BRINGING LAUREL HOME

FINAL POST

2010-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Precious Angel

Big brother showing Laurel how to pick.

Daddy painting the Princesses' nails

We had a great day today. We took Laurel strawberry picking. She wasn't sure what to do at first but Noah quickly showed her what to do. She ended up eating more than she actually put in the bucket. It was a surreal time for Mike and I because last year when we went strawberry picking we were wondering if Laurel would ever actually be here and get to do this with us. We had just committed to bringing Laurel home and were so excited! Pretty neat to see how God worked in just a year.

After the strawberries, we went home and planted our own garden. Laurel loved playing in the dirt. Tonight we made strawberry shortcake and then had a makeup party!! Yes, we ALL got makeovers. Laurel loves makeup and we had a great time getting painted up. Da Dat showed us all that even he can paint toenails!

On another note, this will be my last post on this blog. Laurel has been here 6 months and I feel it's time to continue her journey on our family blog www.thelittleredhouse.blogspot.com.

To sum up this past year I'll say a few things. GOD IS SO GOOD..... ALL THE TIME! Without him this would not have been possible and such a positive experience.

Ukraine is a wonderful country with very generous people. God bless them and thank you to the ones who see the need to help these precious angels find forever homes.

Laurel is a gift from God. She was meant to be with our family.... problems and all. Has it all been easy?? NOPE! Has it all been worth it?? ABSOLUTELY!

Thank you all who have followed this journey to our daughter. We'd love you to continue to follow our progress at our family blog. God Bless!

www.thelittleredhouse.blogspot.com

ICE CREAM

2010-04-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

We LOVE to fish!

My sister's wedding is over so life may begin again. It was perfect, beautiful and lots of fun. We loved seeing long lost friends and relatives and catching up a bit. It took us a few days to recover though. Laurel's weeks are still very full with therapies every day except one. She is making progress everyday with her language and even today making a new "g" sounds. When I drop her off at her preschool developmental therapy she now cries for me not to leave her. A great sign that she actually cares who she stays with now but it hurts my heart to leave her. The teacher says she stops crying within a few minutes-and I only leave her for an hour! When I picked her up Tuesday the therapist told me she "had trouble with adult authority!" I had to laugh. You think?? She 2 years old and has all this new found freedom and HATES to be told No. We decided it would be best to have me leave her at her Thursday Therapy for 1 hr so she could take orders from someone other than me. She did great there today! So, we are just working on some tantrums still. On a really positive note, she and Noah have really started to play WITH each other instead of around each other. They are actually getting the communication thing and talking to each other which isn't easy with a hearing impaired child with no language and a 3 yr. old boy who doesn't stop moving! Something I've tried to work on a lot.

So everyone, enjoy the beautiful weather and get out and have an ice cream cone!We sure are.

Little Miss Priss

2010-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have the ultimate prissy girl. I swore I'd never have a prissy girl yet I do..... and strangely, I LOVE it. She is so much fun to dress up and I love to watch her get excited about pretty things. Now don't be fooled. She can roll in the mud with the best of them but she does like to dress up.

What's going on in Laurel's life you say?? Well, I'll fill you in.

Monday we had our spinal MRI to check on her Chiare Malformation. She showed no problems with her spine. He brain MRI does show a Chiare 1 Malformation but no other problems exist in the brain or spine. We are going to do a repeat MRI in 6 months just to be sure, otherwise she should be good to go unless she starts getting severe headaches. The Neurosurgeon really thinks this was just an incidental finding and nothing will come of it. Praise God!

We have made the decision to stop signing to her in order to see what she really understands. THis is so we can make an informed decision about Cochlear Implants. Since we've done this her verbal language has really picked up. It's not real clear yet but she talks now more than gesturing and can says tons more words than she could when we were signing. We start her speech therapy Wed.

As to behaviour, well let's just say the orphanage behaviour is gone. By that I mean the compliant, whatever you say goes little girl that was afraid we'd send her back if she disobeyed. Not anymore! :) She's definately an Americanized 2 year old with fits and a will and all. Which, even though it's tough, I'm glad to see this "normal" behaviour from her. She can throw a right good fit to get her point across. So, we are working through the "terrible twoes" and strangely happy to see them.

Anyway, that's the update from here. More updates after my sisters wedding this weekend!

My Little Ponderer---- NOAH

2010-03-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

****I ACCIDENTLY POSTED NOAH'S POST ON LAUREL'S. SEE WWW.THELITTLEREDHOUSE.BLOGSPOT.COM TO FIND LAUREL'S UPDATE.*****

So, why the long time between updates?? Well, I'll tell you just a little........ Laurel now has therapy 4 times a week, Rach is getting married in less than three weeks, everyday stuff and we as well as half of our church has the lovely NoraVirus which makes you wish you were dead. Awful, Awful stuff but hopefully we are on the mend!

As I start the journey of raising two children I am still amazed at how different personalities can be. While Laurel is impulsive, wide open ALL THE TIME.... and why wouldn't she be?, Noah is usually the opposite. He is more reflective and loves to ponder. He's a very happy child but really enjoys his down time. Ughhum..... a lot like his Da Dat! Sometimes it gets too quiet around and I go find him just watching birds quietly. Strange? Maybe but I love it. I love the fact that he sees beauty in everything. He can identify many birds just by their whistles. He wants to know why the sun and moon come up. He gets excited when he finds a beautiful flower to pick for me. So if pondering helps him put this big world into perspective then so be it.

Funny Noahism of the week: Noah was rambling around in the refrigerator.

Me: "Noah what are you looking for"

Noah: "I want some Chocolate"

Me: "Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate?"

Noah: "No Mommy, I want some REAL chocolate"

2010-03-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is how Laurel sleeps (hands over her eyes)

First time petting a donkey

Her Elton John glasses at the Museum

Digging for Dinosaur Fossils

Taking the train

Exploring the Museum

Laurel had her first visit to one of our local Museums. Check out my other blog www.thelittleredhouse.blogspot.com to see what all we did. She had a great time and did really good. Only a few minor meltdowns due to missing her nap. She loved seeing the animals and would sign or say all the ones she knew. I love letting her experience new things. She is soaking things up like a sponge. Her therapists are really pleased with her progress. She has her deaf/hard of hearing therapy on Mondays. Tuesdays now we go to a local preschool and her Developmental therapist helps her learn to interact with her peers and vice versa. We also are adding group speech therapy to her schedule on Thurs. to help her with this further. So it's Pretty Crazy around here right now. I know it will all slow down soon. Also, Tuesday she will get her first real Speech Evaluation so we'll hopefully have a direction to go with that soon.

Thanks for checking up on us and hopefully it won't be so long between updates again!

Going to be a Busy Week....

2010-02-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

Ok..... I know this isn't the most flattering picture of Laurel but you have to admit it is hilarious! Noah has this sneaky look on his face like he's going to try and rock her off the horse (which he would when left to his own devices!)

We have a busy week this week. Several therapies, I get to do a little presentation on Reeces Rainbow and adoption (something I could go on forever about) and we have another hearing test at UNC. I'm actually looking forward to that because Laurel is doing so well with her hearing aids. Anyway, have a wonderful week everyone if I don't get to update for a few days!

5 Month Progress Report

2010-02-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

***** THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE MET OUR BABY******

Sister & Brother being silly

She LOVES to kiss!!

Today it just hit me. Laurel has now been with us for 5 months. NO WAY it has been that long. The first picture I posted is of the first time we ever met her. Wow was that an exciting time but also terrifying. I will admit, after sitting and hearing her LONG list of medical "issues" that I wasn't sure if I was ready to meet her. How thankful I am that God gave me the courage to keep moving forward. Most of the "issues" they said she had she doesn't. Anyway, I just wanted to give a little 5 month progress report on how Miss Priss is doing.

1. She went from walking like a baby to running like a 2 yr. old

2. She went from hearing nothing to hearing with her hearing aids and understanding a large amount of what we say.

3. She went from SCREAMING all the time, not mad just communicating, to having about 150 either words or signs of meaningful communication.

