Hello and Goodbye!

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am so missing my blogging friend. Hello, everyone! I've taken a few minutes to skim and scam your recent posts, but no time to comment. We moved the vast portion of our possessions on Saturday past, but left the computers set up in our old house. We've been living at the new house since then so I haven't had much chance to veg and blog this week. Incidentally, I've been MUCH more productive. Surely this is merely coincidence?
I've got to type fast, because when the master comes in from clearing out the garage, and finds me blogging, I am in B-I-G trouble. He's going to pull the plug for sure.
This is also a goodbye-for-now post, in that we do not have viable internet options at Sunnyside Mission, and I don't really know what we are going to do. There is a tower going up in two weeks down the road, but the provider is iffy as whether or not we will be able to pick up the signal. Good thing Obama has promised us all broadband, right? Whew! That's a big relief.
Here comes the master...gotta go.

Third Time's A Charm?

I sure hope so! Ian came through his third tube surgery and is doing great. He won't even have to miss school tomorrow. Based on his bounciness this afternoon, he could have made it today, but we let him have his day home. As he came out of surgery, I whispered his name softly, and he turned his head toward me. Probably the first whisper he's heard in months.
My mom came to watch the little ones while we were at the hospital. I wish I could keep her here all week. I really could use a second (and third and fourth) set of hands. Life is CRAZY trying to pack up and move in the church building before the end of the month. Monday my mother-in-law and I mopped the entire fellowship hall floor. WHEW! That's a workout, and took almost an hour. I'm hoping that the time it takes to clean that large of an area will be offset by the increased amount of time between cleanings. It seems that I am constantly having to clean this little house, because we have so many people and possessions crammed into too small a space. Surely, a larger space will mean less frequent need? Otherwise I don't know when I'll sleep.
And ya'll have got to help me think of what to call our new abode. No way can I fulfill my wifely duties in a "church building." But somehow, just calling it "the house," doesn't fit either. It has a steeple and an organ for heaven's sake!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I awoke to a very nice Valentine's surprise this morning. Abby and K got up early and cleaned the living room and kitchen for us! WooHoo, that's better than chocolate! One of their teachers gave them the idea. One point for public school.

Pretty Sweethearts.

Our church Valentine's banquet had a hillbilly theme, can you tell? The master said the theme hymn would be "Come Just As You Are." Hardy, har, har. Here's me an' all the kinfolk.

Secret Admirer

I'm a little concerned. While pilfering my children's Valentine goody bags for chocolate, I came across this unsigned Valentine. I can't post a picture, because it is very clearly addressed to my oldest (but old as in only 10 years), but it is a commercially made valentine in the shape of a dollar bill. In the right hand corner is the silhouette of a man and woman holding hands and gazing at one another. It reads:

Redeemable for unlimited....

HAND-HOLDING

On a long evening walk

Not sure if I should get upset about this, or just be glad it was as tame as hand holding?

Here's Our House...Here's the Steeple...

Open it up and see all the Su_____s. I am SO RELIEVED to post that we have found shelter! And it is the perfect set-up for our large, but financially strapped family. An old church building. Can we get any weirder?

Yes, it needs A LOT of work, but we are getting it on awesome terms, and we've never been afraid of hard work. Now, you generally do not find baths in a church building, but for a short time, it was used as a women's shelter, so we already have two showers and a tub in a large communal bath. We will have to have boy hour and girl hour for the bathroom. Cari, honey, don't fail me now....this is the challenge of a lifetime. How to make a 1965 fellowship hall into a homey den and dining combo?

Each of the kids will have their own bedroom--it's almost more than their minds can comprehend. I will be able to have a sewing/craft room and an office. HALLELUJAH!

Carla Mae Jenkins, these pictures are for you, girl, 'cause I love you so much. These are photos of the side we will be living in (fellowship hall and adult education rooms). I hope to open my own daycare center next fall in the other half (sanctuary, nursery suite and children's Sunday school rooms). I didn't take photos of that half, but you can see the sanctuary wing in the background of the play area. Look at the size of my LAUNDRY ROOM!!! Brings a tear to my eye.

