Sweet Sound...

Today Jovan and I were going to see his physical therapist to make adjustments and order him a walker.  It takes about one hour and twenty minutes to get there.  We were listening to KTIS a Christian radio station. Anyway, our kids have a "song".  Music calms the soul...and this particular song just fit what we were going through trying to adopt Jovan.  The song is called Mighty to Save by Laura Story.  Love it!

I called the radio station just to tell them thanks for playing that song...and told them a little tiny bit of Jovan's adoption story and they said thanks for calling and making their morning.

A few songs later...on comes the DJ and played back what I said to him and then the DJ said "Jovan if you are listening you have a very special mother"  And Jovan said to the radio..."I know".  Then Jovan said..."mom, you were on the radio"...and he said "I heard me too".  In the background of what I was telling the DJ you could hear Jovan say mommy.  So cute!

I am very thankful that I have Jovan as my son...my miracle that God gave me through His grace.  God loved both Jovan and myself so much that he matched us together forever!!   Praise God!  Just had to share that sweet moment from this morning!

Made in Serbia...

My Serbian children!!  They are the most precious wonderful gifts from God that I could have ever dreamed of having!!  I love them so much!!  I am sure that most moms say that about their kids!  For me being a mother is the best!!  And I know they love me too!  Sometimes (and I probably have said this before) I forget that they were adopted...how is that possible you ask?  Well, they feel like they have been with us forever!!  Even Srecko who has been ours for one year, two months and fifteen days.  Time flies!!

I could go on and on about them...really I could, but I won't !  I'll let you look at their precious faces and smile!  You could even thank God  for us too!  

                                                                               

I Have a Dream...

Yes, I have a dream...maybe more of a goal really.  I want to learn to use coupons!!  Silly you say...well I would like to see my dollars S-T-R-E-T-C-H as far as they can!  I have used some in the past...but no way near what I would like to.  Looking at all the coupon sites available is so overwhelming!!  And boy, have I studied them!!  It's almost like I need someone to literally lay it all out in front of me!  Or a live step by step demonstration!!

Anybody use coupons and can suggest a great and EASY place to learn?  I have been getting up before the birds to get my "chores" done so I can devote my day to my children's schooling and therapies!  So I need something easy and without much brain effort!  HA!

I hope to have this all set up by Thanksgiving, because I want to have a deadline.  So hold me accountable!

And I also have some posting to do on the children...but that takes mommy's brain power and that does not wake up for hours yet!  Just kidding!  I do the easy chores that doesn't take any concentration to do.

Big day...

Kristina goes to her Cystic Fibrosis doctor every three months for routine checkups.  She had an appointment last week so she and I had a girl's day out.  (Boys were with daddy at their follow-up orthopedic appointments...and that's its own story)  We got there early as the traffic is unpredictable and it is about a hour and fifteen minutes with normal traffic...and we drove in rush hour!!  So, I took her to McDonalds for a second breakfast...actually brunch time.  There was a McDonalds between the place we parked and the building where her appointment was.  

Then when she was done eating we took pictures in their little courtyard.  She took a couple of me and I took a couple of her and one together to remember this great day by!

Her appointment was fabulous!!  We found out her weight was up four pounds!!!  Biggest weight gain ever!!    She didn't really get much taller...which mommy like because she is almost up to my neck!!  She really is growing fast!  The doctor said her lungs were clear...which is a HUGE praise to God!!  We have been praying and really working hard on that with extra time doing her breathing treatments!  

She had been sick for weeks and missed almost two weeks of school at the end of the year.  In fact she only went a half day on the last day of school because she was sick.  We were there with her for awhile and let her spend the last couple of hours there by herself.  We live five minutes from the school, maybe less.

This appointment was her annual appointment where we meet with the "whole team".  We visit with the dietitian, social worker, person to see if there are any clinic trials she can participate in (none of her personal information is used...they use the teat results and I am glad to do it if it means finding a cure for CF), and also the respiratory therapist to make sure her treatments are going well! So it makes for a LONG appointment but it is so worth it as it gives us a plan to work on for her next appointment!

