It is truly hard to believe that we are just days from Christmas! We have so much to be thankful for and we have decided to focus on what Christmas is truly about...the birth of Jesus Christ. We get so caught up in the hype of the commercial Christmas that we don't focus on what is important, like spending quality time with your family and loved ones. Maybe there was a reason that I lost my job and took a job with less money and incentives. I think we need to get back to simplifying and focusing on the gifts right in front of our noses.
Life has been somewhat crazy especially since starting my new job. My hours are longer and I feel like the days just fly by anymore. I've gotten so behind in things such as cleaning my house, shopping, and updating my blog! LOL! Seriously though, why do I want to come home at 5:3o at night and clean when I only have 3 hours to spend with the kids before they head to bed for the night. I've decided that the dust bunnies can continue to hibernate in the corners of my home as long as they would like! My family and true friends won't be judging me on the amount of dust in my home. I have to learn to just let it go and focus on what's important.
The kids are doing great. All of us, except Jake, are down with colds right now. Rachel had a double-ear infection when she went to the doctors last Monday. The poor thing actually fell asleep on me during church even with all the loudness of the special music being played during service. Rachel has never fallen asleep during church, because she loves music and will put on a show for anyone who will watch. She dances and claps to the music every Sunday. It is so darn cute to watch and everyone just smiles at her. Anyway, as we were leaving from church she got sick all over me and herself. She is recovering, although, she is still pulling on her ears and cries sometimes. I may need to take her back to the doctor if that continues.
Another reason why it's a crazy time of year for us is all the birthday's between November and December including Jake's and mine. Jake celebrated his 11th birthday on December 15gh and I turned 37 on December 13th! Hard to believe that Jake is officially a "tween." I really hope the teenage years aren't as bad as everyone is saying! My twin nieces, Garbriella & Miranda, turned 7 years old. That is hard to believe especially because they entered our family at 2 1/2 years old which is when my sister and her husband adopted them. They are just the sweetest things! We celebrated their birthday bowling and we all had a blast.
Rachel has done so well with the Christmas tree. I thought for sure that we would constantly be after her with touching and pulling ornaments off, but she is pretty gentle when she does decide to touch. She points to all the Santa's and says Ho Hooo. We just crack up every time she does it. I even got her to say it to my sisters' on the phone. We attended a "Breakfast with Santa" with the local YMCA and Rachel wanted absolutely no parts of him. She freaked out and clung to my neck like there was no tomorrow. I do want to take them to see Santa at the mall because it has been the same Santa since Jake went at a year old. Even if we all have to get in the picture.
Two weeks ago we took Rachel to get her ears pierced. I know, I know, there is a lot of controversy about getting little ones ears pierced before they can make the decision, but 99.9% of girls have their ears pierced and everyone I talk to says to get it done while they are young. I have always imagined my little girl with her ears pierced and honestly, I put it off way longer than I thought I would. See, Rachel flips out when we take her to the doctor's mainly because every time the poor thing goes, she gets 3 to four shots...she is really behind on her vaccinations. The thought of her crying and freaking out every time has delayed me in taking her to get her ears done. I figured since we have a three month break before additional shots, that I would finally take her. Well, I was way more upset than she was. I couldn't even watch and I started doubting myself for choosing to get her ears pierced. Rachel cried more over the swabbing of her ears with alcohol and the pen mark than the actual piercing. The girl was so quick and good that it was done in a matter of seconds and the crying stopped within 15 seconds. I'm not kidding, I was upset over nothing! She played with her ears for about two days and now she doesn't even mess with them. We clean them twice a day and she doesn't even fight us. Did I tell you how cute she looks? Now no one can confuse her as a little boy with her bald head (her hair is slowly coming in!).
We had Rachel baptized last month on November 9th. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dress that was made out of my wedding gown. I'm so glad I decided to do that. My friend Andrea's mother made the dress for me and it totally exceeded my expectations. Rachel will have this dress as an heirloom and hopefully some day her little girl or grandchild will wear the dress. She may need to have it altered again as most babies are baptized as infants and the dress fits a 24 month old. Who knows, I'm just glad I was able to pass something down to her. How many girl's do you know where their mother's wedding gown for their own wedding? I figured it would be a great use for my daughter's baptism. We made my sister, Sandy, and Jake the godparents. Jake was so proud of the honor! He's such a great big brother!
Jake started basketball season a few weeks ago. The games will start in January following the New Year. He's so excited and really enjoys the sport. He also participates in "after school sports" at school on Monday afternoons. He received his first report card in November and did extremely well with all A's and one B. He was upset over the "B", but hey, it could have been worse. I guess he was more upset over the fact that all A's would have meant that he would be allowed a cell phone when he got to sixth grade. That was the deal we made. We know that he's going to start participating in more after school events that we thought 6th grade would be a fair time to get a cell phone. He's been asking for one for 3 years and honestly, we felt there's no reason for him to have one when we pretty much dictate his schedule and who wants the extra monthly expense. That's the one thing Jake doesn't understand. He thinks you just buy the phone and that's it. He doesn't realize that you pay monthly for the service. He will be working real hard to earn that monthly expense! LOL!
