

When I first dreamed of parenthood
It wasn't to an adopted child
I dreamed of pregnancy
Of womanhood
Of giving life

I grieved the loss of that first dream
And yet
The second dream was not
Second best.

Instead of giving birth to a child
I gave birth
To me.

I became a mother
When I began to love
I became a mother
When I began to whisper sweet goodbyes
To the dreams that seemed important
So I could listen to the dreams
That would not wait.

So today,I ask you to consider a boy
Consider a special need
Consider that you might be
More than you ever thought

We adopted our daughter
As a non-special-needs child
And her needs have turned out to be vast
And global
And tiring
And rewarding

We adopted through the traditional program
Because we couldn't handle special needs
Luckily, God knew better

And now,
The couple who couldn't handle special needs
Has become a family who, through God's grace, can handle
Whatever comes its way.

Including a boy.
A boy with special needs
Who has captured our hearts,
Intrigued our minds,
And blessed our days already.

And so I ask you again,
Consider a boy.
Consider that you might be
More than what you ever thought.

Consider.
Just consider.

China Bound!

2008-05-22T18:20:00.002-04:00

11 hours until we leave for China -- and we're now packing. :-)

Follow our travel group (we'll be alone in our son's province, but we'll meet with other families from our agency for the second half of our trip): http://www.myladybugjournal.com/MAYCHI.html

To say my stomach is doing flips is a complete understatement....

Kate's IEP Meeting

2008-05-21T19:16:00.002-04:00

We had a GREAT IEP meeting to discuss Kate's goals for the next school year. She will be at the same school, in a different program (5 days / week) and will receive FOUR speech therapy sessions, two sessions of occupational therapy, and one session of physical therapy per week. Additionally, she'll be involved in the typical pre-Kindergarten curriculum typical for her age.

It was a productive meeting filled with people who care about our daughter -- we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. We are very grateful that Kate is so loved and her disabilities are understood by bright professionals who take their jobs seriously. Truly, we are blessed.

~Melissa

PS: We have a doctor's appointment with Kate tomorrow with an autism specialist. It's a two-hour appointment, which should be very informative (although probably a bit headache-inducing). After that, it's pack and head for China, baby!

Itinerary

2008-05-17T16:25:00.005-04:00

Whatever is in orange is a link to that topic....

May 23rd
Leave Orlando at 8:30 am

May 24th
Arrive Beijing at 1:15pm
Visit the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon

May 25th -- ADDISON DAY!
(and Scott & Melissa's 11th Wedding Anniversary)
Visit the Great Wall
Fly from Beijing to Guiyang 5pm - 8pm
Meet Addison at 9:30pm!!!
We'll be staying at the Ramada Plaza Guiyang.

May 26th
Civil Affairs appointment for registration, notary and apply for passport
Spend the day getting to know our son. :-)

May 27th
Visit and tour Guiyang Children's Welfare Institute (the orphanage)
May 28th
Frolic with the monkeys at QianLing Park
Received a blessing at Hong Fu Si temple

May 29th
Huang Guo Shu Waterfall

May 30th
Visit a local school. (This is something Melissa requested, as you can probably guess.)

May 31st
Fly to Guangzhou in the morning
We'll be staying at the Victory Hotel, in their new building

June 1st
Safari Park with other CHI (our agency) families

June 2nd
Addison's Medical

June 3rd
Visa appointment at 10:30
Enjoy Shamian Island

June 4th
Take visa oath in the afternoon

June 5th
Begin the long journey home:

Leave Guangzhou in the morning and fly to Beijing
Leave Beijing in the evening and arrive in Washington D.C. on June 5th at 7:45pm
Stay overnight in D.C.

June 6th
Arrive in Orlando at 12:44 via United Airlines Flight #1559.
Hug and kiss Kate A LOT!

Earthquakes in China

2008-05-13T06:47:00.003-04:00

Thank you for all your emails, concerns and prayers. Fortunately, it seems that Addison's province was spared in the earthquakes, although they *may* have felt some of the rumblings. We are very grateful and cannot wait to hold him in our arms.

Please keep the other areas in your prayers, though, as they were not so fortunate.

~Melissa

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

2008-05-10T09:15:00.003-04:00

We're celebrating your third birthday here without you, but know that your foster mother is enjoying these last few days with you. We hope your day is filled with fun, laughter, playtime and hugs.

By the way, your sister said she'd eat your slice of cake today for you. What a gal!

We love you, Addison!

Two Weeks from Today...

2008-05-08T22:32:00.006-04:00

...we'll be on our way to China!

Itinerary coming soon, but we think we'll meet Addison on Monday, May 26th!!!

TA-da!

2008-04-29T19:24:00.002-04:00

We got an email from our agency about an hour ago letting us know that China has issues our TA and it is on its way to the United States. YES!!!

For those of you not familiar with the "alphabet soup" of adoption, TA stands for Travel Approval. It means we've officially been invited to China to get our little guy! Let the countdown begin.

What next? The last step in the adoption trip is the American Consulate for a swearing in ceremony, so the itinerary works backwards from there. So we just requested our U.S. Consulate Appointment (also known as "CA"). We should hear if we got our first, second, or third choice (choices have to be a week apart) by next Friday. I'm hoping we'll hear sooner.

Our requests, in order, were 6/2, 6/9, 6/16.

If we get our CA on 6/2, that means we would leave for China on 5/23 and probably meet Addison on 5/25 (which also happens to be our 11th Wedding Anniversary).

Wow. We've got a lot of work to do before then.

Wow. We're really going to be a family of four.

Wow. God has truly blessed us.

