Why Adopt and a Special Adoption Fund Raiser

I am highlighting an on line friends adoption fundraising efforts. I don't do this often, but if I am asked/reminded, I am more than happy to mention these vital efforts that people put forth in order to bring their children home.

Amanda is adopting 2 little ones from Ukraine- one with DS and one with FAS. She is currently doing new fundraiser give-aways each week, so check back there often to see what's new! They are also doing a fundraiser called "Miles for Misha and Mila" which is a walk-a-thon sponsorship. Go take a look :) (ongoing)

I can't begin to tell you the struggles we adoptive parents go through to bring our children home. I feel as a parent of both biological and adopted children I can fairly express my opinion. Both of my pregnancies were TERRIBLE! But, that being said I still feel it's easier than adoption. Adoption often takes longer than 9 months (usually), requires a GREAT deal of work and effort gathering every aspect of your life and opening it up to scrutiny by total strangers and costs a GREAT DEAL of money! So why do it? Why put yourself and family through the hassle and expense?! Isn't that crazy?

Well, if we are to live as Christ and attempt to grow more like Him every day, shouldn't we do as He did? Didn't Christ come to earth in human form, to suffer, die, be buried and rise again so that WE could be heirs with Him and be adopted by His Father?

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” – Ephesians 1:4-5

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” – Romans 8:15

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" Proverbs 24:12

There are other scriptures regarding adoption, but you get my drift I'm sure....THAT'S WHY!

Another Hurdle Jumped

Today I had Anah's "pre CSE" meeting with the school. This was to review what they would be recommending in the CSE meeting that we have on the 10th. After Anah's eval., I had told them what I would like for Anah, Speech therapy and a Special Ed. teacher, but hold off on Occupational therapy and Physical therapy until after the six month eval. period. At the time, I got the impression that they wanted to hold off on everything, I believe I was wrong at that time or they changed their minds since then, either way it's worked out perfect!

Anah will not have an official IEP yet since we are really just in the evaluation stages since she was environmentally deprived her entire life, has a language barrier and also DS. I was thrilled to hear this. I felt it would be too challenging and unfair to Anah to get very specific with this as she is blossoming so much each and every day and needs to be home a while before we are able to see her true potential. In six months we will do a more formal IEP, which will still be a bit premature, but needs to be done to be in compliance with state regulations, I'm totally fine with that.

They are offering her ST and SE starting after her meeting on the 10th. This is a new area for them d/t her age, such marked deprivation and her lack of any language skills. They would be willing to give her therapy at home, but would like to have her come in to school a couple times a week so she can interact with other children and also develop communication skills with others on a more child like level as well as adult level.

Before Anah came home I wanted everything at home, but now that I know her and see her needs more clearly, I truly feel she would benefit from the interaction with other children in a learning environment. They will put her in with the preschool aged children, she's still below that level at this time, but it is closer to her abilities, she's more comfortable with younger children and there are fewer children. I will stay in the room as a parent volunteer, so she will still see me and it will meet the requirements of the classroom in the child/adult ratio. I wouldn't have left her any way, she's just starting to relax a little bit when I leave her with Bob or when she's with the children in church and I'm in the nursery, both familiar comfortable environments. We will start with 1/2 hour each time and increase as the need arises.

We will re-evaluate Anah's needs every six months and adjust accordingly. I'm so VERY pleased with this outcome. We have a very small rural school district, so was unsure what would be offered to us. I have to admit they truly seem to have listened to everything I've told them about Anah, read all the forms I filled out for them, and taken her best interests to heart. That ISN'T a slam against public schools, it's just an observation that often times it is easier for school districts to put everyone into the same pot and expect the same outcomes for all, not taking into account the very specific needs of each individual child. With Anah, that has not been the case, Praise God!

I will be driving Anah to and from school, I didn't even ask about transportation since I'll be there anyway, I don't want her to ride the bus and I only live 10 mins. away. It will also be a time when Anah and I can have some one on one time, maybe do some errands, do lunch whatever. We will be doing this on Tues. and Thurs., my choice, since those are Jonathan's therapy days and he has to be home for them. Bob will stay home with Jonathan and Joey and I'll take Anah. This will leave Fridays for Homeschool Co-op and Mondays and Wednesdays for doctors appts. and other things!

