What's Old Is New Again!

We try to do our part for the environment here in our household.I have always kept toys and passed them on to the next boy. But when you have a girl somethings do not reuse so easily! Jacob graciously passed on his Hummer to little sissy . But we had to give it a "girly" makeover with the help of some Hello Kitty stickers! I have to preserve Ava's feminine side . Living with a household of males makes it challenging .I left her with the guy's on Friday for a little while and in just a few short hours she has mastered the art of making very realistic machine gun noises.LOL. Hopefully our next adoption announcement will turn the tide in favor of the pink team at our household ! Although I have felt myself wavering a little in the blue direction! Maybe it's all the testosterone in the air!!!! or could it be all of Jacob's requests for a brother his age! At first Ava was not sure what to think about her new ride but she is catching on quickly. By the second spin that evening there was a lot of giggling going on. Her driving instructor is a bit bossy but she just adores him .Every once in a while she has enough of his back seat driving and she will put him in his place! He is such a man ... and she is such an assertive little women!
N

We are on the charts!!!!!

Photo #1 - 1st week home
Photo #2 - evidence that sister has been hitting the candy dish!!!

We had our appointment with ECI this morning. Our case worker was so excited to see Ava's full cheeks. We see ava everyday so sometimes it is hard to see the progress in the weight area. I have been adding butter and cheese to everything this little lady eats. One thing about Ava she is not a picky eater.The only thing she does not like is potatoes in any form other than french fries. She loves to eat !Her favorite treat is M&M's! Of course all chocolate falls under the M&M label. So after breakfast every morning she heads over to the candy dish and begins her requests for her morning fix.We I think her love affair with that candy dish has payed off...We are now on the growth charts!!!!!!!!
She is currently 10% for weight and 3% for height!!!! Compared to the boy's who were always in the 95% this seems like a drop in the bucket. I have to keep reminding myself that she was half their birth weight and have any of you ever had cabbage soup??? Yikes!
We are continuing to work on speech. This seems to be the only area that we are focusing on with ECI. Remarkably she comprehends everything that we say to her. Picking up instructions in a different language is not an easy task.She is really starting to branch out from her simple words and form some phrases. This morning she was following me a little to close and when I stopped she ran into me and fell down. I picked her up and said "Sorry Charlie" and she responded " I not Charlie" ! She is so sweet and silly!
N

Ready or not Summer is here !!!!

Well ,summer is here again! We have been really busy the last couple of weeks. I now officially am the mother of a first grader, a sophomore in high school and a tantrum throwing soon to be two year old! Yes , I will be that Mom that will span all of the schools! I am okay with that just as long as know one asks Ava is that your Grandmother !!!!
Things have been a little crazy around here and we are only four days into summer.The challenge is finding activities that interest everyone despite the large gap in ages!Jake still hold the top place as Ava's fav. As you can see by the photos he is really silly!
Here are some photos of some our summertime fun. Check out sister's tummy!!!! We are so excited ! When we arrived home with Ava she could wear a 3-6 month onesie and barely a size 2 shoe. Now, fast forward 10 months... she is wearing 12-18 months and a size 5 shoe!She is still so tiny but we are packing on the calories!!!
N

