Our Spring line- up

Soccer is in full swing . Which equals = 3 players, 2 fields a practice or game almost every-night of the week , soccer for most of Saturday & 2 tired parents :) But the pay off is that we have come out of our winter hibernation & are getting our bodies moving. The kids are having fun & I certainly enjoy watching them play. A little too much sometimes( as I've been told :) Adam has been coaching Zane's team which requires a little more juggling between the other 2 but I'm glad they get to spend the time together & I know Zane enjoys having his dad be THE COACH !

Vania has been tuckered out lately with all the running. She has been letting us lay her down at 8:30 or so with out needing the kids to lay down too. The weather has been nice so I've been trying to get out with the joggong stroller more often which means more naps & a less grumpy 2 year old ( & mommy )in the evenings. We have been working on re-potty training Vania. She was potty trained when we met her last June in Haiti. But after picking her up in Miami I was afraid because of the stress & new environment not to have her in pull -ups. I think that because the diaper is super absorbent she doesn't mind the " portable toilet " if you know what I mean. Although she does mind going #2 in her pull up & has only done that 1x. We started the sticker chart & she has been excited to get her stickers. She is telling me more when she has to pee pee but not quite getting the fact that I don't just want to know WHEN she's peeing but that I would prefer it go in the toilet.

We had yes ANOTHER shower Sunday. This time by our church. We have been so fortunate to have all this support & great friends. One of the coolest things was a scrap book made by a friend of Adams, Dawna, who he used to work with. It has pictures from when we first met Vania last June until we brought her home. Vania loved it & just giggled on our laps as we flipped through the pages. & of course she carried around her loot just thrilled that it was HERS !

Adam is teaching our home church this week & it never fails that we have some sort of appliances break every time he teaches. So this time it was our desk top computer & the kids cell phone! So i have more pics to share but for some reason I can't find the pictures easily on this lap top & I'm running out of time anyway. So bye for now .
Bambi

Eggs & Candy

My first Easter:)

This is hard work !

Ready to help Papa with my new bubble blower mower !

Sorry for the belated Easter post :) By the time Easter Day ended this bunny was too tired to type !

Which are how a lot of my days end . We had a great Easter & end to spring break. Awesome weather here !

Vania was a little confused about coloring the Easter Eggs. She thought I meant we were going to scramble some eggs to eat & said NO!. She was loving the scrambled eggs for breakfast, but that wore off after awhile. Once she saw the other kids coloring the eggs she caught on quickly & had a good time. Then for breakfast the next morning we discovered she likes hard boiled eggs :) Oh , and also CANDY ! She hasn't had much of a sweet tooth but... that's all I heard on Easter . Everything we asked her to do.... "CANDY?". Like okay, I'll do it if candy is involved. I'm glad we only bought a little this year . Short & sweet candy madness ! No pictures of her pretty Easter dress. It was too chaotic Easter morning & by the time we got back from church her sweet yellow dress was covered in chocolate :) Then I put a second out- fit on & it too became covered with chocolate before going to my mom's for Easter dinner. The Easter bunny can stock me up on Shout or spray & wash next year .

As I mentioned in my other post she is in this hiding phase. The night before Carson wanted to play hide the Easter eggs & find them like the Easter bunny. She did not like that game because she was sure he was stealing them :) The neighbors came over to play and she immediately went and gathered up her Easter Basket and hide it in the kitchen , along with her new bubble blower from Grandma & Grandpa :) She is so not used to having things that are HERS ONLY. She is always sure someone is trying to take her stuff. But she was glad to share her Cheeto's & animal cookies. So I think she's just a matter of teaching her the difference between sharing things that are for everyone and knowing which things are for her only. Like the toys at COSI vs. her bubble blowing lawn mover.

My next door neighbor came over and offered to braid Vania's hair. Of course I jumped at the chance. It only took her about 10 min. At first I was a little hesitant that Vania wouldn't let her.
But with Easter basket & lawn mover in hand we sat down together & she didn't make a peep.I was amazed at how fast our neighbors fingers were moving. She got her hair done lickity split. Too bad she was just visiting her mother in law for the holiday weekend. I would love to learn more from her. Hopefully she didn't mind my 20 bazillion questions about hair & comes back over to visit soon:)

I forgot to mention in my last post about Vania's Hematology appointment. They think that she may have a hemoglobin disorder. Her red- blood cells are smaller than usual , which may be why on her original medical report from Haiti they had marked that she had" sickling of cells"that should be followed up in the US. So ,they took more blood & are having it sent to a lab in Boston to determine the exact Hemoglobin disorder. The results will not change her care or really have much impact on her general health. The doctor said it is genetic & is something Vania will need to know in the future for surgery or family planning. Her iron may always be low & that will just be HER normal. She said it should not impact her having her adenoids & tonsils out. And she feels any type of blood transfusion is not necessary. All good news. She asked if Vania seemed tired all the time & I had to laugh. I wouldn't know since that is the reason she needs surgery. She has such a hard time sleeping anyway. But I'm sure having chronic low iron doesn't help.

