Anya's aide texted this picture to me today during school. She said they were working on the B sound together. Oh, my this chicky is so entertaining. I like the identical tongues. :)
The story of a lucky family that brings home a perfect girl.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Look Alike?
Anya's aide texted this picture to me today during school. She said they were working on the B sound together. Oh, my this chicky is so entertaining. I like the identical tongues. :)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
OUCH!
"What in the heck just happened?" She thought. "My throat hurts. BAD!"
Poor Anya has been through a tough ordeal this past week. On December 9th she had her tonsils and adenoids whacked. (Incidentally, this is our 3rd T&A surgery in our family in a little over a year. I'm done.)
Did you know that most kids who sport the extra chromosome have some level of sleep apnea? The reason is that they have a combination of low muscle tone and small airways. When we sleep, everything relaxes so much it's almost like our insides are paralyzed. So naturally, those small passageways get even smaller, causing an obstruction of air flow.
What happens if apnea is left untreated? The lungs can cause stress on the heart (pulmonary hypertension) and the heart has to work extra hard, causing the walls to thicken. It can eventually lead to congestive heart failure.
Our sleep doctor, Dr. Pfeffer said that it's only been in the past 10-15 years that kids with DS are monitored for sleep apnea from the time they are born. This is one of the reasons that the life expectancy of people with DS has risen to an older age. Heart problems can be prevented now at a young age, before damage can occur.
We didn't expect that Anya had this happening because she seems to sleep so soundly and she doesn't snore. But when we moved into this house last summer and Sadie started sharing a room with Anya, she noticed that her sister makes all kinds of weird noises at night and stops to catch her breath at times.
So we took her to a sleep specialist, who recommended a sleep study.
Jeremy took her for that fun night (I let him go because he sleeps better than I do) on Nov. 1. We learned that her breathing was stopping quite a bit, which put her at a moderate level of apnea. We were referred to a pediatric ENT, who said that the best line of defense was to remove the tonsils and adenoids, even though they are a normal size. The first thing we do is make more room for the air to get through. If that doesn't do the trick, then we try giving her oxygen at night. If that doesn't do it, then we go to a C-pap.
After this past week of hell...that dang surgery better have done the job.
Holy cow, it's been a rough one. Anya lost about 4 pounds. All of her 4t clothes that were tight before are hanging on her. I can feel the bones in her back. Poor pumpkin.
Although this week was really hard for our sweetie, I have to tell you about something so wonderful that has happened. I hope I can put it into words.
Last weekend, I learned that Anya didn't completely trust me. When she hurt really bad, she wanted her sister, or if she wasn't available, she wanted Daddy. But not me.
This was news to me. She's never been in pain like this before.
Talk about rejection.
I know why. It's because all of her caregivers the first five and a half years of her life were women. And these women had 11 other kids her size to take care of. Any woman that she felt attached to ended up disappearing from her life at some point or another. For her to completely trust me after only 8 months of being her mom is not realistic. Heck, she didn't even know what a mom was until now.
Luckily for us, Sadie and Daddy weren't always home. They had to go to school and work. And Anya needed comforting. A lot of comforting. So I was the next-best source. I'm totally amazed that she forgave me after all the times (every four hours on the dot) I had to literally force pain medicine and liquids down her with a syringe. I felt like I was abusing her. Seriously.
Even still, my baby girl let me in. In one week, she went from refusing my snuggles when she hurt, to finding me when I was out of sight, putting her arms up to be held, then melting right into me. It makes me weep just thinking about it. I know this probably doesn't seem like a big deal to someone who has never adopted an older child. But it was huge for me. Yet another little "thank you, here you go" from the Lord.
OK, it's 12:30 am. Time for bed! It's one week till Christmas and we have carpet coming for the basement tomorrow morning. Woo hoo! Good night.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Gift of Adoption
On this, the one year anniversary
of our first trip to meet Anya
i'm grateful for
of our first trip to meet Anya
i'm grateful for
the gift of adoption.
michelle's four new children have been home for one month.
she updated her blog this morning.
her post brought tears to my eyes
and caused me to reflect.
what a miracle it is
that we can bring in children we didn't birth
mix them in with the ones we did
and grow to love them just the same.
for some, it happens immediately
for most, it's a process that takes time.
but, as in all trials
its the process itself
that brings change and growth
and helps us to understand
the atonement of Christ
more fully.
one of the ways that Christ is our Father
is through adoption.
we become His sons and daughters
when we are adopted into the family of Christ.
how amazing
that we have the opportunity
to become just a little more like Him
by adopting the children
He knows and loves
perfectly.
i'm so very grateful for the gift of adoption.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
YES!!!!