4. She went from not understanding what a puzzle was or how to match anything to mastering 4 puzzles.

5. She went from eating till she was overfull and spitting up to actually goofing off at the table and leaving some on her plate.

6. She went from completely being diapered to now telling me when she has to potty.

7. She went from not understanding what a hug and kiss is to kissing you all the time.

8. She went from institutional rocking when she got upset and to put herself to sleep to allowing us to rock her to sleep.

9. She went from never hearing about God to signing and singing "Away in a Manger" and God is love Bible verse.

These are just a few of the major milestones that this brave girl has accomplished in the 5 short months she's been here. And they say she is special needs...... Hah. Someone forgot to tell her! :)

I want to publicly praise God for bringing our Ukrainian princess into our lives. Yes, I won't lie to you. Some days it's hard, really hard, but it has been so rewarding to watch this little soul grow and blossom. We have really had minimal transitional issues with Laurel and I know that isn't typical of adoptions but I am thankful to God for this. Noah & Laurel have also seemed to find a happy medium and are really doing great as brother and sister.

Are we there yet? Absolutely not. It is a constant work in progress (as raising kids always is) and we have some really big decisions to make coming up in the next few months about Cochlear Implants and her Chiarre Malformation, which we would really appreciate your prayers for. But..... we are getting there.Thanks for indulging me. I just had to brag on my baby girl.

The Many Faces of Laurel

2010-02-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

The "I've been in Mama's Makeup" Look

The- "Sweet Innocent" Look-don't be fooled!

The "Orphanage" look-This was her look when we met her

The "Don't mess with me, I'm zoning out"-look

The "Cute as a ladybug"-Look

The "Too cool for school" look- Just look at that pose

Laurel seems to be over her cold, thank goodness!! Boy was she grouchy. However, she's been resisting wearing her hearing aids since the cold so I hope she doesn't have fluid in her ears. I've been taking some pictures of her and she's really picking up on smiling for the camera. So, not too much else to report here- enjoy the pictures.

2010-01-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Making bird feeders

Feeding the horses-such a great helper!

Eating Snow

Sledding with Brother

It did snow here! Yippee. We thought Laurel would love the snow b/c of being in Ukraine but at first she hated it. She HATED being all bundled up again-I don't blame her. She finally got used to it and loved to sled with Noah. She is such a great helper too. She knows where the horse food is and tries to carry the buckets and hay. I love this last pic b/c it looks like she's having a conversation with this horse (which she thought she was). A wonderful, restful weekend.

Tea Parties & Muddy Feet

2010-01-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

Laurel & Noah LOVE a good tea party these days. We have one at least twice a day. With or without snacks, they don't care as long as the "pot" is full of water. It's just easier to clean up that way-they aren't picky.

Where to start with Miss Priss?? So many milestones in just the past week. She really has hit a new level of attachment and being comfortable with my leaving. Usually she melts down if I leave her with Mike for even a short while but not any more. She kisses me and tells me bye and goes on with it. Also, she has gotten so much more friendly to other family members and her therapists. She even hugged them this past week. She has always been bright and friendly but a little cautious. I truly think she knows now she is staying with us forever and isn't worried about going back.

Also, Laurel is sick for the first time since she's been home (4 months-not bad). She is definately a snot factory and has trouble sleeping b/c of her congestion. As usual, she takes it with a smile.

Her language is still coming along wonderfully. One of her therapists this week said she really didn't think she needed a Cochlear Implant. She is babbling constantly, her voice tone has changed (it actually has inflections now), she will mimick any word and is trying to read to us now!! Hopefully it will keep coming along and she will become understandable to everyone. Smart little girl.

Promises

2010-01-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

Look who got her ears pierced!! Last week Rachael and I took Laurel to get her ears done. Yes, Yes, I cleared it with her Dr.'s who said "Go for it!". Laurel is such a girly girl and constantly tries to put on my jewelry and wear my earrings. Guess what color earrings we got?? Pink of course (her birthstone). She cried for a minute and then we gave her a peppermint stick and she was fine. The lady who piereced her ears actually cried herself! Anyway, they look good and Laurel loves them-no problems.

Hmmm..... what else is going on in our lives?? Laurel has therapies twice a week, on is Developmental Therapy and the other is through Deaf and Hard of hearing which works on listening and speech. Laurel had 11 new words last week which is really good. This week, probably due to a sinus infection, she hasn't really tried to talk a lot and has been pretty cranky and clingy. However, last night she said "bed" very clearly. I really think these hearing aids are working for her.

As for her Chiarri Type 1 Malformation, we got word on Thursday that the UNC Dr. has ordered a spinal MRI to see if the malformation could be caused by spinal pressure. We have a call in to her Ped. to discuss this but will probably have to do this in March. I wish we could have done all this when we did her brain MRI b/c she will have to go under anesthesia again but we didn't know the malformation was there. Oh well, hindsight and all! She'll do fine b/c she is such a trooper.

Anyway, today on the farm after very hard rain these two beautiful rainbows appeared. It was such a wonderful reminder of God's promises to us and that he will never leave us to walk our paths alone. Thanks for reading!!

HAPPY NEW BEGINNINGS

2010-01-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

I am looking forward to 2010 being a year of New Beginnings. Laurel will now get to spend the rest of her years as a US citizen and with a Momma & Dadat who loves her and a little brother who protects her. 2009 is gone and so are her orphanage days. Her days of rocking herself to sleep on her knees are also over. I thank God for new beginnings. He gives them to us if we ask and lets us start fresh.

Laurel is doing really well with her hearing aids. I feel like she can understand what we are saying and can say about 8-10 audible words. She tries many more but can't quite get the hang of them. We start working on speech tomorrow with her therapist and hopefully this will help her make better progress. The ENT has only given her 3-6 months to make a lot of progress before he recommends a Cochlear Implant. Please pray with us that her hearing will do the trick but if not we'll go to the next step.

We found out last week that her MRI showed a Chiare Type 1 Malformation. You can google it but basically her brain is lower in her skull than it should be and extends down into her spinal cord some. We are going to see a Neurosurgeon to get his recommendations but usually they don't do surgery unless she is having symptoms (breathing difficulty, head/neck aches, numbness, trouble walking, weakness etc....). It is a matter of prayer b/c it can be serious but we know this didn't sneak up on God. It makes us all the more thankful that we got this little girl so we can get her the medical care she needs!! Anyway, Happy New Beginnings to you all!

AWAY IN A MANGER

2009-12-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

Words cannot express how happy I am this Christmas season. Since our journey to Ukraine, Mike and I both see things so differently than we ever have before. We see others needs and our excess. We see that life isn't about things but about people. We see that our lives are so short, and we only have a short time to make an impact for Christ. We see that little things DO NOT MATTER!! ONLY what we do for Christ will last. We don't sweat the small stuff anymore (or at least much anymore) :)

We are so blessed to have this little life entrusted to us this year. Last year when I made my New Year's Resolution I wanted this to be the year. I prayed that God would allow me to see my little girl by Christmas in 2009. PRAISE BE TO GOD, He granted my request. Laurel is such a joy in our life. Challenging sometimes? Yes, but anything worth having is. She is like a little sponge. She soaks up every word, action, motion and song. How wonderful that we have been allowed the privaledge to teach her about our Lord Jesus. Who would have thought just 3 short months ago she was in an orphanage, never having heard about Jesus, never having hope of a Mama or Daddy and never having had a Christmas. Well my friends I can say happily that ALL of that has changed! PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW.

Sweetest Words Ever Heard

2009-12-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

So do you want to hear the sweetest words ever?? Just click on the video above. Laurel is REALLY trying her best to talk and has lots of new words in just the last few days. We are praying that these hearing aids will do the trick for her and if the last week is any indication then she's quickly on her way to speech and language. I could not be prouder of this little girl. She is the toughest thing I have ever seen and I love being her Mommy.