~The Lucky Ones

There's No Place Like Home - now with DIAGNOSIS UPDATE

2008-04-18T14:22:00.004-04:00

UPDATE:
Kate has mononucleosis. I guess this should be a predicted outcome for a girl that likes boys so much! We are praying that this will resolve itself and not be indicative of any chronic conditions or a precursor to anything serious. I've been online doing reading about mono and the Epstein-Barr Virus that causes it. Sounds like Kate will be pretty darn tired for a while and will have to avoid contact sports for the next several weeks (cancel that tackle football game), but this *should* be the worst of it.

We'll see the doctor next week and I'll have a bunch of questions for her about monitoring, possibilities of chronic conditions, questions about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and more. Poor, poor pediatrician. I'll be coming in with quite the list! :-)

Yippee -- Kate and I are finally home! We got home around 7pm last night and Kate had the biggest smile I'd seen on her face in a week (with the exception of meeting a horse today -- horses totally rate in Kate's world) when she saw Scott. I was pretty happy to see him and our home, as well.

Kate came home without a definitive diagnosis, but still the strong suspicion of mono or some kind of "super virus." More blood work in a week, but at least she's fever-free for 48 hours and her repeat bloodwork showed improvement. Now, if we can reach the point where she's not sleeping 20 out of 24 hours, I'll be thrilled. On our way home, she pointed to a McDonald's and I asked her if she wanted french friesand she nodded. You've never seen a car pull into Mickey D's so fast! Kate has lost probably 3 pounds in the past week, so if she wants to mainline sugar, well -- she just might be able to convince me. LOL

Thank you for all your prayers and offers of help. Of course we are still concerned about Kate and her well-being, so keep the prayers coming, but we are feeling pretty enthused about her progress. We are also back to embracing the excitement about meeting our son soon! We can’t wait to bring him home and love on him!

You know, every day I am more in love with God’s goodness. This past year has not been an easy one, but it has been one in which has been more meaningful than any before. Never before have I had such a strong sense of God’s presence, an understanding of priorities, a developing appreciation that life is beautiful even in loss or pain.

We are abundantly blessed to have people in our lives that care about our daughter, care about us, and care about furthering God’s grace in the world. We so appreciate your friendship.

Melissa

Very Lucky and Blessed Mama to Kate and, soon, Addison!

Still Here....

2008-04-16T10:30:00.005-04:00

The Fantastic News:

The fever disappeared about 12 hours ago. Hopefully, it will stay gone. :-)
They were able to get blood fairly easily today, but the one sample did not "take" because she clotted too quickly. Since we're here for another day, the doctor wasn't concerned and will not bother her with more blood work until tonight or early tomorrow morning. Works for me!
Kate is EATING!!!! Woo-Hoo! She has lost 2+ pounds this week, so I am thrilled to report that she ate a full breakfast this morning. Bacon, a full English muffin slathered with peanut butter, and a few bites of scrambled egg. We've been doing a gluten-free, casein-free diet, but at this point, I'm willing to start over on the gluten part after she is well again. I've decided to reintroduce some gluten at some point to see if it makes a difference -- I guess now is as good a time as any. She remains dairy-free, however, as dairy really messes with her system.
After breakfast, we took a walk around the hallways and Kate waved to all the boys and men she saw (sorry, ladies -- you just don't rate with Miss Flirtypants). This is the Kate I know and love....

The Not-So-Fantastic, but Not Horrible News:

We're here for another night, which is a bummer, but things are looking good. The doctors want to make sure all her bloodwork improves and that she eats and drinks plenty on her own before sending us home. As much as I wish we could go home right now, I'd rather make sure all is well so we don't have to come back! It's a fantastic hospital, but it's still a hospital....
One area of concern is that Kate iss extremely wobbly on her feet-- like she was when she was on pain meds. after her tonsillectomy. We're hoping it's just from being bed ridden, but if it doesn't improve, they will do a spinal tap to rule out meningitis. Eeegads, Lord save us from the spinal tap (and the meningitis, of course).
Because Kate had a fever last night, she can't go to the playroom or to the event today where Animal Kingdom brings animals for the kids to interact with. Unfortunately, she heard them talking about animals and looked up at me and said, "go" -- Katespeak for "Let's go see them." She LOVES animals and was disappointed when I told her we couldn't go....
We're still not sure what's wrong, but the suspicion is still a nasty virus. Mono is definitely a possibility and we're waiting on the results of that test, along with a few others.

Please continue to keep Kate in your prayers. I appreciate it more than you know. And you might as well include Scott in the prayers, as well, as he has been home since Sunday with a high fever. Poor babies!

With love,

Melissa

Things are looking up!

2008-04-15T09:51:00.005-04:00

Thanks for your prayers -- and keep 'em coming!

We've had several doctors in her this morning and they all think, so far, that Kate's illness is viral in nature. They are suspecting and testing for mono -- which I asked about yesterday, the smart Dr. Mom that I am. More tests today to include TB, hepatitis, and some other blood panels.

The hematologist hasn't been in yet, which is the one I'm most looking forward to seeing -- I'd rather hear that the abnormal blood work seems fitting for a virus from the blood expert, you know?

Unfortunately, we are having to discontinue Kate's seizure meds. (which have really increased her receptive and expressive language, as well as her eye contact) for several weeks just to absolutely rule out that it's not affecting her. The neurologist really does not think that it's affecting her, so I'm pretty bummed about taking her off. It takes a while for it to reach therapeutic dosage and effectiveness, so we just took a step back. In the big scheme of things, though, I can see why we're doing it.

Kate is sleeping now and has been sleeping almost non-stop whenever she's not being touched or prodded. I pray that these are healing slumbers and that, before too long, she's antsy and in perpetual motion like usual.

Kate and Opa on Easter Day, 2008 -- Is she not the CUTEST?!!

More later,

Melissa

Guess Who's Back at Arnold Palmer Hospital?

