3.

A couple nights ago I looked back over some posts on here about this time last year.  It brought back feelings that I hoped to long forget... celebrating Sweet P's 2nd birthday without her in attendance.  It felt almost wrong to have a family party with the guest of honor not present, yet we had to mark the special day. 

We have all waited the last few weeks with much anticipation for September 16 because Sweet P is HERE to join in the celebration!  She was able to open cards and gifts from extended family last night since K and Buddy are on a guys camping trip with church friends.  We'll enjoy cupcakes on Sunday.

I tried to find a video that would show best how well she is speaking English, but I didn't capture one.  I will keep trying because it is a huge answer to prayer!  However, I did get a video that proves she already knows the value of the American dollar.  Hope you laugh too.

Each day is a gift to have Sweet P home, but today was especially treasured.  Time passes too quickly and she is already growing up way to fast for my liking.

I love you, baby girl!  Happy birthday!

questions answered.

We've gotten quite a few questions, and I am sure there are even more unspoken.  I love sharing about this journey because I think adoption is one of the most amazing things I may ever experience in my life... I am praying more of you will experience this miracle!  


If you have more questions, please, please feel free to ask them.  Post a comment or send me an email.  No questions are wrong to ask, unless you are the man at Costco who asked me last week if I was babysitting... and it was only annoying because Sweet P was wearing a matching outfit with Peanut.  Have you ever seen a babysitter dress her children identical to the one she is watching?

Now without further ado, your questions:

• I was wondering how the "Sweet P Doll" worked out?  I didn't see any mention of it during your gotcha day blog and I've been curious how it would all pan out for you.  I loved the idea and hope it helped ease some of the unfamiliarity.

• Um, well, I wish I could tell you!  We received back every single gift we sent her - many unused - all except the doll.  When we went to pick her up, we had the matching doll with us.  You can see it poking out of my bag above.  We had just finished the video of her pictures and were caught off guard when she suddenly was walked into the room.  You will also see us giving a (very incorrectly done) wai as greeting.  When we did show Sweet P the doll, she didn't seem to have any connection to it.  
• Exactly how old is she?
• She was two years and 6.5 months when we met in Thailand.  That makes her 8 months and 2 days younger than Buddy.  Her third birthday is coming up very soon on September 16!   
• Is there a transition period? 
• Yes, but we have no idea how long it will last or at what point you announce "She's fully adjusted!"  It also looks different for every child just like every newborn you bring home from the hospital adjusts to life outside the womb differently.  Some scream and cry with colic or reflux.  Some are mellow little dudes who are content doing whatever.  Some sleep all day and some hardly ever sleep.  You just never know what you are going to get until they are born!  So it is with adoption.  
• Did she know English?   How is her language coming along?
• Nope.  Kept things interesting in the beginning.  :)  She spoke Thai to us most of the time for a few weeks.  She is still picking up words daily and it is fun to hear!  Some of our English sounds are difficult for her since they don't use them in Thai, but I bet within a couple months she will be full up.
• Do you call her S...........? (her English name)
• Yes.  For a short while in Thailand we called her by her Thai name or nickname, but then at her doctor visit the doctor said we should go ahead and strictly call her the English name we were giving her... and she responded to it almost immediately! 
• What does she eat?
• In the beginning, it was a little tricky.  All the new smells and tastes were a little too much for her some days.  She gradually warmed up to our flavors and is enjoying almost all foods.  She still has her Thai love for spicy foods and eats them up quickly! 
• How's she doing with her medications, etc. - where you able to wean her off more?  Does she still have the shunt - forever? 
• Yes, we were able to wean her off the anti-seizure medications completely after her brain scan showed no seizure activity.   It was an awful process... as if her brain was finally waking up after slight sedation for two years, and for a few days she slept only six hours each night.  Before the weaning process, she was sleeping 10 hours at night and taking a 3-4 hour nap.  I was worried she might never sleep again!  ...but I'm happy to report back to her previous sleeping schedule.  We're all a lot better off each day with a good night's rest.

faces with names.

‎...orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.

They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.

It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. 

But once you do, everything changes.

Radical, by David Platt

Meet some of the faces from Sweet P's orphanage.  

