Cavin, Baby C and Rance
21 Weeks and 5 Days!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
November!!
I can't believe it is November already, but I am really excited that it is! I am most definitely looking forward to the holiday's this year, as we missed out on everything last year being in Ukraine. I am excited to spend time with family and friends, I am excited to bake and for all of the yummy food, and I am so excited for Rance to experience the holiday's for the very first time!
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. My cervix looked fabulous! I was 18 weeks and 3 days, and with Cavin, at this point, my cervix was already doing its thing and I was put on bed rest by 20 weeks. So we are so thankful to see my cervix still behaving! Baby C looked great, although was sleeping! We did get the sex confirmed, 110% with a second ultrasound after seeing the doc. Will be sharing the big news soon.
I will be 19 weeks on Friday, only 5 weeks until our first big goal which is 24 weeks!! That is when Baby C will be viable, to have a chance at surviving outside of the womb! With as well as my cervix is doing, we aren't really worried about reaching this mark, but I will still feel much better when we do!
I should post pictures of Halloween, the boys had so much fun. They both went as Spiderman, as that is the only costume we have for Rance that fits, and well, Cavin of course had to be just like Rance! We went to our church's trunk or treat on Sunday, and then trick or treating with friends Monday night. It was so fun to watch all of Rance's excitement, and surprisingly fun to see how much Cavin got into it!
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. My cervix looked fabulous! I was 18 weeks and 3 days, and with Cavin, at this point, my cervix was already doing its thing and I was put on bed rest by 20 weeks. So we are so thankful to see my cervix still behaving! Baby C looked great, although was sleeping! We did get the sex confirmed, 110% with a second ultrasound after seeing the doc. Will be sharing the big news soon.
I will be 19 weeks on Friday, only 5 weeks until our first big goal which is 24 weeks!! That is when Baby C will be viable, to have a chance at surviving outside of the womb! With as well as my cervix is doing, we aren't really worried about reaching this mark, but I will still feel much better when we do!
I should post pictures of Halloween, the boys had so much fun. They both went as Spiderman, as that is the only costume we have for Rance that fits, and well, Cavin of course had to be just like Rance! We went to our church's trunk or treat on Sunday, and then trick or treating with friends Monday night. It was so fun to watch all of Rance's excitement, and surprisingly fun to see how much Cavin got into it!
Baby C, 18 Weeks, 3 Days
Thursday, October 20, 2011
A Day at Home
Life has been extremely busy lately, and I feel like I can't catch up! Today I get to be home all day! Rance has school and Matt work, but they will be home all evening, thanks to the weather being to cold for Rance's soccer practice.
I am planning on putting a big pot of chili on the stove to simmer and baking some pumpkin bread and pumpkin seeds! I also have a lot of things I need to get done around the house that have been put off far to long. I have a small list of things I want to accomplish today, so we'll see how it goes. It will be hard to get out of bed when I am still feeling so tired and Cavin has been so snugly lately!
Baby C Update
Tomorrow I will be 17 weeks! I am going to the doctor every other week for right now, because my cervix has been looking great! This week it shortened a bit, but nothing to be concerned about. This appointment and the one two weeks before, our sonographer has tried to tell us the sex of Baby C, but so far we still have question marks at the end, although she is pretty sure. I am hoping our next ultrasound will provide confirmation complete with exclamation points!! I have been put on a very light rest regimen due to some cramping last week that still comes and goes, but has been much better. I am still allowed to do life, just to take it easy when I can, especially if I am having any cramping. Baby C is growing like a weed, crazy how quickly they grow and change!
Rance is currently in his first full week of school! We were definitely blessed with a local private school that is just a few miles from our church, in which Rance attends. With him being in school we have definitely been reminded of how short of a time we have had him! He has adjusted so well it is easy for us to forget we have only had him just over 8 months. Although it was a really hard decision to make to put him in school, we knew that is what he needed most. So far he has loved it! We have been busy trying to learn all of the ins and outs of the school and how they do things. Its kind of weird to be parents of a second grader already!
Cavin also goes to school, and will bug us about it from the time we drop Rance off until the time we get to his school! He will constantly ask about his school and seeing his teacher! I help a teacher at the preschool at our church 2 days a week, so Cavin hangs out with our class as well. Although he is only 2, he will sit and color as long, if not longer, than our 4 year olds! Between learning at school and me working with him at home, he has learned his colors (big thanks to Fruit Loops and his obsession with them!), he can count and is beginning to recognize his numbers and letters. He also knows all of his shapes. He is growing up so fast and changes everyday!
Well, if I am going to get my small list accomplished along with resting, I had better get started!
I am planning on putting a big pot of chili on the stove to simmer and baking some pumpkin bread and pumpkin seeds! I also have a lot of things I need to get done around the house that have been put off far to long. I have a small list of things I want to accomplish today, so we'll see how it goes. It will be hard to get out of bed when I am still feeling so tired and Cavin has been so snugly lately!
Baby C Update
Tomorrow I will be 17 weeks! I am going to the doctor every other week for right now, because my cervix has been looking great! This week it shortened a bit, but nothing to be concerned about. This appointment and the one two weeks before, our sonographer has tried to tell us the sex of Baby C, but so far we still have question marks at the end, although she is pretty sure. I am hoping our next ultrasound will provide confirmation complete with exclamation points!! I have been put on a very light rest regimen due to some cramping last week that still comes and goes, but has been much better. I am still allowed to do life, just to take it easy when I can, especially if I am having any cramping. Baby C is growing like a weed, crazy how quickly they grow and change!
Rance is currently in his first full week of school! We were definitely blessed with a local private school that is just a few miles from our church, in which Rance attends. With him being in school we have definitely been reminded of how short of a time we have had him! He has adjusted so well it is easy for us to forget we have only had him just over 8 months. Although it was a really hard decision to make to put him in school, we knew that is what he needed most. So far he has loved it! We have been busy trying to learn all of the ins and outs of the school and how they do things. Its kind of weird to be parents of a second grader already!
Cavin also goes to school, and will bug us about it from the time we drop Rance off until the time we get to his school! He will constantly ask about his school and seeing his teacher! I help a teacher at the preschool at our church 2 days a week, so Cavin hangs out with our class as well. Although he is only 2, he will sit and color as long, if not longer, than our 4 year olds! Between learning at school and me working with him at home, he has learned his colors (big thanks to Fruit Loops and his obsession with them!), he can count and is beginning to recognize his numbers and letters. He also knows all of his shapes. He is growing up so fast and changes everyday!
Well, if I am going to get my small list accomplished along with resting, I had better get started!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Good News!!
So a couple of things...
First, we have decided to call this baby, Baby C! Although we find out the sex, we keep the name a secret until the baby is born. However, I don't like calling the baby "it" or just he or she all of the time. So we try to come up with a fun name for the baby during pregnancy. Cavin was Baby Red after his Aunt Redner. Baby C is named such because this is my third pregnancy (third letter of the alphabet), and whether it is a boy or a girl, there will be a "C" somewhere in its name!
So, today was my first appointment since the surgery. My cervix checked out great, measuring at 4.4! Baby C was super active, we even got to see him/her moving its mouth! Baby C is growing perfectly, he/she actually measured 2 days ahead!
Everything looked so great, Dr. T said instead of coming in every week like he was thinking, I was able to make BI-WEEKLY appointments for the rest of the year! Definitely exciting!
We also found out what we were having today, but since it is still so early in the pregnancy, we're going to wait until after my next ultrasound in two weeks to share the big news!
We are so thankful this pregnancy is off to such a great start, and we continue to pray that God will keep Baby C safe in my tummy until I am full term!
First, we have decided to call this baby, Baby C! Although we find out the sex, we keep the name a secret until the baby is born. However, I don't like calling the baby "it" or just he or she all of the time. So we try to come up with a fun name for the baby during pregnancy. Cavin was Baby Red after his Aunt Redner. Baby C is named such because this is my third pregnancy (third letter of the alphabet), and whether it is a boy or a girl, there will be a "C" somewhere in its name!
So, today was my first appointment since the surgery. My cervix checked out great, measuring at 4.4! Baby C was super active, we even got to see him/her moving its mouth! Baby C is growing perfectly, he/she actually measured 2 days ahead!
Everything looked so great, Dr. T said instead of coming in every week like he was thinking, I was able to make BI-WEEKLY appointments for the rest of the year! Definitely exciting!
We also found out what we were having today, but since it is still so early in the pregnancy, we're going to wait until after my next ultrasound in two weeks to share the big news!
We are so thankful this pregnancy is off to such a great start, and we continue to pray that God will keep Baby C safe in my tummy until I am full term!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tired and Thankful
I am already tired of bed rest, and its been 2 and 1/2 days, and I've been able to sit up, fix my own food, and meet my parents for dinner to pick up my sweet boys. Trying to figure out how on earth I laid flat for well over 3 months, not sitting up, with a 10 step allowance for walking at a time, a 5 minute shower allowance that I fought for, and Matt fixing my food for me each day before leaving for work.
I have no idea how I did it, but I am so thankful that we were able to do the cerclage this go around, and praying it will keep me from strict bed rest!
I am feeling great. My lower back is still a little sore from the spinal, and my lower tummy is sore when I bend or move around a lot, but both of those should continue to gradually fade away. I wasn't sure what I expected to feel like afterwards, but I know I didn't expect to feel this good!
So today should be my last day of rest, then tomorrow I will be allowed to start slowly exploring the limits of what my body can handle. Still, there will be things I am not allowed to do, the hardest being not allowed to pick up Cavin. While I will be sure to find other ways to get my snuggles, it will be hard for him to understand why I can't pick him up.
Last but not least, I am also thankful to have the most giving husband in the world. Typically being pregnant requires a lot of sacrifice on the mom's part and little on the husband's. However, in our situation, it requires as much, if not more sacrifice for Matt. I am hoping this go around won't be as much as the last, but I know whatever it takes, Matt will do without complaining. He is already stepping up to help out with the things I am no longer able to do, and I am so thankful for his willing and giving spirit.
A prayer request outside of this pregnancy, Matt and I are really thinking about and praying about putting Rance in school. While he is excelling with home schooling, we feel he really, really needs to social aspect of school and being around kids his age. Matt is much more at ease with putting him in school, but his protective mom is having a hard time letting go! So we continue to pray and seek out what will be best for Rance.
We also are praying to close on our home at the end of October, and in the meantime that God leads us to the perfect home for us in Wentzville.
Lots going on in our family, but I will try to do better updating our blog in the midst of the craziness!
I have no idea how I did it, but I am so thankful that we were able to do the cerclage this go around, and praying it will keep me from strict bed rest!
I am feeling great. My lower back is still a little sore from the spinal, and my lower tummy is sore when I bend or move around a lot, but both of those should continue to gradually fade away. I wasn't sure what I expected to feel like afterwards, but I know I didn't expect to feel this good!
So today should be my last day of rest, then tomorrow I will be allowed to start slowly exploring the limits of what my body can handle. Still, there will be things I am not allowed to do, the hardest being not allowed to pick up Cavin. While I will be sure to find other ways to get my snuggles, it will be hard for him to understand why I can't pick him up.
Last but not least, I am also thankful to have the most giving husband in the world. Typically being pregnant requires a lot of sacrifice on the mom's part and little on the husband's. However, in our situation, it requires as much, if not more sacrifice for Matt. I am hoping this go around won't be as much as the last, but I know whatever it takes, Matt will do without complaining. He is already stepping up to help out with the things I am no longer able to do, and I am so thankful for his willing and giving spirit.
A prayer request outside of this pregnancy, Matt and I are really thinking about and praying about putting Rance in school. While he is excelling with home schooling, we feel he really, really needs to social aspect of school and being around kids his age. Matt is much more at ease with putting him in school, but his protective mom is having a hard time letting go! So we continue to pray and seek out what will be best for Rance.
We also are praying to close on our home at the end of October, and in the meantime that God leads us to the perfect home for us in Wentzville.
Lots going on in our family, but I will try to do better updating our blog in the midst of the craziness!
Monday, September 26, 2011
As Perfect as Can Be
I am writing this post from my hospital room, but I will be going home tonight!!
Our morning started early, 4am, giving me time to get showered and ready, drive the 45 minutes to the hospital and have time to stop and get Matt his morning Coke and breakfast!
We got here and the process got started right away. I got me some lovely green hospital gowns and the coolest booties! The only part I was really nervous about was that they had me down for going under general anesthesia, and I wasn't sure how I felt about going all the way under. I was praying that they would let me do a spinal with local anesthesia. All of the nurses with the beginning stuff commented on how much they too love my doc, which I completely agreed with!
After all of the preliminaries were taken care of we were taken back to another room where we met and talked with my doc about every detail of the procedure. I talked with him about not wanting to do general anesthesia, which he understood, and said I was lucky, because I had the best anesthesiologist there. He said if anyone would be willing to do the spinal, it would be him! I love answered prayer!
Right after we finished talking with Dr. T, the anesthesiologist, Dr. B, came in, who was super sweet with his accent, and after introductions, his first words were: "I would like to do a spinal rather than general, because I feel that is safest for the baby...." I didn't even have to ask! I love how God loves and takes care of us!
So once Dr. B got the iv started we were off to the operating room. A nurse was there from labor and delivery to listen to the baby's heartbeat. She really never found it, and the longer it went, the more nervous I got. She just wasn't used to finding heartbeats on baby's so small. I just continued to pray, and in walked Dr. T. He took one look at my face, gently took the dopplar, immediately found the baby's heartbeat, then looked at me and winked. I love how he knows and understands my fears, without even asking.
Next up was the spinal, which wasn't bad at all, Dr. B was awesome. The first time Dr. T asked me how I was doing, after I said good, he said, well, I'm already about half way done! It only took him about 15 minutes to put the stitches in. Got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and then I was taken to recovery for an hour, and finally a room upstairs in the "nesting ward." One of the nurses looked at me and said you look familiar, have you been here before? I just laughed and said yes, several times with my last pregnancy.
It took a while for the numbness to wear off, and the dizziness finally went away once they let me eat! Since then I have been feeling great! Little to no cramping, absolutely no contractions, and little to no bleeding. We couldn't have asked for things to be going better! Now we are waiting for Dr. T to come after office hours to give me my do's and don'ts list before discharging me!
Thank you all for praying, and praise God for graciously answering!
Our morning started early, 4am, giving me time to get showered and ready, drive the 45 minutes to the hospital and have time to stop and get Matt his morning Coke and breakfast!
We got here and the process got started right away. I got me some lovely green hospital gowns and the coolest booties! The only part I was really nervous about was that they had me down for going under general anesthesia, and I wasn't sure how I felt about going all the way under. I was praying that they would let me do a spinal with local anesthesia. All of the nurses with the beginning stuff commented on how much they too love my doc, which I completely agreed with!
After all of the preliminaries were taken care of we were taken back to another room where we met and talked with my doc about every detail of the procedure. I talked with him about not wanting to do general anesthesia, which he understood, and said I was lucky, because I had the best anesthesiologist there. He said if anyone would be willing to do the spinal, it would be him! I love answered prayer!
Right after we finished talking with Dr. T, the anesthesiologist, Dr. B, came in, who was super sweet with his accent, and after introductions, his first words were: "I would like to do a spinal rather than general, because I feel that is safest for the baby...." I didn't even have to ask! I love how God loves and takes care of us!