I am going to ask you all for your prayers. I've been experiencing some health issues and we aren't quite sure what is going on. For the last six months, started right before leaving for China, I have had a lot of radiating pain throughout my body. Honestly, I was contributing it to stress, because we have definitely had a fair share of changes the last 6 months from going to China, getting a baby (a very good stress, but nonetheless, still stress) getting a pay cut, loosing my job, searching for a new job and starting a new job. I have seen the doctor several times about the different issues, but I guess I wasn't being completely honest because I was afraid that it was just in my head. I started back with a Chiropractor hoping to help alleviate some back and sinus issues. After breaking down while talking to the Chiropractor and completing a health assessment, she thinks that I may have fibromyalgia which was probably brought on with stress. Both my aunt and my grandmother were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have learned that it is a hereditary illness. I decided to go back to my family doctor to explain "all" that has been going on with me and she is ordering a bunch of tests. We aren't naming it anything right now, but hopefully these tests will tell us what is going. I lay awake at night so scared that something is seriously wrong with me. Please pray that it's something very simple and easily corrected. The thought of living with pain for the rest of my life scares me! But the thought of having something more serious is even more frightening. So please pray that we will figure this out and that it's something easily corrected.
On a happier note, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. I hope we all remember what this season is about and that we will take time to be thankful.
Love,
Dave, Sherry, Jake & Rachel
Life has been somewhat crazy especially since starting my new job. My hours are longer and I feel like the days just fly by anymore. I've gotten so behind in things such as cleaning my house, shopping, and updating my blog! LOL! Seriously though, why do I want to come home at 5:3o at night and clean when I only have 3 hours to spend with the kids before they head to bed for the night. I've decided that the dust bunnies can continue to hibernate in the corners of my home as long as they would like! My family and true friends won't be judging me on the amount of dust in my home. I have to learn to just let it go and focus on what's important.
The kids are doing great. All of us, except Jake, are down with colds right now. Rachel had a double-ear infection when she went to the doctors last Monday. The poor thing actually fell asleep on me during church even with all the loudness of the special music being played during service. Rachel has never fallen asleep during church, because she loves music and will put on a show for anyone who will watch. She dances and claps to the music every Sunday. It is so darn cute to watch and everyone just smiles at her. Anyway, as we were leaving from church she got sick all over me and herself. She is recovering, although, she is still pulling on her ears and cries sometimes. I may need to take her back to the doctor if that continues.
Another reason why it's a crazy time of year for us is all the birthday's between November and December including Jake's and mine. Jake celebrated his 11th birthday on December 15gh and I turned 37 on December 13th! Hard to believe that Jake is officially a "tween." I really hope the teenage years aren't as bad as everyone is saying! My twin nieces, Garbriella & Miranda, turned 7 years old. That is hard to believe especially because they entered our family at 2 1/2 years old which is when my sister and her husband adopted them. They are just the sweetest things! We celebrated their birthday bowling and we all had a blast.
Rachel has done so well with the Christmas tree. I thought for sure that we would constantly be after her with touching and pulling ornaments off, but she is pretty gentle when she does decide to touch. She points to all the Santa's and says Ho Hooo. We just crack up every time she does it. I even got her to say it to my sisters' on the phone. We attended a "Breakfast with Santa" with the local YMCA and Rachel wanted absolutely no parts of him. She freaked out and clung to my neck like there was no tomorrow. I do want to take them to see Santa at the mall because it has been the same Santa since Jake went at a year old. Even if we all have to get in the picture.
Two weeks ago we took Rachel to get her ears pierced. I know, I know, there is a lot of controversy about getting little ones ears pierced before they can make the decision, but 99.9% of girls have their ears pierced and everyone I talk to says to get it done while they are young. I have always imagined my little girl with her ears pierced and honestly, I put it off way longer than I thought I would. See, Rachel flips out when we take her to the doctor's mainly because every time the poor thing goes, she gets 3 to four shots...she is really behind on her vaccinations. The thought of her crying and freaking out every time has delayed me in taking her to get her ears done. I figured since we have a three month break before additional shots, that I would finally take her. Well, I was way more upset than she was. I couldn't even watch and I started doubting myself for choosing to get her ears pierced. Rachel cried more over the swabbing of her ears with alcohol and the pen mark than the actual piercing. The girl was so quick and good that it was done in a matter of seconds and the crying stopped within 15 seconds. I'm not kidding, I was upset over nothing! She played with her ears for about two days and now she doesn't even mess with them. We clean them twice a day and she doesn't even fight us. Did I tell you how cute she looks? Now no one can confuse her as a little boy with her bald head (her hair is slowly coming in!).
We had Rachel baptized last month on November 9th. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dress that was made out of my wedding gown. I'm so glad I decided to do that. My friend Andrea's mother made the dress for me and it totally exceeded my expectations. Rachel will have this dress as an heirloom and hopefully some day her little girl or grandchild will wear the dress. She may need to have it altered again as most babies are baptized as infants and the dress fits a 24 month old. Who knows, I'm just glad I was able to pass something down to her. How many girl's do you know where their mother's wedding gown for their own wedding? I figured it would be a great use for my daughter's baptism. We made my sister, Sandy, and Jake the godparents. Jake was so proud of the honor! He's such a great big brother!
Jake started basketball season a few weeks ago. The games will start in January following the New Year. He's so excited and really enjoys the sport. He also participates in "after school sports" at school on Monday afternoons. He received his first report card in November and did extremely well with all A's and one B. He was upset over the "B", but hey, it could have been worse. I guess he was more upset over the fact that all A's would have meant that he would be allowed a cell phone when he got to sixth grade. That was the deal we made. We know that he's going to start participating in more after school events that we thought 6th grade would be a fair time to get a cell phone. He's been asking for one for 3 years and honestly, we felt there's no reason for him to have one when we pretty much dictate his schedule and who wants the extra monthly expense. That's the one thing Jake doesn't understand. He thinks you just buy the phone and that's it. He doesn't realize that you pay monthly for the service. He will be working real hard to earn that monthly expense! LOL!
