One year ago today......

One year ago today, we had our first visit with the littles.  Nick was at school and the previous foster family dropped them off while they went to a dr's appointment near our home. I can vividly remember that day. They were shockingly delayed and shells of little people.   S was emaciated and looked shell-shocked and neuro damaged from first glance, A had a meek little smile and was a limp rag, barely holding his head up.  They were 22 mo and 10 mo give or take a few days. It was shocking and scary to say the least. We still like to go back and look at pictures from that day and from the subsequent visits as well as their first days here because it. is. amazing. to see the transformation that they have undergone in one year.  Amazing. Pictures don't really do them justice but I still wish I could do some then and now. Most impressive is their change in personalities.  They were just quiet and non-involved.  I remember putting them to bed early on and it was basically just quiet.  I would wonder what they were laying there thinking about; where they scared, sad, mad? I can promise you they are quiet no more.  They found their voices pretty quickly and the personalities that have emerged are just so fun and curious and adventurous and loving and on, and on.

In the last couple of months with all the "other" drama going on, I have failed to mention all the awesome moments that have frankly made the cancer pale in comparison.  S has begun to chew and will chew almost everything at least one or two times if not more.  It is the most exciting thing ever to watch....probably more of a dietitian excitement....but very cool none-the-less to know that all of the things we noticed, addressed, and treated have helped her to develop the ability to chew.  Cool stuff.
AND, not to be outdone, we have also added another walker to the ranks.  I would not say he is proficient yet but he can take unsteady walks across a room and can stand up from the middle of the floor without anything to hold.  Again, going from where they were when they got here til now has been an incredible journey to watch and be a part of on so many levels.  They have learned to be in a family, to play, to laugh, to sing, and to love.  Hopefully we have developed good healthy attachment and trust so that they can be all that God intended them to be.  We still see biomom every week and now she attends therapies as well.  She still wants to parent.  She will have court at the end of September and I believe at that session they will be making the choice whether to change the goal to adoption and termination or continue with reunification.  The littles by that point will be in state care for over 15months and by law, they need to make this determination. So hopefully, they will do something and just not add months on for her to "change".  I do believe in second chances but not when it would give the littles no chance at a normal healthy stable life. It is in God's hands for sure, there is nothing we can do except defend their cause and represent them at court if we even are allowed.  Supposedly they have a Guardian ad litem who defends for their cause but we have not heard from her or met her so that will be another post for another day because I could go on and on about how disappointed I am in that part of the process. 

I am so thankful on August 15th last year we decided to take a really big risk to foster a sibling set of littles.  I would not change one thing about the journey except maybe Abe's new love of screeching and screaming.  THAT has got to go! We continue to pray for God to allow us to love without worry and risk without fear. It's hard and there have been dark days and may be more in the future but we continue to TRUST that God has it and he is good all the time.

They Love to play with Nick so much and he has obliged them more often than not.

I love to watch them all love on each other, our best accomplishment would be to teach them all how to love God, love who He made them to be and to love each other and those he puts in their paths.  That would be successful parenting in our eyes.

Umm, only in Northern Wisconsin would there be a snowmobile safety and "how to" video at the Children's museum

We are King and Queen of the world, er, the lake!

 

He looks like a teenager in this picture, cute, but oh my!

Nick and his traditional back to school from behind pic with dad and two additions this year.  They each had to have a hand.  LOVE!

And just in case inquiring minds need to know, Radiation did not start this week, long story and not important, so I will start next Monday the 19th and I was randomized to the 6+week standard treatment.  So very ready to get going and get it over with so we can move on. Since I did get the usual longer treatment period, I do have a friend setting up the food calendar this week; so I will post a link and/or email all friends who have inquired about helping us out with food during this time.  Again, God has provided such great support thru all of our journey this summer and we are so thankful.  We continue to be grateful for prayer regarding radiation side effects. Praying for minimal side effects and maximum effectiveness.  Also continue to lift up our family as we approach the court date which could decide whether or not adoption becomes a reality for our littles. Pray that Nick takes all of this chaos in stride and is able to process it calmly and with confidence that God and his family is always for him and always by his side in all the ups and downs of life.  Thanks ahead of time for your continued support and prayers. 