So once Dr. B got the iv started we were off to the operating room. A nurse was there from labor and delivery to listen to the baby's heartbeat. She really never found it, and the longer it went, the more nervous I got. She just wasn't used to finding heartbeats on baby's so small. I just continued to pray, and in walked Dr. T. He took one look at my face, gently took the dopplar, immediately found the baby's heartbeat, then looked at me and winked. I love how he knows and understands my fears, without even asking.
Next up was the spinal, which wasn't bad at all, Dr. B was awesome. The first time Dr. T asked me how I was doing, after I said good, he said, well, I'm already about half way done! It only took him about 15 minutes to put the stitches in. Got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and then I was taken to recovery for an hour, and finally a room upstairs in the "nesting ward." One of the nurses looked at me and said you look familiar, have you been here before? I just laughed and said yes, several times with my last pregnancy.
It took a while for the numbness to wear off, and the dizziness finally went away once they let me eat! Since then I have been feeling great! Little to no cramping, absolutely no contractions, and little to no bleeding. We couldn't have asked for things to be going better! Now we are waiting for Dr. T to come after office hours to give me my do's and don'ts list before discharging me!
Thank you all for praying, and praise God for graciously answering!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
So Begins...
A new, yet the same, journey for us. We are expecting Baby Richards number 6, due March 30th!! I took the home test while Matt was away at church camp at the end of July, and boy, was it hard to wait for him to get home and share the news Friday night!!
We are all very excited. Cavin loves babies, and loves to look at the ultrasound pictures of his baby! Rance's first questions were, 1: How does the baby come out of mommy's tummy" and 2: What does it eat? The joys of having a seven year old who has questions about everything!!
I am currently just over 13 weeks, and am still feeling exhausted, but thankful to be over the nausea for the most part. I began to show rather early, definitely was showing by 10 weeks. I expected it, with it being my third pregnancy, but it still caught me off guard when I looked down and discovered a hard baby bump!
Tomorrow is a big day for me, I will be having a cerclage, in which they will stitch my cervix shut. It is a rather easy procedure, but could stir up contractions and will cause bleeding so I will most likely be in the hospital until Tuesday to be monitored. I am a little nervous about the procedure, but trying to lay my nerves at His feet and rest in the peace of His good and perfect plan for this pregnancy, whatever that may be.
The goal of having the cerclage is to keep me off of bed rest and out of the hospital! Definitely goals I want to achieve having 2 active boys at home to keep up with! Not wanting to repeat the almost 4 months of bed rest, flat on my back, like I got to have with Cavin along with the multiple scares that he would come early.
I am so thankful for my doctor. I love that he does things just to reassure my nerves, that he realizes not only is it crucial to get my baby to full term, but to do so with a mommy who is not anxious and nervous the entire time. But most of all, I love that I can trust him completely. I love that I know he will tell me the truth, and not try to sugar coat it. I love that when I showed up to my first prenatal appointment he had already spent time coming up with a plan to give me the best possible pregnancy he could. I also love that he will most likely bring me donuts tomorrow because I made a joke about it being cruel not to let a pregnant woman eat for so long!
So, we would love your prayers tomorrow morning, for a completely safe surgery, and that my body will easily adjust to the stitches. I will update after the surgery while I am in the hospital, I am sure, as I will be stuck in bed and missing my boys, who will be busy helping Papa with the cows and not missing me at all!
We are all very excited. Cavin loves babies, and loves to look at the ultrasound pictures of his baby! Rance's first questions were, 1: How does the baby come out of mommy's tummy" and 2: What does it eat? The joys of having a seven year old who has questions about everything!!
I am currently just over 13 weeks, and am still feeling exhausted, but thankful to be over the nausea for the most part. I began to show rather early, definitely was showing by 10 weeks. I expected it, with it being my third pregnancy, but it still caught me off guard when I looked down and discovered a hard baby bump!
Tomorrow is a big day for me, I will be having a cerclage, in which they will stitch my cervix shut. It is a rather easy procedure, but could stir up contractions and will cause bleeding so I will most likely be in the hospital until Tuesday to be monitored. I am a little nervous about the procedure, but trying to lay my nerves at His feet and rest in the peace of His good and perfect plan for this pregnancy, whatever that may be.
The goal of having the cerclage is to keep me off of bed rest and out of the hospital! Definitely goals I want to achieve having 2 active boys at home to keep up with! Not wanting to repeat the almost 4 months of bed rest, flat on my back, like I got to have with Cavin along with the multiple scares that he would come early.
I am so thankful for my doctor. I love that he does things just to reassure my nerves, that he realizes not only is it crucial to get my baby to full term, but to do so with a mommy who is not anxious and nervous the entire time. But most of all, I love that I can trust him completely. I love that I know he will tell me the truth, and not try to sugar coat it. I love that when I showed up to my first prenatal appointment he had already spent time coming up with a plan to give me the best possible pregnancy he could. I also love that he will most likely bring me donuts tomorrow because I made a joke about it being cruel not to let a pregnant woman eat for so long!
So, we would love your prayers tomorrow morning, for a completely safe surgery, and that my body will easily adjust to the stitches. I will update after the surgery while I am in the hospital, I am sure, as I will be stuck in bed and missing my boys, who will be busy helping Papa with the cows and not missing me at all!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
3 Rules to Driving
According to Rance...
1. You have to drive where the cars are.
2. You have to drive to where you are going.
3. You have to drive where mom tells you to.
We about died laughing on the last one! Ha! We asked him why he said the third one and his answer was:
"Remember that one time we were going to a park and dad went the wrong way? Then mom told us the right way?"
A total laugh out loud moment for us!
1. You have to drive where the cars are.
2. You have to drive to where you are going.
3. You have to drive where mom tells you to.
We about died laughing on the last one! Ha! We asked him why he said the third one and his answer was:
"Remember that one time we were going to a park and dad went the wrong way? Then mom told us the right way?"
A total laugh out loud moment for us!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Ohhh Twoooodles!
This past Saturday our sweet baby boy turned 2. Still can't believe two years have already passed since he was born. It has went so fast! We celebrated with a Mickey Mouse party, one of his favorites, with some family and friends. It was a good time and we were able to stay outside for most of the party until it started sprinkling!
Some things I love about my sweet boy..
How easy he laughs. I love his laugh, and I hear it so much throughout each and every day. I love that he is so happy and easy going!
I love that he is so much in love with balls. Baseball and basketball have recently been his two favorites, although I think baseball is by far the top choice. It is not uncommon for Cavin to request a baseball shirt in the morning when getting dressed, and pajama's and blankets to sleep with need to have balls on them as well! We spend a lot of time during the day playing ball, basketball, playing catch, golfing, or hitting the baseball when we are outside.
His second love is choo choo trains. We are big fans of Chuggington at our house, and Cavin was so excited to get Chuggington choo choo trains for his birthday! He wouldn't even share with his Grandma when we first set up his track! He would rather put them away than share! Thankfully he is sharing them better now!
I love to watch how he tries to keep up with his big brother, even to the extent of following him to time out! It has made him grow up so much quicker I am sure, but I love how much he loves his brother and wants to be just like him. (In typical big brother fashion I think it annoys Rance sometimes!)
I love that he is all boy. He is all about running and jumping and wrestling with his dad and big brother, and he loves to be outside.
I love that he is generous with giving his mommy kisses-at least most of the time!
I love that he loves books. He asks to read books almost everyday and we will sit together and read 8-16 books in a sitting.
I love that every time he hears the word "pray," he folds his hands together. It melts my heart. He is even starting to say prayers on his own.
I love that he is ornery and mischievous, I see so much of my Grandpa Tuley's personality in him, which warms my heart.
It really is bittersweet to watch him grow up into a little boy, learning to do all things little boys should. Just hard on mom that it all goes so fast! I am so thankful for the blessing of our Cavin Luke, he has brought much, much joy into our lives.
Happy Second Birthday my sweet boy!
Some things I love about my sweet boy..
How easy he laughs. I love his laugh, and I hear it so much throughout each and every day. I love that he is so happy and easy going!
I love that he is so much in love with balls. Baseball and basketball have recently been his two favorites, although I think baseball is by far the top choice. It is not uncommon for Cavin to request a baseball shirt in the morning when getting dressed, and pajama's and blankets to sleep with need to have balls on them as well! We spend a lot of time during the day playing ball, basketball, playing catch, golfing, or hitting the baseball when we are outside.
His second love is choo choo trains. We are big fans of Chuggington at our house, and Cavin was so excited to get Chuggington choo choo trains for his birthday! He wouldn't even share with his Grandma when we first set up his track! He would rather put them away than share! Thankfully he is sharing them better now!
I love to watch how he tries to keep up with his big brother, even to the extent of following him to time out! It has made him grow up so much quicker I am sure, but I love how much he loves his brother and wants to be just like him. (In typical big brother fashion I think it annoys Rance sometimes!)
I love that he is all boy. He is all about running and jumping and wrestling with his dad and big brother, and he loves to be outside.
I love that he is generous with giving his mommy kisses-at least most of the time!
I love that he loves books. He asks to read books almost everyday and we will sit together and read 8-16 books in a sitting.
I love that every time he hears the word "pray," he folds his hands together. It melts my heart. He is even starting to say prayers on his own.
I love that he is ornery and mischievous, I see so much of my Grandpa Tuley's personality in him, which warms my heart.
It really is bittersweet to watch him grow up into a little boy, learning to do all things little boys should. Just hard on mom that it all goes so fast! I am so thankful for the blessing of our Cavin Luke, he has brought much, much joy into our lives.
Happy Second Birthday my sweet boy!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A High Calling
To me, being a parent is a high calling God has placed on my heart. One of the most important "jobs" God has called me to do, and one of the hardest!
We had always discussed me staying home with our kids, and when I looked into Cavin's eyes for the first time I knew this is what God had created me to do, to be a mom. What an honor and privilege it is that he would trust one of his children, one of his souls to my care. That he would entrust me with loving, guiding, teaching, and leading my child into a loving relationship with Christ. For me, it goes even deeper than my child loving God, I want my child to serve God, to be active in His kingdom and bringing others to know Him.
I want my children know how big God is! I believe this is my high calling, to teach and lead my children towards Christ. To help them truly understand the vastness of who God is, the master artist He is in creating, the humility He endured in becoming human, the sacrifice He gave of living a perfect life yet dying with the world's sins, the grace He gives in loving each human unconditionally, and the jealousy of God when we stray. I want my children to know all aspects of God and to know the power in His story. I want them to choose to love Him, and to desire to serve Him because of how great He is and how small yet significant they are to His kingdom and the continuation of His story.
This is our high calling, this should be our primary goal as parents, that our children will choose to have an active relationship with Christ.
Everything we do as parents should point them towards Christ.If we can achieve this calling, then their faith becomes the basis of our parenting and how we will help guide them through life until they leave our
While some mom's may envision their children being a doctor, or engineer, or a famous athlete, my heart imagines my boys going to Bible college, serving as a minister, or a missionary, or having a job outside of the church and being one of those youth sponsors who you love as a minister because they consistently serve and want to be involved in every aspect of your ministry.
I feel so often Christians strive to become Christ like in so many ways ,but to me, one of the greatest qualities of Christ is his servant's heart. A quality that so many push aside so easily. Definitely a topic for another day! Matt and I want to raise our children to have a servant's heart, to serve not just with a couple of hours here and there, but to serve with their life, as Christ served with His.
We had always discussed me staying home with our kids, and when I looked into Cavin's eyes for the first time I knew this is what God had created me to do, to be a mom. What an honor and privilege it is that he would trust one of his children, one of his souls to my care. That he would entrust me with loving, guiding, teaching, and leading my child into a loving relationship with Christ. For me, it goes even deeper than my child loving God, I want my child to serve God, to be active in His kingdom and bringing others to know Him.
I want my children know how big God is! I believe this is my high calling, to teach and lead my children towards Christ. To help them truly understand the vastness of who God is, the master artist He is in creating, the humility He endured in becoming human, the sacrifice He gave of living a perfect life yet dying with the world's sins, the grace He gives in loving each human unconditionally, and the jealousy of God when we stray. I want my children to know all aspects of God and to know the power in His story. I want them to choose to love Him, and to desire to serve Him because of how great He is and how small yet significant they are to His kingdom and the continuation of His story.
This is our high calling, this should be our primary goal as parents, that our children will choose to have an active relationship with Christ.
Everything we do as parents should point them towards Christ.If we can achieve this calling, then their faith becomes the basis of our parenting and how we will help guide them through life until they leave our
While some mom's may envision their children being a doctor, or engineer, or a famous athlete, my heart imagines my boys going to Bible college, serving as a minister, or a missionary, or having a job outside of the church and being one of those youth sponsors who you love as a minister because they consistently serve and want to be involved in every aspect of your ministry.
I feel so often Christians strive to become Christ like in so many ways ,but to me, one of the greatest qualities of Christ is his servant's heart. A quality that so many push aside so easily. Definitely a topic for another day! Matt and I want to raise our children to have a servant's heart, to serve not just with a couple of hours here and there, but to serve with their life, as Christ served with His.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Per Request!
A blog update!
I realize it has been quite some time since I last blogged. I have began a couple of new posts and haven't finished them. For some reason I just haven't felt like writing, even just a newsy update on the boys!
We have been extremely busy! Since I last updated....
-We celebrated Rance's 7th birthday with a kite theme! Unfortunately it was rainy and we had to move the party indoors, which was a bummer. It was Rance's first birthday party, he loved his cake and of course, actually getting presents!
-We also celebrated Easter!
-Rance graduated from preschool! We will be homeschooling him, starting in earnest the first part of July. A post on our reasons for homeschooling may follow at some point.
-We have had family at our house a lot! Our boys love when their cousins come to play!
-The boys went to my parents house for the first time by themselves with their cousins! We were worried how Rance would do being away from us for the first time overnight. Boy, were we silly to worry! We called everyday and he barely wanted to talk to us! They had so much fun on the farm with their cousins, Papa and Grandma!
-We traveled to Oklahoma City to watch our niece, Cat, graduate from high school! Due to tornado's though, the graduation got cancelled so we were bummed about that. But it was good to spend time with family! It was Rance's first time meeting his Aunt Mary and cousins, Catherine and Christin.
-We have been to the pool! At first Rance was really scared, but after the first couple of times he has overcome his fear for the most part, and is actually swimming! On a side note, we have puddle jumpers, which are life jackets, for both of our boys, and we absolutely love them! Unlike most life jackets they actually allow the boys to lay on their stomachs, keeping their head out of the water, allowing them to learn how to float and swim!
-Cavin has had 2 febrile seizures. Scary stuff. The first one he had while we were eating Sunday lunch, so he choked as well. It really scared us. The second was at the pool. Had no idea he was even sick, and the seizure lasted almost 5 minutes. The scariest part of the second seizure was that it took Cavin over 45 minutes to come to and be responsive. Definitely praying to be done with those!
-We have made a couple of trips to the zoo. Both of our boys love the zoo! One time we even petted sting rays, which Rance loved!
-We had VBS! Rance did okay with it, he's still not a fan of huge groups of people and loud noises, both of which were in full effect each night of VBS! But, he still had fun! I helped out with the fourth grade group this year, which was much easier than being in charge! It was a great and exhausting week. Over $3,000 was raised for a feeding program in Haiti!