2008-04-15T00:15:00.004-04:00

Yep, it's my favorite little gal, Kate.
Based on a six-day "fever of unknown origin," low white blood cell count, very low platelets, and some other irregular bloodwork, we're back in Orlando. Although the pediatrician had diagnosed her with pneumonia, the repeat chest x-ray reports that she does not have pneumonia. She also does not have the flu. This is good news, but that leaves us in the confusion of figuring out what she DOES have.

We checked in at about 6pm and I just got Kate to bed. They attempted bloodwork and an IV for FIVE hours. Three nurses, the PICU team, you name it -- they were all awesome at their job and truly felt awful about all the poking and prodding, but Kate's veins are just not cooperative in the best of times. They poked her feet, her legs, her wrist, the crooks of her arm, the top of her hand. I kept it all together until they started looking at her neck. The doctor decided to give her a break at that point.

They were able to get enough blood to run a few tests -- still came back irregular, although white blood cells were improved. Something called "lactage dehydrogenase" is WAY high, which is a concern to the pediatrician who's on duty. They've called in a pediatric hematologist to check Kate out tomorrow and we'll also attempt more bloodwork in the a.m.

They are still going to check for Hepatitus, TB, and all sorts of other stuff. The hope is that this is just a really mean "A" virus (whatever that means) and not something more sinister. The feeling is that this is a virus, but of course I am a worried mama at this point. When the doctor said, "it's probably not leukemia, but some of these blood results are a real concern," well -- I don't even have the words. I can't even go there.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE -- Say a prayer for Kate when you read this. My baby has been through SO MUCH this past few months and has really taken it on the chin. I need for her to catch a break.

Thanks for your prayers,

The Lucky Mama

Thanks and More!

2008-04-13T23:19:00.006-04:00

Thanks to all of you angels for helping us in our fundraising efforts! We have raised about $400 this weekend alone. WOWZA!

Thanks to Cindy, Karen & Natalie for your generous contributions to the sale. And Natalie, your secret boy band crush is safe with me. Those cd's haven't sold yet, so if you are pining for your boys, let me know. ;-)

Thanks to our eBay buyers.

Thanks to all for your enthusiasm and prayers! Someday I get to tell Addison just how much he was loved by so many people before he even officially joined the family. How cool is that?!!

The garage sale went very well. I think we'll try it one more time, as we still have some good things to sell. This past weekend was Spring Break weekend, which I thought would be a good time to have the sale, but apparently lots of families are not spending their money on flying to China and, hence, are on vacation. Who knew?!! :-)

Now, if you could all send your prayers to Kate, we would really appreciate it. She has pneumonia and has had a fever since Wednesday morning. The fever will dip down to 100 for a few hours and then go back up to 102 - 104. She's heading back to the doctor tomorrow and, although I'm sure she's fine, I'm worried about her. She's not eating, drinking very little, and just wants to be be held or lay on the floor. (And as a special bonus, Scott is sick with a fever too.) I'll keep you updated.

~The Lucky Ones

Fundraisers Galore!

2008-04-10T12:20:00.003-04:00

Garage Sale, Friday & Saturday 8am - 2ish

Email mbraun@cfl.rr.com for directions if you live in Brevard County, FL. Lots of awesome kids stuff!

Ebay Items

CLICK HERE!

5th Edition Going Home Barbie -- only available to adoptive parents staying at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China.

T-shirts with Adoption Themes

Dress-Up Dora - NEW

Epson Powerlite Projector

Portable Tripod Screen 60 x 60

Chicago Cubs Memorabilia (If Scott is selling his Cubs' stuff, you KNOW he means business!)

AND SO MUCH MORE!

If you don't see things listed right away, check back. I'll be listing items over the next several days. Kate has pneumonia AGAIN, so we're working with every free moment we have (not so easy to come by....).

Batter Up!

2008-04-09T22:10:00.003-04:00

...will be making his "home run" sometime in June!

On Monday morning, I got THE call -- the call that told us we had been officially matched with Addison. Those crazy people -- letting us be parents AGAIN.

So what happens now? We wait for Travel Approval, apply for visas, raise some more money, make plans for Kate, panic about everything, etc. So far, all we've been able to do is walk around with silly grins on our faces.

Our adoption agency anticipates us traveling as early as mid-May!

I'm counting the minutes until that sweet boy is in my arms....

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Help Autism Research!

2008-04-08T08:37:00.004-04:00

Chevrolet has partnered with an organization called Autism Speaks and hopes to raise a million dollars this month for Autism Awareness Month. You can help by just watching a very short video introduction of the new Chevy Malibu on the Autism Speaks website.

Each time this video is viewed, Chevy will donate to Autism Speaks. Just go to http://www.autismspeaks.org/ and click on the "Chevy for Autism" link.

The video isn't long, and it can really help some very deserving children.*

Thanks to http://www.familyforsophie.blogspot/ for the text of this post. :-)

I'll post more about LOA tomorrow, but needless to say -- we're thrilled, and scared, and excited, and nervous, and worried about money, and feeling all those things that you are supposed to be when you are parents AGAIN.

2008-04-07T12:36:00.004-04:00

LOA, baby!

More later....

With grins from The Lucky Ones

Updates

2008-04-05T17:31:00.005-04:00

KATE-THE-GREAT

Good news continues in our little corner of the world. The results of Kate's 48-hour EEG indicate that she is seizure-free. When I asked the neurologist about taking her off the seizure med. she is on (Lamictal), she told me that one of the side effects they have been finding for it is that it helps kids "on the spectrum" (aka, autism spectrum) to improve eye-contact and increase verbalization. We have noticed this in Kate, as has the neurologist. Kate is definitely having a language explosion -- albeit a very garbled one. It's okay -- the attempt to communicate is most important.