Quick update - radiation therapy

It's been a crazy few weeks! With great friends and a fabulous babysitter coming in after my family left, we have survived.  I did a little kid lifting today.  not much but I just had to get back in the saddle.  It felt great to just get my little and put them where I wanted instead of waiting for someone else.  Still sore so I don't expect I will go overboard at this point and I don't enjoy the swelling and icepacks after a long day. 

Met with the Radiation Oncologist on Friday and we will start radiation therapy on the 12th.  Same week school starts.  We like to start school this way.  Last year it was the littles joining our family so why not do something equally as crazy this year although not even close to the same fun. I have not exactly signed on the dotted line of the study but probably will thus I will either be randomized to a 3 week more potent course of radiation or the standard 6 week course. So that will determine when I am done with treatments. We have no idea what the effects of the radiation will be like on me.

 Side note:  All of you that have so sweetly offered to bring us food, this is when we expect to need some relief and help (hope to get one of those online sign up things soon)

 The side effects generally seem to be anything from hardly nothing (like a little tired)  to pretty darn serious (like burns and very fatigued)  as reported from friends and family that I know that have had it.  As I told my mom, I am the only me, so who knows what it will be for me.  I know I am going to be asking everyone to pray for minimal side effects with both the radiation and hormone therapy.  I started the Tamoxifen a few weeks ago and besides feeling more overwhelmed and emotional, I haven't noticed much....not that I wouldn't feel overwhelmed and emotional anyway with all of the chaos going on. :) 

We are going to head north for a quick before school starts and because Pat needs a big ol' break vacation and I cannot wait.  Pat has been on 24/7 super duty for weeks now and I look forward to seeing him relax and get out on the lake and refresh.  He so deserves it. 

Thank you again and again for all the prayers, cards, encouragement and support you have given me over the last few weeks.  We are blessed, tired, but very blessed. :)

It's all Good.

We are one week post surgery and besides the total torture of not lifting my littles ( I still have another week to go), it's all good.  Anesthesia kicked my tush as usual and I was very sick for the remainder of the surgery day but once all of it was gone out of my system, I felt pretty good.  My underarm incision bugs me the most and it's all sore but to be expected.  I didn't take any pain meds but advil so the pain has been very minimal. So thankful. AND you cannot rest with 3 kids, enough said.

I had my post op visit with final pathology report today and all margins and lymph nodes are clear microscopically for metastasis. We are so grateful that we have had the best results possible for the situation.  I have an appointment with the radiation oncologist next week to get the radiation scheduled.  I am a candidate for a research study that gives a 3 week or 5 week radiation course so we will investigate that further because, well, we do like to help out those UK researchers (wink) so we can make it a top 20 hospital. Ideally, I would like to start radiation as soon as school starts back for Nick so we have one less child to worry about as far as childcare and schedules. I don't think it will be a problem but we shall see. While I did not expect them to recommend it, I was still relieved that we have the no Chemo affirmation because that really would have been a scheduling nightmare with all the littles' therapies and appts.  I will also start Tamoxifen therapy which is an Estrogen suppressor therapy. Because my cancer type is extremely estrogen hungry , if you suppress the estrogen, in theory, you will stop the cells from replicating....yes, please.  So that treatment is 5 years. So, all in all, best case scenario for a cancer patient. My favorite part of this journey is that I am considered "young" , as an older mom of young children, and I feel my age often after a long day,  the fact that they keep saying that I am so "young" for this cancer, and "young" this and "young" that has been good for the soul. ha!

My family has been here since the day before surgery.  We think this is quite possibly the longest time we have all been together in years. (we had just been with them for almost 2 weeks in TX  for Kazapalooza)  They all leave tomorrow, they are all so happy. ;)  I cannot tell you how organized my house is....everyone's nervous energy was to my benefit for sure. Much thanks, love and gentle side hugs go out to my Mom, Dad, Sister, Niece and Nephew (who will especially not miss screeching one year olds and Drama Llama Lou 2 year olds).  I will probably not miss all the chaos but I will definitely miss having them close by. Thank you family from all of us!