I am so thankful to God that he has kept her healthy...yes, we have our days and possible weeks when she is not...but she gets well!!  We are Kristina's parents and we do what we need to do and God does the rest, biggest thing is relying on Him and having the faith to trust Him with her health!  He loves her so much and knows exactly how her life will be.  The good things and also the not so good things!

Enjoy the pictures and thank God with me that she is healthy!!  And also that he has so graciously given this wonderful girl to me!

Going on...

Wow, we have been so busy this summer I can't believe we are in the middle of July!!  I realized that I never acknowledged Srecko's gotcha day!  He has been home one year, one month and one day!!  This year was crazy because we had Gotcha Day/Father's Day, and my birthday all falling on the same day.  Crazy!

The day was a little laid back even with all going on, we grilled hamburgers and had a really nice day.  A few days after that we went to a state park near us and the kids swam in the lake.  They were thrilled!  We had a picnic with grandma and grandpa too!  The day could not have been more beautiful!

This summer has been filled with outings, therapies for the kids, playing outside and swimming!!  All the kids can hold their breath and swim under water!  BIG BIG accomplishment for them!!  And they run through the sprinkler...and they never did that before!  Maybe it has to do with the drought we are having...and the HEAT wave!  Whatever it is, I am glad they are all learning together!!

Nearing The End...

This was the day after we were told that the embassy had to contact Washington DC.  Wow, talk about many thoughts running through our heads...and here is how the day played out...

Boy, oh boy, We prayed so much...we talked about maybe God's desire was to have one of us be here to be a "light" for Christ.  We know who that would be don't we?  :)  (me)  And wow..we had a hard time taking about us and our family...it makes me sad to think about it.  I thought about what being a Christian meant to me...and sometimes God wants us to make sacrifices.  And in faith like Abraham (Hebrews 11) I would sacrifice my brand new daughter that I waited my whole life for?  Yes, I would have to, if this is what God wants from us.  God comes first.  But, I thought..she is ill and needs treatment in the States to be better. God had the little details worked out.  He knew all about Kristina and her needs and also how I would react to all of the drama surrounding her visa.   Oh, I thought about lots...and Hubby and I talked lots.  Not so much on the negative side...just all the possibilites.

And our love...we have been married for 17 years and 9 days!  We knew our love would survive...but oh..we would miss each other.  We are friends who LOVE spending time together, have very many similar interests, and enjoy lots of the same activities!  And we figured out that about every 2.5 trips, he would get one ticket with turned in miles!  Enough sap, I know!  You get the drift!

Maybe the fear of the unknown...Satan really had us very nervous.  We tried to remain positive...it was a long journey out of  fear!

We got up in the morning...but we prayed HARD before our little girl woke up.  She woke up all smiles and very happy... made everything worth while!!  We had breakfast..she loves yogurt!!  She had more than that... :)  We got ourselves together.  Spent time on the phone and online.  Then I was irritated enough to go down to the US Embassy and sit.  Which is exactly what I did.  Armed with a book, copy of our dossier, and a bottle of water!  I waited only about 1 hour before I was given the run around and told that I would get a call between 4 and 4:30pm that afternoon.  Okay...fine I would go home.  Mind you I was alone!!

All by myseeelllffff, all by myyyysssellffff..    How was I to get home?  I asked if there was a way to call a taxi...I was told no.  Okay...hum...I was petrified to "hail" a cab!  Are you kidding and risk losing a foot or get run over?  Not to mention the fact that I had to look like I meant business!  More things were running thru my head...I had to cross the street to be able to get the cab going in the right direction.  If I was going to do that, I might as well just walk home.  So, with my faith showing on my sleeve, I walked.  I really wasn't really that nervous..and it gave me a chance to pray.  Doing that didn't make me feel so lonely!  And it helped my stress level!!  The walk went by fast...it felt kinda good too.  I was walking alone in a foreign country!  What an accomplishment!!  :)

When I got home, Kristina was waiting for me with open arms.  We walked to the Pekabetta and got some food for supper.. And to help pass the time.  I think we even picked some great frozen treat...The afternoon passed and at about 4:23pm we got a call.  The guy said that they were still waiting for some more info.  But, he sounded positive...could it be?  I prayed for such a thing!  I was feeling better.  Still nervous...cuz my faith bucket got tipped.  We had a nice supper and relaxed a bit.