In our downtime we have had a lot of fun hanging out as a family, playing games, Wii, playing oustide, going for walks, watching movies, wrestling, cooking, and taking it easy! I love the relaxed, easy going atmosphere summer brings for our family!
Rance is thriving! While he still has a lot of English to learn, his vocabulary is impressive! He speaks only in English now, sometimes without even an accent! The other day he had to actually think about counting in Ukrainian. We have had a lot of conversations here and there about his life in Ukraine in which we have learned a lot about. We have also been really pleased with the progress he has made with his social skills as well. He still loves music. We sing a lot at our house, and its fun to watch both of our boys learn about Jesus through music! He is an amazing big brother. He plays really well with Cavin and has really begun to take on the big brother role in helping and protecting his little brother as well. He is growing, changing, and maturing more everyday!
Cavin continues to be Cavin, trouble! When we are home I am normally trying to get things done around the house and I typically have to take a break to from my cleaning to clean up a mess he has created. He is just into everything! He is obsessed, still, with balls! Baseball is currently his favorite thanks to an animated baseball movie both of our boys love! But golf, soccer, and basketball are still well loved! His only requirement to getting dressed is that there is a ball somewhere on his outfit. Sometimes I get lucky and can get away with an outfit without a ball! Cavin loves his big brother. It is a common occurrence when the boys have been separated for Cavin to run to his big brother and give him a hug. When Rance is not around Cavin will constantly be asking for him, and when he is around, he is constantly trying to keep up!
I realize it has been quite some time since I last blogged. I have began a couple of new posts and haven't finished them. For some reason I just haven't felt like writing, even just a newsy update on the boys!
We have been extremely busy! Since I last updated....
-We celebrated Rance's 7th birthday with a kite theme! Unfortunately it was rainy and we had to move the party indoors, which was a bummer. It was Rance's first birthday party, he loved his cake and of course, actually getting presents!
-We also celebrated Easter!
-Rance graduated from preschool! We will be homeschooling him, starting in earnest the first part of July. A post on our reasons for homeschooling may follow at some point.
-We have had family at our house a lot! Our boys love when their cousins come to play!
-The boys went to my parents house for the first time by themselves with their cousins! We were worried how Rance would do being away from us for the first time overnight. Boy, were we silly to worry! We called everyday and he barely wanted to talk to us! They had so much fun on the farm with their cousins, Papa and Grandma!
-We traveled to Oklahoma City to watch our niece, Cat, graduate from high school! Due to tornado's though, the graduation got cancelled so we were bummed about that. But it was good to spend time with family! It was Rance's first time meeting his Aunt Mary and cousins, Catherine and Christin.
-We have been to the pool! At first Rance was really scared, but after the first couple of times he has overcome his fear for the most part, and is actually swimming! On a side note, we have puddle jumpers, which are life jackets, for both of our boys, and we absolutely love them! Unlike most life jackets they actually allow the boys to lay on their stomachs, keeping their head out of the water, allowing them to learn how to float and swim!
-Cavin has had 2 febrile seizures. Scary stuff. The first one he had while we were eating Sunday lunch, so he choked as well. It really scared us. The second was at the pool. Had no idea he was even sick, and the seizure lasted almost 5 minutes. The scariest part of the second seizure was that it took Cavin over 45 minutes to come to and be responsive. Definitely praying to be done with those!
-We have made a couple of trips to the zoo. Both of our boys love the zoo! One time we even petted sting rays, which Rance loved!
-We had VBS! Rance did okay with it, he's still not a fan of huge groups of people and loud noises, both of which were in full effect each night of VBS! But, he still had fun! I helped out with the fourth grade group this year, which was much easier than being in charge! It was a great and exhausting week. Over $3,000 was raised for a feeding program in Haiti!
In our downtime we have had a lot of fun hanging out as a family, playing games, Wii, playing oustide, going for walks, watching movies, wrestling, cooking, and taking it easy! I love the relaxed, easy going atmosphere summer brings for our family!
Rance is thriving! While he still has a lot of English to learn, his vocabulary is impressive! He speaks only in English now, sometimes without even an accent! The other day he had to actually think about counting in Ukrainian. We have had a lot of conversations here and there about his life in Ukraine in which we have learned a lot about. We have also been really pleased with the progress he has made with his social skills as well. He still loves music. We sing a lot at our house, and its fun to watch both of our boys learn about Jesus through music! He is an amazing big brother. He plays really well with Cavin and has really begun to take on the big brother role in helping and protecting his little brother as well. He is growing, changing, and maturing more everyday!
Cavin continues to be Cavin, trouble! When we are home I am normally trying to get things done around the house and I typically have to take a break to from my cleaning to clean up a mess he has created. He is just into everything! He is obsessed, still, with balls! Baseball is currently his favorite thanks to an animated baseball movie both of our boys love! But golf, soccer, and basketball are still well loved! His only requirement to getting dressed is that there is a ball somewhere on his outfit. Sometimes I get lucky and can get away with an outfit without a ball! Cavin loves his big brother. It is a common occurrence when the boys have been separated for Cavin to run to his big brother and give him a hug. When Rance is not around Cavin will constantly be asking for him, and when he is around, he is constantly trying to keep up!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Surgery
Last Wednesday Rance had strabismus surgery on his eyes. The surgery center where he had the surgery was phenomenal with him, so the actual surgery went perfectly. Because Rance's eyes are so little they had a hard time keeping them open wide enough during the surgery which caused more swelling and bruising than normal. For most of the day on Wednesday his eyes were swollen shut. Top that off with being a very sick little boy from the anesthesia and Wednesday was a rough day. I was so thankful that my mom was able to be here to help with Cavin so I could just focus on Rance.
When we first got home from Ukraine Cavin was fighting a cold and ear infection and was not used to sleeping in his crib so we decided not to make him "cry it out" while he was sick. So the first couple of nights we were home Cavin slept with us because he was sick. So Rance remembered this and informed us, actually told his Grandma, that he would be sleeping with his mom and dad because he was sick.
I of course couldn't say no, and it really was easier having him in bed with us than having to get to his room in time to help him while being sick. We didn't plan on, however, Cavin crying half of the night and also eventually ending up in bed with us. I think little sleep was had by mom and dad although the boys seemed good to go!
Thursday we saw drastic improvement. Once we got his eyes open Rance was starving and ready to eat. I was thrilled to see him acting like himself and finally eating and drinking and keeping it all down! From then on, he has been fine and healing perfectly. His eyes are still a little bruised and they could be red on the parts where the doctor did the surgery for up to a month, but his eyes are fixed and are working together, and we are so thankful for a successful surgery!!
Rance has really begun to understand and even speak a lot of English. Most days I hear more English than I do Ukrainian, which is really fun for us! "What is this, _____?" is a question we hear a lot! Some of them have been really hard to answer, like, "what is this because?" How do you explain what because is with the few words he understands? After two attempts he hasn't asked again, so maybe he got it, or maybe he just gave up!
Very rarely do we have issues of sharing toys, mostly the boys play really well together. Yesterday was a day I will treasure forever. The boys played together all day. They ran in circles and around the house playing peek a boo and laughing whenever they found each other. Then they played on the couch, rolling from the top of it to the floor, which really isn't allowed on the couches upstairs but it was so cute I couldn't tell them to stop!
Cavin is still trouble, more ornery than ever, and busy keeping up with big brother. Right now it is most entertaining to watch Cavin try to jump and do like Rance does. He still hasn't quite figured out how to jump off the ground, and its pretty cute to watch!
Cavin mostly keeps busy with his training. He got a basketball hoop for Christmas and he spends most of his days shooting hoops or working on his dribbling. You can't help but laugh in shock at how good he actually is! When he's not busy with basketball training he tends to play with one of the other hundreds of balls in our home, and if we're lucky, he might venture out of the ball zone to play with some blocks or cars!!
Here is one of my favorite pictures of the boys we got done a while back. It melts my heart!
When we first got home from Ukraine Cavin was fighting a cold and ear infection and was not used to sleeping in his crib so we decided not to make him "cry it out" while he was sick. So the first couple of nights we were home Cavin slept with us because he was sick. So Rance remembered this and informed us, actually told his Grandma, that he would be sleeping with his mom and dad because he was sick.
I of course couldn't say no, and it really was easier having him in bed with us than having to get to his room in time to help him while being sick. We didn't plan on, however, Cavin crying half of the night and also eventually ending up in bed with us. I think little sleep was had by mom and dad although the boys seemed good to go!
Thursday we saw drastic improvement. Once we got his eyes open Rance was starving and ready to eat. I was thrilled to see him acting like himself and finally eating and drinking and keeping it all down! From then on, he has been fine and healing perfectly. His eyes are still a little bruised and they could be red on the parts where the doctor did the surgery for up to a month, but his eyes are fixed and are working together, and we are so thankful for a successful surgery!!
Rance has really begun to understand and even speak a lot of English. Most days I hear more English than I do Ukrainian, which is really fun for us! "What is this, _____?" is a question we hear a lot! Some of them have been really hard to answer, like, "what is this because?" How do you explain what because is with the few words he understands? After two attempts he hasn't asked again, so maybe he got it, or maybe he just gave up!
Very rarely do we have issues of sharing toys, mostly the boys play really well together. Yesterday was a day I will treasure forever. The boys played together all day. They ran in circles and around the house playing peek a boo and laughing whenever they found each other. Then they played on the couch, rolling from the top of it to the floor, which really isn't allowed on the couches upstairs but it was so cute I couldn't tell them to stop!
Cavin is still trouble, more ornery than ever, and busy keeping up with big brother. Right now it is most entertaining to watch Cavin try to jump and do like Rance does. He still hasn't quite figured out how to jump off the ground, and its pretty cute to watch!
Cavin mostly keeps busy with his training. He got a basketball hoop for Christmas and he spends most of his days shooting hoops or working on his dribbling. You can't help but laugh in shock at how good he actually is! When he's not busy with basketball training he tends to play with one of the other hundreds of balls in our home, and if we're lucky, he might venture out of the ball zone to play with some blocks or cars!!
Here is one of my favorite pictures of the boys we got done a while back. It melts my heart!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A Big Day of Firsts!
The boys woke up way earlier than normal this morning and I have been pretty sick with a cold and sore throat so I didn't get lunch prepped so we ended up eating at Arby's for lunch after church today. I was barely able to keep Cavin awake the short drive to Arby's let alone the 15 minutes home!
As a result, Rance got to experience curly fries for the very first time! He thought they were great and kept calling them circle fries! I don't think he understood curly and I didn't think to compare it to my mess of curly hair! He just saw them as circles, which the really curly onces all stuck together are!
We came home and transferred a sleeping Cavin from carseat to bed and shortly after Rance joined him for a nap of his own. After naptime they were begging to play outside but unfortunately both Matt and I had things that needed to get done inside. This is where I wish we had a fenced in backyard that was safe for the boys to play in! One of the big reasons we are wanting to move! So I got a little creative and put our spare baby gate to block off the deck stairs to create a safe place for them to play on our empty deck! I had Matt take out the basketball goal and some cars to for them to play with. I know it wasn't exactly how they were wanting to play outside but at least they were able to enjoy the beautiful day today and get some fresh air!
I did give them a popsicle for a snack, which they both loved! Another first for Rance!
It was so incredibly nice out today that before we left for small group I made Matt go down and grab the tub of clothes/shoes I have gradually been collecting for this summer through clearance and garage sales. I dug out a pair of flip flops for both the boys to wear! Cavin hates wearing socks and shoes, they typcially come off during the car ride, but for some reason the flip flops manage to stay on!
Rance thought he was pretty big stuff wearing his new flip flops, his third first for the day! He just kept walking around the house staring at his feet. It was pretty cute. Even at smallg roup he didn't want to take them off!
Tonight at small group we were outside the entire evening. I think all of the kids loved playing outside!
I definitely think I could get used to lots of days like today (with me feeling better of course!)
Rance is on spring break this week so I am hoping to plan a few fun things to do, I am thinking his first picnic is in order for sure, and maybe his first time swimming!
As a result, Rance got to experience curly fries for the very first time! He thought they were great and kept calling them circle fries! I don't think he understood curly and I didn't think to compare it to my mess of curly hair! He just saw them as circles, which the really curly onces all stuck together are!
We came home and transferred a sleeping Cavin from carseat to bed and shortly after Rance joined him for a nap of his own. After naptime they were begging to play outside but unfortunately both Matt and I had things that needed to get done inside. This is where I wish we had a fenced in backyard that was safe for the boys to play in! One of the big reasons we are wanting to move! So I got a little creative and put our spare baby gate to block off the deck stairs to create a safe place for them to play on our empty deck! I had Matt take out the basketball goal and some cars to for them to play with. I know it wasn't exactly how they were wanting to play outside but at least they were able to enjoy the beautiful day today and get some fresh air!
I did give them a popsicle for a snack, which they both loved! Another first for Rance!
It was so incredibly nice out today that before we left for small group I made Matt go down and grab the tub of clothes/shoes I have gradually been collecting for this summer through clearance and garage sales. I dug out a pair of flip flops for both the boys to wear! Cavin hates wearing socks and shoes, they typcially come off during the car ride, but for some reason the flip flops manage to stay on!
Rance thought he was pretty big stuff wearing his new flip flops, his third first for the day! He just kept walking around the house staring at his feet. It was pretty cute. Even at smallg roup he didn't want to take them off!
Tonight at small group we were outside the entire evening. I think all of the kids loved playing outside!
I definitely think I could get used to lots of days like today (with me feeling better of course!)
Rance is on spring break this week so I am hoping to plan a few fun things to do, I am thinking his first picnic is in order for sure, and maybe his first time swimming!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Slammed
I cannot get over how busy we have been since arriving home! I have loved every second of it, especially reconnecting with our family and friends after being away for 2.5 months.
Some Firsts for Rance:
-Lots of food! We've been introducing him to mroe and more new foods, and for the most part, he loves them all!
-Lemonade-He loves it!
-First Pediatrician Appointment
He had to get his finger poked and he cried more than Cavin did, and he got 3 shots! Other than that, he did great! He is 44 inches tall and 39 pounds!
-First Eye Doctor's Appointment
We are thankful some friends of ours referred us to an amazing pediatric eye specialist. They were so sweet with Rance, while I was impressed with the amount of English Rance had learned already! We were pleased to confirm that he basically has 20/20 vision. He will be having eye surgery on March 30, it should be an in and out kind of deal.
-Wii
A fellow in our small group introduced Rance to the Wii and he has been addicted since! We got him a Diego game which is perfect for his English level as it illustrates each direction given. He also loves bowling.
-Babysitter
Matt and I were invited to a trivia night with some friends of ours, and while we wanted to go, we were hesitant to leave Rance. However, it just so happened these friends had adopted 2 girls from Russia about 5 or 6 years ago, who are now a sophomore and a senior. They also have two boys, a seventh and fourth grader. So we decided to give it a try. Rance did fabulous and we enjoyed our first night away in months!
-Challenge
Rance attended his first Wednesday night class, after some convincing, all by himself. It helps that he clicked with another boy his age who was in the class as well! He really liked it, especially his teachers!
-Magic House
We were blessed by some friends of ours who allowed the boys and I to use some of their guest passes and hang out with them for the day! Both boys had a lot of fun. I think Rance's favorite was the bubble room!
-Playtime Party Center
Oversized McDonald's playground, lots of video games. Both of the boys had fun. Cavin of course loved the little mini pop-a-shot, and Rance loved the brightest games that made the most noise!