Thanks also to all of you who have sent cards and gift cards, FB well wishes, and texts.  It's overwhelming and just plain sweet to get so much love.  I feel so blessed to know and love so many great people all over the country and here in our town.  God is faithful.  We are being sustained and encouraged by God's love and strength and from all the care, concern, and unsweet tea that is lavished upon us daily from all of you.  Love and gentle side hugs! It's all good. Praise God!

Can I trust God for Anything in Everything?

8 or so years ago when we decided to leave our fertility up to God and “just adopt”, we could have never ever ever in a million years known what kind of journey we had ahead of us.  We recently watched our wedding video at my parent’s house and I sat there and wondered, wow, what a life we’ve had in 10 years so far…..for better , worse, sickness, health….I think that we already covered it all in just 10 years, what in the world will the next 40 bring?

Trusting God …….that seems to be the theme of it all.  Hopping on a plane 6 ½ years ago to a land we had only recently discovered to adopt a child, boy?, girl?, age negotiable? Siblings?  We thought we would bring home an infant, we came home with a 3 year old. We heard God saying loudly in Kaz, take this 3 year old as your very own sweet son, Trust me.  So we did, and thru all the ups and many many downs, we have never doubted once that Nicholas Carmon was the son He chose for us to parent.  But, trust has not come easy because the journey hasn’t been easy. We have felt helpless, confused, and frustrated but mixed in the middle is a knowing that God has a plan, so trust springs forth as we have learned more of who He is thru the process of parenting a child who lacks trust. Somehow in grace, we see more of God because we see how He can love us so much even when we struggle to trust Him.  It is always amazing to me the parallels in the Christian life and adoption.  We see the grace, the unconditional determination and love of a Father for his children; children that are angry, lash out, scream and continually push away. He never falters (we do, but He doesn’t) and somehow that gives us hope and boosts our trust in Him, because He gets it, He gets parenting kids that hurt, and don’t believe, and underneath it all, just feel lost. So thankful for this insight and thankful that we chose to Trust His ways and not ours.

When our Ecuador adoption process stalled completely and we were contemplating walking away, again, there was the question of Trusting in anything.  We thought we had gone the correct course, we paid lots of hard earned money, and now we were feeling led out of the process.  How could this be?, why would God let us lose so much money?  We kept hearing, I will provide, it’s all mine anyway, I have a plan, Trust me with this for now.  So we did, we walked away. Soon after, timing (or rather God’s timing) was finally right for us to take the state classes for foster/adoption thru the state and we decided to risk our hearts and our efforts on the unknown once again.  So we “said’ that we want older children, preferably non-Caucasian and adopt only status.  We didn’t want to foster and risk our hearts THAT much.  Yes, as you know, that worked out exactly how we expected, 2 babies as white as can be and foster status with reunification with parent as the goal still. Again, we heard Do your REALLY trust me with Anything? Do you really? We had to say yes, we had to. Parenting these littles has been nothing short of watching miracles. They have changed so much from 10 months ago, so much that I hardly remember the early days. God is teaching us to trust Him daily for this particular journey. The future is unsure, we do not know anything at this point except that they are a part of our family today and this unsure status has been equally hard.  Trusting has been hard for me especially. Because of Nick’s trust issues, I fear the same will happen to the littles if they are jostled back and forth in an insecure environment. How can going back to their biomom be the best mentally for them, how? He says to me daily, sometimes hourly, trust me, I got this too and I love them more than you can imagine.  So, we feebly but maybe a bit more confidently trust again.  I read somewhere that in our faith journey this is called imperfect progress.

I’d say ‘not so controlled’ Chaos would describe the last few months for us.  End of school usual stuff combined with a particularly hard cycle of behavior for Nick, court reviews for biomom, teething, therapies non-stop, and looming Kazapalooza crunch time were all creating one of those times where you think you just might crack if one more thing is added. Yet, in the midst, we were studying in BSF the book of Genesis where the great patriarchs of our faith were tested. They were asked to build a boat without ever having seen water, to GO without knowing where, to risk losing a promised child, to forgive themselves and others even when they failed, and to trust in Him and not their seemingly insurmountable and unjust circumstances. Would you call it coincidence that we were studying this now, right in the midst of our chaos? How could we? God provides exactly what we need to be able to proceed in the journey he has called us to. So at each breaking point, it seemed we always had a hope builder, a glimpse of God’s goodness, a shared journey with like-minded friends, a perfectly timed sermon and on and on. God was good to show himself to us when we most needed Him. 