We've realized that Kate's language issue is a combination of speech apraxia and autism. Very difficult to overcome, but who likes things the easy way...? We are working very hard with sign language and some other tools to help Kate express her feelings -- especially when she is frustrated. More on this later, but we can already see how these tools can change all of our lives. :-)

ANXIOUSLY AWAITING ADDISON

We are still waiting on our "Letter of Seeking Confirmation" from China, what we call LOA -- Letter of Acceptance. That means that China has put the red seal on the match, and then we wait for Travel Approval, and then we go get our son.

Our dossier was logged-in on January 15th. Several people with late January log-in dates just got their LOA's, so we are starting to feel hopeful about next week. Each adoption agency has a different paperwork rep. in China, and we apparently have a slightly "slower" rep. Please say a prayer that our LOA will be here soon.

We want to get our boy home!

~With love from The Lucky Ones

No News is Good News

2008-03-18T19:11:00.006-04:00

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

~ Philippians, 4:6

First of all, is it just me or does Kate look like a character out of Whoville?

So far, the news is good from the EEG room at Arnold Palmer Hospital. Thus far, Kate has had no seizures -- apparently one can have abnormal electrical activity without having seizures. And if Kate didn't have any abnormal brain activity, I would wonder if she was in the right family....

We are staying another night to make sure there are no seizures. The neurologist is taking her off of her seizure meds to see if this has an effect. By the way, her neuro saw HUGE improvements in Kate already, which we've seen too. She told us that the meds she's on, Lamictal, has a "side-effect" of improving verbalization in kids on the autism spectrum. We didn't know that ahead of time, so it's very interesting how we've noticed the same thing.

The best part of the day? Well, for me it was hearing the good news so far and also taking a shower when my good friend and Kate's godmother, Cindy, came to visit. Thanks for the visit and the delicious dinner. You are fantastic!

The best part of Kate's day? Look and see:

Daily Manna from the 'Net for Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16 NIV

This was actually our pastor's reading a week ago. How appropriate that I found it again today. A week ago, I couldn't pray because my heart was hurting so very much -- for Kate, for Scott and myself, for all the unknowns, for all kids with troubles. It was just one of those days that my defenses were finally broken and I cried all through church, hurt and angry. Today, I am so grateful for that wall being broken down. I have always known that God has good plans for me -- for all of us -- but I have a difficult time being vulnerable. I think that's part of what God's plan is for me --being vulnerable, trusting Him, letting go of some of my fears and worry.

This isn't to say that that I shouldn't be concerned, shouldn't fight for my daughter and be aggressive with getting her well. This doesn't mean my prayers will all be answered. No, it means that I can do all of that and still accept that God is working magic in my family and I need only to look and listen for His grace. And when I'm broken, I can come to Him -- even if I can't pray. I can trust that God knows my prayers even when they are too painful for me to consider. And I can trust the beautiful people in my life to pray on my behalf, which is exactly the gift given to me this past week.

It has been a healing week -- not entirely because of Kate, but definitely through Kate and the other dear people in our lives. Thank you for being faces of God, hands of God, hugs from God.

Hugs and love from our home to yours,

The Lucky Ones

Thanks!

2008-03-17T18:53:00.008-04:00

Thank you for all the encouragement, prayers and advice. We really do appreciate all of it! It's been about six weeks since the diagnosis and we've found our footing again. Please keep the prayers coming, though. We all need as much help from the Big Guy as we can get.

Although it was tough to hear, the diagnosis has already had a positive impact on our lives. We have begun some behavioral therapy and have seen some positive results. Kate is attempting two and three word sentences with a LOT of prompting, but is more verbal overall. She is feeding herself, following more complex directions, and we are able to have a conversation of sorts. We are also waiting on an appointment with one of the country's leading autism researcher / DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) physician, who just happens to be located about 15 miles away! I am playing phone tag with his intake nurse right now, but we are in line for an appointment within the next six weeks.

Kate and I are at Arnold Palmer Hospital right now for her 48-hour video and audio EEG. The EEG is to determine if she is actually having seizures or just some "extra" electrical activity. She has been a real trooper today -- especially through the gluing of the electrodes which was done in part with a little machine that blows air on her head and vibrates against her scalp. She was upset, but not as bad as I would have predicted.

Unfortunately, part of this was because she spiked a 103 fever after we got here, which made her a bit more complacent. About five hours later, though, the fever was gone. :) Truthfully, I'm grateful she's a little under the weather or else this being tethered to an 8-foot "leash" might be more difficult than it already is.

For your viewing pleasure, some pics of Kate with headgear. Even with headgear she's cute:

This is a pic of the monitor. The techs tell me the "ALARM" "ALARM" "ALARM" button that keeps flashing is not a problem. Good to know. And the cutie in the corner? That's Kate, my girl of the gauze....

I'll update you when we know any results.

Until later -- and with much love from our home to yours,

The Lucky Ones

The word that scares everyone....

2008-02-26T21:28:00.008-05:00

On February 5th, we met with a new pediatric neurologist who was the polar opposite of the asshat who works in our county. The new doctor greeted Kate and crouched down to talk to her. She talked to us. She LISTENED to us. We loved her.

Even though she told us the exact opposite of what we wanted to hear.

Kate has autism.

And it's funny (well, funny as in "strange" and certainly not funny as in "we're having such a good time"), I've asked doctors repeatedly, "Are you SURE it isn't autism?" They kept telling me, "no -- she's far too outgoing." As much as I knew that Kate was suffering from autism, it still has hit me hard. Hit both of us hard. To be honest, we are both still feeling shell-shocked. Scared. Angry. Confused. But we know this the diagnosis fits.

Sadly, it fits all too well:

We have to work to get eye-contact from Kate. We have to ask for it most of the time. And ask for it multiple times. Or take away an item. Or snap our fingers. Or clap our hands. Spontaneous eye-contact is rare.

