¡Eicherumba!

Two Moms in One

2012-03-05T19:01:00.001-08:00

Since the very first day Archie came home, I knew that I was going to have to tweak my parenting style quite a bit. Ace has become such a mature little preschooler. She has always seemed a little bit older than she is, and everyone always comments that, "wow, Ace is so mature for her age." Sometimes I worry that she is becoming a little too mature for an almost 4 year old-- like last night when we were getting dressed to go out to dinner, she was picking out her outfit, and I was making suggestions that she really didn't like when she finally told me, "Mom, I just wanna feel like an adult." Lord, please help me.

Although then she has these total baby moments at times where she literally starts saying things like "goo goo ga ga". I have no idea what that's about, but it's totally annoying. She does it when she is being shy or embarrassed around other people. Cannot wait until that phase is over.

But anyway, other than that bit of weirdness, she has always been such a mature kid, that I have been able to reason with her pretty well, and she has always really understood so much, that I haven't had to spend a lot of time repeating things. I have studied Love and Logic quite a bit, as a teacher and a mom, and I really LOVE their principles. Joey and I have tried to follow them with Ace. It is totally not easy. It is dang hard. We do our best. We have always been very straight forward with her, and she has always been a well behaved (for the most part) kid.

Then came Archie.

I tried to anticipate before he came home, what parenting him would look like. I knew that it would inevitably be different. He listened to us pretty well at first, but then there would be these moments where I would ask him to do something, or to stop doing something and he would just look at me with this, "you can't tell me what to do and I am not gonna listen to you" look. Or when we would try to get him to come somewhere with us and he didn't want to and he would just sit down with his legs and arms crossed. It was like he was challenging us. Well, he was challenging us. And it was challenging.

"Who you tellin to move?"

Then there were these few times when I would pull out what I like to call the "cheese factor". I am not a cheesy person by nature. My sense of humor is pretty dry, and I am not overly cheery. I mean, I am a cheerful person, my voice just doesn't get squeaky and I don't tend to use words like "golly gee!" and "super neato!" Don't get me wrong, I love a good cheese ball. I have some cheesy friends who I absolutely love. In fact, I am married to one (love you, Joey). It's just not me.

But it is what my little man needed.

For example, if I were to say, "Archie, come on right now, we are going to the car." He would sit down on the ground ready for a battle. If I were to in that exact same moment put on the cheesiest grin and say (in a hard for me to reach, high-pitched, practically singing voice), "Hey my sweet little Archie Bear! Will you come with Mama to the car now please? It's gonna be so fun!" His little face would light up and a smile would stretch from ear to ear, and he would jump up and run to the car.

"Well, why didn't you just say it like that the first time?!"

It took me quite a while to remember that this was how I needed to be with him. It was what he responded best to. I think it made him feel very safe and secure.

With time, and as he learned to fully trust us, I have had to pull out the cheese factor less frequently and less dramatically. In the beginning he needed it all day every day, and "super dee dooper!" cheesy. I really had to be a good actor.

But ultimately, I have become what feels like two different moms at times. Love and Logic doesn't usually work on Archie, but Ace really thrives off of it. And it is hard to remember which kid, at which moment, to be which mom to. Often times when we are out and about, say at that mall, I am okay with Ace walking a few feet in front of me, or beside me but not holding hands. I know that she will stay with me and keep moving in the direction we are going. But I can't let Archie do that. If we aren't holding hands, and something catches his eye in a store we passed, he is going to run as fast as he can (which thankfully is insanely slow) to get to that shiny object. But of course, Archie doesn't understand why he can't have some of the freedoms that she can have. It is just a tricky line that I am trying to balance on.

While I like to let Ace figure things out on her own, and make a lot of choices, which might lead to failure or a not-so-happy camper, Archie needs to be told very clearly what to do. He needs a ton of instruction, repetition, redirection, and reminders. Ace LOVES choices. She is even starting to throw some Love and Logic back at me now. We were at a playground a few days ago, and out of nowhere she said to me, "Mom, I am almost ready to go. We can leave in 5 hours or 6 hours. Your choice." (Clearly she hasn't mastered the concept of time, but she is obviously catching onto my ways).

I have been trying for the last six months to figure out how to blend these two moms into one. I have been desperately trying to find ways to be able to parent them the same so that I don't get so flustered and confused.

But I have finally come to realize that it is okay to be two different moms at times. At my core, deep down, I am the exact same mom to both of them. They get the same cuddles, they get the same ridiculous amount of kisses that leave them both saying, "alright, alright, that's enough, mom". They get the same wanna be singer who also thinks she has some serious dance moves, when in reality I can't hold a note and I probably dance a lot like Elaine Benes.

I embarrass them both equally (already).

Two kids with BIG personalities. Both very stubborn. Both very much unique individuals. Both with their own opinions.

Archie does love to make his own choices-- and I am thrilled when he can successfully make a good choice on his own. Or at least one that I can live with. So if you see him out and about looking like this......

Know that I let him make some choices of his own that morning.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

When the Wait is Over

2012-02-27T09:18:00.009-08:00

Recently I have come to what feels like such a strange place in my life. I look around, and everything is still. Not in a literal sense. We are constantly moving from one activity to the next. Or if we are just hanging out at home, there are two little people running around non-stop trying to find new things to get into. There is only a small amount of down time throughout our action packed days.

What is different now is that we are settled. There is a major lack of drama. I am realizing that for a very long time, I have been living in a sort of survival mode. There have been an assortment of events in my life that have given me a false sense of entitlement. Not feeling entitled to "things", but feeling entitled to stop living. To just sit and wait.

It started when my brother, Corby, passed away five and half years ago. I had just graduated college, had just gotten married, and had just started teaching. A lot was going on. And it took me a long time to get out of the pity party phase. Of course, I experienced a tragic loss that absolutely turned my world upside down. But for far too long, I used it as an excuse to be pretty much worthless. I didn't take care of myself, my home, or my marriage. I didn't want to. I just wanted to mope around, drowning in my sorrows, fantasizing about how things could have been, dreaming of one more day with him.

Two years later, when I was finally getting back on my feet, God gave me the most precious and perfect gift in the world- Ace. Being a mom was really all I had ever wanted. Now I had a daughter.

These two major events are clearly polar opposite. One was death-- one was life. One was a much feared nightmare-- the other my favorite dream come true. One was tragic, and heart wrenchingly painful-- the other blissful, and intoxicatingly joyous. One was the worst day of my life-- the other was the greatest.

But my reactions were similar. I used each event as an excuse to ultimately be lazy.

Now, I had a baby. I was tired-- all the time. Crazy right? A new mom-- completely exhausted. And my kid even slept a ridiculous amount of hours. I swear for several months she slept about 21 hours a day. I slept a lot too. I told my mom once, "well, my doctor told me to sleep whenever the baby slept." She explained that that rule didn't apply if your baby slept 90% of the day.

I went through a lot of emotions in that first year of her life. I was so in love. I couldn't stand to be apart from her for more than a few minutes. I couldn't even believe that this type of love existed. She made me so happy. I was also completely distraught knowing that Corby would never meet her in this world.

It was right about her first birthday when things really changed.

She woke up.

She went from being the best sleeper in the world, to, well, I won't say the worst, but it was not good. She decided not to nap anymore-- at all. The only way I could get her to sleep was by driving up and down the Katy Freeway, keeping a pretty fast and steady speed. When she would finally be out, my only option was to go park the car somewhere, and just sit. Trying to move her from the car into the house was not an option. Sometimes I would take a little nap in the car right along with her. Other times, I would park the car in our driveway, climb out my window, and go inside to try and get things done around the house. Opening my car door was not an option either, it would wake her every time. I got pretty good at climbing out the window. Once inside I would normally just sit on the couch and stare at her through the window until she woke up.

There also wasn't a whole lot of sleep at night. We tried a million different techniques, read every "How to Get Your Baby to Sleep" book. Nothing worked.

So again, I went into what I call survival mode. Not really living, just surviving. Now, this is not to be mistaken for a lack of happiness. I was happy. My daughter was happy. Despite the lack of sleep for all of us, we were still a silly, goofy, joy-filled family. But I used the fact that it was a trying time, to just sit and wait for that season to pass.

And it did. We finally threw out all of the books and ignored all advice from mom's with perfect little sleepers, and we did what worked for us-- Moved her into our bed. There were still no naps, but as she got older, it slowly but surely got better and I got used to it.

After Ace turned two, things started getting "easy", and we were finally settled into parenthood. Life was feeling really calm, we were getting into routines. That's when we decided Ace needed a brother or sister-- and ultimately our journey to Archie began.

And so began the most anxious, worry filled year of my life. Another excuse to to sit and wait. Not waiting patiently, while filing my time with other productive things...that would have been positive waiting. Not waiting faithfully, knowing that God was holding me, Archie, and my entire family tightly in His hands. My waiting consisted of fearfully checking my email every 17 minutes. Staying up until 1 AM every night, because that meant it was 9 AM in Bulgaria, and maybe I would have some news. Waking back up at 4 AM when there had been nothing in my inbox at 1. I did this even when I wasn't expecting any news at all. I had nightmares that Archie for some reason became unable to be adopted, or worse, that he died. Sleep was mostly non-existent, and again, survival mode.

More waiting.

Then the day came when he was finally home, and so began the real journey. It was no longer just a dream. It wasn't a fantasy. He wasn't this precious little orphan boy living thousands of miles away. He was my son. And he would be coming home with us to stay forever.

I have mentioned many times before how insanely smooth his adjustment was from that very first day. He was as easy as could be. Well, as easy as you could expect a 7 year old with Down Syndrome who had spent his entire life in an orphanage to be.

And while that made everything far more effortless for me and Joey, it was still a huge adjustment, and we knew that the road ahead was not so smoothly paved every inch of the way.

We have absolutely hit road bumps. We have most definitely had days that were hard. And again, I gave myself a free pass from obligations, and simple every day life.

You see, in all of these situations, I have said to myself, "well, I don't have to feel bad about forgetting that meeting because I lost my brother." Or "I don't have to worry about ever doing any housework because I have a toddler who doesn't sleep." (Now, I do think every mom should cut themselves some slack in this area, but holy moly not like I did.) Or "I don't need to stress over being there for a friend in a time of need, I am already stressed out because I am waiting on my son to come home". You get the picture.

But Archie wasn't going to give me much time for that. Just over six months home and we are settled. Of course this doesn't mean that everything is perfect. But there is nothing that I am waiting on. Nothing that I am waiting to get over, or to get used to. There is nothing that is consuming me, leaving me pacing back and forth all day.

And to be honest, it is kind of a scary place for me. There is nothing holding me back-- no excuse not to live life. I feel excited, but not anxious. My natural inclination now would be to fill this space, what feels like a void, with something new. But that is not what I am going to do. I want to focus on the things that I already have going on. I want to embrace this time with my family. I want to slow down. I want to simplify. I want to live in the present. Not with one foot in yesterday and the other in tomorrow.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

-Oscar Wilde

These two should make really living life pretty spectacular.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2012-02-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This is a post about hair. That is all. It will likely be painfully boring to most of you. It is funny to us.

Also, this post was written with Joey's full consent.

Archie has a pretty strong obsession with doing people's hair. Ace will sometimes let him wash her hair, and more often than that he pretends to wash her hair. He loves to brush hair, blow dry hair, play with hair, simply run his fingers through hair. His favorite Christmas gift wasn't even one that was intended for him. My sister got Ace this, well, this head thing. I guess she has an upper body too. Anyway, it's a tad bit creepy if you ask me. It came with clips, extensions, a brush, a blow dryer, the whole nine yards.

We could not get Archie away from that sucker on Christmas morning. Turns out it was the perfect gift for him.

He is very serious when he is working on her hair. He could literally sit for hours-- alone with the head and a brush-- and be in absolute heaven.

So the other day, when Joey underwent a series of unfortunate haircuts, Archie could not have been happier. It all started the other morning when Joey decided it was time for a haircut. He has never been able to find anyone who cuts his hair just right, so he is always trying out different places. So he thought he would go to this new barber shop nearby. This was the first mistake. He called me afterwards and said, "I'm not sure about this haircut, the guy had to put a ton of gel in it to hold the sides down." For one thing, Joey will never be one to put gel in his hair, so I knew this couldn't be good. I asked him to text me a picture, and sure enough, it wasn't good. Joey's hair is so straight and fine, that if it gets too short, it will stick straight out. That's what was happening. So, he went back to the guy to ask him to shave the sides down a little more, in the hopes to make it look a little less clownish. It didn't help. So off to trusty old Visible Changes he went, in the hopes that what was left of his hair could be salvaged.

It couldn't.

