From the Roof Top

For those of you who don't live within a one hundred mile radius of our home I thought I should share what my neighbors are listening to...YAHOO, PRAISE the LORD, (crying, crying, crying- happy tears), YIPPEE!!!!!

We received our court date this afternoon. We will be in Ukraine to meet our boy on October 23!!!

GOD is so GOOD!

Staggering Statistics

Recent US studies have indicated that when Down syndrome is diagnosed prenatally, 84-91 percent of those babies will be killed by abortion. This trend is not isolated to the United States. In England, a 2004 study showed that 94 percent of babies who were diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome were subsequently aborted.

Jewish Interpretation

In Judaism, people with Down syndrome are referred to as "tzadikim" in Hebrew. A "tzadik" is described as someone who has nothing to improve upon, and is very special.

Sunday Morning Ministry

For the past five years Mike has led an outreach at our church know simply as 'The Donut Ministry'. It started out with a desire to serve in the church with Bailey (then 2 1/2 years old). Fast forward a few years and he now has three great helpers. Mike and the crew leave the house around 6:45am to pick up 8 dozen donuts (Baby M and I are still asleep at home). Once at church they cut up the donuts, set the table, make the coffee and prepare the orange juice. Sunday mornings with Daddy are a highlight of their week!

Extra Chromosome

The extra chromosome affects each child in a different way. A good number of children born with Down syndrome have minor heart defects, which are usually surgically corrected at about the 6 month age. Sometimes it will cause significant health issues, like respiratory problems, major heart defects, and gastrointestinal perforations. That is the outside 1%. Every child with Down syndrome has a different learning capacity, a different personality, a different soul, just as every typical child has!

Trisomy 21

In a typical child, you have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes. In Down syndrome, you have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome instead of just 2. Down syndrome is also called Trisomy 21. There is also something called MOSAIC Down syndrome, where only some of the cells in a child's body carry that 3rd copy. These children are generally higher functioning with fewer medical complications.

Dr. DOWN

Down syndrome was named after the doctor who first documented it, a British physician named Dr. Langdon DOWN. It is NOT a reflection of the condition itself.

Raising Money

Bailey is constantly coming up with ideas for raising money to cover our adoption expenses. Her latest endeavor consisted of homemade goods. All of her products were sold to someone in the family (which defeated the purpose). Brooklyn bought a mail holder. Mike bought a rocket. Of course I had to get in on the action too; I bought a game.



Did you know that International Adoptions can cost anywhere from $20,000 to over $40,000? You could help offset the costs by sponsoring a family who is adopting or a child who is still waiting.

When I Grow Up...

Today I asked the kids what they would like to be when they grow up. Here are the answers:

Bailey- a Runner

Brooklyn- a Baker, a Mommy
and a Gymnastics Girl

Buddy- a Firefighter

Baby M- He didn't have an answer so Bailey said,
"Baby M is so good at giving kisses maybe he should be a KISSING TEACHER".

I quickly changed the subject!

October-Down syndrome Awareness Month

Several bloggers will join me as we BLOG during Down syndrome awareness month. We have committed to one post everyday for the month of October. The first post of mine includes a video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Through the years...

20 years ago...I was 10 years old and in the Fifth Grade. I remember sitting at my desk listening to my teacher read Where the Red Fern Grows; oh how I loved that book. I loved it so much that it put me to sleep. One afternoon I woke up to my classmates getting their books into their backpacks to leave for the day. I was VERY embarrassed. I still take my afternoon nap however!

15 years ago...I was 15 and a sophomore at Saint Bonaventure. I was very involved in my church youth group and had just spent part of my summer working on an Indian reservation in Arizona. I was responsible for the children's program. I LOVED hanging out with the little ones although the language barrier made most of our communication challenging.

10 years ago... we were newly married (3 months prior). I was working as the Housing Coordinator for the English Language Center of Santa Barbara. Mike and I were enjoying life in our 500 square foot guest house in Montecito. We were teaching Sunday School for the 4 and 5 year old kids at Oceanhills Church. We thought the kids were so cute and funny. I couldn't wait to have our own.

5 years ago...I was staying in the hospital with Brooklyn- my newborn baby girl. We spent a week there fighting off an infection. The first two years of her life were filled with several medical complications. Today she a VERY spunky girl that always keeps us on our toes. She is a miracle!

1 year ago...I was out in Oklahoma with Baby M and Brooklyn. We were visiting the Craig's at their new home. Bailey was spending the week in Oregon with Gracie. Buddy was home shuffling from friend to family member and back. I was missing my kids terribly.

Yesterday...we went to church in the morning. After church we picked up burritos and went swimming at my Aunt's house. After naps Papa and Nonnie took the kids to dinner and then back to their house for a movie party. Mike and I went to dinner with the Hill's at Enoteca Toscana. Good food, great wine and perfect company.

Today...the kids and I bought groceries and delivered them to a family who recently lost their husband/father in the train crash. We spent the bulk of the morning finding treasures at the Library. Monday's we generally meet up with Papa for lunch. Since he is on a diet we went to The Habit for a salad. I made a yummy spicy bean and tri-tip soup for dinner. Before bed the girls and I gave Maddie a bath- she smells like a clean dog now. Mike is downstairs talking politics with friends. And now I sit at my computer writing on my blog.

Tomorrow...we will have a mellow stay at home day. I will check my email as soon as I can pry my eyes open to see if our Facilitator has sent us a message. We will either have a PARTY or have a normal read, eat and play kind of day. Bailey has Cross Country practice in the afternoon so we will be at the park for two hours. I will probably pack a picnic dinner and have Mike meet us there with a bat and Buddy's new wiffle balls. We will get the kids really tired out! Mike and I will end the day watching a new episode of HOUSE and probably eating microwaved M&M's...and hopefully planning our trip to TATE.

