Saying goodbye

After church this morning, we enjoyed lunch with PaPa and Nonna at a downtown deli & bakery.  As the time approached to say goodbye, Ellie repeated her question, "How many sleeps 'til Christmas?"  Then, as plates were cleared, she started bargaining.  "How 'bout YOU make a paper chain, Mommy, til you come pick me up at Nonna's house?"

(above) Ellie thought it was funny to eat off all the decorations from her gingerbread man cookie first.
(below) this is Reni's way of "kissing" -- pressing cheek to cheek.

The picture below is heartbreaking for me.  As a mom, it upsets me to see Ellie so distraught (transitions are just plain hard for her).  But I'm also so appreciative that she loves her grandparents so much (she has done this the past several 'goodbyes' with both sets of grandparents).

She eventually calmed down and eased herself through the transition telling me the things she missed about home.  Her number one thing she was looking forward to at home?  Her cereal.  Ha!

5 Years Ago...

5 years ago Friday, on the day after Thanksgiving, we made the momentous trip down to Vlora to meet Ellie. If not for the fact that we were traveling all day Friday, I would have posted a mention of this sooner.

 Click here for a slideshow of that first meeting if you haven't seen it before...

Thanksgiving with Nonna and PaPa

We have been enjoying a nice, relaxing weekend with Nathan's parents.  I think the kids (and their parents too) are enjoying a change of scenery and fellowship with family!  I haven't been taking a lot of photos, but here are a few snapshots from the day (I've gotten phone messages from grandparents in Albania that a post would be appreciated, ahem).  Below, Nathan reads to the kids while the last of the preparations on Thursday were coming together.

Yes, the crowd around the table was much smaller this year, but I think Mom and Dad made the same amount of food!  It was yummy!

Happy Thanksgiving

Five years ago at this time, on the night before Thanksgiving, Nathan and I were safely settled into two seats on an Austrian Airlines flight headed to Vienna.  We had navigated some very busy airports in Cincinnati and Washington D.C. with lots of travelers on their way to visit family, and so were we.  Except we were on our way to be with our daughter whom we had not yet met!  Every Thanksgiving week since then I can't help but let my mind drift back to what we were doing on that day of that week -- from packing our suitcases, to checking in at the airport, and waiting at crowded airport gates.

Five years later, that baby girl is now a gangly 6 year-old for whom we are even more thankful for than we were in those first weeks and months of the parenthood-honeymoon love.  As we endeavor to cultivate a heart of thankfulness in her, we are reminded that gratitude is not a 'natural' state of the heart. Naturally, our hearts long for "the next best thing," failing to recognize the blessings which surround us each and every day. So as we anticipate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am grateful for a day set apart to remember God's blessings and a reminder to daily thank Him as the source of all things good.

Go Team!

Saturday was a rare day with no appointments.  Just a day at home to work on projects with football on in the background.  Reni humored me and let me snap a few pics of him in a hat sporting his daddy's favorite team.  Of course, I couldn't resist that cuteness and just kept snapping pics.  I seriously am loving this two-year-old stage.  If you think his face is cute, you should hear the words that come out of his mouth!  I guess that means time for video...

Yeah, I still can't believe he's ours either.

Counting down the days...

Life has felt hectic but we see a break coming and boy, does it look welcome!

Like us, our daughter is looking forward to a change of pace and when the calendar turned a page, she immediately began anticipating the Thanksgiving holiday.  Thanksgiving means no school, a road trip, and a visit to Nonna and PaPa's house.  Unfortunately, she thought that Thanksgiving fell much earlier in the month than it actually does, so to help the sanity of our household, we made a paper chain.

When I brought in the strips of paper cut back in the office, she started to cry at the number of pieces (this was about 2 weeks ago).  She obviously was discouraged at the length this chain would be!  So I quickly started writing activities on various strips that represented plans that included her (trip to Cincinnati, dental appointment, visit with friends, decorating for Christmas, etc.).  This chain has been a lifesaver and an item of great worth to her (she even takes it to bed)!  As you can see, the chain is getting shorter!  And yes, you can also see that we decorated the center for Christmas (last night -- another big task behind us!).  Meanwhile, her parents are taking deep breaths and counting the number of sleeps until we too, get to go to Nonna and PaPa's house.  A break is coming...!!!!

Fall and Friends

On Saturday we had GORGEOUS weather for a work day around the student center.  Our cabinet came out for a few hours (we bribed them with chili and cornbread) and helped us cut down a few trees and rake some leaves, and blow some leaves, and move some leaves and burn some leaves.  Whew!  It would have taken us a month of weekends (or probably more) to do what they accomplished in a few hours.  Of course, the best part of raking leaves is playing in the pile.  As you'll see below, Ellie's really good at getting her student friends to do whatever she wants.  In the next series of photos, she's playing with Audra, who plays violin on our worship team (it's SO gorgeous!).  We are indebted to students like her who love our kids and make our 'job' such an absolute pleasure and blessing.

