Time is an interesting thing. The end of this month will mark 1 1/2 years since our adoption of Makena. On one hand it hardly seems that long and on the other hand it's like "Are you sure it hasn't been longer than that?" Over the past six months Makena has graduated preschool and has made some sweet friendships. She has certainly learned the fun of birthday parties and has every song of Frozen memorized! She still however continues to think that her big brother has all the great ideas and would love to be his identical twin if she could. Cameron goes between using this to his advantage and letting it drive him crazy;) Sibling Love -nothing like it😜
The decision to leave work and focus more on my family has been blessing over the past six months. I have enjoyed being able to be involved at Cameron's school and work on growing my relationship with Makena. Us girl's tend to butt heads a good bit and it has been a struggle to be a parent to two children that require very different styles of parenting at times. We just take it day by day and thank God for the small victories each day.
Summer has been wonderful so far. I have really enjoyed my kiddos. Since I have always worked full time this is the first summer that Cameron has not had to be in childcare. He didn't know what to think about having so much time off. As I type we are heading back from New York City! What a busy but fun time we had!!! I have really learned how to relax and enjoy my treasures (family). Kids grow up way to fast!!!
Makena will be starting kindergarten next month and I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried. I have no idea what it will bring and am just doing my best to prepare her and put the rest in God's hands.
Many people have asked us if we will adopt again. The thought crosses my mind at times but for now our next adoption will be a puppy( if my boys can talk me into it)!
I continue to keep up with a lot of the children that were adopted with Makena through Facebook. One of the little fellows, Everett will be having heart surgery soon . Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
Christmas Blessings
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! It is hard to believe that today is Christmas Eve. Where did the past 11 months go since bringing Makena home. It seems like we were just celebrating last year as a family of three highly anticipating our travel approval to climb aboard a plane to China. Now we are celebrating Makena's first Christmas as part of a family,our family. For those of you that know Makena at all you can imagine that she is soaking up everything that Christmas brings with it and loving every minute of it! The best part has been watching her stand on stage and sing her heart out about the true meaning of Christmas.
The past 5 months since my last post have been ones of progress, new experiences and more change.
Cameron continues to impress us with how easily he has accepted all the change and challenges that adopting Makena has brought our way. Makena couldn't have hand picked a better big brother. He started kindergarten this year and is doing great. My little man that has loved books since he could hold one up is reading and it has been so awesome to see him grow! He loves telling his new classmates and teachers that "he " adopted his sister from China.
Makena continues to grow in every way. Her language is unbelievable and man has she learned how to throw some attitude with it. She can be quite the little diva... Something Pat and I are still trying to get use too;). This world of girls is certainly something to get use too. Her adaptability to her new life and all the thing and people she has experienced in the last 11months has been something we certainly hoped and prayed for but couldn't have imagined would be so easy. She loves being the center of attention and hasn't questioned her role in our family for a second:)
Well, this year has been one of great change for us, so why we were on a roll we decided one more change was needed. On November 29th, I left my job as a CT technologist to become a full time stay at home mom. This was a huge decision for Pat and I. I have worked for 20 years, 15 years as a technologist so work is a part of who I am. Pat and I have always trusted God to direct our paths in life and this decision was no different. In true God style he led Pat and I to this decision at the same time giving us clarity that this was his will for our family at this time. When we first got home from China I had a 12week maternity leave. At the end of that leave I felt for my own sanity I needed to go back to what I know and what is familiar to me-work. Life was a bit overwhelming for me at home and I needed to know I was still there. I know that sounds selfish but it was needed at the time. On the outside everything looked easy but life at home was harder than it looked. That worked good for about six months. Makena thrived in her preschool and life was normal for Cameron. The problem was during the week there wasn't a lot of time in the evenings for me to have the time and patience I needed for both my children and my husband. It seemed clear to both Pat and I that although family life was functional I was getting spread pretty thin. So we prayed and talked and prayed and talked some more. As scary as this decision was for me to walk a way from a job I really truly enjoyed it felt like the right decision. So for the past few weeks I have been settling into my new full time job and I gotta say it was an easier transition than I expected. The extra time that I have to focus on my family has already showed a big change for everyone.
