Boogie Down

I don't know what makes me laugh more. Vania trying to imitate Beyonce's moves or her back up singers ! :)

Fan Mail

I hope Vania is ok because of earthquake in Haiti. If shes going to be ok I hope she likes America. I heard this of you guys because my mom's friend is your sister Erin. These other cards that are coming are for Vania from me & my class.

Sincerely,

Wade Cowan

There are so many people to thank for praying & supporting our family to get Vania home. On the top of my list is Wade Cowan. His mother Christie is a friend of Vania's aunt Erin & she had shared pic. of Vania & our family's experience with her family. So as the quake unfolded Wade decided to get his class to make cards for her & sent them to us from Iowa. It was very uplifting & touching to know that someone whom we had never met was rooting for Vania to come home ! Thanks Wade !!! We will keep all these cards & someday I will tell her how excited everyone was for her to come home :)

Kids Gone Wild

Yes, we were off of school again today due to the snow ! It is still snowing & I'm hoping that the snow plows are able to keep up so school can resume tomorrow :) I know bah- humbug right ? The fact of the matter is , we have not had one week where their has been any regular schedule since bringing Vania home. This is the second week in a row the kids have had 2 days of during the week & we are all driving each other crazy. Not to mention our options of getting out are limited due to the weather . This mama likes routine & warmer weather :) So today was not such a good day. Many tantrums & bickering from all parties here in the Estep household. Snow day or not tomorrow I am heading up to my mom's for some much needed adult conversation & COFFEE !!

Vania had her appointment at Children's Hospital International Adoption Clinic last Friday. It was indeed a long appoinment. She fared well for the first half which was just a basic medical exam, Denver Developemental Test, meeting with physical therapist & meeting with nutritionist. Then the doctor did a PPD test to test for tuberculosis . That sent her over the edge. She was highly offended and cried the rest of the trip :( After I settled her down we made a quick bathroom trip which resulted in her getting her fingers pinched in the door. So.. back to tears.
Next stop the lower level of the out patient clinic for an x-ray of her hand ( to determine age based on bone growth ) & MORE bloodwork. More tears :( We had some done initially through our pediatrician. Which by the way all came back normal, INCLUDING the one for Sickle Cell ( which had been marked as positive on her inital medical report from Haiti ) ! The only thing low was her iron level, so she is on an iron supplement. Her stool cultures have also all been fine.
Only three more appointments to go. We did ears yesterday. All good. In March we have Hematology, ENT & eyes. Whew !

Anyway to the pictures.......

Her first homecoming party .Thanks Cathy ! Love the cake
Vania loves balloons & chasing/ hitting :) people with them !

She loves reading her picture books & can repeat most anything !

Making cookies with Mama. Any time I am cooking she tries to eat all the dry ingredients. Yesterday it was dry potatoes for the scallop potaoes I was making. She ate them like potato chips. Then wasn't to fond of them when served on her plate :)

Playing with cousins Eli & Kylah

Aunt Lindsay showing her how to take a photo

Lots of sweet kisses !

Well, off to bed for now. Bon -Wit !
Bambi

Vania Homecoming Video

Finally the homecoming video ! Thank you to Heidi Garinger for getting this on DVD for us :) It was 1 year ago this February that we got the referral for Vania. Never did we think she would be home in just one year or that an earthquake & many miracles would speed up her homecoming. So grateful for our little Valentine. Happy Valentines day !

1 week

Can you believe it has been one week since Vania came home ? I can't. On the other hand it feels like she has always been a part of our family :) We are in the middle of another winter storm here. It is supposed to snow all day today through tomorrow. Kids are off school. Adam & the kids built an igloo last Saturday & with it being so cold it is still standing. I'm sure they will be out in it sometime today.Vania has enjoyed going out as well. That is...... in & out ,in & out , in & out !

Our Igloo

Vania has learned how to get water from the fridge . Now we are training ourselves to keep it locked :)

Zoe , Carson & Vania in the igloo

Vania thinks this cut off pant leg that Carson learned to sew on A button in Cub scouts is a jean skirt. She likes to squeeze herself into it & then can't walk :)

She has gotten used to her car seat& likes to have her glasses on when in the car. She loves to ride in the van & often goes to the door saying "machine ".

Still likes to hide when she knows I'm trying to get a cute picture !