Kristina had her bath and went to bed.  We wanted to watch a movie...Hubby found out that the couch made into a bed.  So, we got ready for a slumber party.  :)  The movie started and we fell asleep.  However, in the middle of the night..we got up to sleep in our own bed.  The couch bed felt like a torture chamber!!  Good Night!

The next day I again went to the embassy to wait.  Isn't it the squeaky wheel that gets fixed?  The guy behind the counter was not happy to see me.  I basically did the same thing as the day before...sat and waited!  He then told me they did not have an answer yet.  Okay, I was getting angry and had about enough of this whole mess!  I left and when I got outside I had this conversation with myself...just suck it up and walk home was one thought.  Then quietly I had an impression (I truly believe from God!) to walk a different way home.  I said to myself, you have got to be kidding me!!  All by myself?  Really?

I was sure the guards could see the conversation bubbles going on over my head.  So, off I went walking a different way home.  Oh, did I tell you that there was no way to get a hold of hubby and let him know anything?  A few days before we were riding in a taxi we went down this really STEEP STEEP hill and I said to him I am glad we don't have to walk on this street.  Guess what street I found to walk home on?  Yes, you guessed correctly!!  I thought I was out of my mind and wanted to turn around, but my legs kept moving forward.  After that moment I started praying...no actually talking to God, and it felt like I was doing it with him walking beside me.  It was a very different journey that I had ever been on.  Like I was walking on a rode that led right up to heaven.  I am serious...  Well, I had walked for hours...literally!

Anyway, my prayer was that I would do whatever God asked me to do.  If he wanted me to stay and share the gospel...telling people about God and the way to salvation, then I would do it and no questions asked.  I thanked him over and over again for the chance to become a mother of the most beautiful girl in the whole world that He hand picked for me to be my very own!!  (of course hubby's too)  I told God that I never asked him if I could be a mother for any amount of time...and I knew if we stayed in Serbia that she would likely die because she didn't have the medical treatment that she needed to live.  But, I thanked him over and over again...I was following God's will and he gave me the desire of my heart, a child.

I praised him for the wonderful journey we had been on...the whole experience of trusting God and persevering...and patience!  Oh, those words!  Just thanking God for everything!!  I thought for a split second that I was lost, did not panic and kept walking and found out where I was.  I walked by a hospital and saw a teen age girl with a scarf around her head...the kind that gets worn if you have no hair.  I prayed for her and her family...and thought wow God, I wonder if she is going to die and wonder if she knew him.  I continued to walk all the way back to the apartment...boy did I go WAY out of my way!!!  And before I arrived back at the apartment I went shoe shopping for Kristina!  :)

After my LONG walk I got back to the apartment and hubby tells me that Kristina's visa was ready.  I said what?  Really?  When?  And he said about 10:30am...that was shortly after I had left the embassy!!!  It was now time for me to hustle back there to pick it up.  I called a taxi and got a driver we had in the past.  Great guy!  Told him the story of the visa...he thought it was great!  I got to the embassy at about 3:20pm and they close on Friday's at 4:00pm.  Could hardly contain my excitement walking back home...the SHORT way!!  I am sure people thought I had lost my mind or something while I walked with a HUGE smile on my face!

We had ice cream for dessert!  And a long shower!  But Praise God we got her visa!!

Very Very Slow...

Her adoption day was the best day of my life and one of the most stressful we experienced so far!!  More to that another day!  So here goes the explanation of that day on June 10th!  (And I do not know why there is white highlighting of some of the text...sorry)