Lastly, I want to share how God keeps giving us pieces of the puzzle to Makena's past. Just before Thanksgiving a friend of ours that we traveled to China with saw a picture on Facebook posted by Half The Sky Foundation. The picture looked just like Makena! So I contacted the foundation and IT WAS HER! We were able to find out from that random post that Makena was in a child care home for 10months being taken care of by nurses and caregivers from this foundation while she recovered from her would infection. What a blessing it is to know more about her past. It is humbling to know that such selfless people cared for our daughter when we couldn't . God has truly been holding her in his arms and putting people in her life along the way!
God is Good!!
The past 5 months since my last post have been ones of progress, new experiences and more change.
Cameron continues to impress us with how easily he has accepted all the change and challenges that adopting Makena has brought our way. Makena couldn't have hand picked a better big brother. He started kindergarten this year and is doing great. My little man that has loved books since he could hold one up is reading and it has been so awesome to see him grow! He loves telling his new classmates and teachers that "he " adopted his sister from China.
Makena continues to grow in every way. Her language is unbelievable and man has she learned how to throw some attitude with it. She can be quite the little diva... Something Pat and I are still trying to get use too;). This world of girls is certainly something to get use too. Her adaptability to her new life and all the thing and people she has experienced in the last 11months has been something we certainly hoped and prayed for but couldn't have imagined would be so easy. She loves being the center of attention and hasn't questioned her role in our family for a second:)
Well, this year has been one of great change for us, so why we were on a roll we decided one more change was needed. On November 29th, I left my job as a CT technologist to become a full time stay at home mom. This was a huge decision for Pat and I. I have worked for 20 years, 15 years as a technologist so work is a part of who I am. Pat and I have always trusted God to direct our paths in life and this decision was no different. In true God style he led Pat and I to this decision at the same time giving us clarity that this was his will for our family at this time. When we first got home from China I had a 12week maternity leave. At the end of that leave I felt for my own sanity I needed to go back to what I know and what is familiar to me-work. Life was a bit overwhelming for me at home and I needed to know I was still there. I know that sounds selfish but it was needed at the time. On the outside everything looked easy but life at home was harder than it looked. That worked good for about six months. Makena thrived in her preschool and life was normal for Cameron. The problem was during the week there wasn't a lot of time in the evenings for me to have the time and patience I needed for both my children and my husband. It seemed clear to both Pat and I that although family life was functional I was getting spread pretty thin. So we prayed and talked and prayed and talked some more. As scary as this decision was for me to walk a way from a job I really truly enjoyed it felt like the right decision. So for the past few weeks I have been settling into my new full time job and I gotta say it was an easier transition than I expected. The extra time that I have to focus on my family has already showed a big change for everyone.
Lastly, I want to share how God keeps giving us pieces of the puzzle to Makena's past. Just before Thanksgiving a friend of ours that we traveled to China with saw a picture on Facebook posted by Half The Sky Foundation. The picture looked just like Makena! So I contacted the foundation and IT WAS HER! We were able to find out from that random post that Makena was in a child care home for 10months being taken care of by nurses and caregivers from this foundation while she recovered from her would infection. What a blessing it is to know more about her past. It is humbling to know that such selfless people cared for our daughter when we couldn't . God has truly been holding her in his arms and putting people in her life along the way!
God is Good!!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Real Life - Live Love Laugh (And Sometimes Cry)
WOW!, it's really been 3 months since my last post! So if you do the calculations we will be celebrating Makena's 6 month anniversary with us next week. It has been a busy, fun, hard,at times overwhelming and rewarding period in our lives.