I am going to ask you all for your prayers. I've been experiencing some health issues and we aren't quite sure what is going on. For the last six months, started right before leaving for China, I have had a lot of radiating pain throughout my body. Honestly, I was contributing it to stress, because we have definitely had a fair share of changes the last 6 months from going to China, getting a baby (a very good stress, but nonetheless, still stress) getting a pay cut, loosing my job, searching for a new job and starting a new job. I have seen the doctor several times about the different issues, but I guess I wasn't being completely honest because I was afraid that it was just in my head. I started back with a Chiropractor hoping to help alleviate some back and sinus issues. After breaking down while talking to the Chiropractor and completing a health assessment, she thinks that I may have fibromyalgia which was probably brought on with stress. Both my aunt and my grandmother were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have learned that it is a hereditary illness. I decided to go back to my family doctor to explain "all" that has been going on with me and she is ordering a bunch of tests. We aren't naming it anything right now, but hopefully these tests will tell us what is going. I lay awake at night so scared that something is seriously wrong with me. Please pray that it's something very simple and easily corrected. The thought of living with pain for the rest of my life scares me! But the thought of having something more serious is even more frightening. So please pray that we will figure this out and that it's something easily corrected.
On a happier note, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. I hope we all remember what this season is about and that we will take time to be thankful.
Love,
Dave, Sherry, Jake & Rachel
Monday, December 1, 2008
Happy Belated Thanksgiving
I hope that you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. Sorry again for the delay in posting, but honestly, my life has been a whirlwind in the last 4 to 6 weeks. I feel like life is flying by me these days and I'm struggling to keep up. We did get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sister and her family and boy did we have a lot to be thankful for.
I did finally get a job. I'm working in a totally different industry so it's been quite overwhelming since I started. My days are longer than what I was used to too! I leave the house at 7:15 AM and I don't get home until 5:30 or so. I hate the longer days, but I need a job too. I know we will get into a new routine and things will get easier, but these last few weeks have been very difficult and I'm exhausted! I miss spending time with the kids and I feel so rushed at night when I get home. I pray that God will help me get through it.
We had to say good-bye to Dave's grandfather who passed away last Tuesday. Grandpop would have been 93 years old in February. He has really deteriorated over the last couple of years and was no longer living a quality life. We attended his viewing and funeral service today. My fondest memory of him was his relationship with Jake. Jake really seemed to take to him when he was younger and I can picture Jake sitting on "PopPop Beanies" (Jake couldn't pronounce Cipollini) lap giving him a high five and doing slide which is when you slide your hands across the other persons hand. It was so cute. Grandpop came across as this tough old man but he really had a soft heart. I've seen him cry a few times, especially when giving Grandmom a sentimental gift or something. Grandpop was never the same when Grandmom died unexpectedly 6+ years ago. I'm surprised Grandpop lived 6+ years without her. We all thought he would never survive her death. I pray that PopPop is reunited with his love. We will miss you PopPop Beanie!
Our agency visited our home early November to do our 6 month post placement home study. Hard to believe it's only been 6 months. It feels like we've had Rachel forever! She is doing great and saying more and doing more. She keeps us on our toes for sure! She gets attention no matter where we go. She has this outgoing and adorable personality. You should see her at church. She puts on a show for everyone. We attend the 11:00 AM contemporary service where the music is a little more upbeat and she will dance her heart away. It's so cute to watch and everyone wants to just eat her up! LOL! Don't get me wrong, we do have a spicy girl on our hands! She lets you know when she's not happy or if you are bugging her. Poor Jake, he gets the brunt of it most times. Jake loves her so much, but he gets in her face too much. She let's him know with a swat or a pinch. She's getting a little better with the pinching, although she got me good on my cheek today because I wouldn't put her down. She knows when she's in trouble because I give her an evil look and she will rub my face and say niiii (nice). We've been using the time out method too. Her heart gets broken when we put her in time out. I can't look at her because I can't take the pouty lips and the tears. I am a softy sometimes. She's only 15 months old and she already knows how to work it!
Well, I hope you enjoy some updated photos.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Missing In Action
I know, I haven't updated my blog in over a month now and believe me, I've been hard on myself about it too! I promised myself when I started this blog that I would update at least every two weeks, but with the circumstances lately, I just didn't have it in me. I've been out of a job for over a month now and it's truly starting to worry me. I've never been in this situation before. With the current state of the economy, things aren't looking good. The holidays are approaching fast and that's concerning me even more.
With unemployment, I’m allowed to earn an additional $216 without it affecting my unemployment benefits. To help supplement our income, I took a part-time job with Lane Bryant. I’m working between 15 and 20 hours per week. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s giving us a few extra dollars each week to pay the bills. I’ve met with more job placement agencies than actual employers which is extremely discouraging. It’s been over 9 years since I was in the job market and things are done very differently these days. I was contacted last week by two employers and I interviewed with one of them on Friday. The gentleman I met with contacted me Friday night and they want to bring me in for a second interview. I’m thrilled about that. I also have another job interview this Friday. I’m hoping something comes out of these interviews. In the early part of my job search I thought I had landed a job, but then the market dropped over 800 points and the financial firm decided to hold off until things improve with the economy. Please keep us in your prayers as I continue my job search. All prayers are greatly appreciated. And if you know of any job opportunities in my area, please let me know and I would be happy to forward you a copy of my resume. I’m looking for an Executive Administrative position and/or Office Management. I’m not necessarily tied to the finance field.
