Thursday, January 28, 2010

A Home for Sofia :)!

We are so excited that the Sanchez family will be joining us in the International Adoption Process :).

They have just announced that they'll be bringing beautiful Sofia home!

Please stop by their family blog and their adoption blog and check out the story of how they found Sofia and made the decision to be her forever family.



Sofia is currently living in an orphanage in the same country we will be visiting to get Alina. She will turn one on February 21st of this year. (Her birthday was initially listed as 2/21/08 on RR, but was incorrect.) She was born in 2009, which is wonderful as it means more time for early intervention and for her family to love her!

Please visit their blogs to hear the rest of the details, to shower them with good wishes, or to sponsor their adoption journey.

Friday, January 22, 2010

I Need to Buy Stock in Maybelline...

...or stop wearing mascara altogether.

I've had my moments of calm in the past month since we committed to adopt Alina, and I've also shed more tears than any other month on record. That doesn't mean that I'm not happy and hopeful, it just means that many things have touched me very deeply.

I realized recently that Alina has not only spent her whole life without a family to love her, but also that she very likely has not one earthly possession--no clothes, no pictures, no special toys of her own.

Not that it is important to have "things"--but to not have anything--well, it really puts things in perspective.

This little girl has no idea how much she is already loved. She has a bed waiting, already dressed with special, new, pretty bedding just for her. Her Grammy and Papa got her a soft toy to cuddle, and we've bought a few new velvety soft, satin-trimmed blankets to wrap her in. Cute and comfy outfits have been lovingly tucked in packing cubes to take on our journey, along with small toys and books to entertain and (hopefully) keep her attention. Russian-language lullabies played in Bridget's bedroom while she slept today, as I recorded the track numbers of songs we'll load on an iPod to bring and play for her new little sister.

Most importantly, a family--and a lifetime of love--awaits her arrival, here, half way around the world from where she was born. We'll honor her heritage, and we will cherish her. Our hearts are full of joy and hope as we prepare to bring her home.

Spring can't come soon enough.

Hot Dogs for Breakfast

...That sounds like it should be a book title :).

This morning, Bridget climbed up in the chair next to Emmy. She was just waking up, and her hair was half-covering her sleepy little face. On auto pilot, I got a cup of yogurt out of the fridge and poured her some milk. I happily set the yogurt, a spoon, and the cup of milk in front of her. She usually claps. This morning, she did not move.

Aren't you hungry?
, I asked.

She gently (but clearly) pushed the yogurt aside. She pointed to the fridge. Hot. Dog.

You want a hot dog? I asked.

In her sweetest little voice, she answered, Yes.

"Hot Dog" and "Yes" as clear as can be. She's saying "Yes" (not "Do" or "Yep") all the time now. Her emerging speech is so exciting.

So hot dogs for breakfast, it was, and yogurt for lunch!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Nadine's Family!

I'm so happy to introduce Nadia's (Nadine's) new family! The Ferguson's also have an older daughter with Down syndrome, plus two boys :). Please go check out their blog and follow their journey to get their beautiful new daughter.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Talk Talk

I've always wondered what role Down syndrome would play in Bridget's speech development. (Most children with Ds seem to have speech delays, and some are significant.)

When Bridget was an infant, she seemed to be right on track--she was babbling in many different sounds and experimenting with sounds, repeating sounds we made, etc.. She was even trying to mimic singing when she was four or five months old.

As she neared her first birthday, she did not seem to be close to saying words we could understand. And it was not for a lack of trying. She was watching our mouths closely when we talked, and she was very vocal, but not verbal.

We had been playing the Baby Bee Vocabulary Builder DVDs for her, which she was interested in watching, but which did not seem to be making a difference in her language development (acquisition, maybe, but not development).

She has always seemed like she understands most of what she hears. Bridget is very perceptive and aware. She makes connections and is able to let us know that she is following everything that is going on around her.

We started signing basic, everyday words with Bridget when she was about 10 months old. We always said and signed words together so we could encourage both ways of communicating and give her the choice to select whichever way worked best for her.

She picked up signs quickly, earlier than she could speak words that we could understand. With signs, she was able to tell us easily when she was thirsty, or tired, or mad. She told us when she wanted to take a bath, or wanted more of something. Having a way for her to communicate her needs not only helped reduce frustration (for both of us), but helped others understand just how much she was processing.

Fast forward to last summer, when Bridget was three and being evaluated for preschool placement. She was still signing, and was still vocal...but still not verbal. She had begun to say some basic words (and some were very clear). She was not, however, saying more than one word at a time for the most part. The sweet speech pathologist who evaluated Bridget thought she heard Bridget say, "where my mommy go?". While we make a point to never underestimate her, Chris and I were pretty sure Bridget did not utter that sentence.

When preschool began in the fall, Bridget had added a few more words to her spoken language repertoire, but not many. I tried to get her to say the names of her teachers, therapists and aides to no avail. She could not say her own name, either. That first week of preschool, she came home and we ate lunch together mostly in silence. I wanted to know what she did at school, whether she was happy there, and whether she'd learned anything new. But she could not tell me any of those things. I only got information if I emailed the teacher, and I didn't want to bug her every day. There were a few days that I felt a twinge of sadness about it, but that didn't last for long. Bridget seemed to be loving school, and I knew the teacher would let me know if there were any problems.

It has only been four short months since the beginning of school, and we are seeing some major progress in Bridget's speech (as well as in other areas of her development--but that is another post altogether).

I've heard other parents say that their children with Ds became much more verbal somewhere between their third and fourth birthdays, and this seems to hold true with Bridget.