So……. it somehow was not a shock and not earth shattering when the nurse called about 5 weeks ago and said your biopsy results are not good, I’m sorry but you have breast cancer. I would say my first response after I hung up the phone in my head was really? Now God, really?  I think I would have crumbled to the floor at that point had God not known that right then, immediately, I just needed a sign that He was in control, and He provided.  Not five seconds after I hung up the phone, Pat texted me and said “Any news on your test results.  I immediately texted him back and said “How did you know? It’s not benign.” And somehow in that moment, my confidence in the God who made me and has plans for me,  the creator of all things grew leaps and bounds and if He can orchestrate a simple timely text at the precise minute that I hang up to show me that He’s got it. He’s with me, and He’s in control….then what else can I do but Trust Him with anything in everything that has to do with this new journey.   We certainly do not celebrate this journey with dancing and tambourines (those Israelites got it going on!) but we ARE able to see God in the journey, we have joy in the everyday things in our life and feel thankful and blessed.... but honestly, there is some frustration at the timing and fear of the unknown creeps up when you least expect it. We truly have learned (because God had already prepared us in the last 6 years) that he gives each day what we need and we will be thankful for the good days as well as the not so good days because they are what make us who we are and they are what reflect God’s sovereignty and goodness in our lives.  Nothing separates us from his love, nothing. Not our hardships, not our failures, not our lack of faith and trust, not our shaking our fist at him, not our anger, nothing but unbelief can separate…..and we BELIEVE that He has a plan, he has a purpose in all of this and we feel his love, and his presence in so many tangible ways. 

 As we have told people over the last few weeks, many of you (family and friends) have been His tangible love.  We are so thankful and so grateful.  From my Kazapalooza teammates who having stressful lives of their own, without hesitation saying  "stop now, give us your stuff to handle", to filing and cleaning up months and cough, cough years of paper messes and helping me organize before treatments, to special girlfriend dates from longtime friends, to prayers and more prayers, and finally our families who pray and  have been willing to drop everything to help us out during surgery and recovery.  God has showed up in the care of the kids by giving us some medical/therapy help with Nick that has provided relief and more good days than bad and the littles have been just recently spoiled and loved on by my parents and sister and family so they were not “strangers” when they arrived this weekend and their comfort level is more secure. 

As far as my cancer, it’s early, first stage, found in a routine/yearly mammogram (all you over 40’s chickas, get it done!!). My surgeon is confident that a lumpectomy and routine radiation will be the best course of treatment for now.  Surgery is tomorrow/Monday and we will know more once the after surgery pathology report is finished.  I’m ready to get it over with and ready to have a plan….that is the control freak sneaking out of me, I know, you would think I would have learned by now.  But, whatever the future holds, I know who holds it, and who has my best interest and my best possible plan in his hands. So, I’m good, I really am.  Kazapalooza is over and it was really wonderful. Our support system is showing up in spades and overwhelming us with love. The big kid and littles are doing well which is an answer to prayer already and I have my awesome husband by my side, he has been nothing short of perfectly wonderful thru this whole thing…….he should get some kind of purple heart or something for the last 10 years.  Love him so much.  So, what more could a girl ask for besides a little cancer weight loss, come on, a girl can dream, cant she?…..and a good night’s sleep, they tell me that’s what surgery is good for….so there you go, my life in one really long blog post. I wasn’t sure I was going to put it out there on the web but then, I don’t feel like it’s my story to protect, I feel like it’s my story to testify….to testify of God’s existence, His goodness, His mercy and His unfailing love for me.  I write this as a journal of sorts for me but also to let the rest of you in on what God is doing and is going to do. How can I not share?