When he got home I told him, "Oh babe, it looks good...yeah, you look great!"

But then as time passed, and I tried to look into his eyes during our conversation, I couldn't focus. The guy had a legit flat top. I just couldn't handle it. I tried not to laugh. But, there was no hope. Have you ever seen the movie Me, Myself and Irene? All I could think about was Jim Carrey in that movie.

Told you so.

So the clippers came out. And Archie could not have been happier-- He got to do the honors.

Ace got in on it a little bit, but under Archie's close and strict supervision

After Daddy's flat top was gone, Archie begged for me to shave off his hair. I couldn't bring myself to shaving it all off, but I had to do something!

So he ended up with a sweet fauxhawk. It's pretty close to being an actual mohawk.

He feels very cool

Freshly shorn dudes giving eskimo kisses.

Ace and her boys.

Good times.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Six Months Home

2012-02-13T07:18:00.001-08:00

Today marks six months since the day our son came home.

Six months since my stomach was in knots as I waited for what felt like forever for Joey and Archie to come through those doors. (Our "welcome home" crew was just the seven of us over there on the right)

But Archie was sure the entire airport was there to welcome him

Six months ago today, I held my son for the first time outside of his orphanage- After four excruciatingly painful months of missing him and waiting for him to come home.

Six months ago today, a sister finally got to hug her big brother again.

Six months ago today, a little boy changed a lot of lives in a big way.

From abandoned orphan to beloved son

Right where he belongs.

Archie has grown and changed so much since that day. I really cannot believe that it has only been six months. It really does feel like he has been with us forever- I know I say that a lot- but it is true. It is just so right.

Here are some things about Archie:

He has insanely good manners. Always says please, thank you, and bless you if he hears someone sneeze. And he says these things until the other person acknowledges that he said it.

His favorite colors are pink and purple. Everyday he asks to wear either a pink or purple shirt. (Here he is in a pink shirt and purple socks...oh, happy day). And he is also obsessed with music and instruments.

His love for his sister blows me away. If he gets hurt, he wants her. He asks for Ace to kiss his boo boos, and it isn't better until she does. And she loves him the same. In conversation she calls him, "my brother." She loves to say that. If she wakes up in the morning and Archie is not there, she asks me, "mom, where's my brother?"

A while back, Ace got her school pictures, and Archie took one and ran to his bedroom and held it to his wall right by his bed and asked me, "mommy, please, here." So I taped it up there. He was quite pleased.

Since then they have moved into the same room and are VERY happy about that.

He loves to play make believe. He and Ace play "school", which takes place in Daddy's closet. Just the other day they were pretending they were going to school. Archie yelled to Ace from the closet, "hurry, Ace, bus waiting!"

Last week, I was on the phone with my mom, and she told me she wasn't feeling great. At the end of the conversation I said "I hope you feel better." When I hung up the phone, Archie asked, "Mommy, Mimi's tummy hurt?" I said, "Yeah, buddy, it does", to which he replied "Oh, no!" (In a really cute dramatically sad voice).

He is extremely intuitive and sympathetic. I love that about him. He does not like to see other people sad or hurt.

His English is incredible. People are always so surprised when they hear him speak. Everyone asks me if he knew English before he came here...Nope- not a lick.

I do have to translate for him often-- Not that he isn't speaking English, but his speech is not perfect, and sometimes he doesn't say exactly what he means.

Here are a few common ones:

"show me"= watch me or look at me

"toe pack"= be right back

"May I please have let's go"= Can we please go somewhere

"May I please have scuse me"= Could you please get out of my way

"May I please have croney cheese"= May I please have macaroni and cheese

He also picks up signs very quickly. I don't even know how many he knows at this point, but it is a lot. If he is having trouble communicating something to me, he will either sign it, or if he doesn't know the sign, he will make up his own to get the point across. Here he is in the shower signing "fun" to me.

He reminds us to pray before every meal--even snacks--always keeping us in check. He loves to say the blessing.

And while he is usually laughing, sometimes this happens.......

Yes, people, believe it or not, the boy does cry.

Can't wait to see what the next six months has in store for our little man!

Oh yeah, and a quick school update. My last post was a downer-- things were not going well for Archie in school. I am happy to report that with some new plans in place things have been going great! I will go into more detail in another post...but last week he had a fantastic week, and I think things are going to only continue to get better. Such a huge weight has been lifted off of me and I am so happy! We all are!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Mr. Hyde Goes to School

2012-01-31T19:55:00.001-08:00

Ever since Archie stepped through those glass doors at the airport and into my arms, things have really been so easy with him. His adjustment has been crazy smooth, to a point where I almost feel guilty because I am not experiencing a lot of the major struggles that other adoptive moms go through. Has it been all rainbows and unicorns? Absolutely not. He has tested us, annoyed us, and frustrated us more than we ever knew we were capable of being frustrated. But those are things that can be expected with any child. A child straight from your own womb, a child without any sort of diagnosed syndrome (other than my personal diagnosis for Ace-- Cantstopdawhinin Syndrome).

Who, me?

So, Archie started Kindergarten in public school three weeks ago. He LOVED it his first week. Everything seemed to be going great, I thought he was settling in and the fairytale would begin. He would make friends, bond with his teachers, do projects, and learn all sorts of new and exciting things. But somewhere along the way, it turned ugly. I got a phone call from his one of his aides last week, and although she tried to be as positive as possible I could tell when she told me in her very sweet voice, "yeah, he is really struggling with some things...", that it wasn't going well.

Of course it is easy to write about all of the cute things Ace and Archie did together, all of the milestones and firsts that we get to share with him, the funny things both kids say. But right now the truth is, I am an emotionally drained wreck.

So after I found out that apparently things were not going well for my little man, I went up to his school to find out exactly what all had been going on. And boy was I unprepared for what they had to tell me. The list was long. He had been hitting, spitting on kids, kicking, throwing, running away, standing on tables, yelling "no, no, no" at his teachers, refusing to do any work, refusing to go with his teacher or aide when it was time to transition from one place to the next.

Hearing all of this was so hard. I was a blubbering mess in front of these people who I really didn't even know. This wasn't my sweet boy. He NEVER hits. He and Ace play rough and have "wrestle time" pretty much every day, and she will sometimes play hit him, but he never ever hits back. I have even seen him in various settings be pushed around or hit by other kids (most commonly at the play castle in the mall) and again, he never hits back. Spitting? He knows how to spit? We have never once seen him spit. I was so shocked and confused.

My tears were for Archie. Not for his teachers who he was clearly giving an extremely hard time, and not for the kids who he was obviously pestering (although I am sorry for those things). But something was just not right. Around this time he started not wanting to go to school in the morning. He begged to stay home. "No school, Mommy, please no school. Archie stay home."

I wish so badly that he could communicate to me what it is. I totally understand that this is all so new to him, he is in a big class with 23 kids. I am sure he is overwhelmed, overstimulated, etc. But those behaviors are just so not like him. And he is not a kid with sensory issues. He is often in loud places with lots of other kids around, and he is perfectly happy. I expected that it would take time for him to settle in and calm down a bit. He is quite "high energy" and all the excitement of a new school and a big classroom with lots of fun things to mess with was bound to have him bouncing off the walls for a bit. But this is different.

Fortunately we are not experiencing any of this at home. I was told when he first started to just be aware that with this big change and him being at school all day and exhausted by the end, that he might start showing some defiance or negative behaviors at home. Well, it has been just the opposite...he is extra sweet and well behaved when he gets home. So that's nice!

This is what we get.....

Apparently this is what they get......

He admits to me everything that he did at school. I read the journal that comes home in his backpack, which is filled with notes on how his day went, and I ask him, "Archie did you throw blocks?". "Yes, Mommy"-- he says with a sad look on his face. "Archie sorry, mommy, Archie sorry." I continue on and he does admit to me that he indeed did the things that the teachers wrote. This is a pretty big breakthrough for him because before when he did something at home (like spilled a drink or drew with marker all over a book) and I asked him about it, he would adamantly deny having anything to do with it, and even blame it on Ace. Or Daddy, or Jessie (our dog). So I am super happy that he is now telling the truth. That is big.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with his principal, teacher, and one of the aides. I am really hoping that we can come up with some sort of behavioral plan for him that will be effective. Archie thrives off of positive reinforcements-- stickers and smiley faces. So we will make a plan, and give it a try for the next couple of weeks. But my heart cannot take many more days of pulling that stinkin' green journal out of his backpack and reading two pages filled with all of the not nice things he did that day.

I am constantly reminding myself that if this is the biggest bump in the road that we have come to, then things are going pretty well. I also have to remind myself of where Archie came from. I find myself forgetting that he spent his first seven years of life in an orphanage. I find myself forgetting that he has Down Syndrome. He is so "typical" that it makes it hard for me to remember those things. He has not even been home six months and the progress he has made is absolutely mind blowing. I cannot imagine where he will be in another six months.

Tomorrow is another day....

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Don't Cry, Mommy!

2012-01-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

Last night was a rough one. Ace and Joey ran to the grocery store while Archie stayed home with me and helped cook some spaghetti. He LOVES to help cook. One of his absolute favorite things to do. He is also very careful around the stove and reminds me over and over while we are cooking that it is "hot" and to "be careful mama".

All was great, spaghetti was ready, so I picked up the pot to bring it over to the strainer in the sink. Archie was still standing on his chair by the stove. As soon as I moved over to the sink, he wanted to come over there too. Of course that involved getting off of his chair and moving it.

When he went to jump down, he put his left hand right on top of the HOT burner- hot as could be. He fell to the ground SCREAMING and I could smell burning flesh. My poor baby.

He just screamed and cried as I held him. I have never heard him cry like that before. I looked at it, and it didn't look TOO bad...but I really didn't know what to do for a burn. We ran up to the pharmacy to ask them what I should do. As soon as we walked in the store, Archie wanted to be sure to tell everyone about his "boo boo" and show it to them. He chased one lady down an entire aisle (all the while still screaming and crying) and insisted that she look at his boo boo. He explained to her "hot sketti". (spaghetti).

He was still crying in the car on the way home, and I could tell he was in so much pain. He insisted on holding my hand the entire drive, which probably isn't the safest way to drive considering that his carseat is directly behind me.

I was trying to be strong the whole time. But I finally broke down. This was the worst pain I had ever seen either of my kids in-- and it killed me. I also was so mad at myself. If I had just reminded him before I moved the pot off of the burner, not to touch and that it was still hot, I would have prevented the whole thing. Or if I had just taken him down off the chair before I moved. So I started crying in the car right along with him.

The second he heard me crying, he said, "no, mommy, don't cry, mommy! Archie's okay, mommy." He actually even tried to stop crying and was just sort of whimpering. If he heard me even sniffle, he would beg, "please, mommy, don't cry".

It was as if he would rather take the pain than see me cry. It blows me away how concerned with my happiness he always is. Another time, during a church service, my friend and pastor told a little bit of our adoption story. I was holding Archie in my lap and I pretty much cried like a baby throughout the whole thing. Archie just held my face with both of his hands, looked in my eyes and would whisper, "no cry, mommy". He cuddled me and rubbed my back the whole time. He even wiped my tears.

He is constantly asking me if I am happy. "Happy, Mommy? Happy, Mommy?" He asks all day long. Of course I tell him a million times a day how happy he makes me and how proud of him I am. The absolute worst thing in the world for him is to hear me tell him that something he did made me sad. He will cry and beg, "please mommy, no sad! Mommy happy, please!" I am not sure where this obsession comes from- but it is a HUGE obsession of his.

Ace was so sweet when we got home and was doing everything she could to try and make Archie laugh. She put on a little show about Cinderella riding a giraffe. Archie loved it and was cracking up the entire time. They took a super long bath, which always makes Archie happy.

Since I didn't get any sad crying pictures during the whole ordeal, I tried to get Archie to reenact. This is him "crying".

He loves to go under and hold his breath

And then he comes up laughing hysterically

Then off to bed for Mandatory "Wrestle Time"

A book with Daddy.

Some good cuddlin

And finally, sleep. (Okay, so they are faking it here, but they really were fast asleep within about five minutes of this picture)

Sweet Dreams, my precious Little Monsters! You two make me the happiest mommy in the whole wide world!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

The Salt Shaker and The Angry Lady

2012-01-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Ace, Mimi (my mom), and I went to enjoy a nice lunch at Guadalajara. All was pleasant, and we were enjoying our conversation. My little salt fiend, Ace, was quietly attempting to salt her wheat tortilla, but nothing was coming out. I attempted to unclog the shaker, but still, nada. So I got up and switched our dud of a salt shaker with one on the empty table next to us.