Life of the Crist’s
We are enjoying life as a family of four. Rachel is truly a blessing and keeps us on our toes. She is a pro at walking now! She is all over the place and is getting into everything. If being a mother to a cruising almost 14 month old princess doesn’t help me loose weight, nothing will! Rachel is learning more and more words each day. Here’s what our little jabber jaws can say:
1. Night Night
2. More (and signs more at the same time)
3. Da Da
4. Ma Ma
5. Baby
6. Ba Ba (bottle)
7. Hot
8. Thank you
9. Yes (and shakes her head yes as she says it)
10.No No (points and shakes her finger when she says no no)
I’m truly amazed that she is saying so many words already. With hearing Chinese for the first 8 ½ months of her life, I really thought there would be a delay in her speech. Apparently I was wrong. This little princess is right on track.
Rachel really is a little social butterfly. She loves to talk to people and animals, especially dogs. Whenever we are out and about and Rachel sees a baby or a dog, she wants to give them a kiss. She puckers up and says mmm mmm. I love it, but we are trying to teach her that blowing kisses are just as good. She blows kisses very well too! I melt every time she blows me kisses when I’m leaving to go to work.
Jake is doing great too. He is busy with school and his extra curricular activities. Jake did win the student council election, so he is the Student Council Representative for his 5th grade class. He also joined the school paper which is new this year and he signed up to be a safety. Wow, so many responsibilities for a 10 year old. I’m proud of him though for taking on new challenges. Unfortunately, he learned that football isn’t for him though. Jake started asking us if he could quit football which we were absolutely against. The start of games in September seemed to prompt Jake’s change in football. Dave and I truly believe that once you commit yourself to something you need to follow through till the end. Well, the complaining of stomach pains on practice nights started. He seemed to be getting hurt a lot more and the crying before practices were becoming more and more frequent. I then found out that he was stressing so much about it in school that he was visiting the nurse once or twice a week. His anxiety was affecting the rest of the family too. After careful consideration and a long debate with Dave, we decided it was in Jake’s best interest to allow him to quit. I even talked with his counselor at school to make sure we were doing the right thing and she absolutely agreed that in this situation we should make an exception. We made it very clear to Jake that we don’t quit things and that we will not make a habit of this. He just feels that football “is not in his heart.” Playing with kids who have been playing for 5 years or so is extremely intimidating to a kid who has never played before, especially when it comes to hitting. To make Jake accountable, he had to break the news to the coach. I think that was the hardest thing he ever had to do. The coach felt badly for him and shared with him that his brother had the same problem and he also ended up quitting. But when he reached high school, he was their star player. The coach hated to see Jake leave after all his hard work, especially loosing so much weight to play. Jake heard that our church will be starting a flag football team and he was so excited about it. The only thing he said that he hated about football was hitting. Basketball will be starting within the next month or two and Jake is looking forward to that.
Our lives really have been uneventful in the last month. We need to watch our pennies, so we aren’t going out as much. Rachel will be baptized on November 9th, so we are looking forward to that. My sister and her husband will be visiting from North Carolina. This will be there first visit since we brought Rachel home. I can’t wait for them to meet her. Sadly, my parents haven’t seen Rachel yet. I’m not sure when we will be able to go to North Carolina to visit. We just can’t do it financially and not to mention that Rachel absolutely hates to be in the car. If we are in the car for more than 15 minutes, she starts freaking out. She doesn’t like to be confined! I don’t know how we will ever make the 8+ hour drive.
Well, I hope you enjoy the latest photos. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Prayers Needed...
Things have been a little stressful since returning to work back in August. One of the reasons is because I know the company I work for hasn't been doing well. The writing was on the wall, so I was actively looking for a new job. Unfortunately, I didn't find one fast enough. I was laid off yesterday afternoon around 2:30. Like I said, the writing was on the wall, but it still came as a complete shock. I'm getting a months severance and can collect unemployment. I've never been laid off before and I've never had to collect unemployment. I don't know why the word "unemployment" feels like a dirty word to me, but it does. I guess the word scares me more! I've always had a new job lined up before leaving a company. Finances have already been tough because I was hit with a pay cut upon returning from China which basically took about 30% of my salary. The summer wasn't as fun as I had planned, but I did get to spend time with my kids. I was bitter about the pay cut, but I was thinking of my many blessings and thankful that I still had a job at this point. I knew that God would get us through this, but now my faith is truly being tested. I'm scared! I'm scared that I won't find something. I'm scared we could lose our house! I'm scared that I won't be able to provide for my children. I'm scared that I won't find a job! PLEASE pray for us! And if you are reading this and you know of a job posting that I may be interested in, please let me know. I would be happy to forward my resume which will outline 20+ years of experience.
I am thinking about how worse off things could be. We have many blessings to think about and hopefully I can keep them in mind as my mind wonders and my heart feels bitter. At least we all have our health, we have beautiful children and I have a great husband who is extremely supportive. Thank God Dave has a job! He's been able to work a little overtime, so we will have to stash that money away for a rainy day!