-Red Robin
If you know Matt well, you know how important this is! Lol.
-Movie
A local theatre here hosted a winter family series in which they showed old movies for free. We managed to make it to the last one, How to Train a Dragon in 10 Days. Rance loved it! We were also surprised at how well Cavin sat and watched it.
-Family Pictures
I am curious to see how they turned out, it seems when one boy was cooperating the other wasn't and vice versa!
-Gymnastics
This is something Matt and I debated, mainly because its kind of pricey for our budget, but Rance loves to do handstands, summersaults and backwards summersaults to flip up onto his feet. With his eye condition sports at this time aren't a great option, and with him being underdeveloped physically for his age, well, we decided it would be worth the financial sacrifice. He had his first class on Monday, and he smiled from ear to ear the entire time! He absolutely loved it. His teacher was impressed with his natural ability, and even more impressed when she found out he had no other training and just came from an orphanage a bit over a month ago. I think it will be well worth a little sacrifice on our end!
In other news, Rance continues surprise us with how quickly he is learning English and how well he continues to adjust. School is slowly growing on him. I actually think he really likes school, he just doesn't want to leave home or his family. He is really learning a lot. Rance also loves music. Anytime we are in the car he asks us to turn on HIS music! I don't mind so much but I think Matt kind of misses listening to talk radio on his way to work on the days he takes Rance to school! He knows most of the words to a lot of songs. We have a lot of fun singing together as a family and teaching Rance the motions. It melts my heart when we're out and about to hear Rance sing, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do..." his favorite song. I doubt he truly understands what he is singing orhow big God has already been in his life.
Cavin is in one word, trouble. He is into everything but his toys it seems! He does love to play basketball with his new hoop he got for Christmas! He's getting pretty good!! He has learned he is just tall enough to get into all kinds of new trouble. On his tippy toes he can help himself to a drink of water from the fridge dispenser, pull things off the cabinets and open the doors.
The other morning I was helping Rance for a few minutes when I felt a cool draft of air. I looked up to see the garage door wide open. I hurriedly slipped on some of Matt's shoes that were by the door and ran outside to find Cavin almost all the way down the driveway, in his jammies, happy as can be. As I scooped him up into my arms he giggled away. I seriously can't take my eyes off him for even a minute or two!
The boys have totally bonded. I always go inside to pick up Rance from school. I had stopped to talk to Matt, but Cavin had kept walking to where the kids were waiting. As soon as they saw each other, Cavin excitedly started laughing and began to run towards Rance with his arms outstretched, while Rance excitedly yelled "Cavin!" and ran towards him, picking up Cavin in a hug with lots of giggles. A moment my heart will treasure forever.
Some Firsts for Rance:
-Lots of food! We've been introducing him to mroe and more new foods, and for the most part, he loves them all!
-Lemonade-He loves it!
-First Pediatrician Appointment
He had to get his finger poked and he cried more than Cavin did, and he got 3 shots! Other than that, he did great! He is 44 inches tall and 39 pounds!
-First Eye Doctor's Appointment
We are thankful some friends of ours referred us to an amazing pediatric eye specialist. They were so sweet with Rance, while I was impressed with the amount of English Rance had learned already! We were pleased to confirm that he basically has 20/20 vision. He will be having eye surgery on March 30, it should be an in and out kind of deal.
-Wii
A fellow in our small group introduced Rance to the Wii and he has been addicted since! We got him a Diego game which is perfect for his English level as it illustrates each direction given. He also loves bowling.
-Babysitter
Matt and I were invited to a trivia night with some friends of ours, and while we wanted to go, we were hesitant to leave Rance. However, it just so happened these friends had adopted 2 girls from Russia about 5 or 6 years ago, who are now a sophomore and a senior. They also have two boys, a seventh and fourth grader. So we decided to give it a try. Rance did fabulous and we enjoyed our first night away in months!
-Challenge
Rance attended his first Wednesday night class, after some convincing, all by himself. It helps that he clicked with another boy his age who was in the class as well! He really liked it, especially his teachers!
-Magic House
We were blessed by some friends of ours who allowed the boys and I to use some of their guest passes and hang out with them for the day! Both boys had a lot of fun. I think Rance's favorite was the bubble room!
-Playtime Party Center
Oversized McDonald's playground, lots of video games. Both of the boys had fun. Cavin of course loved the little mini pop-a-shot, and Rance loved the brightest games that made the most noise!
-Red Robin
If you know Matt well, you know how important this is! Lol.
-Movie
A local theatre here hosted a winter family series in which they showed old movies for free. We managed to make it to the last one, How to Train a Dragon in 10 Days. Rance loved it! We were also surprised at how well Cavin sat and watched it.
-Family Pictures
I am curious to see how they turned out, it seems when one boy was cooperating the other wasn't and vice versa!
-Gymnastics
This is something Matt and I debated, mainly because its kind of pricey for our budget, but Rance loves to do handstands, summersaults and backwards summersaults to flip up onto his feet. With his eye condition sports at this time aren't a great option, and with him being underdeveloped physically for his age, well, we decided it would be worth the financial sacrifice. He had his first class on Monday, and he smiled from ear to ear the entire time! He absolutely loved it. His teacher was impressed with his natural ability, and even more impressed when she found out he had no other training and just came from an orphanage a bit over a month ago. I think it will be well worth a little sacrifice on our end!
In other news, Rance continues surprise us with how quickly he is learning English and how well he continues to adjust. School is slowly growing on him. I actually think he really likes school, he just doesn't want to leave home or his family. He is really learning a lot. Rance also loves music. Anytime we are in the car he asks us to turn on HIS music! I don't mind so much but I think Matt kind of misses listening to talk radio on his way to work on the days he takes Rance to school! He knows most of the words to a lot of songs. We have a lot of fun singing together as a family and teaching Rance the motions. It melts my heart when we're out and about to hear Rance sing, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do..." his favorite song. I doubt he truly understands what he is singing orhow big God has already been in his life.
Cavin is in one word, trouble. He is into everything but his toys it seems! He does love to play basketball with his new hoop he got for Christmas! He's getting pretty good!! He has learned he is just tall enough to get into all kinds of new trouble. On his tippy toes he can help himself to a drink of water from the fridge dispenser, pull things off the cabinets and open the doors.
The other morning I was helping Rance for a few minutes when I felt a cool draft of air. I looked up to see the garage door wide open. I hurriedly slipped on some of Matt's shoes that were by the door and ran outside to find Cavin almost all the way down the driveway, in his jammies, happy as can be. As I scooped him up into my arms he giggled away. I seriously can't take my eyes off him for even a minute or two!
The boys have totally bonded. I always go inside to pick up Rance from school. I had stopped to talk to Matt, but Cavin had kept walking to where the kids were waiting. As soon as they saw each other, Cavin excitedly started laughing and began to run towards Rance with his arms outstretched, while Rance excitedly yelled "Cavin!" and ran towards him, picking up Cavin in a hug with lots of giggles. A moment my heart will treasure forever.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Christmas!
This past weekend we traveled to my parents house to finally celebrate Christmas together! We are so thankful our family was willing to wait until we were home with Rance to celebrate! It was definitely weird wrapping presents, decorating a Christmas tree and filling stockings in the middle of February! It was so fun to watch Rance do all of this for the first time! It truly was treasured time with family!
Thursday evening we decorated the tree, well, mostly Rance and his cousin Gracie decorated the tree. My mom had found some plastic balls on clearance for them to use along with some candy canes. They were so proud of their decorating!
**First for Rance
-Decorating a Christmas Tree
-Spending the night at Grandma and Papa's house!
He got to sleep upstairs with his cousins! It melted my heart to hear their giggling after they had been tucked into bed!
The weather was pretty nice on Friday so the kids were able to play outside and enjoy being at the farm. Rance loves being outside, although I think he was a little unsure of all of the animals!
I think the highlight of our day was when Rance and our nephew put on their new costumes. Rance loves Spiderman and was elated with his new and first costume. He and my nephew began jumping on my sister's bed, wrestling around and being boys in costumes. The funny thing is every couple of minutes Rance would jump down off the bed to look at himself in the mirror. At first he would just look at himself, but eventually he began acting silly, showing off his muscles the costume provided and making faces. The rest of us sitting in the living room were rolling with laughter watching him. It was moments that will forever be embedded on my heart. Moments that every child should experience, much before the age of 6.
**Firsts for Rance
-Haircut
First thing on Friday Matt and Rance went to get haircuts. They went to an old school barber so I'm not loving the cuts, but I suppose its better than the shaggy hairdo's they were sporting! He did great!
-Swinging
He tried to swing on his own, which was pretty funny and quite cute, but I think he was starting to get it figured out by the end of the weekend!
-Seeing farm animals
He got to see some brand new baby calves, horses, and a duck. Probably more.
-Playing in the haybarn.
Definitely not scared to jump around on those haybales!
-Playing with sidewalk chalk.
-Riding a bike!
-Opening Christmas Presents!
Friday evening we opened our gifts from each other, except for those from my parents.
-Wearing his first costume!
Saturday we awoke to three months of shopping from a person who loves to give gifts. We heard Rance's favorite word, "WOW!" with every present he opened. It broke our hearts yet filled them with joy at the same time. With one gift we even heard a "Really Wow!" We're not even sure where he learned the word really, which made it even more sweet.
Saturday was a relaxing day with our traditional family brunch after opening gifts, then time to play games, and enjoy being together. The only thing missing was a fire in the fireplace, but it was just too warm. My mom tried to convince my dad to turn on the a.c. to balance out the fire, but he didn't go for it.
**First for Rance
-Christmas morning, presents and stockings.
Sunday morning we got up and went to church with my parents. It had been a long time since I had been to the church I grew up in. With Matt working every Sunday we normally come home on Saturday nights. However, the church family had been so supportive and encouraging to us through the adoption process I wanted them to be able to meet Rance. So while Matt went home Saturday night, the boys and I stayed behind. Everyone loved meeting Rance and Grandma and Papa loved showing off their newest grandson.
Its good to be home once more, although I again face unpacking, laundry, and trying to find a place for all of the new toys the boys got. I am so ready to have my house organized!!Tomorrow I will begin shopping around for some cheap shelves, tubs or whatever I can find to help me get organized!
Today I got some things done, but it takes forever when you're having to rearrange everything to try and squeeze in the new things. I did finally take down our Christmas tree and the few decorations I had gotten out! I was sad at first, as I love Christmas, but then I remembered I could get out my hand painted eggs from Austria, which I also love.
Thursday evening we decorated the tree, well, mostly Rance and his cousin Gracie decorated the tree. My mom had found some plastic balls on clearance for them to use along with some candy canes. They were so proud of their decorating!
**First for Rance
-Decorating a Christmas Tree
-Spending the night at Grandma and Papa's house!
He got to sleep upstairs with his cousins! It melted my heart to hear their giggling after they had been tucked into bed!
The weather was pretty nice on Friday so the kids were able to play outside and enjoy being at the farm. Rance loves being outside, although I think he was a little unsure of all of the animals!
I think the highlight of our day was when Rance and our nephew put on their new costumes. Rance loves Spiderman and was elated with his new and first costume. He and my nephew began jumping on my sister's bed, wrestling around and being boys in costumes. The funny thing is every couple of minutes Rance would jump down off the bed to look at himself in the mirror. At first he would just look at himself, but eventually he began acting silly, showing off his muscles the costume provided and making faces. The rest of us sitting in the living room were rolling with laughter watching him. It was moments that will forever be embedded on my heart. Moments that every child should experience, much before the age of 6.
**Firsts for Rance
-Haircut
First thing on Friday Matt and Rance went to get haircuts. They went to an old school barber so I'm not loving the cuts, but I suppose its better than the shaggy hairdo's they were sporting! He did great!
-Swinging
He tried to swing on his own, which was pretty funny and quite cute, but I think he was starting to get it figured out by the end of the weekend!
-Seeing farm animals
He got to see some brand new baby calves, horses, and a duck. Probably more.
-Playing in the haybarn.
Definitely not scared to jump around on those haybales!
-Playing with sidewalk chalk.
-Riding a bike!
-Opening Christmas Presents!
Friday evening we opened our gifts from each other, except for those from my parents.
-Wearing his first costume!
Saturday we awoke to three months of shopping from a person who loves to give gifts. We heard Rance's favorite word, "WOW!" with every present he opened. It broke our hearts yet filled them with joy at the same time. With one gift we even heard a "Really Wow!" We're not even sure where he learned the word really, which made it even more sweet.
Saturday was a relaxing day with our traditional family brunch after opening gifts, then time to play games, and enjoy being together. The only thing missing was a fire in the fireplace, but it was just too warm. My mom tried to convince my dad to turn on the a.c. to balance out the fire, but he didn't go for it.
**First for Rance
-Christmas morning, presents and stockings.
Sunday morning we got up and went to church with my parents. It had been a long time since I had been to the church I grew up in. With Matt working every Sunday we normally come home on Saturday nights. However, the church family had been so supportive and encouraging to us through the adoption process I wanted them to be able to meet Rance. So while Matt went home Saturday night, the boys and I stayed behind. Everyone loved meeting Rance and Grandma and Papa loved showing off their newest grandson.
Its good to be home once more, although I again face unpacking, laundry, and trying to find a place for all of the new toys the boys got. I am so ready to have my house organized!!Tomorrow I will begin shopping around for some cheap shelves, tubs or whatever I can find to help me get organized!
Today I got some things done, but it takes forever when you're having to rearrange everything to try and squeeze in the new things. I did finally take down our Christmas tree and the few decorations I had gotten out! I was sad at first, as I love Christmas, but then I remembered I could get out my hand painted eggs from Austria, which I also love.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Finally
We have absolutely loved being home, but boy, the unpacking has been brutal! It would help of course if we were home!
Saturday we traveled to Palmyra to celebrate the life of my Great Uncle Walter Tuley, Sr. While most people hardly know their great aunts and uncles, Uncle Walter was in many ways like a second Grandpa to me. In fact, after my own Grandpa passed away, I remember Uncle Walter coming over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder and telling me it would be ok, he would be there for me, and he was. Uncle Walter and my Grandpa were alike in so many ways, so while a few of his grandchildren shared memories of their grandfather, I couldn't help the tears that came to my own eyes as many of their memories were just like mine.
**First for Rance
-Drinking out of a Water Fountain! Hilarious to say the least! Not sure what received more water, Rance's clothes or his stomach!!
We had been debating on if we should take Rance to church on Sunday or not. However, we figured if he had survived the massive Tuley family with flying colors he could definitely handle church! Rance was a little more shy on Sunday morning but he did great. He played with Cavin and I in the nursery the first hour and then went to church with me the second hour. During church he couldn't get over the big "television screens" and he absolutely loved the music! He clapped away and tried to sing along! We were again impressed with how well he did in completely new surroundings and meeting lots of new people!
**First for Rance
-Eating his first donut!! He loved it!
Monday we took Rance to his first day of school. Although he is 6 and should be in Kindergarten, we decided preschool would be a better fit for him at this time. I am not sure what Rance's perception of school is, but every time we have asked him if he wants to go, he says no. So I had to literally drag him to the car Monday morning to leave for school. We went into the Valentine's Day party and he was able to meet his friends (he was again shy), and participate in the party. He didn't want to give his Spiderman valentine's away at first, then I showed him that the other kids had valentines to give him. Once he realized what was happening, he was happy to put a valentine in each box. I think he really liked school and he told Matt last night during his bath that he went to school and said yes when Matt asked him if he liked it. He did ask to go home a few times, asked to go play with Cavin once, and still says he doesn't want to go back to school!