The Grover's are now at $2,750! Thank you to everyone who donated or shared! You are all THE BEST! They will now get the matching grant they have been promised!
The winner of my drawing is Angela Braniff! I was so excited to learn that she, too is adopting! They are working hard to bring home a sweet little one from Congo. How wonderful. It warms my heart so much to see so many families reaching out to orphans around the world. I wish them many blessings in their journey.
The winner of my drawing is Angela Braniff! I was so excited to learn that she, too is adopting! They are working hard to bring home a sweet little one from Congo. How wonderful. It warms my heart so much to see so many families reaching out to orphans around the world. I wish them many blessings in their journey.
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Grover's
Today, I want to introduce you to an amazing family that I met at the Buddy Walk last month. This is the Grover Family. They live in the town just north of ours.
The Grovers stepped out in faith six months ago to adopt a sweet little boy who's blessed with Down Syndrome, from China. Like us, they didn't have children with DS when they made the decision to add him to their family. But they knew he would bless their lives. And boy were they right!
Jennifer's words: "Jacob is a “superglue” that has bonded our family in a way that only he could and we will be forever grateful that he is our son."
While they were in China at Jacob's orphanage, they learned that he had a "big brother" there, named "Michael." He protected Jacob, played with him and loved him like no one else. They were little soul mates.
When the Grover's met this boy, they felt an indescribable connection with him. After they came home, they couldn't get him off of their minds. Eventually they started praying about bringing him into their family, and the answer was to go get him.
So that's just what they are going to do!
OK, friends, are you ready for this?
I'm doing my own little give-away here. It's called the Grover Giveaway. Cute, huh? :)
There are three ways to enter:
1) Share a link to their blog on Facebook
2) Share a link to their blog on your blog
3) Donate ANY amount to their adoption fund through Paypal.
Once you do any of these things, leave a comment here on my blog and tell me what you did. You'll receive one entry in my drawing for each thing you did!
The winner will get to go to my Mary Kay web site and choose $50 in product, which will be shipped right to her door! Oh, yeah you KNOW you want it! So share and donate NOW!! I'll draw the winner on November 11.
The Grovers stepped out in faith six months ago to adopt a sweet little boy who's blessed with Down Syndrome, from China. Like us, they didn't have children with DS when they made the decision to add him to their family. But they knew he would bless their lives. And boy were they right!
Jennifer's words: "Jacob is a “superglue” that has bonded our family in a way that only he could and we will be forever grateful that he is our son."
While they were in China at Jacob's orphanage, they learned that he had a "big brother" there, named "Michael." He protected Jacob, played with him and loved him like no one else. They were little soul mates.
When the Grover's met this boy, they felt an indescribable connection with him. After they came home, they couldn't get him off of their minds. Eventually they started praying about bringing him into their family, and the answer was to go get him.
So that's just what they are going to do!
Only six short months after one adoption, this family is going for it again. I can't imagine how overwhelming it is for them to think about going through all of the *stress* so soon, especially since they still have a large amount of debt to pay off from the first adoption. The Grovers aren't comfortable asking people for donations. But Kecia and I told Jennifer at the Buddy walk that if they would put a blog together and do a fundraiser or two, they would start seeing their financial burden lifted. We just felt it! The Lord would make a way for them to go get Michael. They already have over $2,000 in their Reece's Rainbow Family Sponsorship Account! But they have still much, much more to raise.
OK, friends, are you ready for this?
I'm doing my own little give-away here. It's called the Grover Giveaway. Cute, huh? :)
There are three ways to enter:
1) Share a link to their blog on Facebook
2) Share a link to their blog on your blog
3) Donate ANY amount to their adoption fund through Paypal.
Once you do any of these things, leave a comment here on my blog and tell me what you did. You'll receive one entry in my drawing for each thing you did!