The alarm went off so early, or it felt like it!!  We got ready, but did not dress up as much as we thought we would.  I am glad..details later!  At 7:45am we got into the car to drive to Kristina’s home town.  Kinda weird!  It was a nice size town..I thought it was going to be like a little village.  But it was full of shopping opportunities that would elude me!  How sad!!  Just kidding!  The walk up to the social center building was nerve racking…the walk inside scary!  Now the walk up the stairs…well distracted us! (There were MANY)  It was nice to see the people that we saw the same day of meeting Kristina!  That helped me a lot! The chairs were arranged like a U shaped table and our chairs were right in the middle.  It really made me feel like I was on trial!!  I just wanted to run!!  Emotions were so high at least for me.  I was tired, so tired, hungry (didn't eat anything for breakfast…thought I would throw up), missing Kristina..and anxious of what the outcome was going to be.  My head was so full of all of that...In Serbia you do not have to go to court, it is just an adoption ceremony.  They read your adoption decree and you sign papers.  Sometimes you are presented with gifts, sometimes not.  And you do not have to wait to get your child...the next day is when we picked up our children.  The whole day was taken up with adoption to do lists!
Okay, the proceedings started.  I so wished we could have understood them personally and not have to listen to it translated for us.  The pages being read to us was like an eternity!!  Get it done with a hurry!  The feelings of wanting to throw up came several times to me!!  Then it happened!! (not throwing up...but the end of the ceremony)    The END…but, what happened next was about the WORST thing I could have imagined!!  They started pouring some liquid…didn’t see the bottle, so I didn’t know what I was toasting with…  Then I thought for a split second that I should pretend to drink it..split second number two, I drank it.  And I gulped it.  Death by drinking fire was sure to be written on my tombstone!!  The burning, the pain that ran from my throat all the way into my stomach, acid that made a wide path..get my explanation?  I looked at hubby and asked him if he was burning.  He said a little.  It was about 9:40am, for goodness sake!!  Handshakes and gifts later we were on our way to get her birth certificate!  But, first I needed to use that little girl’s room...  Or, the toilet I was told!  I walked in after our translator..and to my HORROR, it was one of THOSE!! (Yes, a floor toilet)  I turned around and walked right back out!  Hubby went in…he laughed when he came back out and looked at me!  I said I would try to wait.  Yeah, right!


We got to the place that had her birth certificate.  It was a hospital, I thought my chances would be great for a regular good ole’ restroom. My chances were not very good..it had a toilet, but one you stood over and with no toilet paper, which I had remembered to put in my purse..oh, forgot to tell you the door didn’t lock!!  And it also had one of THOSE as well!!  I hoped I no longer needed to use any little girl’s room until I got to Belgrade. I think, my family knows  about me and bathrooms!!  Let’s just say, camping in the woods is not my idea of fun!!

Back to the birth certificate..it was a big book, and there were records back to the 1800’s.  My goodness!!  It was then our turn to watch our lives really change forever!!  We were now the parent’s of Kristina!!  I felt funny just with a stroke of a pen two people were erased forever!  And then, we became parent’s after waiting for 17 years and 1 month!  Wow!!
 
Getting her passport was the next thing on our list!!  So fast, to be done in one day,  We stood in line for what seemed like an eternity!!  Then it was our turn,  The old lady in a pink top and black pants behind the …said NO!!  What?  What was happening?  Are you kidding me?  Hubby and I looked around in a state of confusion to what was happening… The driver acted as our translator as our translator/lawyer argued with the woman, and argued with the woman.  She went down the hall after the woman closed the door on us.  I was in a state of panic!!  The next thing I know is that the women from the social center came and started talking very LOUD!!  And one of them getting so exasperated that she turned red and started to sweat!  After all the exchange of words had happened, we were escorted to the chief of police's office.  I began to pray with tears of course, as we all know that is what I do best!!  J  Even the women from the social center smiled, I think they understood!!  All the talking and gesturing…then I had to show pictures to the chief that there was indeed a child that was wanting her passport.  The adoption decree was not good enough for THAT woman in the pink top and black pants!!  After a long time, they, the chief and his boss agreed that she could get a passport without her being there.  Oh my, I should have been on my knees!!  Oh, how thankful we were to God’s grace!!
 
We stopped at this restaurant for lupper..which is lunch/supper together in our family!! We had traditional Serbian cuisine, and it was wonderful!!  Especially the tomato and cucumber salad…as that is what I always eat in the summer!!  YUM!!  And I got to use a regular toilet...but had to pay!