Mr. Reni is not featured -- he's been quite sick for the past few days.  We're not sure exactly what ails him, but if he still has a fever in the morning, we'll be headed to see Dr. Taylor.

The New Legs

These were Reni's first legs.  Oh, how excited we were to get these cute little guys last year!

I'll never forget the prosthetist asking at Reni's first fitting if we had brought his shoes.  We looked at him dumbfounded, then found our voice and asked, "Um, we'll run down the street and buy some.  What size does he wear?"  We brought back three pair, and these were the ones chosen (primarily because they were the flattest on the bottom).  I thought they were perfect.  Down to the little paw print.  I love how scuffed up they are now -- evidence that they've been somewhere.  I can't remember being so excited about scuffed up shoes before.

It didn't take Reni long to outgrow these legs.  I mean, hey, he was fitted less than a month after coming home from Albania and he gained weight fast, chunking up his little legs so we had to ditch the liners because he simply didn't fit in them anymore.  Soon the prosthetics were slipping and rotating out quickly with toes pointing out at odd angles, but it didn't seem to bother him.  Then he started growing UP and his center of balance started changing -- nevertheless, he continued to grow in strength and confidence in these legs.  But at the end of the summer it was clear that they just plain didn't fit anymore and we started to see him regress.

Then he got these bad boys.  They made his first pair look positively dainty.

Below you can see a side-by-side comparison.  These new guys are H.E.A.V.Y but our boy is STRONG!
Oh, and shopping for only the 2nd pair of shoes I've bought my son in 15 months was another one of those surreal experiences.  It really felt a little strange.  I've already forgotten what size shoe he wears.

Unlike strapping the legs on with criss-crossing velcro belts like his first pair, these new legs utilize his new muscle tone and suction/ratchet on.  Below you can see what looks kind of like a compression sock (?) that is rolled onto his legs (see the demonstration from two posts previous to this one).  This "sock" has a post at the bottom that ratchets and clicks into the inside of the leg so they stay snug.

A simple squeeze on the button below releases the ratchet and the legs slip off!

This design prevents the legs from rotating like his initial pair.  We'll keep you posted as to his progress.  He still has a long way to go in getting use to them.  In the meantime, the photos below are from last night when we hosted our friends, the Haakes.  They are a couple in our small group who has also adopted internationally.  Reni and their son, Kerwin, have really hit it off, which is fun to witness.

Reni was really proud of showing off his legs to his new best friend.

They took some turns throwing the ball back and forth before Reni was finally ready to throw in the towel and go to bed.

Testing Out Windows Live Writer

This is a test to practice using Windows Live Writer, a free software program that allows me to create my blog posts offline.

This is my awesome, handsome husband, Nathan.  Though I don’t typically “tilt” images, apparently this is one of the photo formatting tools. 
And you can also watermark your images!  Super fast!


I don’t know that I’ll use this regularly, but it sure would have come in handy while we were in Albania.  Instead, we had to settle for standing in a stuffy, un-airconditioned hallway in our hotel as a place to upload our photos and format our blog posts.  If you are traveling somewhere where your access to wireless will be unpredictable, I recommend giving Windows Live Writer a spin!  It’s free and very easy to set up!  (Works with Wordpress, Blogger, and TypePad).

For a more thorough review of this product, I recommend Kristen Howerton’s write up here:
http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2011/09/blogging-with-microsoft-live-writer.html

And because I want to spread out my posts just a tad (and this is NOT a time-sensitive post), I’m going to schedule the release of this message for a later date.  If you’re reading this, then it worked!

Reni's New Legs!

I apologize to our family who have been patiently waiting to see Reni's new legs! By the time I think about photographing Reni and his legs it's either time to make supper or the sun has gone down (way too early)!  Tonight Nathan graciously set aside some time to splice a few short clips together, compress them for web and upload them to You Tube.  I apologize for the terrible focus issue at times -- I was not shooting on a video camera!  What you'll see in this video is the process of putting his legs on, then a few passes of him walking back and forth in them.

In reality, transitioning to these legs has been like learning to walk all over again.  I'll try to get a side-by-side photo of these new legs and his old legs, but I think they are about 40% taller.  He has major fear of falling in them and sometimes just cries to get them off as soon as we put them on.  Nathan surmised this evening that the new design requires him to hold his left leg  flexed down all the time (at what looks like the "knee" joint) and that's just really uncomfortable for him since it's not usually in that position.  They also come up much higher on his legs so bending over is also uncomfortable (we think it pinches or pokes him at the waist).  This is all discouraging, but part of the process.  Having seen how well he took to his first legs, I think he will eventually get back up to his former speed in these.  It will just take time for him to adjust to his new height and the new feel.  They compress his leg tissue considerably more and we were warned that this would be a big adjustment, but the upside is they won't rotate like his old legs (which would result in feet pointed is strange directions).  So far, though, that doesn't seem to be the source of his concern.  Of course, because he's just 27 months, it's not like he can really articulate exactly what he doesn't like about them.  We'll try to keep you posted as to his progress in them.  Thanks for your interest!