HO HO HO

2009-12-13T17:53:00.000-08:00

A little lost Reindeer

Brother & Sister

Picking out a Christmas Tree

The cutest 2 shepherds in the Christmas play

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?? It has been a while since I updated so I'll give you all a quick rundown of the craziness of our lives right now. Laurel & Noah loved helping us pick out a Christmas tree at a local farm. We love our tree! The babies have been to 2 Christmas parades which they LOVED!! Laurel thought it was the neatest thing that candy was being thrown from vehicles to her. She would definately have been flattened if we had let her go.

We had a church Christmas party which was a lot of fun. The kids sang Away in a Manger while dressed as shepherds. Too cute!! Laurel actually stood up there (probably b/c I had to sing it) but she still did great. Noah proceeded to give Laurel a thorough dental exam on stage while singing it. I just had to laugh. He's definately headed to be a dentist.

We also had Laurel's MRI this week. We decided on a full brain MRI due to the fact that her records in Ukraine showed hydrocephaly. We didn't get the results back for the brain scan but found out her nerves and ear parts are all there! She is a good candidate for a Cochlear Implant if the hearing aids don't work. She is saying : off, up, brother (trying), bye bye, hot and attempting other words. We are praying these are all good signs. She doesn't bother her hearing aids hardly at all now and we are even going with the pilot hat now.

Thanks for checking in. More update later...... we are off at 5am to go work at a wearhouse for Operation Christmas Child.

Wired for Sound

2009-12-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

We are wired for sound!! Yesterday (Tuesday) Laurel got her hearing aids. They are so cute- pink of course. The picture above is of Laurel after she got them. We bought her a recommended Pilot Cap from a place called Hannah Andersson. It ties under the chin and works great. I wish I could have videoed the look on her face when she actually "heard" for the first time. Her eyes were huge. Laurel amazes me. She is such a trooper. We were at the hospital for 2 1/2 hrs. and she was golden. But, I should have known it was too good to be true. She screamed the entire way home- 1 hr of screaming. I'm pretty sure she was in overload.

This morning she woke up happy as ever and let me put the hearing aids in. I'm not seeing a huge difference yet but it's only been a day. Please pray with us that this will help her! I'll update a picture of the hearing aids themselves later when I get a chance.

A Weekend of Walks

2009-11-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

A ride on a tractor

A Walk in the woods

A walk in the wagon

No he wasn't choking her!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all our friends and family. Yes, it was busy but Hey, aren't all Holidays? In between huge meals, we tried to go for some walks in the woods with the babies and walk off all those extra calories. Heres to trying! We found a beautiful place in the woods that the kids loved climbing on the trees and playing in the leaves. As you can see from the picture directly above, it was exhausting. :)

ps: In medical news...... LAUREL GETS HER HEARING AIDS TUESDAY!!! We are so excited but guarded b/c we know she still may have to go to Cochlear Implants in order to make sense of the new sounds she will be hearing. We truly appreciate your prayers about this matter. We'd love nothing more than she be able to hear on Tuesday and begin to learn to talk. She has done really well in the last week with language. She now says "bye bye" and "Pa Pa" for Poppy!! She making all sorts of new sounds. Also, on a positive note, her loud screaming (or talking as she thinks it is) seems to have calmed down some now that she makes some sense of her language.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2009-11-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Boy, we have so much to be thankful for this year. Last year at this time it was only a dream to say "in 2009 I'd wish I could have my little girl here". By God's grace it really happened. The longer I look back at our process and all that it entailed, the more I see God's sovereign hand and how he directed our path. Yes, there were dark times and times of uncertainty but I can say with my whole heart that God takes care of His children. If we wait upon Him, we WILL rise up with wings as eagles. I praise God this season of thanks for my family.Also for my parents, sister, in laws and extended family. My church family and my many friends that I have made through this adoption journey. It is to be truly a HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

MAJOR UPDATE

2009-11-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hi out there in Blogger land. It's been a while since we've updated but our lives have been crazy the past couple of weeks. An update on Laurel: Sunday, Laurel was dedicated to the Lord and some of our family was able to be there to see it. A very special day indeed!! Yesterday (Monday) we had a marathon day. At 9am the CDSA came to do Laurel's developmental evaluation which went pretty well. Then we packed up and went to UNC to do another hearing test and meet with the ENT. Big news is she actually passed her test- well, she tested that she does indeed have moderate/severe hearing loss. This is a HUGE praise because now we can start with hearing aids. She got the molds for her hearing aids and we will get them in December. We are praying these will give her the boost she needs to hear and process speech but the Drs. are very careful to caution us that with Auditory Neuropathy about half of people have to have Cochlear implants in order to process speech. However, everyone starts with the hearing aids to rule out that they won't work. Either way, it's progress and we are very excited!! She also endured a EKG and blood work for some Genetic testing. We have scheduled an MRI for December also. She was such a trooper even though we didn't leave the hospital until about 5:30pm.

So please remember sweet Laurel in your prayers. We appreciate each and every one of you.

Fall Wonderful Fall!!

2009-11-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Butterfly Princess & Buzz Lightyear

Getting our first Doughnut

We love fall around here (see Noah's blog pics at www.thelittleredhouse.blogspot.com). Laurel has had her first doughnut at Krispy Kreme (loved it!), been to the Fair, a Horse Show and dressed up for Halloween. I'd say that officially makes her an American child! She's adjusting wonderfully although as with any other child we do have our days!!

I wanted to share a bit on the progress that she's making. When Laurel came to us as with most children in orphanages, she had a few institutional behaviors. These included getting up on her knees and rocking when she was upset or to fall asleep. Also, she would completely have a full blown meltdown and smack Noah if he came around me or sat in my lap. Finally, she would feed herself, never allow you to feed her and when finished clean herself up. I know that sounds wonderful to most people but she learned this out of necessity and we wanted to regress her in some ways to help her attach to us as caregivers and bond.

We started to work on the "rocking" behavior by rocking her for a few minutes each night (as long as she let us) and then put her to bed. Six weeks later the "rocking" has completely stopped-even when she gets upset! The down side is that when she wakes up sometimes in the night she cries and wants us to put her back to sleep but I see this as a HUGE postive. She actually NEEDS us and Wants us!!

As to the aggression towards Noah, that has scaled way back. They are playing together and after nap, her favorite thing to do is go hug her brother and rub his head. Definately progress meaning she feels more secure.

Now to the food issue. Her gorging has stopped-she is realizing that food won't go away. She still likes to do it herself (which we still encourage) but will now allow me to feed her some. Also, she "asks" for help in cleaning herself and plate up now.

I am so proud of this little girl. She is as tough as nails but Oh so sweet. She has a fighters spirit and I love that about her.

As to what's next in the way of medicals. We had a third hearing test on Friday. Laurel actually semi cooperated and we got a reading on her. From what they could tell, her hearing loss is in the Moderate/Severe Range. She is not hearing speech levels which is a problem. We go back to UNC on Tuesday for an evaluation by the ENT, schedule and MRI and do another hearing test. If they can get a reading then we could possibly schedule her to try hearing aids and see if that will help her hear some speech. With Auditory Neuropathy it is a "try and see" method with most things. If the hearing aids do not work then the MRI will tell us if she has an intact Cochlear Nerve to see if Cochlear Implants are an option for her. We truly appreciate your prayers as we still journey to help Laurel hear.

SWEET GIRL

2009-10-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

We've definately had a fun filled weekend! Noah & Laurel had their birthdays together on Saturday at home. We had a huge party with a moonbounce and lots of family and friends. She had a blast. When I think of the difference in her life now and what it was I get tears in my eyes. I also think of all the children left behind with no Mommy or Daddy's to kiss them. No birthdays and no room to just run an play and be kids.

Yesterday I took the babies to my Grandmothers house (about 2 hrs away). She hadn't met Laurel yet and was very eager to. They loved seeing the cows, walking on the farm and seeing the peacocks.

We have a somewhat slower week this week. Our coordinator with the CDSA is coming to enroll Laurel for services on Wed. and that's about it in the way of Dr.'s appointments. However we'll make up for it in the next 2 weeks.!!

