Who wants before and now pictures?

The other day we were playing in the yard. I was trying to take a good picture of Anna in the Irish sweater that her Papa and Grammy brought back from Ireland. I did not get the picture that I wanted but realized this is a cool now and then picture.


April 2011


October 2009

So where have I been?

I feel like I have been away from my blog for way too long. Even though it has only been a couple of days so much has changed. The next couple of months are going to test our faith a bit. We are experiencing some changes here in our family that I have not made public yet so until I do you all will have to wait too. I like to be as positive as I can be this change was unexpected and quite sudden so Gerard and I are still trying to figure out how we will work it all out first. No I am not pregnant.

I have been on vacation for the past 2 weeks. I decided to take off when Anna had her spring break so that I could spend time with her and not feel guilty about keeping her home with me. Except for our trip to Washington D.C. I pretty much stayed home. I feel like my house has suffered a bit so my intention was to do some spring cleaning and have La-La watch Anna for 2 of the days but due to her accident I felt it was best to just let her rest instead.

On the way home from Washington I felt exhausted. I thought it was just because we had been going nonstop by alas I was coming down with a virus. I have a awful cough and the sore throat. Usually I am over feeling sick in a day or so but it has been a week and I really do not feel any better. Do not be shocked but I even went to the doctors which is big for me and had a round of antibiotics that have not helped at all. I just feel exhausted.

I did manage to get my laundry room and dining room painted. My new dryer came on Tuesday, one that stacks onto the washer. As I have said before my house is small and space is at a premium. Prior to Anna coming home I had an office/guest room but because of our odd sleeping patterns here Gerard took over that room.

I loved having an office because I felt so much more organized when it came to my finances. So my new laundry room now has enough room for me to put a full sized desk. The room was painted a pale pink which I loved but is now painted a pale yellow cream. I had been thinking blue would be nice but I love the shabby chic cottage style so much and cream was a better choice.

I have collected a few little treasures to hang up in my new office/laundry room that should give it the right feeling. I have other reasons for needing office space. I am heading back to school. I have made the decision to become a Nurse Practitioner. I still feel like it is weird to even say. So for the next 3-4 years I will be taking classes towards my Masters degree, more on that later.

Easter was wonderful even though I was sick. We had the family over in the morning for an egg hunt. We kept it simple just sandwiches, chips and dip. Everything was cleaned up and put away by 3 pm which to be honest I could not have been happier about. I am just exhausted.

How about some pictures:





Hans dove into the trees to get an egg!

These eggs are to dye for!

Sunday after we woke up Me-Me and I decided that the mood was right for dyeing eggs. I love that we do this together as a family just like we did for the Christmas activities. My sister Julie (Hans' Grandmother) joined us for the fun. I can not believe that entire year has passed already. Both Anna and Hans have grownso much.

I love the way Hans and Anna run to the dining room table when they see us getting an activity out for them to do. They both jump up into a chair and get busy. Me-Me got this neat egg painter/spinner for the kids last year. She thought ahead and bought another one this year so they both had one.








Eggs are done!

Last night Anna and I went to the movies with La-La and Jim Dear to see the movie Hop. The animation was neat but I have to say I guess I am just a little sensitive. In the being of the movie the family was eating dinner. It appeared that one of the children was adopted. Which I thought how cool is this, mainstream adoption in the movies then boom...a sarcastic remark about adoption. In my opinion it was an odd interaction within the movie. I guess you live and learn.

Washington D.C. 2011...Russian Embassy Easter Party

What a weekend! I am so ready for spring to really start. Like last year we decided to come to Washington D.C. for the Easter party held at the Russian Embassy. Last year we went to the zoo which was a lot of fun. I was surprised that Anna remembered the elephants when we told her we were going to Washington. I am amazed at the things she remembers.

This year we were lucky enough to meet up with not only Stacy, Pat and Aidan but Jolynn, Rich and Jacob (private blog). We decided to take Anna to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs on Friday. Anna is really into animals and she loved looking at in imitating many of the different animals. Anna and Jacob were like long lost friends. What surprised me was that Anna was even willing share King with Jacob. You have to understand no one gets to play with King.

The kids got a chance to run around in the grassy area between the Washington Monument and the Capital building. The two of them ran, played and laughed the entire time. I got caught up with Jolynn and it was a great time for me.




Yes that is my daughter mooning the Capital building. Honest it was an accident. She laughed so hard and tried her best to recreate the moment.

As an adoptive parent I forget just how much my guard is up when I talk with others about Anna. Stacy and Jolynn completely understand and that is what makes spending time with them different and wonderful. I do not have to explain anything they just understand because they are living it.