Now the video!  Nathan starts with a demonstration of putting on the legs and the many layers that go underneath (just in case you are interested)...

What happens when...

... you've got a MAJOR sweet tooth....

... and you just can't wait until Mom says the cookies are done cooking and ready to eat?

.... and after all, you ARE a big 6 year old...

...  who has really long legs and arms now...

... so you can reach things that your parents didn't know you could reach.

... like opening the toaster oven to pull the cookies out?

...You are smart so you know to use a oven mit to protect your hands...

... but you have a deep, deep sensory need...

... one that's so second nature that you don't even think about it.

... like needing to touch things to your chin

Remember this photo from September?

... you can't explain why, whether you're smelling things or testing their temperature...

... so you grab that hot cookie sheet with your oven mit and without thinking, touch it to your chin!

OUCH!!!

After a few minutes you need relief and ask for the "boo boo pack". Mom notices something's amiss.

... she takes a look at how you're using the ice pack and sees a thin, white line on your chin and recognizes that you've gotten in a pickle.

... you know you need something to take the pain away but the thought of weird medicine on your FACE seems so scary

... that though you didn't cry when you burned yourself, tears fall at the thought of that squishy stuff on your chin!

Eventually you settle back down again and wonder how long it will be before you feel like yourself again!

Orphan Sunday

Today is Orphan Sunday, a day on the calendar for the Church to intentionally unite in prayer for those in this world who lack a parent, a protector.

I think every parent who has adopted takes pause on a day like this and remembers the ones who were left behind.  It's such a helpless feeling.  You've probably heard someone half jokingly say, "I'd have taken them all home with me if they'd let me!"  But that person's not really joking.  Because you know how bleak is the situation of those who don't have someone coming for them.

Coincidentally or not, last night and this evening I've been reading old blog posts from our trip to get Reni last summer and I see the snapshots of him and I hardly recognize him.  He doesn't look like my son.  Not the little boy who snuck up behind me this morning and grabbed my leg saying, "I got you, Mommy!"  Not the boy who told a little friend tonight, "That's MY mommy!"  He has a sparkle in his eye and a fire in his heart today that we didn't see in the summer of 2010.  Oh what a difference a family makes!

Yesterday morning our house was LOUD.  It was loud with the shrieks and squeals of happy kids.  And I was happy.  We didn't have any immediate plans so the four of us lay on the bed for a while, a laughing, tickling, teasing tangle of arms and legs.  At one point Ellie asked the question (which she asks about once a week), "Is our family stuck together forever?"  And every time we assure her, "Yes, Ellie!  Our family is stuck together FOREVER!"  While I know she has no memory of her life before us, I can't help but think some vestiges of her heart bear that memory of loneliness.  I'm so, so sad that it's part of her past, but I'm thankful that it's past.  And it's true what the Psalmist says in 68:6, "God sets the lonely in families..."

God has worked miracles in both of our children, and we've had a front row seat to their transformation. What a privilege!  But they're not the only ones who've been transformed.  Both Nathan and I have been transformed in ways we can't express.  If you're on the fence, if you have fears about whether or not you can make the leap to open your life to another in this way, pray, read your Bible, and talk to people you know who have adopted. E-mail us.  We'll be happy to be a resource however we can.

Before church commenced this morning, Ellie turned to me and said, "Mommy, I want us to adopt two babies.  With black skin."  I smiled at the qualifier.  I thought, We'll see, Ellie!  You make me so proud! I'm so glad you have a heart for those who who need a family!


Below is a brief video that was shown in our church this morning that just serves as a reminder about God's heart for the orphan and our responsibility as His hands and feet.



Creation Groans from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

"Lookit, Mommy!"

This week on campus we focused on missions through what we call our Great Commission Congress.  This is great, and what we're all about, however it also meant Daddy was gone a lot.  So on mornings like today, the kids may or may not have been in their PJs until, oh, I won't say what hour.  Thankfully they got some fun new things in the mail this week to entertain them which Reni was very proud to display this morning for your viewing pleasure.

Again, forgive the attire.  And lack of combed hair.  We didn't know a "blog moment" was going to unfold.  Or that I might actually have a camera in arm's reach... that also contained a memory card with space!

Ta da!

Coming soon: I PROMISE, photos of Reni and his new legs!

Empowered to Parent

If you are a reader within 100 mile radius of Lexington, this is for you!

In our monthly adoptive parents group we've been watching Dr. Purvis videos on her Trust Based Relational Intervention method and it's been SO beneficial, especially in understanding and working with our Ellie.  We are excited that a couple of her colleagues from TCU are coming to Lexington next weekend to lead a 2-day intensive workshop.  We'll be attending and wanted to spread the word, albeit a little bit last-minute!  You may be an adoptive parent or know someone who is parenting a child from a hard place (early trauma, multiple foster placements, orphanage/institutionalization, etc.). Follow this link for more information!