What about you???

Baby M

A few weeks ago my dad made a comment about the fact that we call Emmett 'Baby M'. "You know there will come a day when Baby M grows out of his name. You can't call him a baby FOREVER". We quickly came up with a solution that we feel is very fitting- or at least will be when the time is right.

BIG BOY BABY M



(Note: This video was taken during school. Baby M was sitting next to Bailey "helping" her with her work. He just couldn't keep from hugging her. Buddy is in the background climbing on the counter to change the music playing on the ipod. His current favorite tunes are from the movie Enchanted :) .)

The Tooth Fairy

Brooklyn received her very first visit on Monday evening! However, after hearing Brooklyn's skepticism about her existence the tooth fairy was a little hesitant on what to do. The clever little tooth fairy decided that since she would probably be under strict scrutiny from an older sibling she would keep things on an even playing field. Therefore, Brooklyn received a small toy. She was delighted!

Brooklyn with all of her baby teeth


Brooklyn and her missing tooth with Nonnie (our family extractor). And yes, she does look exhausted! :)

Has it been one year already?

It was just over a year ago that we said goodbye to our dear friends, the Craig's. They moved back to Kourtney's hometown of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. We were spoiled last week by a visit from them. All of the kids played so well together. It felt as if they had never been away. Kourtney and I got in a few 'mom only' times as well (thanks Mike).

Saying goodbye was hard on everyone. They are now safely home in Oklahoma- we'll meet them in our dreams!

Facebook

I caved in last night and joined FACEBOOK. You'll have to pick my cousins up off the floor when they find out. To be completely honest I only did it see pictures that a friend of mine had posted of her daughter's wedding. Now I'm hooked :) If you are out there too, let me hear from you!

Noah's Ark

We took the kids to the Skirball Jewish Museum in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. We have been wanting to see the Noah's Ark exhibit for several months now, and it did NOT disappoint! It was just as interesting and fun for the kids as it was for us. The girls enjoyed the climbing room. It didn't take but a second for them to shimmy up the rope ladder to the top of the ark. Brooklyn's favorite part was making the elephant's trunk move. Bailey enjoyed talking into a large snake as I listened on the other end.

The boys were enamored by something that I think only boys could truly appreciate- ANIMAL POOP. Buddy took it upon himself to become the resident 'poop picker-upper'. And let me tell you he did his job WELL! If you live in the area and have not been yet, it is a MUST see.

Babysitters for Hire

The girls and I had the PRIVILEGE of taking care of baby Micah last week. Alyssa, in her always professional (aka 40 yr.old mom) voice dropped him off with complete instructions. The girls took her words very seriously. They immediately wanted the timer on to make sure every bit of Micah time was evenly dispersed. Even his bottle time was shared between the girls.



After 20 AGONIZING minutes I couldn't take it any longer. I snatched that baby up- mind you, there was a lot of fussing and it wasn't coming from Micah! I put on the Moby wrap and was in heaven.


The time passed too quickly and Alyssa was back to pick up her boy. After prying my fingers off of him we said our tearful goodbyes :). Alyssa paid the girls each $1 for their hard work. "If only we could adopt him" was Bailey's response as they drove away. Until next time.

Twins- 8 years apart

Bailey is about to become a TWIN and she couldn't be more excited. Krissy and Jason announced a few weeks ago that they are expecting baby #4. The baby is due on May 12, Bailey's eighth birthday.

Here is a picture from a little over two years ago on the day that Krissy gave birth to Aubrey.

K- ready to do it again???

No News

Nothing new on the adoption front....still waiting for a travel date. We'll keep you posted.

Letter of Love

I flew out of the house tonight on my way to meet up with my friend, Amy, for coffee. I left behind Mike doing the dishes, Brooklyn and Buddy playing dress-up and Bailey giving baby M a bottle on the couch. Minutes early the kids were sprawled out in the family room listening to me read the last few chapters of a book that we started yesterday. I finished the book with less then 5 minutes to spare. Somewhere between getting up from the couch and grabbing my keys baby M got hurt. Brooklyn yelled, "It's bad" as she pulled him up off the ground. His bottom lip was busted open and
bright red blood was running down his nose. Just like clock-work the kids jumped into action. Bailey ran to the freezer for ice and Mike handed her a wet paper towel. Brooklyn shot upstairs to retrieve baby M's 'night-night' (blanket). It didn't take more than a minute or two for the chaos to subside. Bailey made a bottle for baby M and took over my job of snuggling him before bed.

I arrived home at 8:30 to a quiet house. The kids were sleeping peacefully and Mike and Maddie were watching Sports Center. A quick check on the girls and here is what I found.

Two sweet friends.


I got down on the bed and snuggled them for a few minutes. They are growing up too quickly. Where have my baby girls gone?

After a hot bath I got ready to hop into bed. Mike said to check my pillow- Bailey had left a note for me.
click on picture to enlarge

Bailey is entirely too precious. She is becoming such an amazing little lady. She far surpasses what I have hoped and dreamed that she would be. With her note came a understanding that until now I only thought I knew. My dad has saved every piece of paper that Carolyn and I have ever given him. From scribbles and pictures to notes of forgiveness and coupons for free back rubs. My dad has saved them (I know now) because they are his GOLD. They are memories of genuine, completely heartfelt emotion. They are raw and unscripted. They are words unspoken yet they pound heavy on your heart. They are letters only a child could write.

This letter of Bailey's is forever etched in my soul.
And it too will be placed with MY gold.