Some of the things that stand out:
- Makena celebrated her 4th birthday "Minnie Mouse" style with friends and family. It was emotional to celebrate this moment, on one hand we are so grateful to have the chance to celebrate with her but it was bittersweet to know that we have missed 3 other birthdays and it was her first time to be celebrated in that way, and boy did she enjoy the attention!!:)
- On May 21st, Makena underwent a cardiac catherization where the doctor placed a balloon in her pulmonary valve to open it up more and relieve some of the pressure on the valve. She was a great patient and the procedure was a success. She will continue to be monitored due to the fact that her heart continues to be "sick". There is a balancing act between the amount of pressure on the valve and the amount of leakage caused by opening the valve more. There are more procedures and possible surgery in her future but hopefully not for a long time. If you've seen her you would never know all that is going on inside that heart of hers after all on the outside she is as active and ornery as any other 4 year old.
- Makena has gone swimming for the first time and loves it!! She is like a little fish.
Of course there have been so many other firsts that have taken place on a daily basis over the pat 6 months. Sometimes in the busyness of life it is easy to overlook them and take for granted simple things that may be completely new for her.
Our Chatty Little Girl :)
The hardest adjustment has always been the language barrier between us and Makena. Not knowing what she is saying or if she is understanding us completely has most certainly challenging. She would nod or say yes to just about anything you say, so trying to gauge what she was getting and
what she wasn't was a often a parenting nightmare.
Pat and I once said to one another that once she started really speaking English she is probably never going to stop talking and oh did we hit the nail on the head! This little lady has got to be talking ALL THE TIME!:) (In English,YAY!) What seemed like would take forever to happen seemed to have happened. Our little Asian Princess who only 6 short months ago didn't know one English word is for the most part fluent in English! It's one of those things you don't notice always on a daily basis and then one day you're like "I don't remember the last time Makena spoke Chinese"
We do have a CD of Chinese kids songs and she does seem familiar with a lot of them. It is sweet to listen to her sing them and Cameron try to learn them. It helps remind us of the fact she had a whole other world before us.
Now that Makena does speak our language, her strong-willed personality lets us know what she does and Does Not want to do!! Oh life with preschoolers-No one said it would always be easy but it most certainly keeps you on your toes;)
Cameron and Makena continue to amaze us with their natural sibling relationship. They care about each other very much, play and laugh together, and they fight over toys and who gets to go first etc,etc.
The other night during our family bible study we were learning about nothing being impossible for God. I told Cameron that there was a time that Daddy and I didn't think it was possible for us to have a child and he said, "but then you had me.... But mommy you know what the coolest thing is? ...We got to adopt Makena!"
So,yep besides my gift of salvation thru Jesus Christ, my family is the most precious gift I could ever ask for. It was answered prayers in God's most perfect way!
(new pics posted below)
.
P
Some of the things that stand out:
- Makena celebrated her 4th birthday "Minnie Mouse" style with friends and family. It was emotional to celebrate this moment, on one hand we are so grateful to have the chance to celebrate with her but it was bittersweet to know that we have missed 3 other birthdays and it was her first time to be celebrated in that way, and boy did she enjoy the attention!!:)
- On May 21st, Makena underwent a cardiac catherization where the doctor placed a balloon in her pulmonary valve to open it up more and relieve some of the pressure on the valve. She was a great patient and the procedure was a success. She will continue to be monitored due to the fact that her heart continues to be "sick". There is a balancing act between the amount of pressure on the valve and the amount of leakage caused by opening the valve more. There are more procedures and possible surgery in her future but hopefully not for a long time. If you've seen her you would never know all that is going on inside that heart of hers after all on the outside she is as active and ornery as any other 4 year old.
- Makena has gone swimming for the first time and loves it!! She is like a little fish.
Of course there have been so many other firsts that have taken place on a daily basis over the pat 6 months. Sometimes in the busyness of life it is easy to overlook them and take for granted simple things that may be completely new for her.