I am so thankful for God's provision for my children's developmental and educational needs. I feel so blessed that I can homeschool my children, yet still get help in areas that will benefit them. Bob and I feel this is a perfect fit for us and our children and are so excited to see God bless it. We will continue to change things as we see different needs arise and are thankful that the school district in which we live is open to each child's special needs. We have known that God put us in this place, for our home, our church, our family, our friends and now we can see it for the needs of our children. It is so wonderful to see God's hand at work in our lives, and oh what sweet peace and comfort it brings!

Blessings to all...

Couple Share

I got this from one of my friends blogs, so thought I'd fill it in for Bob and I.

♥ Fill it out and let's learn about you and your better half!

♥ What are your middle names? Mine: Thomson His: Webster

♥ How long have you been together? Known each other: over 7 years. Married: Over 6 years

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
About 3 months.

♥ Who asked who out? He did.

♥Who said I love you first? I honestly don't remember, but knowing me, probably me, ;o)

♥ How old are each of you? I am 47. He is 57

♥ Who's siblings do/did you see the most? His

♥ Do you have any children together? Yes, our youngest two, one girl and one boy, but he's really the father to the other three as well. And then we have Bob's dtr. from his first marriage.

♥ What about pets?None.

♥ Did you go to the same schools? No

♥ Are you from the same hometown? No, I was born in Scotland and raised in NJ and NY, he was born and raised in PA.

♥ Who is the smartest? Depends on the subject

♥ Who is the most sensitive? Me, I cry over anything.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Other than church, I'd have to say Friendly's, we both like our ice cream sundaes.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Guatemala

♥ Who has the craziest ex? That depends on who you ask, lol, but unfortunately we have more contact with mine, so I'd say me.

♥ Who has the worst temper? I have the more frequent flare ups, but his is really something when he finally does blow!

♥ Who does the cooking? Me, but he does the dishes.

♥Who is the most social? Me

♥ Who is the neat-freak? Neither

♥ Who is the most stubborn? I'm Scottish, what do you think?lol I've been working on not being stubborn a lot more the past several years.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Me usually

♥ Where was your first date? I don't really remember, I guess it was out to dinner, I'm pretty sure for a steak

♥Who has the bigger family? He does.

♥Do you get flowers often? No, we are both too practical for that very often.

♥ Who do you spend the holidays with? My parents

♥ Who is more jealous? Neither of us, we don't have any reason to be and we don't give the other any cause.

♥ Who sings better? Him.

♥Who does/did the laundry? He does.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? For doing things on line etc, probably me, for fixing things, him.

♥ Who drives when you are together? Me, I have control issues in this area. I've worked on it for years, but it is easier if I drive, we don't stress this way.

Who picks where you go to dinner? We usually agree

♥ Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? Usually me, but he does too.

♥ Who named your pet? No pet.

♥ Who wears the pants in the relationship? Him; that's what the bible says, so that's how we live. We both learned from our mistakes in our first marriages.

♥ Who has more tattoos? Neither of us have any.

♥ Who eats more sweets? That would be me, but he's not real far behind.

♥ Who cries more? Me, the one with overactive tear ducts.

Rambling type of day

Have you ever had one of those days where your mind is flitting from one thing to another? Well, mine does that a lot, lol, but today seems especially so. I guess it's because I have a couple of stressful things this week. I KNOW I shouldn't be stressed about things, that I should just give them to the Lord, which I HAVE, but the human part of me stills gets anxious.

Today I am going to an attorney with my dtr. who is seeking a divorce. How ugly and painful is that? Sad, totally sad...enough said. I don't want to give out private painful information regarding my dtrs. life, but divorce is ALWAYS painful, whether it is justified or not. I know, been there, done that.

Wens. I have Anah's meeting at school to review her IEP before the board meeting in March. I hate conflict, so I pray that what we had discussed is actually on the IEP and that I don't have to "fight" to get things I believe Anah needs. BUT, I will and do fight for my children's best interests, that to me is part of being a good parent. Advocating in all things, at all times, for our children.