{Exhibit A}

Then all of the sudden a lady at a nearby table jumps out of her seat as if she is rushing to save someone's life, swipes the stubborn salt shaker that I had traded out, and comes and gets right up in our faces. I'm like, "whoa, what is going on here, crazy?" (No, I didn't actually say that).

I can picture her face so vividly. She was so angry. Here is a good representation of what she looked like as she began to scold us.

Angry Lady: "You guys know he put that in his mouth?!" (In a furious voice-- as if someone had just thrown rocks at her cat)

Me: {incredibly confused} "Umm ex-squeeze me?" (Okay so I really just said "huh", but "ex-squeeze me" would have been so much more awesome)

Angry Lady: "He (referring to Ace) put this in his mouth (angrily holding up Exhibit A) and was licking it....my friend saw him do it." (She even demonstrated with her hand how Ace tilted up the salt shaker as if she was drinking from it- really weird, lady.)

(I look over at her friend who has her head down at their table, obviously embarrassed of the scene her lunch date was making)

Me: "Okay, first of all, this is a girl, and you don't need to be so rude."

Angry Lady: "I'm not trying to be rude (in the nastiest voice ever) but he had this in his mouth." (Yes, still referring to my girly girl as a boy)

Me: "Again, she is a girl, and you are being incredibly rude."

Angry Lady: "Here, maybe you should take this!" (Slams the faulty shaker down onto our table)

Me: "Um. Okay."

She took two or three very aggressive steps and was back in her seat.

Here's the deal- Did Ace's mouth come in contact with the top of the salt shaker? Quite possibly. It couldn't have been a complete slobber fest as Angry Lady made it seem, considering that my mom and I were both sitting right there, and didn't even see her attempt to sprinkle salt in her mouth. And besides, we are talking about a (mostly) mature 3 and a half year old, not a teething infant.

Secondly, okay maybe you are a huge germaphobe, and the thought of someone else using a salt shaker that a kid's mouth had been on made you feel called to action. I get it. Well, there were plenty of other ways you could have handled the situation without being a complete jerk. (I am using nicer terms than I want to because my Grandma reads my blog....Hi Gigi!)

If I were one who cared a great deal about germs, (which is a big if because I have just never been too concerned with them), here are some ways I would have handled the situation so as to not make a scene or ruin another person's lunch (I don't think any of our meals tasted as good after the encounter with Angry Lady):

1. Quietly and discreetly grab the contaminated shaker off of the table and then give it to my waiter, explaining that it needed to be cleaned.

2. Nicely got the attention of the salt licking kid's mom and said something like "oops, I actually think she might have put her mouth on that shaker"--- in a very sweet and playful voice so as to not make anyone feel bad. (Also being sure to get the child's gender correct). I mean, kids lick things, no big deal. I wouldn't have minded that. No need for an adult sized temper tantrum.

3. Quietly tell my waiter what had happened, and have them take care of it.

I truly just do not understand people like Angry Lady. Why are you so angry? How could that have possibly made you turn into such a mean person? Who knows. Lately I have been seeing a lot of rude and angry people. While driving, shopping, whatever it is. I just wanna say, "hey relax. It's all good- there are much bigger problems than me inadvertently blocking the intersection where you want to turn, accidentally cutting you off in HEB because I can't control the ridiculous oversized shopping cart/car my kids insist on getting, or whether or not my child's mouth touched the top of the corona bottle salt shaker.

What's even worse is when I did accidentally block the intersection, I waved and mouthed, "I AM SO SORRY" to you, and you still gave me the finger. Or when I cut you off with my giant yellow car cart, I said "Ahh so sorry can't control this thing", and you still just rolled your eyes and snubbed me.

Finally, how could you mistake this beauty for a boy??

"Who you callin' a boy??"

"You mess with my sister, you mess with me"

Keep Calm and Carry On.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Bus Boy

2012-01-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today was another big first for Archie. Riding the bus to school! He was so incredibly excited and we talked all last night at bedtime about how he was going to get to ride the bus in the morning. He couldn't wait.

The bus arrives to pick him up just a few minutes after 7. This makes for an earlier than usual morning for us. Archie has been so incredibly tired after school. His little body is just still trying to adjust to these long days. Ace has also been forced to wake up earlier, so she is also exhausted by the end of the day. This has been making for some very early nights-- they have been going to sleep around 6:30 every night. (which is very strange and different to us, and really a whole other post)

So anyway, we walk out of the apartment right at 7 and head down to wait for the bus. It was dark and cold. The bus was already there when we got to the stop and everything happened so fast. Normally before I leave Archie anywhere, I kneel down and look him the eyes, explain to him where he is going, and that I will see him very soon.

There was no time for that. The bus stops on a pretty busy street, and the traffic was building up behind it, so he was whisked onto the bus before I could say a much of anything . He was definitely confused. Maybe he thought that we were going to be getting on with him. He looked back at me and was screaming "toe pack, mommy, toe pack"....which means in Archie language, "be right back". I always tell him, "I will be right back", before he goes anywhere or I go anywhere. Those are his comfort words and it reassures him that he will see me again in just a bit. So I am screaming, "yes, baby, you will be right back!" As the aid on the bus buckled him in, he pressed himself up to the window and was signing "school" to me over and over. He was making sure that was where he was going.

The look on his face completely broke me. I don't know what goes on in his precious little mind. But what if he thought he was being taken away from us. The thought of either of my children ever being scared just kills me.

It also made me so grateful that he is here with us. But it broke my heart for those orphans who are not so lucky. Who will one day be put in a van and driven away, leaving behind their orphanage and taken to a horrific place tucked away in a remote village so everyone can just pretend it doesn't exist. I thank God every day that Archie never had to take that ride.

Ace rubbed my back and kissed my cheek as we walked back to the apartment. My intuitive little princess. She promised me that Archie was going to have fun on the bus.

Turns out she was right!

We couldn't wait for 3:40 to roll around. Ace and I sat outside and waited anxiously for the bus.

I was so happy when I saw his smiling face!

He of course had to do a little dance for his bus driver before he made his exit..

"Whoa. Hey mom...long day"

I love the bus!

Racing home....

He tries so hard to keep up with his sister.

There really is no place like home.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Best Birthday Ever.

2012-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Last year, my birthday was a tough day. Such a big part of me was missing. He was so far away . And we all just wished he was home with us.

I can't believe he is here now. Baking me a birthday cake with his sister, and best friend.

Spending every waking second together-- in equal parts tormenting each other,

and loving on each other.

Twirling spaghetti...

Helping blow out my candles...

What a perfect day.

Goodnight world.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Somebody....

2012-01-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

LOVES Kindergarten!

Archie had a great first day. He is so happy and just keeps telling me, "Mommy, Archie work. Archie listen to teacher." He is quite proud of himself.

Of course I am sure he was quite a handful for the teachers. It will definitely take time for him to settle into this new environment. He is VERY high energy already, but even more so when things are new to him.

It is also a very long day for him. He came home from school one tired boy.

That is his preferred way to watch movies on the IPad (nose to screen). I don't always allow it, but made an exception today.

Little sister has had a long day too. As I said, this will be a major adjustment for all of us!

Thanks for all of your prayers, support, and encouragement.

We are BLESSED!!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Come Monday (It'll Be Alright)

2012-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

The last several weeks have been so emotionally draining. We were incredibly blessed that Archie was able to attend the Arbor School for the past few months, but it was finally time for him to say goodbye to his friends and teachers. It was not an easy goodbye as he loves his teachers so much, and they love him the same.

Thank you for blessing us Donna, June, and Geana!

The public school world has been very different, and honestly, I was just not prepared for everything that we would face. I mean, I am really only classically trained in parenting until up to age 3.5, so this little seven year old has brought on a whole host of new and exciting challenges for me.

First there was all the testing for Archie to determine what kind of services he would qualify for. I still think it is a little crazy that a child with Down Syndrome would have to wait until testing was done to determine whether they qualified for special services- that just doesn't make sense to me. But it is the law and it is what it is.

I was in the room for the majority of his testing. He did not show his true intelligence at all. Maybe it was too much pressure, he was just in silly mode. Or maybe it was the sweet Bulgarian translator who looked exactly like so many of his caregivers at the orphanage, and clearly freaked him out and confused him. He mostly gave her the stink eye when she spoke, and at one point was telling her "no more" in Bulgarian (I didn't point out that he was saying that, and neither did she). Whatever the reason, he did not give a good representation of just how smart he really is.

Then there was coming back in to hear the results of his testing. That was one of my least favorite parts of this process, if not my very least. To hear someone in words telling you all that your child can't do, and how far behind they are, how they compare on whatever charts exist, it just doesn't feel great. Not because I care where he is on any chart, or how far behind he is any other kid, but because I just didn't want to hear somebody telling me what my child could not do. We are talking about a little boy who came to America from an Eastern European orphanage where he lived since birth, and within weeks was speaking an entirely new language; A boy who knows every word to Adele's "Someone Like You", and sings it on key; Can make a friend at any given moment, no matter where we are; A boy who plays make believe with his sister and has a sense of humor like no other. This is a smart kid.

It finally came to talking about Archie's placement and programming in school. Because of his age he would technically be placed in second grade. That was just not going to work for us. He was in what was considered a Kindergarten class at Arbor (although of course very different than a typical Kindergarten class considering that there were only 7 kids in the class and 3 teachers). But Kindergarten was just the perfect place for Archie. Academically, if he was given the chance to finish this year in Kindergarten, he could really start closing the gap and catching up to his peers. He could be involved in what they were learning. In second grade, he wouldn't have the slightest chance. Also socially-- he is TINY, would probably be the smallest kid in a Kindergarten class- but he would at least be able to develop some real friendships. In second grade he would have just been this little tiny boy who the other kids didn't even really understand why he was in their class. Of course I don't doubt that there are compassionate second graders who would have loved him and befriended him, but it just wouldn't be the same. Second graders are learning multiplication and playing football. Just not the appropriate place for Archie.

To make a long story as short as can be, what we wanted was for Archie to be mainstreamed into a Kindergarten classroom with in-class support. It was a battle. There were tears. (only from me). But....guess who is starting Kindergarten on Monday??

He's ready!

He will be at Hunters Creek Elementary-- which happens to be the old stomping grounds of both Joey and my Dad. It is a great school and we couldn't be happier. It is not the school we are zoned too, because that school doesn't have as much Special Education support, and he would not have been able to have full inclusion with support in the classroom there. But it is a fantastic school and everyone we have met there so far has been awesome. Archie cannot wait to get started!

This will be a huge adjustment for him, and I imagine it will involve quite a bit of trial and error for everyone. But I know that he will flourish. He will be exhausted at the end of the day, but he will be happy.

Dear Archie,

Today, your Daddy and I got you an awesome gift-- Kindergarten! Every kid deserves to have Kindergarten and you are no exception. You will be amazing. You will learn so much, you will make new friends, you will test and frustrate your teachers, but they will ALL love you. You will not be a burden on anyone, but rather a blessing. You are a smart boy and I could not be more proud of you. We love you more than words could ever say.

Big Kisses,

Mommy

Just as a little side note-- none of what I have said in this post is meant to be negative towards the people who we have been working with throughout this process. Yes, there were many different opinions, some that we really didn't agree with. But we know that everyone involved only had Archie's best interest in mind, and wanted a plan that would help him to be most successful. (It just so happens that Joey and I know what is best for him-- cause we know him better than anyone!) But in the end, everyone really worked with us, heard what we had to say, and even understood where we were coming from. We had a great team in place, and the decision that we came to is exactly what we want for Archie. So we have no complaints! We are thankful that our voices were heard.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. Here's to new adventures!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Letting Go

2011-12-31T14:32:00.001-08:00

There is something that I absolutely must let go of before the New Year. I refuse to take this incredible weight with me into 2012. So I am letting go. This is really it.

It sounds so serious. Some crazy resentment, anger, or regret. Nothing of the sort.

It is a piece of paper- literally. But really, to me, it is much more.

On Valentine's Day 2011-- one of the many holidays this year that we spent wishing our son could be home with us-- Archie's teacher sent me a picture of him holding up a heart that he had painted for me.

In the email with the picture she wrote:

"Today is Valentine's Day and Gogo (Archie) made a heart for your family. He said- 'this is for Mommy Lisa- a heart'. It was very kind."

That heart represented so much to me. Although he had never met me, he knew I was his mommy. He was excited to have a mom that he could make things for.

Here he is in his orphanage with the heart.

It says "A Heart for Mama Lisa" in Bulgarian on the bottom

When we met Archie for the first time, he ran to us holding this piece of paper. This perfect heart that he worked so hard on. He was so excited to show it to us, and he explained it to us in a million miles per second Bulgarian gibberish. He was saying over and over, "this is a heart, this is a heart."