**Firsts for Rance
-Going to School
-Using scissors and glue
-Valentine's Party!
I was really tired yesterday for some reason, so my plans for a big homecooked meal complete with Matt's favorites for Valentine's day didn't happen. Instead he ended up going and getting 2 Little Ceasar's hot and ready pizza's. I fell asleep at 7:30 while Matt watched KU lose to K-State. What a romantic Valentine's day, huh?
Tuesday, finally a day at home for the boys and I! I wanted to take Rance to school, but we don't feel he is ready to be left alone yet, and I desperately needed a day at home to catch up. So we stayed home so I could get some stuff done! I have finally caught up on the laundry, I have one more load to fold and then I should be done for a few days! I jokingly told Matt if this is what laundry for a family of four looks like, maybe we'll be done having kids! I was able to get my kitchen cleaned up although I still have a lot of deep cleaning in there that I want to get done. But my big accomplishment was getting everything unpacked and put away. I have swept my hard floors but still need to run the vaccuum on the upstairs carpet. Not to bad, I don't think, with lots of breaks inbetween to play with the boys, help them with something, feed them, change diapers and the like. It feels so good to have my house somewhat organized and cleaned again!
Firsts for Rance
-Blowing bubbles! Someone gave him a bottle and he has been dying to use them. Finally this afternoon we went outside and he blew bubbles! Lots of giggles!
Tomorrow, we try school again....praying Rance does well!
Saturday we traveled to Palmyra to celebrate the life of my Great Uncle Walter Tuley, Sr. While most people hardly know their great aunts and uncles, Uncle Walter was in many ways like a second Grandpa to me. In fact, after my own Grandpa passed away, I remember Uncle Walter coming over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder and telling me it would be ok, he would be there for me, and he was. Uncle Walter and my Grandpa were alike in so many ways, so while a few of his grandchildren shared memories of their grandfather, I couldn't help the tears that came to my own eyes as many of their memories were just like mine.
**First for Rance
-Drinking out of a Water Fountain! Hilarious to say the least! Not sure what received more water, Rance's clothes or his stomach!!
We had been debating on if we should take Rance to church on Sunday or not. However, we figured if he had survived the massive Tuley family with flying colors he could definitely handle church! Rance was a little more shy on Sunday morning but he did great. He played with Cavin and I in the nursery the first hour and then went to church with me the second hour. During church he couldn't get over the big "television screens" and he absolutely loved the music! He clapped away and tried to sing along! We were again impressed with how well he did in completely new surroundings and meeting lots of new people!
**First for Rance
-Eating his first donut!! He loved it!
Monday we took Rance to his first day of school. Although he is 6 and should be in Kindergarten, we decided preschool would be a better fit for him at this time. I am not sure what Rance's perception of school is, but every time we have asked him if he wants to go, he says no. So I had to literally drag him to the car Monday morning to leave for school. We went into the Valentine's Day party and he was able to meet his friends (he was again shy), and participate in the party. He didn't want to give his Spiderman valentine's away at first, then I showed him that the other kids had valentines to give him. Once he realized what was happening, he was happy to put a valentine in each box. I think he really liked school and he told Matt last night during his bath that he went to school and said yes when Matt asked him if he liked it. He did ask to go home a few times, asked to go play with Cavin once, and still says he doesn't want to go back to school!
**Firsts for Rance
-Going to School
-Using scissors and glue
-Valentine's Party!
I was really tired yesterday for some reason, so my plans for a big homecooked meal complete with Matt's favorites for Valentine's day didn't happen. Instead he ended up going and getting 2 Little Ceasar's hot and ready pizza's. I fell asleep at 7:30 while Matt watched KU lose to K-State. What a romantic Valentine's day, huh?
Tuesday, finally a day at home for the boys and I! I wanted to take Rance to school, but we don't feel he is ready to be left alone yet, and I desperately needed a day at home to catch up. So we stayed home so I could get some stuff done! I have finally caught up on the laundry, I have one more load to fold and then I should be done for a few days! I jokingly told Matt if this is what laundry for a family of four looks like, maybe we'll be done having kids! I was able to get my kitchen cleaned up although I still have a lot of deep cleaning in there that I want to get done. But my big accomplishment was getting everything unpacked and put away. I have swept my hard floors but still need to run the vaccuum on the upstairs carpet. Not to bad, I don't think, with lots of breaks inbetween to play with the boys, help them with something, feed them, change diapers and the like. It feels so good to have my house somewhat organized and cleaned again!
Firsts for Rance
-Blowing bubbles! Someone gave him a bottle and he has been dying to use them. Finally this afternoon we went outside and he blew bubbles! Lots of giggles!
Tomorrow, we try school again....praying Rance does well!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Long Awaited Pics!
This is our second family picture taken of us. It was taken just a few days before we were finally able to pick Rance up from the orphanage forever! It was taken the day we had brought the clothes we had bought for him to try on.
Love my boys!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wow!!
I can't tell you how many times we have heard this word. Everything is so new to Rance. His eyes light up, his smile is big, and with awe he will whisper "wow!" It melts my heart!
We arrived home to discover a couple of surprises. We hadn't done much to prepare for the addition of our newest son, since we were so unsure on ages and sizes and interests. We knew Rance would be sharing a room with Cavin, so we cleaned out the closet to make room for Rance's things and rearranged the room to add a toddler bed in the mix. The rest I was planning on figuring out and organizing when we got home.
After finding out Rance was 6, some of our closets friends decided it would be helpful and fun to get the room ready for us. I am not a fan of surprises, and I am a perfectionist, which creates two problems. One, I am sure my house was not up to my standards yet company was in it. Secondly, I am typically really picky on how I want things, to the point normally Matt just stays out of the way.
I will say I knew something was up, as my friends had my mom trying to hint around and ask questions without letting me know what was really going on. But I wasn't expecting anything quite so big. Rance has his very own twin sized bed, complete with the comforter I had been saving up to buy for him! They also redecorated the walls a bit, something I was wanting to do after we got home. They also bought a nice 6 cube shelf for the closet to help organize clothes.
Rance walked in his room and his eyes lit up, and with a look of awe on his face he said, "Wow!". Matt and I wholeheartedly agreed! All four of us really love the room! Although it might of pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, it has been a tremendous blessing to us!
They had also organized a "shower" or sorts and we walked into our living room to find several gifts for Rance. He had fun opening each gift, although like any child he much preferred the few toys over all the clothes! We had bought only 1 pair of pants and 2 shirts so it was perfect that we had some clothes here for Rance to wear!
Rance slept great in his new bed and Matt and I couldn't get over how comfortable our bed was! Cavin slept ok for not feeling well, and was up at 4:30am.
Yesterday we took Cavin to the doctor to find out he had one ear that was healing from an infection (Kiev) while his other ear was becoming quite infected. While Matt took Cavin to the doctor I went with my mom and sister to get some necessities for Rance and other things we needed for ourselves. I needed to pick up a few clothes for Cavin as he has gotten so tall, so we stopped by the Carter's outlet and I found some great deals on clothes for Cavin and of course, some clothes for Rance! I got everything for only a couple of dollars except for one shirt that was $4!
We came home to eat lunch and relax for a bit, but then we decided it was so nice to be out that we left again! We went to get Matt's glasses fixed and look at some frames for Rance. Then we headed to Target. Oh, how I have missed Target!
Next we headed to see our chiropractor, whom we have really missed! It felt so good to get adjusted! Even Rance got adjusted! After watching mommy and daddy do it, he didn't hesitate when the doctor said it was his turn. He just climed right up on the table and laid down. I had Matt check while he was being adjusted, and Matt said he had a grin on his face the whole time! As we were leaving the doctor gave him two stickers and one silly band bracelet, both items a first for Rance. To each item Rance promptly said "Wow!" in his awestruck way. I couldn't even get him to zip his coat up over the stickers on his shirt to go outside!
We made a few more stops on our way home, well I did. The boys waited in the van. We have all this lovely snow outside, so I was looking for snowpants for the boys and a couple of sleds. Rance has never played in the snow before! I think people here are a little ahead of themselves though as I couldn't find a single pair of snowpants in Rance's size nor any sleds in the Wal-Marts and Targets I looked in. I could find everything one would need to get their swimming pool up and running, swimsuits, and lots of shorts and tank tops!
Last night we had a nice, relaxing evening at home. The boys played while Matt and I began to tackle our mountain of laundry and the tedious task of unpacking. I really don't like unpacking!
We arrived home to discover a couple of surprises. We hadn't done much to prepare for the addition of our newest son, since we were so unsure on ages and sizes and interests. We knew Rance would be sharing a room with Cavin, so we cleaned out the closet to make room for Rance's things and rearranged the room to add a toddler bed in the mix. The rest I was planning on figuring out and organizing when we got home.
After finding out Rance was 6, some of our closets friends decided it would be helpful and fun to get the room ready for us. I am not a fan of surprises, and I am a perfectionist, which creates two problems. One, I am sure my house was not up to my standards yet company was in it. Secondly, I am typically really picky on how I want things, to the point normally Matt just stays out of the way.
I will say I knew something was up, as my friends had my mom trying to hint around and ask questions without letting me know what was really going on. But I wasn't expecting anything quite so big. Rance has his very own twin sized bed, complete with the comforter I had been saving up to buy for him! They also redecorated the walls a bit, something I was wanting to do after we got home. They also bought a nice 6 cube shelf for the closet to help organize clothes.
Rance walked in his room and his eyes lit up, and with a look of awe on his face he said, "Wow!". Matt and I wholeheartedly agreed! All four of us really love the room! Although it might of pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, it has been a tremendous blessing to us!
They had also organized a "shower" or sorts and we walked into our living room to find several gifts for Rance. He had fun opening each gift, although like any child he much preferred the few toys over all the clothes! We had bought only 1 pair of pants and 2 shirts so it was perfect that we had some clothes here for Rance to wear!
Rance slept great in his new bed and Matt and I couldn't get over how comfortable our bed was! Cavin slept ok for not feeling well, and was up at 4:30am.
Yesterday we took Cavin to the doctor to find out he had one ear that was healing from an infection (Kiev) while his other ear was becoming quite infected. While Matt took Cavin to the doctor I went with my mom and sister to get some necessities for Rance and other things we needed for ourselves. I needed to pick up a few clothes for Cavin as he has gotten so tall, so we stopped by the Carter's outlet and I found some great deals on clothes for Cavin and of course, some clothes for Rance! I got everything for only a couple of dollars except for one shirt that was $4!
We came home to eat lunch and relax for a bit, but then we decided it was so nice to be out that we left again! We went to get Matt's glasses fixed and look at some frames for Rance. Then we headed to Target. Oh, how I have missed Target!
Next we headed to see our chiropractor, whom we have really missed! It felt so good to get adjusted! Even Rance got adjusted! After watching mommy and daddy do it, he didn't hesitate when the doctor said it was his turn. He just climed right up on the table and laid down. I had Matt check while he was being adjusted, and Matt said he had a grin on his face the whole time! As we were leaving the doctor gave him two stickers and one silly band bracelet, both items a first for Rance. To each item Rance promptly said "Wow!" in his awestruck way. I couldn't even get him to zip his coat up over the stickers on his shirt to go outside!
We made a few more stops on our way home, well I did. The boys waited in the van. We have all this lovely snow outside, so I was looking for snowpants for the boys and a couple of sleds. Rance has never played in the snow before! I think people here are a little ahead of themselves though as I couldn't find a single pair of snowpants in Rance's size nor any sleds in the Wal-Marts and Targets I looked in. I could find everything one would need to get their swimming pool up and running, swimsuits, and lots of shorts and tank tops!
Last night we had a nice, relaxing evening at home. The boys played while Matt and I began to tackle our mountain of laundry and the tedious task of unpacking. I really don't like unpacking!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Flying Home!
We woke up at 1:30am Kiev time to begin our journey home. Matt and I both wanted to shower and we needed time to pack up our last minute things. We woke the boys up at 2 after Matt and Yuri had very carefully crammed all of our stuff into his car. It was about a 30 minute drive to the airport. It wasn't until we arrived at the airport that it actually began to feel like we were on our way home! Because we had two kiddos in tow we were whisked through check in, customs, and security. It was wonderfully free of stress! Both of the boys ran around like crazy until it was time to board flight one of three. Our first flight was from Kiev to Frankfurt and was rather uneventful. Once Cavin fell asleep Matt napped with him while I stayed awake with Rance.
Our layover in Frankfurt was short, just enough time to grab some coffee for me, Coke for Matt, and a snack for the boys. I got some cute pictures of both boys in front of our plane. It was a "double-decker." Rance was in awe and couldn't get over how big it was! We were blessed this time with bulkhead seats, in my opinion, a definite must for any flights with little ones, but especially long flights! There is actually space for a child to get down and walk or play in front of the seats without getting in the way in the asile.
The first part of our second flight was rough. Cavin's fever had returned and I could tell he was exhausted and not feeling well. He was crying with quiet, but still high pitched, screams mixed in. He cried for 45 minutes until I finally got him to sleep. Eventually we were able to get the bassinet put up and we were shocked as Cavin slept for 5--yes 5--hours out of our 9 hour flight. It took us a while to convince Rance that he needed to sleep as well, but once he sat still for a few minutes he was asleep as well. He slept for about 4 hours. I was able to sleep most of the time the boys were, while Matt dozed while watching a movie.
The last part of the flight was filled with coloring and playing and entertaining both boys. We were very pleased with how well both boys did during the 8 hours and 50 minute flight!!
We arrived in Chicago and Rance stepped foot on United States soil for the first time, becoming a legal citizen!! After we got off of the plane and out of the way, I stopped on one knee and told Rance "Welcome to America." As we walked towards customs Rance kept repeating "America" over and over again, pronouncing it A-mer-ri-ca, rolling the second r sound, with a sound of awe in his voice. Too cute.
Going through customs was a little stressful, you have to pick up all of your luggage, take it to get scanned and then recheck it with your airline. Plus we had two little boys who just wanted to run and exert all of the pent up energy from being cramped in an airplane for almost 9 hours, when we needed them to be still! Thankfully most of the security officers were understanding, and we made it through in okay time.
We got our bags rechecked and through security again and headed off to our gate for our final flight only to find that our flight to Saint Louis had been delayed over an hour. Ugh. We stopped at Chili's to eat a little bit and rest while we made our first phone calls in over 2 and 1/2 months!
It was hard keeping the boys calm while we waited, but thankfully Cavin took a short nap and Rance rested while listening to some music on an ipod. He is starting to sing along with some of the songs! He still needs to learn not to sing along so loudly...
We finally borded our flight to Saint Louis, which thankfully was up, and basically right back down. Rance sat next to me and we colored most of the way while Matt and Cavin played with his busy book. Rance loved seeing all of the lights on the ground, lots of "ooh's, aah's and wow's!" We landed and were off to meet family!
Papa and Grandma Tuley, Unce Nate, cousins-Gracie and Samuel, and Aunt Becca were there waiting to meet us! Rance was pretty shy, but still said hi to everyone and gave them all hugs. Cavin and Rance both slept on the drive back to our house.