Then Friday I have court. My ex has not paid child support for our boys in two years. The child support unit has actually had him thrown in jail (for 3mos), because he owes so much and is so blatantly defiant about providing what the court asks of him. He won't even give them his tax info. (of course he doesn't file, so the IRS is after him too, but that's another story), or pay stubs or anything! I can't imagine being that defiant in court, to the legal system and to a judge! To rather go to jail than provide the required documents and pay the court ordered child support! It truly boggles my mind! Like I said, I HATE conflict, and going to court is TOTAL conflict, it makes my stomach sick just thinking about it.

So, I ask for prayer for these situations, which tear at my peace. I do know that God is in total control and knows all the outcomes since the beginning of time, but anxiety still creeps it's ugly head in. I just ask for peace, a calm spirit and heart, and for God to be glorified in all I say and do during these meetings, not for my sinful flesh to get in the way.

Blessings to all who read this and for those that don't ;o) .

Jonathan's Tubes

Jonathan had his ears cleaned out and the tube replaced in his left ear yesterday. He did very well, but they did have to do a lot of manipulation and digging due to his "extremely" narrow ear canals (per his doc), so he was understandably uncomfortable for the remainder of the day. He wouldn't let me put him down, so it made for a long tiring day for both he and Mama. Today he is back to his old self so I got to go grocery shopping and run errands solo...yippee.

All you Moms know how nice it is when you can do running around by yourself, you can actually look at things and get done that much quicker. I went to Good Will and found a set of six wooden puzzles with the knobs and a rack to put them in, all for $7! I thought that was a good price, especially with the rack to store them in. I know, I'm strange, but I love getting good deals and feel like I'm not adding to the glut of products in the world, but helping by keeping things out of the landfill. I also got a couple of books, two for homeschooling and one of kids jokes for Joey, he loves jokes!

Two days ago I got Anah a pouch of foam beads, coin size with a large pin size hole in the center of each. I gave her some plastic thread and a plastic flat tipped needle. I showed her how to put the bead on the needle and thread it down to the bottom of the thread where the knot was. I showed her ONCE, she spent the next hour putting every bead on! I was so proud of her! I wasn't sure if she had the dexterity to do it, but she sure did! What a shame that she didn't have any education before this! She has such potential! She loves drawing (scribbling) on paper. I've now started her using chalk and a chalk board, she has fun with that because she can erase it and start all over. Today she put a hair band on like a head band and has been walking around all day with it on. Her hair is sticking up every which way, she's soooo beautiful! She brings such joy to our lives, we are truly blessed. She is showing more affection to Bob and I and she is laughing and smiling so much more, it's wonderful to see her blossoming!

Valentine's Heart/Cardiac

Tomorrow Jonathan has his cardiac check up. If the whole in his heart hasn't closed they will have to put a coil in to close it. It's not as extensive as open heart surgery, they would go up through the groin, but still, surgery is surgery and the heart isn't one of those organs you can live without. So, we pray for our son's heart, that the hole will have closed, but if not, we also know that God is in control.

Jonathan also has to have surgery on his ears again on Wens. We went to the ENT doc. on Friday and she said his ears are totally occluded with wax. That might not be such a big deal for most kids, but my darling little guy has EXTREMELY narrow ear canals and it is almost impossible for them to get instruments into his canals to clean them. Even IF they can, him staying still for that length of time is almost impossible, plus they said it would be painful :o( . That means general anesthesia to get his ears cleaned. It's not just a matter of cleaning, the left tube needs replaced since it is not working, that's why he can't hear out of that ear. They may have to replace the right one while they are at it too. I pray this isn't a every six to nine month thing....ugh.

Yesterday Anah was invited to her first birthday party! As a Mom to a child with DS, I was very touched. She was invited by a girl in our homeschool co-op who also happens to be blessed with a little something extra :o) . Of course Anah didn't know what was going on, but I did and I was so happy that someone thought enough of her to invite her. I told the Mom of the birthday girl how touched and thankful I was for the invitation for Anah, she said she knew. That's how she had felt when her dtr. had received her first invitation (which had only been two years before when she was 14). She told me of all the years her dtr. had NOT received invitations to parties that her siblings had been invited to and how her dtr. did not understand why she wasn't invited to parties too. Of course it broke my heart! And this was HER first nonfamily birthday party, she was 16. It was so much fun and the girls really seemed to enjoy themselves. The other little girls were typical girls, there were 3 others besides Anah and the birthday girl, they also attend the homeschool co-op. It was really a blessing to see the acceptance that was given our girls who are blessed with a little bit extra. I know that we should accept others, but the reality is that not everyone does. I was so happy to see that three families had raised such lovely young ladies that truely shine the light of God and His unconditional love.