Ace showing off her brother's masterpiece

When we left the orphanage after that first visit, we took the heart with us. Joey hung it on the mirror in our hotel room. I would literally stare at, wondering, "am I really here?", "am I really touching this creation that my son made?", "is my son really just a few miles away from me right now?" It was something physical that I had, that he had created, and it made everything very real.

The days past quickly and it was time to leave Archie's town, and head back to the capital city to prepare for the long journey home. Leaving Archie behind.

Soon after leaving the hotel in Kazanlak, I thought of the heart. I knew we had forgotten it. Left it hanging on the mirror. I asked Joey, praying that he would say he had gotten it. But he hadn't. It was too late to turn back, and I figured the heart was long gone.

I quietly cried for the rest of the drive. I was devastated.

But that was not the end.

Our amazing facilitator Toni saw how upset I was, and asked if she wanted me to call the hotel to see if they could find it.

YES PLEASE.

She did.

They did.

Heart was in hand and they were going to mail it directly to Toni.

All of this trouble for what probably seemed really silly and trivial to anyone other than me. I didn't care though, I wanted that heart.

A few days later, when we were back home, Toni emailed me to let me know that she had the heart safely filed away with all of our paperwork. What a great feeling of relief.

We would get it back on the trip to pick up Archie.

It felt so good to hold that heart in my hand once we had Archie home.

I imagined all of the ways I would display it.

I was finally ready to do something with it. I was going to get the picture of Archie holding the heart in his orphanage the day he made it, and the picture of Ace holding it the day we met him, both blown up and put the two pictures along with the heart in a big frame. It would be a perfectly beautiful treasure and I was very excited about it.

That morning I left the heart on my kitchen table. As I set it down I thought, "is this really a good place to leave it?" It didn't seem so safe considering the four little hands that had a record of grabbing things off of the kitchen table and putting them places never to be found again.

But I got distracted and the heart stayed there. We went about our day, a few tornadoes came through our house, and we were in and out running various errands. Then that night when we went to sit down for dinner- the heart was gone.

There is no explanation for its disappearance. But that was it.

I searched every single nook and cranny of the house...trying hard to convince myself that maybe I had put it in a spot that I thought would be safe, and now I couldn't remember where that spot was. (That is a common occurrence for me). But I knew that it wasn't the case this time.

I OBSESSED over finding the heart. And then once I accepted that it was gone, I obsessed over that. I lost sleep. I couldn't even look at pictures from our first trip, or watch the video of us meeting Archie because my stomach and heart would just drop. All I could think about was the heart.

I even considered trying to recreate the heart myself and pretending it was the real deal. No one would have ever known. And I could have eventually even convinced myself that it was the original.

Wait, I might still do that. Seriously.

No. No. No.

Goodbye paper heart. I will no longer lose sleep over you, or feel stressed over you.

Wait, am I crazy?

Now that I am putting this in writing, I am wondering if it is just truly ridiculous.

Archie is currently sitting on the floor at my feet playing with his sister and quoting Finding Nemo. He is here. That's what matters.

But I needed to let go of this, and I am already feeling some weight being lifted. So, crazy or not, I needed this.

And while I am at it, here are a couple of other things that have been lost along the way of my life, that I have lost sleep over. I will let go of these things now as well:

-The online journal that I wrote in every day from the day Ace was born and for the first several months of her life. Many detailed pages of new life with my precious baby girl. All accidentally deleted. By me.

-The tiny piece of cloth from a blanket that my late (eww I don't like that term) brother Corby slept with during a time we were far apart. He twirled it up and made a little ring out of it and gave it to me to wear so that I could always feel close to him. Oh what I would do to have that back.

I think that's good. Feeling better. Ready for 2012.

Ace and Archie say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

I cannot thank you all enough for your incredible love and support this past year. I still cannot believe how blessed we are. Looking forward to what the New Year has in store for us!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Baby's First Christmas

2011-12-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

Okay so he isn't technically a baby. But he is my baby.

And his first Christmas could not have been more perfect.

This Christmas was a little different for us. My dad rented a house for our family in Gruene. We were there for Christmas Eve, and Christmas day and night. It was an awesome house and the kids had the best time.

I know that I will never get my Christmas post up if I don't do it now. But I am so incredibly exhausted after all of the festivities that have just now died down. So I will let the pictures do the talking!

Doing some decorating

So darn excited

Making cookies

Ace "teaching" him how to make cookies

Fun at Christmas Eve Dinner

Teamwork

They each got to open one present on Christmas Eve

Slippers! Smurfs for Ace and Elmo for Archie

Christmas morning. One little boy was dying to see the "moo cow".

Ready for Christmas!

Rudolph left some graffiti

Christmas snuggles for Aunt May May

Time for presents

Saved their big present for last

LeapPads!

Costume change

They can officially start a band

I think it is safe to say they love their LeapPads

Artists at work

Patiently waiting to see what animal is going to grow

S'mores Time

And late night games!

So blessed. So grateful!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Merry Christmas to ALL!

2011-12-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Lady in Walmart who gave me the stinkiest stink eye three times,

I am sorry that we cost you 15 extra seconds in getting to your "Welcome to Grandma and Grandpa's House" doormat. My kids take turns being pirates in the basket of the shopping cart and sharks on the bottom. It does involve me stopping the cart every once in a while to rearrange them into their various designated spots, but I am always sure to pull to the side, so we do not block the aisle. You could have easily walked around us, but instead, you gave us the stink eye, and even moaned loud enough to be sure that we heard you.

At first your unnecessary rudeness and looks of disgust aimed at my children really bothered me and I wanted to say something really rude. Instead I smiled and continued to laugh with my children, hoping that we would not cross paths with you again, as we made our way to check out the Big Wheels.

I hope that your day got better.

And my wild and crazy kids would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Behind the Name

2011-12-09T07:50:00.001-08:00

People often ask us about Archie's name. So here's the scoop.

Archie was not Archie until he came home. Well to us, he was always Archie, but he was not in his orphanage.

His full, legal name today is Georgie Archibald Eicher.

When we clicked on that link and saw our son, we did not know what his name was. We wondered and guessed. We showed his picture to Ace.

I remember the first time she looked at him. It didn't take her long to figure it out. I asked her, "what do you think his name is?" And she, without any hesitation at all, said, "Archie". I wasn't sold right off the bat. "Archie, huh. Are you sure about that?" "Yep, mama, his name is Archie."

I wish I could say that there was some really sweet or sentimental reason for her choosing that name. But the truth is, at the time, her favorite movie was Dr. Dolittle 2. One of the main characters in Dr. Dolittle 2, is a bear named Archie.

So from that moment on, he was Archie to us. Nickname- Archie Bear.

Georgie was the name that was given to him by his birthmother. Although in Bulgaria it is pronounced with hard G's. As is "Go". We pronounce it with soft G's.

Speaking of "Go". When our friends the Chances were at Archie's orphanage meeting their son Joel, they let us know that Archie actually went by the name, "Gogo". (And that there was good reason for the nickname which was reflective of his personality....we totally understand that now).

After the first trip, I wasn't sure what would end up happening with his name. I knew that I wanted to keep Georgie as his first name. His birthmother chose that name for him, and I did not want to take it away.

I wondered though, would he want to be Archie? Would he want a new name?

One little pint-sized princess was quite adamant that he was Archie. I asked her what she thought about keeping his name Gogo.

She cried.

He was her Archie.

So I thought, alright we will see what happens when he comes home.

Within days after coming home, this boy was introducing himself as Archie. He was ecstatic to be Archie. Maybe being in a brand new world, with a family of his own, with a whole new life, he wanted a new name to go along with it.

The name Archibald means "truly bold".

And this boy is just that.

We love you, sweet Archie Bear. To the moon and back. And back again.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Muted Monday (Cause there's no time for words)

2011-12-05T10:11:00.001-08:00

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Sparkling Stars

2011-11-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today at our church's Advent Festival, the kids preschool choir group, the Glory Bees, had a little performance. Ace had really been practicing the song and was ready to perform. I really wasn't sure whether or not Archie would actually be up there with the group. I knew that he would want to perform (especially when he saw his sister up there), but I just wasn't sure how it would go.

Well, once we got there I realized there was going to be no chance of keeping him off of the stage. He was so excited. Check out my little "sparkling stars".

They did awesome! I love how serious Ace is about these things. VERY serious. There is really no messing around. And Archie actually stayed up there, in his spot the whole time. Huge accomplishment. I was most proud that when he noticed the really cool light on the floor in front of him, he refrained from getting down on the ground and messing with it. That took some serious self control. I saw his eyes the minute he noticed that light, and I could just see the wheels spinning in his head. Oh he wanted to touch that light. But he knew he wasn't supposed to. My favorite part is at about 1:17. Right after he spotted the light, he kind of grabbed Ace's shoulder and then signed (his version of) "good boy". It was like he was telling himself, "No, Archie, don't do it! Be a good boy". Progress baby. That is major progress.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

For Joseph

2011-11-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

Today was Archie's first Thanksgiving. It was an absolutely perfect day and clearly I have so much to be thankful for. I really cannot even believe how blessed I am.

But tonight's post is dedicated to a friend who I am especially thankful for. Mandy. The story of my connection with Mandy goes way back. It all starts with a little boy. One who I happen to love very, very much.

When Joey and I were talking about adopting, and looking at the precious faces on Reece's Rainbow, there was one little face we really fell in love with. I couldn't get him off of my mind for a long time. We prayed for sweet "Isaac" every night.

Then Archie was put in front of us and we knew that he was our son. There was no doubt. We committed to Archie and that was that. But as days went by I felt something was missing, something wasn't right. I couldn't stop thinking about Isaac. On a whim, just out of curiosity, I emailed the director of Reece's Rainbow to find out where Isaac was. First I found out he was in the same country as Archie. No way were they in the same orphanage though.....There are so many orphans, so many orphanages in Bulgaria, the odds were slim to none. No way. WRONG. I found out they were indeed in the same orphanage. They had been together their entire lives. They were buddies. Practically brothers. I was so confused. Was Isaac supposed to be our son as well? I thought for sure that was what all this had meant. A bunch of crazy coincidences? I did not think so.

For a long time, we thought Isaac would be coming home with us. We thought this was a child God had chosen to be our son, and we were not about to leave him behind.

As we got closer to traveling for our first trip, something was wrong. I didn't want to admit it, but I knew that Isaac would not be coming home with us. I was confused, torn, really beside myself. I just knew that it wasn't what was best for our family, or for Isaac.

So we headed to Bulgaria to meet Archie, knowing that we would also meet Isaac, and that we would leave him behind. I really can't explain the emotions I felt when I first laid eyes on him. I held him tight, told him that I loved him very much and that I was so sorry I couldn't bring him home, and that I would do everything I could to find him a family. Ace loved on him quite a bit. Here she is about to give him a big kiss on the cheek.

While we were there, Isaac had his sixth birthday. We celebrated with him. We had cake, sang happy birthday in Bulgarian. They have a tradition at the orphanage where they go around the room and ask everyone what their wish is for the child that year. Of course my heart broke when they got to me, and through lots of tears I said that I wished his family would find him.

I took lots of pictures of him, knowing very well that a good picture for a child's profile on their photolisting can be their lifeline. When we got back from our trip, I sent the best pictures of him to the director of Reece's Rainbow, and she made this one his new picture....

I prayed that someone would see that face and would come for him. I had so much doubt though. He was six, so he was considered an "older boy". Not to mention he was tiny. Less than 20 pounds. It seemed hopeless. I knew firsthand how much he needed a family. He needed to be rescued.

Two days later. Two days after the picture I took in Bulgaria was put on his profile- his mom and dad found him. Mandy and Marty had been committed to adopt another little boy from Bulgaria, and then when they saw this picture- they knew he was also their son.

I think I figured out why this all played out the way it did. I like to think of myself as a bit of a guardian angel for Isaac for those few months. I loved him like he was my own son, so I was checking in on him all the time. I was in close contact with one of his main caretakers, and I was constantly checking in on his progress, making sure he was being well taken care of. I worried about him all the time. Also, if I hadn't fallen in love with him like I had...If I hadn't even known of him before going to the orphanage, I would have never taken all the pictures of him. His picture would not have been changed on Reece's Rainbow, and his mom might have somehow missed him. It all happened just as it was supposed to happen.

Mandy and Marty got to spend their Thanksgiving with him. Their son, who they have named Joseph.

In just a few hours, Mandy and Marty will say goodbye to Joseph and head to a different city, a different orphanage to meet their other son, Samuel. This is the hardest part. Leaving them behind. It is scary. You feel sick to your stomach most of the days in between. It hurts.

Follow along with the Rhodes Family as the journey to bring their precious sons home continues. http://findingourlittleone.blogspot.com/.