Enjoying the sunshine !
Bambi

Spring Break...AWHHH

The Family at COSI ( Center of Science & Industry )

More COSI The favorite part for little ones. Getting wet :)
I'm glad they provide raincoats !

Yeah ! We finally moved back into our rooms !

Blogging has become so sporadic now that I need to go back & look through my pictures on the camera to see where I left off :) We are on spring break this week & it has been GREAT ! No big vacation or anything but it has been wonderful to not have anything big going on & Adam being home. We have not had any down time as a family since Vania came home. So we've done a little work finishing the girl's/boy's rooms & getting them moved back in & as we speak Adam is working on our room. The goal to get it done this week so the carpeting can get done & we can get the house back in order.

We've also had some fun taking the kids to COSI, hanging out with family, starting the soccer season ( the 3 older kids are playing, Vania thinks she is too though & wears the extra set of shin guards to practice :) , having a picnic tomorrow & of course the Easter Bunny comes this Sunday.

I have a short Vania story. Of course , this was Vania's first visit to COSI. They have an awesome little kids area with tons of stuff to do. Anyway she had decided to start taking the toys and putting them in a little hideout which I was instructed to sit in & guard I suppose,. Every time I tried to leave she would point back to the spot she wanted me to sit while she went out & found more toys to hide. Anyway this went on for awhile & then a little boy found the hideout of toys & decided he would take some out. You know she only had THREE large riding toys in there. Anyway I gave him one explaining to Vania it was okay , look you still have TWO. She looked at the boy blinked several strong blinks & grunted in disgust. I just had to turn my head & giggle. This little boy had no idea he had just been told off by this little 2 year old girl. & neither did his parents :) In Haiti blinking is a sign that someone is not happy with you. The grunt is something a little extra , I think :) I figure it could have been worse... hitting biting etc.

On the adoption side, not much is new. Our post placement appointment went well. It felt weird seeing as I always pictured having it when the adoption is final. IBESR requested a letter about Vania's adjustment & pictures which we took care of & forwarded to Wasatch. Our attorney is asking for more info for the courts as they try to figure out the adoption process for the children on Humanitarian Parole. I just long for the day when the paperwork is DONE. Please pray they would get the legalities of these Haitian adoptions sorted out & these children's adoptions finalized SOON.
Duty calls :)
Bambi

Thoughts By Carson

The Morning Milk Drinkers Club

Vania Deraval she is 2 years old she is very small she is Haitian her family knows some Creole do you know some Creole? From Carson.

Carson worked very hard on typing up these sentences this morning. At final reviewAdam explained to him that Vania's family spoke all creole (thinking he was talking about her Haitian family) & Carson was quick to correct him in saying that "dad WE are her family & we speak LITTLE creole". I think that is probably one of the most asked questions we get & my response is always we know a little Creole, enough that is to get by .He asked me to post this on my blog so he could be famous :)

Bambi

Babies & Birthdays

A GREAT big sister !

Zoe turns 10 ! Double digits baby !!!

Out for birthday dinner with her friend Emily.

BFF
Vania & cousin Kylah

This past week we got to visit my new little neice Leia. She is now 21/2 months old & truly a miracle. She was born with Gastroschisis. which is when part of the intestines form outside the body. She spent about a month and a half at Children's hospital but is now home & doing great ! She is so teeny tiny & cute. Vania absolutely loved her. She immediately wanted my sister Cory to put her on her lap , made sure she had her pacifier & hugged & kissed her over & over. We also got to take cousin kylah , Leia's older sister, to the park with us to play.Vania loves to play with Kylah. They carck me up & act like like they have been best friends FOREVER !
Zoe turned 10 last Saturday. It still is hard for me to believe she is that old. She took her friend Emily to see Alice & Wonderland & then out to dinner. It was a lot of fun watching the girls have a great "girl's night out ". Zoe is a wonderful Big sister to Vania as well as a big helper. Having an extra willing set of hands around here is always a plus:)
Vania has her first cold going on, which hasn't helped with the sleeping issues. It is so cute how she worries about her nose running. She is very good about asking for a tissue & has to use a new one EVERY time she wipes her nose :) She has her Hematology appointment on Thursday & then we have a break from doctor appointments for awhile ( knock on wood ! ) The social worker comes out next Tuesday for our post - placement visit. So please shoot an extra prayer up Tuesday morning for " Shalom in the home ". No we are not Jewish, I just like that phrase .

Vania with baby Leia

Spring Has Sprung !

Whoo Hoo !!! We have had some excellent uplifting weather this past week :) It is so refreshing to get outside.so what has been going on besides the great weather ?

We have started to completely redo the bedrooms. Everything is moved out & we have started painting & carpet is on the way. Thanks to Grandma Brenda who has been leading the effort in getting the work done. Spending time through out the week & weekend helping us paint. Thanks to my mom for letting us hang at her place to keep the kids out of harms way while painting !Hopefully this will get us just that much closer to getting the house ready to sell. Yes... we need more room ! The way the market is for now we figure we have a little time before we will be able to put our house on the market. In the meantime we will do things to improve our house in order to sell.