Our Chatty Little Girl :)
The hardest adjustment has always been the language barrier between us and Makena. Not knowing what she is saying or if she is understanding us completely has most certainly challenging. She would nod or say yes to just about anything you say, so trying to gauge what she was getting and
what she wasn't was a often a parenting nightmare.
Pat and I once said to one another that once she started really speaking English she is probably never going to stop talking and oh did we hit the nail on the head! This little lady has got to be talking ALL THE TIME!:) (In English,YAY!) What seemed like would take forever to happen seemed to have happened. Our little Asian Princess who only 6 short months ago didn't know one English word is for the most part fluent in English! It's one of those things you don't notice always on a daily basis and then one day you're like "I don't remember the last time Makena spoke Chinese"
We do have a CD of Chinese kids songs and she does seem familiar with a lot of them. It is sweet to listen to her sing them and Cameron try to learn them. It helps remind us of the fact she had a whole other world before us.
Now that Makena does speak our language, her strong-willed personality lets us know what she does and Does Not want to do!! Oh life with preschoolers-No one said it would always be easy but it most certainly keeps you on your toes;)
Cameron and Makena continue to amaze us with their natural sibling relationship. They care about each other very much, play and laugh together, and they fight over toys and who gets to go first etc,etc.
The other night during our family bible study we were learning about nothing being impossible for God. I told Cameron that there was a time that Daddy and I didn't think it was possible for us to have a child and he said, "but then you had me.... But mommy you know what the coolest thing is? ...We got to adopt Makena!"
So,yep besides my gift of salvation thru Jesus Christ, my family is the most precious gift I could ever ask for. It was answered prayers in God's most perfect way!
(new pics posted below)
.
P
Monday, April 15, 2013
Next Steps
Well this Thursday marks 12 weeks since we boarded a plane as a family of three to China to go meet our fourth addition,Makena! I know this because my maternity leave comes to an end and I am headed back to being a working mom. As you can imagine there are mixed emotions to heading back. I have enjoyed my time off and not having such a hectic lifestyle but I have also missed my coworkers and the work I do. It's just a matter of getting back in to the routine. In preparation, Makena has spent a few days at the Ruckus House ( her and Cameron's preschool) and Praise God absolutely LOVES it! I think she has missed being around so many kids like she is use to at the orphanage. She actually got mad at me this morning when she had to stay home instead of going with Cameron. It is a huge weight off our shoulders to know she is going to adjust so well. We shouldn't have been surprised since that is the way she has handled everything that has come her way since becoming apart of our family.
She has stolen the hearts of everyone in her family. Her cousins are completely smitten with her and she has the grandparents wrapped around her little finger:) It is clear she is right where she belongs!
The language barrier continues to be a daily challenge but her English vocabulary continues to improve everyday. I look forward to the day when we can really communicate easily. It is still often hard to know when she understand and when she doesn't.. As far as physically Makena is doing wonderful. You would never know that her heart is working harder than it should. She was schedule to have a balloon placed in her pulmonary vein via cardiac catherization this past Thursday but unfortunately she came down with some chest congestion and the doctor didn't want to risk putting her under anesthesia. It was discouraging due to we were anxious to get it done but all thing happen for a reason and obviously Makena wasn't meant to have it yet. So that will be rescheduled for 4-6 weeks.
She has stolen the hearts of everyone in her family. Her cousins are completely smitten with her and she has the grandparents wrapped around her little finger:) It is clear she is right where she belongs!
The language barrier continues to be a daily challenge but her English vocabulary continues to improve everyday. I look forward to the day when we can really communicate easily. It is still often hard to know when she understand and when she doesn't.. As far as physically Makena is doing wonderful. You would never know that her heart is working harder than it should. She was schedule to have a balloon placed in her pulmonary vein via cardiac catherization this past Thursday but unfortunately she came down with some chest congestion and the doctor didn't want to risk putting her under anesthesia. It was discouraging due to we were anxious to get it done but all thing happen for a reason and obviously Makena wasn't meant to have it yet. So that will be rescheduled for 4-6 weeks.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Home Sweet Home
Happy Anniversary Makena! You have been part of our family (officially) for a month. Sometimes it seems like it was all a big dream that we spent 2 weeks in China until of course I hear my daughter yell "Mama" all over the house. Is it possible that she we have been together for a month already? All that time waiting, preparing, praying, anticipating something we couldn't really believe until it happened and now it's our new normal life.