With all that being said, Jake and Rachel are doing great. Jake's been back to school for a couple of weeks now and he finally got to play in his first football game last Saturday. Poor thing! Jake is running for Student Council Representative and he had to give a speech in front of his class yesterday. You know, Jake is pretty unbelievable. Most kids would never get up in front of a class of peers to give a report, let alone a speech he wrote running for student council. I am so incredibly impressed by him! I believe he finds out on Thursday who won the election. He was running against another boy in his class who he believes everyone likes. Even if he doesn't win, he should be so proud of himself for trying. If he does win, this will be his second time. His first election was in third grade and he did win! YOU GO JAKE!
Rachel is progressing incredibly well. She had her well visit on Monday and even the doctor was truly amazed. Rachel is almost full walking now. Last night she walked from my dining room to the couch in the living room without falling! She probably took about 20+ steps without falling. She is now blowing kisses which absolutely melts my heart (see the video attached!) and she LOVES music. She loves to dance to music (see video!). Rachel had to have four shots on Monday and the poor thing didn't do so well later on in the day. She was becoming very cranky and when Jake went to pick her up, she screamed bloody murder! When I took her to comfort her, she screamed again in agony. Her legs were hot to touch and I could tell you had a fever. I gave her a bath and she shivered so badly that I thought she was having convulsions. Her fever got to 102.8. It took me about an hour and half to calm her down and she finally fell asleep in my arms. I was so annoyed because I called the pediatrician and it took them an hour to call me back. She woke a lot during the night and when I went in the first time around 12:15 AM or so, she was still burning up. I gave her some tylenol and I was comforting her to help her fall back to sleep. As I said good night, she smiled and waved at me. As I was walking out her door, she blew me two kisses! OMG, she's even pretty darn cute at 12:15 in the morning! She was extremely restless all night, but she was in a very good mood the next morning even still with a low grade fever. Rachel currently weighs 23 lbs and 12 ounces and is 31 1/2 inches long. She's in the 97 percentile for height and 85 percentile for weight. Go figure! Whoever thought we would get a big Chinese baby! LOL! She fits right into our family! Jake has always been off the charts with his height and weight.
Jake also had his well visit and he was 5 feet 3 1/4 inches tall and weighed 124 lbs. He has been consistently off the charts since he was 3 months old. He did loose 8 lbs since last year though! The doctor was surprised by that. I just pray that his size 11 feet slow down and he will be wearing shoe boxes to school! LOL!
Rachel is consistently learning new words. She can say baby which sounds like "ba baaaa (long a sound)" and the word hot which sounds like "haaaahhhh". She says this and points to the stove. So darn cute! Jake and I both heard her say "bye bye" the other day. That was funny because Jake and I both looked at each other with these stunned looks after she said it. I thought maybe I was hearing things. She loves to give kisses and hugs, even to dogs! LOL. We were at Jake's football game last Saturday and there was this adorable puppy and she kept leaning over going "mmmmm" which means she wants a kiss. The puppy was happy to oblige! She did it again to my sister, Debbie's dog, Tess, last night. I just can't stand when a dog licks you let alone lick you on the lips! Can you say YUCK!
Well, that's pretty much what is going on in our household. I'm loving being a mom to two kids! What tremendous blessings we were given.
Please pray that I will find a job. Please pray that it will be soon! Also, please pray for the Whitney Family who is in China getting their adorable little girl, Aidan. Their blog is http://www.whitneygang.blogspot.com/. You must go and read thier blog and follow their adoption journey.
Love you all!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
RACHEL'S FIRST STEPS!
Here is Rachel taking some of her first steps. It's amazing how far our little girl has come. Almost four months ago when she was placed in our arms, she couldn't even roll over or sit up. At one year old, now look at her. We are so in love with our little ladybug. I hope you enjoy the mini clip!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
I'm Surviving!
I'm surviving being back to work. I started my 4th week today and it has been a challenge, but I'm getting through it. Rachel is doing absolutely wonderful at her mommom's house. Rachel is such an adaptable little girl. My first week started off not as planned. Our first Monday morning was going great! I dropped Jake and Rachel off at mommom's and I even kept my composure when I left the house. I got choked up when I got in the car, but I reminded myself that Rachel was in good hands and I also reminded myself how blessed we are that we don't have to put her in daycare. Rachel is being cared for by someone who loves her very much while we have to work. To help me ease back into my routine and to spend a little time with Jake in the afternoon, I decided that I would only work half days my first week back to work. So I mentally prepared myself that I would only miss a few hours of Rachel and that I would see her in the early afternoon before she went down for her afternoon nap. Well, when I got into my car to head to the office, I had a voicemail from my Supervisor telling me that she was sick with a stomach bug and that I would have to work a full day. Well, I pretty much lost it at that point. Unfortunately, we have a skeleton crew in our office these days, so there needs to be coverage. I understand all that, but it still was upsetting. I couldn't wait to see Rachel and Jake at the end of my day. I really missed them and wondered how Rachel would act when she saw me. I wondered what was going on in her head when I left her and when she didn't see me for over 8 hours! I walked up to the screen door and I could hear mom talking to Rachel. I peeked into the screen door and mom was holding Rachel on the floor. When mom saw me, she said "Uh Oh, there's mommy!" Rachel looked up at the screen door and she started pointing at me and laughing. She couldn't get in my arms fast enough. She just let me hold her and laid her head on my shoulder and patted my arm. She must have stayed like that for about 5 minutes. It was so heartwarming. She missed her mommy as much as her mommy missed her! Each day she was as happy to see me as I was to see her. The following week was a bigger challenge working full days, but I got through it.