LET'S CATCH UP

2009-10-22T19:09:00.001-07:00

At the Fair

Laurel ate her corndog and half of Noah's!

Practicing for one day she can show a horse

So what can I say about this week?? Oh my- busy busy busy. Friday night we went to watch Aunt Rach and our cousin Cole show at the State Fair. Rach also won "Best NC Scene" with her picture of Noah running through the tobacco field. Congrats to her. That's a HUGE deal.

Then Sat. we took the babies back to the Fair to ride a ride, eat some food and see the animals. What we were thinking taking 2 two year olds to the Fair , I have no idea!! But, we still had a good time. Then, Sunday evening Noah got his first throw up stomach virus. Poor child, but thankfully it only lasted a few hours. Monday, Laurel had her visit with the eye doctor to check on her strabismus (crossing eyes). Well, Praise God, she DOESN'T have it and no other eye problems that she is very prone to due to her premature birth, age, condition and a whole host of other things. So that is one less thing we have to do. We'll recheck with that doctor in 4 months to make sure she is still on track!!

Then, early Tues. morning Mike and I both got the horrible stomach virus. We thought we were going to die but God was good and the kids were really easy that day. We definately couldn't have made it w/out our families that day. We were worried Laurel would get it but she's a tough Ukrainian girl and she hasn't so far. By Wednesday morning, we were better and off we went to get Laurel's hearing test under sedation and tubes for her ears. We had to wait 2 hrs. past our appt time due to the fact that a girl in a group home swallowed a laytex glove and a pencil!! I would have like to have been a fly on the wall in that surgery!!!

So...... here's the diagnosis..... Laurel has "Auditory Neuropathy". Basically this means that her nerves are not sending the sounds to her brain. B/C of this diagnosis, they could not tell how much she could hear. This can only be done with a Behaviour test which Laurel really does not cooperate with. They did see a little fluid so they did put tubes in also.

Today, we went back to UNC to get yet another Behaviour hearing test. Once again, she failed it b/c they couldn't condition her to look at the screen when she could hear or feel a sound. They say it's pretty common for 2 yr. olds to not be interested in the screen and toys. So the Dr. won't put hearing aids in her ears until she passes one of these tests. We have to keep going back until they get some idea of her level of hearing. We are scheduled to go back in November to get the test again and to meet with the ENT again and schedule and MRI. So we are just at the beginning of this journey but the Audiologist really believes that we will be able to do SOMETHING to help her hear. Our only concern is getting the devices as quickly as possible b/c they have told us that ages 2-3 are the CRITICAL times to get language in a child so they will be able to speak. But that didn't get past God and he has chosen that our journey to have Laurel hear will take a winding path and go a little longer. Thank you all for your prayers and concerns. We have a peace that God will work this out and do what is best for our little girl. She's tough I tell you (and smart to I've been told) ;) I'm very proud of her already.

BIRTHDAY PICTURES

2009-10-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm..... chocolate cake!!

Big brother giving Little Sis her birthday present

Laurel with her new baby stroller, and diaper bag

Here are some pictures of Laurel's first birthday home. We had Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles over for a small party. We sang to Laurel (don't think she heard us) but she looked cute. Noah had to help her blow out her candle. She couldn't quite get the hang of it. We got her a baby stroller with a baby doll and a diaper bag. She pushes that thing everywhere.

Laurel had her 2 yr. shots and check up today. All of her titers came back great which means that the orphanage did a great job with her shots and her immune system took all the shots well. She needed 5 shots to get up to US standards so she had 3 today and 2 in a month. She also had her TB test today. All of her other bloodwork came back perfect..... except she's a little anemic.

Anyway, the day was pretty tiring for little girl. She melted down and went to bed with a slight fever at 6:30pm. I find myself missing her when she's not around.!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

2009-10-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

Laurel at 1 yr. old

Laurel when she was born

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREL!!!! Today Laurel turns 2. I had to post some of her Ukraine pictures. The top one is when she was about 1 yr. old. Sorry it's blurry but we were shown it at the SDA and were allowed to take a picture of the picture but not take it. The bottom picture is of Laurel and her adoptive "Babushka". She worked at the orphanage and was SO good to Laurel. She taught Laurel to shake hands and cried when she left. She told Mike that she was a good child. We prayed for Laurel even before we knew her that God would send someone into her life that would show her love. This sweet lady did that. We are also so lucky to have her baby picture. It also had to stay at the SDA but they graciously let us take a picture of it. 2 years today Laurel was born. She was born "Anastasia" and only at 30 weeks. She is a fighter let me tell you. She wants to live and thrive and Mike and I will do everything possible to help this little girl do that. It is her 2nd birthday but her FIRST real "birthday". Tonight we'll have a small party with cake and will celebrate her and Noah's birthday's together in a few weeks with a bigger party.

When we found Laurel, my dream was to have her here by her 2nd birthday. I cannot believe it really happened and she is sitting here on my lap as we speak. God is so good and His plans for us are GOOD plans. We are so blessed to have Laurel as part of our lives. Happy Birthday my baby girl! We love you.

PRAISE GOD

2009-10-06T18:33:00.001-07:00

So we started our day early to make it to Laurel's Audiology appt/hearing test and an appointment with the ENT. She basically flunked the hearing test, not because she couldn't hear so much as they really couldn't condition her to tell them when she was hearing or feeling something. She wasn't interested enough in the flashing lights and animals to care if she was feeling something. They said it was very typical of a 2 yr. old to want to run around and not sit and watch the lights. Anyway, so here's the good news....... The ENT examined her and saw fluid behind BOTH eardrums. Also, her right ear (which is the ear we think she can hear a little out of) is completely ocluded (hope that's the right word) with ear wax. I know that fluid behind the ears is not usually considered good news but to us it may be an answer to prayer. The Dr. said that best case scenario is that we get tubes in her ears and she be able to hear immediately. Now, we aren't counting on that but we can always pray!!

He also said that even if she has NO hearing whatsoever that they would still be able to do something to help her. He has patients that are completely deaf and have 2 cochlear implants and can hear and have normal speech. Who knew! He really is an advocate for getting her evaluated as quickly as possible, finding out exactly how severe her hearing loss is and why and then getting her fitted with a hearing device. The major reason he wants to do this quickly is because she is so young and in order to help language development it is critical we do this by 3 yrs. He was so positive about the whole situation and actually said "don't worry, we will help her hear!" PRAISE THE LORD. Thank you all for your prayers and don't stop praying.

We scheduled the sedation hearing test for the 21st. They will put her under general anesthesia and then do an indepth hearing test. Then they will put tubes in her ears if they still think it is necessary. We will find out that day their recommendations as where to go next to help our baby hear. So......... that is all for now. Next up, we are meeting with our Developmental Coo. from the CDSA on Friday. Then her 2 yr. checkup and shots next week. The next week will be insane. She has an Eye appt. for her Strabismus, then she gets evaluated by the CDSA, then her sedation. All in the same week. Poor baby, but she is a trooper.

Doctors and More Doctors

2009-10-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

I had to have a picture to match the one of Noah

My beautiful, sweet girl

So she won't keep her sunglasses on but she'll wear mine

What can I say about this past week? Exhausting, excillerating, hillarious, silly and complete happiness! I LOVE my little family. This little girl was meant to be here with us. She is so much like Noah- even in looks! Laurel has done really well this past week. Granted we've had tantrums and meltdowns (don't take the girl's shoe's off or change her diaper). :) But all in all in has been a very easy transition. I know, I know, it will get harder but I'm treasuring these times. I feel like I did the first weeks when Noah was born (minus the complete exhaustion and extreme pain) :)

This week has been insane as far as Doctors appointments go. We had to go up to do Laurel's parasite test on Monday. She does have 1 kind but they are shedding out so not to worry. It was from contaminated water. Then, Tuesday, Noah got an awful ear infection so back to the Doctor. Then Wed. we spent most of the late morning and early afternoon at the hospital getting all of Laurel's blood tests. She was a trooper!