We were so excited to finally be home. All day Rance had been asking us when we were going to be at his new home. When we landed in Saint Louis he asked if the airport was his house, even though he had seen pictures of our house, I think he was just so ready to be there already!
Our layover in Frankfurt was short, just enough time to grab some coffee for me, Coke for Matt, and a snack for the boys. I got some cute pictures of both boys in front of our plane. It was a "double-decker." Rance was in awe and couldn't get over how big it was! We were blessed this time with bulkhead seats, in my opinion, a definite must for any flights with little ones, but especially long flights! There is actually space for a child to get down and walk or play in front of the seats without getting in the way in the asile.
The first part of our second flight was rough. Cavin's fever had returned and I could tell he was exhausted and not feeling well. He was crying with quiet, but still high pitched, screams mixed in. He cried for 45 minutes until I finally got him to sleep. Eventually we were able to get the bassinet put up and we were shocked as Cavin slept for 5--yes 5--hours out of our 9 hour flight. It took us a while to convince Rance that he needed to sleep as well, but once he sat still for a few minutes he was asleep as well. He slept for about 4 hours. I was able to sleep most of the time the boys were, while Matt dozed while watching a movie.
The last part of the flight was filled with coloring and playing and entertaining both boys. We were very pleased with how well both boys did during the 8 hours and 50 minute flight!!
We arrived in Chicago and Rance stepped foot on United States soil for the first time, becoming a legal citizen!! After we got off of the plane and out of the way, I stopped on one knee and told Rance "Welcome to America." As we walked towards customs Rance kept repeating "America" over and over again, pronouncing it A-mer-ri-ca, rolling the second r sound, with a sound of awe in his voice. Too cute.
Going through customs was a little stressful, you have to pick up all of your luggage, take it to get scanned and then recheck it with your airline. Plus we had two little boys who just wanted to run and exert all of the pent up energy from being cramped in an airplane for almost 9 hours, when we needed them to be still! Thankfully most of the security officers were understanding, and we made it through in okay time.
We got our bags rechecked and through security again and headed off to our gate for our final flight only to find that our flight to Saint Louis had been delayed over an hour. Ugh. We stopped at Chili's to eat a little bit and rest while we made our first phone calls in over 2 and 1/2 months!
It was hard keeping the boys calm while we waited, but thankfully Cavin took a short nap and Rance rested while listening to some music on an ipod. He is starting to sing along with some of the songs! He still needs to learn not to sing along so loudly...
We finally borded our flight to Saint Louis, which thankfully was up, and basically right back down. Rance sat next to me and we colored most of the way while Matt and Cavin played with his busy book. Rance loved seeing all of the lights on the ground, lots of "ooh's, aah's and wow's!" We landed and were off to meet family!
Papa and Grandma Tuley, Unce Nate, cousins-Gracie and Samuel, and Aunt Becca were there waiting to meet us! Rance was pretty shy, but still said hi to everyone and gave them all hugs. Cavin and Rance both slept on the drive back to our house.
We were so excited to finally be home. All day Rance had been asking us when we were going to be at his new home. When we landed in Saint Louis he asked if the airport was his house, even though he had seen pictures of our house, I think he was just so ready to be there already!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Visa!!!!
We cannot believe the adoption process is finally over...its really finished...we're kind of in shock!
We to got to the Embassy, paid the fee for the visa, and then submitted another paper they were needing. Then we waited for our names to be called for the interview.
After about 15 minutes we were called back for the interview. I didn't really know what to expect, but beings they call it an interview I was expecting to be asked some questions. However, all they did was make us swear that we had filled out the paperwork truthfully, then sign all of the papers. Then we were told, "Congratulations, your visa process is completed!" Please wait while we get the visa printed within the next hour!
So we walked around the corner to a waiting room where they had some toys and books. I read a few books to Rance while Matt kept up with Cavin. Then I began speaking with a woman who was adopting their third child, an adorable 22 month old girl, from Ukraine (they had adopted the older 2 siblings last year). In about 30 minutes our names were called again, Rance's visa was printed and ready! I wrapped up my conversation with the lady and out we went!
We're now back at the apartment and soon the packing will begin in earnest!
Still cannot believe the adoption is finally complete!! We are really getting excited to be home!!
Please pray for packing to go smoothly, for the boys to go to bed early so we can finish up and get some sleep ourselves. Yuri will be at our apartment to pick us up at 2:50am...yah. It will be interesting trying to cram all of our stuff into his car and then waking the boys up at such a crazy hour. Our flight leaves Ukraine at 5:30am, which is 9:30pm tonight STL time. We have layovers in Munich, Germany and Chicago. Total travel time:22 hours.
Please pray for no delays in our flights and for safe travel!
We're praying the boys will sleep during our first flight to Munich and the first part of our transatlantic flight to help with the time change back to the States. Then we're praying they will be well behaved for the remainder of our flight time.
My next blog update will be Stateside!! I know you are all anxious to see pictures, please be patient with us, they are coming, we promise!
We to got to the Embassy, paid the fee for the visa, and then submitted another paper they were needing. Then we waited for our names to be called for the interview.
After about 15 minutes we were called back for the interview. I didn't really know what to expect, but beings they call it an interview I was expecting to be asked some questions. However, all they did was make us swear that we had filled out the paperwork truthfully, then sign all of the papers. Then we were told, "Congratulations, your visa process is completed!" Please wait while we get the visa printed within the next hour!
So we walked around the corner to a waiting room where they had some toys and books. I read a few books to Rance while Matt kept up with Cavin. Then I began speaking with a woman who was adopting their third child, an adorable 22 month old girl, from Ukraine (they had adopted the older 2 siblings last year). In about 30 minutes our names were called again, Rance's visa was printed and ready! I wrapped up my conversation with the lady and out we went!
We're now back at the apartment and soon the packing will begin in earnest!
Still cannot believe the adoption is finally complete!! We are really getting excited to be home!!
Please pray for packing to go smoothly, for the boys to go to bed early so we can finish up and get some sleep ourselves. Yuri will be at our apartment to pick us up at 2:50am...yah. It will be interesting trying to cram all of our stuff into his car and then waking the boys up at such a crazy hour. Our flight leaves Ukraine at 5:30am, which is 9:30pm tonight STL time. We have layovers in Munich, Germany and Chicago. Total travel time:22 hours.
Please pray for no delays in our flights and for safe travel!
We're praying the boys will sleep during our first flight to Munich and the first part of our transatlantic flight to help with the time change back to the States. Then we're praying they will be well behaved for the remainder of our flight time.
My next blog update will be Stateside!! I know you are all anxious to see pictures, please be patient with us, they are coming, we promise!
Monday, February 7, 2011
U.S. Visa:Part One
This morning Matt and Rance left the apartment at 8am to head to the International Hospital here in Kiev to start on the first part of getting an immigrant visa for Rance to enter the States. Since Cavin was still feverish and not feeling well he and I stayed behind. Matt said they had to wait a long time before they were seen by the doctor. Definitely glad I stayed behind with the fussy baby! They finally got in and Rance was examined by the doctor. Then she looked through his medical history, filled out a vaccination chart in English and then filled out a bunch of paperwork for us to submit to the U.S. Embassy on his medical history.
Meanwhile I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to come and pick Cavin and I up for our appointment at the Embassy at 10:30! Finally around 10:10 Yuri called to tell me they were close and to head downstairs. Our appointment was smooth and easy. I stood at a window and a very kind lady helped me finish filling out the parts of the paperwork we were unsure about. The lady had sent Matt and the boys to a waiting room around the corner to play while I finished up the paperwork. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything finished up and then we were on our way!
Tomorrow at 2:00 we will go back to the Embassy for our second appointment, which is our official interview. We don't really know what to expect, but I imagine it will be fairly simple. We should have his visa around an hour after our interview! Once we have his visa we are completely ready to come back to the States!
Tonight we will begin reorganizing things and packing up!
One of Rance's new phrases is "I don't know." He first heard it during a phone conversation with my mom and has since mastered the phrase. Today while they were waiting for the doctor Rance was trying to name Ukrainian letters using the English alphabet. He would ask what a letter was and Matt would say it, then he would repeat it. Until they came to a letter in the Ukrainian alphabet that is unknown to Matt, he would say "I don't know," which Rance would then repeat. Its pretty cute!
We also tried McDonald's again today. We would have rather ate elsewhere but like in the States, its much cheaper than other places to eat, so that's where we headed. The first time we tried a cheeseburger which Rance didn't know how to eat and wasn't fond of. So today I tried chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, and we he devoured all 4 of them, using the entire thing of sauce! He even tried to eat the sweet and sour sauce straight from the container, which we quickly told him no too. But it made me think of my Grandpa Tuley, who first introduced me to sweet and sour sauce! He loved that stuff, I suppose he would be proud I have continued to pass the love of the sauce down to my kiddos too. Lol.
I'm off to get the boys to bed and to get some stuff done before we finally get some sleep.
Please be praying for us to get the visa tomorrow shortly after our appointment!
Please also continue to pray for Cavin to get better! His fever is still hanging on, his nose is still running, and he still isn't feeling well. We are praying he is much better by Wednesday when we travel.
Meanwhile I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to come and pick Cavin and I up for our appointment at the Embassy at 10:30! Finally around 10:10 Yuri called to tell me they were close and to head downstairs. Our appointment was smooth and easy. I stood at a window and a very kind lady helped me finish filling out the parts of the paperwork we were unsure about. The lady had sent Matt and the boys to a waiting room around the corner to play while I finished up the paperwork. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything finished up and then we were on our way!
Tomorrow at 2:00 we will go back to the Embassy for our second appointment, which is our official interview. We don't really know what to expect, but I imagine it will be fairly simple. We should have his visa around an hour after our interview! Once we have his visa we are completely ready to come back to the States!
Tonight we will begin reorganizing things and packing up!
One of Rance's new phrases is "I don't know." He first heard it during a phone conversation with my mom and has since mastered the phrase. Today while they were waiting for the doctor Rance was trying to name Ukrainian letters using the English alphabet. He would ask what a letter was and Matt would say it, then he would repeat it. Until they came to a letter in the Ukrainian alphabet that is unknown to Matt, he would say "I don't know," which Rance would then repeat. Its pretty cute!
We also tried McDonald's again today. We would have rather ate elsewhere but like in the States, its much cheaper than other places to eat, so that's where we headed. The first time we tried a cheeseburger which Rance didn't know how to eat and wasn't fond of. So today I tried chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, and we he devoured all 4 of them, using the entire thing of sauce! He even tried to eat the sweet and sour sauce straight from the container, which we quickly told him no too. But it made me think of my Grandpa Tuley, who first introduced me to sweet and sour sauce! He loved that stuff, I suppose he would be proud I have continued to pass the love of the sauce down to my kiddos too. Lol.
I'm off to get the boys to bed and to get some stuff done before we finally get some sleep.
Please be praying for us to get the visa tomorrow shortly after our appointment!
Please also continue to pray for Cavin to get better! His fever is still hanging on, his nose is still running, and he still isn't feeling well. We are praying he is much better by Wednesday when we travel.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Our Last Sunday!
Cavin has still been battling whatever sickness he has. Thursday night he spiked a low grade fever that turned into a higher fever on Friday. Knowing he had an infection and a fever was a natural part of fighting infection, I decided to just give him tylenol and wait it out a few days.
His fever would break with the tylenol and then go right back up as it wore off. This continued Friday, and all day Saturday. Worried he might have an ear infection and being so close to flying, I decided to call Dr.Yuri and he came back to the apartment Saturday night. Dr. Yuri agreed that the fever was part of the process of fighting off an infection, but also knew our concern with flying. We both decided it would be best to get some antibiotics and get rid of the infection before flying. He walked down to the pharmacy and came back with an antibiotic that we began giving to Cavin Saturday night.
Cavin slept well last night but you can tell our poor little guy is sick. He has still had a fever, although it hasn't been as high as it was. Hopefully he is on the mend and will be better by Tuesday night before flying Wednesday morning.
Saturday morning we kept hearing this beeping sound and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I went to change Cavin's diaper and lo and behold, the thermometer was on, in the pantleg of his pj's! In case you're wondering, his foot temperature was 97.1! Lol.
We have taken his temperature often so Cavin has naturally learned what the thermometer is for. Several times he has grabbed the thermometer and tried to put it down his shirt to take his own temperature. The funny thing is most times he can't get it back out, so he just lets it fall down his shirt or pajama's and goes on about his business!
Rance is doing well. He absolutely loves baths. Last night was the first night since we got Rance that we haven't done baths for the boys. Dr. Yuri was here late and we just didn't get around to it. Rance was pretty sad about it, but we promised he could take a bath "tomorrow." He is currently playing away in the bath tub while I type this.
**First for Rance
-Putting his head completely under water! I guessed he just did this by the amount of coughing I just heard and Matt just confirmed it. Now to teach him to close his mouth...
We have been going through the slide show we made him a while ago to introduce him to his family at home. He has Grandma and Papa down and is working on the names of all of his aunts, uncles and cousins! He had a really hard time saying Christen, the first few times he said it, it came out more like "Christmas!" Now he's got all of the names down and they have been added into the other words he randomly says throughout the day.
Tomorrow morning at 8 Matt and Rance will head to the embassy for Rance's medical evaluation/exam. Then they will come by and pick up Cavin and I and we will head to our first appointment with the U.S. Embassy for Rance's visa.
Prayer Request!
-That we will receive Rance's visa Tuesday night!
-For Cavin to get quickly get better so we don't have to travel with a sick baby!
His fever would break with the tylenol and then go right back up as it wore off. This continued Friday, and all day Saturday. Worried he might have an ear infection and being so close to flying, I decided to call Dr.Yuri and he came back to the apartment Saturday night. Dr. Yuri agreed that the fever was part of the process of fighting off an infection, but also knew our concern with flying. We both decided it would be best to get some antibiotics and get rid of the infection before flying. He walked down to the pharmacy and came back with an antibiotic that we began giving to Cavin Saturday night.
Cavin slept well last night but you can tell our poor little guy is sick. He has still had a fever, although it hasn't been as high as it was. Hopefully he is on the mend and will be better by Tuesday night before flying Wednesday morning.
Saturday morning we kept hearing this beeping sound and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I went to change Cavin's diaper and lo and behold, the thermometer was on, in the pantleg of his pj's! In case you're wondering, his foot temperature was 97.1! Lol.
We have taken his temperature often so Cavin has naturally learned what the thermometer is for. Several times he has grabbed the thermometer and tried to put it down his shirt to take his own temperature. The funny thing is most times he can't get it back out, so he just lets it fall down his shirt or pajama's and goes on about his business!
Rance is doing well. He absolutely loves baths. Last night was the first night since we got Rance that we haven't done baths for the boys. Dr. Yuri was here late and we just didn't get around to it. Rance was pretty sad about it, but we promised he could take a bath "tomorrow." He is currently playing away in the bath tub while I type this.
**First for Rance
-Putting his head completely under water! I guessed he just did this by the amount of coughing I just heard and Matt just confirmed it. Now to teach him to close his mouth...
We have been going through the slide show we made him a while ago to introduce him to his family at home. He has Grandma and Papa down and is working on the names of all of his aunts, uncles and cousins! He had a really hard time saying Christen, the first few times he said it, it came out more like "Christmas!" Now he's got all of the names down and they have been added into the other words he randomly says throughout the day.