Adoption is crazy expensive and the Rhodes could use our support. Check out different ways to make a contribution on their blog. Even just $5. Skip one Starbucks or smoothie. It will go a long way for them!

We love you, sweet Joseph, and cannot wait to see you home with your forever family!

So thankful for Joseph and his awesome mom and dad.

Lots of Love and THANKS!

Lisa

Round Here

2011-11-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

A lot has been going on with us this last week. Archie's shag was getting pretty wild, and like his sister, he does not like for me to mess with it at all, so I decided it was time for a cut. I have always cut Ace's hair myself, and I really wanted to cut his, but he would not sit still for me at all, so I decided to take him to get a real haircut.

Here is the before......

He sat very still during the cut. I thought about leaving it at a mullet at one point. I hear the mullet's making a comeback.....

But Archie very much has his own opinion and sense of style. I had him look through a book of hairstyles while we were waiting, and he really wanted the spiked-up, mohawk look. He was quite adamant. So here is what we ended up with.....

Of course, Ace had to get a haircut too, since her brother was getting one. Her first "real" haircut. (As in not done by me). I really cannot believe I paid fifteen bucks for the lady to pretty much pretend to cut her hair. I would have been fine with her taking a good bit off, but I really think she just snipped the scissors in the air around Ace's head a few times and called it a day. Oh well. Ace did great and felt like a really big girl.

As soon as Archie got out of his chair he ran to show Ace his new do. Ace said, "wow Archie, I love it, you look so cute!"

All done!

We don't use quite as much gel as the hairdresser guy did, but Archie loves to stand in the mirror in the morning and spike it up. Here is how he does it. What a stud.

Oh the things Ace does to him........and how he loves it!

We had a flag football game with some friends up at church the other day. Archie had his first football experience. He was pretty excited!

Yesterday, Ace had a little Thanksgiving performance at her school. When they started walking in, she was the first one in line. She didn't look too happy. When they got up there, Joey and I were making ultra cheesy faces at her, thumbs up, the whole nine yards, but she wouldn't crack a smile. In fact, she was on the brink of tears.

I had no idea why she was so upset, but her teacher told me afterwards that she was really nervous and was crying in line just before they walked out. She sucked it up and sang all the songs like a champ though. Just a little stage fright. When we got home, I asked her why she was crying before the performance, and she said, "cause I just wanted to kiss you." Sweet baby girl, that is a good reason.

She was all smiles when the show was over. Here she is with her friend Avery back in their classroom.

And in the biggest news of the week........We moved! It all came up pretty quickly. Long story short, we moved just across the freeway from where we were- seriously could throw a rock from our house to where we are now. We needed to feel confident and comfortable with the public elementary school we were zoned to (since Archie will soon be a public school boy) and we just didn't have that where we were living. Now we do. Archie will go to Bunker Hill next semester. So we moved from our little house with a big back yard (the thing I will miss the most), to an apartment with a big pool right out front (the thing the kids are most excited about).

The kids really LOVE it! And actually, Joey and I do too. We have a lot of space and the best thing to them--stairs. There is nothing more hilarious to them than one kid standing at the top of the stairs and the other standing at the bottom, while the one at the top throws all of the stuffed animals down to the one at the bottom.

Every night, Ace wakes up in the middle of the night and comes and gets in bed with me and Joey. Every single night. She has always slept with us since she was born. And I love it, but I was so worried about our bedroom being downstairs and hers being up, and her having to go downstairs at night. I really lost sleep over it many nights before we moved in. So I was thrilled when we went to look at the apartment just a few days before moving in, to find that the master was actually upstairs. (We hadn't seen our exact apartment before that point, just one similar). So Joey and I are upstairs, with Ace next door, and Archie is downstairs in a giant bedroom that is doubling as their playroom. It all worked out perfectly. We put two twin beds together in Ace's bedroom so that she has a big king sizeish bed. She loves it. And she looks so tiny in it.

Anyway, we are happy. And exhausted.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

3 Months

2011-11-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that just three months ago today, I was standing in the airport, more anxious than I have ever been in my entire life, waiting to hug my son. The anticipation was insane.

And the joy that Ace and I felt when he finally stepped through those doors with his Daddy, was absolutely overwhelming.

Our little superstar

Finally home.

Right where he belonged.

It feels like Archie has been with us forever. He continues to blow us away with how quickly he is learning. He is so happy, and joy-filled.

Each night before bed, Archie reminds us that we need to kiss him. He won't go to sleep until everyone has given him a kiss. Those simple things remind me where he came from. It reminds me that he didn't have a family to kiss him goodnight for his first 7 years. It reminds me of all the precious children going to sleep tonight without any kisses.

We are just so thankful that we get to kiss him goodnight. Every single night.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

"Ace's Baby"

2011-11-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote a little bit about Ace's heart for orphans. She talks about them everyday. Her compassion at just three years old really blows me away. So I sat down with Ace and looked at all the precious faces on Reece's Rainbow. She wanted to find a baby who she could help find a mommy and daddy for.

So meet "Ace's Baby", Jesse.

Jesse was born in May of 2010, so he is just over a year old. You can read more about him on his Reece's Rainbow profile. Jesse doesn't have any money in his grant fund yet. The more money in his fund, the greater the chance that he will be adopted.

I sat down with Ace this morning and interviewed her, so that you could hear straight from the Little Monster's mouth:

-Why did you chose baby Jesse?

Cause he is my favorite and I sleep with a Jessie doll at night and I was Jessie the Cowgirl for Halloween.

-What does it mean when a baby is an orphan?

It means they're in a orphanage.

-Why are they in an orphanage?

Cause there don't have a family yet.

-What do you want for baby Jesse?

Get him a family and get him a new toy. And get him a bed and get him a house. Thank you, God. And get him a book. And get him a sister and a brother and a puppy named Jessie the Cowgirl.

-What can people do to help baby Jesse?

There can adopt him. And there can pray for him and get him home soon.

-Well what else could people do. Like we can't adopt him right now, so what else can we do?

Maybe we can just adopt him tomorrow.

-Or maybe they could also tell their friends about Jesse. Would that be a good idea?

Yeah that's good so maybe their friends can be his family.

-What is the last thing you want to tell people about baby Jesse?

He' s a beautiful baby and you should get him in your family now.

I think she said it pretty well!

Look at that precious face! Please help Ace on her mission to find Jesse a forever family. Donate to his fund, share him with friends, keep him in your prayers. That sweet boy deserves a life in a family who loves him.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

What About Ace?

2011-11-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

I was well aware when we made the decision to adopt, that our choice would be met with opposition. It isn't "normal". Anything different will inevitably be questioned, doubted, and even frowned upon. There were several questions that we were often asked when someone was "unsure" of this "crazy idea" we had. One of them was, "what about Ace?"

"What about Ace? This could ruin her life." or "What about Ace? How will this effect her?" "Won't she be confused? Won't she be extremely jealous? Won't you have to spend all of your time devoted to this child with Down Syndrome and not have enough time for her?"

While deep down in my heart and soul I was confident that bringing Archie into our family would be nothing but a blessing for Ace, the questions and concerns regarding her happiness definitely cost me some sleep. I had to keep a strong faith and know that God wouldn't have called us to be Archie's family if it wasn't something that was going to be positive for our daughter.

So, what about Ace?

You tell me.....

The start of last night's slumber party.....

10 PM....

10:30 PM....

11:30 PM....

Midnight....

12:30....

I'd say she is a pretty happy and proud little sister!

And as it turns out, this is her normal. She doesn't know any different. In her precious 3 year old mind, having babies "from tummies", as she puts it, is what's unusual. We were recently talking about the difference between adopting and having a "tummy baby" (have I mentioned this kid asks an insane amount of questions.) Anyway, she asked so I was doing my best to explain it to her, and she simply said to me, "but mom, there's babies at Archie's orphanage who don't have a mommy and daddy and sister and brother and doggie and house".

November is National Adoption Month, and because I told Ace that we aren't going to be able to bring another brother or sister home right now (she asks for one almost every day), we could pick one to say prayers for and try and help find them a family. Today she chose a precious little boy who I will share with you all tomorrow! How I love my baby girl's heart.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Woody and Jessie Take Halloween!

2011-11-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

I really feel like I need to hibernate for the next week or so after all of the festivities we have had over the last couple of weeks. I have to get used to calling my kids their actual names again, instead of "Jessie" and "Woody". They have practically been living in those costumes! Archie LOVED Halloween. I think it was the most perfect first Halloween ever!

We got to go on a field trip with Archie's class to a festival at Easter Seals. I was so glad it was on a day Ace wasn't in school so that she could come along. They had the best time ever. Here they are walking in with Archie's teacher, Donna. They both love her so much. Ace wanted to be with her the entire time. We talk about Miss Donna quite a bit at our house. She is not only an AMAZING teacher, she has also been such an incredible support for me since Archie has been home.

With their buddy Aveline

Just playing!

Making spider cookies! Yum!

Off to another festival at Grace Bible Church! Hanging with the clown that Archie was quite obsessed with.

A month ago Archie would have cried at the site of these animals. But he was right in there feeding them all and chasing them around shouting, "come on, cow!!" (There were no cows in there)

Yet another festival....at City Centre. Getting his hair green!

Being Awesome.

Painting pumpkins

Serious business

At a party at a good friend's house..trying to get a picture with all the kids....

Almost.....

And finally Halloween night!

Ready to Trick-or-Treat.

Aveline came to join us!

I was so excited for Archie's first door! A nice man opened it up,

Archie yelled "To To To Treat!!" And then ran as fast as he could into their house. He was yelling "candy? candy?" I chased him in, wrangled him up and got him out. The man was really nice and just laughed. But boy did he go way in there. I guess I should have been standing closer to him. By the second house, he knew the drill.

EXHAUSTED.

Until Thanksgiving! Just kidding. I should be back before then...

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Ramblings

2011-10-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking of things I have forgotten to blog about over the past several weeks. So I am going to put all of those things into one big post. Here goes:

A couple weeks ago we went with our good friends, the Moerers, to our favorite dinner spot, Clay's. It is the best place for kids. They have pony rides, a big sandbox, animals you can feed, and a giant deck for the moms and dads to sit on and relax while the kids run around.

Ace loved riding the pony, but we couldn't get Archie to do it.

That evening we found the rainbow that Ace had been talking about. Before Archie came home she told me, "Mom, when Archie gets home, I think there's gonna be a rainbow." There it was! Our little "Pot of Gold".

Archie LOVES Carson.

Hammin it up as usual

Towards the end of the night, the rain started to come down. Our kids were of course the only ones still in the sand box, which had turned into more of a mud pit.

Archie quickly lost his shirt

And Ace figured she could be just like the boys....

All ready for church

At first when it finally rained, Archie was SCARED. He cried and cried and said the rain hurt him if it got on him. Until Ace showed him how much fun playing in the rain was...after that I couldn't get him out of it!

Loving that big, growing belly

Family Dinner!

Typical day- Playing at the mall castle

It was all fun and games until some little kid came barreling through the castle, just as I was about to sit back down. He clipped my knee from the side, and my kneecap dislocated. (These stupid, bad knees run in my family. My dad and sister have had to have surgery on theirs...I have had trouble with mine since 8th grade). So anyway, I will spare you the painful details. But long story short, my knee goes out, I fall onto this man's lap who had been sitting next to me playing Angry Birds on his Ipad. I couldn't talk, I just screamed in agony. And I couldn't move, so I just laid in his lap. I heard a lady ask what had happened and he just said "I have no idea, I didn't see it." Well, HELLO, I don't care if you saw it or not, HELP ME. He was so weirded out. Joey was with me, but he was chasing some random kids around...and while he swears he was there right away, it felt like forever until he came and pulled me out of this stranger's lap. And don't get me wrong, I didn't want any attention- But nobody cared! I was literally lying on this bench screaming. And this man was sitting six inches away from me still playing Angry Birds.

The kids were so worried. Ace was fake crying and Archie was just telling me, "it's okay, mommy, it's okay, mommy." Over and Over and Over.

I hobbled out of the mall and they took very good care of me when we got home...

Never leaving my side. And I milked it a bit too....

My knee healed. And Archie lost a tooth. This was his first one to lose since he has been home- his third ever. He was pretty excited!

He put his tooth in his special pillow....and went to bed waiting for the Tooth Fairy. Who faithfully came through, leaving him a bunch of jelly beans- his favorite. Ace told me the next day that the Tooth Fairy had come into her room that night and talked to her. And she hugged her.

This is a special little sweater that was made by our sweet friend, Villi, in Bulgaria. Villi was with us on our first trip, and during that trip-- in just 5 short days-- she made this sweater for Ace. We love her very much!