The winner will get to go to my Mary Kay web site and choose $50 in product, which will be shipped right to her door! Oh, yeah you KNOW you want it! So share and donate NOW!! I'll draw the winner on November 11.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Story of a Little Duo
Once upon a time, there was a cute one-year-old named Eli. He was the fifth child of a family who just adored him.
From the time he was born, he was active, lively and happy.
Life was wonderful for this cute boy.
When he was almost two, his mom started filling his bedroom closet with clothes.
"Hmmm..." he wondered. "Why is my closet full of foofy dresses?"
One day, his mommy went away on an airplane and she was gone for over two weeks!
Then his dad was gone for a few days, and when they came home together,
they had a little girl with them!
This little girl was a little bit bigger than him, but acted like she was right about his age. Hmmm...thought Eli. Who is she, anyway?
She gave him "knuckles" and hugged him, along with everyone else who was at the airport to greet her. Everyone made such a fuss over her! He wondered what the big deal was about her.
"Well, I'm sure she'll go home to her family soon," he thought.
When it was time to climb into the van to go home, the little girl came with them. Eli still wondered why she was with them and how long she would be there.
The next morning when Eli woke up, he saw that this little girl whom everyone called Anya, was still there, even sleeping in the same room! And the next morning, and the next one, too! He wondered if she was there to stay.
Everywhere Eli went, Anya would go, too. For the first few weeks, although he kinda liked having a built-in playmate, Eli felt really grumpy. He screamed and cried every time she played with things that he wanted to play with. For some reason, this Anya girl made him feel like he had no control over his life. She made everything unpredictable to him. Even though they started playing together more and had lots of fun, Eli screamed a lot.
He wasn't sure he liked the competition.
Well, as the weeks went by, Eli started realizing something: Anya was actually pretty fun to have around. As long as she didn't take his toys away, that is.
Eli was starting to realize that Anya was here to stay. And you know what? He kind of liked her! She provided entertainment for him all day long!
Two months after Anya came to live with them, their family moved to another house.
It took a good month for both of them to become happy kids again. It was hard adjusting to a new house so soon after a big change.
But they got through that tough time and decided all was well.
As the weeks turned in to months, Eli and Anya became, not only friends,
but in many ways, they were twins!
Hours upon hours, the two of them would play while the older children were busy doing big-kid stuff.
It didn't matter that they didn't speak the same language.
They had their own "language" they shared.
Many times, they would sit at the table, Anya would say something to Eli and point to his plate. No one else at the table could understand what she had said.
But Eli did.
The next thing you knew, Eli would say, "kay" and they would switch plates.
It made their family laugh.
Whatever Eli ate, he made sure that Anya did, too. She loved eating his leftovers, and he loved eating hers, although she would get mad when he did.
They were always aware of what was on each other's plates.
Right down to the last bite.
When they played, one of them would initiate the activity, then the other would follow along, imitating the sounds and movements that they made.
Whenever one of them would get an owie,
the other one came right over to console.
They were side by side every minute that summer.
In the stroller
in the bike trailer
watching TV
and during every activity.
Most of their play time involved at least one squabble.
Especially if some power needed to be established.
But as the weeks moved along, those squabbles became less and less frequent.
Now, Anya has been in Eli's family for six months and they are like two peas in a pod.
Kind of like a little Grandma and Grandpa.
Always aware of each other.
Many times, Anya will be in one room and Eli will be in another.
From the distance, you'll here this exchange:
Anya: LIE!
Eli: Huh?
Anya: C'mere.
Eli: Kaaay!
The next thing you hear is Eli's feet slapping against the tile, off to find his sister.
Usually she's just doing somethin' fun and she thinks he would like it, too.
Like washing the dishes,
getting into the pantry when someone forgot to shut the door
(Mom hasn't captured that one on camera yet,)
exploring Mom's makeup drawer(she's usually too unravelled to think about picture-taking when she discovers this one,)
climbing into fun places
tearing things apart (yes, that's the window screen)
or "cleaning" out the fridge.
Never is there a time when Anya goes in to do her thing in the bathroom without Eli following her. As she sits on the pot, he either plays in the sink or unravels the toilet paper for her. Sometimes Mom will be preoccupied and suddenly it hits her that they are both in the bathroom.
"Uh, oh, she repeats several times as she sprints to the bathroom door, which is usually closed.
What she almost always discovers on the other side of the door is something that needs to be cleaned up.