Praying you all had a blessed day, we did. We had our church's Valentine's Social last night. It was just adults, the children were cared for by the teens in the church annex. That in itself is a blessing, to know that our children are being cared for near by, but being able to be with other christian adults for a time of food, fun and fellowship. We are planning on having a "Fireproof" movie night at the church along with studying the devotional that goes along with it. It will be a blessing I am sure.

I must say, we have a wonderful church family. We are a small church, everyone knows everyone. If ever there is a need, all you have to do is call someone and they'll be there to help. We have service on Sunday mornings, Sunday School afterwards for all ages, Wens. night discipleship night for all ages and several other Bible studies throughout the week. There is a Thurs. night prayer night at one home and a new believers Bible study at another home, Friday night family/parenting Bible study and Sat. night different Bible study depending on need/desire. We have special events through out the year and are just blessed beyond words to have a Pastor and Leaders that are so dedicated to helping the body grow spiritually.

I'm going to add a pic of Anah at her first birthday party!

Margarita and Katerina

Katerina

Margarita

The Lord has two more angels today. Technically it was probably a week or two ago, but we just found out today. Two of our Reece's Rainbow children have gone home, no, not to the US and the family that had hoped to adopt them, but to their eternal home, with their Heavenly Father. They no longer suffer hunger and cold. They now have forgotten what loneliness and sorrow are, they are safe and loved in the Father's arms.

The lady that was in the process of adopting these little girls was no longer able, when the government changed the regulations. You see, she is a single lady and the laws changed so that only married couples could adopt. Could these little ones have lived if she were to continue with their adoptions? Only God knows. They both caught the flu in the institution they were in and died. I'm not sure if you can believe it or not, many people can't (I can), but their "Mom" prayed that if the girls couldn't get adopted before they were transferred to the adult mental institution (at age 4, which they both were) that they would go home to be with the Lord so that they would not suffer for years and years like some do. You see, only some suffer for years, most die within the first year after they are transferred. There are many countries that do not have the ability to care for children with special needs, they can barely take care of "typical" children. So when a child ages out of the baby orphanage (usually at age 4) they are transferred to the adult mental institutions. You can only imagine in your worst nightmare what life is like for them there.

That is why Reece's Rainbow came about. It was the heartfelt desire of one woman to make a difference in the lives of children with Down Syndrome, who otherwise would have no opportunity to be in a forever family that would love them. It has grown in only a couple of years and has so far found homes for over 140 special needs children (the majority with DS, but there are other children with various other special needs as well). We saw Anah on RR and had Jonathan on the family sponsorship page there, so we are a Reece's Rainbow family.

I challenge anyone who may read my blog, to go visit the site and look at the children. I can't believe anyone could go there and not come away feeling like they could/should do something. I know not everyone is able to adopt or has the desire, but there is a HUGE need for sponsoring families that are in the process of adopting or sponsoring a specific child. Adoption is VERY expensive, more than most people realize and international even more so. So the grants/sponsorships that these children get, often makes all the difference in whether they will be adopted or not. The money in the grants goes towards the child's adoption fees. It is paid to the adoption agencies for the various fees that the family incurs during the adoption process.

And if you think these grants don't matter, think again. Bob and I probably would not have chosen to go on with Anah's adoption if she did not have a large grant. Not that we didn't want to, BUT we were still in the middle of Jonathan's adoption and didn't even have all the money we needed for HIS, so certainly wouldn't have started another one at that time. However, since Anah had the grant money, and it could only be used for her adoption, we felt that we could start her adoption without taking anything away from Jonathan, or delaying his adoption any longer than it already was. We would not have felt that it was God's will if it was going to hurt Jonathan's adoption in any way. I also know of several families that could not have started, or proceeded with adoptions had there not been grant money available. So please, IF you are able and feel lead, donate to one of these beautiful children! You may literally be saving their life. And if you cannot give at this time, that's ok too, but I BEG you, please pray for all of these children. Pray that they will find their forever families soon so that we do not have to add any more children to our "Angels" page, we can add them to the "Homecoming" page instead.