Another reason why I worked half days my first week was to spend some time with Jake. Being at mommom's with 6 toddlers and preschoolers isn't very stimulating for him. I knew he would get bored and end up being bossy with the little ones because he thinks helping. He had three more weeks before school started and camp already ended for the summer. We had a great time together. We went to the movies one day, bowling another day and we went for ice cream and a haircut another day. It was so nice spending time with him. He really is an unbelievable kid and I feel so incredibly blessed to be his mother.
You should see how bruised Jake's body is from football. I sure hope people don't think he's being abused by his parents! The bruises on his arms are horrible and I notice people staring at them. He's even had people ask what happened to his arms. I told him to start wearing shirts with sleeves so people will stop staring. They really are horrible to look at. I just pray that he doesn't get hurt. It's tough watching practice sometimes, especially when they are practicing hitting. The sound of these boys colliding sends chills up my spine. When I see them just laying there after a hit, all these horrible thoughts run through my mind. Jake seems to be enjoying it more and more. He's doing well with loosing some of the weight he needs to loose to play in games. Since the beginning of August, he's lost 8 pounds. We still have about 4 more pounds to go. I'm proud of him for sticking to water only and not eating after 7:00 PM. His first game was on August 31st and unfortunately he didn't make the weight. He had to sit out for his first game. What a huge disappointment for a kid especially after practicing 4 nights a week for 2 1/2 hours for an entire month. The team lost their first game, but hopefully they will get the next one and hopefully Jake will get to play too!
Today is Jake's first day back to school. He started 5th grade this year and honestly, that is hard to swallow. My little man is growing up! He would be mortified if he knew I called him my "little man." He had a pretty good day and seems to like his teacher. There are four Jake's in his class this year! I really feel for the teacher. You would think they would break them up a little bit. He seemed to be happy with his classmates this year. Of course he doesn't like any of the girls! I think he's putting on a front. LOL!
GUESS WHO'S ALMOST WALKING?????
Guess who is just about walking?! Yep, Rachel is taking more and more steps each day. So hard to believe how far this little angel has come since being home with us. She actually took a couple of steps on her birthday. Last night, she took about 5 steps before lunging in my arms. She's so cute and getting braver and braver each day. She is very comfortable standing without holding onto anything. She walks very well with her walking toy. It's so funny how she knows how to maneuver around furniture and whatnot. She is so proud of herself!
We officially switched Rachel from formula to milk last week and she seems to like it a lot better. I still warm it if I give it to her in a bottle, especially at night. I figure it would help her sleep if anything. Chinese children, especially those in orphanages, are used to very hot food and liquids. I've gradually reduced the temperature since bringing her home. I was so afraid her mouth would burn. I decided to give Rachel organic whole milk instead of regular store bought. There is so much controversy over hormones and antibiotics added to dairy products. I actually switched our family over to organic milk about a year ago and I feel pretty good about my choice as well. I know some don't believe that we can be harmed from hormone additives, but the information I read was too compelling to ignore. Researchers believe that these hormones are causing our children to hit puberty early, especially in females. Hey, I'm not ready anytime soon for puberty for Jake nor Rachel!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Happy 1st Birthday Princess
Today is our baby girl's 1st birthday. How unbelievable is that? She's one and we got to celebrate her first birthday with her. She's amazing and doing incredibly well. Things we got to witness in the last three months:
- Rolling over
- Sitting up on her own
- Finding her asleep on her belly (she hated being on her belly when we first got her in China)
- Going from a laying position to a sitting position
- Rocking on all fours
- Crawling
- Pulling herself up on furniture
- Finding her standing in her crib
- Cruising around furniture
- Her first true word "baby" which sounds like "bebee!" (she says this whenever she sees a baby)
- Getting to see four of her seven teeth grow in
- Pinching (and it hurts too!)
- Drinking out of a sippy cup
- Finger grasping finger foods
- Eating table food
- Falling down and hitting her head
- Her first boo boo (happened at mommom's house!)
- Hugging us and saying "aww awwwwwh"
- Giving us kisses
- Standing on her own without holding onto anything
- Getting walking shoes this past weekend
- Celebrating her first birthday!
- Watching her bald head getting hair (LOL!)
We are so thrilled that we get to see so many of her firsts. I'm sure there are many more that I can't seem to think about right now. She amazes each day with something new.
We celebrated her first birthday on Saturday at a local park and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The weather was cooperative and the pavilion we were located at shaded us perfectly from the sun. The wind was a little bit of a challenge, but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Family and friends joined in on the celebration. We had pizza, veggies, fruit, chips and of course a huge cake from The Dutch Oven Bakery! The cake was beautiful with flowers and ladybugs and it was delicious too. I need to get rid of it or I will keep eating it till it's gone!
I left Rachel at our house with Mommom so she could nap while Dave took Jake to get football pictures done and Andrea and I went and picked up balloons and headed to the park to decorate the pavilion. Rachel made her grand appearance around 3:00 as guests were arriving. Rachel had on the cutest little pink and brown polka dot party dress with little white with pink trim ruffled socks and her new black maryjane shoes (I know, they should have been brown!). Mommom bought her a princess party hat which she sported adorably! After about 15 minutes, she had enough of the hat though! Rachel got to meet some of our family and friends for the first time on Saturday.