She's attempting to say everything we ask her to repeat. (She also says, "SAY...cup" or "SAY...go sleep!") Last night in the bathtub, she said each of the letters of the alphabet, clearly. Today, while eating lunch, she announced, "Emmy at 'cool' (school)".

She is also answering questions appropriately, for example, the question, "Are you tired?" often gets a "NO GO SLEEP" response. Last weekend, the social worker who came for our home study asked Bridget, "Is there a show you like to watch on t.v.?" Bridget shouted, "MAX!" (Max & Ruby).

I love her new verbal skills...and her spunk. You go, Bridget.

Talk Talk

I've always wondered what role Down syndrome would play in Bridget's speech development. (Most children with Ds seem to have speech delays, and some are significant.)

When Bridget was an infant, she seemed to be right on track--she was babbling in many different sounds and experimenting with sounds, repeating sounds we made, etc.. She was even trying to mimic singing when she was four or five months old.

As she neared her first birthday, she did not seem to be close to saying words we could understand. And it was not for a lack of trying. She was watching our mouths closely when we talked, and she was very vocal, but not verbal.

We had been playing the Baby Bee Vocabulary Builder DVDs for her, which she was interested in watching, but which did not seem to be making a difference in her language development (acquisition, maybe, but not development).

She has always seemed like she understands most of what she hears. Bridget is very perceptive and aware. She makes connections and is able to let us know that she is following everything that is going on around her.

We started signing basic, everyday words with Bridget when she was about 10 months old. We always said and signed words together so we could encourage both ways of communicating and give her the choice to select whichever way worked best for her.

She picked up signs quickly, earlier than she could speak words that we could understand. With signs, she was able to tell us easily when she was thirsty, or tired, or mad. She told us when she wanted to take a bath, or wanted more of something. Having a way for her to communicate her needs not only helped reduce frustration (for both of us), but helped others understand just how much she was processing.

Fast forward to last summer, when Bridget was three and being evaluated for preschool placement. She was still signing, and was still vocal...but still not verbal. She had begun to say some basic words (and some were very clear). She was not, however, saying more than one word at a time for the most part. The sweet speech pathologist who evaluated Bridget thought she heard Bridget say, "where my mommy go?". While we make a point to never underestimate her, Chris and I were pretty sure Bridget did not utter that sentence.

When preschool began in the fall, Bridget had added a few more words to her spoken language repertoire, but not many. I tried to get her to say the names of her teachers, therapists and aides to no avail. She could not say her own name, either. That first week of preschool, she came home and we ate lunch together mostly in silence. I wanted to know what she did at school, whether she was happy there, and whether she'd learned anything new. But she could not tell me any of those things. I only got information if I emailed the teacher, and I didn't want to bug her every day. There were a few days that I felt a twinge of sadness about it, but that didn't last for long. Bridget seemed to be loving school, and I knew the teacher would let me know if there were any problems.

It has only been four short months since the beginning of school, and we are seeing some major progress in Bridget's speech (as well as in other areas of her development--but that is another post altogether).

I've heard other parents say that their children with Ds became much more verbal somewhere between their third and fourth birthdays, and this seems to hold true with Bridget.

She's attempting to say everything we ask her to repeat. (She also says, "SAY...cup" or "SAY...go sleep!") Last night in the bathtub, she said each of the letters of the alphabet, clearly. Today, while eating lunch, she announced, "Emmy at 'cool' (school)".

She is also answering questions appropriately, for example, the question, "Are you tired?" often gets a "NO GO SLEEP" response. Last weekend, the social worker who came for our home study asked Bridget, "Is there a show you like to watch on t.v.?" Bridget shouted, "MAX!" (Max & Ruby).

I love her new verbal skills...and her spunk. You go, Bridget.

Baby House 20

There are two other precious little girls from Alina's baby home who were listed with her on Reece's Rainbow.

NADINE...has a forever family as of 1/10/10 :)!!!


ANNE MARIE...is still waiting :(
Anne Marie (20)
Girl, Born November 25, 2005
I have $1075 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Here is her write-up from the Reece's Rainbow website:

Oh someone, see past this little bald head! They shaved them for the summer months! Blonde hair with dark blue eyes, this muffin needs a mama of her own! Miss Anne Marie does have a heart murmur that should be checked once home. But I can't wait to see her with her long blonde hair, and a sparkle in her beautiful blue eyes. Contact Andrea directly for more information.

I have not yet heard who has committed to Nadine, but I am waiting patiently to find out. We are so thrilled for her and hope we can meet her family!

So who is traveling with us to go get Miss Anne Marie? She will be five in November, and she is in desperate need of a family to step forward for her. There is already $1,075 in her grant fund, plus the incentive of a $12,700 tax credit (yes, that is credit, not deduction) for 2010 special needs adoptions. We are already well into our adoption process for Alina, and I promise to provide guidance and information to whoever commits to bring Anne Marie home. (We already have tons of valuable tips and suggestions, and will know even more about travel to this specific location soon.) Look at those eyes and that sweet little face...someone go get her!

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Merry Christmas, Alina!

Today is Christmas for you, Alina, and we are celebrating by mailing the first document to your country to let them know we are coming for you!

Your Daddy and I are literally running to get everything done that is being asked of us before we can travel and bring you home.

We are making progress every single day.

We are so excited to travel, to meet you and learn all about your country.

There are also lots and lots of other people here in the United States that are waiting patiently to meet you and to love you :).

You are in our hearts and plans today and all days.

Merry Christmas, sweet little one. We'll be there soon...


**Christmas in Alina's country is celebrated January 7 according to the Gregorian calendar, as in most of other Orthodox Christian countries**