Our trip to China was an adventure. While it was happening it often felt very frustrating and claustrophobic in the hotel rooms and always interesting communicating. While in X'ain where we got Makena, Pat and I often struggled. Very little people spoke English. It is not a very touristy place so they do not speak English as commonly as in other areas of China. Once when Pat was asking the hotel front desk if they had complimentary baby strollers they ended up telling us where we could go roller skating:) It was moments like this that I just had to laugh, there really wasn't much else to do. It was cold and very hazy from all the smog so we spent a lot time all "cozy" in our hotel room. It definetly gave us time to bond.
After a week we flew to Guangzhou where the US Consulate was located. All the families welcomed the change of scenery. Guangzhou was much more westernized. Most of the staff at the hotel spoke English. The weather there was in the 70's and we finally were able to see blue skies. What a mood lifter!! There we visited parks and a zoo.
Looking back the trip wasn't as bad as it seemed while we were there. Such is most things in life though.
We are in our third week home and settling into our new life and routine. I am currently home with Makena until I return to work in April. Makena has adjusted very well to her new world. It is amazing how well she has done. Seeing how well she has done has really opened my eyes to how much I have struggled. The first week at home is practically a blurr. It was rough and honestly left us questioning what in the world we were thinking. I mean we had it pretty easy right? But all good things are worth working on. The jet lag , the lack of sleep due to Makena struggling with her new sleeping arrangements and time zone and the overwhelming amount of emotions that came tumbling down on me was a bit more than I could handle. Luckily my mom stayed with us the first week and helped us through it, and thankfully for Pat and mine's relationship and our ability to be very open and honest with one another about all we were thinking and feeling helped a lot. I have learned that I am much more selfish than I realized. A fact I am not very proud of:(
The past two weeks have been much better. Makena seems to understand us very well. She is able to follow most our instructions. It is nothing short of miraculous really. The hardest part is that she is 3 1/2 years old so she is pretty fluent in Chinese which we of course are not. She is learning more and more everyday but it is certainly an obstacle to maneuver around. If someone looked in on our household on any given day it would probably be pretty comical. One day we probably won't hardly remember Makena not speaking English but for now she sure can rattle off quite a bit of Chinese and we are just like sorry babe, we don't know what you are saying. As frustrating as that can be she sure seems to handle it well.
Cameron is adjusting to having a little sister quite well. He has had to get used to someone coming in on playtime with Daddy but overall he has been amazing. It is sweet to see how proud he is when he see or hears Makena do something new. Makena just thinks Cameron is the bomb. She thinks most everything he does is hilarious and wants to do everything he does.
So in short this new family of ours is far from perfect but we are learning and growing everyday. God put us all together at precisely the right time and will no doubt continue to guide us in every way.
We have been so blessed with the out pouring of prayers and support we have gotten from family and friends. We cherish them all and ask for continued prayers!
Our trip to China was an adventure. While it was happening it often felt very frustrating and claustrophobic in the hotel rooms and always interesting communicating. While in X'ain where we got Makena, Pat and I often struggled. Very little people spoke English. It is not a very touristy place so they do not speak English as commonly as in other areas of China. Once when Pat was asking the hotel front desk if they had complimentary baby strollers they ended up telling us where we could go roller skating:) It was moments like this that I just had to laugh, there really wasn't much else to do. It was cold and very hazy from all the smog so we spent a lot time all "cozy" in our hotel room. It definetly gave us time to bond.
