Fall Update

I'm not much of a writer. I can hardly keep up with the things that need doing around the house. We are doing well. We are moved into the new, old house and are still unpacking and getting rid of a lot of stuff. It is so liberating to remove things from your life.

Aiden grows big and stronger each day. I am so proud of him. Emma is walking. She is also a climber. She is a great communicator. It is amazing how much one can communicate by knowing how to point. She is talking constantly. I don't understand everything that she is saying, but I know it has meaning. I do understand Daddy, cat, Bella, dog, bird, cracker, book. I think she will be an early reader like her big brother. She doesn't have much interest in her toys, but she will flip the pages of every book, catalog, and magazine she can grab.

Here are some pictures of the kids.

Final Adoption Hearing

We had our final adoption hearing yesterday in Jacksonville. It was quite an informal process, and we are nonetheless glad we made the trip. The judge was very kind, and gave Emma a little stuffed toy that Emma loves. Our son, Aiden, acted as judge and banged the gavel to make it official. He even wore the judge robes at the desk.

This ends our four and a half year adoption journey, although the journey of our family of four continues.

I'm Just Not Ready For It

I'm just not ready for this. How does a mother know to wake up because she needs to wake up? That happened to me two weeks ago. I looked over at Emma's crib, and she was staring at me....from over the crib. Yes, she was standing up, and started laughing when I opened my eyes and saw her. Yikes, where did that come from? She wasn't even eight months old yet, and I never saw it coming. Now she is standing everywhere. Her feet have flattened out over the last couple weeks, and she can walk forward if her arms/hands are held. She doesn't even have a tooth yet! This is just too soon for me.

Just Another Day

Things are not too exciting lately. The weather is warming up here in Florida, and I finally broke down and turn the air conditioner on in the late afternoon. Our temporary apartment faces west, and we have no air flow. We are just waiting for the electrician to finish the rewiring on the house before we move in. We will clean first, but paint after we move.

Aiden is absorbed in the series, "Liberty's Kids". It is a cartoon series on the America Revolution. He is learning more than I ever learned the traditional way (and I'm learning too!). I hope they show this good stuff in school.

He is also taking off in math. I though we would never finish addition, and he is zooming past subtraction and working on multiplication. We will try a new math program, "MEP", or Mathematic Enhancement Program.


For grammar we tried First Language Lessons, by Susan Wise, but he said it was repetitive and boring. I'm going to try MCT, Michael Clay Thompson's language arts program. If that doesn't work now, we will just wait another six months. His academics abilities are greater than his desire and a willingness to sit still, so waiting another six months isn't a problem. We started Sequential Spelling, and I love it. Aiden does very well with it, but the writing is too much at one time. I think we will work on spelling the dolch sight words this summer, and try Sequential Spelling again in fall. History Odyssey will continue over the summer, and we will continue with our free-form science. Since Aiden has a gift with language, I picked up some beginner French material we will try.

Aiden made some stilts a week ago. He spent the afternoon with a good friend, who has as many tools as my husband. Aiden loved building them himself.



Emma is growing, but not quickly. She isn't going to be a big girl. Her birthmother wasn't tall either. She is doing well developmentally. She is doing a modified crawl, where she uses her arms to propel herself forward and pushes with her back legs. She claps, and waves, and loves getting lots of attention from strangers. She is very attracted to books and magazines, so I give her some heavy paper brochures to mess up. She also loves going after the cat. Babies are not new to Bella, the cat. Aiden used to go after Bella too, so Bella is having nothing to do with Emma.

Easter 2010

We don't make holidays a big celebration. We try to keep things simple, and enjoy the day. We didn't race to the photo centers for fancy pictures, and we didn't participate in the community egg gatherings.

Instead, we dyed eggs with onions skins the Saturday before Easter. The bunny hid eggs with quarters in them around the house, and left a small basket of healthier treats. Emma received a stuffed chick in a shell, and a few dollars from Grandma. We enjoyed the rest of the day together.

I'm glad a few eggs scattered around the house is enough to create excitement for the preceding two weeks. There is joy in simplicity.