Vania has really been enjoying the outside. We love to take walks in the stroller & she usually falls asleep :) Double YEAH!!!!

Last Friday she had her eye appointment & all is well. Monday she started her immunizations. Yikes! She was mad about that for the rest of the day.

The whole way home she cried off & on and held her little legs :( The rest of the day her legs "wouldn't work" & she showed everyone her boo boos. But today she is fine & running & jumping around as usual .
Last Sunday we had our family shower hosted by my sister in law Julie. THANKS JULIE ! It was a ton of fun. Vania had a great time. She put on ALL of her clothes at the same time and strutted around. She kept them on & I patiently took them off & on as she needed a diaper change. UNTIL... she cried CA! CA ! MOMMY ! Then it was a race to the toilet. From then on we were only aloud to wear 1 outfit at a time.

We joined a local mom's club & have had fun meeting some other mom's & kids & going on outings. Today we toured Trader Joe's. It was alot of fun.Until...... Vania had been playing with mom's keys. So I put her in the Car seat, threw my keys to the front seat, closed the door & went to put the cart back. To my surprise when I returned my doors were locked. AWWWWWH ! Thankfully my friends from mom's group were still with us & able to call for security. Hats off to Trader Joe's too. The manager came out too make sure we were okay & waited with us until the doors were unlocked. They weren't able to get the door unlocked but were able to fish my keys off the front seat & through the crack in the door. My fear was that Vania would panic. But no, she was just smiling & waving from her seat eating the bag of dried strawberries we had just bought. WHEW!

Anyway ,I will go for now. Gotta run :)

Bambi

Life In The Fast Lane

Carson moved up a rank to Tiger at the Blue & Gold Banquet. Yeah Carson !Thank you Boy Scouts for your generous donation to Hope for little Angels of Haiti!

I love my princess nightgown & new earrings !

Thank you Tammy for my beautiful blanket!

My new favorite thing ! Trying to jump rope :)

What a week ! I'll try not to drag this post out but I'm limited on posting time so when I get A chance I throw it all out there. I'll try to hit the big parts of the week first !

We met Thursday with an adoption attorney to start Vania's domestic adoption process. The meeting went well & it feels good to lay everything out to someone who's experienced & say here's what we have help us figure this out. This is so new for everyone in the adoption arena that I think the challenge will be up to the attorneys & the courts & the rest of the powers that be to figure out how to process these children with so little info. & documentation. We are working from a small white envelope given to us when Vania was released to us in Miami our home study & any other info we could find in our filing cabinet. Our attorney said that the proof of relinquishment by Vania's mom is something she feels the judge will request. All we have is a monthly update with a check mark by " relinquishment by parent to orphanage ". Even though we know this to be true, we have no formal document. So our attorney is looking into seeing what we can get from our placing agency. All though the process is still vague for us I'm glad to have a professional to help & share the burden in figuring out all the STUFF out to get this adoption completed !I'm definitely a person who likes a checklist . And when there isn't a checklist or guidelines I am LOST !

The next thing is that we had Vania's ENT appointment Friday. That was pretty easy except for the wait . No procedures or blood draws = no crying :) Long story short her tonsils are HUGE & she will be getting them out ! She is a little anemic so they will have to wait until her iron levels stabilize. Unfortunately we have not been able to sneak her iron supplement into anything. That stuff is just gross !! So I'm going to start trying to crush a multivitamin and sneak it into chocolate pudding :) Once her iron levels are fine she will have her adenoids & tonsils out at Children's Hospital. Just a one night stay & estimated 2wks for recovery.

I also wanted to give a BIG thank you to Boy Scout Pack #277 for their donations to Hope For Little Angels of Haiti Orphanage. We were able to send Hope $200.00 this past week from collections taken up by the pack after the earthquake. Very awesome guys !!!!!

Some fun things to mention.... I finally got my Talliah Wiijahd Black Earth ( I'm sure I butchered the spelling :) products in the mail for Vania's hair ! I absolutely LOVE to play with her hair ! It is sooooo fun. Haven't a clue yet if they work better than any other hair product but it's fun experimenting :)

Adam & I took Vania to Wendy's after our attorney appointment. A very nice lady came up & asked if we had adopted her from Haiti. We replied yes & she said that she was also Haitian. Her mom had grown up in Haiti. She was born here in the U S . What was so cool was that she thanked us for adopting Vania. Little does she know that we are truly the ones blessed to have an awesome little girl joining our family but it was nice have her give us her "blessing / Acceptance " of some sorts.

I have to tell you this.. right after I got done writing this post a person 32in tall with big brown eyes came over & turned the computer off ! AHHHH :) Luckily it saved itself ! Did I mention she's FAST !!! Until next blogging time..... ( probably when she's fast asleep ) !
Bambi