Learning...

I just found out about a DVD learning series giveaway... A mom who has adopted has a give away...she has used these and posted about it on her blog. www.only1mom.com Go check it out..here is the company. www.preschoolprepco.com Now, I must go and check out the sight words series! Learning is fun!!! Even for us moms! :)

I Am Slow...

It has been thirteen days since Kristina's gotcha day three years ago. Never will I forget the moment we were pronounced her parents!! Then the burning (LITERALLY) that followed. We were given a drink...everyone drank and I took a big swallow... BAD BAD MISTAKE!!!! (I do not drink..) My throat and my WHOLE chest burned!!! And for many hours after...Nope never forget that ceremony!!! :)

What a feeling to finally become a mom. Oh my! Sometimes even to this day I still can't believe it. God was/is so good to me for giving me such a blessing!! Lately I have been thinking about her "tummy mommy". (Birth mother) I know she loved Kristina and wanted her to live and be "healthy"! (She has Cystic Fibrosis) Sometimes I wonder how she could have wanted her to be adopted and loose her again..but it not a death, or did it feel like it? I felt pain when I saw them together...I could not imagine what it felt like to give away your daughter... Oh my!!

Kristina knew who her mother was, and she did not want to come to me. A part of me wanted to keep them together..adopt the mother? It was sad. And not to be able to communicate was hard. I pray for her...comfort and peace. At the end of the visit she handed Kristina to me..and walked down the road out of the orphanage and then down the street. I thought about how our lives were changed forever, yet tied together.

Now, three years have gone by...she is a happy sweet little girl!!! She loves dollies, horses, swinging, and DIRT!!! She is helpful with her great grandmother, and her brother. Her chores are done without complaint..and even wants to do more! :) Just an all around blessing and joy!!

We went to the Mall of America for her gotcha day...she wanted to go to the zoo but it was raining. She and Jovan had fun on the rides. Daddy was the guy that got to go with Jovan. As I do NOT do rides!!!! Except we went as a family on the Farris Wheel. Scary...I just looked at my husband, and didn't think how high up we were.... UGH!! I survived..then we went to eat. A fun day we had! Some pictures of the day.

The first ride...a bus!

A happy little girl!

Daddy and Jovan on the Farris Wheel!

Mommy and Kristina on the Farris Wheel!

Thank you God for such a beautiful gift!!!

My daughter...

What can I say, I love her and hope that God blesses me with her presence for a LONG time!!! She has been an American citizen for three years today. I have been her mommy for three years and five days!! Thank you God!!

Kristina was born with a life ending disease called Cystic Fibrosis. I was told yesterday that the life expectancy is thirty seven years. If that was cut and dried for every person with CF then I would have thirty more years with her. My mom reminded me yesterday that I (we, daddy and me) dedicated her life back to God. She is his, and he alone knows when she will join him in heaven. I cried because the thought of losing her just breaks my heart... No, she is not dying..just sick, as happens with a lot of people with CF. Now on to what happened yesterday.

Yesterday was Kristina's annual CF check-up. So off we went...mommy, Kristina and Jovan. Daddy has always gone before..but we are trying to save his vacation days for when we go and get our new son. That was a big mistake! (more on that in a little bit) Did I mention we were traveling during rush hour traffic and the drive was almost seventy miles away? (I thought it was only fifty..and the extra twenty is Uff DA!!) This mommy does NOT drive in rush hour traffic into the big city. It has been almost four years since I used to drive it every day. ICK I think I did okay..but man do people push you even in the right lane, so I did speed so I did not get run over...I had no choice, there was no place for me to go. That did not make this mommy happy!! No accidents did I cause or get into any! Thank you God!!

Our trip was successful and we arrived at 7:42 am. Forgot to tell you that the kids had to get up at five-thirty..actually just Kristina as she had to do some of her CF treatments, and Jovan got up because of the noise. The first place we had to go was to get x-rays of her lungs. Easy! The next place we went was for lab. A blood draw, oh no!! Kristina has small wiggly veins. And lots of scar tissue. So getting blood is a huge deal!! Let's just say after two sticks and "digging" at both sites mommy said ALL DONE!! Not one drop of blood was collected. After that trauma we went to have her do a breathing test. After that then we saw the doctor. We love him!!! And the doctor from her birth country knows her American doctor. How wonderful is God? Giving God the glory for even the details I would never had thought. Anyway...we talked, he listened, then he checked out my daughter. She has lots of mucus and an inflamed nose. It was hard to hear that she is sick...I know, I know that this may happen from time to time...and people have said you know what you were getting into when you adopted her. Which I think is a horrible thing to say!!! God gave me my daughter and she has a disease that we fight EVERY day!!