Laurel is signing about 10 words now. It really helps with the frustration of not being able to communicate. I really think she can hear high tones but we'll let the Drs. decide that. She'll eat near about anything you put in front of her. She's a prissy little thing. She is really doing well with sharing attention with Noah. We still have trouble if I hold him but we are working on it. She actually has been initiating hugs with him. She is a really quick learner. She LOVES outside and animals (see, I told you she was meant to be ours).

Please be in prayer for the next 2 weeks for us. Laurel sees the hearing specialist and has a hearing test next week. We also meet with her Developmental Coordinator next week. Then the next she sees and eye specialist and has her 2 year check up with all her shots. We also have an appointment to get her evaluated for services with the CDSA. We'll be busy for a while but it'll be worth it for her. Thanks for your interest and prayers!

WELCOME HOME PICTURES

2009-09-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Mike and Laurel's cheering section

Here they Are!!!

Noah kissing his little sister Hello

OUR FIRST FAMILY PHOTO

So here are some of the welcome home pictures from Saturday night. Mike and Laurel had a wonderful cheering section. Laurel was so wide-eyed over the whole ordeal but held up pretty well (until we had to strap her in the carseat!).

Laurel has been doing so well at her new home. She is really picking up signing which will hopefully cut down on some of her frustration meltdowns. Breakthru today was Laurel actually enjoyed her bath. Usually she just stands in the bath and cries. Today I made her sit down and she actually played, and played and played. Then she screamed when she had to get out- Oh well. Also, she and Noah actually hugged each other. The first few days Laurel saw Noah as a threat and didn't want him to come near me. But last night she initiated the hug and Noah was thrilled!! He said "Oh Mama, she likes me!!"

Laurel had her first check up with our Pediatrician on Tuesday. It was a very general check-up just making sure she didn't have an active ear infection or pneumonia. The Dr. said she looked remarkably well. She only weighs 5lbs less than Noah and he's a year older!! She also measured her head which had concerned us a bit b/c she does have a significant noggin. Believe it or not she is within normal limits in that too! She will go back hopefully next week to get all her tests and titers to determine where she is in her vaccine schedule. Our homework was to perform a lovely parasite test. Funny story about that for another day. :) Laurel is set up to see the CDSA to get evaluated in 2 weeks so we'll know what services she'll be eligible for. She also goes in October to an eye specialist to determine what to do about her strabismus.

All in all we are doing wonderful and so glad she is home with us. It just seems right. She is truly ours and a gift from God. We are so lucky to have this little girl in our lives.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

2009-09-20T17:19:00.001-07:00

Laurel meeting the Chickens

Noah and Laurel in the playhouse

Sliding all by herself--- And the sliding board

ISN'T made of wood like she was used too!

Eating breakfast- Yummy banananas and oatmeal

Noah and Daddy leaving the orphanage!!

AT HOME FINALLY!!! It doesn't seem real that this journey really has ended...... but the adventure of finding out just who this little girl is and her potential is beginning!!

Mike and Laurel made it home Saturday night after a LONG ride home on 3 airplanes.

God was so good to them and his mercies never ceased. We prayed specifically that he would have understanding "neighbors" next to him on the planes that wouldn't mind her screaming and wiggling. God answered those prayers. We also prayed he'd have no problems through customs and he did great!!

We had lots of friends and family that met he & Laurel at the airport with posters, yells, and American flags!! Thank you all for being their and your support. I can't believe that little Laurel Anastasia is actually asleep in the room next to me. The first night she slept great and even napped later. We are enjoying learning her although breaking her routine can prove challenging. She loves to be outside so I know she'll flourish here.

Thank you ALL again for your prayers and support through this. Please continue to remember us as we begin the arduous medical tests that she'll have go through in order to get her healthy and hopefully help her hear.

Now that we are home, I will be taking this blog off private. I will hopefully get a few more pics of the homecoming which are on other people's cameras. I was too busy tackling my husband and new little girl to get pics. :)

QUICK UPDATE

2009-09-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

HI EVERYONE. I JUST SPOKE WITH MIKE AND HE GOT THE VISA AND MEDICAL CHECK. HE WILL BE COMING HOME TOMORROW!! (SCREAMING HERE)!:) HOWEVER, THEY ARE EXHAUSTED B/C LAUREL HARDLY SLEPT ON THE TRAIN SO IN TURN MIKE DIDN'T SLEEP EITHER. TODAY WAS PRETTY DIFFICULT FOR MIKE B/C LAUREL WAS A TYPICAL BUSY TODDLER ENJOYING HER NEW WORLD AND NEW FOUND FREEDOM. HE IS VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THE PLANE RIDE HOME AND KEEPING HER SEATED AND NOT SCREAMING!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND CONCERNS. HOPEFULLY THE NEXT POST WILL BE OF PICS FROM HIS HOMECOMING!

PLEASE PRAY

2009-09-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hi! Everyone out there in blogger land. I am asking you all to pray for Mike and Laurel over the next 3 days. Tomorrow (Thursday) Mike has to go get Laurel's passport (which is hopefully in Kharkov!) Then he picks up our daughter from the orphanage. There is a small kink in things in that our driver cannot get MIke to the orphanage until almost 5pm which is too late to get her. So, Mike is trying to work something out elsewhere. Anyway, once he has her, they will be getting on the nighttrain at 11pm to Kiev. They will arrive in Kiev at 7am on Friday. They will then have a whirlwind of day getting her medical check and getting her Visa. HOPEFULLY we will be able to get her visa the same day and Mike will be able to fly out of Kiev EARLY Sat. morning. If so, he'll be here at 7pm!! I can't wait!! So please pray all goes well and Laurel is in a decent mood and her ears don't hurt her too badly. The journey is almost over (hopefully).

VIDEO!

2009-09-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

So I finally found a way to get my videos downloaded!!

This is the second time we met Laurel. We were allowed

about 2 hrs to play with her. I can't wait to see her!!

Getting Close

2009-09-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

So here are the latest happening to Mike in Ukraine. Thursday Laurel was officially ours!! (Insert screaming here!!) No one appealed her adoption Praise God and she is officially Laurel Anastasia Evans. Friday Mike had to go with one of the facilitators to first go get the court decree, then take that decree to the place to get the birth certificate officially changed and Mike and I put on as her new parents! Then they had to take the birth certificate to the Passport Office to apply for her passport. That is where things got a little hairy. The translator had accidentely put that we were from Italy, had my name wrong and Laurel's name spelled wrong. Arghhh! Anyway, the facilitator got busy making them fix it. They had to go pick Laurel up from the orphanage to get her passport photo. Mike said Laurel was an absolute doll! She laid on his lap and sucked her thumb. He said it was the first day she actually felt like his daughter!! After running across Kharkov about 3 different times, they got the paperwork in with 5 minutes to spare!! The paperwork is on its way to Kiev and then hopefully it will be back in Kharkov by Wed or THurs. When MIke returned to the orphanage the director pulled out a silver cross necklace and gave it to Mike for Laurel. Apparently the church here gives every child who ages out or gets adopted a cross necklace. I love that she'll have this when she gets older. Also, after speaking with about 5 different people here, Mike has decided to let Laurel stay at the orphanage until he see picks her up on Wed. He didn't want to do this at first but apparently Laurel is having a lot of trouble with infection in her ears and they are worried about the infection. Yulia our facilitator informed us it would be difficult to get her medical attention if she got sick and many parents who are over here on their own opt for this. It is very evident that Laurel loves her caregivers and that they are good to her so we decided this was best to help her have as few transitions as possible.Mike is booked on a train out of there on Thursday and will arrive in Kiev on Friday. HOPEFULLY they will get Laurel's medical and Visa done the same day so they can fly out on Saturday. So..... please pray all goes well. Mike will have been in country over 6 weeks!! We miss him so much and can't wait to see Baby Laurel. I'll update soon!