Kate is absolutely pre-occupied with books. But because her fixation is books, even experts have overlooked this problem. "A kid fixated on books," they think, "what's bad with that?" Everything, if books are more important than people, relationships, learning, and living in everyone else's world.

Kate doesn't play with toys much. Or friends. When she does, it is because we have specifically taught her how and demanded that she do it if she wants her book.

So right now we are trying to learn and learn FAST. We don't know a lot, but we know this:

Autism is a medical disease that is evidenced by social withdrawal and several other physical symptoms such as digestive issues, sleep problems, learning problems, and impaired relationships.

If not treated intensively, it gets worse. Much worse.

The brain has a window of opportunity to be "molded" more easily. This is typically before age five. While good interventions always have their place, these interventions are more potent when the brain has better plasticity.

Some children can recover from autism; all can improve with treatment.

We're feeling fragile now, but we know we are strong. We could, however, use a few prayers right now.

Kate will become the best Kate she can be and there's nothing we won't do to ensure that happens.

God has blessed us with this beautiful, intelligent, intriguing, grace-filled child because we needed her and she needed us. God has a plan for us and, although it may be painful right now, we welcome His plan and every opportunity to show the world that everybody matters. We are still The Lucky Ones.

More later, but we wanted to update those of you who were wondering about Kate's appointment. The new neurologist has been a definite blessing. She also ordered more bloodwork on Kate (bloodwork, by the way, that I had requested from the AssHat neurologist of our county), and it's all come back abnormal. We will also be doing a 48-hour ambulatory EEG to determine if the abnormal electrical activity is truly seizures or something else. More on that fun procedure later.

Please keep us in your prayers. We'll be fine, but we're just in a bit of pain right now. Ultimately, we're grateful for a diagnosis that is leading us to a better understanding of our sweet girl.

With love from our home to yours,

The Lucky Ones

China Weather Update

2008-02-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

Addison's orphanage is in a city that was one of the hardest hit by the weather crisis, but thanks to the wonderful organization, Half the Sky, they received funds to purchase heaters, diapers and other needed items to get through this difficult time. It means the world to know that our son is the recipient of so much love.

That's the really neat thing about adoption: It involves so many people who love our children before they can come home to us. With Kate, we believe she had a birth mother who loved her, we know she had a foster mother who loved her and nannies that adored her.

With Addison, we have pictures of him with his foster mother, with a volunteer in the hospital when he had his heart surgery -- we know he is deeply loved. I really believe that the gifts of love he is receiving now is what God has planned for him before we can love him in person. I guess that's why I'm okay with the waiting.

Anyway, thanks for your prayers for the Chinese orphanages. They are still struggling and Half the Sky continues to do what it can to provide them with what they need.

Bundle Up, Baby Boy....

2008-02-03T22:57:00.000-05:00

China is currently experiencing the worst snowstorm in 50 years. We had heard only a bit about this the other day, but did not realize the enormity of it. Even the balmy areas like Guilin (where Kate is from) whose climate is much like ours in Florida and Guiyang, Guizhou (where Addison awaits), is experiencing heavy snow, plummeting temperatures and VERY LIMITED ACCESS to such things as safe drinking water, heat, diapers, etc.

According to http://www.china.org/:

The snow, the heaviest in a decade in many places, has been falling in east, central and south China since Jan. 12, causing deaths, structural collapses, power blackouts, highway closures and crop destruction.

Hunan Province and the western Guizhou Province have been the worst hit by the unprecedented spell of severe weather.

From http://chinatravelguide.com/ctgwiki/2008_China_Snowstorm
According to Zou Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, some 223,000 houses collapsed under snow and ice, 1.8 million people were evacuated to shelters, and 18 million acres of crops were destroyed.
Some remote areas in Guizhou (贵州) are starting to run out of food, water, and medical supplies.

Worst yet to come
The snow has destroyed large areas of crops, toppled power lines and disrupted trains and trucking lines in Central (华中), Southern (华南) and East China (华东). On Feb. 2, China warns that "The most difficult period is still not over yet. The situation remains grim," quoting to the cabinet's summary of an emergency meeting to coordinate relief efforts. Weather forecast predicts that more snow, sleet, and heavy wind will hit central and eastern provinces soon.

Our little boy is in 30 degree weather, with intermittant power and limited access to what he needs to be healthy.

We are very concerned about him and

have no way to find out how he is doing.

Please, please, please keep Addison and all the children (and their nannies and foster parents who are caring for them) in your prayers.

And if you can spare a few dollars, please consider donating to the emergency fund run by Half the Sky foundation. Read more information below:

A note from Jenny Bowen, founder of Half the Sky:

Latest reports tell us that this weather is likely to continue for another 10 days. Because local governments are overwhelmed by the situation, it seems that there is, in many places, no relief beyond what we can provide. We have not been able to find news of any international relief organizations working on the ground although the China Red Cross is apparently providing some meals to stranded motorists.

Guiyang, Guizhou – UPDATE: Power is intermittant. They repeat the request for diapers and now understand that HTS has okayed the purchase.

As it is impossible to get new supplies of goods to the markets, costs of basic necessities are doubling, even tripling in some cases. We are now working with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (which has the responsibility of dealing with natural disasters nation-wide) to determine which institutions outside the HTS community need our help as well. We will continue funding the costs of basic goods until the money runs out. In answer to some of your questions:

We can’t ship the necessary diapers, blankets, clothing, food ourselves. There is no transport that can get through right now. We will continue working to find a way. In the meantime, we are wiring funds where banks remain open. Where banks are closed, we are guaranteeing reimbursement to any citizen who funds the purchase of needed goods for the children.
In every case, the institutions are calling us to state the needs, we approve, and they know they must provide us receipts for all purchases.

We’ve now placed a special “Little Mouse” button on our home page which will take you right to the fund page. If you are having problems donating online, please try again. I wantto tell you how deeply, deeply moved the orphanage directors, staff and all of us at Half the Sky are by your concern and your generosity.