Tomorrow morning at 8 Matt and Rance will head to the embassy for Rance's medical evaluation/exam. Then they will come by and pick up Cavin and I and we will head to our first appointment with the U.S. Embassy for Rance's visa.
Prayer Request!
-That we will receive Rance's visa Tuesday night!
-For Cavin to get quickly get better so we don't have to travel with a sick baby!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Passport!!
Sorry for the lack of updates the past few days. Cavin has not been feeling well and has been demanding more of our time with keeping his nose clean and some fussiness here and there.
On Thursday evening we had a doctor come to the apartment to check on Cavin. He had been fighting a cold for over a week and I felt like it was getting worse, especially his cough. I also wanted to make sure he didn't have an ear infection before flying. The doctor was really nice, and did great with Cavin. He said Cavin had a viral respiratory infection and walked with Matt down the street to the drugstore to buy medicine. Then he walked back with Matt so we could write down the directions for the 6, almost all of them were all natural, medicines. Love that he was able to come the night we called, was so nice and thorough and helpful, and it only cost us $40.
We have been enjoying our time together as a family at "our" apartment here in Kiev.The boys have really started to bond and playing with each other, which melts my heart! Of course they are still learning to share with each other, and that's not always easy.
Rance has been doing really well for the most part. We have had a few tears, but only one time were they unrelated to getting in trouble. =) We continue to try and teach Rance English.We think he is beginning to understand a lot of what we say and he is learning new words everyday.
Yesterday we were walking and he was skipping so I began singing "Skip, skip, skip to my lou....skip to my lou my darling" and Rance caught on rather quick. He sings it "Skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou skippy my lou my darling.." Its too cute!! Its nice for us to have a break from the alphabet song too!
Yesterday afternoon we found out that Rance's Ukrainian passport was finished! An answer to prayer that it was finished sooner than we had planned! We got a call late last night letting us know that it had arrived in Kiev. We are now completely done with everything in Ukraine, just need to get his U.S. visa and we're good to go! We have already been pre-approved for a visa for Rance, but we still have to fill out a lot of paperwork this weekend. Then Monday we will take Rance to the Embassy doctor to be checked out, then to our first appointment at the Embassy to turn in our paperwork. Tuesday we will have our interview and then we are praying we can get his visa picked up Tuesday night...normally this is the case....but due to our experience here we are a little nervous about this!
Today we walked just across the street to a pizza place. Before we left we asked Rance if he wanted to eat pizza and he got a big smile on his face and shook his head yes. However, he didn't seem to like it all that much and needed some prodding to finish his one piece. Hopefully he grows to love pizza as much as his daddy does, because we eat it a lot!
**Firsts for Rance
-Eating Pizza!
-Riding in an Elevator (Our apartment is on the third floor)
-Riding on an Escalator (Nervous to get on and off the first time, but thought it was pretty fun after that!)
-Ice (Both Cavin and Rance tried ice for the first time on Friday! They both loved it!)
-Cold Cereal (This morning instead of hot oatmeal we let the boys eat cold cereal, Matt wasn't sure if he would like it because it was cold, but I was like, of course he'll like it, its sugar coated! I was right, he loved it!)
Tonight we will begin finishing up laundry that we need to get done and beginning to reorganize and repack our suitcases. We are hoping to have pretty much everything done by Sunday night as we know Monday and Tuesday will be busy with getting Rance's visa.
Its hard to believe we will be leaving on Wednesday. We are so ready and excited to be back home, but after being here for over 2 months it seems unreal!
On Thursday evening we had a doctor come to the apartment to check on Cavin. He had been fighting a cold for over a week and I felt like it was getting worse, especially his cough. I also wanted to make sure he didn't have an ear infection before flying. The doctor was really nice, and did great with Cavin. He said Cavin had a viral respiratory infection and walked with Matt down the street to the drugstore to buy medicine. Then he walked back with Matt so we could write down the directions for the 6, almost all of them were all natural, medicines. Love that he was able to come the night we called, was so nice and thorough and helpful, and it only cost us $40.
We have been enjoying our time together as a family at "our" apartment here in Kiev.The boys have really started to bond and playing with each other, which melts my heart! Of course they are still learning to share with each other, and that's not always easy.
Rance has been doing really well for the most part. We have had a few tears, but only one time were they unrelated to getting in trouble. =) We continue to try and teach Rance English.We think he is beginning to understand a lot of what we say and he is learning new words everyday.
Yesterday we were walking and he was skipping so I began singing "Skip, skip, skip to my lou....skip to my lou my darling" and Rance caught on rather quick. He sings it "Skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou skippy my lou my darling.." Its too cute!! Its nice for us to have a break from the alphabet song too!
Yesterday afternoon we found out that Rance's Ukrainian passport was finished! An answer to prayer that it was finished sooner than we had planned! We got a call late last night letting us know that it had arrived in Kiev. We are now completely done with everything in Ukraine, just need to get his U.S. visa and we're good to go! We have already been pre-approved for a visa for Rance, but we still have to fill out a lot of paperwork this weekend. Then Monday we will take Rance to the Embassy doctor to be checked out, then to our first appointment at the Embassy to turn in our paperwork. Tuesday we will have our interview and then we are praying we can get his visa picked up Tuesday night...normally this is the case....but due to our experience here we are a little nervous about this!
Today we walked just across the street to a pizza place. Before we left we asked Rance if he wanted to eat pizza and he got a big smile on his face and shook his head yes. However, he didn't seem to like it all that much and needed some prodding to finish his one piece. Hopefully he grows to love pizza as much as his daddy does, because we eat it a lot!
**Firsts for Rance
-Eating Pizza!
-Riding in an Elevator (Our apartment is on the third floor)
-Riding on an Escalator (Nervous to get on and off the first time, but thought it was pretty fun after that!)
-Ice (Both Cavin and Rance tried ice for the first time on Friday! They both loved it!)
-Cold Cereal (This morning instead of hot oatmeal we let the boys eat cold cereal, Matt wasn't sure if he would like it because it was cold, but I was like, of course he'll like it, its sugar coated! I was right, he loved it!)
Tonight we will begin finishing up laundry that we need to get done and beginning to reorganize and repack our suitcases. We are hoping to have pretty much everything done by Sunday night as we know Monday and Tuesday will be busy with getting Rance's visa.
Its hard to believe we will be leaving on Wednesday. We are so ready and excited to be back home, but after being here for over 2 months it seems unreal!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Second Day of the Second Month, 2011
Thankful for a low key day!
Rance woke us up singing his ABC's just before 8, which just made us laugh. While they ate some yogurt for breakfast we began to pack things up. Around 10 we were packed and everyone was ready so we walked a block to another one of our favorite cafe's for brunch. Then it was back to the hotel to load all of our stuff into the trunk of a small foreign car! It took Oleg and Matt a few tries to figure out how it would all fit, as there was no room to spare!
Then we were off to Kiev! We were not expecting to be able to return to Kiev until we had picked up Rance's passport. Thanks to Olegs lawyer friend in Kirovograd, who is picking it up when it is ready and sending it to us on the bus, we got to return earlier!
It took us about 5 hours to drive to Kiev thanks to poor road conditions and getting stuck behind slow driver. We arrived in Kiev around 5pm, just in time for evening traffic!!
We finally got to our apartment and got unloaded. Cavin had barely napped and Rance hadn't napped at all and they were both getting sleepy so we were thankful to get out!
After visiting with Yuri (facilitator in Kiev) for a little while he headed out and we put a few things away and then headed out for dinner.
**Firsts for Rance:
-McDonalds!! We ordered him a cheeseburger happy meal.
-First time eating a sandwich. We had to show him out to eat it! Lol.
He only ate about half of the cheeseburger and a few french fries. So far he has devoured everything we have given him, so we're not sure if he didn't like it or if he wasn't hungry. We had stopped around 2 for a snack.
Then we walked to the grocery store to get milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, lunch meat, cheese and bread.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Using toilet paper.
We had begun to get a little worried as Rance hadn't had to use the bathroom since leaving the orphanage. We had just went to the dairy department of the grocery store when he said he needed to use the toilet. We were thankful the grocery store has a public restroom and that we were right next to it when he needed to use it! Matt said Rance wasn't so sure about the toilet paper, but hopefully he'll get used to it. At the orphanage each child had a special towel to use as they could not afford toilet paper.
Once we got back to the apartment we let the boys play for a while before starting in on bath time and getting them to bed.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Sleeping in a room by himself! Maybe!
Our apartment here (same one we stayed in the first month in Ukraine) has a loft with a bed in it, where Rance currently is trying to go to sleep. We'll see how it goes.
We are thankful to be back in Kiev, in an apartment that is almost 3 times the size of our hotel room in Alexandria. Much more room for two very active little boys!
**First for All of Us:
-First time in over a month we are alone, without our facilitator.
It is so nice to have some family time, its nice that Rance doesn't have a facilitator to rely on, and that we can be more independent and do more on our own!
One week from today and we will be on U.S. soil! Finally!!!!
Rance woke us up singing his ABC's just before 8, which just made us laugh. While they ate some yogurt for breakfast we began to pack things up. Around 10 we were packed and everyone was ready so we walked a block to another one of our favorite cafe's for brunch. Then it was back to the hotel to load all of our stuff into the trunk of a small foreign car! It took Oleg and Matt a few tries to figure out how it would all fit, as there was no room to spare!
Then we were off to Kiev! We were not expecting to be able to return to Kiev until we had picked up Rance's passport. Thanks to Olegs lawyer friend in Kirovograd, who is picking it up when it is ready and sending it to us on the bus, we got to return earlier!
It took us about 5 hours to drive to Kiev thanks to poor road conditions and getting stuck behind slow driver. We arrived in Kiev around 5pm, just in time for evening traffic!!
We finally got to our apartment and got unloaded. Cavin had barely napped and Rance hadn't napped at all and they were both getting sleepy so we were thankful to get out!
After visiting with Yuri (facilitator in Kiev) for a little while he headed out and we put a few things away and then headed out for dinner.
**Firsts for Rance:
-McDonalds!! We ordered him a cheeseburger happy meal.
-First time eating a sandwich. We had to show him out to eat it! Lol.
He only ate about half of the cheeseburger and a few french fries. So far he has devoured everything we have given him, so we're not sure if he didn't like it or if he wasn't hungry. We had stopped around 2 for a snack.
Then we walked to the grocery store to get milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, lunch meat, cheese and bread.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Using toilet paper.
We had begun to get a little worried as Rance hadn't had to use the bathroom since leaving the orphanage. We had just went to the dairy department of the grocery store when he said he needed to use the toilet. We were thankful the grocery store has a public restroom and that we were right next to it when he needed to use it! Matt said Rance wasn't so sure about the toilet paper, but hopefully he'll get used to it. At the orphanage each child had a special towel to use as they could not afford toilet paper.
Once we got back to the apartment we let the boys play for a while before starting in on bath time and getting them to bed.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Sleeping in a room by himself! Maybe!
Our apartment here (same one we stayed in the first month in Ukraine) has a loft with a bed in it, where Rance currently is trying to go to sleep. We'll see how it goes.
We are thankful to be back in Kiev, in an apartment that is almost 3 times the size of our hotel room in Alexandria. Much more room for two very active little boys!
**First for All of Us:
-First time in over a month we are alone, without our facilitator.
It is so nice to have some family time, its nice that Rance doesn't have a facilitator to rely on, and that we can be more independent and do more on our own!
One week from today and we will be on U.S. soil! Finally!!!!
02.01.2011
Morning arrived way to early after a sleepless night. Matt and I were up at 5:30 to get ourselves ready so we would have plenty of time to wake both boys up and get them fed and ready to leave by 7am. We weren't sure how the morning would go, but Rance woke up rather easily, with no potty accident, and ate his cereal concoction daddy made him like a champ! We were thankful to be ready with a few minutes to spare!
Oleg picked us up at 7 and we were off. We were headed to the region where Rance was born and lived before coming to the orphanage. We thought it was about a 2 hour drive from Alexandria where we were. Ha. 4 very long hours later we arrived. Riding with two wiggly little boys with Matt and I in the backseat was interesting to say the least. Not to mention how many times we heard Rance sing the ABC's!
First item on the agenda: get a new birth certificate for Rance with his new name and listing Matt and I as his parents. Its an answer to prayer that we were able to do this at all on Tuesday. Last week Yulia found out that the birth certificate office was closed from January 31-February 5 as they would be working on in office documents only. Thankfully between Yulia and Oleg calling and begging one of the ladies at the office, she said she would work us in first thing Tuesday morning. PRAISE GOD!
**Firsts for Rance
-Playing outside! Rance said he couldn't remember the last time he had been outside the orphanage. So sad! He ran around, jumped around, carefully stepped on the squares and had a grand time. Cavin of course, was trying to keep up, but couldn't quite figure out how to jump. Truly priceless!
While the lady prepared the new birth certificate we walked down the street to a cafe to eat lunch. It was freezing in the cafe. Normally places are cold here, but it was so cold you could see your breath. This cafe was definitely proof that looks can be deceiving. The dining area looked pretty nice, chair covers, table cloths, nice curtains and rugs. However, I walked through the back to the bathroom, passing the kitchen on the way. Let's just say this, I wouldn't have used the bathroom if you paid me a million dollars, and I am amazed that we didn't get food poisoning after seeing the kitchen.
After an hour wait we picked up the new birth certificate! Yulia said that normally its a 3-5 hour wait and we were again thankful for God's provision as we were on a very tight time schedule.
Next on the agenda: Changing Rance's personal number (like our social security number).
We were able to wait in the car while Oleg changed the number for us. It only took about 20 minutes.
Then we were off to Kirovograd where we would get the paperwork notarized and apply for Rance's passport.
It took us about 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Kirovograd where we again waited in the car while Oleg worked with a friend who is a lawyer to get some paperwork notarized. Then we went across town to the passport office. Oleg, Matt and Rance went in while Yulia, Cavin and I waited in the car...again! At this point it was 4:30 and were just thankful we were in time to apply for his passport. It took them about 40 minutes in the passport office and then we were done for the day!
We stopped to get gas, had to stop and get a few more official pictures of Rance for other documents and then we headed back to Alexandria. We ate at the "cafe on the road" which is connected to a gas station that had become our favorite place to eat. We wanted to eat there one last time before leaving. They have this honey cake that is to die for. I asked for the recipe everytime we ate there but sadly never got it.
**Firsts for Rance:
-French Fries and a Juice Box!
As usual, Cavin had charmed the waitresses and while we were eating Yulia said that Cavin's favorite waitress, a very tall blonde, had just said that she was waiting for Cavin to get done eating! As soon as Cavin was done he climbed down and headed towards the counter where he was promptly picked up, passed around and smothered with kisses. Rance tagged right along. He had a conversation with one of the ladies, and I wish I knew what he said!
We headed back to the hotel for the night, where we had two little boys with lots of energy from being in a car all day. Bath time was even more crazy! We finally got them both to sleep and thankfully they both slept well through the night and so did Matt and I!
Oleg picked us up at 7 and we were off. We were headed to the region where Rance was born and lived before coming to the orphanage. We thought it was about a 2 hour drive from Alexandria where we were. Ha. 4 very long hours later we arrived. Riding with two wiggly little boys with Matt and I in the backseat was interesting to say the least. Not to mention how many times we heard Rance sing the ABC's!