NEW UPDATE FROM MIKE

2009-09-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to send out an update as to what is going on in Ukraine. Tomorrow will make it official that Laurel is a member of the Evans family. We are very excited that we are finally “on the one yard line and going in for the score” to use a football phrase. I will be going to apply for Laurel’s birth certificate change which basically gives her her new name which will be Laurel Anastassya Evans. I may have spelled the middle name wrong but you get the idea. We are leaving her birthplace and birth date the same (that is an option we can change) as we want her to have a connection to her home country. I will have her on my own for 7-10 days so please pray that she and I adjust to all these changes that will occur so suddenly for her. Laurel seems to have a genuine love for her caregivers and they seem to love her too. She has an older woman a “babushka” that is very grandmotherly and I know that she is a dear sweet woman and that Laurel’s life was better because of her. I am glad that we are finally getting Laurel but I know that she will be sad for a few days, so again just pray that she transitions well. The babushka says that Laurel is a very calm and quiet child and I trust her assesement, some women just know kids and I think that she is definitely one of them. Today I shopped for some things to get the apt. ready for her. Tomorrow Iam going to grocery shop for fresh food for Laurel and hopefully that will add some shine to those red locks of hers.
I have been to church twice this week and even went to a leadership team meeting tonight for the “Destiny House” staff. They are getting ready to staff the house full-time so that thelocal teenage orphans have a place to go and do laundry, learn cooking, sewing, and computer skills. These people really love the orphans and are doing everything to be a surrogate family to the teenagers, many of whom are approaching the age where adoption is off the table as an option for them. I gave a gift of $100 dollars in the name of our church to help “Destiny House” pay for laundry soap, food, etc. I hope that we can do more in the future. Martha and I have been looking for ways that everyone could become involved in helping orphans through adopting a child, sponsoring orphans for the 8 day Bible camp in the summer, or financial assistance to “Destiny House”. Even though some one might not feel comfortable adopting a child, helping the ministries is a good way to “look after orphans in their time of need”.
I would like to share briefly what God has done for me through this: First, and I hate to admit this, but I have often struggled with having a complete faith in what the Lord can do. I know what the Bible says about it and I know that God is worthy to be trusted with all things, but the human imagination often as well as the Deciever leads our hearts to places where faith cannot exist. Those are places are fear and doubt, anxiety, sadness and depression. Our imagination tells us what if? What if we fail? What if the plane crashes? What if we don’t have the money? IF, those two little otherwise insignificant letters cause great amounts of the aforementioned thoughts to grow into an uncontrolable storm of dispair. There are two words that can quell this storm “But God”…There were times that Martha and I worried if we would have the money to do this..but God provided. Times I wondered if this was right for us..but God confirmed it and gave us peace. Times I felt lonely here…but God provided, an identical church family to minister to me while away from my own.
At the end of Psalm 23 David makes the statement “that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” Like most phrases at the end of songs and poems or stories we race through them and loose the significance of the closing in our haste and in this instance we don’t stop to ask what this means. Now I could go through every line in the 23 Psalm and draw a parallel to how the Lord has done the same for me in this circumstance and I have briefly done so already. I think that the reason for David saying this is that because the Lord God is so good to us why would we want to live anywhere else? David clearly tells us how the Good Shepherd makes provision for our every need and David is proclaiming that he is choosing to dwell in God’s house forever. This decision, I feel, comes from experiencing God’s goodness and eating from the green pastures and drinking from the still waters that “restore our souls”. Why would we want to do anything else? My challenge to you is to CHOOSE to dwell in Gods house and abide with Him. Have a relationship that consists of thoughtful, sincere prayer, search Him out and discover who He is by reading his Word, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with other believers. This is how we come to dwell in God’s House.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I miss you all dearly and cannot wait to see you all soon.
Love,
Mike

So It's been a While but we have a good excuse....

2009-09-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Dear friends who still check this blog! I'm so sorry it's been a while since we updated but I promise we have a good excuse. Or how about several good excuses. You may remember that when I came home last Wed. am Noah had been running a fever for a few days. Well, he was worse by Saturday so I took him to Urgent Care and thank goodness I did! He tested positive for the Swine Flu, an ear infection and Pneumonia!! They tanked him up on some great antibiotics for the infections (not so much the flu b/c it's viral). They told us that he would be contagious until all of his symptoms are gone. Today (Tuesday) seems to be the first day that he really feels better. Also, on Friday I got some sort of stomach bug (or flu) and have been sick with it. I too feel better today. Praise God.

So what's going on in Ukraine you say??? Same ole Same Ole. Poor Mike is still stuck there by himself. He has been down and lonely the last several days I've spoken with him but today he went to a small group meeting a missionary couple we met there had at their home and had a wonderful time!! He will be going to a mission tomorrow with them that ministers to teen orphans. God is so good. He knows exactly what we need when we need it.

Laurel feels A LOT better from her ear infection and is back to her happy self. The 10 day waiting period is officially up on Friday the 11th but because of paperwork restricitions Mike probably won't get custody of her until Monday. Then he waits for the Passport 4-5 days and when he gets that he can go back to Kiev for about 2 days for the Visa and Medical check. Then hopefully HOME!! Please pray all will go smoothly!

Blessed beyond Belief

2009-09-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt blessed beyond belief? Yes, I am home and Mike is still over there waiting out the 10 days and all the rest of the details to bring Laurel home. She has yet another ear infection and hasn't been easy to deal with the last few days. Please pray that this will heal before the plane ride!!

Anyway, back to the Blessed beyond Belief. Monday night I boarded a night train in a foreign country and rode all night by myself. That morning my transportation to KIev met me exactly where he said he was going to. Praise the Lord.
I then navigated my way through a horrible airport, not speaking a word of the language and managed to get through customs, find my flight and get on the right flight. I did this with 3 connecting flights and made my way home!!! Home back to the BEST country ever!!! Praise the Lord.

After arriving home here is what I found..........
1. A beautiful, dream come true built in t/v cabinet which hides all of our junk so little fingers can't break anything, made by a wonderful friend.
2. Nice freshly cut yard
3. A full refrigerator!
4. An adorable bed for Laurel and all the bedding
5. Someone had fixed a leak in my roof
6. A powerwashed porch
7. Someone had fixed, rewired, put salt in, and cleaned out my pumphouse!!!!
8. A sparkling clean house
9. And I'm sure a whole host of other things done by wonderful people that I will never know about.

BLESSED BEYOND ALL BELIEF.
You all have blessed us and enriched our lives. Each and everyone of you are a part of this journey and we are forever grateful!

The First Finish Line...on to the next...

2009-08-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. We got through with court.... about 6:30pm tonight! It went fine and we are approved to adopt Laurel!! Praise the Lord! It was a bit of an intimidating process and we had to wait almost 1 1/2 hrs for the judge but it is over!! Now comes the 10 day appeals waiting period. We appreciate your prayers that no one will appeal the judges decision. It is our understanding that the mother as well as a prosecutor can appeal although technically the mother has signed away her rights.

Please pray for Martha as she will be boarding a night train in a few hours (11pm our time) and travelling to Kiev. She will arrive in the morning and will be taken to the US Embassy where she'll have to sign more paperwork and then be taken to the airport to catch a 2 pm flight out. Hopefully she'll arrive home around midnight Tuesday night.

Please pray for Mike as he'll be left here by himself to visit Laurel and finish up paperwork like the new birth certificate, visa, medical and passport for Laurel.

We can't wait to see you all soon!

PS: The picture was taken by our translator right after we were named parents of Laurel

Almost There

2009-08-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Just a short update from this part of the world. Laurel seemed to feel much better today. She was a wild child the first part of the visit and then got sleepy. The signing seemed to click a little more today. She saw a cat and made the correct sign for it over and over. She followed that poor cat for 30 minutes making the sign. She also made the correct sign for car! We are definitely going to have to learn some new sign language.
We attempted to visit a history museum today. The downstairs was about as small as our house and you had to give tickets every few feet. We had 8 tickets to give just downstairs. Then we went up to see military stuff and there was this huge deal that (we think b/c we couldn't understand Russian) the ladies downstairs had torn the wrong tickets and they wanted us to go get 4 more tickets so they could just tear the "right" tickets. Not a chance. We got fed up and left. Oh well. We settled for an ice cream cone from McDonald's and a walk by the river.