Late Friday night we went swimming in the pool at the hotel. The water was a perfect 82 degrees. I got to talk with the life guard a bit. He was discharge from the Army about a 1.5 years ago and told me how he wanted and needed a low stress job. What a nice young man he was.

Saturday was party day. Stacy, Pat and Aidan met us at the hotel then we ventured off to have lunch and let the kids play. Aidan has gotten so talk. Anna barely comes up to his shoulders. What a sweet shy guy he is. I loved the way he watched out for Anna when they were playing. I thought the Easter party last year was great but this year was even better. The children's performances were terrific. They put on a couple little plays for us which were funny. When the girls were singing I could hear Anna trying to sing along which I thought was wonderful.

At the party they had a couple of people who can make different things out of balloons which quite frankly amazes me. I think what shocked me the most about this weekend is how grown up Anna has gotten. She stood in line for the balloon did not have a problem with that until a couple of girls tried to get in front of her and Aidan which she promptly told them to move. Anna does not care for line jumpers when it involves a balloon. There were only a few tears when we had to leave the pool but honestly I even felt like crying at the thought of not getting to swim again.

For the ride there and home she was perfect except for the when we pulled down our street and could see our house. We were stopped by a fireman because a wire came down literately across our front yard and driveway. She kept telling me "Go there Mom...Home...Go home now!" We missed the wire coming down and landing in our front yard by about 10 minutes. Thank goodness we were had a delay here and there along the way home or we could have been just pulling in when the wire came down.

I would also like to give the agency who coordinates the Russian Easter party a big show out Cradle of Hope Adoption Center. You all did a great job. Currently they are looking for families who may be willing to host an older child from Russia, Ukaine and China for their Bridges of Hope program. Please consider checking out their program.

Isn't He cute?

I have had the sheer pleasure of being able to watch Hans grow up from birth. I am lucky because Anna and Hans LOVE to be together. Both Hans and Anna ask for each other and want to play in the same room but not quite together yet. They are mostly parrallel playing which is so nice to see. Whether or not my niece Jaime knows it seeing Hans grow up has been amazing. Hans is now the same age as Anna was when she first came home. Each time he hits an age that I could relate back to being with Anna I marval at how smart, fun and secure he is knowing that he has both his parents who are such wonderful influences in his life. Hans has learned so much from Anna and she from him. His language has started to explode. I love that he comes to my opens the refridgirator and hugs the bottle of Kefir. I love the way he runs, trips, falls and hops back up to do it all over again. Hans at Anna's second birthday 22 months old

Prayers needed immediately!*****Thank you

La-La and Jim Dear have been in a bad car accident. La-la is okay. Jim Dear is in a lot of pain and is having multiple tests right now. La-la's cousin was also involved. Please say a prayer that they are okay. Specifically that Jim Dear is okay as I feel La-la is stable.

We loves them so much.

Thank you all.


***La-La, Jim Dear and La-La's cousin have all been released from the hospital. Jim Dear is still in quite a bit of pain but it appears that they all will be okay. Jim Dear's truck on the other hand may be gone but I guess that is what happens when you are hit by an even bigger dump truck. I am breathing a sigh of relief because we love them and we want Jim Dear to stick around with us for a long time.

Making a book with Nanny

Yesterday was make a book with Nanny day at school. I will admit that I felt so unprepared for this project. I am not sure what I excepted but I did not bring anything to help make the book such as pictures or stickers. Honestly I was a bit put off about it because had it been mentioned in the note home that we could or should bring stuff I would have not only had it prepared talked and pre-played with the stuff with Anna. I know it sounds like I am complaining but I hate not being prepared. I am still new to this whole preschool stuff, next time I will be prepared.

During Anna's teacher conference one observation that she made was that Anna avoids drawing. At home we draw but I realized that when we draw it is as a group or family. Usually we have a large piece of paper that covers the table and everyone joins in the drawing and coloring. In retrospect I think Anna has asked us to draw more then she has drawn.

Anna is the youngest in her class. Her preschool is set up so that the child stays with the same teacher for 2 years. I like this in many ways but yesterday when Anna was drawing it was hard to see her struggle some to draw. Many of the children in her class are 5 turning 6, Anna is 3 turning 4. This does not sound like a big difference but it is a big difference.

Here is where the but comes in, I see just how much Anna has grown. Watching Anna navigate her classroom is very interesting. She knows what to do and what is expected of her by the teacher. A year ago I know that this would have been difficult for Anna. After talking to Gerard and my Mother we talked about how we are going to encourage her to draw more. I am in no rush to push her through her developmental milestones. In my opinion drawing and coloring should be a low stress, fun activity and that is how we are going to approach it.