When we all sang Happy Birthday to Rachel she looked at us like we were crazy white people! LOL. I don't think she knew what to make of it all. She actually looked a little frightened, but that didn't stop her from digging her hands into her cake. When Rachel dug her hands into the cake she decided to put her hands on her head. There was cake all over her! That's okay, the cake went well with her outfit!
Afterwards we opened lots of gifts. Jake did a great job helping his sister open all her presents. Rachel got so many adorable outfits and fun toys. Some of Rachel's favorites were the ladybug that was educational and played music, a toy cellphone, a stuffed ladybug that opens it mouth where you put a stuffed cupcake into it, a fisher price pink bus that plays music and has little people, a pink telephone, an educational storybook, a toy pelican with balls that go in its mouth, and a baby doll. Some of my favorites that Rachel can't quite appreciate yet are a ceramic panda bear bank, a beautiful gold bracelet (which hasn't come off of her since we put it on her. It looks beautiful on her wrist), all the adorable outfits including a really pretty red ladybug dress, a baby album, and her own bowls, plate, spoon and fork set. We truly appreciate all the wonderful gifts and we thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity. It was a great day for her birthday celebration. Unfortunately we were competing with vacations and other parties which took up half our our guest list, but it was a great celebration.
Today is Rachel's actual birthday. Dave, Jake and I couldn't wait till she woke up so we could rush into her room with lots of kisses and hugs. We finally heard her around 6:45 where she yelled "uh ohhhhh"! It was so cute. The three of us went into her room singing Happy Birthday, and again, she looked at us like we were crazy! I think the weekend tapped her out because she was so tired and acted very subdued this morning. Mom ended up putting her back to bed around 8:45 AM and she didn't protest at all. Normally she will cry for a minute or so, but not this morning.
I feel so joyous today to be able to celebrate Rachel's first birthday but I also have sadness in my heart. I know that somewhere in China, there is a birth mother and maybe a birth father, grieving over the loss of their little girl. I cried for them this morning on my way into work. I wish there was some way for them to know that their little girl is okay and that she is being loved beyond words. I want to thank them for placing Rachel in a place where she could be found. I want to thank them for giving birth to the most amazing and beautiful little girl. I want to thank them for choosing life! I wish they could know how happy, well loved, well cared for, our little girl is. I prayed this morning to God and asked him to give them peace and comfort in their hearts. I prayed that God would give them a sign of some kind to let them know that she is with a family who loves her so very much. This day will always be a memory for Rachel's birth family and I pray that it won't always make them sad. I pray that they find God so they can have peace in their heart and soul. If you pray or even if you don't pray, please pray today, for Rachel's birth parent's.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL! You have no idea how happy you make us! Your mommy, daddy and big brother love you so very much! I hope you always will remember that.
Monday, August 4, 2008
This and that...
Monday, August 4th, 2008
Baby girl isn't feeling well today. She just isn't quite herself. Her nose has been running for a little over a week now which I think is due to her teething. But today she just kind of laid around off and on and she wasn't her vocal self. We called the doctor, but he said to give it another day or so and see how she is. If she isn't better, we should bring her in. Teething can cause some ear pain and a runny nose. I gave her some tylenol before putting her to bed tonight. I hope it doesn't turn into anything more serious.
Rachel is definitely a stubborn little thing. She has gotten into this habit of pinching me on my chest right below my neck. She seems to know how to grab that little piece of skin with her thumb and forefinger. OMG, does it hurt! I ended up tapping her fingers today after telling her no four times and removing her hands! Her feelings were hurt, but didn't that little bugger try and pinch me again! She is truly testing me! Any suggestions on how to stop this little habit?
Jake had his second football practice tonight and he seemed to really enjoy it. The coaches were impressed with his kicking capability. He has a lot to learn since he's never played football before, but he seems to be up for the challenge.
We had quite a fun day yesterday. We had brunch with friends of ours from church who had a baby in December. They have the same family dynamics as us with a 10 year old son and a 8 month old little boy. Jake and their 10 year old, Clay, went to kindergarten together at Chesterbrook Academy. We really enjoyed our visit with them. Their little guy, Reed, is a big boy! HOLY MOLY! He's so chunky and I love his cheeks. He looks just like his older brother too.
Last night we were invited to dinner at another friend's house. Jake and their son, Jake (all Jake's friends are named Jake - LOL!), go to school together. It was so nice hanging out with them, especially since we haven't done so in quite some time. Funny thing, Dave and I were both stung by bees at their house! It really hurt too! I haven't been stung in years. My finger, hand, and wrist are still throbbing and itching like crazy. Dave got stung on the inner part of his forearm. Other than that, it was great catching up with our friends.
I had my balance test done today at the Ears, Nose and Throat doctor. It was quite uncomfortable for an hour and half. The first part of the test they hooked me up to electrodes and put ear phones in my ears and played different sounds which were loud and obnoxious. She then put saline in my ears and repeated the same sounds. That was a weird feeling. The second part of the test she had me sit in front of this bar thing where I had to follow a red ball with my eyes. The third part of the test which made me extremely dizzy and nauseous is she blew cold and warm air into my ears for about a minute each. I thought I was going to pass out right there or vomit all over the place. It was awful. I was so glad when it was all over. I have a follow up appointment on Friday to go over all the tests I had done since seeing them. Hopefully they can tell me why I do have dizzy spells and why I still have these weird pains and sensations in my head.
