Just one of the gang...

Els at tonight's cabinet meeting... we get a little wound up on Wednesday nights after an evening of fun and tickles with her favorite college friends.

Misc Ellie Photos

Here's Ellie with her newest friend, Joel, who was visiting Wilmore for a few days from Argentina to compete in Asbury's scholarship competition. He came by this afternoon and declared that his mother would kill him if he didn't get his photo with Ellie before returning home Sunday. Joel's dad was our first boss at WGM and he (Joel) was much younger when we first met him in 1999! We're super excited that Joel is planning to come to Asbury in the fall!

We tried to hold out as long as we could, but we finally gave in and introduced Ellie to video a little while ago. She loves the Veggie Tales sing-along DVD, as you can tell from her rapt attention in this photo.

While this may look like the obligatory "bath tub photo", we're actually celebrating a very momentous occasion: the first FUN time in the bath tub! Thank you, Lord!

This is how she is EVERY morning. What a way to start the day!

Yes, we're going to work on fixing those glasses so they can sit properly on her face. But as you can tell, they don't have much to hold them up!

Okay, Mom got a new camera and lens and Els gets to be the model, like it or not! I love the shape of her mouth in this one.

If you are looking at the posting time and wondering how in the world I'm up this late posting on the blog, it's because thoughtful Faith (who is a Starbuck's barista) got me what she knows is one of my absolute favorite drinks: a [caffeinated] peppermint mocha -- which I downed without thinking at 10:30PM. (Faith is the president of our student cabinet and the cabinet and Nathan went out tonight to see the film, Amazing Grace, while I stayed home with Ellie. It was sweet to know they were thinking of me! ) Everyone is back here at the center have a fun time doing karaoke, believe it or not. It doesn't look like it is going to wrap up any time soon! This late night is going to hit us big time tomorrow when we have to get up at 7:30 for church!

Bookworm

Ellie Update: She passed her hearing test today with flying colors! Another test down...

temperature rising

With Ellie shedding all remnants of her cold, combined with a sharp upturn in temps, we indulged in a nice walk in the out of doors this afternoon. The occasional blasts of sharp wind elicited squeals of excitement from our little girl who seems to be in her element outside.

(FYI: a new photo was finally uploaded to accompany the post "I'm Proud to be an American." Scroll down to view...)

Monday, February 19

Beauty Rests
(She fell asleep on the couch late Saturday afternoon after resisting a nap for some time. I wasn't about to remove her glasses and wake her up.)

We make some incredible friends in this "job" at the student center! Here's Jonny, visiting friends in Wilmore for a long weekend from Michigan. He was our student cabinet president a couple of years ago. Girls, he's a natural with kids!

Project complete!

For the past several weeks I have been working on creating a memory book for Ellie of our time in Albania. There were so many details that I wanted to record while the experience was still relatively fresh in my mind. This isn't to be confused with a Life Book (those of you in adoption circles know about Life Books) -- I'm waiting for some photos that my parents are going to take for us in Albania before I embark on that project. But for now I thought I might share the virtual copy of the 12x12 memory book, Bringing Elisona Home, with those of you who might be interested. The cover photo was shot on the beach in Vlora, the city where Ellie had been living since she was 2 months old. I wrote her name on the sand one afternoon as my father and I were walking along the harbor after visiting her.

Let me also take the opportunity to put in a little plug for Shutterfly.com. I've made a variety of different books on their website and found the process to be incredibly easy and a lot of fun! Also, they have frequent discounts, so my other impetus for completing this project was to beat the expiration date on their 30% off special! For those of you who take lots of digital picts, but don't have the time to print your favorite photos and put them in an album or make a scrapbook, this is a great alternative to enjoy photos that would otherwise get lost on your computer's hard drive and make them into a story. When you come to visit, we'll be happy to show you the finished, printed product! Okay, I'm done! :-) Enjoy your sabbath day of rest!

I'm Proud to be an American!

Saturday's mail contained a couple of very special pieces of paper! Ellie's official certificate of US citizenship arrived, accompanied by a letter of congratulations from President Bush. Here is an excerpt from his text:

"I am pleased to congratulate you on becoming a US citizen...Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by principles that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every citizen must uphold these principles. And every new citizen, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American... Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves... Welcome to the joy, responsibility, and freedom of American citizenship. God bless you, and God bless America. Sincerely, George W. Bush"

Now that we have this, we can begin the steps for applying for a SSN and passport for Ellie! The paperwork never ends... ha ha ha.