I am so glad that I was able to get a few pictures of them together making her book.

What a weekend!

I just love being off on the weekends. I ended up working a different day during the week last week which gave me Friday night off. Gerard is only off on Thursday night and Friday night so the switch was good for us. I love doing things as a family and that is my biggest complaint with his work schedule. He tells me to just get over it because pretty much every body but me works 5 days a week. I know he is right but the time just seems to fly by so fast now.

This past weekend Gerard, Julie (my sister) and Jaime also known as Me-Me ran in the Ship Bottom Sprint for Life. This 5K race is a benefit for Lymphoma and Leukemia research. Gerard's Aunt Nel is fighting Lymphoma and one of my friends from work her son is now a 10 ten survivor from a type of leukemia that usually does not have a cure or a survival rate of 10 years. Zachary is a blessing and an absolute treasure. Me-Me and La-La's Grand Father died from Lymphoma the year Me-Me was pregnant with Hans. So this walk and run has a special meaning for all of us.

La-La and I did the 2 mile fitness walk and pushed the kids. I do feel encouraged to at least try a 5k or to train for one at least. I would love to know that I would be able to finish a 5K. I would love to feel the freedom of just being able to run farther then my parked car into a store. Who knows maybe I will start to run, after all anything is possible.

Here are pictures that I took because I do agree that these blog posts are better with pictures.








I have to say I am so proud of Gerard. He finished 8th in his age division with a time of 25 minutes and 25 seconds. Me-Me did equally as well with a time of 27 minutes and 35 seconds. Julie who did no training at all for this 5K finished too. La-La and I had a nice walk and even got a little sun burn.

Now for all of you who have wanted to see a picture of Mr. Wilson I did not tell you this but there is not one but two pictures of him crossing the finish line. So to be clear he is not pictured on this site under photo number 360 or photo number 361...Wink, Wink, Wink!

Anna sad!

The other day Anna came home from school and she seemed a little off. Her teacher said that she did not eat much at breakfast/snack or lunch. Usually when that happens I watch her eating a little closer. I find that Anna usually does not tell me if she is hungry. There have been the rare occasions when she will tell me "Hungry." Those times are very infrequent however.

When Anna first came home food was a big issue for her and for me. Anna refused to eat. I refused to not worry. I remember a day when Anna ate 1 saltine cracker and less then 4 ozs of juice for the whole day. I worried about her intake and still do. Anna actually lost close to 2 lbs when she first got home. In the past year I have done my best to not worry and just let her eat. I am proud to say that Anna is now up to 27.1 lbs.

I now know that Anna is hungry because rather then asking for food she acts out. Usually she becomes what I call a little fresh. At times she will even throw her favorite toys. I offer her a snack or bottle and she is like a new person.

I prepared a snack right away but Anna did not want to eat. Here is the part I was not prepared for...Anna busted out into tears and said "Anna sad!" Then she cried out "I want Daddy. Anna sad! Anna sad!" Oh boy I this is a bridge that we have never crossed before. I asked her if she wanted to lay on Daddy's bed with one of his shirts. She told me "Yes" with tears streaming down her face. Then I laid with her and gave her a bottle of Kefir. She snuggled into me and her Daddy's shirt drank her bottle and just settled down. About 20 minutes later she looked at me and said "Anna not crying...Anna Happy."

I called Gerard and he came home as soon as he could. She played with him and hugged him non-stop. Seeing her love him is so heart warming.

This is really the first time that Anna has used her words to express her emotions of being sad. I know that somewhere inside her she may be feeling the loss of her birth parents and the loss of leaving her baby home. She seems fine now but I think we will be talking to her more about her being sad. I want her to know that it is okay to be sad. Processing all these emotions are difficult.

I could never imagine the pain that some children who have difficulty attaching and bonding with their parents feel. I am blessed that these moments are very few for now. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who are struggling with attachment issues.

Anna"s Research Project

In Anna's preschool they teach different things by doing what Anna's teacher calls research projects. I do think this is a really neat way of teaching. Basically, Miss C. picks a topic or object and as a class they discuss the topic or object.

The class has learned numbers by measuring things like those sponge animals that grow in water. I like the way she usually relates a book to what ever research project she is teaching about in class. I do think it is funny to say that Anna who is 3 has a research project to do but if you think about this theory it works. This method of teaching embraces children's nature desire to explore and ask questions which I love.

Anna's class will be writing a book with a grandparent next week so I have asked my Mother to do that with Anna. I know that if Papa and Grammy did not get to do something special with her their feelings might be hurt. I also know it would be difficult for all three grandparents to help with the book so this research project was better suited for Gerard's parents to help.