Whether it's toilet paper, water all over the sink and floor, or poop.
OR...(cue the Jaws music)
a combination of the three!
Oooo you little devils!
Even cleaning up after disasters is fun!
When we first decided to adopt a child who was older than our youngest, we worried (or at least I did, because that's what moms do!) about how it was going to affect our baby.
We had heard that "disrupting birth order" can be very hard.
Six months after this change has taken place in our family, this was our experience:
All children have to make adjustments when new siblings come into the picture, no matter the age.
In our case, the older children adjusted very quickly, and the only one who seemed to have a hard time was Eli, who's younger than Anya. (Bennett is, too...but only in age.)
I know two situations are never the same, but I think it's pretty safe to say that if the new sibling isn't younger (developmentally) than the youngest, you can expect some tough times. Especially in those first weeks.
But eventually, your little one learns that his new sibling isn't going to run him over, after all.
And in time he wonders how he ever got along without her.
He forgets that anything was ever any different.
and it seems that the feeling is mutual.
It warms our hearts every time we see them happily playing.
It makes all the stressful times completely worth the while.
I want to treasure these next two years with all I've got. Probably about the time that Eli starts kindergarten, he will have passed Anya up developmentally and will have different interests. He's already speaking in full sentences,where she's lucky to get one intelligible word out. That makes me sad. But I can see him teaming up with Bennett to be her protector at school in the years that follow.
Although Eli and Anya came to our family "out of order," I know that they were each meant to join us at the times that they did. They're forming a bond right now that will stay with them the rest of their lives. There's no doubt about it.
Friday, October 14, 2011
31 for 21: Beautiful to You
My friend, Katrina M. who is in the process of adopting Carlene,(Anya's friend from her baby house,) gathered some before and after pictures of children with Down Syndrome who have been rescued from orphanages and institutions in Eastern Europe. She put them all together in a video to show at the Reece's Rainbow booth at her local Buddy Walk in California. She did a great job, and the song she included (by Janice Kapp Perry) is perfect.. Enjoy!
Did you like the picture at the end with all the kids with DS surrounding Christ? The artist (who's pictures all depict Christs love for each of us as individuals) is donating 40% of her sales to Carlene's adoption fund this next week. Go here to learn more.
You know how when you're a parent, you can see the beauty in your children like no one else in the world can, and you wish that everyone your children meet would see them the way you do?
I think it's kind of like that for those who love someone who has Down Syndrome. They are in on the secret! They *get* that people with Down Syndrome are capable, gifted, fun to be with, NOT a burden... and beautiful! The problem with society is that they just aren't in on the secret. They just haven't learned it yet!
Oh how I wish that everyone in the world was in on the secret, too. If they were, there would be no need for Reece's Rainbow. At all. Because people would keep these babies!
Celine has been waiting so, so long for a family. I remember reading about her way back before we knew that Anya was the one for us.
You know how when you're a parent, you can see the beauty in your children like no one else in the world can, and you wish that everyone your children meet would see them the way you do?
I think it's kind of like that for those who love someone who has Down Syndrome. They are in on the secret! They *get* that people with Down Syndrome are capable, gifted, fun to be with, NOT a burden... and beautiful! The problem with society is that they just aren't in on the secret. They just haven't learned it yet!
I really, really hope that some time in my lifetime, the "secret" will be out. Or at least to a LOT more people.
The sad reality is that it will probably take decades for this to happen. And in the meantime, people are still giving up their babies when they learn of their diagnosis. There are thousands of children with DS in other countries who are wasting away in institutions. All because of misunderstanding.
When you look at these faces, what do you see? Can you sense any portion of the "secret" that I'm talking about?
Can you see the "after?"
Can you sense what these little souls will contribute to a family? To society?
Is there room at your dinner table for her? Maybe you can get a bigger table...
What about any of these gorgeous kids?
If adoption isn't in your cards, could you donate a little to any of their grant funds? It would make it that much more possible for someone to commit to adopt them. There are hundreds of families out there who would LOVE to bring one of these precious little souls home. It's just too overwhelming to raise all that money.
Help be the change.
If you're in on the secret, share it!
Let's all help give abandoned children with special needs a voice.
Let's help give them the chance to be in an "after" picture!
Now that's what I'm talking about!
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