Weekend Update

After her second day this week without a nap, Ellie crashed early this evening and is letting her mom and dad get some tasks caught up around the house, and by that I really mean, relaxing!

It's been a big week for her between her glasses fitting on Monday, her appointment with Dr. Taylor on Thursday, and play group today. At Thursday's check-up we learned that Ellie has gained a whole pound in the last month and grown about an inch taller. She also got four more bandaids between her two thighs (from 4 shots) and was not happy about it one bit! In April she will return for several more! At the same appointment, a peak in her right ear revealed the early onset of an ear infection so Mom made an unexpected stop at the pharmacy for some antibiotics, grateful it was caught now and that we didn't have to endure a painful weekend with Els until the doctor's office reopened on Monday!

Today Ellie got to meet some new little friends, many of whom are also adopted from outside of the US like her! Someday I hope I can get a photo. I realized this evening that they were all alive a year ago and living thousands of miles apart on three different continents but due to God's providential hand are now living with families that all happen to call Wilmore, Kentucky home! How amazing is that?

To our families and friends in the frozen North, it's also cold down here too, but believe it or not, we have no snow. Send us your photos!

I'm an Asbury girl!

This sweet little stocking hat came as a gift from a friend on campus and is her first official piece of Asbury-wear! Thank you!!!

Ellie has a new look

If you had accompanied Ellie on her two stints at the doctor's office yesterday, you would understand why these photos are nothing short of miraculous! But, just as the tech suggested, if we waited until this morning, she would notice the significant improvement in her vision and actually prefer to wear her glasses over not at all! So, they've been on for about 4 hours now, and she has only tried to take them off two or three times! We can already tell by the way she is investigating objects and looking at us that she is seeing many things for the first time!

The ear pieces wrap around her ears (no strap).

Expected (and unexpected) Visitors!

We had been waiting for PaPa and Nonna Waggoner's visit for many weeks! What Nonna and PaPa didn't know was that Ellie's Uncle Steve and cousins, Caleb & Joshua, were also coming for a brief visit! They were super surprised! We really missed Aunt Rachel, Micah & Leah but are looking forward to seeing them in March.

Ellie's cousins love the Play Station 2, and she was interested in joining in the fun -- at least in holding her own joystick.

PaPa and Nonna brought the baby swing down, and though she's at the upper end of the size/weight limit, she can still enjoy the fun! This is so nice since it's still a little chilly outside!

The book above, "You're My Little Love Bug", was a special gift from Nonna and PaPa. The words & art are so fun and absolutely adorable. If you look closely, you can see Ellie's picture on the last page of the book (it also features lights and a pretty song -- currently Ellie's "thing" that makes everything very fun and interesting). This book is so sweet and affirming, though. With her picture visible through the heart-shaped cut-out on every page, you nearly tear-up reading it! I saw on Amazon that the author has a couple of similar books that she has written -- I may want to look for them next time we're at Joseph-Beth!

A Visit to the Eye Doctor

Yesterday Ellie had a visit to see the ophthalmologist! Unfortunately the appointment was smack dab in the middle of nap time (this particular doctor came highly recommended, but as such, had limited availability), and as the office was running behind, we were there quite some time before Ellie was able to be seen. By the time the important tests were to be run, Ellie was running short of patience and enthusiasm (having a cold didn't help matters either). While she didn't have to read letters off a chart like the one above, she did get to look at colorful stickers, watch a video of a dancing stuffed puppy and chicken, and look at two different doctors with crazy head gear and lights. From the way she behaved, you would have thought we were back at the office with the needles (actually, we're going there again Monday). In the end, we left with a prescription for baby glasses and an appointment to return in 8 weeks. This time, at 9:15AM!

Some of you may wonder why Ellie went to see a pediatric ophthalmologist. If you haven't met her in person, it may be difficult to detect from photographs posted on this blog, but Ellie has a condition called Amblyopia caused by strabismus (misaligned eyes) and astigmatism. Strabismus is quite common in children who live much of their early life in orphanages. In Ellie's case, she had little to focus her eyes on beyond the distance of her hands from her face and as a result, she used her right eye much more than her left. Fortunately it is correctable and glasses are the first line of attack. You can pray that she will be agreeable to wearing them! (We have our doubts)!

If we were ever to return to her orphanage, I would bring 8 mobiles to set over each of the baby cribs so those little one would have more to look at than just their hands and the white ceiling above their heads. I wonder if something as simple as that would make a difference for many of them. If you spent time with the children in the room next door (for the 2-3 year-olds), many of them had much more apparent vision problems. It would break your heart because it's something that seems so preventable if only they had more stimulation.