The kids were divided into 3 teams...Team Radish, Team Green bean and Team Sunflower. They each scooped the dirt into a cup, planted their seeds and placed them in the sun to grow. During this process Miss C. talked to them about what was needed for these seeds to grow.

As a snack and keeping with the theme I brought in Worms in the Dirt. It was so funny to see which kids would eat the snack and which ones would not. I made these neat little take home bags for them complete with one of those gift pots from T@rget from the dollar section so they can plant seeds with their families and some dehydrated fruit that Anna has started to eat.

At preschool Anna is so grown up. She cleans up her toys, moves from station to station independently, it was so nice to see. Now I can start expecting more of her. Anna was cute in the class room. She has a symbol that she must move from spot to spot that represents each station. Anna was so excited to see her Papa and Grammy in the parking lot at school when we pulled up.

I only have a few pictures that do not have other children pictured.


Anna with her Papa


Anna loved eating the worms from the dirt


When we got home Anna wanted to do some drawing. She told me "Look, Mom 5."
So this proves to me that this type of teaching is working.

Who has a...

Disney vacation club? I know it is a time share but it uses a point system that I am not familiar with, mostly because I do not own a time share. If you have one do you like it or do you not? Is is possible to go to places other then Disney? I figured it might be worth asking.

Thanks

Busy weekend!

This weekend has been a LONG one for me. I spent most of Saturday morning trying to understand something I will never understand. People are all different so I am going to put it into God's hands. Gerard took care of Anna most of the weekend for me because I just felt out of sorts.

As yesterday progressed I started to feel better and was able to join in the fun of watching Gerard continue to clean up the yard while I worked on a preschool project for Anna's class. Gerard thinks I will get an A+. He also thinks she is going to laugh when she realizes that I spent the better part of my day off putting it all together. The teacher let me put the whole "Research Project" together for the class with the condition that Anna's Papa and Grammy (Gerard's parents) could help.

Next week the class is doing a project with the Grandparents but it was limited to only one Grandparent which I did not think was fair but I understand the class room limitation. I did not want to have to choose between the three of them. They all love Anna very much and each would be hurt if they were not able to do a project with her.

Gerard had to fix the outdoor portion of the vent cover for one of the bathroom exhaust fans. A bird was starting a neat little nest in there with the leaves from the grasses I love and he dislikes. After he pulled it all out he called me out to see just how much was in there. WOW it was a lot of reeds from the grasses.

Anna ran around the yard kicking the ball, driving in her car and yes climbing the tree again. I think I scared Gerard a bit when I told him that Anna will be driving a real care in about 13 years. She will be driving a used car just like in the picture. She was too funny waving and saying "Bye, you later" She is so full of energy. I like to describe her as the ball in a pinball game. She bounces from here to there with lots of energy but then when the game is over she is out like a light. I wonder if I had this much energy when I was a child? Anna kept telling us "Mom sun happy. Mom happy. Daddy happy. Anna happy." or "Listen Mom birds." one of the funniest was "Not raining, Mom." She talked nonstop all day which is so cute to finally hear her talk like this.

I plan on starting my walking routine today with Anna in the stroller. Gerard was organizing some of the tools and she managed to climb in and insisted on go for a ride. Even though the weather here is starting to break from the cold with occasional days in the mid 50's I am still cold. Last year at this time, we were preparing to go to Florida for warm weather, fun in the sun and beach time. This year I have other plans for my May vacation.

I am about 10 days away from my April vacation so I am so looking forward to just having the time off. We are planning of going to the Russian Easter party at the Embassy in Washington D.C. We hope to meet up with Stacy, Pat and Aidan for dinner again the night before. Another adoptive couple that I have become friends with have also decided to come so we are going to stay at the same hotel. I am super excited to meet her son Jacob. Today will be a fun filled day with Anna at her preschool. I hope to share some of it tomorrow.

Prayers answered!!!

I while back I everyone to pray for a little boy in Russia. Anton was in need of a forever family. I am happy to say that today there is a family waiting to visit with him and become his forever parents. Thank you all who said a quick prayer for this little guy.

Here is Anton's Reese's Rainbow page

Here is the link I found to the perspective adoptive parents for Anton.

I am not sure what made me look at his profile today but I am so relieved to know that very soon he may have a Mommy and Daddy to how him.

I had intended on writing yesterday but we had a family situation that needed my complete attention. Gerard, Anna, my Mother and I are all okay. Please say a prayer for one of my other close family members who needs strength and guidance today.