Tomorrow the cleaning lady comes to clean our apartment. We'll see Laurel in the AM and probably do a little souvenir shopping.

Love to all,
Martha & Mike

PS: We just found out Laurel sucks her thumb. She was really tired today and did it. Too Cute.

News from the Front

2009-08-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone back home!!! We so miss everyone and can't wait to get back to US soil. We are having very good visits everyday with Laurel and she is really warming up to Mike. You can tell she hasn't seen many men before therefore she isn't really sure where they fit in in the big scheme of things or what Daddy's are good for. Boy will she be in for a surprise! She and Mike will have a blast. She made the sign for "cat" yesterday when she saw one and I was so proud of her. You can also tell she wants to talk some b/c she moves her lips like what we say and tries to make a sound. We see that she LOVES apples and they probably feel good to her teeth as she is still getting teeth.

WE FOUND OUT OUR COURT DATE TODAY. We are scheduled for Monday at 4:30pm (9:30am US time). PLEASE be in prayer for us that the judge would look favorably on us to adopt Laurel. She seems already to be a bit of a stickler for details so it makes us a bit nervous. If all goes as planned, I will leave court, get on an overnight train to take me back to Kiev. I will be met by a translator who will take me to the US Embassy to sign some papers and then off to the airport to catch a flight Tuesday pm. We'll see how the details work out. Please pray for MIke who will be left behind and will have to deal with Laurel by himself. I think they will be just fine however.

Thank you all for your interest, time and prayers. We are so blessed to have friends and family like you.

PS: The picture of all the wonderful food is to prove to our Mama's that we aren't starving. We found a wondeful Ukrainian cuisine restaurant that serves lots of food CHEAP. All of this and drinks were around $8. We treat ourselves about once a week.

Photo Op.

2009-08-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Today was another great day with Laurel. We play about 2 hrs. with her and she even learned the sign for cracker. They told us she needed to have her pic taken for a document so they took us outside of the orphanage into the scariest park you have ever seen. Anyway, we went into this little bitty store underground and they stood her on a stool and took her picture. She didn't look too thrilled and wasn't sure what was going on (neither were we :) but she was a good sport. We hope to have find out when the judge will see us on Tuesday. Please pray that everything will be fast tracked so we can come home. I'm sure that is a common feeling when you're out of the country just wanting to bring your new daughter home.

Our First Meeting

2009-08-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

We finally met Laurel. Our first meeting was only for about 15 minutes. She played with a pen I brought in and also scribbled on a little notepad. She actually warmed up enough to give me a hug after we had been playing for a few minutes. She is tiny and beautiful and look forward to spending a full 2 hrs with her tomorrow. If all goes well, we were told court may be next Tuesday when the judge comes back. More updates to come.

We're still here

2009-08-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

We are heading to see Laurel tomorrow (Sunday). We have had interesting reports about her and are very excited to meet her. So far the trip is going well. Internet is extremely slow so updating is a little difficult. We are doing a lot of walking. Hopefully we'll be able to post photos when we get some. Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying for us!!

We're coming Laurel!!!

2009-08-09T14:21:00.001-07:00

It's here. Monday morning we'll be flying out to go visit our little girl. I can't believe this is really happening. It was less than a week ago that we got an email from our facilitator saying out appointment was this week- August 13th. We had asked for a later (by a month) date but the LORD saw fit to change things up a bit. Since then, we have been FLOORED by the compassion, generosity and love that has been poured out from our friends, church, community and family. Even people who we don't even know!! Please pray that the Lord's will be done in our life over there and that as our pastor's theme is year "LET THE LIGHT SHINE IN 2009!!"

We want them to wonder why so many American's want their special needs children. We want to be able to share the unconditional love of Christ with them.

Thank you so much who have followed on this wild ride so far with us. Hopefully they'll be lots more to come. Thank you to our wonderful church family who is so encouraging and praying for us!! Thank you even to the perfect strangers who don't even know us but believe in this cause.

We're coming baby Laurel!! Coming soon!! We will update everyone as soon as we get a good internet connection. Blessings!

WE'RE FLYING!!

2009-08-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

It's really happening!! It really is!! We got our SDA Appointment date and it's August 13th!!! We are hoping to fly out sometime Monday. This was not at all our plan (of course). In our child specific petition we had asked to fly after August 27th but they ignored the petition. There is a chance they could change it but we have to fill out a new form, notarize it, appostille it again and UPS it ASAP to get to our facilitator. All this would have to happen before Thursday 13th and it takes AT LEAST 4-5 days for it to get to Ukraine with no issues! So, Monica was so wonderful to figure out somewhere else for Baby Connor to stay, we scrounged for our loan, we booked our flights and the journey begins!!

God has reminded me that this is HIS timing not mine. I had other plans. I wanted it all wrapped up in a nice, neat package and have the room ready, all of the money raised, everything packed neatly etc..... But God knows the plans He has for us and they are GOOD plans!! Please pray as we embark on this journey. I've never been out of the country and needless to say am VERY nervous. We still aren't sure who will be returning to the country to pick her up. We are waiting to see how she reacts to us and how safe Mike feels with me being there.

UPDATE

2009-07-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

HURRAY!! Yulia just emailed me and she submitted our dossier to the SDA!!! She hopes to know our appointment date Friday or next Monday!! I'm so excited and nervous. Please pray all goes well. Excuse me while I go throw up now!! :)

Anxiously Waiting

2009-07-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

Lots going on at our house. First, HOPEFULLY our dossier will be submitted today to the SDA. Yulia was translating it this past week and said she would do her best to submit today (Monday). We haven't heard from her so no news is good news right ??!!

Second, I have to share a HUGE praise with you all. We have had buckets sitting out with Laurel's pic on it and our information on it for a while now at some gas stations. We've done pretty well and gotten about $300-$400 with it. Mike put one out on Tuesday at a local gas station and the women working there have really gotten behind our cause!!! So far in less than a week, we have gotten $665!! We were shocked. Also, a little boy made his own bucket with her picture and our story and took it to a local concert to try to raise money. These people don't even know us but they believe in adoption and rescuing these kids. We are so blessed.

Third, I'm asking prayer for a very special friend who is also adopting and suppose to fly soon. The region where her daughter is is in turmoil right now and this threatens their plans to fly and get their daughter. PLEASE pray for the region, the children and peace.

IT'S THERE!!!!

2009-07-22T05:18:00.001-07:00

I got an email yesterday from our facilitator and she received our dossier on Monday. Wow!! You go UPS. I mailed it on Thursday!!! She said she would "be doing her best to have it ready to submit to the SDA on Monday. Praying that there are no corrections/additions needed. How exciting is that ?? Here is to fast service and efficient people who believe in what they do. It makes all the difference don't you think.

HUGE NEWS!!

2009-07-15T19:12:00.001-07:00

It's official! Our dossier is on its way to Ukraine!!! I NEVER thought I would be done with all of that paperwork. We took it all to be apostilled at the Sec. of State's Office today and they approved it all. We mailed it to our facilitator in Ukraine tonight. She will hopefully receive it by Tuesday. After that it will take approx. 1 week to translate it and if no corrections are needed then she will submit our request to the SDA for an appointment after Aug. 27th. Hopefully we will fly to meet Laurel in September!!

Also in exciting news... the local paper finally called me back and want to do a story on our adoption story and Reece's Rainbow. The young reporter was so excited to help get the word out about Special Needs adoption and Reece's Rainbow. This article should be out towards the end of August.

Prayer Requests:

1. That we will be able to save/scrounge/create/receive --the rest of the funds we need to bring Laurel home. We still need about $14,000 of the $24,000 it takes to get her here.