Here we are in Bulgaria with Villi.

It finally got cool enough for Archie to wear his new sweatshirt one day. He thinks he is really cool in it. And he looks pretty cute too!

Being goofy at the MHS Homecoming game

Archie just waved from a safe distance and screamed, "no kank you, horsey. Bye bye horsey!!"

Woody and Jessie are ready for Halloween!! We had a carnival at church this past weekend. They had a blast!

Loving the poses.

Ace and Jack. True Love.

I am one blessed mama!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

I am the Church- By Ace and Archie

2011-10-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at Preschool Worship, Archie was a part of the choir. He did awesome and had so much fun. I was so mad at myself because I didn't have my camera on me to catch his performance on video. And I ALWAYS have my camera on me. They do this one song every week, "I am the Church". He was so cute, imitating all the hand motions just right, and trying his best to get the words.

So today I asked Ace if she would do a reenactment with Archie. Here is their version. She didn't get all the words exactly right, but she was close. It also doesn't normally go on for as long as she went. I just love how Archie smiles at her and says, "Yeah!" They were cracking us up. Watch it all the way through- at the very end Ace does a really sweet move on the word "people".

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Questions and Answers

2011-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

The most common question that Joey and I are asked is, "What made you decide to adopt?" The next most popular one is, "How did you find Archie?" So I thought that I would share the whole (possibly really long) story.

So what made us decide to adopt? I like this question because it gives me an opportunity to share my heart for orphans and adoption.

Adoption is something that Joey and I talked about long before marriage. I personally knew from a very young age that I would one day be an adoptive mother. Passion for orphans has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. In fifth grade, we were asked to write down on a paper star what we wanted to be when we grew up. Each of us then had our picture taken holding up our star, with our future job written on it, and the pictures were put into a slideshow that was played at our graduation. Among the veteranarians, athletes, doctors and lawyers, I stood proud with my star- "Foster Care Mother". Weird. At ten years old, I couldn't really explain it to my friends when they questioned my choice. And it seemed super strange to everyone. But I knew it was right. It was simply who I was.

After Ace turned two, we started talking about giving her a brother or sister. We didn't immediately know that this would happen through adoption, but it was definitely something we talked about. Of course, I had always pictured that we would have a few biological kids first, then later when our kids were grown, we would adopt. That was really our vision. Aside from trying to live the life we had imagined (silly us), I also knew that adoption would be a lot of hard work, would completely drain any money we had in savings, would force us to face a lot of opposition. We would endure pain, we would face trials that we never imagined existed. So I very quickly and intentionally pushed the idea of adoption out of my mind. I mean, we were comfortable. Why would we put ourselves through all of those hardships?

Well, that lasted about a minute. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think about anything else. And there was a reason. This was not our plan for our life, but this was however God's plan. And it was now. Not in ten years, not when we had our dream house and were through having biological kids, but now. It hit me pretty hard and I knew I needed to quit fighting it. I knew in that moment that we would be adopting. But I still had to share it with my other half. Knowing his heart as well as I do, I was certain that he would be on board.

I am so blessed to be married to a man who shares my passions. Joey did have some apprehension, a lot of questions, and uncertainty at first. But before long, he was confident in our decision. And so the journey to our second child officially began. I spent a lot of time researching. Different agencies, what country would be best for us. I had known of and LOVED Reece's Rainbow for a long time, but I didn't think that a special needs adoption was the direction we would be going...at least not this time around. So I started making a list of the countries that would work for us-countries from which we could adopt a healthy infant. But why, why, why was I every single day coming back to Reece's Rainbow. I would literally talk out loud to myself, listing every reason why we were not going to adopt a child with Down Syndrome. It was around that time that I came across this quote by Joseph Campbell- "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

We stared at those faces. Those precious children whose fate would likely be death (sooner than later) if no one were to come for them. I emailed the director of Reece's Rainbow, and just told her what we had been thinking. I told her that if we decided to adopt, we would need to find a country that didn't require long stays in-country, and didn't require both parents to travel. She responded very quickly, and told me to look into Bulgaria.

She then sent me the link to a specific little boy. One who had been waiting a very long time. The kids on Reece's Rainbow are grouped by age, and I immediately read on his link that he was listed with the "older boys" (6+). I almost didn't even click on the link- seriously. "Nope, we are looking to adopt a baby", I said. I didn't want to click on it, I didn't want to see a face that I was going to fall in love with. But, thank God, I clicked on the link. And there he was.

I knew that face. It was not the first time I had seen him. About a year earlier, I saw his picture on Reece's Rainbow. And I loved him from that very moment. I just had no idea he was mine. The picture below is the first picture that I ever saw of him. The picture above was the picture I saw of him...when I finally realized he was ours.

That night I shared everything with Joey, and the same thing happened with him. We smiled at each other and we knew then and there that we would do whatever it took to bring him home. With us- his family. Where he belonged.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Special Message from Archie

2011-10-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

So I thought I should let you know.....

My extra chromosomes........

Help me fly!

Lots of Love!

ARCHIE

Life Lately- Bullet Style

2011-10-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

Archie is continuing to pick up English very quickly. He speaks English most of the time and only reverts back to Bulgarian if he is upset and wants to really rant, is pretending to tell a story, or is talking on the phone. Other than that he is speaking English- often in complete sentences. His vocabulary is expanding every day. (Signs and words). He always asks, "May I have" (whatever it is he wants....most often cheese or cookie). Today Ace was with my mom when I picked him up from school and the entire car ride home he begged, "Mommy, may I please have Ace!?!"

Ace is my little interpreter. Archie will often really be trying to tell me something and I cannot understand him, but somehow Ace does, and she tells me exactly what he is trying to say. He is so happy when I finally get it.

Archie LOVES to hug. He is quite touchy feely and often rubs people's bellies, and I am constantly having to pull his hands down. At school, he was doing that to his friends, so the teachers started telling him "no touch friends". So we are focusing on that a whole lot right now. Everywhere we go, he walks with his hands out, just trying to touch everyone. It is getting better and better every day. Yesterday, we were at the mall playground, and a little boy came up and put his hand on Archie's chest, and Archie just nicely moved his hand down, looked the boy in the eye and said to him, "No touch friends". I was so proud, and cracking up on the inside. The kid just looked at him funny and moved on.

Ace and Archie both have a tremendous amount of patience for each other.

The times that Ace and Archie bond the most are when they are being a little mischievous. Ace usually instigates it. I will hear her whispering something to him like, "Archie, come on, lets go get everything out of the fridgerator". (I'm not kidding). He gets the biggest smile on his face and they sneak off to the kitchen, truly believing that they are pulling a fast one on me. So I let them do some "naughty" things (within reason) and I just listen to them crack each other up.

Archie talks an insane amount. He is pretty much never not talking.
We are so lucky that Archie is a good sleeper. He is down around 8 (and falls asleep within 5ish minutes) on most nights and sleeps until 7 or 7:30. He does crazy flipping around and ends up in really weird positions every night. We often hear loud banging into the wall coming from his room. But he stays asleep. Ace on the other hand takes FOREEEEVVVER to fall asleep. I thought I had found the magical trick. I started laying next to her in bed and rubbing her back and singing Kenny Loggins, "Danny's Song" (You know, "Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey....") to her at night. And she was falling asleep by the end of the song- this happened for a couple of weeks. Until she had the lyrics memorized, and now she sings along with me, and thus does not fall asleep. I desperately need a new song that I think I sound as good singing as I do that one.

You literally cannot take your eyes off of Archie for a split second. Talk about exhausting.

Ace has a serious addiction to Apple Juice. It is bad. She cries for it. Like serious tears. Archie wakes up in the morning, goes to get her sippy cup to bring it to me and says, "Mommy, Ace Dawble Joos please". It is hysterical. He is so concerned about her getting her Apple Juice fix. I am thinking we may go cold turkey and not keep Apple Juice in the house anymore. It will be a ROUGH few days- but the kid's teeth are going to rot right out if this doesn't stop.

Archie is doing so amazingly well with playing soft and sweet. Ace is actually the one who starts playing rough and wanting to wrestle, and he just kind of lets her hang and climb on him, but doesn't wrestle back. He has become so much more aware of his strength and how to play nicely. He still has his moments of roughness, but they are few and far between.

Archie is just as scared of mascots or anyone dressed in a costume as Ace is. He cried the other night at the MHS football game when he saw the Mustang. (From a far distance). He also gets scared of loud noises- like at the game when we were walking through a big crowd and they scored a touchdown and everyone screamed- he clung to my neck and cried and cried. Other than that he loves going to the football games.
I am constantly getting asked how far apart Ace and Archie are in age. Several people have even asked me "how many months apart are they?" Of course they are shocked when I tell them she is 3 and he is 7. Sometimes I explain. Sometimes I let them wonder.
Ace is very protective of Archie. When at the playground she tells any kids that she meets and starts to play with, "This is my brother. His name is Archie. He will play with us."

A few weeks ago, I took Ace to her first little preschool choir practice at church. I wasn't planning on Archie participating, but he really wanted to- so I sat in the corner of the class and watched to make sure he would be okay. He did fantastic and they both loved it. So the next week, we tried it again...this time with me outside of the room (of course peering in the window like a complete freak the whole time, ready to pounce in there at any second). But he has done really, really well. He has also been participating in Preschool Worship at our church on Sunday Mornings. Of course he is glued to Ace's hip the entire time, but he pays attention and sits still and quiet for the most part.

Alright, Archie is currently yanking my arm in panic mode telling me, "Mommy, Ace hungy, Ace hungy". He is her little messenger.- so concerned about her well being. So I better go!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

My Big Girl

2011-10-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of my girl this morning. At our church, they have Preschool Worship. The cutest thing in the entire world. It is a mini Church service for the preschoolers. They take an offering (and the kids are the ushers), have a little choir, listen to a Bible Story, say the Lord's Prayer. They also have a part where a little one gets up to talk about the cross. They say the same thing each time. "Jesus died, on the cross, to forgive us, of our sins." Normally, the teacher whispers the lines into the kid's ear.

Ace just last night when we were talking about Preschool Worship, told me that she wanted to talk about the cross. So I asked her if she knew what to say. She sort of had it.....so I told her exactly what to say and we practiced it over and over until she had it down. She isn't usually one to get up in front of a group and do something like this. She recently cried her eyes out over the idea of having to do show-and-tell at school, so I was pretty surprised that she wanted to do this. But this morning, she still wanted to. She rocked it. And I was so proud.

I am so mad that the video is a little blurry while she is up there-- but her little voice is really what makes it.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Sunday Morning Dancing

2011-10-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Typical morning in our house. The little monsters are working on a new routine. Here is a sneak peak into a rehearsal.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

My Little Pot of Gold

2011-09-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Archie got a new T-Shirt in the mail yesterday that he is super excited about. Mostly because it is yellow, and he knows how to say and sign "Yellow".

It says "I'm the Pot of Gold at the End of Reece's Rainbow". He is definitely our little pot of gold!

He also knows he is pretty cool...

And he is GROWING. He has gotten quite a bit taller and heavier since he has been home. He and Ace were much closer in height before.

Ace's shirt is quite appropriate for her too!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

September's Clouds

2011-09-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

Today and tomorrow are two days that are- and always will be- tough ones for me and my family. Today was my brother Corby's birthday. He would have been 30. And tomorrow marks 5 years since his death turned our world upside down.

My mom and I took Ace to the cemetery. She picked out the most beautiful (and incredibly random) arrangement of flowers for his grave site. Absolutely perfect for Corby. I know he loves them.

My sweet Ace. Audrey Corbin Eicher. Corby's precious little angel.

I knew the time was coming

But I did not want to feel

September's clouds above my head

Reminding me it's real

But although your hands I cannot touch

Our souls are intertwined

Bonded in a perfect love

Until the end of time

Lots of Love!

Lisa

American Boy

2011-09-24T21:44:00.001-07:00

Today in the mail we received Archie's Certificate of Citizenship. Officially an American Boy.

Here is what this American Boy and his sister have been up to....

Discovering new things. We did this for a good ten minutes.

Archie's first birthday party for their friend, Connor. They were so excited!

And had the best time! Jumping.......

and sliding.....

with friends!

Ace was reunited with one of her very best friends in the world- Jack. They were in school together for 2 years and now they are at different schools. They seriously miss each other so much. They ran to hug when they saw each other and then stayed glued together the entire party.

After the birthday party we went to watch our friend, Berklee's, soccer game. Archie and Ace played and played with their buddy Wickie. Archie, our graceful one, took several spills. But he always manages to keep a smile!

My little athelete

Ace and Wickie. Heading over to watch the game.