A Day at the Park

2008-01-13T20:13:00.000-05:00

Above: Kate's best friends, Chloe and Abigail

QUICK UPDATE: Kate's CT scan was normal, but the eeg did show that she is having chronic seizures. The dumbass neurologist said, "she's having seizures, so here's the medication and the bloodwork to do." Um, thanks for all the information! We have an appointment with another pediatric neurologist in Orlando on February 5th to get more information and better care.

What I do know at this point is that the seizures are localized in the area of her brain most related to sensory issues, motor planning and facial muscles. Hmmmm.... Very interesting, considering Kate's issues are motor planning related, sensory related, and muscle tone related. Maybe, just maybe, we're getting close to more specific answers.....

Please keep our sweet girl in your prayers, though. She sure has a lot to deal with, but she's pretty darn tough. (And pretty damn cute, too!)

DTC!!!

2008-01-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

Our dossier has been sent to China. It was sent either Saturday or Monday -- either way, I'm thrilled!

And we also got confirmation that Addison's orphanage received the Christmas cake and package I sent for him. It was delivered Christmas Eve -- right when I was thinking about his oh-so-cute face, I like to believe.

I figure my new job will keep me plenty occupied until LOA and travel. We realistically expect to travel in June, but I am praying and hoping for May.

Back to School!

2008-01-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

After being home with Kate for over two years, I decided it was time to go back to school. Although I don't start teaching until Tuesday, tomorrow is my start day. It'll give me a chance to find out what the 9th graders have already been taught and what they most need to know.

I feel as nervous as when I first started high school back in 1984! At least I don't have to wear a green, plaid polyester skirt tomorrow with knee socks.

Although I loved Our Lady of Good Counsel, it wasn't the technology demonstration school for the county like this one is -- I cannot wait to see all the cool, geekie, technozoid toys.

More later,

Melissa

Prayer for 2008

2008-01-01T01:35:00.001-05:00

If you are hungry,
may you find what fills you.

If you are thirsty,
may your curiousity never be quenched.

If you are angry,
may your fire find the right audience.

If you are joyful,
may you remember the broken-hearted.

If you are lost,
may you find your way home.

If you are powerful,
may you shelter the damaged.

If you are confident,
may God challenge you.

If you are in despair,
may God comfort you.

If you ARE,
may God bless you.

copyright Melissa Braun

Christmas, CT Scans, Pneumonia - OH MY!

2007-12-31T18:47:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick rundown on the holidays and after. Kate currently has pneumonia and is pretty much velcroed to me, so typing time is limited. By the way, the pics are all from Christmastime -- meaning that they might not match the exact date.

CHRISTMAS EVE - Family Church Service that was absolutely incredible.

The Children's Ministry ran the show and it was a show. They had a Johnny Carson style tv show and interviewed key Christmas characters who talked about how their "role" in the holiday was to honor the baby Jesus. Very sweet and well-done. Kate was too young to "get it" but it gave me so many ideas of how to explain things each year.

When Santa showed up, kids stood on their seats and shouted out, "Hey Santa! Hey, hey, it's me." One kid piped up with "I been real good Santa." Too funny!

At the end of the service, all kids were invited up to sing and hold their glow stick candles to represent the gift of Jesus which is the "light in our hearts." Kate threw her glow stick down and picked up the gymnast ribbon that they had used in an earlier performance and communed with Jesus in her own Kate way. Then she picked her nose.

CHRISTMAS

Gifts galore, but the highlight was being with Kate, Scott and my folks. Kate's favorite gift? A singing Eeyore whose batteries we've already had to replace.

My favorite part of the day was enjoying Kate but also thinking about next year, when there would be TWO little kiddos making the holiday merry. Addison even got a t-shirt that says "Little Guy" on it and Scott got one that said "Big Guy." So sweet. Thanks, Mom!

Kate LOVES her cousin, Sebastian! Sebastian loves her too, but is not so into the pda (public displays of affection)....

DEC. 26th
My mom goes into the hospital with atrial fibrillation. She was having some real shortness of breath while she was here, but we all attributed it to the lovely red tide we're experiencing combined with allergies. On Christmas she mentioned that she has what her dog has, which is congestive heart failure. She says it rather tongue-in-cheek, so I was very surprised when she called me from the hospital. Thankfully, she was discharged yesterday and is getting appropriate treatment.

DEC. 27th
Kate goes in for a long-awaited CT scan to make sure that the "growth plates" in her head have not prematurely closed. We also have one vial of bloodwork scheduled whie she's sedated. The CT procedure was no problem. We were done in 35 minutes, including getting Kate sedated. The bloodwork? T-H-R-E-E flippin' hours of us restraining Kate (once the needle went in, the sedation went away), calling in the IV team, using warm compresses. We needed a measley 4 cc's of blood. After three hours, we had 2.5 and called it quits. They sent it in (to test for Fragile X syndrome) but don't think it will be enough. Poor baby is all bruised up.

DEC. 28th
Kate goes in for an EEG to rule out absent seizures. The tech. tries to convince me that she can get Kate to cooperate. I got with the program but thought "are you KIDDING me???" After all, Kate won't let me even put a barrette in her hair and this woman who doesn't know my child thinks she'll tolerate all these leads and wires and goo?
After 30 minutes of coaxing and Kate getting repeatedly anxious, we did it my way: I restrained her and we just got it over with. I will say that when they did the flashing lights that Kate stopped crying and was fascinated. Results on Wednesday!

DEC. 29th
Kate wakes up with a fever that goes to 104. Poor, poor baby.

DEC. 31st
Kate diagnosed with pneumonia, but it did take the pediatrician a while to make that diagnosis because whatever she was trying to hear was very faint. Since Kate hasn't been on antibiotics in nearly a year, I'm really hoping they do the trick quickly.