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
We spent the day at Mommom's yesterday to get Rachel used to being there since I'm going back to work next week. Rachel did very well. I put her down for a nap at 2:00 PM and she fell asleep within 20 minutes. I think she would have fallen asleep sooner if she Jake hadn't come into the room. Anyway, she slept for 2 hours. I was thrilled with that. I stayed in the room until she fell asleep. Today, I will try and sneak out a little sooner so she doesn't get used to me being in the room.
Rachel seems to be feeling better. Thank God. She still has a little cough which sounds a little congested. If it worsens, we will go to the doctor. Hopefully it's just the teething.
Rachel realized that she can now push her spit out of her mouth. I truly believe this little girl is testing me. She looks right at me and will let her spit come out of her mouth. She even did this with her cereal this morning. I put a spoon full of cereal in her mouth and she spit it right out. I think I'm in big trouble! LOL!
I went to Babies R Us last night with Rachel and my mother in-law while Jake and Dave were at football practice. I can't tell you how excited I am because we found the cutest ladybug princess costume. I just love it! We tried it on Rachel in the store because they only had a 36 month and I was afraid it might be too big. Rachel was meant to be a ladybug princess because it fit with a little room to spare. By Halloween it will fit her perfectly with some black tights and black patten leather shoes. OMG, I can't wait to post pictures at Halloween. LOL!
While I was at Babies R Us, I asked about returning a stroller that my dear friend, Andrea, bought for Rachel. When we purchased the stroller, we must have spent an hour or more in the stroller isle testing strollers. Anyway, we decided on this stroller and I absolutely can't stand using it now. There is no walking room in the back of the stroller. When I push the stroller, my feet hit the wheels and the handle bars are actually too high. I thought I would like this, but they really are too high. Well, Babies R Us said that I could return it even without the packaging, as long as we have the receipt. Thank God Andrea held onto the receipt. I feel bad returning it after we spent so much time, but it really is not comfortable to push. We're going to go Thursday and look for a new one.
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
I decided to take Rachel to the doctor today because her cough is becoming more persistent. We got a 10:00 AM appointment with Dr. Solomon. Our pediatrician office is great for getting us in quickly when we have a sick child. Anyway, as soon as the nurse stuck the thermometer in her ear to take her temp, she screamed bloody murder and didn't stop until we left the doctor's office. I'm not kidding, you would have thought someone was torturing the poor thing the way she was screaming. I think the nurse was a little harsh when putting the thermometer in her ear, but she even screamed the entire time the doctor tried to listen to her chest and she was in my arms. And she was just getting started, because when the doctor asked me to lay her down so he could continue examining her, a whole other scream came out of her. I'm sure she associates the doctors office with with needles and pain. We have never gone where she wasn't having blood drawn or shots. Dr. Solomon said that her age does have some memory at this point. Great, just what I needed to hear! Well, everything was clear and no infections. Basically nasal passages are congested and her one nostril is swollen. They want me to give her benadryl at night to help her breathe a little better which will help alleviate her cough. Our big girl weighed 23 lbs and 4 oz! Growing is not an issue for sure. LOL!
I found Rachel standing in her crib this morning. She was so proud of herself. I ran and grabbed my camera and she totally posed for me! Gosh, this girl is so cute. She really makes me laugh.
We went and visited Living Hope Adoption Agency today. I just love the people there. They are so genuinely happy for us and they love seeing the children and family's they help build. The girl's work so hard to get us through the adoption process, so it must be so gratifying to them to see the end result of their hard work when the children visit them in the office. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have our little blessing in our lives. We thank God for all of them!
Rachel did very well at mommom's today. Mommom fed her a bottle and put her down for her nap. She even left her while she was still awake and she only fussed for a little bit. Rachel did start to cry after a bit, so mommom checked on her and thought she was probably cold and needed to be recovered. That must of been it, because we didn't hear another peep out of her for two hours. Tomorrow I'm going to leave her for most of the day. I hate to do that since I only have 3 more days before going back to work! Oh how I'm dreading it!
Sunday, August 10th, 2oo8
Tomorrow is going to be a sad day for me! Can you hear the sorrow in my words? I am so dreading going back to work. I'm going to miss Rachel and Jake terribly. It has been wonderful being home most of the summer with them. I'll tell you though, it flew by! It is comforting knowing that Rachel will be at my mother in-law's and not in a daycare right away. We had a very good week at mommom's house. I left her on Friday to see how she would do and I don't think she missed me much at all. Having all the kids there really keeps her busy and preoccupied. I do think my mother in-law will have her hands full. Mom even watched Jake and Rachel so that Dave and I could go to dinner and a movie Friday night. It was nice to get out and focus on us.
Rachel is still suffering from her cough. She wakes up between 3:00 and 5:00 AM with a coughing attack which lasts about 5 minutes or so. But then she's awake for a little while before falling back to asleep. We all are awake at that point because she can be pretty loud when she's talking to herself. LOL!
I found a new fruit that Rachel loves! Blueberries. OMG, she could not get enough of them yesterday when I fed them to her for lunch with some vanilla yogurt. This morning I made blueberry pancakes and they were delicious! Jake and Dave don't know what they are missing. I usually am not a fan of blueberries, but the ones I bought from Trader Joe's are sweet and delicious. Apparently, it's blueberry season. Hmm, I guess that explains it.
Oh well, keep me in your prayers this week as I head back to work. I know each day will get easier. I really enjoyed my time off and now we are heading back to reality.
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