As far as prayer requests……

Please pray for Pat, Nick and the littles, for my family here taking care of us, and for the family that is not here but wanting to be. It’s never easy to hear the word cancer in relation to a close family member, it’s happened to me several times so I know. Pray for peace and comfort along with endurance and a sense of humor about all the chaos. Pray against fear, insecurity and worry especially for the kids as things will be a little off for the next few weeks since I cannot lift, wrestle, swing, etc.  Pray for Pat and the burden of being the husband, dad and provider in these coming weeks. Lots on his shoulders, Pray that he lays it at the feet of the one who can bear it for him.

Pray for my surgeon Dr. Wright and my Oncologist Dr. Remond.  Pray for best surgery outcome with minimal recovery and wisdom over the treatments.  Pray for all involved in the surgery to be of clear mind and thought, undistracted and on their best game. ;)

Pray for my healing and recovery.  Rest is hard for me, really hard.  Pray that the cancer is as we say in Ky, a one and done deal. Pray that treatment will be the best option for me and for the family. Pray for the fear that does occasionally creep in at night….you know that rest thing….and it mostly concerns the kids so pray that I will continue to daily trust that God knows them just as well as I do and pray that I will continue to surrender them to Him.

 

If you made it to the bottom, Many thanks to all of you for the love and support ahead of time.  If you know me well, you know I despise being the center of attention, hate it.  I could have done all of this without telling a soul (well probably Pat) but what I do know from getting older is that allowing people to serve you and love on you is God's way of using them and working thru them and I don't have a right to control  that or hinder it.....so I'll just be blessed by it and thank God for all of you.  Much Love!

10 years ago on May 4th.......

 It's 10:10 as I start this post, ironic, huh. It's our 10th Anniversary today.  10 years as an old married couple.  As I went back thru pictures I am amazed at how young we look, we were not spring chickens.  I was about to be 36 a few days after our wedding and Pat was about to be 39, 3 days after that......but we were so excited about the years ahead.  So excited to see what in the world God had planned by bringing a Missouri girl and a Wisconsin boy together in Ky for heaven's sake. You could tell we were not true Kentuckians as we planned our wedding on Derby weekend....what in the world! ;) I wanted to get married in March initially and I so would have planned it on NCAA championship weekend....we are rebels like that. What an adventure we have had in these short 10 years. 

 



Our engagement Picture



BEST DAY EVER! May 4, 2003

3 years later God led us to Kazakhstan to start our family.  We had never heard of this country before our adoption. After travelling half way around the world, we met two almost 3 year olds and knew by a significant sign from the Lord that Nick was the one that He had for us.  Now, 6 years later, he has gone from a scared and mad little boy to a handsome, funny, creative, lovable 9 year old....who is sometimes still a scared mad little boy.  It has been the most rewarding, heart wrenching, joy-filled, character building, God depending journey that we have every been on and continue to be on. I cannot imagine walking this path with anyone else but my husband.  He is the best team player I could have asked for and we have worked hard to be Team Kitzman for Nick and we will continue to do what God has us do to help him be successful and fulfill all that God has purposed him to do in this life. Love this boy!



Nick at 3

Nick at almost nine



And that brings us to the present.  If you think God doesn't have a fun sense of humor, just try planning out your life..even if just a little bit.  We thought we were being so flexible and generous by giving our DCS workers broad categories for our next children...we were going against the popular choices and stating strongly that we wanted non-Caucasian, older, adoptable children....SO, God provided  a Caucasian, foster infant/toddler sibling set for us. ha! ha! ha!    We will never doubt that God doesn't know exactly what you need because The Littles have been exactly what we needed.  They have brought Joy, aching muscles, sleepless nights, and endless laughter potential.  Nick loves them, we love them, with all our hearts.  In many ways, they brought healing and hope to all three of us. Nick is adored by these two, he is THE big man on campus to them. Sure, there has been jealousy and concern over being displaced but overall, he has enjoyed their addition to our family.  Fostering is not for the faint of heart.  We thought adoption was hard til we experienced this last 8 months.  Putting your heart out there, risking everything to love children that may never be a part of your forever family is tough.  Living Daily has become our couple mantra. God has been faithful to comfort and strengthen us when we have needed it most.  Again, no other partner would have walked by my side, wiped my tears, watched me fail, cheered me on and loved me unconditionally like my husband. 







