Haitian Playdate State Side

Last night Vania & I had a great opprotunity to meet with three other mothers & their new daughters who just arrived from Haiti. You could call it our first Haitian play date here in the USA. We were so fortunate when we traveled to Haiti to have a great group of parents & kids to hang with at the hotel. It is definitely something we miss. Fortunately God is always faithful & has given us a new group of friends to get to know here locally. I am super excited to get to know them & share the unique journey and common bond of adopting from Haiti.
Bambi

Happy Mother's Day

And then there were 4

Happy Mother's Day 2010!

Why ?

This is Vania's new fav word for the last couple days . I have to say I'm a little tired of trying to explain " why " every time, but she's so darn cute when she says it. Her English is really coming along. She says a lot of 2-3 word phrases. Another favorite is "Just a second . " Which apparently I must say a lot:)It's her new favorite phrase when you are asking her to do something like... please unlock the bathroom door Vania. " Just a second" her little voice squeaks out :) Too cute.
She is also eating like a horse ! Loving the spaghetti & sloppy joes . The 2 yr old is giving her brothers & sister a run for their money in the food department. I find myself repeating "if she can finish, so can you " almost every meal time..I'm hoping she will start putting on some weight. She is growing up but not out.
We also had some friends give Vania a tricycle. She was a litle frustrated at first. But practice makes perfect. She is zooming now. I just can't get the song from the wizard of Oz out of my head... you know the one where the mean lady is haulin' tail on her bike with the little dog. Because Vania is all buisness when she gets the wheels moving :)
I can't believe she has already been here 3 months. Time is flying by & she grows up a little more every day.I'm glad she's here so we can catch every minute. We were at the orthodontist again today & one of the ladies said " WOW she has really blossomed " & That she has. She is one healthy happy little girl.

One Week

Ready to go on the fridge !

It has been 1 week since Vania's surgery . She is doing great ! Her appetite started to come back yesterday & she has been way more active & giggly the past 2 days. The hard part has been weaning her off her staples of potato chips, 7-up , popsicles & Ramen Noodles that she has been living on. And getting her back on track from the pampered princess program :)
I am so relieved to see her running around and full of energy. Part of me wondered before surgery ... " Is this necessary ?" But After what they found& the difference in breathing now, I'm sure it was. I layed her down for a nap yesterday & questioned whether she was asleep or not because I couldn't hear her breathing . The swelling & drainage are really clearing out so her breathing is relaxed & quiet. What a blessing. The snoring before just made me cringe to think how difficult it must be to get any rest or for that matter any air. If I laid beside her I would constantly be repositioning her trying to relax her breathing.. Well no more of that. Sleep well my little angel. The flood gates have been opened !
Bambi

Big Brother Turns 7

2 Babies ! That was our new normal for awhile . & some days it still is. My youngest boy and my youngest girl.
Carson has had the roughest time of all 3 kids adjusting to his new little sister. He did not like being ousted from his throne of being the baby. So when people would tell him he's not the baby anymore, I would just say..... I can have 2 babies :)Which it has definitely been like at times these first 2 1/2 months.
He has been slowly adjusting to sharing his toys, his house & his parents attention. But Now they are both playing together more than competing & whether Carson realizes it or not , he is becoming a great big brother! He just needed a little time.
So today my little man turned 7 yrs. old. It's hard to believe.
As much as i like seeing you be the BIG brother Carson, Don't grow -up too fast ! We both need a little time :)Happy Birthday !!!! We love you !

Surgery

Guest Blogger:

Hey, Adam here. Just wanted to drop a quick note regarding Vania's surgery. It went fine. In and out...so to speak! The Doctor said that her tonsils were so big (all together now: "how big were they") that they were nearly touching the uvula (or, that thing that hangs in the back of your mouth for those of us that can't pronounce "uvula"). He also said that her adenoids were blocking nearly 70% of her nasal passages - something like that.

That's a relief to know that her airway will be clearer now. Maybe she'll get some better sleep now!

Later - and thanks for all of the prayers!

Open Wide

Not to much to report this week ! Just another busy week where I couldn't really point to exactly why it was busy , I just know it was :)

Zane got his braces on last week. The first few days his teeth were very tender and had trouble eating due to his palate expander, but he has adapted . Adam & I laugh because he takes better care of his teeth NOW than he ever had before.After 11 1/2 years no need for reminders or tooth checks. He is the master of brushing and flossing ( for now :) You know, It only took 5,000 dollars worth of braces to get him motivated :)

Vania has her tonsils & adenoids removed tomorrow. Please pray for her. I expect the surgery to be pretty routine. Hope the doctors have that extra cup of coffee in the morning. I am a little worried about her being anxious waking up in the hospital attached to an I.V etc.Please pray that God would just calm her anxious heart , or keep her somewhat sedated :) We are supposed to being staying over night but I am praying she would being doing so well that we would be released tomorrow evening. I'm sure she can rest better at home, but I understand the precautions they are taking.

Not too much new on the adoption process. We are still working on getting what the judge needs to process her case. If any one would like to share their adoption process after the quake that would be great ! You can e-mail us or leave a comment here.

It sounds like there are a lot of new positive changes coming to Hope for little Angels of Haiti. You can read the updates on our friend Lori's blog !

I'm also still working the hair. Trying different styles and products . so if you have any feedback on favorite products or styles I'd love to hear them :)

I had to add this....
So the nurse calls for a pre-op hx on Vania after I get done writing this.. You know how it is with kids. She's bouncing around the furniture climbing my legs, etc. etc. I'm trying to keep her occupied why listening at the same time. Then she decides she wants to walk Cleo. So she gets the leash down And I help her put it on the dog. Then she starts running around the room yelling " Cleo CHIT Cleo CHIT " Which sounded as if she wanted cleo to use the bathroom right there in the living room. In Creole the word for sit is Chita, pronounced SHEE-TAH. Good lord, I know Cleo was thinking" I prefer the back yard thank you" & I don't know what the kind nurse thought on the phone. She asked if Vania was in speech therapy early in the conversation & I said no. But she was probably thinking " What is she teaching this kid! "

Bambi