2. That the SDA will have no problems approving our paperwork.

3. That the Lord's will be done in picking just the right time for us to travel

4. Safety and security for Laurel in the orphanage

Thank you all for your prayers and support as we travel on this journey.

SMALL UPDATE

2009-07-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

OK SO PERHAPS I GOT A LITTLE EXCITED ABOUT US BEING IN THE HOMESTRETCH BUT I'M NOT DISCOURAGED!!! 2 OF THE 4 DOCUMENTS HAD NOTARY ISSUES AND ONE THING HAD TO BE REORDERED SO..... BACK TO WAITING BUT IT'S ALL RELATIVELY EASY FIXES. MY TARGET SUBMISSION DATE IS NEXT WEEK. I'LL NOT BE DETERRED!! :)

PROGRESS!!!

2009-07-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Oh My! Dare I say it....... PROGRESS??? NO, you must be joking!! I just checked my email and our Marriage Certificates (which we had to reorder) are scheduled to arrive TOMORROW 7/7!!!

This is a HUGE deal b/c it's the last piece of the puzzle to complete our Dossier.!!!

Tommorrow I will: Fax our coordinator our: Redone (three times now) Rental Agreement, Agency License, SBI fingerprints and our Marriage license!! All of our other documents have the go ahead so these are the last 4. If they come back ok tomorrow then I will get everything Apostilled at the Secretary of State on Wednesday and hopefully off to Ukraine on Thursday. PLEASE pray the Sec. of States office will accept all of the documents just as they are. Either way it's PROGRESS. Thank you Lord for making our paths straight to this little girl. WE'RE COMING LAUREL!!

THIS ROSE IS FOR YOU

2009-06-29T19:12:00.001-07:00

So, here is how our conversations with Noah go just about every night.....
Noah: Mommy, where is Wowrel (Laurel)
Mommy: She lives far away
Noah: She's comin' to see me
Mommy:Hopefully baby, we are praying for that
Noah: What does she say??
Mommy: (knowing Laurel can't talk b/c of her deafness) I don't know baby
Noah: Mommy, she says "Hi Noah"
Noah: I want to be her friend

Out of the mouth of babes!! Noah is definately teaching me daily what "child like" faith really is. We really haven't told Noah about him getting a sister yet, we just pray for Laurel and he sees her picture up. It seems almost too much to ask God for to have her hear & speak but Noah doensn't think so.
Funny story, today we were getting all of our things notarized and I couldn't get the people to come to the door so I was standing outside of their house wondering what to do. A very Godly lady came walking down the street towards me. We call her the "Brownie Lady" around town b/c she brings brownies to lots of businesses and tells the people Jesus loves them and she prays for them. I love this lady. She asked what I was doing and I told her getting Laurel's paper notarized. She knows our adoption story well and she said "sweetheart, she's gonna hear, we're praying for that". Ahhh that FAITH again!!

Tonight I faxed my paperwork to our coordinator to look over. We are only missing 2 papers which hopefully will be here this week. I know we'll have some corrections/additions/subtractions but we're getting close...... I just know it!

MORE PAPERWORK

2009-06-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Nothing really new to report unfortunately. We have been out of town since Wed. and are behind on paperwork. I am picking up my medicals (which had to be redone) tomorrow-Tues. and hopefully they are right. Wednesday we get our State Police Clearances. After that, the only thing we are waiting on is our letter from our homestudy agency showing they have a license under NC law. Hopefully that will come this week. I am getting things notarized Wed or Thurs so I can send everything off to our coordinator to see what if anything needs to be redone. Our goal is to submit sometime next week but Backyard Bible Clubs are this week so my time is a little short. Please remember to pray for Laurel (and Lydia's Tori) as these babies are just waiting for all this red tape to get their forever families.

Yard Smell....

2009-06-15T06:25:00.001-07:00

So we all survived!! (I think. I haven't heard from Kathy this morning to see if she lived :) I have to give a gigantic thank you to all our friends and family who helped with the 2nd yardsale for Laurel. Especially to Darlene who acted as our interpreter. We couldn't have done it without you!!! We worked until 11pm Friday night to set up and then back up at 5am to open at 7am.

We were nervous at first b/c it was slow but then boy did the people come....and come. It was so amazing to hear so many ladies stories about how adoption has touched their lives in some way. I had a lady talk to us in tears about her giving up a baby, a woman who was adopted herself and so thankful to her birth family, a Grandmother who introduced us to her 2 year old adopted grandaughter. The encouragment was unbelievable!!

So how much did we make (drumroll please).... $700. This was great b/c since it was only about 1/4 much stuff as the previous one I was only hoping for about $300. God is so faithful!

As to the title of this blog... Yard Smell.... While setting up, we all kept smelling this smell. It was never in the same place or with the same person so we decided we just all stunk!! Needless to say a shower was well received at the end of the long, hot day. Of course I forgot my camera b/c I've been working on it getting ready for our trip to PA this week but I got a few on Larry's camera so I'll post them when I can.

Once again.. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED IN ANY WAY!!

Resting in Him

2009-06-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well, our medicals are finished!! Hurray!! I'm not sure if the paperwork is exactly right but even if not it won't be to horrible to just fix that. At least the hardest part of it is finished!! Also, we were able to get an amendment to our homestudy from our original agency and pretty fast too. They really worked with us. Just pray it will be accepted. Also, there may be a small (or large) problem with social worker licensing so PLEASE be in prayer for that. It really is funny though b/c even with all this little glitches I still have a peace inside that it WILL work out for the Lord's glory. We are just needing to update our CCBI clearances which only takes about 1 hr and then get everything together to get notarized. Hopefully we are still on track to submit our paperwork after the 15th of this month.

We have our 2nd yardsale coming up on Saturday. This one will be much smaller and in another location but we are hoping to make at least a couple hundred with this one. Pray for no rain on Saturday!!! That's all for now. I'll keep you all updated on anything new! Once again, thank you for your prayers.

So What's New...

2009-06-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we are offically knee deep in paperwork. I wanted to let everyone know a few prayer requests and some praises!!
Requests: 1.) We have our Medical updates on Thursday. Please pray for things to go smoothly and for us to remember everything we have to have him put on the form. Please pray that Martha's TB test does not pop up wierd (like it usually does) so I won't have to go get chest xrays.... no I do NOT have TB but for some reason my skin hates the test.
2.) Due to a few things missing in our homestudy we will have to have an amendment. Long story short, we are going to try our old agency one more time to do a quick amendment so as not to spend $2000 on a full homestudy again from another agency. Please Please pray that they will get it done QUICKLY and efficiently.
Praises: 1.)Praise God that one of my friends also adopting through Reece's got her homestudy "issue" fixed!!!
2.) Praise God that people have been open to putting out the jars with Laurel's face and situation on it at their stores and businesses. People have been donating but more importantly people have been adding her to church prayer lists!!

Thank you Mrs. Pam for bringing the blog not allowing commments to my attention. Hopefully that is fixed now. If not please let me know!

FINDING OUR LITTLE GIRL

2009-05-28T10:22:00.001-07:00

This journey we've been on has already had so many ups and downs, twists and turns. I've asked God so many times if this really is the path he wants us to take and we keep getting the same answer..... YES! We believe in adoption. We believe adoption is ordained by God and He commands us to "take care of orphans and widows in their time of need." Taking care of can mean many things...... all can pray, some can visit, provide meals, support, give money and many other things. Some can adopt. That is the journey we feel we've been called on to grow our family.

Meet Laurel. We found her on www.reecesrainbow.org. This organization is no stranger to me. I have been looking at these sweet angels for over a year now. This wonderful organization truly answers the orphans in their time of need. We found Laurel on Reeces several weeks ago and begun praying then. We are told she is deaf and likes other children. She likes to play with toys. She is described as a very smart little girl. Something about her wouldn't let us go. We BOTH got our answers from God and then started the process to Bring Laurel Home!! We have a long way to go (although when I count the months it sometimes seems frightenly close!)

Join us as we blog the challenges, rewards and trials of international adoption. To protect the process however, please do not post specifics about the country or Laurel if you know them.