Always into something together

Little behinds that always make me a little behind!

 

Always Always Always want to go outside

I marveled over my blessing of a husband one night a few weeks ago when we were weary from some hard weeks and "Abe" was having a middle of the night absolute fit...over teeth, tummy ache, who knows what, but he was mad, you couldn't hold him, you couldn't put him down....you parents know the kind of fit. I had taken him downstairs so Pat could try and get some sleep.  I was sitting on the couch wrestling with the baby and Pat came down and sat next to me to ask what he could do, so we sat there while the screaming continued and something about the fit, the way he was crying just got us giggling, I mean we were laughing uncontrollably at the craziness of our lives, probably a release of lots of stress and angst, there were tears...tears from laughing so hard!......and next thing we knew, Abe had calmed down, looking at us like we were crazy and the sweetest little smile came across his face and he was good and so were we. 

 

We have always joked about having 50 years to go with an option for 50 more.  We are at 40 more now, with an option for more.  Who knows what God has for us in the next weeks, months, or years.  I simply cannot think of doing it with anyone else but Patrick. I had big plans for our tenth anniversary....a trip to some mountain cabin or perhaps a tropical island but instead spent the earlier part of the day with dear friends and then shared a DQ blizzard and watched a dvr'd NCIS LA.  It was just as sweet as the days we did this when dating....although we probably are a bit more tired.  I figure a nice long trip will come one of these days but for now our family dynamics have us home and we are good.  Our partnership was definitely a gift from God.  He alone knew that we would work together well and that we could fail often, doubt our abilities daily and still find a way to seek Him and follow Him on this journey...that alone is a triumph ....but you cannot for one second gaze into their rooms where they are sleeping peacefully and doubt that this was what we were meant to do ...together, side by side for as long as God will have us do it.  We love watching Him at work, healing, restoring, blossoming these three, each and every day. It is so hard but it is SO amazing and at the end of the day, its what keeps us going. The hope in what God is doing in and thru us keeps us on the path that He has made for us so we walk it, together.  We have been greatly blessed in these 10 years and I am so thankful to have the hope of a long life lived with the best husband ever and the funniest cutest trio of miniature people ever!

 

HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY to the best and most wonderful husband this girl could ask for....

 

Better catch up before the world ends......

Almost 4 months, I can hardly believe that the littles have been here that long.  They are amazing.  I think that I have been hesitant to post because words and the lack of really good pictures just doesn't capture their transformation. 

Big bro has captured their hearts completely.  They light up when he enters.  Picking him up at the bus stop is a highlight of the day.  The other highlight is when papa comes home from work. Sarah hears the car door and crawls over to the door and waits.  Cutest thing ever.

It's interesting to me that the comments that I hear most besides "are they twins" is "wow, they look like they could be yours" (especially Sarah) and "you seem so calm and peaceful".  We still are amazed at how well the littles have fit in and given our family a new normal that has brought lots of laughs, giggles and increased volume.  We do feel at peace and that is totally a God thing considering babies were NOT on our radar. It all feels right and we find that this is very comforting even in the not knowing.

So where are we 4 months in.....

Sarah - has physical therapy once a week, new orthotics to position her feet, still not walking but getting closer, picks up new words and expressions every day, she is gifted in parroting her big brother....it leaves us in stitches, had a feeding eval done and she does not chew but sucks nearly all her food down....this is a problem....but we are working on it, had an OT eval and she has some sensory deficits but already improving but can explain some of the chewing issues, she has her own dietitian (besides me-ha!) and she is gaining wt....we broke the 20lb mark last month, she loves to sing and we can almost catch a few words now and then, she is starting to get interested in books and likes her papa to read to her, she just might be our athlete as she loves anything resembling a ball and knows what to do with them, and most days, she can be found with a car in her hand or a pencil/crayon and paper.  Incredible to read this list when just 4 months ago, she barely uttered a sound, appeared sickly, weak and distant and had poor eye contact.  Her eyes sparkle and she has spunk....and well she is a bit stubborn.  She appears to be leaning on the diva side of girlhood and oohs and ahhs when new clothes appear or she sees something that catches her eye.  She loves her bows and tolerates my love of hair fixin'.  She has an evil laugh and a half scream/half squeal that can make your spine curl....these can be even more entertaining considering she does not have her two front teeth.  Think cute toddler vampire with piggie tails or moderate bow.....She turned two since I last posted and we celebrated with cake and balloons.  She was kind of oblivious to the whole thing but I sure liked her cake!