After the game we came home to rest. We watched Little Rascals. These are the moments I love the most!

I really had been wanting to give Ace a haircut. She HATES brushing her hair or letting me do anything with it at all, so I like to keep it shorter. Otherwise, it is a total rat's nest, and I usually send her to school looking like a little ragamuffin. Tonight, she agreed to let me cut it (and even wanted me to...shocker), so of course I jumped on it. Here she is before. And this is her as tamed as can be.

And after! She LOVES it. So much easier. So much less hair to deal with.

Smizing.

Of course, anything Ace does, Archie must do. So he was next for a haircut. I was pretty anxious to get my hands on that scraggle head too. Check out those monster sideburns- Before.

And after. All cleaned up and looking as handsome as ever.

My two little monsters showing off their new dos

I love my cuddle bugs!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

More Dance Party

2011-09-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ace has quite the attitude. This isn't even her going all out. She was a little more reserved with the camera on her. I will have to do a hidden camera some time so you can see a full show.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Dance Party

2011-09-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

We do A LOT of dancing at our house. These two have quite the moves. I could watch them dance all day long.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Firsts

2011-09-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

People probably think I am crazy when I am out with the kids and I am taking insane amounts of photos in what appear to be very normal places and situations. The mall, Target, the grocery store, every restaurant, playground. You name it- I am there in full paparazzi style taking pictures of Archie. (Most often with Ace, but she is so over it, and Archie LOVES having his picture taken). I can remember when Ace was first born, and when we were experiencing all of her "firsts". I did the exact same thing. I had a camera in my hand at every moment. I wanted to capture it all.

I get sad quite a bit thinking about all of the firsts that I missed out on with Archie. All of the basics. First roll over, sit up, crawl, steps, words. First night in a "big boy bed", first time to eat with a fork and spoon. So I get pretty excited when I get to experience a new first for Archie. And there have been so many. First time to ride in a car seat. First time to watch a basketball game. First time to go to the movie theater. First time to eat Tex Mex. (First time to eat most foods). First time to walk a dog. First pet. First vacation. First time to have his own bedroom. First time to have his own toys. First day of school. First time to snuggle on a couch with his mom, dad, and sister. That's a bunch of firsts. First. First. First. Is that starting to sound like a really weird word to you?

I am thankful to have some snapshots of Archie's earlier days when we didn't yet know that he was our son.

Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget

For a single minute

You didn't grow under my heart

But in it.

-Fleur Conkling Heylinger

Looking forward to many more firsts with our sweet boy.

So grateful. So blessed.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

I can't think of anything creative to name this. So we will go with, "School Update"

2011-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I have actually been able to breathe a little bit this week which has been AWESOME. Archie is doing so well in school and is LOVING it. Day 1 really could not have gone any better. He was so excited to see me and Ace when we got there. His teacher said he asked for me several times (which is a very good thing!) I was most worried about him not understanding that I was dropping him off just for a little bit, but that I would be back to get him. He learned SO MUCH just after the first day. He was signing complete sentences to me ("may I have _______").

Tuesday was picture day. I am so happy he was there for that, and of course I am super anxious to see his picture! He asked for me again several times in the afternoon, so his teacher set a timer, where he could see the time going down, and explained when it beeps, Mommy would be there. That was about an hour before pickup time. He went to the timer several times and would point at it and say "Mommy, Mommy." I know it seems weird to say, but I am so incredibly thrilled that he is thinking about and missing me during the day.

This morning he woke up signing "school" and "friends" and saying his teacher's name, Miss Donna. He started getting a little anxiety in the car on the way and was saying, "no thank you school, no thank you school". Then when we got there, one of his other teachers, Miss Regina greeted him at the car to take him into class, and he kind of whined, "No...Mommy, Ace!" They are so great about distracting him and making him feel comfortable. They stood there and watched us drive away and he blew us kisses and was yelling "Love you mommy, love you ace!" He totally understands that I am coming back to get him. And I love it that when I get there he drops everything and sprints in his little penguin style run over to give me the biggest hug ever. JOY. We are just so happy and grateful to be at Arbor. I couldn't have dreamed up a better place for him right now.

In other news, my camera is pretty much kaput. Which is why this is going to be a picture-less post. I know. Bummer. What the heck did you just waste the last couple of minutes reading this for? Sorry! Promise to have that problem solved ASAP.

Lots of Love!
Lisa

School Boy

2011-09-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

So before we brought Archie home, I had planned on waiting a while to send him to school. I figured he would stay home with me for the first semester while we got to know each other, and just use that time to bond and adjust. Well, the bonding and attaching process happened a lot more quickly and smoothly than I could have ever imagined. Again, giving so much credit to his caretakers at the orphanage on this. They really prepared him so well. Talked about us and looked at our pictures with him EVERY day for probably 6 months before he came home.

I realized a couple of weeks ago that Archie was really ready for school. I knew how much he would love it. He is hungry to learn new things. He is VERY social. So I started contacting the district and the Elementary school we are zoned to, to see what we could do. I knew that he would need to be evaluated and tested and that it might take some time. I was not prepared for what they had to tell me though. It would be 90 days before he could receive any sort of special services. Like being in a Life Skills class, or having an aid in a mainstream class, etc. They would just have to put him in a regular classroom based on his age. SECOND GRADE. Um, I do not think so. I can imagine the nightmare that would have been. Not only is Archie half the size of any second grader. He doesn't speak English, and while he is super bright and a little sponge, he does have Down Syndrome, and he was raised in an orphanage. All of these factors make it pretty clear that sticking him into a second grade class was just not an option.

God has very strategically placed many new friends in my life during this journey. One of those amazing people is Christina. She has a precious little boy, David, who is also blessed with an extra chromosome. She and I had talked a lot about school options. She is a wealth of information. So after talking with the district, I let her know what was going on, and what they had told me. She then asked me if I would like for her to make a call to The Arbor School. A private, special needs school that David attended, and one that she and her family really support and love. She said that they might be able to help us out during this time of transition. Of course I said that would be awesome! The next day (last Wednesday) we went on a tour and met with the Director of the school. The school was AMAZING. Absolutely perfect for Archie. Such a loving environment.

I explained our situation to the Director. He understood that we would not be able to afford the tuition at this time. But at the end of the tour, he let me know that he really wanted to help us out. They committed to take Archie for the 90 day period that our public school district would take to evaluate him. I was truly overwhelmed by their kindness. This was the most incredible blessing for us. Everything was happening so quickly. They gave me the paperwork, told me to get him a physical as quickly as possible (which is what led us to Grumpalump Doctor last Thursday), and that he could start as soon as that was all taken care of.

And this morning, I dropped my little boy off at his first day of school! Talk about being a nervous wreck. The longest I have been apart from him since he has been home was the other night when I went to dinner and a movie with my mom and sister (a much needed night out), while Joey and the kids hung out at home. I tried to prepare him the best that I could. We talked a lot about school and how he would get to go play with friends. He can sign (and understands) "friend". So we did a lot of that this morning and he was pretty excited. When we pulled up to school, his teacher (who we met on the tour) was right outside. Archie jumped out of the car signing "friend" to her. She said "that's right, I am your friend", and he ran to hug her. My sweet, smart boy. His communication skills blow me away.

Joey, Ace and I all took him in. Ace was very proud of her brother. I am so proud of him too. Both of them. And now, I am sitting at home, with so much I could and should be doing. But instead I am biting off all of my nails and staring at the clock. I cannot wait to pick them both up, and hear how his first day went.

Ace to Archie: "Smile, buddy, you get to go to your own new school!"

All ready to go!

With one of his teachers. She dresses up in the morning and stands outside to greet the kids. Archie loved it.

His teacher made a sign and had some balloons to welcome him. So sweet!

He ran in and started doing puzzles. In his own little chair with his name on it. Ugh, so cute.

My happy boy.

I am so thankful for The Arbor School and what they are doing for us. What an awesome place, and amazing people. I just know Archie is going to blossom even more, and learn so much.

Okay, off to try and get at least one thing checked off of today's "To Do" list.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

One Jerk and a Bunch of Shots

2011-09-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

My kids absolutely owned me today. It was rough. From the minute they woke up they were in rare form and I was simply outnumbered. I thought things couldn't go much more downhill when we were eating lunch at Escalantes and one kid was intentionally smearing beans on her face and hanging on my back, while the other was flopping around like a fish, with his feet practically laying in the lady at the next table's lap. One English speaking kid was yelling, "Mom, I need to go Poo Poo! POOOOOO POOOOO!" And one Bulgarian speaking kid was yelling, "Ne Poo Poo, Ace! Ne Poo Poo!" Awesome.

Next stop was to the Pediatrician. Archie had to get a physical for school stuff. (Post about what's going on with school for him to come). So we get there and they are as wound up as ever. I had to fill out all the new patient forms for Archie. I was hit pretty hard with lots of emotions as I read over the paperwork. One entire page was all about the mother. The pregnancy- was he full term, were prenatal vitamins taken, were there any complications, was there any drug or alcohol use during pregnancy. There were questions about the mother's health and history. I felt so strange that it wasn't asking about me. I am his mother. I have thought about his birth mom a lot during this process, but nothing like today. She is real. She carried him, gave birth to him. I wondered if she even held him at all. I wondered if she told him anything. If she looked into his eyes. Just as the tears were about to start flowing, my little ragamuffin boy came barreling into me. Planted a kiss right on my lips and shouted, "La Luh Lu, Mommy!" (I love you, Mommy). His timing couldn't have been better.

Our name was called and we headed back to the exam room. Within 2 minutes, a pile of kleenex covered the floor, 2 paper cups filled to the brim with water were sloshed all over the exam table, and one book that didn't belong to us had several pages torn out. My kids were so lucky that someone was about to walk in who I would be far more angry at than I was at them. The doctor. Unfortunately, we were not able to get an appointment quickly enough with our normal Pediatrician who we LOVE. I had never taken Ace to this particular doctor before. From the second she walked in I knew I wasn't going to be happy. I am pretty easy to please, but this lady just wasn't friendly. Archie was SO scared. I have never really seen him the way I saw him today. He was so afraid. He just kept yelling, "No thank you!" at her, which sounds more like, "Ne tank tu!" In other words, he didn't want her or any of her tools touching him. At least he used his manners. He clung tightly to my neck and yelled "bye bye" at the doctor. He wanted out. She had no interest in trying to help him through the exam process. She asked me if I could, "calm him down" so that she could examine him. (Well it was more of a demand really). I mean, come on, lady. This boy has been here for 3 weeks. He is in an entirely new world, and he is frightened, and you can't offer the tiniest bit of compassion. Nope. Instead she just told me that she would only be able to do a "limited exam due to his behavior." (Insert harsh insult)

So whatever. We move on. He needed some shots, and I had to sign a consent form. When she gave me the form and showed me where to sign, I saw that where it said "Mother", she wrote in front of it "Adoptive". Are you kidding me? I mean, yes, true, I am his adoptive mother. I am proud to be his adoptive mother. But I am also just his mother. What the heck difference did that make for this freakin form? (Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.)

It was now time for the shots. Poor baby. This boy is STRONG. So I had to basically lay on top of him to hold him down. He screamed and screamed. He was yelling, "Daddy!" As if Daddy could come to rescue him. And I cried just the same as I cry when Ace gets shots. Ace was a great sister. She stood by his head, stroked his hair and in the sweetest, most motherly little voice said, "It's okay buddy, none for Ace, none for Ace". She repeated that over and over, the entire time. I was trying not to start cracking up. But she was killin me. She wanted to be sure everyone knew she was not getting any shots. Great words of comfort.

Yada Yada Yada. Lollipops and we were out of there. After 3 ridiculously long and agonizing hours. We were all exhausted.

Okay, this is not too bad......

Sweet boy had no idea what he was in for

After round two of shots.

I called Joey to come up and help me out. Here is Archie showing off his cool bandaids.

And by the time we pulled in the driveway. Yes, it was 5 o'clock. And yes, I let them sleep til 6.

What a day.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Corby

2011-09-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

On September 28, 2006, I lost my older brother Corby. He turned 25 just the day before. I was 22, and had just gotten married in July. His death completely shook my world. I was out of town, in Chicago, at a small group conference with my church. I was NEVER out of town. I am a major homebody. Even being with my husband, I was homesick. We were only there for one night, before I got the call from my Dad the next day. I knew something was wrong the second I heard his voice. He had trouble getting the words out, and I can remember literally yelling at him to tell me what was going on. When he said the words, I dropped the phone, and fell to the ground. I was surrounded by thousands of people, in this enormous church. But my world stood still.