After a week we flew to Guangzhou where the US Consulate was located. All the families welcomed the change of scenery. Guangzhou was much more westernized. Most of the staff at the hotel spoke English. The weather there was in the 70's and we finally were able to see blue skies. What a mood lifter!! There we visited parks and a zoo.
Looking back the trip wasn't as bad as it seemed while we were there. Such is most things in life though.
We are in our third week home and settling into our new life and routine. I am currently home with Makena until I return to work in April. Makena has adjusted very well to her new world. It is amazing how well she has done. Seeing how well she has done has really opened my eyes to how much I have struggled. The first week at home is practically a blurr. It was rough and honestly left us questioning what in the world we were thinking. I mean we had it pretty easy right? But all good things are worth working on. The jet lag , the lack of sleep due to Makena struggling with her new sleeping arrangements and time zone and the overwhelming amount of emotions that came tumbling down on me was a bit more than I could handle. Luckily my mom stayed with us the first week and helped us through it, and thankfully for Pat and mine's relationship and our ability to be very open and honest with one another about all we were thinking and feeling helped a lot. I have learned that I am much more selfish than I realized. A fact I am not very proud of:(
The past two weeks have been much better. Makena seems to understand us very well. She is able to follow most our instructions. It is nothing short of miraculous really. The hardest part is that she is 3 1/2 years old so she is pretty fluent in Chinese which we of course are not. She is learning more and more everyday but it is certainly an obstacle to maneuver around. If someone looked in on our household on any given day it would probably be pretty comical. One day we probably won't hardly remember Makena not speaking English but for now she sure can rattle off quite a bit of Chinese and we are just like sorry babe, we don't know what you are saying. As frustrating as that can be she sure seems to handle it well.
Cameron is adjusting to having a little sister quite well. He has had to get used to someone coming in on playtime with Daddy but overall he has been amazing. It is sweet to see how proud he is when he see or hears Makena do something new. Makena just thinks Cameron is the bomb. She thinks most everything he does is hilarious and wants to do everything he does.
So in short this new family of ours is far from perfect but we are learning and growing everyday. God put us all together at precisely the right time and will no doubt continue to guide us in every way.
We have been so blessed with the out pouring of prayers and support we have gotten from family and friends. We cherish them all and ask for continued prayers!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
We are headed for China!!!!
About 16 months ago Pat and I made a decision to grow our family thru adoption. At that time, although knowing this was a huge decision, we had no idea what an amazing journey of faith and love we were embarking on. Thru every stage we watched in awe as we could see the hand of God guiding us every step of the way. I always felt in my heart that when we got a referral for a child that we would know if she was the daughter that He had designed for us without a doubt. What I didn't realize was how quickly and abundantly He would fill our hearts with love for a little girl on the other side of the world!
I can joyfully announce that Monday we received the much anticipated news that we will be leaving for China next Thursday, January 24th!! We will be there for 2 weeks exploring our daughter's culture and hopefully beginning to form a loving bond with our sweet Makena.
Words cannot begin to describe the range of emotions I am feeling. Constantly thinking of all the things I must get and do before next week. Mostly we are just filled with excitement to finally see our dreams and prayers of growing our family come to life.
We are forever grateful of all the support we have received and ask for prayer as we travel and adjust to our daughter and she adjusts to us. I keep thinking, " wow this poor child has know idea what's about to come her way!" Please pray for her!
So off we go.....:)
I can joyfully announce that Monday we received the much anticipated news that we will be leaving for China next Thursday, January 24th!! We will be there for 2 weeks exploring our daughter's culture and hopefully beginning to form a loving bond with our sweet Makena.
Words cannot begin to describe the range of emotions I am feeling. Constantly thinking of all the things I must get and do before next week. Mostly we are just filled with excitement to finally see our dreams and prayers of growing our family come to life.
We are forever grateful of all the support we have received and ask for prayer as we travel and adjust to our daughter and she adjusts to us. I keep thinking, " wow this poor child has know idea what's about to come her way!" Please pray for her!
So off we go.....:)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
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