Abe - has physical therapy also and has made the most strides physically out of the two.  He has gone from a cute slugbug that lounged on the floor to an octopus with seemingly 8 arms and legs all trying to move at once to get him where he wants to go.  He has gone from occasionally rolling over to sitting up on his own and standing up although he cannot quite hold on by himself or get to standing without help.  Army crawling is how he gets around now and he gets extremely frustrated when he wants to be somewhere quickly like his sis and can't do it yet. He is definitely at/or around the 6 mo age developmentally.  In the last few weeks, he has made great strides in interacting with us.  He responds and reacts to most anything now where before he could seemingly just shut down and you kind of just saw a shadow of a boy.  He has the greatest smiles ever and his belly chuckle makes us laugh every time.  He eats like a champ and will most likely be my best eater.  I can get him to eat any veggie or fruit that I put in front of him.  Hallelujah, finally!  Nick and Sarah are the eater thorns in my dietitian side. ;)  Abe is a monkey of sorts and tries to use his feet to pick up toys, play catch with the ball and mess with his sister.  He frustrates the therapist because he prefers to use his feet for things she would prefer him to use his hands.  We are wondering if he is a little sensory sensitive in his hands.  Teething is his main activity now.  Popped 4 in the last month and a few more may be on their way. He and his sissy are starting to play together more and I could just sit and watch them play all day.....but then there is the laundry, the laundry, oh, and more laundry. He turned one this month and we had a cupcake feast which he tentatively started and then whole-heartedly finished.  Appropriate mess accomplished.  He is a cuddle bug and a delight to be around.....charm is his middle name and his eyes will be his girl-melter feature. He is simply a joy to parent.

Nick continues to make us proud in his big brother roll.  He still has his Nick moments or days but for the most part he has embraced the littles and considers them his family.  He continues to have dad/son time when they go to BSF on mondays and he really enjoys dad taking him to school everyday. I really enjoy this too.  I have had to do drop off duty twice this year and it is hard. I am so thankful for Pat's willingness to adjust his schedule so me and the littles do not have to go out at 715 in the morning. Nick is anxiously awaiting Christmas and a visit to TX. He continues to grow so stinkin tall.  It won't be long before he catches me.  He laments because he is not the center of attention anymore and that more is made of the littles when we are out and he is just "chopped liver".  It's true I guess but he along with millions of other siblings have had to come to their 'its not all about me' moment and they have survived. His creative side is still flourishing.  He draws and draws and draws.....he's filled many a spiral this year. He continues with his attachment counselor and Occupational therapist.  It has been most special to see his love for and interaction with the littles because that is when we know that all the hard work and rough days have given him the ability to function well in a family and that is worth everything.

We were able to introduce the littles to the fall leaf pile and Sarah in particular loved it.  She had a fit when we took her out.  She loves the outdoors and apparently loves leaf piles!

 

Happy First Birthday little guy! He was so happy after giving the cupcake a try....chocolate is good!

 

Nick can usually be found messing with Sarah and here we were trying to get a shot of her first pigtails and he wanted to be in the picture.  It actually turned out cute if not a little dark.

 

 

I doubt we will do Christmas cards this year, maybe New Years, or better yet Valentine's.  So if you don't get one, don't kick us off your list; All good things come to those who wait, and wait, and perhaps wait.  We wish everyone a great holiday month and Praise God for our family and most of all the birth of His son so long ago in a manger.  Merry Christmas to all.....and say a little prayer for us as we will be travelling with the littles, in the van, for hours and hours, and hours.  We were blessed with an excellent traveller in Nick....let's pray for similar blessings in Abe and Sarah. :) love to all.

An outfit finds it owner.......