Our little birdcage

We have a running joke in the house now that I am momma bird and this house has become my bird cage. As an adoptive parent you read how the best thing to do is to keep your new child's world small. This gives the children time to bond with their new family. Also a child that has not known anything beyond the walls of that orphanage this new big world can be nothing short of overwhelming. So baby bird and I have been in our bird cage bonding and getting to know each other.Within the 8 months of being home Ava has bonded with us beyond our wildest dreams. A child that at first would cringe when you leaned in to kiss her now gives the sweetest kisses ever imaginable. She has made great strides developmentally as well. When we first picked up Ava she was not walking or talking. Now she has been walking for 6 months . Her speech is a little slower. As a family we have teamed up to cater to her every need and whim. That said my baby bird knows anyone of her flock will come running and give her whatever she wants. There is pros and cons to this ! Pros are she knows that she belongs to a family that loves and cares for her in a way she never had before. Cons are that she can let out a scream, grunt or just point and the world is hers!!!! She is somewhere between a group of words that gets her by and occasionally combining a few sentences. We definitely were not surprised that her 6 month evaluation for ECI revealed that she developmentally at 21 months is more at the level of a 17 month old.Our case worker feels that Ava has made great progress and will continue to do so.We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and are in awe of her determination.
Today we ventured out of our bird cage and had our first official play date with the neighborhood playgroup. We live in a great family neighborhood . We have a slash pad with sprayers and fountains for the kids to run through. Ava is the youngest in the group of kiddos. I have seen her play with kids that are older but have not seen her interaction with someone that is her age. I have to say I was a little taken back. She definitely was the smallest but that is always the case. Ava is still not on the charts for her weight despite she eats really good. She had a slow start at 4.4 lbs. and now is running everywhere. So she is gaining weight at a steady pace but we are stilling trying to catch up for lost time! Anyone that knows me says Ava's fits great with me because I am little too! So, we are not expecting Ava to be a wrestler on her highschool wrestling team! And we are really okay with that!So ,she looked at all those kids running around and she was not sure what she was supposed to do. She would bring the beach balls around to the grown ups .She shared really well. I was a bit worried about this due to her exposure to her brothers giving in to her every request. She approached a few of the younger kids but I caught her looking at some of the older boys. She would go up to each one and study their faces. She was looking for her bubba, Jake. I felt bad for her because what she has known up till now has been our little family and she seemed a little lost today. Joining this playgroup will be a great thing for her socially, developmentally and emotionally.So as we drive home I feel this overwhelming sadness . The sadness is not for me because I am blessed with this unbelievable little girl that has changed my life in so many ways .I am so sad for all that she missed in the beginning of her little life. I am reminded today of all that she never had for that first year.It is a bitter little pill to swallow.One that I do not like to think about but the tears caught me off guard today. When we got home we had lunch .As I was feeding Ava she took my hand and gently kissed the palm of my hand and gave me the sweetest smile. As if to say "it is going to be okay Momma".
My baby bird continues to teach me lessons each and everyday.She is truly heaven sent. Parenting a child that has been institutionalized is not always the easiest job. A day does not go by that you do not ask yourself am I doing everything that I can for them. At times I feel like I am a first time mom because not everything that I did for the boys will work with Ava. But that sweet little kiss and smiling blue eyes was just the reassurance that I needed today.
Now ,I am going to put up the kleenex and end this post with a lighter note! We appreciate you all joining us in a moment of silence. We are morning the loss of our maid service! This was my contribution to the budget. I will be contributing a portion to our adoption fund . I cannot think of a better motivation to break out the old feather duster!In the mean time, pray that the family is not all overcome by the scary dust bunnies!
Have a great weekend!

N

Monkey See,Monkey Do!

Well, this little monkey LOVES to act like she is on the phone. I wonder where she got that from! She has mastered the art of multi-tasking also. She can talk on the phone and take notes.The other day she was on the phone and I asked her who she was on the phone with . She replied by placing her pointer finger over her lips and told me "SHHH"!I love how she has become so assertive. Seven months ago she was timid, shy and quiet as a mouse.I will leave you guy's with some photos and let you determine who is in charge now!!!!

Michelle here is the infamous "bear ears". I usually use mini bobbi pins . You can use ribbons , flowers or decorative barrettes. Ana's hair would be so cute like this with those curls!
N

Happy Mother's Day

~ Legacy Of An Adopted Child ~


Once there were two women
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
The other you call mother.

Two different lives
Shaped to make yours one,
One became your guiding star,
The other became your sun.

The first gave you life,
And the second taught you to live it.
And the first gave you a need for love,
And the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality.
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seeds of talent,
The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.

One gave you up,
It was all that she could do.
The other prayed for a child,
And God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me through your tears,
The age old question through the years.
Heredity or environment, Which are you a product of?
Neither, my Darling, Neither,
Just two different kinds of love.

Author Unknown

I find myself thinking about the sacrafice that Ava's birthmother made. I am so thankful that she chose life and that I have been blessed with the honor of being Ava's mother.When I read this poem I am reminded how we each have had such different roles in Ava's life but none less important than the other.

On a more silly note ,I took a survey to estimate my salary as a mom. Wow, I had no idea what I was worth on the open market!I am leaving you guy's with some random photos of momma and baby girl!You can't have a post without photos!
Have a great Mothers Day!!!!
N




Earnings Statement Our Family
For The year Ending: May, 2009
Job Title Hourly Rate Hours Worked
Housekeeper $9.72 858
Day Care Center Teacher $13.18 3,120
Cook $13.47 676
Computer Operator $15.45 478
Facilities Manager $34.64 447
Van Driver $15.59 104
Psychologist $36.52 374
Laundry Machine Operator $9.91 780
Janitor $10.21 260
Chief Executive Officer $69.31 286
Total Value
Regular Hourly Rate $17.19 2,080 $35,757
Over Time Rate $25.79 5,304 $136,770

$211,143 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Source mom.salary.com

Look at my new Custom Pool !!!

Don't be jealous! I have always wanted a pool in my backyard. So when I saw this at Walmart I said "Perfect!" We had planned on putting a pool in this year but we put the money to better use. You see the beautiful Russian swimsuit model... need I say more!

As I sit outside lounging on a alligator teeter totter I can honestly say this is the best pool ever!

Sunscreen $8.00

Custom Pool
from Walmart $ 15.00

Giggling Bikini Beauty
with
the plumbers crack ... PRICELESS!!!!!!!
N