Anyway, after seeing the doctor we saw "the CF team". Which first was the social worker. (I know her from when I worked in the same office) So it was great to see her..and she had some ideas for me. Then the dietitian came in and talked about calories and weight gain. She is always eating!! That is the best thing...and because of her CF she can eat a ton. There is not such a thing as an overweight person living with CF. After that came the geneticist came in and really it was not needed because she is not biologically mine. So we talked about when she gets older and a few questions I had. Respiratory therapist came in next. (oh, we were in one room and everyone came to us! Best thing in the world!!") He told me about recent studies and changes that he suggested for Kristina's routine. Lots of information...oh my!!

Last person came in was the coordinator...I had to sign a release and that kind of stuff. Then we were DONE!!! Four and a half hours later we were DONE!!! The kids reached their limit of time being good and quiet and so was I!! :) And this mommy had so much info floating in my head I just wanted to lay done and cry. If Dan would have been there he could have heard ALL of the info first hand and maybe heard things that I missed. But I think I did a good job. :) So it would have been great for him to come...maybe next year? :) YES!!!

We were FREE!!! There were new medications that Kristina needed so off we went to Target to get those. Have I ever told you all that I LOVE Target? :) And the pharmacy staff is AWESOME!!! So, I did a little shopping and picked up her meds. Got those and went HOME!!

I made supper and the kids played until it was time for Kristina's treatment. After that was done, it was bedtime!!! Yea!! I fell asleep on the couch for a little while. I got up at 4:30am, so I was dead tired!! Got up and did a few household things and finally went to bed. Kids are resting now as they are still tired! Better now go and get a few more things done.

Thud...

It is a sound that mothers do not want to hear. I am one of them!!! Never did I want to hear it.!! But, last evening I did! Oh, my!! Makes my stomach ill to remember. Here's what happened.

Yesterday Jovan's beloved auntie was over to help mommy with some landscaping. We had just planted a Maple tree and were watering it. Jovan was playing with his cousin..laughing and having so much fun!! The next thing I know is I hear this THUD, I turn around and there is my son face down on the tar. He did not move..now come to think about it I should have waited until he moved before I picked him up. I scoped him up and ran into the house..and not until I got in did I check him. He was crying and his eyes were filling his little face with tears.

I put ice on his forehead..so tenderly, but still gave him pain. My stomach was in my chest now..and I was trying to remain calm. I was also talking to my husband and sister about what to do. Jovan is a small child with upper body strength and really propelled himself forward.. He appeared to be okay...we were asking him where he hurt..pointing to a few spots on his head. His response was like okay people I hurt my head right here!! Just the way he spoke was cute. Then about fifteen minutes later he started to grind his teeth. Now he used to do that up until about two months after we brought him home. Then my sister said "you better take him in to the ER."

So Jovan and mommy went to the ER and we were seen rather quickly! The only time he cried was when he went for the x-ray. That always freaks him out. He did great!! Then we were told that he was fine..just had a bad bump on the head. The doctor gave Jovan a picture of an x-ray of his head. On our way we went.

As we were leaving Jovan saw it was dark outside..he said "oh-oh, dark". He wanted to know who turned it dark out. :) So cute it made me smile!! I gave Jovan some Tylenol and put him to bed.

Waiting for results of x-ray...

The bump up close...

Watching a TV program with horses and cows...

The cows and horses..

He is his happy normal self but tired! :) God is so good!! The doctor told me that where he hit his head is the hardest part. Thank you God!!!

Hair and Feet...

Well it is an interesting post title, but that is the big thing in our house right now. First the feet.. My son Jovan has feet that are not the same size. He also has a club foot, so shoes are an interesting journey to go on. When we were in country I got several pairs of shoes..for one they are SO cute!! And the other is because they had higher tops then those in the states and they fit his little club foot so much better.

Anyway, I went to go put on a pair of his new shoes and they didn't fit!! Not at all! So his foot grew a whole size in eight months. We have gotten him play shoes here..not the greatest fit..but he works with them. He is growing!! I do not know his height..I will do that today.

Now on to a more painful (and vanity) issue. Yesterday morning I was putting a pony tail in Kristina's hair only to discover that she had cut a two and a half inch section by three to four inch section of hair right by her ear!!!!! Oh, I was not happy. We have been growing it out since she had been home. Uffda!! I did kinda cover it up this morning, but I have no idea what to do..I know, cut it...but oh my! Okay I know that vanity is not a good thing..and I am getting over it. So stayed tuned for a new hair style on my daughter in the upcoming days.