Orange & Blue ????

There were so many ways I could go with this photo, I didn't know where to start. Perhaps you would like to submit a creative caption? Just leave it in the "comments" section!

Friends and family beware! If you think Ellie is automatically going to yell, "Go Bucks" (like her dad) or "Hail Chief Illiniwek!" (like her mom) you better step on it! Others are vying to win her team loyalty. This little Tennessee cheerleader outfit came compliments of Lindsey and Jason in Nashville who just had their adoption paperwork sent to Albania yesterday! Lindsey's aunt is the accomplished Lady Vol's basketball coach, Pat Summitt.

Ellie is shown above with Mark (one of her favorite friends), obviously a UK fan. You may remember him as the one who sent a toddler-sized UK sweatsuit to Ellie's orphanage with us last fall.

Ellie's First (real) Snow

This was the view out of her window that precipitated the snow shoot! Of course, we may be paying the consequences now, with the cold she is still recovering from! (Note: all these photos were shot last week). I wish our yard still looked so pretty!).

Sick Day

Here she is this morning in Mom and Dad's bed. The fact that she even consented to let us put blankets over her shows that she wasn't her usual self today. You might be able to catch a glimmer of the ever-running nose.
This book arrived from a friend this weekend. Ellie was nuts about the polka-dots.

Later this afternoon (after a 3 hour nap), Ellie contentedly sat in a little nest we made for her in our basement office. What you can't tell is the toy she is holding has a button that plays one of four different banjo songs each time she pushes it. Which is repeatedly. Going on for two hours now. Uncle Don, is this a sign she likes bluegrass? I think it's time for supper.

Sunday, Snow, SuperBowl, and Sneezes

I'm going to do something that I haven't done much on this blog, and that's write! I don't want to get obnoxious in my posting so many photos of Ellie so I thought I would switch and jot down a few thoughts, at least for journaling's sake. I promise I'll post photos of Ellie again soon.

This past weekend we took a group of 60+ students to northern KY/southern IN for a ski retreat (this is where our family and friends in VT and CO can laugh, cough, and ask politely, "Did I hear you correctly?"). Yes, we did go skiing in southern Indiana on a few hills that probably formed the original bluffs of the Ohio River valley basin. The skiing was preceded by some speaking sessions at a hotel near the Cincinnati Airport and I got another taste of "mom" life now with Ellie. I went on the retreat but spent a lot of time in our hotel room! Until her bedtime matches that of college students, I have a feeling that one or the other of us will find ourselves in the same situation for many future evening events. Actually, my sleeping habits are beginning to change and I didn't mind the excuse to retire early myself!

Ellie and I went home Saturday afternoon as everyone else was hitting the slopes (while I missed the fellowship, I didn't miss hanging out in well-below-freezing weather). Surprisingly, my riding companion stayed awake the entire trip and slept hard when she finally got to her crib for a late afternoon nap.

Some of you have asked (which usually means several more of you have probably also wondered) about the results of Ellie's plethora of lab tests... We got the results back last week and from what I could gather, she's doing pretty well, all things considered. We have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Taylor next week, as well as her eye appointment Thursday, and a hearing test set up for the end of the month. We also received a very thick manila envelope from First Steps with the names of several therapists to plow through. If you think of us, you may pray for us through this selection process.

Many others ask if we're seeing progress in Ellie. I'm sure you can understand why that might be a difficult question to answer. No, she's not talking yet, or even saying words, but she continues to love to make noises, of which we do not tire hearing. They're usually quite funny. She's not walking, but we find her on her knees more, though she still prefers to lie on her back during play time. She has begun to point with her index finger to objects out of her reach which she wants us to bring to her. She will also grab one of our hands with both of hers and place it on her toys to push the button which activate the sounds and lights feature. She loves books as much as ever, and of course, the more colorful and interactive the better. I believe she is growing! Most recently I have noticed that her hands are more chubby/child-like and less dainty/baby. If she's gaining weight then my arms are getting stronger!

Yesterday I noticed that Ellie is developing her first real cold since we've known her (she has all the same symptoms as many of our college friends). Thankfully, it hasn't diminished her cheerfulness so we know she's not feeling too bad. She does sound much more nasally, sneezing, drooling (from teething?), and sounding congested. We did get snow this weekend and her mom couldn't resist finally getting those photos in the snow, so she's perhaps partially to blame.

Well, the big game is about to begin and we're going to have a small gathering so I need to sign-off. We'll be in touch!

Fun times with Dad