Despite a crazy week, the holidays were still fantastic as was the entire year. We are blessed beyond measure and hope that 2008 brings you as much joy as 2007 has brought us.

Adoption Ministry Christmas Message

2007-12-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Click on the picture to make it larger (it will appear in a new window).
This is the Christmas message we sent out as part of our
Adoption Ministry program at church.
Enjoy and hug your kiddos tight. We are all blessed.

I-171H

2007-12-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

The paper chase is OVER! We just sent our I-171H to the consulate for authentication and then they'll send it to our agency, who will compile and translate our dossier. We are officially DONE on our end -- woo hoo!!!

2007-12-21T09:10:00.000-05:00

Get Inspired - Signing Time is Going to Ghana

2007-12-20T22:00:00.001-05:00

Signing Time has partnered with Signs Of Hope International - they have created internships for Americans who know ASL to go teach the teachers. They also have a teacher incentive program, to encourage the teachers to show up to class and to learn ASL.

From Rachel's Blog:

Why Ghana?

Ghana is the size of Oregon. They have 13 schools for the deaf. Deaf children start school at the age of 5. Many are dropped off for their 3 month semester and their families never come back to pick them up. A week after the semester ends, an orphanage bus comes to get the children who have been left.

Many of the families cannot afford the tuition $83 per semester. Many families are embarrassed that their child is deaf.

The teachers have no background in Deaf Ed. They finish college and are assigned to teach at a school. Most teachers are unhappy to find they are assigned to a deaf school. They do not know the language and have no proof that these deaf children CAN be taught.

I learned about a student, Silvia that goes to a special school for the deaf in Mampong, Ghana. Apparently, Silvia was born hearing and attended the hearing schools until she was devastated by a sickness that left her deaf. A few short years later another sickness caused her to lose her sight and become blind.

Now without hearing and vision Silvia struggles to learn and progress and wants so much to be in a classroom where she can learn. I feel that Silvia deserves an opportunity to become what she hopes for!

Organizations like Signs of Hope International have found that most teachers are entering the deaf schools without proper sign language education. Because of the lack of suitable resources, deaf children are struggling to learn and progress using sign language to enhance their education.

In Ghana deaf children have extremely limited rights and opportunities compared to deaf children in the United States. Like Silvia, any students at the schools for the deaf in Ghana struggle to receive an education, and it was not too long ago that some headmasters at the high school for the deaf have finally allowed girls to attend too.

When Leah heard this, she was distraught. Her eyes were full of tears and she said, “Mom!! We have to do something!! I’m deaf and I’m a girl and if I was born in Ghana I wouldn’t have a chance!”

Leah’s Wish

While filming the last Signing Time shows we interviewed Leah and I asked her what she wants to be when she grows up. She said, “I want to be a writer and make books or a teacher for the deaf African kids that don’t know sign yet. At these schools the teachers don’t know anything about the deaf and ASL.”

Well, Leah will not have to wait until she has grown up. We have partnered with Signs Of Hope International - they have created internships for Americans who know ASL to go teach the teachers. They also have a teacher incentive program, to encourage the teachers to show up to class and to learn ASL.

We are looking to make this a yearly trip, where we can go inspire, teach and show these children the possibilities for their futures. It is our goal that on our future trips we will not only teach and inspire, but we will be building playgrounds and dormitories at these schools as well.

Adding Addison - Update

2007-12-19T07:20:00.000-05:00

Adding Addison to our family is taking longer than we had hoped, but things are moving along. All but one of our dossier documents are at the Chinese Consulate in Houston and then will be sent to our agency. We are waiting on one document to be returned from the secretary of state, which we will then send to the consulate.

We anticipate our dossier being logged in at the CCAA in China by January 15th. From there, the wait will probably look something like this:

Approximately 90 days after our log-in date, we should receive our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) that is China's way to officially match us with Addison.

About 4 - 6 weeks after LOA, we should get TA (travel approval).

We should leave for China about 2 - 4 weeks after TA.

So when do we travel? My sad guess is June, but I'm praying, praying, praying for sooner.

In the meantime, we just sent a Christmas cake to him and his foster family, along with a letter, questions to answer and two disposable cameras. Although Christmas is not celebrated everywhere in China, it is becoming popular and what kid doesn't like cake???

More news about another change in my life soon.... (Hint: I might be waiting for my son, but I'll have about 125 kiddos to call mine in January.)

Brittany's Hope Foundation

2007-12-18T17:48:00.000-05:00

Brittany's Hope Foundation is a relatively small organization with BIG impact. It seeks to find forever families for children with special needs -- especially children who are considered "difficult to place" for whatever reason.

Addison is the lucky recipient of one of their generous grants -- and it really has made a difference in our ability to adopt him. Adoption is EXPENSIVE, as many of you know, and when we saw that there was a grant attached to him, it made us really consider adopting. Before that, we were thinking about it, but just had NO IDEA how we could manage it. Brittany's Hope is a very real part in making us a family of four.

I hope that you will visit their website and check out all the great work they are doing:
http://www.brittanyshope.org/
And who knows? You may just look into the eyes of a child there and know that your home is his home or her home. You just never know....

Part of our receiving the grant is "paying it forward" and spreading the word about the great work they do. If you would like to make a donation to the foundation, whose monies go directly to finding homes for children, you can visit this site:
http://www.active.com/donate/2008WalkOfLove/BraunFamily

An excerpt from the Brittany's Hope website:
The inspiration behind the foundation
Brittany's Hope Foundation was created in January 2000 for the purpose of advocating for orphaned special needs children who are longing for the love of a family. Our foundation was inspired by our first adopted child, Brittany who we adopted when she was 12 years old.

While Brittany was home for Christmas break in January 1999, during her senior year in college, her life was tragically cut short as a result of a car accident.