As far as eating she has stopped the obsession with every wrapped granola bar / cereal bar. She is mostly just eating at mealtime. Chewing gum though has become her new favorite thing. she does really well with it though & it works as a good bribe :)

Speaking of bribing I've decided it is time to figure out how to do her hair. That way maybe by the time she is old enough to REALLY care, I might be decent at braids. We are keeping the short afro for now.Just had it trimmed the other day. The lady was very patient & kept her entertained with every comb & brush in her drawer. Vania loves to pick out bows & barrettes . So that is what we are going with for now with maybe some flat/ spiral twists in the front to keep her hair pulled back. seriously I had her up in her highchair bribing her with everything I could think of just to comb out her hair & put in a few twists. The twists she didn't mind. It was the combing out of the hair !Today she did much better with that :)

Today is also the first time she laid down for a nap with out a tantrum. Mickey mouse , a rocking chair & boom she was out :) We have been getting her to bed around 8pm & she will usually sleep until 4am. Then she wakes Zoe up & Zoe brings her to us. ( they share a room )Then we are back to the rocking chair for about 10 min. Then off to sleep again. She usually gets up for the day around 6:45am. Most likely because that's when we all start getting up & getting ready.

We are starting to get things on track here. Our heads I think are slowly coming out above the water after feeling like we had been knocked down by a huge wave:)Still can't seem to catch up on sleep. I just can't believe she is really here ! We love her so much.She is so comical & fun to have around ! I love snuggling with her & hearing her say " pick me up mama, pick me up "Speaking of Vania i hear her calling.Naptime is over.60 min today, Not bad.
Bambi

First Snow

We got a lot of snow today ! The sky just opened up & within the hour that Vania & I were in Walmart grocery shopping about 2-3in. covered the ground. I could barely push the heavy cart through the snow covered parking lot. Vania thought the snow was funny at first, but was not fond of the cold wind taking her breathe away. Luckily Walmart had 3 pairs of boots left in her size. We picked the ones that actually had a price tag so we wouldn't get held up in the check out line. She wanted every pair of shoes we passed & every pretty dress she saw hanging :)It was fun grocery shopping with her. We passed the peanut butter section & I heard her squeal & point. She rode the rest of the time with a big jar of "mamba" on her lap.Every one seemed to be out stocking up due to the winter storm warning. Let me say that is a bonus having a cute little girl babbling in the cart when going to check out. A nice lady from the express check out came over to our line & asked if she could help us. Absolutely ! She must have known I was looking desperate after opening the bag of sweet hearts to try to keep Vania occupied in line.

After getting home from picking the kids up from school we put on the snow gear & headed outside. No one lasted too long. But we had some fun watching Vania experience the cold snow.She kept running back into the garage to keep the wind from blowing the cold snow in her face. Carson braved the cold & was able to make a quick snowman.

Team Hope has a blog page at www.hlahteamhope.blogspot.com . Check it out ! We were looking at it earlier today & Vania shouted out JEAN TONY as loud as she could. She loves seeing the pictures of her friends from the O. Last night she had all the baby dolls out naming them after all her friends. I think we have a Jessica, Abbie, Fabrice & Collin doll. It is very sweet. I know she misses them :)

Bambi

catching up

Wow, I don't even know where to begin. I feel like I'm on one of those " When life comes at you fast"" commercials. We are home & doing well. Still in survival mode for now. Trying to establish some sort of routine & finally putting away our luggage today :)

Vania is a joy ! My oldest son Zane said it best the night we brought her home."We are so lucky to have her in our family ! She is just a perfect fit. I am so happy. "

I thought I would post some pictures of the last few days to share a little of what Vania has been up too. She also had a pediatrician appointment last Tuesday. Weighing in at 22lbs. 5oz and is 32 3/34 in. tall. After all she's been through since October she has still managed to gain a little weight & height. We have a referral to the Columbus Children's Hospital International Clinic Feb. 12th where they will do a more thorough assessment of health, development , nutrition etc.

The kids are doing great with her ! I love to sit back & watch them play together. It is still hard to believe that she is finally here. Her name ( which is her given name ) means God's gracious gift & that she truly is !

Once we actually get sleep & get better at multitasking our now family of SIX I'll try to update more :)

Okay ... one funny story. I was making Vania rice today in our rice cooker & when I went to add my 1 3/4 cup of water she snatched the measuring cup out of my hand & there it went down the hatch. Lov'in the H2O :)