At the end of the video you'll hear me say "She has a nickname?"  Everyone in Thailand has a name, most of them rather long and difficult to spell in English, but they believe once you are named, the evil spirits know who you are and try to attack.  In order to confuse the spirits, they give you an unrelated, short nickname.  Sweet P's nickname was Ice!  Some kids are called Pepsi or Apple or Moo (little mouse) or even after favorite American celebrities like Reese (Witherspoon).  

All of these children have names.  ...and 30% of them are adoptable and need forever families... like yours.  They are starving for love and it's obvious because they were begging for hugs and to be held and to be wanted.  It still chokes me up seeing them.  Before we set foot in Thailand, I worried these faces would haunt me after we left.  The Lord has not let me forget.  

So I will be their advocate.  

I will not keep their faces all to myself.  

Every child deserves a loving forever family.  Please take a look at these sweet children:

They sleep in beds like these:

They wear these little shoes:

They eat here:

They play on these toys:

They need someone like this to love them:

If you have an interest in China, our agency has need for families to adopt.  If you are interested (couples or single woman) in finding out more with no pressure, email ky@adoptionadvocates.org. 

Sadly, the agency we used to adopt Sweet P and now another child has closed.  Please research others!  There are so many that are ethical and worth checking out.  Be assured, if you contact an agency to inquire for more information, they will not continue to contact you.  They realize it's a very personal reason why families choose to adopt, and they will not pressure you in any way.  On that note, I would call around before making a decision.  

welcome to the heat.

(Apologies for the crazy formatting on this post... I'm too tired to fight with it.)

This is the number that greeted us when we rolled into Vegas.  Definitely a warm welcome.

These two are in town.  Everyone had better clean up their act.  It is Vegas, afterall, and it's sure to be a lot safer now.

We stayed at a nearby hotel for a couple days while the rest of our household goods arrived.  Sweet P was all mixed up with more transitions, therefore, naps did not go well.  At all.  And that is a horrible understatement.  So it was no surpise she fell asleep during Bible time and bedtime stories. 

Our arrival in Vegas was a few days before America's birthday.  We scouted out a good parade and found the jackpot.  I dare say it was the best parade I have seen, aside from missing a jet flyover!  The people of Summerlin sure know how to put on a parade. However, too many parade attenders confused me.  Why attend a patriotic parade and yet fail to put your hand on your heart or stand for the flag presentation?  For real, people, you should just stay home.  What was angering were the people who didn't bother to stand and applaud the blue and gold star families as they passed.  The faces they carried are the reason you can attend a parade in the first place.  Let's show a little patriotism and thanks for our military members. 

(Deep breath.)  Off my soap box to resume regularly scheduled blogging.

Here were my little patriots:

Early, early morning entertainment out on the "dock."  A word to the wise:  if you are going to move with children, move east.  The time change going west is awful on parents who stay up late unpacking. 

Sweet P found this puzzle in one box and proceeded to assemble it time after time after time ... day after day after day.  She is still asking for Elmo.  When we visited the orphanage, there weren't toys that contained pieces, so I think she's reveling in this new found freedom!  Other new (and annoyingly messy) toys are Lite Brite and all the play dishes and foods.

She also enjoys playing with the letter magnets, mostly lining them up in rows.  One day I looked over as she was at work and saw this:

I think she's not letting on truly how much she knows.  :)

Peanut saved up $10.00 to buy a bigger bike with Daddy, and I wasn't too surprised when they brought home a princess bike!  She was so excited to choose one and then show off for us riding around the neighborhood. 

She also started dance for the first time ever and is loving it.  I am not sure quite how much she is learning, but most of the fun is the anticipation and dressing up.

She is about as flexible as her mom on this move! 

This little one is obsessed with pockets as of late.  One day K met me after a doctor appt and had gotten the kids ready.  Sweet P had on a cute dress but later I discovered she had pulled on shorts too, just so she would have pockets!  She has yet to fill them up but always wants to have some on her body.  Funny girl.  Here she is proudly displaying her pockets. 

A rare morning we made it out to eat breakfast while it was still semi-cool.  Oh, how I look forward to winter here!

I walked in on this scene and asked what was going on... Peanut informed me she was the princess and (note the crossed arms and firm looks) the other two were her advisors.  It's clear who is running the show.

... and the big finish!  I'll bet you get a laugh.  Drive-in movie night laundry-basket-style. 

(If I know you and you're not some random blog stalker...) You are welcome to visit us!  We have plenty of room for you and, if you can handle the constant chatter of three littles, we'd love visitors!  Blessings, angela