6 years ago this month, I probably went shopping at Old Navy for an outfit or two for our new "baby".  We had submitted all our paperwork for Kaz and things were moving fast.  A few months later, we would pack up all our baby things and head to the middle of nowhere Kazakhstan to meet our sweet little baby......oh wait, he wasn't a baby, was he? :)  So we gave away most of the baby things to the orphanage but I saved a few things....for the future.  Fast forward a few years, the future seemed to be headed to additional older children , not a baby, and a good Kazmom friend was having a baby, a son, who most likely would (and did) look adorable in the outfit I had been saving.  So I sent it to her with my blessing to enjoy and send a picture......Julie, we need to post the picture, I have no idea where that email went or did you send me a hard copy? :)  So, Josh grew out of it and she sent it back....just in case. I lost track of it and hadn't even remembered it until Julie reminded me when the littles came to live with us. Then, I thought I had donated it until last week when I was looking for some new pajamas I had bought Nick ...........Guess who it fits perfectly.....Abe is rockin the forest animals.  It's just an outfit but it represents so much more to me.  God has a plan, He has always had a plan, He is faithful to complete it. I am so glad I can have faith and trust in a God who cares about the details.... even a little moose and racoon outfit.  AND, you know what else is sooo special about this picture? A certain someone is sitting up without assistance after barely being able to hold his head up for any length of time, I think his smile says it all.  :)

 

 So that "baby" from Kaz is looking way too big these days especially when he wants to wear his tie to church. Stop getting so big.  He still likes to sit in our laps in the rocker and he has to like fold himself up to fit.  Where oh where has my little boy gone......

 

 

 

Duh, Duh, Duuuuuh! It's the Green Arrow......ok, yes, he still has lots of "boy" left in him....especially when it comes to creative play....the boy loves to be in character. 

 

 

A quick update - we have had some sickies in the house.  Everyone is on the mend and we are getting better sleep at night.  The littles are just changing so much everyday.  I have been really busy doing therapy visits, biomom visits and dr. visits. We are going to take Sarah to our private OT even though she is getting some therapy from first steps.  We want a good sensory evaluation so that we will know what else that we can be working on with her. She is our music lover and cannot be contained when hearing any type of music.  Her head starts bobbing and she has her own version of humming and singing. Adorable! Wheels on the Bus is a favorite right now as well as If you're happy and you know it. We have an actor, now a singer, surely, Abe will give us some sport satisfaction. He is built like a linebacker after all.  

 

Sarah gained about one and a half pounds at last check.  We celebrated. This failure to thrive thing is for the birds. She is a tough cookie.  She has regressed some in her chewing.  She prefers pureed and liquid so has just stopped eating any of the stuff she was eating when she first moved in.  Part of me thinks it is a bit of control stuff going on but the OT and Speech therapist are aware that we are having difficulty....any other Speech people have any ideas on how to re-introduce chewing?? She will not chew at all that I can tell.  She bites but then just moves it around and swallows. Other than her eating, she is changing leaps and bounds.  Her communication skills are daily improving.....and she is so expressive now.  She had us all laughing so hard that I was crying because she was doing this evil, maniacal laugh at the table the other night.  I also have her video taped having a terrible two fit.  HILARIOUS.  We could so win on America's funniest videos.....If we get to adopt some day, maybe I'll submit it. :)

 

Abe has the big sitting milestone under his belt now....so, it's on to standing and pushing up on his legs.  He still would rather not. He is teething like crazy and has been a bit fussier than usual but ALWAYS wakes up smiling and charming.  Can't imagine a better way to wake up. 

 

Nick continues to do well with the littles and makes us laugh as well.  He used "bewildered" in a sentence today, wah?  He is really getting used to the babies being here and has not talked about us loving them more very much lately.  I think it is sinking in that we can love them all.  He fights for attention now and then but so does Sarah. She gets so jealous of Abe.  I think for the most part, he is having normal sibling adjustment.  Very thankful!

 

I will leave you with my favorite picture of the week.  Sarah found my small clock that I used for staying on time in my bible study group last year.  I have NO IDEA how she could think this was a smart phone.  She even moved her fingers like she was texting.  It was hilarious.  Gotta watch this girl, she doesn't miss a thing.  I wish I could blame this on papa but he doesn't even use a cell phone except for emergencies....stink! ;)