We Are Moving

We ended up purchasing a bigger house. Did I write about this before? Anyway, that is where we have focused a lot of our attention (and money, my goodness). Emma will need her own bedroom one day, and kids need room to move around. This house comes with an empty lot, so they will have plenty of room to run.

I have been scraping rotten carpet padding (from original bright, red shag carpeting no less) in the dining room. Emma is two feet away from me in her Pack N Play, but I can only get about an hour of work done (which includes a brief nap for Emma). She is all of six months old now, so her separation anxiety has kicked in. I know that is a good thing, but it doesn't allow me to be much help. Drew has done some removal of kitchen weirdness, and is now replacing a floor joist (2 x 4) that is holding up a water heater on the back porch. We already can't agree on a future floorplan for the kitchen. The rest of the house needs a serious cleaning, and paint.

Emma is rolling around now to get wherever she wants to be. She is quite proficient at rolling. She eats egg yolk, banana, avocado. She isn't too fond of liver (can you blame her?). She adores her big brother, and laughs at all his silliness. This just makes him act even sillier. Emma still sleeps through the night. She has developed eczema due to the cold, dry weather. It should go away when our Florida humidity returns.

Aiden lost one of his upper front teeth. It was wiggly anyway, and he climbed up on the counter in the kitchen to get something out of an upper cabinet. Anyway, he lost his footing, and came down on his chin on the countertop. A couple of bites into his dinner, his tooth of out. The tooth fairy was very generous because she didn't have any change that evening.

No Sympathy for the Weary (Emma update too)

Conethia doesn't want to hear my daily woes (smile), so I'll just move on to talking about Emma.

We are most fortunate to have a baby that sleeps through the night. She is now 4.5 months old. She doesn't take a long nap during the day, but does cat nap. I think this helps for sleeping through the night, although it doesn't give me much of a break during the day for schooling.

Emma is a really easy baby though. When she is tired she throws her arms up and arches her back. She smiles a lot, and has a very pleasant disposition. She is teething, but doesn't cry about it. She makes cute raspberries. She does this crazy monkey yell when she wants your attention. It sounds like, "eh, eh, eh, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhh". Stupid to write that, I know. She loves watching her uber energetic brother bounce off the walls and ceiling. Emma is also very alert. Aiden has been a good helper, and he hasn't had anything near the amount of sibling jealousy I expected.

We think her birthmother did a really fantastic job the first three months, and have a great deal of respect and admiration for her.

Going Crazy

I have a very active and demanding 6.5 year old, and now a 4 month old. I homeschool our very smart boy. I work with our contractor on remodeling our house so that we can put it up for sale, and try to keep up our temporary apartment in some order. I am trying to find us a larger home now that we have a girl. I still have our holiday decorations up, and the laundry could be folded. The cat is almost out of food, and my mother needs me to run some errands for her. Oh, I am also going crazy.

Republishing Old Posts from Ukraine

When we signed on with an agency to adopt from Kyrgyzstan, we edited our blog and removed several posts about our unsuccessful Ukrainian adoption attempt. It feels great not to have to jump through any hoops set up by international adoption agencies. Our entire Ukrainian experience is here now for anyone that wants to know what can happen.

We Have Our Girl!

We brought our baby girl home this month! She was adopted domestically, and we couldn't be happier. We didn't want to post anything earlier about throwing our hat into the domestic adoption arena because we would have also gone to Krygyzstan if it had reopened. Anyway, everything finds its balance sooner or later.

She is happy, healthy, and no exposure to drugs or alcohol. We are thrilled, and she couldn't be more perfect.

Hibernating at Home

There is nothing much to report on the adoption front.

It is hot hot hot outside, and we are staying inside and trying to stay cool. I've been doing some sewing lately. I just finished a baby quilt, and a crown. I have a pattern for some cute girl's dresses, but I don't know the sex of the child we may adopt one day.

Update, But Nothing Exciting

We are considering some other options right now. I've read that things might begin moving in Kyrgyzstan before the end of the year. That may or may not include families without referrals. Anyway, that isn't what we are checking out. But we aren't just sitting around waiting.