The days to follow would be tough. A roller coaster of emotions as to be expected with grieving. A lot of anger. A lot of feelings of guilt. All the "whys". Why wasn't I home? Why didn't I call him on his birthday? Why didn't I answer the phone when he called just a couple days earlier? Why didn't I tell him that I loved him, that I forgave him for wrongdoings of the past?

Time went on and so did life. Naturally, it got easier. Then when my daughter was born in June of 2008, it got really hard again. Those initial feelings I had in the early stages resurfaced and I had some serious internal conflict. I was so mad that he wasn't there. He would never hold her. He would never hear her voice, her laugh. He would miss her first steps, her first day of school, and every other first. As she got older and started looking less like a tiny alien and more like a little person, I could see his face in hers. That's when it hit me. He wasn't missing anything. He was a part of her. Always had been and always would be. No, he wouldn't ever be here, on earth with her, and that still tears me apart. But he knows her and loves her just as much as if he had been here.

I wrote this poem about Audrey Corbin, my precious Ace, and her Uncle Corby. It was my way of comforting myself, and sort of fantasizing about a time when they were together.

My Daughter's Angel

He kissed her on the forehead
And he whispered in her ear
You go and meet your family now
And I'll be right up here

Then as God sent her from Heaven
He watched over from close by
And with the most amazing clouds
He wrote "I love you" in the sky

And although she cannot see him
She can find him in her dreams
Where they'll fly around together
On his perfect angel wings

Ace has always been a very intuitive toddler. A few months ago, she sat me and Joey down for "story time". She sat on a little chair in front of us, as we sat on the floor. She grabbed her little pink Bible, opened it up and said, "this is a story about Corby in the sky with Jesus". We were blown away. I put my head down to wipe the instantaneous tears, and threw a big smile on as I looked back up at her. I hadn't remembered ever telling her anything about Corby being with Jesus. I don't think I ever had. The older she gets, the more often she asks about him. She asks me things like, "when is Corby coming home". She tells me what she is going to do when he comes home. Build castles, play wrestle time.

This picture of Corby hangs in our house, right by the kitchen table. It has become a very important symbol in my life. It is what I created the logo for Corby's Castle, the non-profit I started after Corby passed away. It was taken on a family trip to Aruba. He was around 10 years old at the time. This is exactly how I like to remember Corby. Big brother. Protector. Hero. Best Friend.

Yes. It breaks my heart that my big brother will never be here on earth with my kids. And I dream of how things could have been. The same feelings have come back during our adoption process and especially now that Archie is home. Oh the fun he would have had with Ace and Archie. But Corby's life, while not an easy one, had a purpose. The quote I think of when remembering his life is one by Ralph Waldo Emerson. "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

Thanking God for my family a few extra times tonight.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Recap: (In a ridiculous amount of pictures)

2011-09-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

My blogging frequency has been less than par lately. Everyday, I tell myself I am going to blog that day. But by the end of the night, when the kids are finally asleep, my body just doesn't allow me to. Maybe I will start waking up earlier to get it done (that's funny).

Anyway, here is what you've missed over the last couple of weeks. Still can't believe this boy has been home less than 3 weeks.

Just being silly

The boy who cried at the thought of this dog a couple weeks ago. Now he will not leave my poor girl alone!

Heading to the pool. Typical day!

With friends at the pool. Ace and "Baby Blair", as she calls her.

Little Fish

Heading home

Carson came to play!

Archie and Wickie!

Archie, Wickie, Ace and Berklee. We were at this awesome, miniature waterpark called Noah's Ark. Here they are sitting on a giant frog. Archie was a bit frightened as you can see!

Both my kids were terrified of this slide at first. But by the end of the day, they were going all by themselves. They literally went up and down for almost an hour. And they weren't happy when I finally told them it was time to go.

Archie and Berklee!

Lunch at Jason's Deli.

All dressed up to meet Gigi and Papa (their Great Grandma and Grandpa)

Gigi and Papa with their first Great-Grandson

Gigi showing them old pictures

With both of their Great-Grandkids. Love it!

Woody and Jessie, ready for bed!

Playtime first!

Archie working on his "soft hands". Ace loves to wrestle, and so does he, but he tends to not know how to be soft and gets too rough at times. So I am constantly reminding him "Soft" or "Be sweet". He is starting to get it, but for now it involves me standing over them at every second. Talk about exhausting!

So happy in his Woody Jammies

First day of Church!

Ready to go in!

Hamming it up

Superman! His favorite!

Snuggling

Archie is OBSESSED with my camera and with taking pictures. He could seriously do it for hours. Here are a couple of his best shots.

Not bad, huh?

Ace was so excited about her first day of school. She came running in screaming, "Mom, come here, come here, I am all ready for school, come see!" Here is what she showed me. The outfit she chose, all laid out. So cute.

Ready for school!

About to go in!

She had the best first day of school! Her teachers said she was awesome and she loves them and all her new friends. But she is totally over me taking so many pictures. Here she is trying to disguise herself. Sorry baby girl, there's no foolin' me!

Guitar Hero. Another favorite

The girl can rock out

This is what we consider "nap time". They lay on the couch. For about 45 seconds.

Cheering for Daddy at his basketball game. Both Ace and Archie love watching his games.

Whenever Joey is sitting out, both kids want to go sit with him.

Escalantes! He likes it as much as we do!

That's all for now!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

Beach Day

2011-08-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

The first thing that Archie said when he saw the ocean was "pool!!!" Yes, buddy, the biggest pool in the world. Here he is showing me how he is going to swim.

Patiently waiting for Daddy to get the boat ready

Finally on the water-- going fishing!

Driving way out into the ocean

Made it to our fishing spot!

Both kids were over fishing pretty quickly. Joey did catch a couple fish, but there was so much commotion when it happened that I failed to get a picture. It was quite exciting though!

Playing a really fun belly bumping game while waiting to head to the beach

And finally. Archie gets to experience the beach, and touch the ocean for the first time in his life. What a moment!

Pure joy.

They had the absolute greatest time.

And it was a great day for really cute little butt cracks

All cleaned up and ready to head home! Archie has been learning the words "happy" and "sad". We talk about things that are happy (hugs, family, puppies) and things that are sad (pushing, hitting). Here they are being HAPPY.

And here they are being sad....

And again. Here is Archie being sad. Pretending to cry.....

HAPPY!!!!!!!!

And Ace hiding from her paparazzi mom

The kids are absolutely wiped out. And Joey and I are probably even more exhausted. Off to bed for all of us!

Lots of Love!

Lisa

The Chase

2011-08-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Archie is absolutely into everything. I cannot sit down for even one second. Ace is always right behind him either cracking up at his mischievous behavior, or scolding him- depending on her mood. Here is a snapshot into our morning.

He spends most of his time trying to get into the fridge. If he gets super quiet, I can be sure that is where he is. Here he is trying to get into the eggs....

Um, nice try, but I can see you, buddy....

The sink. Another favorite spot.

Every cabinet must be opened and rummaged through

Thank goodness we live in what my Dad calls a "gated community". No escaping to the baby pool for you, kiddo.

Someone left the bathroom door open. Goldfish and a balloon getting clean.

What the heck is this thing mom put on the doorknob?? I can't get in!

And the only way to get him to sit still for a few minutes. Food. A cup of goldfish usually buys me about 3-5 minutes.

And now I am anxiously awaiting a gourmet lunch....

NEVER a dull moment.

Lots of Love!

Lisa

"Happy, Happy, Happy!"

2011-08-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

We have had a great weekend. Our first full weekend home as a family of four. I love having Joey around on the weekends, and the kids especially do. He likes to let me relax while he entertains the kids- not a bad deal! He has always liked to have "Daddy Time" with just Ace, but it is even more helpful to me now that our rambunctious little boy has been added to the mix.

This morning both kids were up at 7. Joey took Archie on a LONG bike ride while Ace and I watched some educational TV (Yes, Dora and Kai Lan are helping her to become multi-lingual, thank you very much). Archie absolutely loved the bike ride. Then he came home and took them both on a wagon walk. That's when I got in my power nap.

Yesterday was one week since Archie has been home. That really seems so strange to me. It feels like he has been here forever. He fits right into our family so perfectly and really just goes with the flow. It is so obvious that God created this child to be our son. I mean, we really knew next to nothing about him before committing to him. We knew some medical history, we knew his size, and we knew where he was and how long he had been there. But it isn't as if we knew his personality, or his behavior. We didn't know that he was the most hysterical little ball of sweet cuddles. He continues to amaze me daily.

Ace, although not thrilled at every second about him playing with her toys, or invading her space, could not be happier. She does not want to go anywhere without him. It is going to be hard when she starts school next week. She will go to Mother's Day Out three days a week, and Archie will be staying home with me. She is excited about her new school, but keeps politely reminding me that Archie is going with her. She will say things to me and Joey like, "and when I start my new school, I am going to have new teachers, and Archie's coming with me." At this point I have just sort of been smiling and nodding, but I know this week I am going to have to have the talk with her about it. I am hoping that maybe by that point some of the newness will have faded and she will be okay with being apart from him. I know she will LOVE school and I am planning to let her teachers know the situation so they might give her a little extra love and attention.

In other news- Ace actually is a bit bilingual at this point. She is starting to speak Bulgarian to Archie. She thinks she is such a little mom. Yesterday I heard her asking him, "Archie, do you want to watch a movie? Da? Da? (Yes? Yes?)" Archie of course responded "Da!" Even though he had no clue what she was talking about. She is also always telling him "Ne, Archie, Ne". Archie doesn't seem to mind her bossing him around a bit. And she thinks she is really helping, so at this point I am letting her do her thing. She also loves to try to teach him new words. As we were driving in the car earlier, she was telling him, "Archie, say Barbie. Bar-bie" And Archie very clearly repeated, "Bar-bie". Ace was so excited she said, "mom, I taught him something new!" Yes, sweetie, a very important word for him to know..

It is amazing how quickly he is picking things up. He is communicating so well with us and really has a great memory. Yesterday we were at Barnes and Nobles and I was looking through a little picture book with him. One of the pictures was of a towel. I only said the word to him a couple of times, and had him repeat it, but when we got out to the pool just a little bit later, he exclaimed, "towel!" as soon as we walked in and he saw a stack of them. He also understands "Happy", and even has made up a "Happy Song." It goes like this, "Happy, happy, happy!" Very creative. It is so cute when he sings it and puts his little fingers on his cheeks and smiles the biggest smile. I can't wait to sit down with him and really start working on his English. He is such a little sponge, I know he is going to be speaking in sentences before very long.

He is also very bonded to both me and Joey already. He will still pretty much say hi to or try and hug just about anyone, but he knows that Joey and I are his parents and protectors. He looks to us for help. When in unfamiliar places, or if he is scared, he really wants just one of us. He is so happy when Joey gets home from work each night, he runs as fast as he can screaming, "DADDDYY!!!" and jumps to give him a big hug. Of course Ace is right there with him and they usually end up in some form of a dog pile. Talk about love.

Joey and I are just so proud of both Ace and Archie. I am especially proud of them for both being asleep, right now as I type.

Here is what my house looks like right now.

Sweet baby girl. Has every stuffed animal and baby doll asleep with her. They are "at camp".

And the boys. Joey fell asleep while laying in Archie's room with him.

And now for some pictures from the weekend.....

First trip to the mall. Ace was so excited to finally be able to ride in a double car with Archie. We talked about this day for a very long time, every time we went to the mall. She would tell me, "when Archie comes home, we will get a car with two seats, and I'm gonna sit here and Archie's gonna sit here". And there they are.

I wasn't sure about going to the castle to play, but Ace really wanted to. I told her that I wasn't sure if Archie was ready for that but she assured me, "I will watch him, Mom". Archie loved it. He didn't really venture off too far from me or Joey. He really wanted to be sure at least one of us was in his line of vision. I am thankful that he does have some fears and will not just take off into an unknown place. He just enjoyed observing all of the other kids and giggled with excitement the entire time.

Ace liked to show off to Archie how well she knew her way around the castle.

Loving on her big brother

I found them like this in the rocking chair. They got up all by themselves and were rocking together and cracking up. They thought this was about the funniest thing in the world.

So happy I said he could brush his teeth! For the 24th time that morning. No kidding.

Doing what he loves most

Ace and Sir. Yes, my dad's Grandpa name is Sir. It started as a joke (well not to him) before Ace was born. He said that's what he wanted to be called. I said no way. But somehow, some way, that is exactly what Ace ended up calling him. He says that the only time he has ever been called "Sir" is when it was followed with "I am going to have to ask you to leave", so he really wanted this name. Now it doesn't even seem strange.

Playing catch with Sir

This morning's bike ride with Daddy

"Wrestle Time"

Pure Joy

And now, I am off to enjoy these last few moments of silence.

Lots of Love!

Lisa