And much, much more!

Adoptive Mama Tag

Marina=pink

Cara=purple

1. How many months (days, weeks, YEARS...)We went to orientation in April of 2002. Marina came home in May 2005. Homestudy completed in March 08. Cara was born in June.
2. WAS YOUR HUSBAND EXCITED? Not so excited about the process (but then, who is?), totally excited about the person. Ditto.
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS WHEN YOU GOT "THE" PHONE CALL? I couldn't get excited about the call. It was more of a feeling of, "Well, finally." Also, it was delivered in such a backhanded way--our agency representative going into medical concerns and warning us not to make a decision until we had come in for a match meeting and done some research. I was ecstatic after the match meeting. I was in a state of shock. Our file was supposed to have been on hold. I was happy, scared, excited, surprised...
4. WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU FOUND OUT? I remember being in the computer room of our old house. I was in the kitchen (in our newer, old house) with the daycare kids and my mom. 5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 26 when she came home and 29
6. WHAT IS YOUR CHILD'S BIRTH-COUNTRY (and province or city)? St. Peterburgh, Russia Corpus Christi, Texas
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I have no idea. I can't remember! Suzi had to be among the first. She was my mentor during the whole process. By chance, my mom happened to be in the room when I got the call. I called the master next, pretty sure my sisters heard from mom. Tried to keep the number down to the bare minimum until we heard if she had chosen us or was going to go with another agency.
8. DID YOU REQUEST A BOY, GIRL, OR EITHER? Either. Ditto.
9. HOW OLD WAS YOUR CHILD AT REFERRAL? six months. one day.
10. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU SEE YOUR CHILD'S FACE/PICTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME? Match meeting November 2004. Birthmother showed us her one blurry polaroid in the wee morning hours of June 25 2008.
11. WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING YOU BOUGHT FOR YOUR CHILD? Can't remember. I know we took a baby photo album on our first trip and left it with her. I also made her a quilt. Some preemie clothes, and she had to have a nameplate for her NICU bassinet, so scrapbooking supplies!!
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The attitude of the agency staff which was, "You have children, so who cares how long you put your life on hold for this adoption?" and, of course, the paperwork. At first, the hospital staff did not accept me as the mother. There were a lot of insensitive/rude/ignorant comments made by the nurses and doctors, which surprised me. You would think--in their profession--they would use appropriate adoption vocabulary/language. It's not like I was the first adoptive parent they've had to work with.
13. WHEN WERE YOU ABLE TO TRAVEL? From match meeting to first trip 2 1/2 months. First trip to second, 4 months. The next afternoon.
14. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Nope. 4th and 6th babies don't tend to have showers, but they got lots of goodies anyway.
15. HOW OLD WAS YOUR CHILD WHEN YOU SAW THEM IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME? 9 months 2 days
16. DID YOU PACK ANYTHING SPECIAL JUST FOR YOUR BABY? Marina had her own suitcase packed with stuff for the coming home trip! Just as we were leaving, some ladies from church dropped by with a gift of clothes, burp cloths, bibs, socks, etc. I'm so glad I took that with me. At one point, C.C. asked to look at it. She was very excited to see that we had brought gifts for her baby. She thought and voiced (throughout the process) that we were only adopting Cara out of pity. Little things like a pretty present for the baby, helped her to understand that we were thirlled about the baby and wanted her more than anything.
17. WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT YOUR TRAVEL EXPERIENCE THE MOST? How much I would miss the U.S.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS WITH YOUR PAPERWORK/PROCESS? Yes, our dossier sat for over nine months on a bureaucrat's desk. He was waiting for a bribe. Then afterwards, there was a delay between trip one and trip two. (At the time, it was the longest wait on record with our agency. In today's process, it would probably be considered relatively short). Our domestic adoption was MIRACULOUSLY SMOOTH. The only incident--and we didn't know until after the fact--was C.C. delayed signing the relinquishment documents. Our agency representative was so afraid she was going to run without signing them. Without her signature, Cara would have gone into foster care. Our worker risked life and limb--seriously--to track her down before she disappeared.
19. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OR PLACE YOU VISITED IN YOUR CHILD'S BIRTH COUNTRY?THE BEST? We loved visiting the winter palace and the National Russian Museum. We are also so glad we made a point to worship with a local body of believers while in St. Petersburgh. That was an experience we will never forget! I will always remember the middle of the night trips to the NICU. Holding Cara and singing hymns and lullabies in a room filled with the smallest and most fragile of God's children.
20. HOW MANY DAYS/WEEKS WERE YOU IN YOUR CHILD'S BIRTH COUNTRY? Five days first trip. 11 days second. A little less than three weeks.
21. FAVORITE PLACE/THING TO EAT WHILE THERE? Pelmini. Chicken Kiev. Stroganoff. The Mexican food in Corpus is WONDERFUL!
22. FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP WHILE THERE? The market in Moscow. N/A.
23. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU ON THE PLANE GOING/LEAVING? 18? 1 1/2?
24. WHO MET YOU AT THE AIRPORT? Parents, sisters, friends, church members, the kids. The kids, my mom and dad.
25. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DID AFTER LEAVING THE AIRPORT? WENT HOME!!! Went by Starbucks and picked up lattes for the agency staff. Then we went to the agency office and signed our placement papers.
26. WHAT DO YOU CALL YOUR ADOPTION DAY? We call it, "The Day the Judge Said, 'Da'" for Marina. I don't know for Cara. We were with her from the first.
27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? We gave them their birthmother's names. And a virtue for a middle name: Joy and Grace.
28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN (adopted) TODAY? Two months shy of five years old. I can't believe it. Seven months.
29. ARE YOU PLANNING TO GO BACK TO THEIR BIRTH COUNTRY SOMEDAY? Yes. If we aren't at war. Yes. I'd love to take a vacation there this summer and show her off in the NICU.
30. HAVE YOU STARTED OR ALREADY MADE YOUR CHILD A LIFEBOOK? Yes. She has a baby book in process and a smaller album from birth to coming home completed.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, Monday, February 9, 2009
Outside My Window...a very dark, darkness due to cloud cover.
I am thinking...why does my second grade daughter have 'jaywalker' as a spelling word? Who really needs to know that word? Surely there are many more important, useful words she should be committing to memory.
I am thankful for...lost items found.
From the kitchen...the master cooked dinner tonight, Mexican casserole. I was teaching online. I've purposely left the light off as I post. That way, I won't be distracted by the mess. *edited* The master says that I made him sound like a messy cook. This was not my intention. Allow me to clarify: I am exceedingly grateful that he cooked dinner. The kitchen is in no way MORE messy than it would be had I prepared the evening meal. This entry is intended as a disconnected stream of conscious. Nothing more. *edit on the edit* "Now you've made me sound like a whiner..." Well, if the shoe fits...
I am wearing...T-shirt and blue jeans
I am creating...quilt tops. I went to an estate sale this weekend and bought one almost finished top and one pre-cut quilt kit. Total money spent $5. That's a steal! And class valentines with the kids.
I am going...to start packing this week...If I pack, we will have a place to move, right?
I am reading...Sounder(kid's bedtime book), Can We Talk?, and Twelve Exceptional Women
I am hoping...to hear something about our possible new dwelling place this week.
I am hearing...The master occasionally clearing his throat in the back bedroom.
One of my favorite things...mornings at home with my two monkeys
Around the house...two words: Bath Night.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Big day for CIA (Wednesday night kids class I teach at church). On Saturday we are making Valentines, eating lunch, and heading out to local nursing homes. That night we have a Valentines banquet.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...She is getting SOOOOO big. Seven months already and as you can see, quite the little ham-bone! She has jumped up to the 15% on weight and height. That's stupendous for a preemie.
To enjoy other Simple Women visit http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/