Home (going back to our apartment) was the last thing on our agenda!!  And it started to rain and the downpour was like by the bucketfuls being dumped on us!  Thunder and lightening rounded out the display!!  I was dead tired!!  Emotional because we were so close by the orphanage..we could see it, but not touch it.  So that meant no daughter!  I was weepy!!  I fell asleep on the couch and went to be early!! Hubby stayed up and watched tv, or the computer screen…don’t know and really didn’t care!  J I needed sleep!
That was the drama for this day!!

Gotcha day...(day we took Kristina out of the orphanage forever!)

The doctor’s appointment was at 9:30am, so we got to pick Kristina up early.  She was fine..and very glad to see us!  We loaded up her toys that we left with her..and then ALL of the medicine that she comes with!  Oy,  Big load that is!!!  Whoa!!

After we got her loaded in the taxi, with all of her things..we headed over to see the doc.  I was worried because she is sick.  They are giving her Amoxicillin...   But, I was concerned that because she sounded so bad..that the doctor would say something.  But got an okay!  Then the ride to our lawyer/translator to finish all of the documents..so glad to be done and then on with the visa appt.

We had the chance to go and have lunch and we tried to lay Kristina down for a little nap, she fought us..of course since she hadn’t see us in two days!  UGH!!  So we got up and decided to walk to the US Embassy.  We thought she might fall asleep in the horrible stroller we bought!!  She did not, but we got the exercise.  It only took us about 25 mins.  The apt was for 2pm, and we got there at 1:30pm.  Waiting was a little nerve racking…then we were allowed in.  Our turn came, but not until 2:40pm.  Door 8 was where we were told to go.  The man inside was not happy to see Kristina.  He said that the child is not present during the first visit.  Okay, news to me.  We brought all the paperwork and then he told us that there is a problem with the paperwork.  And there was only two things that were an issue and he had to consult with his colleague. We waited for 1.5 hours.  Kristina had only one flare up of being crabby and one poopy diaper.  We sang, read books, talked and we were quite calm.  Then his colleague came and started talking to us about those 2 issues.  We tried to understand about the issues, and tried to explain and clarify things.  She said she agreed with us, but had to check with Washington.  As in, Washington D.C.  My heart sank and I was scared.  I felt like a criminal..and I was an American citizen!  And later hubby said the same thing to me!  She said they would call us and let us know what Washington said.  Well, I asked her what if they said “no”?  And she said well then one of you would have to stay here for 2 years.  She then said, we have to wait and she would send the email right away.

Are you still with me?  Hubby and I were so upset…many emotions.  Anger, that we had a problem. Horror about the fact we could be separated.  Disbelief that we had issues with the visa.  Sadness, about the whole thing,  then having to wait until the next day to find out. 

Defeat seemed to loom at every step we took!  Having faith was what we needed most..and it was hard to bring it to the surface!  Fear really shook us.  Minutes and minutes went by before we shook everything off!  We walked home and relieved some emotion.  I made something to eat, don’t even remember what I fixed.  Oh, yeah, something that Kristina wouldn’t eat.  She played for awhile, then had her beloved bath and went off to bed.  Not happy at all!!!  Hubby and I were still struggling not to let Satan get in our way.  He was pushing us with all of his strength!  And we were pushing back.  Praying was being done and the struggles were tough.  It was like, leave us alone..and God would you bring us this far to not let it happen now?  Maybe, I am meant to stay here to be a light shining for Jesus.  I was afraid, and really don’t want to be without my husband!!  Especially, because we are new parents of a beautiful, lively, little girl with the biggest brown eyes you ever did see!!  

We went to bed praying and praying thru the night!!  Our God reigns!!  Things will be the way they should be and the way God wants them to be, no matter what!!

I added gotcha day on as well...adoption is not for the weary or faint at heart!!!  We clung to God and knowing that we trusted him completely for the outcome.  No matter what!!  I asked God if I could please become a mother...but I didn't put a time limit on it, like I wanted to be a mother for fifty years...  So if I was only a mother for a short time, then I was thankful for him answering my prayer in the first place.  Understand?  More to come later....  A long fight!