UPDATE: Kyrgyzstan

This from JCICS:

It is Joint Council's understanding from discussions with the U.S. Dept of State, Office of Children's Issues that a number of arrests have been made in Kyrgyzstan in connection to intercountry adoptions. It is also our understanding that key Kyrgyz officials have confirmed the arrests of at least one adoption coordinator. Joint Council is currently working to confirm the arrests of at least two other coordinators. The latest information indicates that some of the illegal activity under investigation involve intercountry adoptions for children matched with U.S. citizen adoptive parents, including the creation of fraudulent paperwork for the purposes of intercountry adoption. Joint Council is currently working to confirm the charges and the extent of investigations. It is unknown at this time how this will affect the 65 pending cases.

In response to the current developments in Kyrgyzstan Joint Council is currently advocating with the U.S. Dept of State, Office of Children's Issues for a conference call for families who are matched with a referral. Given the limited schedule of the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan this week we do not anticipate this call occurring until late in the week of May 11th or during the week of May 18th.

Further, Joint Council has at this time decided it is necessary to suspend the current campaign of waiting child stories and the U.S. congressional campaign until further information is available on the investigations, charges, arrests and extent of illegal activities. At this time we respectfully request that prospective adoptive parents with referrals not take drastic advocacy measures for their case or the 65 pending cases. In conversations with government officials it is apparent that aggressive advocacy efforts at this time may simply be counterproductive. In order to ensure that advocacy efforts are strategic and directed at the appropriate officials and within an effective context, it is necessary to see how the investigations are resolved in Kyrgyzstan. Joint Council is greatly saddened by these recent events and offers our continued support to all families. We will continue to advocate for the children of Kyrgyzstan and the processing of legal, ethical intercountry adoptions from Kyrgyzstan with the strongest of commitments. Joint Council will also continue to update Member Organizations, adoptive families and all key stakeholders as the situation develops.

Thank you for your continued support of Joint Council and the children we all serve.

One of Many Updates....Sort of

This is an edit of a post from an agency very active in Kyrgyzstan. They are kind enough to keep people updated on what is happening (or at least what they know).


The Parliament did not discuss adoption this week. Next week is holidays, so if they meet they may not discuss adoption. The following week they are back on schedule and we expect they will issue their decision. The MOE is clearly operating with the belief that they will give a green light to completing adoptions in process; they indicate that it will take about a month to catch up with the matched waiting families. We do not know if they will then continue to make referrals to other families, or if the Embassy will accept new dossiers, or what. Hopefuly all of the above. The investigations continue. Most in-country coordinators have been called in for questioning. A couple judges have been unseated. They continue to raise those bizarre questions about "Why do foreign families want Kyrgyz orphans?" We've heard that family stories and photos have been helpful at debunking myths and allaying fears. The US Embassy is actively engaging the Kyrgyz officials to resolve the impasse. I don't know how many more times I can bear saying "one more week" or you can bear hearing it, but we are still stuck.

Killing Some Time, Burning Some Money

Aiden and I spent a couple days at Disney World this week. It was nice to get out of town with another mom and Aiden's best buddy. I asked Aiden what he liked best about the trip. He said it was riding the monorail, jumping on the bed in the hotel room, and the Legos store. I didn't have to purchase park admission passes for that. But then, knowing he isn't a big fan of too many people and too much noise (I liked lounging around the hotel pool the best), I could have guessed that.

We may go back again when the crowd is thinner. Then again, we can head west for 15 minutes and get a hotel room on the beach (with good beds to jump on), ride the beach trolley, and float in the Gulf of Mexico for less than the cost of a park pass to the Magic Kingdom.

Latest Update on Kyrgyzstan Progress

Based on an email from a wonderful agency director:

The powers that be say they are working on it, but there is nothing of substance yet to report. The investigations seem to center on Bishkek, although the adoption documents from Tokmok may not have been reviewed yet.

According to The Economist, The Kyrgyz president gave the US six months to renegotiate the US base arrangement. While it does not affect adoption directly, any swing between Russia and the US from inside Kyrgyzan can influence how the Kyrgyz government feels about the US in general.

DOS has not directly reported anything new, but the talk is that they are working hard to get children home. It isn't known whether they can make it happen this month or not.