She was pursuing a career in social work and hoped to help waiting children find loving families. As we reflected upon the person that Brittany was and the work that she planned to do, we remembered a conversation she shared shortly before her death. She stated she "dreamed of a world where all children know the peace and love only a family can provide."

Although Brittany was unable to pursue her dreams, we wanted to honor her life by beginning the work she intended. As a result, Brittany's Hope Foundation was born. We believe every child deserves to know the love and security only a family can provide; our foundation reflects this passion. Through our work, we advocate for children who would likely spend their lives in an orphanage as a result of a disability or simply because they are older than the more desirable infant.

Sometimes our advocacy means the difference between whether or not the child even survives, such as our heart baby cases. Although we are a small organization, we provide hope and love to children from around the world by helping them find their forever families.

It's a beautiful organization who so freely gives of its time, talent and financial resources to change the lives of children and families. Please keep them in your prayers at the holiday season and always. I'm sure they miss their daughter greatly, especially at this time of the year.

Happy Birthday to My Daddy!

2007-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

On your birthday, I want to thank you for some of what you have given to me:

Thank you for

Saturday mornings together

Dunkin Donuts

hardware store visits

letting me buy that dolly after I saved my allowance for the whole day

teaching me to ride a bike

showing me how to make a fist

opening the door so I could show that bully my fighting fists

never allowing me to talk disrespectfully about mom

showing me how to pray as a child

always keeping me in your prayers

the dogs

the cats

the lizards

the birds

the endless trips to pet stores

respecting my viewpoints

sticking up for me to your parents

camping

rv'ing

sharing banana splits

watching me walk to school

schooling me in the art of poker

and boxing

and country music

all your stories about life learned the hard way

all your jokes that always made me laugh

Thank you

for your love

affection

patience

unending support.

I am lucky to be your daughter.

I am blessed to be your friend.

You are my first and forever love, Daddy.

Your babydoll,

Missy

PS: Can't wait to see you in January!!!! Kate sends birthday wishes to her Opa and Scott sends his birthday wishes too. We all love you!

Life is Good

2007-11-20T08:25:00.000-05:00

In the midst of planning for holidays and rsvp'ing for birthday parties, I admit that I've been stressed. We're also trying to implement a special and very strict diet in the hopes that it will help Kate's issues in regards to language, lack of eye-contact, and her obsessive preoccupation with books. I've been feeling frustrated, tired and overwhelmed -- you know how it gets. We all feel it sometimes.

Fortunately, though, there are so many reminders of the sheer beauty in life, like this post on a blog that I read regularly:

http://micropreemietwins.blogspot.com/2007/11/fashion-show-speech.html

Jump on over and check it out. My favorite part:

I am not a person who believes that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes bad things just happen. What I DO believe, is that when bad things happen, we can become better people because of them. We can learn and grow from them. We can take the negativity and turn it into something positive. I am a better person because of my kids and what have gone through following their traumatic birth. I do not take life for granted. I don’t sweat the small stuff. I have learned to appreciate every step of progress they make, no matter how small it may seem. I am better able to support people who are going through similar circumstances. I am more compassionate, and a better advocate for my children’s needs than I may have been otherwise.

And I will tell you, that although we get frustrated (very, very frustrated) in dealing with Kate's issues, we also feel extremely privileged to parent a child who is not neuro-typical. Kate teaches us things that we firmly believe no other child would or could. She's got a direct line to God's joy and although we wish things were easier, we can't imagine that they would be better.

Get Smart While Giving

2007-11-17T19:40:00.000-05:00

Click on the picture to play a vocabulary game. For each word correct, ten grains of rice are donated to a Third World Country. It's a fun, addictive game and if enough people do it, it makes a difference. So far, I've gotten to level 44, but can't seem to break through any farther.... How far can you go?

TREAT!

2007-11-01T09:40:00.000-04:00

And a good time was had by all....

Kate & Abigail Playdate

2007-10-30T19:02:00.000-04:00

With only two days left until Cindy and Russ return home with Chloe, we played hard to keep Abigail distracted from missing them. We can tell that she sure wants her Mommy and Daddy home, but is handling their absence well. Kate is going Trick-or-Treating with Abby and Taylor tomorrow, so that promises to be another fun time. Hopefully it will be a cool night because all three girls have warm costumes. Stay tuned for the Halloween pics!

Above: I've got to say that this is my favorite shot of the day. I have titled it, "At Least She's Not Going Commando."

For Cindy and Russ

2007-10-30T18:14:00.000-04:00

No worries. All is well here while you are in China with Chloe....

The Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

Could she be more lovely?

2007-10-27T22:56:00.001-04:00

truly, she is
an e.e. cummings poem
only more so

Reference:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-thank-you-god-for-most-this-amazing/

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/you-shall-above-all-things/

Poo-Poo on the Potty!

2007-10-23T09:09:00.000-04:00

Poo-Poo on the Potty!

Hot diggity-dog, this is so much better than Poo-Poo in Mama's Hand!

Kate signed potty, took my hand to bring me to the potty, sat down and did her business. She was clearly distressed at first, but as things started, ahem, moving along, she started laughing and clapping. Then she jumped up and grabbed the little insert in her toddler potty so she could deposit her gift into the big potty and flush away. I'm so glad she doesn't like to "save" things like this to show Daddy at the end of the day....

Another bit of progress: Last night Kate signed potty, pulled her pants down (well, off actually -- she's more of the free spirit type) and then went all by herself and pee-pee'd in the potty. The pants issue has actually been a real obstacle as Kate's motor planning issues make it very difficult for her to pull pants down and up. Even with very loose clothing, she struggles to remember when to pull down and when to pull up. It seems so easy, but it's really not for Kate.

Woo-Hoo Kate! We are soooooo proud of you!