First item on the agenda: get a new birth certificate for Rance with his new name and listing Matt and I as his parents. Its an answer to prayer that we were able to do this at all on Tuesday. Last week Yulia found out that the birth certificate office was closed from January 31-February 5 as they would be working on in office documents only. Thankfully between Yulia and Oleg calling and begging one of the ladies at the office, she said she would work us in first thing Tuesday morning. PRAISE GOD!
**Firsts for Rance
-Playing outside! Rance said he couldn't remember the last time he had been outside the orphanage. So sad! He ran around, jumped around, carefully stepped on the squares and had a grand time. Cavin of course, was trying to keep up, but couldn't quite figure out how to jump. Truly priceless!
While the lady prepared the new birth certificate we walked down the street to a cafe to eat lunch. It was freezing in the cafe. Normally places are cold here, but it was so cold you could see your breath. This cafe was definitely proof that looks can be deceiving. The dining area looked pretty nice, chair covers, table cloths, nice curtains and rugs. However, I walked through the back to the bathroom, passing the kitchen on the way. Let's just say this, I wouldn't have used the bathroom if you paid me a million dollars, and I am amazed that we didn't get food poisoning after seeing the kitchen.
After an hour wait we picked up the new birth certificate! Yulia said that normally its a 3-5 hour wait and we were again thankful for God's provision as we were on a very tight time schedule.
Next on the agenda: Changing Rance's personal number (like our social security number).
We were able to wait in the car while Oleg changed the number for us. It only took about 20 minutes.
Then we were off to Kirovograd where we would get the paperwork notarized and apply for Rance's passport.
It took us about 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Kirovograd where we again waited in the car while Oleg worked with a friend who is a lawyer to get some paperwork notarized. Then we went across town to the passport office. Oleg, Matt and Rance went in while Yulia, Cavin and I waited in the car...again! At this point it was 4:30 and were just thankful we were in time to apply for his passport. It took them about 40 minutes in the passport office and then we were done for the day!
We stopped to get gas, had to stop and get a few more official pictures of Rance for other documents and then we headed back to Alexandria. We ate at the "cafe on the road" which is connected to a gas station that had become our favorite place to eat. We wanted to eat there one last time before leaving. They have this honey cake that is to die for. I asked for the recipe everytime we ate there but sadly never got it.
**Firsts for Rance:
-French Fries and a Juice Box!
As usual, Cavin had charmed the waitresses and while we were eating Yulia said that Cavin's favorite waitress, a very tall blonde, had just said that she was waiting for Cavin to get done eating! As soon as Cavin was done he climbed down and headed towards the counter where he was promptly picked up, passed around and smothered with kisses. Rance tagged right along. He had a conversation with one of the ladies, and I wish I knew what he said!
We headed back to the hotel for the night, where we had two little boys with lots of energy from being in a car all day. Bath time was even more crazy! We finally got them both to sleep and thankfully they both slept well through the night and so did Matt and I!
Monday, January 31, 2011
We left at 12:30 to walk to the courthouse which is about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. The official court decision was supposed to be ready at 1:00 when the courthouse reopened from its lunch hour. We waited in line until about 1:20 to go into the office to find out that they did not have it ready for us. They sent us to another office. We walked around the corner and into the second office to find out they didn't have it either. They sent us to the office next door.
You can imagine our relief when they said they had made 15 copies (as requested by our translator) of the court decision and given them to the judge. So then we headed upstairs and Yulia, our translator asked about the court decision. I guess the secretaries had better things to do than prepare our copies of the court decision as I don't think they had even started on them when we came to pick them up. Major frustration.
So we waited, for almost an hour for the two secretaries to "work" on putting together our official copies of the court decision. The decision is two pages, which were signed by the judge, sewn (kind of like bound) together on one side, then stamped with the official seal. One of the secretaries kept coming in and out of the office, twice with a mug to go get more tea/coffee. Then after about 20 minutes she came out with her coat on and just left. I was like, seriously??
We finally got to the orphanage to pick Rance up at 3:30. We gave his new clothes to a caregiver to get him changed while we signed papers to "check him out" of the orphanage. Rance came downstairs dressed in his new clothes with a huge smile on his face. We finished up signing papers then put on his hat, coat and gloves and then he practically ran out of the orphanage. I did manage to stop him to get a picture of him outside of the orphanage!
We went straight back to the hotel where Rance began exploring every little thing. We finally tore him away to eat at the cafe connected to the hotel. He didn't understand why we had to wait on the food to come to us, as he is used to being called to eat when the food was ready and on the table. We had to keep reminding him to slow down!
**Firsts for Rance:
-First time to eat a hot dog! Ukrainian version at least.
-First time eating with a fork! They used only spoons at the orphanage.
During dinner Yulia somehow found out that the caregivers woke all of the kids at the orphanage up twice during the night to take them to the bathroom. Understandable for sure considering all but a few of the kids were special needs and doing laundry with no dryer with that many kids for potty accidents just isn't realistic. Still.
After dinner we went back to the hotel room where Rance continued to bounce of the walls exploring both his new freedom and a new enviornment. Cavin continued to try and keep up, but at times would just stare in awe of all the cool things (and trouble!) his big brother could do (find)!
**Firsts for Rance!
-Talking to Grandma Tuley and Grandma Clapham on Skype!
We finally wrangled both of the boys into the bathtub. This was the first time we had seen Rance without clothes on. We knew he was skinny, but this was the first time we really saw how skinny he is. He is literally skin and bones. He was a little unsure of the bath but having Cavin in there with him seemed to help him relax as soon it was crazy in the tiny bathtub!
**Another First for Rance:
-Took his first bath!
Rance told us at the orphanage that a caregiver helped him bathe and that water was poured over his head. I asked him if it was with a shower hose and he said no. I asked him if they used a bucket to dump the water over his head and he laughed. So who knows.
After baths and getting them dressed we finally got Rance into bed (cot) and Cavin to sleep. It took Rance a while to fall asleep, but he slept through the night! Matt and I didn't sleep well at all however, just couldn't get comfortable and get to sleep. Matt got up twice to ask Rance to go potty. The first time Rance just said no, the second time he said no, covered his head with the pillow and rolled away from Matt!
**Firsts for Rance:
-Getting tucked into bed by a mommy and daddy, complete with prayers, kisses and I love you's!
We had been warned that bedtime was the hardest on orphans with their new families and that we could face lots of tears throughout the night. Matt and I were both relieved and thankful there were no melt downs with Rance and that Cavin wasn't acting jealous at all with having Rance in his space and him being with us all the time. Instead we had lots of hugs, smiles and "love you's!"
You can imagine our relief when they said they had made 15 copies (as requested by our translator) of the court decision and given them to the judge. So then we headed upstairs and Yulia, our translator asked about the court decision. I guess the secretaries had better things to do than prepare our copies of the court decision as I don't think they had even started on them when we came to pick them up. Major frustration.
So we waited, for almost an hour for the two secretaries to "work" on putting together our official copies of the court decision. The decision is two pages, which were signed by the judge, sewn (kind of like bound) together on one side, then stamped with the official seal. One of the secretaries kept coming in and out of the office, twice with a mug to go get more tea/coffee. Then after about 20 minutes she came out with her coat on and just left. I was like, seriously??
We finally got to the orphanage to pick Rance up at 3:30. We gave his new clothes to a caregiver to get him changed while we signed papers to "check him out" of the orphanage. Rance came downstairs dressed in his new clothes with a huge smile on his face. We finished up signing papers then put on his hat, coat and gloves and then he practically ran out of the orphanage. I did manage to stop him to get a picture of him outside of the orphanage!
We went straight back to the hotel where Rance began exploring every little thing. We finally tore him away to eat at the cafe connected to the hotel. He didn't understand why we had to wait on the food to come to us, as he is used to being called to eat when the food was ready and on the table. We had to keep reminding him to slow down!
**Firsts for Rance:
-First time to eat a hot dog! Ukrainian version at least.
-First time eating with a fork! They used only spoons at the orphanage.
During dinner Yulia somehow found out that the caregivers woke all of the kids at the orphanage up twice during the night to take them to the bathroom. Understandable for sure considering all but a few of the kids were special needs and doing laundry with no dryer with that many kids for potty accidents just isn't realistic. Still.
After dinner we went back to the hotel room where Rance continued to bounce of the walls exploring both his new freedom and a new enviornment. Cavin continued to try and keep up, but at times would just stare in awe of all the cool things (and trouble!) his big brother could do (find)!
**Firsts for Rance!
-Talking to Grandma Tuley and Grandma Clapham on Skype!
We finally wrangled both of the boys into the bathtub. This was the first time we had seen Rance without clothes on. We knew he was skinny, but this was the first time we really saw how skinny he is. He is literally skin and bones. He was a little unsure of the bath but having Cavin in there with him seemed to help him relax as soon it was crazy in the tiny bathtub!
**Another First for Rance:
-Took his first bath!
Rance told us at the orphanage that a caregiver helped him bathe and that water was poured over his head. I asked him if it was with a shower hose and he said no. I asked him if they used a bucket to dump the water over his head and he laughed. So who knows.
After baths and getting them dressed we finally got Rance into bed (cot) and Cavin to sleep. It took Rance a while to fall asleep, but he slept through the night! Matt and I didn't sleep well at all however, just couldn't get comfortable and get to sleep. Matt got up twice to ask Rance to go potty. The first time Rance just said no, the second time he said no, covered his head with the pillow and rolled away from Matt!
**Firsts for Rance:
-Getting tucked into bed by a mommy and daddy, complete with prayers, kisses and I love you's!
We had been warned that bedtime was the hardest on orphans with their new families and that we could face lots of tears throughout the night. Matt and I were both relieved and thankful there were no melt downs with Rance and that Cavin wasn't acting jealous at all with having Rance in his space and him being with us all the time. Instead we had lots of hugs, smiles and "love you's!"
Monday, January 31, 2011
Four!
It still seems unreal but we are officially a family of four!!
We have had a good evening and both boys went to sleep rather easily. Praying we all get a good nights sleep as we have a long day tomorrow!
More to come about today sometime soon!
We have had a good evening and both boys went to sleep rather easily. Praying we all get a good nights sleep as we have a long day tomorrow!
More to come about today sometime soon!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Orphanage Tour!
Cannot believe tonight was our last visit with Rance at the orphanage. It seems like it has taken so long to get to this point that its hard to believe we've finally arrived at this long awaited time! Tomorrow we will get the official court decree and finally get to pick Rance up from the orphanage! God is faithful!
Here is a tour of the orphanage....
This is right on the other side of the curtains. To the left is the room for the kids 4 and under that we rarely got to see. To the right is the kitchen, offices and the room in which we visited Rance.
We have asked Rance several times if he is ready to leave the orphanage forever, to never come back, and each time he says yes without hesitation. However, I think tomorrow will be hard on him and I know it will be hard on the caregivers who love him very much and his friends who will be left behind.
Here is a tour of the orphanage....
This is the front of the orphanage.
This is immediately inside the front door.
This is the room in which we were allowed to visit with Rance everyday. We visited 38 days, for a total of 76 hours spent in this room!
This is the upstairs "foyer."
This room is to the left of the upstairs foyer. Each child has a locker where they keep their outfit and pajama's and slippers for the week. You can't see the other set of lockers which includes Rance's, but they are immediately on the left when you walk through the door. The door on the right is the toilet and the door on the left is the sleeping room. You can see a glimpse of a doorway just before the lockers on the left which goes into the main room where Rance's group spends all of their time.
This is the sleeping room where all of the 9 kiddos in Rance's group sleep. Rance's bed is the fourth one back on the right side.
This is the room Rance's group spends all of their time in. Rance said he doesn't even remember the last time he was outside. Its not a large room, I am standing against one wall to take this picture. Its not child friendly in its decorations, just plain white walls and plain white lace curtains. There are few toys for the children to play with, in the left corner is their "house" area, with a small table and 2 plastic chairs and 2 dolls. Then there is a small kitchen set and then the wooden "desk" with the mirror is their barber shop. The wall I am standing against is just shelves that hold their stuffed animals and few toys. In one corner there are some plant stands with small green plans and an aquarium, but I don't remember if there are any fish in it or not.
That's all we were allowed to see and take pictures of. Its a rather small orphanage with only 23 kids in it (soon to be only 22!!). It is also a special needs orphanage. Rance was put there because of his eye condition, there were a few with down syndrome and several with symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome and several that looked healthy and normal!
Tomorrow we wait until the court gives us the official court decree saying Rance is ours and then we will go straight to the orphanage to pick Rance up! We will have to sign papers, change Rance's clothes and help Rance say good bye and that will be the last we will see of this place!
We have asked Rance several times if he is ready to leave the orphanage forever, to never come back, and each time he says yes without hesitation. However, I think tomorrow will be hard on him and I know it will be hard on the caregivers who love him very much and his friends who will be left behind.
As we were taking pictures Friday night of the orphanage and of Rance's group both Matt and I's hearts were breaking. They were breaking for all of the sweet children left behind, one little girl in particular stole our hearts right away. She is also Rance's closest friend.
There is a caregiver there who loves Rance very much and is very close to him. We wanted a picture of her with Rance but she wouldn't even come in the room because she said it would be too hard on her and she knew she would cry.
So tomorrow while we will be so excited to finally make Rance a part of our family, we realize we will be breaking hearts of those left behind in order to do so.
Please pray for the caregivers and the other children, specifically the other 8 left in Rance's group tomorrow. Pray that God will comfort their hurting hearts and pray that the children will understand why they were "left behind."
Please pray for Rance. Although he says he is ready I know leaving tomorrow will be hard on him. This orphanage is almost all he has ever known.
Please pray for Cavin as he will adjust to having big brother around full time, not just for two hours everyday.
Please pray for us, pray that we will be compassionate for those who are hurting and that we will have wisdom to help guide Rance through this life change.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Taxi
This is our mostly faithful taxi.
We have been using this taxi for over a month. We discovered they were $5.00 cheaper per round trip to the orphanage and back, which doesn't sound like a lot, but times that by 30 days and we've already saved over $150! The orphanage is about a 20 minute drive one way from the orphanage, depending on who we get stuck behind and the weather conditions. We are thankful they were willing to cut us a deal and have been able to drive us wherever we need at anytime.
We have 2 drivers, Roma and Oleg. They are both in their mid to upper 20's and are really nice guys. Through our translator we have gotten to know a little about each of them, as they have learned about our story as well.
We say this is our mostly faithful taxi because its a very old car and we've had a few occurrences when it would not start. Its funny because each time it happens it is with Oleg, the younger and seemingly not as car smart of the two drivers. The first time happened when Oleg came to pick us up to take us to the orphanage. It wouldn't even turn over so within a few minutes he was pushing us down the road to get it started.
The second time it happened when Oleg was picking us up from our visit at the orphanage. This time the car would turn over, but still not start. Oleg tried several different things but still couldn't get it to start. He finally called another taxi to drive out and get us. We finally suggested push starting it about the same time a group of 4 teenage boys were walking down the road. So the 4 boys pushed from behind (Oleg wouldn't let Matt help) and Oleg pushed from the driver's side door. We were thankful for the help as the roads in the village where the orphanage is are not cleared of snow. The car finally started as we neared the end of the road!
We especially love the way the taxi lights up at night, you know me, I love colors so this taxi is perfect for me! Ha! Roma laughed at me as I took a picture, but I wanted to remember our mostly faithful taxi, especially all lit up at night!
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