JCICS Update

March 3, 2009 - Joint Council is pleased to confirm that U.S. Embassy officials in Kyrgyzstan met late last week with the Vice Prime Ministers Office regarding the 65 in-process intercountry adoption cases and the future of intercountry adoptions from Kyrgyzstan. At this time Joint Council cannot confirm the exact contents of the conversation.

Further, we can confirm that police investigations are occurring in Kyrgyzstan in regards to accusations surrounding child buying for intercountry adoption. No further information on this subject is available at this time. As soon as more information is available Joint Council will release it on our website.

Help is Just a Click Away

By just clicking on the Google ads in the sidebar, you make an automatic contribution to those that help folks in Central Asia. John Wright said they received $20 in just five days. As more folks add the ad and others start "clicking" the ad, the amount should grow.

If you don't have anything to do, would you take a minute to do some clicking?

Rita

Helping Those So That They Can Help Others

This is about a wonderful family that helps the less fortunate in Kyrgyzstan. The Wrights want to be in Kyrgyzstan full time helping, but money is always the problem. They have spent everything they own. If you want to make a difference please consider making a contribution.


Let's Get It Right for the Wrights!

Dear Friends of the Wrights,

We all know and understand the effectiveness of the work John, Julie, and family have done in Kyrgyzstan - the country they love so much and have been called to. Let's get them there ON THE GROUND full time! We can do this.

This post is coming out with other blog posts all over the country - people who have blogs that know the Wrights. Let's shock them with the provision of financial resources and letters/notes of encouragement to help them return to Kyrgyzstan. They want to go as full time missionaries - they just need our help to get them there.

We propose that we raise a minimum of the following:

$20,000 to cover a year's needs on the home front

• Home expenses - the place to come back to

$30,000 to cover a year's needs on the foreign front

• Travel in and out of the country with family 2 x a year

• Travel in the country to the different sites

• Family expenses - including the educational needs of one daughter

• Lodging and meals

This is just $50,000. We can do this and we can do it quickly. Here is how. Go to JOHN'S Blog and hit the button that is for the Wrights..support.

www.actofkindness.blogspot.com

AND guess what - you can watch all that is done there on his blog..you will learn to live vicariously in a healthy way by reading and supporting the RIGHT cause. What an opportunity - Will you help?

Let's do it RIGHT FOR THE WRIGHTS!

More News Out of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz Republic Government Addresses Regulation of Adoption Procedures


BISHKEK (AKIpress) – Kyrgyzstan's prime minister, Igor Chudinov, has signed a Kyrgyz Republic (KR) government directive addressing child adoption issues. This was reported today, February 17, 2009, by the KR Government Press Service.

The document in question was approved with a view toward regulating the procedure for adoption of children who are citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic, and improving the Kyrygz Republic's legal framework in that area.

Given those considerations, and in accordance with Article 130 of the Kyrgyz Republic Family Code, the Government of the Kyrygz Republic resolves:

To declare invalid Section 3. "Adoption of Children Who Are Kyrgyz Republic Citizens by Foreign Citizens" in the "Statute Regarding Rules for the Placement of Children Without Parental Guardianship for Adoption by Cititzens of the Kyrgyz Republic, and by Foreign Citizens", as approved by KR Government Resolution No. 121 on February 22, 2006, "Regarding Confirmation of the Statute Regarding Rules for the Placement of Children Without Parental Guardianship for Adoption by Cititzens of the Kyrgyz Republic, and by Foreign Citizens".

Simultaneously, it is resolved that adoption of children from the Kyrgyz Republic by foreign citizens or stateless persons shall be authorized only if an international treaty exists between Kyrgyzstan and the foreign state.

The KR Ministry of Education and Science and the KR Ministry of Labor and Social Development have been assigned to submit by March 31, 2009, following established procedure, their proposals regarding improvement of those statutes that regulate child adoption.

Pursuant to this document personal responsibility for compliance with KR legislation in adoption matters is placed upon the heads of state administrations at the level of the republic's regions and districts.

It should be noted that this directive becomes effective immediately on the date of its official publication.

AKIpress